ROBOT CLEANER, AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20130056032A1
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choe, Suuk, Lee, Sunghun, Jang, Junho, Baek, Seungmin, Kim, Yiebin
• Granted Patent: US 9,582,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• 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 is accessed to a terminal through a network. A situation inside a house can be real-time checked from the outside, and the situation can be rapidly handled according to a state of the robot cleaner. The robot cleaner can patrol a predetermined region or move to a user'"'"'s desired location, and can provide, to the user through the terminal, images captured on a moving path or the user'"'"'s desired location. The robot cleaner can provide image information captured during the cleaning to the terminal. And, the terminal can video-record the image information.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

an image detection unit configured to create image information by capturing the periphery;

a communication unit configured to receive a control signal from an external terminal, and to transmit the image information to the terminal;

a driving unit having one or more wheels, and configured to drive the wheels by a driving signal; and

a control unit configured to extract a control command from the control signal, and configured to control the image detection unit and the driving unit based on the control command.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the control command includes a moving command for moving the robot cleaner, and

wherein the control unit is configured to extract the moving command from the control signal, and to control the robot cleaner move along a moving path, by generating the driving signal from the moving command.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the image detection unit includes:

a camera configured to capture a subject; and

a lens configured to focus the camera on the subject, and

wherein the control command includes a camera control command for controlling the camera, or a lens control command for controlling the lens.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the image detection unit further includes a light configured to control the brightness of the periphery, and

wherein the control command includes a command for turning on or off power of the light.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the moving path is a patrol path connected to the current position of the robot cleaner, and

wherein the moving command includes a patrol command for moving the robot cleaner along the patrol path.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the image detection unit to continuously create image information for a predetermined time.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the control command includes a cleaning command, and

wherein the control unit extracts the cleaning command from the control signal, performs a cleaning operation based on the cleaning command, and divides a region on the map into a cleaned region and a non-cleaned region.

8. A system for remotely-controlling a robot cleaner, the system comprising:

a robot cleaner configured to perform a control command by extracting the control command from a control signal, to move along a moving path based on the control command, and to create image information by capturing the periphery; and

a terminal configured to control the robot cleaner using the control signal, configured to receive one or more data including the image information from the robot cleaner, and to output the received data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the terminal includes:

a radio communication unit configured to transmit the control signal to the robot cleaner by accessing the robot cleaner, and to receive the data from the robot cleaner;

a controller configured to create the control signal corresponding to the control command, and to create a control screen using the data;

a display unit having a touch recognition region for receiving an input of the control command, and configured to display the control screen; and

a memory configured to store the data therein.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the touch recognition region includes:

a first region having a preset size, on which the control screen is displayed and the control command is input; and

a second region having a size equal to or larger than the size of the first region.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the radio communication unit receives, from the robot cleaner, a map divided into a cleaned region and a non-cleaned region, and

wherein if a touch input applied to one or more points on the map is sensed, the controller sets the moving path using said one or more points.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the display unit further includes a light icon for turning on or off power of the light of the robot cleaner.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the moving path is a patrol path connected to the current position of the robot cleaner, and

wherein the moving command includes a patrol command for moving the robot cleaner along the patrol path.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller sets a prescribed time, video-records the image information for the preset time, and stores the video-recorded image information in the memory.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the radio communication unit is accessed to an external storage unit, and transmits the video-recorded image information to the external storage unit for storage.

16. A method for remotely-controlling a robot cleaner, in a remote controlling system including a robot cleaner and a terminal for controlling the robot cleaner, the method comprising:

the robot cleaner'"'"'s receiving a control signal from the terminal;

the robot cleaner'"'"'s extracting a control command from the control signal;

the robot cleaner'"'"'s executing the control command and moving along a moving path;

the robot cleaner'"'"'s creating image information by capturing the periphery;

the robot cleaner'"'"'s transmitting one or more data including the image information to the terminal; and

the terminal'"'"'s displaying the data on a screen.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the robot cleaner'"'"'s detecting a peripheral obstacle;

the robot cleaner'"'"'s creating a map using obstacle information; and

the robot cleaner'"'"'s transmitting the map to the terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

the terminal'"'"'s displaying the map; and

the terminal'"'"'s receiving an input of a moving path on the map.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the moving path is a patrol path connected to the current position of the robot cleaner, and

wherein the moving command includes a patrol command for moving the robot cleaner along the patrol path.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the terminal'"'"'s video-recording the image information for a predetermined time.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

the terminal'"'"'s connecting to an external storage device; and

the terminal'"'"'s transmitting the video-recorded image information to the external the storage device.