Robot cleaner

• US 10,085,608 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Kihyung, Woo, Seunghyun, Hong, Kichu, Moon, Seonghak
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US15/107,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4005 Arrangements of batteries or cells; Electric power supply arrangements
• 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 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot cleaner comprising: a main body which forms an outer appearance; a driving unit for moving the main body; a cleaning unit, installed at the lower portion of the main body, for sucking filth or dust on a floor surface or in the air; light emitting units which are installed at the lower portion of the main body and configured to externally emit light according the driving condition of the driving unit; and a controller for controlling the plurality of light emitting units so that the light emitting units emit light in forms different from each other according to each of a first driving condition where the main body is stopped, a second driving condition where the main body moves, and a third driving condition where the main body rotates.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a main body configured to form an outer appearance;

a driving unit configured to move the main body;

a cleaning unit provided at a lower portion of the main body to suck foreign substances on a floor surface or in the air;

a plurality of light emitting units provided at a lower portion of the main body, and formed to emit light to an outside according to a driving condition of the driving unit; and

a controller configured to control the plurality of light emitting units to emit light in a different form according to a first driving condition in which the main body stops, a second driving condition in which the main body moves, and a third driving condition in which the main body rotates, respectively,

a plurality of detection units mounted on the main body to sense an external object at the outside,

wherein the controller determines the driving condition of the plurality of detection units, and when an error occurs in the driving condition of the detection unit, the controller activates a light emitting unit disposed adjacent to the detection unit.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein each of the light emitting units comprises:

a light emitting portion formed to emit at least one color light by the controller;

a support portion formed to surround the light emitting portion, and formed of a transparent material to transmit the light therethrough; and

a reflector formed in a partial region of an inner surface of the support portion to have an opening portion to reflect light toward a lower portion thereof.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein an angle between both ends of the opening portion around the light emitting portion is formed to be less than 90 degrees.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein an angle between a first line connecting from the light emitting portion to one end of the opening portion and the ground that supports the main body is formed to be greater than 90 degrees.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein an angle between a second line connecting from the light emitting portion to the other end of the opening portion and the ground that supports the main body is formed to make a preset angle.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are formed along an outer circumference of the main body, and

the controller defines a direction in which the main body moves in the second driving condition as a front portion and a region separated from the front portion as a rear portion, and

the controller activates a light emitting portion formed in at least one region of the front portion and the rear portion.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are formed along an outer circumference of the main body, and

the controller defines one of the plurality of light emitting portions as a reference light emitting unit in the second condition, and sequentially activates the light emitting portions along the one direction from the reference light emitting portion.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the controller controls the light emitting unit to change a brightness of light emitted from the light emitting unit according to the flow of time.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the plurality of light emitting units to emit light formed in a predetermined pattern in any one of the first through the third driving condition.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the predetermined pattern is formed in a wave shape moving in a direction away from or closer to an outer circumference of the main body.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 2, further comprising:

a sensing unit configured to sense an obstacle applied to the main body, wherein when an obstacle according to the movement of the main body is sensed, light emitting units disposed at the front portion are activated.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the controller moves the reflector along an inner surface of the support portion to change a region on which the light is reflected.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the reflector comprises a plurality of reflective members formed along an outer circumferential surface of the main body, and

the controller controls the plurality of reflective members to move to different positions based on the driving condition.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the light emitting portion comprises a plurality of light emitting members formed along the reflector, and

the controller activates the plurality of light emitting members in different manners based on the driving condition.