U.S. patent application number 13/731471 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-05 for cleaning robot 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 | 20130228199 13/731471 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48985187 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130228199 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUNG; Shih-Che ; et
al. |
September 5, 2013 |
CLEANING ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A cleaning robot including a movement module, a cleaning module,
a shock sensor module and a control module is disclosed. The
movement module includes a plurality of rollers. The cleaning
module includes a suction aperture, a cleaning brush, and a dust
collection box. The shock sensor module detects a shock and
generates a detection signal. The control module controls at least
one of the movement module and the cleaning module according to the
detection 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. |
Shenzen City |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
MSI COMPUTER (SHENZHEN) CO.,
LTD.
Shenzen City
CN
|
Family ID: |
48985187 |
Appl. No.: |
13/731471 |
Filed: |
December 31, 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 ;
15/319 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/2852 20130101;
A47L 2201/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/18 ;
15/319 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/28 20060101
A47L009/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 6, 2012 |
TW |
101124360 |
Claims
1. A cleaning robot, comprising: a movement module comprising a
plurality of rollers; a cleaning module comprising a suction
aperture, a cleaning brush, and a dust collection box; a shock
sensor module detecting a shock and generating a detection signal;
and a control module controlling at least one of the movement
module and the cleaning module according to the detection
signal.
2. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shock
sensor module comprises at least one gravity sensor.
3. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shock
sensor module comprises at least one piezoelectric film detecting
the shock and generating the detection signal.
4. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a
notice module providing notice information, wherein the control
module controls the notice module according to the detection
signal.
5. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the notice
information is an image or a voice.
6. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control
module controls at least one of a rotational direction and a
rotational speed of the rollers according to the detection
signal.
7. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control
module controls at least one of a suction of the suction aperture
and an air flow rate of the dust collection box according to the
detection signal.
8. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control
module controls a rotational speed of the cleaning brush according
to the detection signal.
9. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shock is
generated by a base case and the movement module is disposed under
the base case.
10. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shock is
generated from a piezoelectric film, which is disposed in an
air-stream flow channel of the suction aperture.
11. A control method for a cleaning robot, comprising: moving the
robot; detecting a shock to generate a detection signal; and
controlling an operation of the robot according to the detection
signal.
12. The control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of
detecting the shock is to utilize a gravity sensor to detect the
shock.
13. The control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of
detecting the shock is to detect the shock generated by a base case
of the cleaning robot.
14. The control method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
disposing a piezoelectric film in an air-stream flow channel of a
suction aperture of the cleaning robot.
15. The control method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of
detecting the shock is to detect a voltage of the piezoelectric
film.
16. The control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of
controlling the operation of the cleaning robot is to control a
traveling route of the cleaning robot.
17. The control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of
controlling the operation of the cleaning robot is to control at
least one of a suction and an air flow rate of the cleaning
robot.
18. The control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of
controlling the operation of the cleaning robot is to control at
least one of a display light, a display panel and a voice generator
of the cleaning robot to display a dynamic image or a static image.
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. 101124360, filed on Jul. 6, 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 robot, and more
particularly to a cleaning robot comprising a shock sensor
module.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Cleaning floors takes 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. However, the conventional
cleaning robot cannot satisfy with different surrounding
environments. Additionally, the conventional cleaning robot is
easily affected by magnetic fields, and surrounding light and
voices.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with an embodiment, a cleaning robot comprises
a movement module, a cleaning module, a shock sensor module and a
control module. The movement module comprises a plurality of
rollers. The cleaning module comprises a suction aperture, a
cleaning brush, and a dust collection box. The shock sensor module
detects a shock and generates a detection signal. The control
module controls at least one of the movement module and the
cleaning module according to the detection signal.
[0008] In accordance with a further embodiment, a control method
for a cleaning robot comprises: moving the robot; detecting a shock
to generate a detection signal; and controlling an operation of the
robot according to the detection 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 robot;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a surface diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a
cleaning robot; and
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a
control method for a cleaning robot.
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 robot. The cleaning robot 100 comprises a shock sensor
module 110, a control module 130, a movement module 150, and a
cleaning module 170. The shock sensor module 110 detects a shock to
generate a detection result and generates a detection signal
S.sub.D according to the detection result. The control module 130
controls at least one of the movement module 150 and the cleaning
module 170 according to the detection signal S.sub.D.
[0016] In an embodiment, the control module 130 utilizes a control
signal S.sub.C1 to control the movement module 150 to adjust a
traveling route of the cleaning robot 100. In another embodiment,
the control module 130 utilizes a control signal S.sub.C2 to
control the cleaning module 170 to adjust a cleaning function of
the cleaning robot 100.
[0017] The control module 130 obtains information about the
surrounding environment according to the detection signal S.sub.D
and controls at least one of the movement module 150 and the
cleaning module 170 according to the obtained information about the
surrounding environment. Thus, the traveling route or the cleaning
function of the cleaning robot 100 can be adjusted when the
surrounding environment is changed. Additionally, the traveling
route or the cleaning function of the cleaning robot 100 is not
affected by magnetic fields, light or voices in the surrounding
environment.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a surface diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a
cleaning robot. The cleaning robot 100 comprises a base case 200.
The movement module 150 is disposed under the base case 200. In
this embodiment, the movement module 150 comprises rollers
151.about.153.
[0019] The control module 130 controls the rotational direction and
the rotational of speed of the rollers 151.about.153 according to
the control signal S.sub.C1. The control module 130 sends a stop
command, a start command, a speed-up command, and a speed-down
command to control the rollers 151.about.153 such that the cleaning
robot 100 has a rotation function and a cruise function.
[0020] For example, when the cleaning robot 100 collides with an
obstacle or the cleaning robot 100 is slantwise or jumps due to an
external force applied to the cleaning robot 100, the shock sensor
module 110 is capable of detecting a shock and generating the
detection signal S.sub.D. The control module 130 adjusts the
rotational direction of the cleaning robot 100 according to the
detection signal S.sub.D to avoid the obstacle or to leave an
uneven ground area.
[0021] In this embodiment, the shock sensor module 110 comprises a
gravity sensor 111 to detect the shock generated by the base case
200, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other
embodiments, the shock sensor module 110 comprises a plurality of
gravity sensors to detect other shocks generated by other
sources.
[0022] The invention does not limit the type of the gravity sensor.
In one embodiment, the gravity sensor 111 is a one-axis sensor to
detect a shock coming from a specific direction. In other
embodiments, to detect the shocks coming from multi-direction, the
shock sensor module 110 comprises a plurality of one-axis sensors
or the gravity sensor 111 is a multi-axis sensor.
[0023] Since the gravity sensor can detect the shocks coming from
different directions, when the position of the cleaning robot 100
shifts due to an external force applied to the cleaning robot 100,
the external force causes a shock and the gravity sensor can detect
the shock to generate a detection signal S.sub.D. The control
module 130 obtains information about the source and the strength of
the external force according to the detection signal S.sub.D
generated by the gravity sensor and then controls the operation of
the cleaning robot 100, such as to stop all movement or change a
rotational direction.
[0024] Since the rotational direction of the cleaning robot 100
relates to the shock event, when the surrounding environment
comprises magnetic fields, light or a voice and the magnetic field,
the light or the voice cannot be eliminated from the surrounding
environment, the rotational direction of the cleaning robot 100 is
not affected by the magnetic field, the light or the voice.
Furthermore, to use the cleaning robot 100, a user is not required
to remove some electronic apparatuses because the cleaning robot
100 is not affected by the electronic apparatuses.
[0025] In this embodiment, the cleaning module 170 comprises a
cleaning brush 171, a suction aperture 173, and a dust collection
box 175. The control module 130 obtains information about the
surrounding environment according to the detection signal S.sub.D
and then controls the operation of the cleaning module 170
according to the control signal S.sub.C2 such that the cleaning
module 170 provides a different cleaning effects for different
surrounding environments. For example, the control module 130
controls the rotational speed of the cleaning brush 171, the
suction of the suction aperture 173 or the air flow rate of the
dust collection box 175 to adjust the cleaning function of the
cleaning robot 100.
[0026] In other embodiments, the suction aperture 173 has an
air-stream flow channel. A piezoelectric film (not shown) is
disposed in the air-stream flow channel. Before particles enter the
dust collection box 175, the particles first pass through the
piezoelectric film. The particles collide with or are compressed
into the piezoelectric film to change the shape of the
piezoelectric film. Thus, the voltage of the piezoelectric film is
changed due to the deformed shape. The shock sensor module 110
detects the voltage change of the piezoelectric film to generate
the detection signal S.sub.D. The control module 130 obtains
information about the amount of the particles according to the
detection signal S.sub.D and controls the operation of the cleaning
module 170 according to the obtained result.
[0027] For example, when the cleaning robot 100 is in a dirty
region, the voltage change of the piezoelectric film is larger.
Thus, the control module 130 increases the cleaning effect of the
cleaning module 170. Contrarily, when the cleaning robot 100 exists
in a region, that does not have a lot of particles, the voltage
change of the piezoelectric film is smaller. Thus, the control
module 130 decreases or maintains the cleaning effect of the
cleaning module 170.
[0028] Since the control module 130 can dynamically adjust the
cleaning function of the cleaning module according to the
surrounding environment, the cleaning effect of the cleaning module
170 can be maintained in an optimum effect to increase the cleaning
function of the cleaning robot 100. Additionally, since the
cleaning module 170 is not required to provide a high cleaning
effect, the power consumption of the cleaning robot 100 is
reduced.
[0029] When the cleaning robot 100 operates on a hard floor, such
as a wood floor, the shock sensor module 110 can detect a first
shock. When the cleaning robot 100 operates on a soft floor, such
as a floor with a rug, the shock sensor module 110 can detect a
second shock. The control module 130 adjusts the operation of the
cleaning module 170 according to the different shocks.
[0030] Furthermore, when the cleaning robot 100 moves from the hard
floor to the soft floor, since the height of the floor is changed,
the shock sensor module 110 detects a shock. The control module 130
adjusts the operation of the cleaning module 170 according to the
shock such that the cleaning module 170 provides a different
cleaning effect for different surrounding environments.
[0031] In other embodiments, the control module 130 generates a
control signal S.sub.C3 to a notice module 190 according to the
detection signal S.sub.D. The notice module 190 provides notice
information according to the control signal S.sub.C3. A user
obtains information about a present cleaning status according to
the notice information.
[0032] The invention does not limit the type of the notice
information. In one embodiment, the type of the notice information
is an image, a voice or a shock. In other embodiments, the type of
the notice information is light or data.
[0033] In one embodiment, the notice module 190 is a display panel,
an indicator light, a voice generator or a shock generator. A user
obtains information about the current cleaning status according to
the image displayed in the display panel, the on-off status of the
indicator light, the voice generated by the voice generator and the
status of the shock generator.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a
control method for a cleaning robot. First, the cleaning robot is
controlled to move (step S310). In one embodiment, the cleaning
robot comprises rollers. The rotational direction and speed of the
rollers are controlled to control the traveling route of the
cleaning robot.
[0035] A shock is detected (step S330). In one embodiment, the
shock is detected by at least one gravity sensor. The invention
does not limit the type of the gravity sensor. For example, the
gravity sensor is a single-axis sensor, a two-axis sensor or a
three-axis sensor. The gravity sensors are arranged to detect
shocks coming from different directions.
[0036] The invention does not limit the source of the shock
detected by step S330. In one embodiment, the shock detected by
step S330 comes from a base case of the cleaning robot. When the
cleaning robot collides with an obstacle or suffers a blow from an
external force, a shock is generated from the base case of the
cleaning robot. Thus, the conditions of the surrounding environment
can be obtained according to the shock.
[0037] In another embodiment, step S330 detects the voltage change
of the piezoelectric film disposed in the suction aperture of the
cleaning robot. In this case, a piezoelectric film is disposed in
an air-stream flow channel of the suction aperture of the cleaning
robot (step S300). When particles pass through the piezoelectric
film, since the piezoelectric film is compressed or collided, the
shape of the piezoelectric film is changed. Thus, the voltage of
the piezoelectric film is changed. The amount of the particles can
be obtained according to the voltage change of the piezoelectric
film.
[0038] The operation of the cleaning robot is controlled according
to the detection result (step S350). In one embodiment, step S350
controls the traveling route of the cleaning robot. For example,
when the cleaning robot moves, the cleaning robot may collide with
an obstacle or suffer a blow from an external force, accordingly,
the position of the cleaning robot shifts such that a shock is
generated. Thus, the conditions of the surrounding environment can
be obtained according to the result of detecting the shock. The
traveling route of the cleaning robot is adjusted to avoid the
obstacle according to the obtained information about the
surrounding environment.
[0039] In other embodiments, step S350 controls at least one of the
suction and the air flow rate of the cleaning robot. For example,
when the cleaning robot is in a region and the region has a lot of
particles, the voltage change of the piezoelectric film is larger.
Thus, at least one of the suction or the air flow rate of the
cleaning robot or both is increased. Alternatively, if the voltage
change of the piezoelectric film is smaller, at least one of the
suction or the air flow rate of the cleaning robot or both is
reduced or maintained to reduce the power consumption of the
cleaning robot.
[0040] In another embodiment, step S350 controls one or a
combination of a display light, a display panel and a voice
generator of the cleaning robot to display a dynamic image, a
static image, or a light or data. A user obtains information about
the current cleaning status according to the displayed information.
In other embodiments, the cleaning robot generates a shock
according to the detection result such that the user immediately
obtains information about the current cleaning status.
[0041] Since the operation of the cleaning robot is determined by
the conditions of the surrounding environment, the cleaning robot
provides a different cleaning effect for different surrounding
environments. Further, the operation of the cleaning robot is
associated with a shock such that magnetic fields, light and a
voice occurring in the surrounding environment do not interfere
with the cleaning robot.
[0042] 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.
[0043] 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.
* * * * *