ROBOT CLEANER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A ROBOT CLEANER

• US 20150052703A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Haesoo, CHOE, Seunghoe, LEE, Kangyoul, SAE, Weonho, KANG, Minjung
• Granted Patent: US 9,974,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• 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 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot cleaner having a monitoring function and minimizing power consumption and/or securing communication efficiency and a method of controlling a robot cleaner are provided. The robot cleaner may include at least one sound obtaining device; at least one image obtaining device; and a controller configured to determine whether a sound obtained through the at least one sound obtaining device is abnormal, sense a direction in which an abnormal sound is generated, and obtain images in the direction in which the abnormal sound is generated. The robot cleaner may automatically recognize a surrounding situation, and when necessary, the robot cleaner may rotate and/or move in a corresponding direction and/or position to obtain images or transmit the obtained images to a remote terminal, thereby minimizing power consumption of the robot cleaner with limited power.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

at least one sound obtaining device;

at least one image obtaining device; and

a controller configured to determine whether a sound obtained through the at least one sound obtaining device is abnormal, sense a direction in which an abnormal sound is generated, and obtain images in the direction in which the abnormal sound is generated through the at least one image obtaining device.

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

a drive configured to control rotation or movement of the robot cleaner, wherein the controller rotates or moves the robot cleaner in the direction in which the abnormal sound is generated through the drive to obtain images.

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

a drive configured to control rotation or movement of the robot cleaner, wherein the controller detects a sound source of the abnormal sound and rotates or moves the robot cleaner in a direction toward the sound source of the abnormal sound through the drive to obtain images.

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

a sound database (DB) configured to store various daily life sounds, wherein the controller calculates a similarity between the sound obtained by the at least one sound obtaining device and sounds stored in the sound DB to determine whether the obtained sound is abnormal.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller filters out only sounds having a sound pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined level, and determines whether the filtered sounds are abnormal.

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

an infrared sensor, wherein when heat having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature is sensed by the infrared sensor, the controller operates the at least one image obtaining device to obtain images.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein when the sound obtained through the at least one sound obtaining device is determined as being abnormal, the infrared sensor is operated.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller processes the images obtained through the at least one image obtaining device, and when a human body image is sensed, the controller determines that a current situation is abnormal.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller processes the images obtained through the at least one image obtaining device to sense an animal image, and when a movement change speed of an image is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, or when a sound pressure of the sound obtained with respect to a subject is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the controller determines that a current situation is abnormal.

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

a communication device configured to transmit an alarm signal to a remote terminal or a server, when the controller determines that a current situation is abnormal.

11. A robot cleaner comprising:

at least one sound obtaining device configured to obtain a sound;

a controller configured to detect a location of a sound obtained through the at least one sound obtaining device;

a drive configured to control rotation or movement of the robot cleaner; and

a cleaning unit configured to suck in foreign objects to perform cleaning,

wherein the controller controls the drive to be moved to a source of the sound and controls the cleaning unit to perform cleaning at the location of the sound source.

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

a sound database (DB) configured to store various daily life sounds, wherein when the sound obtained by the at least one sound obtaining device is different from the daily life sounds stored in the sound DB by within a predetermined range, the controller provides control not to perform automatic cleaning.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein when the sound obtained by the at least one sound obtaining device is a sound caused due to rotation of a motor according to an operation of a hair drier, the controller provides control to perform automatic cleaning.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein in case of performing automatic cleaning based on a generated sound, the controller compares a time at which the sound is generated with the most recent cleaning time or with a coming pre-set reserved cleaning time to finally determine whether to perform automatic cleaning.

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

at least one image obtaining device, and the controller compares image data captured by the image obtaining device with previously stored image data, and when a difference between the captured image data and the previously stored image data is more than a predetermined value, the controller determines that a contamination material is present, and provides control to perform automatic cleaning.

16. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

obtaining a sound through at least one sound obtaining device;

determining whether the sound is abnormal; and

obtaining images in a direction in which the abnormal sound is generated through at least one image obtaining device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sensing a direction in which the abnormal sound is generated.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

moving or rotating via a drive the robot cleaner the direction in which the abnormal sound is generated.

19. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

recognizing a sound;

detecting a location of the sound; and

moving to the detected location of the sound to perform cleaning at the location of the sound.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, in performing cleaning, when the sound is a sound caused due to rotation of a motor according to an operation of a hair dryer, automatic cleaning is controlled to be performed.