U.S. patent application number 13/724140 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-05 for cleaning system and control method thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to MSI COMPUTER (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is MSI COMPUTER (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Shih-Che HUNG, Yao-Shih LENG.
Application Number | 20130228198 13/724140 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48985190 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130228198 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUNG; Shih-Che ; et
al. |
September 5, 2013 |
CLEANING SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A cleaning system including a guiding object and a cleaning
robot is disclosed. The guiding object includes a magnet to form a
magnetic field. The cleaning robot includes an operation module, a
first sense module and a control module. The operation module
performs a cleaning action and a moving action according to a
control signal. The first sense module generates a first sensed
signal according to the magnetic field. The control module
generates the control signal to adjust an efficiency of at least
one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the
first sensed signal.
Inventors: |
HUNG; Shih-Che; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; LENG; Yao-Shih; (New Taipei City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MSI COMPUTER (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD. |
Shenzhen |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
MSI COMPUTER (SHENZHEN) CO.,
LTD.
Shenzhen
CN
|
Family ID: |
48985190 |
Appl. No.: |
13/724140 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61606106 |
Mar 2, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/18 ;
15/3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/2805 20130101;
A47L 2201/04 20130101; A47L 13/42 20130101; A47L 2201/06
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/18 ;
15/3 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/42 20060101
A47L013/42 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 1, 2012 |
TW |
101127709 |
Claims
1. A cleaning system, comprising: a guiding object comprising a
magnet to form a magnetic field; and a cleaning robot comprising:
an operation module performing a cleaning action and a moving
action according to a control signal; a first sense module
generating a first sensed signal according to the magnetic field;
and a control module generating the control signal to adjust an
efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving
action according to the first sensed signal.
2. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding
object is a virtual wall.
3. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding
object is a docking station.
4. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operation
module comprises a plurality of wheels to execute the moving
action, and the cleaning robot further comprises a storage module,
and when a power of the storage module is less than a
pre-determined value, the control module controls the wheels to
move to the docking station.
5. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
sense module comprises at least one of a compass sensor, a Hall
sensor, a gyroscope and a g sensor.
6. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning
robot further comprises: a second sense module generating a second
sensed signal according to an external environment of the cleaning
robot, wherein when a duration in which a variation of the first
sensed signal is less than a pre-determined value exceeds to a
pre-determined period, the control module adjusts the efficiency of
at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action according
to the second sensing signal.
7. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second
sense module comprises a photo sensor generating the second sensed
signal according to a reflected light of the external
environment.
8. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second
sense module comprises an audio sensor generating the second sensed
signal according to a reflected audio wave of the external
environment.
9. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet
module comprises at least one NdFeB magnet.
10. A control method for a cleaning robot, comprising: disposing a
magnet module in a guiding object to form a magnetic field; sensing
the magnetic field to generate a sensing result and generating a
first sensed signal according to the sensing result; and
controlling an efficiency of at least one of a cleaning action and
a moving action according to the first sensed signal.
11. The control method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sensing
step is to utilize at least one of a compass sensor, a Hall sensor,
a gyroscope and a g sensor to sense the magnetic field.
12. The control method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:
sensing an external environment of the cleaning robot to generate a
second sensed signal; and when a duration in which a variation of
the first sensed signal is less than a pre-determined value exceeds
to a pre-determined period, adjusting the efficiency of at least
one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the
second sensing signal.
13. The control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensing
step is to utilize a photo sensor, and the photo sensor senses a
reflected light of the external environment to generate the second
sensed signal.
14. The control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensing
step is to utilize an audio sensor, and the audio sensor senses a
reflected audio wave of the external environment to generate the
second sensed signal.
15. The control method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
disposing step is to dispose at least one NdFeB magnet in the
guiding object.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/606,106 filed on Mar. 2, 2012, and Taiwan Patent
Application No. 101127709, filed on Aug. 1, 2012, the entirety of
which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a cleaning system, and more
particularly, to a cleaning system utilizing a cleaning robot.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Cleaning floors take a lot of time. To reduce the time for
cleaning a floor, many cleaning devices have been developed, such
as a broom, a mop and so forth. However, the cleaning devices must
be manually operated for cleaning. Thus, conventional cleaning
devices are inconvenient.
[0006] With technological development, many electronic devices have
been developed, such as robots. Taking a cleaning robot as an
example, the cleaning robot can autonomously execute a cleaning
action. A user is not required to manually operate the cleaning
robot to clean a floor. Thus, the cleaning robot has gradually
replaced conventional cleaning devices. Generally, a conventional
method of a cleaning robot utilizes a virtual wall to limit the
traveling path of the cleaning robot and utilizes a docking station
for charging the cleaning robot. However, if the cleaning robot
cannot obtain an accurate position of the virtual wall or the
docking station, the cleaning robot may collide with the virtual
wall or cannot immediately connect to the docking station.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with an embodiment, a cleaning system
comprises a guiding object and a cleaning robot. The guiding object
comprises a magnet to form a magnetic field. The cleaning robot
comprises an operation module, a first sense module and a control
module. The operation module performs a cleaning action and a
moving action according to a control signal. The first sense module
generates a first sensed signal according to the magnetic field.
The control module generates the control signal to adjust an
efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving
action according to the first sensed signal.
[0008] An exemplary embodiment of a control method for a cleaning
robot is described in the following. A magnet module is disposed in
a guiding object to form a magnetic field. The magnetic field is
sensed to generate a sensing result and a first sensed signal is
generated according to the sensing result. An efficiency of at
least one of a cleaning action and a moving action is controlled
according to the first sensed signal.
[0009] A detailed description is given in the following embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention can be more fully understood by referring to
the following detailed description and examples with references
made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
a cleaning system
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
a control method of the invention; and
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary
embodiment of a control method of the invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The following description is of the best-contemplated mode
of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the
purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and
should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention
is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
a cleaning system. The cleaning system 100 comprises a guiding
object 110 and a cleaning robot 130. In this embodiment, the
guiding object 110 comprises a magnet module 111 to form a magnetic
field. In one embodiment, the magnet module 111 comprises at least
one NdFeB magnet 113.
[0016] The invention does not limit the function of the guiding
object 110. In this embodiment, the guiding object 110 is capable
of guiding the cleaning robot 130. In one embodiment, the guiding
object 110 is a virtual wall to limit the traveling path of the
cleaning robot 130. In another embodiment, the guiding object 110
is a docking station for charging the cleaning robot 130.
[0017] The cleaning robot 130 comprises an operation module 131, a
sense module 132 and a control module 133. The operation module 131
performs a cleaning action and a moving action according to a
control signal. The invention does not limit the circuit structure
of the operation module 131. Any element can be contained in the
operation module 131, as long as the element is capable of
performing a cleaning action or a moving action. In this
embodiment, the operation module 131 comprises a cleaning brush
134, wheels 135, 136, and a suction aperture 137. The cleaning
brush 134 and the suction aperture 137 execute a cleaning action.
The wheels 135 and 136 execute a moving action.
[0018] The sense module 132 generates a sensed signal according to
the magnetic field generated by the magnet module 111. In this
embodiment, the sense module 132 is disposed at a lateral side of
the cleaning robot 130, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In other embodiments, the sense module 132 can be disposed at any
position of the cleaning robot 130, as long as the sense module 132
is capable of sensing the magnetic field. Additionally, the
invention does not limit the circuit structure of the sense module
132. In one embodiment, the sense module 132 comprises at least one
of a compass sensor, a Hall sensor, a gyroscope and a g sensor.
[0019] The control module 133 generates the control signal to
adjust an efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the
moving action according to the first sensed signal.
[0020] For example, the control module 133 controls the speed and
the direction of the wheels 135 and 136 to stop or start the
cleaning robot 130 or adjust the moving speed or the traveling path
of the cleaning robot 130 according to the sensing signal generated
by the sense module 132. In one embodiment, the moving speed of the
cleaning robot 130 may be increased or reduced. In other
embodiments, the control module 133 controls the cleaning robot 130
to rotate or cruise.
[0021] In addition, the control module 133 controls the speed of
the cleaning brush 134, and the suction or the air flow of the
suction aperture 137 to adjust the efficiency of the cleaning
action of the cleaning robot 130 according to the sensed signal
generated by the sense module 132.
[0022] In this embodiment, when the cleaning robot 130 approaches
the guiding object 110, the sense module 132 can sense a magnetic
field and the magnetic field is strong. Contrarily, when the
cleaning robot 130 leaves the guiding object 110, no magnetic field
can be sensed by the sense module 132 or the sense module 132
barely senses a magnetic field.
[0023] In one embodiment, assuming that the guiding object 110 is a
virtual wall. When the cleaning robot 130 approaches the guiding
object 110, the control module 133 controls the traveling path of
the cleaning robot 130 according to the sensed signal generated by
the sense module 132. In other words, the control module 133
controls the speed and the direction of the wheels 135 and 136.
[0024] In another embodiment, assuming that the guiding object 110
is a docking station. When a power level of a storage module (not
shown) of the cleaning robot 130 is less than a pre-determined
level, the control module 133 controls the wheels 135 and 136 to
move to the guiding object 110. The storage module may be a
rechargeable battery. The cleaning robot 130 can obtain an accurate
position of the guiding object 110 according to the sensed signal
generated by the sense module 132 and move to approach the guiding
object 110.
[0025] In some embodiments, the control module 133 obtains the
state of the cleaning robot 130 according to the sensed signal
generated by the sense module 132. For example, when a duration in
which a variation of the sensed signal generated by the sense
module 132 is less than a pre-determined value exceeds to a
pre-determined period, this represents that the cleaning robot 130
is at a fixed place. In one embodiment, the cleaning robot 130 may
be locked at the fixed place. In this case, the control module 133
controls the direction of the wheels 135 and 136 to shake the
cleaning robot 130 such that the cleaning robot 130 leaves the
fixed place.
[0026] Furthermore, the control module 133 sends an audio effect or
a light effect to display the operation state of the cleaning robot
130. For example, when the cleaning robot 130 is at a fixed place,
the control module 133 may control a buzzer (not shown) to buzz and
send a warning signal or a warning light to notify users, such that
the users may immediately determine that an abnormal event has
occurred and eliminate the abnormal event.
[0027] To optimize the traveling path of the cleaning robot 130,
the cleaning robot 130 further comprises another sense module 137
in one embodiment. The sense module 137 generates another sensed
signal according to an external environment of the cleaning robot
130. The control module 133 adjusts the efficiency of at least one
of the cleaning action and the moving action of the operation
module 131 according to the other sensed signal generated by the
sense module 137.
[0028] For example, when the control module 133 obtains that the
cleaning robot 130 is at a fixed place according to the sensed
signal generated by the sense module 132, the control module 133
adjusts the direction of the wheels 135 and 136 to shake the
cleaning robot 130 and then adjusts the traveling path of the
cleaning robot 130 according to the sensed signal generated by the
sense module 137 such that the cleaning robot 130 leaves the fixed
place.
[0029] The invention does not limit the circuit structure of the
sense module 137. In one embodiment, the sense module 137 comprises
a photo sensor. The photo sensor generates a sensed signal
according to a reflected light of the external environment. In
another embodiment, the sense module 137 comprises an audio sensor,
such as an ultrasonic sensor. The audio sensor generates a sensed
signal according to a reflected audio wave of the external
environment.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
a control method of the invention. First, a magnet module is
disposed in a guiding object to form a magnetic field (step S210).
In one embodiment, at least one NdFeB magnet is disposed in the
guiding object, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other
embodiments, other kinds of magnets may be disposed in the guiding
object.
[0031] The magnetic field is sensed (step S220). In one embodiment,
step S220 utilizes at least one of a compass sensor, a Hall sensor,
a gyroscope and a g sensor to sense the magnetic field.
[0032] The efficiency of at least one of a cleaning action and a
moving action performed by a cleaning robot is controlled according
to the sensed signal (step S230). In one embodiment, step 230
controls the speed of a cleaning brush 134, or the suction or the
air flow of a suction aperture 137 for controlling the cleaning
action of the cleaning robot. Furthermore, step 230 controls the
speed and the direction of wheels of the cleaning robot for
controlling the moving action.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary
embodiment of the control method of the invention. FIG. 3 is
similar to FIG. 2, except for the addition of steps S340 and S350.
Since steps S310.about.S330 shown in FIG. 3 and step
S210.about.S230 shown in FIG. 2 have the same principles,
descriptions of steps S310.about.S330 are omitted for brevity.
[0034] In step S340, it is determined whether a duration, which a
variation of the sensed signal generated by step S320 is less than
a pre-determined value in exceeds to a pre-determined period. When
the duration, which the variation of the sensed signal generated by
step S320 is less than the pre-determined value in exceeds to the
pre-determined period, this represents that the cleaning robot is
at a fixed place. Thus, an external environment of the cleaning
robot is sensed to generate a sensing result, and the efficiency of
at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action is
adjusted according to the sensing result (step S350).
[0035] For example, when the cleaning robot is locked at a fixed
place, the moving action is first adjusted to shake the cleaning
robot. Then, another sense module is utilized to sense the external
environment of the cleaning robot to generate another sensing
result. The traveling path of the cleaning robot is adjusted
according to the other sensing result such that the cleaning robot
leaves the fixed place. Additionally, when the cleaning robot is at
a fixed place, the cleaning action is stopped. After the cleaning
robot leaves the fixed place, the cleaning action is performed.
[0036] In one embodiment, step S350 utilizes a photo sensor, and
the photo sensor senses a reflected light of the external
environment of the cleaning robot. In another embodiment, step S350
utilizes an audio sensor to sense a reflected audio wave of the
external environment of the cleaning robot.
[0037] When the duration, which the variation of the sensed signal
generated by step S320 is less than the pre-determined value in
does not exceed to the pre-determined period, this represents that
the cleaning robot is not at a fixed place and is operating
normally. Thus, step S320 is performed to sense the variation of
the sensed signal and then control at least one of the cleaning
action and the moving action according to the sensing result.
Furthermore, after executing step S350, step S320 is performed to
sense the magnet field.
[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be
interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0039] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that
the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the
contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art).
Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications
and similar arrangements.
* * * * *