Apparatus for returning of robot and returning method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751214-B2
Application number	US-201514934320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for returning of robot and a returning method thereof are provided, in which the apparatus for returning of robot includes a signal transmitter which is disposed on a charging station and transmits a single front signal and a plurality of distance signals including first, second and third distance signals, a signal receiver which is disposed on the robot and includes a plurality of receiving sensors to receive any one among the single front signal and one among the plurality of distance signals, and a controller which calculates an angle of the charging station by using one among the received single front signal and the plurality of received distance signals and controls the driving so that the robot can return to the charging station by using the calculated angle of the charging station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for returning a robot to a charging station, the apparatus comprising:
a signal transmitter disposed on the charging station to transmit a plurality of signals to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals including a single narrow signal having a narrow transmission angle and a plurality of distance signals each having a wider transmission angle than the single narrow signal comprising a first distance signal, a second distance signal, and a third distance signal in which a respective transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;
a signal receiver disposed on the robot and comprising a plurality of receiving sensors to receive the plurality of signals;
at least one memory storing instructions; and
a controller including at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory to:
calculate an angle of the charging station with respect to the robot by using any among the single front signal and the plurality of distance signals as received, and
control a driving of the robot so that the robot returns to the charging station using the calculated angle with respect to the charging station,

wherein based on which ones of the plurality of signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, the controller controls the robot to:
drive away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received,
drive toward the charging station when the only distance signal received is the third distance signal,
perform a front-turn driving toward a direction corresponding to a preset angle based on a direction of the charging station with respect to the robot and searches for the single narrow signal when the only distance signal received is the second distance signal, and

drive toward the direction of the charging station and connect to the charging station when only the single narrow signal is received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of receiving sensors are arranged on a boundary of the robot symmetrically from left to right with respect to a front of the robot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of receiving sensors have preset reception ranges.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of receiving sensors are arranged on the boundary of the robot at equal intervals with respect to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of receiving sensors comprise a pair of front receiving sensors arranged in parallel on the front of the robot in which the reception ranges overlap with each other.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when a plurality of distance signals are received by some among the plurality of receiving sensors, a signal among the received plurality of distance signals having a smallest transmission angle and a distance is selected by the controller and the controller controls the robot according to the selected signal, and
when more than one of the plurality of distance signals and the single narrow signal are received by some among the plurality of receiving sensors, only the single narrow signal is selected by the controller and the controller controls the robot according to the selected single narrow signal.

7. An apparatus for returning a robot to a charging station, the apparatus comprising:
a signal transmitter disposed on the charging station to transmit a plurality of signals to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals including a single narrow signal having a narrow transmission angle and a plurality of distance signals each having a wider transmission angle than the single narrow signal comprising a first distance signal, a second distance signal, and a third distance signal in which a respective transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;
a signal receiver disposed on the robot and comprising a plurality of receiving sensors to receive the plurality of signals;
at least one memory storing instructions; and
a controller including at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory to:
calculate an angle of the charging station with respect to the robot by using any among the single front signal and the plurality of distance signals as received, and
control a driving of the robot so that the robot returns to the charging station using the calculated angle with respect to the charging station,

wherein based on which ones of the plurality of signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, the controller controls the robot to:
drive away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received,
drive toward the charging station when the only distance signal received is the third distance signal,
perform a front-turn driving toward a direction corresponding to a preset angle based on a direction of the charging station with respect to the robot and searches for the single narrow signal when the only distance signal received is the second distance signal, and
drive toward the direction of the charging station and connect to the charging station when only the single narrow signal is received,

wherein the single narrow signal, the first distance signal, the second distance signal, and the third distance signal have different codes from each other,
the single narrow signal is transmitted from the center of the charging station toward the front of the apparatus, and
the first, the second and the third distance signals are each formed symmetrically from left to right of the apparatus with respect to the single narrow signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first distance signal and the second distance signal have different codes between the signals formed on one side and the signals formed on other side of the single narrow signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the third distance signal comprises a transmission angle covering both sides of the charging station.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first to the third distance signals have overlapping areas with respect to each other, and
the controller selects the distance signal having the smallest transmission distance when at least two distance signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, selects the single narrow signal only when any one among the plurality of distance signals and the single narrow signal is received, and controls a driver of the robot according to the selected signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the single narrow signal and the plurality of distance signals are infrared signals.

12. A method for returning a robot to a charging station, the method comprising:
determining whether returning conditions are met according to at least one of a determined charging amount of a battery and a determined amount of dust obtained by the robot;
when the determined returning conditions are met, searching any one among a plurality of signals received by the charging station to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals transmitted from the charging station including a single narrow signal and a plurality of distance signals including a first distance signal, a second distance signal and a third distance signal in which a transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;
driving the robot away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received by

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Ji-Min
• Kwak No-San
• Kim Shin
• Roh Kyung-Shik
• Park Soon-Yong
• Yoon Suk-June

Classifications

• G05D2105/10

  for cleaning, vacuuming or polishing · CPC title

• G05D1/648

  Performing a task within a working area or space, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• G05D2201/0203

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0242

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

• G05D1/0225

  involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027) · CPC title