Wall-following robot cleaner and method to control the same

• US 8,457,789 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Jun Pyo, Chung, Woo Ram, Yoo, Kyung Hwan, Joo, Jae Man, Wee, Hoon, Kim, Dong Won, Kim, Yong Tae
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/007,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20080249661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 701/25, 701/23, 700/253, 700/252, 700/245, 153/19, 15/3, 153/401, 901/1
• US Class Current: 700/252
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

A robot cleaner that cleans a cleaning region while traveling the cleaning region and a method to control the same are provided. The robot cleaner can uniformly clean a cleaning region based on a wall-following technique which allows the robot cleaner to travel along the outline of the cleaning region. The method selects, as a reference wall, a wall at a left or right side of the robot cleaner at a start position of the robot cleaner based on a left or right-based travel algorithm, which allows the robot cleaner to travel along a left or right wall, and controls the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region in a zigzag travel pattern in which the robot cleaner moves a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the reference wall at specific intervals along the selected reference wall while following the selected reference wall.

Claims

1. A method to control a robot cleaner having a controller therein, the method comprising:

selecting a first reference wall at a start position of the robot cleaner;

controlling the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern with respect to the selected first reference wall, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner repeatedly moves, beginning from the start position, first by a first predetermined distance along the first selected reference wall, moves second by a second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the first selected reference wall, moves third by the first predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the first selected reference wall, and moves fourth by the second predetermined distance to return to the first selected reference wall;

determining whether the robot cleaner has completed cleaning of the cleaning region, the robot cleaner moving in the zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region while following the selected first reference wall,

selecting a second reference wall at a position at which the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning when the robot cleaner is determined to have completed the cleaning of the cleaning region; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move along paths in a matrix including at least two zigzag travel patterns in directions perpendicular to each other to allow the robot cleaner to travel throughout the cleaning region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the first reference wall includes selecting a wall at a left side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a left-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the left side of the robot cleaner, the left-based travel algorithm being stored on a computer readable medium and executed by the controller.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the first reference wall includes selecting a wall at a right side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a right-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the right side of the robot cleaner, the right-based travel algorithm being stored on a computer readable medium and executed by the controller.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of the selected reference walls is at least two.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein controlling the robot cleaner to travel the cleaning region includes controlling the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner repeatedly moves by the first predetermined distance along the second selected reference wall, moves by the second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the second selected reference wall, moves by the first predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the second selected reference wall, and moves by the second predetermined distance to return to the second selected reference wall.

6. A robot cleaner to travel a given cleaning region to clean the cleaning region, the robot cleaner comprising:

a movable robot body; and

a controller to select a first reference wall at a start position of the robot cleaner and to drive the movable robot body of the robot cleaner to allow the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner repeatedly moves, beginning from the start position, first by a first predetermined distance along the first selected reference wall, moves second by a second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the first selected reference wall, moves third by the first predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the first selected reference wall, and moves fourth by the second predetermined distance to return to the first selected reference wall,

wherein the controller determines whether the robot cleaner has completed cleaning of the cleaning region, the robot cleaner moving in the zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region while following the selected first reference wall, and selects a second reference wall at a position at which the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning when the controller determines that the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning of the cleaning region,

wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to move along paths in a matrix including at least two zigzag travel patterns in directions perpendicular to each other to allow the robot cleaner to travel throughout the cleaning region.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the controller selects a wall at a left side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a left-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the left side of the robot cleaner, the left-based travel algorithm being stored on a computer readable medium and executed by the controller.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the controller selects a wall at a right side of the robot cleaner at the start position based on a right-based travel algorithm that allows the robot cleaner to travel along the wall at the right side of the robot cleaner, the right-based travel algorithm being stored on a computer readable medium and executed by the controller.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the controller selects at least two reference walls.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner repeatedly moves by the first predetermined distance along the second selected reference wall, moves by the second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the second selected reference wall, moves by the first predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the second selected reference wall, and moves by the second predetermined distance to return to the second selected reference wall.

11. A method of controlling a robot cleaner having a controller therein, comprising:

selecting a first reference wall of a room in relation to the robot cleaner;

controlling the robot cleaner to move in a zigzag travel pattern with respect to the selected first reference wall, the zigzag travel pattern being a pattern in which the robot cleaner repeatedly moves first by a first predetermined distance along the first selected reference wall, moves second by a second predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the first selected reference wall, moves third by the first predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the first selected reference wall, and moves fourth by the second predetermined distance to return to the first selected reference wall;

determining whether the robot cleaner has completed cleaning of the cleaning region, the robot cleaner moving in the zigzag travel pattern to gradually cover the cleaning region while following the selected first reference wall;

selecting a second reference wall at a position at which the robot cleaner has completed the cleaning when the robot cleaner is determined to have completed the cleaning of the cleaning region; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move along paths in a matrix including at least two zigzag travel patterns in directions perpendicular to each other to allow the robot cleaner to travel throughout the cleaning region.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining whether an angle of the first selected reference wall has changed by more than a specific angle with reference to a contour of the room,

wherein the robot cleaner is controlled to move the first predetermined distance, rotate 90 degrees and move the second predetermined distance in repetition when it is determined that the angle of the first selected reference wall has not changed by more than the specific angle with reference to the contour of the room.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

selecting a second reference wall of the room in relation to the robot cleaner; and

controlling the robot cleaner to move the first predetermined distance, rotate 90 degrees and move the second predetermined distance in repetition in relation to the second selected reference wall when it is determined that the angle of the first selected reference wall has changed by more than the specific angle with reference to the contour of the room.