KR101759275B1 - Charging device for robot cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, and more particularly, to a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system capable of autonomously starting cleaning by judging a degree of contamination, comprising: a charging apparatus main body for charging a robot cleaner; A light receiving part for receiving the light reflected at the lower portion of the window surface, and a light receiving part for receiving the light, which is the output of the light receiving part, And a control unit for detecting and transmitting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface based on the intensity or generating and transmitting a cleaning start command according to the detected amount of dust, The amount of dust is transferred to the robot cleaner, or the cleaning start command A it characterized in that it comprises a communication unit for transfer to the robot cleaner.

Description

{CHARGING DEVICE FOR ROBOT CLEANER}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, and more particularly, to a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system capable of autonomously starting cleaning by determining the degree of contamination.

Generally, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus for separating and collecting foreign matter after sucking air containing foreign substances from the outside by driving a suction device that generates an air suction force. Such a vacuum cleaner is classified into a manual vacuum cleaner directly operated by a user and a robot cleaner performing a self cleaning without user's operation.

The robot cleaner is a device that sucks foreign matter such as dust from the floor while traveling in the area to be cleaned by itself, and automatically performs cleaning of a certain area. Such a robot cleaner includes a rechargeable battery necessary for receiving a driving power because it takes a cordless system, and a recharging device for recharging the rechargeable battery is required. Therefore, the charging device and the robot cleaner are manufactured and sold as one system.

In a general cleaning robot system composed of a charging device and a robot cleaner, the robot cleaner performs cleaning while moving in a predetermined pattern according to a user's cleaning command or at a designated time. That is, since the cleaning is started by a user command when there is a user's judgment that cleaning is necessary, there is a limitation of a passive system that depends on the judgment of the user. Although the cleaning can be performed autonomously at a designated time, the cleaning can be started unnecessarily even in a state where the cleaning is not necessary, and this also inconveniences the user from the viewpoint of the user.

Therefore, if the pollution degree in the cleaning space is measured and self-cleaning is initiated without user intervention, the convenience of the user can be maximized. Further, if the user stays around the sink for a certain period of time, It is also possible to maximize the user's convenience if a system is developed that automatically detects areas where contamination is likely to occur by detecting user location because it is dense.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0109289

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system capable of autonomous cleaning initiation by determining the degree of contamination.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system,

A charging device main body for charging the robot cleaner;

A light emitting unit for receiving the light reflected at the lower portion of the window surface, a light receiving unit for receiving the light reflected at the lower portion of the window surface, And a control unit for detecting and transmitting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface based on the received light intensity, which is an output of the light receiving unit, or generating and transmitting a cleaning start command according to the detected amount of dust;

And a communication unit transmitting the amount of dust detected by the controller to the robot cleaner or transmitting a cleaning start command generated according to the detected amount of dust to the robot cleaner.

Further, the contamination level sensor may further include an illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance of the external light. The controller compensates the received light intensity according to the illuminance sensed by the illuminance sensor, Thereby detecting the amount of dust,

The window surface has a predetermined curvature such that light emitted to the window surface inside the window surface is refracted outward due to dust accumulated on the outside of the window surface or reflected inside the window surface, and the window surface is convex toward the outside It is another feature.

According to the above technical solution, the charging device for the robot cleaner including the contamination level sensor periodically detects the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface of the contamination level sensor and transmits the detected amount of dust to the robot cleaner, Since the automatic cleaning is carried out autonomously without the intervention of a resident or a user, there is an effect of providing a more advanced form of convenience to the users of the vacuum cleaner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration combination example of an autonomous cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system,
3 is a block diagram of an autonomous cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating an example of an autonomous cleaning control flow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an autonomous cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the robot cleaner main body 100, the charging device 200, the remote controller 260, and the pollution measuring device 270 are all shown, but an autonomous cleaning robot system can be constructed by combining them. For example, the robot cleaner 100 may include a contamination level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention to constitute one autonomous cleaning robot system, and a charging device 200 including a contamination level sensor may be connected to the robot cleaner 100. [ The autonomous cleaning robot system may be constituted together with the main body 100 of the robot cleaner 100 or the main body of the robot cleaner 100 may constitute one autonomous cleaning robot system, The main body 100 and the charging device 200 may constitute one autonomous cleaning robot system. 1, the window surface 250 of the contamination level sensor is exposed on the upper surface of the main body housing of the charging device 200. However, the window surface of the contamination level sensor is located on the upper surface of the housing of the robot cleaner 100 . Hereinafter, an autonomous cleaning robot system having a combination of the following examples will be described in more detail.

1, a motor (not shown) for generating a suction force is incorporated in the main body of the robot cleaner 100, and a suction nozzle for sucking foreign materials on the bottom surface by a suction force generated by the motor. A lower portion of the robot cleaner 100 is provided with a wheel 110 that rotates in contact with a floor surface to allow the main body to travel in a cleaning area. Technical constructions related to the driving of the wheel 110, the wheel driving motor, and the main body 100 will be referred to as a driving unit (151 in FIG. 3) in the following description.

An obstacle detection unit 120 for detecting the presence or absence of an obstacle is provided at a front upper portion of the main body of the robot cleaner 100. The robot cleaner 100 receives a predetermined signal sent from the charging apparatus 200 and detects the position of the charging apparatus 200 A charging device sensing unit 130 is provided.

1, the filling apparatus 200 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape for convenience of explanation, but the shape of the filling apparatus 200 may be variously modified. However, the charging device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with the engaging part 220 which can be coupled to the main body of the robot cleaner 100 for charging, like the charging device of a general robot cleaner, The charging terminal 230 is located. A return induction sensor 210 for guiding the main body of the robot cleaner 100 may be provided.

When the combination of the autonomous cleaning robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention is subdivided based on the general configuration of the robot cleaner 100 and the charging device 200,

1. An embodiment in which the contamination degree detecting sensor is included in the charging device 200 to constitute an autonomous cleaning robot system together with the robot cleaner 100. [

The autonomous cleaning robot system includes a charging device 200 for charging the robot cleaner 100,

And a robot cleaner (100) which is charged by a power source supplied by coupling with the charging device (200) and is capable of automatic traveling cleaning, the charging device (200)

A pollution degree detection sensor for detecting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface 250 exposed outside the housing of the charging device 200,

And a communication unit for transmitting the amount of dust detected by the detection sensor to the robot cleaner 100 or transmitting a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner 100 according to the detected amount of dust.

Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the pollution degree detecting sensor will be further described.

2, a window surface 272 (corresponding to 250 in FIG. 1) of the contamination level sensor is exposed on the upper surface of the main body housing of the charging apparatus 200, and a window surface 272 And a light receiving portion 275 for receiving the light reflected by the window surface 272. The light receiving portion 275 receives the light reflected from the window surface 272, The control unit 277 detects the amount of the pollutants.

The window surface 272 may be bent outwardly by the presence of dust C accumulated on the outside of the window surface 272 inside the window surface 272, And has a predetermined curvature such that the window surface 272 is convex toward the outside.

In addition, the contamination level sensor may further include an illuminance sensor 278 for sensing the illuminance of the external light. The controller 277 may control the intensity of the received light intensity according to the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 278, And the amount of dust can be detected based on the compensated received light intensity.

By including the contamination degree sensor for measuring the pollution degree in the main body of the charging apparatus 200 and transmitting the automatic cleaning command to the robot cleaner 100 coupled to the charging apparatus 200 according to the amount of dust obtained from the pollution degree detection sensor , The robot cleaner 100 can perform autonomous cleaning according to a predetermined driving method.

The occupant detection system further includes a occupant detection sensor installed in a place (around the sink) where floor contamination frequently occurs due to a predetermined action of a resident occupant, detecting presence / absence of a resident and transmitting the detected occupant to the robot cleaner 100 through a communication unit, . In this case, the control unit of the robot cleaner 100 moves to the place where the occupant detection sensor is installed when the occupant detection signal transmitted from the occupant detection sensor satisfies the specified condition, and performs the self-cleaning.

For reference, the occupant detection sensor described above and described below can use various sensors such as a thermal sensor, infrared sensor, ultrasound sensor, capacitive sensor, motion detection of a camera image, And can continuously transmit a signal for position tracking by communication with the main body of the robot cleaner 100. In addition, the occupant detection sensor may be implemented as an independent cradle type.

On the other hand, the contamination level sensor senses the dust accumulated on the window surface using light, but it can also detect dust accumulated on the window surface using the image.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the CCD image sensor is positioned at the position of the light emitting portion 273 and the light receiving portion 275 located under the window surface 272, and the window surface (power saving) 272) is analyzed by the control unit 277 (a method of comparing the brightness of the standard image with the brightness of the standard image or the brightness of the center area of the standard image), the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface 272 Can be detected. An infrared transmitter may be added to obtain a more accurate image. That is, the control unit 277 irradiates infrared rays on the window surface 272 to capture an image during image capturing, so that an image for judging whether dust is stacked can be normally obtained even in a dark environment.

2. An embodiment in which a contamination level sensor is included in the robot cleaner 100 so as to constitute one autonomous cleaning robot system.

Such an autonomous cleaning robot system mainly includes a main body of the robot cleaner 100,

A contamination degree detecting sensor for detecting the amount of dust accumulated on a window surface (not shown) exposed to the outside of the main body housing,

And a control unit for controlling the self-cleaning according to the amount of dust by analyzing the signal detected by the detection sensor.

The contamination degree detection sensor includes a light emitting portion 273 for emitting light to the window surface 272 and a light receiving portion 275 for receiving the light reflected from the window surface 272, as shown in FIG. The contamination level sensor described in the first embodiment includes a control unit. However, when the pollution level detection sensor is included in the main body of the robot cleaner 100, the control unit (147 of FIG. 3) for controlling the main body of the robot cleaner 100 may be used The controller is excluded from the contamination level sensor.

In addition, the window surface exposed to the outside of the main body housing of the robot cleaner 100 has a predetermined curvature as shown in FIG. 2, and the window surface is convex toward the outside.

The controller 147 of the main body of the robot cleaner 100 compensates the intensity of the received light according to the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor, , And the amount of dust can be detected based on the compensated received light intensity. Of course, as mentioned above, a CCD image sensor can also be used. In this case, the controller 147 performs autonomous cleaning control according to the amount of dust by analyzing the image signal detected by the image sensor.

When the contamination degree detection sensor for measuring the pollution degree is included in the main body of the robot cleaner 100, the control unit 147 can perform the self-cleaning according to the amount of dust obtained from the pollution degree detection sensor.

That is, in the autonomous cleaning robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the robot cleaner main body 100 and the charging device 200 constitute a robot system. In the robot cleaner main body 100 or the charging device 200, An autonomous cleaning robot system can be constructed by including a contamination detection sensor. Of course, both the robot cleaner main body 100 and the charging device 200 may include a contamination degree detection sensor.

The occupant detection sensor further includes a occupant detection sensor installed in a place (around the sink) in which floor contamination frequently occurs due to a predetermined action of a resident occupant, detecting presence or absence of a resident and transmitting the detected occupant to the main body of the robot cleaner 100 through a communication unit. You can also build a system. In this case, the control unit of the robot cleaner 100 moves to the place where the occupant detection sensor is installed when the occupant detection signal transmitted from the occupant detection sensor satisfies the specified condition, and performs the self-cleaning.

Alternatively, the autonomous cleaning robot system may be modified without including a contamination level sensor in any one of the main body of the robot cleaner 100 and the charging device 200. To this end, it is necessary to have a separate pollution measuring device 270, and transmit and receive pollution related information to / from the robot cleaner main body 100 or the charging device 200.

3. An embodiment in which an autonomous cleaning robot system is constructed together with the robot cleaner 100 by having a separate pollution measuring device.

To this end, the pollution measuring device 270 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration as shown in FIG.

That is, the contamination measuring apparatus includes a body 270, a contamination degree detecting sensor for detecting the amount of dust C accumulated on the window surface 272 exposed outside the housing 270, A communication unit 279 for transmitting the amount of dust to the main body of the charging apparatus 200 or the robot cleaner 100, and a power supply unit for supplying operation power.

The contamination degree detection sensor includes a light emitting portion 273 for emitting light A to the window surface 272, a light receiving portion 275 for receiving the light B reflected from the window surface 272, And a control unit 277 for detecting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface 272 based on the intensity. As an alternative embodiment, the contamination level sensor may use a CCD image sensor in place of the light emitting unit 273 and the light receiving unit 275, and may add an infrared ray emitting unit.

The window surface 272 may be bent outwardly by the presence or absence of dust C accumulated on the outside of the window surface 272 as the light emitted to the window surface 272 inside the window surface 272 as shown in FIG. And has a predetermined curvature to be reflected inside the window surface 272, and the window surface 272 is convex toward the outside.

The characteristic of the window surface 272 is the same as the window surface 250 of the contamination degree detection sensor described above.

The contamination degree sensor of the pollution measuring apparatus 270 may further include an illuminance sensor 278 for sensing the illuminance of the external light. The controller 277 may control the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 278, The intensity of the received light may be compensated for and the amount of dust may be detected based on the compensated received light intensity.

The control unit 277 of the pollution measuring apparatus 270 transmits the amount of dust detected by the contamination level sensor to the robot cleaner 100, And generates and transmits a packet. This is for identifying the cleaning area when a plurality of pollution measuring devices 270 exist in the indoor space.

By detecting the amount of dust accumulated on the horizontal surface in the independent pollution measuring device 270 and transmitting the detected amount of dust to the robot cleaner 100, the robot cleaner 100 determines whether or not self-cleaning is necessary, The device 270 can be moved to a place where the device 270 is installed or a designated area, and self-cleaning can be performed.

Although the above description has been made on the independently used pollution measuring device 270, the charging device 200 may also be called a pollution measuring device by receiving the pollution degree detecting sensor.

4. An embodiment in which the charging device 200 receives the contamination level sensor and is used as one independent contamination measurement measuring device and constitutes an autonomous cleaning robot system together with the robot cleaner 100. [

The contamination measuring device includes a main body of a charging device 200 for charging the robot cleaner 100 and a sensor 230 for detecting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface 250 exposed outside the main body of the charging device 200 A sensor (located on the lower side of the window surface), and an amount of dust detected by the detection sensor is transmitted to a robot cleaner coupled to the main body of the charging apparatus 200, or a cleaning start command is transmitted to the robot cleaner 100, and the pollution degree detecting sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light to the window surface 250, a light receiving unit that receives the light reflected from the window surface 250, And a control unit for detecting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface 250.

The window surface 250 exposed to the outside of the main body housing of the charging apparatus 200 is refracted outward due to the presence of dust accumulated on the window surface 250 outside the window surface 250 in the window surface 250 And has a predetermined curvature so as to be reflected inside the window surface 250, and the window surface is convex toward the outside.

The contamination degree sensor included in the main body of the charging apparatus 200 may further include an illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance of the external light. The controller may compensate the received light intensity according to the illuminance sensed by the illuminance sensor, It is also possible to detect the amount of dust based on the received light intensity.

The robot cleaner 100 can also be used as one contamination measuring device by receiving the pollution degree detecting sensor in the charging device 200. By transmitting the amount of dust detected by the pollution degree detecting sensor to the robot cleaner 100, Can be performed.

In such an autonomous cleaning robot system, a resident sensor for detecting presence or absence of an occupant in the room where the floor surface is frequently polluted (around the sink area) due to a predetermined action of the resident occupant and transmitting the detected occupant to the main body of the robot cleaner 100 through the communication unit It is also possible to construct an autonomous cleaning robotic system including.

5. An occupant detection sensor is added to the independent pollution measuring device to construct an autonomous cleaning robot system together with the robot cleaner 100, or an independent pollution measuring device and a resident sensor An embodiment constituting an autonomous cleaning robot system together with the robot cleaner (100).

Such an autonomous cleaning robot system is a robot system in which when a resident stays for a certain period of time after assuming that the residents stay in the sink for a certain period of time and pollutes the surroundings (water and food are separated from the floor around the sink) So that the cleaner 100 moves to the area and performs self-cleaning.

To this end, the autonomous cleaning robot system can be implemented by installing a sensor 274 for detecting a resident in the pollution measuring device 270 described above in the vicinity of the sink, or installing a resident sensor in the vicinity of the sink. Of course, the pollution measuring device 270 including the occupant detection sensor or the occupant detection sensor 274 should be able to communicate with the body of the robot cleaner 100. In this case, the control unit 147 of the robot cleaner 100 moves to the occupant detection sensor installation position and performs self-cleaning when the occupant detection signal transmitted from the occupant detection sensor satisfies the predetermined condition. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. For reference, the occupant detection sensor may further include the contamination degree detection sensor described above.

6. An embodiment in which the remote controller 260 and the robot cleaner 100 constitute an autonomous cleaning robot system.

The autonomous cleaning robot system includes a remote controller 260 for calling the robot cleaner 100 and instructing the robot cleaner 100 to autonomously clean the robot cleaner 100 and a communication unit 145 for receiving a call command wirelessly transmitted from the remote controller 260 and an autonomous cleaning command And a control unit for moving the robot cleaner 100 to a position of the remote controller 260 which has issued a paging command when receiving a paging command through the communication unit 145 and controlling the self- (147). This is a system that can automatically clean the robot cleaner 100 by calling the remote controller 260 conveniently when it is determined that the floor is contaminated locally.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the robot cleaner 100 that can be used in the above-described various embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an autonomous cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a flowchart of an autonomous cleaning control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 3 is a robot cleaner 100 that can operate independently as an autonomous cleaning robot system by providing a contamination level sensor 155.

The robot cleaner 100, which can operate as an autonomous cleaning robot system, includes a window surface 250 exposed outside the housing of the charging device 200 shown in FIG. 1, and a window surface 250 exposed to the outside of the main body of the robot cleaner 100 A contamination degree detection sensor 155 for detecting the amount of dust to be accumulated and a control unit 147 for controlling the self-cleaning according to the amount of dust detected by the detection sensor 155.

2, the contamination level sensor 155 includes a light emitting unit that emits light on a window surface and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the window surface, The window surface is convex toward the outside so that light emitted to the window surface inside the surface is refracted outward due to the presence of dust accumulated outside the window surface or has a predetermined curvature so as to be reflected inside the window surface.

The robot cleaner 100, which can operate as an autonomous cleaning robot system, may further include an illuminance sensor 157 for sensing illuminance of external light. In this case, the controller 147 compensates the received light intensity received through the contamination level sensor 155 according to the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor, and detects the amount of dust based on the compensated received light intensity.

Furthermore, the autonomous cleaning robot system may further include a remote control receiver 161 for receiving a call command or the like transmitted from the remote controller 260. The remote control receiver 161 may be referred to as a communication unit for performing communication with an external device.

The user interface unit (I / F) 141 described in FIG. 3 includes a plurality of key buttons for inputting user commands and a display unit for displaying the operation state of the robot cleaner. The user can operate or stop the robot cleaner through the operation of the provided key button, select and change the traveling mode as required, and can also select and input various operation modes. The display unit can display the movement trajectory according to the traveling mode as well as the current operation state of the robot cleaner according to real time or user's command.

The obstacle detecting unit 143 includes a sensor (ultrasonic wave type, infrared ray type, etc.) or a camera for detecting an obstacle located in the vicinity of the traveling direction of the robot cleaner. The obstacle detecting unit 143 processes signals obtained from the sensors or the camera, And circuits for generating signals for detection. Of course, the signals obtained from the sensors or the camera may be detected by software in a control unit 147 to be described later.

The communication unit 145 includes a communication module for communicating with other devices in accordance with the implementation method of the robot cleaner 100. For example, a configuration for communicating with a wireless terminal available as a remote control device, as well as a configuration for communicating with the charging device 200. [ And may further include a configuration for communicating with the beacon if the beacon is installed to guide the running of the robot cleaner. If the contamination level sensor 155 is not included in the robot cleaner 100, it may include a configuration for receiving a transmission signal packet transmitted from one or more pollution level measurement devices or one or more occupancy detection sensors or a remote control.

The control unit 147 controls the operation of the robot cleaner on the basis of the control program data stored in the storage unit 149. [ For example, the control unit 147 may compensate the received light intensity according to the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 157, detect the amount of dust based on the compensated received light intensity, and transmit the communication unit 145 And controls the travel driving unit 151 to move to the pollution measuring device or the resident detecting sensor or the remote controller that transmits the transmission signal packet when the self-cleaning is required, 153) so as to perform self-cleaning cleaning control.

The storage unit 149 may store not only control program data for controlling the robot cleaner 100 but also data generated during a control operation, traveling mode information, installation position information of a pollution measuring device or a resident sensor, and the like.

And a cleaning unit 153 for cleaning the contaminated area using one of a traveling drive unit 151 for running the robot cleaner 100, a suction device, or a wet-cloth cleaning unit, as in a general robot cleaner. The cleaning unit 153 is located on the lower surface of the robot cleaner and absorbs contaminants in a manner of sucking in air. The cleaning unit may further include an air cleaning unit for cleaning the air sucked according to the model, and may further include a cleaner attaching unit for cleaning the wet cloth. The cleaner attaching portion may be provided with a surface type cleaner such as a mop or the like and may further include a cleaning agent supplying portion 159 for supplying a detergent such as water. The cleaning agent supply unit 159 supplies the cleaning agent to the cleaner attachment unit by varying the supply amount of the cleaning agent under the control of the control unit 147. Although not shown, the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a power supply unit to supply operation power of the vacuum cleaner.

Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the robot cleaner 100 as the autonomous cleaning robot system shown in FIG. 3 will be further described.

First, the control unit 147 checks whether the light emission period is a predetermined light emission period (step S10). When the predetermined period is reached, the control unit 147 controls the light emission unit of the pollution degree detection sensor 155 to emit light to the window surface (step S12). The fixed cycle can be set to check twice a day, such as 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, and can be set in such a manner that a user who is a resident sets a timer.

When the light is emitted to the window surface, the emitted light is reflected by the dust accumulated on the window surface and is incident on the light receiving unit. The intensity value of the reflected light incident on the light receiving unit is converted into an electric signal and received by the controller 147 )do. Accordingly, the controller 147 can detect the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface based on the received light intensity (step S16).

The control unit 147 detects the amount of dust in step S16 and determines whether self-cleaning is necessary based on the detected amount of dust in step S18. If the self-cleaning is necessary, )do.

If it is determined that the autonomous cleaning is not necessary, the steps S10 to S18 are repeated periodically to determine whether the autonomous cleaning is necessary.

The robot cleaner 100 including the pollution degree detection sensor 155 periodically detects the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface of the pollution degree detection sensor 155 and automatically detects the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface of the pollution degree detection sensor 155, By performing cleaning, it is possible to provide an advanced form of convenience to the users of the vacuum cleaner.

Although the automatic cleaning method of the robot cleaner 100 including the contamination level sensor 155 is described in this embodiment, the contamination level sensor may be included in the charging apparatus 200 or the independent pollution measuring apparatus, not the robot cleaner 100 The robot cleaner 100 can perform self-cleaning by analyzing the transmission signal packet received from the charging device 200 or the independent pollution measuring device through the communication part 145. The received transmission signal packet may include an autonomous cleaning execution command or received light intensity information according to an implementation method. The robot cleaner 100 may also include position information together with the device identification information You can give it.

Meanwhile, the robot cleaner 100 of the present invention may perform an autonomous cleaning in addition to the above-described self-cleaning method. For this purpose, the robot cleaner 100 periodically communicates with accessory devices such as occupant detection sensors.

Referring to FIG. 5, the controller 147 checks whether a resident detection signal is received through the communication unit 145 (step S30). The occupant detection signal is generated and transmitted by the occupant detection sensor, which can be located, for example, around the sink where frequent floor contamination occurs.

If the occupant detection signal is detected, the controller 147 proceeds to step S32 and accumulates the sensing time in the storage unit 149. [ Then, steps S30 to S34 are repeatedly performed in such a manner that the cumulative time exceeds a predetermined value (step S34).

If the dishwashing is performed around the sink area, residents' detection time will accumulate for a certain period of time. Even if the dishwasher temporarily moves to the place where the dishwashing operation is finished, .

If the occupant detection cumulative time exceeds the predetermined value, the controller 147 proceeds to step S36 and checks whether a resident is detected in the vicinity of the sink. If the resident is continuously detected, steps S34 and S36 are repeated.

If it is determined in step S36 that the occupant is not detected, that is, if it is confirmed that the user has finished the washing operation, the controller 147 moves to the position where the occupant detection sensor is installed (step S40) do. The method of moving to the location where the occupant detection sensor is installed can be accessed to the target position by requesting the occupant detection sensor to generate a signal for the position tracking by communicating with the occupant detection sensor, After storing the location information, it is possible to access it by using the location information.

As described above, according to the present invention, when a resident stays for a certain period of time, such as a sink, it is automatically detected and self-cleaning is performed without the intervention of a resident, thereby maximizing user convenience.

The autonomous cleaning robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a remote controller 260 for calling the robot cleaner 100 by radio and instructing the robot cleaner 100 to autonomously clean the robot cleaner 100, And a communication unit for receiving the self-cleaning command. The robot cleaner 100 moves the robot cleaner 100 to a position of the remote controller 260, which receives the paging command, through the communication unit, And a control unit for controlling the self-cleaning of the robot cleaner.

In this case, if the control unit measures the intensity of the signal transmitted from the remote controller 260 and controls the travel by searching for a point having a strong signal intensity and is positioned close to the remote controller 260, Alternatively, the user may select one of the various driving methods (for example, a method of widening the cleaning radius while rotating in a spiral manner) to perform cleaning.

Such an autonomous cleaning robot system is useful for a resident to clean only a specific area by calling the robot cleaner 100 to clean only the contaminated area as needed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiments of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are mainly described by exemplifying the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion as the contamination degree detecting sensor. However, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion described in all the illustrated embodiments may be replaced with CCD image sensors It can detect the dust accumulating on the window side, and can upgrade the performance by adding more infrared emitter. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

240: Power cable 260: Remote control
262: Call button 264: Autonomous cleaning instruction button
274: occupant detection sensor

Claims (6)

A charging device main body for charging the robot cleaner;
A light emitting unit for receiving the light reflected at the lower portion of the window surface, a light receiving unit for receiving the light reflected at the lower portion of the window surface, And a control unit for detecting and transmitting the amount of dust accumulated on the window surface based on the received light intensity, which is an output of the light receiving unit, or generating and transmitting a cleaning start command according to the detected amount of dust;
And a communication unit for transmitting the amount of dust detected by the control unit to the robot cleaner or transmitting a cleaning start command generated according to the amount of the detected dust to the robot cleaner Device. [3] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contamination degree sensor further comprises an illuminance sensor for sensing illuminance of external light, wherein the controller compensates the received illuminance intensity according to the illuminance sensed by the illuminance sensor, Wherein the amount of dust is detected on the basis of the intensity. The display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the window surface has a predetermined curvature such that light emitted to the window surface inside the window surface is refracted outward or reflected by the presence of dust accumulated outside the window surface, Wherein the protruding portion is convex toward the outside. A charging device main body for charging the robot cleaner;
A window surface exposed on an upper surface of the housing of the main body of the charging apparatus, an image sensor accommodated in the lower portion of the window surface to image the window surface image, and an image sensor acquired through the image sensor, And a control unit for detecting and transmitting the amount of dust accumulated on the upper part or generating and transmitting a cleaning start command according to the detected amount of dust;
And a communication unit for transmitting the amount of dust detected by the control unit to the robot cleaner or transmitting a cleaning start command generated according to the amount of the detected dust to the robot cleaner Device. [6] The charging apparatus for an autonomous cleaning robot system according to claim 4, wherein the contamination level sensing sensor further comprises an infrared ray transmitter for irradiating infrared rays on the window surface. The display device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the window surface has a predetermined curvature such that light emitted to the window surface inside the window surface is refracted outward due to dust accumulated outside the window surface or reflected inside the window surface, Wherein the protruding portion is convex toward the outside.

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