Robot vacuum cleaner

• US 20060020369A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharper Image Acquisition, LLC (ThreeSixty Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharper Image Acquisition, LLC (ThreeSixty Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Parker, Andrew J., Taylor, Charles E., Lau, Shek Fai, Ng, Eric, DiBernardo, Enrico, Blair, Eric C., Heninger, Andrew, Witman, Robert D., Stout, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US11/171,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

The invention covers a robot cleaner that includes a cleaning unit and wheels to move the robot cleaner. The robot cleaner also includes a processor for controlling cleaning that is capable of estimating the size of a room based on distances between obstacles. The robot cleaner has several modes of operation that allow it to clean an entire room more effectively.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner including:

a cleaning unit;

wheels to move the robot cleaner; and

a processor to control the robot cleaner, wherein an estimate of room size is determined based on distances between obstacle detections, and the estimate of room size is used to determine the distance that the robot cleaner goes in a wall following mode when the robot cleaner attempts to move to a new area.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein an indication of area covered in a cleaning mode is maintained.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the indication of area covered in the cleaning mode and the estimated room size are used to determine when to move to a new area.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to move to a new area is done when the robot cleaner contacts an obstacle.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to move to a new area is done probabilistically.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to move to a new area is done probabilistically and the probability of moving to a new area depends on the estimated room size.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to move to a new area is done probabilistically and the probability of moving to a new area depends on the area covered in a cleaning mode.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner has multiple cleaning modes.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner uses the room size estimate to select between cleaning modes.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 1, estimate to select between a wall cleaning mode and an area cleaning mode.

17. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the robot cleaner has a bumper with left and right contact sensors, and wherein the triggering of the contact sensors effects the update of the internal map.

18. The robot cleaner of claim 17, wherein if both left and right contact sensors trigger the indicated obstacle in the internal map is greater than if only one of the left and right contact sensors trigger.

11. A robot cleaner including:

a cleaning unit; and

a processor to control the robot cleaner, wherein an internal map is maintained, the internal map indicating the orientation of any detected obstacles, the internal map is used to determine a new direction to go if the robot cleaner detects an obstacle, the internal map is cleared after the robot cleaner is out of a local region.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the internal map is cleared after traveling a predetermined distance without encountering another obstacle

13. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the robot cleaner moves to a center location after encountering an obstacle.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the robot cleaner moves to a center location after encountering an obstacle and the robot cleaner moves in a direction indicated by the internal map as being potentially unoccupied after moving to the center location.

15. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the internal map is stored as an array.

16. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the internal map is stored as an array and the internal map array is shifted when the robot cleaner turns.

19. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein if the internal map indicates obstacles in a predetermined percentage of directions the robot cleaner goes into an escape mode.

20. The robot cleaner of claim 19, wherein in the escape mode the robot cleaner does curves that contacts the obstacles until an escape is found.

21. The robot cleaner of claim 20, wherein if no escape is found after a predetermined time the robot cleaner signals that it needs assistance.

22. A robot cleaner including:

a bumper;

a cleaning unit; and

a processor to control the robot cleaner, wherein a first floor region next to a wall is cleaned with the robot cleaner such that the bumper of the robot cleaner contacts the wall, the robot cleaner backs up, and wherein a second floor region next to the wall is cleaned with the robot cleaner such that the bumper of the robot cleaner contacts the wall, the second floor region being adjacent to the first floor region.

23. A robot cleaner including:

a cleaning unit with a brush; and

a processor to control the robot cleaner, wherein an entanglement of the brush is detected, the brush is turned off, the robot cleaner moves forward with the brush off, and the brush is turned on to detect whether the entanglement is removed.

24. A robot cleaner system comprising:

a robot cleaner including a cleaning unit and a processor; and

a remote control including a directional control, wherein a directional command from the remote control causes the robot cleaner to shift the cleaning in one direction without requiring a user to hold down the directional control until a spot is reached.

25. The robot cleaner system of claim 24, wherein if directional control is pressed for a short period of time the cleaning shifts into another direction.

26. The robot cleaner system of claim 24, wherein if directional control is pressed for a short period of time the cleaning shifts into another direction and if directional control is pressed for a longer period of time the robot cleaner follows the commands of the directional control.

27. The robot cleaner system of claim 24, wherein in a user control mode, a user can direct the robot cleaner using an outer directional control.

28. A robot cleaner including:

a housing;

a cleaning unit at the bottom of the housing; and

a bumper on the housing to sense obstacles, wherein after contacting an obstacle with the bumper, the robot cleaner does a serpentine clean having segments that lengthen as the robot cleaner moves away from the object.