KR20180092433A - A robot cleaner and a method for operating it - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a robot cleaner. The robot cleaner of the present invention comprises: a main body; a driving portion provided in the main body and supplying power for traveling of the robot cleaner; first and second rotation members rotating about a first rotary shaft and a second rotary shaft by power of the driving portion, respectively so as to provide locomotive power source for traveling of the robot cleaner, and capable of fixing cleaners for humid cleaning, respectively; a load detecting portion for detecting a load applied to each of the first rotation member and the second rotation member in accordance with traveling of the robot cleaner; and a control portion for controlling rotation of at least one of the first rotation member and the second rotation member based on the detected load.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner capable of performing wet cleaning while traveling autonomously, and a control method thereof.

With the development of industrial technology, various devices are being automated. As is well known, the robot cleaner is a device for automatically cleaning the area to be cleaned by suctioning foreign objects such as dust from the surface to be cleaned while rubbing itself in the area to be cleaned without user's operation, or wiping off foreign matter on the surface to be cleaned .

Generally, such a robot cleaner may include a vacuum cleaner that performs cleaning using a suction force using a power source such as electricity.

The robot cleaner including such a vacuum cleaner has a limitation in that it can not remove foreign matter, stains, etc. adhering to the surface to be cleaned. Recently, a robot cleaner has been developed which can perform wet cleaning by attaching a mop to the robot cleaner .

However, the wet cleaning method using a general robot cleaner is merely a simple method of attaching a mop or the like to the lower part of a conventional vacuum cleaner, which lowers the effect of removing foreign matter and can not perform efficient wet cleaning.

Particularly, in the case of the wet cleaning method of a general robot cleaner, since it travels by using the conventional moving method for the suction type vacuum cleaner and the avoidance method for the obstacle, the foreign matter adhering to the surface to be cleaned even if the dust scattered on the surface to be cleaned is removed There is a problem that it can not be easily removed.

In addition, in the case of a wiping structure of a general robot cleaner, the frictional force with the ground is increased by the rag face, so that additional driving force is required to move the wheel, which increases battery consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned needs, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a robot cleaner which uses a rotary force of a pair of rotary members as a moving source of a robot cleaner and performs wet cleaning using a cleaner attached to the rotary member A robot cleaner and a control method thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a robot cleaner for detecting a load applied to a rotary member according to running of the robot cleaner and controlling the running of the robot cleaner according to the sensed load, and a control method thereof.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a robot cleaner using a rotating force of a plurality of rotating members as a moving power source for traveling, the method comprising: a first rotating member rotating about a first rotating shaft; Rotating the robot cleaner by rotating at least one of the first rotary member and the second rotary member rotating about the second rotary shaft to detect a load applied to the first rotary member and the second rotary member, And controlling rotation of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member based on the sensed load.

The detecting may include obtaining a first load value applied to the first rotating member and a second load value applied to the second rotating member, calculating a first load value obtained for a predetermined time period based on the first load value, And calculating a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during a predetermined time.

The first load value is a load current value of a first motor that provides a driving force for driving the first rotary member, and the second load value is a load current value of a second rotary member that provides a driving force for driving the second rotary member. 2 It can be the load current value of the motor.

The step of calculating the average load value may be calculated based on the load value obtained in the straight cleaning mode among the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner.

The step of calculating the average load value may further include the step of resetting the load value obtained before the obstacle is detected when the obstacle is detected while the robot cleaner is running.

When the robot cleaner is in the straight cleaning mode, the controlling step may include calculating a difference value between the first average load value and the second average load value, comparing the calculated difference value with a predetermined value And adjusting the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member according to a deviation of the load value when the calculated difference value is greater than a predetermined value.

The controlling step includes the steps of: determining an average load value having a larger value among the first average load value and the second average load value; calculating a first load value obtained in real time and a second load value Calculating a difference value between the determined average load value and the determined load value, comparing the calculated difference value with a preset value, and comparing the calculated difference value with a predetermined value If it is large, it may include changing to an obstacle avoidance mode.

In addition, in the obstacle avoidance mode, the controlling step includes a first control step of controlling the rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member such that the robot cleaner runs backward, A second control step of controlling rotation of the first rotary member and the second rotary member so as to rotate backward while rotating on the basis of the rotary member having a small load value; and a second control step of controlling the rotation of the first rotary member and the second rotary member, And a third control step of controlling the rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member to rotate backward and to travel backward.

The controlling step includes the steps of: determining a large average load value among a first average load value and a second average load value at the present time; calculating a first average load value and a second average load value, Calculating a difference between an average load value having a large value of the current time point and an average load value having a large value of a previous time point and calculating a cleaning mode according to a result of the comparison between the calculated difference value and a predetermined value, And a step of selecting the step.

The selecting of the cleaning mode may include setting the cleaning mode of the robot cleaner to the foreign matter concentration cleaning mode when the calculated difference value is larger than the first set value and smaller than the second set value, If the value is greater than the second set value, the cleaning mode of the robot cleaner can be set to the foreign matter avoiding mode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot cleaner including a main body, a driving unit provided in the main body to supply power for driving the robot cleaner, The robot cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the robot cleaner is provided with a first and a second rotatable members each capable of fixing a cleaner for wet cleaning, A load sensing unit for sensing a load applied to each of the first rotating member and the second rotating member, and a control unit for controlling rotation of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member based on the sensed load .

The load sensing unit may be configured to acquire a first load value applied to the first rotary member and a second load value applied to the second rotary member, and based on the first load value obtained for a predetermined time, A first average load value may be calculated and a second average load value may be calculated based on the second load value obtained during a predetermined time.

The first load value is a load current value of a first motor that provides a driving force for driving the first rotary member, and the second load value is a load current value of a second rotary member that provides a driving force for driving the second rotary member. 2 It can be the load current value of the motor.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, the robot cleaner may include a first cleaner and a second cleaner that are rotated by the rotational movement of the first rotating member and the second rotating member, respectively, It is possible to more effectively remove the adhered foreign substances and to travel at the same time.

In addition, according to various embodiments of the present invention, the robot cleaner can perform cleaning and running with various patterns, and can perform efficient wet cleaning by selecting a cleaning pattern suitable for a topographical object.

In addition, according to various embodiments of the present invention, the robot cleaner can minimize the manufacturing cost by minimizing the sensor configuration for detecting an obstacle when traveling.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, by controlling at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary member according to the size of the load applied to the rotary member, it is possible to prevent the cleaning surface, which may be encountered during running of the robot cleaner, It is possible to remove the foreign matter on the surface to be cleaned which generates a large load on the rotary member such as water and to escape the area where the foreign matter is located.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, when an obstacle that is not recognized by the robot cleaner bumper is caught by controlling at least one of the rotating direction and the rotating speed of the rotating member in accordance with the size of the load applied to the rotating member, You can avoid obstacles and perform wet cleaning.

Further, according to various embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to control the robot cleaner in the straight cleaning mode to run accurately by controlling at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary member in accordance with the size of the load applied to the rotary member .

1 is an exploded perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a bottom view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram illustrating a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a table showing a rotation control table of a rotary member for realizing straight running of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a straight running operation of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart showing a control method of the robot cleaner in the straight cleaning mode.
FIG. 11 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIG.
12 to 13 are flowcharts showing a control method of the robot cleaner when the robot cleaner is caught by an obstacle which can not be recognized by the bumper.
FIG. 14 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIGS. 12 to 13. FIG.
Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing a control method of the robot cleaner when traveling on foreign matter on the surface to be cleaned, which generates a large load on the rotary member.
FIG. 16 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIG.

The following merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Thus, those skilled in the art will be able to devise various apparatuses which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included in the concept and scope of the invention. Furthermore, all of the conditional terms and embodiments listed herein are, in principle, only intended for the purpose of enabling understanding of the concepts of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limited to such specifically recited embodiments and conditions do.

It is also to be understood that the detailed description, as well as the principles, aspects and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific embodiments thereof, are intended to cover structural and functional equivalents thereof. It is also to be understood that such equivalents include all elements contemplated to perform the same function irrespective of the currently known equivalents as well as the equivalents to be developed in the future, i.e., the structure.

Thus, for example, it should be understood that the block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of exemplary circuits embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, all flowcharts, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like are representative of various processes that may be substantially represented on a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not the computer or processor is explicitly shown .

The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including the functional blocks depicted in the processor or similar concept, may be provided by use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in connection with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared.

Also, the explicit use of terms such as processor, control, or similar concepts should not be interpreted exclusively as hardware capable of running software, and may be used without limitation as a digital signal processor (DSP) (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory. Other hardware may also be included.

In the claims hereof, the elements represented as means for performing the functions described in the detailed description include all types of software including, for example, a combination of circuit elements performing the function or firmware / microcode etc. , And is coupled with appropriate circuitry to execute the software to perform the function. It is to be understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be construed as encompassing any means capable of providing such functionality, as the functions provided by the various listed means are combined and combined with the manner in which the claims require .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: There will be. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 are views for explaining a structure of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a bottom plan view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. Fig. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to a front view of Fig. 3; Fig.

1 to 4, a robot cleaner 100 according to the present invention includes a main body 10 that forms an outer appearance of a robot cleaner 100 structurally, a main body 10 formed around an outer periphery of the main body 10, A bumper 20 for protecting the robot 10, an external impact sensing part 130 for sensing an external impact applied to the bumper 20, And a power supply unit 190 installed inside the main body 10. The first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 are coupled to the driving unit 150, .

The robot cleaner 100 can perform the wet cleaning using the cleaners 210 and 220 for wet cleaning. Here, the wet cleaning may mean cleaning by wiping the surface to be cleaned using the cleaners 210 and 220, and may include cleaning using, for example, a dry mop or the like, or cleaning using a wet mop or the like.

The driving unit 150 includes a first driving unit 151 installed inside the main body 10 to be coupled with the first rotating member 110 and a second driving unit 151 disposed inside the main body 10 and coupled to the second rotating member 120 And a second driving unit 152. Here, the driving unit 150 may include a motor, a gear assembly, and the like.

The first rotating member 110 is coupled to the first driving unit 151 to transmit the power by the first driving unit 151 and to rotate about the first rotating shaft 310 by the power. Member 111 as shown in FIG. Further, the first cleaner 210 for wet cleaning may include a first fixing member 112 to which the first cleaner 210 can be fixed.

The second rotating member 120 is coupled to the second driving unit 152 and transmits power by the second driving unit 152 and rotates about the second rotating shaft 320 by the power. 2 transmitting member 121, as shown in FIG. In addition, the second cleaner 220 for wet cleaning may include a second fixing member 122 to which the second cleaner 220 can be fixed.

Here, when the lower end regions of the first transmitting member 111 and the second transmitting member 112 are coupled to the main body 10, they may be protruded in the direction of the surface to be cleaned. Or when the first transmitting member 111 and the second transmitting member 112 are coupled to the main body 10, they may not be protruded in the direction of the surface to be cleaned.

When the first fixing member 112 and the second fixing member 122 are coupled to the main body 10, the first fixing member 112 and the second fixing member 122 may be protruded in the direction of the surface to be cleaned, for example, The first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 for cleaning may be fixed.

The first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 are made of a cloth capable of wiping various surfaces to be cleaned such as a microfiber cloth, a mop, a nonwoven fabric, a brush, And can be made of the same fiber material. The shapes of the first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 may be circular as shown in FIG. 1, but may be implemented in various forms without limitation.

The fixing of the first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 may be performed by a method of covering the first fixing member 112 and the second fixing member 122 or a method of using a different attachment means . For example, the first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 may be attached and fixed to the first fixing member 112 and the second fixing member 122 with a Velcro tape or the like.

In the robot cleaner 100 according to the present invention, the first cleaner 210 and the second cleaner 220 are rotated by the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, As a result, it is possible to remove foreign matter adhering to the floor through friction with the surface to be cleaned. When the frictional force between the cleaners 210 and 220 and the surface to be cleaned is generated, the frictional force can be used as a moving source of the robot cleaner 100.

More specifically, in the robot cleaner 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 rotate, a frictional force is generated between the cleaners 210 and 220 and the surface to be cleaned , The running speed and running direction of the robot cleaner 100 can be adjusted according to the magnitude and direction in which the resultant force acts.

3 and 4, the first rotary shaft 310 and the second rotary shaft 320 of each of the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 are driven by the motive power of the pair of the driving units 151 and 152, Can be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the central axis 300 corresponding to the vertical axis of the main body 100. In this case, the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 may be inclined downward outward with respect to the central axis. That is, the area of the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 located farther from the central axis 300 can be strongly adhered to the surface to be cleaned than the area located closer to the center axis 300.

Here, the center axis 300 may mean the axis perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned of the robot cleaner 100. For example, assuming that the robot cleaner 100 travels in an XY plane formed by the X and Y axes to clean the robot cleaner 100 during the cleaning operation, the center axis 300 is perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned of the robot cleaner 100 Axis Z axis.

The predetermined angle may be a first angle (a degree) corresponding to an inclined angle of the first rotation axis 310 with respect to the center axis 300 and a second angle (a degree) corresponding to the second rotation axis 320 with respect to the center axis 300. [ And a second angle (b degrees) corresponding to this tilted angle. Here, the first angle and the second angle may be the same or different from each other.

Further, each of the first angle and the second angle may preferably be an angle within an angular range of 1 degree or more and 3 degrees or less. Here, the angle range described above can be a range capable of optimally maintaining the wet cleaning ability, the traveling speed, and the traveling performance of the robot cleaner 100, as shown in Table 1 below.

Tilted angle  Cleaning ability (based on 3 points)  Driving speed (based on 3 points) Less than 1 degree Clean all surfaces cleaned with cleaner (3) Very slow (0) 1 degree Clean all surfaces cleaned with cleaner (3) Slow (1) 1.85 degrees Clean all of the cleaning surfaces that rub against the cleaner except for a part near the center axis (2) Usually (2) 3 degrees Clean all of the cleaning surfaces that rub against the cleaner except for a part near the center axis (1) Fast (3) Greater than 3 degrees Clean most of the cleaning surfaces that come into contact with the cleaner except for a large number of areas around the central axis (0) Fast (3)

That is, referring to Table 1, the robot cleaner 100 has a pair of rotation shafts 310 and 320 inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the central axis 300, And cleaning ability. In particular, by keeping the predetermined angle in the range of 1 degree to 3 degrees, the wet cleaning ability and the traveling speed of the robot cleaner can be maintained optimally. However, various embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to the angular ranges described above.

Meanwhile, when the pair of rotating members 110 and 120 rotate according to a predetermined angle, the relative frictional force generated between the surface to be cleaned and the cleaners 210 and 220 may be larger than the center of the main body 10. Therefore, the traveling speed and traveling direction of the robot cleaner 100 can be controlled by the relative frictional force generated by controlling the rotation of the pair of rotating members 110 and 120, respectively. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the control of the traveling speed and traveling direction of the robot cleaner 100 will be described later.

Meanwhile, when the robot cleaner 100 travels by the above-described operation, the robot cleaner 100 may collide with various obstacles existing on the surface to be cleaned. Here, the obstacle may include obstacles such as a low obstacle such as a threshold, a carpet, etc., an obstacle floating on a predetermined height such as a sofa or a bed, a high obstacle such as a wall, . ≪ / RTI >

In this case, the bumper 20 formed around the outside of the body 10 of the robot cleaner 100 can protect the body 10 from an external impact caused by a collision with an obstacle, and can absorb an external impact. The external impact sensing unit 130 installed in the main body 10 can sense an impact applied to the bumper 10. [

The bumper 20 includes a first bumper 21 formed on the first outer periphery of the main body 10 and a second bumper 22 formed on the second outer periphery of the main body 10 separately from the first bumper 21 can do. Here, the bumper 20 may be formed around the left and right sides of the main body 10 with respect to the direction F toward which the front surface of the robot cleaner 10 faces. 1 to 4, the first bumper 21 may be formed around the left side of the main body 10 with respect to a direction F toward the front of the robot cleaner 10, (22) may be formed around the right side of the main body (10) with respect to the direction (F) in which the front face faces.

Here, the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 may be physically separated into different bumpers. Accordingly, the bumpers of the robot cleaner can operate independently of each other. That is, when the first bumper 21 collides with the obstacle during traveling of the robot cleaner 100, the first bumper 21 absorbs the external impact and transmits the absorbed external impact to the first bumper 21 1 external shock detection unit. The second bumper 22 is implemented as a bumper physically separate from the first bumper 21. The second bumper 22 is not affected by the impact and the second external impact sensing unit, The impact may not be transmitted.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the height of the upper end and the lower end of the bumper 20 is made to match the predetermined condition, so that the robot cleaner 100 can detect various obstacles encountered while driving. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the lower ends of the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 may be formed as close as possible to the surface to be cleaned. The distance between the lower ends of the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 and the surface to be cleaned may be the same as the thickness of the cleaners 210 and 220 or smaller than the thickness of the cleaners 210 and 220. Accordingly, the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 collide with low obstacles such as shallow thresholds, carpets, and the like, so that the robot cleaner 100 can detect and avoid low obstacles.

The upper ends of the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 may be formed to prevent the obstacle from being caught only in the main body 10 without colliding with the bumpers 21 and 22. [ Specifically, the height of the upper ends of the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 may be the same as the height of the main body 10 or higher than the height of the main body 10. Accordingly, the first bumper 21 and the second bumper 22 collide with obstacles floating on a predetermined height, such as a sofa or a bed, so that the bumper 21, It is possible to prevent a case where it is caught.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the robot cleaner 100 may include guide units 113 and 123 for guiding the cleaners 210 and 220 to be fixed at optimum positions.

If the cleaners 210 and 220 are not fixed at the optimum positions, the portions of the cleaners 210 and 220 contacting the surface to be cleaned are changed by the rotation of the first and second rotating members 112 and 122, An unbalanced state is created for the pair of cleaners 210 and 220. In this case, the robot cleaner 100 may not be able to perform a desired travel. For example, the robot cleaner 100 in the straight-ahead cleaning mode may not be able to perform a straight run, but may be curved to travel.

Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the lower surface on which the cleaners 210 and 220 are fixed in the first rotating member 112 and the second rotating member 122 are protruded toward the surface to be cleaned along the rim of the lower surface, And guiding portions 113 and 123 for guiding the cleaners 210 and 220 to be fixed at optimum positions. Accordingly, the user of the robot cleaner 100 can fix the cleaners 210 and 220 at optimal positions.

Meanwhile, the external impact sensing unit 130 may sense an external impact applied to the bumper 20. Here, the external impact sensing unit 130 may include a plurality of external impact sensing units disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of bumpers. The external impact sensing unit 130 may include at least one first external impact sensing unit and a second bumper 22 installed in correspondence with the first bumper 21, And at least one second external impact sensing unit corresponding to the second external impact sensing unit, and may be implemented with a touch sensor, an optical sensor, or the like. The external impact sensing unit 130 may transmit the sensed result to the control unit 170.

The control unit 170 determines the collision position where the collision with the obstacle occurs in the area of the bumper 20 by using the detection result of the external impact sensing unit 130 and controls the first driving unit 151, , And the second driving unit 152 can be controlled.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5, a robot cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an external impact sensing unit 130, a load sensing unit 135, a communication unit 140, a first rotary member 110, A control unit 170, an input unit 180, an output unit 185, and a power supply unit 190. The driving unit 150 may include a driving unit 150 for driving the rotating member 120, a storage unit 160,

The external impact sensing unit 130 may include an external impact sensing unit that senses an external impact applied to the bumper 20 and transmits a sensing signal to the control unit 170. [ The external impact sensing unit may be implemented by a touch sensor, an optical sensor, or the like.

The control unit 170 determines the collision position where the collision with the obstacle occurs in the area of the bumper 20 by using the detection result of the external impact sensing unit 130 and controls the first driving unit 151, , And the second driving unit 152 can be controlled.

The load sensing unit 135 may sense a load applied to each of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 according to traveling of the robot cleaner 100. For example, when the first cleaner 210 of the robot cleaner 100 is stuck on the surface to be cleaned and contacts foreign matter such as water during running of the robot cleaner 100, the first cleaner 210 is attached A large load may be generated in the first rotating member 110. As another example, if the second cleaner 220 of the robot cleaner 100 is stuck on the surface to be cleaned while traveling on the robot cleaner 100, if the second cleaner 220 is in contact with foreign matter such as water, A large load may be generated in the second rotating member 120. That is, in order to cope with various cleaning environments that may occur during the wet cleaning running of the robot cleaner 100, the load sensing unit 135 may detect the rotation of the first rotary member 110 and the second rotation The load applied to each member 120 can be detected.

The load sensing unit 135 may include a first load sensing unit for acquiring a first load value applied to the first rotary member 110 and a second load sensing unit for acquiring a second load value applied to the second rotary member 120. [ And a load sensing unit. Here, the first load value is the load current value of the first motor that provides the driving force for driving the first rotary member 110, and the second load value is the load current value of the second rotary member 120 that provides the driving force for driving the second rotary member 120 May be the load current value of the second motor. That is, the load sensing unit 135 may be implemented as a means for sensing the load current value of the motor.

However, this is an embodiment of the present invention, and the load sensing unit 135 can calculate the load value using data other than the load current value applied to the motor. More specifically, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the load sensing unit 135 senses the rotation speed of the rotational members 110 and 120 requested according to the control signal of the controller 170 and the rotational speed of the rotational members 110 and 120 It is also possible to calculate the load value by comparing the difference in speed.

On the other hand, the load sensing unit 135 calculates a first average load value based on the first load value obtained for a predetermined time, and calculates a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during the predetermined time Can be calculated. For example, the load sensing unit 135 may calculate the average load current value based on the 30 to 50 load current values collected in the past based on the current time.

Here, the load sensing unit 135 may calculate the average load value based on the load values obtained in the straight cleaning mode among the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100. For example, the load value obtained when the robot cleaner 100 does not travel straightly (for example, a load value obtained by running a pattern such as an S-shaped pattern) is determined by a load value May not be accurate. Accordingly, the load sensing unit 135 can calculate the average load value based on the load value obtained during the straight running of the robot cleaner 100. [

When an obstacle is detected during traveling of the robot cleaner 100, the load sensing unit 135 resets the load value acquired before the obstacle is detected, and calculates an average load value based on the newly obtained load value can do. For example, the robot cleaner 100 may be installed in a robot cleaner 100 such as a low obstacle such as a threshold, a carpet or the like, an obstacle floating on a certain height such as a sofa or a bed, a high obstacle such as a wall, Various obstacles can be encountered that interfere with clean running. If the load value obtained in the state where the obstacle is detected, the load value applied to the rotating member due to interference of the obstacle may not be accurate. Accordingly, when an obstacle is detected during traveling of the robot cleaner 100, the load sensing unit 135 resets the load value acquired before the obstacle is detected, and calculates an average load value based on the newly obtained load value Can be calculated.

The control unit 170 may control the rotation of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 based on the load detected by the load sensing unit 135. The control operation of the controller 170 will be described later with reference to Figs. 9 to 17.

The communication unit 140 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the robot cleaner 100 and another wireless terminal or between the robot cleaner 100 and a network in which the other wireless terminal is located. For example, the communication unit 140 may communicate with a wireless terminal as a remote control device, and may include a short-range communication module or a wireless Internet module.

The robot cleaner 100 can be controlled in its operation state or operation mode by a control signal received by the communication unit 140. [ The terminal for controlling the robot cleaner 100 may include, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, a personal computer, and a remote controller (a remote controller) that can communicate with the robot cleaner 100.

The driving unit 150 may supply power to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 under the control of the controller 170. Here, the driving unit 150 may include a first driving unit 151 and a second driving unit 152, and may include a motor and / or a gear assembly.

Meanwhile, the storage unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 170, and temporarily store input / output data. The storage unit 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) (Random Access Memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM) A magnetic disk, and / or an optical disk.

The input unit 180 may receive a user input for operating the robot cleaner 100. In particular, the input unit 180 may receive a user input for selecting a cleaning mode of the robot cleaner 100. Herein, the cleaning mode includes an intensive cleaning mode for intensively cleaning the surrounding space based on the current position of the robot cleaner 100, a wall riding cleaning mode for traveling along the wall surface, Manual cleaning mode for cleaning, S-shaped cleaning mode for driving and cleaning in S-pattern, Y-cleaning mode for traveling in Y pattern, Straight cleaning mode for straight running and cleaning, And an automatic cleaning mode for automatically selecting and cleaning a cleaning mode suitable for a driving situation.

The input unit 180 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / static electricity), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and a remote controller.

The output unit 185 is for generating an output related to visual, auditory, etc., and may include a display unit, an audio output module, an alarm unit, and the like although not shown in the figure.

The display unit displays (outputs) information processed by the robot cleaner 100. For example, when the robot cleaner is being cleaned, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) indicating a cleaning time, a cleaning method, a cleaning area, and the like related to the cleaning mode can be displayed.

The power supply unit 190 supplies power to the robot cleaner 100. Specifically, the power supply unit 190 supplies power to the respective functional units of the robot cleaner 100, and when the remaining power is insufficient, the power supply unit 190 can receive the charging current and be charged. Here, the power supply unit 190 may be implemented as a rechargeable battery.

The control unit 170 typically controls the overall operation of the robot cleaner 100. The control unit 170 may control at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 to control the driving unit 150 so that the robot cleaner 100 travels in a specific traveling direction .

For example, if the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 are rotated at the same speed in the same direction, the robot cleaner 100 can perform the rotating motion in place. That is, the robot cleaner 100 can rotate in place according to the rotating speed of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120.

More specifically, when the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 are rotated at the same speed in the same direction, they are relatively moved on the opposite sides with respect to the center of the main body 10 of the robot cleaner 100 And the direction in which the one end and the other end, which are located opposite to each other, move relative to the surface to be cleaned are opposite to each other. That is, the direction in which one end of the robot cleaner 100 positioned opposite to the first rotary member 110 moves with respect to the surface to be cleaned by the rotation of the first rotary member 110, The direction in which the other end of the robot cleaner 100 located opposite to the second rotary member 120 moves relative to the surface to be cleaned is opposite to each other.

Accordingly, the resultant force of the frictional force acting on the robot cleaner 100 may be opposite to each other and act as a rotational force to the robot cleaner 100, so that the robot cleaner 100 can rotate in place.

As another example, the control unit 170 may control the driving unit 150 to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in different directions and at the same speed. In this case, the direction in which one end moves with respect to the surface to be cleaned by the frictional force of the first rotating member 110 with respect to the body 10 of the robot cleaner 100 is determined by the frictional force of the second rotating member 110, And the other end may move in the same direction. Accordingly, the robot cleaner 100 can run straight. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7. FIG.

6 is a table showing a rotation control table of a rotary member for realizing straight running of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 170 may control the driving unit 150 based on the rotation control table values stored in the storage unit 160 to control rotation of the respective rotation members 110 and 120. [ The rotation control table may include at least one of a direction value, a velocity value, and a time value assigned to each of the rotary members 110 and 120 according to the cleaning mode. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation direction of the first rotating member 110 may be different from the rotating direction of the second rotating member 120. Further, the rotational speed and time of each of the rotating members 110 and 120 may have the same value.

The direction of rotation of the rotary member and the direction of travel of the robot cleaner 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be described with reference to the direction from the top of the robot cleaner 100. For example, the first direction may be a direction in which the robot cleaner 100 rotates in the counterclockwise direction while the robot 300 is lowered from the upper side with the advancing direction 300 at 12 o'clock. In addition, the second direction may be a direction opposite to the first direction and a direction in which the advancing direction 300 is rotated clockwise by 12 o'clock. The running direction of the robot cleaner 100 may be a direction in which the front of the robot cleaner 100 moves.

If the rotary members 110 and 120 are rotated on the basis of the control table shown in FIG. 6, the robot cleaner 100 can perform straight running as shown in FIG. 7, the robot cleaner 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention rotates the first rotary member 110 in the first direction and rotates the second rotary member 120 in the first direction, By rotating in two directions, it is possible to generate a relative movement force in accordance with the frictional force and perform the straight running in the running direction.

The inclined directions of the rotation shafts 310 and 320 in FIGS. 1 to 7 are merely examples, and may be realized by tilting in different directions according to an embodiment. For example, the first rotary shaft 310 and the second rotary shaft 320 of the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 are coupled to the central axis 300 corresponding to the vertical axis of the robot cleaner 100, To 4, as shown in FIG. In this case, the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 may be inclined upward outward with respect to the central axis 300. That is, a region of the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 located close to the central axis 300 can be strongly adhered to the surface to be cleaned more than a region located away from the central axis 300. In this case, when the pair of rotating members 110 and 120 rotate, the relative frictional force generated between the pair of rotating members 110 and 120 and the surface to be cleaned may be larger at the center of the main body 10 than at the outer periphery thereof.

Therefore, contrary to the case of FIGS. 1 to 7, the movement speed and the direction of the robot cleaner 100 can be controlled by controlling the rotation of the pair of rotary members 110 and 120, respectively. Specifically, the robot cleaner 100 rotates the first rotating member 110 in the second direction and rotates the second rotating member 120 in the first direction different from the second direction so that the relative movement according to the frictional force And a straight running in the traveling direction can be performed.

Meanwhile, the robot cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a plurality of cleaning modes. Herein, the cleaning mode includes an intensive cleaning mode for intensively cleaning the surrounding space based on the current position of the robot cleaner 100, a wall riding cleaning mode for traveling along the wall surface, Manual cleaning mode for cleaning, S-shaped cleaning mode for driving and cleaning in S-pattern, Y-cleaning mode for traveling in Y pattern, Straight cleaning mode for straight running and cleaning, An automatic cleaning mode for automatically selecting and cleaning a cleaning mode appropriate to the current situation, and the like.

In this case, the control unit 170 may select at least one of the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100, and may control the driving unit 150 to perform cleaning according to the selected cleaning mode.

For example, when a user input for selecting one of the cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100 is received through the input unit 180, the controller 170 transmits a cleaning mode corresponding to the user input among the plurality of cleaning modes to the robot cleaner 100, As shown in FIG.

Alternatively, the control unit 170 may determine whether an obstacle is located in the traveling direction of the robot cleaner 100 while cleaning the robot cleaner 100. If it is determined that there is no obstacle, the controller 170 determines one of the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100 . This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 8, the robot cleaner 100 includes a first rotating member 110 and a second rotating member 120. The first rotating member 110 rotates about the first rotating shaft 310 and the second rotating shaft 320, One can be rotated and cleaned in a specific direction (S101).

Then, the robot cleaner 100 can determine whether an obstacle is positioned in the traveling direction (S102). For example, the sensing unit 130 of the robot cleaner 100 may include a plurality of obstacle detection sensors, and the controller 170 may determine whether an obstacle is positioned in the traveling direction based on a sensing signal of the obstacle sensing sensor have. Here, the obstacle detection sensor may include an obstacle detection sensor or a camera sensor that emits an infrared or ultrasonic signal to the outside and receives a signal reflected from the obstacle.

The controller 170 controls the driving unit 150 so that the robot cleaner 100 travels straight for a predetermined distance or time so that the robot cleaner 100 can perform an external shock It can be determined whether or not it is detected. If no external impact is sensed by the sensing unit 130 because the obstacle does not collide with the bumper 20, the controller 170 may determine that the obstacle is not positioned in the traveling direction of the robot cleaner 100. In this case, the robot cleaner 100 can minimize the manufacturing cost by minimizing the sensor configuration for detecting obstacles when traveling.

If it is determined that the obstacle is not located (S102: N), the robot cleaner 100 determines a cleaning mode of one of the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100 (S103), and travels in the determined cleaning mode (S104). In this case, the control unit 170 may control at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 so as to run in a determined cleaning mode.

However, if it is determined that the obstacle is located (S102: Y), the robot cleaner 100 switches the direction to avoid the obstacle (S105), and travels in the diverted direction to determine whether or not the obstacle is located (S102) . In this case, the controller 170 controls the rotation of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 to avoid obstacles located in the traveling direction of the robot cleaner 100, .

Here, there are several ways to control the rotation of the controller 170 in the direction of avoiding an obstacle. For example, the control unit 170 may control the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the first and second rotary members 110 and 120 to rotate in the same direction as the direction in which the obstacle is detected, .

In addition, when the control unit 170 is relatively close to the specific rotating member in the direction in which the obstacle is detected, for example, the first rotating member 110, the rotation of the second rotating member 110 is stopped, The rotation direction of the rotary member 110 may be controlled to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle by rotating for a predetermined time in a direction opposite to the current direction.

When the obstacle is detected both in front of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, the control unit 170 controls the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, Direction can be reversed by rotating all the directions in opposite directions different from the current direction.

In addition, the controller 170 may select a specific direction other than the direction in which the obstacle is detected, and reset the selected direction. In this case, the specific direction may be a random direction excluding the direction in which the obstacle is detected, or a direction determined according to the predetermined travel route, depending on the direction change result.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 170 controls the rotation of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 based on the load sensed by the load sensing unit 135 Can be controlled. One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9 to 17. 9 to 17 may be the first rotary member 110 and the rotary member not displaying the gray shade may be the second rotary member 120. [

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. 9, first, at least one of the first rotating member 110 rotating about the first rotating shaft and the second rotating member 120 rotating about the second rotating shaft is rotated to rotate the robot cleaner 100 ) In a specific direction (S201). For example, when only one of the first rotary member 110 and the second rotary member 120 is rotated, the region of the robot cleaner 100 in which the first rotary member 110 is installed is moved The area of the robot cleaner 100 in which the second rotary member 120 is installed moves, and thus the robot cleaner 100 can travel in a specific direction. As another example, when the first rotary member 110 rotates in the first direction and the second rotary member 120 rotates in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the robot cleaner 100 moves forward in the specific direction can do.

Meanwhile, the load sensing unit 135 may sense a load applied to the first rotary member 110 and the second rotary member 120, respectively, in accordance with the traveling of the robot cleaner 100 (S202). More specifically, the load sensing unit 135 may acquire a first load value applied to the first rotating member 110 and a second load value applied to the second rotating member 120. [ Here, the first load value and the second load value can be measured in units of 20 ms.

The first load value is a load current value of a first motor that provides a driving force for driving the first rotary member 110. The second load value provides a driving force for driving the second rotary member 120 May be the load current value of the second motor.

On the other hand, the detecting step S202 may include calculating a first average load value based on the first load value obtained for a predetermined time, and calculating a second average load value based on the second load value obtained for a predetermined time And a step of calculating For example, the load sensing unit 135 may calculate the average load current value based on the 30 to 50 load current values collected in the past based on the current time.

Here, the step of calculating the average load value may calculate the average load value based on the load value obtained in the straight cleaning mode among the plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner 100. The step of calculating the average load value may include the steps of resetting the load value obtained before the obstacle is detected when the robot cleaner 100 detects an obstacle while the robot cleaner 100 is running, And calculating a load value.

Meanwhile, the control unit 170 may control rotation of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 based on the load detected by the load sensing unit 135 (S203). For example, the controller 170 controls at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary members 110 and 120 according to the magnitude of the load applied to the rotary member, so that the robot cleaner 100 can be rotated The foreign object on the surface to be cleaned, which generates a large load on the rotary member, such as water, is removed, and at the same time, the region where the foreign matter is located can be controlled to escape. In another example, the control unit 170 controls at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary members 110 and 120 according to the size of the load applied to the rotary member, , It is possible to control to perform the wet cleaning while avoiding the obstacle. As another example, the controller 170 may control at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the rotary members 110 and 120 according to the size of the load applied to the rotary member so that the robot cleaner 100 in the straight- Can be controlled.

10 is a flowchart showing a control method of the robot cleaner in the straight cleaning mode. FIG. 11 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIG.

If the rotation of the rotary members 110 and 120 is not controlled in accordance with the load applied to the rotary members 110 and 120 during the linear travel of the robot cleaner 100, the load deviation between the rotary members 110 and 120 of the robot cleaner 100 The robot cleaner 100 may not be able to perform a straight run, and may be turned to the left or right side.

According to the present invention, the control unit 170 can solve this problem by controlling at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary members 110 and 120 according to the size of the load applied to the rotary member.

10 to 11, in the straight cleaning mode, the controller 170 includes a first rotating member 110 rotating about a first rotating shaft and a second rotating member 110 rotating about a second rotating shaft, The rotation of the rotary member 120 may be controlled to cause the robot cleaner 100 to run straight (S301). For example, as shown by reference numeral 1101 in Fig. 11, the robot cleaner 100 can run straight.

The load sensing unit 135 may acquire a first load value applied to the first rotating member 110 and a second load value applied to the second rotating member 120 (S302).

The load sensing unit 135 calculates a first average load value based on the first load value obtained during a predetermined time and calculates a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during the predetermined time (S303).

The controller 170 calculates the difference between the first average load value and the second average load value and compares the difference between the calculated first average load value and the second average load value with a preset value (S304).

If the calculated difference value is larger than the preset value (Y in S304), the robot cleaner 100 (1004) is operated according to the load deviation between the rotary members 110 and 120 of the robot cleaner 100, ) Can not perform the straight running, and may go to the left or right side and run.

Therefore, if the calculated difference value is larger than the preset value (S304: Y), the rotational speed of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 is adjusted according to the deviation of the average load value (S305). For example, when the average load value of the first rotary member 110 is larger than the average load value of the second rotary member 120, the rotational speed of the first rotary member 110 And the rotational speed of the second rotating member 120 can be maintained at a conventional speed. As another example, when the average load value for the first rotary member 110 is larger than the average load value for the second rotary member 120, the rotational speed of the second rotary member 120 And the rotational speed of the first rotating member 110 can be maintained at a conventional speed. As another example, when the average load value of the first rotary member 110 is larger than the average load value of the second rotary member 120, the rotation of the first rotary member 110 The rotational speed of the second rotating member 120 can be lowered. In this case, as shown in 1103 and 1105 in Fig. 11, the robot cleaner 100 can be run straight ahead.

However, if the calculated difference value is smaller than the preset value (S304: N), the load sensing unit 135 may repeat the process from S302.

According to the present invention, the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 is controlled in consideration of the load deviation between the rotating members 110 and 120, Can be controlled so as to run accurately.

12 to 13 are flowcharts showing a control method of the robot cleaner when the robot cleaner is caught by an obstacle which can not be recognized by the bumper. FIG. 14 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIGS. 12 to 13. FIG.

If the robot cleaner 100 is caught by an obstacle that is not recognized by the bumper during traveling, the robot cleaner 100 may not recognize that the obstacle is located on the traveling route, and may continuously push the obstacle.

However, according to the present invention, when at least one of the rotational direction and the rotational speed of the rotary member is controlled in accordance with the size of the load applied to the rotary member, if the obstacle is caught by an obstacle not recognized by the robot cleaner bumper, Wet cleaning can be performed.

12 to 14, the controller 170 includes a first rotating member 110 rotating about a first rotating shaft and a second rotating member 120 rotating about a second rotating shaft. So that the robot cleaner can be driven in a specific direction (S401). For example, as shown by reference numeral 1201 in Fig. 14, the robot cleaner 100 can run straight.

The load sensing unit 135 may acquire a first load value applied to the first rotating member 110 and a second load value applied to the second rotating member 120 (S402). The load sensing unit 135 calculates a first average load value based on the first load value obtained during a predetermined time and calculates a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during the predetermined time (S403). Then, the controller 170 determines an average load value having a larger value among the first average load value and the second average load value (S404), and determines whether the value of the first load value obtained in real time and the second load value A large load value can be determined (S405).

Then, the controller 170 may calculate the difference between the average load value determined in step S404 and the load value determined in step S405 (S406). Then, the controller 170 may compare the difference value calculated in step S406 with a predetermined value (S407).

If the calculated difference value is larger than the preset value (Y in S407), the number of times is counted. If the counted number is equal to or more than the predetermined number (Y in S408), the robot cleaner 100 May be in a state of pushing an obstacle due to an obstacle 2000 that is not recognized by the robot cleaner bumper. If proper control is not performed in this situation, the robot cleaner 100 may not be able to perform a normal cleaning run.

Therefore, if the calculated difference value is larger than the preset value (Y in S407), the number of times is counted, and if the counted number is greater than or equal to the preset number of times (Y in S408) ). Here, the obstacle avoidance mode is a mode for avoiding an obstacle and traveling, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the traveling of the robot cleaner 100 can be controlled.

The control unit 170 controls the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 so that the robot cleaner 100 travels backward for a predetermined time T1, (S410). For example, when the mode is switched to the obstacle avoidance mode, the controller 170 controls the driving unit 150 to rotate the first rotary member 110 in the second direction opposite to the first direction, The driving unit 150 may be controlled to rotate the member 120 in the first direction opposite to the second direction, which is the conventional rotation direction. In this case, as shown by reference numeral 1203 in Fig. 14, the robot cleaner 100 can avoid obstacles and travel backward.

Thereafter, the controller 170 controls the robot cleaner 100 to rotate the first rotary member 110 and the second rotary member 110 such that the robot cleaner 100 rotates about the rotary member having a small load value among the plurality of rotary members as a reference, The rotation of the second rotating member 120 can be controlled (S411). For example, the controller 170 controls the driving unit 150 to rotate the first rotary member 110 having a large load value among the plurality of rotary members in the second direction, and the second rotary member 120 having a small load value, The driving unit 150 may be controlled so as not to rotate. In this case, as shown at 1204 in FIG. 14, only the region where the first rotary member 110 having a large load value of the robot cleaner 100 is located can be moved backward.

Thereafter, the control unit 170 controls the robot cleaner 100 to rotate the first rotary member 110 and the second rotary member 110 such that the robot cleaner 100 rotates about the rotary member having a large load value among the plurality of rotary members, The rotation of the second rotating member 120 can be controlled (S412). For example, the controller 170 controls the driving unit 150 to rotate the second rotary member 120 having a small load value among the plurality of rotary members in the first direction, and the first rotary member 110 having a large load value, The driving unit 150 may be controlled so as not to rotate. In this case, as shown by reference numeral 1205 in FIG. 14, only the region where the second rotary member 120 having the small load value of the robot cleaner 100 is located can be moved backward.

Thereafter, the control unit 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes and to cleanly run. For example, the controller 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes including an intensive cleaning mode, an automatic cleaning mode, an S-side cleaning mode, a straight cleaning mode, .

According to the present invention, when at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the rotary member is controlled according to the size of the load applied to the rotary member, if the obstacle is caught by an obstacle not recognized by the robot cleaner bumper, Can be performed.

Particularly, when only one of the plurality of rotary members 110, 120 of the robot cleaner is fixed by an obstacle such as a rim or the like, there is a problem that the general backward travel alone can not escape the region to which the rotary member is fixed. However, according to the present invention, in the obstacle avoidance mode, the robot cleaner 100 controls the robot cleaner 100 to rotate backward with respect to the rotary member having a small load value among the plurality of rotary members, have.

Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing a control method of the robot cleaner when traveling on foreign matter on the surface to be cleaned, which generates a large load on the rotary member. FIG. 16 is a view showing a cleaning traveling process of the robot cleaner according to FIG.

When the robot cleaner 100 strikes the surface to be cleaned while traveling, and comes into contact with a foreign object on the surface to be cleaned, which generates a large load on the rotary member such as water, the robot cleaner 100 performs a clean wet cleaning on the foreign object, We need a way to escape.

15 to 16, the controller 170 includes a first rotating member 110 rotating about a first rotating shaft and a second rotating member 120 rotating about a second rotating shaft At least one of the robot cleaners may be rotated to travel the robot cleaner in a specific direction (S501). For example, as shown by reference numeral 1301 in Fig. 16 (A) or 1401 in Fig. 16 (B), the robot cleaner 100 can run straight.

The load sensing unit 135 may acquire a first load value applied to the first rotary member 110 and a second load value applied to the second rotary member 120 (S502). The load sensing unit 135 calculates a first average load value based on the first load value obtained during a predetermined time and calculates a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during the predetermined time (S503).

Then, the controller 170 determines a large average load value among the first average load value and the second average load value at the present point in time (S504). Then, the controller 170 determines whether the first average load value and the second average load value The load value can be determined (S505).

In step S506, the controller 170 may calculate the difference between the average load value of the current time point determined in step S504 and the average load value of the previous time point determined in step S505.

The controller 170 may set an appropriate cleaning mode according to the comparison result between the difference value calculated in step S506 and the predetermined value.

16A, when the foreign object on the surface to be cleaned, which causes a large load on the rotating member such as stain on the surface to be cleaned, is encountered, the difference value calculated in step S506 is larger than the first set value, 2 may be less than the set value. In this case, a clean wet cleaning of the foreign object and a method for escaping the area where the foreign object is located are needed. If the calculated difference value is greater than the first set value and smaller than the second set value (S506: Y), the controller 170 may set the cleaning mode to the concentrated cleaning mode (S508).

Here, the concentrated cleaning mode may be an intensive cleaning mode for intensively cleaning the peripheral space based on the current position of the robot cleaner 100. [ The controller 170 controls the driving unit 170 to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 at the same speed in the same direction so that the robot cleaner 100 rotates in place To perform the exercise. In this case, as shown at 1303 in Fig. 16 (A), the robot cleaner 100 can be rotated in place at the time of stain, and the stain can be removed.

As another example, the control unit 170 may control the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 so that the robot cleaner 100 travels while widening the turning radius. Accordingly, the robot cleaner 100 can clean the area where the foreign object such as stain is located.

On the other hand, the control unit 170 can determine whether or not the foreign substance is removed, such as when the load detecting unit 135 detects the load value obtained in real time during the concentrated cleaning mode. If it is determined that the foreign object such as stubborn is removed, the controller 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes and to run the cleaning mode. For example, the controller 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes including an automatic cleaning mode, an S-side cleaning mode, a straight cleaning mode, and the like.

On the other hand, when a load condition that interferes with traveling of water such as water on the surface to be cleaned occurs as in 1402 of FIG. 16B, the difference value calculated in step S506 may be larger than the second set value. In this case, a method for escaping the area where the foreign object is located is needed. If the difference value calculated in step S556 is greater than the second set value (S507: Y), the control unit 170 may set the foreign matter avoiding mode (S509).

In the foreign matter avoidance mode, the controller 170 can control the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 so as to rotate backward with respect to the rotating member having a small load value among the plurality of rotating members have.

For example, the controller 170 controls the driving unit 150 to rotate the second rotary member 120 having a large load value among the plurality of rotary members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, It is possible to control the driving unit 150 so as not to rotate the first rotary member 110 having a small value. In this case, as shown at 1403 in Fig. 16B, the robot cleaner 100 can run while avoiding foreign matter.

Thereafter, the control unit 170 controls the driving unit 150 to rotate the first rotary member 110 having a small load value among the plurality of rotary members in the second rotational direction, The driving unit 150 can be controlled so as not to rotate the member 120. In this case, as shown by 1404 in Fig. 16B, the robot cleaner 100 can travel while avoiding foreign matter.

On the other hand, if it is determined that foreign matter has been avoided as a result of the load detection, the controller 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes and to run the cleaning mode. For example, the controller 170 may control the robot cleaner 100 to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes including an intensive cleaning mode, an automatic cleaning mode, an S-side cleaning mode, a straight cleaning mode, . In this case, as shown at 1405 in Fig. 16B, the robot cleaner 100 can travel while avoiding foreign matter.

According to the present invention, cleaning can be performed by avoiding a load condition that interferes with traveling of water on a surface to be cleaned, which may be encountered during traveling of the robot cleaner.

Meanwhile, the robot cleaner 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the front surface and the back surface are symmetrical, and the forward travel can be backward traveling according to the reference direction setting, or conversely, have. In addition, the robot cleaner 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the left side and the right side are symmetrical, and a left-turn running can be a right-turn running according to a reference direction setting, or a right- It is possible. Thus, in the above examples, the directions are only exemplary and may be interpreted in a symmetrical direction according to the implementation.

Meanwhile, the control method according to various embodiments of the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program code and provided to each server or devices in a state stored in various non-transitory computer readable media.

A non-transitory readable medium is a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, memory, etc., but semi-permanently stores data and is readable by the apparatus. In particular, the various applications or programs described above may be stored on non-volatile readable media such as CD, DVD, hard disk, Blu-ray disk, USB, memory card, ROM,

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: robot cleaner 10: main body
20: bumper 110: first rotating member
120: second rotating member 130: external impact sensing unit
135: load detecting unit 140:
150: driving unit 160:
170: control unit 180: input unit
185: output unit 190: power supply unit

Claims (13)

A control method for a robot cleaner using a rotational force of a plurality of rotary members as a movement source for traveling,
Rotating at least one of a first rotating member rotating about a first rotating shaft and a second rotating member rotating about a second rotating shaft to travel the robot cleaner;
Sensing a load applied to each of the first rotating member and the second rotating member according to the traveling; And
And controlling rotation of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member based on the sensed load. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing comprises:
Obtaining a first load value applied to the first rotating member and a second load value applied to the second rotating member;
Calculating a first average load value based on the first load value obtained for a predetermined time; And
And calculating a second average load value based on the second load value obtained during the predetermined time. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first load value is a load current value of a first motor that provides a driving force for driving the first rotary member,
Wherein the second load value is a load current value of a second motor that provides a driving force for driving the second rotary member. 3. The method of claim 2,
The step of calculating the average load value includes:
Wherein the robot cleaner is calculated based on a load value obtained in a straight cleaning mode among a plurality of cleaning modes of the robot cleaner. 5. The method of claim 4,
The step of calculating the average load value includes:
And resetting the load value obtained before the obstacle is detected when an obstacle is detected during traveling of the robot cleaner. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein when the robot cleaner is in the straight cleaning mode,
Calculating a difference value between the first average load value and the second average load value;
Comparing the calculated difference value with a preset value; And
And adjusting the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member in accordance with the deviation of the load value when the calculated difference value is larger than a preset value / RTI > 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the controlling comprises:
Determining an average load value having a larger value among the first average load value and the second average load value;
Determining a load value having a larger value among a first load value obtained in real time and a second load value obtained in real time;
Calculating a difference value between the determined average load value and the determined load value;
Comparing the calculated difference value with a preset value; And
And changing the mode to an obstacle avoidance mode when the calculated difference value is greater than a preset value. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controlling in the obstacle avoidance mode comprises:
A first control step of controlling rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member such that the robot cleaner moves backward;
A second control step of controlling rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member such that the robot cleaner rotates backward with respect to a rotating member having a small load value among a plurality of rotating members; And
And a third control step of controlling the rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member such that the robot cleaner rotates backward with respect to the rotating member having a large load value among the plurality of rotating members. A control method of the robot cleaner. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the controlling comprises:
Determining a large average load value among a first average load value and a second average load value at a current time point;
Determining a large average load value among a first average load value and a second average load value at the immediately preceding time;
Calculating a difference between an average load value having a large value at the current time point and an average load value having a large value at a previous time point; And
And selecting a cleaning mode according to a result of comparison between the calculated difference value and a preset value. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the selecting the cleaning mode comprises:
And setting the cleaning mode of the robot cleaner to the foreign matter concentration cleaning mode when the calculated difference value is larger than the first set value and smaller than the second set value,
And setting the cleaning mode of the robot cleaner to the foreign matter avoidance mode when the calculated difference value is larger than the second set value. In the robot cleaner,
main body;
A driving unit provided in the main body to supply power for driving the robot cleaner;
First and second rotatable members rotatable about a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis by the power of the driving unit to provide a movement source for traveling of the robot cleaner and each having a cleaner for wet cleaning;
A load sensing unit for sensing a load applied to the first rotary member and the second rotary member in accordance with travel of the robot cleaner; And
And a control unit for controlling rotation of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member based on the sensed load. 12. The method of claim 11,
The load sensing unit may include:
A first load value applied to the first rotating member and a second load value applied to the second rotating member,
Calculates a first average load value based on the first load value obtained for a predetermined time,
And calculates a second average load value based on the second load value acquired for a predetermined time. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the first load value is a load current value of a first motor that provides a driving force for driving the first rotary member,
And the second load value is a load current value of a second motor that provides a driving force for driving the second rotary member.

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