Automatic charging system and method of robot cleaner
First Claim
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1. An automatic charging system of a robot cleaner comprising:
- a rotating plate installed at a robot cleaner;
an infrared ray receiving unit mounted at the rotating plate and receiving an infrared signal generated from a power supply unit while being rotated;
a microcomputer for moving the robot cleaner to the power supply unit on the basis of the received infrared signal; and
an ultrasonic generator for generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the power supply unit, wherein the microcomputer stops movement of the robot cleaner on the basis of the stop signal, and the robot cleaner receives power from the power supply unit according to a control signal from the microcomputer.
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Abstract
An automatic charging system of a robot cleaner includes: a rotating plate installed at a robot cleaner; an infrared ray receiving unit mounted at the rotating plate and receiving an infrared signal generated from a power supply unit while being rotated; a microcomputer for moving the robot cleaner to the power supply unit on the basis of the received infrared signal; and an ultrasonic generator for generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the power supply unit. A robot cleaner can be accurately and quickly moved to a power supply unit for a rapid charging operation, and a cost for implementing the robot cleaner can be reduced.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An automatic charging system of a robot cleaner comprising:
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a rotating plate installed at a robot cleaner;
an infrared ray receiving unit mounted at the rotating plate and receiving an infrared signal generated from a power supply unit while being rotated;
a microcomputer for moving the robot cleaner to the power supply unit on the basis of the received infrared signal; and
an ultrasonic generator for generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the power supply unit, wherein the microcomputer stops movement of the robot cleaner on the basis of the stop signal, and the robot cleaner receives power from the power supply unit according to a control signal from the microcomputer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An automatic charging system of a robot cleaner comprising:
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a power supply unit having a charging unit for supplying power and an infrared ray generator for positioned at the charging unit and generating an infrared signal; and
a power receiving unit having a rotating plate installed at the robot cleaner, an infrared ray receiving unit mounted at the rotating plate and receiving the infrared signal while being rotated, a microcomputer for moving a robot cleaner to the charging unit on the basis of the received infrared signal, and an ultrasonic generator for generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the charging unit, wherein the microcomputer stops movement of the robot cleaner on the basis of the stop signal, and the robot cleaner receives power from the charging unit according to a control signal from the microcomputer. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An automatic charging system of a robot cleaner comprising:
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a power supply unit having a charging unit fixedly installed to charge a battery and an infrared ray generator positioned at the charging unit and generating an infrared signal; and
a power receiving unit having a battery installed at the robot cleaner and charged by the charging unit, a remaining battery capacity detecting unit for detecting a remaining battery capacity, a rotating plate mounted at a main body of the robot cleaner, an infrared ray receiving unit mounted at the rotating plate and rotating to receive the infrared signal if the detected remaining battery capacity is below a reference value, a microcomputer for moving the robot cleaner to the charging unit along the direction that the infrared signal is generated, and an ultrasonic generator for generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the charging unit, wherein the microcomputer stops movement of the robot cleaner on the basis of the stop signal and charges the battery. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An automatic charging method of a robot cleaner in which an infrared signal is generated to induce a robot cleaner to a power supply unit for supplying power to charge the robot cleaner, comprising:
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rotating an infrared ray receiving unit of a rotating plate mounted at a main body of a robot cleaner when the robot cleaner is in a charge mode;
receiving an infrared signal generated from a power supply unit and detecting a direction of the power supply unit on the basis of the infrared signal received through an infrared ray receiving unit;
moving the robot cleaner along the detected direction;
generating a stop signal when the robot cleaner nears to the power supply unit;
stopping movement of the robot cleaner on the basis of the stop signal; and
docking a power terminal of the robot cleaner and a charge terminal of the power supply unit when the robot cleaner is stopped. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification