KR102430113B1 - Robot cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The robot cleaner of the present invention includes a first pattern irradiating part for irradiating a first pattern of light toward the floor in the cleaning area in front of the main body, and a second pattern irradiating part for irradiating a second pattern of light upward toward the front of the main body. and acquires an image in which the light of each pattern irradiated by the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit is incident on the obstacle through the image acquisition unit, and various information about the obstacle situation in the cleaning area through the obtained image can figure out

Description

Robot vacuum cleaner {ROBOT CLEANER}

The present invention relates to a robot vacuum cleaner.

In general, a robot cleaner is a device that automatically cleans by sucking foreign substances such as dust from a floor while driving in an area to be cleaned without user's manipulation.

In general, such a robot cleaner detects the distance to obstacles such as furniture, office supplies, and walls installed in the cleaning area, and maps the cleaning area accordingly or controls the driving of the left and right wheels to avoid obstacles. Conventionally, there has been a method of measuring the distance moved by the robot cleaner through a sensor that looks at the ceiling or floor and calculating the distance to the obstacle based on this. Because of the in-line method, when the moving distance of the robot cleaner cannot be accurately measured due to the bending of the floor, the distance to the obstacle has no choice but to have an error. In particular, the distance measurement method mainly used for such a robot cleaner uses infrared or ultrasonic waves, and there is a problem in that a significant error occurs in the distance measurement because a large amount of light or sound is scattered by an obstacle.

Recently, a technology for controlling driving by irradiating a specific pattern of light to the front of the robot cleaner to photograph it, extracting the pattern from the photographed image, and identifying obstacles in the cleaning area based on this is applied. For example, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2013-0141979 (hereinafter referred to as the '979 invention.) is a robot cleaner having a light source module irradiating a cross pattern light and a camera module acquiring an image of the front of the cleaner.

is starting Such a robot cleaner extracts a pattern from an image acquired through a camera module, and grasps the obstacle situation in the cleaning area based on this. However, in the case of such a robot cleaner, since the light source module is configured to irradiate light at a certain angle and only one is provided, the range that can detect the obstacle is limited, and it is difficult to grasp the three-dimensional shape of the obstacle having a height. there was In particular, in the '979 invention, since the cross pattern is irradiated toward the floor of the cleaning area, it is impossible to detect an obstacle located higher than the light source module or an obstacle having a height from the light source module to a higher place from the floor.

In the '979 invention, when the light in the form of a vertical line emitted from the camera module is incident on the obstacle, the height of the obstacle can be estimated to some extent, but the obstacle information that can be known from this is the part where the vertical line pattern is irradiated to the last was limited to

In addition, in the case of an obstacle such as a bed, since the mattress is mounted on the bed leg, a predetermined space is formed under the mattress. Depending on the position of the robot cleaner from the bed, the cross pattern irradiated from the light source module All of the light is irradiated to the floor in the space, so the control unit of the robot cleaner cannot identify the mattress, and thus can control the robot cleaner to continue running toward the bed. In this case, depending on the height of the space, the robot cleaner cannot enter the space, collide with a structure such as a frame supporting the mattress, or get caught between the floor and the frame, so that there is a problem in that it cannot run anymore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner capable of acquiring more specific information about an obstacle by using patterns irradiated from two pattern irradiation units arranged vertically.

Second, when there is an obstacle that forms a space of a predetermined height between the floor and the floor of the cleaning area, such as a bed, it is to provide a robot cleaner capable of preventing being caught in the space while driving.

Third, to provide a robot cleaner capable of more easily performing the calibration process of the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit.

In the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first pattern irradiator and a second pattern irradiator are disposed on the front surface of the main body up and down, and the first pattern irradiator emits light of a first pattern downward toward the front of the main body. Irradiating, the second pattern irradiation unit irradiates the light of the second pattern upward toward the front of the main body. An image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of the front is provided on the front surface of the main body to acquire an image of a region where the light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern are incident.

When there is no obstacle in front of the robot cleaner, the light of the first pattern is incident on the floor of the cleaning area, but when the obstacle is located within the area to which the pattern lights are irradiated, the first pattern is located below the obstacle. of the light is incident, and since the light of the second pattern is incident on the upper part of the obstacle, the three-dimensional shape of the obstacle is obtained from information such as the position, shape, length, etc. of the light pattern formed on the obstacle in the image acquired through the image acquisition unit. form can be discerned.

In particular, even when the light of the first pattern is incident on the floor of the cleaning area, when the light of the second pattern is incident on the obstacle, an obstacle forming a predetermined space above the floor of the cleaning area, such as a bed, is It can be estimated that there is, and therefore, in this case, by grasping the height of the space from the position of the image of the second pattern in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, the height of the space is the height of the robot cleaner. When it is lower than the height of the main body, it may be controlled to avoid the obstacle.

Preferably, the image acquisition unit may be disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit. In addition, the first pattern irradiation unit, the image acquisition unit, and the second pattern irradiation unit may be arranged in a line, and the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the image acquisition unit . Furthermore, when the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit are configured to irradiate light at a vertical irradiation angle of the same size, even if the positions of the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit are reversed, from each pattern irradiation unit Since the direction of the irradiated light is the same, the calibration of the first pattern irradiator and the second pattern irradiator may be performed in the same manner.

The first pattern irradiator or the second pattern irradiator may irradiate light at a vertical irradiation angle of 20˚ to 30˚, and the image acquisition unit may have a main axis of the lens horizontally aligned and have an angle of view of 100˚ to 110˚ have. In addition, the image acquisition unit may be configured to acquire the image of the floor from a position of 110 mm to 120 mm or more from the main body.

The light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern may be configured in different patterns, the light of the first pattern is configured in a pattern including a horizontal line and a vertical line orthogonal to the horizontal line, and the second pattern The light of the second pattern may be configured in a pattern including a horizontal line.

A robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a casing forming an exterior, left and right wheels rotatably provided in the casing, and a suction module disposed in the casing to suck foreign substances from the floor in the cleaning area, It may include an obstacle detecting unit disposed on the front of the casing. Here, the obstacle detecting unit may include a module frame coupled to the front surface of the casing, and the first pattern irradiation unit, the second pattern irradiation unit, and the image acquisition unit may be disposed in the module frame.

Preferably, the image acquisition unit may be disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit.

The robot cleaner of the present invention can acquire more specific information about the obstacle by using the patterns irradiated from the two pattern irradiation units arranged vertically, and in particular, has an effect of more accurately grasping the three-dimensional shape of the object.

In addition, by grasping an obstacle that forms a space of a predetermined height between the floor and the floor of the cleaning area such as a bed, and controlling the running of the robot cleaner according to the height of the space, the robot cleaner is prevented from being caught in the space while running It has a preventable effect.

In addition, by symmetrically arranging the first pattern irradiator and the second pattern irradiator for irradiating with light at a vertical irradiation angle of the same size with respect to the image acquisition unit, the calibration process of the first pattern irradiator and the second pattern irradiator can be made easier There is a practicable effect.

1 is a perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a horizontal angle of view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a front view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a view showing a bottom surface of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating main parts of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .
6 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of the obstacle detection unit.
7 is a diagram illustrating an investigation range and an obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection module.
Figure 8 shows the first pattern light displayed on the acquired image in the process of calibrating the first pattern irradiator (a) and the second pattern light displayed on the acquired image in the process of calibrating the second pattern irradiator (b).
9 shows an image obtained when the robot cleaner is in the first position when an obstacle is located in front (a), and shows an image obtained when the position of the robot cleaner is changed and is in the second position is one (b).
10 is a view showing an image obtained when the first pattern light and the second pattern light are incident on the obstacle.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

1 is a perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a horizontal angle of view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a front view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a view showing a bottom surface of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating main parts of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 . 6 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of the obstacle detection unit. 7 is a diagram illustrating an investigation range and an obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection module.

1 to 7, the robot cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention moves along the floor of the cleaning area, and the main body 10 for sucking foreign substances such as dust on the floor, and the main body ( 10) may include an obstacle detecting unit 100 disposed on the front side.

The main body 10 forms an exterior and a casing 11 which forms a space in which the parts constituting the main body 10 are accommodated, and a suction unit disposed in the casing 11 to suck foreign substances such as dust or garbage. 34 , and a left wheel 36 (L) and a right wheel 36 (R) rotatably provided in the casing 11 . As the left wheel 36(L) and the right wheel 36(R) rotate, the main body 10 moves along the floor of the cleaning area, and foreign substances are sucked through the suction unit 34 in this process.

The suction unit 34 may include a suction fan (not shown) for generating suction force, and a suction port 10h through which the airflow generated by the rotation of the suction fan is sucked. The suction unit 34 may include a filter (not shown) for collecting foreign substances from the airflow sucked through the suction port 10h, and a foreign substance collecting container (not shown) in which the foreign substances collected by the filter are accumulated.

In addition, the main body 10 may include a driving driving unit 300 for driving the left wheel 36 (L) and the right wheel 36 (R). The driving driving unit 300 may include at least one driving motor. The at least one driving motor may include a left wheel driving motor rotating the left wheel 36(L)) and a right wheel driving motor rotating the right wheel 36(R).

The control unit 200 may include a driving control module 230 for controlling the driving driving unit 300 . The operation of the left drive motor and the right wheel drive motor are independently controlled by the driving control module 230 , so that the main body 10 can move forward, backward, or turn. For example, when the main body 10 travels in a straight line, the left wheel drive motor and the right wheel drive motor rotate in the same direction, but the left wheel drive motor and the right wheel drive motor rotate at different speeds or in opposite directions. When rotated, the traveling direction of the main body 10 may be switched. At least one auxiliary wheel 37 for stable support of the main body 10 may be further provided.

A brush 35 positioned on the front side of the bottom surface of the casing 11 and having a brush consisting of a plurality of radially extending wings may be further provided. The dust is removed from the floor of the cleaning area by the rotation of the brushes 35, and the dust separated from the floor is sucked through the suction port 10h and collected in the collection container.

A control panel 39 that receives various commands for controlling the robot cleaner 1 from a user may be provided on the upper surface of the casing 11 .

The main body 10 is provided with a rechargeable battery 38, and the charging terminal 33 of the battery 38 is connected to commercial power (eg, a power outlet in the home) or a separate charging stand connected to commercial power. The main body 10 is docked (not shown), the charging terminal 33 is electrically connected to the commercial power source, and the battery 38 can be charged. Electrical components constituting the robot cleaner 1 may receive power from the battery 38 , and thus, in a state in which the battery 38 is charged, the robot cleaner 1 is electrically separated from commercial power. driving is possible

The obstacle detecting unit 100 may be disposed on the front side of the main body 10 . In more detail, referring to FIG. 6 , the obstacle detecting unit 100 is fixed to the front surface of the casing 11 , and the module frame 110 formed vertically and elongated, and the first pattern fixed on the module frame 110 . It may include an irradiation unit 120 , a second pattern irradiation unit 130 , and an image acquisition unit 140 . According to an embodiment, it is also possible that the first pattern irradiation unit 120 , the second pattern irradiation unit 130 , and/or the image acquisition unit 140 are directly fixed to the casing 11 without the module frame 110 .

Each of the pattern irradiation units 120 and 130 may include a light source and a pattern generator (OPPE) that generates a predetermined pattern by transmitting the light irradiated from the light source. The light source may be a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like. Laser light is superior to other light sources in monochromaticity, straightness and connection characteristics, enabling precise distance measurement. Since there is a problem that is large, a laser diode is preferable as the light source. The pattern generator may include a lens and a diffractive optical element (DOE). Various patterns of light may be irradiated according to the configuration of the pattern generator provided in each of the pattern irradiation units 120 and 130 .

The first pattern irradiation unit 120 may irradiate the light of the first pattern (P1, hereinafter, referred to as the first pattern light) toward the lower front of the main body 10 . Accordingly, the first pattern light P1 may be incident toward the bottom of the cleaning area. The first pattern light P1 may be formed in the form of a cross pattern in which a horizontal line Ph and a vertical line Pv intersect.

The first pattern irradiation unit 120 , the image acquisition unit 140 , and the second pattern irradiation unit 130 may be arranged in a line. Preferably, the image acquisition unit 140 is disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit 120 and the second pattern irradiation unit 130, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the first pattern irradiator 120 is located above the image acquisition unit 140 and irradiates the first pattern light P1 downward toward the front, and is located below the first pattern irradiator 120 . , and the second pattern irradiator 130 is located below the image acquisition unit 140 and irradiates a second pattern of light (P2, hereinafter, referred to as a second pattern light) upward toward the front. can do. Accordingly, the second pattern light P2 may be incident on an obstacle or a certain portion of the obstacle located at least higher than the second pattern irradiation unit 130 from the wall surface or the floor of the cleaning area.

The second pattern light P2 may have a pattern different from that of the first pattern light P1 , and preferably includes a horizontal line. Here, the horizontal line does not necessarily have to be a continuous line segment, and may be formed of a dotted line as shown in the drawings.

On the other hand, θh shown in FIG. 2 indicates the horizontal irradiation angle of the pattern light P1 irradiated from the first pattern irradiation unit 120, and the angle formed by both ends of the horizontal line Ph with the first pattern irradiation unit 120 and it is preferably determined in the range of 130˚ to 140˚, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. The dotted line indicated in FIG. 2 is directed toward the front of the robot cleaner 1, and the first pattern light P1 may be configured to be symmetrical with respect to the dotted line.

The second pattern irradiation unit 130 also has a horizontal irradiation angle similar to the first pattern irradiation unit 120, preferably, may be determined in the range of 130˚ to 140˚, and according to the embodiment, the first pattern irradiation unit 120 The pattern light P2 may be irradiated at the same horizontal irradiation angle as , and in this case, the second pattern light P1 may also be configured to be symmetrical with respect to the dotted line shown in FIG. 2 .

The image acquisition unit 140 may acquire an image of the front of the main body 10 . In particular, pattern lights P1 and P2 are displayed in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 140 (hereinafter, referred to as an acquired image), and the images of the pattern lights P1 and P2 appearing in the acquired image are shown below. It is called a light pattern, and since the pattern light P1, P2 incident on the real space is the image formed on the image sensor, the same reference numerals are given to the pattern light P1, P2, and the first pattern light ( Images corresponding to P1) and the second pattern light P2 will be referred to as a first light pattern P1 and a second light pattern P2.

The image acquisition unit 140 may include a digital camera that converts the image of the subject into an electrical signal and then converts it into a digital signal and stores it in a memory device, wherein the digital camera includes an image sensor (not shown) and an image processing module ( not shown) may be included.

The image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and is configured as a chip in which a plurality of photodiodes are integrated, for example, a pixel as the photodiode. Charges are accumulated in each pixel by the image formed on the chip by the light passing through the lens, and the charges accumulated in the pixel are converted into electrical signals (eg, voltage). As the image sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), and the like are well known.

The image processing module generates a digital image based on the analog signal output from the image sensor. The image processing module includes an AD converter for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a buffer memory for temporarily recording digital data according to a digital signal output from the AD converter, and the buffer memory It may include a digital signal processor (DSP: Digital Signal Processor) for processing the information recorded in the digital image.

In addition, the robot cleaner 1 stores data that can be read by a microprocessor, and includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, It may include a data storage unit (not shown) such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, or an optical data storage device.

The control unit 200 may include a pattern detection module 210 that detects the light patterns P1 and P2 from the image (acquired image) acquired by the image acquisition unit 140 . The pattern detection module 210 detects features such as points, lines, and planes with respect to predetermined pixels constituting the acquired image, and based on the detected features, light patterns P1 and P2 or light patterns Points, lines, planes, etc. constituting the patterns P1 and P2 can be detected.

For example, the pattern detection module 210 extracts line segments formed by successive pixels brighter than the surrounding area, and includes a horizontal line Ph and a vertical line Pv constituting the first light pattern P1, and a second light pattern. A horizontal line (P2) constituting (P2) can be extracted.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and since various techniques for extracting a pattern of a desired shape from a digital image are already known, the pattern detection module 210 uses these known techniques to generate the first light pattern P1 and the second light pattern. A pattern P2 can be extracted.

The first pattern irradiation unit 120 and the second pattern irradiation unit 130 may be disposed symmetrically with respect to the image acquisition unit 140 . Referring to FIG. 7 , the first pattern irradiator 120 may be located on the upper side separated by a distance Dh from the image acquirer 140 , and the second pattern irradiator 130 moves downward from the image acquirer 140 . It may be located at a point separated by a distance Dh. Hereinafter, an angle formed by the irradiation direction of the first pattern irradiation unit 120 or the second pattern irradiation unit 130 with the horizontal is defined as a vertical irradiation angle. Specifically, the vertical irradiation angle may be defined as an angle formed by a direction in which the optical axis of the lenses constituting each of the pattern irradiation units 120 and 130 is directed with the horizontal.

The first vertical irradiation angle of the first pattern irradiation unit 120 and the second vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern irradiation unit 130 may have the same magnitude as θr. However, the first pattern irradiator 120 irradiates the first pattern light P1 at an angle θr downward with respect to the horizontal, and the second pattern irradiator 130 irradiates the second pattern light P1 at an angle θr upward with respect to the horizontal. P2) can be investigated. θr is preferably set in the range of 20° to 30°, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In this way, the first pattern irradiator 120 and the second pattern irradiator 130 are symmetrically disposed with respect to the image acquisition unit 140 , and the first pattern irradiator 120 and the second pattern irradiator 130 move in the direction The structure of irradiating light at the same vertical irradiation angle (θr) is the opposite, but makes it easy to calibrate or initialize the product.

When the pattern light irradiated from the first pattern irradiator 120 and/or the second pattern irradiator 130 is incident on the obstacle, the light pattern in the acquired image according to the position of the obstacle away from the first pattern irradiator 120 The positions of (P1, P2) change. For example, when the first pattern light (P1) and the second pattern light (P2) are incident on a predetermined obstacle, the closer the obstacle is from the robot cleaner 1, the closer the first light pattern ( P1)—in particular, the horizontal pattern Ph—is displayed at a high position, and conversely, the second light pattern P2 is displayed at a low position. That is, distance data to an obstacle corresponding to a row (a line made of horizontally arranged pixels) constituting the image generated by the image acquisition unit 140 is stored in advance, and then the image acquisition unit 140 is executed. When the light patterns P1 and P2 detected from the image obtained through the detection of a predetermined row are detected, the position of the obstacle may be estimated from distance data to the obstacle corresponding to the row.

However, in order for such a process to be accurately performed, it must be premised that the first pattern irradiator 120 and the second pattern irradiator 130 are aligned to accurately irradiate light at a preset vertical irradiation angle θr. Whether such a premise has been made may be checked during the calibration process, for example, it may be checked through the following process.

The obstacle detecting unit 100 is fixed, and a vertical incident plate (T, see FIG. 7 ) having a plane facing the obstacle detecting unit 100 is installed in front of the obstacle detecting unit 100 by a predetermined distance. The position of the incident plate T is preferably a position where the first pattern light P1 can be focused.

In this state, light is irradiated through the first pattern irradiator 120 , and an image is acquired through the image acquisition unit 140 . In the thus-obtained image, the first light pattern P1 incident on the incident plate T appears. Here, since the distance from the obstacle detection unit 100 to the incident plate T is already known, if the obstacle detection unit 100 is manufactured normally without defects, the position (ref1, hereinafter, referred to as the reference position) is determined on the acquired image. ), a horizontal line Ph of the first light pattern P1 should be displayed. FIG. 8(a) shows the first light pattern P1 displayed on the acquired image in the above process, and shows a case in which the horizontal line Ph is detected at the reference position ref1.

Now, the irradiation direction of the second pattern irradiation unit 130 needs to be inspected. Such a process may be performed by turning the obstacle detecting unit 100 upside down so that it is turned upside down and then repeating the calibration process described above. That is, after turning the obstacle detecting unit 100 upside down so that the upside and down are changed so that the second pattern irradiation unit 130 is located above the image acquisition unit 140 , this time the second pattern irradiation unit 130 turns the light to obtain an image in which the second light pattern P2 formed on the incident plate T appears through the image acquisition unit 140 . In this case, if the second pattern irradiation unit 130 is normal, the second light pattern P2 should be detected at the reference position ref1 . However, if this is not the case, for example, when the second light pattern P2 appears upward by a distance Δg from the reference position ref1 in the acquired image as shown in FIG. 8(b), the second pattern irradiation unit 130 ) is smaller than the preset value θr, it is preferable to adjust the vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern irradiation unit 130 .

However, if Δg is within the preset error range, Δg is stored in the data storage unit, and when the distance from the position of the second light pattern P2 shown in the acquired image to the obstacle is calculated in the future, Δg is used to By compensating for the position of the second light pattern P2, the distance to the obstacle can be more accurately obtained.

On the other hand, the image acquisition unit 140 is aligned so that the main axis of the lens faces in a horizontal direction, and θs shown in FIG. 7 indicates the angle of view of the image acquisition unit 140 and is set to a value of 100° or more, preferably It is preferably 100˚ to 110˚, but it is not necessarily limited thereto.

In addition, it can be determined between approximately 145mm to 155mm from the floor of the cleaning area to the image acquisition unit 140, in this case, the bottom of the cleaning area in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 140 after the point indicated by d2 , S2 indicates an area reaching the position d3 of the center of the first light pattern P1 (the intersection point where the horizontal line Ph and the vertical line Pv meet) among the floors shown in the acquired image. In particular, when an obstacle in the area S2 is located, an image in which the first pattern light P1 is incident on the obstacle may be acquired by the image acquisition unit 140 . Here, the distance from the main body 10 to d2 is preferably set to 100 mm to 120 mm, and d3 is located at a distance of approximately 400 mm from the robot cleaner 1, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In addition, S1 (the area from the robot cleaner 1 to the point d1) shown in FIG. 7 represents a region where the positions of the first light pattern P1 and the second light pattern P2 are reversed, and there is an obstacle in the area S1. In this case, the first pattern light P1 is located above the second pattern light P2 in the acquired image. At this time, d1 is a position away from the robot cleaner 1, preferably, 70 mm to 80 mm, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

9 is a view showing an image obtained when a first obstacle is located in front when the robot cleaner is in the first position (a), and the image obtained when the position of the robot cleaner is changed and is in the second position is shown (b).

When an obstacle OB1 in which a predetermined space A is formed between the floor and the bed, such as a bed, is located in the cleaning area, the space A can be recognized, and preferably, the height of the space A is identified Thus, it is possible to determine whether to pass or avoid the obstacle OB1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9A , the first pattern light P1 is incident on the floor located in the space A, and the second pattern light P2 is located above the space A When it is incident on a structure (eg, a frame supporting a bed mattress), the obstacle information acquisition module 220 constituting the control unit 200 has an obstacle on the upper side of the portion where the first pattern light P1 is incident. position, in particular, from the position of the second light pattern P2 shown in the acquired image, it is possible to know the distance from the robot cleaner 1 to the obstacle OB1, and furthermore, the second pattern irradiation unit Since the vertical irradiation angle of 130 is constant, based on the distance to the obstacle OB1, it is also known at what height the portion where the second pattern light P2 is incident is located from the floor of the cleaning area. Accordingly, based on such information, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 may determine the height of the space A, and preferably, it is determined that the height of the space A is lower than the height of the main body 10 . In this case, the driving control module 230 may control the driving driving unit 300 so that the main body 10 avoids the obstacle OB1 and travels. Conversely, when it is determined that the height of the space (A) is higher than the height of the main body (10), the driving control module 230 is configured such that the main body 10 enters the space (A) or passes through the space (A) by the driving driving unit ( 300) is also possible.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the vertical line Pv of the first pattern light P1 reaches the wall, the horizontal line Pv is incident on the floor, and the second pattern light P2 partially blocks the obstacle ( When the second pattern light P2 is incident on OB1 , a part of the second pattern light P2 is incident on the obstacle OB1 , and the other part is incident on the wall. Since obstacle information is obtained based on only the light pattern (P!), in this case, only the fact that there is a wall in front of the robot cleaner can be grasped, but as in the embodiment, the second pattern irradiation unit 130 is provided. In this case, it can be further recognized that an obstacle OB1 exists between the robot cleaner 1 and the wall, and in particular, the second pattern light P2 including the horizontal line Ph is transmitted in a wider area in the horizontal direction. Since the obstacle OB1 can be detected, it is possible to detect even the obstacle OB1 located in an area where the vertical line Pv of the first pattern light P1 does not reach.

10 is a view showing an image obtained when the first pattern light and the second pattern light are incident on the obstacle. Referring to FIG. 10 , in the robot cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the obstacle information that can be grasped through the first pattern light P1 , the obstacle information is three-dimensional through the second pattern light P2 . The shape can be identified in detail. For example, the actual height of the obstacle OB2 is a height that the robot cleaner 1 cannot overcome through driving, but at the current position of the robot cleaner 1, the first light pattern P1 is incident on the lower region of the obstacle. Therefore, if there is no second pattern irradiation unit 130, the driving control module 230 determines that the main body 10 can ride over the obstacle OB2, and once the main body 10 is over the obstacle OB2. After controlling to drive toward the main body 10, as the main body 10 gradually approaches the obstacle OB2, the position of the second light pattern P2 on the acquired image gradually rises, and the height of the obstacle OB2 increases with the main body 10. If it is determined that the surmountable height is higher than the surmountable height, then the driving driving unit 300 will be controlled to perform avoidance driving.

On the other hand, as in the embodiment, when the second pattern irradiation unit 130 is provided, since the second pattern light P2 is incident on the obstacle OB2 at the current position, the height of the obstacle OB2 is grasped in advance. and can optimize the driving route in advance by that much.

Meanwhile, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 may recognize a cliff located in front of the robot cleaner 1 based on the length of the vertical line Pv shown in the acquired image. When a cliff (for example, stairs) is located in front of the robot cleaner 1, the front end of the vertical line Pv can reach under the cliff, and the portion irradiated under the cliff in this way does not appear in the acquired image, The length of the vertical line (Pv) shown in the acquired image is shortened. Therefore, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 can recognize that a cliff is located in front of the robot cleaner 1 when the length of the vertical line Pv is shortened in this way, and based on the determined cliff information, driving control The module 230 may control the driving driving unit 300 so that the robot cleaner 1 may travel along a path that does not fall over a cliff.

Claims (13)

a main body that travels in the cleaning area and sucks foreign substances on the floor in the cleaning area;
a driving driving unit for driving the left and right wheels of the main body;
a first pattern irradiation unit disposed on the front surface of the main body and irradiating light of a first pattern toward the front lower side of the main body;
an image acquisition unit disposed below the first pattern irradiation unit on the front surface of the main body and acquiring an image of the front side of the main body;
a second pattern irradiation unit disposed below the image acquisition unit in the front of the main body and irradiating a second pattern of light toward the front upper side of the main body; and
A control unit for controlling the driving driving unit and performing a calibration process of the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit,
The first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit,
It is arranged to be symmetrical with respect to the image acquisition unit, and the vertical irradiation angle (θr) formed by the horizontal and the irradiation direction has the same size,
The control unit is
Calibration of the first pattern irradiation unit is performed by determining whether the light of the first pattern incident on the incident plate T in the image obtained through the image acquisition unit is detected at a predetermined reference position ref1,
After the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit are turned over so that the top and bottom are reversed, the calibration of the second pattern irradiation unit repeating the same process as that of the calibration of the first pattern irradiation unit is performed,
When the light of the first pattern or the light of the second pattern deviates from the reference position ref1 by a predetermined distance Δg on the upper side, to adjust the vertical irradiation angle of the first pattern irradiation unit or the second pattern irradiation unit Controlled, robotic vacuum cleaner.
The method of claim 1,
The first pattern irradiation unit, the image acquisition unit, and the second pattern irradiation unit is a robot cleaner arranged in a line. delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The vertical irradiation angle is 20˚ to 30˚ robot cleaner.
The method of claim 1,
The image acquisition unit is a robot cleaner in which the main axis of the lens is horizontally aligned and has an angle of view of 100˚ to 110˚. The method of claim 1,
The light of the first pattern consists of a pattern including a horizontal line and a vertical line orthogonal to the horizontal line,
The second pattern of light is a robot cleaner configured in a pattern including a horizontal line.
delete The method of claim 1,
The predetermined distance Δg is stored in the data storage unit,
The control unit is
When obtaining the distance from the position of the light of the first pattern or the light of the second pattern shown in the acquired image to the obstacle, the position of the light of the first pattern or the light of the second pattern is determined based on the predetermined distance (Δg) A robot vacuum cleaner, characterized in that it compensates.
The method of claim 1,
The image acquisition unit,
A robot cleaner that acquires the image of the floor from a position that is 110 mm to 120 mm or more away from the main body. casing forming the exterior;
a left wheel and a right wheel rotatably provided on the casing;
a suction module disposed in the casing to suck foreign substances on the floor in the cleaning area;
an obstacle detecting unit disposed on the front side of the casing; and
a control unit for controlling the driving of the left wheel and the right wheel, and performing a calibration process of the obstacle sensing unit;
The obstacle detection unit,
a module frame coupled to the front surface of the casing; and
A first pattern irradiation unit, a second pattern irradiation unit and an image acquisition unit disposed on the module frame,
The first pattern irradiation unit irradiates the light of the first pattern toward the lower front of the casing,
The second pattern irradiation unit, irradiating the light of the second pattern toward the front upper side of the casing from the lower side of the first pattern irradiation unit,
The first pattern irradiator and the second pattern irradiator are arranged to form a symmetry with respect to the image acquisition unit and irradiate light to have the same vertical irradiation angle with each other,
The image acquisition unit is disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit to obtain an image of the front of the casing,
The control unit is
Calibration of the first pattern irradiation unit is performed by determining whether the light of the first pattern incident on the incident plate T in the image obtained through the image acquisition unit is detected at a predetermined reference position ref1,
After the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit are turned over so that the top and bottom are reversed, the calibration of the second pattern irradiation unit repeating the same process as the calibration of the first pattern irradiation unit is performed,
When the light of the first pattern or the light of the second pattern deviate from the reference position ref1 by a predetermined distance Δg on the upper side, to adjust the vertical irradiation angle of the first pattern irradiation unit or the second pattern irradiation unit Controlled, robotic vacuum cleaner.

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