Sensing climb of obstacle of a robotic cleaning device

• US 10,149,589 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Original Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Inventors: Lindhe, Magnus, Forsberg, Petter
• Primary Examiner(s): GOLIGHTLY, ERIC WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US15/101,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165

Abstract

A robotic cleaning device having a main body and a propulsion system to move the robotic cleaning device, an obstacle detecting device, a controller to control the propulsion system to move the robotic cleaning device, and an angle-measuring device to measure tilt angles of the robotic cleaning device. The controller controls the angle-measuring device to measure a first tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device before the obstacle is traversed, and to measure a second tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle. The controller compares the second tilt angle with the first tilt angle, and controls the operation of the robotic cleaning device based on a difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle.

Claims

1. A method of controlling operation of a robotic cleaning device, comprising the steps of:

detecting an obstacle to be traversed;

measuring a first tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device before the obstacle is traversed;

measuring a second tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle;

comparing the second tilt angle with the first tilt angle;

controlling the operation of the robotic cleaning device based on a difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle;

positioning the robotic cleaning device with respect to the obstacle to be traversed; and

controlling movement of the robotic cleaning device on the basis of the positioning,

wherein the step of controlling the operation based on a difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle comprises;

deactivating the positioning of the robotic cleaning device before the obstacle is traversed; and

re-activating the positioning of the robotic cleaning device when the second tilt angle is substantially equal to the first tilt angle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle are measured with respect to a surface to be cleaned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle are measured with respect to gravity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the operation based on a difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle comprises:

controlling the robotic cleaning device to perform a second cleaning program different from a first cleaning program performed before the obstacle was traversed, when the difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle exceeds a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring a second tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle further comprises:

measuring a number of tilt angles while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle;

the step of comparing further comprising;

comparing one or more of the number of tilt angles with the first tilt angle, wherein the operation of the robotic cleaning device is controlled based on a difference between the one or more of the number of tilt angles and the first tilt angle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein in case any one the number of tilt angles measured while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle differs from the first tilt angle after a re-activating of the positioning has been performed, the positioning is again deactivated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring a second tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle further comprises:

controlling the robotic cleaning device to traverse the obstacle according to a predetermined movement pattern while measuring the second tilt angle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a third tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device with respect to the surface to be cleaned after the object has been traversed;

comparing the third tilt angle with the first tilt angle; and

controlling the operation of the robotic cleaning device based on a difference between the third tilt angle and the first tilt angle.

19. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a device to perform the steps recited in claim 1 when the computer-executable instructions are executed on a processing unit included in the device.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium having the computer program according to claim 19 embodied therein.

9. A robotic cleaning device comprising:

a main body;

a propulsion system arranged to move the robotic cleaning device;

an obstacle detection device;

a controller arranged to control the propulsion system to move the robotic cleaning device; and

an angle-measuring device arranged to measure tilt angles of the robotic cleaning device;

wherein the controller is arranged to control the angle-measuring device to measure a first tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device before a detected obstacle is traversed, and to measure a second tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle, the controller further being arranged to compare the second tilt angle with the first tilt angle, and to control the operation of the robotic cleaning device based on a difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle, and

wherein the controller is further arranged to;

perform a positioning of the robotic cleaning device with respect to the obstacle to be traversed, and

control movement of the robotic cleaning device on the basis of the positioning,

deactivate the positioning of the robotic cleaning device before the obstacle is traversed, and

re-activate the positioning of the robotic cleaning device when the second tilt angle is substantially equal to the first tilt angle.

10. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, the controller further being arranged to:

perform a positioning of the robotic cleaning device with respect to the detected obstacle from positional data derived from the obstacle detection device, wherein the controlling of the movement of the robotic cleaning device is performed on the basis of the positioning.

11. The robotic cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the obstacle detection device comprises a 3D sensor system.

12. The robotic cleaning device of claim 11, wherein the 3D sensor system comprises:

a camera device arranged to record images of a vicinity of the robotic cleaning device; and

a first vertical line laser and a second vertical line laser arranged to illuminate the vicinity of the robotic cleaning device;

the controller further being arranged to derive the positional data from the recorded images.

13. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, wherein the angle-measuring device comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

14. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, the controller further being arranged to:

when the difference between the second tilt angle and the first tilt angle exceeds a threshold value;

control the robotic cleaning device to perform a second cleaning program different from a first cleaning program performed before the obstacle was traversed.

15. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, the controller further being arranged to:

measure a number of tilt angles while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle; and

compare one or more of the number of tilt angles with the first tilt angle, wherein the operation of the robotic cleaning device is controlled based on a difference between the one or more of the number of tilt angles and the first tilt angle.

16. The robotic cleaning device of claim 15, the controller further being arranged to deactivate the positioning, when any one of the number of tilt angles measured while the robotic cleaning device traverses the obstacle differs from the first tilt angle after a re-activating of the positioning has been performed.

17. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, the controller further being arranged to:

control the robotic cleaning device to traverse the obstacle according to a predetermined movement pattern while measuring the second tilt angle.

18. The robotic cleaning device of claim 9, the controller further being arranged to:

measure a third tilt angle of the robotic cleaning device after the obstacle has been traversed;

compare the third tilt angle with the first tilt angle; and

control operation of the robotic cleaning device based on a difference between the third tilt angle and the first tilt angle.