VACUUM CLEANER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20180035859A1
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Seongwoo, JUNG, Hansu, LEE, Chungill
• Granted Patent: US 10,646,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• 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 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body including a moving device for moving, a suction device connected to the cleaner body to suction dusts and air and guide the suctioned dusts and air to the cleaner body, the suction device including a handle, a detection device for detecting a distance between the handle and the cleaner body, and a controller determining whether movement of cleaner body is necessary on the basis of the distance between the cleaner body and the handle, the controller controlling the moving device when the movement of the cleaner body is necessary. The controller controls the moving device to allow the cleaner body to avoid an obstacle when it is determined that an operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary while the moving device operates.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body including a moving device for moving;

a suction device connected to the cleaner body to suction dusts and air and guide the suctioned dusts and air to the cleaner body, the suction device comprising a handle;

a detection device for detecting a distance between the handle and the cleaner body; and

a controller determining whether movement of cleaner body is necessary on the basis of the distance between the cleaner body and the handle, the controller controlling the moving device when the movement of the cleaner body is necessary,

wherein the controller controls the moving device to allow the cleaner body to avoid an obstacle when it is determined that an operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary while the moving device operates.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the moving device comprises a plurality of wheels and a plurality of motors for rotating the plurality of wheels.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of current detectors for detecting current inputted into each of the plurality of motors,

wherein the controller determines whether the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary on the basis of the current detected by at least one current detector of the plurality of current detectors.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary when the current detected by the at least one current detector of the plurality of current detectors is above limited current while the current is applied to the at least one motor of the plurality of motors.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the detection device comprises:

an ultrasonic transmitting unit disposed on the suction device to transmit ultrasonic waves; and

an ultrasonic receiving unit disposed on the cleaner body to receive the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitting unit, wherein the controller determines whether the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary on the basis of an intensity of the ultrasonic waves received into the ultrasonic receiving unit and the current detected by the at least one current detector of the plurality of current detectors.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the controller determines that the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary when a ratio of the current detected by the at least one current detector to the intensity of the ultrasonic waves is less than a reference ratio.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detector disposed on the cleaner body to detect the obstacle, wherein, when the obstacle is detected by the obstacle detector while the cleaner body is moved, the controller determines that the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller drives the moving device to allow the cleaner body to be moved backward so that the cleaner body avoids the obstacle.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the controller controls the moving device so that the cleaner body is rotated to a left or right side in a state in which the cleaner body is moved backward by a predetermined distance from the obstacle.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller drives the moving device to allow the cleaner body to be rotated to a left or right side while the cleaner body is moved backward so that the cleaner body avoids the obstacle.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein, after the cleaner body avoids the obstacle, the controller determines again whether the movement of the cleaner body is necessary on the basis of information detected by the detection device.

12. A method for controlling a vacuum cleaner, the method comprising:

detecting movement of a suction device by a detection device;

determining whether movement of a cleaner body connected to the suction device is necessary by a controller on the basis of a distance between the suction device and the cleaner body;

driving a moving device disposed on the cleaner body by the controller when the movement of the cleaner body is necessary;

determining whether an operation for avoiding an obstacle is necessary by the controller while the moving device is driven; and

controlling the moving device by the controller to allow the cleaner body to avoid the obstacle when the operation of the cleaner body for avoiding the obstacle is necessary.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the moving device comprises a plurality of wheels and a plurality of motors for driving the plurality of wheels,

wherein the controlling of the moving device to avoid the obstacle comprises driving the plurality of motors at the same rotation rate so that the cleaner body is moved backward.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the moving device comprises a plurality of wheels and a plurality of motors for driving the plurality of wheels,

wherein the controlling of the moving device to avoid the obstacle comprises driving the plurality of motors at rotation rates different from each other so that the cleaner body is rotated to a left or right side while being moved backward.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether stopping of the cleaner body is necessary when the operation for avoiding the obstacle is unnecessary; and

controlling the moving device to allow the cleaner body to be stopped when the stopping of the cleaner body is necessary.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the moving device comprises a plurality of wheels and a plurality of motors for driving the plurality of wheels,

wherein, in the determining of whether the operation of the cleaner body for avoiding the obstacle is necessary, whether the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary is determined on the basis of current detected by at least one current detector of a plurality of current detectors for detecting current applied to each of the plurality of motors.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, in the determining of whether the operation of the cleaner body for avoiding the obstacle is necessary, it is determined that the operation for avoiding the obstacle is necessary when the current detected by the at least one current detector of the plurality of current detectors is above limited current.