KR20050012501A - Automatic robot vacuum cleaner by remotecontrolling and the Method for controlling the thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A remote controller signal-sensing robot cleaner and a control method thereof are provided to selectively clean a specific part of a space to be cleaned and a blind spot by utilizing a wireless infrared remote controller. CONSTITUTION: A remote controller signal-sensing robot cleaner comprises a remote controller infrared signal sensor unit with a light-receiving member receiving a remote controller infrared signal having band width of omnidirectional distribution of at least forward/backward and right/left directions to the upper part of the robot cleaner; a remote controller unit comprising an infrared transmitting part emitting infrared rays to the robot cleaner and control buttons controlling the cleaning action of the robot cleaner; and wheel motor-driving units(421,422) and a brush motor-driving unit(442) making wheels of the robot cleaner driven and making a cleaning brush driven according to the control of a CPU(Central Processing Unit,400) as the control action of the CPU starts according to the remote controller signal sensor unit and the remote controller unit.

Description

Automatic robot vacuum cleaner by remotecontrolling and the Method for controlling the Technical}

The present invention relates to a remote control sensing robot cleaner and a method of controlling the same. More particularly, in a self-propelled robot cleaner moving by an independent wheel, a specific area of a place to be cleaned using a wireless infrared remote control and a cleaning blind spot are selectively cleaned. The present invention relates to a remote control sensing robot cleaner and a control method thereof.

Conventionally, there is a vacuum cleaner as a device for cleaning, but the vacuum cleaner should be carried by the user carrying the inlet for injecting impurities directly, and the length of the suction pipe which is a passage through which impurities connecting the inlet and the cleaner body are sucked into the cleaner. There is no limit to the production, there is no problem when cleaning a narrow space, but when cleaning a large space was very inconvenient because the cleaner body and the inlet must be moved from time to time to clean.

In addition, the cleaner's behavior is restricted by the power line for applying power, and especially when cleaning in a large space, it is necessary to move and plug the power cord frequently, or the short-wired connection is impossible. If there is no power supply means for supplying power to the uncleaned space, there are many problems such as the need to use a power source using a separate extension line, and the user needs to clean it with a vacuum cleaner. There was a problem in that it gives a significant inconvenience to life because it has to be cleaned while entering.

Accordingly, recently, a robot cleaner has been proposed, which performs cleaning while traveling by moving the space to be cleaned by the control means mounted in the cleaner body by itself.

In the conventional self-propelled robot cleaner as described above, a blind spot cannot be cleaned according to the turning radius of the cleaner and the length of the brush in the cleaner. When the robot cleaner user wants to clean a specific part of the cleaning space as needed, There was a problem that it is difficult to carry and clean only a specific part of the cleaner.

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in the self-propelled robot cleaner moving by an independent wheel, a specific area of the place to be cleaned and a cleaning blind spot can be selectively cleaned using a wireless infrared remote controller. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control sensing robot cleaner and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a robot cleaner for cleaning a predetermined space by a remote control signal, the robot cleaner is

A remote control signal sensing sensor means having a remote control infrared ray signal having a bandwidth of at least one front, rear, left, and right directions in front of the robot cleaner, and an infrared transmitter for emitting infrared rays to the robot cleaner in the front, rear, left, and right directions; Remote control means comprising a variety of control buttons for controlling the cleaning operation of the robot cleaner, the control operation of the central processing unit (CPU) is started in accordance with the remote control signal detection sensor means and the remote control means and the robot according to the control of the central processing unit And a wheel motor driving means and a brush motor driving means for driving the cleaner wheel and driving the cleaning brush.

The remote control means includes a control button for controlling the start and stop (pause) of the remote control, a mode control button for controlling the cleaning operation mode, a time reservation control button for controlling time reservation, and forward and backward for controlling forward and backward. It includes a control button, the left and right rotation control buttons to control the left and right turns, and a manual control button for controlling whether to move while cleaning the operation of the cleaner or without cleaning.

The mode control button controls the operation of the cleaner in a normal / intensive / spot mode, and the brush driving means includes an auxiliary brush driving means.

The present invention provides a method for controlling a robot cleaner for cleaning a predetermined space by a remote controller control signal. When power is input to the robot cleaner and an operation is started, a cleaning operation is started by checking a battery discharge and a remote controller control signal input. And, when the cleaning operation is started, detecting an obstacle according to a remote control control signal and driving the wheel of the robot cleaner according to the detection result, calculating the wheel rotation speed according to the wheel driving of the robot cleaner, and And collecting dust by driving the brush motor and the auxiliary brush motor, and automatically collecting the dust and moving to a charging device when the cleaning is completed.

When the battery is discharged or the cleaning operation is abnormal, a warning sound is generated, and when a specific sound such as a clapping sound occurs while the battery is being charged or stopped, a buzzer sound is generated, and the user lifts the robot cleaner during the cleaning operation. Detect the degree and stop the cleaning operation.

The remote control is to control the start and stop (pause) of the remote control, to control the cleaning operation mode and time reservation, to control the forward and backward, to control the left and right turn, and move while cleaning the operation of the cleaner Control whether to move without cleaning.

The cleaning operation mode control controls the operation of the cleaner in a normal / intensive / spot mode.

1 is a perspective view showing a remote control signal receiving unit and a control switch installed protruding in a circular shape on the front part of the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 are a plan view and a side cross-sectional view of the robot cleaner by sensing the remote control signal to which the present invention is applied.

4 is a control block diagram of a remote controller signal detection robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a state diagram showing a control button of the remote control which is an embodiment of the present invention.

6a and 6b is a flowchart according to the overall operating state of the remote control signal control robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 is a perspective view illustrating a remote controller signal receiver 150 and an operation switch unit 110 protruding circularly on a front surface of the robot cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The remote control signal receiving unit 150 is configured in the form of a circular parabola receiving antenna to receive, for example, an external control signal controlled by a remote control, and is provided on the front of the robot cleaner 100, but in some cases The protrusion may be installed on the rear portion or the side portion.

The operation switch unit 110 is composed of operation switches for controlling various operations of the robot cleaner 100.

The remote control signal receiving unit 150 is provided with a detection sensor for detecting a remote control signal signal, and surrounds the remote control signal detection sensor is provided with a conical or parabolic mirror, so receiving all remote control signals from the outside at various angles. can do.

2 and 3 are a plan view and a cross-sectional side view of the robot cleaner by sensing the remote control signal to which the present invention is applied.

As shown in Figure 2 and 3, the robot cleaner 100 is equipped with a suction motor 210 for generating a suction force for sucking dust or foreign matter.

Left and right traveling motors 211 and 212 and auxiliary brush motors 220 and 221 which generate driving force to move the robot cleaner 100 to the left or right side are mounted in left and right symmetry, and the left and right sides are mounted. A timing belt for transmitting a driving force applied from the driving motors 211 and 212 to the left and right power wheels 211a and 212a is mounted on the shafts of the left and right driving motors 211 and 212.

On the back of the robot cleaner 100, a cable assembly in which a power cable drawn or drawn under the control of a control means described later when the robot cleaner 100 runs under the driving of the power wheels 211a and 212a is wound. Is equipped.

A dust collecting chamber 330, a first filter 331, and a second filter 332, which accumulate dust or foreign matter sucked into the suction port 310, are formed on the front surface of the robot cleaner 100. On the rear end surface of the 100), a total of three auxiliary wheels are installed on the rear of the non-powered wheel 340, which is not connected to a power source such as a motor, to support the rear load of the robot cleaner 100. Three non-powered wheels 340 are used that can be rotated 360 ° so that the robot cleaner 100 is easy to change the driving path.

A brush 350 is installed between the non-powered wheel 340 and the power wheel 211a and 212a to collect dust or foreign matter on the floor, and the dust sucked through the brush 350 may be hood 360. Accumulated in the dust collecting chamber 330 through the ().

4 is a control block diagram of a remote control signal sensing robot cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the battery power unit 410 converts DC power supplied from a battery into a predetermined constant voltage required for driving the robot cleaner 100. The CPU 400 is a central processing unit that initializes the robot cleaner 100 by applying a constant voltage supplied from the battery power source 410 and controls the overall driving operation of the robot cleaner 100.

The wheel driving unit 420 controls the driving wheel of the robot cleaner 100 under the control of the CPU 400, and the wheel driving unit 420 generates a signal for moving the robot cleaner 100 to the right by a remote control signal. If the left (L) wheel motor driving unit 421 for driving the left wheel motor 423 to move the robot cleaner 100 to the right and the remote control signal is a signal for moving the robot cleaner 100 to the left, the robot The right (R) wheel motor driving unit 422 for driving the right wheel motor 424 to move the cleaner 100 to the left, the left wheel motor 423 and the right wheel motor of the robot cleaner 100 As the operation 424 operates, the left wheel motor encoder 425 and the right wheel motor encoder 426 are configured to calculate and transmit an encoder value to the CPU 400.

The wheel drive unit 420 drives the left (L) wheel motor driver 421 and the right (R) wheel motor driver 422 simultaneously when the remote control signal is a signal for moving the robot cleaner 100 forward or backward. The robot cleaner 100 is moved forward or backward by simultaneously driving the left wheel motor 423 and the right wheel motor 424.

The left wheel motor encoder 425 and the right wheel motor encoder 426 detect the travel distance of the robot cleaner 100 that is moved by the wheel driving unit 420, and the left wheel motor encoder 425 during rotation. ) And the right wheel motor encoder 426 generates a pulse signal according to the number of revolutions of the left wheel motor 423 to detect the travel distance that the robot cleaner 100 moves to the right, and the right wheel motor 424 rotates. Generates a pulse signal according to the number to detect the travel distance moved by the robot cleaner 100 to the left, and when moving forward or backward, the left wheel motor encoder 425 and the right wheel motor encoder 426 is left, right wheel motor A pulse signal is generated according to the number of revolutions (423) and 424 to detect the traveling distance of the robot cleaner 100 moving left, right, and forward or backward.

The infrared sensor unit 430 detects the running angle of the robot cleaner 100 in the predetermined area to be cleaned by the robot cleaner 100, the distance to the wall or the floor obstacle, and the obstacle from the obstacle. The unit 430 emits infrared rays to the left and right eight directions and obstacles before and after the robot cleaner 100 and obstacles, and receives the reflected signal, that is, the echo signal by hitting the wall or obstacle, and the presence or absence of the obstacle and the wall or obstacle. It consists of a distance sensor 431 and a floor sensor 432 for detecting the distance to.

In the present invention, the robot cleaner 100 mainly operates under the control of the remote control signal, and thus the infrared sensor unit 430 does not operate.

However, when the user of the robot cleaner 100 uses the remote controller signal control and the infrared sensor signal control at the same time, the infrared sensor unit 430 operates.

The brush driver 440 is a brush motor driver 442 for driving the brush motor 441 so that the robot cleaner 100 performs a cleaning function under the control of the CPU 400, and a fan for driving the fan motor 443. The motor driver 444, the first auxiliary brush motor driver 446 for driving the first auxiliary brush motor 445, and the second auxiliary brush motor driver 448 for driving the second auxiliary brush motor 447. It is composed.

The first and second auxiliary brush motor driving units 446 and 447 drive the first and second auxiliary brushes. The first and second auxiliary brush motors are for cleaning blind spots that cannot be cleaned.

The first and second subsidiary brushes are located in front of the center of the robot cleaner 100. When the robot cleaner 100 has a wall while the robot cleaner 100 is running, the CPU 400 detects a wall surface by an infrared sensor, and Activate auxiliary brush

The memory unit 450 is a memory unit that is built in or external to the CPU 400, and is a memory for controlling the overall operation of the robot cleaner 100. The memory unit 450 includes EPROM, EEPROM, DRAM, and the like. .

The communication unit 460 supports RS-232C protocol communication for serial communication with the inside or outside of the robot cleaner 100, and the A / D converter 465 is an analog power consumption detection signal input from the outside of the CPU 400. It converts the digital signal to the CPU 400 and converts the digital signal output from the CPU 400 to an analog signal and delivers it to the outside of the CPU 400.

The communication unit 460 supports RS-232C protocol communication in the present invention, but may also use Bluetooth communication means, which is a short-range wireless communication means.

The multiplexer 467 multiplexes the charging-related status signals inputted from the outside and delivers them to the A / D converter 465 and the CPU 400.

The robot cleaner 100 of the present invention is operated by the supply voltage of the battery power supply unit 410 during cleaning, and is automatically mounted on a cradle of an external charging device (not shown) when the battery is not being cleaned and discharged to the battery discharged during cleaning. Charging operation is performed.

The clock unit 470 supplies a predetermined clock signal to the CPU 400, and the DMA (Direct Memory Access) 475 is a memory provided in the CPU 400, which is directly accessed by the CPU 400. .

The remote control signal receiver 490 receives a control signal from the remote controller and transmits the control signal to the CPU 400 to control the overall operation of the robot cleaner 100 with the remote controller.

5 is a use state diagram showing a control button of the remote control according to an embodiment of the present invention, the remote control 500 is composed of an infrared transmitter 510 for emitting infrared rays to the robot cleaner 100 in front and various control buttons.

The play control button 501 of the remote control 500 is a control button for starting or pausing the operation of the robot cleaner 100, and the mode control button 502 is a robot cleaner 100. ) Is a control button for controlling the operation of the normal / intense / spot (Normal / Intensive / Spot) mode, the stop (Stop) control button 503 is a control button for stopping the operation of the robot cleaner (100).

The time control button 504 of the remote control 500 is a control button for making a time reservation for the operation of the robot cleaner 100 and starting the operation of the robot cleaner 100 when the scheduled time comes. The forward control button 505 is a control button for forwarding the operation of the robot cleaner 100, and the reverse control button 506 is a control for reversing the operation of the robot cleaner 100. Button.

The left control button 507 of the remote control 500 is a control button for rotating the operation of the robot cleaner 100 to the left, and the right control button 508 is an operation of the robot cleaner 100. It is a control button to rotate to the right, the manual (Manual) control button 509 is a control button for controlling whether to move while cleaning the operation of the robot cleaner 100 or without cleaning.

That is, when the manual control button 509 of the remote controller 500 is On, the robot cleaner 100 moves while cleaning, and when the robot cleaner 100 is off, the robot cleaner 100 does not clean. Move on.

6A and 6B are flowcharts according to the overall operating state of the remote controller signal control robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the operation is started, the robot cleaner 100 is in a state in which power is input 601 to the robot cleaner 100. When no operation is performed, the CPU 400 enters a sleep mode, which is a power saving mode, and waits for a signal of the operation switch 110 or the remote control 500 (602).

At this time, if the operation signal by the remote control 500 is detected (603), the CPU 400 is switched to the active mode (active mode) to first turn on (604) the power of the system of the remote control signal control robot cleaner.

After that, the discharge state of the battery power supply unit 410 is checked 605, and when the battery falls below a predetermined power, a warning sound is generated 606 and the charging station is visited.

At this time, if the voltage is low enough to go to the charging station or if the charging station is not found within a few minutes, the robot cleaner 100 is stopped and the power saving mode (607).

When the discharge voltage of the battery power source 410 is checked (605), when the power voltage of the battery power source 410 is greater than or equal to a predetermined voltage, it is determined whether the remote control signal is input (608). The cleaning operation starts after moving about a predetermined distance (10Cm) in the direction (609).

The signal received by the robot cleaner 100 is a signal received by the infrared sensor of the remote controller signal receiver 490 to receive an infrared beam transmitted from the remote controller 500, and the received data is read by the CPU 400. According to the read data, the robot cleaner 100 performs a special operation of the present invention.

In the state where the cleaning operation is started (609), it is determined whether the cleaning operation is a signal operated according to the manual navigation (610), and if it is not a manual navigation signal, the general cleaning operation (611) is performed and the charging device is moved. If the signal is a control operation (612) in accordance with the control of the remote control 500 of the present invention.

When the robot cleaner 100 user presses the forward control button 505 of the remote controller 500, the robot cleaner 100 is driven by the wheel driving unit 420 and proceeds forward at a speed of 25 cm per second, and the reverse control button 506. Press to advance backwards at 25cm per second.

In addition, when the left turn control button 507 is pressed, the left side rotates in the 9 o'clock direction and the right turn control button 508 is rotated to the right in the 3 o'clock direction.

As such, the robot cleaner 100 may operate the robot cleaner 100 by controlling the robot cleaner 100 to a desired cleaning place and press the start control button 501 of the remote control 500 when the robot cleaner 100 reaches the desired cleaning place. The brush drive unit 440 is driven to clean and drive the vacuum cleaning motor or drive the vacuum cleaning motor while moving the robot cleaner 100 using the control buttons 505 to 508 as described above.

In addition, the robot cleaner 100 operates the fan motor 443 of the brush drive unit 440 for cleaning while driving, in which a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal output to the CPU 400 passes through the fan motor drive unit 444 circuit. The fan motor 443 is driven.

The fan motor 443 is provided with a structure such as a propeller for the intake of air to suck the air from the suction port and the sucked air is discharged out of the cleaner via the dust container.

The dust box is equipped with a dual structure air purification filter to purify the exhaust air so that only clean air comes out of the exhaust.

In order to clean the air by suction, a strong suction power is required, but in order to increase the suction power in the battery-embedded product, the rating of the fan motor 443 should be increased. There is a limit to increasing the rating of 443).

So, in order to facilitate the inflow of dust is equipped with a cylindrical brush, which serves to collect the dust or rubbish of a certain size to the suction port to facilitate the intake of garbage.

The brush is connected to the brush motor 441 and the gear, the motor is also rotated at a constant speed under the control of the CPU (400).

The CPU 400 measures the current flowing through the brush motor 441 to determine whether the brush is operating smoothly during operation, and when the current flows over a predetermined level, the brush determines that the brush cannot operate normally due to foreign matter. A warning sound will be generated to inform the user of any abnormality.

In the robot cleaner 100, a blind spot that cannot be cleaned when driving corners and walls is generated depending on the length and radius of the brush. To minimize this, auxiliary brushes are installed on the front left and right wheels. When the robot cleaner 100 detects a wall surface by distance sensors provided on both sides of the robot cleaner 100 while driving, the auxiliary brush in the direction of the wall rotates, and the dust induced by the auxiliary brush is sucked into the suction port. do.

If the user lifts the robot cleaner 100 while the robot cleaner 100 is in operation, the inclination switch installed inside the robot cleaner 100 is stopped, and the robot cleaner 100 is initialized.

On the other hand, the mode control button 502 is a button for selecting the cleaning mode. When this button is pressed in the power saving mode, the mode control button 502 is sequentially changed to normal mode, intensive mode, and spot mode. When the control button 501 is pressed, it operates in the corresponding mode.

The stop control button 503 stops the cleaning operation when the button is pressed during the operation.

The time reservation control button 504 is a reservation time button for reserving cleaning. When this button is pressed, the reservation time changes in units of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour. If the reservation time is determined, cleaning is automatically performed after that time. Done.

The manual control button 509 is a button for manually operating cleaning, and when this button is pressed, the cleaning function can be turned on / off by manually moving the device.

While performing the cleaning as described above, if it encounters a stairway or an obstacle, it checks whether it is detected (613).

If an obstacle is found as a result of checking the obstacle detection (613), the robot cleaner 100 avoids the obstacle (6141) and continues cleaning.

The robot cleaner 100 first generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal from the CPU 400 to drive the wheels on the left and right sides (615), and the PWM signals are each wheel drive units constituted by TR (Transistor). 420 is operated to drive the wheel motor 423 or 424 connected to the wheel.

An operation switch unit 110 for operating various functions is provided on the front upper part of the robot cleaner 100, and an LED indicator for displaying an operation state of the switch is provided.

After performing the above-described cleaning and determining whether the cleaning is completed (617), if the cleaning is not completed yet, the cleaning operation is continued (618), and when it is determined that the cleaning is completed, the cleaner automatically finds the charging device. After moving (619) to charge, in this case by receiving a signal from the charging device by the wide-angle receiver provided on the front of the robot cleaner 100 to find the charging device by itself.

In this case, the robot cleaner 100 determines whether the charging device is normally found (620). If for some reason, the robot cleaner 100 does not find the charging device within a few minutes, the robot cleaner 100 stops all operations at the place (621).

If the determination device 620 finds the charging device within a few minutes, the robot cleaner 100 is mounted on the charging device to execute the charging operation normally (622).

The robot cleaner 100 enters a power saving mode during charging, and when the consumer enters the power saving mode, when the consumer claps to check the position of the cleaner, amplifies a signal from the microphone provided in the cleaner and filters the filter. The CPU 400 is supplied.

If the CPU 400 determines the hand and noise and determines that the hand is broken, the CPU 400 generates a buzz sound by the buzzer provided therein (624) so that the consumer knows the position of the cleaner.

All programs operated by the CPU 400 are stored in a ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, etc. of the memory unit 450, and various data generated during the operation are stored in RAM, which is a temporary storage medium, and used by calling a program. It is done.

As described in detail above, the present invention provides superior performance and better performance by selectively cleaning a specific part and a blind spot of a place to be cleaned using a wireless infrared remote control in an independent robot cleaner driven by an independent wheel. The low cost remote control signal control robot cleaner provides a useful effect.

Claims (10)

In the robot cleaner for cleaning a predetermined space by a remote control signal, the robot cleaner A remote control signal detecting sensor means having a light receiving member for receiving a remote control infrared signal having a bandwidth of at least front, rear, left, and right directions of the robot cleaner; A remote control means comprising an infrared transmitter for emitting infrared rays to the robot cleaner in front and rear directions, and various control buttons for controlling a cleaning operation of the robot cleaner; The control operation of the central processing unit (CPU) is started according to the remote control signal detecting sensor means and the remote control means, and the wheel motor driving means and brush motor for driving the wheel of the robot cleaner and driving the cleaning brush under the control of the central processing unit. Remote control signal detection robot cleaner comprising a driving means. The method according to claim 1, The remote control means includes a control button for controlling the start and stop (pause) of the remote control, a mode control button for controlling the cleaning operation mode, a time reservation control button for controlling time reservation, and forward and backward for controlling forward and backward. Remote control signal detection comprising a control button, left and right control button for controlling the left and right turn, and manual control button for controlling whether to move while cleaning or cleaning the operation of the cleaner Robot cleaner. The method according to claim 2, The mode control button is a remote control signal detection robot cleaner, characterized in that for controlling the operation of the cleaner in normal / intense / spot (Normal / Intensive / Spot) mode. The method according to claim 1, The brush driving means includes a remote brush signal sensing robot cleaner comprising an auxiliary brush driving means. In the control method of the robot cleaner to perform the cleaning of a certain space by the remote control signal, Starting the cleaning operation by checking the battery discharge and the remote control signal input when power is supplied to the robot cleaner and the operation is started; Detecting an obstacle according to a remote control signal when the cleaning operation is started, and driving the wheel of the robot cleaner according to the detection result; Calculating the wheel rotation speed according to the wheel driving of the robot cleaner and collecting the dust by driving a fan motor, a brush motor, and an auxiliary brush motor; Collecting the dust and when the cleaning is complete, the remote control signal detection robot cleaner control method comprising the step of automatically moving to the charging device is seated and then charged to the exhausted battery. The method according to claim 5, Remote control signal detection robot cleaner control method characterized in that the alarm is generated when the battery is discharged or the cleaning operation is abnormal. The method according to claim 5, And a buzzer sound when a specific sound such as a clapping sound is generated while the battery is being charged or stopped. The method according to claim 5, When the user lifts the robot cleaner during the cleaning operation, the robot cleaner control method for detecting the remote control signal detecting the inclination angle to stop the cleaning operation. The method according to claim 5, The remote control controls the start and stop (pause) of the remote control, the cleaning operation mode and time reservation, A remote control signal sensing robot cleaner control method comprising controlling forward and backward, controlling left turn and right turn, and controlling whether to move while cleaning or moving the cleaner. The method of claim 9, The cleaning operation mode control is a remote control signal sensing robot cleaner control method, characterized in that for controlling the operation of the cleaner in normal / intense / spot (Normal / Intensive / Spot) mode.