Wall-following robot cleaner and method to control the same

• US 20080249661A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, Woo Ram, Joo, Jae Man, Hong, Jun Pyo, Kim, Yong Tae, Yoo, Kyung Hwan, Wee, Hoon, Kim, Dong Won
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/252
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• 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: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 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

Abstract

A robot cleaner that cleans a cleaning region while traveling the cleaning region and a method to control the same are provided. The robot cleaner can uniformly clean a cleaning region based on a wall-following technique which allows the robot cleaner to travel along the outline of the cleaning region. The method selects, as a reference wall, a wall at a left or right side of the robot cleaner at a start position of the robot cleaner based on a left or right-based travel algorithm, which allows the robot cleaner to travel along a left or right wall, and controls the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region in a zigzag travel pattern in which the robot cleaner moves a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the reference wall at specific intervals along the selected reference wall while following the selected reference wall.

Claims

1. A method to control a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

selecting a first reference wall at a start position of the robot cleaner; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move a first predetermined distance at specific intervals along the selected first reference wall to travel a cleaning region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the first reference wall includes selecting a wall at a left side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a left-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the left side of the robot cleaner.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the first reference wall includes selecting a wall at a right side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a right-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the right side of the robot cleaner.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region includes controlling the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner moves a second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the selected first reference wall at specific intervals along the selected first reference wall while following the selected first reference wall.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the zigzag travel pattern includes a first travel pattern in which the robot cleaner performs a wall-following movement of a specific interval along the selected first reference wall and then moves straight the second predetermined distance from the first reference wall and a second travel pattern in which the robot cleaner moves straight the second predetermined distance to a position to return to the first reference wall.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the robot cleaner has completed cleaning of the cleaning region, the robot cleaner moving in the zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region while following the selected first reference wall,

wherein, a second reference wall is selected at a position at which the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning when the robot cleaner is determined to have completed the cleaning of the cleaning region.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a number of the selected reference walls is at least two.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein controlling the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region includes controlling the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner moves the second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the second selected reference wall at specific intervals along the second selected reference wall while following the second selected reference wall.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein controlling the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region includes controlling the robot cleaner to move along paths in a matrix including at least two zigzag travel patterns in directions perpendicular to each other to allow the robot cleaner to travel throughout the cleaning region.

10. A robot cleaner to travel a given cleaning region to clean the cleaning region, the robot cleaner, comprising:

a movable robot body; and

a controller selecting a first reference wall at a start position of the robot cleaner and driving the movable robot body of the robot cleaner to move a first predetermined distance at specific intervals along the selected first reference wall to travel the cleaning region.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller selects a wall at a left side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a left-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the left side of the robot cleaner.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller selects a wall at a right side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a right-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the right side of the robot cleaner.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner moves a second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the selected first reference wall at specific intervals along the selected first reference wall while following the selected first reference wall.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the controller determines whether the robot cleaner has completed cleaning of the cleaning region, the robot cleaner moving in the zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region while following the selected first reference wall, and selects a second reference wall at a position at which the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning when the controller determines that the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning of the cleaning region.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the controller selects at least two reference walls.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner moves the second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the second selected reference wall at specific intervals along the second selected reference wall while following the second selected reference wall.

17. The robot cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to move along paths in a matrix including at least two zigzag travel patterns in directions perpendicular to each other to allow the robot cleaner to travel throughout the cleaning region.

18. A method of controlling a robot cleaner, comprising:

selecting a first reference wall of a room in relation to the robot cleaner; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move a first distance, rotate 90 degrees and move a second distance in repetition in relation to the first selected reference wall to travel a cleaning region.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising determining whether an angle of the first selected reference wall has changed by more than a specific angle with reference to a contour of the room,

wherein the robot cleaner is controlled to move the first distance, rotate 90 degrees and move the second distance in repetition when it is determined that the angle of the first selected reference wall has not changed by more than the specific angle with reference to the contour of the room.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

selecting a second reference wall of the room in relation to the robot cleaner; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move the first distance, rotate 90 degrees and move the second distance in repetition in relation to the second selected reference wall to travel the cleaning region when it is determined that the angle of the first selected reference wall has changed by more than the specific angle with reference to the contour of the room.