KR102278899B1 - Cleaning robot and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a body; a pad mounted on the lower part of the body to perform cleaning; and a driving assembly for applying a driving force to the pad, wherein the driving assembly adjusts the driving force to move the body to a target position.
According to the present invention, it is possible to travel in an omni-directional direction without rotation of the main body of the cleaning robot, and through this, it is possible to travel quickly.
In addition, it is possible to imitate a pattern that a person mops, improving cleaning efficiency. In addition, it is easy to apply various cleaning patterns such as straight and curved patterns.

Description

Cleaning robot and method for controlling the same

The present invention relates to a cleaning robot for improving driving performance and a control method therefor.

A cleaning robot is a device that automatically cleans a cleaning area by sucking foreign substances such as dust from the floor while driving in an area to be cleaned without a user's manipulation.

The cleaning robot repeatedly performs cleaning tasks using a cleaning tool while driving in the cleaning area using two parallel wheels that are rotatably mounted on the bottom of the main body. At this time, obstacles located in the cleaning area or obstacles located in the cleaning area through various sensors, etc. It detects a wall and performs cleaning while controlling path movement and cleaning operation based on the detection result.

A general cleaning robot cleans the floor surface in a dry method that sucks the dust on the floor surface. As described above, the cleaning robot that performs cleaning in the dry method moves the cleaning area in a minimum amount of time by driving the cleaning area in a zigzag or spiral pattern to efficiently perform cleaning.

However, when cleaning is performed in the dry method, foreign substances adhering to the floor or foreign substances larger than a certain size are not sucked, so there is a problem that foreign substances remain on the floor even after the cleaning operation is finished.

Accordingly, recently, not only a cleaning robot capable of suctioning dust but also a wet cleaning robot having a pad mounted on the bottom of the main body and wiping the floor with water has been developed.

As described above, a cleaning robot that performs cleaning in a wet manner performs cleaning while driving in a cleaning space in a curved pattern that is a pattern in the shape of a person mopping in order to increase cleaning efficiency.

In this way, the cleaning robot moves and cleans the cleaning area using two wheels. At this time, by rotating the two wheels at a constant speed to perform straight travel, or by changing the rotation speed of the two wheels to rotate the main body by a desired angle. It is also possible to change the driving direction.

That is, the cleaning robot may perform cleaning while traveling in a cleaning space in a curved pattern capable of freely moving the angle of the main body by using the rotation of the main body.

Such a cleaning robot requires an angular rotation of the body during curved driving, and in a curved driving pattern that requires a lot of angular rotation of the body, the traveling speed is slowed and a large amount of cleaning time is consumed. In addition, the cleaning robot has a problem in that there is a limit to rotating within the radius of the main body during curved driving.
(Patent Document 1) KR2008-0091042 A

One aspect provides a cleaning robot that acquires vector information using current position information and target position information, and performs driving and cleaning using the obtained vector information, and a control method thereof.

Another aspect provides a cleaning robot that detects an obstacle using a plurality of obstacle detection units provided on each side of the body and changes a driving direction by adjusting a friction force acting on a plurality of pad assemblies based on the obstacle detection result and a control method thereof. .

Another aspect provides a cleaning robot that detects a spot on a floor using a spot detection unit and changes a driving pattern and cleaning intensity based on a spot detection result, and a control method thereof.

Another aspect provides a cleaning robot that detects an obstacle and adjusts an angle of a pad assembly to climb the detected obstacle when the height of the detected obstacle is less than or equal to a reference height, and a control method thereof.

Another aspect provides a cleaning robot having a beveled-edge pad assembly and a control method thereof.

A cleaning robot according to one aspect includes a main body; a pad mounted on the lower part of the body to perform cleaning; and a driving assembly for applying a driving force to the pad, wherein the driving assembly adjusts the driving force to move the body to a target position.

The driving force is based on the action direction and the action position of the friction force acting on the pad in contact with the floor surface.

The driving assembly includes a position variable member for changing a contact position of the pad in contact with the cleaning floor surface. and a rotation variable member for rotating the pad about the rotation axis.

The variable position member adjusts the angle of inclination of the pad to vary the frictional force generated between the pad and the floor surface.

The variable position member includes a first driving member for tilting the pad in a first direction and a second driving member for tilting the pad in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The first driving member includes a first rotating member for rotating the pad in a first direction, and a first motor connected to the first rotating member and applying a rotational force to the first rotating member.

The second driving member includes a second rotating member for rotating the pad in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second motor for applying a rotational force to the second rotating member.

The cleaning robot according to one aspect further includes a controller for controlling the driving assembly by determining a contact position of a pad in contact with the floor and a rotation direction of the pad so that the main body travels to a target position.

The pad includes a first pad and a second pad, and the driving assembly includes a first driving assembly driving the first pad and a second driving assembly driving the second pad.

The control unit controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly to be opposite to each other in directions of frictional force acting on the first pad and the second pad when the main body travels in place.

The control unit controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, such that when the main body travels forward, frictional forces in the opposite direction to the forward direction act on the first pad and the second pad, respectively.

The control unit controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, so that when the main body travels sideways, frictional forces in the opposite direction to the side direction act on the first pad and the second pad, respectively.

The control unit controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, so that when the main body travels in an oblique direction, frictional forces in the opposite direction to the diagonal direction act on the first pad and the second pad, respectively.

The pad includes a first pad, a second pad, a third pad, and a fourth pad, and the driving assembly includes a first driving assembly driving the first pad, a second driving assembly driving the second pad, and a third pad It includes a third driving assembly for driving the , and a fourth driving assembly for driving the fourth pad.

The third driving assembly includes a rotationally variable member that rotates the third pad about a rotation axis, and the fourth driving assembly includes a rotationally variable member that rotates the fourth pad about the rotation axis.

The control unit obtains spatial information of the cleaning area based on the map information, generates a traveling route and a traveling pattern based on the spatial information of the cleaning area, and controls the main body to travel based on the traveling path and traveling pattern.

The control unit divides the cleaning area into a plurality of cells, and generates a travel route and a travel pattern based on the information of the plurality of cells.

The traveling pattern includes a curved pattern having a diameter smaller than the length of the body.

The cleaning robot according to one aspect further includes a position detection unit for detecting the position of the main body, wherein the control unit determines whether to change the traveling direction based on target cleaning position information from the current position, and the pad is installed when the traveling direction is changed. The drive assemblies are respectively controlled so that the contact position and the rotation direction are changed.

The cleaning robot according to one aspect further includes an obstacle detecting unit for detecting an obstacle in the cleaning area, and the control unit determines whether to perform wall tracking to obtain map information of the cleaning area, and when it is determined that wall tracking should be performed The wall surface is detected using the obstacle detection unit, and the main body is rotated using the pad driving assembly to match the direction of the boundary line of the detected wall surface and the traveling direction of the main body, and the detected wall surface is followed.

The cleaning robot according to one aspect further includes an obstacle detecting unit detecting an obstacle in the cleaning area, and the controller changes the driving route or the driving pattern when the obstacle is detected.

The cleaning robot according to one aspect further includes a spot detection unit detecting a spot on the floor, and the controller changes a driving route or a driving pattern when the spot is detected.

The control unit may vary the frictional force in contact with the cleaning floor surface by adjusting the angle of inclination of the pad according to the degree of the stain detected by the stain detection unit, or change the driving pattern.

A cleaning robot according to another aspect includes a main body; a plurality of pads mounted on the lower part of the body to perform cleaning; a plurality of driving assemblies for driving the plurality of pads, wherein the plurality of driving assemblies respectively adjust an action position and an action direction of a friction force acting on the plurality of pads to move the main body to a target position.

The cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes a controller configured to control the driving assembly by determining a contact position of a pad in contact with the floor and a rotation direction of the pad based on an action position and an action direction of the friction force.

The control unit obtains a movement distance and a movement direction based on the target position information and the current position information of the main body, obtains vector information based on the obtained movement distance and movement direction, and controls driving based on the vector information.

The control unit adjusts the action direction and action position of the friction force while maintaining the posture of the main body while driving.

The cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes a plurality of obstacle detection units mounted on the main body, mounted on front, rear, left, and right surfaces of the main body, respectively, to detect obstacles in the cleaning area, and the controller includes: Controls the operation of the obstacle detection unit mounted on the surface.

A control method of a cleaning robot according to another aspect includes determining a target position, determining a slope and a rotation direction of a plurality of pads mounted on a lower portion of a main body based on the target position, respectively, adjusting the determined slope of the plurality of pads, and , to move the main body to the target position by operating it in the determined rotational direction.

Determining the inclination and rotation direction of the plurality of pads, respectively, is to check the information of the target position and the information of the current position, and obtain the moving distance and the moving direction of the main body based on the confirmed information of the current position and the information of the target position, , respectively, determine the action position and action direction of the friction force acting between the plurality of pads and the floor surface based on the movement distance and the movement direction, and determine the inclination and rotation direction of the plurality of pads based on the action position and action direction of the friction force, respectively includes deciding.

According to a control method of a cleaning robot according to another aspect, it is determined whether a driving direction is changed based on information on a target position, and when it is determined that the driving direction is changed, driving a plurality of driving assemblies for applying a driving force to a plurality of pads, respectively The method further includes changing the position of the contact area on which the frictional force acts and the direction of the frictional force's action by controlling each.

Changing the position of the contact region where the frictional force acts and the action direction of the frictional force includes changing the action direction and the action position of the frictional force while maintaining the posture of the body.

Acquiring the moving distance and moving direction of the main body includes obtaining vector information using the moving distance and moving direction of the main body.

A control method of a cleaning robot according to another aspect determines whether wall tracking should be performed to obtain map information of a cleaning area, and when it is determined that wall tracking should be performed, a wall surface is detected using an obstacle detection unit, and the detected wall surface is determined. The method further includes rotating the main body using the frictional force of the plurality of pad assemblies so that the direction of the boundary line coincides with the running direction of the main body, and following the detected wall surface using the frictional force of the plurality of pad assemblies.

According to a control method of a cleaning robot according to another aspect, when an obstacle is detected in the front during wall tracking, the action position and action direction of the friction force are changed based on the direction of the front wall surface, and tracking based on the detection signal of the obstacle detecting unit during wall tracking The method further includes re-detecting the surrounding wall surface by using the obstacle detection unit if it is determined that the wall in progress is not detected, and changing the action position and the action direction of the friction force based on the re-detected location of the wall surface.

The driving and cleaning includes acquiring spatial information of the cleaning area based on map information, dividing the cleaning area into a plurality of cells based on the spatial information of the cleaning area, and a driving route and a driving pattern based on the information of the plurality of cells and performing driving and cleaning while changing the action position and action direction of the friction force based on the travel route and the travel pattern.

A method of controlling a cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes detecting an obstacle while performing cleaning and cleaning, and changing a driving route and a driving pattern when the obstacle is detected.

The control method of the cleaning robot further includes detecting a stain on the floor surface while cleaning and cleaning, and changing a driving pattern when the stain is detected.

The control method of the cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes adjusting the magnitude of the friction force to be larger when the stain is detected.

A method of controlling a cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes determining a cleaning intensity based on a cleaning mode, and adjusting a magnitude of a frictional force based on the determined cleaning intensity.

A cleaning robot according to another aspect includes a main body; a plurality of pad assemblies mounted on the lower part of the body to perform cleaning; a driving assembly for applying a driving force to each of the plurality of pad assemblies; a detection unit configured to detect an obstacle, wherein the driving assembly changes inclinations of the plurality of pad assemblies, respectively, based on the detected height of the obstacle.

The driving assembly adjusts a vertical inclination angle of the at least one pad assembly based on the detected horizontal width of the obstacle.

The inclination angle in the vertical direction is an angle greater than the inclination angle of the pad assembly for running on flat ground.

The detection unit may include an image collecting unit collecting an image of the cleaning area, and the driving assembly may include recognizing an obstacle based on the collected image and confirming a height of the recognized obstacle.

The detection unit may include: a first detection unit configured to detect the presence or absence of an obstacle; and a second detection unit for detecting the height of the obstacle.

The first detection unit includes a load amount detection unit that detects an amount of load acting on the pad assembly.

The second detection unit includes an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

The driving assembly controls the avoidance driving when the height of the detected obstacle exceeds the reference height.

The driving assembly changes the traveling direction by respectively adjusting an action position and an action direction of the frictional force acting on the plurality of pad assemblies.

The driving assembly moves to the main body by adjusting the angle of the inclination of the pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle to a certain angle when the detected height of the obstacle is less than or equal to the reference height, and adjusting the action position and action direction of the friction force acting on the remaining pad assembly, respectively apply force

A cleaning robot according to another aspect includes a main body; a plurality of pad assemblies mounted on the lower part of the body to perform cleaning; a driving assembly for applying a driving force to each of the plurality of pad assemblies; a detection unit for detecting a step difference, wherein the driving assembly controls the inclination of at least one pad assembly based on the detected height of the step difference, and adjusts the action position and action direction of the friction force acting on the remaining pad assembly so that the main body moves to move along the steps.

The driving assembly adjusts an angle of inclination of the at least one pad assembly to a preset maximum inclination angle.

The driving assembly adjusts the angle of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly to an angle corresponding to the height of the step.

The driving assembly controls rotation of the at least one pad assembly so that a frictional force is applied to the at least one pad assembly when the at least one pad assembly is positioned on the upper surface of the step.

The driving assembly adjusts the direction of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly in the first direction when the step surface is higher than the floor surface, and adjusts the inclination direction of the at least one pad assembly in the second direction when the step surface is lower than the floor surface adjusted, and the first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other.

The driving assembly controls operations of the plurality of pad assemblies to avoid the step when the detected height of the step exceeds the reference height.

A method of controlling a cleaning robot according to another aspect includes determining a target position, determining a tilt and a rotation direction of a plurality of pad assemblies mounted on a lower portion of a main body based on the target position, respectively, and determining the determined inclination of the plurality of pad assemblies. Adjust and operate in the determined rotational direction so that the main body travels on a level surface to a target position, detects an obstacle while performing level travel, and when an obstacle is detected, based on the height of the obstacle, at least one pad assembly of the plurality of pad assemblies The inclination is controlled, and an action position and an action direction of the friction force acting on the pad assembly except for at least one of the plurality of pad assemblies are adjusted so that the body moves along the step.

The inclination angle of the at least one pad assembly is greater than the inclination angle of the pad assembly excluding the at least one pad assembly.

Detecting the obstacle includes collecting an image in front of the driving direction, and recognizing the obstacle in the collected image.

Detecting the obstacle includes detecting loads of the plurality of pad assemblies and recognizing the obstacles based on the detected loads.

The control method of the cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes controlling the avoidance driving when the detected height of the obstacle exceeds the reference height.

The avoidance running includes changing the running direction by adjusting the action positions and the action directions of frictional forces acting on the plurality of pad assemblies, respectively.

The controlling of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly includes controlling the angle of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly to a preset maximum inclination angle.

The controlling of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly includes determining a height of the step, determining an angle corresponding to the checked height of the step, and controlling the angle of inclination of the at least one pad assembly to the determined angle. do.

The control method of the cleaning robot according to another aspect further includes controlling rotation of the at least one pad assembly so that a frictional force acts on the at least one pad assembly when the at least one pad assembly is positioned on the upper surface of the step.

According to the present invention, the cleaning robot can run in an omni-directional direction without rotation of the main body, and can run quickly through this.

In addition, the cleaning robot can imitate a human mopping pattern, improving cleaning efficiency. In addition, it is easy to apply various cleaning patterns such as straight and curved patterns.

Also, when the cleaning robot encounters an obstacle (threshold), it climbs or avoids the obstacle based on the height of the obstacle. This can reduce the cleaning time and improve cleaning efficiency.

1 is a perspective view of a cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment;
2 is an exemplary view of a main body of a cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment.
3A is an exploded perspective view of a first pad assembly and a first driving assembly provided in the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3B is another exemplary view of the first pad assembly provided in the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment.
4 is an exemplary view when the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot according to an embodiment is rotated along the X-axis.
5 is an exemplary view when the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot according to an embodiment is rotated along the Y-axis.
6A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs a moving in place, and FIG. 6B is an exemplary view showing a contact area of a pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs a moving in place. .
7A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs forward travel, and FIG. 7B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a contact area of a pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs forward travel .
FIG. 8A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment travels in a side direction, and FIG. 8B is a view illustrating a contact area of a pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment travels in a side direction It is one example diagram.
9A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an embodiment travels in a diagonal direction, and FIG. 9B is a view illustrating a contact area of the pad member when the cleaning robot according to an embodiment performs diagonal travel It is one example diagram.
10 is an exemplary view of a main body of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment.
11 is an exploded perspective view of a first pad assembly and a first driving assembly provided in a main body of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment;
12 is an exemplary view when the rotating plate of the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot rotates about the X-axis according to another exemplary embodiment.
13 is an exemplary view when the rotating plate of the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot rotates about the Y-axis according to another exemplary embodiment.
14 is a control configuration diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.
15 is a diagram illustrating an example of mounting an obstacle detection unit provided in a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.
16 is an exemplary view of a cleaning robot running according to an embodiment.
17A and 17B are control flowcharts of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.
18 to 21 are views illustrating an example of a cleaning robot following a wall according to an embodiment.
22 is a diagram illustrating an example of generating a driving path and a driving pattern of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.
23 is an exemplary view illustrating a cleaning robot running during cleaning according to an embodiment.
24 is an exemplary view of regenerating a driving pattern when an obstacle is detected during cleaning of the cleaning robot according to the embodiment.
25 is an exemplary view of regenerating a driving path during cleaning of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.
26 is an exemplary view of regenerating a driving pattern when a stain is detected during cleaning of the cleaning robot according to the embodiment.
27 is a diagram illustrating an example of diagonal running of the cleaning robot according to the embodiment.
28 is an exemplary view of a cleaning robot traveling in a curved pattern according to an embodiment.
29 is an exemplary view of a body provided in a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
30 is an exemplary view of a pad assembly provided in a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
31 is a control configuration diagram of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
32 is a control configuration diagram of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment.
33 is an exemplary view of a height detection unit provided in a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
34 is a control configuration diagram of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
35 is an exemplary view of a height detection unit provided in a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
36 is a control flowchart of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment.
37A and 37B are diagrams illustrating climbing driving of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
38 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjusting an angle of a pad assembly provided in a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
39 to 44 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the pad assembly during the climbing driving shown in FIG. 37 .
45 is an exemplary diagram of a climbing driving of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
46 and 47 are diagrams illustrating avoidance driving of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.
48A and 50D are diagrams illustrating climbing driving of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, illustrating driving at a step.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of a main body of the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3A is an exploded view of a pad assembly and a driving assembly provided in the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment; It is a perspective view, and FIG. 3B is another exemplary view of a pad assembly provided in a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.

When a user's cleaning command is input or a cleaning reservation time comes, the cleaning robot 1 performs cleaning by wiping foreign substances such as dust on the floor while driving in a cleaning area in the home by itself.

The cleaning robot 1 performs docking with a charging station (not shown) when a cleaning end command is input from the user, when it is determined that cleaning is complete, or when the amount of battery is lower than the reference amount, and when docking is completed, the cleaning robot 1 ( Charging is performed by receiving power from the device (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the cleaning robot 1 includes a housing 100 forming an exterior, and a main body 200 disposed in the housing 100 to perform driving and cleaning.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the body 200 includes a frame 210 and at least two pad assemblies 220 and 230 mounted on the lower portion of the frame 210 to be in contact with and detachably from the bottom surface, and at least At least two driving assemblies 240 and 250 are respectively coupled to the two pad assemblies 220 and 230 to drive the at least two pad assemblies 220 and 230 , respectively.

Here, the frame 210 includes the main frame 211 and the first and second driving assemblies 240 mounted on the main frame 211 and rotatably coupled to the first and second driving assemblies 240 and 250 , respectively. and a plurality of auxiliary frames 212 each covering a portion of the , 250 .

The frame 210 further includes a support frame 213 extending from the main frame 211 toward the floor surface and in contact with the floor surface, and supporting the main frame 211 through this.

That is, the body 200 may stably move along the floor surface without being shaken by the support frame 213 despite the rotation of the pad assemblies 220 and 230 .

At least two pad assemblies 220 and 230 are in contact with or separated from the bottom surface.

When these at least two pad assemblies 220 and 230 come into contact with the floor surface, some or all of them come into contact with the floor surface, and the main body moves or cleans the cleaning area by adjusting the contact area and contact direction with the floor surface. . In addition, the at least two pad assemblies 220 and 230 may be moved and cleaned at the same time.

In this embodiment, the at least two pad assemblies include a first pad assembly 220 and a second pad assembly 220 disposed in parallel to the lower portion of the frame, and the at least two driving assemblies 240 and 250 are It includes a first driving assembly 240 for driving the pad assembly 220 and a second driving assembly 250 for driving the second pad assembly 220 .

The first and second pad assemblies 220 and 230 have the same structure as each other, and the first and second driving assemblies 240 and 250 also have the same structure.

Accordingly, the first pad assembly 220 among the first and second pad assemblies 220 and 230 will be described as an example, and the first driving assembly 240 among the first and second driving assemblies 240 and 250 will be described as an example. listen and explain

As shown in FIG. 3A , the first pad assembly 220 includes a coupling member 221 coupled to the first driving assembly 240 , a rotating plate 222 mounted to the coupling member 221 , and a rotating plate 222 . ) includes a pad member 223 detachably mounted to the.

Here, the pad member 223 is made of a fiber material to enable wet cleaning.

The first driving assembly 240 is mounted on the upper side of the main frame 211 and includes a first driving member 241 for rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the X-axis direction, and the main frame 211 . a second driving member 242 mounted on the lower side to rotate the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the Y-axis direction, and the first driving member 241 to be rotatable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; and a third driving member 243 connected to the second driving member 242 and configured to rotate the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the Z-axis direction.

That is, the first driving member 241 and the second driving member 242 perform a tilting operation as a position variable member for changing the position of the pad in contact with the floor surface, and the third driving member 243 rotates the pad. It is a rotation variable member for changing the direction and rotation speed, etc.

The first driving member 241 includes a first motor 241a generating a rotational force in the X-axis direction for rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the X-axis direction, and a rotation shaft of the first motor 241a. It includes a first rotating member (241b) connected to.

The second driving member 242 includes a second motor 242a generating a rotational force in the Y-axis direction for rotating the rotary plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the Y-axis direction, and a rotation shaft of the second motor 242a. It includes a second rotating member (242b) connected to.

Here, the second rotation member 242b includes a first link b1, a second link b2, a third link b3, and a fourth link b4 whose ends are connected to each other.

The third driving member 243 includes a third motor 243a generating a rotational force in the Z-axis direction for rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly in the Z-axis direction, and a rotation shaft of the third motor 243a. It includes a third rotating member 243b connected to, accommodates the third motor 243a and the third rotating member 243b, one surface is coupled to the first rotating member 241b of the first driving member, and the first A first connecting member 243c to which the coupling member 221 of the pad assembly is coupled, and a second driving member received in the first connecting member 243c and through a hole h formed in the first connecting member 243c It further includes a second connecting member (243d) coupled to the second rotating member (242b) of the.

The first driving assembly 240 may control the pad member of the first pad assembly 220 to be inclined at a set angle with respect to the floor surface by driving the first motor 241a and the second motor 242a. By driving the third motor 243a, the first pad assembly 220 may be controlled to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

In addition, the first driving assembly 240 uses the first motor 241a, the second motor 242a, and the third motor 243a so that the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly 220 is in contact with the bottom surface. It is possible to change the part to be used, so that the cleaning area can be moved and cleaned.

The second driving assembly 250 may also vary a portion in which the pad member of the second pad assembly 230 comes into contact with the floor surface in the same manner as the first driving assembly 240 , and through this, the cleaning area may be moved and cleaned. let it be

The main body 200 is provided on the main frame 211 and further includes a plurality of obstacle detection units (not shown) for detecting surrounding obstacles.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 may further include a spot detection unit (not shown) provided on the housing 100 or the main body 200 to detect a spot on the floor.

As shown in FIG. 3B , the first pad assembly 220 provided in the cleaning robot includes a coupling member 221 coupled to the first driving assembly 240 , a rotating plate 222 mounted to the coupling member 221 , and , and a pad member 223 detachably mounted to the rotating plate 222 .

The rotating plate 222 has an inclined side surface. For this reason, the area of the lower surface of the rotating plate is narrower than that of the upper surface.

That is, the rotating plate 222 has an inclined surface 222a having a predetermined inclination.

The pad member 223 may also have an inclined side surface. For this reason, the width of the lower surface of the pad member is narrower than that of the upper surface.

That is, the pad member 223 has an inclined surface 223a having a predetermined inclination.

Due to this, when the cleaning robot encounters an obstacle with a low height while driving on flat ground, it can easily ride over the obstacle.

4 is an exemplary view when the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot according to an embodiment is rotated along the X-axis, and FIG. 5 is when the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot according to the embodiment is rotated along the Y-axis. It is also an example.

As shown in FIG. 4 , when the rotation shaft of the first motor 241a rotates clockwise or counterclockwise around the X-axis by the driving of the first motor 241a, the rotation shaft of the first motor 241a The combined first rotating member 241b, the first connecting member 243c, the second connecting member 243d, and the third rotating member 243b rotate together.

Accordingly, the first line A extending the central axis of the first pad assembly 220 before the rotation shaft of the first motor 241a rotates and the first pad assembly after the rotation shaft of the first motor 241a rotates A second line (B) extending the central axis of 220 forms a first angle (T1). At this time, the bottom surface and the bottom surface of the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly form a second angle T2.

Here, the first angle T1 at which the rotation shaft of the first motor 241a rotates may be the same as the second angle T2 between the bottom surface and the bottom surface of the rotation plate. In this way, the rotating plate 222 may rotate about the X-axis.

5, when the rotation shaft of the second motor 242a is rotated by the driving of the second motor 242a, the first link b1 connected to the rotation shaft of the second motor 242a also rotates together. . When the first link b1 rotates, the second link b2 connected by the third link b3 and the fourth link b4 also rotates in the same direction as the first link b1.

Accordingly, before and after the rotation shaft of the second motor 242a rotates, the contact point between the first link b1 and the third link b3 and the contact point between the first link b1 and the fourth link b4 are connected. Lines C and D form a third angle T3. In addition, the line connecting the contact point of the second link b2 and the third link b3 of the second rotating member 242b and the contact point of the second link b2 and the fourth link b4 is also a third angle T3 ) make up

And as the second link b2 of the second rotation member 242b rotates, the third connection member 243 connected to the second link b2 and the first pad assembly 220 rotate.

Accordingly, the bottom surface and the bottom surface of the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly form a fourth angle T4. Here, the third angle T3 and the fourth angle T4 may be the same. As described above, the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly may rotate about the Y-axis.

As described above, the cleaning robot may generate a non-uniform frictional force between the pad member 223 mounted on the bottom surface of the rotary plate 222 and the floor surface by inclining the rotation plate 222 of the first pad assembly with the floor surface.

The first pad assembly 220 is rotated by the third rotating member 243b connected to the coupling member 221 of the central axis. As a result, the rotating plate 222 can rotate about the Z-axis.

In addition, the rotating plate 222 can be rotated in a state inclined at a set angle with the floor surface by the first motor 241a and the second motor 242a, and is rotated by the first motor 241a and the second motor 242a. A direction inclined with respect to the bottom surface may be adjusted, and a contact area may be adjusted when the pad member 223 provided on the bottom surface of the rotating plate 222 contacts the floor surface.

A difference occurs in partial frictional force of the pad member 223 according to an angle at which the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly is inclined.

More specifically, the frictional force between the rotating plate 222 and the pad member 223 located near the bottom and the bottom surface is greater than the frictional force between the rotating plate 222 and the pad member 223 located farther from the bottom surface and the bottom surface. The traveling direction and traveling speed of the cleaning robot 1 may be adjusted by the difference in frictional force between the pad member 223 and the floor surface.

The cleaning robot 1 may travel in a direction in which the frictional force between the pad member 223 and the floor surface is large. As the frictional force between the pad member 223 and the floor surface increases, the magnitude of the frictional force required for the running of the cleaning robot 1 increases, so that the running speed of the cleaning robot 1 may also increase.

In addition, even if the rotating plate 222 is tilted, the pad member 223 provided on the bottom surface of the rotating plate 222 is provided with a compressible material so that the entire surface of the pad member 223 is in contact with the bottom surface. .

In this case, in a portion where the frictional force between the pad member 223 and the floor surface is high, since the pad member 223 has a large force to wipe the floor surface, cleaning efficiency can be increased, such as stains on the floor surface can be removed.

The cleaning robot 1 may perform cleaning while traveling in a set direction according to a position where the pad member 223 comes into contact with the floor and a direction in which the rotating plate 222 or the pad member 223 rotates about the Z-axis. .

More specifically, the cleaning robot 1 may have a different traveling direction depending on the relative positions of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 223 of the second pad assembly in contact with the floor surface, A traveling direction may be changed according to a direction in which the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly 220 and the second pad assembly 230 rotates about the Z-axis.

For example, even if the same portion of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly 220 and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface, the two pad members 223 and 233 rotate clockwise. The running direction of the cleaning robot 1 may be different when it is rotated in a counterclockwise direction.

As described above, the frictional force between the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the floor surface acts as a driving force to drive the cleaning robot 1, so the cleaning robot 1 that travels with wheels Compared to the previous model, it is possible to drive with less restrictions depending on the material of the floor or obstacles.

In addition, by adjusting the angle, the inclination direction, and the rotation direction of the pad members 223 and 233 of the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly, the cleaning robot 1 can be It can drive in any direction.

That is, the cleaning robot 1 is capable of running in an omni-directional direction without rotation of the main body, and the running will be described after designating a certain point as the front surface of the main body.

A configuration for controlling the traveling direction of the cleaning robot will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B.

6A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs a moving in place, and FIG. 6B is an exemplary view showing a contact area of a pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs a moving in place. .

6A and 6B , by rotating the first motor of the first driving assembly of the cleaning robot and the first motor of the second driving assembly in the first rotation direction, the rotating plate and the second pad assembly of the first pad assembly of the rotating plate is inclined at a set angle with respect to the floor surface.

At this time, the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly are inclined in the same direction with respect to each central axis, so that the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad of the second pad assembly are inclined. As for the member 233, some regions in the same direction with respect to the central axis are in contact with the bottom surface. That is, the right side of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the right side of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface.

Accordingly, the contact area P1 of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the contact area P2 of the pad member of the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface, and in this case, the third motor of the first driving assembly is rotated for the first time. direction and the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P1 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface, and also the second pad A frictional force is also generated between the contact area P2 of the pad member 233 of the assembly and the bottom surface.

Here, each contact area of the two pads is an area that allows the body to move in a balanced state, and can be set in consideration of the action direction of the friction force corresponding to the target position.

In addition, the frictional force between the contact area P1 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface and the frictional force between the contact area P2 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface of each pad are greater than the friction force between the rest of the member and the bottom surface.

As described above, in a state in which the frictional force of the contact area between the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly acts to be greater than the frictional force in the remaining areas, the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly moves. The rotation plate 232 of the second pad assembly rotates in the first rotation direction R1 and rotates in the second rotation direction R2, wherein the first rotation direction is opposite to the second rotation direction, and the first pad assembly is rotated in a direction opposite to the second rotation direction. By rotating the rotating plate 222 of the second pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly in opposite directions, the cleaning robot 1 can wipe the floor while remaining in place without moving.

In addition, the action directions of the friction force in the first contact area of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the friction force in the second contact area of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are opposite to each other, and the magnitude is are identical to each other

7A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs forward travel, and FIG. 7B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a contact area of a pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs forward travel .

7A and 7B , the first motor of the first driving assembly of the cleaning robot is rotated in the second rotation direction R2 and the first motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the first rotation direction R1. By doing so, the rotating plate of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate of the second pad assembly are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the floor surface.

In this case, the rotation plate of the first pad assembly and the rotation plate of the second pad assembly are inclined in opposite directions with respect to each central axis, and the pad member of the first pad assembly and the pad member of the second pad assembly are directed in opposite directions with respect to the central axis. Some areas of the are in contact with the floor surface.

That is, the left side of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the right side of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface.

Accordingly, the contact area P3 of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the contact area P4 of the pad member of the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface, and in this case, the third motor of the first driving assembly is rotated for the first time. When the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the direction R1 and the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction R2, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P3 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface. Also, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P4 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface.

In addition, the frictional force between the contact area P3 and the bottom surface of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the friction force between the contact area P4 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface of each pad greater than the friction force between the rest of the member and the bottom surface.

As described above, in a state in which the frictional force of the contact areas P3 and P4 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly is greater than the frictional force of the remaining areas, the first pad assembly The rotation plate 222 rotates in the first rotation direction R1 and the rotation plate 232 of the second pad assembly rotates in the second rotation direction R2 .

Here, the first rotational direction is the frictional force acting on the two contact areas by rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly in opposite directions to the second rotating direction. The direction of action becomes the same, and as a reaction thereto, the cleaning robot 1 can wipe the floor while moving forward (direction F).

In addition, the action directions of the friction force in the first contact area P3 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the friction force in the second contact area P4 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are mutually exclusive. the same, and their size is also the same as each other.

8A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs lateral traveling in a side direction, and FIG. 8B is a contact area of the pad member when the cleaning robot according to an exemplary embodiment performs lateral traveling in the side direction. It is an example diagram showing .

8A and 8B , the second motor of the first driving assembly of the cleaning robot is rotated in the first rotation direction R1 and the second motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction R2. By doing so, the rotating plate of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate of the second pad assembly are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the floor surface.

In this case, the rotation plate of the first pad assembly and the rotation plate of the second pad assembly are inclined in opposite directions with respect to each central axis, and the pad member of the first pad assembly and the pad member of the second pad assembly are directed in opposite directions with respect to the central axis. Some areas of the are in contact with the floor surface.

That is, the front side of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the rear side of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface.

Accordingly, the contact area P5 of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the contact area P6 of the pad member of the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface, and in this case, the third motor of the first driving assembly is rotated for the first time. When the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the direction R1 and the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction R2, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P5 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface. Also, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P6 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface.

In addition, the frictional force between the contact area P5 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface and the friction force between the contact area P6 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface of each pad greater than the friction force between the rest of the member and the bottom surface.

As described above, in a state in which the frictional force of the contact regions P5 and P6 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly is greater than the frictional force of the remaining regions, the first pad assembly The rotation plate 222 rotates in the first rotation direction R1 and the rotation plate 232 of the second pad assembly rotates in the second rotation direction R2 .

Here, the first rotational direction is the frictional force acting on the two contact areas by rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly in opposite directions to the second rotating direction. The direction of action becomes the same, and as a reaction thereto, the cleaning robot 1 can wipe the floor surface while running sideways in the side direction (S direction).

In addition, the action directions of the friction force in the first contact area P5 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the friction force in the second contact area P6 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are mutually exclusive. the same, and their size is also the same as each other.

9A is an exemplary view when the cleaning robot according to an embodiment performs diagonal running in a diagonal direction, and FIG. 9B is a contact area of the pad member when the cleaning robot according to an embodiment performs diagonal running in a diagonal direction. It is an example diagram showing .

9A and 9B, by rotating the first and second motors of the first driving assembly of the cleaning robot and rotating the first and second motors of the second driving assembly, the rotating plate of the first pad assembly ( 222) and the rotating plate 223 of the second pad assembly are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the floor surface.

At this time, the front left side of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the rear right side of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface.

Accordingly, the contact area P7 of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the contact area P8 of the pad member of the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface, and in this case, the third motor of the first driving assembly is rotated for the first time. When the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the direction R1 and the third motor of the second driving assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction R2, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P7 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface. Also, a frictional force is generated between the contact area P8 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface.

In addition, the frictional force between the contact area P7 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the bottom surface and the friction force between the contact area P8 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly and the bottom surface of each pad are greater than the friction force between the rest of the member and the bottom surface.

As described above, in a state in which the frictional force of the contact areas P7 and P8 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly is greater than the frictional force of the remaining areas, the first pad assembly The rotation plate 222 rotates in the first rotation direction R1 and the rotation plate 232 of the second pad assembly rotates in the second rotation direction R2 .

Here, the first rotational direction is the frictional force acting on the two contact areas by rotating the rotating plate 222 of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate 232 of the second pad assembly in opposite directions to the second rotating direction. The direction of action becomes the same, and as a reaction thereto, the cleaning robot 1 can wipe the floor while running diagonally in the diagonal direction (direction D).

In addition, the action directions of the friction force in the first contact area P5 of the pad member 223 of the first pad assembly and the friction force in the second contact area P6 of the pad member 233 of the second pad assembly are mutually exclusive. the same, and their size is also the same as each other.

In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the plurality of pads are tilted in an arbitrary direction using a mechanism configuration for tilting the plurality of pads in the X and Y directions, respectively, has been described as an example, but the configuration of tilting the plurality of pads is not limited thereto. .

For example, in the same manner as the principle of driving a pulsator used in a wobbling washing machine, a configuration that tilts in an arbitrary X-Y direction using a single mechanism is also employable.

10 is an exemplary view of a main body of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, and unlike one embodiment, it includes four pad assemblies.

The body 300 of the cleaning robot according to another embodiment includes a frame 310 , a first pad assembly 320 , a second pad assembly 330 , a third pad assembly 340 , and a fourth pad assembly 350 . and a plurality of driving assemblies 360, 370, 380, and 390 for driving each pad assembly.

11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an exploded perspective view of a first pad assembly of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment. The structure of the second, third, and fourth pad assemblies is the same, and the first pad assembly will be described as an example. In addition, since the structures of the first driving assembly and the second, third, and fourth driving assemblies are the same, only the first driving assembly will be described as an example.

The first pad assembly 320 includes a coupling member 321 coupled to the first driving assembly 360 , and is mounted on the coupling member 321 at a set angle based on the rotational force transmitted from the first driving assembly 360 . A rotating plate 322 that is tilted or rotated, a pad member 323 detachably mounted on the rotating plate 322, and an adhesive member 324 mounted on the rotating plate 322 and allowing the pad member 324 to be detached. do.

The first driving assembly 360 includes a main frame 361, a first motor 362a mounted on the main frame to apply a driving force in the X-axis direction, and a first link to transmit a driving force of the first motor 362a. A member 362b, a plurality of first pressing members 362c connected to the first link member 362b to receive the driving force of the first motor 362a, and a second motor applying the driving force in the Y-axis direction ( 363a), a second link member 363b that transmits the driving force of the second motor 363a, and a plurality of second pressures connected to the second link member 363b to receive the driving force of the second motor 363a It includes a member 363c, a third motor 364a that applies a driving force in the Z-axis direction, and a gear member 364b that applies a driving force of the third motor 364a to the rotating plate 322 .

Here, a first motor 362a, a first link member 362b, a plurality of first pressing members 362c, a second motor 363a, a second link member 363b, and a plurality of second pressing members 363c is a position variable member that changes the position of the pad in contact with the floor and performs a tilting operation, and the third motor 364a and the gear member 364b are rotation variable members that change the rotation direction and rotation speed of the pad. .

That is, when the gear member 364b connected to the third motor rotates, the coupling member 321 meshed with the gear member 364b rotates so that the rotating plate 322 can rotate about the Z-axis. As a result, the pad member 322 can be rotated in place to wipe the floor surface.

The first driving assembly 360 further includes a tilt adjusting member 365 that is in contact with the plurality of pressure members and adjusts the tilt of the rotating plate 322 according to the movement of each of the pressure members.

The plurality of pressing members extend to the rotating plate 322 and when the link member moves according to the driving of at least one of the first motor and the second motor, it moves further toward the rotating plate by the movement of the link and presses the inclination adjusting member 365 By doing so, the inclination of the rotating plate 325 is adjusted.

The inclination adjustment member 365 is coupled to the frame 361, the rotation shaft of the third motor is inserted, and a first adjustment member 365a having a support hole for movably supporting each pressing member, and a first adjustment member ( It is coupled to 365a) and includes a second adjusting member 365b having a groove to which each pressing member is in contact.

The first driving assembly 360 further includes a locking member 366 for locking the first adjusting member 365a, the second adjusting member 365b, and the rotating plate 640 to be fixed.

In addition, the main body of the cleaning robot may further include a chamber (not shown) for supplying water to the pad member 323 .

12 is an exemplary view when the rotating plate of the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot rotates about the X-axis according to another embodiment, and FIG. 13 is the Y-axis of the rotating plate of the first pad assembly of the cleaning robot according to another embodiment. It is an example diagram when rotating around the center.

The rotating plate 322 of the first pad assembly may be rotated about the X axis or the Y axis so as to be inclined with the floor surface by the first motor 362a and the second motor 363a.

As shown in FIG. 12 , in the cleaning robot, the first link member 362b is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by the rotation of the first motor 362a, so that the rotating plate 322 of the first pad assembly is produced. 1 It rotates about the X-axis according to the rotation direction of the link member 362b so that it can be positioned to be inclined with the floor surface.

And as the first link member 362b rotates, the position of the pressing member 362c provided at the end of the first link member 362b is moved, and the rotation plate 322 is moved by the position of the first pressing member 362c. It can be arranged to be inclined with respect to the floor surface by rotating about the X axis.

As shown in FIG. 13 , in the cleaning robot, the second link member 363b is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by the rotation of the second motor 363a, so that the rotating plate 322 of the first pad assembly is produced. 2 It rotates about the Y-axis according to the rotation direction of the link member 363b so that it can be positioned to be inclined with the floor surface.

And as the second link member 363b rotates, the position of the second pressing member 363c provided at the end of the second link member 363b moves, and the rotation plate ( 322) may be disposed to be inclined with respect to the floor surface by rotating about the Y-axis.

As such, when the rotating plate 322 of the first pad assembly rotates about the X-axis or the Y-axis so that the rotating plate 322 forms an inclined plane with the bottom surface, the pad member 323 provided on the bottom surface of the rotating plate 322 is Although the entire surface is in contact with the bottom surface, the friction force between the surface of the set portion of the pad member 323 and the bottom surface may be greater than the friction force between the other portion of the pad member 323 and the bottom surface.

14 is a control block diagram of a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot includes an input unit 410 , a detection unit 420 , a control unit 430 , a driving unit 440 , a display unit 450 , and a storage unit 460 .

A cleaning robot according to another embodiment of FIG. 10 will be described as an example.

The input unit 410 is mounted on the outside of the housing 100 , receives a cleaning start/end command, driving information, reservation information, etc. from a user, and transmits the inputted information to the control unit 430 . Here, the driving information includes a cleaning mode such as simple cleaning and intensive cleaning, a driving pattern, and the like.

The detection unit 420 detects information on the cleaning environment of the cleaning area, and includes an obstacle detection unit 421 for detecting an obstacle in the cleaning area and a spot detection unit 422 for detecting a stain on the floor surface of the cleaning area. .

The obstacle detection unit 421 may be a distance sensor that measures the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle as well as the presence or absence of the obstacle. The obstacle detecting unit 421 may be an infrared or ultrasonic sensor.

The obstacle detection unit 421 is mounted on the front, rear, and left and right sides of the frame 310 of the main body 300 to detect obstacles located in the front, rear, and left and right sides of the cleaning robot.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15 , the cleaning robot 1 has a first surface F and a second surface parallel to the first surface of each surface of the main body 300 so that the cleaning robot 1 can recognize the traveling direction. (B), a third surface (L) connecting the first surface and the second surface, and a fourth surface (R) connecting the first surface and the second surface but parallel to the third surface. At this time, at least one obstacle detection unit 421 is disposed on each surface.

In addition, obstacles in the corner where the first surface and the third surface meet, the corner where the first surface and the fourth surface meet, the edge where the second surface and the third surface meet, and the edge where the second surface and the fourth surface meet It is also possible that the detection unit 421 is disposed.

The spot detection unit 422 includes an image collecting unit such as an image sensor or a camera that collects images of the floor surface to determine whether the floor surface is stained.

The spot detection unit 422 may adjust the image collection direction of the image collection unit to collect an image in the front of the moving direction when the body moves.

The spot detection unit 422 may include a plurality of image collection units that photograph front, rear, left, and right directions respectively, and among them, it is also possible to operate only the image collection unit corresponding to the moving direction of the body.

For example, the cleaning robot 1 may include an image collecting unit rotatable in directions corresponding to the first surface F, the second surface B, the third surface L, and the fourth surface R. Including, it is also possible to collect the image for the floor surface by rotating the image collecting unit in a direction corresponding to the driving direction.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 includes an image collecting unit disposed on the first surface F, the second surface B, the third surface L, and the fourth surface R, respectively, and It is also possible to collect images for the floor by operating only the arranged image collecting unit.

The spot detection unit 422 performs image processing on the collected image to detect a spot on the floor and transmits the detection result to the controller 430 .

The detection unit 420 further includes a position detection unit 423 that detects the current position of the cleaning robot in the cleaning area. The position detector may be a gyro sensor, an optical sensor, or an image sensor.

Here, the direction to travel is determined by the map information of the cleaning area, the travel route, and the travel pattern.

When a cleaning command is input, the controller 430 controls the driving of the plurality of driving assemblies to perform cleaning and driving.

The controller 430 creates a map by following the wall, and stores information on the created map. Here, the information about the map includes shape and size information of at least one cleaning area, and direction and location information between the cleaning areas.

Here, the map creation may be performed at the time of initial cleaning, or may be performed at the initial stage of cleaning for each cleaning. In addition, the controller 430 may receive information on the map from an external device.

The controller 430 divides each cleaning area in the map information into a plurality of cells and controls the plurality of driving assemblies to perform driving and cleaning for each cell, but generates a driving path for optimally moving the cleaning area based on the map information and generates a driving pattern based on the map information and the driving information, and controls the plurality of driving assemblies 360 to 390 to perform cleaning while driving the generated driving path in the generated driving pattern.

In addition, the controller 430 stores movement information on the movement distance and movement direction of the main body during driving, recognizes coordinates in the map based on location information of a plurality of cells, and the main body based on the stored movement information and coordinate information Detects the current location of , and acquires target location information to move the cleaning robot based on the map information and the current location.

Here, the target location information includes a moving direction and a moving distance.

As shown in FIG. 16 , the control unit 430 calculates a vector (v) from the current position to the target position based on the current coordinates (x1, y1) as the current position information and the target coordinates (xd, yd) as the target position information. and control the movement of the body based on the acquired vector.

Through this, the cleaning robot 1 can move to a target position without rotating the main body 300 while maintaining the current posture of the main body.

In addition, the control unit 430 may recognize the current position based on the information detected by the position detection unit 423 .

The controller 430 controls the plurality of driving assemblies based on the driving path and the driving pattern when controlling the driving of the main body so that the inclination angle and inclination direction of the rotating plate of each pad assembly, the rotational speed of the rotating plate, and the rotating direction of the rotating plate are adjusted. do.

That is, the controller 430 controls the first motor and the second motor of each driving assembly to adjust the X and Y-axis rotation directions of each pad assembly, thereby adjusting the inclination direction and the inclination angle of each rotating plate. In this way, it is possible to adjust the contact direction and contact area with the floor surface.

In addition, the controller 430 may control the third motor of each drive assembly to adjust the Z-axis rotation direction and rotation speed of each pad assembly, thereby adjusting the action direction of the friction force. Through this, the moving direction and moving speed of the main body are determined.

Also, as shown in FIG. 16 , the controller 430 determines the rotation angle θ of the main body with respect to the traveling direction of the cleaning robot based on the map information and the current location, and drives the cleaning robot so that the rotation angle becomes 0° with respect to the traveling direction. Control the assembly. That is, the control unit 430 may also cause the main body to rotate.

The control unit 430 checks the boundary line of the wall based on the detection signal detected by the obstacle detection unit when following the wall, and controls the driving assembly so that the first direction of the checked boundary line and the second direction, which is the heading direction of the body, are parallel. .

That is, it is possible to adjust the rotation angle of the body so that the boundary line of the obstacle and the body are parallel.

Here, the heading direction of the main body is a direction in which the front surface of the cleaning robot faces with respect to the traveling direction among the plurality of surfaces of the main body when the cleaning robot is driven.

When a spot is detected based on the spot detection result of the spot detection unit 422 , the controller 430 controls the plurality of driving assemblies to intensively clean the floor on which the spot is detected. In this case, the control unit 430 can wipe the floor surface through the front surface of the pad member by rotating the rotating plate for a predetermined time after positioning the body in place.

That is, when a stain is detected, the controller 430 may change the driving pattern or adjust the cleaning intensity by increasing the frictional force.

The control unit 430 may control to operate only the obstacle detection unit mounted on the surface facing the obstacle and the surface located in the driving direction among a plurality of surfaces of the main body when following the wall or detecting an obstacle.

This makes it easy to follow the wall by recognizing the change in the angle of the wall.

In addition, the control unit 430 may check the amount of moisture remaining in the pad member during cleaning and driving, compare the confirmed moisture amount with the reference moisture amount, and control the water supply operation of the chamber based on the comparison result.

When it is determined that cleaning is complete, the control unit 430 may communicate with the charging station so that it is docked with the charging station.

The driving unit 440 drives a plurality of motors of each pad assembly in response to a command from the control unit 430 . As such, by driving the plurality of motors of each driving assembly, the driving unit 440 may cause the main body to travel in a straight line, reverse travel, lateral travel, curved travel, stand still, or diagonally, or rotate the main body.

The display unit 450 displays operation information such as cleaning reservation information, charging state information, chamber water level information, and operation mode. Here, the driving mode includes a cleaning mode, a standby mode, a docking mode, and the like.

The storage unit 460 stores location information of the obstacle detection unit and the spot detection unit corresponding to each surface of the body.

The storage unit 460 may also store map information of the cleaning area.

The storage unit 460 stores the angle, the inclination direction (ie, the contact direction with the floor), the rotation direction of the rotation plate, and the like of the rotation plate of each pad assembly for each driving pattern.

The storage unit 460 may store the rotational speed of the rotating plate of each pad assembly for each cleaning mode.

When the cleaning robot includes four pad assemblies, it travels using only two pad assemblies disposed on the front side of the driving direction, and wets the floor surface using the remaining two pad assemblies.

Conversely, the cleaning robot may clean using two pad assemblies disposed on the front side of the traveling direction and may travel using the remaining two pad assemblies.

In addition, when the cleaning robot includes four pad assemblies, it is also possible to perform both driving and cleaning by using the four pad assemblies.

In addition, the cleaning robot may set the number of the pad assembly for cleaning and the assembly for driving according to the cleaning mode and the driving pattern, respectively.

As a result, the cleaning robot can run in all directions, can run without being interfered with by obstacles, and can clean the floor by ensuring sufficient friction between the pad and the floor.

17A and 17B are control flowcharts of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment.

The cleaning robot control method is applicable to both the cleaning robot according to one embodiment and the cleaning robot according to another embodiment. Among them, a cleaning robot having four pad assemblies, which is a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, will be described as an example.

The cleaning robot controls the plurality of driving assemblies 360, 370, 380, and 390, respectively, when a cleaning command is input 501 to the input unit 410 or when the cleaning reservation time comes to each pad assembly 320, 330, 340, 350. By adjusting the position and direction of the frictional force acting on the pad member, the cleaning is performed in a wet manner while traveling within the cleaning area.

Since the cleaning robot travels by using the frictional force generated between the contacting floor surface and the pad member as a moving force, cleaning is performed simultaneously with the running.

In addition, the main purpose of driving may be by making the size of the contact area with the floor smaller than the reference size and adjusting the movement speed higher than the reference speed, and adjust the size of the contact area with the floor to the reference size and increase the movement speed. It can be for both driving and cleaning purposes by adjusting to a reference speed, or it can be primarily for cleaning by rotating it in place on the Z-axis of the pad assembly.

The driving and cleaning process of the cleaning robot will be described in more detail. In addition, the cleaning robot of the present embodiment will be described as an example of performing both driving and cleaning at the same time.

When a cleaning command is input, the cleaning robot determines whether wall tracking is required ( 502 ), and when it is determined that wall tracking is required, the cleaning robot detects obstacles around the main body using a plurality of obstacle detection units 421 , and based on the obstacle detection signal Move to the location of the obstacle predicted by the wall.

Here, determining whether wall tracking is necessary includes determining whether map information corresponding to wall tracking is stored in the cleaning robot.

Also, determining whether wall tracking is required includes detecting obstacles around before cleaning, determining whether map information is changed based on the obstacle detection result, and determining that wall tracking is necessary when it is determined that map information is changed.

As shown in FIG. 18 , the cleaning robot drives at least two obstacle detection units disposed on a surface adjacent to the wall surface among a plurality of surfaces of the main body when the movement is completed to a position spaced apart from the wall surface by a predetermined distance, and at least two obstacle detection units The distances d1 and d2 between any one surface of the main body and the wall surface are respectively detected based on the detected obstacle detection signal.

Next, the cleaning robot compares the two distances (d1, d2) to determine whether any one side of the body is parallel to the wall, and if it is determined that either one side of the main body and the wall are not parallel, it controls the plurality of driving assemblies, respectively. By adjusting the position of the main body (503), one side of the main body and the wall surface are parallel to each other.

Here, any one surface of the main body is a surface provided with an obstacle detecting unit detecting a distance from the wall surface.

That is, if the two distances are the same, the cleaning robot determines that one side and the wall of the main body are parallel to each other, and if the two distances are different, the cleaning robot determines that one side and the wall of the main body are not parallel to each other. If it is determined that these are not parallel to each other, the rotation angle of the body is predicted based on the difference between the two distances, and the rotation of the body is controlled to rotate by the predicted rotation angle.

In addition, when the wall and the body are parallel, the process of adjusting the position of the body can be omitted.

Next, the cleaning robot performs wall tracking running along the wall ( 504 ) and determines ( 505 ) whether a driving direction change is necessary while performing wall tracking.

Determining whether it is necessary to change the driving direction is to determine whether an obstacle in the front is detected using an obstacle detecting unit provided in the front for the driving direction, or a wall surface is not detected using an obstacle detecting unit provided in a surface adjacent to the wall being followed. include

When a front obstacle is detected or a wall surface is not detected, the cleaning robot controls the plurality of driving assemblies to change (506) the contact position of the pad member in contact with the floor to change the driving direction, and the driving direction is changed. After adjusting the position of the main body so that the wall and the main body existing in the position are parallel, the process of performing wall tracking is repeated.

In addition, when the wall and the body are parallel, the process of adjusting the position of the body can be omitted.

This will be described with reference to FIGS. 19, 20 and 21 .

As shown in FIG. 19 , the cleaning robot 1 drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly 320 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, 2 By driving the first motor and the second motor of the driving assembly, respectively, so that the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly is formed on the bottom surface let it touch

Here, the set slope is an easy slope for driving, and may be the same or different depending on straight driving, oblique driving, curved driving, stationary driving, and the like.

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 rotates in the first rotation direction while the inside of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is in contact with the floor surface, and rotates the inside of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 on the floor. By rotating in the second rotation direction while in contact with the surface, a frictional force is applied from the inside of the front surface of the lower body, and the first surface (F) is moved forward by using this frictional force.

In this case, the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the first and second pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

In addition, the entire pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 are in contact with the floor, but a frictional force less than the frictional force acting on the contact areas of the first and second pad assemblies is applied. It is also possible to clean the floor surface.

At this time, the cleaning robot 1 travels while maintaining the distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the third surface L, which is the surface adjacent to the wall, and also the obstacle provided on the third surface L. It checks whether the wall being followed is not detected using the obstacle detection signal of the detection unit, and the presence of the wall located in front is determined using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F), which is the front side of the driving direction. .

That is, the cleaning robot activates only the obstacle detecting unit mounted on the surface corresponding to the traveling direction and the surface adjacent to the wall among the plurality of surfaces of the main body.

The cleaning robot 1 stops running when the front wall is detected by the obstacle detecting unit while following the wall, and drives the first and second motors of the second driving assembly to respectively drive the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 . The second pad assembly 330 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and drives the first and second motors of the fourth driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the fourth pad assembly 350 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, respectively. and a portion of the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 is brought into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, in a state in which the inner side of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 is in contact with the floor surface, the pad member is rotated in the first rotation direction, and the inner side of the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 is in contact with the floor surface. By rotating in the second rotational direction, a frictional force acts from the inside of the front surface of the lower body, and the fourth surface R is used as the front surface to drive forward.

In this case, the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 and the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the second and fourth pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

And the cleaning robot runs while maintaining the distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F) adjacent to the wall surface, and also the obstacle of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F) It is checked whether the wall being followed is not detected using the detection signal, and the presence of the wall located in front is determined using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the fourth surface R, which is the front side of the driving direction.

As described above, the cleaning robot can change the traveling direction without rotating the main body, thereby reducing the wall following time.

20, the cleaning robot 1 drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly, respectively, so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly 320) has a set inclination with the bottom surface, The first and second motors of the second driving assembly are respectively driven so that the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly is placed on the floor. to touch the side.

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 rotates in the first rotation direction while the inside of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is in contact with the floor surface, and rotates the inside of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 on the floor. By rotating in the second rotation direction while in contact with the surface, a frictional force is applied from the inside of the front surface of the lower body, and the first surface (F) is moved forward by using this frictional force.

In this case, the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the first and second pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

When the cleaning robot 1 follows the wall, it runs while maintaining the distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the third surface L, which is the surface adjacent to the wall, and also on the third surface L. Using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided, it is checked whether the wall being followed is not detected, and the presence of the wall located in front is detected using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F), which is the front side of the driving direction. judge

When it is determined that the wall being followed by the obstacle detection unit 421 is not detected during wall tracking, the cleaning robot 1 stops running, and the first surface F, the second surface B, and the third surface L And by operating the obstacle detection unit provided on the fourth surface (R) to detect other surrounding wall surface, and moves to the side of the detected wall surface. At this time, it is assumed that the cleaning robot moves to the left due to the presence of a wall whose direction is changed to the left.

The cleaning robot drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly 320 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and the first and second motors of the third driving assembly are driven so that the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 340 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 and the third pad assembly 340 comes into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the inner side of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is rotated in the second rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface, and the inner side of the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 is brought into contact with the floor surface. By rotating in the first rotational direction, a frictional force acts from the inside of the front surface of the lower part of the main body, and using this frictional force, the vehicle travels forward with the third surface (L) as the front surface.

Here, the first rotational direction is clockwise rotation, and the second rotational direction is counterclockwise rotation.

In this case, the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the first and third pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

In addition, the cleaning robot runs while maintaining a distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the second surface (B) adjacent to the wall surface, and also the obstacle detection unit 421 provided on the second surface (B). ) to check whether the wall being followed is not detected using the obstacle detection signal of ), and the presence of the wall located in the front using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit 421 provided on the third surface (L), which is the front of the driving direction, is used. to judge

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 can change the traveling direction without rotating the main body 300 , thereby reducing the wall following time.

As shown in FIG. 21 , the cleaning robot 1 drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly, respectively, so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly 320 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, 2 By driving the first motor and the second motor of the driving assembly, respectively, so that the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly is formed on the bottom surface let it touch

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 rotates in the first rotation direction while the inside of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is in contact with the floor surface, and rotates the inside of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 on the floor. By rotating in the second rotation direction while in contact with the surface, a frictional force is applied from the inside of the front surface of the lower body, and the first surface (F) is moved forward by using this frictional force.

In this case, the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the first and second pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

When the cleaning robot 1 follows the wall, it runs while maintaining the distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit 421 provided on the third surface L, which is the surface adjacent to the wall, and also on the third surface ( Using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided in L), it is checked whether the wall being followed is not detected, and using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F), which is the front of the driving direction, the wall located in the front judge the existence of

When it is determined that the wall being followed by the obstacle detection unit 421 is not detected during wall tracking, the cleaning robot 1 stops running, and the first surface F, the second surface B, and the third surface L and an obstacle detection unit provided on the fourth surface R to detect another wall around it, and when another wall surface is detected, the wall surface detected based on the obstacle detection signals of the obstacle detection units provided on the same surface as the obstacle detection unit that detected the obstacle It is determined whether or not it is perpendicular to the previous wall, and if it is determined that the detected wall is not perpendicular to the previous wall, the angle between the detected wall and the previous wall is predicted based on the obstacle detection signal provided on the same plane, and the Based on the angle, the rotation angle of the body is calculated.

Next, the cleaning robot 1 adjusts the position of the main body to be parallel to the detected wall surface based on the calculated rotation angle.

At this time, it is assumed that the direction is switched to the left, but there is a wall that does not form a right angle with the previous wall, so that the cleaning robot moves to the left.

The cleaning robot 1 drives the first and second motors of the first driving assembly to have a set inclination with the bottom surface of the rotating plate of the first pad assembly, respectively, and the first and second motors of the third driving assembly are respectively driven so that the rotation plate of the third pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the third pad assembly comes into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the inner side of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is rotated in the first rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface, and the inner side of the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 is brought into contact with the floor surface. By rotating in the first rotational direction, a frictional force is applied to the contact area of the two pad members.

At this time, the cleaning robot predicts the first movement distance that the first pad assembly must move and the second movement distance that the third pad assembly must move in order to make the detected wall surface and the main body parallel, and the first pad assembly moves the second movement distance. Check the number of rotations of the rotation plate of the first pad assembly 320 to move by one movement distance and the number of rotations of the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 340 to allow the third pad assembly to move by the second movement distance do.

In addition, the cleaning robot rotates the rotating plate of the first pad assembly and the rotating plate of the third pad assembly in the Z-axis by the checked rotational number, respectively. That is, the revolutions per minute of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the third pad assembly 340 are differently controlled.

In addition, by making the inclination of the rotation plate of the first pad assembly 320 different from the inclination of the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 340, the size of the contact area between the pad member of the first pad assembly and the pad member of the third pad assembly is mutually different. It is also possible to make the frictional force acting on the pad member of the first pad assembly greater than the frictional force acting on the pad member of the third pad assembly by doing differently.

As described above, the body is rotated using different frictional forces acting on the pad member of the first pad assembly and the pad member of the third pad assembly.

At this time, the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate a partial area on the bottom surface like the first and third pad assemblies to apply rotational force of the body to the body. It is possible.

And the cleaning robot runs while maintaining the distance and parallel to the wall using the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the third surface (L) adjacent to the wall surface, and also the obstacle of the obstacle detection unit provided on the third surface (L) The detection signal is used to check whether the wall being followed is not detected, and the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection unit provided on the first surface (F), which is the front side of the driving direction, is used to determine the presence of the wall located in the front while following the wall. carry out

Even if the two adjacent wall surfaces are not in a vertical form as described above, it is possible to follow the wall surface through the rotation of the main body. In addition, power can be saved by activating only some of the obstacle detecting units among the plurality of obstacle detecting units based on the direction of the wall.

Next, when it is determined that the change of the driving direction is not necessary, the cleaning robot determines whether or not following the wall is completed ( S507 ), and when it is determined that the following is completed, the cleaning robot ends the following and performs cleaning.

Here, determining whether the wall tracking has been completed includes determining whether the current position is an initial position during wall tracking.

In addition, when map information is stored in the storage unit 460 , the cleaning robot performs wet cleaning based on the map information stored in advance without the need to follow the wall.

The following cleaning method will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 17B and 22 to 28 .

As shown in FIG. 22 , the cleaning robot 1 obtains map information of the cleaning area based on the wall tracking information wf, and checks the area of the cleaning area based on the obtained map information to perform cleaning. Acquire spatial information of the region (508). In addition, the cleaning robot may acquire spatial information of the cleaning area based on previously stored map information.

Here, the wall may be an actual wall existing in the cleaning area, or may be a boundary line in a virtual space.

Next, the cleaning robot divides each cleaning area into a grid based on the area of the cleaning area, which is the obtained spatial information. Accordingly, each cleaning area is formed of a plurality of cells.

Next, the cleaning robot generates (509) an optimal travel route based on the spatial information. Here, the optimal travel route is a travel route capable of shortening the cleaning time or improving cleaning efficiency.

Next, the cleaning robot generates a driving pattern pt based on the generated driving path, cell information, and cleaning mode ( 510 ).

Here, the driving pattern may be any one of a curved pattern and a straight pattern that can reduce cleaning time and improve cleaning efficiency, or may be a driving pattern selected by a user.

Next, the cleaning robot determines the optimal frictional force based on the cleaning mode, driving route and driving pattern selected by the user, and the inclination angle, inclination direction, rotational speed of the rotating plate, etc. of the plurality of rotating plates with respect to the floor surface so that the determined frictional force is applied. It is also possible to determine each

Next, the cleaning robot drives the first motor, the second motor, and the third motor of the plurality of drive assemblies based on the inclination angle, the inclination direction, the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the rotation plate of the plurality of pad assemblies, respectively, while driving in the cleaning area. Cleaning is performed (511).

When driving and cleaning, the cleaning robot uses two pad assemblies disposed on the front side in the driving direction for the purpose of driving, and the other two pad assemblies disposed on the rear side are used for cleaning purposes.

In addition, the cleaning robot can drive and clean using four pad assemblies during driving and cleaning, and use the two pad assemblies disposed in the front for the purpose of cleaning, and the remaining two pads disposed in the rear. It is also possible to use the assembly for driving purposes.

A cleaning and running process of the cleaning robot will be described with reference to FIG. 17B .

As shown in FIG. 17B , the cleaning robot checks information on the target position and information on the current position ( 511a ).

Next, the cleaning robot acquires the movement distance and movement direction of the main body based on the identified current position information and target position information (511b), and based on the movement distance and movement direction, acts between the plurality of pads and the floor surface. An action position and an action direction of the friction force are determined 511c, respectively.

Next, the cleaning robot determines (511d) the inclination and rotational directions of the plurality of pads, respectively, based on the action position and action direction of the friction force, adjusts the determined inclination of the plurality of pads, and operates (511e) in the determined rotational direction so that the main body is It moves to the target position (511f).

The cleaning robot repeats the above process and drives the cleaning area in the generated driving pattern along the driving route.

The cleaning robot detects obstacles 512 while driving and cleaning, and checks the obstacles such as furniture or office supplies installed in the cleaning area and the distance to the obstacles based on the obstacle detection signal detected by the obstacle detection unit 421, and , the cleaning area is wet-cleaned by changing the position of the contact area where the pad member contacts the floor according to the result and changing the direction by itself.

This will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 25 .

As shown in FIG. 23 , the cleaning robot 1 checks the first direction in which the face set as the front faces among the current posture information of the main body, and enters the first direction and the second direction, which is the driving direction to be driven during cleaning. Determining the rotation angle θ of the main body to be rotated based on the rotation angle θ and determining the rotation angles of the first and second motors of the first, second, third, and fourth driving assemblies for rotating the main body at the determined rotation angle θ, respectively and rotates the first and second motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies at the determined rotation angles, respectively.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 determines the rotation directions of the third motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies based on the rotation direction of the main body and the action direction of the friction force of the pad member, and determines the first, second, and third rotation directions. , 4 rotates the third motor in a rotational direction of the third motor of the drive assembly.

As described above, the cleaning robot rotates the third motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies while adjusting the inclination of the rotation plates of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies so that each pad member is in contact with the floor surface. By doing so, the direction of any one surface of the body is matched with the running direction.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 obtains vector information (v) from the current position to the target position based on the current coordinates (x1, y1) as the current position information and the target coordinates (xd, yd) as the target position information to move ( 16), respectively, determine the rotation angles of the first and second motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies for moving the main body based on the obtained vector information, and first, 2, 3, 4 Rotate the first and second motors of the drive assembly.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 determines the rotation directions of the third motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies based on the movement direction of the main body and the action direction of the friction force of the pad member, and determines the first, second, and third rotation directions. , 4 rotates the third motor in a rotational direction of the third motor of the drive assembly.

As described above, the cleaning robot rotates the third motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies while adjusting the inclination of the rotation plates of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies so that each pad member is in contact with the floor surface. to move the body to the target position based on the vector information.

Although the above has been described in the order of rotating the main body first and moving the main body, it is also possible to rotate the main body after moving the main body first.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 determines the movement distance (X, Y) of the main body from the current position of the main body to the position where cleaning is to be performed based on the travel route and the travel pattern, and moves the main body primarily in the X-axis direction. It is also possible to secondarily move it in the Y-axis direction.

Even at this time, the cleaning robot determines the rotation angles of the first and second motors of the first, second, third, and fourth driving assemblies for moving the main body, respectively, based on the determined movement distances in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively, The first and second motors of the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies are rotated at the determined rotation angles, and the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies are rotated based on the movement direction of the main body and the action direction of the friction force of the pad member. The rotation direction of the third motor is determined and the third motor is rotated in the determined rotation direction of the third motor of the first, second, third, and fourth driving assemblies.

Through this, the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination of the rotation plates of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies so that the respective pad members and the floor surface are in contact with the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies, and the rotational force of the third motor Use to move to the target position.

After moving to the target position to be cleaned, the cleaning robot 1 determines the contact position of the contact area of the plurality of pad members, the contact area, the magnitude of the frictional force, and the action direction, respectively, based on the driving pattern and the cleaning mode.

That is, the cleaning robot determines the first, second, third, and fourth rotational angles, rotational directions, and rotations of the rotation plates of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies corresponding to the determination of the determined contact positions, contact areas, magnitudes of frictional force, and action directions of the contact regions of the plurality of pad members, respectively. Determine each speed.

More specifically, the cleaning robot 1 includes the rotational angles in the X and Y-axis directions of the rotation plate of the first pad assembly 320 , the rotation angles in the X and Y-axis directions of the rotation plate of the second pad assembly 330 , and the third The rotation angle of the rotation plate of the pad assembly in the X and Y axis directions and the rotation angle of the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly in the X and Y axis directions are determined.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 includes the Z-axis rotation direction and rotation speed of the rotation plate of the first pad assembly 320 , the Z-axis rotation direction and rotation speed of the rotation plate of the second pad assembly 330 , and the third pad assembly 340 . The rotation direction and the rotation speed of the Z-axis of the rotation plate of the , and the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the Z-axis of the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly 350 are determined.

Next, the cleaning robot determines the rotation angles of the first and second motors of the first driving assembly, the second driving assembly, the third driving assembly, and the fourth driving assembly respectively corresponding to the rotation angles of the rotation plates of the plurality of pad assemblies, and the determined rotation the first, second, third, and fourth drive assemblies that rotate the first and second motors of each drive assembly at an angle and correspond to the rotation direction and rotation speed of the rotation plate of each pad assembly. 3 The rotation speed and rotation direction of the motor are determined, and the third motor of each drive assembly is rotated at the determined rotation speed and rotation direction.

For example, the cleaning robot drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and the first motor and the second motor of the second driving assembly are driven so that the rotation plate of the second pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that some areas of the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly come into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 rotates the inner region of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 in the first rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface, and the inner region of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 . is rotated in the second rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface so that a frictional force acts from the inside of the front surface of the lower part of the main body, and the first surface F is used as the front surface to drive forward.

In this case, the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 may contact and rotate some areas on the bottom surface like the first and second pad assemblies to apply a moving force to the body. Do.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 , the cleaning robot 1 checks whether there is an obstacle in front or on the side with respect to the driving direction using the obstacle detection unit provided on each side of the main body during the cleaning operation, and the obstacle is located in the front. If it is determined that there is, the driving is stopped, the map information is corrected by reflecting the location information of the obstacle in the map information, and the driving route and the driving pattern are regenerated.

In addition, the cleaning robot determines whether the traveling path needs to be corrected based on the detection signal of the obstacle detection unit, and if it is determined that the obstacle is located only in the cell in which the main body is currently located, only the driving pattern is corrected without modifying the traveling path.

That is, when only the driving pattern in the map is modified, the cleaning robot checks the avoidance path that can be driven by avoiding the obstacle, and based on the identified avoidance path, converts the driving pattern (pt1) generated before detecting the obstacle to the new driving pattern (pt2) to be regenerated and drive with the regenerated driving pattern (pt2).

When it is determined that an obstacle is located in a cell other than the cell where the body is currently located, the cleaning robot modifies the driving route and driving pattern.

As shown in FIG. 25 , when the cleaning robot modifies the driving path in the map, the cleaning robot generates a driving path that can travel all the remaining cells in the current cell while avoiding the obstacle, thereby generating the driving path created before detecting the obstacle. Regenerate (route1) as a new travel route (route2) and clean while driving along the regenerated travel route (route2).

In addition, it is possible for the cleaning robot to change the traveling route even when an obstacle is located in only one cell.

In addition, the cleaning robot acquires target coordinates that are target location information based on the regenerated driving path and driving pattern, and moves based on the acquired target coordinates and current coordinates.

To this end, the cleaning robot 1 drives the first motor and the second motor of the second driving assembly, respectively, so that the rotating plate of the second pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and the first motor and the second motor of the fourth driving assembly The second motors are respectively driven so that the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the second pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly comes into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the cleaning robot rotates in the first rotation direction while the inner side of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 is in contact with the floor surface, and the inner side of the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 contacts the floor surface. In this state, by rotating in the second rotational direction, a frictional force is applied to the contact area of the two pad members, and the fourth surface R is used as the front to drive forward.

In this way, when moving in a straight line, it may move based on the size of the obstacle or may move based on a constant constant.

When it is determined that an obstacle is not detected by the obstacle detecting unit during forward driving with the fourth surface R as the front side, the cleaning robot stops the movement and drives the first and second motors of the first driving assembly to drive the first The first pad assembly and the rotary plate of the second pad assembly are made to have a set inclination with the bottom surface of the pad assembly, and the first and second motors of the second driving assembly are respectively driven so that the rotary plate of the second pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface. A partial area of the pad member of the second pad assembly is brought into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the cleaning robot 1 rotates the inner region of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 in the first rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface, and the inner region of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 . is rotated in the second rotation direction while in contact with the floor surface so that a frictional force acts from the inside of the front surface of the lower part of the main body, and the first surface F is used as the front surface to drive forward.

In this way, the cleaning robot can avoid obstacles by adjusting only the contact position of the contact area of the pad member in contact with the floor and the direction of the frictional force without rotation of the main body.

In addition, the cleaning robot detects (513) the stain on the floor while driving and cleaning, changes the driving pattern (514) based on the stain detection result detected by the spot detection unit (514), and cleans the stain based on the changed running pattern do. This will be described with reference to FIG. 26 .

As shown in FIG. 26 , the cleaning robot travels in the cell in a zigzag pattern having a first pitch length p1, and when a stain is detected through a stain detection unit while cleaning, a zigzag pattern having a first pitch length p1 The driving pattern is changed to a zigzag pattern having a second pitch length p2, and cleaning is performed while driving in the cell based on the changed driving pattern.

In addition, when a stain is detected, the cleaning robot may increase the size of the contact area of the pad member in contact with the floor, increase the frictional force with the floor, or increase the number of pad members in contact with the floor. It is possible.

The stain cleaning may be performed by adjusting the size of the contact area of the pad member, frictional force, and the number of pad members in contact with the floor according to the size of the stain.

In addition, when the cleaning robot performs driving and cleaning while changing the driving pattern based on the spot detection result, if no spot is detected, the cleaning robot runs in a zigzag pattern having the first pitch length p1 and performs cleaning.

When the stain is detected as described above, the stain removal performance may be improved by increasing the number of times of wiping the area where the stain is detected compared to the number of times of wiping other areas of the same size.

The cleaning robot determines completion of cleaning ( 515 ) while performing cleaning, performs obstacle detection and spot detection together until cleaning is complete, and drives and cleans while changing at least one of a driving pattern and a driving path based on the detection result carry out

Such a cleaning robot is capable of oblique travel and curved travel. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28 .

As shown in FIG. 27 , the cleaning robot 1 drives the first motor and the second motor of the first driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and the fourth driving assembly The first and second motors are respectively driven to make the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly have a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly comes into contact with the bottom surface.

As described above, the cleaning robot rotates in the first rotation direction while the inside of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is in contact with the floor surface, and the inside of the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 comes into contact with the floor surface. In this state, by rotating in the second rotational direction, a frictional force is applied to the contact area of the two pad members, and the frictional force is used to run obliquely with the corner facing the front.

In this case, it is also possible to add a moving force to the oblique travel by using the friction force of the pad members of the second and third pad assemblies.

That is, the cleaning robot 1 drives the first and second motors of the second driving assembly to have a set inclination with the bottom surface of the rotating plate of the second pad assembly, respectively, and the first and second motors of the third driving assembly Motors are respectively driven so that the rotation plate of the third pad assembly has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the second pad assembly and the third pad assembly comes into contact with the bottom surface.

At this time, the cleaning robot rotates the inner side of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 in the first rotation direction while contacting the floor surface, and the inner side of the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 in contact with the floor surface. In this state, by rotating in the second rotational direction, a frictional force is applied to the contact area of the two pad members, and the frictional force is used to run obliquely with the corner facing the front.

In this way, the cleaning robot can run in an oblique angle without rotating the main body, and can travel quickly through this.

As shown in FIG. 28 , the cleaning robot changes the contact positions of the contact regions of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies to contact the pad members of the first, second, third, and fourth pad assemblies in contact with the floor surface. Rotates while drawing a curved pattern by making it a curved pattern.

That is, by making the line connecting the movement paths of the pad member moving in contact with the floor form a curve, the cleaning robot can be moved and cleaned as if the user were actually mopping.

When cleaning is performed in a curved pattern as described above, it is not necessary to rotate the main body of the cleaning robot, so that cleaning can be performed without a decrease in speed.

In addition, the cleaning can be performed by shortening the rotation diameter (R) of the curve rather than the length (L) of the main body of the cleaning robot.

In addition, it is possible to perform cleaning in a curved pattern having a diameter equal to or greater than the length of the cleaning robot body.

FIG. 29 is an exemplary view of a main body of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, and unlike the cleaning robot illustrated in FIG. 10 , it includes four pad assemblies with inclined sides.

The body 300 of the cleaning robot according to another embodiment includes a frame 310 , a first pad assembly 320 , a second pad assembly 330 , a third pad assembly 340 , and a fourth pad assembly 350 . and a plurality of driving assemblies 360, 370, 380, and 390 for driving each pad assembly.

The first pad assembly 320 provided in the cleaning robot includes a coupling member 321 coupled to the first driving assembly 360 , and a rotational force mounted on the coupling member 321 and transmitted from the first driving assembly 360 . A rotating plate 322 that is tilted or rotated at a set angle, a pad member 323 detachably mounted on the rotating plate 322, and an adhesive member mounted on the rotating plate 322 and the pad member 324 is detachable ( 324).

The rotating plate 322 has an inclined side surface. For this reason, the area of the lower surface of the rotating plate is narrower than that of the upper surface.

That is, the rotating plate 322 has an inclined surface 322a having a predetermined inclination.

The pad member 323 may also have an inclined side surface. For this reason, the width of the lower surface of the pad member is narrower than that of the upper surface.

That is, the pad member 323 has an inclined surface 323a having a predetermined inclination.

Such a cleaning robot can easily ride through an obstacle even with a small force.

As shown in FIG. 30 , the cleaning robot maintains the flat running even when an obstacle is detected during the flat running.

At this time, the inclined surface 323a of the pad member is in contact with the edge of the obstacle. And the inclined surface 323a of the pad member moves to the upper surface of the obstacle along the edge of the obstacle by the moving force of the cleaning robot. Thereafter, the lower surface of the pad member of the pad assembly is positioned on the upper surface of the obstacle.

Through this process, the cleaning robot can easily climb obstacles.

In addition, the cleaning robot determines a driving method such as a flat driving, avoiding driving, and climbing driving based on the elasticity of the pad member and the height of the obstacle.

The cleaning robot determines the angle of the pad assembly based on the height of the obstacle for climbing travel.

The structures of the second pad assembly, the third pad assembly, and the fourth pad assembly are the same as those of the first pad assembly, and thus a description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the structures of the first driving assembly and the second, third, and fourth driving assemblies are the same as those of the driving assembly of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 10 , and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted.

31 is a control configuration diagram of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment.

A cleaning robot according to another embodiment includes an input unit 610 , a detection unit 620 , a control unit 630 , a driving unit 640 , a display unit 650 , and a storage unit 660 .

The input unit 610 is mounted on the outside of the housing 100 , receives a cleaning start/end command, driving information, reservation information, etc. from a user, and transmits the inputted information to the control unit 630 . Here, the driving information includes a cleaning mode such as simple cleaning and intensive cleaning, a driving pattern, and the like.

The detection unit 620 detects information on the cleaning environment of the cleaning area, and is mounted on the front, rear, and left and right sides of the frame 310 of the main body 300 to the front, rear and left and right sides based on the forward direction of the cleaning robot. It includes an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle located in the.

Here, the obstacle detecting unit includes an image collecting unit such as an image sensor or a camera that collects an image of the floor surface.

For example, the obstacle detecting unit includes one image collecting unit, and the image collecting unit adjusts the photographing direction according to the moving direction of the main body.

For example, the cleaning robot includes a rotatable image collecting unit, and collects an image of a floor surface by rotating the image collecting unit in a direction corresponding to the driving direction.

As another example, the obstacle detecting unit includes a plurality of image collecting units provided to photograph front, back, left, and right directions, respectively.

For example, the cleaning robot includes an image collecting unit disposed at positions corresponding to the four sides of the frame, and collects images on the floor surface by operating only the image collecting unit at a position corresponding to the driving direction.

When a cleaning command is input, the controller 630 controls the driving of the plurality of driving assemblies based on the driving route and the driving pattern to perform cleaning and driving.

That is, the control unit 630 acquires a vector from the current position to the target position based on the current coordinate that is the current position information and the target coordinate that is the target position information when driving on a flat ground, and acquires movement information of the body based on the obtained vector, , by controlling the first motor and the second motor of each drive assembly based on the obtained movement information to adjust the X and Y axis rotation directions of each pad assembly, thereby adjusting the inclination direction and the inclination angle of each rotating plate.

Through this, it is possible to adjust the contact direction and contact area between the pad member and the bottom surface of the pad assembly.

In addition, the controller 630 may control the third motor of each drive assembly to adjust the Z-axis rotation direction and rotation speed of each pad assembly, thereby adjusting the action direction of the friction force. Through this, the moving direction and moving speed of the main body are determined.

Such a cleaning robot may move to a target position without rotation of the main body 300 while maintaining the current posture of the main body.

When an obstacle is detected during driving and cleaning on flat ground, the controller 630 stops the driving and controls avoidance driving, flat driving or climbing driving based on the detected height of the obstacle. This will be described in more detail.

When the image collected by the image collecting unit is input, the controller 630 image-processes the input image, determines whether an obstacle exists in front based on the image-processed image, and when it is determined that there is an obstacle in front, the detected obstacle determine the height of

When it is determined that an obstacle exists, the controller 630 compares the height of the obstacle with the first reference height, and controls the driving on flat ground when the height of the obstacle is less than the first reference height, and the height of the obstacle is equal to or greater than the first reference height and the second reference height When the height of the obstacle is less than the reference height, the climbing driving is controlled, and when the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height, the avoidance driving is controlled.

Here, the climbing driving is performed by adjusting the inclination angle of the rotation plate of two pad assemblies adjacent to the obstacle among the four pad assemblies, but adjusting the rotation plate of the pad assembly to the maximum inclination angle at which the rotation plate can be tilted, or to the inclination angle corresponding to the height of the obstacle. It is adjusted and moved using frictional force generated from the pad members of the rest of the pad assembly, and when the pad member of the rotating plate whose inclination angle is adjusted is located above the obstacle, it moves using the frictional force generated by the pad member whose inclination angle is adjusted. will do

Here, the remaining pad assembly adjusts the inclination of the rotating plate in the inclination angle and the inclination direction to generate frictional force for driving.

The controller 630 may check the horizontal width of the obstacle and control only at least one pad assembly among the two pad assemblies located in the front based on the checked horizontal width of the obstacle.

Also, when it is determined that the detected obstacle is an obstacle to be avoided, the controller 630 updates the map by reflecting the detected obstacle on the map.

The controller 630 controls lateral driving to the left or right based on the horizontal width of the obstacle during avoidance driving, or controls oblique driving.

The driving unit 640 drives a plurality of motors of each pad assembly in response to a command from the control unit 630 . In this way, the driving unit 640 drives the plurality of motors of each driving assembly, respectively, so that the main body travels on a flat surface such as straight travel, reverse travel, lateral travel, curved travel, stationary travel, and oblique travel, or it is also possible to rotate the main body Do.

The display unit 650 displays operation information such as cleaning reservation information, charging state information, chamber water level information, and operation mode. Here, the driving mode includes a cleaning mode, a standby mode, a docking mode, and the like.

The storage unit 660 stores height information for determining a driving method.

That is, the storage unit 660 stores the first reference height and the second reference height for determining the level driving, climbing driving, and avoidance driving.

The storage unit 660 may also store map information of the cleaning area.

The storage unit 660 stores the maximum inclination angle of the rotating plate during climbing driving.

In addition, the storage unit 660 may store the inclination angle of the rotating plate corresponding to the height of the obstacle.

The storage unit 660 stores the angle, the inclination direction (ie, the contact direction with the floor), the rotation direction of the rotation plate, and the like of the rotation plate of each pad assembly for flat driving.

The storage unit 660 may also store the rotational speed of the rotating plate of each pad assembly for each cleaning mode.

Such a cleaning robot travels using only two pad assemblies disposed on the front side of the traveling direction when traveling on flat ground, and wets the floor surface using the remaining two pad assemblies.

Conversely, the cleaning robot performs climbing using two pad assemblies disposed in front of the driving direction during climbing driving, applies the movement force of the main body using the remaining two pad assemblies, and When the two pad assemblies are positioned above the obstacle, the movement force of the body is applied using the two pad assemblies positioned above the obstacle.

32 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, and FIG. 33 is an exemplary diagram of an obstacle detecting unit provided in the cleaning robot according to another embodiment.

A cleaning robot according to another embodiment includes an input unit 610 , a detection unit 670 , a control unit 630 , a driving unit 640 , a display unit 650 , and a storage unit 660 .

Here, the configuration of the input unit 610, the driving unit 640, and the display unit 650 is the same as the input unit 610, the driving unit 640, and the display unit 650 of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. Only configurations 630 and storage 660 different from those of the controller 630 and storage 660 of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 31 will be described.

The detection unit 670 includes an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles located in front, rear, and left and right sides based on the traveling direction of the cleaning robot.

The detection unit 670 of the cleaning robot according to another embodiment of FIG. 32 includes an obstacle detection unit having a load amount detection unit 671 and a height detection unit 672, unlike the detection unit 620 of the cleaning robot illustrated in FIG. 31 . do.

The load amount detection unit 671 detects the amount of load acting on each pad member, and detects the load amount of the third motor 364a that adjusts the rotation speed of each pad member.

Here, the load amount detecting unit may include a current detecting unit detecting a current of the third motor 364a.

That is, when the obstacle comes into contact with the pad member while the cleaning robot is running, the load applied to the third motor that applies the rotational force to the rotating plate increases, and at this time, the current of the third motor increases. existence can be confirmed.

The height detection unit 672 is provided on the frame 310 and detects the height of the obstacle, and may include an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

As shown in FIG. 32 , the height detection units 672 of the obstacle detection unit provided in the cleaning robot are arranged at regular intervals on four surfaces of the frame 310 , and are arranged horizontally with the floor surface.

The height detection unit 672 outputs a signal in a direction horizontal to the floor surface when outputting a signal for detecting an obstacle, and detects the output signal.

The signal detected by the height detector 672 may be an intensity of light when the height detector is an infrared sensor or a laser sensor, and may be an ultrasonic wave when the height detector is an ultrasonic sensor.

The control unit 630 determines whether there is an obstacle in front based on the signal detected by the load detection unit 671, and when it is determined that there is an obstacle in the front, the height of the obstacle is determined based on the signal detected by the height detection unit 672 Determines whether the height of the obstacle is less than the reference height, controls the climbing driving if the height of the obstacle is less than the reference height, and controls the avoidance driving if the height of the obstacle exceeds the reference height.

Here, the reference height may be the same as the second reference height of another embodiment (refer to FIG. 31 ), and the reference height may be the same as the height of the frame or a height lower than the height of the frame by a predetermined height.

That is, determining whether the height of the obstacle is less than the reference height may determine whether the height of the obstacle is an obstacle having a height greater than or equal to the height of the frame based on the height of the frame or whether the obstacle is less than the height of the frame.

For example, when the height detector is an ultrasonic sensor, the controller may determine whether the height of the obstacle is equal to or greater than the reference height based on a time difference between the output time of the ultrasonic wave and the detection time.

That is, since the ultrasonic detection time when an obstacle having a reference height or higher is located in the front is shorter than the ultrasonic detection time when an obstacle less than the reference height is located in the front, this detection time is used to determine the height of the obstacle it can be done

The storage unit 660 stores a reference height for controlling the climbing driving.

The storage unit 660 stores a reference value of current for determining whether an obstacle exists.

34 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment, and FIG. 35 is an exemplary diagram of an obstacle detecting unit provided in the cleaning robot according to another embodiment.

Here, the configuration of the input unit 610, the driving unit 640, and the display unit 650 is the same as the input unit 610, the driving unit 640, and the display unit 650 of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. Only configurations 630 and storage 660 different from those of the controller 630 and storage 660 of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 31 will be described.

The detection unit 670 includes an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles located in front, rear, and left and right sides based on the traveling direction of the cleaning robot.

The detection unit 680 of the cleaning robot according to another embodiment of FIG. 34 is different from the detection unit 620 of the cleaning robot illustrated in FIG. 31 and the detection unit 670 of the cleaning robot illustrated in FIG. 32 , a laser sensor, infrared and an obstacle detection unit having a sensor or an ultrasonic sensor.

As shown in FIG. 35 , the obstacle detection unit 680 is disposed on four sides of the frame 310 at regular intervals, and the signal output direction is disposed to face the floor to output a signal toward the floor, and to the floor or obstacles. to detect the reflected signal.

When the obstacle detecting unit is an infrared sensor or a laser sensor, the reflected signal may be light intensity, and in the case of the ultrasonic sensor, the reflected signal may be an ultrasonic wave.

The control unit 630 determines the presence of an obstacle based on the signal detected by the obstacle detection unit 680, and when it is determined that the obstacle exists, controls driving toward the obstacle to narrow the distance to the obstacle, and a signal detected during driving control Determine the height of the obstacle based on

The control unit 630 compares the height of the obstacle with the first reference height, and controls the flat driving if the height of the obstacle is less than the first reference height, and climbing driving if the height of the obstacle is greater than the first reference height and less than the second reference height and control the avoidance driving when the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height.

The storage unit 660 stores the first reference height and the second reference height for controlling the climbing driving.

36 is a control flowchart of a cleaning robot according to another exemplary embodiment.

When a cleaning command is input 701 to the input unit 610 or a cleaning reservation time is reached, the cleaning robot performs cleaning on the pad member of each pad assembly 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 based on a map, a cleaning path, a cleaning pattern, and a cleaning mode. Adjust the action position and action direction of the applied friction force.

Such a cleaning robot travels by using a friction force generated between a floor surface and a pad member in contact with each other as a moving force, and performs wet cleaning while traveling in a cleaning area.

The cleaning robot detects obstacles while cleaning while driving.

That is, the cleaning robot determines whether an obstacle exists by using the signal detected by the obstacle detection unit (702), and when it is determined that there is no obstacle, the cleaning robot simultaneously runs and cleans on a flat surface until the obstacle is detected (703).

The method of performing flat driving and cleaning is as follows.

The cleaning robot drives the first and second motors of the first driving assembly so that the rotating plate of the first pad assembly 320 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, and the first and second motors of the second driving assembly are respectively driven so that the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 has a set inclination with the bottom surface, so that a portion of the pad member of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly comes into contact with the bottom surface.

Here, the set slope is an easy slope for driving on flat ground, and may be the same or different depending on straight driving, oblique driving, curved driving, stationary driving, and the like.

As described above, the cleaning robot rotates in the first rotation direction while the inside of the pad member of the first pad assembly 320 is in contact with the floor surface, and the inside of the pad member of the second pad assembly 330 is in contact with the floor surface. In this state, by rotating in the second rotational direction, a frictional force acts from the inside of the front surface of the lower part of the main body, and using this frictional force, the vehicle moves forward with the first surface (F) as the front surface.

Using this method, the forward travel can be performed with the second surface as the front surface, the third surface as the front surface, and the fourth surface as the front surface.

The cleaning robot checks the existence of an obstacle by using the signal detected by the obstacle detection unit, and when it is determined that the obstacle exists, checks the height of the detected obstacle ( 704 ).

Here, detecting the obstacle and checking the height of the detected obstacle is to process the image collected by the image collecting unit like the cleaning robot according to the embodiment of FIG. 31, recognize the obstacle in the image-processed image, and determine the height of the recognized obstacle. This includes checking the height.

In this way, by detecting the obstacle using the image collecting unit, the obstacle can be detected before it collides with the obstacle.

As another example, detecting the obstacle and confirming the height of the detected obstacle is determined by determining that an obstacle exists if the load detected by the load detection unit is equal to or greater than the reference load amount, as in the cleaning robot according to the embodiment of FIG. 32 , and detected by the height detection unit and determining the height of the obstacle based on the signal.

As another example, detecting the obstacle and checking the height of the detected obstacle includes checking the presence or absence of the obstacle and the height of the obstacle based on the signal detected by the obstacle detecting unit like the cleaning robot according to the embodiment of FIG. 34 . do.

The cleaning robot determines (705) whether the height of the obstacle is within the reference range.

Here, determining whether the height of the obstacle is within the reference range includes determining whether the height of the obstacle is greater than or equal to the first reference height and less than or equal to the second reference height.

When the height of the obstacle is less than the first reference height, the cleaning robot maintains the flat driving. In this case, the cleaning robot may ride over the obstacle without adjusting the inclination of the pad assembly due to the elasticity of the pad member.

In addition, the cleaning robot may exclude obstacles less than the first reference height from the obstacles for driving control.

When it is determined that the height of the obstacle is out of the reference range, the cleaning robot performs avoidance driving.

Here, determining that the height of the obstacle is out of the reference range includes determining whether the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height.

That is, when it is determined that the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height, the cleaning robot performs avoidance driving ( 706 ).

Here, the avoidance traveling includes traveling by changing the traveling direction of the cleaning robot.

The cleaning robot determines whether the avoidance driving is completed (707), and when it is determined that the avoidance driving is completed, determines whether the cleaning is complete (708), stops cleaning and running when it is determined that the cleaning is complete, and cleans when it is determined that the cleaning is not completed Until completion, while the obstacle detection operation is performed, driving on a flat surface and cleaning are continuously performed ( 703 ).

Determining that the avoidance running is completed includes determining that the avoidance running is completed when an obstacle is not detected in front of the cleaning robot in the running direction.

When the height of the obstacle is greater than or equal to the first reference height and less than or equal to the second reference height, the cleaning robot adjusts (709) the inclination angle of the rotating plate provided in at least one pad assembly among the plurality of pad assemblies, and then performs climbing driving (710). You can jump over obstacles such as thresholds.

Here, the climbing driving is performed by adjusting the inclination angle of the rotating plates of two pad assemblies adjacent to the obstacle among the four pad assemblies, but adjusting the inclination angle to a preset maximum inclination angle at which the rotating plate of the pad assembly can be tilted, or a slope corresponding to the height of the obstacle Adjust the angle, move using frictional force generated from the pad members of the rest of the pad assembly, and when the pad member of the rotating plate whose inclination angle is adjusted is located above the obstacle, the friction force generated from the pad member whose inclination angle is adjusted is used to move

Here, the remaining pad assembly adjusts the inclination of the rotating plate in the inclination angle and the inclination direction to generate frictional force for driving.

In addition, the inclination angle of the rotation plates of the two pad assemblies adjacent to the obstacle is a vertical angle, and is greater than the inclination angles of the rotation plates of the other pad assemblies.

In addition, when the horizontal width of the detected obstacle is narrower than the reference width, the cleaning robot may adjust only the inclination angle of one pad assembly.

The cleaning robot determines whether the climbing driving is complete (711), and when it is determined that the climbing driving is complete, determines whether cleaning is complete (708), and when it is determined that the cleaning is complete, stops the driving and cleaning, and determines that the cleaning is not complete If it is, the driving and cleaning are continuously performed (703) while performing the obstacle detection operation until the cleaning is completed.

Determining the completion of cleaning includes determining that cleaning is complete when all of the cleaning areas are driven based on the map, the travel route, and the travel pattern.

In addition, the cleaning robot may perform docking when cleaning is completed.

The climbing driving and avoidance driving of the cleaning robot will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 37A to 50D .

37A to 37J are views illustrating climbing driving of the cleaning robot when viewed from the side, FIG. 38 is an exemplary diagram of adjusting the angle of the inclination of the pad assembly of the cleaning robot, and FIGS. 39 to 44 are climbing views as in FIGS. 37A to 37J It is an exemplary view of the action position and action direction of the frictional force acting on a plurality of pad members when traveling is performed.

As shown in FIG. 37A , when it is determined that an obstacle exists in the front of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot stops running on flat ground and cleaning operations.

37B , the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination angle of the pad assembly 320 adjacent to the obstacle in the vertical direction based on the detected height of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 38 , the cleaning robot calculates an angle θ to be adjusted based on the height h of the obstacle and the distance d from the obstacle, and uses the calculated angle to calculate the rotation plate of the first pad assembly. adjust the inclination of

In addition, the cleaning robot may adjust the inclination angle of the rotating plate of the pad assembly to a preset maximum angle, and it is also possible to adjust the inclination angle of the rotating plate of the pad assembly after checking the angle corresponding to the height of the obstacle stored in advance.

37c and 37d, the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination of the rotating plate of the pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle to a climbing angle, and the inclination of the rotating plate of the remaining pad assembly can generate a moving force of the body After adjusting the angle, rotate the rotating plate of the rest of the pad assembly so that the body can move to the upper side of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 39 , the cleaning robot 1 vertically adjusts the angles of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 based on the height of the obstacle, and the third pad assembly The third pad assembly in a state in which the inclinations of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are adjusted so that the inner surfaces of the pad members of the 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 come into contact with the bottom surface. By rotating the rotating plate of 340 in the first rotational direction and rotating the rotating plate of the fourth pad assembly in the second rotating direction, the body moves toward the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 40 , the cleaning robot performs the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly even in a state in which the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 move upward along the edge of the obstacle. By using the frictional force acting on 350, the body is continuously moved.

As shown in FIG. 41 , as the main body of the cleaning robot moves upwards of the obstacle, the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 gradually fall from the floor surface and thus come into contact with the floor surface. The portion of the pad member of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 to be used is different.

Nevertheless, the cleaning robot continuously rotates the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 in contact with the floor surface, so that the third pad assembly 340 and the pad member of the fourth pad assembly 350 are separated. Friction is generated between the floor surfaces so that the body can move upwards of the obstacle.

39 to 41 , the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination of the pad member by changing the axes of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly, and thereby sets the center of gravity of the cleaning robot between the third pad assembly and the third pad assembly. It is moved toward the fourth pad assembly, and at this time, the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly are centered.

In addition, the cleaning robot rotates the pad members of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly to travel in the direction of the obstacle using frictional force with the floor surface.

As described above, the cleaning robot may move upwards of the obstacle while stabilizing the center of gravity by performing organic motion control between the pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle and the remaining pad assemblies.

As shown in FIG. 37E , the cleaning robot rotates the pads of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly to continuously apply a moving force to the main body so that the main body moves upwards of the obstacle.

At this time, the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination in the vertical direction by changing the axes of the rotating plates of the first and second pad assemblies when the main body moves upwards of the obstacle, but the respective pad members of the first and second pad assemblies are positioned above the obstacle. Adjust so that it touches the upper side of the

That is, the cleaning robot adjusts the angles of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly in a direction opposite to that when climbing upwards of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 42 , the cleaning robot adjusts the angles so that the rotating plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly incline inward, and then rotates them so that a frictional force is applied, thereby generating a moving force in the body.

At this time, the pads of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly come into contact with the obstacle, and move above the obstacle by frictional force generated by the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly.

As described above, when the pad members of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly come into contact with the obstacle, the center of gravity of the main body moves, and in this case, the cleaning robot uses the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly to hold the center of gravity.

In addition, when the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly come into contact with the upper surface of the obstacle by adjusting the axes of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly, the cleaning robot performs the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly. By adjusting the angle in the vertical direction by changing the axis of the rotating plate, the pad members of the third pad assembly and the second pad assembly also contact the upper surface of the obstacle.

That is, as shown in FIG. 37F , the cleaning robot may allow the four pad members to contact the upper surface of the obstacle when the width of the upper surface of the obstacle is equal to or greater than a predetermined width.

Through this, the cleaning robot can be stably positioned on the upper side of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 43 , the cleaning robot continuously moves the first pad assembly in the first rotation direction after maintaining the inclination of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly in contact with the upper surface of the obstacle. By rotating and continuously rotating the second pad assembly in the second rotation direction, the body moves along the upper surface of the obstacle using frictional force acting on the pad members of the first and second pad assemblies.

As shown in FIG. 37G , the cleaning robot continuously moves on the upper side of the obstacle and determines whether it moves to the lower side (ie, a step) of the obstacle, and when it is determined that a step has occurred, the rotating plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly The inclination is adjusted by changing the axis of , the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 340 is rotated in the first rotation direction, and the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly 340 is rotated in the second rotation direction so that the body moves along the obstacle.

In this case, determining whether the obstacle moves to the lower side includes determining whether a step has occurred based on loads applied to the rotating plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly, or the step difference based on information detected by the obstacle detecting unit It may include determining whether or not has occurred.

37H and 37I , when it is determined that the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface, the cleaning robot changes the axes of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly to incline. By adjusting , the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are brought into contact with the bottom surface.

In addition, the cleaning robot moves the main body by using the frictional force of the pad members of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 .

When the cleaning robot determines that the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly are located at the step portion of the obstacle, the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly are adjusted by changing the axes of the rotation plates of the third and fourth pad assembly to adjust the inclination. so that it can come down to the floor stably along the edge of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 37J , when the cleaning robot determines that the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly come into contact with the floor surface, the cleaning robot changes the axes of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly and adjusts the inclination in the vertical direction, thereby The entire surfaces of the pad members of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly are brought into contact with the bottom surface.

When the cleaning robot completes the climbing driving, the rotation of the first pad assembly, the second pad assembly, the third pad assembly, and the fourth pad assembly is stopped.

Accordingly, in the cleaning robot, the pad members of all the pad assemblies come into contact with the floor surface, and thereafter, the angles of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are returned.

Through this process, the cleaning robot can climb over obstacles.

45 and 46 are other exemplary views of the climbing driving of the cleaning robot.

As shown in FIG. 45 , the cleaning robot checks the horizontal width of the obstacle when an obstacle is detected while driving on a flat surface, and checks the height of the obstacle when the checked horizontal width is less than or equal to the reference width, and the height of the identified obstacle is the second standard If the height is less than the height, after positioning the second pad assembly 330 of the cleaning robot at a position facing the obstacle, only the inclination of the rotating plate of the second pad assembly 330 is adjusted to a climbing angle.

In addition, the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 so that the inside of the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 come into contact with the bottom surface. In the adjusted state, the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 340 is rotated in the first rotation direction and the rotation plate of the fourth pad assembly 340 is rotated in the second rotation direction so that the main body moves toward the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 46 , the cleaning robot checks the horizontal width of the obstacle when an obstacle is detected while driving on a flat surface, and checks the height of the obstacle if the checked horizontal width is less than or equal to the reference width, and the height of the identified obstacle is the second standard If the height is exceeded, evasion driving is performed, moving as much as the width of the obstacle.

That is, the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination of the rotating plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the third pad assembly 340 so that the inside of the pad members of the first pad assembly 320 and the third pad assembly 340 come into contact with the bottom surface. In the adjusted state, the rotation plate of the first pad assembly 320 is rotated in the second rotation direction and the rotation plate of the third pad assembly 320 is rotated in the first rotation direction so that the main body moves in the left direction of the obstacle.

At this time, the cleaning robot moves by the horizontal width of the obstacle, and when the movement is completed, the angle is adjusted so that the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly have an inclination for traveling, and the first pad assembly is rotated in the first rotation direction, By rotating the second pad assembly in the second rotational direction, the body moves forward using frictional force acting on the pad members of the first and second pad assemblies.

47 is an exemplary diagram of the avoidance running of the cleaning robot.

47 , when an obstacle is detected while driving on a flat surface, the cleaning robot determines whether the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height, and when it is determined that the height of the obstacle exceeds the second reference height, the first pad assembly 320 ) and the first pad assembly 320 in a state in which the inclinations of the rotation plates of the first and third pad assemblies 320 and 340 are adjusted so that the inner surfaces of the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 come into contact with the bottom surface. ) is rotated in the second rotational direction, and the rotational plate of the third pad assembly is rotated in the first rotational direction so that the body moves along the obstacle.

At this time, the cleaning robot moves to a point where an obstacle is not detected, and if the obstacle is not detected, the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly adjust the angles to have an inclination for traveling, and move the first pad assembly in the first rotation direction. and the second pad assembly is rotated in the second rotation direction so that the main body moves forward using frictional force acting on the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly.

48A to 48F are other exemplary views of a climbing operation of the cleaning robot.

The cleaning robot detects an obstacle whether there is an obstacle while driving on a flat surface. In this case, the obstacle may be an obstacle having a width shorter than the length of the main body of the cleaning robot.

This example describes a case in which the step difference is climbed using the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 . However, FIG. 48 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning robot, showing only the first pad assembly and only the third pad assembly disposed behind the first pad assembly.

When it is determined that there is an obstacle in front of the driving direction, the cleaning robot checks the height and width of the obstacle, and when it is determined that the height of the obstacle is the height required for climbing, it determines whether the width of the obstacle is less than a certain width. If it is determined that the width is less than the predetermined width, the angles in the vertical direction of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are adjusted based on the positions of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly.

As shown in FIG. 48A , when an obstacle having a width less than a certain width of a climbable height is detected, the cleaning robot stops running on a flat surface and a cleaning operation, and based on the detected height of the obstacle, the cleaning robot is a pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle, i.e. The inclination angles of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 are adjusted to a climbing angle, and a moving force is applied to the body using the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 . do.

As shown in FIGS. 48B and 48C , the cleaning robot operates with the third pad assembly 340 and the second pad assembly 340 even when the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 move upward along the edge of the obstacle. The body is continuously moved using the frictional force acting on the 4 pad assembly 350 .

At this time, when the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are gradually separated from the floor surface, the cleaning robot adjusts the angles of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 in the vertical direction. , and when the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 come into contact with the obstacle, the angles of the rotating plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 are adjusted to an angle for descending. By adjusting, the rotating plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 face the bottom surface.

Here, the determination of whether the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are separated from the bottom surface is based on the load amount of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 . This may include judging.

Even at this time, the cleaning robot continuously rotates the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 so that the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are positioned between the pad member and the bottom surface. Friction is generated so that the body can move upwards of the obstacle.

As shown in FIG. 48D , when the cleaning robot determines that the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are located on the upper surface of the obstacle, the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are placed on the floor. The angles of the rotation plates of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are adjusted in the vertical direction so that they come into contact with each other. Even at this time, the cleaning robot continuously rotates the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 so that the main body can be moved.

As shown in FIGS. 48E and 48F , when the cleaning robot determines that the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are in contact with the edge (ie, the descending portion) of the obstacle, the third pad Adjusting the angles of the rotation plates of the assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 in the vertical direction, rotating the first pad assembly in the first rotation direction, and rotating the second pad assembly in the second rotation direction, The body is moved by using frictional force acting on the pad members of the pad assembly and the second pad assembly.

Here, determining whether the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are in contact with the edge of the obstacle is the amount of load on the rotating plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 . It may include judging based on

In addition, when the cleaning robot determines that the pad members of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are out of the obstacle, the third pad assembly 340 and the rotation plates of the pad members of the fourth pad assembly 350 are removed from the cleaning robot. The angle is adjusted in the vertical direction so that the entire surface of the pad member is in contact with the floor surface.

As such, even when the width of the obstacle is less than a predetermined width, the cleaning robot can stably cross the obstacle by organically adjusting the angles of the pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle and the pad assembly positioned on the opposite side of the obstacle.

49A to 49C are other exemplary views of the cleaning robot's climbing driving.

When the height of the obstacle, that is, the height of the part from which the cleaning robot descends, is less than a predetermined height, the climbing travel control of the cleaning robot will be described.

49A and 49B, the cleaning robot checks the height of the detected step when a step is detected while traveling on the upper or bottom surface of the obstacle, and when it is determined that the checked height is less than a predetermined height, the first pad assembly and While maintaining the angle of the rotation plate of the second pad assembly, the second pad assembly moves to the lower side of the obstacle by using the frictional force of the pad members of the first and second pad assembly.

The cleaning robot maintains the angles of the rotation plates of the third pad assembly and the fourth pad assembly even when the pad members of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly are in contact with the bottom surface of the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly. It moves to the lower side (ie, the floor surface) of the obstacle using the frictional force of the pad member.

In this case, it is possible to move downward of the obstacle using the friction force of the pad members of the third and fourth pad assemblies, and it is also possible to move downward of the obstacle using the friction force of the pad members of the four pad assemblies. .

As illustrated in FIG. 49C , when the height of the obstacle is less than a predetermined height, the cleaning robot slides to the floor while maintaining the angle of the rotating plates of the four pad assemblies.

Even after moving to the bottom of the obstacle, the cleaning robot can move while maintaining the angles of the rotating plates of the four pad assemblies.

50A to 50D are other exemplary views of the climbing driving of the cleaning robot.

When the height of the obstacle, that is, the height of the part from which the cleaning robot descends, is equal to or greater than a certain height, the climbing driving control of the cleaning robot will be described.

As shown in FIG. 50A , the cleaning robot detects a step difference while performing flat driving by using the frictional force acting on the first pad assembly and the second pad assembly, and whether the detected step has a lower surface than the floor. Check and if it is determined that the surface of the detected step is lower than the floor, it is determined whether the height of the step is greater than or equal to a certain height.

When the cleaning robot determines that the height of the step is greater than or equal to a certain height, the cleaning robot adjusts the angle of the inclination of the pad assembly located in the front based on the driving direction.

In addition, the inclination of the pad assembly adjusted when the step surface is lower than the bottom surface is opposite to the inclination of the pad assembly adjusted when the step surface is higher than the floor surface.

As shown in FIG. 50B , the cleaning robot adjusts the inclination angles of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 to an angle capable of lowering the step, and the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad. The body is moved using the frictional force acting on the assembly 350 .

Accordingly, the cleaning robot causes the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 to move along the edge of the step.

As shown in FIG. 50C , the cleaning robot adjusts the angles of the rotation plates of the third and fourth pad assemblies 340 and 340 when the third and fourth pad assemblies 340 and 340 touch the corners. By adjusting in the vertical direction, the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 340 move toward the floor along the stepped edge.

Here, determining whether the pad assembly has touched the stepped surface includes determining whether the pad assembly has touched the stepped surface based on an amount of load applied to the pad assembly.

Also, determining whether the pad assembly has touched the stepped surface includes determining whether the pad assembly has touched the stepped surface based on a signal detected by the obstacle detecting unit.

In addition, the cleaning robot adjusts the angles of the rotation plates of the first and second pad assemblies 320 and 330 so that the pad members of the first and second pad assemblies 320 and 330 come into contact with the floor surface. do.

In addition, when the cleaning robot determines that the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 are deviated from the edge of the step, the cleaning robot adjusts the angles of the rotating plates of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 to produce the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 . It is also possible to allow the pad members of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 to contact the bottom surface.

The cleaning robot moves by using a friction force acting on the pad members of the first pad assembly 320 and the second pad assembly 330 .

As shown in FIG. 50D , when the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 deviate from the edge of the step, the cleaning robot moves the rotation plates of the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 . The angle is adjusted in the vertical direction so that the third pad assembly 340 and the fourth pad assembly 350 are in contact with the bottom surface.

Through this process, the cleaning robot can descend down the step.

As described above, by organically adjusting the vertical angle of the rotation plate of each pad assembly, the cleaning robot can stably descend the obstacle.

1: cleaning robot 100: housing
200: body 210: frame
220: first pad assembly 230: second pad assembly
240: first driving assembly 250: second driving assembly
300: body 310: frame
320: first pad assembly 330: second pad assembly
340: third pad assembly 350: fourth pad assembly
360: first drive assembly 370: second drive assembly
380: third drive assembly 390: fourth drive assembly
410: input unit 420: detection unit
430: control unit 440: driving unit
450: display unit 460: storage unit

Claims (65)

main body;
a pad mounted on the lower part of the main body to perform cleaning;
a driving assembly for applying a driving force to the pad;
the driving assembly adjusts the driving force to move the main body to the target position;
The driving assembly includes a variable position member for changing a contact position of the pad in contact with the cleaning floor, and a variable rotation member for rotating the pad about a rotation axis,
The position variable member may include a first driving member for tilting the pad in a first direction, and a second driving member for tilting the pad in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. According to claim 1, wherein the driving force,
A cleaning robot based on the action direction and action position of the friction force acting on the pad in contact with the floor surface. delete According to claim 1, wherein the position variable member,
A cleaning robot for varying the frictional force generated between the pad and the floor surface by adjusting the angle of inclination of the pad. delete According to claim 1, wherein the first driving member,
a first rotating member for rotating the pad in a first direction;
A cleaning robot including a first motor connected to the first rotating member and applying a rotational force to the first rotating member. According to claim 1, wherein the second driving member,
a second rotating member for rotating the pad in a direction perpendicular to the first direction;
A cleaning robot comprising a second motor for applying a rotational force to the second rotating member. The method of claim 1,
The cleaning robot further comprising a controller for controlling the driving assembly by determining a contact position of the pad in contact with a floor surface and a rotation direction of the pad so that the main body travels to a target position. 9. The method of claim 8,
The pad includes a first pad and a second pad,
The driving assembly includes a first driving assembly for driving the first pad and a second driving assembly for driving the second pad. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control unit,
When the main body travels in place, the cleaning robot controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, so that directions of frictional forces acting on the first pad and the second pad are opposite to each other. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control unit,
When the main body travels forward, the cleaning robot controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, so that frictional force in a direction opposite to the forward direction acts on the first pad and the second pad, respectively. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control unit,
When the main body travels sideways, the cleaning robot controls the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, respectively, so that frictional force in a direction opposite to the side direction acts on the first pad and the second pad, respectively. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control unit,
When the main body travels in an oblique direction, the cleaning robot controls the first and second driving assemblies, respectively, so that frictional force in a direction opposite to the diagonal direction acts on the first pad and the second pad, respectively. 9. The method of claim 8,
The pad includes a first pad, a second pad, a third pad, and a fourth pad,
The driving assembly includes a first driving assembly for driving the first pad, a second driving assembly for driving the second pad, a third driving assembly for driving the third pad, and a first driving assembly for driving the fourth pad. 4 cleaning robot with drive assembly. 15. The method of claim 14,
The third driving assembly includes a rotation variable member for rotating the third pad about a rotation axis,
The fourth driving assembly is a cleaning robot including a rotation variable member for rotating the fourth pad about a rotation axis. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit,
A cleaning robot that acquires spatial information of a cleaning area based on map information, generates a traveling path and a traveling pattern based on the spatial information of the cleaning area, and controls the main body to travel based on the traveling path and traveling pattern . The method of claim 16, wherein the control unit,
The cleaning robot divides the cleaning area into a plurality of cells, and generates a travel route and a travel pattern based on the information of the plurality of cells. The method of claim 16, wherein the driving pattern,
A cleaning robot comprising a curved pattern having a diameter smaller than the length of the main body. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a position detection unit for detecting the position of the body,
The control unit determines whether the driving direction should be changed based on the target cleaning position information from the current position of the main body, and controls the driving assembly to change the contact position and the rotation direction of the pad when the driving direction is changed. cleaning robot. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle in the cleaning area,
The control unit determines whether wall tracking should be performed to obtain map information of the cleaning area, and when it is determined that the wall tracking should be performed, detects the wall using the obstacle detection unit, and the direction of the detected boundary line of the wall surface A cleaning robot that rotates the main body using the driving assembly of the pad so that the traveling direction of the main body coincides with the main body and follows the detected wall surface. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle in the cleaning area,
The control unit may be configured to change a traveling route or a traveling pattern when the obstacle is detected. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a spot detection unit for detecting a spot on the floor,
The control unit may be configured to change a traveling route or a traveling pattern when the stain is detected. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the control unit,
A cleaning robot that varies a frictional force in contact with the cleaning floor by adjusting an angle of inclination of the pad according to the degree of the stain detected by the stain detection unit or the driving pattern. delete delete delete delete delete check the target position,
Determining the inclination and rotation direction of the plurality of pads mounted on the lower part of the body based on the target position, respectively,
The main body moves to the target position by adjusting the respective determined inclinations of the plurality of pads and operating in the respective determined rotational directions,
Adjusting the plurality of pads to each of the determined inclinations includes operating a position variable member of each driving assembly based on the respectively determined inclinations to apply a driving force to each of the plurality of pads,
Operating the variable position member of each driving assembly may include operating the first driving member of the variable position member so that each pad is inclined in a first direction, and moving the respective pads in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. and operating a second driving member of the position variable member to be inclined. 30. The method of claim 29, Determining the inclination and rotation direction of the plurality of pads, respectively,
Check the information of the target location and the information of the current location,
Obtaining the movement distance and movement direction of the main body based on the confirmed information on the current position and the information on the target position,
Determining the action position and action direction of the friction force acting between the plurality of pads and the floor surface, respectively, based on the movement distance and the movement direction,
and determining the inclination and rotation directions of the plurality of pads, respectively, based on an action position and an action direction of the friction force. 31. The method of claim 30,
Determining whether it is a time to change the driving direction based on the information on the target position,
When it is determined that it is the time to change the driving direction, controlling the driving of a plurality of driving assemblies that respectively apply driving force to the plurality of pads to change the position of the contact area where the frictional force acts and the operating direction of the frictional force How to control a cleaning robot. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein changing the location of the contact area on which the frictional force acts and the direction of the frictional force's action comprises:
The control method of a cleaning robot comprising changing an action direction and an action position of the friction force while maintaining the posture of the main body. The method of claim 30, wherein obtaining the moving distance and moving direction of the main body comprises:
and acquiring vector information using the moving distance and moving direction of the main body. 30. The method of claim 29,
Determining whether to perform wall tracking to obtain map information of the cleaning area,
If it is determined that the wall tracking should be performed, the wall surface is detected using an obstacle detection unit,
Rotating the main body using the friction force of the plurality of pad assemblies so that the detected direction of the boundary line of the wall surface and the running direction of the main body coincide,
The method of controlling a cleaning robot further comprising following the detected wall surface using the friction force of the plurality of pad assemblies. 35. The method of claim 34,
When an obstacle is detected in the front during the wall following, the action position and action direction of the friction force are changed based on the direction of the front wall,
When it is determined that the wall being followed is not detected based on the detection signal of the obstacle detection unit during the wall tracking, the surrounding wall surface is re-detected using the obstacle detection unit, and the frictional force is applied based on the re-detected position of the wall surface. The control method of the cleaning robot further comprising changing the position and the direction of action. 31. The method of claim 30,
Acquire spatial information of the cleaning area based on the map information,
dividing the cleaning area into a plurality of cells based on spatial information of the cleaning area;
generating a driving route and a driving pattern based on the information of the plurality of cells,
The method of controlling a cleaning robot further comprising: performing driving and cleaning while changing an action position and an action direction of the friction force based on the travel path and travel pattern. 37. The method of claim 36,
Detecting an obstacle while performing the cleaning and cleaning,
The control method of the cleaning robot further comprising changing a driving route and a driving pattern when the obstacle is detected. 37. The method of claim 36,
Detecting the stain on the floor surface while performing the cleaning and cleaning,
and changing a driving pattern when the stain is detected. 39. The method of claim 38,
When the stain is detected, the control method of the cleaning robot further comprising adjusting the magnitude of the friction force to be larger. 31. The method of claim 30,
determining the intensity of cleaning based on the cleaning mode;
The control method of the cleaning robot further comprising adjusting the magnitude of the friction force based on the determined intensity of cleaning. main body;
a plurality of pad assemblies mounted on a lower portion of the main body and each having pads for cleaning;
a driving assembly for applying a driving force to each of the plurality of pad assemblies;
A detection unit for detecting an obstacle,
The driving assembly may change inclinations of the plurality of pad assemblies based on the detected height of the obstacle, respectively;
The driving assembly includes a variable position member for changing a contact position of the pad in contact with the cleaning floor, and a variable rotation member for rotating the pad about a rotation axis,
The position variable member may include a first driving member for tilting the pad in a first direction, and a second driving member for tilting the pad in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
A cleaning robot that adjusts a vertical inclination angle of at least one pad assembly based on the detected horizontal width of the obstacle. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the angle of inclination in the vertical direction,
A cleaning robot with an angle greater than the inclination angle of the pad assembly for flat driving. 42. The method of claim 41,
The detection unit includes an image collection unit for collecting an image of the cleaning area,
and the driving assembly recognizes an obstacle based on the collected image and checks the height of the recognized obstacle. The method of claim 41, wherein the detection unit,
a first detection unit detecting the presence or absence of the obstacle;
and a second detection unit configured to detect the height of the obstacle. 46. The method of claim 45,
The first detection unit may include a load amount detection unit configured to detect a load amount acting on the pad assembly. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein the second detection unit,
A cleaning robot that is an infrared sensor, a laser sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
When the height of the detected obstacle exceeds a reference height, the cleaning robot controls the avoidance driving. 49. The method of claim 48, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
A cleaning robot for changing a traveling direction by adjusting an action position and an action direction of the frictional force acting on the plurality of pad assemblies, respectively. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
If the height of the detected obstacle is equal to or less than the reference height, the angle of the inclination of the pad assembly adjacent to the obstacle is adjusted to a predetermined angle, and the action position and the action direction of the friction force acting on the remaining pad assembly are adjusted respectively to provide a moving force on the body A cleaning robot that approves main body;
a plurality of pad assemblies mounted on a lower portion of the main body and each having pads for cleaning;
a driving assembly for applying a driving force to each of the plurality of pad assemblies;
A detection unit for detecting a step difference,
The driving assembly controls the inclination of at least one pad assembly based on the detected height of the step, and adjusts an action position and an action direction of a friction force acting on the other pad assembly so that the main body moves along the step. and,
The driving assembly includes a variable position member for changing a contact position of the pad in contact with the cleaning floor, and a variable rotation member for rotating the pad about a rotation axis,
The position variable member may include a first driving member for tilting the pad in a first direction, and a second driving member for tilting the pad in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
A cleaning robot for adjusting an angle of inclination of the at least one pad assembly to a preset maximum inclination angle. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
A cleaning robot that adjusts an angle of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly to an angle corresponding to the height of the step. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
When the at least one pad assembly is located on the upper surface of the step, the cleaning robot controls rotation of the at least one pad assembly so that a frictional force acts on the at least one pad assembly. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
When the step surface is higher than the bottom surface, the direction of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly is adjusted in the first direction, and when the step surface is lower than the floor surface, the inclination direction of the at least one pad assembly is adjusted to the second direction A cleaning robot that steers in the direction. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the drive assembly comprises:
When the detected height of the step exceeds a reference height, the cleaning robot controls operations of the plurality of pad assemblies to avoid the step. check the target position,
Determining the inclination and rotation direction of the plurality of pad assemblies mounted on the lower part of the body based on the target position, respectively,
Adjusting the respective determined inclinations of the plurality of pad assemblies and operating the plurality of pad assemblies in the respective determined rotation directions so that the main body travels on a flat surface to the target position,
Detecting an obstacle while performing the flat driving,
When the obstacle is detected, the inclination of at least one pad assembly among the plurality of pad assemblies is controlled based on the height of the obstacle;
Adjusting an action position and action direction of a friction force acting on a pad assembly other than the at least one pad assembly among the plurality of pad assemblies to move along the obstacle,
Adjusting the plurality of pad assemblies to each of the determined inclinations includes operating a position variable member of each of the driving assemblies based on the respectively determined inclinations to apply a driving force to each of the plurality of pad assemblies,
Operating the variable position member of each driving assembly may include operating the first driving member of the variable position member to incline each pad assembly in a first direction, and operating the first driving member of the variable position member in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. and operating a second driving member of the position variable member to tilt the assembly. 58. The method of claim 57,
The inclination angle of the at least one pad assembly is a greater angle than the inclination angle of a pad assembly excluding the at least one pad assembly. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein detecting the obstacle comprises:
Comprising collecting an image of the front of the driving direction,
A control method of a cleaning robot comprising recognizing an obstacle in the collected image. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein detecting the obstacle comprises:
detecting the load amount of the plurality of pad assemblies;
and recognizing an obstacle based on the detected load amount. 58. The method of claim 57,
The control method of the cleaning robot further comprising controlling the avoidance driving when the detected height of the obstacle exceeds a reference height. 62. The method of claim 61, wherein the avoidance driving comprises:
and changing a traveling direction by adjusting an action position and an action direction of the frictional force acting on the plurality of pad assemblies, respectively. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein controlling the tilt of the at least one pad assembly comprises:
and controlling the angle of inclination of the at least one pad assembly to a preset maximum inclination angle. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein controlling the tilt of the at least one pad assembly comprises:
Check the height of the obstacle,
Check the angle corresponding to the height of the identified obstacle,
and controlling the angle of the inclination of the at least one pad assembly to the determined angle. 58. The method of claim 57,
and controlling rotation of the at least one pad assembly so that a frictional force acts on the at least one pad assembly when the at least one pad assembly is positioned on the upper surface of the obstacle.

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