Electronic device and its control method

Abstract

An electronic device includes a processor configured to identify a first distance based on a position of a first pixel that receives reflected light, and identify a second distance based on a position of a second pixel that receives reflected light, and calculate a difference between the first distance and the second distance, and identify whether the reflected light is reflected light reflected by an object or reflected light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another object based on the distance obtained by the calculation and the moving distance of the electronic device identified by a second sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an electronic device capable of detecting an object and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the latest development of electronic technology, various types of electronic devices are being developed, such as autonomous driving vehicles (i.e., without a human driver) that perform autonomous driving, automated guided vehicles that transport goods to a destination, and robotic cleaners that move around in a home and space and perform cleaning.

[0003] The above types of electronic devices need to detect an object around the electronic device or the distance between the electronic device and the detected object to prevent collision with the object when driving or moving in an autonomous manner. Recently, to assist in detecting an object and the distance, electronic devices on which a light source-based sensor (e.g., an image sensor or a lidar sensor, etc.) is installed are being developed.

[0004] In an electronic device of the prior art on which a light source-based sensor is installed, the electronic device emits light, and if the reflected light is received, the electronic device recognizes that there is an object around the electronic device. However, the reflected light may not be light directly reflected from the object, but may be light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again on another object (e.g., a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.). In the latter case, there is an accuracy problem because the electronic device of the prior art may recognize an object that actually does not exist as being present around it. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical Problem

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device and a control method thereof that can distinguish between reflected light reflected by an object and reflected light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another object (e.g., a ground or a wall surface, etc.).

[0007] Technical Solution

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a light source configured to emit light; a first sensor configured to receive reflected light based on the light emitted from the light source, where the reflected light includes first reflected light and second reflected light; a second sensor configured to detect a moving distance of the electronic device; and a processor configured to: based on receiving the first reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source at a first pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identify a first distance based on the position of the first pixel in the first sensor that receives the first reflected light, based on receiving the second reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source at a second pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identify a second distance based on the position of the second pixel in the first sensor that receives the second reflected light, obtain a distance difference between the first distance and the second distance, and based on the distance difference and the moving distance of the electronic device detected by the second sensor, identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected on the object and then reflected by another surface.

[0009] The electronic device may further include a memory configured to store distance information regarding distances respectively associated with rows of a plurality of pixels, where the processor is further configured to: identify the first distance based on information regarding the row of the first pixel that receives the first reflected light, and identify the second distance based on information regarding the row of the second pixel that receives the second reflected light.

[0010] The processor may further be configured to: based on the distance difference being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, identify the reflected light as light reflected by an object, and based on the distance difference exceeding the predetermined threshold, identify the reflected light as light reflected again by another surface.

[0011] The processor may further be configured to identify pixels among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor whose brightness value is greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels that receive the reflected light.

[0012] The plurality of pixels included in the first sensor may output electronic signals with different amplitudes according to the amount of reflected light received on each of the plurality of pixels, and the processor may further be configured to identify pixels among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor that output an electronic signal with an amplitude greater than or equal to a predetermined amplitude as pixels that receive the reflected light.

[0013] The processor may further be configured to: based on receiving the reflected light at pixels in different rows of the same column among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, control the second sensor to detect the moving distance of the electronic device.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for an electronic device, the control method including: receiving information about reflected light based on light radiated from a light source, where the reflected light includes first reflected light and second reflected light; identifying a first distance based on the row of a first pixel that receives the first reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source among a plurality of pixels included in a first sensor; identifying a second distance based on the row of a second pixel that receives the second reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor; obtaining a distance difference between the first distance and the second distance; and identifying whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected on the object and then reflected by another surface based on the distance difference and the moving distance of the electronic device detected by a second sensor.

[0015] The control method may further include storing distance information about distances respectively associated with the rows of the plurality of pixels, where identifying the first distance includes identifying the first distance based on information about the row of the first pixel that receives the first reflected light, and identifying the second distance includes identifying the second distance based on information about the row of the second pixel that receives the second reflected light.

[0016] The identification may include: identifying the reflected light as light reflected by an object based on the distance difference being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and identifying the reflected light as light reflected again by another surface based on the distance difference exceeding the predetermined threshold.

[0017] The control method may further include: identifying pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor whose brightness values are greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels that receive the reflected light.

[0018] The control method may further include: identifying pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor whose output of an electronic signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined amplitude as pixels that receive the reflected light.

[0019] The control method may further include: controlling the second sensor to detect the moving distance of the electronic device based on the reflected light received at pixels in different rows in the same column among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device including: a light source configured to radiate light having a specific pattern; a sensor configured to receive reflected light based on the light; and a processor configured to identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected by the object and then reflected again by another surface based on the specific pattern of the radiated light and the pattern of the reflected light received at the sensor.

[0021] The processor may also be configured to: based on the reflected light having a specific pattern, identify the reflected light as being reflected by an object, and based on the reflected light having a pattern symmetrical to the specific pattern, identify the reflected light as being reflected again by another object.

[0022] The specific pattern may include one of a pattern that is asymmetrical between the upper and lower sides, a pattern that is asymmetrical between the left and right sides, or a pattern that is asymmetrical between the upper, lower, left, and right sides, and wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the reflected light having a pattern symmetrical to the specific pattern, identify the reflected light as light reflected again by another surface.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device, comprising: a memory configured to store one or more instructions; and a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions to perform the following operations: receive reflected light information corresponding to reflected light captured by a sensor, wherein the reflected light information includes first reflected light information and second reflected light information; identify a first distance based on the first reflected light information; identify a second distance based on the second reflected light information; obtain a difference between the first distance and the second distance; and based on the difference, identify whether the reflected light information corresponds to a direct reflection of light from the surface of an object.

[0024] The first distance may be identified based on the position of a first pixel corresponding to the reflected light in the first reflected light information, and the second distance may be identified based on the position of a second pixel corresponding to the reflected light in the second reflected light information.

[0025] The sensor may include a first sensor located at a first position and a second sensor located at a second position different from the first position, and the first reflected light information may be provided by the first sensor, and the second reflected light information is provided by the second sensor.

[0026] The first reflected light information may correspond to first reflected light captured at a first time, and the second reflected light information corresponds to second reflected light captured at a second time different from the first time.

[0027] The processor may also be configured to, based on the difference and based on a moving distance detected by another sensor, identify whether the reflected light information corresponds to light reflected from a first surface onto a second surface and then reflected from the second surface onto the sensor, and wherein the first surface is the surface of an object.

[0028] Beneficial effects

[0029] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, an electronic device and a control method thereof can be provided, and the electronic device can distinguish reflected light reflected by an object and reflected light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another object (for example, a ground or wall surface, etc.). Description of the Drawings

[0030] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

[0031] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 2a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 2b is a flowchart showing the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0034] Figure 3a is a diagram showing an example of light radiated by an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 3b is a diagram showing the reflected light received at a sensor according to an embodiment;

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram showing information about the distance matching each row of pixels according to an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 5a is a diagram showing an example of an electronic device receiving multiple reflected lights according to an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 5b is a diagram showing the reflected light received at a sensor according to an embodiment;

[0039] Figure 6a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0040] Figure 6b is a flowchart showing the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0041] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic device radiating light at a first position and a second position according to an embodiment;

[0042] Figure 8a is a diagram showing the reflected light received at the first position according to an embodiment;

[0043] Figure 8b is a diagram showing the reflected light received at the second position according to an embodiment;

[0044] Figure 9a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0045] Figure 9bis a flowchart for illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0046] Figure 10a is a diagram for illustrating reflected light of a triangular pattern according to an embodiment;

[0047] Figure 10b is a diagram for illustrating reflected light of an inverted triangular pattern according to an embodiment;

[0048] Figure 11 is a diagram showing a plurality of reflected lights received at a sensor according to an embodiment;

[0049] Figure 12 is a block diagram for illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0050] Figure 13 is a diagram for illustrating an example in which a sensor is implemented as a plurality of sensors according to an embodiment;

[0051] Figure 14 is a diagram for illustrating an example of identifying light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another surface (i.e., a floor surface) by using an infrared sensor according to an embodiment;

[0052] Figure 15 is a diagram for illustrating an example of identifying reflected light of a floor surface by using a stereo camera according to an embodiment;

[0053] Figure 16a is a detailed block diagram for illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment; and

[0054] Figure 16b is a detailed block diagram for illustrating an electronic device including a sensor module according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The present disclosure provides an electronic device and a control method thereof, and the electronic device is capable of distinguishing reflected light reflected by an object and reflected light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another object (e.g., a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0056] Regarding the terms used in the present disclosure and the claims, general terms are selected in consideration of the functions described in the present disclosure. However, these terms may vary according to the intention of those skilled in the art working in the relevant field, legal or technical interpretations, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, there are some terms designated by the applicant himself / herself, and the meanings of these terms may be interpreted as defined in this specification. In addition, if there is no specific definition of a term, the term may be interpreted based on the overall content of this specification and the well-known technical knowledge in the art.

[0057] In addition, when explaining the present disclosure, detailed explanations of related known functions or features may be omitted or deleted when it is recognized that such detailed explanations may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

[0058] In addition, although embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the content described in the drawings, the present disclosure is not restricted or limited by the embodiments.

[0059] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Figure 1 is a diagram for schematically showing an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0061] The electronic device 100 according to an embodiment may be one of an autonomous driving vehicle capable of performing autonomous driving (i.e., without a human driver), an automated guided vehicle capable of separately classifying goods and transporting the goods to a destination, or a robotic cleaner capable of moving or driving around a space in a home and performing cleaning.

[0062] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the electronic device 100 may be implemented as various electronic devices, such as a robot that performs air purification work when traveling around a space in a building, a housework support robot that performs work such as arranging clothes and washing dishes when traveling around a space in a home, a security robot that performs security when traveling around a space in a building, and a robot that can perform shopping guide or product description, product demonstration, etc. in a store.

[0063] As Figure 1 shown, when an object 210 is detected around the electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 may change its moving direction to avoid collision with the object 210. To avoid collision, the electronic device 100 may detect an object around the electronic device 100 and identify the distance between the electronic device 100 and the detected object based on the emitted light 10.

[0064] Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 3a , Figure 3b and Figure 4 for description.

[0065] Figure 2a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment, and Figure 2b is a flowchart for showing the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0066] Refer to Figure 2a, the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment may include a light source 111, a sensor 112, a memory 120, a driver 130, a manipulator 140, and a processor 150. Although these components are components of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment, according to another embodiment, the electronic device 100 may be implemented by excluding some of the above components, or by additional components other than the above components.

[0067] In operation S210, the electronic device 100 may emit light through the light source 111. Specifically, the processor 150 of the electronic device 100 may control the light source 111 to emit light, and the light source 111 may emit light according to the control of the processor 150. As an example, if a user command to turn on the power of the electronic device 100 or a user command to move the electronic device 100 is received, the processor 150 may control the light source 111 to emit light.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the shape of the light emission may be, for example, in the form of a fan, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and the form of the light emission may be various forms, such as in the form of a triangle.

[0069] In addition, the electronic device 100 may receive the reflected light of the light emitted through the light source 111 through the sensor 112. As an example, in the case where the light emitted by the light source 111 is reflected by an object, the sensor 112 of the electronic device 100 may receive the reflected light.

[0070] Here, the sensor 112 may be implemented as an image sensor including a plurality of pixels. As an example, the sensor 112 may be formed as a plate. According to an embodiment, the plate may be a square integrating a plurality of pixels, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0071] For example, as Figure 3a shown, in the case where light is emitted in the direction where the first object 210 and the second object 220 are located, the sensor 112 may receive a plurality of reflected lights, as Figure 3b shown. In Figure 3b , the first reflected light 211 is the reflected light reflected by the first object 210, and the second reflected light 221 is the reflected light reflected by the second object 220, and the other reflected lights may be the reflected lights reflected by the wall surface.

[0072] Referring to Figure 2b , in operation S220, when the reflected light based on the light emitted by the light source 111 is received at the sensor 112, the electronic device 100 may identify the pixels that receive the reflected light among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112.

[0073] Specifically, the processor 150 may identify pixels with a luminance value greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 as pixels that have received reflected light. More specifically, the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 may output electronic signals of different magnitudes according to the degree of received light. According to an embodiment, the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 may include photodiodes for converting light energy into an electronic signal.

[0074] Thereafter, according to an embodiment, the processor 150 may control an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the electronic signal output by the sensor 112 into a digital signal, and identify pixels with a luminance value greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 based on the digital signal received from the ADC. That is, the processor 150 may identify pixels that output an electronic signal greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude as pixels that have received reflected light based on the magnitude of the digital signal received from the ADC. In addition, it is described here that the processor 150 receives a digital signal from a separate ADC, but may receive a digital signal from the sensor 112. In this case, the sensor 112 may convert the electronic signal into a digital signal through an ADC provided on the sensor 112 and output the digital signal to the processor 150.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the processor 150 may identify pixels that have received reflected light among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 by various methods. As an example, the processor 150 may generate an image based on the electronic signals received from the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112, and identify pixels that have received reflected light among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112 through image analysis. Specifically, the processor 150 may generate an image based on the electronic signals output by the plurality of pixels, apply an object detection algorithm (e.g., an edge detection algorithm, etc.) to the generated image, and identify the reflected light in the image. In addition, the processor 150 may identify the pixels where the identified reflected light is located among the plurality of pixels constituting the image as the pixels that have received the aforementioned reflected light.

[0076] Referring to Figure 2b , in operation S230, the electronic device 100 may identify the distance between the electronic device 100 and an object based on the pixel rows that have received reflected light.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the memory 120 of the electronic device 100 may match information about different distances for each row of pixels of the plurality of pixels and store the information. As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the memory 120 of the electronic device 100 may store information about the distances matched with each row of pixels for different distances. Here, the distance matched with each row of pixels may be the distance between the light source 111 and the object of the reflected light. Figure 4The embodiments shown are merely examples, and the distance matching each row of pixels can be significantly different from Figure 4 that.

[0078] Thus, as Figure 3b shown, in the case where the first reflected light 211 is received at the pixels in row 20 among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 112, the electronic device 100 may identify the distance from the light source 111 to the first object 210 based on the information about the distance matching row 20. As Figure 4 shown, if the distance matching row 20 is 5.5 m, the electronic device 100 may identify the distance from the light source 111 to the first object 210 as 5.5 m.

[0079] The memory 120 of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment may store information about the distance between the sensor 112 and the object of the reflected light and the distance matching each row of pixels. In this case, the processor 150 may identify the distance between the sensor 112 and the object of the reflected light based on the information about the pixel row at which the reflected light is received and the information about the distance between the sensor 112 and the object of the reflected light matching each row of pixels. In addition, the processor 150 may identify the distance from the light source 111 to the object based on the distance between the sensor 112 and the object of the reflected light, the radiation angle of the light source 111, and the distance from the light source 111 to the sensor 112. Here, the radiation angle of the light source 111 may be an angle formed by a virtual line connecting the light source 111 to the sensor 112 and a virtual line toward the front surface of the light source 111. Specifically, the processor 150 may identify the distance from the light source 111 to the object by applying a triangulation method to the distance between the sensor 112 and the object of the reflected light, the radiation angle of the light source 111, and the distance from the light source 111 to the sensor 112. Here, since the triangulation method is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The radiation angle of the light source 111 and the distance from the light source 111 to the sensor 112 may be pre-stored in the memory 120 of the electronic device 100.

[0080] Referring to Figure 2b , operation S240, the electronic device 100 may perform a task based on the distance between the electronic device 100 and the object. Specifically, the processor 150 of the electronic device 100 may identify the distance from the electronic device 100 to the object through the above method and control the driver 130 or the manipulator 140 of the electronic device 100 so as to prevent a collision with the object.

[0081] As an example, the processor 150 may control the driver 130 so that the electronic device 100 moves in a direction to avoid a collision with the object. Referring to Figure 2a, the driver 130 is a component including a motor 131 and an actuator 132 connected to the motor 131, and the actuator 132 can be implemented as a wheel or a leg of a robot, etc., and the motor 131 can move the electronic device 100 by controlling the actuator 132 according to the control of the processor 150. As an example, when the actuator 132 is implemented as a left wheel and a right wheel, in order to move the electronic device 100 in a direction not to collide with an object in front, the processor 150 can send a control signal for generating a first rotational force to the motor that rotates the left wheel, and send a control signal for generating a second rotational force different from the first rotational force to the motor that rotates the right wheel, thereby changing the driving direction of the electronic device 100.

[0082] In addition, the processor 150 can control the manipulator 140 of the electronic device 100 to perform a movement to avoid collision with an object. Here, the manipulator 140 can include a first motor 141-1, a robotic arm 142 connected to the first motor 141-1, a second motor 141-2, and a robotic hand 143 connected to the second motor 141-2. In addition, the robotic arm 142 and the robotic hand 143 can be connected by a connector, and the robotic arm 142 can perform three-dimensional movement or rotation, etc. according to the drive of the first motor 141-1 connected to the robotic arm 142, and the robotic hand 143 can perform three-dimensional movement, rotation, or product gripping, etc. according to the drive of the second motor 141-2 connected to the robotic hand 143. As an example, the processor 150 can send a control signal for rotating the robotic arm 142 in a direction not to collide with an object in front to the first motor 141-1 connected to the robotic arm 142, thereby preventing the situation where the robotic arm 142 collides with an object. In addition, the processor 150 can send a control signal for three-dimensionally moving the robotic hand 143 in a direction not to collide with an object in front to the second motor 141-2 connected to the robotic hand 143, thereby preventing the situation where the robotic hand 143 collides with an object.

[0083] The reflected light received at the sensor 112 may not be the light directly reflected from the object, but may be the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (e.g., the floor surface or the wall surface).

[0084] For example, when the floor surface around the object is a reflective material, as Figure 5a shown, the sensor 112 can receive the reflected light reflected by the surface 1 of the object 200 and the reflected light reflected on the surface 1 of the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor surface 2.

[0085] In this case, as Figure 5bAs shown, the sensor 112 may receive first reflected light 201 reflected by the surface 1 of the object 200 and second reflected light 202 that is reflected on the surface 1 of the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor surface 2.

[0086] Here, the prior art electronic device identifies that the first object 200 exists at the position identified based on the first reflected light 201, and that the second object 200' exists at the position identified based on the second reflected light 202.

[0087] However, as described above, the second reflected light 202 is reflected on the surface 1 of the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor surface 2. Therefore, there is actually no object at the position identified based on the second reflected light 202.

[0088] Hereinafter, the operation for preventing misidentification of an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above will be described in detail.

[0089] Figure 6a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment, and Figure 6b is a flowchart for illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0090] Referring to Figure 6a , the electronic device 600 according to an embodiment may include a driver 610, a light source 621, a first sensor 622, a second sensor 630, and a processor 640. Although these components are components of the embodiment shown according to Figure 6a the embodiment shown, according to another embodiment, the electronic device 600 may be implemented by excluding some of the above components, or by using additional components other than the above components. Here, the electronic device 600 may be implemented as various electronic devices, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2a the robot of the foregoing electronic device 100. In addition, the light source 621 may perform the function (or a similar function) of the above light source 111, and the first sensor 622 may perform the function (or a similar function) of the above sensor 112.

[0091] The driver 610 may move the electronic device 600. Here, the driver 610 is a component including an actuator and a motor connected to the actuator, and the actuator of the driver 610 may be implemented as the wheels or legs of a robot, etc., and the motor of the driver 610 may move the electronic device 600 by controlling the actuator according to the control of the processor 640.

[0092] The light source 621 may emit light. According to an embodiment, the light source 621 may be implemented as various light sources that can emit light, such as a laser diode, a line laser, etc.

[0093] The first sensor 622 may receive reflected light. Specifically, the first sensor 622 may receive reflected light based on the light radiated by the light source 621. Here, the reflected light may be not only the light reflected by an object but also the light reflected by an object and then reflected again by another object (e.g., a floor surface or a wall surface).

[0094] According to an embodiment, the second sensor 630 is a component that detects movement information (such as speed, acceleration, distance, etc.) of the electronic device 600. Here, the second sensor 630 may be various sensors, such as an acceleration sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a lidar sensor, etc. As an example, when the second sensor 630 is implemented as an acceleration sensor, the processor 640 may perform an integration operation on the acceleration of the electronic device 600 detected by the acceleration sensor and calculate the speed of the electronic device 600, and identify the movement distance of the electronic device 600 based on the time when the electronic device 600 moves and the speed of the electronic device 600.

[0095] According to another embodiment, when the second sensor 630 is implemented as an ultrasonic sensor, the ultrasonic sensor may emit ultrasonic waves, and when the emitted ultrasonic waves are reflected by an object and received, the ultrasonic sensor may calculate the distance between the electronic device 600 and the object based on the time period from the radiation of the ultrasonic waves to the reception of the ultrasonic waves. Then, the processor 640 may identify the difference between the first distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the ultrasonic sensor at the first position and the second distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the ultrasonic sensor at the second position as the movement distance of the electronic device 600.

[0096] According to another embodiment, when the second sensor 630 is implemented as a lidar sensor, the lidar sensor may radiate light, and when the radiated light is reflected by an object and received, the lidar sensor may calculate the distance between the electronic device 600 and the object based on the time period from the radiation of the light to the reception of the light. Then, the processor 640 may identify the difference between the first distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the lidar sensor at the first position and the second distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the lidar sensor at the second position as the movement distance of the electronic device 600.

[0097] According to another embodiment, in the case where the second sensor 630 is implemented as an infrared sensor, the infrared sensor may radiate light, and when the radiated light is reflected by an object and received, the infrared sensor may calculate the distance between the electronic device 600 and the object based on the amount of the received light. Additionally, the processor 640 may identify the difference between a first distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the infrared sensor at a first position and a second distance between the electronic device 600 and the object obtained by the infrared sensor at a second position as the moving distance of the electronic device 600.

[0098] These embodiments are merely examples, and the electronic device 600 may identify the moving distance of the electronic device 600 by various methods. As an example, the electronic device 600 may detect the number of revolutions of the motor of the actuator connected to the driver 610 through an encoder, and identify the moving distance of the electronic device 600 based on the number of revolutions of the motor.

[0099] The electronic device 600 according to an embodiment may further include a memory. The memory may store an operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operations of the components of the electronic device 600 and commands or data related to the components of the electronic device 600.

[0100] Specifically, the memory may store information about different distances. For example, different distances respectively match each row of a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622. As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the memory may store information about different distances respectively matching each row of pixels. Here, the distance matching each row of pixels may be the distance between the light source 621 and the object reflecting the light. Figure 4 The embodiments shown are merely examples, and the distance matching each row of pixels may obviously be Figure 4 different.

[0101] In addition, the memory may store information about distances, where each distance may be the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light matching each row of pixels. In this case, the processor 640 may identify the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light based on the information about the row of pixels receiving the reflected light and the information about the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light matching each row of pixels, and identify the distance from the light source 621 to the object by applying a triangulation method to the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light, the radiation angle of the light source 621, and the distance from the light source 621 to the first sensor 622. The radiation angle of the light source 621 and the distance from the light source 621 to the first sensor 622 may be pre-stored in the memory.

[0102] The processor 640 controls the overall operation of the electronic device 600. According to an embodiment, the processor 640 may include a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP). In addition, the processor 640 may be implemented as at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a microcomputer (MICOM), a driver IC, etc.

[0103] The processor 640 may identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected by an object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface) based on the degree to which the position of the received reflected light changes on the first sensor 622 according to the movement of the electronic device 600.

[0104] Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 6a , Figure 6b , Figure 7 , Figure 8a and Figure 8b for description.

[0105] Referring to Figure 7 , the electronic device 600 may emit light through the light source 621 at the first position 3. Specifically, the processor 640 of the electronic device 600 may control the light source 621 to emit light, and the light source 621 may emit light according to the control of the processor 640. In this case, as Figure 8a shown, the first sensor 622 may receive the first reflected light 810 and the second reflected light 820. Here, the first reflected light 810 may be light reflected by the object 200, and the second reflected light 820 may be light reflected on the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor (or ground) surface 2.

[0106] Referring to Figure 6b, in operation S610, the electronic device 600 may identify a first distance based on a pixel row that receives reflected light. According to an embodiment, when the reflected light is received at the first sensor 622, the processor 640 of the electronic device 600 may identify pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 that receive the reflected light. Specifically, the processor 640 may identify, as pixels that receive the reflected light, pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 whose luminance value is greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value. More specifically, the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 may output electronic signals of different magnitudes according to the degree of received light. According to an embodiment, the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 may include photodiodes for converting light energy into electronic signals. Then, the processor 640 may control an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the electronic signal output by the first sensor 622 into a digital signal, and identify, based on the digital signal received from the ADC, pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 whose luminance value is greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value. That is, the processor 640 may identify, as pixels that receive the reflected light, pixels that output an electronic signal greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude based on the magnitude of the digital signal received from the ADC. In addition, it is described here that the processor 640 receives a digital signal from a separate ADC, but may receive a digital signal from the first sensor 622. In this case, the first sensor 622 may convert the electronic signal into a digital signal through an ADC provided on the first sensor 622 and output the signal to the processor 640.

[0107] According to an embodiment, as Figure 8a shown, in the case where the first reflected light 810 and the second reflected light 820 are received at the first sensor 622, the processor 640 may identify, as pixels that receive the first reflected light 810, some pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 in row 5 whose luminance value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and identify some pixels in row 10 as pixels that receive the second reflected light 820.

[0108] This is merely an example, and the processor 640 may identify, by various methods, pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 that receive the reflected light. As an example, the processor 640 may generate an image based on the electronic signal output by the first sensor 622 and identify, through image analysis, pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 that receive the reflected light. Specifically, the processor 640 may generate an image based on the electronic signals output by the plurality of pixels, apply an object detection algorithm (e.g., an edge detection algorithm, etc.) to the generated image, and detect an object in the image. In addition, the processor 640 may identify, as pixels that receive the above-mentioned reflected light, pixels among the plurality of pixels constituting the image that include the detected object.

[0109] Then, the processor 640 may identify the distance corresponding to the pixel row that received the reflected light based on the information associating the distance with the pixel rows of the sensor. For example, different distances are respectively matched with each row of a plurality of pixels.

[0110] According to an embodiment, as described above, the electronic device 600 may match the information about different distances with each row of a plurality of pixels respectively and store the information. As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the electronic device 600 may store the information about the distances where different distances are respectively matched with each row of a plurality of pixels.

[0111] Thus, as Figure 8a shown, in the case where the first reflected light 810 is received at the pixels in row 5 among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622, the processor 640 may identify the distance corresponding to the row that received the first reflected light 810 based on the information about the distance matched with row 5. As Figure 4 shown, if the distance matched with row 5 is 13 m, the processor 640 may identify the distance corresponding to the row that received the first reflected light 810 at the first position 3 as 13 m.

[0112] In addition, the processor 640 may identify the distance corresponding to the row that received the second reflected light 820 based on the information about the distance matched with row 10. As Figure 4 shown, if the distance matched with row 10 is 10.5 m, the processor 640 may identify the distance corresponding to the row that received the second reflected light 820 at the first position 3 as 10.5 m.

[0113] The electronic device 600 according to an embodiment may store information on the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light, which matches the distance of each pixel row. In this case, the processor 640 may identify the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light based on the information on the pixel row receiving the reflected light and the information on the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light, which matches each pixel row. In addition, the processor 640 may identify the distance from the light source 621 to the object based on the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light, the radiation angle of the light source 621, and the distance from the light source 621 to the first sensor 622. Here, the radiation angle of the light source 621 may be the angle formed by a virtual line connecting the light source 621 to the first sensor 622 and a virtual line facing the front surface of the light source 621. Specifically, the processor 640 may identify the distance from the light source 621 to the object by applying a triangulation method to the distance between the first sensor 622 and the object reflecting the light, the radiation angle of the light source 621, and the distance from the light source 621 to the first sensor 622. Here, since the triangulation method is a known technique, a detailed description will be omitted. The radiation angle of the light source 621 and the distance from the light source 621 to the first sensor 622 may be pre-stored in the memory of the electronic device 600.

[0114] After that, the electronic device 600 may move to the second position 4 according to the drive of the driver 610. As an example, in the case of receiving a user command for moving the electronic device 600 or when the electronic device 600 is performing a driving-based task, the electronic device 600 may move to the second position 4 according to the drive of the driver 610.

[0115] Referring to Figure 6b , operation S620, in the case where reflected light based on the light radiated by the light source 621 at the second position 4 is received at a second pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622, the electronic device 600 may identify a second distance based on the row of the second pixel receiving the reflected light. As an example, in the case where the light source 621 radiates light at the second position 4 according to the control of the processor 640, as Figure 8b shown, the first sensor 622 may receive the first reflected light 810' and the second reflected light 820'.

[0116] Then, when the first reflected light 810' and the second reflected light 820' are received at the first sensor 622, the processor 640 may identify the pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622 as the pixels receiving the reflected light. Since the above description has been made in this regard, repeated descriptions will be omitted below.

[0117] As an example, in Figure 8bWhen the reflected light is received as shown, the processor 640 may identify the pixels in row 15 whose luminance values are greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value as the pixels that have received the first reflected light 810', and may identify the pixels in row 22 whose luminance values are greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value as the pixels that have received the second reflected light 820'.

[0118] In addition, as described above, the processor 640 may identify the distance that matches the row of pixels that have received the reflected light based on the information about the distances respectively matching each row among the multiple pixels for different distances.

[0119] For example, as Figure 8b shown, when the first reflected light 810' is received at the pixels in row 15 among the multiple pixels included in the first sensor 622, the processor 640 may identify the distance that matches the row that has received the first reflected light 810' based on the information about the distance that matches row 15. As Figure 4 shown, if the distance that matches row 15 is 8m, the processor 640 may identify the distance that matches the row that has received the first reflected light 810' at the second position 4 as 8m.

[0120] In a similar manner, the processor 640 may identify the distance that matches the row that has received the second reflected light 820' based on the information about the distance that matches row 22. As Figure 4 shown, if the distance that matches row 22 is 4.5m, the processor 640 may identify the distance that matches the row that has received the second reflected light 820' at the second position 4 as 4.5m.

[0121] In addition, referring to Figure 6b , operation S630, the electronic device 600 may calculate the difference between the first distance identified based on the position of the reflected light received at the first position 3 and the second distance identified based on the position of the reflected light received at the second position 4. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 600 may calculate the difference between the distances of both the first reflected lights 810 and 810' and the second reflected lights 820 and 820'.

[0122] In the case of the above embodiment, in the case of the first reflected lights 810 and 810', the processor 640 may calculate the difference between 13.5m identified at the first position 3 and 8m identified at the second position 4, and obtain distance information of 5.5m, and in the case of the second reflected lights 820 and 820', the processor 640 may calculate the difference between 10.5m identified at the first position 3 and 4.5m identified at the second position 4, and obtain distance information of 6m.

[0123] Here, the processor 640 may recognize that the distance information obtained based on the first reflected light 810 and 810' is different from the distance information obtained based on the second reflected light 820 and 820'. This is based on the fact that the first reflected light 810 is the reflected light reflected by the surface 1 of the object 200, and the second reflected light 820 is the reflected light that is reflected on the surface 1 of the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor surface 2.

[0124] Specifically, in the case where the electronic device 600 moves from the first position 3 to the second position 4, the difference between the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the first position 3 and the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the second position 4 may vary according to the following angle: the angle between the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 1 of the object 200 that reflects the light radiated at the first position 3 and the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 1 of the object 200 that reflects the light radiated at the second position 4. As an example, as the above angle becomes larger, the difference between the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the first position 3 and the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the second position 4 may become larger, and as the above angle becomes smaller, the difference between the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the first position 3 and the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the second position 4 may become smaller.

[0125] In addition, in the case of the floor surface 2, compared with the angle between the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 1 that reflects the light from the first position 3 and the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 1 that reflects the light from the second position 4, since the floor surface 2 is a position relatively closer to the electronic device 600 than the surface 1 of the object 200, the angle between the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 2 that reflects the light from the first position 3 and the virtual line connecting the first sensor 622 and the surface 2 that reflects the light from the second position 4 may be larger. Therefore, the difference between the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the first position 3 and the pixel rows that receive the reflected light at the second position 4 may be larger in the case of the second reflected light 820 that is reflected again by the floor surface 2 than in the case of the first reflected light 810 that is reflected by the surface 1 of the object 200. Therefore, the distance information obtained based on the first reflected light 810 and the distance information obtained based on the second reflected light 820 may be different.

[0126] In addition, when the electronic device 600 moves from the first position 3 to the second position 4, the processor 640 may recognize the moving distance of the electronic device 600 based on the information detected by the second sensor 630. Here, the second sensor 630 may be various sensors, such as an acceleration sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a lidar sensor, etc., as described above. Since the method for recognizing the moving distance of the electronic device 600 through the second sensor 630 has been described above, the description in this regard will be omitted here.

[0127] Referring to Figure 6b , in operation S640, based on the information about the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 and the distance obtained through the above calculation, the electronic device 600 can identify whether the reflected light is the light reflected by the object 200 or the light reflected on the object 200 and then reflected again by the floor surface 2 (or another surface) around the object.

[0128] Specifically, if the difference between the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 and the distance obtained through the above calculation is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (for example, when the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 is the same as the distance obtained through the calculation), the processor 640 can identify that the reflected light is the light reflected by the object. In addition, if the difference between the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 and the distance obtained through the calculation exceeds the predetermined threshold (for example, when the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 is different from the distance obtained through the calculation), the electronic device 600 can identify that the reflected light is the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface around the object, etc.

[0129] Here, the predetermined threshold can be 0.1 m, but this is only an example, and the threshold can be set or changed in various ways.

[0130] For example, as in the case of the second reflected lights 820 and 820' above, if the distance obtained through the calculation is 4.5 m and the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 is 5.5 m, the processor 640 can identify the second reflected lights 820 and 820' as the reflected lights reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface. In addition, as in the case of the first reflected lights 810 and 810' above, if the distance obtained through the calculation is 5.5 m and the moving distance of the electronic device 600 identified by the second sensor 630 is 5.5 m, the processor 640 can identify the first reflected light 810 as the reflected light reflected by the object.

[0131] In addition, based on the pixel column where the reflected light is received, the processor 640 can identify in which direction on the left and right the object is located. As an example, the electronic device 600 stores information about the angles matching each column of pixels, and when receiving the reflected light, the processor 640 can identify the angle at which the object is located based on the front side of the electronic device 600 based on the angle matching the pixel column where the reflected light is received.

[0132] Then, in the case where a plurality of reflected lights are received at pixels in different rows of the same column among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 622, the processor 640 may control the second sensor 630 to detect the moving distance of the electronic device 600. As an example, Figure 8a As shown in FIG. 8 b , when a plurality of reflected lights are received at the first sensor 622 and the pixel columns receiving the reflected lights are the same, the processor 640 may control the second sensor 630 to detect the moving distance of the electronic device 600 .

[0133] This is in consideration of the fact that, in the case where a plurality of reflected lights are received at pixels in different rows of the same column, there is a high possibility that some of the plurality of reflected lights are reflected lights re-reflected by the floor surface (generally, reflected lights re-reflected by the floor surface are reflected again by the floor surface in front of the object, so there is a high possibility that the reflected lights are received at pixels in different rows on the same column), and therefore, it is highly desirable to identify reflected lights re-reflected by the floor surface, but in the case where a plurality of reflected lights in different columns are received, there is a high possibility that the received plurality of reflected lights are not reflected lights re-reflected by the floor surface. Therefore, the present disclosure can minimize the operational burden of the processor 640 and save power.

[0134] Figure 9a is a block diagram for illustrating an electronic device 900 according to an embodiment, and Figure 9b is a flowchart for illustrating the operation of the electronic device 900 according to the embodiment.

[0135] Reference Figure 9a , the electronic device 900 according to the embodiment may include a light source 911, a sensor 912, and a processor 920. Here, the electronic device 900 may be implemented as various electronic devices such as a robot like the aforementioned electronic device 100. In addition, the sensor 912 may perform the function of the aforementioned sensor 112 or the first sensor 622.

[0136] The light source 911 may radiate light. According to an embodiment, the light source 911 may be implemented as various light sources that may radiate light, such as a laser diode, a line laser, and the like.

[0137] Specifically, refer to Figure 9b , operation S910, the light source 911 may radiate light having a specific pattern. Here, the specific pattern may be a pattern in which the upper side and the lower side are asymmetrical. For example, the light source 911 may radiate light having a triangular pattern. However, this is merely an example, and the specific pattern may be a pattern of various shapes, such as a pattern in which the upper side and the lower side are asymmetrical, a pattern in which the left side and the right side are asymmetrical, and a pattern in which the upper side, the lower side, the left side and the right side are asymmetrical.

[0138] According to an embodiment, a film with light radiation of a specific pattern can be attached to the light source 911. Optionally, according to another embodiment, a cover with light radiation of a specific pattern can be coupled to the coupling portion of the light source 911, and when light passes through the cover, light with a specific pattern can be radiated. Optionally, according to another embodiment, since the arrangement of the diodes included in the light source 911 is integrated in a specific pattern, light with a specific pattern can be radiated. In addition, the electronic device 900 according to another embodiment can cause only some of the plurality of light-emitting components (e.g., diodes) included in the light source 911 to emit light, such that light with a specific pattern is radiated, thereby causing light to be radiated in a specific pattern.

[0139] The sensor 912 can receive the reflected light of the light radiated by the light source 911. Here, the reflected light can be not only the light reflected by an object, but also the light reflected by an object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface). Optionally, the reflected light can be the light reflected on an object and then reflected again on another surface of the object.

[0140] The electronic device 900 according to an embodiment may further include a memory. The memory can store an operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operation of the components of the electronic device 900 and instructions or data related to the components of the electronic device 900.

[0141] Specifically, the memory can store information about at least one pattern. Here, the pattern can be a pattern of various shapes, such as a pattern asymmetric in the upper and lower sides, a pattern asymmetric in the left and right sides, and a pattern asymmetric in the upper, lower, left, and right sides. In addition, the information about the pattern can include information about the plurality of light-emitting components for radiating light in a specific pattern. Therefore, the processor 920 can cause only some of the plurality of light-emitting components (e.g., diodes) included in the light source 911 to emit light based on the information about the pattern, such that light is radiated in a specific pattern.

[0142] The memory can store information about the distances that match each row of the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 912 for different distances. As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the memory can store information about the distances that respectively match each row of pixels for different distances. Here, the distance that matches each row of pixels can be the distance between the light source 911 and the object of the reflected light. Figure 4 The embodiments shown in Figure 4 are merely examples, and the distances that match each row of pixels can significantly be

[0143] In addition, the memory may store information on the distance between the sensor 912 and the object reflecting the light that matches the distance of each row of pixels. In this case, the processor 920 may identify the distance between the sensor 912 and the object reflecting the light based on the information on the pixel row that receives the reflected light and the information on the distance between the sensor 912 and the object reflecting the light that matches each row of pixels, and identify the distance from the light source 911 to the object by applying a triangulation method to the distance between the sensor 912 and the object reflecting the light, the radiation angle of the light source 911, and the distance from the light source 911 to the sensor 912. The radiation angle of the light source 911 and the distance from the light source 911 to the sensor 912 may be pre-stored in the memory.

[0144] The processor 920 may control the overall operation of the electronic device 900. According to an embodiment, the processor 920 may include a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP). In addition, the processor 920 may be implemented as at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SoC), a microcomputer (MICOM), a driver IC, etc.

[0145] The electronic device 900 may radiate light through the light source 911. Specifically, the processor 920 of the electronic device 900 may control the light source 911 to radiate light, and the light source 911 may radiate light according to the control of the processor 920.

[0146] Specifically, as described above, in operation S910, the electronic device 900 may radiate light having a specific pattern through the light source 911. In this case, when the light radiated by the light source 911 is reflected by the object, the sensor 912 may receive the reflected light. Optionally, when the light radiated by the light source 911 is reflected by the object and then reflected again by the floor surface, the sensor 912 may receive the reflected light.

[0147] Refer to Figure 9b , in operation S920, when the reflected light is received at the sensor 912 based on the light radiated by the light source 911, the electronic device 900 may identify whether the reflected light is the light reflected by the object or the light reflected by the object and then reflected again by another object based on the specific pattern of the radiated light and the pattern of the reflected light received at the sensor 912.

[0148] Specifically, if reflected light is received at the sensor 912, the processor 920 may identify the pattern of the reflected light. According to an embodiment, when reflected light is received at the sensor 912, the processor 920 may identify the pixels that receive the reflected light among the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 912. As an example, the sensor 912 may identify the pixels having a luminance value greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value among the plurality of pixels as the pixels that receive the reflected light. Since the above has been described in this regard, detailed description will be omitted.

[0149] Then, the processor 920 may identify the pattern of the reflected light based on the shape formed by the pixels that receive the reflected light. Specifically, the processor 920 may identify the positions of the pixels that receive the reflected light in rows and columns, connect the pixels at each position, identify the shape formed by the pixels that receive the reflected light, and identify this shape as the pattern of the reflected light. As an example, as Figure 10a shown, when the shape of the pixels that receive the reflected light is a triangle, the processor 920 may identify the pattern of the reflected light as a triangle pattern, and as Figure 10b shown, when the shape of the pixels that receive the reflected light is an inverted triangle, the processor 920 may identify the pattern of the reflected light as an inverted triangle pattern.

[0150] This is merely an example, and the processor 920 may identify the pattern of the reflected light by various methods. Specifically, the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 912 may output electronic signals of different magnitudes according to the degree of received light. According to an embodiment, the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 912 may include photodiodes for converting light energy into electronic signals. Then, the processor 920 may generate an image based on the electronic signals output by the sensor 912, apply an object detection algorithm (e.g., edge detection algorithm, etc.) to the generated image, and identify the pattern of the reflected light included in the image.

[0151] The processor 920 may identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected on an object and then reflected again by another object based on the specific pattern of the radiated light and the pattern of the reflected light.

[0152] Specifically, when the pattern of the reflected light corresponds to the specific pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the processor 920 may identify the reflected light as light reflected by an object. In addition, when the pattern of the reflected light is a pattern symmetric to the specific pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the processor 920 may identify the reflected light as reflected light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by another surface (i.e., the floor surface).

[0153] Here, the meaning of the feature that the pattern of the reflected light corresponds to the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911 not only includes the case where the pattern of the reflected light is the same as the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, but also includes the case where the pattern of the reflected light coincides with the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911 to an extent greater than or equal to a threshold. For example, if the light source 911 radiates light in an equilateral triangle pattern and reflected light in an isosceles triangle pattern is received, the processor 920 may recognize that the pattern of the reflected light corresponds to the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911.

[0154] For example, as Figure 11 shown, if the light source 911 radiates light having a triangular pattern, and first reflected light 1110 having a triangular pattern and second reflected light 1120 having an inverted triangular pattern are received at the sensor 912, then since the first reflected light 1110 has the same pattern as the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the processor 920 may recognize the first reflected light 1110 as the reflected light reflected by the object. In addition, since the second reflected light 1120 has an inverted pattern symmetric to the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the processor 920 may recognize the second reflected light 1120 as the reflected light reflected by the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0155] Thereafter, based on the row of the first reflected light 1110 reflected by the object, the processor 920 may recognize the distance between the light source 911 and the object, and perform tasks such as moving and cleaning the electronic device 100. In addition, since a method for recognizing the distance between the light source 911 and the object based on the row of the reflected light has been described above, the description in this regard will be omitted here.

[0156] In addition, the electronic device according to an embodiment may recognize whether the reflected light is the light reflected by the object or the light reflected by the object and then reflected again by the floor surface by considering both the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light is changed according to the movement of the electronic device and the pattern of the reflected light.

[0157] For example, when the difference between the moving distance of the electronic device identified by the second sensor (e.g., an acceleration sensor, a lidar sensor, etc.) and the moving distance identified based on the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light is changed is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and the pattern of the reflected light is the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the electronic device according to the embodiment may identify that the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by the object. In addition, when the difference between the moving distance of the electronic device identified by the second sensor (e.g., an acceleration sensor, a lidar sensor, etc.) and the moving distance identified based on the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light is changed exceeds the predetermined threshold, or the pattern of the reflected light is a pattern symmetric to the pattern of the light radiated by the light source 911, the electronic device according to the embodiment may identify that the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by the object and then reflected again by the floor surface around the object, etc.

[0158] Figure 12 is a block diagram for illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0159] Referring to Figure 12 , the electronic device 1200 according to an embodiment may include a light source 1211, a first sensor 1212, a second sensor 1220, and at least one processor 1230. Here, the electronic device 1200 may be implemented as various electronic devices, such as a robot like the above-described electronic device 100. In addition, the light source 1211 may perform the function of the above-described light source 111, and the first sensor 1212 may perform the function of the above-described sensor 112.

[0160] The light source 1211 may radiate light. According to an embodiment, the light source 1211 may be implemented as various light sources that can radiate light, such as a laser diode, a line laser, etc.

[0161] The first sensor 1212 may receive the reflected light. Specifically, the first sensor 1212 may receive the reflected light based on the light radiated by the light source 1211. Here, the reflected light may be not only the light reflected by the object, but also the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0162] The electronic device 1200 according to an embodiment may further include a memory. The memory may store an operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operation of the components of the electronic device 1200 and instructions or data related to the components of the electronic device 1200.

[0163] Specifically, the memory may store information about the distances matching each row of a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1212 for different distances. As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the memory may store information about the distances matching each row of pixels for different distances. Here, the distance matching each row of pixels may be the distance between the light source 1221 and the object of the reflected light.Figure 4 The embodiments shown are merely examples, and the distances matching each row of pixels can be significantly different from Figure 4 each other.

[0164] In addition, the memory may store information on the distance between the first sensor 1212 and the object reflecting the light, which matches the distance of each row of pixels. In this case, the processor 1230 may identify the distance between the first sensor 1212 and the object reflecting the light based on the information on the pixel row that receives the reflected light and the information on the distance between the first sensor 1212 and the object reflecting the light, which matches the distance of each row of pixels. Then, by applying the triangulation method to the distance between the first sensor 1212 and the object reflecting the light, the radiation angle of the light source 1211, and the distance from the light source 1211 to the first sensor 1212, the distance from the light source 1211 to the object can be identified. The radiation angle of the light source 1211 and the distance from the light source 1211 to the first sensor 622 may be pre-stored in the memory.

[0165] The processor 1230 may control the overall operation of the electronic device 1200. According to an embodiment, the processor 1230 may include a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP). In addition, the processor 1230 may be implemented as at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a microcomputer (MICOM), etc.

[0166] The processor 1230 may identify the reflected light reflected by the object and the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface based on the information detected by the second sensor 1220. Here, the second sensor 1220 may be various sensors, such as an image sensor, an infrared sensor, and a stereo camera, etc. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 13 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 for illustration.

[0167] Figure 13 is a diagram for showing an example in which the sensors according to the embodiment are implemented as multiple sensors.

[0168] The electronic device 1200 according to an embodiment may include multiple sensors. For example, referring to Figure 13 , the electronic device 1200 may include a first sensor 1212 and a second sensor 1220 having different heights. Here, the second sensor 1220 may be an image sensor like the first sensor 1212.

[0169] The processor 1230 may control the light source 1211 to emit light. In this case, the first sensor 1212 and the second sensor 1220 may receive a plurality of reflected lights based on the emitted light. As an example, the first sensor 1212 may receive a first reflected light 810 and a second reflected light 820 as shown in Figure 8a , and the second sensor 1220 may receive a first reflected light 810' and a second reflected light 820' as shown in Figure 8b .

[0170] The processor 1230 may identify the distance based on the positions of the reflected lights received at the first sensor 1212 and the second sensor 1220. According to an embodiment, when the reflected lights are received at the first sensor 1212 and the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may identify the pixels that receive the reflected lights among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1212 and the second sensor 1220. As an example, the processor 1230 may identify the pixels whose luminance values are greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value among the plurality of pixels as the pixels that receive the reflected lights. Since this has been described above, the description will be omitted here.

[0171] In addition, the processor 1230 may identify the distance that matches the row where the reflected light is received based on the information about the distances that match each row of the plurality of pixels for different distances. Specifically, based on the information about the first distances that match each row of the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1212 for different distances, the processor 1230 may identify the distance that matches the row where the reflected light is received at the first sensor 1212. In addition, based on the information about the second distances that match each row of the plurality of pixels included in the second sensor 1220 for different distances, the processor 1230 may identify the distance that matches the row where the reflected light is received at the second sensor 1220. In addition, as described above, the processor 1230 may clearly identify the distance from the electronic device 1200 to the object of the reflected light by using the triangulation method.

[0172] As an example, as shown in Figure 8a , in the case where the first reflected light 810 is received in row 5 of the first sensor 1212 and the second reflected light 820 is received in row 10, the processor 1230 may identify the distance that matches the row of the first reflected light 810 and the distance that matches the row of the second reflected light 820 based on the information about the first distances. If the distance identified as matching row 5 based on the information about the first distances is 7m, and the distance identified as matching row 10 is 5m, the processor 1230 may identify that the distance that matches the row of the first reflected light 810 is 7m, and the distance that matches the row of the second reflected light 820 is 5m.

[0173] In a similar manner, as shown in Figure 8bAs shown, when the first reflected light 810' is received in row 15 of the second sensor 1220 and the second reflected light 820' is received in row 22, the processor 1230 may identify the distance matching the row of the first reflected light 810' and the distance matching the row of the second reflected light 820' based on the information about the second distance. If the distance identified as matching row 15 based on the information about the second distance is 7m and the distance identified as matching row 22 is 4m, then the processor 1230 may identify that the distance matching the row of the first reflected light 810' is 7m and the distance matching the row of the second reflected light 820' is 4m.

[0174] Then, the processor 1230 may identify whether the reflected light is the light reflected by the object or the light reflected by the object and then reflected again by the floor surface based on the difference between the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the second sensor 1220.

[0175] Specifically, if the difference between the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the second sensor 1220 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify that the reflected light is the light reflected by the object. In addition, if the difference between the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance identified based on the reflected light received at the second sensor 1220 exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify that the reflected light is the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface. Here, the threshold may be set to 0.1m, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0176] For example, as in the above embodiment, when the difference between the distance identified based on the first reflected light 810 received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance identified based on the first reflected light 810 received at the second sensor 1220 is 0 (less than or equal to the predetermined threshold), the processor 1230 may identify the first reflected light 810 as the light reflected by the object. In addition, when the difference between the distance identified based on the second reflected light 820 received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance identified based on the second reflected light 820 received at the second sensor 1220 exceeds 1m of the predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify the second reflected light 820 as the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0177] In addition, in Figure 13 two sensors are shown, but this is only an example, and the number of image sensors is not limited thereto. In addition, the positions of the image sensors may be not only the upper side and the lower side, but also the left side and the right side.

[0178] Figure 14It is a diagram for showing an example of identifying light that is reflected on an object and then reflected again by the floor surface by using an infrared sensor according to an embodiment.

[0179] Referring Figure 14 , the second sensor 1220 according to an embodiment may be an infrared sensor.

[0180] The processor 1230 may control the light-emitting component of the second sensor 1220 to emit infrared rays. As an example, if a user command for turning on the power of the electronic device 1200 or a user command for moving the electronic device 1200 is received, the processor 1230 may control the light-emitting component of the second sensor 1220 to emit infrared rays. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in a case where multiple reflected lights are received at pixels in different rows in the same column among the multiple pixels included in the first sensor 1212, the processor 1230 may control the light-emitting component of the second sensor 1220 to emit infrared rays.

[0181] According to an embodiment, when infrared rays radiated by the second sensor 1220 are received at the light-receiving component of the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may detect the distance between the electronic device 1200 and the object based on the amount of infrared rays received at the light-receiving component.

[0182] In addition, as described above, the processor 1230 may identify the distance that matches the row of the reflected light based on the position of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212.

[0183] According to an embodiment, if the difference between the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance between the electronic device 1200 and the object detected by the second sensor 1220 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the light reflected by the object. In addition, if the difference between the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance between the electronic device 1200 and the object detected by the second sensor 1220 exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0184] For example, if the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 is the same as the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the light reflected by the object. In addition, if the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 is different from the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0185] In addition, here, an infrared sensor is described as an example for illustration, but this is merely an example, and the second sensor 1220 for detecting the distance to an object may be implemented as various sensors, such as an ultrasonic sensor, a lidar sensor, etc.

[0186] Figure 15 is a diagram for showing an example of identifying reflected light on a floor surface by using a stereo camera according to an embodiment.

[0187] Referring to Figure 15 , the second sensor 1220 according to an embodiment may be a stereo camera. Here, the stereo camera may include a first camera and a second camera.

[0188] The processor 1230 may control the second sensor 1220 to acquire an image on the left side and an image on the right side. As an example, if a user command for turning on the power of the electronic device 1200 or a user command for moving the electronic device 1200 is received, the processor 1230 may control the second sensor 1220 to acquire an image on the left side and an image on the right side. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in the case where multiple reflected lights are received at pixels in different rows of the same column among the multiple pixels included in the first sensor 1212, the processor 1230 may control the second sensor 1220 to acquire an image on the left side and an image on the right side.

[0189] Then, the processor 1230 may acquire three-dimensional space coordinates by using the acquired image on the left side and the image on the right side, and detect the distance between the electronic device 1200 and the object based on the three-dimensional space coordinates.

[0190] In addition, if the difference between the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the reflected light reflected by the object. In addition, if the difference between the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 and the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220 exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0191] For example, if the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 is the same as the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the reflected light reflected by the object. In addition, if the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1212 is different from the distance to the object detected by the second sensor 1220, the processor 1230 may identify the reflected light as the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0192] In addition, here, the second sensor 1220 is described as a stereo camera, but this is merely an example, and the second sensor 1220 can be implemented as various cameras capable of detecting the distance to an object. As an example, the second sensor 1220 can be implemented as a depth camera (or 3D camera).

[0193] Figure 16a is a detailed block diagram for showing an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0194] Refer to Figure 16a , an electronic device 1600 according to an embodiment may include a driver 1610, a light source 1620, a first sensor 1631, a second sensor 1632, a third sensor 1633, a memory 1640, a display 1650, a communicator 1660, a motor 1670, a manipulator 1680, and a processor 1690. This is merely an example, and the electronic device 1600 can be implemented by excluding some of the above components, or by further including components in addition to the above components.

[0195] Hereinafter, parts overlapping with the above description will be omitted or will be explained while being abridged.

[0196] The driver 1610 can move the electronic device 1600. Here, the driver 1610 is a component including an actuator and a motor connected to the actuator, and the actuator of the driver 1610 can be implemented as wheels or legs of a robot, etc., and the motor of the driver 1610 can move the electronic device 1600 by controlling the actuator according to the control of the processor 1690.

[0197] The light source 1620 can emit light. Here, the light can be planar light in a fan shape, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and the light can be emitted in various forms. For example, the light source 1620 can emit light that is asymmetric on the upper and lower sides, a pattern that is asymmetric on the left and right sides, and a pattern that is asymmetric on the upper, lower, left, and right sides.

[0198] After the light source 1620 emits light, the first sensor 1631 can receive a plurality of reflected lights. Here, the plurality of reflected lights can include first reflected lights reflected by an object and second reflected lights that are reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface.

[0199] Then, a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1631 can output electronic signals of different magnitudes according to the degree of receiving the reflected light. According to an embodiment, the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1631 can include photodiodes for converting light energy into electronic signals.

[0200] The memory 1640 may store an operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operation of the components of the electronic device 1600, as well as instructions or data related to the components of the electronic device 1600.

[0201] Accordingly, the processor 1690 may control multiple hardware or software components of the electronic device 1600 by using various instructions or data stored in the memory 1640, load instructions or data received from at least one other component into the volatile memory and process the loaded instructions or data, and store various data in the non-volatile memory.

[0202] Specifically, the memory 1640 may store information about the distances matched for each row of a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1631 for different distances. Accordingly, when the reflected light is received at the first sensor 1631, the processor 1690 may identify the distance between the electronic device 1600 and the object based on the pixel row among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor 1631 that has received the reflected light.

[0203] In addition, the memory 1640 may store information about the thickness of the reflected light differentiated for each distance.

[0204] Then, based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light, the electronic device 1600 may identify the light reflected by the object among the multiple reflected lights reflected on the first sensor 1631, the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface around the object, and so on.

[0205] Specifically, when the reflected light is received at the first sensor 1631, the processor 1690 of the electronic device 1600 may identify the pixels with brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value among the multiple pixels included in the first sensor 1631 as the pixels that have received the reflected light. Then, the processor 1690 may identify the thickness of the reflected light based on the vertical interval of each pixel included in the first sensor 1631. As an example, when the vertical interval of each pixel is 1 mm, if the reflected light is received in one row, the processor 1690 may identify the thickness of the reflected light as 1 mm. Optionally, if the reflected light is received at the pixels in different rows of the same column, the processor 1690 may identify the value obtained by multiplying the number of rows where the reflected light is received by the vertical length of each pixel as the thickness of the reflected light. As an example, if the reflected light is received in different rows 1 and 2 of the same column and the vertical interval of each pixel is 1 mm, the processor 1690 may identify the thickness of the reflected light as 2 mm. Then, based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light, the processor 1690 may identify the distance between the electronic device 1600 and the object. For example, when the thickness of the reflected light is identified as 0.2 mm and the distance matching the thickness of the reflected light of 0.2 mm is identified as 2 m based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light, the processor 1690 may identify the distance between the electronic device 1600 and the object as 2 m.

[0206] Then, based on the information that different distances are matched with each row among the multiple pixels, the processor 1690 may identify the distance that matches the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1631. In addition, based on the distance to the object identified according to the information about the thickness of the reflected light and the distance identified based on the reception position of the reflected light, the processor 1690 may identify the reflected light reflected by the object among the multiple reflected lights received at the first sensor 1631, the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface around the object, and the like.

[0207] Specifically, if the difference between the distance to the object identified based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light and the distance identified based on the reception position of the reflected light is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the processor 1690 may identify that the reflected light is the light reflected by the object. In addition, if the difference between the distance to the object identified based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light and the distance identified based on the reception position of the reflected light exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processor 1690 may identify that the reflected light is the light reflected on the object and then reflected again by the floor surface around the object, and the like.

[0208] Here, the predetermined threshold may be 0.1 m, but this is merely an example, and the threshold may be set or changed in various ways.

[0209] The above characteristics are based on the fact that the thickness of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1631 varies for each distance to the object, and thus, the present disclosure can identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by the object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0210] The display 1650 can display various screens. For example, the display 1650 can display information about the objects around the electronic device 1600 and the distances to the objects.

[0211] Such a display 1650 can be implemented in various forms of displays, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), etc. In the display 1650, a driving circuit, a backlight unit, etc. that can be implemented in forms such as an amorphous silicon thin film transistor (a-siTFT), a low temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor (LTPS TFT), an organic thin film transistor (OTFT TFT), etc. can be included together. The display 1650 can be combined with a touch detection component and implemented as a touch screen.

[0212] The communicator 1660 is a component that performs communication with external devices. For example, the communicator 1660 can perform communication with various external devices through wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Zigbee, etc. or an infrared (IR) communication method. The communicator 1660 can be not only mounted on the processor 1690, but also included in the electronic device 1600 as a component separate from the processor 1690.

[0213] According to an embodiment, the communicator 1660 can receive information about the distances that match each row of the multiple pixels included in the first sensor 1631 for different distances or information about the thickness of the reflected light differentiated for each distance from an external device.

[0214] The processor 1690 controls the overall operation of the electronic device 1600.

[0215] As an example, the processor 1690 can control the light source 1620 to emit light, and based on the difference between the distance to the object identified based on the information about the thickness of the reflected light and the distance identified based on the row of the reflected light received at the first sensor 1631, the processor 1690 can identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by the object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0216] Optionally, the processor 1690 may control the light source 1620 to emit light with a specific pattern, and based on the pattern of the reflected light, the processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0217] Optionally, the processor 1690 may control the light source 1620 to emit light, and based on the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified according to the degree to which the receiving position of the reflected light changes according to the movement of the electronic device 1600 and the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified by the second sensor 1632, the processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0218] Optionally, based on the distance identified according to the reflected light received at the first sensor 1631 and the distance to the object detected by the third sensor 1632, the processor 1690 may identify the reflected light reflected by the object and the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.) among the multiple reflected lights. Here, the third sensor 1632 may be various sensors capable of detecting the distance to the object, such as an image sensor, an infrared sensor, and a stereo camera, etc.

[0219] The processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.) based on a combination of the various embodiments described above. For example, considering all of the pattern of the reflected light, the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified based on the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light changes according to the movement of the electronic device 1600, and the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified by the second sensor 1632, the processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.). Optionally, considering all of the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified based on the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light changes according to the movement of the electronic device 1600, the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified by the second sensor 1632, and the distance to the object detected by the third sensor 1633, the processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface). Optionally, considering all of the pattern of the reflected light, the moving distance of the electronic device 1600 identified based on the degree to which the reception position of the reflected light changes according to the movement of the electronic device 1600, and the distance to the object detected by the third sensor 1633, the processor 1690 may identify whether the reflected light is the reflected light reflected by an object or the reflected light reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0220] The electronic device 1600 according to an embodiment may further include various components in addition to the above-described components.

[0221] As an example, the electronic device 1600 may further include an inputter that can receive user input. Here, the inputter may be implemented as a button or a touch screen, and may receive various user commands, such as a user command for moving the electronic device 1600.

[0222] In addition, the electronic device 1600 may further include a speaker that can output various audio data. According to an embodiment, the speaker may output sound in the case of starting the drive of the electronic device 1600 or changing the drive direction, etc.

[0223] In addition, the electronic device 1600 may further include a microphone that can receive user speech. Here, the user speech may be a user speech for performing a task of the electronic device 1600, etc.

[0224] Meanwhile, in Figure 16a it is described that the light source 1620 and the first sensor 1631 are separate components, but the light source 1620 and the first sensor 1631 may be configured as one sensor module 1700. As an example, referring toFigure 16b , the sensor module 1700 includes a light source 1620, a first sensor 1631, and a processor 1730. Here, the processor 1730 can control the light source 1620 and the first sensor 1631 based on a control signal received from the processor 1690 operating as a main processor.

[0225] As an example, the processor 1730 can control the light source 1620 to emit light according to the control of the main processor 1690, and when the reflected light is received at the first sensor 1631, the processor 1730 can identify the distance corresponding to the reflected light (or the distance from the light source 1620 to the object) based on the pixel rows of the pixels that received the reflected light among the multiple pixels. Then, the processor 1730 can send the information about the distance corresponding to the reflected light to the main processor 1690. The processor 1730 can be implemented as a microprocessor computer (MICOM) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

[0226] According to the various embodiments described above, an electronic device and its control method can be provided, and the electronic device can distinguish the reflected light reflected by an object and the reflected light that is reflected on the object and then reflected again by another object (such as a floor surface or a wall surface, etc.).

[0227] The method according to the various embodiments above can be implemented in the form of software or an application that can be installed on a conventional electronic device.

[0228] In addition, the method according to the various embodiments above can be implemented only through software upgrade or hardware upgrade of a conventional electronic device.

[0229] Furthermore, the various embodiments above can be implemented through an embedded server installed on the electronic device or an external server of the electronic device.

[0230] According to an embodiment, a non - transitory computer - readable medium storing a program for sequentially executing the control method of an electronic device according to the present disclosure can be provided.

[0231] According to an embodiment, a non - transitory computer - readable medium refers to a medium that stores data semi - permanently and can be read by a machine, rather than a medium that stores data for a short time, such as registers, caches, and memories. Specifically, the various applications or programs can be provided while being stored in a non - transitory computer - readable medium (such as a CD, DVD, hard disk, Blu - ray disc, USB, memory card, ROM, etc.).

[0232] In addition, although embodiments have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure claimed by the appended claims. In addition, it is intended that such modifications should not be interpreted independently of the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a light source configured to emit light; a first sensor configured to receive reflected light based on the light emitted from the light source, wherein the reflected light includes first reflected light and second reflected light received at a first position of the electronic device, and third reflected light and fourth reflected light received at a second position of the electronic device, the first position being different from the second position; a second sensor configured to detect a moving distance of the electronic device from the first position to the second position; and a processor configured to: identify a first distance based on the position of a first pixel that receives the first reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identify a second distance based on the position of a second pixel that receives the second reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identify a third distance based on the position of a third pixel that receives the third reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source among a plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identify a fourth distance based on the position of a fourth pixel that receives the fourth reflected light corresponding to the light emitted from the light source among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, obtain a first distance difference between the first distance and the third distance, obtain a second distance difference between the second distance and the fourth distance, and identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected on the object and then reflected by another surface based on the first distance difference, the second distance difference, and the moving distance of the electronic device detected by the second sensor.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory configured to store distance information regarding distances respectively associated with rows of the plurality of pixels, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify the first distance based on information regarding the row of the first pixel that receives the first reflected light, identify the second distance based on information regarding the row of the second pixel that receives the second reflected light, identify the third distance based on information regarding the row of the third pixel that receives the third reflected light, and identify the fourth distance based on information regarding the row of the fourth pixel that receives the fourth reflected light.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is further configured to: identify the reflected light as light reflected by the object based on the distance difference being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and identify the reflected light as light reflected again by the another surface based on the distance difference exceeding the predetermined threshold.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is further configured to identify pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor as pixels that receive the reflected light.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of pixels included in the first sensor output electronic signals having different amplitudes according to the amount of reflected light received on each of the plurality of pixels, and The processor is further configured to identify, as pixels receiving reflected light, pixels of the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor in which an output of an electronic signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined amplitude.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is further configured to: based on reflected light being received at pixels in different rows of the same column among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, control the second sensor to detect a moving distance of the electronic device.

7. A control method for an electronic device, the control method comprising: Receiving information on reflected light based on light radiated from a light source, where the reflected light includes first reflected light and second reflected light received at a first position of the electronic device, and third reflected light and fourth reflected light received at a second position of the electronic device, the first position being different from the second position; Based on the first reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source being received at a first pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identifying a first distance based on a row of the first pixel in the first sensor that receives the first reflected light; Based on the second reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source being received at a second pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identifying a second distance based on a row of the second pixel in the first sensor that receives the second reflected light; Based on the third reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source being received at a third pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identifying a third distance based on a position of the third pixel in the first sensor that receives the third reflected light; Based on the fourth reflected light corresponding to the light radiated by the light source being received at a fourth pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, identifying a third distance based on a position of the third pixel in the first sensor that receives the third reflected light; Obtaining a first distance difference between the first distance and the second distance; Obtaining a second distance difference between the second distance and the fourth distance; and Based on the first distance difference, the second distance difference, and the moving distance of the electronic device detected by the second sensor, identifying whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected on the object and then reflected by another surface.

8. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 7 further includes: Storing distance information on distances respectively associated with rows of the plurality of pixels, where identifying the first distance includes: identifying the first distance based on information on the row of the first pixel that receives the first reflected light, and identifying the second distance includes: identifying the second distance based on information on the row of the second pixel that receives the second reflected light, identifying the third distance includes: identifying the second distance based on information on the row of the third pixel that receives the third reflected light, and identifying the fourth distance includes: identifying the fourth distance based on information on the row of the fourth pixel that receives the fourth reflected light.

9. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 7, wherein, The identifying includes: Based on the distance difference being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, identifying the reflected light as being reflected by the object, and Based on the distance difference exceeding the predetermined threshold, identifying the reflected light as being reflected again by the another surface.

10. The control method for the electronic device according to claim 7 further includes: Identify pixels in the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor whose luminance value is greater than or equal to a predetermined luminance value as pixels that have received reflected light.

11. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 7 further includes: Identify pixels in the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor that output an electronic signal with an amplitude greater than or equal to a predetermined amplitude as pixels that have received reflected light.

12. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 7 further includes: Based on the reception of reflected light at pixels in different rows of the same column among the plurality of pixels included in the first sensor, control the second sensor to detect the moving distance of the electronic device.

13. An electronic device, comprising: A light source configured to emit light with a specific pattern; A sensor configured to receive reflected light based on the light; And A processor configured to, based on the reception of reflected light at the sensor based on the light emitted by the light source, identify whether the reflected light is light reflected by an object or light reflected by the object and then reflected again by another surface based on the specific pattern of the emitted light and the pattern of the reflected light received at the sensor, wherein the processor is further configured to: Identify the positions of the pixels that have received reflected light in the rows and columns included in the sensor, and connect the pixels in each position, Based on the connection of the pixels in each position, identify the shape formed by the pixels that have received reflected light, and Identify the shape as the pattern of the reflected light.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein, The processor is further configured to: Based on the reflected light having the specific pattern, identify the reflected light as being reflected by the object, and Based on the reflected light having a pattern symmetric to the specific pattern, identify the reflected light as being reflected again by the other object.

15. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein, The specific pattern includes one of a pattern that is asymmetric between the upper side and the lower side, a pattern that is asymmetric between the left side and the right side, or a pattern that is asymmetric between the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side, and wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the reflected light having a pattern symmetric to the specific pattern, identify the reflected light as light reflected again by the other surface.

Images