Cleaning robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10678236-B2
Application number	US-201415031978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2014
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a cleaning robot including a main body; a driving unit configured to move the main body; a communication unit configured to establish wireless communication with a user terminal to which a manipulation command is input; and a controller configured to transmit a position detecting signal to the user terminal, and detect a position of the user terminal based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the user terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning robot, comprising:
a main body;
a driving unit provided in the main body and configured to move the main body;
a communication unit provided in the main body and configured to establish wireless communication with a user terminal for the cleaning robot; and
a controller provided in the main body and configured to:
receive a designated-position cleaning command from the user terminal along with posture information of the user terminal, with a position of the user terminal as an origin of the posture information, the user terminal transmitting the designated-position cleaning command and the posture information of the user terminal to the communication unit in response to an input of a user,
determine, based on the designated-position cleaning command, a position of the user terminal relative to the main body, with the position of the main body as an origin of the position of the user terminal,
determine, based on the position of the user terminal relative to the main body and the posture information of the user terminal, a designated cleaning position relative to the main body, with the position of the main body as an origin of the designated cleaning position, and
control the driving unit to move the cleaning robot to the designated cleaning position to perform a cleaning operation.

2. The cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the communication unit comprises at least two ultra-wide band communication modules configured to transmit an impulse signal.

3. The cleaning robot of claim 2 , wherein, in order to transmit the position detecting signal to the user terminal, the controller controls the communication unit to cause each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules to transmit the impulse signal to the user terminal.

4. The cleaning robot of claim 3 , wherein the controller detects a distance between each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal, based on a difference between time when each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules transmits the impulse signal and time when each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules receives the response signal.

5. The cleaning robot of claim 4 , wherein the controller detects coordinates of the user terminal using the distance between each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal and using triangulation.

6. The cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein, when a ‘follow’ command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit such that the distances between the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal are less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance.

7. The cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein, when a ‘follow’ command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit such that the coordinates of the user terminal are in a predetermined range of coordinates.

8. The cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein, when a manual cleaning command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit to move the main body along a moving trajectory of the user terminal.

9. The cleaning robot of claim 8 , wherein, in order to detect the moving trajectory of the user terminal, the controller calculates a moving direction and displacement of the user terminal, based on a change in the coordinates of the user terminal.

10. The cleaning robot of claim 9 , wherein the controller controls the driving unit to move the main body by the moving displacement in the moving direction.

11. The cleaning robot of claim 2 , wherein the communication unit establishes wireless communication with a beacon located at a reference position, and
the controller transmits the position detecting signal to the beacon, and detects a position of the main body relative to the reference position, based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the beacon.

12. The cleaning robot of claim 11 , wherein the controller detects a position of the beacon relative to the main body based on the time difference, and calculates the position of the main body based on the position of the beacon.

13. The cleaning robot of claim 2 , wherein the communication unit outputs a sensing radio wave and receives a radio wave reflected from a user's body, and
the controller detects a position of the user's body based on a time difference between the sensing radio wave and the reflected radio wave, and controls the driving unit when a follow-user command is input, such that a distance between the user and the main body is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance.

14. The cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
transmit a position detecting signal to the user terminal, and
obtain the position of the user terminal based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the user terminal.

15. The cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive the position of the user terminal from the user terminal.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Jae Young
• Kim Shin
• Yoon Sang Sik
• Kim Byung Chan
• Lee Byoung In

Classifications

• G05D1/0016 Primary

  characterised by the operator's input device (input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0257

  using a radar (radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931) · CPC title

• A47L11/4011

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

• A47L2201/04

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

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title