# US 12,181,896 B2 · Auto clean machine and auto clean machine control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,896 B2 - Document ID: US12181896B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/536,285 - Filed: 2023-12-12 - Published: 2024-04-18 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-05 - Assignees: Pixart Imaging Inc. - Applicants: PixArt Imaging Inc. - Inventors: Guo-Zhen Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181896B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/243: Means capturing signals occurring naturally from the environment, e.g. ambient optical, acoustic, gravitational or magnetic signals (using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle G05D1/244; using signals from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle G05D1/249) - 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 9/2889: {Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user} - 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} - G01S 17/46: Indirect determination of position data - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G05D 1/0231: {using optical position detecting means (position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16)} - G05D 1/0238: {using obstacle or wall sensors (G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93)} - G05D 1/228: Command input arrangements located on-board unmanned vehicles - G05D 1/617: Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) - G05D 1/648: Performing a task within a working area or space, e.g. cleaning - G05D 1/689: Pointing payloads towards fixed or moving targets (positioning towed, pushed or suspended implements G05D1/672) - G06V 20/10: Terrestrial scenes (scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59) - A47L 11/24: Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven - A47L 2201/00: Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation - A47L 2201/04: Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection - G01C 3/08: Use of electric radiation detectors - G01C 5/00: Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels (G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence) - G05D 1/247: using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - 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) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract An auto clean machine, comprising: a light source configured to emit light to illuminate at least one light region outside and in front of the auto clean machine; a first image sensing area, configured to sense a first brightness distribution of the light region; a second image sensing area below the first image sensing area, configured to sense a second brightness distribution of the light region; and a processor, configured to control movement of the auto clean machine according the first brightness distribution and the second brightness distribution. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An auto clean machine, comprising: a light source configured to emit light to illuminate at least one light region; a first image sensing area, configured to sense a first brightness distribution of the light region, wherein a resolution for a horizontal direction of the first image sensing area is higher than a resolution for a vertical direction of the first image sensing area; a second image sensing area below the first image sensing area, configured to sense a second brightness distribution of the light region, wherein a resolution for a vertical direction of the second image sensing area is higher than a resolution for a horizontal direction of the second image sensing area; and a processor, configured to control movement of the auto clean machine according the first brightness distribution and the second brightness distribution. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The auto clean machine of claim 1, wherein the first brightness distribution is a length of the light region or an image centroid of the light region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The auto clean machine of claim 1, wherein the light region comprises a first light region and a second light region perpendicular to the first light region. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The auto clean machine of claim 1, wherein the processor generates an object height detection result based on the first brightness distribution of the light region, and controls the movement of the auto clean machine according to the object height detection result. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The auto clean machine of claim 4, wherein the light region comprises a first light region, a second light region perpendicular to an extension region of the first light region, and a third light region, wherein the third light region is parallel with the extension region of the first light region; wherein the processor generates the object height detection result according to a length of the third light region. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The auto clean machine of claim 4, wherein the light region comprises a first light region, a second light region perpendicular to an extension region of the first light region; wherein the processor generates the object height detection result according to a length for a dark region between the second light region and the first light region. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The auto clean machine of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the cliff detection result according to a length of the light region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The auto clean machine of claim 1, wherein the light source is a line light source. ### Claim 9 An auto clean machine control method, comprising: emitting light to illuminate at least one light region; sensing a first brightness distribution of the light region by a first image sensing area, wherein a resolution for a horizontal direction of the first image sensing area is higher than a resolution for a vertical direction of the first image sensing area; sensing a second brightness distribution of the light region by a second image sensing area below the first image sensing area, wherein a resolution for a vertical direction of the second image sensing area is higher than a resolution for a horizontal direction of the second image sensing area; and controlling movement of the auto clean machine according the first brightness distribution and the second brightness distribution. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The auto clean machine control method of claim 9, wherein the first brightness distribution is a length of the light region or an image centroid of the light region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The auto clean machine control method of claim 9, wherein the light region comprises a first light region and a second light region perpendicular to the first light region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The auto clean machine control method of claim 9, further comprising: generating an object height detection result based on the first brightness distribution of the light region; and controlling the movement of the auto clean machine according to the object height detection result.