KR20100116999A

KR20100116999A - Robot cleaner bumper sensor

Info

Publication number: KR20100116999A
Application number: KR1020090035723A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 박광환
Original assignee: 박광환
Priority date: 2009-04-23
Filing date: 2009-04-23
Publication date: 2010-11-02

Abstract

Robotic cleaner bumper sensor of the present invention and the touch sensor; T-shaped bumper core formed with two or more impact protrusions; It consists of a rubber cover with a T-shaped groove installed inside and an inlet cut into a semicircle.

T-shaped grooves are installed at the inlet and the inside of the rubber cover cut into the semicircle, and the T-shaped bumper cores installed with the touch sensor and two or more impact protrusions in each of the T-shaped grooves of the rubber cover correspond to each other. The present invention relates to a robot cleaner bumper sensor which allows the sensor to operate.

Description

Robot Cleaner Bumper Sensor {ROBOT CLEANER BUMPER SENSOR}

The robot cleaner bumper sensor is mounted on the robot cleaner bumper and is a sensor device that plays a role of changing the direction when the robot cleaner hits an obstacle or a wall.

In the conventional robot cleaner sensor, an ultrasonic device or an optical sensor has been widely used.

Ultrasonic or optical sensors are good at detecting the distance or angle range of obstacles, but they are not able to detect the direction of obstacles in the robot cleaner's moving direction, and lack the ability to detect the direction of obstacles.

Conventional robot cleaners do not go to avoid obstacles and do not go, and there is no certain criteria for going to and from them, and they go back randomly because they go around for hours, and then go back and lining the lining. Was lost, wasting time and energy.

Therefore, the cleaner does not move while avoiding obstacles in the direction of movement, and in order to go between the angular range detection or distance detection by conventional ultrasonic sensors or light sensors, for example, the constant direction detection, for example, accurate forward detection or straight direction. Detection needed.

In order to detect the forward direction or the straight direction according to the movement of the robot cleaner, a bumper was installed in the moving direction of the cleaner, and an indirect touch method was applied due to the impact of the bumper. However, the indirect touch method caused by the impact of the bumper is not sensitive to obstacle detection and requires a rather strong impact, and has the disadvantage of causing damage to the cleaner or furniture due to such a strong impact.

The present invention adopts an indirect touch method by the impact of the bumper in order to detect the obstacles in the forward direction or in the straight direction instead of the conventional angle range detection or distance detection method, the hollow cleaner or rubber to solve the disadvantages We have developed a bumper sensor with a built-in bumper core with two or more projections to impact the touch sensor and touch sensor on a rubber bumper made of urethane material.

In particular, in the case of a robot cleaner equipped with a moving device moving at right angles as a means of avoiding obstacles, the obstacle detecting device in the straight direction caused by the impact of the touch sensor and the bumper is moved at right angles (90 degrees) in the traveling direction. It is necessary to operate the mobile device to provide the robot cleaner control program for moving the robot cleaner to and from the robot cleaner.

The present invention has a built-in bumper core with a touch sensor and a bump to shock the touch sensor in the bumper having rubber properties to minimize the distance between the touch sensor and the bumper core to transmit the impact, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the sensor even with a small force impact It is possible to prevent the damage of the bumper sensor to cause damage to the furniture, etc.

And the obstacle detection in the straight direction due to the bumper sensor and the bumper proposed in the present invention is to operate the other moving device moving in the right direction (left and right) by the robot cleaner on the control program for not going to, This is a useful resource to provide a starting point.

The touch sensor may be a commonly used bar type touch sensor or a tape type type touch sensor having a T-shaped cross section. The tape-shaped touch sensor (FIG. 1) has many ranges and locations of the touch part, so touch sensing is easy, and in the present invention, an embodiment using a tape-shaped touch sensor having a T-shaped cross section is provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape type touch sensor having a T-shaped cross section, and the small figure on the right shows its cross section. A tape-shaped touch sensor having a T-shaped cross section is used as a start switch of a machine or the like and is detected by contact, and an operating load is detected by a force of at least 2.3N. The tape-shaped touch sensor having a T-shaped cross section has already been performed and is well known, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the T-shaped bumper core having two or more impact protrusions (FIG. 2) is installed to increase the detection strength of the sensor by increasing the touch strength of the touch point even with a small external impact force. It is a creative component of the present invention that serves as an intermediary to deliver external shock to the touch sensor.

2 is a perspective view showing a T-shaped bumper core having two or more impact protrusions formed thereon.

The T-shaped bumper core 20 having the two or more impact protrusions 21 formed therein is made of a plastic material so as to directly transmit an external shock caused by an obstacle to the touch sensor as it is, which is somewhat elastic and maintains the impact without breaking and twisting. It is preferable that it is made of hard material which can be delivered. The end of the impact protrusion installed on the bumper core is preferably concave round to conform with the protrusion of the end of the touch sensor so as to receive and press the contact portion of the touch sensor during impact. The distance and number of bump bumps in the impact stone period can be adjusted to suit the purpose and environment of the vacuum cleaner.

Next will be described in detail with reference to the rubber cover is installed in each of the inlet and the inside of the semi-circular incision T-shaped grooves.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the touch sensor 10 and the bumper core 20 is installed at the inlet and the inside of the rubber cover 30 cut in a semicircle, respectively.

The rubber cover 30 of the present invention may be used as long as the rubber or physical properties are made of a material such as urethane or silicone similar to rubber, and the physical properties include all materials having properties similar to rubber.

The inlet of the rubber cover 30 cut in a semicircle is provided with a T-shaped groove for inserting the touch sensor 10. The T-shaped groove is fitted by inserting the bushing part of the touch sensor so that the sensor part faces the inside of the rubber cover.

A T-shaped groove for inserting the T-shaped bumper core 20 having two or more impact protrusions 21 formed therein is installed inside the rubber cover 30 cut in a semicircle. In inserting the T-shaped bumper core 20 into the rubber cover 30, the impact protrusion 21 is inserted to face the touch sensor 10 and corresponding to each other so as to match the sensor part of the touch sensor 10. To combine.

Bumper sensor is integrally combined as described above is coupled to the bumper sensor groove installed in the outer flat end portion of the robot cleaner by bonding or the like.

4 is a cutaway view of a shape in which the bumper sensor of the present invention is installed at the outer planar tip of the robot cleaner, the figure on the right of which shows a cross-sectional view.

When the bumper sensor installed as described above is impacted by an external obstacle while the robot cleaner moves, the load is transmitted to the rubber cover 30 and the bumper core 20, and the bumper core impact protrusion 21 presses the sensor part of the touch sensor 10. The electrical signal is generated. The electrical signal is transmitted to the microcontroller unit to serve to interrupt the incoming power of the cleaner, precisely the cleaner motor.

The robot cleaner bumper sensor of the present invention has been described in detail above.

In the description and the technical contents of the claims, the rubber cover is intended to include all covers having rubber properties such as silicone urethane, and is not limited to rubber. It is made of rubber-like properties and can be simply substituted. It is a matter of course that all elements belong to the scope of the present invention.

The robot cleaner bumper sensor of the present invention has a very excellent function as an obstacle avoidance means in the touch sensor type robot cleaner to perform cleaning without gaps, so it is necessary and indispensable as a technology to operate the robot cleaner by applying the touch sensor. As it is expected to be a component, it is highly likely to be used industrially.

1 is a perspective view of a T-shaped tape measure in cross section, the small figure on the right is a cross-sectional view thereof;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the touch sensor and the bumper core is installed at the inlet and the inside of the rubber cover cut in a semicircle, respectively,

Claims

T-shaped grooves are installed at the inlet and the inside of the rubber cover cut into the semicircle, and the T-shaped bumper cores installed with the touch sensor and two or more impact protrusions in each of the T-shaped grooves of the rubber cover correspond to each other. Robot vacuum cleaner bumper sensor