Robot cleaner, docking station, robot cleaner system including robot cleaner and docking station, and method of controlling robot cleaner

• US 20110238214A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoo, Kyung-Hwan, Ko, Jang Youn, Chung, Woo Ram, Song, Jeong Gon, Jeung, Sam Jong, Joo, Jae Man, Hong, Jun Pyo, Jung, Jae Young, Lee, Jun Hwa, Kim, Dong Won, Jang, Hwi Chan
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/258
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

A robot cleaner system is described including a docking station to form a docking area within a predetermined angle range of a front side thereof, to form docking guide areas which do not overlap each other on the left and right sides of the docking area, and to transmit a docking guide signal such that the docking guide areas are distinguished as a first docking guide area and a second docking guide area according to an arrival distance of the docking guide signal. The robot cleaner system also includes a robot cleaner to move to the docking area along a boundary between the first docking guide area and the second docking guide area when the docking guide signal is sensed and to move along the docking area so as to perform docking when reaching the docking area.

Claims

1. A docking station comprising:

a first transmission unit to transmit a first docking guide signal in a first direction such that the first docking guide signal sensed by a robot cleaning device located in a first short-distance docking guide area is distinguishable from the first docking guide signal sensed by the robot cleaning device in a first long-distance docking guide area,

wherein the first docking guide signal comprises at least a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and

the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted within a single signal time frame to both the first short-distance docking guide area and the first long-distance docking guide area.

2. The docking station according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second transmission unit to transmit a second docking guide signal in a second direction such that the second docking guide signal sensed by the robot cleaning device located in a second short-distance docking guide area is distinguishable from the second docking guide signal sensed by the robot cleaning device in a second long-distance docking guide,

wherein the second docking guide signal comprises at least a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and

the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted within a single signal time frame to both the second short-distance docking guide area and the second long-distance docking guide area.

3. The docking station according to claim 2, wherein the first docking guide signal generated by the first transmission unit includes at least one first signal pulse having an amplitude that is greater than an amplitude of at least one second signal pulse, and

the second docking guide signal generated by the second transmission unit includes at least one first signal pulse having an amplitude that is greater than an amplitude of at least one second signal pulse.

4. The docking station according to claim 3, wherein the robot cleaning device is configured to distinguish the first short-distance docking guide area from the first long-distance docking guide area according to an arrival distance of the signal pulses of the first docking guide signal sensed thereby.

5. The docking station according to claim 1, further comprising a third transmission unit to transmit a third docking guide signal in a direction towards a front side of the docking station which overlaps with the first docking guide signal and the second docking guide signal.

6. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the first short-distance docking guide area and the second short-distance docking guide area do not overlap each other.

7. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the forming of the signals directed to the first docking guide area and the second docking guide area in the form of one signal includes forming a signal having a large amplitude, which reaches both the first docking guide area and the second docking guide area, and a signal having a small amplitude, which reaches only the second docking guide area, in the form of one signal.

8. The docking station according to claim 7, wherein the forming of the signals directed to the first docking guide area and the second docking guide area in the form of one signal includes forming signals having different amplitudes in the form of one signal, such that only a signal having a large amplitude is analyzed as a data bit in the first docking guide area and both the signal having the large amplitude and a signal having a small amplitude are analyzed as the data bit in the second docking guide area.

9. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit to transmit the docking guide signal includes a light emitting unit to generate the docking guide signal and a shading plate to block some of the docking guide signal so as to reduce a spreading angle of the docking guide signal.

10. The docking station according to claim 9, further comprising a lens unit provided outside the light emitting unit so as to spread the docking guide signal.

11. The docking station according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit to transmit a docking signal from a central portion of a front side of a main body of the docking station within a predetermined angle range such that a docking area which does not overlap the first docking guide area or the second docking guide area is formed.

12. The docking station according to claim 11, wherein the transmission unit to transmit the docking signal includes a light emitting unit to generate the docking signal and a guide portion to guide a traveling direction of the docking signal such that the docking signal is formed at the central portion of the front side of the main body within the predetermined angle range.