APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING CLEANING IN ROBOTIC CLEANER

• US 20130206177A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Burlutskiy, Nikolay
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

An operation of a robotic cleaner includes generating at least one map including information regarding a space to be cleaned by using information measured by at least one sensor. The operation also includes setting a cleaning path by using the at least one map, and cleaning according to the cleaning path.

Claims

1. A method for operating a robotic cleaner, the method comprising:

generating at least one map including information regarding a space to be cleaned by using information measured by at least one sensor;

setting a cleaning path by using the at least one map; and

cleaning according to the cleaning path,

wherein the at least one map includes at least one of a first map that indicates a cleaning complete state, a second map that indicates activity of dynamic objects, a third map that indicates reachability of the robotic cleaner, a fourth map that indicates a cleaning state, and a fifth map that indicates an area difficult to be cleaned.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first map includes information regarding objects in the space to be cleaned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second map represents activity by using one of a level area map and a grid map.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third map indicates at least one of a reachable area, an unreachable area, an area reachable but not suitable for a cleaning operation, and an area temporarily unreachable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth map indicates a cleaned area and an uncleaned area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the fourth map includes a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells have a value indicating cleanness, the value indicating the cleanness is decreased over time after being initialized to a maximum value after cleaning, and in the uncleaned area, the value indicating the cleanness is less than a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the area difficult to be cleaned and indicated by the fifth map includes an area in which a cleaning progress speed is less than or equal to a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting of the cleaning path comprises:

setting an obstacle area in the space; and

setting at least one rectangular area in a range other than the obstacle area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning according to the cleaning path comprises cleaning at a speed less than or equal to a threshold speed in an active area indicated by the second map.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon detecting of a new obstacle during the cleaning operation, updating the fourth map; and

generating a message for reporting to a user a reason of failing in cleaning in an area corresponding, to the obstacle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after completion of the cleaning, attempting to clean one of an area difficult to be cleaned and indicated by the fifth map, an area reachable but not suitable for the cleaning operation and indicated by the third map, and an area temporarily unreachable.

12. A robotic cleaner apparatus comprising:

a suction unit configured to suck air and collect dust on a floor under the control of a controller;

a driving unit configured to provide physical power for moving the robotic cleaner under the control of the controller; and

the controller configured to provide control to generate at least one map including information regarding a space to be cleaned by using information measured by at least one sensor, to set a cleaning path by using the at least one map, and to perform cleaning according to the cleaning path,

wherein the at least one map includes at least one of a first map that indicates a cleaning complete state, a second map that indicates activity of dynamic objects, a third map that indicates reachability of the robotic cleaner, a fourth map that indicates a cleaning state, and a fifth map that indicates an area difficult to be cleaned.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first map includes information regarding objects in the space to be cleaned.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second map represents activity by using one of a level area map and a grid map.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third map indicates at least one of a reachable area, an unreachable area, an area reachable but not suitable for a cleaning operation, and an area temporarily unreachable.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fourth map indicates a cleaned area and an uncleaned area.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fourth map includes a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells have a value indicating cleanness, the value indicating the cleanness is decreased over time after being initialized to a maximum value after cleaning, and in the uncleaned area, the value indicating the cleanness is less than a threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the area difficult to be cleaned and indicated by the fifth map includes an area in which a cleaning progress speed is less than or equal to a threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller sets an obstacle area in the space, and sets at least one rectangular area in a range other than the obstacle area.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller controls to clean at a speed less than or equal to a threshold speed in an active area indicated by the second map.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein upon detecting of a new obstacle during the cleaning operation, the controller updates the fourth map, and generates a message for reporting to a user a reason of failing in cleaning in an area corresponding to the obstacle.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein after completion of the cleaning, the controller attempts to clean one of an area difficult to be cleaned and indicated by the fifth map, an area reachable but not suitable for the cleaning operation and indicated by the third map, and an area temporarily unreachable.