Robot cleaner and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782050-B2
Application number	US-201514733604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Jul 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A method of controlling a robot cleaner includes recognizing information on a monitoring standby position by a robot cleaner, moving to the monitoring standby position at a monitoring start time by the robot cleaner, acquiring an image, by an image acquisition unit of the robot cleaner, at the monitoring standby position, determining whether an event has occurred, by the robot cleaner, based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, transmitting the image acquired by the image acquisition unit to an external remote terminal when it is determined that the event occurred.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a robot cleaner comprising:
recognizing information on a monitoring standby position, by the robot cleaner, wherein the monitoring standby position is a position at an end of a moving path where the robot cleaner is to standby for monitoring;
moving along the moving path to the monitoring standby position at a monitoring start time, by the robot cleaner;
acquiring an image at the monitoring standby position, by an image acquisition unit of the robot cleaner;
determining whether an event has occurred, by the robot cleaner, based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit; and
transmitting the image acquired by the image acquisition unit to an external remote terminal when it is determined that the event occurred,
wherein the moving to the monitoring standby position comprises:
determining whether there is an obstacle at the monitoring standby position;
determining a changed monitoring standby position at which the obstacle is avoided, if there is the obstacle at the monitoring standby position,
determining whether a distance between the monitoring standby position and the changed monitoring standby position is equal to or less than a predetermined distance;
moving to the changed monitoring standby position if the distance between the monitoring standby position and the changed monitoring standby position is equal to or less than a predetermined distance and stopping at the changed monitoring standby position; and
transmitting a message for a resetting request for the monitoring standby position to an outside if the distance between the monitoring standby position and the changed monitoring standby position exceeds the predetermined distance.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the monitoring start time is a current time, the robot cleaner recognizes the information on the monitoring standby position and then moves to the monitoring standby position.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the monitoring start time is after a current time, the robot cleaner stands by an initial position and when the current time reaches the monitoring start time, the robot cleaner moves to the monitoring standby position.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the initial position is a position at which the robot cleaner is docked at a charging device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a monitoring position determination command from the remote terminal;
moving to the monitoring standby position received from the external remote terminal;
activating the image acquisition unit;
transmitting the image acquired by the image acquisition unit to the external remote terminal; and
receiving a position determination command from the external remote terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
returning to the charging device after receiving the position determination command from the external remote terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the recognizing of information on a monitoring standby position, the robot cleaner retrieves a monitoring standby position stored in a cleaner memory.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining of whether an event has occurred comprises:
comparing, by the robot cleaner, a plurality of images to determine whether there is a difference between images; and
determining that the event occurred when there is the difference between the images.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein in the determining of whether an event has occurred, the robot cleaner divides the images into a plurality of pixels and determines whether there is a difference in the pixels.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit comprises transmitting to the external remote terminal an image acquired after the event occurred.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit comprises transmitting to the external remote terminal an image used for determining whether the event has occurred.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a current time reaches a monitoring termination time, by the robot cleaner; and
deactivating the image acquisition unit when the current time reaches the monitoring termination time.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising returning to a charging device, by the robot cleaner, when the current time reaches the monitoring termination time.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
determining an amount of a battery charge before the current time reaches the monitoring termination time, by the robot cleaner; and
returning to the charging device for charging the battery, by the robot cleaner, before the current time reaches the monitoring termination time when the remaining amount is a reference amount or smaller.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising transmitting a monitoring termination notification message to the external remote terminal, by the robot cleaner, when the amount of the battery charge is the reference amount or smaller.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining of whether an event has occurred comprises:
acquiring a voice from a voice acquisition unit in the robot cleaner; and
determining whether the event occurred based on the voice acquired by the voice acquisition unit.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Bongju
• Lee Sunghun
• Cho Ilsoo

Classifications

• A47L11/4011 Primary

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

• A47L9/28 Primary

  Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means · 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

• B25J19/04

  Viewing devices · CPC title

• Y10S901/01

  Mobile robot · CPC title