Control device of robot cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12340683-B2
Application number	US-202117361569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 1, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control device for a robot cleaner providing functions and user interfaces (UI) for increasing user convenience, and according to the control device of the present invention, the user convenience can be increased by providing various user interfaces capable of receiving set values for controlling the robot cleaner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device which remotely controls a robot cleaner that automatically drives and cleans a floor surface using one or more mops, the control device comprising:
a display unit that displays a main screen that receives a control signal for controlling the robot cleaner as a user's touch input from a user,
wherein
in a first area located at an upper end of the main screen, a status display module that indicates a current operation status of the robot cleaner is arranged, and in a second area located below the first area, a user set module that receives a set value for controlling the robot cleaner through the user's touch input is arranged, and in a third area located between the status dis play module and the user set module, an operation performing module that operates the robot cleaner through the user's touch input is arranged,
the user set module comprises a water supply set unit that receives a set value of target water supply amount to be supplied to the mop from the user,
the main screen comprises an overflow menu button arranged on an upper right side of the status display module,
when the overflow menu button is selected by the user's touch input, a menu list comprising one or more menus is displayed on the main screen,
the menu list is displayed while the main screen is displayed, and when any of the menus is selected, the main screen is switched to the screen of the selected menu,
the menu list comprises a residual water removal menu for removing residual water inside the robot cleaner,
the user set module further comprises a fall prevention sensitivity set unit that receives a set value of cliff height of the robot cleaner from the user,
when the fall prevention sensitivity set unit is selected by the user's touch input, a plurality of preset set values of cliff height is displayed on the main screen, and
when the set value of cliff height is selected by the user's touch input, a control signal corresponding to information on the selected set value of cliff height is transmitted to the robot cleaner that moves based on the selected set value of cliff height.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the status display module comprises at least one of a cleaning mode display unit that indicates a currently set cleaning mode of the robot cleaner, a reservation status display unit that indicates whether or not one or more functions of the robot cleaner are reserved, and a progress time display unit that indicates a total time that the robot cleaner has driven for cleaning.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation performing module comprises at least one of a monitoring operation unit that receives a control signal of a monitoring operation in which the robot cleaner monitors a room using an image photographing means provided in the robot cleaner, a cleaning operation unit that receives a control signal of a cleaning operation in which the robot cleaner starts cleaning the floor surface, and a charging operation unit that receives a control signal of a charging operation in which the robot cleaner returns to a charging station.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the water supply set unit comprises a slider in a form of a horizontal bar that is moved by sliding a target point left and right by the user's touch input,
the slider is displayed in a first color from a preset point to a point corresponding to a maximum water supply amount to distinguish it from a second color at other point of the slider,
a water supply amount corresponding to a point where the target point stops on the slider is set as the set value of target water supply amount.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein when the target point slid by the user is located between the preset point and the point corresponding to the maximum water supply amount, the entire slider is converted to the first color, and a warning message is displayed at a bottom of the slider.

6. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein when the set value of target water supply amount is set by the user's touch input, a control signal corresponding to information on the set value of target water supplyamount is transmitted to the robot cleaner.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the user set module further comprises a location detection unit that searches a current location of the robot cleaner,
when the location detection unit is selected by the user's touch input, the main screen is switched to a cleaner search screen, and a cleaner search button that receives a control signal for searching the current location of the robot cleaner is displayed on the cleaner search screen.

8. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein when the cleaner search button is selected by the user's touch input, a location where the robot cleaner stops driving is transmitted from the robot cleaner, and the location where the driving is stopped is displayed on the cleaner search screen as the current location of the robot cleaner.

9. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the user set module further comprises a cleaning reservation set unit that reserves a cleaning operation of the robot cleaner,
when the cleaning reservation set unit is selected by the user's touch input, the main screen is switched to a reservation list screen including a reservation adding button for reserving the cleaning operation of the robot cleaner and a cleaning operation list of the robot cleaner previously reserved,
when the reservation adding button or the cleaning operation list is selected by the user's touch input, the reservation list screen is switched to a reservation set screen that sets a wet mode of the mop.

10. The control device according to claim 9 , wherein
the reservation set screen comprises a mop wet button capable of activating or deactivating the wet mode,
when the mop wet button is activated by the user's touch input, a control signal for reserving the wet mode to the robot cleaner is transmitted to the robot cleaner.

11. The control device according to claim 1 , when the residual water removal menu is selected by the user's touch input, the main screen is switched to a residual water removal screen for removing residual water inside the robot cleaner.

12. The control device according to claim 11 , wherein a residual water removal start button that receives an input for switching the robot cleaner to a residual water removal mode is displayed on the residual water removal screen,
when the residual water removal start button is selected by the user's touch input, a control signal for switching the robot cleaner to a residual water removal mode capable of discharging the residual water inside the robot cleaner is transmitted to the robot cleaner.

13. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the menu list comprises a set menu, and when the set menu is selected by the user's touch input, the main screen is switched to a product management screen that receives a set value irrelevant to a cleaning operation of the robot cleaner.

14. The control device according to claim 13 , wherein the product management screen comprises a brightness adjustment menu that receives a set value of brightness of a display unit provided in the robot cleaner to provide information to the user, and a notification sound set menu that receives a set value of notification sound transmitted from the robot cleaner.

15. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein
when the brightness adjustment menu is selected by the user's touch input, the product managem

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• KIM Sanga
• Yun Junho
• Shin Yonggil

Classifications

• G08C2201/30

  User interface · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• A47L2201/06

  Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• A47L2201/00

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