Robot cleaner and cleaning method therefor

Abstract

A robot cleaner is disclosed. This robot cleaner comprises: a sensor; a driving unit; and one or more processors, which identify a door pad attached to a door by using the sensor while the door in an area where the robot cleaner is located is opened, control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner moves to be in contact with the door pad, and rotate the robot cleaner by controlling the driving unit while the robot cleaner is in contact with the door pad so that the door is rotated according to the rotation of the robot cleaner.

Description

Robot vacuum cleaner and its cleaning method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot vacuum cleaner for cleaning a space and a cleaning method thereof.

[0002] Beyond simple repetitive tasks, robots can sense their surroundings in real time using sensors, cameras, and other tools, gather information, and navigate autonomously. These robots are currently being used in a wide range of fields, with robot vacuum cleaners being a prime example.

[0003] Robot vacuum cleaners can move through spaces (e.g., indoor spaces) and clean them by sucking up debris. However, when a robot vacuum cleaner cleans a space, it has a problem: if the doorway is closed, it cannot clean the space between the doorway and the wall.

[0004] A robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor, a driving unit, and one or more processors. The one or more processors use the sensor to identify a door pad attached to a door in an area where the robot cleaner is located while the door is open. The one or more processors control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner moves and contacts the door pad. The one or more processors control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner rotates while the robot cleaner is in contact with the door pad so that the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner.

[0005] Additionally, the sensor may include a camera. The one or more processors may use the camera to obtain an image of the door and identify the door pad attached to the lower area of ​​the door based on the obtained image.

[0006] Additionally, the sensor may include a camera. The one or more processors may use the camera to obtain an image of the door, identify a location where the door is installed in the entrance based on the obtained image, and control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner rotates in a rotational direction corresponding to the identified location while in contact with the door pad.

[0007] Additionally, the door may be rotated about a rotation axis according to the rotation of the robot cleaner. The one or more processors may control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner moves into a space between the door and the wall formed by the rotation of the door, and may control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner pushes the door pad.

[0008] In addition, the sensor may include a camera. The one or more processors may obtain an image of the door using the camera, identify a rotation angle of the door based on the obtained image, and identify whether the robot cleaner can enter the space between the door and the wall based on the identified rotation angle. If it is determined that the robot cleaner can enter the space between the door and the wall, the driving unit may be controlled so that the robot cleaner moves into the space between the door and the wall.

[0009] In addition, the sensor may include a camera. The one or more processors may obtain an image of the door using the camera, identify the size of the door based on the obtained image, identify a movement trajectory of the door pad based on the rotation axis of the door using the size of the door, and control the driving unit so that the robot cleaner pushes the door pad based on the identified movement trajectory.

[0010] In addition, the one or more processors can generate a circle centered on the rotational axis of the door and having a radius equal to the size of the door, and identify a trajectory from the position of the door pad to the position of the entrance on the circumference of the generated circle as a movement trajectory of the door pad.

[0011] A cleaning method of a robot cleaner including a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a step of identifying a door pad attached to a door of an area where the robot cleaner is located using the sensor while the door is open, a step of moving the robot cleaner and making contact with the door pad, and a step of rotating the robot cleaner while making contact with the door pad so that the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner.

[0012] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a robot cleaner including a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, cause the robot cleaner to perform an operation, the operation includes a step of identifying a door pad attached to a door of an area where the robot cleaner is located using the sensor in an open state, a step of the robot cleaner moving and contacting the door pad, and a step of the robot cleaner rotating while in contact with the door pad so that the door rotates in accordance with the rotation of the robot cleaner.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically illustrating a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 2a is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2b is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to close a door by utilizing rotation of the robot cleaner.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining an example of a door pad according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIGS. 5A and 5B are drawings for explaining an example of an operation of a robot cleaner rotating a door using the rotation of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a robot cleaner closing a door by pushing a door pad attached to the door after the door has rotated according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings for explaining an example of a robot cleaner moving into a space between a door and a wall according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are drawings for explaining an example of cleaning an area where a robot cleaner is located after closing a door by pushing a door pad in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Hereinafter, terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and the present disclosure will be described in detail. In this disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b, or c” can refer to “a,” “b,” “c,” “a and b,” “a and c,” “b and c,” “all of a, b, and c,” or variations thereof.

[0023] The terms used in this disclosure are selected from widely used, common terms, taking into account the functions of the disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the disclosure.

[0024] Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art described herein. Furthermore, terms containing ordinal numbers, such as "first" or "second," used herein may be used to describe various components, but such components should not be limited by such terms. Such terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0025] When a part of the specification is said to "include" a component, unless otherwise specifically stated, this does not exclude other components but rather implies the inclusion of other components. Furthermore, terms such as "part" and "module" used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0026] The term "and / or" includes any combination of a plurality of related described elements or any one of a plurality of related described elements.

[0027] Meanwhile, the various elements and areas in the drawings are schematically drawn. Therefore, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the relative sizes or spacing depicted in the attached drawings.

[0028] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically illustrating a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a robot vacuum cleaner (100) can move through space and perform a cleaning operation.

[0031] The movement of the robot cleaner (100) may include the robot cleaner (100) exploring its surroundings, detecting its location and surrounding objects, and using the detected information to move within the space on its own. Movement may be replaced with expressions such as driving, for example.

[0032] The space may include various indoor spaces, such as, for example, a home, an office, a hotel, a factory, a store, a supermarket, a restaurant, etc. In addition, the object may include various types of obstacles existing in the indoor space where the robot cleaner (100) is located, such as, for example, walls, furniture, and home appliances.

[0033] The cleaning action may include the robot vacuum cleaner (100) moving through space, sucking up foreign substances such as dust on the floor, and cleaning the floor using a mop, etc.

[0034] A space can contain multiple areas. Areas can be separated from other areas by walls. Areas are also connected to other areas through entrances, and these entrances can have doors installed. For example, if a space is a house, areas might correspond to the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, etc.

[0035] In one embodiment, the robot cleaner (100) can perform cleaning of the area (10) after closing the door (11) if the door (11) of the area (10) where the robot cleaner (100) is located is open. In this way, since the robot cleaner (100) cleans the area with the door closed, it can clean the space between the door and the wall, and noise caused by cleaning transmitted to a person outside the area can be reduced.

[0036] The specific actions of the robot vacuum cleaner (100) to close the door will be described in more detail through the drawings and descriptions thereof below.

[0037] FIG. 2a is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2A, the robot cleaner (100) includes a sensor (110), a driving unit (120), and one or more processors (130). Meanwhile, the configuration of the robot cleaner (100) illustrated in FIG. 2A is merely an example, and it is to be understood that some configurations may be added depending on the example.

[0039] The sensor (110) is a configuration for sensing information about the surrounding environment of the robot cleaner (100). One or more processors (133) can obtain information about the surrounding environment of the robot cleaner (100) based on the sensing value of the sensor (110).

[0040] For example, the sensor (110) may include one or more cameras. One or more processors (130) may use the cameras to capture images of the surroundings of the robot cleaner (100) (e.g., the front of the robot cleaner (100)). For example, the cameras may include RGB cameras, depth cameras, etc. The depth cameras may be implemented in a stereo or TOF (Time of Flight) manner.

[0041] For example, the sensor (110) may include a lidar sensor. The lidar sensor outputs a laser in a 360-degree direction, and when a laser reflected from an object is received, the lidar sensor analyzes the time difference taken for the laser to reflect from the object and return, the signal intensity of the received laser, etc., to obtain geometry information about the space. The geometry information may include the location, distance, direction, etc. of objects around the robot cleaner (100). The lidar sensor may provide the obtained information to one or more processors (130).

[0042] One or more processors (130) can obtain location information about objects around the robot cleaner (100) using sensors (110). The location information about the objects can include the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the objects, the direction of the objects, etc.

[0043] According to an example, one or more processors (130) can acquire an image using a camera, input the acquired image into an artificial intelligence model to identify an object, and acquire location information about the object.

[0044] In one example, one or more processors (130) can obtain depth information using a camera and obtain location information about an object based on the depth information.

[0045] In one example, one or more processors (130) can obtain location information about an object using a lidar sensor.

[0046] The driving unit (120) can control the movement of the robot cleaner (100) by control of one or more processors (130).

[0047] For example, the driving unit (120) can move the robot cleaner (100) or stop the moving robot cleaner (100), and control the moving direction and moving speed of the robot cleaner (100).

[0048] For example, the driving unit (120) may include a plurality of wheels and at least one wheel motor. The wheel motor may control the direction of rotation and the speed of rotation of the wheels, thereby controlling the direction of movement and the speed of movement of the robot cleaner (100). For example, if the robot cleaner (100) includes two wheels (e.g., a left wheel and a right wheel), the wheel motor may include a left wheel motor for controlling the direction of rotation and the speed of movement of the left wheel, and a right wheel motor for controlling the direction of rotation and the speed of movement of the right wheel.

[0049] One or more processors (130) can control the overall operations of the robot cleaner (100). For example, one or more processors (130) can control the overall operations of the robot cleaner (100) for closing the door of an area and cleaning the area by executing one or more instructions stored in the memory of the robot cleaner (100).

[0050] The one or more processors (130) may include one or more of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a Many Integrated Core (MIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. The one or more processors (130) may control one or any combination of other components of the robot cleaner (100) and may perform operations or data processing related to communication. The one or more processors (130) may execute one or more programs or instructions stored in the memory of the robot cleaner (100). For example, the one or more processors (130) may perform a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in the memory of the robot cleaner (100).

[0051] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor or by multiple processors. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor) and the third operation may be performed by the second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence-specific processor).

[0052] One or more processors (130) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicores or heterogeneous multicores). When one or more processors (130) are implemented as a multicore processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multicore processor may include an internal processor memory, such as a cache memory or an on-chip memory, and a common cache shared by the multiple cores may be included in the multicore processor. In addition, each of the multiple cores (or some of the multiple cores) included in the multicore processor may independently read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, or all (or some) of the multiple cores may be linked to read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations may be performed by one core among the plurality of cores included in a multi-core processor, or may be performed by the plurality of cores. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, and the third operation may be performed by a second core included in the multi-core processor.

[0054] In embodiments of the present disclosure, a processor may mean a system on a chip (SoC) in which one or more processors and other electronic components are integrated, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a core included in a single-core processor or a multi-core processor, wherein the core may be implemented as a CPU, a GPU, an APU, a MIC, a DSP, an NPU, a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0055] FIG. 2b is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 2b, the robot cleaner (100) may include a sensor (110), a driving unit (120), one or more processors (130), a memory (140), a communication interface (150), an input interface (160), an output interface (170), and a cleaning device (180). However, such a configuration is exemplary, and it is obvious that new configurations may be added or some configurations may be omitted in addition to such configurations when implementing the present disclosure. Meanwhile, a detailed description of configurations that overlap with the configurations illustrated in FIG. 2a among the configurations illustrated in FIG. 2b will be omitted.

[0057] The sensor (110) can detect structures or objects in space. The information obtained from the sensor (110) can be used to create a map of the space.

[0058] The sensor (110) may include a camera (111) and a lidar sensor (112). In addition, the sensor (110) may include at least one of an obstacle detection sensor (113) and a driving detection sensor (114).

[0059] The obstacle detection sensor (113) can detect objects around the robot cleaner (100). For example, the obstacle detection sensor can include at least one of an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, an RF (radio frequency) sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a PSD (Position Sensitive Device) sensor. The obstacle detection sensor (113) can detect objects existing in front, behind, on the side, or along the movement path of the robot cleaner (100). The obstacle detection sensor (113) can provide information about the detected objects to one or more processors (130).

[0060] The driving detection sensor (114) can detect the driving of the robot cleaner (100). For example, the driving detection sensor (114) can include at least one of a gyro sensor, a wheel encoder, and an acceleration sensor. The gyro sensor can detect the rotation direction and rotation angle of the robot cleaner (100). The wheel encoder can detect the number of rotations of the wheels of the robot cleaner (100). The acceleration sensor can detect changes in the speed of the robot cleaner (100). The driving detection sensor (114) can provide detected driving information to one or more processors (130).

[0061] Memory (140) may store instructions, data structures, and program codes. Operations performed by one or more processors (130) may be implemented by executing instructions or codes of a program stored in memory (140).

[0062] The memory (140) may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), and may include a non-volatile memory including at least one of a ROM (Read-Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory).

[0063] The memory (140) can store one or more instructions and / or programs that cause the robot cleaner (100) to close the door of the area and perform an operation to clean the area.

[0064] The communication interface (150) can perform data communication with an electronic device under the control of one or more processors (130). The electronic device may include a server, a home appliance, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet PC, a wearable device, etc.).

[0065] For example, the communication interface (150) may include a communication circuit that can perform data communication between the robot cleaner (100) and the electronic device using at least one of data communication methods including wired LAN, wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Wireless Broadband Internet (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP), Wireless Gigabit Alliances (WiGig), and RF communication.

[0066] The input interface (160) includes circuitry. The input interface (160) can receive user input and transmit the user input to one or more processors (130). For example, the input interface (160) can receive various user inputs for setting or selecting various functions supported by the robot cleaner (100).

[0067] The input interface (160) may include various types of input devices.

[0068] In one example, the input interface (160) may include a physical button. The physical button may include a function key or a dial button. The physical button may also be implemented as one or more keys.

[0069] In one example, the input interface (160) can receive user input using a touch method. For example, the input interface (160) can be implemented as a touch screen capable of performing the function of a display (171).

[0070] For example, the input interface (160) may receive a user's voice using a microphone. One or more processors (130) may perform a function corresponding to the user's voice using voice recognition. For example, one or more processors (130) may convert the user's voice into text data using a STT (Speech To Text) function, obtain control command data based on the text data, and perform a function corresponding to the user's voice based on the control command data. Depending on the embodiment, the STT function may be performed by an external server.

[0071] The output interface (170) may include a display (171) and a speaker (172).

[0072] The display (171) can display various screens. One or more processors (130) can display various notifications, messages, information, etc. related to the operation of the robot cleaner (100) on the display (11).

[0073] The display (171) may be implemented as a display including a self-luminous element or a display including a non-luminous element and a backlight. For example, the display (171) may be implemented as various types of displays such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) display, an LED (Light Emitting Diodes) display, a micro LED display, a Mini LED display, a QLED (Quantum dot light-emitting diodes) display, etc.

[0074] The speaker (172) can output audio signals. One or more processors (130) can output warning sounds, notification messages, response messages corresponding to user input, etc. related to the operation of the robot cleaner (100) through the speaker (172).

[0075] The cleaning device (180) may include a device for cleaning the floor. For example, the cleaning device (180) may include a cleaning module for sweeping and sucking up dust from the floor, a mop module for performing mopping, etc. One or more processors (130) may control the cleaning device (180) to suck up foreign substances from the floor and perform mopping while the robot cleaner (100) is stationary or moving.

[0076] One or more processors (130) can perform SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

[0077] In one example, one or more processors (130) may generate a map of a space using information acquired through a lidar sensor (112). In addition, one or more processors (130) may acquire topographic information of a space using the lidar sensor (112), compare the acquired topographic information with pre-stored topographic information, or compare the acquired topographic information to identify the location (e.g., coordinate values) of the robot cleaner (100) on the map.

[0078] In one example, one or more processors (130) may use a camera (111) to explore a space and generate a map of the space. In addition, one or more processors (130) may use an image acquired using the camera (111) to identify the location of the robot cleaner (100) on the map.

[0079] One or more processors (130) can control the movement of the robot cleaner (100) using information acquired through the sensor (110).

[0080] For example, one or more processors (130) can control the driving unit (130) to allow the robot cleaner (100) to move through space using a map stored in the memory (140). In addition, one or more processors (130) can obtain information using the sensor (110) while the robot cleaner (100) moves through space, and can detect objects around the robot cleaner (100) using the obtained information. When an object is detected, one or more processors (130) can control the driving unit (120) to allow the robot cleaner (100) to move while avoiding the object.

[0081] For convenience of explanation, one or more processors (130) are referred to as processors (130) below.

[0082] For example, when the mode of the robot cleaner (100) is a cleaning mode, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to allow the robot cleaner (100) to move through a space, and control the cleaning device (180) to perform cleaning of the space while the robot cleaner (100) moves through the space.

[0083] A robot cleaner (100) may enter an area through an entrance or exit of the area to clean an area of ​​the space. At this time, a door installed at the entrance or exit of the area may be open. When the robot cleaner (100) moves into the area, the processor (130) may identify whether a door pad is attached to the door installed at the entrance or exit. Then, when the door pad attached to the door is identified, the processor (130) may change the mode of the robot cleaner (100) to a door opening / closing mode, and control the driving unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) closes the door in the door opening / closing mode. When the processor (130) identifies that the door is closed, the processor (130) may change the mode of the robot cleaner (100) to a cleaning mode, and control the robot cleaner (100) to clean the area.

[0084] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to close a door by utilizing rotation of the robot cleaner.

[0085] In operation S310, the processor (130) can identify a door pad attached to the door of the area where the robot cleaner (100) is located using a sensor (110) while the door of the area is open.

[0086] For example, the processor (130) can capture images of the surroundings of the robot cleaner (100) using the camera (111) to obtain an image of the door. Then, the processor (130) can identify a door pad attached to the lower area of ​​the door based on the captured image.

[0087] The door is hinged to the entrance and can be rotated about a pivot to open and close the entrance.

[0088] The door can be hinged on either the left or right side of the doorway. For example, if the door is hinged on the left side of the doorway, the door can rotate relative to the left side of the doorway to open or close the doorway. Alternatively, if the door is hinged on the right side of the doorway, the door can rotate relative to the right side of the doorway to open or close the doorway.

[0089] The door pad may be attached to the lower portion of the door. For example, the lower portion of the door may be an area having a preset height from the floor. In one embodiment, since the robot cleaner (100) opens or closes the door to which the door pad is attached by pushing the door pad, the height at which the door pad is attached may be determined based on the size (e.g., height) of the robot cleaner (100).

[0090] For example, referring to FIG. 4, the door pad (410) may be attached to the door (420) in a form that surrounds a portion of each of the front, side, and rear sides of the door (420) in the lower area of ​​the door (420). In this case, the door pad may be attached to the door using a magnetic method, an adhesive (or bonding) method, or a compression method.

[0091] For example, a QR (Quick Response) code may be attached to the door pad. The processor (130) may capture an image by taking a picture of the surroundings of the robot cleaner (100) using the camera (111). Then, the processor (130) may identify the door pad in the image captured using the camera (111) through QR code recognition, thereby capturing an image of the door pad.

[0092] In one example, the door pad may include an RFID tag, and the communication interface (150) may include an RFID reader. The processor (130) may receive identification information from the RFID tag using the RFID reader, identify whether there is a door pad around the robot cleaner (100), and obtain an image of the door pad using the camera (111).

[0093] According to one example, the processor (130) can input an image acquired using a camera (111) into an artificial intelligence model to identify a door pad attached to a door.

[0094] An artificial intelligence model may be stored in the memory (140). The artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model trained to recognize a door and a door pad attached to the door in an image. The artificial intelligence model may output a probability value indicating that an object detected in an input image can be inferred to be a door or a door pad attached to the door. For example, the artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model configured with parameters trained by applying images of a door with a door pad attached as input data and applying the door and the door pad as output values. The processor (130) inputs an image acquired using the camera (111) into the artificial intelligence model, obtains a probability value from the artificial intelligence model, and compares the probability value with a preset value to identify whether a door and a door pad attached to the door are present in the image acquired using the camera (111).

[0095] In operation S320, when a door pad attached to a door is identified, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to cause the robot cleaner (100) to move and contact the door pad.

[0096] According to one example, when a door pad is detected in an image acquired using a camera (111), the processor (130) can acquire location information about the door pad using the acquired image.

[0097] According to one example, the processor (130) can obtain location information about a door pad detected in an image using a lidar sensor.

[0098] Location information about the door pad may include information about the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the door pad, the direction of the door pad, etc.

[0099] In addition, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) based on the acquired position information so that the robot cleaner (100) moves and contacts the door pad. The robot cleaner (100) contacting the door pad may include a region of the body of the robot cleaner (100) contacting the door pad. Contact may be replaced with expressions such as, for example, adhesion.

[0100] For example, the processor (130) can identify a location on the map where the robot cleaner (100) can come into contact with the door pad based on the location of the robot cleaner (100) on the map, location information about the door pad, and the size (e.g., radius) of the robot cleaner (100), and control the driving unit (120) to move the robot cleaner (100) to the identified location.

[0101] In this case, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to move the robot cleaner (100) to the door pad so that the front of the body of the robot cleaner (100) comes into contact with the door pad when the robot cleaner (100) comes into contact with the door pad.

[0102] As described below, the robot cleaner (100) can rotate after coming into contact with the door pad, thereby rotating the door to which the door pad is attached. The processor (130) can move the robot cleaner (100) so that the front of the body of the robot cleaner (100) comes into contact with the door pad in order to capture the rotating door using the camera (111) that captures the front of the robot cleaner (100).

[0103] In operation S330, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to rotate the robot cleaner (100) while the robot cleaner (100) is in contact with the door pad so that the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner (100).

[0104] For example, the processor (130) can identify the location where the door is installed in the entrance using an image of the door being photographed.

[0105] The location where the door is installed at the entrance is the location where the door is attached to the entrance based on the robot cleaner (100) within the area. For example, the location where the door is installed at the entrance may be on the left or right side of the entrance based on the robot cleaner (100).

[0106] According to an example, the processor (130) can identify that the door is installed on the left side of the entrance if there is an entrance on the right side of the door in the open state in the image acquired using the camera (111), and can identify that the door is installed on the right side of the entrance if there is an entrance on the left side of the door in the open state.

[0107] In addition, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to rotate in a rotational direction corresponding to the identified position while the robot cleaner (100) is in contact with the door pad.

[0108] For example, if the door is installed on the left side of the entrance, the processor (130) can control the drive unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) rotates clockwise while in contact with the door pad. In addition, if the door is installed on the right side of the entrance, the processor (130) can control the drive unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) rotates counterclockwise while in contact with the door pad. In this case, the processor (130) can control the drive unit (120) so that the rotation speed of the robot cleaner (100) gradually increases.

[0109] When the robot cleaner (100) comes into contact with the door pad and then rotates, the door can rotate around its rotation axis due to the frictional force between the robot cleaner (100) and the door pad. The rotation axis of the door is the position where the door is installed at the entrance, and at this time, the direction in which the door rotates can be the direction in which the door closes. For example, when the robot cleaner (100) rotates clockwise, the door can rotate counterclockwise, and when the robot cleaner (100) rotates counterclockwise, the door can rotate clockwise.

[0110] The processor (130) can acquire an image using the camera (111) while the robot cleaner (100) rotates, and track the door pad in the acquired image to identify whether the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner (100).

[0111] FIGS. 5A and 5B are drawings for explaining an example of an operation of a robot cleaner rotating a door using the rotation of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] Referring to FIG. 5a, the robot cleaner (100) can move into the area (510) through the entrance (511) of the area (510). Then, the robot cleaner (100) can identify the door pad (530) attached to the door (520) in the area (510), move to the door pad (530), and contact the door pad (530). Referring to FIG. 5b, the robot cleaner (100) can rotate in a clockwise direction (541) in place after contacting the door pad (530). In this case, the door (520) can rotate in a counterclockwise direction (542) due to the frictional force between the robot cleaner (100) and the door pad (530) according to the rotation of the robot cleaner (100). In addition, the robot cleaner (100) can acquire an image using a camera (111) while the robot cleaner (100) rotates, and can identify whether the door pad (530) is rotating using the acquired image.

[0113] As described above, the door can be rotated about a rotation axis according to the rotation of the robot cleaner (100). The processor (130) controls the driving unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) moves into the space between the door and the wall formed by the rotation of the door, and controls the driving unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) pushes the door pad after moving into the space between the door and the wall. Accordingly, the door can be closed.

[0114] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a robot cleaner closing a door by pushing a door pad attached to the door after the door has rotated according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] In operations S610 and S620, the processor (130) can obtain an image of the door using the camera (111) and identify the rotation angle of the door based on the obtained image.

[0116] For example, if the angle of the door is 0° when the door is closed, the rotation angle of the door may include the angle rotated relative to the closed state of the door.

[0117] The processor (130) can input an image acquired using a camera (111) into an artificial intelligence model to identify the rotation angle of the door.

[0118] An artificial intelligence model may be stored in the memory (140). The artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model trained to identify the rotation angle of a door included in an image. The artificial intelligence model may output information about the rotation angle of the door identified in the input image. For example, the artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model configured with parameters learned by applying images of doors opened at various angles as input data and applying the rotation angle of the door as an output value. Accordingly, the processor (130) inputs an image acquired using the camera (111) into the artificial intelligence model, obtains information about the rotation angle of the door from the artificial intelligence model, and can identify the rotation angle of the door.

[0119] In operation S630, the processor (130) can identify whether the robot cleaner (100) can enter the space between the door and the wall based on the identified rotation angle.

[0120] The memory (140) can store information about the distance between the door and the wall corresponding to each of a plurality of rotation angles. For example, in the manufacturing process of the robot cleaner (100), the distance between the door and the wall can be measured at each of a plurality of rotation angles of the door, and information about the plurality of distances measured at the plurality of rotation angles can be stored in the memory (140).

[0121] The processor (130) can identify a distance corresponding to an identified rotation angle among a plurality of distances corresponding to a plurality of rotation angles based on information stored in the memory (140), and can identify whether the robot cleaner (100) can enter the space between the door and the wall based on the identified distance.

[0122] For example, if the distance between the door and the wall is greater than the size (e.g., diameter) of the robot cleaner (100), the processor (130) can identify that the robot cleaner (100) can enter the space between the door and the wall. In addition, if the distance between the door and the wall is less than the size (e.g., diameter) of the robot cleaner (100), the processor (130) can identify that the robot cleaner (100) cannot enter the space between the door and the wall.

[0123] In operations S630-Y and S640, if the processor (130) identifies that the robot cleaner (100) can enter the space between the door and the wall, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to move the robot cleaner (100) into the space between the door and the wall.

[0124] At this time, the space between the door and the wall may include the space between the door pad attached to the door and the wall. For example, the processor (130) may track the door pad using an image acquired through the camera (111) and control the driving unit (120) so that the robot cleaner (100) moves into the space between the door pad and the wall.

[0125] For example, referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the door (710) may be rotated by the rotation of the robot cleaner (100), thereby forming a space (730) between the door (710) and the wall (720). The robot cleaner (100) may move into the space (730).

[0126] In operation S650, the processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to cause the robot cleaner (100) to push the door pad.

[0127] For example, the processor (130) can obtain an image of a door using a camera (111) and identify the size of the door from the obtained image.

[0128] The size of a door can be its width. The width of a door can be the distance between the left and right ends of the door.

[0129] According to an example, the processor (130) can identify the left and right ends of the door from an image acquired using a camera (111), and can identify the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door and the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door using an artificial intelligence model.

[0130] The processor (130) can identify the angle formed by the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door and the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door using the lidar sensor. For example, the lidar sensor can output a laser in a 360-degree direction and identify the distance to the object by receiving the laser reflected from the object. In this case, the processor (130) can identify the rotation angle of the lidar sensor when a value equal to the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door is measured among the distances measured using the lidar sensor, and can identify the rotation angle of the lidar sensor when a value equal to the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door is measured. In addition, the processor (130) can identify the angle formed by the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door and the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door based on the difference value between the identified rotation angles.

[0131] In addition, the processor (130) can identify the size of the door based on the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door, the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door, and the angle formed by the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the left end of the door and the line segment between the robot cleaner (100) and the right end of the door. For example, the processor (130) can identify the size of the door using the cosine law.

[0132] According to an example, the processor (130) can input an image acquired using a camera (111) into an artificial intelligence model to identify the size of the door.

[0133] An artificial intelligence model may be stored in the memory (140). The artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model trained to identify the size of a door included in an image. The artificial intelligence model may output information about the size of the door included in the input image. For example, the artificial intelligence model may include a neural network model configured with parameters learned by applying images of doors as input data and applying the size of the door as an output value. The processor (130) may input images acquired using the camera (111) into the artificial intelligence model and obtain information about the size of the door from the artificial intelligence model.

[0134] The processor (130) can identify the movement trajectory of the door pad based on the rotation axis of the door using the size of the door.

[0135] The movement trajectory of the door pad may be the trajectory along which the door pad moves when the door is closed.

[0136] The rotation axis of the door refers to the position where the door is installed in the entrance, and may be on the left or right side of the entrance. For example, the processor (130) may obtain an image of the door using the camera (111) and input the obtained image into an artificial intelligence model to obtain location information about the door pad. The location information about the door pad may include the distance between the robot cleaner (100) and the door pad, the direction of the door pad, etc. In addition, the processor (130) may identify the location (e.g., coordinate value) of the door pad on the map based on the location of the robot cleaner (100) and the location information about the door pad on the map.

[0137] Additionally, the processor (130) can identify the location of the rotation axis of the door on the map based on the location of the entrance on the map and the location where the door is installed on the entrance.

[0138] For example, if the door is installed on the left side of the entrance, the processor (130) can identify the location (e.g., coordinate value) on the left side of the entrance on the map as the location of the rotation axis of the door, and if the door is installed on the right side of the entrance, the processor (130) can identify the location (e.g., coordinate value) on the right side of the entrance on the map as the location of the rotation axis of the door.

[0139] And, the processor (130) can generate a circle centered on the position of the rotation axis of the door and having the size of the door as the radius, and identify the movement trajectory of the door pad based on the generated circle. For example, the processor (130) can identify a trajectory from the position of the door pad on the circumference of the generated circle to the position of the entrance as the movement trajectory of the door pad. In this case, the position of the entrance is a position on the left or right of the entrance where the door is not installed. For example, if the door is installed on the left side of the entrance, the position of the entrance is on the right side of the entrance, and if the door is installed on the right side of the entrance, the position of the entrance is on the left side of the entrance.

[0140] The processor (130) can control the driving unit (120) to move the robot cleaner (100) along the movement trajectory of the door pad. For example, the processor (130) can identify coordinate values ​​of the movement trajectory of the door pad on the map and control the driving unit (120) to move the robot cleaner (100) along the identified coordinate values. In this case, the movement trajectory of the door pad can be a trajectory from the current position of the door pad to the position of the door pad when the door is closed. Therefore, when the robot cleaner (100) moves along the movement trajectory of the door pad, the robot cleaner (100) can push the door pad to close the door.

[0141] The processor (130) can acquire images using the camera (111) while the robot cleaner (100) moves, track the door pad in the acquired images to identify whether the door pad is moving, and if the door pad no longer moves, identify that the door is completely closed.

[0142] And, when the processor (130) identifies that the door is completely closed, it can set a driving path for cleaning the area and control the robot cleaner (100) to move along the driving path and perform cleaning of the area.

[0143] For example, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the robot cleaner (100) can identify a movement trajectory (830) of a door pad (820) for closing a door (810), and move along the movement trajectory (830). Accordingly, the robot cleaner (100) can push the door pad (820) to close the door (810). In addition, referring to FIG. 8C, when the robot cleaner (100) identifies that the door (810) is completely closed, the robot cleaner (100) can plan a driving path (850) for cleaning an area (840) where the robot cleaner (100) is located, and perform cleaning of the area (840) by using the cleaning device (180) while moving along the driving path (850).

[0144] Accordingly, according to the present disclosure, the robot cleaner (100) can clean the space between the door and the wall by performing cleaning of the area after closing the door, and noise caused by cleaning transmitted to a person outside the area can be reduced.

[0145] Meanwhile, when cleaning of an area is completed, the processor (130) may control the driving unit (120) to cause the robot cleaner (100) to open the closed door and move outside the area. For example, the processor (130) may control the driving unit (120) to cause the robot cleaner (100) to rotate after coming into contact with the door pad. In addition, the processor (130) may control the driving unit (120) to cause the robot cleaner (100) to move into the space between the door and the entrance formed by the rotation of the door and then push the door pad. Meanwhile, since the method for opening the door by the robot cleaner (100) can be applied in the same manner as the method used when closing the door by the robot cleaner (100), a description of the specific operation of the robot cleaner (100) to open the door will be omitted.

[0146] Meanwhile, the neural network model according to the present disclosure refers to an artificial intelligence model including a neural network and can be trained by deep learning. The neural network may include, for example, at least one of a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a generative adversarial network (GAN), and a deep Q-network. However, the neural network model is not limited to the examples described above.

[0147] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in a computer-readable recording medium using software, hardware, or a combination thereof, or a computer or similar device. In some cases, the embodiments described herein may be implemented by the processor itself. In a software implementation, embodiments, such as the procedures and functions described herein, may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein.

[0148] Meanwhile, computer instructions for performing processing operations of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When the computer instructions stored in such a non-transitory computer-readable medium are executed by a processor of a specific device, the computer instructions cause the specific device to perform processing operations in a robot cleaner (100) according to various embodiments described above.

[0149] A non-transitory computer-readable medium refers to a medium that permanently stores data and can be read by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, or memory. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include CDs, DVDs, hard disks, Blu-ray discs, USBs, memory cards, and ROMs.

[0150] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In robot vacuum cleaners, sensor; driving unit; and The door pad attached to the door is identified using the sensor while the door of the area where the robot cleaner is located is open, Controlling the driving unit so that the robot cleaner moves and contacts the door pad; A robot cleaner comprising: at least one processor for controlling the driving unit to rotate the robot cleaner while the robot cleaner is in contact with the door pad so that the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner.

2. In paragraph 1, The above sensor includes a camera, One or more of the above processors, Using the above camera, an image of the door is obtained, A robot cleaner that identifies the door pad attached to the lower area of ​​the door based on the acquired image.

3. In paragraph 1, The above sensor includes a camera, One or more of the above processors, Using the above camera, an image of the door is obtained, Based on the acquired image, identify the location where the door is installed in the entrance, A robot cleaner that controls the driving unit so that the robot cleaner rotates in a rotational direction corresponding to the identified position while in contact with the door pad.

4. In paragraph 1, The above door rotates around the rotation axis according to the rotation of the robot cleaner. One or more of the above processors, Controlling the driving unit so that the robot cleaner moves into the space between the door and the wall formed by the rotation of the door, A robot cleaner that controls the driving unit so that the robot cleaner pushes the door pad.

5. In paragraph 4, The above sensor includes a camera, One or more of the above processors, Using the above camera, an image of the door is obtained, Identifying the rotation angle of the door based on the acquired image, Based on the identified rotation angle, it is determined whether the robot cleaner can enter the space between the door and the wall, A robot cleaner that controls the driving unit to move the robot cleaner into the space between the door and the wall when the robot cleaner is identified as being capable of entering the space between the door and the wall.

6. In paragraph 4, The above sensor includes a camera, One or more of the above processors, Using the above camera, an image of the door is obtained, Identify the size of the door based on the acquired image, Using the size of the door, the movement trajectory of the door pad is identified based on the rotation axis of the door, A robot cleaner that controls the driving unit so that the robot cleaner pushes the door pad based on the identified movement trajectory.

7. In paragraph 6, One or more of the above processors, Create a circle centered on the rotation axis of the door and having a radius equal to the size of the door, A robot cleaner that identifies a trajectory from the position of the door pad to the position of the entrance on the circumference of the generated circle as a movement trajectory of the door pad.

8. A cleaning method of a robot vacuum cleaner including a sensor, A step of identifying a door pad attached to the door using the sensor while the door of the area where the robot cleaner is located is open; The step of the robot cleaner moving and contacting the door pad; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of rotating the robot cleaner while in contact with the door pad so that the door rotates according to the rotation of the robot cleaner.

9. In paragraph 8, The above sensor includes a camera, The above identifying step is, A step of obtaining an image of the door using the camera; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of identifying the door pad attached to a lower area of ​​the door based on the acquired image; 10. In paragraph 8, The above sensor includes a camera, The above rotating step is, A step of obtaining an image of the door using the above camera; A step of identifying the location where the door is installed in the entrance based on the acquired image; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of rotating the robot cleaner in a rotational direction corresponding to the identified position while in contact with the door pad.

11. In paragraph 8, The above door rotates around the rotation axis according to the rotation of the robot cleaner. The above cleaning method is, A step in which the robot cleaner moves into a space between the door and the wall formed by the rotation of the door; and A cleaning method further comprising a step of the robot cleaner moving and pushing the door pad.

12. In paragraph 11, The above sensor includes a camera, The above moving steps are, A step of obtaining an image of the door using the above camera; A step of identifying the rotation angle of the door based on the acquired image; A step of identifying whether the robot cleaner can enter the space between the door and the wall based on the identified rotation angle; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of, when the robot cleaner is identified as being capable of entering a space between the door and the wall, moving the robot cleaner into the space between the door and the wall.

13. In paragraph 11, The above sensor includes a camera, The above steps are, A step of obtaining an image of the door using the above camera; A step of identifying the size of the door based on the acquired image; A step of identifying a movement trajectory of the door pad based on the rotation axis of the door using the size of the door; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of the robot cleaner moving and pushing the door pad based on the identified movement trajectory.

14. In paragraph 13, The step of identifying the movement trajectory of the above door pad is: A step of generating a circle centered on the rotation axis of the door and having a radius equal to the size of the door; and A cleaning method comprising: a step of identifying a trajectory from a position of the door pad to a position of the entrance on the circumference of the generated circle as a movement trajectory of the door pad;

Images