US 12,461,533 B2
Method for determining a distance between a cleaning robot and an obstacle
Kristina Daniel, Bad Neustadt (DE); Kai Schmitt, Saal (DE); and Frank Schnitzer, Bad Neustadt (DE)
Assigned to BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 18/040,678
Filed by BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Jul. 20, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/070248
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 6, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/028876, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 209 843.3 (DE), filed on Aug. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0288940 A1, Sep. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G06T 7/20 (2017.01); G06T 7/50 (2017.01)
CPC G05D 1/0231 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0253 (2013.01); G06T 7/20 (2013.01); G06T 7/50 (2017.01); G06T 2207/10016 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30261 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a distance between a cleaning robot and an obstacle, the method comprising:
providing the cleaning robot with a first distance measuring system configured to measure the distance in a predetermined remote measuring range and a second distance measuring system with a camera directed onto the obstacle and configured to measure the distance in a predetermined close measuring range;
wherein the close measuring range and the remote measuring range overlap in an overlap region, and wherein each of the first and second distance measuring systems is configured to reliably measure the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle within the overlap region;
a) when the obstacle is located within the remote measuring range, determining the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle by way of at least the first distance measuring system;
b) when the obstacle is located in the overlap region, determining the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle by way of the first and second distance measuring systems; and
c) when the obstacle is located in the close measuring range, determining the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle by way of at least the second distance measuring system; and
wherein steps b) and c) comprise determining and evaluating an optical flow of an image sequence detected by the camera of the second distance measuring system in order to determine the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle; and
wherein the steps of determining and evaluating the optical flow of the image sequence comprise tracing at least one striking pixel which moves in the image sequence along a flow vector with a flow vector length.