Robot cleaner, robot cleaning system having the same, and method for operating a robot cleaner

• US 9,962,054 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Seo, Daegeun, Lee, Juwan, Kim, Lagyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Brushaber, Frederick M
• Application Number:
  US15/077,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20160278599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• 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 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/51 Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a robot cleaner and a robot cleaning system having the same. The robot cleaner includes a main body, a traveling unit configured to move the main body, a cleaning unit configured to execute cleaning, a camera configured to capture an image including foreign substances, a communication unit configured to exchange data with a mobile terminal or a server, and a controller configured to control transmission of the image including the foreign substances and image related information to the mobile terminal or the server and to execute cleaning of an area around the foreign substances based on cleaning execution information regarding the foreign substances or to execute no cleaning of the area around the foreign substances based on cleaning avoidance information regarding the foreign substances, transmitted from the mobile terminal or the server. Thereby, the robot cleaner may selectively clean foreign substances.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a traveling device to move the main body;

a suction device including a suction fan provided within the main body to generate a suction force;

a camera for capturing an image of a foreign substance;

a communication device to exchange data with a mobile terminal or a server; and

a controller that controls the suction device to execute a cleaning operation based on a cleaning instruction received from the mobile terminal or the server,

wherein when a pet mode is set, the controller controls the traveling device, controls the camera during traveling, and acquires the image from the camera,

wherein when an image related to excrement in the pet mode is captured, the controller controls transmission of the image related to excrement and image related information to the mobile terminal or the server,

wherein when a pet mode is set, the controller controls the traveling device, controls the camera during traveling, and acquires the image from the camera,

wherein when an image related to excrement in the pet mode is captured, the controller controls transmission of the image related to excrement and image related information to the mobile terminal or the server,

wherein when cleaning execution information is received from the mobile terminal or the server, the controller controls the suction device to clean an area where the foreign substance including the excrement is located, and when the cleaning instruction comprises cleaning avoidance information, the controller controls the suction device to not clean the area where the foreign substance is located.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls transmission of a conversation-type message to the mobile terminal or the server.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls operation of the camera based on a foreign substance related image capture command received from the mobile terminal.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the traveling device based on a foreign substance related image capture command received from the mobile terminal, controls the camera during traveling, and acquires the image from the camera.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls transmission of cleaning completion information to the mobile terminal, after completion of cleaning of the area where the foreign substance is located.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls transmission of response information corresponding to the cleaning avoidance information to the mobile terminal.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls operation of the camera based on an image capture command received from the mobile terminal, and controls transmission of an image captured by the camera to the mobile terminal.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls operation of the camera during an automatic traveling mode or an automatic cleaning mode, compares the image captured by the camera with an image stored in a memory, and controls transmission of the image and alert information to the mobile terminal when a difference between the two images is greater than or equal to a designated value.

9. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a traveling device to moves the main body;

a suction device including a suction fan provided within the main body to generate a suction force;

a stereo camera that captures an image of a foreign substance;

a communication device to exchange data with a mobile terminal or a server; and

a controller that executes signal processing of the image received from the camera, verifies an object related to the foreign substance within the image based on the signal-processing, and generates cleaning instructions regarding the foreign substance based on the verified object related to the foreign substance,

wherein when a pet mode is set, the controller controls the traveling device, controls the camera during traveling, and acquires the image from the camera,

wherein when an image related to excrement in the pet mode is captured, the controller controls transmission of the image related to excrement and image related information to the mobile terminal or the server,

wherein when the cleaning instruction comprises cleaning execution information, the controller controls the suction device to clean an area where the foreign substance including the excrement is located, and when the cleaning instruction comprises cleaning avoidance information, the controller controls the suction device to not clean an area where the foreign substance is located.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the controller comprises:

a disparity calculator that executes a disparity calculation of stereo images received from the stereo camera;

an object detector that detects an object from at least one of the stereo images based on disparity information of the stereo images; and

an object verification unit that classifies the detected object.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the controller controls transmission of cleaning completion information to the mobile terminal, after completion of cleaning of the area where the foreign substance is located.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the controller controls transmission of response information corresponding to the cleaning avoidance information to the mobile terminal.

13. A robot cleaning system comprising:

a robot cleaner that captures an image including a foreign substance, transmits the image including the foreign substances and image related information to a mobile terminal or a server, and executes a cleaning operation related to the foreign substance based on cleaning instructions received from the mobile terminal or the server; and

a mobile terminal that displays an image received from the robot cleaner and transmits the cleaning instructions to the robot cleaner based on the displayed image,

wherein when a pet mode is set, the robot cleaner travels and acquires the image during traveling,

wherein when an image related to excrement in the pet mode is captured, the robot cleaner transmits the image related to excrement and image related information to the mobile terminal or the server,

wherein the robot cleaner cleans an area where the foreign substance including the excrement is located when the cleaning instructions comprise cleaning execution information, and the robot cleaner does not clean the area where the foreign substance is located when the cleaning instructions comprise cleaning avoidance information.

14. The robot cleaning system of claim 13, wherein the robot cleaner transmits a conversation-type message to the mobile terminal or the server.

15. The robot cleaning system of claim 13, wherein the robot cleaner further comprises a traveling device that operates based on a foreign substance related image capture command transmitted to the robot cleaner from the mobile terminal, whereby the robot cleaner operates the camera during traveling and acquires the image including the foreign substance from the camera.

16. The robot cleaning system of claim 13, wherein the robot cleaner transmits cleaning completion information to the mobile terminal, after completion of cleaning of the area where the foreign substance is located.

17. The robot cleaning system of claim 13, wherein the robot cleaner operates the camera during an automatic traveling mode or an automatic cleaning mode, and transmits the image including the foreign substance and the image related information to the mobile terminal or the server when the image including the foreign substance is acquired from the camera.