Robot cleaner and control method thereof

• US 9,456,725 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dong Won, Lee, Jun Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Markoff, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/373,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120125363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: 134/6, 134/18, 15/491, 700/258, 700/259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2831 Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a main brush to sweep or scatter dust off a floor, a main brush motor to rotate the main brush, a Revolution Per Minute (RPM) detector to detect an RPM of the main brush motor, and a control unit to determine a type of floor according to the RPM of the main brush motor acquired by the RPM detector and control an operation of the robot cleaner based on the determined type of floor. A carpet mode to clean only a carpet area and a hard floor mode to clean a hard floor area excluding the carpet area are given based on detected information relating to the material of a floor, which enables partial cleaning with respect to a cleaning area selected by a user and adjustment in the number of cleaning operations or the intensity of cleaning according to the material of the floor.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main brush to brush a floor;

a main brush motor to rotate the main brush;

a Revolution Per Minute (RPM) detector to detect an RPM of the main brush motor;

a control unit configured to determine whether the floor is a carpeted floor area or a hard floor area based on the detected respective RPM'"'"'s of the main brush motor, when the robot cleaner is moving across the carpeted floor area or the hard floor area;

an input unit on an exterior surface of the robot cleaner to allow a user of the robot cleaner to select between only one of a carpeted floor area cleaning mode or a hard floor area cleaning mode;

an upward camera unit to capture an upward image perpendicular to a traveling direction of the robot cleaner;

wherein the control unit produces a map using the upward image acquired by the upward camera unit and the detected respective RPM'"'"'s such that the carpeted area, the hard floor area, a boundary between the carpeted floor area and the hard floor area and a stepped area are marked on the map;

a storage for storing the map,

wherein the control unit is further configured to clean either the carpeted floor area or the hard floor area based on the map, and

wherein the control unit uses only the RPM of the main brush when determining the carpeted floor area or the hard floor area.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts a number of traveling motions of the robot cleaner or the RPM of the main brush motor based on whether the area being cleaned is the carpeted floor area or the hard floor area.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the carpeted floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than a preset RPM and determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the preset RPM.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner passes the boundary or the stepped area when the RPM of the main brush motor increases abruptly.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the hard floor area enters the carpeted floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than an RPM before the RPM of the main brush motor increases abruptly.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the carpeted floor area enters the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than an RPM before the RPM of the main brush motor increases abruptly.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the robot cleaner using the produced map so as to avoid the carpet area, the boundary or the stepped area when the robot cleaner returns to a docking station after completing the cleaning operation based on the selected cleaning mode.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, further comprising a display unit to display that the robot cleaner is traveling in the carpeted floor area or the hard floor area.