Device for detecting lift of autonomous mobile robot

• US 7,402,974 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeon, Hyeong-shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Duda; Rina I
• Application Number:
  US11/298,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20060220606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 318/567, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 180/65.1, 180/65.5
• US Class Current: 318/567
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/027 the inertia mass activating the switch mechanically, e.g. through a lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a device for detecting lift of an autonomous mobile robot. The device comprises at least one detection unit to detect lift of the main body of the robot during driving of the robot and to generate and output the lift detection signal, and a controller to control driving of the robot, and to output the driving stop signal to a driving motor after generating a driving stop signal for stopping driving of the robot according to the lift detection signal transmitted from the detection unit. When the robot is lifted by a user, the device stops driving of the motor in response to the lift of the robot, thereby eliminating additional operation of the user to stop driving of the robot as well as protecting the user.

Claims

1. A device for detecting lift of an autonomous mobile robot, the device comprising:

a mounting member fixed to one end of a main body of the autonomous mobile robot and having a shaft extension portion extending toward a ground surface the autonomous mobile robot is to be positioned on;

a sliding pipe connected to a wheel of the autonomous mobile robot and configured to slide vertically along the shaft extension portion of the mounting member;

a biasing member disposed within the sliding pipe between an end of the shaft extension portion and an inner surface of the mounting member and configured to provide a biasing force against the shaft extension portion;

at least one detection unit disposed on an outside of the sliding pipe; and

a detection jaw mounted at one side of the sliding pipe and configured to face the at least one detection unit such that when the autonomous mobile robot is placed on the ground surface, a weight of the autonomous mobile robot pushes the shaft extension portion toward the ground surface such that the biasing member is compressed and the at least one detection unit and the detection jaw are separated from each other, and such that when the autonomous mobile robot is lifted from the ground surface, the biasing member provides the biasing force against the shaft extension portion such that the sliding pipe slides away from the end of the shaft extension portion and the at least one detection unit and the detection jaw communicate or contact each other.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a controller configured to control a driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot, and to output a driving stop signal to a driving motor for stopping the driving operation of the robot when the at least one detection unit and the detection jaw communicate or contact each other.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detection unit comprises a contact sensor configured to generate signals of different levels according to contact with the detection jaw.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detection unit comprises an infrared sensor configured to emit an infrared signal to the detection jaw, and to generate signals of different levels according to infrared signals reflected back to the at least one detection unit by the detection jaw.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one detection unit includes a plurality of detection units, and when the controller receives a signal from each of the plurality of detection units that the detection jaw communicates or contacts with, the controller determines that the autonomous mobile robot is in a lifted state, and outputs the driving stop signal to the driving motor of the autonomous mobile robot to stop the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one detection unit includes a plurality of detection units, and when the controller does not receives a signal from one or more detection units among the plurality of detection units, the controller determines that the autonomous mobile robot is released from a lifted state, and outputs a driving restart signal to the driving motor of the autonomous mobile robot to restart the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous mobile robot is a cleaning robot.

8. A device for detecting lift of an autonomous mobile robot, the device comprising:

a plurality of fall prevention sensors provided at a lower end of a main body of the autonomous mobile robot that faces a ground surface the autonomous mobile robot is to be positioned on and configured to respectively measure distances between the ground surface and the lower end of the main body of the autonomous mobile robot and to output different distance signals according to the measured distances;

a detection unit configured to detect that the autonomous mobile robot is in danger of falling or has been lifted on the ground surface according to the different distance signals and to output a precipice detection signal or a lift detection signal based on the different distance signals; and

a controller configured to control a driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot, to generate a driving direction change signal for changing a driving direction of the autonomous mobile robot or a driving stop signal for stopping the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot according to the precipice detection signal or the lift detection signal output from the detection unit.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein, when the distance signals output from one or some of the plurality of fall prevention sensors are greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the detection unit detects that the autonomous mobile robot is in danger of falling, and outputs the precipice detection signal.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein, when the distance signals output from all of the plurality of fall prevention sensors are greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the detection unit detects that the autonomous mobile robot is in a lifted state, and outputs the lift detection signal.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein, when the distance signals output from all of the plurality of fall prevention sensors are less than the predetermined distance, the detection unit determines that the autonomous mobile robot is released from the lifted state, and outputs a release signal, and when the controller receives the release signal output from the detection unit, the controller outputs a driving restart signal to the driving unit to restart the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of fall prevention sensors comprises an infrared sensor to emit infrared signals to the ground surface and signals of different levels according to the infrared signals reflected to the fall prevention sensor by the ground surface.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the autonomous mobile robot is a cleaning robot.

14. An autonomous mobile robot, comprising:

a main body;

a driving motor configured to drive main wheels of the autonomous mobile robot;

a groove provided in the main body and including a detection unit;

a fixing member configured to move up and down in the groove provided in the main body when the autonomous mobile robot is placed onto and picked up from a ground surface; and

an assistant wheel connected to the fixing member and configured to assist the main wheels of the autonomous mobile robot so as to allow the autonomous mobile robot to move with stability and balance but not being driven by the driving motor,

wherein when the autonomous mobile robot is placed onto the ground surface, the assistant wheel contacts the ground surface thereby moving the fixing member up in the groove to contact the detection unit in the groove, and when the autonomous mobile robot is lifted up from the ground surface, the assistant wheel does not contact the ground surface thereby moving the fixing member down in the groove such that the fixing member does not contact the detection unit in the groove.

15. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 14, further comprising:

a controller configured to control a driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot, and to generate a driving stop signal for stopping the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot when the fixing member does not contact the detection unit.

16. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a restart driving signal for restarting the driving operation of the autonomous mobile robot when the fixing member again contacts the detection unit.