Robot cleaner

• US 9,283,670 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Dongmyung, Sun, Changwha
• Primary Examiner(s): Patton, Spencer
• Application Number:
  US14/035,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a main body, a light transmitting unit, an image sensor, a base, a rotation drive unit, and an elevation drive unit. The light transmitting unit emits light. The light reflected or scattered by an obstacle is sensed by the image sensor. The base supports the light transmitting unit and the image sensor and is rotatably and vertically movably disposed in the main body. The rotation drive unit rotates the base. The elevation drive unit allows the base to retract or protract from the main body.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a light transmitting unit that emits light;

an image sensor that senses light reflected or scattered by an obstacle from the light emitted from the light transmitting unit;

a base supporting the light transmitting unit and the image sensor and rotatably and vertically movably disposed in the main body;

a rotation drive unit that rotates the base; and

an elevation drive unit that allows the base to retract and protract from the main body,

wherein when the elevation drive unit locates the base at a first location, the light transmitting unit emits light to the obstacle through a front side of the main body, and when the elevation drive unit locates the base at a second location, the light transmitting unit emits light to the obstacle from an upper side of the main body.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a controller to control at least one of the rotation drive unit and the elevation drive unit,

wherein the controller performs at least one of a first obstacle sensing control by controlling the rotation unit to rotate the base at the first location and a second obstacle sensing control by controlling the elevation drive unit to raise the base to the second location and controlling the rotation drive unit to rotate the base.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the controller controls the elevation drive unit to retract the base such that the base is housed in the main body when the obstacle is sensed by the controller through the second obstacle sensing control.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 2, further comprising a traveling drive unit to allow the main body to travel,

wherein after performing the first obstacle sensing control and the second obstacle sensing control, the controller can control the traveling drive unit such that the main body is capable of traveling.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller three-dimensionally maps an obstacle situation within an area to be cleaned based on a rotational angle of the base rotated by the rotation drive unit, a height raised by the elevation drive unit, and a distance from the obstacle, obtained from a location of a spot formed on the image sensor.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the traveling drive unit such that the main body avoids, crosses, or passes the obstacle, based on the mapped obstacle situation.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller performs the second obstacle sensing control when a plurality of obstacles are sensed within an area sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein when two straight line components spaced from each other at a certain interval on the same line are sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control, the controller controls the traveling drive unit so as to travel avoiding, crossing, or passing between the two straight line components according to a height of a section between the two straight line components.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the rotation drive unit turns the base within a certain angle range, 360 degrees, or more than 360 degrees.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the light transmitting unit comprises a laser diode emitting a laser beam.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a light receiving lens, wherein the light receiving lens is between the image sensor and the obstacle, and

wherein a distance between the obstacle and the light receiving lens is defined as distance L, the distance L is determined by

11. A robot cleaner of comprising:

a main body;

a light transmitting unit that emits light;

an image sensor that senses light reflected or scattered by an obstacle from the light emitted from the light transmitting unit;

a base supporting the light transmitting unit and the image sensor and rotatably and vertically movably located in the main body;

a rotation drive unit that rotates the base; and

an elevation drive unit that allows the base to retract and protract from the main body,

wherein the main body includes a transparent member to pass light emitted from the light transmitting unit when the elevation drive unit retracts the base into the main body.

13. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a location sensor rotatably and vertically movably located in the main body to sense a location of an obstacle by emitting light to the obstacle;

a rotation drive unit to rotate the location sensor;

an elevation drive unit to allow the location sensor to rise and fall; and

a controller to control one of the rotation drive unit and the elevation drive unit,

wherein the location sensor varies in emitting direction of light according to a rotation by the rotation drive unit, and

wherein the controller performs a first obstacle sensing control to sense a lower obstacle by controlling the rotation drive unit at a first location, and when an obstacle is sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control, the controller controls the elevation drive unit such that the location sensor is located at a second location where the location sensor upwardly protrudes from the main body and the controller performs a second obstacle sensing control to sense an upper obstacle by controlling the rotation drive unit.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 13, wherein the controller performs the second obstacle sensing control when a plurality of obstacles are sensed through the first obstacle sensing control.

15. The robot cleaner of claim 13, wherein when the controller does not sense the lower obstacle through the first obstacle sensing control and the controller senses the upper obstacle through the second obstacle sensing control, the controller controls the elevation drive unit such that the base is located at the first location.

16. The robot cleaner of claim 13, further comprising an upward distance sensor to emit light upward from an upper side of the main body and to receive light reflected or scattered by the obstacle that exists at the upper side of the main body.

17. The robot cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a controller to control one of the rotation drive unit and the elevation drive unit,

wherein when the controller senses the obstacle at the upper side of the main body through the upward distance sensor while the location sensor is raised from the upper side of the main body, the controller controls the elevation drive unit such that a height of the location sensor is adjusted within a range that does not exceed a distance between the obstacle and the upper side of the main body.

18. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a location sensor rotatably and vertically movably located in the main body to sense a location of an obstacle by emitting light to the obstacle;

a rotation drive unit to rotate the location sensor;

an elevation drive unit to allow the location sensor to rise and fall; and

a controller to control one of the rotation drive unit and the elevation drive unit,

wherein the controller performs first obstacle sensing by controlling the rotation drive unit such that the location sensor rotates at a first location where the location sensor is raised from an upper side of the main body, and when an obstacle is sensed by the first obstacle sensing, the controller controls the elevation drive unit such that the location sensor falls to a second location where the location sensor is housed in the main body.

19. The robot cleaner of claim 18, wherein the controller performs second obstacle sensing by controlling the rotation drive unit such that the location sensor rotates at the second location.

20. The robot cleaner of claim 19, further comprising a traveling drive unit to allow the main body to travel,

wherein when the controller senses the obstacle through the first obstacle sensing and the controller does not sense the obstacle in a plane region occupied by the obstacle through the second obstacle sensing, the controller controls the traveling drive unit such that the main body enters the region occupied by the obstacle sensed by the first obstacle sensing.

21. The robot cleaner of claim 19, further comprising a transparent member or an opening at a front side of the main body through which light emitted from the location sensor passes through when the controller performs the second obstacle sensing.

22. The robot cleaner of claim 18, wherein the first obstacle sensing comprises 360-degree obstacle sensing around the main body.