U.S. patent application number 15/063840 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-13 for self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Lumiplus Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to SHUN-YI CHEN.
Application Number | 20170102714 15/063840 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56236175 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170102714 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; SHUN-YI |
April 13, 2017 |
SELF-PROPELLED APPARATUS WITH AN ANTI-DROP SYSTEM
Abstract
A self-propelled apparatus includes a main body and an anti-drop
system. The main body includes an aperture located at a bottom
portion thereof and communicative with an interior thereof. The
anti-drop system located inside the main body respective to the
aperture includes an infrared detection module and an
angle-limiting unit electrically coupled with the infrared
detection module. The infrared detection module detects a distance
between the bottom portion and a first detection surface. The
infrared detection module includes an infrared emitting unit and an
infrared receiving unit. The infrared emitting unit emits an
infrared signal to the first detection surface. The infrared signal
produces a first boundary signal and a second boundary signal after
the infrared signal passes through the angle-limiting unit. The
infrared receiving unit receives a reflected signal of the first
boundary signal with respect to the first detection surface.
Inventors: |
CHEN; SHUN-YI; (Taipei City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lumiplus Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. |
Taicang City |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
56236175 |
Appl. No.: |
15/063840 |
Filed: |
March 8, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K 2031/0016 20130101;
G01S 17/931 20200101; A47L 9/2852 20130101; G01S 13/931 20130101;
G01S 17/48 20130101; G05D 2201/0203 20130101; A47L 2201/04
20130101; A47L 9/009 20130101; G05D 1/0242 20130101; A47L 9/2805
20130101; G05D 1/0891 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G05D 1/08 20060101
G05D001/08; A47L 9/28 20060101 A47L009/28; A47L 9/00 20060101
A47L009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 13, 2015 |
TW |
104216377 |
Claims
1. A self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system, comprising:
a main body, including an aperture and at least one driving wheel
located at a bottom portion of the main body, the aperture being
located also to the bottom portion and communicative with an
interior of the main body; and an anti-drop system, located inside
the main body at a place respective to the aperture, further
including an infrared detection module and an angle-limiting unit
electrically coupled with the infrared detection module, the
infrared detection module being to detect a distance between the
bottom portion of the main body and a first detection surface, the
infrared detection module further including an infrared emitting
unit and an infrared receiving unit, the infrared emitting unit
being to emit an infrared signal to the first detection surface,
the infrared signal producing a first boundary signal and a second
boundary signal after the infrared signal passes through the
angle-limiting unit, an angle being formed by the first boundary
signal and the second boundary signal, the infrared receiving unit
being to receive an infrared receiving signal that is the reflected
signal of the first boundary signal by the first detection
surface.
2. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the angle-limiting unit further has a first side, a
second side opposing to the first side, and a protrusive portion,
one end of the infrared emitting unit being located at the first
side, another end of the infrared receiving unit being located at
the second side, the protrusive portion being located at the first
side, the infrared signal emitted by the infrared emitting unit
being to pass through the protrusive portion and then to reach the
first detection surface.
3. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the angle-limiting unit is a lens module.
4. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the anti-drop system further includes a fixation frame
for fixing the infrared detection module.
5. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the anti-drop system further includes a circuit board
electrically coupled with the infrared detection module.
6. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the first boundary signal is to irradiate the first
detection surface, and the infrared receiving unit is to receive
the second boundary signal.
7. The self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system of claim
1, wherein the infrared detection module is further to detect a
distance between a front end of the main body and a second
detection surface, and the main body is stopped or slowed down when
the distance between the front end of the main body and the second
detection surface is less or equal to another distance defined by
an anti-collision region.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent
Application Serial No.104216377, filed Oct. 13, 2015, the subject
matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a self-propelled apparatus, and
more particularly to the self-propelled apparatus that is equipped
with an anti-drop system.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] In domestic services, the self-propelled apparatus for
indoor cleaning, also called as a cleaning robot, is itself a
cleaning tool that needs no human involvement for a cleaning task,
can perform the cleaning task automatically, and can suck in dusts
and dirt while in waddling around the floor.
[0006] While the self-propelled apparatus moves on the floor, the
route is usually preset in the apparatus, or the route is
determined by applying an image-recognition means to judge the
moving direction, the speed and the distance. However, since
various indoor decorations and furniture may exist to different
places from time to time, a preset fix scheme for the cleaning
robot to follow is far from reality. In the case that the
self-propelled apparatus may drop to be dysfunctional at a lower
surface or more seriously may drop from a height, then the
self-propelled apparatus might be damaged to an unworkable
state.
[0007] In the art, a system with a set of sensors is implemented to
protect the self-propelled apparatus from obstacles and/or
dropping. Such a system is usually simply structured and less
costly, but, in order to serve the detection purpose, the sensors
are inevitably mounted to a front side of the main body of the
self-propelled apparatus. Thus, some dropping risk may not be
instinctively waived, and so unexpected dropping for the
self-propelled apparatus is still possible.
[0008] In the art, to prevent the self-propelled apparatus from
dropping from a height, an optical emitter and an optical receiver
are introduced to be mounted obliquely inside the main body of the
apparatus for detecting the distance between the infrared ray and
the floor. In the case that a sum of the travelling distance of the
emitting path and that of the receiving path changes, then it can
be realized that the distance between the infrared ray and the
floor is changed as well. Under such a circumstance, the
self-propelled apparatus would be informed to turn, such that
possible drop-from-height to the self-propelled apparatus can be
avoided. When the receiving region and the emitting region do not
have any overlapping, it implies that the distance between the
self-propelled apparatus and the detection surface is too far, and
thus a situation of meeting an obstacle is determined. To respond
this situation, the self-propelled apparatus is turned or back off
so as to avoid a possible damage from dropping-from-height.
However, the design of obliquely mounting the optical elements
includes complicated structuring and difficulty in disassembling
and replacement. Hence, in the art, a lens module is introduced to
deflect the lights emitted by the optical emitter.
[0009] As described above, it is obvious that all these prior arts
would encounter a technical necking in detection distance and/or
range. When the detection exceeds a predetermined range, then a
problem in detection sensitivity would be inevitable. Further, if
the power of the infrared emitter is lowered, then an inaccurate
distance judgment would rise, even though the detection distance to
the floor might be successfully shortened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present
invention to provide a self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop
system, that can limit the infrared signal in a specific
signal-emitting region so as to precisely locate a floor with a
height drop and thus to enhance the ability of anti-dropping to the
self-propelled apparatus.
[0011] In this present invention, the self-propelled apparatus with
an anti-drop system includes a main body and an anti-drop system.
The main body includes an aperture and at least one driving wheel
located at a bottom portion of the main body. The aperture is
located also to the bottom portion and communicative with an
interior of the main body. The anti-drop system located inside the
main body at a place respective to the aperture includes an
infrared detection module and an angle-limiting unit electrically
coupled with the infrared detection module. The infrared detection
module is to detect a distance between the bottom portion of the
main body and a first detection surface. The infrared detection
module includes an infrared emitting unit and an infrared receiving
unit. The infrared emitting unit is to emit an infrared signal to
the first detection surface. The infrared signal produces a first
boundary signal and a second boundary signal after the infrared
signal passes through the angle-limiting unit. An angle is formed
by the first boundary signal and the second boundary signal. The
infrared receiving unit is to receive an infrared receiving signal
that is the reflected signal of the first boundary signal by the
first detection surface.
[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the
angle-limiting unit further has a first side, a second side
opposing to the first side, and a protrusive portion, one end of
the infrared emitting unit being located at the first side, another
end of the infrared receiving unit being located at the second
side, the protrusive portion being located at the first side, the
infrared signal emitted by the infrared emitting unit being to pass
through the protrusive portion and then to reach the first
detection surface.
[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the
angle-limiting unit is a lens module.
[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the anti-drop
system further includes a fixation frame for fixing the infrared
detection module.
[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the anti-drop
system further includes a circuit board electrically coupled with
the infrared detection module.
[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first
boundary signal is to irradiate the first detection surface, and
the infrared receiving unit is to receive the second boundary
signal.
[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the infrared
detection module is further to detect a distance between a front
end of the main body and a second detection surface, and the main
body is stopped or slowed down when the distance between the front
end of the main body and the second detection surface is less or
equal to another distance defined by an anti-collision region.
[0018] Thus, in the self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop
system provided by the present invention, when the infrared signal
passes through the angle-limiting unit, the angle-limiting unit
would limit the angle of the infrared signal so as to have the
infrared signal to have the first boundary signal and the second
boundary signal. An angle is formed between the first boundary
signal and the second boundary signal. The infrared receiving unit
is to receive the infrared receiving signal that is the reflected
signal of the first boundary signal by the first detection surface.
Upon such an arrangement, the specific signal region defined by the
first boundary signal and the second boundary signal can be formed
by the angle-limiting unit, and thus a height-drop floor can be
determined accurately within the specific height. Since the
height-drop floor can be precisely detected, then the performance
of the anti-drop system for the self-propelled apparatus can be
substantially enhanced.
[0019] All these objects are achieved by the self-propelled
apparatus with an anti-drop system described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The present invention will now be specified with reference
to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in
which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the self-propelled apparatus
with an anti-drop system in accordance with the present
invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 demonstrates schematically an anti-drop detection
system for the self-propelled apparatus of FIG. 1; and
[0023] FIG. 3 shows schematically another embodiment of the
self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system in accordance
with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0024] The invention disclosed herein is directed to a
self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system. In the following
description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be
appreciated by one skilled in the art that variations of these
specific details are possible while still achieving the results of
the present invention. In other instance, well-known components are
not described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the
present invention.
[0025] Refer now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, where FIG. 1 is a schematic
view of the self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system in
accordance with the present invention, and FIG. 2 demonstrates
schematically an anti-drop detection system for the self-propelled
apparatus of FIG. 1. A shown, in this embodiment, the
self-propelled apparatus 50 includes a main body 52 and an
anti-drop system 100.
[0026] The main body 52 includes an aperture 54 and at least one
driving wheel 56.
[0027] The driving wheel 56 located at a bottom portion of the main
body 52 is to support and the drive the main body 52.
[0028] The aperture 54 located also at the bottom portion of the
main body 52 at a place in front of the driving wheel 56 is
communicative with an interior of the main body 54.
[0029] The anti-drop system 100 is located inside the main body 52
at a place close to the aperture 54.
[0030] The anti-drop system 100 includes an infrared detection
module 110, an angle-limiting unit 120, a fixation frame 130 and a
circuit board 140.
[0031] In this embodiment, when the driving wheel 56 drives the
main body 52 to waddle on the first detection surface 20, a vacuum
device (not shown in the figure) is used to suck in dusts and dirt
on the first detection surface 20. Simultaneously, the infrared
detection module 110 is used to detect the distance between the
bottom portion of the main body 52 and the first detection surface
20. In particular, the first detection surface 20 is the floor that
is perpendicular to the main body 52.
[0032] Practically, the infrared detection module 110 includes an
infrared emitting unit 112 and an infrared receiving unit 114.
[0033] The infrared emitting unit 112 is to emit an infrared signal
to the first detection surface 20. After the infrared signal passes
through the angle-limiting unit 120, a first boundary signal B1 and
a second boundary signal B2 are generated.
[0034] The angle between the first boundary signal B1 and the
second boundary signal B2 is represented as an angle .theta.. The
first boundary signal B1 is to irradiate the first detection
surface 20. The infrared receiving unit 114 is to receive the
second boundary signal B2 and an infrared receiving signal B3, in
which the infrared receiving signal B3 is the reflection signal of
the first boundary signal B1 with respect to the first detection
surface 20.
[0035] By providing the angle-limiting unit 120, a specific signal
region is formed by the first boundary signal B1 and the second
boundary signal B2. In this specific signal region, the infrared
receiving signal B3 with a specific height of reflection H can be
ensured to be received by the infrared receiving unit 114, such
that a height-drop floor can be determined accurately within the
specific height. If the height-drop floor can be precisely
detected, then the performance of the anti-drop system 100 for the
self-propelled apparatus 50 can be substantially enhanced. Further,
by introducing the analog signal processing, the black or
less-reflect-able first detection surface 20 can be still detected,
and thus the practicability of the self-propelled apparatus 50 with
the anti-drop system 100 can be comprehensively improved.
[0036] The infrared detection module 110 electrically couples the
angle-limiting unit 120. The angle-limiting unit 120 is a lens
module for adjusting and limiting the angle of the infrared signal
emitted by the infrared emitting unit 112.
[0037] Practically, the angle-limiting unit 120 has a first side
122, a second side 124 opposing to the first side 122, and a
protrusive portion 126.
[0038] One end of the infrared emitting unit 112 is located at the
first side 122 of the angle-limiting unit 120, and one end of the
infrared receiving unit 114 is located at the second side 124 of
the angle-limiting unit 120.
[0039] The protrusive portion 126 is located at the first side. In
this embodiment, the protrusive portion 126 is protruded from the
first side 122. The infrared signal emitted by the infrared
emitting unit 112 passes through the protrusive portion 126, and
then reaches the first detection surface 20. Since the protrusive
portion 126 provides an oblique surface, so the angle of the
infrared signal emitted by the infrared emitting unit 112 would be
adjusted and/or limited after passing through the protrusive
portion 126.
[0040] The fixation frame 130 is to fix the infrared detection
module 110, and the infrared detection module 110 is further
connected to the circuit board 140.
[0041] Practically, the fixation frame 130 has two fixing members
132 and a connection member 134, in which the connection member 134
is located between the two fixing members 132, while the two fixing
member 132 are planted at the circuit board 140. The infrared
emitting unit 112 and the infrared receiving unit 114 are fixed
between the circuit board 140 and the angle-limiting unit 120,
respectively via the corresponding connection members 134.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 3, another embodiment of the
self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system is schematically
shown. Referring also to FIG. 2, the infrared detection module 110
of the anti-drop system 100 is further utilized to detect the
distance between the front end of the main body 52 and a second
detection surface 30. In this embodiment, the second detection
surface 30 is a wall. When the distance between the front end of
the main body 52 and the second detection surface 30 is less or
equal to a distance defined by an anti-collision region, the main
body 52 is stopped so as to obtain the anti-collision purpose, or
the main body 52 is slowed down. Namely, the speed of the driving
wheel 56 is reduced so as to provide an anti-collision function to
the main body 52.
[0043] In summary, in the self-propelled apparatus with an
anti-drop system provided by the present invention, when the
infrared signal passes through the angle-limiting unit, the
angle-limiting unit would limit the angle of the infrared signal so
as to have the infrared signal to have the first boundary signal
and the second boundary signal. An angle is formed between the
first boundary signal and the second boundary signal. The infrared
receiving unit is to receive the infrared receiving signal that is
the reflected signal of the first boundary signal by the first
detection surface. Upon such an arrangement, the specific signal
region defined by the first boundary signal and the second boundary
signal can be formed by the angle-limiting unit, and thus a
height-drop floor can be determined accurately within the specific
height. Since the height-drop floor can be precisely detected, then
the performance of the anti-drop system for the self-propelled
apparatus can be substantially enhanced. In addition, by
introducing the analog signal processing, the black or
less-reflect-able first detection surface can be still detected,
and thus the practicability of the self-propelled apparatus with
the anti-drop system can be comprehensively improved.
[0044] While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and detail may be without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention.
* * * * *