KR20190060742A - Cleaner and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a cleaner which can obtain an image having a set value required in a plurality of traveling modes of the cleaner using only a single camera and a control method thereof. To this end, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cleaner performing autonomous traveling comprises: a main body; a driving unit for moving the main body; a camera for photographing an image of periphery of the main body for every predetermined period; and a control unit for selecting at least one of the plurality of traveling modes and controlling the driving unit and the camera to perform the selected driving mode, wherein the control unit changes a setting value related to an illuminance of the camera while the camera continuously photographs an image.

Description

{CLEANER AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner capable of recognizing an obstacle and performing autonomous traveling, and a control method thereof.

In general, robots have been developed for industrial use and have been part of factory automation. In recent years, medical robots, aerospace robots, and the like have been developed, and household robots that can be used in ordinary homes are being developed.

A representative example of the domestic robot is a robot cleaner, which is a type of household appliance that sucks and cleanes dust or foreign matter around the robot while traveling in a certain area by itself. Such a robot cleaner is generally equipped with a rechargeable battery and has an obstacle sensor capable of avoiding obstacles during traveling, so that it can run and clean by itself.

In recent years, research has been actively carried out to utilize the robot cleaner in various fields such as health care, smart home, and remote control by moving away from the cleaning operation by merely autonomously moving the cleaning area by the robot cleaner.

Generally, the robot cleaner uses an image obtained by a ceiling camera that is directed upward of the main body during SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) running for creating a cleaning map.

In general, the robot cleaner uses an image obtained by a front camera that is directed toward the front of the main body during monitoring running to transmit information about the main body to the user.

At this time, the control unit of the robot cleaner can set the set values of the ceiling camera and the front camera differently. For example, the control unit may set the set value of the ceiling camera so that the ceiling camera used for the slam photographs a relatively low-illuminated image. In another example, the control unit may control the setting value of the front camera so that the front camera used for monitoring captures a relatively high-contrast image.

That is, even if the front camera has the same performance as that of the ceiling camera, the control unit can set the camera setting values differently according to the purpose.

However, if the set values of the camera are fixedly used as described above, a plurality of running modes can be normally performed only if the cameras are provided as many as the number of running modes performed by the robot cleaner. That is, in the case of a general robot cleaner, a plurality of cameras respectively corresponding to a plurality of running modes must be provided, which increases the manufacturing cost of the robot cleaner

In recent years, there has been a need for a robot cleaner capable of performing various functions using only a single camera.

In the case of using only a single camera, there is a problem that various images necessary for a plurality of driving modes can not be obtained when an image is acquired while the set values of the camera are fixed.

In this regard, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0185909 (published on Feb. 23, 1996) discloses a configuration for generating an exposure control signal based on weight values that are set differently from shooting scenes in a window and shot scenes outside a window .

However, the exposure control device of the video camera according to Korean Patent No. 10-0185909 merely provides a diaphragm to provide accurate brightness around the position of a subject in a shooting scene, There is a problem that it is difficult to acquire an image having a necessary set value according to the setting value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems and provides a vacuum cleaner and a control method thereof for performing an autonomous travel which can acquire an image having a set value required for a plurality of traveling modes of a vacuum cleaner using only a single camera .

It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner that can acquire an image having a set value necessary for a traveling mode performed by a vacuum cleaner using only one camera, and a control method thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner which performs autonomous traveling which can perform a plurality of traveling modes with only one camera by changing the set values of one camera according to the algorithm being executed by the control unit, .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-propelled cleaner including a main body, a drive unit for moving the main body, a camera for capturing an image of the periphery of the main body at predetermined intervals, And a control unit for controlling the driving unit and the camera to perform the selected driving mode, wherein the control unit changes a setting value related to the illuminance of the camera based on the selected driving mode .

In one embodiment, the camera captures a predetermined number of images per second, and the control unit controls the camera so that a part of the predetermined number of images is photographed at the first illuminance and the remaining part of the images is photographed at the second illuminance .

In one embodiment, the camera acquires an image of 30 frames per second, and the control unit causes the 3 frames of the image of the 30 frames to be photographed at the first illumination and the remaining 27 frames of the image to be photographed at the second illumination And the first illuminance is set to be lower than the second illuminance.

In one embodiment, when the first driving mode and the second driving mode are selected, the controller determines whether information related to the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode and the illuminance of the image used in the second driving mode Information is detected.

In one embodiment, when the first and second running modes are selected, the controller detects the number of images used per unit time in the first running mode and the number of images used in the second running mode .

In one embodiment, the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode is the first illuminance, the number of images used per unit time in the first driving mode is a first number, If the illuminance of the image is the second illuminance and the number of images used per unit time in the first travel mode is a second number, if the first and second travel modes are selected, Controlling the camera such that the acquired image includes the first number or more of images photographed with the first illuminance and the second number or more images photographed with the second illuminance are included in the acquired image during the acquisition of the number of images .

In one embodiment, the control unit classifies the images photographed by the camera into a plurality of groups based on the illuminance values of the images.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a memory for storing an image photographed by the camera, wherein the controller performs labeling of the image based on the classification result, and stores the labeled image in the memory .

In one embodiment, the controller may execute the first driving mode of the selected driving mode using the image photographed at the first illuminance after the image is classified, And the second running mode is executed in the running mode.

In one embodiment, the first running mode is a SLAM running mode, and the controller detects information related to the position of the main body using the image photographed with the first roughness, Is executed.

In one embodiment, the control unit generates map information of a cleaning area in which the main body is located using the image picked up by the first roughness.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a sensor for sensing a brightness of a cleaning area where the main body is located. The control unit determines whether the brightness of the surroundings of the main body has been changed based on the detection result of the sensor, The illuminance value of the camera is changed in order to correct the illuminance value of the image used in the first driving mode.

In one embodiment, the image display apparatus further includes a communication unit for communicating with the outside, the second running mode is a monitoring running mode, and the control unit transmits at least one of the images photographed in the second illuminance to the server or the user terminal And controls the communication unit.

In one embodiment, the control unit controls the communication unit to select a predetermined number of images of the images taken with the second illuminance, and to transmit the selected images to at least one of the server and the user terminal.

In one embodiment, the control unit may determine the sharpness of each of the images captured by the second illuminance, and may select an image whose determined sharpness is equal to or greater than a predetermined sharpness value.

In one embodiment, the controller selects an image corresponding to a predetermined order among the images photographed with the second illuminance.

In one embodiment, the control unit increases or decreases the number of images transmitted to at least one of the server and the user terminal when receiving a predetermined user input through at least one of the server and the user terminal through the communication unit And selects an increased or decreased number of images of the images taken with the second illuminance.

In one embodiment, the control unit performs a first illumination control to control the camera such that a predetermined number of images are photographed at the first illumination level when the camera starts shooting, and when the first illumination control is completed And a second illuminance control for controlling the camera so that a predetermined number of images are captured at the second illuminance.

In one embodiment, the control unit sequentially performs the first roughness control and the second roughness control.

In one embodiment, the optical axis of the camera forms a predetermined angle with the bottom surface of the cleaning area where the main body is located.

In one embodiment, the viewing angle of the camera is formed to be greater than a predetermined angle.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that a plurality of traveling modes can be normally performed while using only one camera by changing the set values of the camera as needed.

That is, according to the control method of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, the number of cameras installed in the main body can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the vacuum cleaner.

Further, according to the present invention, an image having a set value required in a plurality of traveling modes can be obtained by using one camera, so that an effect of reducing the data processing amount of the cleaner can be obtained.

In addition, according to the present invention, since a plurality of traveling modes can be performed using information obtained from one camera, efficiency of data processing is increased.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a vacuum cleaner that performs an autonomous running according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a vacuum cleaner that performs autonomous traveling according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which the cleaner and the charging station according to the present invention are installed in a cleaning area.
FIG. 6A is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a general vacuum cleaner having a front camera and a ceiling camera separately.
6B is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention using one camera.
7A and 7B are flowcharts showing a control method of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG. 8A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from a forward camera of the general vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 6A. FIG.
FIG. 8B is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from a ceiling camera of the general vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 6A.
9A to 9C are conceptual diagrams illustrating a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from a single camera of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.
10 is a block diagram showing a control method of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a robot cleaner 100 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot cleaner 100 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the robot cleaner 100 shown in FIG. Fig.

For reference, in this specification, a mobile robot, a robot cleaner, and a vacuum cleaner that performs autonomous travel may be used in the same sense.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the robot cleaner 100 performs a function of cleaning a floor while traveling on a certain area by itself. Cleaning of the floor includes suction of dust on the floor (including foreign matter) or mopping the floor.

The robot cleaner 100 includes a cleaner main body 110, a suction unit 120, a sensing unit 130, and a dust box 140.

The cleaner main body 110 is provided with a control unit (not shown) for controlling the robot cleaner 100 and a wheel unit 111 for traveling the robot cleaner 100. The robot cleaner 100 can be moved forward or backward or to the left or to the right by the wheel unit 111.

The wheel unit 111 includes a main wheel 111a and a sub wheel 111b.

The main wheel 111a is provided on both sides of the cleaner main body 110 and is configured to be rotatable in one direction or another direction according to a control signal of the control unit. Each of the main wheels 111a can be configured to be drivable independently of each other. For example, each main wheel 111a may be driven by a different motor.

The sub wheel 111b supports the cleaner main body 110 together with the main wheel 111a and assists the running of the robot cleaner 100 by the main wheel 111a. The sub wheel 111b may also be provided in the suction unit 120 described later.

As described above, the control unit controls the driving of the wheel unit 111, so that the robot cleaner 100 is made to run on the floor autonomously.

Meanwhile, a battery (not shown) for supplying power to the robot cleaner 100 is mounted on the cleaner main body 110. The battery may be configured to be rechargeable and may be detachably attached to the bottom of the cleaner body 110.

The suction unit 120 is arranged to protrude from one side of the cleaner main body 110 to suck air containing dust. The one side may be the side where the cleaner main body 110 travels in the forward direction F, that is, the front side of the cleaner main body 110.

In this figure, it is shown that the suction unit 120 is protruded from one side of the cleaner main body 110 to both front and left and right sides. Specifically, the front end of the suction unit 120 is disposed at a position spaced forward from the one side of the cleaner main body 110, and the left and right ends of the suction unit 120 are spaced apart from one side of the cleaner main body 110 .

The cleaner main body 110 is formed in a circular shape and both sides of the rear end of the suction unit 120 are protruded from the cleaner main body 110 to the left and right sides, Space, that is, a gap can be formed. The empty space is a space between both left and right ends of the cleaner main body 110 and both left and right ends of the suction unit 120 and has a shape recessed inward of the robot cleaner 100.

If an obstacle is caught in the empty space, the robot cleaner 100 may be blocked by an obstacle. In order to prevent this, a cover member 129 may be arranged to cover at least a part of the empty space. The cover member 129 may be provided in the cleaner main body 110 or the suction unit 120. A cover member 129 is formed on both sides of the rear end of the suction unit 120 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cleaner main body 110. [

The cover member 129 is disposed to fill at least part of the empty space, that is, the empty space between the cleaner main body 110 and the suction unit 120. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the obstacle from being caught in the empty space, or to easily remove the obstacle from the obstacle even if the obstacle is caught in the empty space.

The cover member 129 protruding from the suction unit 120 can be supported on the outer circumferential surface of the cleaner main body 110. The cover member 129 may be supported on the rear portion of the suction unit 120. In this case, According to the structure, when the suction unit 120 is impacted by an impact with an obstacle, a part of the impact is transmitted to the cleaner main body 110 so that the impact can be dispersed.

The suction unit 120 may be detachably coupled to the cleaner main body 110. When the suction unit 120 is separated into the cleaner main body 110, a mop module (not shown) may be detachably coupled to the cleaner main body 110 in place of the separate suction unit 120. Accordingly, when the user desires to remove dust on the floor, the suction unit 120 may be mounted on the cleaner main body 110, and the mop module may be mounted on the cleaner main body 110 when the floor is to be cleaned.

When the suction unit 120 is mounted on the cleaner main body 110, the mounting can be guided by the cover member 129 described above. That is, the cover member 129 is disposed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cleaner main body 110, whereby the relative position of the suction unit 120 with respect to the cleaner main body 110 can be determined.

A sensing unit 130 is disposed in the cleaner main body 110. The sensing unit 130 may be disposed on one side of the cleaner body 110 where the suction unit 120 is located, that is, on the front side of the cleaner body 110.

The sensing unit 130 may be arranged to overlap the suction unit 120 in the vertical direction of the cleaner main body 110. The sensing unit 130 is disposed at an upper portion of the suction unit 120 so as to detect an obstacle or feature in front of the suction unit 120 so that the suction unit 120 positioned at the forefront of the robot cleaner 100 does not hit the obstacle.

The sensing unit 130 is further configured to perform a sensing function other than the sensing function. This will be described in detail later.

The cleaner main body 110 is provided with a dust receptacle 113. The dust receptacle 140 separates and collects the dust in the sucked air is detachably coupled to the dust receptacle 113. [ As shown in the figure, the dust receptacle 113 may be formed on the other side of the cleaner main body 110, that is, behind the cleaner main body 110.

A part of the dust container 140 is received in the dust container receiving portion 113 and another portion of the dust container 140 protrudes toward the rear of the cleaner body 110 (i.e., the reverse direction R opposite to the forward direction F) .

The dust box 140 is formed with an inlet 140a through which air containing dust is introduced and an outlet 140b through which dust is separated from the dust box 140. When the dust box 140 is installed in the dust box receiving portion 113, 140a and the outlet 140b are configured to communicate with the first opening 110a and the second opening 110b formed in the inner wall of the dust container receiving portion 113, respectively.

The suction flow path in the cleaner main body 110 corresponds to the flow path from the inflow port (not shown) communicating with the communicating portion 120b "to the first opening 110a, and the air flow path from the second opening 110b to the air outlet 112).

The air containing the dust introduced through the suction unit 120 flows into the dust container 140 through the intake air passage in the cleaner main body 110 and the filter or cyclone of the dust container 140 Air and dust are separated from each other as they pass through. The dust is collected in the dust container 140 and the air is discharged from the dust container 140 and then discharged to the outside through the discharge port 112 of the cleaner main body 110 and finally through the discharge port 112.

4, an embodiment related to the components of the robot cleaner 100 will be described below.

The robot cleaner 100 or the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 1100, an input unit 1200, a driving unit 1300, a sensing unit 1400, an output unit 1500, a power source unit 1600, A memory 1700 and a control unit 1800, or a combination thereof.

At this time, it is needless to say that the components shown in FIG. 4 are not essential, so that a robot cleaner having components having more or fewer components can be implemented. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

First, the power supply unit 1600 includes a battery that can be charged by an external commercial power supply, and supplies power to the mobile robot. The power supply unit 1600 supplies driving power to each of the components included in the mobile robot to supply the operating power required for the mobile robot to travel or perform a specific function.

At this time, the controller 1800 senses the remaining power of the battery and controls the battery 1800 to move to the charge connected to the external commercial power supply if the remaining power is insufficient, so that the charging current can be supplied from the charging stand to charge the battery. The battery is connected to the battery sensing unit, and the battery remaining amount and the charging state can be transmitted to the control unit 1800. The output unit 1500 can display the battery remaining amount on the screen by the control unit.

The battery may be located at the bottom of the center of the robot cleaner, or may be located at either the left or right side. In the latter case, the mobile robot may further include a balance weight to eliminate weight biases of the battery.

The control unit 1800 performs processing of information based on artificial intelligence technology and includes one or more modules that perform at least one of learning of information, inference of information, perception of information, and processing of natural language .

The control unit 1800 can use a machine running technique to learn a large amount of information (big data, such as information stored in a cleaner, environmental information around the mobile terminal, and information stored in a communicable external storage) Inference, and processing. The control unit 1800 predicts (or inferences) the operation of at least one cleaner that can be executed using the learned information using the machine learning technique, and determines whether the at least one of the at least one predicted operation has the highest feasibility You can control the cleaner to perform an action.

Machine learning technology is a technology that collects and learns a large amount of information based on at least one algorithm, and judges and predicts information based on the learned information. The learning of information is an operation that grasps the characteristics, rules, and judgment criteria of information, quantifies the relationship between information and information, and predicts new data using a quantified pattern.

The algorithms used by machine learning techniques can be statistical based algorithms, for example, decision trees that use the tree structure type as a prediction model, artificial neural networks neural networks, genetic programming based on biological evolutionary algorithms, clustering to distribute the observed examples into a subset of clusters, Monte Carlo methods to compute function values through randomly extracted random numbers (Monter carlo method) or the like.

As a field of machine learning technology, deep learning technology is a technique that performs at least one of learning, judging, and processing of information using an algorithm of Deap Neuron Network (DNN). An artificial neural network (DNN) can have a structure that links layers and layers, and passes data between layers and layers. This deep learning technique can learn vast amount of information through artificial neural network (DNN) using GPU (graphic processing unit) optimized for parallel computing.

The control unit 1800 may use a training data stored in an external server or memory, and may include a learning engine for detecting a characteristic for recognizing a predetermined object. At this time, the characteristic for recognizing the object may include the size, shape and shade of the object.

Specifically, when the control unit 1800 inputs a part of the images acquired through the camera provided in the cleaner to the learning engine, the learning engine can recognize at least one object or organism included in the input image.

When the learning engine is applied to the running of the cleaner, the controller 1800 can recognize whether or not an obstacle such as a chair leg, a fan, and a specific type of balcony gap, which is obstructed by the running of the cleaner, exists around the cleaner , The efficiency and reliability of the traveling of the cleaner can be increased.

On the other hand, the learning engine may be mounted on the control unit 1800 or may be mounted on an external server. If the learning engine is mounted on an external server, the control unit 1800 can control the communication unit 1100 to transmit at least one image to be analyzed to the external server.

The external server can recognize at least one object or organism included in the image by inputting the image received from the cleaner to the learning engine. In addition, the external server can transmit the information related to the recognition result back to the cleaner. In this case, the information related to the recognition result may include information related to the number of objects included in the image to be analyzed and names of the respective objects.

The driving unit 1300 includes a motor. By driving the motor, the left and right main wheels can be rotated in both directions to rotate or move the main body. The driving unit 1300 can advance the main body of the mobile robot forward, backward, leftward, rightward, curved, or rotated in place.

Meanwhile, the input unit 1200 receives various control commands from the user for the robot cleaner. The input unit 1200 may include one or more buttons, for example, the input unit 1200 may include an OK button, a setting button, and the like. The OK button is a button for receiving a command for confirming the detection information, the obstacle information, the position information, and the map information from the user, and the setting button is a button for receiving a command for setting the information from the user.

In addition, the input unit 1200 may include an input reset button for canceling the previous user input and receiving the user input again, a delete button for deleting the preset user input, a button for setting or changing the operation mode, A button for receiving an input, and the like.

In addition, the input unit 1200 may be installed on the upper portion of the mobile robot using a hard key, a soft key, a touch pad, or the like. In addition, the input unit 1200 may have the form of a touch screen together with the output unit 1500.

On the other hand, the output unit 1500 can be installed above the mobile robot. Of course, the installation location and installation type may vary. For example, the output unit 1500 may display a battery state, a traveling mode, and the like on the screen.

The output unit 1500 may output status information of the mobile robot detected by the sensing unit 1400, for example, the current status of each configuration included in the mobile robot. The output unit 1500 may display the external status information, the obstacle information, the position information, the map information, and the like detected by the sensing unit 1400 on the screen. The output unit 1500 may include any one of a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) As shown in FIG.

The output unit 1500 may further include sound output means for audibly outputting an operation process or an operation result of the mobile robot performed by the control unit 1800. [ For example, the output unit 1500 may output a warning sound to the outside according to the warning signal generated by the control unit 1800.

In this case, the sound output means may be a means for outputting sound such as a beeper, a speaker, and the like, and the output unit 1500 may output sound using audio data or message data having a predetermined pattern stored in the memory 1700, And output to the outside through the output means.

Accordingly, the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention can output environmental information about the traveling region through the output unit 1500 or output it as sound. According to another embodiment, the mobile robot may transmit map information or environment information to the terminal device through the communication unit 1100 so that the terminal device outputs a screen or sound to be outputted through the output unit 1500. [

On the other hand, the communication unit 1100 is connected to a terminal device and / or another device (referred to as " home appliance " in this specification) located in a specific area and a communication method of one of wired, wireless, And transmits and receives signals and data.

The communication unit 1100 can transmit and receive data with other devices located in a specific area. In this case, the other device may be any device capable of connecting to a network and transmitting / receiving data. For example, the device may be an air conditioner, a heating device, an air purifier, a lamp, a TV, The other device may be a device for controlling a door, a window, a water supply valve, a gas valve, or the like. The other device may be a sensor for detecting temperature, humidity, air pressure, gas, or the like.

On the other hand, the memory 1700 stores a control program for controlling or driving the robot cleaner and data corresponding thereto. The memory 1700 may store audio information, image information, obstacle information, position information, map information, and the like. Also, the memory 1700 can store information related to the traveling pattern.

The memory 1700 mainly uses a nonvolatile memory. Here, the non-volatile memory (NVM) is a storage device capable of continuously storing information even when power is not supplied. Examples of the storage device include a ROM, a flash memory, A storage device (e.g., a hard disk, a diskette drive, a magnetic tape), an optical disk drive, a magnetic RAM, a PRAM, and the like.

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 1400 may include at least one of an external signal sensor, a front sensor, a cliff sensor, a two-dimensional camera sensor, and a three-dimensional camera sensor.

The external signal detection sensor can detect the external signal of the mobile robot. The external signal detection sensor may be, for example, an infrared ray sensor, an ultrasonic sensor (Ultra Sonic Sensor), a RF sensor (Radio Frequency Sensor), or the like.

The mobile robot can detect the position and direction of the charging base by receiving the guidance signal generated by using the external signal detection sensor. At this time, the charging base can transmit a guidance signal indicating a direction and a distance so that the mobile robot can return. That is, the mobile robot can receive the signal transmitted from the charging station, determine the current position, set the moving direction, and return to the charging state.

On the other hand, the front sensor may be installed at a predetermined distance in front of the mobile robot, specifically along the side surface of the side of the mobile robot. The front sensing sensor is located at least on one side of the mobile robot and detects an obstacle in front of the mobile robot. The front sensing sensor senses an object, especially an obstacle, existing in the moving direction of the mobile robot and transmits detection information to the controller 1800 . That is, the front sensor can detect protrusions on the moving path of the mobile robot, household appliances, furniture, walls, wall corners, and the like, and transmit the information to the controller 1800.

For example, the frontal detection sensor may be an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or the like, and the mobile robot may use one type of sensor as the front detection sensor or two or more kinds of sensors have.

Ultrasonic sensors, for example, can typically be used to detect distant obstacles in general. The ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver. The controller 1800 determines whether the ultrasonic wave radiated through the transmitter is reflected by an obstacle or the like and is received by the receiver, The distance to the obstacle can be calculated.

Also, the controller 1800 can detect the information related to the size of the obstacle by comparing the ultrasonic waves radiated from the transmitter and the ultrasonic waves received by the receiver. For example, the control unit 1800 can determine that the larger the obstacle is, the more the ultrasonic waves are received in the receiving unit.

In one embodiment, a plurality (e. G., Five) of ultrasonic sensors may be installed along the outer circumferential surface on the front side of the mobile robot. At this time, preferably, the ultrasonic sensor can be installed on the front side of the mobile robot alternately with the transmitting part and the receiving part.

That is, the transmitting unit may be disposed to be spaced left and right from the front center of the main body, and one or two transmitting units may be disposed between the receiving units to form a receiving area of the ultrasonic signal reflected from the obstacle or the like. With this arrangement, the receiving area can be expanded while reducing the number of sensors. The angle of origin of the ultrasonic waves can maintain an angle range that does not affect different signals to prevent crosstalk. Also, the receiving sensitivity of the receiving units may be set differently.

In addition, the ultrasonic sensor may be installed upward by a predetermined angle so that the ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic sensor is outputted upward, and the ultrasonic sensor may further include a predetermined blocking member to prevent the ultrasonic wave from being radiated downward.

On the other hand, as described above, the front sensor can use two or more kinds of sensors together, so that the front sensor can use any one of an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an RF sensor .

For example, the front sensing sensor may include an infrared sensor in addition to the ultrasonic sensor.

The infrared sensor may be installed on the outer surface of the mobile robot together with the ultrasonic sensor. The infrared sensor can also detect the obstacles existing on the front or side and transmit the obstacle information to the controller 1800. That is, the infrared sensor senses protrusions existing on the moving path of the mobile robot, household appliances, furniture, walls, wall corners, and the like, and transmits the information to the controller 1800. Therefore, the mobile robot can move within a specific area without collision with the obstacle.

On the other hand, a cliff sensor (or Cliff Sensor) can detect obstacles on the floor supporting the main body of the mobile robot by mainly using various types of optical sensors.

That is, it is a matter of course that the cliff detection sensor is installed on the rear surface of the bottom mobile robot, but may be installed at a different position depending on the type of the mobile robot. The obstacle detection sensor is located on the back surface of the mobile robot and detects an obstacle on the floor. The obstacle detection sensor includes an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) sensor.

For example, one of the cliff detection sensors may be installed in front of the mobile robot, and the other two cliff detection sensors may be installed relatively behind.

For example, the cliff detection sensor may be a PSD sensor, but it may be composed of a plurality of different kinds of sensors.

The PSD sensor uses a semiconductor surface resistance to detect the shortest path distance of incident light at one p-n junction. The PSD sensor includes a one-dimensional PSD sensor for detecting light in only one direction and a two-dimensional PSD sensor for detecting a light position on a plane, all of which can have a pin photodiode structure. The PSD sensor is a type of infrared sensor that measures the distance by measuring the angle of the infrared ray reflected from the obstacle after transmitting the infrared ray by using the infrared ray. That is, the PSD sensor uses the triangulation method to calculate the distance to the obstacle.

The PSD sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits infrared rays to an obstacle, and a light receiving unit that receives infrared rays that are reflected from the obstacle and is returned to the obstacle. When an obstacle is detected by using the PSD sensor, a stable measurement value can be obtained irrespective of the reflectance and the color difference of the obstacle.

The control unit 1800 can detect the depth of the cliff by measuring the infrared angle between the light emission signal of the infrared ray emitted from the cliff detection sensor toward the ground and the reflection signal received by being reflected by the obstacle.

The control unit 1800 can determine whether to pass or not according to the ground state of the detected cliff by using the cliff detection sensor, and can determine whether the cliff passes or not according to the determination result. For example, the control unit 1800 determines whether or not a cliff is present and the depth of the cliff through the cliff detection sensor, and then passes through the cliff only when a reflection signal is detected through the cliff detection sensor.

As another example, the control unit 1800 may determine the lifting phenomenon of the mobile robot using a cliff detection sensor.

On the other hand, the two-dimensional camera sensor is provided on one side of the mobile robot to acquire image information related to the surroundings of the body during movement.

An optical flow sensor converts a downward image input from an image sensor provided in a sensor to generate image data of a predetermined format. The generated image data can be stored in the memory 1700.

Also, one or more light sources may be installed adjacent to the optical flow sensor. The at least one light source irradiates light onto a predetermined area of the bottom surface, which is photographed by the image sensor. That is, when the mobile robot moves in a specific region along the bottom surface, a certain distance is maintained between the image sensor and the bottom surface when the bottom surface is flat. On the other hand, when the mobile robot moves on the bottom surface of a nonuniform surface, it is distant by a certain distance due to the unevenness and obstacles on the bottom surface. At this time, one or more light sources can be controlled by the control unit 1800 to adjust the amount of light to be irradiated. The light source may be a light emitting device capable of adjusting the amount of light, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

Using the optical flow sensor, the control unit 1800 can detect the position of the mobile robot irrespective of the slip of the mobile robot. The control unit 1800 may compute and analyze the image data photographed by the optical flow sensor over time to calculate the moving distance and the moving direction, and calculate the position of the mobile robot based on the moving distance and the moving direction. By using the image information of the mobile robot under the optical flow sensor, the control unit 1800 can perform a robust correction against the position of the mobile robot calculated by other means.

The three-dimensional camera sensor may be attached to one side or a part of the main body of the mobile robot to generate three-dimensional coordinate information related to the surroundings of the main body.

That is, the three-dimensional camera sensor may be a 3D depth camera that calculates the near distance of the mobile robot and the object to be photographed.

Specifically, the three-dimensional camera sensor can capture a two-dimensional image related to the surroundings of the main body, and can generate a plurality of three-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the captured two-dimensional image.

In one embodiment, the three-dimensional camera sensor includes two or more cameras that acquire an existing two-dimensional image, and a stereoscopic vision sensor that combines two or more images obtained from the two or more cameras to generate three- . ≪ / RTI >

Specifically, the three-dimensional camera sensor according to the embodiment includes a first pattern irradiating unit for irradiating light of a first pattern downward toward the front of the main body, and a second pattern irradiating unit for irradiating the light of the second pattern upward toward the front of the main body A second pattern irradiating unit, and an image acquiring unit acquiring an image in front of the main body. Thus, the image acquiring unit can acquire an image of a region where light of the first pattern and light of the second pattern are incident.

In another embodiment, the three-dimensional camera sensor includes an infrared ray pattern emitting unit for irradiating an infrared ray pattern with a single camera, and captures a shape of the infrared ray pattern irradiated by the infrared ray pattern emitting unit onto the object to be photographed, The distance between the sensor and the object to be photographed can be measured. The three-dimensional camera sensor may be an IR (Infra Red) type three-dimensional camera sensor.

In another embodiment, the three-dimensional camera sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light together with a single camera, receives a part of the laser emitted from the light emitting unit reflected from the object, analyzes the received laser, The distance between the camera sensor and the object to be photographed can be measured. The three-dimensional camera sensor may be a time-of-flight (TOF) type three-dimensional camera sensor.

Specifically, the laser of the above-described three-dimensional camera sensor is configured to irradiate a laser beam extending in at least one direction. In one example, the three-dimensional camera sensor may include first and second lasers, wherein the first laser irradiates a linear laser beam intersecting each other, and the second laser irradiates a single linear laser can do. According to this, the lowermost laser is used to detect obstacles in the bottom part, the uppermost laser is used to detect obstacles in the upper part, and the intermediate laser between the lowermost laser and the uppermost laser is used to detect obstacles in the middle part .

In the following FIG. 5, an embodiment will be described in which the cleaner 100 and the charging station 510 are installed in the cleaning area.

As shown in FIG. 5, the charging station 510 for charging the battery of the cleaner 100 may be installed in the cleaning area 500. In one embodiment, the filling station 510 may be installed outside the cleaning area 500.

5, the charging station 510 is provided with a communication device (not shown) capable of emitting signals of different types, and the communication device is connected to the communication unit 1100 of the vacuum cleaner 100, Can be performed.

The control unit 1800 can control the driving unit 1300 to dock the main body of the vacuum cleaner 100 to the charging station 510 based on the signal received from the charging station 510 to the communication unit 1100. [

The control unit 1800 may move the main body toward the charging station 510 when the remaining capacity of the battery drops below the limit capacity and if the main body is close to the charging station 510, Can be controlled.

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of a general vacuum cleaner having a front camera and a ceiling camera separately will be described with reference to FIG. 6A.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a general vacuum cleaner may include a front camera 601 and a ceiling camera 602, respectively.

Generally, the image photographed by the front camera 601 is used for monitoring running of the cleaner. That is, the controller of the cleaner transmits the image photographed by the front camera 601 to the user terminal or the server, so that the user can monitor the area where the cleaner exists in real time.

Further, the image photographed by the ceiling camera 602 is used for SLAM running of the cleaner. That is, the control unit of the cleaner can detect the position of the cleaner or generate cleaning map information by using the image photographed by the ceiling camera 602.

As described above, since the front camera 601 and the ceiling camera 602 are used for different purposes, the set values of the front camera and the ceiling camera can be set to be different from each other.

For example, since the forward camera 601 used for monitoring running needs to transmit a clear image to the user, the image of relatively bright illumination is captured. On the other hand, the ceiling camera 602 used for running the slam needs to improve the accuracy of the position detection by avoiding the light blur, so that the image of the relatively dark illumination is captured.

The control unit of the general cleaner can set the exposure time of the front camera 601 to be longer than the exposure time of the ceiling camera 602 even if the front camera 601 and the ceiling camera 602 have the same performance have.

As described above, in the case of a general vacuum cleaner, since different setting values are applied to each camera, both a front camera and a ceiling camera are required in order to normally perform both the monitoring driving and the slam driving. It is difficult to remove. In this case, since two or more camera modules need to be installed, the manufacturing cost of the vacuum cleaner increases.

In the following FIG. 6B, an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the cleaner 100 according to the present invention can normally perform both the monitoring running and the slam running using one camera 603.

6A and 6B, the optical axis of the camera 603 of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention can form an angle with the bottom surface of the cleaning area 500 where the main body of the vacuum cleaner 100 is located have. For example, the angle formed by the direction and the bottom surface of the camera 603 of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention may be in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees.

6B, the view angle of the camera 603 of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention may be greater than a predetermined angle. For example, the viewing angle of the camera 603 may be in the range of 90 to 150.

6A and 6B, the viewing angle? 3 of the camera 603 according to the present invention is formed to be wider than the viewing angle? 1 of the front camera and the viewing angle? 2 of the ceiling camera installed in a general vacuum cleaner .

As described above, in comparison with a general vacuum cleaner, by using a camera of a wide angle instead of reducing the number of cameras to one, it is possible to acquire images related to the front of the main body and images related to the ceiling at the same time with only one camera.

However, when the conventional camera control method is applied to the vacuum cleaner 100 having only one camera as shown in FIG. 6B, there is a problem that it is not suitable for performing a plurality of traveling modes. Therefore, in the following, a vacuum cleaner which performs autonomous traveling which can acquire an image having a set value required for a plurality of traveling modes of the vacuum cleaner 100 using only a single camera, and a control method thereof will be described.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 6B, the camera 603 can be formed so that the direction in which the camera is directed can be changed. A mechanical direction adjusting member (not shown) or an electronic direction adjusting member (not shown) is provided at a portion connecting the camera 603 to the main body so that the direction in which the camera 603 is directed can be changed.

7A and 7B, a method of controlling the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the control unit 1800 may start the SLAM running in the first running mode (S701).

In addition, the control unit 1800 can start the monitoring running in the second running mode (S702).

On the other hand, in addition to the slam driving and the monitoring running, the control unit 1800 can execute various driving modes using images photographed by the camera. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the two traveling modes will be mainly described.

The control unit 1800 may alternately change the illuminance value of the camera to the first illuminance value and the second illuminance value at a predetermined interval (S703).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 may set a set value related to the illuminance of the camera as a first illuminance value, when a predetermined number of images are captured, when the camera is started to be imaged. Thereafter, the control unit 1800 may change the set value related to the illuminance of the camera to the second illuminance value while the predetermined number of images are captured. The control unit 1800 may repeatedly perform the process of changing the setting value related to the illuminance of the camera.

At this time, the setting value related to the camera illumination may include a setting value related to the camera exposure time, a setting value related to the illumination output, and a setting value related to the brightness filter.

For example, when the first illuminance value is applied, the number of images taken per unit time by the camera may be equal to or greater than the number of images required per unit time in the first driving mode.

For example, when the second illuminance value is applied, the number of images photographed by the camera per unit time may be equal to or larger than the number of images required per unit time in the second travel mode.

On the other hand, if the first illuminance and the second illuminance are only examples, it does not mean that the controller 1800 according to the present invention selects one of the set values related to the illuminance of the camera.

That is, the control unit 1800 can control the camera such that a predetermined number of images are captured at a plurality of different illuminance levels.

In addition, the control unit 1800 can control the camera such that the number of images photographed in any one of the plurality of illuminations is different from the number of images photographed in the other one of the illuminations.

In addition, the control unit 1800 may perform any one of a plurality of driving modes performed by the cleaner using an image photographed in any one of a plurality of illuminations, And the other of the plurality of traveling modes performed by the cleaner can be performed. At this time, the plurality of running modes may include at least one of an obstacle recognition mode, a monitoring running mode, and a position recognition mode.

In one embodiment, the control unit 1800 can control the camera such that the illuminance of the image used when the position recognition mode is performed is lower than the illuminance of the image used when at least one of the obstacle recognition mode and the monitoring mode is performed have.

The control unit 1800 can execute the slam driving in the first driving mode using the image photographed with the first illumination value (S704).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 can detect the position of the cleaner 100 or generate a cleaning map related to the cleaning area 500 using the image captured at the first illumination value.

For example, the control unit 1800 extracts a portion corresponding to the ceiling portion of the image photographed with the first illumination value, extracts the characteristic point from the extracted portion, and performs the first driving mode using the extracted characteristic point .

The control unit 1800 can execute the monitoring running, which is the second running mode, using the image photographed with the second illumination value (S705).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 can select a part of the images photographed with the second illuminance value, and can control the communication unit 1100 to transmit the selected image to at least one of the server and the user terminal.

Meanwhile, the image photographed with the first illuminance value may be an image photographed darker than the image photographed with the second illuminance value. That is, the first illuminance value may be lower than the second illuminance value.

In addition, the number of images photographed with the second illuminance value may be larger than the number of images photographed with the first illuminance value.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the control unit 1800 can set a plurality of driving modes (S711).

For example, the plurality of running modes set may include slam running and monitoring running.

The control unit 1800 can set a plurality of camera illuminance values based on the plurality of travel modes set (S712).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 can detect information related to the illuminance of the image used in each of the plurality of set travel modes. Further, the controller 1800 can set a plurality of camera illuminance values so that images applicable in the plurality of travel modes are captured using the information related to the detected illuminance.

For example, when the plurality of traveling modes include the first traveling mode and the second traveling mode, the control unit 1800 controls the information relating to the illuminance of the image used in the first traveling mode, Information related to the illuminance of the image can be respectively detected.

Accordingly, the controller 1800 can set the first illuminance value of the camera so that the image applicable to the first driving mode is captured using the information related to the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode.

Similarly, the controller 1800 can set the second illuminance value of the camera so that the image applicable to the second travel mode is captured using the information related to the illuminance of the image used in the second travel mode.

The control unit 1800 may control the camera to photograph an image while changing the illuminance value of the camera based on the plurality of camera illuminance values set (S713).

In one embodiment, the controller 1800 may cross-change the set value associated with the illuminance of the camera so that the camera captures the image with the first illuminance value set and then shoots the image with the second illuminance value set .

In another embodiment, the control unit 1800 may control the illuminance of the camera to photograph a first number of images with the first illuminance value being set, and then photograph a second number of images with the second illuminance value being set Can be changed.

The control unit 1800 can classify the photographed images into a plurality of groups based on the illuminance values (S714).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 classifies the images photographed in the state that the first illumination value is set to be included in the first image group used in the first driving mode, And the second image group used in the second traveling mode.

The control unit 1800 can execute the corresponding driving mode based on the illuminance value of the image included in the classified group (S715).

Specifically, the control unit 1800 can execute the first traveling mode using the images included in the first image group, and can execute the second traveling mode using the images included in the second image group.

In the following FIG. 8A, a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from the forward camera 601 of the general vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 6A will be described.

The front camera 601 may capture a predetermined number of frames per second and the control unit of the general cleaner may select some of the frames photographed by the front camera 601 and transmit the selected frames to the server or the user terminal. Can be controlled. At this time, the controller of the general cleaner does not change the roughness gain of the front camera that determines the brightness of the image, and the front camera photographs the image based on the fixed roughness gain value.

In the following FIG. 8B, a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from the ceiling camera 602 of the general vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 6A will be described.

The ceiling camera 602 may capture a predetermined number of frames per second, and the control unit of the general vacuum cleaner may select some of the frames photographed by the ceiling camera 602 and perform slam driving using the selected frames .

As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, the control unit of the general vacuum cleaner does not change the roughness gain of the ceiling camera that determines the brightness of the image, and the ceiling camera sets the image based on the fixed roughness gain value I shoot.

9A-9C, a method of processing a plurality of frames obtained from a single camera of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is described.

Referring to FIG. 9A, the controller 1800 may change the setting value related to the illuminance of the camera during the continuous shooting of the camera.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 9A, a single camera included in the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention can take a predetermined number of images per second.

At this time, the controller 1800 can control the camera such that some of the predetermined number of images are photographed at the first illuminance L, and the remaining part of the images are photographed at the second illuminance H.

For example, the camera provided in the vacuum cleaner 100 can capture 30 frames per second. At this time, the control unit 1800 can control the camera such that images of three frames out of thirty frames are photographed at the first illuminance (L), and images of the remaining twenty-five frames are photographed at the second illuminance (H) have.

In another example, the first illuminance L may be set lower than the second illuminance H.

On the other hand, when the first driving mode and the second driving mode are selected, the controller 1800 detects information related to the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode and information related to the illuminance of the image used in the second driving mode can do.

That is, the control unit 1800 can detect information related to the brightness of a desired image in each of the plurality of driving modes that the cleaner 100 can execute.

For example, the control unit 1800 may detect the illuminance value of the camera for photographing the image used in the first driving mode or the second driving mode.

In another example, the control unit 1800 may detect an exposure time parameter of the camera for capturing an image used in the first driving mode or the second driving mode.

In addition, when the first and second driving modes are selected, the controller 1800 can detect the number of images used per unit time and the number of images used in the second driving mode in the first driving mode.

That is, the controller 1800 can detect the number of images required in each of the plurality of running modes that the cleaner 100 can execute. More specifically, the control unit 1800 can detect the number of images used per unit time in the first running mode as a first number, and detect the number of images used per unit time in the second running mode as a second number .

Based on the detected illuminance value and the number of images, the control unit 1800 determines whether or not a predetermined number of images photographed in the first and second driving modes, respectively, The illuminance value of the camera can be changed to be included in the frame of the camera.

Specifically, the control unit 1800 includes a first image (L) captured by the first illuminance (L) in a frame generated per unit time by one camera, and an image captured by the second illuminance (H) The camera can be controlled to include more than two cameras.

That is, when the first and second driving modes are selected, the control unit 1800 determines whether the image photographed in the first illuminance (L) is the first image (L) in the acquired image while the camera acquires the predetermined number of images per unit time Or more, and the second number or more images captured in the second illuminance (H) are included.

In addition, the control unit 1800 can classify the images photographed by the camera into a plurality of groups based on the illuminance values of the images.

The control unit 1800 may perform labeling for each image based on the classification result and store the labeled image in the memory 1700. [

The control unit 1800 may execute the first driving mode of the selected driving mode using the image captured in the first illumination after the image is classified as described above. In addition, the controller 1800 can execute the second driving mode of the selected driving mode using the image captured in the second illuminance after the image is classified.

In one embodiment, the first driving mode may be a slam driving mode.

In this case, the control unit 1800 can execute the slam driving by detecting the information related to the position of the main body by using the image photographed in the first illuminance.

Also, the control unit 1800 can generate the map information of the cleaning area in which the main body is located by using the image photographed in the first illuminance.

The image taken at the first illuminance required by the slam driving may be an image at which the relatively dark illuminance value is applied. The control unit 1800 can prevent the light blur in the image and improve the accuracy of the slam driving by applying a relatively dark illumination value to the camera when the slam running is performed.

Meanwhile, the controller 1800 may change the setting value related to the illuminance of the camera within the first illuminance range in order to photograph the image used in the first driving mode.

That is, the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode is not fixed to any one of the illuminance values, and the controller 1800 controls the camera 1800 such that a plurality of images used in the first driving mode are photographed with a plurality of illuminance values Can be controlled. An embodiment in which a plurality of images used in the same driving mode are respectively photographed with a plurality of illumination values is described in more detail in Fig. 9C.

In another embodiment, the second running mode may be a monitoring running mode.

Specifically, the control unit 1800 may control the communication unit 1100 to transmit at least one of the images taken at the second illuminance to the server or the user terminal.

In addition, the controller 1800 may control the communication unit 1100 to select a predetermined number of images from the images taken at the second illuminance and transmit the selected images to at least one of the server and the user terminal.

The control unit 1800 may determine the sharpness of each of the images captured in the second illuminance, select an image whose determined sharpness is equal to or greater than a predetermined sharpness value, and transmit the selected image to at least one of the server and the user terminal. Can be controlled.

The control unit 1800 can select an image corresponding to a predetermined order among the images taken at the second illuminance and control the communication unit 1100 to transmit the selected image to at least one of the server and the user terminal.

For example, the control unit 1800 may display images corresponding to the first, fourth, seventh, tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, Can be selected.

The control unit 1800 may increase or decrease the number of images transmitted to at least one of the server and the user terminal through the communication unit 1100 when receiving a predetermined user input to at least one of the server and the user terminal have.

In this case, the control unit 1800 can select an increased or decreased number of images from the second illuminance image, and can control the communication unit 1100 to transmit the selected image to at least one of the server and the user terminal .

In this way, the control unit 1800 may set a setting value related to the illuminance of the camera during the continuous shooting of the image so that the images captured at different illuminances are included in a plurality of frames photographed by one camera Can be changed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, a single camera provided in the vacuum cleaner 100 can generate 30 frames per second.

Specifically, the controller 1800 controls the camera 1800 such that the first frame, the fifteenth frame, and the thirtieth frame of the thirty frames are photographed at the first illuminance L and the remaining 27 frames are photographed at the second illuminance H, Can be controlled.

According to such camera control, the cleaner 100 according to the present invention can acquire images photographed with a plurality of illuminance using one camera.

9A, the controller 1800 may select some of the frames photographed in the second illuminance H and execute the second travel mode using a selected portion of the frames.

For example, the time interval between selected frames may be constant. That is, when selecting an image to be used in the second driving mode, the control unit 1800 can select the image so that the shooting times between the images are uniform.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the photographing of the camera is started, the controller 1800 may perform the first illuminance control for controlling the camera such that a predetermined number of images are photographed at the first illuminance L.

In addition, the controller 1800 may perform the second illumination control for controlling the camera so that the predetermined number of images are captured at the second illumination after the first illumination control is completed.

Although only 30 frames are shown in FIG. 9A, the controller 1800 may repeat the first and second roughness controls in sequence.

Referring to FIG. 9B, each time the camera generates a frame, the control unit 1800 may cross-change the set values related to the illuminance of the camera to the first illuminance L and the second illuminance H, respectively. That is, the controller 1800 can control the camera so that the image captured in the first illuminance and the image captured in the second illuminance are sequentially and repeatedly generated.

In FIGS. 9A and 9B, a specific method for changing the set value related to the illuminance of the camera has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 9C, the control unit 1800 may change a set value related to the illuminance of the camera within the first illuminance range in order to photograph an image used in the first driving mode. In addition, the control unit 1800 may change the setting value related to the illuminance of the camera within the second illuminance range in order to photograph the image used in the second travel mode.

That is, the illuminance of the image used in one driving mode is not fixed to any one of the illuminance values, and the controller 1800 controls the camera 1800 such that a plurality of images used in the one driving mode are photographed with a plurality of illuminance values, Can be controlled.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the control unit 1800 sets a set value related to the illuminance of the camera to a first set value (L1), a second set value The value L2, and the third set value L3, respectively.

At this time, the first to third set values L1, L2, and L3 may be included in the first illuminance range.

9C, the controller 1800 sets the set value related to the illuminance of the camera to a fourth set value H1 at a plurality of times at which a plurality of images used in the second driving mode are captured, 5 set value H2, and the sixth set value H3, respectively.

At this time, the fourth to sixth set values H1, H2, and H3 may be included in the second illuminance range.

In one embodiment, when the first driving mode is started, the control unit 1800 sets a setting value related to the illuminance of the camera as a first setting value L1 at the time of shooting an image used in the first driving mode . At this time, the first set value L1 may be a default value.

When the main body enters the area brighter than the area in which the first driving mode is started during the first driving mode, the control unit 1800 sets a setting related to the illuminance of the camera at the time of shooting the image used in the first driving mode Value to the second set value L2.

When the main body enters the darker area than the area in which the first driving mode is started during the first driving mode, the controller 1800 controls the illuminance of the camera at the time of shooting the image used in the first driving mode The related set value can be changed to the third set value L3.

The control unit 1800 can use the sensing value of an illuminance sensor (not shown) provided outside the main body to determine whether the main body enters a region darker than the previous region or enters a region brighter than the previous region have.

In this way, the control unit 1800 can change setting values related to the illuminance of the camera for each frame so that the images photographed by one camera can be used in a plurality of driving modes.

In one embodiment, the control unit 1800 can allocate a frame generated by one camera per unit time for each selected driving mode.

9C, the controller 1800 can assign the first frame, the fifteenth frame, and the thirtieth frame to the first driving mode, and the remaining 27 frames to the second driving mode.

If the brightness of the image used in the first driving mode is changed while the first driving mode is being performed, the control unit 1800 controls the illuminance of the camera at a time corresponding to the frame allocated to the first driving mode The related setting value can be changed.

10, a control method of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 10, the single camera 1001 of the present invention can capture images of up to 30 frames per second.

The illumination control unit 1801 included in the control unit 1800 can change the setting value related to the illuminance of the single camera 1001 while the single camera 1001 is continuously shooting.

In addition, the illumination control unit 1801 included in the control unit 1800 can group images photographed with the same illuminance, and store the images in the memory 1100 for each group.

On the other hand, the illumination control unit 1801 included in the control unit 1800 can allocate and allocate 30 frames photographed per second to a plurality of driving modes. The illumination control unit 1801 groups the frames assigned to the same traveling mode and stores them in the memory 1100 for each group.

For example, the plurality of running modes may include a monitoring running mode 1002, a slam running mode 1004, and a deep running recognition mode 1003.

At this time, the illumination control unit 1801 can group the 26 frames allocated to the monitoring running mode. The monitoring unit 1802 included in the control unit 1800 may transmit the 26 frames allocated to the monitoring running mode to the user terminal so that the 26 frames are displayed on the terminal screen 1002.

Further, the illumination control unit 1801 can group the three frames assigned to the slam driving mode. The control unit 1800 can execute slam driving using the three frames allocated to the slam driving mode.

In addition, the illumination control unit 1801 can assign one frame to the deep learning driving mode, and the control unit 1800 compares one frame allocated to the deep learning driving mode with the training data stored in advance in the memory, It is possible to detect information related to the subject of one frame assigned to the running running mode.

For example, the information associated with the subject may include information related to whether the subject is an object or a creature.

In yet another example, the information associated with the subject may include information related to the Species corresponding to the subject, if the subject is an organism.

In another example, the information associated with the subject may include information related to the name of the subject, if the subject is an object.

In another example, the information associated with the subject may include information related to the size and shape of the subject.

In another example, the information related to the object may include information related to the number of objects included in the frame allocated to the deep running mode.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that a plurality of traveling modes can be normally performed while using only one camera by changing the set values of the camera as needed.

That is, according to the control method of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, the number of cameras installed in the main body can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the vacuum cleaner.

Further, according to the present invention, an image having a set value required in a plurality of traveling modes can be obtained by using one camera, so that an effect of reducing the data processing amount of the cleaner can be obtained.

In addition, according to the present invention, since a plurality of traveling modes can be performed using information obtained from one camera, efficiency of data processing is increased.

Claims (27)

main body;
A driving unit for moving the main body;
A camera for capturing an image of the periphery of the main body; And
And a control unit for controlling the driving unit to move the main body to at least one of a plurality of driving modes by using an image photographed through the camera,
Wherein the controller controls the camera to photograph an image with different illuminance values for each of the plurality of travel modes. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
An image having a first illuminance is photographed when traveling in a first driving mode among the plurality of driving modes,
And controls the camera to photograph an image having a second illuminance different from the first illuminance when the vehicle travels in a second driving mode different from the first driving mode among the plurality of driving modes vacuum cleaner. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein the image processing apparatus executes one of a plurality of traveling modes performed by the cleaner using an image photographed by any one of a plurality of illuminations,
Wherein one of the plurality of traveling modes performed by the cleaner is performed using an image photographed by the other one of the plurality of illuminations. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the plurality of traveling modes include at least one of an obstacle recognition mode, a monitoring mode, and a position recognition mode. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller controls the camera so that the illuminance of the image used when the position recognition mode is performed is lower than the illuminance of the image used when at least one of the obstacle recognition mode and the monitoring mode is performed. Performing cleaner. The method according to claim 1,
The camera captures a predetermined number of images per unit time,
Wherein,
Wherein the camera is controlled so that the predetermined number of images are photographed in a plurality of different illuminance. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein,
Wherein the camera is controlled such that the number of images photographed in any one of the plurality of illuminations is different from the number of images photographed in the other one of the illuminations. The method according to claim 1,
The camera acquires images of 30 frames per second,
Wherein,
The image of three frames among the images of the 30 frames is photographed at the first illuminance and the image of the remaining 27 frames is photographed at the second illuminance,
Wherein the first illuminance is set lower than the second illuminance. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein information related to the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode and information related to the illuminance of the image used in the second driving mode are detected when the first driving mode and the second driving mode are selected, A vacuum cleaner that performs autonomous driving. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein,
Wherein when the first and second traveling modes are selected, the number of images used per unit time in the first traveling mode and the number of images used in the second traveling mode are detected. vacuum cleaner. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the illuminance of the image used in the first driving mode is the first illuminance,
Wherein the number of images used per unit time in the first driving mode is a first number,
The illuminance of the image used in the second travel mode is the second illuminance,
If the number of images used per unit time in the first driving mode is a second number,
Wherein,
Wherein when the first and second traveling modes are selected, the first and second images captured by the first illuminance are included in the acquired image while the camera acquires a predetermined number of images per second, Wherein the controller controls the camera so that the number of images photographed by the camera is greater than or equal to a second number. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
And classifies the images photographed by the camera into a plurality of groups based on the illuminance values of the images. 13. The method of claim 12,
And a memory for storing an image photographed by the camera,
Wherein,
Performing labeling of the image based on the classification result,
And stores the labeled image in the memory. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein,
A first driving mode of the selected driving mode is executed using the image picked up by the first roughness after the image is classified and a second driving mode of the selected driving mode is selected by using the image photographed by the second roughness Wherein the self-running vehicle is an automobile. 15. The method of claim 14,
The first driving mode is a SLAM driving mode,
Wherein,
Wherein the first traveling mode is executed by detecting information related to a position of the main body using an image photographed with the first roughness. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller generates map information of a cleaning area in which the main body is located by using the image photographed in the first roughness. 16. The method of claim 15,
Further comprising a sensor for detecting brightness of a cleaning area where the main body is located,
Wherein,
Determines whether the brightness around the main body has been changed based on the detection result of the sensor,
Wherein the illuminance value of the camera is changed in order to correct the illuminance value of the image used in the first driving mode based on the determination result. 15. The method of claim 14,
And a communication unit for performing communication with the outside,
The second running mode is a monitoring running mode,
Wherein,
And controls the communication unit to transmit at least one of the images captured by the second illuminance to the server or the user terminal. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein,
Selecting a predetermined number of images among the images photographed by the second illuminance,
And controls the communication unit to transmit the selected image to at least one of the server and the user terminal. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein,
Determining sharpness of each of the images photographed by the second illuminance,
And selects an image having a determined sharpness value equal to or greater than a predetermined sharpness value. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein,
And selects an image corresponding to a predetermined order among images photographed in the second illuminance. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein,
Wherein the control unit increases or decreases the number of images transmitted to at least one of the server and the user terminal when receiving a predetermined user input through at least one of the server and the user terminal through the communication unit,
And selects an increased or decreased number of images of the images taken with the second illuminance. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
A first illuminance control for controlling the camera so that a predetermined number of images are photographed at the first illuminance when the photographing of the camera is started,
Wherein the second illuminance control is performed to control the camera such that a predetermined number of images are captured at the second illuminance upon completion of the first illuminance control. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein,
Wherein the first roughness control and the second roughness control are sequentially and repeatedly performed. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the optical axis of the camera forms a predetermined angle with the bottom surface of the cleaning area where the main body is located. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the viewing angle of the camera is formed to be greater than a predetermined angle. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the set value related to the illuminance of the camera includes at least one of a set value related to the exposure time of the camera, a set value related to the illumination output, and a set value related to the filter.

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