Control method for cleaning robots

• US 9,014,855 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MSI Computer Company Limited (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MSI Computer Company Limited (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Teng, You-Wei, Hung, Shih-Che, Leng, Yao-Shih
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/768,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• 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 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a control method for a cleaning robot with a quasi-omnidirectional detector and a directional light detector. The method includes: rotating the non-omnidirectional light detector when the non-omnidirectional light detector detects a light beam; when the non-omnidirectional light detector does not detect the light beam, the non-omnidirectional light detector is stopped from being spun and a rotation angle is estimated; determining a rotation direction according to the rotation angle; rotating the cleaning robot according to the rotation direction; stopping the rotation of the cleaning robot when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

Claims

1. A control method of a cleaning robot with a quasi-omnidirectional light detector and a directional light detector, comprising:

spinning the quasi-omnidirectional light detector when the quasi-omnidirectional light detector detects a light beam;

stopping the spinning of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector and estimating a spin angle when the quasi-omnidirectional does not detect the light beam;

determining a spin direction according to the spin angle;

spinning the cleaning robot according to the spin direction; and

stopping the spinning of the cleaning robot when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the light beam was output by a light generating device when detecting the light beam.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the spin angle is less than 180 degrees, the spin direction is a counter clockwise direction, and when the spin angle is larger than 180 degrees, the spin direction is a clockwise direction.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

fixing a mask of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector disposed in a backside of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

moving the cleaning robot to a light generating device along the light beam.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the cleaning robot moves to the light generating device along the light beam and the directional light detector cannot detect the light beam, the cleaning robot is spun in a predetermined direction and stops spinning when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

stopping the cleaning robot when the directional light detector cannot detect the light beam during the movement to the light generating device;

spinning the quasi-omnidirectional light detector to determine a first spin direction;

spinning the cleaning robot according to the first spin direction; and

stopping the spinning of the cleaning robot when the directional light detector detects the light beam and moving the cleaning robot straightforwardly.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the quasi-omnidirectional light detector comprises a light detector and a rib and the light detector cannot detect or transmit signal in a specific direction because of the rib.

9. A control method of a cleaning robot with a quasi-omnidirectional light detector and a directional light detector, comprising:

detecting a light beam via the quasi-omnidirectional light detector;

continuing the movement of the cleaning robot when the quasi-omnidirectional light detector detects a light beam for a first time;

stopping the spinning of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector and estimating a spin angle when the quasi-omnidirectional light detector does not detect the light beam;

determining a spin direction according to the spin angle;

spinning the cleaning robot according to the spin direction; and

stopping the spinning of the cleaning robot when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the light beam was output by a light generating device when detecting the light beam.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein when the spin angle is less than 180 degrees, the spin direction is a counter clockwise direction, and when the spin angle is larger than 180 degrees, the spin direction is a clockwise direction.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

fixing a mask of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector disposed in a backside of the quasi-omnidirectional light detector when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

moving the cleaning robot to a light generating device along the light beam.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the cleaning robot moves to the light generating device along the light beam and the directional light detector cannot detect the light beam, the cleaning robot is spun in a predetermined direction and stops spinning when the directional light detector detects the light beam.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

stopping the cleaning robot when the directional light detector cannot detect the light beam during the movement to the light generating device;

spinning the quasi-omnidirectional light detector to determine a first spin direction;

spinning the cleaning robot according to the first spin direction; and

stopping the spinning of the cleaning robot when the directional light detector detects the light beam and moving the cleaning robot straightforwardly.

16. A cleaning robot comprising:

a non-omni directional light detector to detect a wireless signal; and

a directional light detector to detect the wireless signal, wherein when the non-omni directional light detector detects the wireless signal, a spin direction is determined via the non-omni directional light detector, and the cleaning robot is spun according to the spin direction and the cleaning robot stops spinning when the directional light detector detects the wireless signal.

17. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

a controller to receive a first detection result of the non-omni directional light detector and a second detection result of the directional light detector;

a first spin motor, controlled by the controller, to spin the non-omni directional light detector; and

a second spin motor, controlled by the controller to spin the cleaning robot.

18. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a moving motor, controlled by the controller, to move the cleaning robot forwardly or backwardly.