# US 11,998,159 B2 · Vacuum cleaner and control method thereof

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- Number: US 11,998,159 B2
- Document ID: US11998159B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/054,860
- Filed: 2019-05-16
- Published: 2021-07-15
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-16
- Assignees: LG Electronics Inc.
- Applicants: LG Electronics Inc.
- Inventors: Chulmo Sung; Hyungjin Jeon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998159B2

## CPC

- A47L 9/009: {Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles}
- A47L 9/28: Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
- A47L 9/2826: {the condition of the floor}
- A47L 9/2852: {Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles}
- A47L 11/4011: {Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor}
- A47L 11/4061: {Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated}
- G01B 11/026: {by measuring distance between sensor and object (G01B11/0608 takes precedence)}
- G05D 1/0248: {in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S)}
- G05D 1/0251: {extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision (stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593)}
- G05D 1/2435: {Extracting 3D information}
- G05D 1/247: using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons
- G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
- A47L 2201/04: Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
- A47L 2201/06: Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A self-driving cleaner comprising:
a main body traveling through a cleaning area and sucking foreign substances from a floor in the cleaning area;
a drive unit for moving the main body in the cleaning area;
a pattern irradiation unit, disposed on a front surface of the main body, for irradiating light in a predetermined pattern toward a lower front side of the main body;
a camera, disposed on a front surface of the main body, for photographing the front 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 brightness of the detected light pattern, and controlling the drive unit to pass or avoid the obstacle on the basis of a result of the determination,
wherein the controller controls the drive unit to reduce a moving speed of the main body when the brightness of the detected light pattern is less than or equal to a preset reference brightness, and
wherein the controller variably sets the reference brightness based on an angle formed between a line segment formed by the light pattern and a reference line set in the image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a laser sensor configured to detect information related to a material of the floor,
wherein the controller variably sets the reference brightness based on an output of the laser sensor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the laser sensor emits predetermined laser beams to the floor, and receives the laser beams reflected from the floor, and
wherein the controller increases the reference brightness as an amount of laser beams received by the laser sensor decreases.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller compares a position at which the light pattern is detected with a reference position set in the image, and variably sets the reference brightness based on a result of the comparison.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller increases the reference brightness when the light pattern with brightness less than or equal to the reference brightness is located above the reference position.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller variably sets the reference brightness based on information related to a form of the light pattern.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The cleaner of claim 6, wherein the information related to the form of the light pattern includes information related to at least one of a thickness, shape, size, and length of the light pattern.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller variably sets the reference brightness based on a number of light patterns included in the image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the controller increases the reference brightness when a plurality of light patterns exists in the image.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The cleaner of claim 9, wherein the plurality of light patterns includes a first light pattern and a second light pattern,
wherein the first light pattern is located to correspond to a reference position set in the image,
wherein the second light pattern is located above the reference position, and
wherein the controller controls the drive unit to reduce the moving speed of the main body when brightness of the second light pattern is less than the reference brightness.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller increases the reference brightness when the angle is equal to or greater than a preset limit angle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the drive unit to reduce the moving speed of the main body when any light pattern is not detected in the image.