Robot cleaner, robot cleaner system and control method of the same

• US 10,143,349 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Bongju, Choe, Suuk, Lee, Sunghun
• Primary Examiner(s): ODEH, NADEEM N
• Application Number:
  US15/017,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 701 24
• 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 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• 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

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a case, a suction device provided in the case, a suction nozzle for sucking dust from a floor by driving of the suction device, a dust collection device for collecting foreign substances contained in the air sucked via the suction nozzle, a driving unit for allowing the case to drive automatically, a controller for controlling the driving of the suction device and the driving unit, and for generating cleaning history information comprising map information on a cleaning area and moving path information, a memory unit for storing the cleaning history information; and a wireless communication module provided in the case to transmit the cleaning history information to the external terminal, when the external terminal requests the cleaning history information.

Claims

1. A control method of a robot cleaner system including a robot cleaner and an external terminal, the control method comprising:

establishing a wireless communication between the external terminal and the robot cleaner;

in response to a user selection of a diary menu displayed on a display of the external terminal, sending, by the external terminal, a request to the robot cleaner for cleaning history information, wherein the cleaning history information includes a plurality of individual lists;

in response to the request, transmitting, to the external terminal, the individual lists of the cleaning history information;

displaying, on the display of the external terminal, a screen of the individual lists of bibliographical information for distinguishing a series of cleanings from start to end of the cleanings from other cleanings, wherein a preset number of individual lists are stored in a chronological order, wherein the preset number of individual lists are stored and a new individual list replaces an oldest individual list for storage, wherein the displayed screen of the individual lists is displayed prior to receiving, at the external terminal and from the robot cleaner, a map file and a moving path file corresponding to a latest cleaning history of the individual lists,

wherein the displayed screen of the individual lists includes cleaning mode information and presence of reserved cleaning, and cleaning end time information marks, and an auxiliary menu corresponding to a specific one of the cleaning end time information marks is displayed on the display at an area corresponding to a specific one of the individual lists, and

in response to selection of the auxiliary menu;

requesting, from the external terminal to the robot cleaner, the map file and the map path file of the specific individual list corresponding to the selected auxiliary menu,

receiving from the robot cleaner, the map file and the moving path file of the specific individual list corresponding to the selected auxiliary menu, and

displaying on the display of the external terminal, a map showing performed cleaning, and a moving path of the robot cleaner is played on the map as a video file, and a mark corresponding to the robot cleaner is displayed on the map and a forward direction of the robot cleaner is displayed to show the moving path of the robot cleaner.

2. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 1, wherein at least one of menus for selecting video play speed adjustment, video playing or video pausing is displayed on the display of the external terminal.

3. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 1, wherein during the establishing of the wireless communication, a state information of the robot cleaner is transmitted to the external terminal, and

after the wireless communication has been established, the state information of the robot cleaner is displayed on a screen of the display of the external terminal.

4. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 3, wherein the latest cleaning history is realized when an object is selected.

5. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 4, wherein after the establishing of the wireless communication, the diary menu is displayed on the display of the external terminal to request the robot cleaner for a cleaning history file corresponding to the cleaning history information.

6. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 5, wherein a plurality of cleaning histories are realized when the diary menu is selected.

7. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 6, wherein a menu for playing only the latest cleaning history and a menu for playing a plurality of cleaning histories are displayed simultaneously on a screen of the display of the external terminal.

8. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 1, wherein the individual lists of the cleaning history information is transmitted to the external terminal in response to the request sent to the robot cleaner.

9. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 1, wherein a cleaning impossible area, a wall or obstacle recognized area and a cleaning area are visually distinguished on the display of the map.

10. The control method of the robot cleaner system of claim 9, wherein the cleaning area is marked distinguishably from a portion before the robot cleaner passes and a portion after the robot cleaner passes.