Robot cleaner and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10019013-B2
Application number	US-201615204219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Oct 12, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a robot cleaner and a control method of the robot cleaner, more particularly, to a robot cleaner configured to correct position information of the robot cleaner by acquiring a position of a docking station during the robot clear drives and to correct a map by using corrected position information, and a control method of the robot cleaner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot cleaner comprising:
a body;
a driving unit configured to move the body;
a signal detector configured to detect an output signal of a docking station;
a position detector configured to acquire first position information of the body while the body moves;
a storage configured to store the first position information of the body acquired by the position detector; and
a controller, configured to calculate estimated position information for a next point while the body moves and when detecting the output signal of the docking station while the body moves, configured to estimate second position information of the body that is current position information of the robot cleaner using the output signal of the docking station and position information of the docking station, and configured to correct the first position information of the body to minimize an error included in the first position information using the second position information, the first position information and the estimated position information,
wherein the controller generates a map of driving trajectory using the first position information while the body moves and when the first position information is corrected, the controller updates the map of driving trajectory using the corrected first position information.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by estimating a point in which directions of the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, are intersected.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, according to the probability based filtering method using Bayse filter.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3 , wherein Bayse filter comprises at least one of Kalman Filter, Extended Kalman filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), Information filter, Histogram Filter and Particle Filter.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by measuring a direction of the output signal detected by the signal detector of the body, and by measuring a distance between the body and the docking station based on a type and an intensity of the output signal.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the signal detector comprises a signal receiver disposed at a plurality of positions of the body.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the signal detector detects at least one of a proximity signal, a mid-distance signal, a front signal, and an omnidirectional signal, which are differently output according to each position of a sensor installed in the docking station.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7 , wherein the signal detector differently detects an intensity of the output signal of the docking station according to a distance between the docking station and the body.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the output signal of the docking station is an infrared signal.

10. A control method of a robot cleaner provided with a body and a driving unit to move the body, comprising:
detecting an output signal of a docking station;
acquiring first position information of the body while the body moves;
storing the first position information of the body detected by a position detector;
calculating estimated position information for a next point while the body moves;
generating a map of driving trajectory using the first position information while the body moves;
when detecting the output signal of the docking station while the body moves, estimating second position information of the body that is current position information of the robot cleaner using the output signal of the docking station and position information of the docking station; and
correcting the first position information of the body to minimize an error included in the first position information using the second position information, the first position information and the estimated position information; and
updating the map of driving trajectory using the corrected first position information.

11. The control method according to claim 10 , wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a point, in which directions of the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, are intersected.

12. The control method according to claim 10 , wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, according to the probability based filtering method using Bayse filter.

13. The control method according to claim 12 , wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal according to the probability based filtering method including at least one of Kalman Filter, Extended Kalman filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), Information filter, Histogram Filter and Particle Filter.

14. The control method according to claim 10 , wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by measuring a direction of the output signal detected by the signal detector of the body, and by measuring a distance between the body and the docking station based on a type and an intensity of the output signal.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwak No San
• Roh Kyung Shik
• Park Soon Yong
• Yoon Suk June
• Lee So Hee
• Choi Min Yong

Classifications

• A47L2201/022

  Recharging of batteries · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• A47L11/4011

  Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor · CPC title

• G05D1/0242 Primary

  using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals · CPC title

• G05D2201/0215

  Physics · mapped topic