KR102035467B1 - A robot cleaner and a controlling method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a robot cleaner comprises: a driving unit moving a body; a plurality of receiving units individually receiving a single optical signal irradiated on a target point and a surrounding area of the target point in a light source of a remote control device; and a control unit calculating signal strength of the optical signal individually received in the receiving units, and controlling movement of the body for the calculated signal strength to be balanced.

Description

Robot cleaner and control method {A ROBOT CLEANER AND A CONTROLLING METHOD FOR THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner capable of cleaning using a remote control device.

The vacuum cleaner is a device that performs a cleaning function by inhaling dust and foreign matter or by mopping. In general, the cleaner performs a cleaning function for the floor, and the cleaner includes a wheel for movement. In general, the wheel is rolled by an external force applied to the cleaner body to move the cleaner body relative to the floor.

Recently, however, researches on robot cleaners such as a robot cleaner that performs cleaning while driving by the user without a user's operation and a cleaner that moves itself along a nozzle moved by the user's operation have been actively conducted.

Meanwhile, the autonomous driving cleaner may move using a predefined pattern, move away from an external obstacle detected by a sensor, or move according to an infrared signal transmitted from a remote control device operated by a user. have.

On the other hand, as a method for controlling the robot cleaner to come to a desired point through the remote control device, conventionally, a remote control device emits a plurality of optical signals and the robot cleaner has been found to move to find the overlapping center area. Alternatively, the optical signal emitted from the remote control device is received in front of the robot cleaner and travels toward the light source.

However, in the former case, a plurality of transmitters should be provided in the remote control apparatus, and in the latter case, the robot cleaner may operate without missing a signal only when the robot cleaner is at a close distance (close distance) from the remote control apparatus.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner and a control method thereof capable of driving the robot cleaner to a point indicated by the remote control apparatus without having a plurality of transmitters in the remote control apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner and a robot cleaner capable of driving the robot cleaner to an instructed point without missing a signal radiated from the remote control device even if the robot cleaner is somewhat separated from the point indicated by the remote control device. To provide a control method.

To this end, the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the moving unit for moving the main body; A plurality of receivers each receiving a single optical signal irradiated from the light source of the remote control apparatus to the target point and the surrounding area of the target point; And a control unit for calculating the signal strength of the optical signal received by each of the plurality of receivers and controlling the movement of the main body so that the calculated signal strengths are balanced.

The remote control apparatus may further include a lens for converting laser light emitted from a light source into an optical signal having a wide radiation angle to irradiate the target point, and the plurality of receivers may include the target. It is characterized in that for receiving the optical signal of a wide angle of view irradiated to the surrounding area including the point.

The controller may be further configured to calculate signal strength based on a reception amount of an optical signal received by each of the plurality of receivers.

In addition, in one embodiment, the control unit determines the moving direction based on the difference of the plurality of signal strength, and when the main body enters the peripheral area of the target point, the target point is a point where the plurality of signal strength is balanced The main body is characterized by controlling the running.

The control unit may convert the plurality of signal strengths into a composite vector, and rotate and move the main body in a direction in which the value of the composite vector points to zero.

In addition, in one embodiment, the conversion of the composite vector is characterized in that it is performed in real time whenever a change in the position of the main body is detected.

In addition, in one embodiment, the control unit, characterized in that the driving of the main body is stopped when the center of the main body is located at the point of the center of the plurality of signal strength.

In addition, in one embodiment, when the obstacle is detected at the point where the center of the main body is the center of the plurality of signal strength, the control unit runs while following the outline of the detected obstacle but the center of the plurality of signal strength is the center The driving is stopped at the point closest to the edge, and the outline following the detected obstacle is limited to the driving in the peripheral area.

In addition, the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention, a moving unit for moving the main body; A plurality of receivers each receiving a single optical signal irradiated from the light source of the remote control apparatus to the target point and the surrounding area of the target point; A transmitter for transmitting an optical signal; And

The signal strength of the optical signal received by each of the plurality of receivers is calculated, the moving direction and the movement amount of the main body are determined so that the calculated signal strength is balanced, and when it is detected that the main body enters the peripheral area, And a controller for transmitting a request signal for outputting an optical signal of a spot type to a remote control device in a peripheral area.

In addition, the robot cleaner including a remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention, the laser beam emitted from the light source converts a wide angle of view of the optical signal, and includes a projection to irradiate the target area and the surrounding area of the target point A remote controller; And a robot cleaner configured to receive the optical signal through a plurality of receivers and control driving of the main body to move to a point where the reception amounts of the optical signals received by each of the plurality of receivers are parallel to each other.

Above, according to the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof, it is not necessary to include a plurality of transmitters in the remote control device irradiates a single optical signal having a wide radiation angle, and the plurality of robot cleaner By controlling the driving so that the signal strength is balanced by the receiver, the robot cleaner can move to a desired target point without missing a signal from the remote control device. In addition, since the driving is controlled so that the point where the plurality of signal strengths received by the main body are balanced is at the center of the main body, it is possible to accurately follow the target point even if the area where the optical signal is irradiated is wide.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a robot cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot cleaner shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a side view of the robot cleaner shown in FIG. 1.
4 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A is a conceptual diagram illustrating network communication between a robot cleaner and a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of network communication of FIG. 5A.
6A and 6B are block diagrams and front views of a remote control device, which shows an exemplary configuration of a remote control device communicating with a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7A to 7C are exemplary conceptual diagrams for describing a method of moving the robot cleaner toward the vicinity of a target point by using a signal strength or a received amount of an optical signal emitted from a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a representative flowchart associated with FIGS. 7A-7C.
9A and 9B are exemplary conceptual views illustrating a method in which a robot cleaner accurately reaches a target point based on signal strength or reception amount according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating obstacles in the reached target point. If present, an exemplary conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the robot cleaner.
10A to 10D are diagrams for describing in detail a method of calculating a moving direction and a moving amount related to a target point by using a plurality of infrared receivers provided in a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the robot cleaner which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail with reference to drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical terms used herein are merely used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the spirit of the technology disclosed herein. It should be noted.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a robot cleaner 100 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot cleaner 100 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a robot cleaner 100 shown in FIG. 1. Side view.

In the present specification, a mobile robot, a robot cleaner, and a cleaner performing autonomous driving may be used as the same meaning. Also, in the present specification, the plurality of robot cleaners may include at least some of the components shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 to 3, the robot cleaner 100 performs a function of cleaning a floor while driving a certain area by itself. The cleaning of the floor here includes suctioning dust (including foreign matter) from the floor or mopping the floor.

The robot cleaner 100 may include a cleaner body 110, a cleaning unit 120, a sensing unit 130, and a dust container 140.

The cleaner body 110 includes a controller (not shown) for controlling the robot cleaner 100 and includes various components therein. In addition, the cleaner body 110 is provided with a wheel unit 111 for driving the robot cleaner 100. The robot cleaner 100 may be moved back, forth, left, and right by the wheel unit 111.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wheel unit 111 includes a main wheel 111a and a sub wheel 111b.

The main wheels 111a are provided at both sides of the cleaner body 110, and are configured to be rotatable in one direction or the other direction according to a control signal of the controller. Each main wheel 111a may be configured to be driven independently of each other. For example, each main wheel 111a may be driven by different motors. Or, it may be driven by a plurality of different shafts provided in one motor.

The sub wheel 111b supports the cleaner body 110 together with the main wheel 111a and is configured to assist the robot cleaner 100 by the main wheel 111a. The sub wheel 111b may also be provided in the cleaning unit 120 described later.

The controller controls the driving of the wheel unit 111, so that the robot cleaner 100 runs autonomously on the floor.

On the other hand, the cleaner body 110 is equipped with a battery (not shown) for supplying power to the robot cleaner (100). The battery may be configured to be chargeable, and may be detachably attached to the bottom of the cleaner body 110.

In FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 120 may be disposed to protrude from one side of the cleaner body 110, and may suck or mop air containing dust. The one side may be a side in which the cleaner body 110 travels in the forward direction F, that is, the front side of the cleaner body 110.

In this figure, the cleaning unit 120 has been shown to have a form in which both the front and left and right sides protrude from one side of the cleaner body 110. Specifically, the front end of the cleaning unit 120 is disposed at a position spaced forward from one side of the cleaner body 110, the left and right both ends of the cleaning unit 120 are spaced apart from one side of the cleaner body 110 to both left and right sides, respectively. Is placed in a closed position.

As the cleaner body 110 is formed in a circular shape, and both rear ends of the cleaning unit 120 protrude from the cleaner body 110 to left and right sides, respectively, the vacuum cleaner body 110 and the cleaning unit 120 are empty. Spaces, ie gaps can be formed. The empty space is a space between the left and right ends of the cleaner body 110 and the left and right ends of the cleaning unit 120 and is recessed inwardly of the robot cleaner 100.

If an obstacle is jammed in the empty space, the robot cleaner 100 may be caught in an obstacle and may not move. To prevent this, the cover member 129 may be disposed to cover at least a portion of the empty space.

The cover member 129 may be provided in the cleaner body 110 or the cleaning unit 120. In the present embodiment, the cover member 129 is formed to protrude on both sides of the rear end of the cleaning unit 120, respectively, to cover the outer circumferential surface of the cleaner body 110.

The cover member 129 is disposed to fill at least a part of the empty space, that is, the empty space between the cleaner body 110 and the cleaning unit 120. Therefore, the obstacle may be prevented from being caught in the empty space, or a structure may be easily separated from the obstacle even if the obstacle is jammed in the empty space.

The cover member 129 protruding from the cleaning unit 120 may be supported on the outer circumferential surface of the cleaner body 110.

If the cover member 129 protrudes from the cleaner body 110, the cover member 129 may be supported on the rear portion of the cleaning unit 120. According to the above structure, when the cleaning unit 120 receives an impact due to an obstacle, a part of the shock may be transmitted to the cleaner main body 110 so that the impact may be dispersed.

The cleaning unit 120 may be detachably coupled to the cleaner body 110. When the cleaning unit 120 is separated into the cleaner body 110, the mop module (not shown) may be detachably coupled to the cleaner body 110 in place of the separated cleaning unit 120.

Accordingly, the user may mount the cleaning unit 120 on the cleaner main body 110 to remove dust from the floor, and install the mop module on the cleaner main body 110 to clean the floor.

When the cleaning unit 120 is mounted on the cleaner body 110, the mounting may be guided by the cover member 129 described above. That is, since the cover member 129 is disposed to cover the outer circumferential surface of the cleaner body 110, the relative position of the cleaning unit 120 with respect to the cleaner body 110 may be determined.

The cleaning unit 120 may be provided with a caster 123. The caster 123 assists the robot cleaner 100 in driving and also supports the robot cleaner 100.

The sensing unit 130 is disposed on the cleaner body 110. As shown, the sensing unit 130 may be disposed on one side of the cleaner body 110 in which the cleaning unit 120 is located, that is, in front of the cleaner body 110.

The sensing unit 130 may be disposed to overlap with the cleaning unit 120 in the vertical direction of the cleaner body 110. The sensing unit 130 is disposed above the cleaning unit 120 to detect an obstacle or a feature in front of the cleaning unit 120 located in the front of the robot cleaner 100 so as not to hit the obstacle.

The sensing unit 130 may be configured to additionally perform other sensing functions in addition to the sensing function.

For example, the sensing unit 130 may include a camera 131 for acquiring the surrounding image. The camera 131 may include a lens and an image sensor. In addition, the camera 131 may convert an image around the cleaner body 110 into an electrical signal that can be processed by the controller, and may transmit, for example, an electrical signal corresponding to the upper image to the controller. The electrical signal corresponding to the upper image may be used by the controller to detect the position of the cleaner body 110.

In addition, the sensing unit 130 may detect an obstacle such as a wall, furniture, and a cliff on the driving surface or the driving path of the robot cleaner 100. In addition, the sensing unit 130 may detect the presence of a docking device that performs battery charging. In addition, the sensing unit 130 may detect the ceiling information to map the driving area or the cleaning area of the robot cleaner 100.

The vacuum cleaner body 110 is detachably coupled to a dust container 140 for separating and collecting dust in the sucked air.

In addition, the dust container 140 is provided with a dust container cover 150 covering the dust container 140. As an example, the dust container cover 150 may be hinged to the cleaner body 110 to be rotatable. The dust container cover 150 may be fixed to the dust container 140 or the cleaner body 110 to maintain a state of covering the upper surface of the dust container 140. In a state in which the dust container cover 150 is disposed to cover the upper surface of the dust container 140, the dust container 140 may be prevented from being separated from the cleaner body 110 by the dust container cover 150.

A part of the dust container 140 is accommodated in the dust container accommodating part 113, but the other part of the dust container 140 protrudes toward the rear of the cleaner body 110 (that is, the reverse direction R opposite to the forward direction F). Can be formed.

The dust container 140 has an inlet through which the air containing dust is introduced and an outlet through which the dust separated air is discharged, and when the dust container 140 is mounted on the cleaner body 110, the inlet and the outlet are the main body 110. It is configured to communicate through the opening 155 formed in the inner wall of the. As a result, the intake passage and the exhaust passage inside the cleaner body 110 may be formed.

According to this connection relationship, the air containing the dust introduced through the cleaning unit 120 is introduced into the dust container 140 through the intake flow path inside the cleaner body 110, the filter or cyclone of the dust container 140 As it passes, air and dust are separated from each other. The dust is collected in the dust container 140, the air is discharged from the dust container 140 and finally discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 112 through the exhaust flow path inside the cleaner body (110).

4, an embodiment related to the components of the robot cleaner 100 will be described.

Robot cleaner 100 or mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 1100, the input unit 1200, the driving unit 1300, the sensing unit 1400, the output unit 1500, the power supply unit 1600 , At least one of the memory 1700, the controller 1800, and the cleaner 1900, or a combination thereof.

At this time, the components shown in FIG. 4 are not essential, and thus, a robot cleaner having more or fewer components may be implemented. In addition, as described above, the plurality of robot cleaners described in the present invention may include only some of the components described below. That is, the plurality of robot cleaners may be formed of different components, respectively.

Hereinafter, each component will be described.

First, the power supply unit 1600 includes a battery that can be charged by an external commercial power supply and supplies power to the mobile robot. The power supply unit 1600 may supply driving power to each of the components included in the mobile robot, thereby supplying operation power required for the mobile robot to travel or perform a specific function.

At this time, the controller 1800 may detect the remaining power of the battery, and if the remaining power is insufficient to control to move to the charging station connected to the external commercial power, the battery can be charged by receiving a charging current from the charging stand. The battery may be connected to the battery detector so that the battery remaining amount and the charging state may be transmitted to the controller 1800. The output unit 1500 may display the battery remaining amount on the output unit 1500 by a control unit.

The battery may be located at the bottom of the center of the robot cleaner, or may be located at either the left or the right. In the latter case, the mobile robot may further comprise a counterweight to eliminate the weight bias of the battery.

The controller 1800 performs a role of processing information based on artificial intelligence technology, and may include one or more modules that perform at least one of learning of information, inference of information, perception of information, and processing of natural language. Can be.

The controller 1800 uses a machine running technology to learn a large amount of information (big data) such as information stored in a cleaner, environment information around a mobile terminal, and information stored in a communicable external storage, At least one of inference and processing may be performed. The controller 1800 predicts (or infers) at least one action of the at least one cleaner that is executable by using the information learned using the machine learning technique, and has the highest feasibility among the at least one predicted actions. The cleaner may be controlled to execute an operation.

Machine learning technology is a technology that collects and learns a large amount of information based on at least one algorithm, and determines and predicts information based on the learned information. The learning of information is an operation of grasping characteristics, rules, and judgment criteria of information, quantifying a relationship between information, and predicting new data using the quantized pattern.

Algorithms used by machine learning techniques can be algorithms based on statistics, for example, decision trees using tree structure shapes as predictive models, artificial neural networks that mimic the neural network structure and function of organisms. (neural network), genetic programming based on biological evolution algorithms, clustering that distributes observed examples into subsets of clusters, and Monte Carlo methods that compute function values randomly through randomly extracted random numbers. (Monter carlo method) and the like.

As a field of machine learning technology, deep learning technology is a technology for performing at least one of learning, determining, and processing information using a Deap Neuron Network (DNN) algorithm. The artificial neural network (DNN) may have a structure that connects layers to layers and transfers data between layers. Such deep learning technology can learn a huge amount of information through an artificial neural network (DNN) using a graphic processing unit (GPU) optimized for parallel computing.

The controller 1800 may use a training engine stored in an external server or memory and may include a learning engine that detects a feature for recognizing a predetermined object. At this time, the feature for recognizing the object may include the size, shape and shadow of the object.

In detail, when the controller 1800 inputs a part of the image acquired through the camera included in the cleaner to the learning engine, the learning engine may recognize at least one object or life included in the input image.

As such, when the learning engine is applied to the running of the cleaner, the controller 1800 may recognize whether obstacles such as a chair leg, a fan, and a balcony balcony of a specific shape that hinder the running of the cleaner are present around the cleaner. The efficiency and reliability of running the cleaner can be improved.

Meanwhile, the learning engine as described above may be mounted on the controller 1800 or may be mounted on an external server. When the learning engine is mounted on the external server, the controller 1800 may control the communication unit 1100 to transmit at least one image to be analyzed to the external server.

The external server may recognize at least one object or life included in the image by inputting the image received from the cleaner to the learning engine. In addition, the external server may transmit information related to the recognition result back to the cleaner. In this case, the information related to the recognition result may include the number of objects included in the image to be analyzed and information related to the name of each object.

On the other hand, the driving unit 1300 is provided with a motor, by driving the motor, it is possible to rotate or move the main body by rotating the left and right main wheels in both directions. In this case, the left and right main wheels may move independently. The driving unit 1300 may advance the main body of the mobile robot in front, rear, left, and right directions, curve the vehicle, or rotate it in place.

The input unit 1200 receives various control commands for the robot cleaner from the user. The input unit 1200 may include one or more buttons. For example, the input unit 1200 may include a confirmation button, a setting button, and the like. The confirmation button is a button for receiving a command for confirming detection information, obstacle information, location information, map information from the user, and the setting button is a button for receiving a command for setting the information from the user.

In addition, the input unit 1200 may cancel a previous user input and input a reset button for receiving user input again, a delete button for deleting a preset user input, a button for setting or changing an operation mode, and a command for returning to the charging station. It may include a button for receiving input.

In addition, the input unit 1200 may be installed on the upper part of the mobile robot using a hard key, a soft key, a touch pad, or the like. In addition, the input unit 1200 may have a form of a touch screen together with the output unit 1500.

On the other hand, the output unit 1500 may be installed on the upper portion of the mobile robot. Of course, the installation location or installation form may vary. For example, the output unit 1500 may display a battery state or a driving method on a screen.

In addition, the output unit 1500 may output state information inside the mobile robot detected by the sensing unit 1400, for example, current states of components included in the mobile robot. In addition, the output unit 1500 may display external state information, obstacle information, location information, map information, etc. detected by the sensing unit 1400 on the screen. The output unit 1500 may be any one of a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). It can be formed as an element of.

The output unit 1500 may further include sound output means for audibly outputting an operation process or an operation result of the mobile robot performed by the controller 1800. For example, the output unit 1500 may output a warning sound to the outside according to the warning signal generated by the controller 1800.

In this case, the sound output means (not shown) may be a means for outputting sounds such as a beeper and a speaker, and the output unit 1500 may include audio data or message data having a predetermined pattern stored in the memory 1700. It can be output to the outside through the sound output means using.

Therefore, the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may output environmental information about the driving area on the screen or output the sound through the output unit 1500. According to another exemplary embodiment, the mobile robot may transmit map information or environment information to the terminal device through the communication unit 1100 such that the terminal device outputs a screen or sound to be output through the output unit 1500.

The memory 1700 stores a control program for controlling or driving the robot cleaner and data corresponding thereto. The memory 1700 may store audio information, image information, obstacle information, location information, map information, and the like. In addition, the memory 1700 may store information related to a driving pattern.

The memory 1700 mainly uses a nonvolatile memory. Here, the non-volatile memory (NVM, NVRAM) is a storage device that can maintain the stored information even if power is not supplied. For example, a ROM, a flash memory, a magnetic computer. Storage devices (eg, hard disks, diskette drives, magnetic tapes), optical disk drives, magnetic RAMs, PRAMs, and the like.

The sensing unit 1400 may include at least one of an external signal sensor, a front sensor, a cliff sensor, a 2D camera sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

The external signal detection sensor may detect an external signal of the mobile robot. The external signal detection sensor may be, for example, an infrared ray sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, or the like.

The mobile robot can check the position and direction of the charging station by receiving a guide signal generated by the charging station using an external signal detection sensor. At this time, the charging station may transmit a guide signal indicating the direction and distance so that the mobile robot can return. That is, the mobile robot may receive a signal transmitted from the charging station to determine the current position and set the direction of movement to return to the charging station.

On the other hand, the front sensor may be installed at a predetermined interval in front of the mobile robot, specifically, along the side outer peripheral surface of the mobile robot. The front sensor is located on at least one side of the mobile robot to detect an obstacle in front of the mobile robot, the front sensor detects an object in the moving direction of the mobile robot, in particular obstacles to detect the detection information to the controller 1800. I can deliver it. That is, the front sensor may detect protrusions, household appliances, furniture, walls, wall edges, and the like existing on the moving path of the mobile robot and transmit the information to the controller 1800.

The front sensing sensor may be, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or the like, and the mobile robot may use one type of sensor as the front sensing sensor or two or more types of sensors together as needed. have.

For example, the ultrasonic sensor may generally be mainly used to detect a long distance obstacle. The ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver, and the controller 1800 determines whether the obstacle is present by whether the ultrasonic wave radiated through the transmitter is reflected by an obstacle or the like and received the receiver, and determines the ultrasonic radiation time and the ultrasonic reception time. The distance to the obstacle can be calculated using the

In addition, the controller 1800 may detect the information related to the size of the obstacle by comparing the ultrasound emitted from the transmitter and the ultrasound received from the receiver. For example, the controller 1800 may determine that the larger the obstacle is, the more ultrasonic waves are received in the receiver.

In one embodiment, a plurality (eg, five) ultrasonic sensors may be installed along the outer circumferential surface on the front side of the mobile robot. At this time, preferably, the ultrasonic sensor may be installed on the front of the mobile robot alternately the transmitter and the receiver.

That is, the transmitter may be disposed to be spaced apart from the center of the front of the main body to the left and right, and one or more transmitters may be disposed between the receivers to form a reception area of the ultrasonic signal reflected from an obstacle or the like. This arrangement allows the receiving area to be extended while reducing the number of sensors. The transmission angle of the ultrasonic waves may maintain an angle within a range that does not affect the different signals so as to prevent crosstalk. In addition, the reception sensitivity of the receivers may be set differently.

In addition, the ultrasonic sensor may be installed upward by a predetermined angle so that the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor is output upward, and may further include a predetermined blocking member to prevent the ultrasonic wave from being radiated downward.

Meanwhile, as described above, the front sensor may use two or more types of sensors together, and accordingly, the front sensor may use any one type of sensor, such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or an RF sensor. .

For example, the front sensing sensor may include an infrared sensor as another type of sensor in addition to the ultrasonic sensor.

The infrared sensor may be installed on the outer circumferential surface of the mobile robot together with the ultrasonic sensor. The infrared sensor may also detect obstacles present in the front or side and transmit the obstacle information to the controller 1800. That is, the infrared sensor detects protrusions on the moving path of the mobile robot, household appliances, furniture, walls, wall edges, and the like, and transmits the information to the controller 1800. Therefore, the mobile robot can move the main body within a specific area without colliding with an obstacle.

Meanwhile, the cliff detection sensor (or the cliff sensor) may mainly detect various obstacles on the floor supporting the main body of the mobile robot by using various types of optical sensors.

That is, the cliff detection sensor is installed on the back of the mobile robot on the floor, of course, may be installed in a different position according to the type of mobile robot. The cliff detection sensor is located on the back of the mobile robot and is used to detect an obstacle on the floor. The cliff detection sensor is an infrared sensor, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, such as the obstacle detection sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, and a PSD (Position). Sensitive Detector) sensor or the like.

For example, one of the cliff detection sensors may be installed at the front of the mobile robot, and the other two cliff detection sensors may be installed at the rear.

For example, the cliff detection sensor may be a PSD sensor, but may be configured of a plurality of different types of sensors.

The PSD sensor uses a semiconductor surface resistance to detect the short and long distance positions of incident light with one p-n junction. The PSD sensor includes a one-dimensional PSD sensor that detects light in only one axis direction and a two-dimensional PSD sensor that can detect a light position on a plane, and both may have a pin photodiode structure. The PSD sensor is a type of infrared sensor, and uses infrared rays to measure distance by measuring the angle of the infrared rays reflected from the obstacle after transmitting the infrared rays. That is, the PSD sensor calculates the distance to the obstacle by using a triangulation method.

The PSD sensor includes a light emitting part for emitting infrared rays to an obstacle and a light receiving part for receiving infrared rays reflected from the obstacle, and is generally configured in a module form. When the obstacle is detected using the PSD sensor, a stable measurement value can be obtained regardless of the difference in reflectance and color of the obstacle.

The controller 1800 may measure a cliff and analyze the depth of the cliff by measuring an infrared angle between the infrared light emitted by the cliff detection sensor and the reflected signal received by the obstacle.

On the other hand, the controller 1800 may determine whether or not the passage of the cliff according to the ground condition of the cliff detected using the cliff detection sensor, and may determine whether the cliff passes. For example, the controller 1800 determines whether the cliff exists and the depth of the cliff through the cliff detection sensor, and then passes the cliff only when the reflection signal is detected by the cliff detection sensor.

As another example, the controller 1800 may determine the lifting phenomenon of the mobile robot using the cliff detection sensor.

On the other hand, the two-dimensional camera sensor is provided on one surface of the mobile robot, to obtain image information related to the surroundings of the main body during movement.

An optical flow sensor converts a downward image input from an image sensor provided in the sensor to generate image data of a predetermined format. The generated image data may be stored in the memory 1700.

In addition, one or more light sources may be installed adjacent to the optical flow sensor. The one or more light sources irradiate light to a predetermined area of the bottom surface photographed by the image sensor. That is, when the mobile robot moves a specific area along the bottom surface, if the bottom surface is flat, a constant distance is maintained between the image sensor and the bottom surface. On the other hand, when the mobile robot moves the bottom surface of the non-uniform surface, the robot moves away by a certain distance due to irregularities and obstacles on the bottom surface. In this case, the one or more light sources may be controlled by the controller 1800 to adjust the amount of light to be irradiated. The light source may be a light emitting device capable of adjusting light quantity, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) or the like.

Using the optical flow sensor, the controller 1800 may detect the position of the mobile robot regardless of the sliding of the mobile robot. The controller 1800 may calculate the moving distance and the moving direction by comparing and analyzing the image data photographed by the optical flow sensor according to time, and may calculate the position of the moving robot based on this. By using the image information on the lower side of the mobile robot by using the optical flow sensor, the controller 1800 can correct the sliding against the position of the mobile robot calculated by other means.

The 3D camera sensor may be attached to one side or a part of the main body of the mobile robot to generate 3D coordinate information related to the periphery of the main body.

That is, the 3D camera sensor may be a 3D depth camera that calculates a distance between the mobile robot and the object to be photographed.

In detail, the 3D camera sensor may capture a 2D image related to the circumference of the main body, and generate a plurality of 3D coordinate information corresponding to the captured 2D image.

According to an embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes two or more cameras for acquiring a conventional two-dimensional image, and combines two or more images acquired by the two or more cameras to generate three-dimensional coordinate information. Can be formed in a manner.

Specifically, the three-dimensional camera sensor according to the embodiment is a first pattern irradiation unit for irradiating the first pattern of light downward toward the front of the main body, and to irradiate the second pattern of light upward toward the front of the main body It may include a second pattern irradiation unit and an image acquisition unit for obtaining an image of the front of the main body. As a result, the image acquisition unit may acquire an image of a region where light of the first pattern and light of the second pattern are incident.

In another embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes an infrared pattern emitter for irradiating an infrared pattern with a single camera, and captures a shape in which the infrared pattern emitted from the infrared pattern emitter is projected onto the object to be photographed. The distance between the sensor and the object to be photographed may be measured. The 3D camera sensor may be an IR (Infra Red) type 3D camera sensor.

In another embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light together with a single camera, receives a portion of the laser emitted from the light emitting unit, which is reflected from the object to be photographed, and analyzes the received laser, thereby performing a 3D The distance between the camera sensor and the object to be photographed may be measured. The 3D camera sensor may be a 3D camera sensor of a time of flight (TOF) method.

Specifically, the laser of the three-dimensional camera sensor as described above is configured to irradiate the laser of the form extending in at least one direction. In one example, the three-dimensional camera sensor may be provided with a first and a second laser, the first laser is irradiated with a laser of a straight line that crosses each other, the second laser is irradiated with a single straight laser can do. According to this, the bottom laser is used to detect obstacles at the bottom, the top laser is used to detect obstacles at the top, and the middle laser between the bottom laser and the top laser is used to detect obstacles in the middle. Used for

On the other hand, the communication unit 1100 is connected to the terminal device and / or other devices located in a specific area (in the present specification, to be mixed with the term “home appliance”) in one of wired, wireless, and satellite communication methods. To transmit and receive signals and data.

The communication unit 1100 may transmit / receive data with other devices located in a specific area. At this time, any other device may be any device that can transmit and receive data by connecting to a network. For example, the other device may be a device such as an air conditioner, a heating device, an air purifier, a lamp, a TV, a car, and the like. The other device may be a device for controlling a door, a window, a water valve, a gas valve, or the like. The other device may be a sensor that senses temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, gas, and the like.

In addition, the communication unit 1100 may communicate with another robot cleaner 100 located in a specific area or a predetermined range.

5A and 5B, a conceptual diagram illustrating communication of the network cleaner 50 between the robot cleaner 100 and the terminal 300 is illustrated. FIG. 5B is a conceptual diagram illustrating another example of network communication of FIG. 5A.

5A and 5B, the robot cleaner 100 may exchange data with the terminal 300 through a network 50 communication. In addition, the robot cleaner 100 may perform a cleaning-related operation or a corresponding operation according to a control command received from the terminal 300 through network 50 communication or other communication.

Here, the network communication 50 includes a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, a digital living network alliance (DLNA), and a WiBro. (Wireless Broadband), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Zigbee, Z-wave, Blue-Tooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-Band (UWB), Wireless USB It may refer to short-range communication using at least one of wireless communication technologies such as (Wireless Universal Serial Bus).

The illustrated network 50 communication may vary depending on what the communication method of the robot cleaner is.

In FIG. 5A, the robot cleaner 100 may provide information sensed through each sensing unit to the terminal 300 through the network communication 50. In addition, the terminal 300 may transmit a control command generated based on the received information to the robot cleaner 100 through the network communication 50.

In addition, in FIG. 5A, the communication unit of the robot cleaner 100 and the communication unit of the terminal 300 directly wirelessly communicate or indirectly wirelessly communicate with each other via a router (not shown), such as information on a driving state and location information of each other. I can grasp etc.

5B, a system including a robot cleaner 100 that performs autonomous driving according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

Referring to FIG. 5B, a cleaning system according to an exemplary embodiment includes a robot cleaner 100, a network 50, a server 500, and a plurality of terminals 300a and 300b that perform autonomous driving. can do.

Among these, the robot cleaner 100, the network 50, and the at least one terminal 300a may be disposed in the building 10, and the other terminal 300b and the server 500 may be located outside.

The robot cleaner 100 may perform autonomous driving and autonomous cleaning as a cleaner that performs cleaning while traveling by itself. The robot cleaner 100 may include a communication unit 1100 therein in addition to the running function and the cleaning function.

In addition, the robot cleaner 100, the server 500, and the plurality of terminals 300a and 300b may be connected to each other through a network 50 to exchange data with each other. To this end, although not shown, it may further include a wireless router such as an access point (AP) device. In this case, the terminal 300a located in the network 50 inside the building 10 may be connected to the robot cleaner 100 through the AP device to perform monitoring, remote control, or the like of the cleaner. In addition, the terminal 300b located in the external network may also be connected to the robot cleaner 100 through the AP device to perform monitoring, remote control, and the like of the cleaner.

The server 500 may be directly wirelessly connected through the mobile terminal 300b. Alternatively, the server 500 may be connected to the robot cleaner 100 without passing through the mobile terminal 300b.

The server 500 may include a processor capable of program processing, and may include various algorithms. By way of example, server 500 may have algorithms associated with performing machine learning and / or data mining. As another example, the server 500 may include a speech recognition algorithm. In this case, upon receiving the voice data, the received voice data can be converted into data in text format and output.

The server 500 may store firmware information and driving information (course information, etc.) for the robot cleaner 100, and register product information for the robot cleaner 100. For example, server 500 may be a server operated by a cleaner manufacturer or a server operated by a published application store operator.

In another example, the server 500 may be a home server provided in the network 50 inside the building 10 to store state information about home devices or to store content shared by the home devices. When the server 500 is a home server, information related to a foreign matter, for example, an image of a foreign matter may be stored.

Meanwhile, the robot cleaner 100 may be directly wirelessly connected to the terminal through Zigbee, Z-wave, Bluetooth, Bluetooth, Ultra-wide Band, or the like.

Hereinafter, the functions, configurations, and operations of the remote control apparatus 200 described in the present invention may correspond to the functions, configurations, and operations of the terminal 300 described above. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the remote control apparatus 200 described in the present invention may be replaced by the terminal 300 described above.

In addition, the robot cleaner 100 of the present invention may be referred to as an autonomous driving cleaner 100 or a cleaner 100. In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 of the present invention may be referred to as a controller, a remote controller, a remote controller, or a terminal to be operated by a user and to control an operation related to the running of the robot cleaner 100.

On the other hand, the autonomous driving cleaner 100 according to the present invention may move to the corresponding area / point by itself when the user manipulates the remote control device 200 to point to a specific area / point, and may perform cleaning. This is referred to as 'pointing cleaning sweep'.

Conventionally, for the above-mentioned pointing cleaning cleaning, a user radiates a plurality of optical signals through a remote control device to find an overlapping center area and moves the robot cleaner or transmits the optical signals emitted from the remote control device to the front of the robot cleaner. The receiver was made in such a way that it travels towards the light source. However, in the former case, a large number of transmitters and a plurality of transmitters for overlapping the optical signal are required, and in the latter case, the robot cleaner is operated correctly only when the robot cleaner is close to the remote control device.

That is, conventionally, in order to perform the pointing cleaning cleaning, a remote control device has to be provided with a plurality of transmitters and related parts, or has to be dragged slowly by irradiating an optical signal near the robot cleaner.

However, in the present invention, even when only a single transmitter is provided in the remote controller and the robot cleaner and the remote controller are somewhat separated, the accurate driving operation for the cleaning of the pointing cleaning can be made.

6A and 6B will be described in detail an exemplary configuration of the robot cleaner 100 and the remote control apparatus 200 communicating therewith according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The remote control apparatus 200 for controlling the running of the robot cleaner 100 may include a single IR transmitter 210 and a projector 220.

Although the optical signal emitted from the single IR transmitter 210 has been described as an example of an IR signal, the optical signal is not limited thereto and may be replaced with any one of a laser light signal, an ultrasonic signal, a carrier frequency, and an impulse signal according to the type of light source. Can be. Hereinafter, this will be collectively referred to as 'light signal', 'IR light signal', or 'IR signal'.

The single IR transmitter 210 may be a sensor that transmits infrared rays having a specific wavelength band, for example, a wavelength having a wavelength of 25 micrometers or more, or a wavelength having a specific wavelength band.

The light signal emitted from the single IR transmitter 210 passes through the projection unit 200 and is irradiated to the robot cleaner 100 or the floor. The projection unit 200 is an element for converting an IR optical signal to have a wider emission angle, and may include a lens.

The robot cleaner 100 and the remote control apparatus 200 may include a plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 provided in the robot cleaner 100, and an IR transmitter and a projector included in the remote controller 200. Communication via 210, 220.

In detail, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 provided in the robot cleaner 100 receive the optical signal irradiated to the robot cleaner 100 or the floor surface from the remote control apparatus 200, thereby providing a remote control device. The relative position of the controller 200 may be determined or the point indicated by the remote control apparatus 200 may be recognized.

The robot cleaner 100 may include a plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 for receiving an optical signal having a wide radiation angle emitted from a single IR transmitter 210 of the remote control apparatus 100. have.

The plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 may be disposed in a symmetrical form with a predetermined distance along the outer circumferential surface of the robot cleaner 100.

For example, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 may be disposed symmetrically in a triangular shape on the front and both sides of the robot cleaner 100. However, it is not limited to this arrangement form. For example, an IR receiver may be additionally disposed in front of the robot cleaner 100, or an IR receiver may be additionally disposed behind the robot cleaner 100. In addition, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 may be implemented in four or more.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the optical signal emitted from the remote control apparatus 200 and irradiated to the floor surface or the robot cleaner 100 means an optical signal having a wider radiation angle rather than a spot shape. In this regard, FIG. 6B shows an example of the IR transmitter 210 to which the light source disposed in the frame 201 of the remote control apparatus 200 is irradiated and the projection unit 220 through which the optical signal passes.

The IR transmitter 210 provided in front of the frame 201 of the remote control apparatus 200 emits an IR signal according to a user's control command. The IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210 may include a control command input by a user through an input key (or a touch key, a wheel key, etc.) (not shown) provided in the remote control apparatus 200. For example, the robot cleaner 100 may move to a point where the IR signal is irradiated or may include a control command for performing cleaning after the movement.

The IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210 passes through the projection unit 220 disposed at the front of the IR transmitter 210 and is irradiated to the floor surface or the robot cleaner 100 body indicated by the user.

The projection unit 220 may include a predetermined lens that can widen the angle of radiation of the IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210. Here, there is no particular limitation on the type of lens. The projection unit 220 may be made larger in size than the IR transmitter 210 so as to completely overlap with the through hole of the IR transmitter 210 and to have an extended radiation angle.

When the IR signal radiated from the IR transmitter 210 passes through the projector 220, the radiation angle range of the IR signal is changed. Accordingly, the size of the target point / target area to which the IR signal is irradiated is also changed correspondingly. For example, if the radiation angle range is increased while the emitted IR signal passes through the projection unit 200, the size of the area of the IR signal irradiated at the point indicated by the remote control apparatus 200 is also increased.

Although not shown, the radiation angle range of the IR signal passing through the projection unit 220 may be adjusted differently through user manipulation. For example, by adjusting the size of the projection unit 220 by providing an actuator or the like inside the remote control apparatus 200, the radiation angle range of the IR signal may be adjusted as desired by the user.

In addition, although not shown, the projection unit 220 may change the irradiation distance of the IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210. In this case, the IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210 may be irradiated to a point / area farther than the conventional one.

Therefore, even when the remote control apparatus 200 is somewhat far from the robot cleaner 100, the robot cleaner 100 may receive the irradiated IR signal.

However, in this case, the user should be able to visually recognize the point irradiated with the irradiated IR signal, so that visible light may be output at the same point as the irradiated IR signal.

As such, when an optical signal having a wide radiation angle is irradiated from a remote control device 200 to a specific point, the robot cleaner 100 calculates signal strengths of the irradiated optical signal using a plurality of receivers provided in the main body, respectively. can do. The robot cleaner 100 may accurately follow the target point indicated by the remote control apparatus 200 by controlling the driving so that the signal strength of the calculated optical signal is balanced.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 7A to 7C, a method of traveling around the target point using the signal strength or the received amount of the optical signal calculated by the robot cleaner 100 will be described in more detail.

First, FIG. 7A shows that the remote control device 200 radiates an optical signal having a wide radiation angle to the bottom surface. The IR signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210 of the remote control device 200 passes through the transmission part and is irradiated to the bottom surface. As a result, the irradiation area R1 or R2 is generated.

Here, the irradiation area may mean any one of the target point itself, a peripheral area including the target point, or a target area including the target point.

The irradiation area R1 or R2 is not visible to the user's eyes. However, when the IR signal is output together with the visible light signal emitted from the visible light sensor, a display indicating the irradiation area R1 or R2 may be output on the bottom surface.

In FIG. 7A, the first irradiation area R1 may mean an area corresponding to an existing IR signal having a spot shape. In addition, according to the present invention, the second irradiation area R2 may mean an area corresponding to an IR signal having an extended radiation angle range.

In addition, in another example, the first irradiation area R1 corresponds to an IR signal whose radiation angle is wider than that of a conventional spot type IR signal and that the radiation angle is narrower than an IR signal corresponding to the second irradiation area R2. It can mean an area. In this case, the user may irradiate the IR signal to the target point by adjusting the radiation angle differently according to the operation on the remote control apparatus 200.

The remote control apparatus 200 may emit an optical signal emitted from the IR transmitter 210 through a lens, convert the IR signal into a IR signal having a wider radiation angle, and irradiate it to a target point. To this end, the lens may be coupled to a radiation lens (eg, cylindrical lens) of the IR signal.

In addition, although not shown, the radiation angle of the IR signal may be adjusted differently based on the distance estimated from the remote control apparatus 100 to the target point.

Specifically, since the radiation amount of the IR signal irradiated from a single light source is the same, it can be said that the signal intensity (or irradiation amount per unit area) reached per unit area decreases as the radiation angle becomes wider.

In addition, since the signal strength is inversely proportional to the distance, when the target point is far from the remote control device 100, the radiation angle may be narrowed or transformed into a spot in proportion to the distance, thereby precisely pointing the target point. It will be able to satisfy all of the recognition of the target point.

However, if the present invention can be implemented by applying a light source with a sufficiently high output, irradiating the IR signal to have a wide radiation angle irrespective of the separation distance to the target point, thereby improving the recognition of the target point by the robot cleaner 100. It would be desirable to.

When the IR signal having a wide radiation angle is irradiated from the remote control apparatus 200 as described above, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the robot cleaner 100 may receive these optical signals, respectively. have.

In the present invention, since the irradiation area (R2) of the IR signal is wider than the conventional, it can be received without missing the IR signal through the IR receiver 610, 620, 630 provided in the robot cleaner (100).

As shown in FIG. 7B, the optical signal irradiated on the bottom surface of the robot cleaner 100 includes the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630 provided on both sides of the robot cleaner 100. Can be received via.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 compares the signal strength (or the amount of reception of the optical signal) of the optical signal received at each of the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630. Thus, the moving direction and the moving amount of the main body can be determined.

Specifically, the controller of the robot cleaner 100 determines the moving direction based on the difference in the plurality of signal strengths received by the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630. When the main body enters the peripheral area of the target point, the main body can be controlled to travel by using the point where the plurality of signal strengths are balanced.

Here, the peripheral area of the target point refers to an irradiation area in which an optical signal having a wide radiation angle from the remote control apparatus 100 is irradiated to the target point and its surroundings. Hereinafter, the peripheral area of the target point, the peripheral area including the target point, and the target area including the target point may all be used in the same meaning.

In addition, in one example, after reaching the point where the signal strengths received by the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630 are balanced, the plurality of signal strengths are detected to be reduced. In this case, the moving direction of the main body may be determined in a direction in which a plurality of signal strengths increase while maintaining a balance of signal strengths.

To this end, the controller of the robot cleaner 100 may vector synthesize the signal strength of the optical signal received by the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630 or the reception amount of the optical signal. Should be converted to 7C shows an example of a method of converting the signal strength of an optical signal or the amount of reception of the optical signal into vector synthesis.

Composition of vector is the addition of two or more vector values, which can be found using triangular or parallelogram methods.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 converts a plurality of signal strengths received by the first receiver 610, the second receiver 620, and the third receiver 630 into a synthesized vector, and a value of the synthesized vector is 0. The main body can be rotated and moved in a direction that points to.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 may obtain information about the plurality of received optical signals 701, 702, and 703. In this case, the obtained information may include, for example, a reception direction of the optical signal and a reception intensity (or reception amount).

The signal strength of the received plurality of optical signals 701, 702, and 703 may vary depending on the distance between the robot cleaner 100 and the remote control apparatus 200. That is, the signal strength of the received plurality of optical signals 701, 702, and 703 may increase or decrease in proportion to the distance between the robot cleaner 100 and the remote control apparatus 200.

The controller may include a first optical signal received by the first receiver 610 of the robot cleaner 100, a second optical signal received by the second receiver 620, and a second receiver received by the third receiver 630. Each of the three optical signals can be vectorized.

Accordingly, the first vector 701, the second vector 702, and the third vector 703 corresponding to each optical signal may be obtained, and the vector synthesis 704 may be performed based on the first vector 701, the second vector 702, and the third vector 703. Hereinafter, this may be referred to as 'conversion of the synthesis vector'. The controller may calculate the moving direction and the moving amount of the robot cleaner 100 according to the vector synthesis 704.

Here, the moving direction and the moving amount are determined by the direction and the position where the transform value F of the composite vector approaches zero.

In one embodiment, the conversion of the composite vector may be performed in real time whenever a position change of the main body of the robot cleaner 100 is detected.

For example, when the robot cleaner 100 reaches the second position by rotating and moving the main body according to the converted value of the composite vector calculated at the first position, the signal strength of the optical signal received at the second position ( Alternatively, the converted value of the synthesized vector can be calculated based on the received amount of the optical signal.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 may stop the driving of the main body when the center of the main body is located at a point where a plurality of signal strengths received by the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 are centered. In other words, when the center of the robot cleaner 100 arrives at a point where the plurality of received signal strengths are in balance, the robot cleaner 100 stops traveling as if the target point is reached. Thereafter, the cleaning operation may be performed according to a subsequent command received from the remote control apparatus 200.

Hereinafter, an operation flow of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 8, first, the remote control apparatus 200 starts to emit a light signal passing through a projection unit to a desired target point to move the robot cleaner 100 and a peripheral area of the target point (S10). . As described above, the optical signal means an optical signal modified to have a wide emission angle.

When the optical signal having a wide radiation angle is irradiated to the surrounding area including the target point as described above, the irradiated optical signal is received through a plurality of receivers provided in the robot cleaner 100 (S20).

Here, the plurality of receivers provided in the robot cleaner 100 may be arranged symmetrically (for example, triangular symmetry and quadrature symmetry) to receive an optical signal having a wide radiation angle. In the present invention, since the optical signal is irradiated at a wide radiation angle instead of a spot shape, the robot cleaner 100 may receive a single optical signal even though the robot cleaner 100 is somewhat spaced apart from the remote control apparatus 200.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 may calculate the signal strength of the optical signal for each of the plurality of receivers, and determine the moving direction and the moving amount of the robot cleaner 100 so that the calculated signal strengths are balanced (S30). .

Here, determining the moving direction and the moving amount of the robot cleaner so that the signal strength is balanced, vectorizing the signal strength received at each receiving unit included in the robot cleaner 100, and then corresponding to the converted value of the composite vector. It means that the robot cleaner is rotated and moved based on the direction and size, and then the driving direction and the traveling amount of the robot cleaner 100 toward the point where the converted value of the composite vector becomes zero.

When the robot cleaner 100 reaches the point where the converted value of the composite vector becomes zero, it reaches the target point.

Meanwhile, after reaching the target point or approaching the target point, the robot cleaner 100 may control the drag cleaner to perform the drag driving by using the remote control apparatus 200. To this end, a method of accurately reaching the target point based on the signal strength or the reception amount will be described first with reference to FIG. 9A.

The optical signal emitted from the light source of the remote control apparatus 200 is converted into an optical signal having a wide radiation angle after passing through a projection (eg, a lens), and then irradiated to the target point and the surrounding area of the target point.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the robot cleaner 100 rotates and moves toward a point where the signal intensity or the received amount of the optical signal received through the plurality of receivers 610, 620, and 630 are parallel to each other. (R) to enter. Then, the robot cleaner 100 rotates and moves so that the center of the main body of the robot cleaner 100 is located at a point where the signal intensity or reception amount of the optical signal is in parallel, that is, a point at which the converted value of the composite vector becomes zero. Move to the target point P.

When the target point P is reached in this manner, as shown in FIG. 9B, dragging is performed until the optical signal emitted from the remote control apparatus 200 is located at the desired end point. Here, the endpoint refers to the final target point pointed to by the remote control device 200.

That is, when a drag command is received from the remote control apparatus 200 during the movement of the robot cleaner 100, the robot cleaner 100 does not stop driving even after reaching the target point, and radiates from the remote control apparatus 200. It may move along the movement path of the optical signal. In addition, even when the user changes the target point indicated by the remote control apparatus 200, the robot cleaner 100 may move toward the changed target point.

For example, in FIG. 9B, the robot cleaner 100 enters a new second target area R2 from a target point in the first target area R1. Also, at this time, the signal of the optical signal in the second target area R2 is rotated and moved toward the point where the signal strength or the received amount of the optical signal received through the plurality of receivers 610, 620, and 630 are parallel. It rotates and moves following a point where the intensity or received amount is parallel.

Finally, the drag driving is performed from the first target area R1 to the second target area R2 based on the virtual reference line L. FIG. In the present invention, since the radiation angle of the optical signal irradiated to the first target area (R1) and the second target area (R2) is wide, the robot cleaner 100 is dragged without missing the signal emitted from the remote control device 200. Travel can be performed.

In addition, the robot cleaner 100 does not simply follow the direction in which the signal is strong, but performs the drag while following the point where the signal intensity or the reception amount of the optical signal is parallel to the remote control apparatus 200 even when the irradiation area is large. The path pointed by) can be precisely driven as if it follows a spot shape.

On the other hand, the robot cleaner 100 may encounter an obstacle as shown in FIG. 9C when following the target point along the optical signal. That is, FIG. 9C illustrates a driving operation of the robot cleaner 100 when an obstacle is detected in a target area corresponding to an optical signal having a wide radiation angle.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 is located at a point where the center of the body is centered on a plurality of signal strengths received by the plurality of receivers 610, 620, and 630, and there is no additional control command from the remote control apparatus 200. Stop the body running.

Meanwhile, when an obstacle is detected at a point at which the plurality of signal strengths are at the center, that is, at a target point, the controller of the robot cleaner 100 follows the outline of the detected obstacle and runs while the plurality of signal strengths are at the center. It can be controlled to stop driving at the point closest to.

For example, in FIG. 9C, when the robot cleaner 100 entering the target area R meets the obstacle 10 ′ while moving toward the target point, the robot cleaner 100 is received while traveling along the outline of the obstacle 10 ′. Find the point where multiple signal strengths are closest to equilibrium.

At this time, the outline tracking of the obstacle detected by the robot cleaner 100 may be limited to driving in the target area R. FIG.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9C, the robot cleaner 100 travels along a path following an obstacle, and the plurality of signal strengths are separated from the equilibrium, or the converted value of the composite vector is gradually changed from '0'. If it detects a distance, it follows the path back. The target DP is determined as the point DP closest to the converted value of the composite vector '0' in the passed path.

Next, FIGS. 10A to 10D illustrate a moving direction and a moving amount related to a target point using a plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 provided in the robot cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. I will explain the method in detail.

Referring to FIG. 10A, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 included in the robot cleaner 100 may be infrared sensors for reception. In addition, the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 may be disposed at different positions of the outer circumferential surface of the main body of the robot cleaner 100, and may preferably be arranged to be symmetrical to each other.

In this case, the controller 1800 of the robot cleaner 100 may detect the signal strength or the amount of reception of the optical signals received by the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 which are spaced apart from each other. Here, the signal strength or the received amount of the received optical signal may be obtained by applying a triangulation method.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 10A, the controller 1800 of the robot cleaner 100 may determine a target pointed by the remote control apparatus 200 based on a signal strength or a received amount of an optical signal received by the first receiver 610. The distance D1 to the point can be calculated. Here, the separation distance D1 may be determined by the product of the signal strength of the optical signal received by the first receiver 610 or the scale of the reception amount.

The separation distance D1 may be shorter as the signal strength or reception amount of the optical signal received by the first receiver 610 increases or increases. In other words, the separation distance D1 and the signal strength / reception amount of the optical signal may be inversely related to each other.

Similarly, the controller 1800 of the robot cleaner 100 may move the separation distance to the target point pointed to by the remote control apparatus 200 based on the signal strength or the amount of the light signal received by the second receiver 620. (D2) can be further calculated. Here, the separation distance D2 may be determined by the product of the signal strength of the optical signal received by the second receiver 620 or the scale of the reception amount.

In addition, the controller 1800 of the robot cleaner 100 separates the distance D3 to the target point pointed to by the remote control apparatus 200 based on the signal strength or the amount of the optical signal received by the third receiver 630. ) Can be further calculated. Here, the separation distance D3 may likewise be determined by the product of the signal strength of the optical signal received by the third receiver 630 or the scale of the reception amount.

Next, a virtual three circles (C1, C2, C3) having a radius of each of the above-mentioned distance (D1, D2, D3) is generated, and the remote control device 200 to the intersection point (P) where the three circles intersect. Can be determined as the target point.

However, in the present invention as described above, in order not to miss the optical signal emitted from the remote control device 200 is emitted as an optical signal having a wider radiation angle. Therefore, the intersection point P may be any point in the target area including the target point.

In order for the robot cleaner 100 to accurately move to a target point, an additional driving operation is required so that the center of the robot cleaner 100 has a point where the received signal strength is balanced.

10B to 10D show an example for explaining a driving operation of the robot cleaner according to signal strengths of optical signals received by the plurality of IR receivers 610, 620, and 630.

Here, it will be described on the premise that the IR receivers 610, 620, and 630 are disposed in a triangular symmetrical form on the front, left, and right sides of the robot cleaner 100, respectively. Accordingly, the first receiver 610 provided in front of the robot cleaner 100 receives the first optical signal. In addition, the second receiver 620 provided on the left side of the robot cleaner 100 receives the second optical signal. In addition, the third receiver 630 provided on the right side of the robot cleaner 100 receives the third optical signal.

First, FIG. 10B illustrates a case where the received first optical signal a, the second optical signal b, and the third optical signal are balanced. At this time, if no additional signal is received from the remote control apparatus 100, the robot cleaner 100 stops traveling at the current position.

FIG. 10C illustrates a case where the signal strength of the first optical signal a is stronger than the second and third optical signals b and c, which are the remaining signals. At this time, the robot cleaner 100 travels forward so that the signal strength can be balanced. However, if the signal strengths of the second optical signal b and the third optical signal c are different from each other, the signal may be advanced from the front toward the left / right side according to the converted value of the composite vector.

FIG. 10D illustrates a case where the signal strength of the third optical signal c is stronger than the first and second optical signals a and b, which are the remaining signals. At this time, the robot cleaner 100 travels in the right direction so that the signal strength can be balanced. Here, according to the difference between the signals of the first optical signal a and the second optical signal b, the conversion angle of the composite vector may be applied to vary the driving angle.

Meanwhile, in another example, the modulated wide optical signal and the spot type optical signal may be radiated in parallel. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment.

First, an operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is initiated by radiating an optical signal passing through a projection unit to a desired target point and a peripheral area of the target point in the remote control apparatus 200 (S110). Here, as described above, the optical signal means an optical signal modified to have a wide emission angle.

As such, when the optical signal is irradiated to the peripheral region including the target point, the irradiated optical signal is received through a plurality of receivers provided in the robot cleaner 100 (S120).

Here, the plurality of receivers provided in the robot cleaner 100 may be arranged symmetrically (for example, triangular symmetry and quadrature symmetry) to receive an optical signal having a wide radiation angle. In the present invention, since the optical signal is irradiated at a wide radiation angle instead of a spot shape, the robot cleaner 100 may receive a single optical signal even though the robot cleaner 100 is somewhat spaced apart from the remote control apparatus 200.

The controller of the robot cleaner 100 may calculate the signal strength of the optical signal for each of the plurality of receivers, and determine the moving direction and the moving amount of the robot cleaner 100 so that the calculated signal strengths are balanced (S130). .

Here, determining the moving direction and the moving amount of the robot cleaner so that the signal strength is balanced, vectorizing the signal strength received at each receiving unit included in the robot cleaner 100, and then corresponding to the converted value of the composite vector. It means that the robot cleaner is rotated and moved based on the direction and size, and then the driving direction and the traveling amount of the robot cleaner 100 toward the point where the converted value of the composite vector becomes zero.

Next, the robot cleaner 100 detects whether the robot cleaner 100 enters the target area including the target point (S140).

When it is determined that the target area has been entered, the remote control apparatus 200 may transmit a signal requesting to output an optical signal having a spot shape in the target area so as to reach the correct target point. S150).

To this end, the robot cleaner 100 includes at least one transmitter in front of the robot cleaner 100 to transmit an optical signal corresponding to the request signal to the remote control apparatus 200, and to receive the request signal from the remote control apparatus 200. It may have a single receiver.

When the request signal is received, the remote control apparatus 200 may control the connection member coupled to the projection unit 220 so that the optical signal having a wide radiation angle is transformed into a spot type optical signal and output.

For example, by applying an actuator or the like, the projector 220 is initially operated so that the projection unit 220 is disposed in front of the IR transmitter 210, and when the request signal is received, the projector 220 is connected to the IR transmitter ( The connection member may be operated to be arranged in parallel with 210.

Alternatively, in another example, the robot cleaner 100 outputs a predetermined notification signal informing the entry of the target area, and the remote control apparatus 200 modulates the spot-shaped modulated optical signal at the target point in response to the notification signal. You can also print

Above, according to the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof, it is not necessary to include a plurality of transmitters in the remote control device irradiates a single optical signal having a wide radiation angle, and the plurality of robot cleaner By controlling the driving so that the signal strength is balanced by the receiver, the robot cleaner can move to a desired target point without missing a signal from the remote control device. In addition, since the driving is controlled so that the point where the plurality of signal strengths received by the main body are balanced is at the center of the main body, it is possible to accurately follow the target point even if the area where the optical signal is irradiated is wide.

The present invention described above can be embodied as computer readable codes on a medium in which a program is recorded. The computer-readable medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state disks (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like. This also includes implementations in the form of carrier waves (eg, transmission over the Internet). In addition, the computer may include a controller 1800. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

Traveling unit for moving the main body;
A plurality of receivers each receiving an optical signal irradiated at a wide angle of view from the light source of the remote control apparatus to the target point and the surrounding area of the target point; And
A transmitter for transmitting a signal;
Comprising a control unit for calculating the signal strength of the optical signal received by each of the plurality of receivers, and controls the running unit to vary the moving direction and the movement amount of the main body so that the calculated signal strength is balanced,
The control unit,
In response to detecting that the main body enters the peripheral area, the transmitter unit transmits a signal including a command to convert the wide angle of view optical signal into a spot type optical signal and output the spot signal. Robot cleaner to control. The method of claim 1,
The remote control device,
And a projection unit including a lens for converting the laser light emitted from the light source into an optical signal having a wide angle of view and irradiating the target point.
And a connecting member coupled to the projection unit to convert the wide angle of view optical signal into a spot type optical signal in response to the command. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
And a signal strength is calculated based on the amount of light signals received by each of the plurality of receivers. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
The robot is characterized in that the movement direction is determined based on the difference of the plurality of signal strengths, and when the main body enters the peripheral region of the target point, the main body is controlled to move the main body using the point where the plurality of signal strengths are balanced. vacuum cleaner. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
And converting a plurality of signal strengths into a composite vector, and rotating and moving the main body in a direction in which the value of the composite vector points to zero. The method of claim 5,
The transformation of the composite vector is a robot cleaner, characterized in that performed in real time whenever a change in position of the main body is detected. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
And the center of the main body stops traveling of the main body when the center of the main body is located at a point where a plurality of signal strengths are centered. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
When an obstacle is detected at the point where the center of the main body of the plurality of signal strengths are centered, the vehicle follows the outline of the detected obstacle but stops driving at the point closest to the point where the plurality of signal strengths are centered.
The robot robot cleaner, characterized in that the following tracking of the detected obstacle is limited to driving in the peripheral area. delete delete

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