AUTO-CLEANING SYSTEM, CLEANING ROBOT AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20170144311A1
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Sang Sik, CHUNG, Woo Ram
• Granted Patent: US 10,265,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• 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: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/003 by means of an audio-responsive input audible safety signals B25J19/061
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39441 Voice command, camera detects object, grasp, move
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45098 Vacuum cleaning robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00

Abstract

A cleaning robot that performs cleaning while travelling a space to be cleaned, the cleaning robot including: a travelling unit that moves the cleaning robot; a cleaning unit that cleans the space to be cleaned; an image capturing unit that captures an image viewed from the cleaning robot; a voice input unit to which a user'"'"'s voice instructions are input; and a controller obtaining the user'"'"'s motion instructions through the image capturing unit and determining a restricted area in which entry of the cleaning robot is prohibited and/or a focused cleaning area to be intensely cleaned by the cleaning robot based on the user'"'"'s motion instructions or the user'"'"'s voice instructions when the user'"'"'s voice instructions are input through the voice input unit. The restricted area and the focused cleaning area may be input to the cleaning robot through the user'"'"'s voice and motion.

Claims

1. An auto-cleaning system comprising:

a cleaning robot that performs cleaning while travelling a space to be cleaned; and

a user terminal that controls the cleaning robot remotely,

wherein, when focused cleaning area input instructions and/or restricted area input instructions are input from a user, the cleaning robot captures an image of the space to be cleaned and transmits the image of the space to be cleaned to the user terminal, and

when the image of the space to be cleaned is received, the user terminal displays the image of the space to be cleaned and receives information regarding a focused cleaning area and/or a restricted area, from the user.

2. The auto-cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot comprises an image capturing unit that captures an image of the space to be cleaned and receives motion instructions of the user and a voice input unit that receives voice instructions of the user, and

the cleaning robot determines the restricted area input instructions and/or the focused cleaning area input instructions based on the voice instructions input through the voice input unit and the motion instructions input through the image capturing unit.

3. The auto-cleaning system of claim 2, wherein, when the voice instructions are input through the voice input unit, the cleaning robot rotates toward the user and receives the motion instructions through the image capturing unit.

4. The auto-cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal comprises a touch screen panel on which the image of the space to be cleaned is displayed and manipulation instructions are received from the user, and

when the information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area is input through the touch screen panel, the information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area is overlappingly displayed on the image of the space to be cleaned through the touch screen panel.

5. The auto-cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the user terminal determines absolute coordinates in the space to be cleaned that correspond to the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area.

6. The auto-cleaning system of claim 5, wherein the user terminal determines image coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area from the touch screen panel, determines relative coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area in which the cleaning robot is set as an origin, based on the image coordinates, and determines absolute coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area in the space to be cleaned, based on the relative coordinates and a position of the cleaning robot.

7. The auto-cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot obtains user'"'"'s motion instructions when user'"'"'s voice instructions are input, and generates information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area based on the user'"'"'s motion instructions.

8. The auto-cleaning system of claim 7, wherein the cleaning robot transmits the information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area to the user terminal.

9. The auto-cleaning system of claim 8, wherein the user terminal displays the information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area received from the cleaning robot.

10. A auto-cleaning method comprising:

moving a cleaning robot in a space to be cleaned;

capturing, by the cleaning robot, an image of the space to be cleaned when focused cleaning area input instructions and/or restricted area input instructions are input from a user;

transmitting, from the cleaning robot, the image of the space to be cleaned to a user terminal;

displaying, on the user terminal, the image of the space to be cleaned; and

receiving, by the user terminal, information regarding a focused cleaning area and/or a restricted area from the user;

11. The auto-cleaning method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the restricted area input instructions and/or the focused cleaning area input instructions based on voice instructions input through a voice input unit and motion instructions input through an image capturing unit.

12. The auto-cleaning method of claim 11, further comprising:

rotating the cleaning robot toward the user when the voice instructions are input through the voice input unit; and

capturing the motion instructions through the image capturing unit

13. The auto-cleaning method of claim 10, wherein the information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area is input through a touch screen panel of the user terminal, and the information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area is overlappingly displayed on the image of the space to be cleaned through the touch screen panel.

14. The auto-cleaning method of claim 13, further comprising

determining, by the user terminal, absolute coordinates in the space to be cleaned that correspond to the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area.

15. The auto-cleaning method of claim 14, wherein the determining of the absolute coordinates includes:

determining image coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area from the touch screen panel;

determining relative coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area in which the cleaning robot is set as an origin, based on the image coordinates; and

determining absolute coordinates of the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area in the space to be cleaned, based on the relative coordinates and a position of the cleaning robot.

16. The auto-cleaning method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining user'"'"'s motion instructions through an image capturing unit of the cleaning robot when user'"'"'s voice instructions are input through a voice input unit of the cleaning robot; and

generating information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area based on the user'"'"'s motion instructions

17. The auto-cleaning method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting, from the cleaning robot, the information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area to the user terminal.

18. The auto-cleaning method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying, on the user terminal, the information regarding the restricted area and/or the focused cleaning area received from the cleaning robot.

19. A user terminal that controls a cleaning robot remotely, the user terminal comprising:

a touchscreen panel;

a communicator configured to communicate with the cleaning robot; and

a controller configured to receive an image of a space to be cleaned through the communicator from the cleaning robot, display the image of the space to be cleaned on the touchscreen panel, receive first information regarding a focused cleaning area and/or a restricted area through the touchscreen panel from a user, and overlappingly display the first information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area on the image of the space to be cleaned.

20. The user terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller receives second information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area from the cleaning robot, and displays the second information regarding the focused cleaning area and/or the restricted area on the image of the space to be cleaned.