Robot cleaner

• US 9,488,983 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Noh, Dongki, Baek, Seungmin, Lee, Taekyeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/873,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/491 Details of non-pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles

Abstract

A robot cleaner may include a main body, a light irradiation unit irradiating light towards a region in front of the main body, an image sensor including a plurality of horizontal lines sequentially exposed to form an image, an image processing unit constructing frames by synchronizing signals output from the horizontal lines, such that, after construction of any one frame, the image processing unit does not construct one or more frames by ignoring signals output from the horizontal lines, and then constructs a next frame, and a controller controlling the light irradiation unit to irradiate light while the horizontal lines are exposed to construct the one frame, such that the light irradiation unit stops irradiation of light between before exposure of all the horizontal lines to construct the frame is completed and one point of time while the image processing unit ignores signals output from the horizontal lines.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body configured to clean a floor while autonomously traveling within a cleaning area;

a light irradiation module configured to irradiate light towards a region in front of the main body;

an image sensor including a plurality of horizontal lines sequentially exposed to form an image of the region in front of the main body;

an image processor configured to construct frames by synchronizing signals output from the horizontal lines, such that after construction of any one frame, the image processor does not construct one or more frames by ignoring signals output from the horizontal lines, and then constructs a next frame; and

a controller configured to control the light irradiation module to irradiate light while the horizontal lines are exposed to construct the one frame, such that the light irradiation module stops irradiation of light between before exposure of all the horizontal lines to construct the one frame is completed and one point of time while the image processor ignores signals output from the horizontal lines.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller sets irradiation timing of light by the light irradiation module so that all of the horizontal lines are exposed at least for a designated time during irradiation of light.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation time of light by the light irradiation module does not exceed 2 times the exposure period of the horizontal line.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the irradiation time of light by the light irradiation module is greater than the exposure period of the horizontal line.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the light irradiation module to stop irradiation of light after reset of the first horizontal line of the horizontal lines is started to execute next exposure.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical synchronization signal generator configured to output a vertical synchronization signal with respect to signals output from the plurality of horizontal lines so as to construct the frames,

wherein the controller controls irradiation of light through the light irradiation module in response to the vertical synchronization signal.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the controller controls the light irradiation module to irradiate light according to the vertical synchronization signal and then controls the light irradiation module to stop irradiation of light according to a next vertical synchronization signal.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of reset of the horizontal line is greater than the frame rate of an image produced by the image processor.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the frequency of reset of the horizontal line is two times or more the frame rate of the image.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of horizontal lines is sequentially exposed by a designated time interval and the exposure times of the respective horizontal lines are the same.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein among the plurality of horizontal lines, exposure of the first horizontal line is started before exposure of the final horizontal line is completed.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation module irradiates laser light.

13. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body including at least one motor to suction air through a suction hole provided with a roller brush and to allow the main body to move autonomously for cleaning a floor surface within an area to be cleaned;

a laser to irradiate light towards a region in front of the main body;

a camera configured to capture at least one image in front of the main body;

an image processor to process the at least one image captured by the camera;

a synchronization generator to generate a plurality of synchronization signals; and

a controller to control the motor, the laser, the camera, the image processor, and the synchronization generator, wherein

the synchronization generator generates first, second and third synchronization signals during a prescribed time period,

the camera captures images during the prescribed time period,

the laser is turned on when the first and third synchronization signals are generated and is turned off when the second synchronization signal is generated, and

the image processor processes first and second images captured by the camera when the laser is turned on based on the first and third synchronization signals and discards a third image captured by the camera when the laser is turned off based on the second synchronization signal.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the second synchronization signal is generated between the first and third synchronization signals.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the image processor process the at least one image captured by the camera during a time period when the laser is turned off.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the first, second and third synchronization signals have equal time length during the prescribed time period.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the laser is turned on for at least 1/30 seconds and no greater than 2/30 seconds.