KR20210089461A - A robot cleaner using artificial intelligence and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a robot cleaner using artificial intelligence comprises: a driving unit moving a main body; a cleaning unit performing a cleaning function; a sensing unit sensing a surrounding environment; an image sensing unit photographing the surrounding environment to acquire image data; a transceiving unit transmitting a signal through a wireless network; and a control unit performing cleaning in a cleaning area to generate a map for the cleaning area based on the image data and information sensed through the sensing unit and the image sensing unit, and controlling to perform homing in a route passing through an area in which the wireless network can be used. Therefore, the wireless network strength of each area can be provided while providing a space map similar to real indoor space. Also, a homing signal can be provided for a user terminal by changing to a route in which the wireless network can be used when homing by providing the space map and the wireless network strength together.

Description

{A ROBOT CLEANER USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner and a control method of the robot cleaner, and more particularly, to a sensing and driving technology of the robot cleaner using artificial intelligence.

Robots have been developed for industrial use and have been a part of factory automation.

Recently, the field of application of robots has been further expanded, and medical robots and aerospace robots have been developed, and household robots that can be used in general households are also being made. Among these robots, those capable of driving by their own force are called mobile robots. A typical example of a mobile robot used at home is a robot vacuum cleaner.

Various technologies for detecting the environment and the user around the robot cleaner through various sensors provided in the robot cleaner are known. In addition, techniques are known in which a robot cleaner learns and maps a cleaning area by itself, and recognizes a current location on a map. A robot vacuum cleaner is known that cleans a cleaning area while driving in a predetermined manner.

In addition, in the prior art (Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0003764), a map (grid map) for the cleaning area is processed into a form that is easy for the user to check (such as an outline change), and a cleaning command input through the map A method for cleaning a cleaning area according to the present invention is disclosed.

Meanwhile, in the prior art (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0050898, it is disclosed that data such as lidar and camera create a three-dimensional indoor map using the Wi-Fi reception signal strength.

However, in the prior art, there is a very large deviation between the map and the WiFi reception strength by recording the WiFi reception strength for the data exchange location with the server, rather than recording the information on the actual strength of the WiFi reception signal on the map. connect.

Korea Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0003764 (Publication date: July 18, 2018) Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0050898 (Published date: April 28, 2014)

The first task is to provide a cleaning robot that can provide a spatial map similar to an actual indoor space while also providing the wireless network strength of each area.

A second object is to provide a cleaning robot capable of providing a homing signal to a user terminal by changing a route to a wireless networkable route during homing by providing a spatial map and a wireless network strength together.

And, a third object is to provide a cleaning robot capable of recommending a location change of the charging stand to the point where the network connection is successful when the wireless network signal is weak or not captured at the charging stand.

An embodiment of the present invention is a traveling unit for moving the main body; janitors performing cleaning functions; a sensing unit for sensing the surrounding environment; an image sensing unit to obtain image data by photographing the surrounding environment; a transceiver for transmitting a signal through a wireless network; and cleaning the cleaning area, generating a map for the cleaning area based on the information and the image data sensed through the sensing unit and the image sensing unit, and performing homing in a path passing through the wireless networkable area It provides a robot cleaner comprising; a control unit for controlling to do so.

The map may display the physical shape information of the cleaning area and the wireless network information together.

The control unit may create a basic map having only physical information on the cleaning area from the sensed information obtained from the sensing unit.

The control unit may generate a map that separately displays a wireless network possible area from the transceiver in the base map of the cleaning area.

The control unit may periodically obtain information on the strength of the current wireless network signal in the cleaning area, and display the current location as the wireless network available area if the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

The controller may generate a homing path from the cleaning end position to the cradle, and determine whether the homing path passes through the wireless network available area.

When the homing path does not pass through the wireless networkable area, the controller may generate a modified modified homing path to pass through the wireless networkable area.

The controller may transmit homing completion information to the user terminal when reaching the wireless network available area while performing homing along the changed homing path.

The robot cleaner may collect information and image data on the cleaning area while cleaning in an edge mode or a zigzag mode.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention proceeds to cleaning the cleaning area, obtaining a detection signal through the sensing unit, and obtaining image data by photographing the surrounding environment from the image sensing unit; generating a map for a cleaning area based on the detection signal, the image data, and wireless network information; And it provides a control method of a robot cleaner comprising the step of proceeding to the homing path through the wireless network possible area.

The map may display physical shape information and wireless network information for the cleaning area together.

The step of forming the map may include creating a basic map having only physical information on the cleaning area from the obtained detection signal and the image data, and

It may include generating a map separately indicating the wireless network available area in the base map of the cleaning area.

The generating of the map may include periodically obtaining information on the strength of a current wireless network signal in the cleaning area, and displaying the current location as the wireless network available area if the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

The generating of the map may include generating a homing path from the cleaning end position to the cradle, and determining whether the homing path passes through the wireless networkable area.

The step of determining whether the homing path passes through the wireless networkable area may include, if the homing path does not pass through the wireless networkable area, generating a modified modified homing path to pass through the wireless networkable area. may include more.

In the homing step, homing completion information may be transmitted to the user terminal when the wireless network coverage area is reached while performing homing along the changed homing path.

Through the above solution, the present invention can provide a wireless network strength of each area while providing a spatial map similar to an actual indoor space. In addition, by providing the spatial map and the wireless network strength together, the homing signal can be provided to the user terminal by changing the route to a wireless networkable route during homing. In addition, when the wireless network signal is weak or not captured at the charging station, it may be recommended to change the location of the charging station to the point where the network connection is successful.

1 is a block diagram of a smart home system including a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view illustrating a robot cleaner and a charging stand for charging the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an elevation view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 2 as viewed from above.
4 is an elevation view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 2 viewed from the front.
5 is an elevation view of the robot cleaner of FIG. 2 viewed from the lower side.
6 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between main components of the robot cleaner of FIG. 2 .
7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a homing path of FIG. 7 .
9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating spatial maps for explaining the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 .
10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a user terminal according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 .

In the comparative comparison expressed linguistically/mathematically throughout this description, 'less than or equal to (hereinafter)' and 'less than (less than)' are degrees that are easily substituted for each other from the standpoint of those skilled in the art, and 'greater than or equal '(Above)' and 'greater than (exceed)' are degrees that can be easily substituted with each other from the standpoint of those skilled in the art, and even if substituted in implementing the present invention, it is of course not a problem to exert the effect.

Expressions referring to directions such as “before (F) / after (R) / left (Le) / right (Ri) / up (U) / down (D)” mentioned below are defined as shown in the drawings, but , This is for the purpose of explaining the present invention to the extent that it can be clearly understood, and it goes without saying that each direction may be defined differently depending on where the reference is placed.

For example, the front may mean a main traveling direction of the robot cleaner or a main traveling direction of a pattern traveling of the robot cleaner. Here, the main traveling direction may mean a vector sum of directions traveling within a predetermined time.

The use of terms such as 'first, second', etc. added before the components mentioned below is only to avoid confusion of the components referred to, and is irrelevant to the order, importance, or master-slave relationship between the components. . For example, an invention including only the second component without the first component can also be implemented.

In the drawings, the thickness or size of each component is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of description. In addition, the size and area of each component do not fully reflect the actual size or area.

In addition, angles and directions mentioned in the process of explaining the structure of the present invention are based on those described in the drawings. In the description of the structure in the specification, if the reference point for the angle and the positional relationship are not clearly mentioned, reference is made to the related drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided with one or more robot cleaners 100 to provide a service at a prescribed place such as a house. For example, the robot system may include the robot cleaner 100 that provides a cleaning service of a designated place at home or the like. In particular, the robot cleaner 100 may provide a dry, wet, or dry/wet cleaning service according to the functional blocks it includes.

Preferably, the robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of artificial intelligence robot cleaners 100 and a server 2 capable of managing and controlling the plurality of artificial intelligence robot cleaners 100. have.

The server 2 may remotely monitor and control the status of the plurality of robot cleaners 100 , and the robot system may provide a more effective service using the plurality of robot cleaners 100 .

The plurality of robot cleaners 100 and the server 2 may be provided with a communication means (not shown) supporting one or more communication standards to communicate with each other. In addition, the plurality of robot cleaners 100 and the server 2 may communicate with a PC, a mobile terminal, or another external server 2 .

For example, the plurality of robot cleaners 100 and the server 2 are implemented to communicate wirelessly with wireless communication technologies such as IEEE 802.11 WLAN, IEEE 802.15 WPAN, UWB, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Blue-Tooth, etc. can be The robot cleaner 100 may vary depending on the communication method of the server 2 or another device to communicate with.

In particular, the plurality of robot cleaners 100 may implement wireless communication with other robots 100 and/or the server 2 through a 5G network. When the robot cleaner 100 wirelessly communicates through a 5G network, real-time response and real-time control are possible.

The user may check information about the robots 100 in the robot system through the user terminal 3 such as a PC or a mobile terminal.

The server 2 is implemented as a cloud server 2, and the cloud server 2 is interlocked with the robot 100 to monitor and control the robot cleaner 100 and provide various solutions and contents remotely. have.

The server 2 may store and manage information received from the robot cleaner 100 and other devices. The server 2 may be a server 2 provided by a manufacturer of the robot cleaner 100 or a company entrusted with a service by the manufacturer. The server 2 may be a control server 2 that manages and controls the robot cleaner 100 .

The server 2 may control the robot cleaners 100 in the same batch or for individual robot cleaners 100 . On the other hand, the server 2, information and functions may be distributed to a plurality of servers, may be configured as a single integrated server.

The robot cleaner 100 and the server 2 are provided with a communication means (not shown) supporting one or more communication standards, and can communicate with each other.

The robot cleaner 100 may transmit space, object, and usage related data to the server 2 .

Here, the data is space and the object-related data is the recognition-related data of the space and the object recognized by the robot cleaner 100, or the space and the object acquired by the image acquisition unit It may be image data for (Object).

According to the embodiment, the robot cleaner 100 and the server 2 are artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the form of software or hardware trained to recognize at least one of the properties of objects such as users, voices, properties of space, and obstacles. ) may be included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the robot cleaner 100 and the server 2 are a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), a Deep Belief Network (DBN), etc. It may include a deep neural network (DNN). For example, the control unit 140 of the robot cleaner 100 may be equipped with a deep neural network structure (DNN) such as a convolutional neural network (CNN).

The server 2 learns a deep neural network (DNN) based on data received from the robot cleaner 100, data input by a user, etc., and then transfers the updated deep neural network (DNN) structure data to the robot 1 . can be transmitted Accordingly, the structure of a deep neural network (DNN) of artificial intelligence included in the robot 100 may be updated.

In addition, the usage-related data (Data) is data obtained according to the use of the robot cleaner 100, and may correspond to usage history data, a detection signal obtained from a sensor unit, and the like.

The learned deep neural network structure (DNN) may receive input data for recognition, recognize properties of people, things, and spaces included in the input data, and output the result.

In addition, the learned deep neural network structure (DNN) receives input data for recognition, analyzes and learns usage-related data of the robot cleaner 100 to recognize usage patterns, usage environments, etc. have.

Meanwhile, space, object, and usage related data may be transmitted to the server 2 through the communication unit.

After the server 2 learns a deep neural network (DNN) based on the received data, the updated deep neural network (DNN) structure data may be transmitted to the artificial intelligence robot cleaner 100 to be updated.

Accordingly, the robot 100 may become smarter and provide a user experience (UX) that evolves as it is used.

Meanwhile, the server 2 may provide information about the control and current state of the robot cleaner 100 to the user terminal, and may generate and distribute such an application for controlling the robot cleaner 100 .

This application may be an application for a PC applied as the user terminal 3, or may be an application for a smartphone.

As an example, it may be an application for controlling a smart home appliance, such as a SmartThinQ application, which is an application capable of simultaneously controlling and supervising various electronic products of the present applicant.

The robot cleaner 100 includes a body 110 . Hereinafter, in defining each part of the main body 110, the portion facing the ceiling in the traveling zone is defined as the upper surface portion (see FIG. 3), and the portion facing the floor in the traveling zone is defined as the bottom portion (refer to FIG. 5). And, a portion facing the traveling direction among the portions forming the circumference of the main body 110 between the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion is defined as a front portion (refer to FIG. 4 ). In addition, a portion facing in the direction opposite to the front portion of the body 110 may be defined as the rear portion. The body 110 may include a case 111 that forms a space in which various parts constituting the robot cleaner 100 are accommodated.

The robot cleaner 100 includes a sensing unit 130 that detects a surrounding situation. The sensing unit 130 may sense external information of the robot cleaner 100 . The sensing unit 130 detects a user around the robot cleaner 100 . The sensing unit 130 may detect an object around the robot cleaner 100 .

The sensing unit 130 may sense information about the cleaning area. The sensing unit 130 may detect obstacles such as walls, furniture, and cliffs on the driving surface. The sensing unit 130 may sense information about the ceiling. The sensing unit 130 may include an object placed on the driving surface and/or an external upper object. The external upper object may include a ceiling or a lower surface of furniture disposed in an upper direction of the robot cleaner 100 . Through the information sensed by the sensing unit 130 , the robot cleaner 100 may map the cleaning area.

The sensing unit 130 may sense information about a user around the robot cleaner 100 . The sensing unit 130 may sense the location information of the user. The location information may include direction information for the robot cleaner 100 . The location information may include distance information between the robot cleaner 100 and the user. The sensing unit 130 may detect a direction of the user with respect to the robot cleaner 100 . The sensing unit 130 may detect a distance between the user and the robot cleaner 100 .

The location information may be directly obtained by sensing by the sensing unit 130 or may be obtained by processing by the control unit 140 .

The sensing unit 130 may include an image sensing unit 135 that senses an image around it. The image sensing unit 135 may detect an image in a specific direction with respect to the robot cleaner 100 . For example, the image sensing unit 135 may detect an image in front of the robot cleaner 100 . The image sensing unit 135 captures the driving area and may include a digital camera. The digital camera includes at least one optical lens and an image sensor (eg, CMOS image sensor) configured to include a plurality of photodiodes (eg, pixels) on which an image is formed by light passing through the optical lens. and a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to construct an image based on the signals output from the photodiodes. The digital signal processor may generate a still image as well as a moving image composed of frames composed of still images.

The sensing unit 130 may include a distance sensing unit 131 that detects a distance to a surrounding wall. The distance between the robot cleaner 100 and the surrounding wall may be detected through the distance sensing unit 131 . The distance sensing unit 131 detects a distance to the user in a specific direction of the robot cleaner 100 . The distance sensor 131 may include a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, or an IR (infrared) sensor.

The distance sensing unit 131 may be disposed on the front portion of the main body 110 or may be disposed on the side portion.

The distance sensing unit 131 may detect a nearby obstacle. A plurality of distance sensing units 131 may be provided.

The sensing unit 130 may include a cliff sensing unit 132 that detects whether a cliff exists on the floor in the driving zone. A plurality of cliff detection units 132 may be provided.

The sensing unit 130 may further include a lower image sensor 137 that acquires an image of the floor.

The robot cleaner 100 includes a traveling unit 160 that moves the main body 110 . The traveling unit 160 moves the body 110 with respect to the floor. The driving unit 160 may include at least one driving wheel 166 for moving the main body 110 . The driving unit 160 may include a driving motor. The driving wheels 166 may be respectively provided on the left and right sides of the main body 110 , and are hereinafter referred to as a left wheel 166 (L) and a right wheel 166 (R), respectively.

The left wheel 166(L) and the right wheel 166(R) may be driven by one driving motor, but if necessary, the left wheel drive motor and the right wheel 166(R) for driving the left wheel 166(L) ) may be provided with right-wheel drive motors respectively. The traveling direction of the main body 110 may be switched to the left or right by making a difference in the rotational speeds of the left wheel 166(L) and the right wheel 166(R).

The robot cleaner 100 includes a cleaning unit 180 that performs a cleaning function.

The robot cleaner 100 may move the cleaning area and clean the floor by the cleaner 180 . The cleaning unit 180 includes a suction device for sucking foreign substances, brushes 184 and 185 for performing brooming, a dust bin (not shown) for storing foreign substances collected by the suction device or brush, and/or a mop part for mopping. (not shown) and the like.

A suction port 180h through which air is sucked may be formed at the bottom of the main body 110 . In the main body 110, a suction device (not shown) that provides a suction force so that air can be sucked through the suction port 180h, and a dust container (not shown) that collects dust sucked together with air through the suction port 180h This may be provided.

An opening for insertion and removal of the dust container may be formed in the case 111 , and a dust container cover 112 for opening and closing the opening may be rotatably provided with respect to the case 111 .

A roll-type main brush 184 having brushes exposed through the suction port 180h, and an auxiliary brush 185 positioned on the front side of the bottom surface of the body 110 and having a brush composed of a plurality of radially extended wings. may be provided. The rotation of these brushes 184 and 185 removes dust from the floor in the driving area, and the dust separated from the floor is sucked through the suction port 180h and collected in the dust container.

The battery 138 may supply power required for the overall operation of the robot cleaner 100 as well as the driving motor. When the battery 138 is discharged, the robot cleaner 100 may perform a driving to return to the charging station 200 for charging, and during this return driving, the robot cleaner 100 may self-locate the charging station 200 . can be detected.

The charging station 200 may include a signal transmitting unit (not shown) for transmitting a predetermined return signal. The return signal may be an ultrasonic signal or an infrared signal, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

On the other hand, the image sensing unit 135 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 110 to acquire an image of the ceiling in the blue area, but the position and shooting range of the image sensing unit 135 are not necessarily limited thereto. . For example, the image sensing unit 135 may be provided to acquire an image of the front of the main body 110 .

In addition, the robot cleaner 100 may further include a manipulation unit (not shown) capable of inputting On/Off or various commands.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the robot cleaner 100 includes a storage unit 150 for storing various data. Various data necessary for controlling the robot cleaner 100 may be recorded in the storage unit 150 . The storage unit 150 may include a volatile or non-volatile recording medium. The recording medium stores data that can be read by a microprocessor, and includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like.

A map of the cleaning area may be stored in the storage unit 150 . The map may be input by an external terminal capable of exchanging information with the robot cleaner 100 through wired or wireless communication, or may be generated by the robot cleaner 100 learning itself. In the former case, examples of the external terminal include a remote controller, a PDA, a laptop, a smart phone, a tablet, etc. equipped with an application for setting a map.

The map may display locations of a plurality of nodes corresponding to a plurality of points in the cleaning area (one-to-one correspondence). Each area within the cleaning area may be displayed on the map. Also, the current location of the robot cleaner 100 may be displayed on the map. The current position of the robot cleaner 100 on the map may be updated during the driving process.

The driving displacement measuring unit 165 may measure the driving displacement based on the image acquired by the image sensing unit 135 . The traveling displacement is a concept including a moving direction and a moving distance of the robot cleaner 100 . For example, the traveling displacement measuring unit 165 may measure the traveling displacement through continuous pixel comparison of a floor image that varies according to the continuous movement of the robot cleaner 100 .

Also, the traveling displacement measuring unit 165 may measure the traveling displacement of the robot cleaner 100 based on the operation of the traveling unit 160 . For example, the control unit 140 may measure the current or past moving speed, the distance traveled, etc. of the robot cleaner 100 based on the rotational speed of the driving wheel 136 , and each driving wheel 136(L) ) and 136(R)) according to the direction of rotation, the current or past direction change process can also be measured.

The traveling displacement measuring unit 165 may measure the traveling displacement by using at least one of the distance sensing unit 131 and the image sensing unit 135 .

The controller 140 may recognize the position of the robot cleaner 100 on the map based on the measured traveling displacement.

The transmitter 170 may transmit information about the robot cleaner to another robot cleaner or a central server. The receiver 190 may receive information from another robot cleaner or a central server. Information transmitted by the transmitter 170 or information received by the receiver 190 may include configuration information of the robot cleaner.

In this case, the receiver 190 and the transmitter 170 may periodically read the strength of the wireless network signal within the driving area and transmit it to the controller 140 .

That is, the receiver 190 may periodically detect a signal strength of a wireless network, for example, a Wi-Fi signal, and transmit it to the controller 140 together with a time, a location, and a wireless network id.

The robot cleaner 100 includes a control unit 140 that processes and determines various types of information. The controller 140 may perform information processing for learning the cleaning area. The controller 140 may perform information processing for recognizing the current location on the map. The control unit 140 includes various components constituting the robot cleaner 100 (eg, a traveling displacement measuring unit 165 , a distance sensing unit 131 , an image sensing unit 135 , a traveling unit 160 , and a transmitting unit). 170 , the receiving unit 190 , etc.) can control the overall operation of the robot cleaner 100 .

The control method according to the present embodiment may be performed by the controller 140 . The present invention may be a control method of the robot cleaner 100, and may be a robot cleaner 100 including a control unit 140 for performing the control method. The present invention may be a computer program including each step of the control method, or a recording medium in which a program for implementing the control method in a computer is recorded. The 'recording medium' refers to a computer-readable recording medium. The present invention may be a mobile robot control system including both hardware and software.

The controller 140 of the robot cleaner 100 processes and determines various types of information, such as mapping and/or recognizing a current location. The controller 140 may be provided to map the cleaning area through the image and learning and to recognize the current location on the map. That is, the controller 140 may perform a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) function.

The controller 140 may control the driving of the driving unit 160 . The controller 140 may control the operation of the cleaning unit 180 .

The robot cleaner 100 includes a storage unit 150 for storing various data. The storage unit 150 records various types of information required for control of the robot cleaner 100 , and may include a volatile or nonvolatile recording medium.

The real cleaning area may correspond to the cleaning area on the map. The cleaning area may be defined as a range including all areas on a plane in which the robot cleaner 100 has a driving experience and an area on a plane in which the robot cleaner 100 is currently traveling.

The controller 140 may determine the movement path of the robot cleaner 100 based on the operation of the driving unit 160 . For example, the control unit 140 may determine the current or past moving speed, the distance traveled, etc. of the robot cleaner 100 based on the rotation speed of the driving wheel 166, and each driving wheel 166(L) , 166(R)), the current or past direction change process can also be grasped according to the rotation direction. The position of the robot cleaner 100 on the map may be updated based on the driving information of the robot cleaner 100 identified in this way. Also, the position of the robot cleaner 100 on the map may be updated using the image information.

Specifically, the controller 140 controls the driving of the robot cleaner 100 and controls the driving of the driving unit 160 according to a set driving mode. As the driving mode of the driving unit 160 , a zigzag mode, an edge mode, a spiral mode, or a complex mode may be selectively set.

The zigzag mode is defined as a mode of cleaning while driving in a zigzag spaced apart from a wall surface or an obstacle by a predetermined distance or more. Edge mode is defined as a mode that attaches to a wall and cleans while driving in a zigzag manner. The helical mode is defined as a helical cleaning mode within a certain area centered on one place in the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the controller 140 creates a map of the cleaning area. That is, the controller 140 may form a spatial map of the cleaning area based on the location recognized through the prior cleaning and the images acquired at each point. The controller 140 may also update the previously generated map, classify the shape of the cleaning area of the generated spatial map according to a condition, and match the cleaning method according to the classified shape. In addition, the control unit 140 calculates the efficiency of cleaning in a cleaning method matched with cleaning in the basic mode, and performs cleaning of the robot cleaner 100 in a high-efficiency method.

The control unit 140 generates a base map according to the sensing signal of the sensing unit 130 , specifically, the sensing signals from the distance sensing unit 131 and the cliff sensing unit 132 . Such a basic map may be a general grid map, and may be created based on a direction in which the robot cleaner 100 rotates while driving, a straight movement distance, a separation distance from a wall, and the like.

The controller 140 may extract spatial information from the image data from the image sensor 135 and may generate a spatial map by adding the extracted spatial information to the base map.

The control unit 140 may further include a map forming unit for forming the spatial map, but may be processed together within the control unit 140 .

The map generator generates a base map through a detection signal obtained through prior cleaning, and adds spatial information from image data to the base map to generate a spatial map. In this case, the map generator may extract spatial information, which is detailed information about a space, from image data continuously captured and generated, and add it to the spatial map.

Specifically, the map generator may extract a straight line from continuous image data and extract a vanishing point. In addition, edges can be extracted by matching straight lines, and angles can be calculated. It can also be triangulated to estimate the depth of a straight line. It is also possible to extract the width of the space and the height of the space from such spatial information. In addition, when an obstacle is detected from the image data, the map generator can determine the size of the obstacle not only in width and length but also in height through an algorithm such as a convolutional neural network technique, and information on what kind of object the obstacle is can be extracted up to In this way, the names and sizes of obstacles can be defined, and the information on the obstacles can also be reflected in the spatial map to form the final spatial map.

Unlike a two-dimensional basic map having a general lattice structure, this final spatial map consists of walls and walls to partition the space, and is shown to be partitionable so that the space between the wall and the wall can be distinguished from other spaces. have.

The map generator may divide the cleaning area into a plurality of cleaning areas so that cleaning can be performed by driving at once based on the final spatial map.

The formation of the final spatial map and the division of the cleaning area can be performed by the map generating unit, but can be collectively performed by the control unit 140 as described above.

The controller 140 may divide the cleaning zone according to the area of the mapped cleaning zone to match an optimal cleaning method according to the shape of each sub-cleaning zone divided.

The controller 140 may recognize the current location by using at least one of the distance sensor 131 and the image sensor 135 and recognize the current location on the map.

The input unit 171 may receive On/Off or various commands. The input unit 171 may include a button, a key, or a touch-type display. The input unit 171 may include a microphone for voice recognition.

The output unit 173 may notify the user of various types of information. The output unit 173 may include a speaker and/or a display.

In this way, the control unit 140 performs cleaning and maps the cleaning area using the obtained information, reads the strength of the wireless network signal existing in the cleaning area through the transmitter and the receiver 190 and maps it to a spatial map It can be reflected when selecting the homing path of the robot cleaner 100 by showing it together.

Hereinafter, a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 .

7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a homing path generation method of FIG. 7, and FIGS. 9A and 9B are FIGS. 7 and 8 . It is a diagram illustrating a space map explaining a flowchart, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a user terminal according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 .

In each of the flowcharts, overlapping contents are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

The control method may be performed by the controller 140 . Each step of the flowchart drawings of the control method and combinations of the flowchart drawings may be performed by computer program instructions. The instructions may be mounted on a general purpose computer or a special purpose computer, etc., and the instructions create a means for performing the functions described in the flowchart step(s).

It is also possible in some embodiments for the functions recited in the steps to occur out of order. For example, it is possible that two steps shown one after another may in fact be performed substantially simultaneously, or that the steps may sometimes be performed in the reverse order depending on the corresponding function.

Referring to FIG. 7 , in the control method according to an embodiment, cleaning start information is received through the server 2 or the user terminal 3 .

At this time, the robot cleaner 100 proceeds to clean the cleaning area from the current position (S100).

The control unit 140 performs cleaning while driving in the cleaning area, and accumulates each detection signal by sensing the cleaning area.

In this case, the driving during cleaning may be performed in an edge mode or a zigzag mode.

Specifically, the robot cleaner 100 acquires data for a general grid map as shown in FIG. 9A by sensing the surrounding environment through the distance sensing unit 131 through an ultrasonic sensor or the like.

That is, while proceeding to the edge mode or the zigzag mode, a grid map as shown in FIG. 9A can be created while classifying the drivable area and the non-drivable area from the distance detection unit 131 through the obstacle detection sensor, and the grid map created at this time is used as the base map. can be defined as

In addition, the control unit 140 forms a base map by analyzing the image data obtained from the camera module through the image sensing unit 135 as well as the distance sensing unit 131 in cleaning for forming the basic map (S110).

That is, spatial information may be determined from the image data obtained by the image sensing unit 135 as shown in FIG. 9A . That is, by superimposing spatial information obtained from continuously photographed image data, final spatial information may be grasped. In this case, in order to grasp spatial information, the controller 140 may perform algorithms such as straight line extraction, vanishing point extraction, straight line matching, and triangulation for straight line depth estimation.

Next, the control unit 140 periodically detects a signal of the wireless network in the corresponding cleaning area (S120).

Such a wireless network signal detection may be performed through the receiving unit 190, and the receiving unit 190, for example, detects a signal strength of a wireless network signal received from a Wi-Fi receiver and controls data on the corresponding signal strength (140) send to

The controller 140 reads the data on the wireless network signal strength received from the receiver 190 and determines whether the wireless network signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold value at the current location ( S130 ).

In this case, the threshold value may be defined as a signal strength at which communication can proceed smoothly when the robot cleaner 100 wirelessly communicates data to the server 2 or the user terminal 3 through a corresponding wireless network.

When the received wireless network signal strength is greater than or equal to the threshold, the controller 140 displays the current location as wireless network available and includes the current location as the wireless network available area A on the map (S140).

Next, the controller 140 controls the traveling unit 160 of the robot cleaner 100 to move to the next cleaning area, start cleaning, perform mapping, and repeat the above operation (S150).

In this way, when cleaning is performed by moving to the last cleaning area, the cleaning is completed, the mapping to the last cleaning area is completed, and the entire map for the area is completed and provided to the server (2) and the user terminal (3). can be (S160).

The entire map created in this way, as shown in FIG. 9A, based on the grid map for each zone, the current position of the robot cleaner 100 and the position of the cradle 200 are displayed, and the wireless network possible area (A) is displayed can be

In this case, the corresponding wireless network available area A may be expressed in a circular or oval shape, and may be expressed in the form of a contour line or a shade according to the intensity according to an embodiment.

Next, the control unit 140 creates a homing path returning to the cradle 200 from the current position, that is, the position where cleaning is completed (S170).

In this case, the homing path may be generated by determining whether a wireless network is possible on the path, and homing driving may be performed along the changed homing path in which the path is modified from the shortest path by reflecting whether the wireless network is possible ( S180 ).

The generation of such a homing path will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , when the cleaning of the cleaning area is completed ( S160 ), the controller 140 determines whether a wireless network is possible at the current location, that is, the current location ( n0 ) of the robot cleaner 100 for which cleaning is completed ( S160 ). S171).

The robot cleaner 100 must perform data transmission through a wireless network in order to transmit a homing start signal or a homing end signal for homing to the user terminal 3 or the server 2 .

In this case, the controller 140 of the robot cleaner 100 may determine whether the current location n0 is included in the wireless networkable area A displayed on the final map.

As shown in FIG. 9B , when the current location n0 is not included in the networkable area, the control unit 140 of the robot cleaner 100 is the access point AP of the wireless networkable area A at the shortest distance. Creates a corrected modified homing path moving to (S172).

That is, referring to FIG. 9B , the homing path for the controller 140 to hom from the current location n0 to the cradle 200 can be set as the shortest path ignoring the wireless networkable area A, such as P1.

At this time, the homing path P1 goes straight from the current position (n0) to the first node (n1) located above it, then changes the direction to go straight to the second node (n2), and from the second node (n2) to the cradle 200 ) through the third node n3 in the middle, and then homing after changing direction.

If the homing path of the shortest distance does not pass through the wireless network possible area A, it is not possible to report the current status of homing to the server 2 or the user terminal 3 at all, and the cradle 200 Homing can proceed until

Accordingly, the controller 140 of the robot cleaner 100 may generate a homing path changed to the shortest path passing within the wireless networkable area A among the homing paths.

The changed homing path P2 is changed from the first node n1 to the fifth node n5 in the wireless networkable area A as shown in FIG. 9B , and the fifth node n5 to the second node n2 and the third The cradle 200 may be reached through the node n3.

At this time, the robot cleaner 100 from the fifth node n5, which is the access point AP, transmits homing information to the user terminal 3 (S173), and as shown in FIG. information about the may be displayed.

That is, by transmitting cleaning completion and homing information to the user terminal 3 in advance from the fifth node n5, which is an access point, while homing is performed to the user terminal 3 by the changed homing path P2, the user terminal 3 and the server ( 2) can transmit homing status information.

When homing to the cradle 200 according to the changed homing path P2, the robot cleaner 100 transmits homing completion to the server and transmits all information on the homing path P1 and the changed homing path P2 to the server 2 together (S174). ).

Accordingly, when the cradle 200 does not exist within the wireless networkable area, the user may receive such final map information and homing path information and move the cradle 200 to the wireless networkable area.

2: Server 3: User terminal
100: robot cleaner 120: sensing unit
140: control unit 150: storage unit
160: driving unit 135: image sensing unit
180: cleaner 200: charging station

Claims (16)

a driving unit for moving the body;
janitors performing cleaning functions;
a sensing unit for sensing the surrounding environment;
an image sensing unit to obtain image data by photographing the surrounding environment;
a transceiver for transmitting a signal through a wireless network; and
Cleaning the cleaning area, generating a map for the cleaning area based on the information and the image data sensed through the sensing unit and the image sensing unit, and homing through the wireless networkable area a control unit to control;
A robot vacuum cleaner comprising a. According to claim 1,
the map is
A robot cleaner characterized in that the physical shape information of the cleaning area and the wireless network information are displayed together. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit is
A robot cleaner, characterized in that it creates a basic map having only physical information about the cleaning area from the sensed information obtained from the sensing unit. 4. The method of claim 3,
The control unit is
A robot cleaner, characterized in that it generates a map separately indicating a wireless network possible area from the transceiver in the base map of the cleaning area. 5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit is
Obtaining information on the strength of the current wireless network signal periodically in the cleaning area, and displaying the current location as the wireless network available area if the strength of the signal is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the robot cleaner. 6. The method of claim 5,
The control unit is
Creating a homing path from the cleaning end position to the cradle, and determining whether the homing path passes through the wireless networkable area, the robot cleaner. 7. The method of claim 6,
The control unit is
When the homing path does not pass through the wireless networkable area, a modified homing path modified to pass through the wireless networkable area is generated. 8. The method of claim 7,
The control unit is characterized in that it transmits homing completion information to the user terminal when the wireless network possible area is reached while performing homing along the changed homing path. According to claim 1,
The robot vacuum cleaner,
A robot cleaner characterized in that it collects information and image data on the cleaning area while cleaning in an edge mode or a zigzag mode. cleaning the cleaning area, obtaining a detection signal through the sensing unit, and obtaining image data by photographing the surrounding environment from the image sensing unit;
generating a map for a cleaning area based on the detection signal, the image data, and wireless network information; and
homing to a path through the wireless network coverage area
A control method of a robot cleaner comprising a. 11. The method of claim 10,
the map is
A control method of a robot cleaner, characterized in that the physical shape information and wireless network information for the cleaning area are displayed together. 12. The method of claim 11,
The step of forming the map is
creating a basic map having only physical information about the cleaning area from the obtained detection signal and the image data; and
generating a map separately indicating the wireless networkable area in the base map of the cleaning area
A control method of a robot cleaner comprising a. 13. The method of claim 12,
Creating the map includes:
In the cleaning area, information on the strength of the current wireless network signal is obtained periodically in the cleaning area, and if the strength of the signal is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the current location is displayed as the wireless network available area, the control method of a robot cleaner. 14. The method of claim 13,
The generating of the map includes: generating a homing path from the cleaning end position to the cradle; and
determining whether the homing path traverses the wireless networkable area;
A control method of a robot cleaner comprising a. 15. The method of claim 14,
The step of determining whether the homing path passes through the wireless networkable area comprises:
When the homing path does not pass through the wireless networkable area, the method further comprising the step of generating a modified homing path to pass through the wireless networkable area, the control method of the robot cleaner. 16. The method of claim 15,
The homing step is
When homing is performed along the changed homing path and reaches the wireless network available area, homing completion information is transmitted to a user terminal.

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