Lg Electronics Inc.

Chulmo Sung

Woochan Jun

Hyungjin Jeon

Seungmin Baek

Dongki Noh

Inbo Shim

Seongsoo Lee

Jeongsuk Yoon

Hyungsuk Kang

A self-driving cleaner includes a main body and a driving unit for driving in a cleaning area. The cleaner suctions foreign material on the floor in the cleaning area. The cleaner includes a first pattern irradiation unit and a second pattern irradiation unit on the front surface of the main body, the first and second pattern irradiation units radiating light in a preset pattern towards the front lower side and the front upper side of the main body, respectively. The cleaner includes a camera on the front surface of the main body, for capturing, at a preset interval, an image including a first light pattern and a second light pattern formed by the first and the second pattern irradiation units, respectively. The cleaner includes a control unit for determining whether a first obstacle exists at a location upwardly spaced apart from the floor, using the image captured by the camera.

Cleaner and method for controlling same

A self-driving vacuum cleaner may include: a main body; a drive unit; a pattern irradiation unit, disposed on a front surface of the main body, for irradiating light; a camera, disposed on the front surface of the main body; and a controller for detecting a light pattern formed by the pattern irradiation unit using an image photographed by the camera, determining whether an obstacle exists in front of the main body on the basis of the brightness of the detected light pattern, and controlling the drive unit to pass or avoid the obstacle on the basis of the determination result.

Vacuum cleaner and control method thereof

A mobile robot of the present disclosure emits a first patterned light downward and forward from a main body on a floor of an area to be cleaned and a second patterned light upward and forward from the main body, determines an obstacle based on an image of each emitted patterned light which is incident on the obstacle, and senses a tilt of the main body to compensate for the tilt. In this manner, an obstacle may be determined accurately, and after the tilt compensation, redetermination is made as to whether it is possible to pass through, so as to enable the mobile robot to pass through or bypass the obstacle. Accordingly, the mobile robot may reach a wider area to be cleaned, thereby extending the area that may be cleaned, and enabling fast determination and operation for effective traveling, such that the mobile robot may escape from an obstacle without being limited thereby.

Mobile robot and method for controlling and detecting inclination using pattern light

A mobile robot of the present disclosure includes a first pattern emission unit configured to emit a first patterned light downward and forward from the main body on a floor of an area to be cleaned; and an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of first patterned light emitted by the first pattern emission unit and incident on an obstacle. A pattern is detected from the acquired image to determine an obstacle, and a cliff is detected based on at least one of a shape or a position of the pattern in the image. The mobile robot may identify a travel path that does not lead to the cliff.

Mobile robot and method of controlling the same

A robot cleaner of the present disclosure comprises a main body configured to travel in a cleaning zone and to suction a foreign substance on a floor in the cleaning zone, an image sensor provided on the main body and configured to obtain an image of a predetermined area at a front side of the main body, a first light source provided on the main body and configured to emit a first pattern of light to a first sub-area of the predetermined area and a second light source provided on the main body at a position below the first light source and configured to emit a second pattern of light to a second sub-area of the predetermined area, the first sub-area being located lower than the second sub-area.

Mobile robot

A mobile robot of the present disclosure includes a first pattern emission unit configured to emit a first patterned light downward and forward from the main body on a floor of an area to be cleaned; and an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of first patterned light emitted by the first pattern emission unit and is incident on an obstacle, so as to determine an obstacle based on a pattern detected from the acquired image. Accordingly, based on the information on the nearby obstacles, by determining whether the mobile robot is in a stuck state where traveling of the mobile robot is limited by a plurality of obstacles, and by setting up an escape for traveling, traveling state of the mobile robot and obstacles may be determined rapidly and a corresponding operation may be performed, thereby enabling effective traveling to escape from the stuck state.

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same. Firstly, an obstacle may be detected by using a light pattern sensor, and a user's inconvenience due to irradiation of a light pattern may be solved. Secondly, an obstacle may be precisely detected in a three dimensional manner by using the light pattern sensor. This may allow precise creation of a cleaning map. Thirdly, a user's eyes may be prevented from being continuously exposed to a light source. This may enhance the user's convenience.

Robot cleaner and remote monitoring system and method of the same

A robot cleaner and a method for controlling a robot cleaner are provided. The method may include sensing a stored value of a pulse width modulation (PWM) duty ratio based on a voltage of a battery; comparing a measured value of the PWM duty ratio with the stored value to calculate a difference between the measured value and the stored value; upon determining that the difference between the measured value and the stored value is equal to or greater than a first set value, calculating a distributed value of acceleration on a substantially vertically extending axis of the robot cleaner; and, upon determining that the distributed value of acceleration deviates from a range of a second set values, increasing a force to suction foreign matter.

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Seoul, South Korea

Chulmo Sung