Robot cleaner

• US 10,150,216 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Sun, Changhwa, Shin, Dongmyung, Cho, Sungjin
• Primary Examiner(s): Koehler, Christopher M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/196,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 15319
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4811 common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot cleaner is disclosed. The robot cleaner includes a cleaner body, a position sensor disposed in the cleaner body, the position sensor including a light transmission unit to emit light and a light reception unit to receive light reflected or scattered from an obstacle after being emitted from the light transmission unit, and a transparent member to transmit the light emitted from the light transmission unit and the light to be received by the light reception unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body provided with an opening;

a position sensor disposed in the cleaner body, the position sensor comprising a light transmission unit to emit light, a light reception unit to receive light reflected or scattered from an obstacle after being emitted from the light transmission unit and a base which supports the light transmission unit and the light reception unit and is rotatable about the cleaner body;

a transparent member to transmit the light emitted from the light transmission unit and the light to be received by the light reception unit; and

a transparent member frame mounted in the opening to fix the transparent member, wherein

the transparent member frame comprises a coupling groove extending in a longitudinal direction of the transparent member, in the coupling groove is inserted the transparent member, wherein,

the coupling groove comprises a linear section and a first curved section and a second curved section, wherein the first curved section and the second curved section are formed at opposite sides of the linear section, respectively, and the transparent member is formed of a flexible material deformable according to a shape of the coupling groove,

wherein the light emitted from the transmission unit is incident on a first curved surface portion of the transparent member corresponding to the first curved section, a flat surface portion of the transparent member corresponding to the linear section or a second curved surface portion of the transparent member corresponding to the second curved section according to a rotation of the base.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member includes a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge and a third longitudinal edge, wherein the second longitudinal edge and the third longitudinal edge are disposed on opposite sides of the first longitudinal edge, and the first longitudinal edge is inserted into the linear section, the second longitudinal edge is inserted into the first curved section and the third longitudinal edge is inserted into the second curved section.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, wherein

the coupling groove comprises a first coupling groove and a second coupling groove, and the transparent member frame comprises a first frame member and a second frame member, at which the first and second coupling grooves are formed, respectively,

wherein the first frame member and the second frame member are coupled to each other in a state in which the first longitudinal edge of the transparent member is inserted into the linear section and the second longitudinal edge of the transparent member is inserted into the first curved section and the third longitudinal edge of the transparent member is inserted into the second curved section.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the transparent member is deformed according to a shape of the linear section and the first and second curved sections.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein each concave surface of the first curved section and second curved sections faces the light transmission unit or the light reception unit.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the curved sections are symmetrically disposed.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member frame comprises a receiving groove depressed toward the transparent member so as to surround the position sensor such that the position sensor is adjacent to the transparent member.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is fixed by the position sensor.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the position sensor comprises:

a base rotatably disposed at the cleaner body to support the light transmission unit and the light reception unit; and

a base cover to cover the base such that the base cover is rotated along with the base, and

the base cover is provided with an opening, in which the transparent member is fixed.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is formed by extrusion molding.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is a plate-shaped film.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to calibrate a distance to an object sensed by the position sensor based on a predetermined distance to the object.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 12, wherein

the light reception unit comprises an image sensor, on which a spot of the light reflected or scattered from the obstacle is formed, and

the controller is configured to correct a position of the spot per rotation angle of the base based on a difference between the predetermined distance and the distance sensed by the position sensor and calculates a distance to the obstacle based on the corrected position.