In a first mode, a control unit controls operation of driving wheels so that a main casing is made to travel straight and, upon detection of an object by an object sensor, the main casing is changed in traveling direction and made to travel straight. In a second mode, the control unit controls the operation of the driving wheels so that the main casing travels in a curved shape along an object detected by the object sensor. When a charging device is not found by a signal reception part during traveling within a region by the first mode, the control unit is changed over to the second mode. The control unit is changed over to the first mode when it is decided a specified number of times or more that the main casing has moved to a different region by the second mode.

A vacuum cleaner capable of smoothly traveling along an obstacle. A control unit has modes of travel control and directional change control. In the travel control, while a distance between a main casing and a sideward obstacle detected by a distance measuring sensor is kept within a specified distance range, a motor is driven so as to make the main casing travel along the obstacle. In the directional change control, when an obstacle forward of the main casing is detected by a contact sensor during the travel control, the motor is driven so as to make the main casing change in advancing direction along the detected forward obstacle. The directional change control includes at least swing control for driving the motor so as to make the main casing swing to a specified swing angle while disregarding a distance detected by the distance measuring sensor.

A vacuum cleaner main body capable of picking up images over a wide range by a camera securely without being interrupted by any obstacles. The vacuum cleaner main body includes a main casing, a camera capable of picking up images and provided in the main casing, driving wheels for enabling the main casing to travel, a sensor part provided in the main casing to detect a distance to an obstacle around the main casing, and a control unit. The control unit has at least a traveling mode and an image pickup mode. In the image pickup mode, the control unit makes the main casing autonomously travel to an image pickup position where no obstacles within a certain distance around the main casing are detected by the sensor part and where still images in a plurality of directions are picked up.

A moving device and an object detection method thereof are provided. A method, performed by a moving device, of generating a map related to an object in a task space includes radiating at least one sensing signal toward aboveground and underground regions in a vicinity of the moving device, receiving signals reflected from an aboveground object located on a ground in the task space and an underground object located under the ground in the task space, and generating the map indicating distribution of the aboveground object and distribution of the underground object, based on the received reflected signals.

A robotic cleaner includes a cleaning assembly for cleaning a surface and a main robot body. The main robot body houses a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner. The cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and a width of the cleaning assembly is greater than a width of the main robot body. A robotic cleaning system includes a main robot body and a plurality of cleaning assemblies for cleaning a surface. The main robot body houses a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner. The cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and each of the cleaning assemblies is detachable from the main robot body and each of the cleaning assemblies has a unique cleaning function.

A vacuum cleaner main body includes a main body case, a camera provided in the main body case and that can perform imaging at a given angle of view, a driving wheel that allows the main body case to travel, and a controller. The controller includes at least a traveling mode and an imaging mode. In the traveling mode, the controller controls the drive of the driving wheel to allow the main body case to travel autonomously. In the imaging mode, the controller controls the main body case to autonomously travel to a given imaging position so that the camera sequentially images still images in a plurality of adjacent directions at an angle equal to or smaller than the angle of view. The vacuum cleaner main body can securely image, with the camera, a wide range without any blind spots.

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning robot and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to a cleaning robot that changes a moving path by detecting an obstacle through a change in permittivity detected while driving about a cleaning space, and a method of controlling the same. The cleaning robot comprises a main body; a driver configured to move the main body; an obstacle detector including an electrode plate provided on the bottom of the main body and a touch IC configured to detect a change in capacitance detected by the electrode plate and; and a controller configured to determine the obstacle based on a signal transmitted by the obstacle detector, and to control the driver.

An apparatus controls operations of a cleaner. The apparatus comprises a network interface unit for receiving first information regarding external conditions through an external network, and a controller for setting up operating schedules of the cleaner based on the first information.

A charge support vehicle according to one or more embodiments may be capable of charging a battery of a travel robot without interrupting traveling, and a charging system. A charge support vehicle according to one or more embodiments may track a cleaning robot based on positional information of the cleaning robot, and may be docked to the cleaning robot in a state of traveling, thereby charging a battery of the cleaning robot while traveling.

A robot cleaner is provided. The robot cleaner includes a battery, and a processor configured to, in response to the battery being consumed in accordance with a cleaning operation for the cleaning area and a remaining capacity of the battery reaching a predetermined value, control the robot cleaner to charge some of the battery and clean a remaining area using the charged battery.