DEBRIS DETECTING UNIT AND ROBOT CLEANING DEVICE HAVING THE SAME

• US 20120222224A1
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Sang Sik, Lee, Jun Hwa, Jang, Hwi Chan, Kim, Kang Nam
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/52.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/024 Emptying dust or waste liquid containers
• 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 9/281 the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles

Abstract

A robot cleaning device includes a debris detecting unit. The robot cleaning device includes a body, a driving unit to enable the body to travel, a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum, a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit, a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation, and a controller to determine whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in a predetermined amount, based on introduction or non-introduction of debris detected by the debris detecting unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation; and

a controller to determine whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in a predetermined amount, based on introduction or non-introduction of debris detected by the debris detecting unit.

2. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein:

the debris detecting unit comprises a light emitter to emit beams, and a light receiver to receive the emitted beams; and

the controller determines whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount, in accordance with an amount of the beams received by the light receiver.

3. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount, based on a pattern of a variation in the amount of the beams received by the light receiver depending on a lapse of time.

4. The robot cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that debris has been introduced into the debris box when the amount of the beams received by the light receiver is reduced to a first reference value or below for a predetermined time, and is then returned to an original value.

5. The robot cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that debris has been accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount, when the amount of the received beams is reduced to a second reference value or below, and is then maintained at the second reference value or below.

6. The robot cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that debris is trapped by an inlet of the debris box or debris overflows when a phenomenon that the amount of the beams received by the light receiver is reduced to a third reference value or below, and is then returned to an original value is repeated for a predetermined time.

7. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are arranged to face each other at a point where a path, along which debris is introduced, crosses an outline of a shape formed by the debris accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount.

8. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the debris box is made of a material capable of allowing the beams emitted from the light emitter to pass through the debris box, to enable the beams to be received by the light receiver.

9. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are installed at a position equal to or higher than a level of a threshold of the debris box, at which debris introduced into the debris box may escape from the debris box or debris accumulated in the debris box may overflow.

10. The robot cleaning device according to claim 9, wherein the installation position equal to or higher than the threshold level of the debris box is biased toward the debris box.

11. The robot cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein the installation position equal to or higher than the threshold level of the debris box is arranged between the threshold of the debris box and a top of the debris box while being closer to the threshold than to the top.

12. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller discriminates regions to be cleaned between a region from which debris is detected and a region from which no debris is detected and controls the robot cleaning device to clean the region from which debris is detected in a repeated manner or in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

13. The robot cleaning device according to claim 12, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to escape from the region from which debris is detected when a cleaning operation of the robot cleaning device for the region from which debris is detected is repeated a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time.

14. The robot cleaning device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a maintenance station, with which the robot cleaning device docks to check malfunction of the debris detecting unit,

wherein, when the robot cleaning device repeatedly cleans one region in spite of non-detection of debris, due to malfunction of the debris detecting unit, the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station or informs a user of the malfunction of the debris detecting unit.

15. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs a control operation to empty the debris box when it is determined by the debris detecting unit that debris has been accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount, debris is trapped by an inlet of the debris box, or debris overflows.

16. The robot cleaning device according to claim 15, further comprising:

a maintenance station to generate a flow of air to suck air from the debris box, thereby emptying the debris box,

wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station.

17. The robot cleaning device according to claim 16, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station when it is determined that the debris detecting unit malfunctions, debris has been accumulated in the debris box in the predetermined amount, debris is trapped by the inlet of the debris box, or debris overflows.

18. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation, the debris detecting unit comprising a light emitter to emit beams and a light receiver to receive the emitted beams; and

a controller to determine whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in a predetermined amount, based on introduction or non-introduction of debris detected by the debris detecting unit,

wherein the debris detecting unit comprises at least one reflector or refractor to reflect or refract the beams emitted from the light emitter along a predetermined path so that the emitted beams are received by the light receiver.

19. A debris detecting unit comprising:

a light emitter to emit beams;

a light receiver to receive the emitted beams; and

at least one reflector or refractor to reflect or refract the beams emitted from the light emitter along a predetermined path so that the emitted beams are received by the light receiver,

whereby the debris detecting unit detects introduction or non-introduction of debris.

20. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation; and

a controller to determine an amount of debris introduced into the debris box, based on a detection signal from the debris detecting unit, to compare the determined debris amount with at least two predetermined reference values, and to control the robot cleaning device to perform cleaning operations in a stepwise manner in accordance with results of the comparison.

21. The robot cleaning device according to claim 20, wherein:

the debris detecting unit comprises a light emitter to emit beams, and a light receiver to receive the emitted beams; and

the controller determines the amount of debris introduced into the debris box in accordance with an amount of the beams received by the light receiver.

22. The robot cleaning device according to claim 21, wherein the stepwise cleaning operations have different cleaning levels according to the results of the comparison of the determined debris amount with the at least two reference values, respectively.

23. The robot cleaning device according to claim 22, wherein the controller compares the determined debris amount with a first reference value and a second reference value, and controls the robot cleaner to perform a first cleaning operation when the determined debris amount is less than or equal to the first reference value, to perform a second cleaning operation when the determined debris amount is greater than the first reference value, but less than or equal to the second reference value, and to perform a third cleaning operation when the predetermined debris amount is greater than the second reference value.

24. The robot cleaning device according to claim 23, wherein the controller controls the first to third cleaning operations of the robot cleaning device such that a higher one of the first to third cleaning operations has a higher one of the cleaning levels.

25. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation, the debris detecting unit comprising a light emitter to emit beams and a light receiver to receive the emitted beams, the light emitter and the light receiver being arranged to face each other at a point where a path, along which debris is introduced, crosses an outline of a shape formed by the debris accumulated in the debris box in a predetermined amount; and

a controller to determine an amount of debris introduced into the debris box, based on a detection signal from the debris detecting unit, to compare the determined debris amount with at least two predetermined reference values, and to control the robot cleaning device to perform cleaning operations in a stepwise manner in accordance with results of the comparison.

26. The robot cleaning device according to claim 25, wherein the controller compares the determined debris amount with a first reference value and a second reference value, and controls the robot cleaner to perform a first cleaning operation when the determined debris amount is less than or equal to the first reference value, to perform a second cleaning operation when the determined debris amount is greater than the first reference value, but less than or equal to the second reference value, and to perform a third cleaning operation when the predetermined debris amount is greater than the second reference value.