BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a control apparatus for an auto clean machine and an auto clean machine control method, and particularly relates to a control apparatus for an auto clean machine and an auto clean machine control method which can detect a wall, an object height or a cliff.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A conventional auto clean machine (ex. a sweep robot) always employs a light source below the machine to detect a cliff.FIG. 1is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional auto clean machine. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the auto clean machine100comprises a light source101configured to emit light to a ground, and comprises an image sensor103to detect reflected light reflected from the ground. Accordingly, if a cliff105is below the auto clean machine100, a brightness value of the reflected light for the light from the light source101greatly decreases, such that the auto clean machine100can determine existence of the cliff105.

However, such determining method has some disadvantages. For example, at least part of the auto clean machine100must protrude from the cliff105, or the brightness value of the reflected light does not decrease and the auto clean machine100could not determine existence of the cliff105. However, the auto clean machine100may drop down if a part of the auto clean machine100protrudes from the cliff105. Besides, the auto clean machine100could not determine the existence of the cliff105until the cliff105is already below the auto clean machine100. Accordingly, the auto clean machine100may drop down if it could not stop in time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a control apparatus for an auto clean machine and an auto clean machine control method which can detect a cliff even if the auto clean machine is still far away from the cliff.

Another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a control apparatus for an auto clean machine and an auto clean machine control method which can detect a wall or an object height.

On embodiment of the present invention discloses a control apparatus for 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. The control apparatus comprises: a first image sensing area, configured to sense a first brightness distribution of the light region, wherein a resolution for a first direction of the first image sensing area is higher than a resolution for a second direction of the first image sensing area; and a processor, configured to control movement of the auto clean machine according the first brightness distribution.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an auto clean machine control method, which comprises: emitting light to illuminate at least one light region outside and in front of the auto clean machine; sensing a first brightness distribution of the light region; and controlling movement of the auto clean machine according the first brightness distribution.

Based upon above-mentioned embodiments, the cliff can be detected while the auto clean machine is far away from the cliff, thus the issue for the conventional auto clean machine can be solved. Additionally, the mechanism provided by the present invention can be employed to detect a wall or an object height, which is helpful for the auto clean machine to avoid collision.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

