KR100725516B1 - Robot cleaning System - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot cleaning system that allows a user to directly control the image transmitted from the cleaning robot while looking at an external monitor. The system generates image data from a mounted camera and transmits the image data as a first RF signal, and analyzes the control data from the received second RF signal to perform position movement and cleaning, and a first RF transmitted from the cleaning robot. Receives a signal and converts it into image data, converts the transmitted control data and displays the image data transmitted from the data transceiver and the data transceiver transmitted as the second RF signal as an image, according to the control command input from the user It consists of a station that outputs control data for controlling the position movement and cleaning operation of the cleaning robot to the data transmitting and receiving device. As a result, the user can perform the work instruction while watching the working status of the cleaning robot directly from a long distance, enabling detailed cleaning as desired. Since the image processing is performed externally, the image processing board is not required for the cleaning robot. The manufacturing cost is advantageous.

Cleaning Robot, Station, Monitor, Moving Position, Remote Control

Description

Robot cleaning system

1 is a block diagram of a conventional cleaning robot,

2 is a schematic diagram of a robot cleaning system according to the present invention;

3 is a block diagram of the cleaning robot shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram of the station shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an indoor structure diagram and an icon of a cleaning robot corresponding to an indoor position of an actual cleaning robot on a monitor screen of FIG. 4.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings *

10, 180: remote control receiver 20, 120: magnetic position recognition unit

21, 31, 121, 131: camera 22, 32: image processing board

30, 130: obstacle detection unit 33, 122, 132: sensor

40, 110: running part

41a, 41b, 51, 111a, 111b, 131: motor drive part

42a, 42b, 52, 112a, 112b, 132: motor

43a, 43b: wheel 50, 130: vacuum cleaner

53: suction fan 60, 150, 260: control unit

70, 170: power supply 100: cleaning robot                 

140: RF module 160: display unit

190: camera selection unit 200: station

210: Interface 320: Image data signal processor

230: monitor 240: monitor

250: memory 300: data transceiver

The present invention relates to a robot cleaning system, and more particularly, to a robot cleaning system using a mobile communication network to remotely control a cleaning robot using a mobile communication network.

In general, housework is to be done in the home, even if you use a vacuum cleaner, even if you have to carry it daily, it can be said that it is a relatively laborious task compared to other household chores.

Accordingly, research and development of a cleaning robot that performs cleaning while moving autonomously by giving a command to perform cleaning work using a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a 'remote controller') is in progress. Research on mobile robots that have complex functions plus disaster prevention functions is ongoing.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional cleaning robot.

Referring to the drawings, the cleaning robot includes a driving unit 40 for implementing the movement of the body, an obstacle detecting unit 30 for detecting an obstacle on the moving path, and a magnetic position recognition unit capable of recognizing its current position ( 20), a vacuum cleaner 50 for cleaning the floor, a power supply unit 70 for storing and charging power required for each unit, and a control unit 60 for controlling each unit. In addition, the cleaning robot has a remote control receiver 10 to control the start / stop remotely.

The magnetic position recognition unit 20 and the obstacle detecting unit 40 are provided with image processing boards 22 and 32 and a camera 21 and 31, respectively, to detect magnetic position recognition and obstacles.

When the cleaning robot having the above configuration is instructed to clean through the remote control receiver 10, the controller 10 performs initialization and then operates the camera 21 of the magnetic position recognition unit 20 to shoot the current position. In addition, the image data generated through photographing is transmitted to the image processing board 22 to be signal processed. Then, the controller 60 analyzes its current position by analyzing the image data transmitted from the image processing board 22. Thereafter, the control unit 60 transmits a control signal to the motor driving units 41a and 4b of the motors 42a and 42b for the left and right wheels 43a and 43b of the driving unit 40 to move the body. Make sure At this time, the controller 60 operates the camera 31 of the obstacle detecting unit 30 and controls the driving unit 40 to receive image data processed by the image processing board 32 so as to respond to the obstacle. . When the cleaning robot is moved to the corresponding place, the control signal is output to the vacuum cleaner 50 so that the cleaning operation may be performed at the corresponding position, and the driving unit 40 may perform the cleaning operation along the set path. The control signal is output to rotate and move the body.                         

The cleaning robot operated as described above can avoid obstacles in front of each obstacle by performing the obstacle grasping operation at each sampling period set during the movement, and likewise, it can accurately move to the required position by performing the magnetic position recognition operation at each sampling period set. Will be.

In addition, the cleaning robot uses a CCD (charge coupled device) camera to recognize the magnetic position as described above and to detect obstacles in the driving path. In this case, since the size of the captured image data is very large, the image data is separately processed. Processors for processing image data are generally used.

However, in the conventional cleaning robot, there is a problem in that it is difficult to miniaturize the body of the cleaning robot because each image processing board 23 and 45 on which the image data processing processor is mounted is installed in the cleaning robot body.

In addition, the conventional cleaning robot is convenient because it automatically performs cleaning according to the programmed contents when an operation command is transmitted by the remote controller. However, cleaning through image data has a limitation, and thus, cleaning is performed as delicate as desired by a person. There was a problem that could not be performed. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaning system that can be directly controlled by the user according to the working state while watching the image captured by the cleaning robot through a remote monitor to solve the above problems.

Robot cleaning system of the present invention for achieving the above object is to generate the image data from the mounted camera to transmit the first RF signal, and to analyze the control data from the received second RF signal to perform the position movement and cleaning Receiving a cleaning robot and the first RF signal transmitted from the cleaning robot to convert the image data to the same as the image data generated by the camera, and converts the transmitted control data to the data transmitted to the second RF signal A station displaying image data transmitted from a transceiver and the data transceiver as an image, and outputting control data to the transceiver to control the position movement and cleaning operation of the cleaning robot according to a control command input from a user. Is done.

The cleaning robot includes a driving unit for moving the body of the robot, a magnetic position recognition unit having a camera and a sensor for recognizing its current position, and a obstacle having a camera and a sensor for detecting an obstacle on a moving path. Receives image data from a camera provided in the water detection unit, the vacuum cleaner for collecting contaminants on the floor, and the magnetic position recognition unit and the obstacle detection unit, respectively, and transmits the image data as a first RF signal, and controls the received second RF signal. And a control unit for controlling each unit so as to perform position shifting and cleaning according to control data transmitted from the RF module and the RF module converting and outputting the data.

The station displays an interface for interfacing data with the data transmitting and receiving device, an image processing unit for signal processing so that image data received through the interface can be displayed on the screen, and image data signal-processed through the image processing unit. The image processing unit and the monitor are controlled according to a monitor displayed on the screen, an input means for transmitting a user's input, and a pre-installed program, and the control data is generated according to a command input through the input means. It is provided with the control part to output.

The control unit of the station may display the current position of the cleaning robot as an icon together with the structure diagram of the house previously stored on the monitor screen at the request of the user through the input means.

In addition, the control unit of the station, if the user moves the icon of the cleaning robot displayed on the monitor screen through the input means to any position on the indoor structure diagram displayed on the monitor screen, the cleaning robot on the monitor screen The control data is output to the data transmitting and receiving device so that the cleaning robot can be moved in the room corresponding to the arbitrary position where the icon is moved.

Here, the station may use a home computer or a home server and may be an independent device that performs only the above-mentioned functions.

Hereinafter, a robot cleaning system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a view showing an outline of a robot cleaning system according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the robot cleaning system consists of a cleaning robot 100, the data transmitting and receiving device 300, the station 200.

The cleaning robot 100 generates image data from the mounted camera and transmits the image data to the data transceiver 300 as a first RF signal, and receives a second RF signal containing control data from the data transceiver 300. Then, the body is moved and cleaned according to the control data included in the second RF signal.

The data transceiver 300 receives the first RF signal transmitted from the cleaning robot 100, converts the image into image data, and transmits the image data to the station 200, and transmits the control data transmitted from the station 200 to the second RF signal. The conversion is sent to the cleaning robot 100.

The station 100 displays the image data transmitted from the data transmitting and receiving device 300, and transmits and receives the control data for the position movement and cleaning instruction of the cleaning robot 100 in accordance with the control command input from the user )

3 is a block diagram of a cleaning robot 100 according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the cleaning robot 100 is a magnetic position recognition unit having a driving unit 110 for moving the body of the robot, and a camera 121 and a sensor 122 to recognize its current position ( 120, an obstacle detecting unit 130 including a camera 131 and a sensor 132 to detect obstacles on the movement path, a vacuum cleaner 134 for collecting contaminants on the floor, and a magnetic position recognition unit ( 120 and the RF module 140 converts the image data transmitted from the obstacle detecting unit 130 into a first RF signal, and converts the received second RF signal into control data and outputs the converted RF data. It is provided with a control unit 150 for controlling each unit to perform the position movement and cleaning in accordance with the control data transmitted from. The display unit 160 displays an abnormal state of the cleaning robot 100 to the outside. In addition, the cleaning robot 100 has a remote control receiving unit 180 is provided so that the control unit can respond to the start, position movement, cleaning performance and start stop signal transmitted by the user directly operating the remote control, obstacle detection and position recognition And various sensors (not shown) for protecting the body from collision and dropping. In addition, the power supply unit 170 is provided with a power supply unit 170 configured to charge power from an external charger (not shown).

Here, the driving unit 110 includes motors 112a and 112b which are driven according to the operation of each of the motor driving units 111a and 111b so as to move the wheels on the right and the left sides, respectively, and the vacuum cleaner 134 also includes the floor of the floor. A suction motor 136 having a motor driving unit 135 is provided to drive a suction fan to suck dust.

In addition, the camera 121 provided in the magnetic position recognition unit 120 is installed toward the ceiling, and the camera 131 provided in the obstacle detecting unit 130 is installed toward the front of the cleaning robot 100. And the cleaning robot 100 is a camera selection unit for selectively operating the camera 121 of the magnetic position recognition unit 120 and the camera 131 of the obstacle detection unit 130 in response to the control signal of the control unit 150. 190 is further provided.

4 is a block diagram of a station according to the present invention.

Referring to the figure, the station 200 is an interface 210 for interfacing data with the data transmitting and receiving apparatus 300, and an image processing unit for signal processing so that the image data received through the interface 210 to be displayed on the screen 220, a monitor 230 for displaying image data processed through the image processor 220 on a screen, and a program stored in the input means 240 and the memory 250 for transmitting user input. And a station controller 260 for generating a control data according to a command input through the input unit 240 and outputting the control data through the interface 210.

The input means 240 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and may use a touch panel.

The station control unit 260 monitors the current position of the cleaning robot 100 as an icon A together with the structure diagram of the house stored in advance when the user requests the current position of the robot through the input unit 240. Control to be displayed on the screen.

In addition, the control unit 260 is any position on the indoor structure diagram displayed on the monitor screen of the icon A of the cleaning robot 100 displayed on the monitor 230 screen through the input means 240 as shown in FIG. In order to move the control data through the data transmission / reception apparatus 300 so that the cleaning robot 100 can be actually moved indoors corresponding to any position where the icon A of the cleaning robot is moved on the monitor 230 screen. Output to the cleaning robot (100).

Looking at the operation of the robot cleaning system according to the present invention as described above.

First, when a start signal transmitted from a remote controller (not shown) or a data transmitting / receiving apparatus 300 is received, the controller 150 of the cleaning robot 100 performs initialization, and then the first camera of the magnetic location recognition unit 120. Operate the 121 to photograph the ceiling. Then, the image data generated through the photographing is converted into the first RF signal through the RF module 140 and output to the data transmitting and receiving device 300. Then, the data transceiver 300 receiving the first RF signal from the RF module 140 of the cleaning robot 100 converts the first RF signal back into image data and interface 210 of the station 200 through a cable. To pass on. When the image data is received in the interface 210 in this way, the control unit 260 of the station determines the current position of the cleaning robot 100 with reference to the image data transmitted through the interface 210. There are various methods for analyzing coordinates by referring to image data, but they are not mentioned here. When the position of the cleaning robot 100 is determined as described above, the control unit 260 of the station 200 corresponds to the position of the cleaning robot 100 identified together with the pre-stored indoor structure diagram (A) of the cleaning robot 100. To be displayed on the monitor screen.

When the icon (A) of the cleaning robot is displayed together with the indoor structure with reference to the image data photographed by the cleaning robot 100 on the screen as shown above (see FIG. 5), the user uses the mouse to display the icon of the cleaning robot (A). ) By dragging and dropping the control panel to an arbitrary position of the indoor structure diagram displayed on the monitor 230 screen, the control unit 260 of the station generates control data for controlling the actual movement of the cleaning robot 100 to the interface 210. Output Then, the data transmitting and receiving device 300 receives the control data for controlling the actual movement of the cleaning robot 100 via a cable and converts it into a second RF signal to be transmitted to the cleaning robot 100. Then, the RF module 140 of the cleaning robot 100 converts the received second RF signal into control data and transmits it to the controller 150 of the cleaning robot, and the control unit 150 of the cleaning robot receives the control data. The cleaning robot 100 is moved by identifying a position to move from the received control data and outputting a control signal to the motor driving units 111a and 111b of the left and right wheels according to the identified position. At this time, the controller 150 of the cleaning robot operates the camera 131 of the obstacle detecting unit 130 so that the image data on the front of the moving path can be transmitted to the station 200 through the RF module 140. . Meanwhile, the controller 150 of the cleaning robot periodically controls the camera selection unit 190 to operate the camera 121 of the magnetic position recognition unit 120, and the generated image data is transmitted through the RF module 140. To be possible.

As described above, the control unit 260 of the station that receives the image data from each of the cameras 121 and 131 of the obstacle detecting unit 130 and the magnetic position recognizing unit 120 through the data transmitting and receiving device 300 is an obstacle detecting unit ( While displaying the image data transmitted from the camera 131 of the 130 on the monitor screen, and analyzes the image data taken from the camera 121 of the magnetic position recognition unit 120 to output the control data.

In this way, when the cleaning robot 100 is moved to the corresponding place, the control unit 150 of the cleaning robot 100 outputs a movement completion signal indicating that the position movement is completed through the RF module 140. Then, the control unit 260 of the station 200 receiving the data movement completion signal to the user to recognize the completion of the movement of the cleaning robot 100, such as a 'beep' or 'chime' sound and / or monitor The icon (A) of the cleaning robot blinks together with the indoor structure diagram on the screen.

When the user recognizes the movement completion of the cleaning robot by the movement completion display and instructs a cleaning operation command with a mouse or a keyboard, the control unit 260 of the station generates control data according to the movement and outputs it to the interface 210. Then, the data transmission and reception apparatus 300 converts the cleaning operation command control data into a second RF signal and transmits it to the cleaning robot 100, and the control unit 150 of the cleaning robot receives the cleaning operation command received through the RF module 140. The control signal is output to the motor driving unit 135 of the vacuum cleaner 134 according to the control data so that the cleaning operation can be performed at the corresponding position, and to the driving unit 110 to perform the cleaning operation along the set path. The control signal is output to rotate and move the body. In this case, the camera 131 of the obstacle detecting unit 130 continuously photographs the front and transmits the image data to the station 200.

The transmitted image data can be viewed by the user through the monitor 230 screen, and the cleaning robot 100 can be moved again by moving the cleaning robot 100 in the same manner as for the incomplete cleaning portion.

As a result, the robot cleaning system of the present invention as described above is displayed on the monitor 230 of the station 200 in the image captured by the camera 121, 131 mounted on the cleaning robot 100 in a remote location Is able to direct the operation of the cleaning robot 100 while looking directly at a distance.

On the other hand, since the station 200 as shown in FIG. 4 includes the same configuration in a personal computer, after installing a program capable of performing the same function in the personal computer, the data transceiver 300 is connected to the USB port of the computer. After connecting to the same data interface, the personal computer can be controlled by the cleaning robot.

In addition, since home appliances in the home are gradually connected to a network to form a home network, the home appliance including the configuration shown in FIG. 4 is connected to the data transmission / reception apparatus 300. It is possible to control it.

Since the robot cleaning system according to the present invention allows the user to work while viewing the working status of the cleaning robot directly from a long distance, the user can perform the delicate cleaning as desired by the user, and the image processing is performed from the outside. The robot does not need an image processing board, which is advantageous for miniaturization.

In addition, when using a personal computer it is possible to reduce the components of the robot cleaning can reduce the manufacturing cost of the robot cleaning.

Claims (6)

A cleaning robot which generates image data from a mounted camera and transmits the image data as a first RF signal, and analyzes the control data from the received second RF signal to perform position movement and cleaning; A data transmitting / receiving apparatus for receiving the first RF signal transmitted from the cleaning robot and converting the same RF into the same image data generated by the camera, and converting the transmitted control data into the second RF signal; And And a station for displaying the image data transmitted from the data transmitting and receiving device as an image and outputting control data to the transmitting and receiving device for controlling the position movement and cleaning operation of the cleaning robot according to a control command input from a user. Robot cleaning system characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot Traveling unit for moving the body of the robot; A magnetic position recognition unit having a camera and a sensor to recognize its current position; An obstacle detecting unit including a camera and a sensor for detecting an obstacle on a moving path; A vacuum cleaner for collecting contaminants on the floor; An RF module receiving image data from a camera provided from the magnetic position recognition unit and the obstacle detecting unit, respectively, and transmitting the image data as a first RF signal, and converting the received second RF signal into control data and outputting the control data; And And a control unit for controlling each unit to perform position movement and cleaning according to the control data transmitted from the RF module. The station of claim 1, wherein the station is An interface for interfacing data with the data transceiver; An image processor configured to signal-process the image data received through the interface to be displayed on a screen; A monitor for displaying image data processed through the image processor on a screen; Input means for transmitting a user input; And And a controller configured to control the image processor and the monitor according to a stored program, and to generate the cleaning robot control data according to a command input through the input means and to output the cleaning robot control data through the interface. The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit Robot cleaning system, characterized in that to display the current position of the cleaning robot with an icon of the house previously stored on the monitor screen by the user's request through the input means as an icon. The method of claim 4, wherein the control unit When the user moves the icon of the cleaning robot displayed on the monitor screen through the input means to an arbitrary position on the indoor structure diagram displayed on the monitor screen, the icon of the cleaning robot moved on the monitor screen. And a control data output to the data transmitting and receiving device so that the cleaning robot can be moved indoors corresponding to the position. The station of claim 1, wherein the station is Robot cleaning system, characterized in that the personal computer or home server.

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