Cleaning robot and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12440079-B2
Application number	US-202017638795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2020
Priority date	Aug 26, 2019
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A cleaning robot (and a control method thereof) including a body, a mover, to drive the cleaning robot to move on a ground and perform cleaning work, a detector, configured to detect a ground feature in front of the cleaning robot, a positioner, configured to obtain position information of the cleaning robot, and a controller, electrically connected to the detector and the positioner. The controller stores or obtains a map of a working region of the cleaning robot and can determine a position of the cleaning robot in the map according to the position information of the cleaning robot. Further, the controller recognizes the ground feature according to a detection result of the detector and controls, according to the position of the cleaning robot in the map, the cleaning robot to perform a corresponding action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a cleaning robot, the method comprising:
driving the cleaning robot to move on a ground and performing cleaning work thereon;
detecting a ground feature in front of the cleaning robot;
obtaining position information of the cleaning robot;
storing or obtaining a map of a working region of the cleaning robot;
determines a position of the cleaning robot within the map according to the position information of the cleaning robot, the map including a traveling region and an entrance/exit region for entering or leaving the traveling region;
recognizing the ground feature according to a detection result, the ground feature including a carpet, the recognizing the ground feature according to the detection result including recognizing the ground feature as the carpet;
controlling, according to the position of the cleaning robot in the map, based on a first location of the ground feature, the cleaning robot to perform a first corresponding action, the first corresponding action including:
in response to determining that the cleaning robot is located away from the entrance/exit region such that the carpet is located beyond a range of a first predetermined distance to the entrance/exit region, controlling the cleaning robot not to enter a region in which the carpet is located; and

controlling, according to the position of the cleaning robot in the map, based on a second location of the ground feature, the cleaning robot to perform a second corresponding action, the first location being different from the second location, the second corresponding action being different from the first corresponding action.

2. The cleaning robot method according to claim 1 , wherein the recognizing the ground feature as the carpet including:
obtaining, by detecting a distance between the cleaning robot and the ground, a height parameter representing a height of the ground; and
recognizing the ground feature as the carpet in response to determining that the height parameter is greater than a first preset value.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second corresponding action includes:
in response to determining that another carpet is located at the entrance/exit region such that the another carpet is within a range of a second predetermined distance to the entrance/exit region, controlling the cleaning robot to pass through a region in which the another carpet is located.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
prior to controlling the cleaning robot to pass through the region in which the another carpet is located, determining that the cleaning robot is in a cross-region movement mode instead of an intra-region movement mode,
in the cross-region movement mode, controlling the cleaning robot to enter, from one traveling region, to another traveling region through the entrance/exit region; and
in the intra-region movement mode, controlling the cleaning robot to move in the one traveling region and performing cleaning work.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 1 , wherein the controlling the cleaning robot not to enter the region in which the carpet is located comprises:
controlling the cleaning robot to drive away from the carpet, or controlling the cleaning robot to move along an edge of the carpet.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
lifting a mop of the cleaning robot.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the map is received from a user terminal.

Assignees

• Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tan Yiyun
• Xie Mingjian
• Zhang Shisong

Classifications

• G05D1/246

  using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM] · CPC title

• G05D2111/20

  Acoustic signals, e.g. ultrasonic signals · CPC title

• G05D1/628

  following the obstacle profile, e.g. a wall or undulated terrain · CPC title

• A47L2201/06

  Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

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