ROBOT CLEANER

• US 20140156076A1
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Byounggi, Jeong, Jimann, Lee, Kyuho
• Granted Patent: US 9,452,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/257
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle

Abstract

Provided is a robot cleaner. The robot cleaner includes a main body defining an outer appearance of the robot cleaner, a moving unit for moving or rotating the main body, a plurality of receiving units disposed in the main body to receive a user'"'"'s voice command, and a control unit recognizing a call command occurring direction when the voice command inputted from the plurality of receiving units is a call command. The control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body is moved in the recognized call command occurring direction along the preset detour route.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body to define an outer appearance of the robot cleaner;

a moving unit to move or rotate the main body;

a plurality of receiving units disposed at the main body to receive a user'"'"'s voice command; and

a control unit to recognize a call command from the voice command received by the plurality of receiving units, the control unit further determining a call command occurring direction by using the call command received among the plurality of receiving units,

wherein the control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body is moved in the recognized call command occurring direction along a route set by the control unit.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit to determine whether the main body is rotatable to move along the route set by the control unit in the call command occurring direction from a position at which the main body is disposed when the call command occurs.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit comprises a position detection unit to detect a position of the main body.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising a camera unit to photograph surrounding environments of the main body,

wherein the position detection unit compares information of the surrounding environments photographed by the camera unit to previously stored map information to detect the position of the main body.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising a charging platform connectable to the main body to supply power to the main body,

wherein the position detection unit determines whether the main body is rotatable to move along the route set by the control unit in the call command occurring direction when the main body is positioned at the charging platform.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising at least one object detection unit to detect whether an obstacle exists around the main body,

wherein the control unit determines whether the obstacle detected by the object detection unit interferes with the rotation of the main body.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit to detect whether a wall exists around the main body;

and

an output unit,

wherein, when the call command occurring direction corresponds to a direction facing or passing through the wall, the control unit causes the output unit to output a preset informing message.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the detection unit comprises an object detection unit to detect whether an obstacle exists around the main body and a position detection unit to detect a position of the main body on the basis of previously stored map information.

9. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body comprising a receiving unit;

a moving unit to move the main body;

a control unit to control the moving unit;

a voice recognition unit to analyze a pattern of a voice command received by the receiving unit to recognize a call command;

a direction detection unit to detect a direction in which the call command occurred; and

a detection unit to determine whether the main body is rotatable to move in the voice command occurring direction at a position at which the main body is disposed when the voice command occurs,

wherein, when the main body is not movable in the voice command occurring direction, the control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body is moved in the voice command occurring direction along a detour route set by the control unit.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the control unit sets a path from an initial position of the main body to a position of a caller when a call command is received by the receiving unit, and

the control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body moves out of the initial position to a position where the main body is movable towards the voice command occurring direction, enters into one point at the path set by the control unit and moves along the set path.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the detour route set by the control unit comprises:

a first detour route along which the main body is moved to a first position spaced from an initial position of the main body, and

a second detour route along which the main body is moved from the first position to a second position that is one point in the path set by the control unit.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the second detour route set by the control unit is a linear line.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the second detour route set by the control unit is a curved line, and

the control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body retreats from the initial position of the main body to move to the first position and switches in direction and moves from the first position at the same time to move to the second position.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the moving unit comprises:

a first wheel disposed on one side of the main body; and

a second wheel disposed on an other side of the main body,

wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are capable of rotating at a different rate.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the moving unit so that the main body is rotated in the voice occurring direction and moves from an initial position of the main body to a position of a caller along a linear path.

16. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

receiving a voice command of a user through a receiving unit of the robot cleaner;

determining a direction of a call position at which the voice command occurred by a control unit of the robot cleaner;

determining a current position of the robot cleaner by the control unit;

determining by the control unit whether the robot cleaner is movable from the current position to the direction of the call position along a path set by the control unit; and

moving the robot cleaner by the moving unit in the direction of the call position along a detour route when the control unit determines that the robot cleaner is not movable along the path set by the control unit.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein determining the detour route by the control unit further comprises:

determining by the control unit a first route moving out of an initial position; and

determining by the control unit a second detour route entering into the path previously set by the control unit.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprises determining by the control unit whether the robot cleaner is movable from the current position to the direction of the call position along the path set by the control unit when the robot cleaner is connected to a charging platform.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprises the control unit determining whether the robot cleaner is movable from the current position to the direction of the call position along the path set by the control unit is determined when the robot cleaner is switchable to a direction in which the voice command occurred.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein in the ending of the movement of the robot cleaner in the call position direction, detecting by the robot cleaner a user while moving or stopping when the robot cleaner reaches a preset moving distance.