KR20120100682A - Debris detecting unit and robot cleaning device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A dust sensing unit and a robot cleaner having the same are provided to expand a cleaning range using a side brush and to control the degree of cleaning depending on the amount of dust. CONSTITUTION: A robot cleaner having a dust sensing unit comprises a main body, a drive unit, a drum brush unit, a dust container(60), a dust sensing unit(70), and a control unit. The drive unit powers the main body. The drum brush unit brushes dust using a brush and a rotary drum. The dust container stores the brushed dust. The dust sensing unit senses whether dust flows into the dust container. The control unit controls the dust container based on the results sensed from the dust sensing unit.

Description

Dust detection unit and robot cleaner including same {DEBRIS DETECTING UNIT AND ROBOT CLEANING DEVICE HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner having a dust detection unit, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner including a dust detection unit having improved dust detection performance.

The autonomous robot is a device that performs a predetermined task while traveling in an arbitrary area without a user's manipulation. The robot is capable of autonomous driving to a large extent, and such autonomous driving can be implemented in various ways. For example, the robot may travel any area along a predetermined path, and may travel any area without a predetermined path.

The robot cleaner is a device for cleaning the floor while driving the cleaning area without a user's operation. Specifically, it can be used for vacuum cleaning and mopping at home. Dust may refer to (dust) dust, dust, dust, debris and other dust particles that can be collected by a vacuum cleaner or an automatic or semi-automatic cleaning device.

The conventional robot cleaner detects dust on the floor while cleaning the floor while driving the cleaning area to concentrate or repeatedly clean the area where the dust is detected. In addition, there is a dust amount detection unit including a light emitting and a light receiving unit inside the dust container, and the light transmitted to the light receiving unit is covered by the accumulation of dust inside the dust container.

However, the conventional robot cleaner (Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2005-0073082) detects the inflow of dust from the floor and installs a plurality (or types) of sensors to detect the amount of dust in the dust box. There was a problem in that unnecessary installation to increase the manufacturing cost or sensor takes up a lot of space inside the robot cleaner.

In addition, even when a malfunction of the sensor, there is a problem in that the cleaning stroke that is being performed without any other countermeasure other than a method of notifying an alarm to the user is continued or the operation is stopped.

In addition, the conventional robot cleaner including a dust sensor has a difficulty in effective cleaning because it does not reflect the cleaning work environment that varies depending on the type or amount of dust by performing the cleaning operation only through a single predetermined reference value.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a robot cleaner having a dust detection unit capable of optimizing dust detection performance while economically installing a sensor.

Robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the body; A driving unit for driving the main body; A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum; A dust container for storing dust scraped up through the drum brush unit; A dust detection unit for detecting the presence of dust flowing into the dust container through the drum brush unit while performing cleaning; And a control unit for determining whether dust is introduced into the dust container through the presence or absence of dust detected by the dust detection unit, and whether the dust flowing into the dust container has accumulated in the expected amount.

In addition, the dust detection unit includes a light emitting unit for transmitting the beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam, and the control unit according to whether or not the dust is introduced into the dust container according to the amount of light received by the light receiving unit Determine if the dust has accumulated and is what you expect.

In addition, the control unit determines whether dust is introduced into the dust container and whether or not the dust flowing into the dust container has been accumulated and expected based on a predetermined pattern of the received light amount received in the light receiving unit over time.

In addition, the control unit determines that dust is introduced into the dust container when the light receiving amount of the beam received by the light receiving unit decreases below the first reference value for a predetermined time and returns to the original state.

In addition, the controller determines that the amount of dust expected in the dust container is reduced when the light receiving amount of the beam decreases and remains below the second reference value.

In addition, the control unit determines that the light receiving amount of the beam received by the light receiving unit decreases below the third reference value for a predetermined time and then returns to its original state.

In addition, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are located opposite to the point where the inflow path into which the dust flows and the predetermined path that is the amount of dust accumulated in the dust container intersect.

In addition, the dust container is formed of a material that can pass the beam so that the beam transmitted from the light emitting unit is transmitted through the light receiving unit.

In addition, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are installed at a predetermined position higher than the threshold height or the threshold height of the dust bin overflowing with the dust flowing in again or accumulated in the dust container.

In addition, a predetermined position higher than the threshold height or the threshold height of the dust container is located on the dust container side.

Further, the predetermined position higher than the threshold height of the dust container is between the threshold of the dust container and the ceiling of the dust container and closer to the threshold side.

In addition, the control unit controls the dust detection unit to distinguish the area for detecting the dust and the area for not detecting the dust, and to clean the area for detecting the dust repeatedly or in a predetermined pattern.

In addition, when an error occurs in the dust detection unit and continuously cleans the predetermined area, the control unit repeatedly cleans the predetermined area when the number or time of the repeated cleaning of the predetermined area is more than a predetermined value. Control to drive off the road.

The apparatus may further include a maintenance station returning to check an error occurring in the dust detection unit. The control unit may further include a maintenance station if the dust detection unit has an error and continuously cleans a predetermined area even when there is no dust. Control to return to or inform the user of an error in the dust detection unit.

In addition, the control unit controls to empty the dust container when it is determined by the dust detection unit that the amount of dust is expected in the dust container, or when the dust inlet of the dust container is caught or dust is overflowing.

The apparatus may further include a maintenance station for emptying the dust container by creating a flow that sucks air from the dust container, and the controller controls to return to the maintenance station.

In addition, the control unit controls to return to the maintenance station when an error occurs in the dust detection unit or when the amount of dust in the dust container is larger than an expected amount, or when dust is caught in the inlet of the dust container or dust is overflowing.

Robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body; A driving unit for driving the main body; A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum; A dust container for storing dust scraped up through the drum brush unit; A dust detection unit including a light emitting unit for transmitting a beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam, and detecting a presence of dust flowing through the drum brush unit; And a control unit for determining whether dust is introduced into the dust container through the presence or absence of dust detected by the dust detection unit, and whether the dust flowing into the dust container has accumulated in the expected amount. It includes one or more reflecting or refracting portions that reflect or refract the beam in a predetermined path such that one beam is received at the light receiving portion.

Dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting unit for transmitting a beam; A light receiving unit receiving the transmitted beam; And at least one reflector or refracting unit that reflects or refracts the beam in a predetermined path so that the beam transmitted from the light emitter is received by the light receiver.

Robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a main body; A driving unit for driving the main body; A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum; A dust container for storing dust scraped up through the drum brush unit; A dust detection unit detecting dust flowing into the dust container through the drum brush unit while performing cleaning; And a controller configured to determine the amount of dust flowing into the dust container based on the detection signal of the dust detection unit, compare the determined amount of dust with two or more preset reference values, and control the robot cleaner to perform step-by-step cleaning according to the comparison result. .

In addition, the dust detection unit includes a light emitting unit for transmitting the beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam, and the control unit determines the amount of dust flowing into the dust container according to the light receiving amount of the beam received in the light receiving unit.

In addition, the step-by-step cleaning is cleaning to distinguish the intensity of cleaning by comparing the determined amount of dust and two or more reference values.

In addition, the controller compares the determined dust amount with the first reference value and the second reference value, and if the determined dust amount is less than or equal to the first reference value, cleans the first stage, and if the determined dust amount exceeds the first reference value and is less than or equal to the second reference value, The robot cleaner may perform the second stage cleaning if the determined amount of dust exceeds the second reference value.

In addition, the control unit controls the robot cleaner to clean by increasing the cleaning intensity from the first step cleaning to the third step cleaning.

The robot cleaner according to an aspect of the present invention can accurately determine whether or not dust is introduced.

In addition, the cleaning area can be cleaned by distinguishing and cleaning the cleaning area according to the inflow or dust amount of the dust, and the cleaning time can be reduced.

In addition, in detecting dust, it is possible to perform a stable cleaning stroke by appropriately responding when an error occurs in the detection sensor.

In addition, by setting the detection reference value of the dust detection unit to two or more, it is possible to adjust the cleaning strength according to the amount of dust flowing in, it is possible to perform an effective cleaning stroke.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a bottom perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4b is a schematic diagram showing the operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention and the amount of dust stored in the dust box.
5A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust container according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust bucket according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a graph illustrating a signal for detecting the inflow of dust in the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are graphs showing a signal by the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention detects that the dust container is full of dust or by a false detection.
9A to 10 are flowcharts illustrating a process of cleaning the robot cleaner when the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention does not operate normally when dust is introduced.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process of cleaning the robot cleaner when the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention does not perform normal operation, such as not detecting that the dust container is full.
12 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
15 to 16 are flowcharts illustrating a cleaning process of the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a dust detection unit and a robot cleaner having the same according to each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention Bottom perspective view of the cleaner.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the robot cleaner 10 may include a main body 11, a driver 20, a cleaner 30, and a controller (not shown).

The main body 11 may have various shapes. For example, the main body 11 may be formed in a circular shape. The main body 11 formed in a circular shape has a constant radius of rotation, thereby avoiding contact with surrounding obstacles and making it easy to change direction. In addition, the main body 11 may be prevented from moving by being caught by surrounding obstacles while driving.

The main body 11 may be provided with various parts for cleaning, that is, the driving unit 20, the cleaning unit 30, various sensors 12 and 13, the display unit 14, and a control unit (not shown).

The driving unit 20 may allow the main body 11 to travel through the cleaning area. The driving unit 20 may include a left and right driving wheels 21a and 21b and a caster 22. The left and right driving wheels 21a and 21b may be provided with power from a motor (not shown). In addition, the left and right driving wheels 21a and 21b may be mounted in the central area under the main body 11 and the casters 22 may be mounted in the front area under the main body 11 to maintain the main body 11 in a stable posture. have.

Meanwhile, each of the left and right driving wheels 21a and 21b and the caster 22 may be configured as one assembly and may be detachably mounted to the main body 11.

The cleaning unit 30 may remove dust from the bottom of the main body 11 and its surroundings. The cleaning unit 30 may include a side brush 40, a drum brush unit 50, and a dust container 60.

The side brush 40 may be rotatably mounted on one side of the edge of the bottom of the main body 11. Outside the central region of the main body 11 may be mounted in a direction diagonal to the front (F) of the main body 11.

The side brush 40 may move the dust accumulated around the main body 11 to the floor on which the main body 11 is placed. The cleaning range can be extended by the side brush 40 to the area around the bottom on which the main body 11 is placed. In particular, the side brush 40 can clean the dust accumulated in the corner that borders the floor and the wall.

The drum brush unit 50 may be mounted at a position outside the central area of the bottom of the main body 11. The left and right driving wheels 21a and 21b provided in the central region of the bottom of the main body 11 may be mounted at a position biased toward the rear R of the main body 11.

The drum brush unit 50 may clean dust accumulated on the floor on which the main body 11 is placed. The drum brush unit 50 may include a dust inflow path 50a forming a dust inflow path, and includes a brush unit 51 provided in the dust inflow path 50a to sweep the dust off the floor. Can be.

The brush unit 51 may include a roller 51a and a brush 51b embedded in the outer circumferential surface of the roller 51a. The roller 51a may be powered from the motor, and as the roller 51a rotates, the brush 51b may stir the dust accumulated on the floor. The roller 51a may be formed of a rigid body, but is not limited thereto. The brush 51b may be formed of various materials having elasticity.

The brush unit 51 may be controlled at constant speed in order to keep the cleaning performance constant. When the brush unit 51 cleans the non-smooth floor surface such as a carpet, the rotation speed may be lower than that of the smooth floor surface. At this time, the rotation speed of the brush unit 51 is fixed by supplying more current. I can keep it.

Dust bin 60 may be mounted to the rear (R) of the main body (11). The inlet 64 of the dust container 60 may communicate with the dust inflow path 50a of the drum brush unit 50. Accordingly, the dust sweeped by the brush unit 51 may be stored in the dust container 60 through the dust inflow path 50a.

The dust container 60 may be separated into a large dust container 61 and a small dust container 62 by the separating wall 63. Correspondingly, the inlet 64 may also be divided into a first inlet 64a provided at the inlet of the large dust container 61 and a second inlet 64b provided at the inlet of the small dust container 62.

The brush unit 51 may sweep dust having a relatively large particle in the large dust container 61, and the blower unit 52 may suck and store relatively small particles of floating dust such as hair and store it in the small dust container 62. . In particular, the brush cleaning member 59 is provided in the vicinity of the second inlet 64b to filter the hair and the like wound around the brush unit 51. Hair, etc. filtered by the brush cleaning member 59 may be stored in the small dust container 62 by the suction force of the blowing unit 52.

Meanwhile, each of the drum brush unit 50, the side brush unit 51, and the dust container 60 may be configured as a single assembly and detachably mounted to the main body 11.

The various sensors 12, 13 may comprise a proximity sensor 12 and / or a vision sensor 13. For example, when the robot cleaner 10 travels in an arbitrary direction without a predetermined path, that is, in the cleaning system without a map, the robot cleaner 10 may travel the cleaning area using the proximity sensor 12. On the contrary, when the robot cleaner 10 travels along a predetermined path, that is, in a cleaning system requiring a map, a vision sensor 13 may be installed to receive location information of the robot cleaner 10 and generate a map. . The vision sensor 13 corresponds to an embodiment of the location recognition system, and may be implemented in various ways.

The display unit 14 may indicate various states of the robot cleaner 10. For example, it may indicate whether the battery is charged or whether the dust container 60 is full of dust, a cleaning mode of the robot cleaner, a sleep mode, and the like.

The controller (not shown) may control the driving unit 20 and the cleaning unit 30 to efficiently perform the cleaning process. The controller may receive obstacles from various sensors 12 and 13 to avoid obstacles and change the driving mode.

In addition, when the control unit determines that the dust container 60 is full of dust by receiving a signal from the dust detection unit 70 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), the control unit docks to a maintenance station (not shown) to hold the dust container 60. Can automatically empty the dust or provide an alarm to the user.

In addition, the control unit may clean by distinguishing an area where dust is introduced from an area where dust does not flow by receiving a signal from the dust detection unit 70. For example, in an area where dust is introduced, the cleaning efficiency may be improved by slowing down the repeated driving and traveling speed or increasing the rotational force of the brush unit 51 or the suction force of the blowing unit 52. Conversely, in areas where dust is not introduced, it may be possible to prioritize cleaning or reduce the number of rides.

Hereinafter, an operation of sensing the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust container will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 5B.

4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of detecting the presence or absence of dust flowing into the robot cleaner and the amount of dust stored in the dust container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the inflow of dust and the amount of dust may be simultaneously detected by one dust detection unit 70. The dust detection unit 70 including the light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 may correspond to each other and may be installed outside the dust container 60. In addition, the light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 of the dust detection unit 70 may be formed in an opposite or reflective type.

First, the robot cleaner shown in FIG. 4A will be described. When the drum brush unit 50 sweeps up the dust, the dust flows into the dust container 60 through the dust inflow path 50a. The dust flowing into the dust container 60 has a constant movement path 5. In addition, when the dust continues to flow, the dust is filled as much as expected in the dust box 60, this state can be seen as a state full of dust. The full dust may form a predetermined shape 75 in the dust container 60. The dust detection unit 70 detects the presence or absence of dust flowing into the dust container 60 through the drum brush unit 50. The controller detects dust on the movement path 5 through the presence or absence of the detected dust. At the same time, determine whether the amount of dust accumulated has reached the expected amount of dust.

That is, the robot cleaner 10 introduces dust while the cleaning is performed, and the introduced dust accumulates inside the dust container 60. When the dust inflow detecting unit 70 has the light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 facing each other and positioned in the dust inflow path, the dust inside the dust container 60 accumulates and the position of the dust detecting unit 70 is located. Kicked up. Therefore, since light is not transmitted to the light receiving unit 72, a phenomenon in which reception sensitivity decreases rapidly may occur, and thus the inflow of dust and the expected level of dust amount may be simultaneously detected.

Thus, when dust is accumulated in the dust container 60 and the amount of dust expected to be detected is accumulated, the dust detection unit 70 detects whether the dust moving along the movement path 5 and the desired amount of dust are filled in the dust container 60. Can be installed in a position where it can. As shown in FIG. 4A, the dust detection unit 70 is provided inside or outside the dust container 60 such that the dust detection unit 70 detects a portion where the dust moving path 5 and the dust filled path cross each other. It can be installed externally.

Here, the position where the light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 of the dust detection unit 70 is installed, the dust container 60 overflows with the dust flowing into the dust container 60 again or the dust accumulated in the dust container 60 flows. ) Is a predetermined position higher than the threshold height or threshold height. That is, the dust detection unit 70 is installed to detect a position that is equal to or greater than the threshold height of the inlet of the dust container 60 through which dust is introduced.

In addition, a predetermined position higher than the threshold height or the threshold height of the dust container 60 is located on the dust container 60 side. This indicates that the position detected by the dust detection unit 70 is not in the main body 11 side of the robot cleaner 10 but in the dust container 60.

Further, the predetermined position higher than the threshold height of the dust container 60 is between the threshold of the dust container 60 and the ceiling of the dust container 60, and is closer to the threshold side. That is, the dust detection unit 70 may be installed to detect around the threshold of the dust container 60, but in order to achieve the optimal sensing performance, the dust detection unit 70 may be installed at a position higher than the threshold height, but more than the ceiling of the dust container 60. Should be installed close together. Here, the degree close to the threshold may be designed differently depending on the type of dust introduced.

While the dust is introduced, the dust detection unit 70 determines whether the dust is introduced. In addition, when the dust container 60 is filled as much as expected because the dust is introduced and accumulated, it can be determined that the dust container 60 is full of dust. That is, it is possible to determine whether the dust is introduced into the dust detection unit 70 and whether the dust is full (expected) in the dust container 60 as expected. Detecting whether the dust is inflow and whether the dust is full as expected in the dust container 60 may be detected through a signal of the dust detection unit 70 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 to be described later.

Next, the robot cleaner illustrated in FIG. 5A will be described. Like the robot cleaner 10 illustrated in FIG. 4A, when the drum brush unit 50 sweeps up dust, dust is introduced into the dust container 60, and the dust flowing into the dust container 60 has a constant movement path 5. Has. If the dust continues to flow, the dust is filled in the dust container 60 as expected. Dust as cold as expected can form a predetermined shape 75 in the dust container 60. At this time, the dust detection unit 70 detects the dust on the movement path (5), and through this, it is possible to determine whether the dust continues to accumulate and at the same time is full as expected.

However, the embodiment of the robot cleaner 10 illustrated in FIG. 5A is different from the embodiment described in FIG. 4A so that the dust detection unit 70 may detect an inlet side of the dust container 60.

Such an embodiment determines whether the dust flowing into the dust container 60 through the detection of the dust detection unit 70 and at the same time, the dust accumulated in the dust container 60 fills the dust container 60 and overflows or flows into the dust container. (60) To determine if dust is caught at the entrance (not as much as expected). That is, when dust is accumulated in the dust container 60, the dust does not move to the inside of the dust container 60, or the dust is accumulated as much as expected, but the dust detection unit 70 has a shape that does not detect this. .

Determining such a state is to discriminate whether or not the inflow of dust and dust accumulated in the dust container 60 as expected (in this case, the dust piled up at the inlet of the dust container 60 and fluttering), which will be described later. It can be seen through the signal of the dust detection unit 70 shown in Figure 8 to.

In addition, Figure 4b is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5b is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4B and 5B are views of the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 4A and 5A described above from the bottom of the robot cleaner 10, and show a shape in which the dust detection unit 70 is installed outside the dust container 60.

FIG. 4B shows the installation position of the dust detection unit 70 corresponding to FIG. 4A. That is, the dust detection unit 70 is installed outside the dust container 60, and dust is introduced through the amount of the signal reaching the light receiving unit 72 among the signals transmitted from the light emitting unit 71 of the dust detection unit 70. It is determined whether or not the dust in the dust container 60 is more than expected.

5B illustrates an installation position of the dust detection unit 70 corresponding to FIG. 5A, and the dust detection unit 70 detects dust at an inlet side of the dust container 60, and through this, the controller determines whether dust is introduced. And it is determined that the dust container 60 is dusted or overflowed due to the large amount of accumulated dust.

Next, a method of distinguishing whether there is an inflow of dust into one dust detecting unit 70 and that the dust is filled as expected in the dust container 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

The controller controls the presence or absence of dust flowing into the dust container 60 through the drum brush unit 50 and the amount of dust stored in the dust container through a predetermined pattern according to time of the light receiving amount of the beam received at the light receiving unit of the dust detection unit 70. The two pieces of information about whether the quantity is expected can be determined separately. That is, it is possible to determine which of the two states with one signal pattern received by the light receiving unit 72.

6 is a graph illustrating a signal for detecting the inflow of dust in the dust detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 and 8 are graphs showing a signal that the dust detection unit detects that dust is full as expected in the dust container.

First, in the graph shown in FIG. 6, when the dust flowing into the dust container 60 through the dust flow passage 50a passes through the detection area of the dust detection unit 70, the signal transmitted from the light emitting unit 71 is temporarily transmitted. It is shown that the light receiving portion 72 does not reach. The horizontal axis of the graph represents time, and the vertical axis represents the intensity of the signal reaching the light receiving unit 72. In addition, since the time that does not reach the light receiving unit 72 also increases according to the size of the dust, it is possible to detect the size of the dust using this.

The signal Data received by the light receiving unit 72 basically maintains a value larger than the predetermined threshold value Th (first reference value), and when the inflow of dust, the signal Data is instantaneously dropped up and down. The time of fall and rise is proportional to the size of the dust. Through the signal pattern of the dust detection unit 70, the controller may detect whether or not dust is introduced.

In this case, the first reference value is a value that changes according to a signal received by the light receiving unit 72. That is, it is not a fixed value but a value that changes in proportion to the change in the signal received by the light receiving unit 72. As shown in FIG. 6, the first reference value changes according to the change of the received signal Data between the intensity 500 and 600 of the received light amount. In this case, the intensity of the received light may vary depending on the type of dust.

Next, the graph shown in FIG. 7 shows that the signal transmitted from the light emitting portion 71 of the dust detection unit 70 does not reach the light receiving portion 72 because the dust is true as expected in the dust container 60. It is. When the dust continues to flow into the dust container 60 and accumulates, the dust accumulated in the signal transmitted from the light emitting unit 71 is blocked, and the amount of the signal received by the light receiving unit 72 gradually decreases and then maintains a sharply reduced state. do. When the amount Data of the received signal is kept below the threshold value Th (second reference value) which is a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the dust container 60 is filled with the expected value.

Here, unlike the first reference value of FIG. 6, the second reference value is not a value that changes by following a signal received by the light receiver 72. That is, the second reference value indicates that the beam generated in the light emitting unit 71 hardly reaches the light receiving unit 72 due to the continuous dust present between the light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 of the dust detection unit 70. The amount of light received in this case.

Next, the graph shown in FIG. 8 is a graph when the dust detection unit 70 is installed to detect the inlet side of the dust container 60. Compared with the graph of FIG. 7, the installation position of the dust detection unit 70 which shows the graph of FIG. 7 is a position which detects that the quantity of dust accumulate | stored in the dust container 60 has reached the anticipated quantity, The graph of FIG. The installation position of the dust detection unit 70 is a position that detects that the amount of dust accumulated in the dust container 60 has reached the expected amount, and at the same time, the dust flows to the inlet of the dust container 60, or It is a position to detect flapping due to dust caught on the threshold part.

That is, the graph according to the time of the received light amount detected when the dust detection unit 70 is located at the inlet of the dust container 60 may include not only the graph shown in FIG. 7 but also the graph shown in FIG. 8.

When the dust is filled in the dust container 60 and flows out of the dust container 60, or when the dust is caught by the dust container 60 entrance and flutters, the received light quantity signal Data received by the light receiving unit 72 is a threshold value that is a predetermined value. Although not falling below the value Th (third reference value), a signal (signal shown in FIG. 6) appearing at the time of dust inflow appears repeatedly for a predetermined time. That is, the phenomenon of returning to the original state is repeated when the light receiving amount of the beam received by the light receiving portion 72 has decreased below the third reference value for a predetermined time. In this case, the dust container 60 is not filled with dust, but since the cleaning efficiency is reduced, it is necessary to determine that the dust container 60 should be emptied.

Referring to the change in the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit 72 according to the time shown in FIG. 8, the light receiving amount value below the third reference value appeared four times during the predetermined time of 2000 ticks (1 tick is 2ms). In other words, since it indicates that there is no dust inflow for a predetermined time for cleaning a zone, in this case, there is no dust in the zone, but it is determined that dust is fluttering or overflowing due to the dust around the threshold. can do.

Here, the third reference value is a value that changes following the signal received by the light receiving unit 72. That is, it is not a fixed value but a value that changes in proportion to the change in the signal received by the light receiving unit 72. As shown in FIG. 8, the third reference value changes according to the change of the received signal Data with time between the intensity 500 and 600 of the received amount of light.

As such, when the data received by the light receiving unit 72 includes a signal similar to the dust inflow detection signal that appears repeatedly at a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times, dust flows to the inlet side of the dust container 60 or dust on the inlet side. It is a case where it is necessary to empty the dust container 60 as if it is caught and fluttering as if the dust container 60 was cold as expected.

Next, the robot cleaner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention cleans the dust based on whether the dust can be determined through the dust detection unit 70 and whether the dust is filled in the dust container 60 as much as expected. 9A to 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 11 to control the robot cleaner 10 in response to a process of traveling and a case where an abnormality occurs in the dust detection unit 70.

First, the cleaning driving process will be described.

The cleaning driving pattern of the robot cleaner 10 may be implemented in various ways. For example, the robot cleaner 10 may have a zigzag method, a random method, a spiral method, and a wall following. You can travel in a variety of ways, including. The vision system may recognize location information of the robot cleaner 10, generate a map of the cleaning area, and travel along a predetermined path.

In addition, the driving pattern of the robot cleaner 10 may be changed so that the robot cleaner 10 performs the cleaning efficiently. That is, by receiving the signal from the dust detection unit 70, the cleaning area may be divided into a region into which dust flows in and a region into which dust does not flow, thereby performing a different cleaning task. For example, when the dust detection unit 70 detects dust inflow while the robot cleaner 10 runs in a random direction such as a zigzag or random method, the controller may control the robot cleaner 10 to introduce dust. The area may be driven in a spiral manner, and the amount of rotation of the brush unit 51 may be increased or the amount of suction of the blower unit 52 may be increased.

On the other hand, when the dust detection unit 70 detects the inflow of dust while the robot cleaner 10 travels along the predetermined map, the controller may modify the map to repeatedly travel in the area where the dust is introduced and travel. You can refine the map's spacing to make it narrower. In addition, the amount of rotation of the brush unit 51 may be increased or the amount of suction of the blowing unit 52 may be increased, and the traveling speed may also be changed. Also, areas where dust is detected can be prioritized to clean first and areas where dust is not detected later.

Through this, the dust detection unit 70 may accurately determine whether dust is introduced (or dust inflow amount). The robot cleaner 10 having the same may further increase the cleaning efficiency by distinguishing an area where dust is introduced and an area where no dust is introduced, and increasing the cleaning efficiency by distinguishing and cleaning a large dusty area and a small dusty area. Can reduce the cleaning time.

Next, a process of controlling the robot cleaner 10 when an abnormality occurs in the dust detection unit 70 will be described.

9A to 10 are flowcharts illustrating a process of cleaning the robot cleaner when the dust detection unit 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention does not operate normally when dust is introduced, and FIG. 11 is an embodiment of the present invention. According to whether or not the dust detection unit 70 according to whether or not the dust detection unit 70 detects whether the dust in the dust container 60 is full, and returns to the maintenance station (not shown) to perform automatic discharge A flowchart illustrating a cleaning process of the robot cleaner 10 is shown.

First, as shown in FIG. 9, the process of controlling the robot cleaner 10 when the dust detection unit 70 does not operate normally when dust is introduced will be described.

FIG. 9A determines whether there is an inflow of dust during the cleaning run (100) (110), and when the inflow of dust is detected by the dust detection unit 70, the area in which the inflow of dust is precisely cleaned or repeatedly repeated in a predetermined pattern. Clean the area with (120). During the pattern cleaning or repeated cleaning, whether the inflow of dust is continuously detected (130), and if there is no inflow of dust, the process returns to the normal cleaning driving step 100 and moves to another area to continue cleaning. If the inflow of dust continues, the pattern / repeated cleaning frequency or time is counted 140. This is to determine whether the pattern / repeated cleaning is performed because the inflow of dust continues or if there is an error (error) in the dust detection unit 70.

It is determined whether the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning is greater than or equal to a predetermined set value (150). If the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning is less than a predetermined value, since the dust is continuously introduced into the current cleaning area, the process moves to step 120 of pattern / repeating cleaning the current cleaning area. If the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning is more than a predetermined value, since there is a high possibility that the pattern / repeated cleaning is continuously performed without dust flowing in, it is determined that there is an error in the dust detection unit 70 and accordingly The user of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 is notified 160. Notifying the user of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 may be notified through a sound generated by the robot cleaner 10 or may be visually notified through the display unit 14.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figure 9b, unlike in Figure 9a, if the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning has a value or more than a predetermined value to escape to a different area in a certain area of the pattern / repeated cleaning Perform a cleaning run. Unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, this does not immediately inform the user of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70, but performs cleaning for other cleaning areas beyond the pattern / repeated cleaning area, and for other cleaning areas. When the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning is more than a predetermined value, the user is notified of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70, so as to more accurately check the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70.

Referring to FIG. 9B, the cleaning process illustrated in FIG. 9B will first determine whether there is an inflow of dust during a cleaning run (101, 111). Cleaning precisely or repeatedly cleaning the area (121). During the pattern cleaning or repeated cleaning, whether the inflow of dust is continuously detected (131), and if there is no inflow of dust, the process returns to the normal cleaning driving step 101 and moves to another area to continue cleaning. If the inflow of dust continues, the pattern / repeated cleaning frequency or time is counted (141). This is to determine whether the pattern / repeated cleaning is performed because the inflow of dust continues or if there is an error (error) in the dust detection unit 70.

It is determined whether the number or time of pattern / repeated cleaning is more than a predetermined set value (151). If the number or time of the pattern / repeated cleaning is less than the predetermined value, since the dust is continuously introduced into the current cleaning area, the process moves to step 121 of pattern / repeating cleaning the current cleaning area.

If the number or time of pattern / repeating cleaning is more than a predetermined value, there is a high possibility of continuing the pattern / repeating cleaning without introducing dust, but unlike 9a, driving outside a certain area of pattern / repeating cleaning Perform (161). Subsequently, it is determined whether the driving out of the cleaning area is more than a predetermined time or number of times (171). If the predetermined time or number of times or more is determined, the dust detecting unit is determined to be abnormal, and the user is notified of the abnormality of the dust detecting unit (181). . In this case, too, it may be notified through sound or visually informed through the display unit 14.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the process of controlling the robot cleaner 10 when the dust detection unit 70 does not perform normal operation when dust is introduced will be described with reference to portions different from those of FIGS. 9A and 9B.

Unlike in FIGS. 9A to 9B, the robot cleaner control process illustrated in FIG. 10 determines that there is an error in the dust detection unit 70 when the time or number of times of pattern / repeated cleaning is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (250). In step 260, the abnormality of 70 is inspected.

In this case, the inspection of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 may be performed in various forms. For example, in the state of returning to the maintenance station, the robot cleaner 10 is operated while the drum brush unit 50 of the robot cleaner 10 is stopped. In this case, the dust detection unit 70 also introduces dust. If it is detected that the dust detection unit 70 detects the inflow of dust even if there is no inflow of dust, it can be determined that there is an error in the dust detection unit 70.

In addition, an abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 may be detected through the above-described process even in the step of performing the cleaning driving, not in a state of being coupled with the maintenance station. For example, the robot cleaner 10 may be controlled to switch to the inspection mode. When the inspection mode is performed, the cleaning run is performed while the operation of the drum brush unit 50 is stopped in the cleaning run having a predetermined travel path. That is, when the inflow of dust is detected in the inspection mode, since it is determined that there is inflow of dust despite the absence of the operation of the drum brush unit 70, it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the dust detection unit 70. .

That is, when inspecting whether the dust detection unit 70 has an abnormality, it is possible to return to the maintenance station or the general cleaning driving state.

In addition, the above-described determination of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 may be performed through a control unit included in the dust detection unit 70 itself, or a control unit provided separately may detect a signal detected through the dust detection unit 70. Can be made by receiving.

As a result of the determination of the abnormality, if there is no abnormality, the process returns to the cleaning driving step 200 again, and if there is an abnormality, the user is notified of the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 (270 and 280).

In addition, after the dust container 60 is empty, the abnormality of the dust detection unit 70 may be inspected. In other words, after returning to the maintenance station, the dust is discharged automatically and the dust detection unit is inspected. If there is a problem after the test, the user can be notified by sound.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 11, the robot cleaner control process will be described in the case where the dust detection unit 70 does not operate normally in detecting whether the dust container 60 has the expected amount of dust.

When the robot cleaner 10 detects the amount of dust expected by the dust container 60 during the cleaning driving operation 300, the dust cleaner 60 returns to the maintenance station to empty the dust container 60 and detects the expected amount of dust. If not, the cleaning operation is continued (310, 320). After detecting the expected amount of dust and performing automatic discharge to empty the dust container 60 (330), and checks the abnormality of the dust detection unit (340). The abnormality detection of the dust detection unit is the same as the content described with reference to FIG. 10. If there is an error in the dust detection unit 70 to notify the user to maintain it (350, 360). If there is no abnormality in the dust detection unit 70, the process moves to 300, which is the cleaning driving step, and continues the normal cleaning driving.

Next, a dust detection unit and a robot cleaner including the same according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

12 to 14 illustrate various forms of the dust detection unit installed in the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the dust detection unit 70 further including a reflector 77 as another embodiment of the present invention. The dust detection unit 70 further includes a reflection or refraction unit 77 in addition to the light emission unit 71 and the light reception unit 72. The reflection or refraction unit 77 reflects a signal transmitted from the light emission unit 71. Change the movement path of the signal in the desired direction. Here, the reflecting unit or the refraction unit 77 may be formed in various forms such as a lens, a mirror, and includes a form of refracting the signal in addition to the half of the signal. That is, the reflection or refraction unit 77 may reflect the signal to change the movement path, or may refrac the signal to change the movement path of the signal.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a structure 70 of a dust detection unit in which a reflector or refracting unit 77 reflects a transmission signal at different angles as another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is yet another embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure 70 of the dust detection unit which is an example.

As described above, the dust detection unit 70 illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 14 includes a X reflection unit 77. Through the dust detection unit 70 having such various reflection or refraction portions 77, the space occupied by the light emitting portion 71 and the light receiving portion 72 can be reduced, and particularly in the installation constraints on the space of the opposite type. Can escape. That is, the direction of the signal can be changed by providing a reflection or refraction portion 77 that occupies a smaller space than the installation space of the light emitting portion 71 and the light receiving portion 72, so as to face the light emitting portion 71 and the light receiving portion 72. You do not need to install it. Through this, the dust detection unit 70 can be freely installed in the dust container 60 installed adjacent to the drum brush unit 50 or the housing 54 without any space limitation. In addition, the signal coming out through the reflection or refraction 77 may be restricted or controlled by a slit or barrel plate (not shown) that is an instrument aid. In addition, one or more reflection or refraction units 77 may be installed to transmit a signal transmitted from the light emitting unit 71 to the light receiving unit 72 through various paths.

In addition, the robot cleaner 10 including the dust detection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention may detect the presence or absence of the incoming dust or the amount of dust stored in the dust container 60. That is, in the dust detection unit and the robot cleaner including the same according to another embodiment of the present invention including the reflector or the refractive unit 77, the dust detection unit 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention In addition to the case of detecting whether the inflow and the amount of dust stored in the dust box 60, it may be applied to the case of detecting any one of the inflow or dust amount of dust.

Next, a cleaning process of the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 16. 15 to 16 are flowcharts illustrating a cleaning process of the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The cleaning process of the robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention determines the amount of dust on the basis of the dust inflow signal detected by the dust detection unit 70 provided in the robot cleaner 1, and presets the determined amount of dust. Stepwise cleaning is performed with different cleaning strengths compared to two or more reference values.

First, as shown in FIG. 15, the robot cleaner 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention performs a cleaning run (400). When the dust detection unit 70 detects the inflow of dust during the cleaning run, the amount of dust flowing into the dust container 60 is determined based on the detected signal. Specifically, the amount of dust flowing into the dust container 60 is determined based on how much the beam transmitted from the light emitter 71 included in the dust detection unit 70 is received by the light receiver 72 (410).

Next, the determined amount of dust is compared with two or more preset reference values (420). Based on the comparison result, the cleaning is performed in stages having different cleaning strengths (430).

In more detail, the cleaning process illustrated in FIG. 16 will be described to explain the cleaning process of the robot cleaner according to another exemplary embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 16, the robot cleaner 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention performs a cleaning run (500). When the dust detection unit 70 detects the inflow of dust during the cleaning run, the amount of dust flowing into the dust container 60 is determined based on the detected signal. In detail, the amount of dust flowing into the dust container 60 is determined based on how much the beam transmitted from the light emitter 71 included in the dust detection unit 70 is received by the light receiver 72 (510).

Next, the determined dust amount (a) is compared with the first reference value (b) and the second reference value (c) which are preset (520). This is the case in which two or more preset reference values are two in the control process of the robot cleaner 1 described with reference to FIG. 15.

If the determined amount of dust (a) is less than or equal to the first reference value (b), the first stage of cleaning with low cleaning intensity is performed (531, 541), and the determined amount of dust (a) exceeds the first reference value (b). When the second reference value (c) is less than or equal to the second cleaning step (533, 543) of medium cleaning intensity, if the determined dust amount (a) exceeds the second reference value (c), the third step cleaning is performed. (545).

Here, the strength of cleaning to distinguish the first to third stage cleaning may be implemented in various forms. That is, to adjust the cleaning intensity by adjusting the rotation speed of the drum brush and the side brush of the robot cleaner 1, or to adjust the cleaning intensity by adjusting the suction force of the robot cleaner 1, or to repeatedly clean the area. The driving path may be adjusted to adjust the emphasis of cleaning, or the driving pattern of the corresponding area may be adjusted to adjust the cleaning intensity, or the cleaning intensity may be adjusted with or without cleaning driving to the corresponding area.

Specifically, in the cleaning process of FIG. 16, the first reference value is a reference value (sensitive) when the amount of dust is small (or light weight of dust), and the second reference value is a case where the amount of dust (or heavy weight of dust) is high. Is the reference value of dullness.

The first stage cleaning with low cleaning strength determined based on this reduces the rotation speed of the drum brush and the side brush, reduces the suction force, or reduces the number of repeated cleaning runs.

Further, the third stage cleaning with high cleaning intensity increases the rotation speed of the drum brush and the side brush, increases the suction force, or increases the number of times of repeated cleaning runs.

In the second stage cleaning with a medium cleaning intensity, the rotation speed or suction force of the drum brush, the side brush, or the number of times of the repeated cleaning run are made between the first stage cleaning and the third stage cleaning.

As described above, stepwise cleaning may be performed based on two reference values. Of course, stepwise cleaning may be performed by setting a plurality of reference values according to the cleaning environment.

After performing any one of the above three cleaning step it is again determined whether the inflow of dust in the dust container 60 through the dust detection unit 70 (550).

If there is an inflow of dust, the process returns to step 510 in which the amount of dust is determined again. If there is no inflow of dust, the process returns to step 500 in which cleaning runs to another area.

10: robot cleaner 20: drive unit
30: cleaning unit 40: side brush
50: drum brush unit 60: dust bucket
70: dust detection unit 71: light emitting unit
72: light receiving portion 77: reflecting portion or refracting portion

Claims (24)

main body;
A driving unit for driving the main body;
A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum;
A dust container for storing dust swept up through the drum brush unit;
A dust detection unit that detects the presence or absence of dust flowing into the dust container through the drum brush unit while performing cleaning;
And a controller configured to determine whether dust is introduced into the dust container through the presence or absence of dust detected by the dust detection unit, and whether or not the dust flowing into the dust container has been accumulated and expected. The method of claim 1,
The dust detection unit,
It includes a light emitting unit for transmitting a beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam,
The controller determines whether the dust is introduced into the dust container and whether the dust flowing into the dust container has accumulated according to the received light amount of the beam received by the light receiving unit. The method of claim 2,
And the control unit determines whether dust is introduced into the dust container and whether the dust flowing into the dust container has been accumulated and expected based on a predetermined pattern according to time of the light receiving amount received by the light receiving unit. The method of claim 3,
The controller may reduce the light receiving amount of the beam received by the light receiving unit to a first reference value or less for a predetermined time and then return to the original state.
A robot cleaner that determines that dust is introduced into the dust container. The method of claim 3,
The control unit
And a robot cleaner which determines that the amount of dust is expected in the dust container when the light receiving amount of the beam decreases and remains below a second reference value. The method of claim 3,
The control unit determines that the light receiving amount of the beam received by the light receiving unit decreases below a third reference value for a predetermined time and then returns to its original state, and the robot determines that dust is in the inlet of the dust container or dust is overflowing. vacuum cleaner.
The method of claim 2,
The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit,
And a robot cleaner positioned opposite to a point at which a predetermined path, the inflow path into which the dust flows and the dust accumulated in the dust container, is expected to cross. The method of claim 2,
The dust container is a robot cleaner formed of a material that can pass through the beam transmitted from the light emitting unit to be received by the light receiving unit. The method of claim 2,
The light emitting portion and the light receiving portion
And a robot cleaner installed at a predetermined position higher than the threshold height or the threshold height of the dust bucket overflowing the dust again or the dust accumulated in the dust bucket. 10. The method of claim 9,
A predetermined position higher than the threshold height or the threshold height of the dust container is located on the dust container side. The method of claim 10,
The predetermined position higher than the threshold height of the dust container,
And a robot cleaner between the threshold of the dust bin and the ceiling of the dust bin and closer to the threshold. The method of claim 1,
The control unit is a robot cleaner for controlling the dust detection unit to distinguish the area for detecting the dust and the area for not detecting the dust, and to clean the area for detecting the dust repeatedly or in a predetermined pattern. The method of claim 12,
The control unit,
When an error occurs in the dust detection unit and continues to clean a predetermined area repeatedly,
And the dust detection unit controls to move out of the region to be repeatedly cleaned when the number or time of repeatedly cleaning the predetermined region is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The method of claim 13,
And a maintenance station returning to check an error occurring in the dust detection unit.
And the controller controls to return to the maintenance station or notifies the user of an error of the dust detection unit when the dust detection unit generates an error and continuously cleans a predetermined area even when there is no dust. The method of claim 1,
And the controller is configured to control the emptying of the dust container when it is determined by the dust detection unit that the amount of dust is expected in the dust container or when the dust inlet or dust is overflowing in the inlet of the dust container. 16. The method of claim 15,
And a maintenance station for emptying the dust container by creating a flow for sucking air from the dust container.
The control unit is a robot cleaner for controlling to return to the maintenance station. The method of claim 16,
The control unit,
A robot cleaner which controls to return to the maintenance station when an error occurs in the dust detection unit or when the amount of dust in the dust container is greater than an expected amount, or when dust is caught in the inlet of the dust container or dust is overflowing. main body;
A driving unit for driving the main body;
A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum;
A dust container for storing dust swept up through the drum brush unit;
It includes a light emitting unit for transmitting a beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam,
A dust detecting unit detecting a presence or absence of dust flowing through the drum brush unit;
And a controller configured to determine whether dust is introduced into the dust container through the presence or absence of dust detected by the dust detection unit, and whether the dust flowing into the dust container has been accumulated and expected.
The dust detection unit,
And at least one reflector or refraction unit for reflecting or refracting the beam in a predetermined path so that the beam transmitted from the light emitting unit is received at the light receiving unit. Light emitting unit for transmitting a beam;
A light receiving unit receiving the transmitted beam;
And at least one reflector or refraction unit for reflecting or refracting the beam in a predetermined path so that the beam transmitted from the light emitting unit is received at the light receiving unit.
Dust detection unit that detects the presence of incoming dust. main body;
A driving unit for driving the main body;
A drum brush unit provided in the main body and sweeping up dust through a brush and a rotating drum;
A dust container for storing dust swept up through the drum brush unit;
A dust detecting unit detecting dust flowing into the dust container through the drum brush unit while performing cleaning;
A control unit for determining the amount of dust flowing into the dust container based on the detection signal of the dust detecting unit, comparing the determined amount of dust with two or more preset reference values, and controlling the robot cleaner to perform step-by-step cleaning according to the comparison result Including robot cleaner. 21. The method of claim 20,
The dust detection unit includes a light emitting unit for transmitting a beam and a light receiving unit for receiving the transmitted beam,
The control unit is a robot cleaner for determining the amount of dust flowing into the dust container in accordance with the light receiving amount of the beam received in the light receiving unit. The method of claim 21,
The step-by-step cleaning is a robot cleaner for cleaning the dust to distinguish the intensity of cleaning by comparing the two or more reference values. The method of claim 22,
The controller compares the determined amount of dust with the first reference value and the second reference value, and if the determined amount of dust is less than or equal to the first reference value, performs first cleaning, and the determined amount of dust exceeds the first reference value and the first reference value. The robot cleaner performs a second step cleaning if the reference value is less than or equal to two reference values, and performs the third step cleaning if the determined amount of dust exceeds the second reference value. 24. The method of claim 23,
And the controller controls the robot cleaner to clean the robot cleaner by increasing the cleaning intensity from the first step cleaning to the third step cleaning.

Images