CN107028558B

CN107028558B - Computer readable recording medium and automatic cleaning machine

Info

Publication number: CN107028558B
Application number: CN201610076371.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张彦闵
Original assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc
Current assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc
Priority date: 2016-02-03
Filing date: 2016-02-03
Publication date: 2020-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2036-02-03
Also published as: CN107028558A

Abstract

The invention discloses a computer readable recording medium, which records at least one program, when the program is executed, an automatic cleaning machine control method used on the automatic cleaning machine can be executed. The control method of the automatic cleaner comprises the following steps: (a) making the automatic cleaning machine obtain a map; (b) selecting at least one part of the map as an area to be cleaned; and (c) enabling the automatic cleaning machine to perform a first cleaning action on the area to be cleaned.

Description

Computer readable recording medium and automatic cleaning machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic cleaner control method and an automatic cleaner, and more particularly, to a computer readable recording medium and an automatic cleaner capable of efficiently controlling a cleaning area.

Background

Automatic cleaning machines (e.g., sweeping robots) have been developed in an increasingly more technological process and are less expensive, and thus many households use automatic cleaning machines to handle most of the cleaning tasks.

However, the conventional automatic cleaning machine can only clean a fixed cleaning area, and if the fixed cleaning area is changed, the automatic cleaning machine needs to be set again in a complicated manner or be manually transported or controlled (for example, remotely controlled within a visual range).

Therefore, there is a need for an automatic cleaner control method and an automatic cleaner that can efficiently control a cleaning area.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control method for an automatic cleaner, which allows a user to easily select an area to be cleaned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic sweeper that allows a user to easily select an area to be swept.

An embodiment of the present invention discloses a computer readable recording medium having at least one program recorded thereon, which when executed, performs an automatic cleaner control method for use with an automatic cleaner. The control method of the automatic cleaner comprises the following steps: (a) making the automatic cleaning machine obtain a map; (b) selecting at least one part of the map as an area to be cleaned; and (c) enabling the automatic cleaning machine to perform a first cleaning action on the area to be cleaned.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an automatic cleaning machine, including: a storage device for storing a map; and a control module for executing the following steps: (a) selecting at least one part of the map as an area to be cleaned according to a selection signal; and (b) enabling the automatic cleaning machine to perform a first cleaning action on the area to be cleaned. Wherein the selection signal is from an external device to respond to the cleaning command triggered by the user through the external device.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an automatic cleaning machine, including: a guiding signal detecting module for detecting the guiding signal sent by at least one guiding device; a control module for making the automatic cleaning machine perform cleaning action according to the guiding signal. Wherein the guiding signal is generated after the guiding device receives an active signal from the automatic cleaning machine.

With the above-mentioned embodiments, the user can easily control the area required for cleaning by the automatic cleaning machine without having to perform complicated setting or change the cleaning area of the automatic cleaning machine in an inefficient manner as in the conventional art. Moreover, the user can operate the automatic cleaning machine through the portable electronic device, thereby increasing the convenience of control.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an automatic sweeper control method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 to 9 are schematic views illustrating an automatic sweeper control method according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of an automatic sweeper according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The reference numbers illustrate:

101-105 steps

200,400 map

BL _1, BL _2, BL _3, BL _4, BL _5, BL _6, BL _7 blocks

Furniture F _1, F _2 and F _3

RC region to be cleaned

E _1, E _2, and E _3 edges

L _1, L _2, L _3, L _4 guide device

1000 automatic cleaning machine

1001 storage device

1002 control module

1003 cleaning path calculation module

1005 map calculation module

1007 obstacle judgment module

1009 guide signal detection module

The implementation, functional features and advantages of the objects of the present invention will be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an automatic sweeper control method according to an embodiment of the invention, which includes the following steps:

step 101

So that the automatic cleaning machine can obtain a map.

Step 103

At least one part of the map is selected as an area to be cleaned.

Step 105

The automatic cleaning machine performs a first cleaning action on an area to be cleaned.

Note that the first cleaning operation is to be separated from other cleaning operations, and the order or type of the cleaning operation is not limited. The steps will be described in detail below with various examples.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the aforementioned map. In this embodiment, the map 200 is a plan view showing the blocks BL _1-BL _7 in the house, each having a different purpose. Conventional automatic sweepers can only sweep a fixed area and therefore can only sweep a single or adjacent block. For example, only the block BL _3 and/or its neighboring blocks BL _2 and BL _4 can be cleaned. However, the control method of the automatic cleaning machine provided by the present invention allows the user to select the area to be cleaned (i.e. the area to be cleaned in step 103). Referring to fig. 3, in this embodiment, the user selects non-adjacent blocks BL _1 and BL _6, and then the auto-purge machine will purge the selected blocks.

A number of ways may be used to select the area to be cleaned. For example, the map may be divided into a plurality of blocks as described in fig. 2 and then at least one block may be selected as the area to be cleaned. Or, the map is not divided into blocks, and the user can directly circle the area to be cleaned on the map. In one embodiment, the user can generate a selection signal to the automatic cleaning machine through a portable electronic device (such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer) to select the area to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the selection signal is from an external device (e.g., a remote controller) for responding to a cleaning command triggered by a user via the external device

The map may be presented in a variety of ways, not limited to the way presented in FIG. 2. Fig. 4 shows a map according to another embodiment, which is also a plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, the map 400 shows a plurality of furniture items F _1, F _2, F _3 in the living room. The user can select the area to be cleaned RC as shown in fig. 4, and then the automatic cleaning machine cleans the area to be cleaned RC. However, it should be noted that the map is not limited to the above-mentioned plan view, but may be a perspective view. As shown in fig. 5, the map 500 is a perspective view, and the user can circle the area to be cleaned RC on the map 500 and then the automatic cleaning machine will clean the area to be cleaned RC.

In the foregoing embodiments, the maps are all generated in a plotted manner, however, the maps are not limited to such a generation manner. For example, an automatic sweeper typically has the capability of detecting the surrounding environment and calculating and recording a sweeping path, thus in one embodiment, the automatic sweeper automatically generates a map based on the recorded sweeping path or the detected environment. Alternatively, the map may be generated by taking a picture, and as an example, as shown in fig. 6, after the picture shown in fig. 6 is transmitted to the automatic cleaning machine, the automatic cleaning machine may generate a corresponding map according to the picture and plan the cleaning path accordingly. Therefore, when the user circles the picture to select the area RC to be cleaned, the automatic cleaning machine can also map the area RC to be cleaned and clean the area RC. In one embodiment, the map may be in a parallel manner with the photograph and the plan view. For example, the user gives a drawing plan and then gives the associated photo, and defines the relationship between each object on the plan and each object in the photo. The automatic cleaning machine can more effectively plan the cleaning path according to the relationship.

Generally, an automatic cleaning machine will automatically detect whether there is an obstacle around the automatic cleaning machine to plan a cleaning path, but if the automatic cleaning machine can actively provide information about the obstacle to the automatic cleaning machine, the efficiency of the automatic cleaning machine in planning the cleaning path will be improved. Therefore, an embodiment of the present invention provides the obstacle information on the map, and enables the automatic cleaning machine to plan the cleaning path according to the obstacle information to perform the first cleaning operation described above

In one embodiment, obstacle information may be provided to the automatic sweeper by: photographing, direct marking or automatic detection of the peripheral environment by the automatic cleaner. Taking fig. 4 as an example, in an embodiment, the furniture F _1, F _2, and F _3 are directly marked on the map, so that the automatic cleaning machine can regard the furniture F _1, F _2, and F _3 as obstacles and make the cleaning path avoid the obstacles. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 7, a perspective view corresponding to fig. 4 is provided so that the automatic cleaning machine can recognize an obstacle from the perspective view. Since the automatic sweeping machine usually runs on the ground and has a relatively low height, the contour of the whole object is not needed, and only the edge information of the object can be provided to the automatic sweeping machine. Taking FIG. 7 as an example, only the information of the partial edges E _1, E _2 and E _3 of the furniture F _1, F _2 and F _3 can be provided to the automatic cleaning machine.

As described above, the obstacle information may be generated by photographing. As shown in fig. 8, the obstacle information may be provided to the automatic cleaning machine in the form of photographs, and the automatic cleaning machine may determine the position of the obstacle and make the cleaning path avoid the obstacle by using the photographs. As previously mentioned, since automatic sweepers typically travel close to the ground and are relatively low in height, the outline of the entire object is not required and a photograph can be provided containing only the lower portion of the object. Alternatively, the automatic cleaning machine detects the peripheral environment and calculates the cleaning path and records the functions, so as to determine the position of the obstacle and record the position of the obstacle.

In one embodiment, the guiding device that sends out the guiding signal (such as RF signal) can be used to make the automatic cleaning machine perform the second cleaning operation according to the guiding signal sent out by the guiding device. Note that the second cleaning operation referred to here is not the cleaning operation performed on the area selected by the user through the map, and therefore, the second cleaning operation is named as the second cleaning operation to be different from the first cleaning operation, and is not intended to limit the order or the type thereof. Wherein the guiding signal is generated after the guiding device receives an active signal from the automatic cleaning machine. In such an embodiment, the guiding device does not actively send out the guiding signal, but starts to generate the guiding signal after receiving the active signal sent out by the automatic cleaning machine and being triggered by the active signal.

Referring to fig. 9, as shown in fig. 9, the guiding devices L _1, L _2, L _3 and L _4 are respectively disposed in the blocks BL _1, BL _2, BL _3 and BL _4 in the room, and the automatic cleaning machine will clean the peripheral areas of the guiding devices L _1, L _2, L _3 and L _4 according to the guiding signals generated by the guiding devices L _1, L _2, L _3 and L _ 4. In one embodiment, the automatic cleaning machine recovers the guiding device after cleaning the peripheral area of the guiding device. The recovery can be performed in various ways, for example, by magnetic attraction or by wire winding.

It should be noted that the above embodiments are not limited to be implemented together, for example, the automatic cleaning machine may plan the cleaning path only according to the obstacle information and not according to the map. Moreover, the embodiment that the automatic cleaning machine carries out the cleaning action according to the guiding signal sent by the guiding device can also be independently implemented. The foregoing embodiments can be implemented by recording the programs on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, an optical disk, etc., and executing the programs.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of an automatic sweeper according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10, the automatic cleaning machine 1000 includes a storage device 1001, a control module 1002, a cleaning path calculation module 1003, a map calculation module 1005, an obstacle judgment module 1007, and a guide signal detection module 1009. The storage device 1001 (e.g., a memory) is used to store the map or the obstacle information, which may be from the outside or generated by the map calculation module 1005 and the obstacle determination module 1007. The cleaning path calculation module 1003 is configured to calculate a cleaning path according to at least one of the map, the obstacle information, and the guidance signal. The obstacle determining module 1007 is configured to determine a position of an obstacle according to the received or calculated obstacle information. The pilot detection module 1009 detects the pilot. The control module 1002 is used to control the automatic cleaning machine 1000 and the operations of the modules therein, for example, receive the selection signal, and enable the automatic cleaning machine 1000 to perform the cleaning operation on the area to be cleaned according to the cleaning path calculated by the cleaning path calculation module 1003 according to the selection signal.

It should be noted that the components and connections shown in fig. 10 are only for example and are not intended to limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art may modify the components and connections shown in fig. 10 according to the above-described embodiments. For example, the obstacle determining module 1007 may be directly connected to the cleaning path calculating module 1003 instead of being connected to the storage device 1001. Alternatively, if the map information is provided only from the outside, the automatic cleaner 1000 may not include the map calculation module 1005. The control module 1002, the cleaning path calculating module 1003, the map calculating module 1005, the obstacle determining module 1007 and the guiding signal detecting module 1009 can be implemented by hardware (e.g. circuit) or software-written hardware. In one embodiment, different software is written in a processor to perform the functions of different modules.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention should be covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A computer-readable recording medium in which at least one program is recorded, the program, when executed, performing an automatic cleaner control method for use with an automatic cleaner, the automatic cleaner control method comprising:

(a) making the automatic cleaning machine obtain a map;

(b) a user directly selects an area to be cleaned on a map, the area to be cleaned being determined by the user; and

(c) enabling the automatic cleaning machine to perform a first cleaning action on the area to be cleaned;

the control method of the automatic sweeper further comprises the following steps:

placing at least one guide device;

making the automatic cleaning machine perform a second cleaning action according to the guiding signal sent by the guiding device; and

after the second cleaning action is finished, the guiding device is recovered by the automatic cleaning machine.

2. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the step (a) provides the map by drawing or photographing.

3. The computer readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the step (a) is for the automatic cleaning machine to automatically create the map according to the recorded cleaning path.

4. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the map is a planar map or a stereo map.

5. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the step (b) selects at least a portion of the map as the area to be cleaned according to a selection signal from a portable electronic device.

6. The computer readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the method of controlling the auto-cleaner further comprises:

providing obstacle information on the map;

wherein the step (c) enables the automatic cleaning machine to plan a cleaning path according to the obstacle information to perform the first cleaning action.

7. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 6, wherein the obstacle information includes edges of at least one object included in the map.

8. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 6, wherein the obstacle information is provided on the map by photographing or direct marking.

9. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 6, wherein the obstacle information is generated by the automatic cleaning machine automatically detecting an external environment.

10. An automatic sweeper, comprising:

a storage device for storing a map; and

a control module for performing the steps of:

(a) receiving a selection signal generated by a user through directly selecting an area to be cleaned on the map, wherein the area to be cleaned is determined by the user; and

(b) the automatic cleaning machine carries out the first cleaning action to the area to be cleaned,

wherein the selection signal is from an external device for responding to the cleaning command triggered by the user through the external device;

this automatic scavenging machine still includes:

a guiding signal detecting module for detecting the guiding signal sent by at least one guiding device;

wherein the control module:

making the automatic cleaning machine perform a second cleaning operation according to the guiding signal; and

11. The automatic cleaning machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the map is generated by drawing or photographing.

12. The automatic cleaning machine as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a map calculation module, wherein the map generation module automatically creates the map according to the recorded cleaning path.

13. The automatic sweeper of claim 10, wherein the map is a planar map or a three-dimensional map.

14. The automatic cleaning machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the map further comprises obstacle information;

wherein the step (b) enables the automatic cleaning machine to plan a cleaning path according to the obstacle information to perform the first cleaning action.

15. The automatic cleaning machine according to claim 14, wherein said obstacle information includes an edge of at least one object included in said map.

16. The automatic cleaning machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the obstacle information is generated by photographing or direct marking.

17. The automatic cleaning machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the obstacle information is generated by the automatic cleaning machine automatically detecting an external environment.

18. An automatic sweeper, comprising:

a guiding signal detecting module for detecting the guiding signal sent by at least one guiding device; and

a control module, which is used for enabling the automatic cleaning machine to carry out cleaning action according to the guiding signal and recovering the guiding device through the automatic cleaning machine after finishing the cleaning action;

wherein the guiding signal is generated after the guiding device receives an active signal from the automatic cleaning machine.