Robot cleaner, remote control system including the same, and control method thereof

• US 10,688,652 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2016
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hummel, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Dung H
• Application Number:
  US15/549,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20180021942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/14 Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/111 Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/12 Apparatus, e.g. holders, therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/20 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 : using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 : Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities 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 H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes an environment information detecting unit configured to obtain environment information regarding at least a portion of a cleaning area, a first communication unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from a different device positioned within the cleaning area, and a control unit configured to generate a control command regarding the different device in order to adjust the obtained environment information.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

an environment information detecting unit configured to obtain environment information regarding at least a portion of a cleaning area;

a first communication unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from a different device positioned within the cleaning area;

a control unit configured to generate a control command regarding the different device in order to adjust the obtained first environment information; and

a second communication unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from a terminal device,

wherein the control unit is configured to;

receive, at the first communication unit, second environmental information from the different device;

determine whether the second environmental information, received at the first communication unit, is outside the preset range;

when the second environmental information is determined to be outside the preset range, control the second communication unit to transmit the second environmental information to the terminal device through an SNS server;

receive, at the second communication unit and through the SNS server, a control message regarding the different device;

provide, based on the received control signal, a control command regarding the different device; and

control the first communication unit to transmit, to the different device, the control command regarding the different device,

an obstacle detecting unit configured to detect an obstacle of the cleaning area using at least one sensor; and

a position recognizing unit configured to recognize a position of the robot cleaner using at least one sensor,

wherein the control unit generates a cleaning map regarding the cleaning area on the basis of information regarding the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit and information regarding the position recognized by the position recognizing unit,

wherein the environment information detecting unit comprises an air sensor configured to sense dust in the air or a material included in the air,

an air purifying unit configured to deodorize or sterilize sucked air,

wherein the control unit purifies the sucked air using the air purifying unit on the basis of pollution information sensed by the air sensor;

a storage unit configured to store position information regarding the different device,

wherein the control unit recognizes environment information of a position corresponding to the position information of the different device, as environment information detected by the different device.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1

wherein the storage unit is configured to store the second environment information and corresponding position information.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1,

wherein the control unit generates a control command regarding a different device at a position corresponding to the second environment information.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the environment information detecting unit detects at least one of a temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and an air pollution level around the robot cleaner.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1

wherein the storage unit is configured to store environment information for a predetermined period of time,

wherein the control unit calculates a predetermined pattern regarding a time range in which the first environment information is outside of a preset range, and generates a control command regarding the different device before the time range estimated on the basis of the predetermined pattern is reached.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1,

wherein the storage unit is configured to store the first environment information and corresponding position information,

wherein the position information is information indicating a region divided on the basis of the obstacle in the cleaning area.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second environment information includes at least one of a temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and an air pollution level.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

an output unit configured to output the second environment information to the outside in a visual or audible manner.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein, when the second environment information is outside of a preset range, the control unit outputs an alarm signal through the output unit.

10. A remote control system of a robot cleaner, the remote control system comprising:

the robot cleaner according to claim 1; and

the terminal device configured to generate a control command regarding the robot cleaner and the different device.