Robot cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10085608-B2
Application number	US-201315107139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 23, 2013
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot cleaner comprising: a main body which forms an outer appearance; a driving unit for moving the main body; a cleaning unit, installed at the lower portion of the main body, for sucking filth or dust on a floor surface or in the air; light emitting units which are installed at the lower portion of the main body and configured to externally emit light according the driving condition of the driving unit; and a controller for controlling the plurality of light emitting units so that the light emitting units emit light in forms different from each other according to each of a first driving condition where the main body is stopped, a second driving condition where the main body moves, and a third driving condition where the main body rotates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:
a main body configured to form an outer appearance;
a driving unit configured to move the main body;
a cleaning unit provided at a lower portion of the main body to suck foreign substances on a floor surface or in the air;
a plurality of light emitting units provided at a lower portion of the main body, and formed to emit light to an outside according to a driving condition of the driving unit; and
a controller configured to control the plurality of light emitting units to emit light in a different form according to a first driving condition in which the main body stops, a second driving condition in which the main body moves, and a third driving condition in which the main body rotates, respectively,
a plurality of detection units mounted on the main body to sense an external object at the outside,
wherein the controller determines the driving condition of the plurality of detection units, and when an error occurs in the driving condition of the detection unit, the controller activates a light emitting unit disposed adjacent to the detection unit.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1 , wherein each of the light emitting units comprises:
a light emitting portion formed to emit at least one color light by the controller;
a support portion formed to surround the light emitting portion, and formed of a transparent material to transmit the light therethrough; and
a reflector formed in a partial region of an inner surface of the support portion to have an opening portion to reflect light toward a lower portion thereof.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein an angle between both ends of the opening portion around the light emitting portion is formed to be less than 90 degrees.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3 , wherein an angle between a first line connecting from the light emitting portion to one end of the opening portion and the ground that supports the main body is formed to be greater than 90 degrees.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4 , wherein an angle between a second line connecting from the light emitting portion to the other end of the opening portion and the ground that supports the main body is formed to make a preset angle.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are formed along an outer circumference of the main body, and
the controller defines a direction in which the main body moves in the second driving condition as a front portion and a region separated from the front portion as a rear portion, and
the controller activates a light emitting portion formed in at least one region of the front portion and the rear portion.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are formed along an outer circumference of the main body, and
the controller defines one of the plurality of light emitting portions as a reference light emitting unit in the second condition, and sequentially activates the light emitting portions along the one direction from the reference light emitting portion.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the controller controls the light emitting unit to change a brightness of light emitted from the light emitting unit according to the flow of time.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the controller controls the plurality of light emitting units to emit light formed in a predetermined pattern in any one of the first through the third driving condition.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined pattern is formed in a wave shape moving in a direction away from or closer to an outer circumference of the main body.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense an obstacle applied to the main body, wherein when an obstacle according to the movement of the main body is sensed, light emitting units disposed at the front portion are activated.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 3 , wherein the controller moves the reflector along an inner surface of the support portion to change a region on which the light is reflected.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the reflector comprises a plurality of reflective members formed along an outer circumferential surface of the main body, and
the controller controls the plurality of reflective members to move to different positions based on the driving condition.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting portion comprises a plurality of light emitting members formed along the reflector, and
the controller activates the plurality of light emitting members in different manners based on the driving condition.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kihyung
• Woo Seunghyun
• Hong Kichu
• Moon Seonghak

Classifications

• A47L2201/00

  Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation · CPC title

• A47L2201/022

  Recharging of batteries · CPC title

• A47L9/30

  Arrangement of illuminating devices · CPC title

• A47L9/2857 Primary

  User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays · CPC title

• A47L11/4011 Primary

  Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor · CPC title