KR20180025724A - Moving Robot and controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving robot of the present invention comprises: a main body; a sensor portion; a first pattern irradiating portion; a second pattern irradiating portion; an image acquisition portion; and a control portion. In a cleaning area of the front of the main body, a first pattern is irradiated toward the bottom and a second pattern is irradiated upwardly, an obstacle is recognized based on an image in which light of each irradiated pattern incidents on the obstacle, and tilting of the main body is detected to be compensated such that a precise determination with respect to the obstacle can be implemented, and driving possibility can be determined again through slope compensation so as to pass through or avoid the obstacle. Thus, the moving robot is able to enter various areas, so that the cleaning area can be expanded. In addition, the moving robot is able to make quick decision, be operated quickly without being constrained by the obstacle, and escape from the obstacle, thereby performing effective driving.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile robot,

The present invention relates to a mobile robot and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile robot for detecting and avoiding obstacles and a control method thereof.

Generally, a mobile robot is a device that automatically moves inside a region to be cleaned without user's operation, while suctioning foreign substances such as dust from a floor surface.

Generally, such a mobile robot senses distances to obstacles such as furniture, office supplies, and walls installed in the cleaning area, maps the cleaning area accordingly, or controls the driving of the left and right wheels to perform the obstacle avoidance operation.

Conventionally, the distance traveled by the mobile robot is measured through a sensor that observes the ceiling or floor, and the distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the distance. However, the distance to the obstacle is indirectly estimated based on the travel distance of the mobile robot Therefore, if the moving distance of the mobile robot can not be precisely measured due to the bending of the floor or the like, the distance to the obstacle also has an error. Particularly, the distance measuring method mainly used in such mobile robots uses infrared rays or ultrasonic waves, and there is a problem that a considerable error occurs in distance measurement because light or sound is scattered by obstacles.

Accordingly, a technique of irradiating light of a specific pattern to the front of the mobile robot and photographing it, extracting a pattern from the photographed image, and detecting the obstacle situation in the cleaning area based on the extracted pattern, is applied. For example, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0141979 (hereinafter referred to as '979 invention') discloses a mobile robot having a light source unit for irradiating a cross pattern light and a camera unit for acquiring an image in front of the cleaner .

However, since such a conventional mobile robot is configured to irradiate light from a single light source at a certain angle, it is difficult to detect obstacles, and it is also difficult to grasp stereoscopic shapes of obstacles having a height.

In addition, when the mobile robot moves up the obstacle below the threshold or a certain height, the body is erroneously determined as an obstacle or a cliff as the body tilts, so that the robot can not travel any longer and the obstacle is restrained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile robot and a control method thereof, which detect slope of a mobile robot and perform slope compensation according to the degree of slope to determine an obstacle again according to the compensation result.

A mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body that travels in a cleaning area and sucks foreign matter on the floor in a cleaning area, a sensor unit that senses a tilt of the main body and inputs a detection signal, A first pattern irradiating unit that irradiates light of a first pattern toward a front lower side of the main body, a second pattern irradiating unit which is disposed on a front side of the main body and is disposed below the first pattern irradiating unit, A second pattern irradiating unit disposed on a front surface of the main body, the apparatus comprising: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image with respect to the front of the main body; and a second pattern irradiator that irradiates light of a first pattern from an acquired image input from the image acquiring unit And a second optical pattern corresponding to the light of the second pattern to determine an obstacle and to control to pass or avoid the obstacle Wherein the control unit determines whether the main body is tilted based on a sensing signal input from the sensor unit, and when the main body is tilted, And judges again whether or not an obstacle is present through tilt compensation.

A control method for a mobile robot according to the present invention is a method for controlling a mobile robot comprising the steps of irradiating light of a first pattern and a second pattern and photographing a preceding image and traveling, Detecting an obstacle by detecting a first light pattern corresponding to the light of the first pattern and a second light pattern corresponding to the light of the second pattern, sensing a tilt of the main body, detecting a tilt of the main body when the main body is tilted, Performing a tilt compensation on the light pattern or the second light pattern, and determining again the obstacle after the tilt compensation to travel through or avoid the obstacle.

In the mobile robot and its control method of the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine an obstacle by detecting a tilting of the main body and compensating for a tilted pattern by using patterns irradiated up and down, Since it is possible to pass through or avoid obstacles by judging whether or not the vehicle can travel by means of tilt compensation, it is possible to enter various areas, thereby expanding the cleanable area, enabling quick determination and operation, avoiding obstacles, can do.

1 is a perspective view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the horizontal angle of view of the mobile robot of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a front view of the mobile robot of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the mobile robot of FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the mobile robot of FIG.
6 is a front view and a side view of the obstacle detection unit.
7 is a diagram showing an irradiation range and an obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection unit.
8 is a diagram showing light of a pattern irradiated by the first pattern irradiating unit.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary view showing a pattern of a pattern irradiated to an obstacle in a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing a tilting of a main body of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is an exemplary diagram showing a pattern according to the tilting of the mobile robot of FIG.
FIG. 12 is a view illustrating an embodiment of a mobile robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram showing a pattern change according to the inclination of the mobile robot of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 15 is an exemplary diagram showing a pattern change according to the inclination of the mobile robot of Fig. 14; Fig.
16 is a view showing an embodiment according to a tilt correction of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a view showing another embodiment of tilt correction of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a flowchart showing a control method for compensating for the inclination of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a traveling method based on tilt compensation of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

1 is a perspective view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the horizontal angle of view of the mobile robot of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the mobile robot of FIG. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the mobile robot of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the mobile robot of FIG.

1 to 5, a mobile robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 moving along the bottom of a cleaning area and sucking foreign substances such as dust on the floor, And an obstacle detection unit 100 disposed on the front of the vehicle.

The main body 10 includes a casing 11 forming an outer appearance and defining a space for accommodating components constituting the main body 10 inwardly and a suction unit 12 disposed in the casing 11 for sucking foreign substances such as dust, A left wheel 36 (L) and a right wheel 36 (R) which are 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 bottom 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 a suction force and a suction port 10h for sucking the airflow generated by the rotation of the suction fan. The suction unit 34 may include a filter (not shown) for collecting foreign substances in the air stream sucked through the suction port 10h and a foreign matter collecting box (not shown) in which foreign substances collected by the filter are accumulated.

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

The left and right wheel driving motors and the right wheel driving motors can be controlled to be operated independently by the travel control unit of the control unit, thereby making it possible to straighten, reverse, or turn the main body 10. For example, when the main body 10 runs straight, the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor are rotated in the same direction. However, when the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor are rotated at different speeds or in opposite directions The running direction of the main body 10 can be switched. At least one auxiliary wheel 37 for stably supporting the main body 10 may be further provided.

A plurality of brushes 35, which are located on the front side of the bottom surface of the casing 11 and have a plurality of radially extending blades, may be further provided. The dusts are removed from the bottom of the cleaning area by the rotation of the plurality of brushes 35, so that the dusts separated from the floor are sucked through the suction port 10h and collected in the collecting box.

On the upper surface of the casing 11, a control panel 39 for receiving various commands for controlling the mobile robot 1 from a user may be provided.

The obstacle detection unit 100 may be disposed on the front surface of the main body 10. [

The obstacle detecting unit 100 is fixed to the front surface of the casing 11 and includes a first pattern irradiating unit 120, a second pattern irradiating unit 130 and an image acquiring unit 140.

The main body 10 is provided with a rechargeable battery 38. The charging terminal 33 of the battery 38 is connected to a commercial power source (for example, a power outlet in a home) The main body 10 is docked to the charging terminal 33 (not shown), the charging terminal 33 is electrically connected to the commercial power supply, and the battery 38 can be charged. Electric components constituting the mobile robot 1 can be supplied with power from the battery 38. Therefore, in a state where the battery 38 is charged and the mobile robot 1 is electrically disconnected from the commercial power supply, It is possible to drive.

5 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the mobile robot of FIG.

The mobile robot 1 includes a driving unit 300, a cleaning unit 310, a data unit 240, an obstacle detection unit 100, a sensor unit 150, and a controller 200 for controlling overall operations.

The control unit 200 may include a driving control unit 230 for controlling the driving driving unit 300. The operation of the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor is independently controlled by the travel control unit 230 so that the main body 10 is driven to travel straight or rotate.

The control unit 200 includes a pattern detection unit 210 for analyzing data input from the obstacle detection unit 100 to detect a pattern and an obstacle information obtaining unit 220 for determining an obstacle from the pattern.

The pattern detecting unit 210 detects the light patterns P1 and P2 from the image (acquired image) obtained by the image obtaining unit 140. [ The pattern detecting unit 210 detects features such as a point, a line, and a surface with respect to predetermined pixels constituting the acquired image, and detects the light patterns P1 and P2 or the light patterns Points, lines, surfaces, and the like that constitute the points P1 and P2 can be detected.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the presence of the obstacle based on the pattern detected from the pattern detecting unit 210 and determines the shape of the obstacle. Also, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the cliff through the acquired image and sets the cliff mode so that the mobile robot can travel along a path that does not fall into the cliff.

The travel driving unit 300 includes at least one driving motor and causes the mobile robot to travel according to a control command of the travel control unit 230. [ As described above, the travel driving unit 300 may include a left wheel driving motor for rotating the left wheel 36 (L) and a right wheel driving motor for rotating the right wheel 36 (R).

The cleaning unit 310 operates the brush to make dust or foreign matter around the mobile robot easy to suck, and operates the suction device to suck dust or foreign matter. The cleaning unit 310 controls the operation of the suction fan provided in the suction unit 34 that sucks foreign matter such as dust or trash so that the dust is introduced into the foreign matter collecting container through the suction port.

The data unit 240 stores an acquired image input from the obstacle detection unit 100, reference data for the obstacle information acquisition unit 220 to determine an obstacle is stored, and obstacle information for the detected obstacle is stored . In the data unit 240, control data for controlling the operation of the mobile robot and data according to the cleaning mode of the mobile robot are stored, and a map generated or received from the outside can be stored.

The data unit 240 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) , CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device.

The obstacle detecting unit 100 includes a first pattern irradiating unit 120, a second pattern irradiating unit 130, and an image acquiring unit 140.

The sensor unit 150 includes a plurality of sensors to assist the obstacle detection. Also, the sensor unit 150 includes at least one tilt sensor to sense the tilt of the main body. The tilt sensor calculates the tilted direction and angle when tilted in the front, back, left, and right directions of the main body. The tilt sensor may be a tilt sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like. In the case of the acceleration sensor, any of a gyro type, an inertial type, and a silicon semiconductor type is applicable.

The obstacle detection unit 100 is provided in the front of the main body 10 and the front of the mobile robot 10 is provided with the first pattern irradiation unit 120, the second pattern irradiation unit 130 and the image acquisition unit 140, The first and second patterns of light P1 and P2 are irradiated, and the light of the irradiated pattern is photographed to acquire an image.

The controller 200 determines the obstacle through the acquired image input from the obstacle detecting unit 100 and controls the driving driving unit 300 to change the moving direction or the traveling path so as to pass the obstacle or to avoid the obstacle.

The control unit 200 stores the acquired image in the data unit 240, and the pattern detecting unit 210 analyzes the acquired image to extract a pattern. That is, the pattern detecting unit 210 extracts a light pattern that is generated when the light of the pattern irradiated from the first pattern irradiating unit or the second pattern irradiating unit is irradiated to the bottom or the obstacle. The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines an obstacle based on the extracted light pattern.

The control unit 200 determines whether the main body is tilted based on the tilt information input from the tilt sensor of the sensor unit 150 and compensates the tilt of the position of the optical pattern of the acquired image when the main body is tilted .

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 reevaluates the obstacle through slope compensation for the optical pattern of the acquired image corresponding to the slope of the main body detected by the tilt sensor. When the obstacle is determined again by the obstacle information acquisition unit, the driving control unit determines whether or not the vehicle can be driven based on the obstacle, and controls the driving driving unit 300 by setting the traveling path.

6 is a front view and a side view of the obstacle detection unit. FIG. 7 shows an irradiation range and an obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection unit. 6 (a) is a front view of the obstacle detection unit, and Fig. 6 (b) is a side view.

6 (a) and 6 (b), the first and second pattern irradiating units 120 and 130 of the obstacle detecting unit 100 include a light source and a light source, (OPPE: Optical Pattern Projection Element) that generates an optical pattern. The light source may be a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like. In particular, the infrared ray or visible light is subject to variations in the accuracy of the distance measurement depending on factors such as the color and the material of the object, A laser diode is preferable as a light source. The pattern generator may include a lens, a diffractive optical element (DOE). Depending on the configuration of the pattern generator included in each of the pattern irradiators 120 and 130, light of various patterns can be irradiated.

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 can irradiate the first pattern light P1 (hereinafter, referred to as the first pattern light) toward the front lower side of the main body 10. Accordingly, the first pattern light P1 may be incident on the bottom of the cleaning area.

The first pattern light P1 may be formed in the form of a horizontal line Ph. It is also possible that the first pattern light P1 is formed in the form of a cross pattern in which the horizontal line Ph and the vertical line Pv intersect each other.

The first pattern irradiating unit 120, the second pattern irradiating unit 130, and the image acquiring unit 140 may be vertically arranged in a line. The image acquiring unit 140 is disposed below the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 but is not necessarily limited thereto and may be disposed above the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit It is possible.

In the embodiment, the first pattern irradiating unit 120 is located on the upper side and irradiates the first pattern light P1 downward toward the front to detect obstacles located below the first pattern irradiating unit 120, The two-pattern irradiating unit 130 is located below the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and can irradiate the second pattern light (P2, hereinafter referred to as second pattern light) upward toward the front. Accordingly, the second pattern light P2 may be incident on a wall or a certain portion of the obstacle or obstacle located at least higher than the second pattern irradiating portion 130 from the bottom 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 is not necessarily a continuous line segment, but may be a dotted line.

2, the irradiation angle h shown in FIG. 2 indicates the horizontal irradiation angle of the first pattern light P1 irradiated from the first pattern irradiation unit 120, and both ends of the horizontal line Ph are the first And the pattern irradiating unit 120, and is preferably set in the range of 130 DEG to 140 DEG, but is not limited thereto. The dotted line shown in Fig. 2 is directed toward the front of the mobile robot 1, and the first patterned light P1 may be configured to be symmetrical with respect to the dotted line.

The second pattern irradiating unit 130 may be set to a horizontal irradiation angle in a range of 130 to 140 degrees as in the case of the first pattern irradiating unit 120. In some embodiments, The second pattern light P1 may be formed symmetrically with respect to the dotted line shown in FIG.

The image acquisition unit 140 may acquire an image in front of the main body 10. Particularly, pattern light P1 and P2 appear in an image obtained by the image obtaining unit 140 (hereinafter, referred to as an acquired image), and an image of pattern light P1 and P2, Since the pattern light P1 or P2 incident on the actual space is substantially formed on the image sensor, the same reference numerals as the pattern lights P1 and P2 are assigned to the first pattern light P1 And the second pattern light P2 are referred to as a first light pattern P1 and a second light pattern P2, respectively.

The image acquisition unit 140 may include a digital camera that converts an image of an object into an electrical signal and then converts the digital signal into a digital signal and stores the digital signal in a memory device. The digital camera includes an image sensor (not shown) ).

An image sensor is an apparatus for converting an optical image into an electrical signal. The image sensor is composed of a chip on which a plurality of photo diodes are integrated, and a photodiode is exemplified as a pixel. Charges are accumulated in the respective pixels by an image formed on the chip by the light passing through the lens, and the charges accumulated in the pixels are converted into an electrical signal (for example, voltage). Charge Coupled Device (CCD) and Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) are well known as image sensors.

The image processor generates a digital image based on the analog signal output from the image sensor. The image processing unit includes an AD converter for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, a buffer memory for temporarily storing digital information according to the digital signal output from the AD converter, And may include a digital signal processor (DSP) that processes the digital image and forms a digital image.

The pattern detecting unit 210 detects features such as a point, a line, and a surface with respect to predetermined pixels constituting the acquired image, and detects the light patterns P1 and P2 or the light patterns Points, lines, surfaces, and the like that constitute the points P1 and P2 can be detected.

For example, the pattern detecting unit 210 extracts line segments constituted by successive pixels brighter than the surroundings, and forms a horizontal line Ph and a second light pattern P2 constituting the first light pattern P1 Horizontal lines can be extracted.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various techniques for extracting a desired pattern from a digital image are already known. The pattern detecting unit 210 detects a first light pattern P1 and a second light pattern P2) can be extracted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 may be arranged symmetrically. The first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 are disposed vertically apart by a distance h3 so that the first pattern irradiating unit irradiates the first pattern light to the lower part, To cross the pattern light.

The image acquiring unit 140 is located at a lower position spaced apart by a distance h2 from the second pattern irradiating unit and captures an image in front of the furnace body 10 at an angle of view? S with respect to the up and down directions. The image acquiring unit 140 is installed at a position of distance h1 from the bottom surface. The image acquisition unit 140 may be configured to acquire the image data of the bumpers (not shown) constituting the lower end of the front portion of the main body 10 of the mobile robot 1, It is preferable to install it in the position.

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 or the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is installed such that the direction of the optical axis of the lenses constituting the pattern irradiating units 120 and 130 forms a certain irradiation angle.

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 irradiates the first pattern light P1 with the first irradiation angle? R1 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 irradiates the second pattern light P1 with the second irradiation angle? P2) is irradiated on the upper part. At this time, the first irradiation angle and the second irradiation angle are different from each other, but they may be set to be the same in some cases. The first irradiation angle and the second irradiation angle are preferably set within the range of 50 DEG to 75 DEG, but are not limited thereto. For example, the first irradiation angle may be set to 60 to 70 degrees, and the second irradiation angle may be set to 50 to 55 degrees. The structure of the lower bumper of the mobile robot, the sensing distance of the lower object, and the height of the upper part to be sensed.

When the pattern light emitted from the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and / or the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is incident on the obstacle, P1, P2) are changed. 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 located from the mobile robot 1, the more the first light pattern P1 Is displayed at a high position, and conversely, the second light pattern P2 is displayed at a low position. That is, the distance data to the obstacle corresponding to the row (line consisting of pixels arranged in the horizontal direction) constituting the image generated by the image obtaining unit 140 is stored in advance, and the image obtaining unit 140 When the light patterns P1 and P2 detected in the image obtained through the image sensing are detected in a predetermined row, the position of the obstacle can be estimated from the distance data to the obstacle corresponding to the row.

The image acquiring unit 140 is arranged so that the main axis of the lens is oriented in a horizontal direction, and? S shown in FIG. 7 indicates the angle of view of the image acquiring unit 140 and is set to a value of 100 degrees or more, 100 ° to 110 °, but not necessarily limited thereto.

Also, the distance from the bottom of the cleaning zone to the image acquisition unit 140 may be set between about 60 mm and 70 mm. In this case, the bottom of the cleaning zone in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 140 D1, and D2 is a position at which the first light pattern P1 is displayed in the bottom of the acquired image. At this time, if an obstacle is located at D2, the image obtained by the image obtaining unit 140 with the first pattern light P1 incident on the obstacle can be obtained. When the obstacle is closer to the mobile robot than D2, the first light pattern is displayed above the reference position ref1 corresponding to the incident first pattern light P1.

 Here, the distance from the main body 10 to D1 is preferably 100 mm to 150 mm, and the distance up to D2 is preferably 180 mm to 280 mm, though not always limited thereto. D3 denotes the distance from the most protruding part of the front part of the main body to the position where the second pattern light is incident. Since the main body detects an obstacle while moving, it does not collide with the obstacle, It is the minimum distance that can be detected. D3 can be set to approximately 23 mm to 30 mm.

On the other hand, when the first light pattern P1 shown in the acquired image disappears from the steady state or only a part of the first light pattern is displayed while the main body 10 is traveling, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 obtains the obstacle information from the mobile robot 1) in the vicinity of the cliff.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can recognize a cliff located in front of the mobile robot 1 when the first light pattern is not displayed on the acquired image. In the case where a cliff (for example, a step) exists in front of the mobile robot 1, the first pattern light P1 is not incident on the floor, and thus the first light pattern P1 disappears in the acquired image.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may determine that there is a cliff in front of the main body 10 at distance D2 based on the length of D2. At this time, when the first pattern light P1 is a cross shape, the horizontal line disappears and only the vertical line is displayed, so that the cliff can be determined.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may determine that a cliff exists in the left or right side of the mobile robot 1 when a part of the first light pattern is not displayed. If the right part of the first light pattern is not displayed, it can be determined that the cliff exists on the right side.

Accordingly, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can control the travel driving unit 300 so that the mobile robot 1 can travel along a route that does not fall into a cliff, based on the detected cliff information. have.

In addition, if there is a cliff in front of the vehicle, the travel controller 230 advances to a predetermined distance, for example, D2 or less, and can again check whether the cliff is a cliff by using a cliff sensor installed at a lower portion of the main body . The mobile robot (1) first confirms a cliff through an acquired image, then travels a certain distance and can secondarily confirm the cliff through a cliff sensor.

8 is a diagram showing light of a pattern irradiated by the first pattern irradiating unit.

The pattern detecting unit 210 detects the first light pattern or the second light pattern from the acquired image input from the image obtaining unit 140 and applies the detected first light pattern or the second light pattern to the obstacle information obtaining unit 220.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 analyzes the first light pattern or the second light pattern detected from the acquired image and compares the position of the first light pattern with a predetermined reference position ref1 to determine an obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 8 (a), when the horizontal line of the first light pattern P1 is located at the reference position ref1, it is determined as a normal state. In this case, the steady state means that the floor is flat and flat without any elevation, and there is no obstacle in front, so that the vehicle can continue to travel.

It is general that the second light pattern P2 does not appear in the steady state because the second light pattern P2 is incident on the obstacle when an obstacle exists in the upper part of the front and is displayed in the acquired image.

8 (b), when the horizontal line of the first light pattern P1 is located above the reference position ref1, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that an obstacle is present in front of the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 do.

When the obstacle is detected through the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 as shown in the figure, the driving control unit 230 controls the driving driving unit 300 so as to avoid the obstacle. On the other hand, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine the position and size of the detected obstacle in accordance with the position of the first light pattern P1 and the second light pattern, and the display state of the second light pattern. In addition, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine the position and size of the obstacle in accordance with the change of the first light pattern and the second light pattern displayed on the acquired image during driving.

Based on the information of the obstacle input from the obstacle information obtaining unit 220, the travel controller 230 determines whether the obstacle can be continuously traveled or avoided, and controls the travel driving unit 300. For example, the travel control unit 230 determines that the vehicle can travel when the height of the obstacle is lower than a predetermined height or when it is possible to enter the space between the obstacle and the floor.

The first light pattern P1 may be displayed at a position lower than the reference position ref1, as shown in Fig. 8 (c). The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the downhill ramp exists when the first light pattern P1 appears at a position lower than the reference position. In the case of a cliff, since the first light pattern P1 disappears, it can be distinguished from the cliff.

As shown in FIG. 8 (d), the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that a cliff exists in the traveling direction when the first light pattern is not displayed.

8 (e), when a part of the first light pattern is not displayed, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may determine that a cliff exists on the left or right side. In this case, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that a cliff is present on the left side of the main body 10.

On the other hand, when the first light pattern P1 is in a cross shape, an obstacle can be determined by considering both the position of the horizontal line and the length of the vertical line.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a pattern of a pattern irradiated to an obstacle in a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the pattern light irradiated from the obstacle sensing unit 100 is irradiated on the obstacle and appears on the captured image, and the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the position, size, and shape of the obstacle can do.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when a wall surface exists in front of the vehicle during traveling, the first pattern light is incident on the bottom and the second pattern light is incident on the wall surface. Accordingly, the first light pattern P1 and the second light pattern P2 are displayed as two horizontal lines in the acquired image. At this time, if the distance from the wall surface is longer than D2, the first light pattern P1 is displayed at the reference position ref1, but the second light pattern is displayed, so that the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine that an obstacle exists have.

On the other hand, when the distance between the main body 10 and the wall surface is less than D2, the first pattern light is incident on the wall surface rather than the bottom, so that the first light pattern is displayed above the reference position ref1 on the acquired image , And a second light pattern is displayed on the upper side thereof. The distance between the wall surface and the main body 10 is displayed on the lower side rather than the distance D2 because the position of the second light pattern is displayed on the lower side as it approaches the obstacle. However, the second pattern light is displayed above the reference position and the first light pattern.

Accordingly, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can calculate the distance to the obstacle wall surface through the first light pattern and the second light pattern.

As shown in FIG. 9B, when an obstacle such as a bed, a drawer, or the like exists in front, the first pattern light P1 and the second pattern light P2 form two horizontal lines, .

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines obstacles based on the first light pattern and the second light pattern. The height of the obstacle can be determined based on the position of the second light pattern and the change of the second light pattern appearing when approaching the obstacle. Accordingly, the driving control unit 230 determines whether or not the vehicle can enter the lower space of the obstacle and controls the driving driving unit 300.

For example, when an obstacle, such as a bed, in which a predetermined space is formed is located in a cleaning area, the space can be recognized. Preferably, the height of the space is determined so as to pass through the obstacle . When the height of the space is determined to be lower than the height of the main body 10, the travel control unit 230 can control the travel driving unit 300 so that the main body 10 avoids the obstacle and travels. Conversely, when it is determined that the height of the space is higher than the height of the main body 10, the travel control unit 230 may control the travel driving unit 300 so that the main body 10 enters into the space or passes through the space.

At this time, although the first light pattern and the second light pattern are indicated by two horizontal lines in (a) of FIG. 9, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may determine that the distance between the first light pattern and the second light pattern is different This can be distinguished. In the case of FIG. 9A, the position of the first light pattern is displayed above the reference position as it approaches the obstacle, but in the case of the obstacle located at the upper part as shown in FIG. 9B, One light pattern P1 is displayed at the reference position ref1 and the position of the second light pattern P2 is changed so that the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can sort the obstacle types.

9 (c), in the case of a corner of a bed or a drawer, the first pattern light P1 is irradiated to the bottom at a horizontal line, and the second pattern light P2 is irradiated at the edge of the obstacle, And some of the others appear in oblique lines. Since the second light pattern rises as it is farther from the main body 10, in the case of the side surface of the obstacle, the second light pattern becomes a slanting line which is bent upward above the horizontal line irradiated on the front surface.

9 (d), when the main body 10 is close to the edge of the wall by a predetermined distance or more, a part of the first pattern light P1 is displayed as a horizontal line above the reference position, Some are illuminated and shown as diagonal lines that bend downward, and the bottom surface is indicated as a horizontal line at the reference location.

On the other hand, a part of the second pattern light is displayed as a horizontal line as shown in (c) of FIG. 9, and a part of the light irradiated to the side of the corner is incident on a diagonal line bent upward.

9 (e), for the obstacle protruding from the wall surface, the first light pattern is displayed as a horizontal line at the reference position ref1, and the second light pattern P2 is displayed as a horizontal line A part of the light is irradiated on the side surface of the protruding surface and is indicated by a slanting line which is bent upward, and the remaining part is irradiated on the wall surface and appears as a horizontal line.

Accordingly, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the position, shape, and size (height) of the obstacle based on the position and shape of the first pattern light and the second pattern light.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing a tilting of a main body of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 (a) and 10 (b), the mobile robot 1 can be tilted to the left or right due to an obstacle of a certain size or less such as a threshold, a fan, or the like. That is, when the left or right wheel is raised by a threshold or a fan, one side of the main body is tilted by the height of the obstacle as shown in the figure.

10 (c) and 10 (d), the front or rear of the main body 10 can be heard and the main body 10 can be inclined.

For example, in the course of passing over the threshold, in the process of crossing the threshold, the front of the main body is heard by the climbing of the threshold as shown in FIG. 10 (c) The main body can be tilted.

The sensor unit 150 senses the angles of the tilted direction and tilt, and the first to fourth tilt angles? 1 to? 4, and inputs them to the control unit 200.

The control unit 200 determines the tilting of the main body 10 according to the sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 and performs tilt compensation on the optical pattern of the acquired image based on the tilting direction and the tilt angle.

11 is an exemplary diagram showing a pattern according to the tilting of the mobile robot of FIG.

11 (a), when the main body 10 is tilted to the left or right by the obstacle O, the light pattern P1 appearing in the acquired image is also displayed in a tilted form at a certain angle.

The control unit 200 performs tilt compensation on the light pattern based on the tilted direction and tilt angle of the main body 10 from the sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 in determining the light pattern P1 do.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the light pattern of the acquired image is due to the tilting of the main body 10 when the left wheel approaches the obstacle O and the main body 10 is inclined. The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compensates the light pattern based on the tilted direction and the angle, determines again the obstacle ahead, and applies the obstacle information to the travel control unit. Accordingly, the travel control unit controls the travel by setting whether to continue traveling according to the obstacle and to avoid or avoid the obstacle.

11 (b), when the mobile robot 1 passes over the obstacle O, for example, in the process of raising the threshold, the light pattern P1 of the acquired image is moved to the reference position ref1 ) At a lower position. In some cases, if the height of the threshold is high, the light pattern may not be displayed on the acquired image.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine whether the light pattern is displayed at a lower position than the reference position ref1 or not if the light pattern is not displayed in the captured image. However, if the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the main body 10 is inclined according to the detection signal input from the sensor unit 150, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the main body 10 is not a cliff. At this time, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can control the traveling by performing the slope compensation on the light pattern according to the inclination direction and the angle. In addition, the controller 200 determines the size and height of the obstacle before entering the threshold, which is the obstacle, so that it can be determined that the obstacle is not a cliff based on the information of the obstacle determined in advance.

The moving robot 1 is tilted forward when the obstacle O passes over the obstacle O as shown in FIG. 11 (c), so that the light pattern P1 is displayed above the reference position ref1 in the acquired image.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine that an obstacle is located ahead of the obstacle according to the position of the light pattern. At this time, based on the sensing signal of the sensor unit 150, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compensates the light pattern based on the tilt angle to judge whether the main body 10 is an obstacle do. Since the distance that the pattern light reaches according to the degree of tilting is different, the controller 200 re-determines whether the obstacle is present by compensating the light pattern according to the tilting angle when the main body is inclined. .

At this time, if the inclination angle is larger than a certain angle in the process of passing through the obstacle, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle does not exist by disregarding the light pattern by processing as an exception. Accordingly, the driving control unit allows the driving to continue because no obstacle exists. For example, if the inclination of the main body 10 is larger than a predetermined angle, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may be able to avoid the backward movement of the main body 10, It is judged that there is no obstacle. Accordingly, the travel control unit controls the travel driving unit 300 to continue traveling.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating an embodiment of the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a pattern change according to the entry of a mobile robot of FIG. 12 into a slope.

As shown in Fig. 12, the mobile robot 1 can enter the ramp and travel on the ramp.

At this time, due to the inclination angle of the ramp, the mobile robot 1 can determine that the ramp is an obstacle by analyzing the optical pattern of the acquired image before entering the ramp. The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the inclination angle by analyzing the light pattern of the acquired image and determines whether or not the obstacle enters the ramp.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle is an obstacle when the inclination angle is equal to or greater than a certain angle, and accordingly the travel control unit determines that the entry is impossible, and avoids the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 to travel. On the other hand, when the inclination angle is less than a predetermined angle, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle is not an obstacle, and the driving control unit determines that the vehicle can enter and controls the driving to continue. The mobile robot 1 can judge whether the ramp is entering the ramp as well as the ramp. Hereinafter, the inclination angle that can be entered may be different depending on the mobile robot in the case of running on an inclining ramp. In order to help understand the change of the light pattern due to the change of the inclination angle, it is specified that the inclination angle of the figure is shown as a certain size or more.

As shown in Fig. 12 (a), the mobile robot 1 can enter the uphill ramp PS3 after passing the boundary point P while traveling on the flat ground PS1. As the inclination angle is generated at the boundary point P between the flat land and the inclined road before the mobile robot 1 enters the ramp (PS2), there is no obstacle ahead and the obstacle does not exist in the obstacle, .

When the mobile robot 1 travels on a flat surface, as shown in Fig. 13A, the first light pattern P1 is displayed at the reference position ref1.

On the other hand, when the mobile robot 1 approaches the ramp, as shown in FIG. 13 (b) with respect to the boundary point P, the first light pattern P1 appearing in the acquired image is smaller than the reference position ref1 Is displayed on the upper side.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the ramp through the change of the first light pattern P1 in the vicinity of the boundary point. Since the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 differs in the position where the first light pattern is displayed with respect to the obstacle and the position where the first light pattern is displayed on the ramp when traveling the same distance, . Also, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 re-determines the obstacle by compensating for the obstacle as the light pattern is displayed on the upper side of the reference position by dt1 corresponding to the inclination angle of the ramp.

If it is determined that the vehicle can travel through the inclination angle or the obstacle determination, the travel control unit 230 controls the travel driving unit 300 to enter the ramp. When the mobile robot 1 enters the ramp through the boundary point, the mobile robot is inclined, but the first light pattern on the ramp is displayed at the reference position ref1 as shown in (c) of FIG.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the inclination of the main body 10 according to the sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 and determines whether or not the inclination compensation is applied when an obstacle is detected.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 12 (b), the downhill ramp can be run (PS11) to enter the flat land PS13. In this case, the light pattern displayed on the acquired image appears as shown in Figs. 13 (a) to 13 (c) in the case of entering the ramp.

As the inclination angle of the boundary point is changed before reaching the boundary point P (PS12), the mobile robot 1 can judge the obstacle as an obstacle even though the pattern light is incident on the floor.

The controller 200 determines the obstacle as the first light pattern P1 is displayed on the upper side of the reference position ref1 with respect to the acquired image input through the obstacle detecting unit 100 as shown in FIG. do.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the main body 10 is inclined according to a sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 and performs slope compensation on the light pattern accordingly.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 re-determines the obstacle by compensating the obstacle as the light pattern is displayed on the upper side of the reference position by dt1 corresponding to the inclined angle of the main body.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 reevaluates a portion recognized as an obstacle even if the obstacle does not exist due to the change of the inclination angle at the boundary point P as a result of the tilt compensation. The travel controller 230 controls the travel driver 300 so that the main body 10 continues to travel.

When the main body 10 enters the flat ground beyond the boundary point, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle has entered the flat ground through the sensing signal of the sensor unit 150, and performs the tilt compensation on the obstacle . In the acquired image, the first light pattern is displayed as a normal state.

In a state where the main body 10 is inclined, the control unit 200 can control to continue to ignore the obstacle detection by the optical pattern even if the inclination of the main body is larger than a certain angle or after it is judged as an obstacle. That is, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 ignores the obstacle determination by the optical pattern in order to escape from the tilted state of the main body 10 and return to the normal state. 12 (a), if the inclination angle is larger than a certain angle, the mobile robot 1 does not enter the obstacle and does not enter the obstacle. However, if the body 10 is already inclined and is inclined, To drive.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a pattern change according to the entry of the mobile robot of FIG. 14 into a slope.

As shown in Fig. 14, the mobile robot 1 can enter the downward ramp PS23 after passing the boundary point P during traveling on the flat ground PS21.

As the mobile robot 1 generates an inclination angle at the boundary point P between the flat land and the inclined road before entering the downhill ramp (PS22), there is no obstacle ahead and the pattern light is incident on the bottom, It can be judged as an obstacle, that is, a cliff.

15 (a), the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 is in the steady state because the first light pattern is displayed at the reference position ref1 in the flat image PS22.

On the other hand, before entering the downhill ramp (PS22), the acquired image is displayed with the first light pattern P1 lower than the reference position ref1 by dt2 as shown in Fig. 15 (b). Or may not be displayed on the acquired image in the first light pattern.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can determine the downhill ramp based on the optical pattern of the acquired image, based on the change in the position of the first optical pattern that changes during approach after first determining the descending ramp with the cliff. In addition, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 can further determine whether the obstacle is cliff through a separately provided cliff sensor.

When the inclination angle of the downward slope is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the travel control unit 230 recognizes the slope as a cliff and avoids driving. At this time, when the inclination angle is less than a certain size, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 re-determines the obstacle by compensating the position of the light pattern by dt2 corresponding to the inclination angle. The control unit 200 determines that the vehicle can travel by compensating for the positional change according to the tilt angle, and applies the traveling command to the travel driving unit 300. [

After the mobile robot 1 enters the downhill ramp (PS23), the sensor unit 150 senses the inclination of the main body 10 and inputs it to the control unit 200. [ Since the first light pattern is displayed at the reference position in the acquired image as shown in (c) of FIG. 15, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle information is in a normal state.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 14 (b), the mobile robot 1 can travel on the downhill ramp PS31 and enter the flat land PS33. At this time, the change of the light pattern of the acquired image is shown in (a) to (c) of FIG.

As the inclination angle is changed when the mobile robot 1 approaches the boundary point P (PS32), the first light pattern is displayed on the lower side of the acquired image by dt2 than the reference position as shown in FIG. 15 (b).

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the main body is tilted according to the sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 and performs tilt compensation on the light pattern corresponding to the tilting angle. Accordingly, the obstacle information acquisition unit 220 re-determines the obstacle based on the compensated light pattern, and the travel control unit determines whether or not the vehicle can travel based on the information of the re-determined obstacle.

When entering the flat area, the acquired image is displayed as a normal state as shown in Fig. 15 (c). The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the vehicle enters the flat road according to the detection signal of the sensor unit 150 and does not perform the slope compensation.

16 is a view showing an embodiment according to a tilt correction of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 16, the controller 200 compensates the tilt of the optical pattern of the acquired image based on the sensing signal of the sensor unit 150.

16A, when the main body 10 is tilted forward, the first light pattern P1 is displayed on the upper side of the reference position ref1 by dt1 according to the tilt angle in the acquired image . The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may perform the tilt compensation by changing the position of the first optical pattern by dt1 corresponding to the tilt angle. Accordingly, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the first light pattern is in the normal state, and the travel control unit 230 controls the travel driving unit 300 to continue the travel.

On the other hand, when the main body 10 is inclined rearward, the first light pattern P1 is displayed below the reference position ref1 by dt2 according to the tilt angle, as shown in Fig. 16 (b). The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compensates the position of the first light pattern by dt2 corresponding to the tilt angle based on the sensing signal of the sensor unit 150. [ Since the first light pattern of the acquired image is displayed at the reference position through the tilt compensation, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the normal state.

17 is a view showing another embodiment of tilt correction of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 17, the controller 200 may compensate for the inclination by changing the reference position according to the inclination.

As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 obtains the obstacle information from the second reference position ref2 or the third reference position ref3) to compensate for inclination, thereby determining an obstacle.

When the main body 10 is tilted forward, the first light pattern P1 is displayed on the upper side of the reference position ref1 by dt1 according to the tilt angle, and the obstacle information obtaining unit 220, according to the tilt angle, Determines the first light pattern based on the second reference position ref2 rather than the reference position ref1 to determine the obstacle ahead.

When the main body 10 is tilted backward, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 obtains the third reference position ref3 according to the inclination angle even when the first light pattern is displayed by dt2 lower than the reference position, And determines the obstacle ahead of the first light pattern.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the first light pattern is in the normal state by comparing the first light pattern based on the second or third reference position.

Accordingly, the mobile robot 1 can travel without recognizing the floor as an obstacle due to the change of the inclination.

On the other hand, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that an obstacle exists if the first light pattern is not in the normal state after compensating the first light pattern according to the tilt angle or after compensating by changing the reference position, The control unit 230 controls the travel driving unit 300 to avoid obstacles.

18 is a flowchart showing a control method for compensating for the inclination of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 18, the mobile robot 1 extracts a pattern from an acquired image input from the obstacle sensing unit 100 during driving (S310), and detects an obstacle. The pattern detector 210 extracts a pattern of the acquired image, and the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compares the extracted pattern, i.e., the optical pattern, with the reference position to determine whether the optical pattern is located at the reference position, (S320).

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 of the control unit 200 determines that an obstacle exists in the traveling direction when the light pattern is located above the reference position and when the light pattern is displayed below the reference position, .

In addition, the controller 200 determines whether the main body 10 is inclined according to a sensing signal input from the sensor unit 150 (S330).

For example, when the main body 10 is tilted in any one of the front, rear, left, and right directions of the main body 10 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 described above, The control unit 200 determines whether the main body is tilted or not.

When the main body 10 is tilted, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 calculates the tilt angle of the main body according to the detection signal (S340), and determines whether the tilt angle is less than the set angle (S350).

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 performs tilt compensation on the optical pattern of the acquired image when the main body 10 is inclined below the set angle (S360). The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 may compensate the inclination by changing the position of the light pattern or changing the reference position according to the inclination.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compares the optical pattern with the reference position after the tilt compensation, and determines whether an obstacle exists or not (S370).

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the light pattern is in the normal state when the light pattern is located at the reference position through the tilt compensation, and the travel control unit 230 maintains the traveling state (S380).

On the other hand, if the light pattern is located above the reference position after performing the tilt compensation, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that an obstacle exists in the traveling direction, and the light pattern is displayed on the lower side It can be judged that there is a cliff. Accordingly, the travel control unit 230 changes the travel direction so as to avoid the obstacle (S390). The travel control unit 230 controls the travel driving unit 300 so as to avoid the obstacle in the changed direction and the mobile robot 1 travels in the changed direction (S400).

However, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 ignores the obstacle determination by the light pattern and determines that no obstacle exists when the main body 10 is inclined forward and is not a cliff. The running control unit 230 controls the running driving unit to continue the running. In the situation shown in Fig. 11 (c), the mobile robot ignores the obstacle and continues the traveling in order to escape from the inclined state.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a traveling method based on tilt compensation of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

19, if the obstacle is detected through the obstacle detection unit 100 (S420) while the mobile robot 1 is traveling in the set direction (S410), the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 obtains the obstacle information The position and size of the obstacle are determined in accordance with the light pattern of the obstacle as described above. The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that there is no obstacle in the traveling direction when the light pattern is in the steady state displayed at the reference position. Accordingly, the travel controller 230 maintains the set travel (S520).

If the detected obstacle is a cliff, the travel controller 230 approaches the obstacle, that is, the cliff by a certain distance, and then confirms whether the cliff is cliff through the cliff sensor (S430).

If the driving control unit 230 is a cliff, the driving control unit 230 changes the driving direction so as not to fall on the cliff (S530), and controls the driving driving unit 300 to travel in the changed direction (S540).

If not, the control unit 200 determines whether the main body 10 is inclined according to a detection signal input from the sensor unit 150 (S450).

If the main body is not tilted, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines whether the obstacle ahead is a ramp (S470). As described above, the optical pattern of the acquired image is displayed on the upper side of the acquired image in the case of the ascending ramp, and the light pattern of the acquired image is displayed on the lower side than the reference position in the case of the downward ramp.

Accordingly, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compares the positional change of the light pattern with the obstacle, while advancing a certain distance, to determine whether the obstacle is a ramp.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 calculates the inclination angle based on the change in the position of the light pattern in the case of the inclined road (S480). At this time, if the road is not a ramp, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the road is an obstacle. The driving control unit 230 changes the driving direction so as to avoid the obstacle (S530), and controls the driving driving unit 300 to travel in the changed direction (S540).

On the other hand, when the main body 10 is tilted, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 calculates the tilt angle according to the detection signal (S460), and determines whether the tilt angle is less than the set angle (S490). Also, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines whether or not the inclination angle is equal to or less than the set angle with respect to the inclination angle of the front ramp.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the obstacle is an obstacle when the inclination angle of the main body is larger than the set angle. The driving control unit 230 changes the traveling direction so as not to enter the ramp at step S530 and controls the traveling driving unit 300 to travel in the changed direction at step S540.

If the inclination angle is larger than the set angle, the travel control unit 230 changes the travel direction (S530) and controls the travel driving unit 300 to travel in the changed direction (S540). At this time, the travel control unit 230 may be reversed so that the inclination of the main body 10 becomes a normal state.

If the main body 10 tilts forward and is not a cliff, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 ignores the obstacle judgment by the light pattern and judges that there is no obstacle even if the tilt angle is larger than the set angle . The travel controller 230 causes the main body 10 to continue traveling. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 11 (c), the mobile robot can move away from the inclined state by ignoring the obstacle detected through the light pattern and continuing to travel.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 performs the tilt compensation according to the inclination angle and the inclination angle when the inclination of the main body is equal to or less than the set angle or when the inclination angle is equal to or less than the set angle (S500). The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 changes the position of the light pattern by a predetermined value corresponding to the tilt or the tilt angle, or changes the reference position to perform tilt compensation.

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 compares the optical pattern with the reference position after the slope compensation, and determines whether the obstacle is present (S510).

The obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines that the optical pattern is located at the reference position after the tilt compensation and determines that the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 is in the normal state.

Accordingly, the mobile robot can travel by tilting compensation even if the main body 10 is inclined even when no obstacle is present and the optical pattern is not in a normal state. Further, when the mobile robot recognizes the inclination of the obstacle as an obstacle, the mobile robot can continue to travel and enter the incline when the inclination angle is equal to or less than the set angle.

On the other hand, the obstacle information obtaining unit 220 determines the obstacle or the cliff if the light pattern after the slope compensation is not the reference position. The driving control unit 230 changes the traveling direction to avoid obstacles (S530), and controls the driving driving unit 300 to travel in the changed direction (S540).

Therefore, in determining the obstacle by using the optical pattern, the mobile robot 1 of the present invention judges whether the body is inclined or inclined and compensates the inclination, thereby preventing misjudgment as an obstacle in the absence of the obstacle , So that they can continue to drive. Accordingly, the mobile robot can narrow down the area which is not approached by mistake as an obstacle, enter the various areas, and extend the cleanable area.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

1: mobile robot 10: main body
100: an obstacle detection unit 120: a first pattern inspection unit
130: second pattern inspection unit 140:
150:
200: control unit 210: pattern detection unit
220: Obstacle information acquisition unit 230:
240: Data part 300: Driving part

Claims (19)

A main body for traveling a cleaning zone and sucking foreign substances from the bottom of the cleaning zone;
A sensor unit sensing a tilt of the main body and inputting a detection signal;
A first pattern irradiating unit disposed on a front surface of the main body and irradiating light of a first pattern toward a front lower side of the main body;
A second pattern irradiating unit disposed on a front surface of the main body and disposed below the first pattern irradiating unit to irradiate light of a second pattern toward a front upper side of the main body;
An image acquiring unit disposed on a front surface of the main body to acquire an image of a front of the main body; And
A first light pattern corresponding to light of the first pattern and a second light pattern corresponding to the light of the second pattern are detected from the acquired image input from the image acquiring unit to determine an obstacle, Or avoiding,
Wherein the control unit determines whether the main body is tilted based on a sensing signal input from the sensor unit and, when the main body is tilted, performs tilt compensation for the first optical pattern according to a tilt of the main body And judges again whether or not an obstacle is present. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit adjusts a position of the first light pattern in accordance with a tilt angle of the main body to perform tilt compensation. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit changes the reference position with respect to the first light pattern in accordance with the tilt angle of the main body to perform tilt compensation. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller determines that the first light pattern is displayed at the reference position after the tilt compensation and determines that the vehicle is in a steady state in which there is no obstacle ahead,
And when the first light pattern is not displayed at the reference position, it is determined that the first light pattern is an obstacle and avoided. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit re-determines whether an obstacle is present through slope compensation when the inclination of the main body is less than a set angle,
Wherein when the inclination of the main body is larger than a set angle, the controller controls the main body to continue the traveling so as to move away from the tilted state of the main body, ignoring the obstacle judgment by the first light pattern. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the controller ignores the obstacle determination by the first light pattern when the inclination of the main body is larger than a set angle and the obstacle is not a cliff. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit determines whether the obstacle is a slope when the main body is not tilted,
Wherein when the inclination angle of the ramp is less than a predetermined angle, inclination compensation is performed according to the inclination angle to control entry into the ramp,
And avoids the ramp when the inclination angle is larger than the predetermined angle. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor unit includes at least one tilt sensor for measuring tilt directions and tilt angles with respect to front, back, left, and right of the main body. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the tilt sensor includes at least one of a tilt sensor and an acceleration sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit, the second pattern irradiating unit, and the image acquiring unit are arranged in a line,
Wherein the image acquiring unit is disposed below the second pattern irradiating unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other. Irradiating light of a first pattern and light of a second pattern, photographing a front image, and traveling;
Detecting an obstacle by detecting a first light pattern corresponding to the light of the first pattern and a second light pattern corresponding to the light of the second pattern from the captured image;
Sensing a tilt of the main body;
Performing tilt compensation on the first light pattern or the second light pattern according to the tilt when the main body is tilted; And
And determining the obstacle again after the tilt compensation to travel through or avoid the obstacle. 13. The method of claim 12,
The step of re-determining the obstacle includes:
If the first light pattern is in a normal state after the slope compensation, determining that the first light pattern is not an obstacle and maintaining traveling; And
And if the first light pattern is not in the normal state, determining that the first light pattern is an obstacle and avoiding the obstacle. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the tilt sensing step detects tilt directions and tilt angles with respect to front, back, left, and right of the main body through at least one tilt sensor provided in the main body. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the tilt compensating step comprises:
Wherein the tilt compensation is performed by adjusting a position of the first light pattern corresponding to a tilt angle of the main body. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the tilt compensating step comprises:
Wherein the tilt compensation is performed by changing a reference position with respect to the first light pattern corresponding to a tilt angle of the main body. 13. The method of claim 12,
If the inclination of the main body is equal to or less than a set angle, re-determining whether an obstacle is present through tilt compensation and traveling; And
Further comprising the step of continuing the traveling so as to return from the inclined state of the main body to the normal state when the inclination of the main body is larger than the set angle by ignoring the obstacle judgment by the first light pattern . 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the control unit ignores the obstacle determination by the first light pattern when the inclination of the main body is larger than a set angle and the obstacle is not a cliff. The method according to claim 1,
If the body is not tilted, determining whether the obstacle is a ramp;
Performing inclination compensation according to the inclination angle to enter the ramp if the inclination angle of the ramp is less than a predetermined angle; And
Further comprising the step of avoiding the ramp and traveling when the inclination angle is greater than the predetermined angle.

Images