KR101917116B1 - Robot cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The robot cleaner of the present invention includes a first pattern irradiating unit for irradiating light of a first pattern toward the bottom of a cleaning area in front of the main body and a second pattern irradiating unit for irradiating light of a second pattern upward in front of the main body And acquires an image of the light of each pattern irradiated by the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit incident on the obstacle through the image acquiring unit and acquires various information about the obstacle situation in the cleaning area .

Description

Robot Cleaner {ROBOT CLEANER}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner.

Generally, the robot cleaner is a device that automatically removes foreign substances such as dust from the floor surface while traveling in a self-cleaning area without user's operation.

Generally, such a robot cleaner 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 an obstacle avoidance operation. Conventionally, the distance traveled by the robot cleaner is measured through a sensor for observing the ceiling or floor, and the distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the distance. However, the distance to the obstacle can be indirectly estimated based on the moving distance of the robot cleaner The distance to the obstacle can not be measured accurately even if the moving distance of the robot cleaner can not be accurately measured due to the bending of the floor or the like. Particularly, the distance measuring method mainly used in such a robot cleaner 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 an obstacle.

In recent years, a technology has been applied to irradiate light of a specific pattern to the front of the robot cleaner to photograph it, to extract the pattern from the photographed image, and to grasp the obstacle situation in the cleaning area based on the extracted pattern. For example, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0141979 (hereinafter referred to as '979 invention') discloses a robot cleaner having a light source module for irradiating a cross pattern light and a camera module for acquiring an image in front of the cleaner

. Such a robot cleaner extracts a pattern from an image obtained through a camera module, and recognizes an obstacle situation in a cleaning area based on the extracted pattern. However, in the case of such a robot cleaner, the light source module is configured to irradiate light at a certain angle, and since there is only one light source module, there is a restriction on the range in which the obstacle can be detected, and it is difficult to grasp the three- . In particular, the '979 invention can not detect an obstacle located higher than the light source module or an obstacle whose height from the bottom reaches the height from the light source module, because the cross pattern is irradiated toward the bottom of the cleaning area.

 In the '979 invention, when the light of the vertical line emitted from the camera module is incident on the obstacle, the height of the obstacle can be measured to some extent, but the information of the obstacle, .

In the case of an obstacle such as a bed, a predetermined space is formed under the mattress because the mattress is mounted on the leg of the bed. Depending on the position of the robot cleaner from the bed, The control unit of the robot cleaner can not identify the mattress, and therefore, the robot cleaner can be controlled to continue running to the side of the bed. In this case, depending on the height of the space, the robot cleaner can not enter the space, and there is a problem that the robot cleaner collides with a structure such as a frame supporting the mattress or is interposed between the floor and the frame and can not travel any more.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a robot cleaner capable of acquiring more detailed information about an obstacle by using patterns irradiated from two pattern irradiation units arranged vertically.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner capable of preventing the robot cleaner from being caught in the space in the case where there is an obstacle forming a space of a predetermined height between the cleaner and the floor such as a bed.

Third, a robot cleaner that can more easily perform the calibrating process of the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit.

The robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that a first pattern irradiating portion and a second pattern irradiating portion are disposed on the front face of the main body, and the first pattern irradiating portion irradiates light of a first pattern downward toward the front of the main body And the second pattern irradiating unit irradiates the light of the second pattern upward toward the front of the main body. An image acquiring unit for acquiring an image of a front side is provided on a front surface of the main body so as to acquire an image of a region where light of the first pattern and light of the second pattern are incident.

When no obstacle is present in front of the robot cleaner, the light of the first pattern is incident on the bottom of the cleaning area, but if an obstacle is located in the area irradiated with the pattern light, Since the light of the second pattern is incident on the upper part of the obstacle, it is possible to obtain a stereoscopic image of the obstacle from the information such as the position, shape and length of the light pattern formed on the obstacle in the image acquired through the image acquiring unit The shape can be grasped.

Particularly, even when the light of the first pattern is incident on the bottom of the cleaning area, when the light of the second pattern is incident on the obstacle, an obstacle that forms a predetermined space above the bottom of the cleaning area, In this case, the height of the space is determined from the position of the image of the light of the second pattern in the image obtained by the image obtaining unit, If the height of the main body is lower than the height of the main body, it can be controlled so as to avoid the obstacle.

Preferably, the image acquiring unit may be disposed between the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit. The first pattern irradiating unit, the image acquiring unit, and the second pattern irradiating unit may be arranged in a line, and the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the image acquiring unit . Furthermore, when the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit are configured to irradiate light with a vertical irradiation angle of the same size, even when the positions of the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit are reversed, Since the directions of the irradiated light are the same, the calibration of the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit can be performed in the same manner.

The first pattern irradiating unit or the second pattern irradiating unit may irradiate light at a vertical irradiation angle of 20 to 30 degrees, and the image acquiring unit may be arranged such that the main axis of the lens is horizontally aligned, have. The image acquiring unit may be configured to acquire an image of the floor from a position at a distance of 110 mm to 120 mm or more from the main body.

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

A robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a casing forming an outer appearance, left and right wheels rotatably provided in the casing, a suction module disposed in the casing and sucking foreign matter from the bottom of the cleaning area, And an obstacle detection unit disposed on a front surface of the casing. Here, the obstacle detection unit may include a module frame coupled to the front surface of the casing, and the first pattern irradiation unit, the second pattern irradiation unit, and the image acquisition unit may be disposed in the module frame.

Preferably, the image acquiring unit may be disposed between the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit.

The robot cleaner of the present invention can acquire more detailed information about the obstacle by using the patterns irradiated from the two pattern irradiating units arranged in the upper and lower sides, and more specifically, has an effect of more accurately grasping the three-dimensional shape of the obstacle.

It is also possible to grasp an obstacle which forms a space of a predetermined height between the floor of the cleaning area such as a bed and control the traveling of the robot cleaner according to the height of the space so that the robot cleaner is caught in the space There is an effect that can be prevented.

In addition, by arranging the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit symmetrically with respect to the image acquisition unit, the calibration process of the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit can be performed more easily There is an effect that can be carried out.

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

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

1 to 7, a robot cleaner 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.

The main body 10 may include a driving drive unit 300 for driving the left wheel 36 (L) and the right wheel 36 (R). The travel driving unit 300 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 control unit 200 may include a travel control module 230 for controlling the travel driving unit 300. The operation of the left drive motor and the right drive motor can be independently controlled by the drive control module 230 so that the main body 10 can be straightened, reversed, or turned. 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, but the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor are rotated at different speeds, The traveling 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 brush 35 may be further provided, which is located on the front side of the bottom surface of the casing 11 and has a plurality of radially extending blades. The dusts are removed from the bottom of the cleaning area by the rotation of the brushes 35, so that the dusts separated from the floor are sucked through the suction port 10h and collected in the collecting box.

The upper surface of the casing 11 may be provided with a control panel 39 for receiving various commands for controlling the robot cleaner 1 from the user.

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 robot cleaner 1 can be supplied with electric power from the battery 38. Therefore, in a state where the battery 38 is charged, the robot cleaner 1 is electrically disconnected from the commercial power supply, It is possible to drive.

The obstacle detection unit 100 may be disposed on the front surface of the main body 10. [ 6, the obstacle detection unit 100 includes a module frame 110 fixed to the front surface of the casing 11 and extending vertically, a first pattern 110 fixed on the module frame 110, An irradiation unit 120, a second pattern irradiating unit 130, and an image acquiring unit 140. The first pattern irradiating unit 120, the second pattern irradiating unit 130 and / or the image acquiring unit 140 may be fixed directly to the casing 11 without the module frame 110 according to the embodiment.

Each of the pattern irradiators 120 and 130 may include a light source and an optical pattern projection element (OPPE) that generates a predetermined pattern by transmitting the light irradiated from the light source. The light source may be a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like. 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 the light source. The pattern generator may include a lens and 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 can be incident toward the bottom of the cleaning area. The first pattern light P1 may be formed in the form of a cross pattern in which the horizontal line Ph and the vertical line Pv intersect each other.

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

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 is positioned above the image acquiring unit 140 and irradiates the first pattern light P1 downward toward the front to irradiate the first pattern irradiating unit 120 below the first pattern irradiating unit 120 And the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is located below the image obtaining unit 140 and irradiates the second pattern light P2 (hereinafter referred to as second pattern light) upward toward the front side can do. 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 as shown in the drawings.

2 indicates the horizontal irradiation angle of the pattern light P1 irradiated from the first pattern irradiating unit 120. The angle formed by both ends of the horizontal ray Ph with the first pattern irradiating unit 120 is 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 robot cleaner 1, and the first patterned light P1 may be formed symmetrically 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, the pattern light P1 and P2 appear in the image obtained by the image obtaining unit 140 (hereinafter, referred to as an acquired image), and the image of the 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 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) Not shown).

The 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 the photodiode may be 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). As the image sensor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and the like are well known.

The image processing module generates a digital image based on the analog signal output from the image sensor. The image processing module includes an AD converter for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a buffer memory for temporarily storing digital data according to the digital signal output from the AD converter, And a digital signal processor (DSP) for processing the information recorded in the digital signal processor to construct a digital image.

The robot cleaner 1 stores data that can be read by a microprocessor and includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD) (Not shown) such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

The control unit 200 may include a pattern detection module 210 for detecting the light patterns P1 and P2 from the image (acquired image) obtained by the image obtaining unit 140. [ The pattern detection module 210 detects features such as a point, a line, and a surface with respect to predetermined pixels constituting the acquired image and detects light patterns P1 and P2 or light It is possible to detect points, lines, surfaces, and the like constituting the patterns P1 and P2.

For example, the pattern detection module 210 extracts line segments constituted by successive pixels brighter than the surroundings, and detects a horizontal line Ph and a vertical line Pv constituting the first light pattern P1, It is possible to extract the horizontal line P2 constituting the horizontal line P2.

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

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 may be disposed symmetrically with respect to the image obtaining unit 140. [ 7, the first pattern irradiating unit 120 may be located on the upper side away from the image obtaining unit 140 by a distance Dh, and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 may be located on the lower side from the image obtaining unit 140 And may be located at a distance of Dh. Hereinafter, the angle formed by the irradiation direction of the first pattern irradiating portion 120 or the second pattern irradiating portion 130 with the horizontal is defined as a vertical irradiation angle. Specifically, the vertical irradiation angle can be defined as an angle formed by the horizontal direction of the optical axis of the lenses constituting each of the pattern irradiating units 120 and 130.

The first vertical irradiation angle of the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern irradiating unit 130 may be equal to each other by the angle? R. The first pattern irradiating unit 120 irradiates the first pattern light P1 at a downward angle? R with respect to the horizontal and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 irradiates the second pattern light P2). Theta r is preferably set in the range of 20 to 30 degrees, but not necessarily limited thereto.

The first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the image obtaining unit 140 and the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 are arranged in a direction The structure that irradiates the light at the same vertical irradiation angle? R makes it easy to perform the calibration or the product initialization.

When the pattern light irradiated from the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and / or the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is incident on the obstacle, depending on the position away from the first pattern irradiating unit 120, (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 robot cleaner 1, P1) - particularly, the horizontal pattern Ph - is displayed at a high position, and conversely, the second light pattern P2 is displayed at a low position. That is, 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.

However, in order to accurately perform such a process, the first pattern irradiating unit 120 and the second pattern irradiating unit 130 must be aligned so as to irradiate light with a predetermined vertical irradiation angle? R, respectively. Whether or not this assumption has been made can be checked during the calibration process, for example, through the following process.

The obstacle detection unit 100 is fixed and a vertical incidence plate T (see Fig. 7) having a plane facing the obstacle detection unit 100 is installed a predetermined distance from the obstacle detection unit 100. [ The position of the incident plate T is preferably a position where the first pattern light P1 can be formed.

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

Now, the irradiation direction of the second pattern irradiating unit 130 should be inspected. This process can be performed by reversing the obstacle sensing unit 100 so that the obstacle sensing unit 100 is turned upside down, and then repeating the above-described calibration process. That is, after the obstacle detecting unit 100 is turned upside down so that the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is positioned above the image obtaining unit 140, the second pattern irradiating unit 130 irradiates light And acquires an image in which the second light pattern P2 formed on the incident plate T appears through the image acquisition unit 140. [ In this case, if the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is normal, the second light pattern P2 should be detected at the reference position ref1. 8 (b), when the second light pattern P2 is displayed on the upper side by the distance? G from the reference position ref1, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the second pattern irradiator 130 The vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is preferably adjusted when the vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is smaller than the preset value r.

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

7, the image obtaining unit 140 is arranged so that the main axis of the lens is oriented in a horizontal direction, and &thetas; r denotes an angle of view of the image obtaining unit 140, But it is not necessarily limited thereto.

In this case, the bottom of the cleaning zone in the image acquired by the image acquiring unit 140 may be defined as a distance between the bottom of the cleaning zone and the image acquisition unit 140, And S2 is a region extending from the bottom of the acquired image to the position d3 of the center of the first light pattern P1 (the intersection point between the horizontal line Ph and the vertical line Pv). In particular, in the case where the area S2 obstacle is located, the image obtained by the image obtaining unit 140 with the first pattern light P1 incident on the obstacle can be obtained. Here, the distance from the main body 10 to d2 is preferably set to 100 mm to 120 mm, and d3 is located at a distance of about 400 mm from the robot cleaner 1, but is not limited thereto.

7 shows an area in which the positions of the first light pattern P1 and the second light pattern P2 are reversed in S1 (an area from the robot cleaner 1 to d1) shown in Fig. 7, The one pattern light P1 is positioned above the second pattern light P2 in the acquired image. At this time, d1 is preferably 70 to 80 mm away from the robot cleaner 1, but it is not necessarily limited thereto.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an acquired image when the robot cleaner is in the first position and the first obstacle is positioned in front; FIG. 9 is a view showing an acquired image when the robot cleaner is in the first position, (B) of Fig.

It is possible to recognize the space A when the obstacle OB1 in which the predetermined space A is formed between the floor and the floor such as a bed in the cleaning area is detected and preferably the height of the space A is grasped It is possible to determine whether to pass or avoid the obstacle OB1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first pattern light P1 is incident on the floor located in the space A, and the second pattern light P2 is located on the upper side of the space A The obstacle information acquiring module 220 composing the controller 200 can recognize that the obstacle is located on the upper side of the portion where the first pattern light P1 is incident The distance from the robot cleaner 1 to the obstacle OB1 can be known from the position of the second light pattern P2 shown in the acquired image and furthermore, The vertical irradiation angle of the second pattern light P2 is constant based on the distance to the obstacle OB1 so that the position at which the portion where the second pattern light P2 is incident is located at the height from the bottom of the cleaning area. Based on such information, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 can determine the height of the space A, and preferably, the height of the space A is determined to be lower than the height of the main body 10 The travel control module 230 can control the travel driving unit 300 so that the main body 10 avoids the obstacle OB1 and travels. On the contrary, when it is determined that the height of the space A is higher than the height of the main body 10, the travel control module 230 controls the travel driving unit (not shown) so that the main body 10 enters into the space A or passes through the space A. 300 may be controlled.

9 (b), the vertical line Pv of the first pattern light P1 reaches the wall, the horizontal line Pv is incident on the bottom, and the second pattern light P2 partially reaches the obstacle OB1 and a part of the second pattern light P2 is incident on the obstacle OB1 while the other part is incident on the wall. If there is no second pattern irradiation part 130, Only the fact that a wall exists in front of the robot cleaner can not be grasped because obstacle information is obtained based only on the light pattern P !, but in the present embodiment, the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is provided It can be seen that the obstacle OB1 exists between the robot cleaner 1 and the wall. Particularly, the second pattern light P2, which includes the horizontal line Ph, Since the obstacle OB1 can be detected, the vertical line Pv of the first pattern light P1 can not be detected Is detected by the obstacle (OB1) which is located at the train station is possible.

10 shows an acquired image when the first pattern light and the second pattern light are incident on the obstacle. 10, in addition to obstacle information that can be grasped through the first pattern light P1, the robot cleaner 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention further includes a second pattern light P2, The shape can be grasped specifically. For example, the actual height of the obstacle OB2 is a height that the robot cleaner 1 can not overcome by traveling, but at the current position of the robot cleaner 1, the first light pattern P1 enters the lower area of the obstacle The travel control module 230 determines that the main body 10 can get over the obstacle OB2 so that once the main body 10 reaches the obstacle OB2, The position of the second light pattern P2 is gradually elevated on the acquired image as the main body 10 gradually approaches the obstacle OB2 so that the height of the obstacle OB2 becomes higher than the height of the main body 10, It is determined that the avoidance driving is to be carried out, the driving driving unit 300 will be controlled.

On the other hand, when the second pattern irradiating unit 130 is provided as in the embodiment, since the second pattern light P2 is incident on the obstacle OB2 at the current position, the height of the obstacle OB2 is previously determined And can optimize the traveling path in advance as much as possible.

On the other hand, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 can recognize the cliff located in front of the robot cleaner 1 based on the length of the vertical line Pv shown in the acquired image. When a cliff (for example, a staircase) is located in front of the robot cleaner 1, the front end of the vertical line Pv can reach the bottom of the cliff, and since the portion irradiated downward from the cliff does not appear in the acquired image, The length of the vertical line (Pv) in the acquired image is shortened. Accordingly, when the length of the vertical line Pv is shortened, the obstacle information acquisition module 220 can recognize that the cliff is located in front of the robot cleaner 1, and based on the detected cliff information, The module 230 can control the travel driving unit 300 so that the robot cleaner 1 can travel along a path that does not fall into a cliff.

Claims (20)

A main body for traveling a cleaning zone and sucking foreign substances from the bottom of the cleaning zone;
An image acquiring unit, disposed in the main body, for acquiring an image of a predetermined area in front of the main body;
A first pattern irradiator disposed in the main body and irradiating light of a first pattern downward into the area; And
And a second pattern irradiating unit disposed in the main body and disposed below the first pattern irradiating unit and irradiating light of the second pattern upward into the area,
When the main body is placed on a horizontal floor and the main body is viewed from the side,
A path through which light of the first pattern is irradiated and a path through which light of the second pattern is emitted intersect,
The point (d1) at which the light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern intersect with each other on the horizontal floor is a point (d1) on the horizontal floor at which the image is acquired by the image acquiring unit (d2) at a point closer to the main body,
The distance from the point (d2) on the horizontal floor where the image is obtained by the image acquiring unit to the point (d3) on which the light of the first pattern is formed on the horizontal floor, And a point (d2) on the horizontal floor at which the image is acquired by the image obtaining unit from an image point (d1) orthogonal to the horizontal floor at a point where the light of the second pattern crosses Long robot cleaner. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The image acquiring unit may acquire,
Wherein the main axis of the lens is horizontally aligned and has an angle of view of 100 deg. To 110 deg.. The method according to claim 1,
The image acquiring unit may acquire,
And acquires an image of the floor from a position at a distance of 110 mm to 120 mm or more from the main body. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first pattern and the second pattern each include a horizontal line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern are configured in different patterns. The method according to claim 1,
The image acquiring unit,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit are arranged in a line in a vertical direction on a front surface of the main body. delete 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit irradiates light of the first pattern at a first vertical irradiation angle,
And the second pattern irradiation unit irradiates light of the second pattern at a second vertical irradiation angle. 9. The method of claim 8,
The image acquiring unit may acquire,
And is disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit irradiates light of the first pattern at a first vertical irradiation angle,
Wherein the second pattern irradiating unit irradiates light of the second pattern at a second vertical irradiation angle,
Wherein the first vertical irradiation angle or the second vertical irradiation angle is 20 ° to 30 °. A casing forming an appearance;
Left and right wheels rotatably provided in the casing;
A suction module disposed in the casing for sucking foreign matter from the floor in the cleaning area; And
And an obstacle detection unit disposed on a front surface of the casing,
The obstacle detection unit includes:
A module frame coupled to a front surface of the casing;
An image acquiring unit disposed in the module frame and acquiring an image of a predetermined area in front of the casing;
A first pattern irradiator disposed in the module frame and irradiating light of a first pattern downward into the area; And
And a second pattern irradiating unit disposed in the module frame and disposed below the first pattern irradiating unit and irradiating light of a second pattern upward into the area,
When the casing is viewed from the side with the casing lying on a horizontal floor,
A path through which light of the first pattern is irradiated and a path through which light of the second pattern is emitted intersect,
The point (d1) at which the light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern intersect with each other on the horizontal floor is a point (d1) on the horizontal floor at which the image is acquired by the image acquiring unit (d2) at a point closer to the casing,
The distance from the point (d2) on the horizontal floor where the image is obtained by the image acquiring unit to the point (d3) on which the light of the first pattern is formed on the horizontal floor, And a point (d2) on the horizontal floor at which the image is acquired by the image obtaining unit from an image point (d1) orthogonal to the horizontal floor at a point where the light of the second pattern crosses Long robot cleaner. delete delete 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the first pattern and the second pattern each include a horizontal line. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the image acquiring unit, the first pattern irradiating unit, and the second pattern irradiating unit are arranged in a line in a vertical direction. delete 18. The method of claim 17,
The image acquiring unit may acquire,
And is disposed between the first pattern irradiation unit and the second pattern irradiation unit. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the first pattern irradiating unit and the second pattern irradiating unit are arranged symmetrically with respect to the image acquiring unit.

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