An autonomous floor cleaner can include a housing, a drive system for autonomously moving the housing over the surface to be cleaned, and a controller for controlling the operation of the autonomous floor cleaner. The drive system can include at least one drive wheel for driving the housing across a surface to be cleaned. The drive wheel can be selectively moved from an engaged or in-use position to a disengaged or maintenance position. In the disengaged or maintenance position, the wheel is disengaged from the autonomously moveable housing such that it can be pivoted, extended, removed, or otherwise moved farther away from the autonomously moveable housing.

Provided is a process that includes: obtaining a first version of a map of a workspace; selecting a first undiscovered area of the workspace; in response to selecting the first undiscovered area, causing the robot to move to a position and orientation to sense data in at least part of the first undiscovered area; and obtaining an updated version of the map mapping a larger area of the workspace than the first version.

A method of operating an autonomous cleaning robot is described. The method includes initiating a training run of the autonomous cleaning robot and receiving, at a mobile device, location data from the autonomous cleaning robot as the autonomous cleaning robot navigates an area. The method also includes presenting, on a display of the mobile device, a training map depicting portions of the area traversed by the autonomous cleaning robot during the training run and presenting, on the display of the mobile device, an interface configured to allow the training map to be stored or deleted. The method also includes initiating additional training runs to produce additional training maps and presenting a master map generated based on a plurality of stored training maps.

A cleaning method of a cleaning robot, a chip, and a cleaning robot. The cleaning method of the cleaning robot includes: moving forward and along a first lateral direction to form a first cleaning path; moving backward to form a second cleaning path; moving forward and along a second lateral direction to form a third cleaning path, where the second lateral direction is opposite to the first lateral direction; and repeatedly performing the first cleaning path, the second cleaning path, and the third cleaning path in turn. The cleaning method of the cleaning robot improves the cleaning effect by repeatedly performing a three-segment series of paths.

A mobile robot of the present disclosure includes: a traveling unit configured to move a main body; a cleaning unit configured to perform a cleaning function; a sensing unit configured to sense a surrounding environment; an image acquiring unit configured to acquire an image outside the main body; and a controller configured to generate a distance map indicating distance information from an obstacle for a cleaning area based on information detected and the image through the sensing unit and the image acquiring unit, divide the cleaning area into a plurality of detailed areas according to the distance information of the distance map and control to perform cleaning independently for each of the detailed areas. Therefore, the area division is optimized for the mobile robot traveling in a straight line by dividing the area in a map showing a cleaning area.

A robot cleaner includes a main body, a water tank including a turbidity sensor and a water level sensor, and a pair of rotary mops configured to move the main body while rotating in contact with a floor. A drive motor rotates the pair of rotary mops and a nozzle supplies water from the water tank to the rotary mop. A rotary mop controller varies an output current of the drive motor based on signals from the water tank sensors. A controller determines whether the water tank is contaminated based on the output current of the drive motor received from the rotary mop controller.

A detecting device for detecting liquid or colloid, comprising: a light emitting device, configured to emit first light, wherein a first angle between a first emitting direction of the first light and a surface when the detecting device is located on the surface, wherein the first angle is larger than 0° and smaller than 90°; an optical sensor, configured to detect first optical data generated based on the first light; and a processing circuit, configured to determine if the liquid or the colloid exists in a predetermined range of the detecting device based on the first optical data. An automatic cleaner applying the detecting device is also disclosed.

A material determining device comprising a first image sensor, a second image sensor, and a light source is provided. The material determining method comprises: (a) sensing a first image by the first image sensor according to light from the light source; (b) sensing a second image by the second image sensor according to the light; and (c) determining whether material corresponding to material images in the first image and the second image is first type of material or second type of material, according to locations of the material images in the first image and the second image and according to shapes of the material images in the first image and the second image. By this way an electronic device using the material determining device can properly operate according to the type of material.

A method of controlling the robotic floor cleaning machine is disclosed that includes sensing, by a sensor on the robotic cleaning machine, an object within a sensed field. The method further includes determining, by a safety controller on the robotic cleaning machine, whether the object is an immovable object (such as a wall), and deploying an extendable cleaning element to clean the floor surface up next to the wall. The method can further include deploying the extendable cleaning element such that the extendable cleaning element is in contact with and cleans the floor up to an edge of the immovable object. Additionally, the method can include determining that the object is a movable object (such as a living thing) and preventing the extendable cleaning element from extending such that the robotic cleaning machines does not contact the movable object.

A cleaning robot includes a navigator to move a main body, a remote controller to output a modulated infrared ray in accordance with a control command of a user and to form a light spot, a light receiver to receive the infrared ray from the remote controller, and a controller to control the navigator such that the main body tracks the light spot when the modulated infrared ray is received in accordance with the control command. Because the cleaning robot tracks a position indicated by the remote controller, a user may conveniently move the cleaning robot.