ROBOT CLEANER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20150265125A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Jeong Gon, Lee, Jong Gap
• Granted Patent: US 9,474,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed

Abstract

A robot cleaner is provided. The robot cleaner includes a main body forming an exterior; a floor detection sensor for detecting a distance from the main body to a floor surface; a tilt sensor for detecting inclination of the main body; and a controller for determining whether there is a protruding part that protrudes from a floor surface in a running path of the main body, based on a first sensor value output by the floor detection sensor and a second sensor value output by the tilt sensor. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a robot cleaner may properly move around and perform vacuuming by taking into account conditions of a floor surface. It may also smoothly climb over a doorsill and dynamically change its running pattern based on the presence/absence and position of an obstacle in climbing the doorsill.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body forming an exterior;

a floor detection sensor for detecting a distance from the main body to a floor surface;

a tilt sensor for detecting an inclination of the main body; and

a controller for determining whether there is a protruding part that protrudes from a floor surface in a running path of the main body, based on a first sensor value output by the floor detection sensor and a second sensor value output by the tilt sensor.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the protruding part comprises a doorsill.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to initially determine whether there is the protruding part based on the first sensor value, and to finally determine whether there is the protruding part based on the second sensor value.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to initially determine whether there is the protruding part based on a difference between the first sensor values that vary in time.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to, for each time area in which multiple first sensor values are output, determine whether a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value among the multiple first sensor values exceeds a predetermined first determination value, and to determine that there is the protruding part if the difference exceeds the first determination value.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the first determination value is set depending on a brightness level of the floor surface.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the second sensor value exceeds a predetermined second determination value, and finally determine that there is the protruding part if the second sensor value exceeds the second determination value.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a driving unit for controlling drive wheels equipped in the main body to have the main body climb over the protruding part.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the driving unit is configured to control the drive wheels to drive the main body to climb over the protruding part in a zigzag running pattern.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the driving unit is configured to control the drive wheels to drive the main body along a running pattern that changes according to a position of an obstacle in climbing the protruding part.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 10, wherein the driving unit is configured to control the drive wheels to drive the main body in a left/right zigzag running pattern in which the main body moves to the left and then to the right, if there is an obstacle to the right of the protruding part.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 10, wherein the driving unit is configured to control the drive wheels to drive the main body in a right/left zigzag running pattern in which the main body moves to the right and then to the left, if there is an obstacle to the left of the protruding part.

13. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

detecting a distance between a main body and a floor surface with a floor detection sensor;

detecting an inclination of the main body with a tilt sensor; and

determining whether there is a protruding part that protrudes from a floor surface in a running path of the main body, based on a first sensor value output from the floor detection sensor and a second sensor value output from the tilt sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the protruding part comprises a doorsill.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether there is a protruding part comprises

initially determining whether there is the protruding part based on the first sensor value, and finally determining whether there is the protruding part based on the second sensor value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether there is a protruding part comprises:

initially determining whether there is the protruding part based on a difference between the first sensor values that vary in time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether there is a protruding part comprises, for each time area in which multiple first sensor values are output, determining whether a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value among the multiple first sensor values exceeds a predetermined first determination value, and determining that there is the protruding part if the difference exceeds the first determination value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first determination value is set depending on a brightness level of the floor surface.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether there is a protruding part comprises:

determining whether the second sensor value exceeds a predetermined second determination value, and finally determining that there is the protruding part if the second sensor value exceeds the second determination value.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling drive wheels equipped in the main body to have the main body climb over the protruding part.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the controlling the drive wheels comprises:

controlling the drive wheels to drive the main body to climb over the protruding part in a zigzag running pattern.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the controlling the drive wheels comprises:

controlling the drive wheels to drive the main body along a running pattern that changes according to a position of an obstacle in climbing the protruding part.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the controlling the drive wheels comprises:

controlling the drive wheels to drive the main body in a left/right zigzag running pattern in which the main body moves to the left and then to the right, if there is an obstacle to the right of the protruding part.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the controlling the drive wheels comprises:

controlling the drive wheels to drive the main body in a right/left zigzag running pattern in which the main body moves to the right and then to the left, if there is an obstacle to the left of the protruding part.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first pattern comprises a zigzag pattern moving away from the obstacle on the first side and then toward the obstacle on the first side and the second pattern comprises a zigzag pattern moving away from the obstacle on the second side and then toward the obstacle on the second side.

25. A method of controlling a robot cleaner configured to clean a floor surface, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle;

determining whether the obstacle is on a first side or a second side of the robot cleaner;

detecting whether there is a protrusion from the floor surface; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move in a first pattern to climb the protrusion and to avoid the obstacle if the obstacle is determined as being on the first side or to move in a second pattern to climb the protrusion and to avoid the obstacle if the obstacle is determined as being on the second side.

27. A robot cleaner comprising:

a tilt sensor for measuring an inclination amount of the robot cleaner;

a first floor detection sensor, disposed at a front portion of the robot cleaner, for detecting a first distance from a floor to the robot cleaner;

a second floor detection sensor, disposed at a portion of the robot cleaner other than the front portion, for detecting a second distance from the floor to the robot cleaner;

a controller to extract minimum and maximum values among sensor values of the first and second floor detection sensor, and to determine that the robot cleaner is climbing a protrusion from the floor surface when the difference between the minimum and maximum values is determined to be greater than a first threshold and when the inclination amount of the tilt sensor exceeds a second threshold.