ROBOT CLEANER SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20170079498A1
• Filed: 08/26/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Sangyun, Kim, Younggie
• Granted Patent: US 10,058,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4008 Arrangements of switches, indicators or the like
• 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 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• 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 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

A robot cleaner system may include a robot cleaner that may be automatically driven while performing a cleaning operation, a recharging base that receives the robot cleaner, and a remote control device that remotely controls the robot cleaner. The remote control device may also generate mapping information between an actual region and a virtual region based on image information generated by a camera provided on the robot cleaner, and/or image information generated by a camera on the recharging base.

Claims

1. A remote control device configured to perform remote-control of a robot cleaner, wherein the remote control device is arranged to generate mapping information between an actual region and a virtual region based on image information generated by a camera on the remote control device of a region.

2. The remote control device of claim 1, wherein the region is a region near the robot cleaner or a region near a recharging base for the robot cleaner.

3. The remote control device of claim 1, wherein the remote control device is arranged to generate location information and posture information of the robot cleaner or location information and posture information of a recharging base for the robot cleaner by sensing the robot cleaner or the recharging base based on the image information.

4. The remote control device of claim 3, wherein the remote control device is arranged to generate the mapping information by comparing actual shape information of recognition means on the robot cleaner or recharging base with relative shape information recognized by the image information.

5. The remote control device of claim 4, wherein the remote control device comprises:

a display configured to display the image information; and

an input unit configured to receive input.

6. The remote control device of claim 5, wherein the display comprises a touch sensor functioned as the input unit configured to sense touch input.

7. The remote control device of claim 6, further comprising a wireless communications unit arranged to transmit a control signal in response to the touch input.

8. The remote control device of claim 7, wherein the control signal comprising a driving command signal for the robot cleaner.

9. The remote control device of claim 8, wherein the driving command signal comprises a command for the robot cleaner to perform a location-based service.

10. The remote control device of claim 9, wherein the location-based service comprises setting a cleaning region of the robot cleaner via the touch input by designating a virtual region on the screen of the display, and wherein the remote control device is configured to map the virtual region with an actual region and transmit an actual motion coordinate to the robot cleaner.

11. The remote control device of claim 9, wherein the location-based service comprises setting a passage of the robot cleaner via the touch input of an image of the room output on the display.

12. The remote control device of claim 9, wherein the location-based service comprises setting a do-not-clean region via the touch input by designating a no-cleaning line on the screen of the display to set an outer region with respect to partitioning lines on the room corresponding to the no-cleaning line as the do-not-clean region.

13. The remote control device of claim 9, wherein the location-based service comprises, in response to a user inputting a present mention to a microphone of the remote control device, the robot cleaner moving to the location of the remote control device.

14. The remote control device of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing information on a recognition mark on the robot cleaner or a charging device for the robot cleaner.

15. The remote control device of claim 14, further comprising a terminal controller configured to extract a recognition mark from an image of the image information and determine whether the extracted recognition marker is available such that the robot cleaner can be sensed based on the result of the determination.

16. The remote control device of claim 15, wherein the terminal controller is arranged to check a shape, pattern or a specific color of the recognition mark to extract the recognition mark from the image of the image information.

17. The remote control device of claim 15, wherein the terminal controller is arranged to improve the image quality of the image information before extracting the recognition mark from the image of the image information.

18. The remote control device of claim 15, wherein the terminal controller is configured to perform image brightness control, noise rejection and color correction to improve the image quality of the image information.

19. The remote control device of claim 15, wherein the terminal controller is configured to compare the actual shape of the recognition mark with the relative shape extracted from the image information and determine the location and posture of the robot cleaner based on the result of the comparison.

20. The remote control device of claim 15, wherein the terminal controller is configured to determine a distance between the user and the robot cleaner and a photographing angle, and/or the scale between the virtual region displayed on the image information and the actual region, based on the result of the comparison.