KR100437157B1 - Robot cleaner and system and method of rejoining the same with external charging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot cleaner, a system thereof, and an external charging device tracking method are disclosed. The robot cleaner which performs work while communicating wirelessly with an external device includes a driving unit for driving a plurality of wheels, an upper camera installed on the main body so as to capture an upper image perpendicular to the driving direction, and an external charging device. When the work instruction signal is received in the state, the image of the upper side of the external charging device is received and stored from the upper camera, the driving unit is controlled to be moved from the external charging device to the desired work place, and when the return to the external charging device is performed by the upper camera. And a controller which tracks the position of the external charging device while comparing the captured image with the stored charging device upper image. According to such a robot cleaner, its system and a charging device tracking method, while the robot cleaner waits in a state in which the robot cleaner is coupled with the charging device, the robot cleaner stores an image above the charging device before starting work, Since the charging device is tracked while comparing the upper image of the charging device with the current upper image, the location recognition error due to the external interference signal is reduced, which makes tracking the charging device easier.

Description

Robot cleaner and system and method of rejoining the same with external charging apparatus}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, a system and an external charging device tracking method, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner, a system and an external charging device tracking method that can efficiently return to the external charging device.

In general, the robot cleaner refers to a device that performs a cleaning operation of sucking dust and foreign substances from the floor while driving itself in a cleaning area to be cleaned without a user's manipulation.

The robot cleaner determines the distance to obstacles such as furniture, office supplies, and walls installed in the cleaning area through the sensor, and cleans the cleaning area while controlling the collision with the obstacle using the determined information.

The robot cleaner is provided with a battery for supplying power required for driving, and is configured to be charged with an external charging device when charging is required.

In order for the robot cleaner to automatically return to the external charging device when charging is required, the location of the charging device must be known.

Conventional method for the robot cleaner to track the position of the charging device, the high-frequency signal generated from the external charging device, the robot cleaner receives the high-frequency signal generated by the charging device to position the charger according to the strength of the received high-frequency signal Find it.

However, in the method for tracking the position of the charging device according to the intensity of the detected high frequency signal, the intensity of the high frequency signal may be changed by external factors (reflected waves, jammers, etc.), and the charge of the high frequency signal may be changed. Finding the exact location of the device can be difficult.

The present invention was devised to improve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a robot cleaner, a system and an external charging device tracking method capable of efficiently performing a return to the external charging device.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover of the robot cleaner according to the present invention is removed;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a robot cleaner system to which the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 is applied.

3 is a block diagram showing the central control device of FIG.

4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an external charging device for charging power with the robot cleaner of FIG. 1;

5 is a flowchart illustrating an external charging device tracking process according to the present invention.

<Description of the reference numerals for the main parts of the drawings>

10: robot cleaner 11: reducer

12: sensor unit 13: front camera

14: upward camera 15: drive unit

16: Storage 17: Transmitter / Receiver

18: control unit 19: battery

20: battery charge detection unit 30: external charging device

40: remote controller 41: wireless repeater

50: central control unit

In order to achieve the above object, the robot cleaner according to the present invention comprises a robot cleaner for performing a task while wirelessly communicating with an external device, comprising: a driving unit for driving a plurality of wheels; An upper camera provided on the main body so as to capture an upper image perpendicular to the traveling direction; When a work instruction signal is received in a state coupled with an external charging device, the image of the upper image of the external charging device is received and stored from the upper camera, and the driving unit is controlled to be moved from the external charging device to a desired work place. And a control unit for tracking the position of the external charging device while comparing the image captured by the upper camera with the stored charging device upper image when returning to the external charging device.

Preferably, further comprising a battery charge detection unit for detecting the charge amount of the battery installed on the main body to be coupled to the external charging device,

When the charge request signal is received from the battery charge detection unit, the controller stops an operation and controls the drive unit to return to the external charging device.

The controller controls the driving unit to return to the external charging device when the performing work is completed.

In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the robot cleaner system according to the present invention is a robot cleaner having a driving unit for driving a plurality of wheels, and an upper camera installed on the main body so as to capture an image of the upper direction perpendicular to the driving direction. And a remote controller for wirelessly communicating with the robot cleaner, wherein the remote controller is configured to display an image above the external charger when the work instruction signal is received while the robot cleaner is coupled to an external charger. Receives and stores from the upper camera, and controls the robot cleaner to be moved from the external charging device to a desired work place, and upon returning to the external charging device, the image captured by the upper camera and the stored charging device above. While comparing the images, the robot vacuum cleaner To and controls the robot cleaner to be coupled.

In addition, in the tracking method of the external charging device of the robot cleaner according to the present invention in order to achieve the above object,

Storing an image above the charger captured by the upper camera when a work instruction signal is received while the robot cleaner is coupled to the external charging device; Driving the robot cleaner to perform the indicated task; When the amount of charge is insufficient in the operation step or when the operation is completed, the location of the external charging device is tracked and the robot cleaner returns to the location of the external charging device while comparing the current image captured by the upper camera with the stored charger upper image. It comprises; a.

Hereinafter, a robot cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system and an external charging device tracking method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a cover of a robot cleaner according to the present invention is removed, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a robot cleaner system to which the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 is applied.

Referring to the drawings, the robot cleaner 10 includes a suction unit 11, a sensor unit 12, a front camera 13, an upper camera 14, a driving unit 15, a storage device 16, and a transmission / reception unit ( 17), a control unit 18 and a battery 19.

The suction part 11 is provided on the main body 10a so that the dust | floor of the floor which opposes while collecting air may be collected. Such a suction part 11 may be configured by various known methods. As an example, the dust collecting unit 11 includes a suction motor (not shown) and a dust collecting chamber for collecting dust sucked through a suction port or a suction pipe formed to face the floor by driving the suction motor.

The sensor unit 12 transmits a signal to the outside and the obstacle detection sensor 12a disposed at predetermined intervals around the side of the body to receive the reflected signal, and the mileage detection capable of measuring the mileage distance. The sensor 12b is provided.

In the obstacle detection sensor 12a, a plurality of infrared light emitting elements 12a1 for emitting infrared rays and light receiving elements 12a2 for receiving reflected light are vertically paired and arranged along the outer circumferential surface thereof. Alternatively, the obstacle detection sensor 12a may emit an ultrasonic wave, and an ultrasonic sensor configured to receive the reflected ultrasonic wave may be applied. The obstacle detecting sensor 12a is also used to measure the distance from the obstacle or the wall.

The traveling distance detection sensor 12b may be a rotation detection sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the wheels 15a to 15d. For example, the rotation detection sensor may be an encoder installed to detect the rotation speed of the motor (15e) (15f).

The front camera 13 is installed on the main body 10a so as to capture the front image and outputs the captured image to the controller 18.

The upper camera 14 is provided on the main body 10a so as to capture an image from above, and outputs the captured image to the control unit 18.

The driving unit 15 rotates two wheels 15a and 15b provided at both sides of the front, two wheels 15c and 15d and two wheels 15c and 15d at the rear, respectively. And a timing belt (15g) provided so as to transmit power generated by the motors (15e) (15f) and the rear wheels (15c) (15d) to be driven to the front wheels. The driver 15 independently drives the respective motors 15e and 15f to rotate in the forward / reverse direction according to the control signal of the controller 18. In the directional rotation, the rotation speed of each motor may be driven differently.

The transmitter / receiver 17 transmits the data to be transmitted through the antenna 17a and transmits the signal received through the antenna 17a to the controller 18.

The battery 19 is installed on the main body 10a so as to be charged through a battery charging power supply terminal (not shown) installed outside the main body 10a so as to be combined with and detachable from an external charging device (see FIG. 4). That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the robot cleaner 10 is coupled to the external charging device 30, the power introduced through the power cord 35 that can be combined with commercial AC power is charged to the charging device 30. It is supplied to the battery 19 through the power supply terminal 31 and the battery charging power supply terminal.

The battery charge detection unit 20 detects the charge of the battery 19 and generates a charge request signal when the detected charge reaches the set lower limit level.

The controller 18 processes the signal received through the transmitter / receiver 17 and controls each element. When a key input device (not shown) is further provided on the main body 10a in which a plurality of keys are provided for manipulating the function setting of the device, the controller 18 processes the key signal input from the key input device.

The controller 18 controls each element to wait while charging in a coupled state with the external charging device 30 during the non-working. When the non-working in the standby state coupled with the external charging device 30, it is possible to maintain the charge amount of the battery 19 within a certain range.

The controller 18 receives the work order signal so that the external charging device 30 can efficiently return to the external charging device 30 after the work is performed when the installation position of the external charging device 30 is changed from time to time by the user. ) Is stored in the storage device 16, the upper image of the charging device imaged by the upper camera 14 in the state of being coupled to the &quot;

When the controller 18 completes the operation indicated therein or receives a charge request signal from the battery charge detector 20 during the operation, the controller 18 acquires the upper image information corresponding to the stored charging device position and the current upper camera 14. The driving unit 15 is controlled to return to the external charging device 30 by tracking the position of the external charging device 30 by comparing the images.

That is, the controller 18 compares the image above the charging device 30 and the current upper image stored in the return mode to the external charging device 30 to recognize the distance and the direction separated from the charging device 30. The drive unit 15 is controlled to return to the desired charging device position from the recognized current position. Here, the work request signal includes a cleaning operation or a monitoring operation through the cameras 12 and 14. When the vehicle moves along the target driving route, the driving unit 15 is controlled to track the target driving route using the current position recognized by the comparison of the traveling distance measured from the encoder with the currently captured upper image and the stored image. .

In the above description, the example in which the controller 18 directly generates the image of the charging device 30 directly and returns the position of the charging device by itself using the generated upper image has been described.

According to another aspect of the present invention, to reduce the processing overhead for the control of the return to the charging device 30 of the robot cleaner 10 to store the image above the charging device 30 and to control the return control of the robot cleaner from the outside. The robot cleaner system is built.

To this end, the robot cleaner 10 is configured to wirelessly transmit an upper image captured by the upper camera 14 to the outside, and operate according to a control signal received from the outside, and the remote controller 40 controls job and charges. A series of controls, including return to device 30, control the robot cleaner 10 wirelessly.

The remote controller 40 includes a wireless repeater 41 and a central controller 50.

The wireless repeater 41 processes the radio signal received from the robot cleaner 10 and transmits the radio signal to the central controller 50 through a wire, and wirelessly transmits the signal received from the central controller 50 through the antenna 42. Is sent to the robot cleaner 41.

The central control unit 50 is constructed of a conventional computer, an example of which is shown in FIG. Referring to the drawings, the central control unit 50 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a display unit 54, an input unit 55, The storage device 56 and the communication device 57 are provided.

The storage device 56 is provided with a robot cleaner driver 56a that controls the robot cleaner 10 and processes a signal transmitted from the robot cleaner 10.

When the robot cleaner driver 56a is executed, the robot cleaner 10 provides a menu for setting the control through the display device 54, and the menu item selected by the user for the provided menu can be executed by the robot cleaner. Process. Preferably, the menu includes a cleaning operation and a monitoring operation as a large category, and a plurality of menus that can be supported by a device to be applied, such as a work target area selection list and a work method, are provided as a sub selection menu for the large category.

When the robot cleaner driver 56a receives a work instruction signal through the input device 55 by the set work timing or the user, the robot cleaner driver 56a is first coupled to the charging device 30 and is waiting for the upper camera 14 of the robot cleaner 10 to be waiting. The charging device upper image captured by the robot cleaner 10 is received from the robot cleaner 10, and the received charging device 30 upper image is stored in the storage device 56. Thereafter, the robot cleaner driver 56a controls the robot cleaner 10 so that the indicated work can be performed. The control unit 18 of the robot cleaner 10 controls the driving unit 15 and / or the dust collecting unit 11 according to the control information received from the robot cleaner driver 56a through the wireless repeater 41, and is currently the upper camera. The upward image picked up by 14 is transmitted to the central controller 50 via the wireless repeater 41.

When the battery charge request signal or the work completion signal is received from the robot cleaner during the job control through the wireless repeater 41, the robot cleaner driver 56a may have upward image information corresponding to the location of the charger stored in the storage device 56. The robot cleaner 10 is controlled to return to the external charging device 30 by tracking the position of the external charging device 30 by comparing the image acquired by the current upper camera 14 with the received image.

Hereinafter, the charging device tracking process of the robot cleaner will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

In the following description, the robot cleaner 10 is combined with the charging device 30 to be described as an initial state.

First, it is determined whether a work order has been received (step 100).

If it is determined that the work order has been received, the image above the charging position is captured and stored (step 110).

When the imaging and storage of the image above the charging position is completed, the indicated operation is performed (step 120). That is, when the cleaning operation instruction is received, the cleaning device is driven to be separated from the charging device 30 first, and then the driving unit 11 is driven while driving the cleaning area. Alternatively, if a monitoring operation instruction has been received, the camera moves to the monitoring destination from the charging device 30, and photographs the area to be monitored with the cameras 12 and 14, and transmits or records it to the outside.

Next, it is determined whether the operation is completed (step 130).

If it is determined in step 130 that the task has not been completed, it is determined whether charging is necessary (step 140).

When the operation is completed or it is determined that charging is necessary, the image of the upper part is captured (step 150).

It is determined whether the current image currently captured is a stored charging position image (step 160).

If it is determined that the currently captured image is not an image corresponding to the charging position, the robot is driven a predetermined distance (step 170).

After that, the steps 150 to 170 are repeated until the currently captured upper image becomes the same as the stored charged image.

Through this process, if it is determined in step 160 that the current upper image is the same as the charging position image, it is combined with the charging device and completes the tracking process to the charging device (step 180).

As described so far, according to the robot cleaner, the system and the charging device tracking method according to the present invention, while the robot cleaner waits in a state in which it is coupled with the charging device, it stores an image above the charging device before starting work. When the charging device is tracked while comparing the current image of the charging device with the current image of the charging device when the work is completed or during charging, the tracking device can be easily tracked by reducing the position recognition error caused by the external interference signal.

Claims (7)

In the robot cleaner for performing a task while communicating wirelessly with an external device, A drive unit for driving a plurality of wheels; An upper camera provided on the main body so as to capture an upper image perpendicular to the traveling direction; When a work instruction signal is received in a state coupled with an external charging device, the image of the upper image of the external charging device is received and stored from the upper camera, and the driving unit is controlled to be moved from the external charging device to a desired work place. A control unit for tracking the position of the external charging device while comparing the image picked up by the upper camera with the stored image of the charging device above when returning to the external charging device; And a battery charge detection unit for detecting a charge amount of a battery installed on the main body so as to be combined with the external charging device. The method of claim 1, The control unit stops performing the operation when the charge request signal is received from the battery charge detection unit, and the robot cleaner characterized in that for controlling the drive to return to the external charging device. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the driving unit to return to the external charging device when the performing operation is completed. A robot cleaner system having a drive unit for driving a plurality of wheels, a robot cleaner having an upper camera mounted on a main body so as to capture an image perpendicular to the driving direction, and a remote controller for wireless communication with the robot cleaner. To The remote controller, when the work instruction signal is received while the robot cleaner is coupled to an external charging device, receives and stores an image of the external charging device from the upper camera, and moves the image to the desired work place from the external charging device. The robot cleaner is controlled so that the robot cleaner can be coupled to the external charging device while comparing the image captured by the upper camera with the stored image of the charging device when the robot cleaner is returned to the external charging device. Robot cleaner system, characterized in that for controlling. The method of claim 4, further comprising a battery charge amount detecting unit for detecting the charge amount of the battery installed in the robot cleaner to be coupled to the external charging device, And when the charge request signal generated from the battery charge detection unit is received from the robot cleaner, the remote controller stops an operation and controls the robot cleaner to return to the external charging device. The robot cleaner system of claim 4, wherein the remote controller controls the robot cleaner to return to the external charging device when the robot cleaner completes the work. In the tracking method of the charging device of the robot cleaner, Storing an image above the charger captured by the upper camera when a work instruction signal is received while the robot cleaner is coupled to the external charging device; Driving the robot cleaner to perform the indicated task; When the amount of charge is insufficient in the operation step or when the operation is completed, the location of the external charging device is tracked and the robot cleaner is returned to the location of the external charging device while comparing the current image captured by the upper camera with the stored charger upper image. External charging apparatus tracking method of the robot cleaner comprising a.