Robot cleaner and control method thereof

• US 9,913,564 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Minkyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramesh, Krishnan
• Application Number:
  US14/618,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20150374191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• 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 1/0033 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

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a control method thereof. The control method includes determining by a controller a connection between a user terminal and the robot cleaner and allowing communication between the user terminal and the robot cleaner, receiving a signal regarding a tilt direction of the user terminal by a wireless communication unit and conforming by the controller a tilting of the user terminal, and driving by the controller the robot cleaner in accordance with the received signal.

Claims

1. A control method of a robot cleaner comprising:

determining by a controller a connection between a user terminal and the robot cleaner, and allowing communication between the user terminal and the robot cleaner;

sensing by a tilt sensor a tilt direction of the user terminal and generating by the controller a signal, the signal being different signals for the tilt direction of the user terminal according to rotated angles of the user terminal;

transmitting by a wireless communication unit the signal regarding the tilt direction of the user terminal,

wherein, in the connecting of the user terminal to the robot cleaner, a picture guiding a manipulation method of the user terminal when the robot cleaner moves forward is provided as eight different arrows on a display of the user terminal,

wherein, in the sending of the signal, one of eight signals controlling different operations of the robot cleaner according to corresponding tilt directions of the user terminal is transmitted to the robot cleaner,

wherein some of the signals serve to move the robot cleaner forward or backward in a set direction, and some of the signals serve to move the robot cleaner forward or backward in a left diagonal direction or a right diagonal direction from the set direction while rotating the robot cleaner by a designated angle, and some of the signals serve to rotate the robot cleaner in place in the clockwise direction or in the counterclockwise direction,

wherein, when the robot cleaner is moved by the signal, one of the eight arrows corresponding to the signal is displayed on the display of the user terminal; and

sensing by a compass sensor on whether the user terminal has rotated with respect to a compass direction and changing, by the controller, information regarding the tilt direction of the user terminal sensed by the tilt sensor so that the signal generated by the tilt direction of the user terminal after a change in the compass direction is the same as the signal generated by the tilt direction of the user terminal before the change in the compass direction relative to the picture guiding the manipulation method, and the robot cleaner does not adjust its position during a compass direction change of the user terminal.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the rotated angle of the user terminal is defined as a rotated angle of the user terminal with a central vertical axis of the user terminal as the rotation axis.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the tilting of the user terminal is defined as a state in which the user terminal is tilted from a standard plane that is parallel to the ground surface.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the signal is performed at designated time intervals.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is generated when the user terminal is tilted at an acceleration value greater than a set reference value.

6. A robot cleaner comprising:

a wireless communicator that receives signals transmitted from a user terminal having a tilt sensor; and

a controller that controls operations of wheels according to signals received by the wireless communication unit, wherein;

the controller determines different signals for the tilt direction of the user terminal generated, according to rotated angles of the user terminal; and

the controller controls the wheels according to the signals transmitted from the user terminal so that the robot cleaner is operated according to the signals;

wherein a picture guiding a manipulation method of the user terminal when the robot cleaner moves forward is provided as eight different arrows on a display of the user terminal during driving of the robot cleaner,

wherein some of the signals serve to move the robot cleaner forward or backward in a set direction, some of the signals serve to move the robot cleaner forward or backward in a left diagonal direction or a right diagonal direction from the set direction while rotating the robot cleaner by a designated angle, and some of the signals serve to rotate the robot cleaner in place in the clockwise direction or in the counterclockwise direction, and

wherein, when the robot cleaner is moved by the signal, one of the eight arrows corresponding to the signal is displayed on the display of the user terminal,

wherein the user terminal further having a compass sensor that senses whether the user terminal has rotated with respect to a compass direction and changing, by the controller, information regarding the tilt direction of the user terminal sensed by the tilt sensor so that the signal generated by the tilt direction of the user terminal after a change in the compass direction is the same as the signal generated by the tilt direction of the user terminal before the change in the compass direction relative to the picture guiding the manipulation method, and the robot cleaner does not adjust its position during a compass direction change of the user terminal.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein:

the rotated angle of the user terminal is defined as a rotated angle of the user terminal with a central vertical axis of the user terminal as the rotation axis; and

the tilting of the user terminal is defined as a state in which the user terminal is tilted from a standard plane that is parallel to the ground surface.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the signals are generated when the user terminal is tilted at an acceleration value greater than a predetermined reference value.