KR102535025B1 - Electronic cleaner and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes a cleaning performing unit that cleans a target area to be cleaned among all areas to be cleaned; an information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the cleaning unit; a light output unit capable of outputting light to the cleaning target area; and determining whether or not to perform a cleaner on the cleaning target area where cleaning is performed by the cleaning performer based on the location information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and determining whether or not to perform the determined cleaner on the cleaning target area. It may include a processor controlling the light output unit to output light representing .
Accordingly, it is possible to induce the user to perform efficient cleaning.

Description

Electric cleaner and its control method {ELECTRONIC CLEANER AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, by displaying whether or not the electric vacuum cleaner has performed cleaning on the cleaning target area, so that the user can view the cleaning target area where the cleaning operation has been displayed. It relates to an electric vacuum cleaner capable of inducing efficient cleaning performance for and a control method thereof.

While the user cleans the area to be cleaned using an electric vacuum cleaner, the area that has not yet been cleaned (hereinafter referred to as the 'non-cleaning area') and the area that has already been cleaned (hereinafter referred to as the 'cleaning area') ') is not easy to distinguish with the naked eye. Accordingly, the user may perform unsanitary and inefficient cleaning by not cleaning the area where cleaning has not been performed or by repeatedly cleaning the area where the cleaner has been performed.

Therefore, there is a need to guide the user to perform efficient cleaning by providing the user with information about whether the area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner is a non-cleaning area or a cleaning area.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner and a control method thereof, which induce a user to perform efficient cleaning by displaying information on whether or not to perform cleaning on a cleaning target area.

The above object of the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner, comprising: a cleaning performer that cleans a target area to be cleaned among all areas to be cleaned; an information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the cleaning unit; a light output unit capable of outputting light to the cleaning target area; and determining whether or not to perform a cleaner on the cleaning target area where cleaning is performed by the cleaning performer based on the location information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and determining whether or not to perform the determined cleaner on the cleaning target area. It can be achieved by an electric vacuum cleaner including a processor for controlling the light output unit to output light indicating.

Here, the processor may control the light output unit to output the light indicating a non-cleaning area in the cleaning target area.

Here, the processor may control the light output unit to output the light further indicating a previously cleaned area among areas adjacent to the cleaning target area.

Here, the processor may control the light output unit to distinguish and output at least one of a color and a brightness of the light according to whether or not the determined cleaner is performed.

Here, the processor may control the light output unit to display at least one of an image, text, and a symbol indicating whether or not the determined cleaner is performed on the cleaning target area based on the output light.

Here, the processor may control the light output unit to determine a ratio of the area to be cleaned out of the entire area to be cleaned, and output light indicating the ratio to the area to be cleaned to the area to be cleaned. there is.

The apparatus may further include a battery unit supplying power, and the processor may control the light output unit to output light representing information about a remaining amount of power of the battery unit to the cleaning target area.

The display unit may further include a display unit displaying the entire cleaning target area, and the processor may control the display unit to distinguish and display a cleaning operation area from among the entire displayed cleaning target area.

The above object of the present invention is to provide a control method for an electric vacuum cleaner including a cleaning unit that cleans an area to be cleaned from among all areas to be cleaned, comprising the steps of: obtaining location information of the cleaning unit; determining whether or not to perform a cleaning operation on the cleaning target area to be cleaned by the cleaning unit based on the acquired location information; and outputting light indicating whether or not the determined cleaner is performed to the cleaning target area.

Here, the outputting of the light may further include outputting the light indicating a non-cleaning area of the cleaning target area.

Here, the outputting of the light may further include outputting the light indicating a previously cleaned area among areas adjacent to the cleaning target area.

Here, the outputting of the light may further include distinguishing and outputting at least one of color and brightness of the light according to whether the determined vacuum cleaner is performed.

Here, the outputting of the light may further include displaying at least one of an image, a text, and a symbol representing whether the determined cleaner is performed on the cleaning target area based on the output light. .

Here, the determining step further includes determining a ratio of the entire area to be cleaned to the area to be cleaned, and the outputting of the light includes the determined area to be cleaned in the area to be cleaned. A step of outputting light representing a ratio to ? may be further included.

The method may further include supplying power, and outputting the light may further include outputting light indicating information about a remaining amount of the power.

The method may further include distinguishing a cleaning area from among the entire areas to be cleaned and displaying the area on the display unit.

As described above, according to the present invention, by displaying information on whether or not to perform a cleaner on the area to be cleaned, it is possible to induce the user to perform efficient cleaning.

1 is an exemplary view showing an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating light output from a light output unit according to an embodiment of the present invention to an area to be cleaned.
5 is an exemplary view showing a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is an exemplary view showing an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment can suck air from the floor A along with dust and separate them by a dust collecting device. That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment is not only a canister electric vacuum cleaner 100 in which the cleaning unit 110 that sucks dust and the main body 190 that generates suction power are separated, but also the cleaning unit 110 ) and the main body 190 may be implemented as an upright cleaner. However, it is assumed that the electric vacuum cleaner 100 described with reference to FIG. 1 is implemented as a canister electric vacuum cleaner 100.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment and operation of each configuration will be described in detail.

The electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning performing unit 110, an information acquisition unit 120, an optical output unit 130, a processor 140, a memory 150, an extension tube 160, a handle ( 170), an extension hose 180, and a main body 190. However, in some cases, the electric cleaner 100 may omit at least one of the above components or combine two or more components.

The cleaning performer 110 may suck dust from the bottom surface A by the suction force generated by the main body 180 while freely moving on the bottom surface A. Accordingly, the cleaning unit 110 may include at least one roller for closely moving the bottom surface A. The dust sucked by the cleaning unit 110 is sent to the main body 180 through the extension tube 150 .

Here, the floor surface (A) may be defined as the entire cleaning target area (A) in that it is an area where cleaning is performed by the cleaning unit 110, and the entire cleaning target area (A) has a predetermined width (w). ) and at least one cleaning target area a1 to a9 having a length s. A detailed description of the entire cleaning target area A and the cleaning target areas a1 to a9 will be described later.

The information acquisition unit 120 may include at least one of a ceiling-facing camera 121, an odometry sensor 122, a rangefinder 123, and a gyro sensor 124. .

The ceiling camera 121 may acquire ceiling images of the ceiling of the cleaning space R at regular time intervals, and track positional changes of feature points extracted from a plurality of acquired ceiling images, thereby cleaning the cleaning unit 110 ) location information can be obtained. In addition, the ceiling camera 121 may obtain information about the size of the entire area to be cleaned (A) and information about whether an obstacle exists in the entire area to be cleaned (A) from the ceiling image.

The odometer sensor 122 may include an odometer, a wheel sensor, and the like, and measures the moving distance and moving speed of the cleaning unit 110 to determine the location of the cleaning unit 110. information can be obtained.

The location information obtained by the ceiling camera 121 and the location information obtained by the odometry sensor 122 may be complementary to each other by the processor 140 . That is, when an error occurs in the positional information obtained by the odometry sensor 122 as the moving distance of the cleaning unit 110 is accumulated, the processor 140 uses the odometry sensor 122 to detect an error. It is possible to compensate for the error of the location information generated by the location information obtained by the ceiling camera 121.

The range finder 123 may include a laser rangefinder, a sonar rangefinder, and the like. The range finder 123 transmits signals to walls or obstacles in the space R to be cleaned and receives signals reflected from them, thereby providing information about the location of the cleaning unit 110, the size of the entire area A to be cleaned, and Obtain information about obstacles.

The gyro sensor 124 may obtain direction information of the cleaning unit 110 by measuring an orientation angle of the cleaning unit 110 using rotational inertia.

The light output unit 130 may be implemented with a digital light processing (DLP), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like. Under the control of the processor 140, the light output unit 130 may output light indicating whether or not to perform cleaning on the area to be cleaned. Accordingly, the light output unit 130 may be provided at an appropriate position to output light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed on the area to be cleaned. For example, the light output unit 130 may be provided on the front or upper surface of the cleaning unit 110 .

Here, the light output by the light output unit 130 can be adjusted in color, brightness, etc., and the output light may include at least one of an image, text, and symbol indicating whether or not the vacuum cleaner is performed. In addition to this, the light output unit 130 may output light including gradation, blurring, animation, etc., which may be visually displayed on the area to be cleaned.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , if the cleaning unit 110 is placed in a8 to perform cleaning on the area a8 to be cleaned, cleaning is performed by the cleaning unit 110 in a8. It can be seen as an area that has not been cleaned and has not been performed. Accordingly, the light output unit 130 outputs light indicating that the area has not been cleaned to a8 under the control of the processor 140, so that information on whether or not the cleaning of a8 has been performed can be directly displayed on a8. Here, the light indicating that the area has not been cleaned may include a red color and may include the text 'cleaned' in some cases.

Also, under the control of the processor 140, the light output unit 130 emits a blue light indicating that the cleaning area a5 is a cleaning target area among the cleaning target areas a5 and a9 adjacent to a8 where cleaning is being performed. or, in some cases, the text 'uncleaned'.

In this way, the light output unit 130 outputs light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed on the area to be cleaned, leading the user to easily determine the necessity of cleaning the area to be cleaned.

The processor 140 may be implemented as a CPU or a microprocessor, and may control the operation of each component of the electric cleaner 100.

In particular, the processor 140 determines whether or not the cleaning unit 110 performs cleaning on the cleaning target area based on the location information of the cleaning unit 110 obtained by the information acquisition unit 120. can decide

Hereinafter, a process in which the processor 140 determines whether or not to perform cleaning on the area to be cleaned will be described in detail.

The processor 140 uses the ceiling image obtained by the ceiling camera 121 while the cleaning unit 110 moves the entire cleaning target area A to perform cleaning on the entire cleaning target area A. Feature points of the image may be extracted, and a feature map may be generated based on the extracted feature points. Here, the feature map may be composed of feature points constantly measured from the ceiling image, and the feature points may mean points where a unique feature may appear at a specific location. The processor 140 may use algorithms such as Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT), Descriptor, and Harris Corner Detector to extract feature points from the ceiling image, and may also use SLAM techniques to generate feature maps. Here, the SLAM technique refers to an algorithm that recognizes the location of the cleaning unit 110 using feature points extracted from a ceiling image or a distance to an obstacle and simultaneously generates a feature map. Accordingly, the processor 140 may generate a feature map using not only the ceiling image obtained by the ceiling camera 121 but also feature points extracted from a wall or an obstacle detected by the range finder 123 .

After generating the feature map, the processor 140 extracts feature points of the ceiling image captured while the cleaning unit 110 moves throughout the entire area to be cleaned (A), and among them, matching with the feature points of the feature map is performed. Through this, location information of the cleaning unit 110 may be obtained. The processor 140 may store the generated feature map in the memory 150 .

Meanwhile, the processor 140 may create an area map of at least one area to be cleaned in order to determine whether or not to perform cleaning on the area to be cleaned corresponding to the cleaning unit 110 . That is, the processor 140 determines the size of the entire cleaning target area A and the entire target area from the ceiling image obtained by the ceiling camera 121 while the cleaning unit 110 moves the entire cleaning target area A. (A) can determine the location of obstacles within. Of course, the processor 140 may determine the size of the entire cleaning target area A and the location of obstacles within the entire target area A based on the information obtained by the range finder 123 .

When the size of the entire cleaning target area A is determined, the processor 140 divides the entire cleaning target area A into at least one cleaning target area a1 to a9 having a predetermined width w and length s. It is divided, and a region map relating to at least one of the divided regions to be cleaned (a1 to a9) can be created. Here, the predetermined width (w), length (s), and length may be appropriately set in consideration of the entire area to be cleaned (A) and obstacles. For example, the predetermined width (w) may be set to correspond to the shear length 111 of the cleaning unit 110, and the predetermined length (s) may be set to correspond to the user's average length of one arm during cleaning. The processor 140 may store the generated region map in the memory 150 .

In this way, the processor 140 generates a feature map and an area map based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 120, and tracks the location of the cleaning unit 110 based on the feature map, thereby performing cleaning. The unit 110 may determine which area to be cleaned on the area map has been cleaned, and according to the determination result, it may be determined whether or not to perform the cleaning for the area to be cleaned currently being cleaned.

The processor 140 may control the light output unit 130 to output light indicating whether or not to perform the cleaning to the cleaning target area based on whether the cleaning is performed, which is determined for the cleaning target area. That is, the processor 140 can provide convenience so that the user can intuitively recognize the necessity of cleaning the cleaning target area by displaying information on whether or not the cleaning is performed on the cleaning target area. In addition, the processor 140 may control the light output unit 130 to output light indicating whether or not to perform the cleaning for the adjacent area as well as the cleaning target area to the adjacent area, so that the user can perform the cleaning unit 110. Convenience can be provided to intuitively recognize the need for cleaning in a plurality of areas within a predetermined range centered on .

The memory 150 may store feature maps and area maps generated by the processor 140 . The memory 150 is a non-volatile memory device such as ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM, flash memory, or the like, or a volatile memory device such as RAM, a hard disk, or an optical disk. It may be implemented as a storage medium such as the like.

Since the extension tube 160 may be composed of a telescopic pipe or an extensible tube connecting the cleaning unit 110 and the handle 170, the length of the extension tube 160 is adjusted according to the user's cleaning posture or cleaning environment. It can be.

The handle 170 may move the cleaning unit 110 connected through the extension tube 160 . Accordingly, the user may clean the area to be cleaned while moving the cleaning unit 110 using the handle 170 . The handle 170 may further include a manipulation unit 171 and a display unit 172 .

The control unit 171 may be composed of a switch capable of controlling driving of the electric cleaner 100. For example, a button type or sliding switch capable of turning on/off the power of the electric cleaner 100 or adjusting the suction power of the main body 190 may be included.

The display unit 172 may be implemented as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like, and may display state information of the electric cleaner 100. For example, information about the on/off state of the electric cleaner 100, the strength of suction power, the usage time of the electric cleaner 100, the amount of dust sucked through the cleaning unit 110, and the like may be displayed. In addition, when the electric cleaner 100 is implemented as a wireless electric cleaner 100 supplied with power by a rechargeable battery, the display unit 172 may display information about the remaining amount of the battery. Meanwhile, when the display unit 172 is configured as a touch panel, the display unit 172 may replace the function of the control unit 171.

The extension hose 180 connects the handle 170 and the main body 110 to send dust sucked from the cleaning unit 110 to the main body 110 .

The main body 190 may include a suction motor that generates a suction force to suck in dust, a dust collector that separates the sucked dust from air and collects it, and a roller that can move along the handle 170 . Meanwhile, when the electric cleaner 100 is implemented as a wireless electric cleaner 100 powered by a rechargeable battery, the main body 190 may further include a rechargeable battery. However, since the internal configuration of the main body 110 is well known, its illustration and detailed description are omitted.

2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electric cleaner 100 according to this embodiment may include at least one of the configurations of the electric cleaner 100 according to FIG. 1 . When the cleaning is started, the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment divides the entire cleaning target area A into a plurality of cleaning target areas a1 to a9 based on the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 120. An area map can be created. Here, the electric cleaner 100 may divide the entire cleaning target area A into cleaning target areas of an appropriate size and number in consideration of the size of the entire cleaning target area A and the width of the cleaning unit 110. there is. However, in FIG. 2 , an area map in which the entire area to be cleaned (A) is divided into nine areas to be cleaned (a1 to a9) is assumed. Also, the region map may be stored in the memory 150 .

The electric cleaner 100 may generate a feature map based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 120, and acquire location information of the cleaning unit 110 based on the generated feature map.

That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 100 matches the location information of the cleaning unit 110 based on the feature map with information on the plurality of areas to be cleaned (a1 to a9) included in the area map, so that the current cleaning unit ( 110) may be recognized as being located in a1 among the plurality of areas to be cleaned (a1 to a9).

In addition, since the electric vacuum cleaner 100 can track the location of the cleaning unit 110 based on the positional information of the cleaning unit 110, the cleaning unit 110 is provided with a plurality of cleaning target areas a1 to a9. ), it is possible to determine whether to perform cleaning for a1 where the cleaning unit 110 is currently located. In FIG. 2 , since cleaning has not been performed on the plurality of areas to be cleaned (a1 to a9), the electric cleaner 100 may determine a1 as an area not to be cleaned.

The electric cleaner 100 may output light indicating whether or not cleaning has been performed to a1 determined as the non-cleaning area through the light output unit 130 . Therefore, the electric cleaner 100 can provide convenience so that the user can intuitively recognize the necessity of cleaning a1 (S201).

On the other hand, the electric cleaner 100 determines whether or not to perform the cleaning for the next cleaning target area a2 when the cleaning unit 110 determines that the cleaning for a1 has progressed to a predetermined rate or more. A light indicating whether or not may be output may be output to a2 (S202). Here, the next cleaning target area is the cleaning target area a2 located in the cleaning direction 210 of the cleaning unit 110 among the cleaning target areas a2 and a6 adjacent to the cleaning target area a1 being cleaned. This can be. That is, since the electric vacuum cleaner 100 can obtain direction information of the cleaning unit 110 by the gyro sensor 124 of the information acquisition unit 120, the cleaning performance direction 210 of the cleaning unit 110 a2 located at can be determined as the next area to be cleaned. Accordingly, the electric cleaner 100 may output light indicating that the cleaning has not been performed to the partial area a11 of a1 and the next cleaning target area a2.

In this way, the electric cleaner 100 outputs light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to the next cleaning target area determined according to the cleaning performance direction, thereby providing convenience so that the user can perform cleaning without worrying about the next cleaning target area. can provide

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electric cleaner 100 according to this embodiment may include at least one of the configurations of the electric cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 . It is assumed that the electric cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment cleans a plurality of cleaning target areas a1 to a3, and then cleans a4. That is, it is assumed that the cleaning unit 110 is located at a4.

Since the electric cleaner 100 can track the location of the cleaning unit 110, it can be determined whether or not to perform the cleaning for a4 according to the tracking result. Since a4 is an area that has not been cleaned by the cleaning unit 110, the electric cleaner 100 determines a4 as an area that has not been cleaned and outputs light indicating that a4 is an area that has not been cleaned to a4. can

Here, the electric cleaner 100 outputs light indicating that the cleaning has already been performed in the area a3 where cleaning has already been performed by the cleaning unit 110 among the areas a3, a5, and a9 adjacent to a4. can Light indicating that the area has already been cleaned may be output to be distinguished from light indicating that the area has not been cleaned by having a different color and brightness.

Accordingly, the electric cleaner 100 may induce the user to intensively clean the area a4 that is not cleaned, but not to repeatedly clean the area a3 that is the cleaner.

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating light output from a light output unit according to an embodiment of the present invention to an area to be cleaned.

The light output unit 130 according to this embodiment may be configured to include the light output unit 130 of FIG. 1 .

In this embodiment, it is assumed that a4, which is a cleaning target area, is an uncleaned area, and a3 is a cleaning area. Accordingly, the light output unit 130 according to the present embodiment may output the word 'uncleaned' 410 along with a color indicating that the area has not been cleaned under the control of the processor 140 to a4.

Here, the light output unit 130 may output cleaning state information 411 of the area to be cleaned and information 412 about the state of the electric cleaner 100 to a4. For example, the light output unit 130 determines the ratio of the area to be cleaned (a1 to a3) in the entire area to be cleaned (A), and emits light 411 indicating the ratio to the determined area to be cleaned. You can print on a4. Alternatively, when the electric cleaner 100 is implemented as a wireless electric vacuum cleaner 100 driven by a rechargeable battery, the light output unit 130 may output light indicating the battery remaining amount 412 to a4. However, the cleaning state information 411 of the area to be cleaned and the information 412 about the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 100 are not limited to the above, and various types of information may be output as light to a4.

Also, under the control of the processor 140, the light output unit 130 may output light 420 indicating that cleaning has already been performed in the area a3, which is the area to be cleaned, among the areas adjacent to the area a4, which is not cleaned. Here, the light output unit 130 may output light representing the information 421 related to a3 to a3. For example, the light output unit 130 may output light indicating the cleaning execution time 421 for a3 to a3.

In this way, the light output unit 130 outputs light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed and light indicating various additional information to the areas to be cleaned (a3, a4) under the control of the processor 140, thereby enabling the user to efficiently It can be induced to perform cleaning.

5 is an exemplary view showing a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The handle 170 according to this embodiment may include the handle 170 of FIG. 1 . Accordingly, the handle 170 may further include the control unit 171 and the display unit 172 of FIG. 1 .

Here, the display unit 172 may display cleaning performance state information under the control of the processor 140 . Specifically, the display unit 172 displays an area map composed of a plurality of cleaning target areas a1 to a9, and the cleaner for each area a1 to a9 based on the location information of the cleaning unit 110. Whether or not it is performed can be displayed on the screen.

For example, when the cleaning of a1 is completed and the cleaning of a2 173 is being performed by the cleaning unit 110, the display unit 172 displays a1, which is a water purifier performed area, and an area not cleaned. (a2 ~ a9) can be displayed in different colors or brightness to distinguish them, and letters and symbols indicating whether or not the vacuum cleaner is performed can be displayed for each area.

In addition, the display unit 172 displays the cleaning target area a2 173 that is currently being cleaned by the cleaning unit 110 so as to flicker, thereby distinguishing it from other areas a3 to a9 that have not been cleaned. may be

In particular, the display unit 172 may change the screen indicating whether or not to perform the cleaning to correspond to the cleaning direction of the cleaning unit 110. For example, when the cleaning unit 110 is cleaning in a direction from a1 to a3 as shown in S201 of FIG. 2 , the display unit 172 also displays a1 according to the cleaning direction of the cleaning unit 110 on the screen. By displaying on the lower side and displaying a3 on the upper side of the screen, it is possible to indicate that cleaning is performed in the direction from a1 to a3 (S501).

On the other hand, when the cleaning unit 110 is cleaning in the direction from a4 to a6 as shown in FIG. 3 , the display unit 172 displays a4 on the lower side of the screen and a6 on the screen corresponding to the cleaning direction. By displaying on the upper side of , it can be indicated that cleaning is performed in the direction from a4 to a6 (S502).

As described above, the display unit 172 according to the present embodiment reflects the cleaning performance direction of the cleaning unit 110 and displays a screen related to the cleaning performance state, thereby cleaning the unit 110 through the display unit 172. It is possible to more intuitively recognize the cleaning performance state by

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electric cleaner 100 according to this embodiment may include at least one of the configurations of the electric cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 .

The electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment is composed of a cleaning unit 110, an information acquisition unit 120, an optical output unit 130, a processor 140, a memory 150, and a display unit 172. It can be. However, in the following description, overlapping descriptions of each component of FIG. 1 will be omitted.

The electric vacuum cleaner 100 according to this embodiment may include an upright electric vacuum cleaner as well as the canister electric vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 . That is, in the case of the canister vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1, in addition to the cleaning unit 110, the extension tube 160, the handle 170, the extension hose 180, and the main body 190 may be further included, but the upright electric vacuum cleaner In the case of , the cleaning unit 110 may be implemented to include the extension pipe 160, the handle 170, the extension hose 180, and the main body 190 of FIG. 1 . That is, the cleaning unit 110 of the upright electric vacuum cleaner 100 may generate a suction force for sucking in dust while moving in close contact with the floor surface A, and may collect the sucked dust.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of outputting light indicating whether or not the cleaning is performed to an area to be cleaned by the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electric cleaner 100 according to this embodiment may correspond to the electric cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 .

The electric cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment may acquire location information of the cleaning unit 110 within the entire cleaning target area A including at least one cleaning target area a1 to a9 (S701 ). In this way, the electric cleaner 100 may obtain information about which areas to be cleaned (a1 to a9) by the cleaning unit 110.

The electric cleaner 100 may determine whether or not to perform cleaning on the area to be cleaned based on the acquired location information (S702). That is, the electric cleaner 100 may recognize the cleaning target area a4 where the cleaning unit 110 performs cleaning based on the location information of the cleaning unit 110, and the recognized cleaning target area a4 ) can be determined as a cleaner performance area.

The electric cleaner 100 may output light indicating whether or not the cleaner is performed to the area to be cleaned (a4) (S703). That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 100 directly displays information indicating that the cleaning target area a4 is an uncleaned area on the cleaning target area a4, so that the user can determine whether or not the cleaning operation has been performed on the cleaning target area a4. Convenience can be provided so that cleaning can be performed without confusion.

Above, the present invention has been described in detail through preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be variously practiced within the scope of the claims.

100: electric vacuum cleaner
110: cleaning unit
120: information acquisition unit
130: optical output unit
140: processor
150: memory
160: extension pipe
170: handle
180: extension hose
190: body

Claims (16)

In the electric vacuum cleaner,
a cleaning unit configured to clean at least one adjacent area to be cleaned among a plurality of areas to be cleaned;
an information acquisition unit acquiring location information of the cleaning unit;
a light output unit capable of outputting light to the at least one adjacent area to be cleaned; and
determining whether or not to perform cleaning on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area to be cleaned by the cleaning performer based on the location information acquired by the information acquisition unit; and
a processor controlling the light output unit to output light forming an image indicating whether or not the determined cleaning is to be performed on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area;
the processor,
Identifying a moving direction of the cleaning unit based on the location information;
The light forming the image having a horizontal length and a vertical length respectively corresponding to the horizontal length and the vertical length of the at least one adjacent cleaning target area with respect to the identified traveling direction are directed onto the adjacent at least one cleaning target area. Control the light output unit to output;
The image includes a first image formed on an uncleaned area among the adjacent at least one cleaning target area, and a second image formed on a cleaner performed area and distinguished from the first image. delete delete According to claim 1,
The processor controls the light output unit to distinguish and output at least one of color and brightness of the light according to whether the determined cleaning is performed. According to claim 1,
Wherein the processor controls the light output unit to display at least one of a text or a symbol indicating whether or not the determined cleaning is to be performed on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area based on the output light. ◈Claim 6 was abandoned when the registration fee was paid.◈ According to claim 1,
the processor,
determining a ratio of the area to be cleaned among the plurality of areas to be cleaned;
The electric vacuum cleaner controlling the light output unit to output light indicating a ratio with respect to the determined cleaning area to the at least one adjacent area to be cleaned. ◈Claim 7 was abandoned when the registration fee was paid.◈ According to claim 1,
Further comprising a battery unit for supplying power,
The processor controls the light output unit to output light indicating information about the remaining amount of power of the battery unit on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a display unit displaying the plurality of areas to be cleaned;
The processor controls the display unit to distinguish and display the area to be cleaned from among the plurality of areas to be cleaned. A control method for an electric vacuum cleaner including a cleaning unit that cleans at least one adjacent cleaning target area among a plurality of cleaning target areas, comprising:
acquiring location information of the cleaning unit;
determining whether or not to perform cleaning on the at least one adjacent cleaning target area to be cleaned by the cleaning unit based on the acquired location information; and
outputting light to form an image indicating whether or not the determined cleaning is performed on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area;
In the step of outputting the light,
identifying a moving direction of the cleaning unit based on the location information; and
The light forming the image having a horizontal length and a vertical length respectively corresponding to the horizontal length and the vertical length of the at least one adjacent cleaning target area with respect to the identified traveling direction are directed onto the adjacent at least one cleaning target area. Including the step of outputting,
The image of the electric vacuum cleaner includes a first image formed on an uncleaned area among the adjacent at least one cleaning target area, and a second image formed on a cleaner performed area and distinguished from the first image. control method. delete delete According to claim 9,
The outputting of the light further comprises outputting a color of the light by distinguishing at least one of a color and a brightness of the light according to whether or not the determined cleaning is performed. According to claim 9,
The outputting of the light may further include displaying at least one of text or symbols indicating whether the determined cleaning is to be performed on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area based on the output light. control method. ◈Claim 14 was abandoned when the registration fee was paid.◈ According to claim 9,
The determining may further include determining a ratio of the area to be cleaned among the plurality of areas to be cleaned;
The outputting of the light further includes outputting light indicating a ratio with respect to the determined cleaning target area on the at least one adjacent cleaning target area. ◈Claim 15 was abandoned when the registration fee was paid.◈ According to claim 9,
Further comprising the step of supplying power,
The outputting of the light further includes outputting light representing information about a remaining amount of power on the adjacent at least one cleaning target area. According to claim 9,
The control method of the electric vacuum cleaner further comprising distinguishing the area to be cleaned from among the plurality of areas to be cleaned and displaying the area on a display unit.

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