KR101760950B1 - Controlling mehtod of network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system. In a network system according to an aspect, a control method includes transmitting map information of an entire area to be cleaned to a remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner; Designating a cleaning order of the entire area to be cleaned in the remote device; And cleaning the robot cleaner while moving the robot cleaner in a specified cleaning order.

Description

{Controlling mehtod of network system}

The present invention relates to a control method of a network system.

Generally, the robot cleaner is a device for cleaning the area to be cleaned while performing self-cleaning. The conventional robot cleaner includes merely a cleaning function, but in recent years various functions have been added to the robot cleaner.

In the conventional robot cleaner, communication with the charging device has been performed to charge the battery, but communication with a product other than the robot cleaner has failed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a control method of a network system in which a robot cleaner can perform a function other than a cleaning function.

A method of controlling a network system according to one aspect includes transmitting map information of an entire area to be cleaned to a remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner; Designating a cleaning order of the entire area to be cleaned in the remote device; And cleaning the robot cleaner while moving the robot cleaner in a specified cleaning order.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a network system, the method comprising: performing cleaning while the robot cleaner is traveling; Cleaning completion area information is transmitted to a remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner; Selecting an additional cleaning area at the remote device; And moving the robot cleaner to the selected additional cleaning area to perform cleaning.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a network system, comprising: selecting a monitoring mode of a robot cleaner; A step of periodically acquiring an image in a photographing apparatus of the robot cleaner; Comparing a currently acquired image with a previously acquired image; And transmitting the difference image information to the remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner when the image comparison result difference image exists.

According to the proposed invention, since the user can designate the cleaning order in the entire cleaning area, the robot cleaner can effectively perform the cleaning. For example, the travel distance of the robot cleaner can be reduced by specifying the shortest travel route. As another example, when a specific area is selected a plurality of times, cleaning of a specific area can be performed intensively.

In addition, the user can easily check the cleaning state. If the additional cleaning is necessary, the user can select the additional cleaning area and perform the cleaning again. Thus, the cleaning completion area can be increased in the entire cleaning area.

In addition, the change of the internal environment of the house can be confirmed at a remote location, and it is possible to respond quickly to the presence of a trespasser or a fire in the house.

1 is a schematic diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network system according to the present invention;
3 is a flowchart for explaining a first use example of the network device of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart for explaining a second use example of the network device of the present invention;
5 is a flowchart for explaining a third use example of the network device of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart for explaining a fourth use example of the network device of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a robot cleaner 1 capable of performing cleaning while being automatically moved, at least one communication capable of performing communication with the robot cleaner, Components 2 and 3 are included.

The communication component (2, 3) may be a household appliance (3) other than the robot cleaner (1) or a cellular phone. In this embodiment, the mobile phone may be referred to as a remote device (2). Other home appliances may be washing machines, refrigerators, cookers, air conditioners, etc., and may include a communication unit and a photographing device.

In detail, the robot cleaner 1 includes a control unit 11, a photographing apparatus 12 for acquiring image information, an input unit 13 capable of inputting a command, A first communication unit 14 for communication with the charging device, a second communication unit 15 for performing communication with the communication components 2 and 3, a memory unit 16 for storing information, A left wheel motor 17 and a right wheel motor 18 for rotating the pair of wheels, and a voice output unit 19 for outputting voice.

In addition, the robot cleaner 1 may further include a shock sensor 20.

The photographing device 12 may acquire still images or moving images, and the robot cleaner 1 may include one or more cameras. It is preferable that a plurality of photographing devices 12 are provided in the robot cleaner 1 in order to acquire image information of various areas. One or more of the plurality of photographing apparatuses may be provided on the upper side of the robot cleaner 1. [ In addition, at least one of the plurality of photographing apparatuses may be provided on the side surface of the robot cleaner 1.

The robot cleaner 1 can perform a mapping operation of a region to be cleaned using the photographing apparatus 12. [ That is, when a mapping command is input to the robot cleaner 1, the robot cleaner 1 acquires an image from the photographing device 12 while moving, and maps the cleanable area using the obtained information. The cleanable area is set as the area to be cleaned, and the mapped information is stored in the memory part 16. Then, the robot cleaner 1 carries out cleaning while traveling using the mapped information. In this specification, the mapping process of the robot cleaner 1 is exemplary and may be implemented by a known technique.

In the cleaning process, the cleaned area may be stored in the memory unit 16. [ That is, the cleaned area can be divided and stored in the entire cleaning area.

The user can input a cleaning start or clean reservation command of the robot cleaner 1 through the input unit 13. In addition, a cleaning pattern (traveling pattern) of the robot cleaner can be set through the input unit 13. [ The cleaning pattern may include a zigzag pattern, a random pattern, a cell unit pattern (a method of moving to the next cell to perform cleaning after completion of cleaning of a specific cell), a user setting pattern, and the like.

The left wheel motor 17 and the right wheel motor 18 can operate independently. Therefore, the robot cleaner 1 can be turned left or right as well as forward and backward.

The audio output unit 19 may be, for example, a speaker. In the voice output unit 19, the operation information of the robot cleaner 1 may be outputted as a voice. Further, the audio output unit 19 can output the information received from the outside by voice. For example, when text information is received from the outside by the robot cleaner, the robot cleaner may convert the text information into speech and output the speech information from the speech output unit 12. [

The impact sensor 20 may sense the amount of impact of the robot cleaner 1. At this time, the control unit 11 may control the photographing apparatus 12 to acquire an image from the photographing apparatus 12 when the amount of the impact detected by the impact detecting sensor 20 exceeds a reference amount. If the detected amount of impact exceeds the reference amount and the image is acquired in the photographing apparatus 12, the acquired image can be transmitted to the remote apparatus 2. [

The remote device 2 includes a control unit 21, an input unit 22 capable of inputting commands and information, a communication unit 23 capable of communicating with the second communication unit 15, An audio output unit 24 for outputting information, a memory unit 25 for storing information, and an information display unit 26 for displaying information. It should be noted that the configuration of the remote device is not limited in this specification as long as the robot cleaner and the remote device can communicate with each other.

An operation command of the robot cleaner 1 can be input through the input unit 22. [ The inputted command can be transmitted to the robot cleaner 1 through the communication unit 23. [

In the present embodiment, the remote device 2 and the robot cleaner 1 can perform wireless communication. For example, the remote device 2 and the robot cleaner 1 can perform communication by zigbee, wi-fi, and the like.

The information display unit 26 may display operation information of the robot cleaner 1, image information obtained from the photographing apparatus 12 of the robot cleaner, map information of the area to be cleaned, and the like.

Hereinafter, use examples of the network device of the present invention will be described.

3 is a flowchart for explaining a first use example of the network device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a map information request command may be input from the remote device 2 to the robot cleaner 1 in order to perform cleaning using the robot cleaner 1. Map information of the entire area to be cleaned stored in the memory unit 16 of the robot cleaner 1 is transmitted to the remote device 2 (S1). The map information transmitted to the remote device 2 may be displayed on the information display unit 26 of the remote device 2. [

Then, the user can designate a cleaning order in the map information displayed on the information display unit 26. [ For example, the map displayed on the information display unit 26 may be divided into a plurality of regions, and then a plurality of regions may be sorted in a cleaning order. At this time, the user can select a specific area a plurality of times. As another example, it is possible to designate a specific point on the map displayed on the information display unit 26 and then set a cleaning order by dragging. That is, the user can set a cleaning pattern (traveling pattern).

After the cleaning order is designated in the entire area to be cleaned, a command to start the cleaning with the robot cleaner is inputted from the remote device (2).

Then, the robot cleaner 1 performs cleaning while moving based on the designated cleaning order (S3). If the amount of impact detected by the impact sensor 20 exceeds the reference amount during the cleaning process of the robot cleaner 1, the image information acquired by the photographing device 12 is transmitted to the remote device 2 . The reference amount is set to be larger than the amount of impact that can be detected when the robot cleaner 1 is normally traveling.

When the robot cleaner 1 travels, an obstacle can be avoided by the photographing device 12 or an obstacle sensor provided separately. Even if the robot cleaner 1 collides with an obstacle, the amount of impact detected by the impact sensor 20 is smaller than the reference amount.

If the impact amount is larger than the reference amount, it may be an external force applied to the robot cleaner (1), or an obstacle may suddenly appear in the process of detecting the obstacle by the robot cleaner. In this case, since the environment is different from the general cleaning environment of the robot cleaner 1, the image pickup device 12 acquires an image and transmits the image to the remote device 2 so that the user can monitor the inside of the house.

According to this use example, since the user can specify the cleaning order in the entire cleaning area, the robot cleaner can effectively perform the cleaning. For example, the travel distance of the robot cleaner can be reduced by specifying the shortest travel route. As another example, when a specific area is selected a plurality of times, cleaning of a specific area can be performed intensively.

4 is a flowchart for explaining a second use example of the network device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when a cleaning command is inputted to the robot cleaner 1, the robot cleaner starts cleaning with a set cleaning pattern (S11). The cleaning command may be input by the robot cleaner 1 or input by the remote device 2. [ Cleaning completion area information can be stored while the robot cleaner 2 performs cleaning.

When it is determined that the cleaning is completed, the cleaned area information is transmitted from the robot cleaner 1 to the remote device 2.

In the information display unit 26 of the remote device 2, the cleaned area may be separately displayed on the entire area to be cleaned. For example, the cleaned area may be displayed as a line or a face on the entire area to be cleaned. Alternatively, the color of the entire area to be cleaned may be displayed differently from the color of the cleaned area.

The user can check the area to be cleaned by checking the cleaned area, and select the area (the area to be moved) that requires further cleaning in the remote device 2. [ That is, the user can designate the area to be cleaned.

If the movement target area is selected, the robot cleaner moves to the selected movement target area and performs cleaning again (S14).

According to the present embodiment, the user can easily confirm the cleaning state, and if additional cleaning is required, the user can select an additional cleaning area and perform cleaning again, so that the cleaning completion area can be increased in the entire cleaning target area .

5 is a flowchart for explaining a third use example of the network system of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the outgoing mode setting command may be input to the robot cleaner 1 (S21). The outgoing mode command may be input at the input of the robot cleaner 1 or input at the remote device 2. The outgoing mode may be referred to as an automatic monitoring mode.

When the outgoing mode setting command is inputted, the robot cleaner 1 moves to the set position (S22). The set position can be designated on the map of the area to be cleaned by the user and can be varied. For example, the set position may be a position where the information acquired by the photographing device 12 of the robot cleaner may include a lot of information in the house. For example, the predetermined position may be a central portion of the living room. Alternatively, the set position may be set to a position where an outside person can easily recognize the infiltration into the house. For example, the set position may be a position for viewing the porch. The robot cleaner is stopped at a predetermined position.

After the robot cleaner 1 is moved to the set position, it acquires an image periodically (intervals of seconds or intervals of minutes) or intermittently (S23). Then, the control unit 11 of the robot cleaner compares the currently acquired image with the previous image. Then, it is determined whether there is a difference between the currently acquired image and the previously acquired image (S24).

If there is a difference between the currently acquired image and the previously acquired image, the presence notification information of the difference image may be transmitted to the remote device (S25). Further, difference video information (current video information and previous video information) can be transmitted to the remote device (S26).

According to the setting of the robot cleaner, if there is a difference between the currently acquired image and the previously acquired image, a warning sound may be generated in the sound output unit of the robot cleaner. In addition, when a specific text or a voice command is input from the remote device, the inputted information is transmitted to the robot cleaner, and a voice can be output from the voice output unit of the robot cleaner.

Alternatively, if text or voice information is input from the remote device, the input information may be transmitted to other home appliances and voice may be output from other home appliances.

The user can confirm the change of the inside of the house easily by confirming the presence of the car image, and can quickly contact the police or the fire department if there is a trespasser or a fire inside the house.

In the above example, since there may be a plurality of the set positions, after the image comparison is performed at one position, the image comparison is performed by moving to another position, and the movement to the set positions is repeated.

As another example, if it is difficult to easily confirm the image difference after confirming the car image information at the remote device, a re-photographing command is input to the robot cleaner and / or other electric appliance to check additional image information at the remote device have.

As another example, even if there is no difference between the currently obtained image and the previously acquired image, if the amount of impact detected by the impact detection sensor exceeds the reference amount, the image acquisition device acquires the image and acquires the acquired image information And transmitted to the remote device.

6 is a flowchart for explaining a fourth use example of the network system of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a manual mode selection command is input to the robot cleaner (S31). For example, the manual mode may be selected by the user to directly monitor the inside of the house, and may be referred to as a manual monitoring mode.

The manual mode selection command may be input at the remote device (2). When the manual mode selection command is input, the photographing apparatus 12 of the robot cleaner 1 is activated and image information is obtained in the photographing apparatus 12. [ In this use example, moving picture information is obtained in the photographing apparatus 12. Then, the obtained moving picture information is transmitted to the remote device 2 in real time (S32). Therefore, the information display unit of the remote device can monitor the inside of the house in real time.

If the user intends to monitor the inside of the house as a whole, the robot cleaner can be manually moved. For example, the forward and backward and left and right movement units may be activated at the input unit of the remote device, and the robot cleaner may be moved according to a movement command input at the input unit (S33). At this time, the moving speed of the robot cleaner can be selected through the input unit, and the photographing angle of the photographing apparatus can be adjusted. Although not shown, the robot cleaner may be provided with a driving unit for horizontally or vertically rotating the photographing apparatus to adjust the photographing angle of the photographing apparatus. As another example, since the map information of the area to be cleaned can be displayed in the remote device, the robot cleaner can be moved by designating a specific position on the map.

Therefore, according to this use example, the user can monitor the inside of the house while moving the robot cleaner by using the input unit of the remote device.

1: Robot cleaner 3: Communication component

Claims (13)

delete delete delete delete Performing cleaning while the robot cleaner is traveling according to a cleaning command input;
Storing cleaned area information in a memory of the robot cleaner while the robot cleaner performs cleaning;
When the cleaning is completed, transmitting the cleaned area information to a remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner;
Displaying the cleaned area on the entire area to be cleaned in the remote device;
Selecting an additional cleaning area for an area requiring additional cleaning on the entire cleaning target area in the remote device; And
And moving the robot cleaner to the selected additional cleaning area to perform cleaning. delete 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the cleaned area is displayed as a line or a face on the entire area to be cleaned. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the color of the entire cleaning target area and the color of the cleaning completion area are displayed differently. Selecting a monitoring mode of the robot cleaner;
A step of periodically acquiring an image in a photographing apparatus of the robot cleaner;
Comparing a currently acquired image with a previously acquired image; And
And a step of transmitting a currently acquired image and a previously acquired image to a remote device capable of communicating with the robot cleaner when there is a difference between a currently acquired image and a previously acquired image as a result of image comparison, Method of controlling the system. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein when the monitoring mode is selected, the robot cleaner acquires an image after moving to a predetermined position. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the set position is manually set or changed. 11. The method of claim 10,
A control method of a network system in which the robot cleaner is capable of detecting an impact amount, acquiring image information in a photographing apparatus of the robot cleaner, and transmitting the obtained image information to the remote apparatus when the detected amount of impact exceeds a reference amount . 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the input information is transmitted to the robot cleaner when specific information is input from the remote device, and the robot cleaner outputs the specific information by voice.

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