KR101397103B1 - Robot cleaner and method for controlling travel the same - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner that improves the running performance of a robot cleaner and a running control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a robot cleaner which is capable of smoothly moving forward and backward in a rotating direction of a driving wheel for moving a robot cleaner and a brush unit for sweeping dust on a bottom surface in the same direction, .

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner and a driving control method thereof, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner and a driving control method thereof that improve the running performance of the robot cleaner.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a robot cleaner is a device that performs a cleaning operation by suctioning foreign substances such as dust from a floor surface while traveling an area to be cleaned by itself without user's operation.

The robot cleaner is provided with a pair of drive wheels for moving the robot cleaner body on the lower sides of the main body so that the main body of the robot cleaner can move forward, backward, or rotate the cleaning area. The robot cleaner easily moves forward or backward on the floor where the robot cleaner runs, such as floor or floor tile. However, on the floor such as a carpet, the driving resistance is large due to a lot of hair of the carpet, which makes it difficult for the robot cleaner to move forward or backward. Particularly during the cleaning operation by rotating the brush unit in one direction (forward direction), the forward movement of the robot cleaner becomes easier due to the forward rotation of the brush unit, but the backward travel becomes more difficult. This is because the driving wheel changes the direction of rotation in the forward or backward direction for forward or backward movement of the robot cleaner, but the brush unit rotates in the forward direction constantly. Therefore, much more force is required for the robot cleaner to move backward, and in a severe case, the robot cleaner may not be able to move backward.

The present invention proposes a robot cleaner that improves the running performance of the robot cleaner, such that the robot cleaner can smoothly run forward and backward on a floor having a large running resistance, such as a carpet.

To this end, the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a main body; A drive wheel for moving the main body; A brush unit for sweeping dust on the floor while rotating; And a control unit for controlling the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel when the main body is retracted.

Further, the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a brush motor for rotating the brush unit in normal and reverse directions, and a driving motor for rotating the driving wheel in normal and reverse directions, wherein the control unit controls the driving wheel and the brush unit to rotate in the same direction .

Further, the control unit controls the front-rear running of the main body by changing the rotating direction of the brush unit according to the change of the rotating direction of the driving wheel.

The control unit controls the brush motor to relatively rapidly rotate at an early stage when the rotation direction of the brush unit starts to change, and to decrease the rotation speed of the brush motor relatively when the rotation direction of the brush unit is changed do.

Further, a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body; A drive wheel for moving the main body; A brush unit for sweeping dust on the floor while rotating; And a control unit for controlling the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel according to the state of the floor surface when the main body is moved backward.

Further, the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a road surface sensor for detecting the condition of the floor surface, and if the state of the floor surface is a road surface with a large running resistance, the brush unit may rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel And a control unit.

Further, the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a drive sensor for detecting the movement of the drive wheels, and the controller may control the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the drive wheels if motion of the drive wheels is not detected .

Further, the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a driving motor for rotating the driving wheel in normal and reverse directions, and a load sensor for detecting a load applied to the driving motor. So as to rotate in the same direction.

A driving control method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: detecting a rotating direction of a driving wheel for moving a robot cleaner; Determining a rotating direction of the brush unit in accordance with a rotating direction of the driving wheel; And the driving wheel and the brush unit are rotated in the same direction in accordance with the determined direction of rotation of the brush unit, so that the robot cleaner is moved forward and backward.

The rotation direction of the brush unit is determined by changing the rotation direction of the brush unit to a direction in which the robot cleaner advances smoothly when the driving wheel rotates in the forward direction.

The rotation direction of the brush unit is determined by changing the rotation direction of the brush unit to a direction in which the backward travel of the robot cleaner is smooth when the driving wheel rotates in the backward direction.

Further, the driving control method of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes sensing the state of the bottom surface, and determining the rotating direction of the brush unit is performed when the state of the bottom surface is a road surface with a large running resistance And the rotation direction of the brush unit is changed so that the brush unit rotates in the same direction as the driving wheel.

Further, the driving control method of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes detecting the movement of the driving wheels, and the determination of the rotating direction of the brush unit is performed when the motion of the driving wheels is not detected, And the rotation direction of the brush unit is changed so as to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel.

Further, the driving control method of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes detecting a load applied to the driving wheels, and the rotating direction of the brush unit is determined when the load is equal to or greater than the reference value, And the rotation direction of the brush unit is changed so as to rotate in the same direction as the rotation direction of the brush unit.

In addition, the driving control method of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, when the direction of rotation of the brush unit starts to change relatively early, the brush unit is relatively rotated, And controlling the rotation speed of the brush unit to be reduced.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the brush unit for sweeping the dust on the bottom surface while rotating with the rotation direction of the driving wheel for moving the robot cleaner rotates in the same direction, The running performance can be improved by making the running smoothly.

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

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention And Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the brush unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, a robot cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 forming an outer appearance, a driving device (not shown) installed at a lower portion of the main body 10 to move the robot cleaner 10 20 for cleaning the robot cleaner 1, and brush devices 30, 40 for sweeping or scattering the dust on the floor running by the robot cleaner 1.

In addition to the driving device 20 and the brush devices 30 and 40, the main body 10 may be provided with a contact sensor and a proximity sensor capable of detecting an obstacle. For example, the bumper 11 installed at the front of the main body 10 can be used to detect an obstacle such as a wall, and an infrared sensor (or an ultrasonic sensor) installed at the bottom of the main body 10 can detect obstacles . The main body 10 may further include a display device 12 to inform the user of the status or operation of the robot cleaner 1.

The driving device 20 includes a pair of driving wheels 21 and 22 installed on both sides of the center of the main body 10 to control the movement of the robot cleaner 1, And a caster wheel 23 whose angle of rotation changes according to the state of the floor on which the wheel 1 moves. The caster wheel 23 supports the robot cleaner 1 by being used for stabilizing the posture of the robot cleaner 1 and preventing falling, and is constituted by a roller or a caster-shaped wheel.

The two driving wheels 21 and 22 rotate in the forward or backward direction respectively according to a command from the control unit to be described later so that the robot cleaner 1 can be moved forward, backward, or rotated. For example, both the driving wheels 21 and 22 are rotated in the forward or backward direction so that the robot cleaner 1 travels forward or backward. The robot cleaner 1 is rotated in the leftward direction with respect to the front direction by rotating the right driving wheel 22 in the forward direction while rotating the left driving wheel 21 in the backward direction, The robot cleaner 1 rotates in the right direction with respect to the front.

The brush devices 30 and 40 include a main brush device 30 provided adjacent to the suction port 14 formed on the bottom surface of the main body 10 to improve the suction efficiency of dust and to sweep or scatter dust on the floor, And a side brush device 40 installed below the both front side surfaces of the robot cleaner 1 for sweeping the dust on the floor running by the robot cleaner 1 toward the suction port 14. [

The main brush device 30 has a drum shape that is horizontally disposed adjacent to the suction port 14 at a length corresponding to the suction port 14 and rotates in a roller manner relative to the floor so as to sweep or scatter dust adhering to the floor And a brush motor 32 for rotating the brush unit 31 in the forward or backward direction.

In addition, the brush unit 31 includes a roller 33 and a brush 34. The roller 33 is formed of a rigid body and is rotatably coupled to the main body 10 and is driven by a brush motor 32. An end cap 33a is provided at both ends of the roller 33 to prevent foreign matter from moving to the brush motor 32. [ The brush 34 is formed of an elastic material and is mounted on the roller 33. The brush 34 is moved along with the roller 33 while the robot cleaner 1 is running to remove dust or foreign matter Churned.

The brush unit 31 may further include a flap 35 formed of an elastic material. The plurality of flaps 35 are installed in the longitudinal direction of the roller 33, but spaced apart from each other by a certain distance. The plurality of flaps 35 enlarge the diameter by which the foreign material such as hair can be wound, and minimize the frictional force with foreign matter. That is, the foreign matter is wound on the plurality of flaps 35 without being wound directly on the roller 33, so that the contact friction of the foreign matter is minimized, and the energy required for removing the foreign matter can be reduced.

The side brush device 40 is installed on both sides of the front portion of the main body 10 at regular intervals and is rotated in a horizontal plane with respect to the floor so as to sweep the dust adhering to the bottom running on the robot cleaner 1 toward the suction port 14 Side brushes 41 are provided on both sides.

Further, the robot cleaner 1 of the present invention includes a dust collecting device for sucking and storing foreign matter such as dust by using a suction force.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the robot cleaner 1 includes a sensor unit 100 for sensing various types of information about the robot cleaner 1, A control unit 110 for controlling the rotation direction and speed of the brush unit 31 in cooperation with the rotation direction (forward or backward direction) of the driving wheels 21 and 22, And a drive motor 120 for driving the drive wheels 21 and 22 in the forward or backward direction.

The sensor unit 100 includes a driving sensor 102 for sensing the movement of the driving wheels 21 and 22, a road surface sensor 104 for detecting the condition of the bottom surface of the robot cleaner 1, 120) for detecting a load applied to the vehicle.

The driving sensor 102 senses all information related to the driving of the driving wheels 21 and 22 such as the rotational direction of the driving wheels 21 and 22 and the transmitted torque and transmits the information to the controller 110.

The road surface sensor 104 senses whether the floor on which the robot cleaner 1 travels is a rigid road surface such as a floor or a long tile or a carpet or the like to detect whether the road surface is fluffy and has a large road resistance, do.

The load sensor 106 senses a load (torque or current value) applied to the driving motor 120 and transmits the sensed load to the control unit 110.

Hereinafter, the operation of the robot cleaner and its operation control method will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a traveling motion of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a rotating direction of a driving wheel and a brush unit during forward travel of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention And FIG. 8 is a view showing a rotating direction of a driving wheel and a brush unit when the robot cleaner is moving backward according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6, when the robot cleaner 1 is operated, the controller 110 determines whether the cleaning operation is started (Step 200). If the cleaning operation is started, the controller 110 transmits a driving command to the driving motors 120 installed on the driving wheels 21 and 22 So that the robot cleaner 1 can move forward, backward, or rotate while the driving wheels 21 and 22 are rotated in a forward or backward direction (forward or backward direction).

When the robot cleaner 1 is running, the controller 110 rotates the brush unit 31 to perform a cleaning operation. At this time, the robot cleaner 1 is smoothly moved forward and backward according to the rotation of the brush unit 31 The driving direction of the driving wheels 21 and 22 is detected by the driving sensor 102 and transmitted to the control unit 110 (204).

Accordingly, the controller 110 determines the rotation direction of the brush unit 31 in accordance with the rotation direction (forward or backward direction) of the driving wheels 21 and 22 detected by the driving sensor 102 (206).

For example, when the driving wheels 21 and 22 are advanced in the forward direction (forward direction) for forward travel of the robot cleaner 1, the brush unit 31 is also moved forward so that the robot cleaner 1 can be smoothly moved forward The rotation direction of the brush unit 31 is determined so as to rotate in the advancing direction (forward direction), and when the driving wheels 21 and 22 are rotated in the backward direction for the backward travel of the robot cleaner 1, The unit 31 also determines the rotating direction of the brush unit 31 so as to rotate in the direction in which the backward running of the robot cleaner 1 can be performed smoothly, that is, in the backward direction (reverse direction) .

7, when the driving wheels 21 and 22 are rotated forward (in the forward direction) of the robot cleaner 1, the brush motor 32 also receives the drive command of the controller 110 When the driving wheels 21 and 22 are rotated in the forward direction (the forward direction) in the same manner as the wheels 21 and 22 and are rotated in the reverse direction (reverse direction) of the robot cleaner 1, The brush motor 32 receives the driving command of the controller 110 and rotates in the same direction as the driving wheels 21 and 22 to reverse the direction of the driving wheels 21 and 22 to perform a cleaning operation of sucking foreign substances such as dust from the floor surface (208).

When the driving wheels 21 and 22 change the forward or reverse direction of rotation of the robot cleaner 1 in the forward or reverse direction, the brush unit 31 also receives the drive command of the controller 110, The robot cleaner 1 can be smoothly moved forward and backward by simultaneously changing the direction of rotation of the robot cleaner 1 to the forward direction or the reverse direction. In particular, it is possible to improve the running performance on a floor having a large running resistance such as a carpet.

Thereafter, the control unit 110 determines whether the cleaning operation has been completed (210). If the cleaning operation is not completed, the controller 110 feeds back the operation to step 204 and repeats the subsequent operations.

If it is determined in step 210 that the cleaning operation is completed, the controller 110 stops driving the driving motor 120 and brush holder 32 to stop the cleaning operation (step 212).

6 shows a state in which the control unit 110 simultaneously transmits a driving command to the driving motor 120 and the brush motor 32 so as to substantially simultaneously change the rotating direction of the driving wheels 21 and 22 and the rotating direction of the brush unit 31 The driving wheels 21 and 22 and the brush unit 31 are rotated by changing the direction of rotation of the driving wheels 21 and 22 by transmitting a driving command only to the driving motor 120 in the control unit 110, Are rotated in opposite directions will be described. This is because the hard floor surface such as the floor or the long tile does not greatly affect the direction of rotation of the brush unit 31. Therefore, only the bottom surface having a large running resistance, such as a carpet, A case in which the rotation direction of the rotor 31 is changed will be described. At this time, the rotation direction of the brush unit 31 can be changed using the information sensed through the sensor unit 100.

As an example, a case of using the drive sensor 102 will be described. When the robot cleaner 1 moves backward and the driving wheels 21 and 22 and the brush unit 31 rotate while running in opposite directions to each other and the floor surface or the obstacle having a large running resistance is encountered, 21, and 22 may not be able to rotate even if there is a drive command of the controller 110. In this case, the driving sensor 102 senses the movement of the driving wheels 21 and 22 and notifies the controller 110 of the movement. Accordingly, the controller 110 transmits a driving command to the brush motor 32 to control the brush unit 31 to rotate in the same direction as the driving motor 120.

As another example, a case in which the road surface sensor 104 is used will be described. When the robot cleaner 1 is backed up and the driving wheels 21 and 22 and the brush unit 31 travel while rotating in opposite directions to each other and the floor surface having a large running resistance is encountered, And detects the floor condition of the large road surface, and transmits the detection result to the controller 110. Accordingly, the controller 110 transmits a driving command to the brush motor 32 to control the brush unit 31 to rotate in the same direction as the driving motor 120.

As another example, a case of using the load sensor 106 will be described. When the robot cleaner 1 is moved backward and the driving wheels 21 and 22 and the brush unit 31 travel while rotating in opposite directions to each other and the floor surface having a large running resistance is encountered, When the load becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, the load sensor 106 senses the load and transmits the detected load to the controller 110. Accordingly, the controller 110 transmits a driving command to the brush motor 32 to control the brush unit 31 to rotate in the same direction as the driving motor 120.

The control unit 110 causes a relatively large torque to be transmitted to the brush motor 32 at an initial stage when the rotational direction of the brush unit 31 starts to be changed and when the rotational direction of the brush unit 31 is changed A relatively small torque is transmitted to the brush motor 32 so that the rotation speed of the brush motor 32 is increased in order to overcome the resistance of the robot during the backward movement of the robot cleaner 1, Since the driving resistance is not greatly generated, the rotational speed of the brush motor 32 is reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption and noise reduction.

1 is a top perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a bottom perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a bottom view of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view of a brush unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a control block diagram of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a rotating direction of a driving wheel and a brush unit during forward travel of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a rotating direction of a driving wheel and a brush unit during backward travel of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

1: robot cleaner 10: main body

20: drive device 21, 22: drive wheel

30: Main brush device 31: Brush unit

32: brush motor 100: sensor part

102: drive sensor 104: road surface sensor

106: load sensor 110:

112: drive motor

Claims (15)

delete delete delete delete main body; A driving wheel for moving the main body; A brush unit for sweeping dust on the floor while rotating; A road surface sensor for sensing a state of the bottom surface; And a controller for controlling the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel according to a state of the bottom surface when the main body is retracted, Wherein the controller controls the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel if the bottom surface state is a road surface having a large running resistance. delete 6. The method of claim 5, Further comprising a drive sensor for sensing movement of the drive wheels, The controller transmits a driving command for controlling the rotating direction to the driving wheel and transmits a driving command rotating in the same direction as the rotating direction to the brush unit when the motion of the driving wheel is not detected, And rotates in the same direction as the driving wheel. 6. The method of claim 5, Further comprising: a drive motor for rotating the drive wheels in normal and reverse directions; and a load sensor for detecting a load applied to the drive motor, Wherein the controller controls the brush unit to rotate in the same direction as the driving wheel when the load is equal to or greater than a reference value. Detecting a rotating direction of a driving wheel for moving the robot cleaner; Detecting the condition of the floor surface; Determining a rotation direction of the brush unit according to a rotation direction of the driving wheel; Rotating the driving wheel and the brush unit in the same direction according to the determined rotation direction of the brush unit, Determining the direction of rotation of the brush unit, And changing the rotating direction of the brush unit so that the brush unit rotates in the same direction as the driving wheel if the state of the bottom surface is a road surface having a large running resistance. 10. The method of claim 9, Determining the direction of rotation of the brush unit, Wherein when the driving wheel rotates in the forward direction, the rotational direction of the brush unit is changed to a direction in which the forward travel of the robot cleaner is smoothly performed. 10. The method of claim 9, Determining the direction of rotation of the brush unit, And when the driving wheel rotates in the backward direction, the rotation direction of the brush unit is changed to a direction in which the backward travel of the robot cleaner is smoothly performed. delete 10. The method of claim 9, A controller for detecting movement of the driving wheels, Further comprising transmitting a drive command for controlling the rotation direction to the drive wheels before detecting a rotation direction of the drive wheels for moving the robot cleaner, Determining the direction of rotation of the brush unit, Wherein the driving unit is configured to transmit a driving command to the brush unit in the same rotational direction as that of the driving wheel so that the rotation of the brush unit rotates in the same direction as the driving wheel, And the direction of rotation of the robot cleaner is changed. 10. The method of claim 9, Further comprising sensing a load on the drive wheels, Determining the direction of rotation of the brush unit, And changes the rotating direction of the brush unit so that the brush unit rotates in the same direction as the driving wheel if the load is equal to or greater than a reference value. 10. The method of claim 9, And controlling the brush unit to relatively rotate at an early stage when the rotational direction of the brush unit starts to be changed so that the rotational speed of the brush unit relatively decreases when the rotational direction of the brush unit is changed Wherein the robot cleaner is a traveling robot.

Images