Robot cleaner, robot cleaner system and control method of the same

• US 10,682,032 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Bongju, Choe, Suuk, Lee, Sunghun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/450,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a case, a suction device provided in the case, a suction nozzle for sucking dust from a floor by driving of the suction device, a dust collection device for collecting foreign substances contained in the air sucked via the suction nozzle, a driving unit for allowing the case to drive automatically, a controller for controlling the driving of the suction device and the driving unit, and for generating cleaning history information comprising map information on a cleaning area and moving path information, a memory unit for storing the cleaning history information; and a wireless communication module provided in the case to transmit the cleaning history information to the external terminal, when the external terminal asks the cleaning history information.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a case;

a suction device provided in the case;

a suction nozzle configured to suck dust from a floor by driving of the suction device;

a dust collection device for collecting foreign substances contained in air sucked via the suction nozzle;

a drive module including wheels to allow movement;

a controller configured to control the driving of the suction device and the drive module, and configured to generate cleaning history information, the cleaning history information including map information on a cleaning area and moving path information;

a memory configured to store the cleaning history information;

a wireless communication module provided in the case and configured to transmit the cleaning history information to an external terminal when the robot cleaner receives a signal requesting cleaning history information transmitted from an external terminal, the wireless communication module comprises a Wi-Fi module provided with an Access Point (AP) by the robot cleaner; and

an NFC module provided in the case to provide an AP information to an external terminal via NFC communication for access to the AP,

wherein the AP information received from the external terminal is authenticated to allow the external terminal to Wi-Fi communication with the robot cleaner,

wherein the cleaning history information includes bibliographical information for distinguishing a series of cleanings from start to end of the cleanings from other cleanings, and the robot cleaner creates the bibliographical information as an individual list.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the bibliographical information includes at least one of a cleaning date, a cleaning start time, a cleaning end time and a cleaning mode.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein a plurality of individual lists are stored in a chronological order.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein a preset number of individual lists are stored, and when the preset number has been reached, a new individual list replaces an oldest individual list for storage.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner starts to record the cleaning history information when the cleaning starts, and

the robot cleaner stores the individual list based on the recorded cleaning information when the cleaning ends normally.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the normal ending of the cleaning comprises at least one of restituting of the robot cleaner to a recharging base after the cleaning, restituting of the robot cleaner after charging a battery and external inputting of the cleaning ending.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the normal ending of the cleaning comprises at least one of restituting of the robot cleaner to a recharging base after the cleaning, restituting of the robot cleaner after charging a battery and external inputting of the cleaning ending.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner stores a map file corresponding to a map information on a cleaning area for each of the individual lists and a moving path file corresponding to the moving path information.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the robot cleaner transmits the individual list and the moving path file separately.

10. A robot cleaner system comprising:

the robot cleaner of claim 1 configured to provide cleaning history information including map information of a cleaning area and moving path information; and

a mobile terminal configured to wirelessly communicate with the robot cleaner, to request the robot cleaner for the cleaning history information, to display a map based on the received cleaning history information and to display a sequential moving path of the robot cleaner on the displayed map.