KR20130039622A

KR20130039622A - Robot cleaner, remote controlling system for the same, and terminal

Info

Publication number: KR20130039622A
Application number: KR1020110104309A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 이유진; 황경은
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2011-10-12
Filing date: 2011-10-12
Publication date: 2013-04-22

Abstract

PURPOSE: A robot cleaner, a remote control system thereof, and a terminal device are provided to fast and correctly connect with the robot cleaner by providing result to the terminal device after determining the robot vacuum cleaner to remotely control whether or not capable of wireless communication. CONSTITUTION: A robot cleaner comprises a communications unit and a control unit. The communications unit receives connection request from an external device and transmits approval result corresponding to the request to the external device. The communications unit receives control command from the external device. The control unit performs approval procedure of the external device and controls the robot cleaner based on the control command.

Description

ROBOT CLEANER, REMOTE CONTROLLING SYSTEM FOR THE SAME, AND TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, a terminal device for remotely controlling a connected robot cleaner, and a remote control system including the same.

In general, robots have been developed for industrial use and have been a part of factory automation. In recent years, medical robots, aerospace robots, and the like have been developed, and household robots that can be used in ordinary homes are being developed.

A representative example of the home robot is a robot cleaner, which is a kind of home appliance that cleans by suctioning dust or foreign matter while driving around a certain area by itself. Such a robot cleaner is generally equipped with a rechargeable battery and has an obstacle sensor capable of avoiding obstacles during traveling, so that it can run and clean by itself.

On the other hand, a method for controlling the robot cleaner includes a method using a remote control that is a user interface, a method using a button provided on the robot cleaner body. Recently, application techniques using the robot cleaner have been developed. For example, the development of a robot cleaner having a networking function has been progressed, and a function of enabling a robot cleaner to remotely issue a cleaning command or monitoring a house situation has been implemented. In addition, robot cleaners having magnetic location recognition and mapping functions have been developed using cameras or various sensors.

One object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner remote control system for providing one or more robot cleaners capable of remote control to a terminal device, and a terminal device therefor.

In addition, an embodiment provides a robot cleaner remote control system that can easily change the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled by providing one or more robot cleaner lists to the terminal device upon initial connection or according to user needs, and a terminal device therefor. There is another purpose.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention is to determine whether the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled is capable of wireless communication and being connected to another terminal device, and provide the terminal device with the results thereof, thereby enabling the robot cleaner remotely to be quickly and accurately performed. Another purpose is to provide a control system.

In one embodiment, a robot cleaner remote control system includes: a terminal device configured to display a list of one or more robot cleaners capable of remote control on a screen; And at least one robot cleaner that performs an approval procedure according to the connection request of the terminal device and receives a control command from the connected terminal device to perform an operation of the robot cleaner.

In an embodiment, the robot cleaner remote control system may further include a database server connected to the terminal device and one or more robot cleaners through a network and including registration information of the one or more robot cleaners.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a robot cleaner includes: a communication unit which receives a connection request from an external device, transmits an approval result corresponding to the request to the external device, and receives a control command from a connected external device; And a control unit that performs an approval procedure of the external device and controls the robot cleaner based on the control command.

In an embodiment, the robot cleaner may further include a connection monitoring unit that monitors the connection and disconnection with the external device.

In an embodiment, the control unit may further include an authentication unit for approving or blocking the connection of the external device in response to the connection request of the external device.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a terminal device includes: a display unit configured to display a list of one or more identifiers for identifying one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled on a screen; And a controller configured to determine whether the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier is capable of wireless communication, request a connection to the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier selected from the list, and generate a control command for controlling the connected robot cleaner.

Embodiments provide an effect of easily selecting and controlling a robot cleaner to be remotely controlled by providing a list including one or more robot cleaners on a screen of a terminal device when the robot cleaner is first connected at a remote location or as required by a user. to provide.

In addition, embodiments may obtain an effect of easily changing the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled by updating a list including one or more robot cleaners on a screen of the terminal device or automatically based on a user input.

In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a terminal device with a user interface that enables the user to easily identify whether the robot cleaner corresponding to the list provided to the terminal device is capable of wireless communication and whether the robot cleaner requested to be connected is currently connected to another terminal device. By providing on the screen, the effect of simplifying the system and providing user convenience is enhanced.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment;
2A and 2B schematically show the configuration of a remote control system according to an embodiment;
3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment;
4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment;
5A to 5F are views illustrating a process of connecting a terminal device and a robot cleaner according to an embodiment on a screen of a terminal device;
6A to 6D are diagrams illustrating a case in which a terminal device and a robot cleaner fail to connect, according to an embodiment;
7 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which a robot cleaner and a terminal device are connected in a remote control system according to an embodiment;
8A and 8B are views illustrating a process of changing a robot cleaner to be connected to a terminal device according to an embodiment on a screen of a terminal device;
9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing a robot cleaner to be controlled by a terminal device in a remote control system according to an exemplary embodiment.

First, referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a robot cleaner 100 and a terminal device 200. The robot cleaner 100 receives a control command from the wirelessly connected terminal device 200 and performs an operation corresponding to the control command. The terminal device 200 may be implemented in various forms, as shown in FIG. 2A (200a, 200b, 200c, 200d). For example, the terminal device 200 includes a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a netbook, a tablet, and the like. can do. The terminal device 200 transmits the control command to the robot cleaner 100 connected through a network or the like, and the robot cleaner is operated based on the control command. As shown in FIG. 2B, the robot cleaner 100 may have a plurality of robot cleaners to be remotely controlled (100a, 100b, ... 100N). The robot cleaner remote control system as described above may further include a database server 122 storing user login information and product registration information of the robot cleaner. At this time, the control command is transmitted only to the specific robot cleaner connected to the terminal device 200 among the plurality of robot cleaners 100a, 100b, ... 100N, and the connected robot cleaner operates accordingly.

The terminal device 200 and the robot cleaner 100 may include a short-range communication standard such as Bluetooth (RF), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and Wi-Fi. -Fi), Wi-Fi (Wireless Broadband (Wibro), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), such as wireless Internet standards, such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface specifications such as USB can be connected. In addition, the terminal device 200 and the robot cleaner 100 may be implemented to exchange additionally necessary information based on a separate protocol. For example, the robot cleaner 100 may provide various information such as location information of the robot cleaner, map information of a region to be cleaned, and surveillance image information to the connected terminal device 200.

1 and 3, the robot cleaner 100 according to the present invention includes a communication unit 120, a control unit 130, a connection monitoring unit 155, and an authentication unit 150. The robot cleaner 100 may include a power unit 197, an image detection unit 110, an image processing unit 140, a location recognition unit 170, a storage unit 180, a driving unit 195, and an input unit ( 300, the output unit 400, and the cleaning unit 160 are further included. However, not all components of the robot cleaner 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 are essential components, and the robot cleaner 100 may be implemented by adding another component to the component illustrated in FIG. 3. The robot cleaner 100 may be implemented by fewer components than those shown in FIG. 3.

The communication unit 120 receives a connection request from an external device, transmits an approval result corresponding to the request to the external device, and receives a control command from the connected external device. In detail, the communication unit 120 may transmit image information, location information, state information, and map information of a region to be cleaned to the connected external device. For example, the communication unit 120 may receive a data transmission request from a connected external device and correspondingly transmit one or more of the above information or, if necessary, transmit one or more of the above information even if there is no request. have. The communication unit 120 receives a control command from the external device, and transmits the received control command to the control unit 130 of the robot cleaner. Here, the control command is a control command for driving the robot cleaner, for example, one of a command for confirming information stored in the robot cleaner and various detected information, a command for driving each unit, and a method for driving the robot cleaner. It may contain the above. The communication unit 120 may further include a wireless access unit, for example, a Wi-Fi unit, connected to a wireless access device such as an access point (AP).

The control unit 130 performs an approval procedure of the external device and controls the robot cleaner based on a control command received from the external device. The actual approval procedure is done via the authentication unit 150 described below. In this case, a procedure of checking whether the robot cleaner main body is capable of wireless communication together with the approval procedure may be performed in parallel. The control unit 130 operates the robot cleaner based on a control algorithm embedded in the robot cleaner, a control program stored in the storage unit 180 of the robot cleaner, or a user command input through the input unit 300 of the main body. Can be driven.

The authentication unit 150 permits or blocks the connection request received from the external device. When the external device requests a connection, the authentication unit 150 identifies the external device and performs a connection approval procedure of the external device based on whether the external device is currently connected to the external device. More specifically, when receiving a connection request from an external device, if already connected to another terminal device 200, the robot cleaner 100 transmits a radio signal for rejecting the approval to the external device. When the connection request is received, if not connected to the other terminal device 200 but the external device is determined to have no authority to connect, the robot cleaner 100 transmits a wireless signal to reject the approval to the external device. If the connection request is received, if the external device is not connected to the other terminal device 200 and the external device has the authority to access the robot cleaner 100, the robot cleaner 100 may generate a radio signal allowing the approval. Send to external device. In another embodiment, the authentication unit 150 may be implemented in the form of an authentication server. In such a case, the authentication unit 150 may store authentication information about the external device, for example, information for identifying the external device, such as a phone number, a user ID, a password address, and the like. In another embodiment, the authentication information about the external device may be implemented to be included in the storage unit 180 provided in the robot cleaner.

The connection monitoring unit 155 monitors in real time whether the robot cleaner is currently connected to the external device. The connection monitoring unit 155 also monitors whether the connection with the connected external device is released. The connection monitoring unit 155 may be implemented to detect a connection / disconnection with the external device only when there is a connection request from the external device. In addition, the connection monitoring unit 155 may be implemented to continuously monitor the connection / disconnection with the external device at regular time intervals or in real time. The disconnection may include a case in which the connected external device is forcibly releasing the connection with the robot cleaner, a case in which the connection is automatically released due to a weakened or broken wireless communication sensitivity, a case in which the robot cleaner directly disconnects the connection, and the like. do. The connection monitoring unit 155 may further include an alarm unit (not shown) indicating that it is currently connected to an external device. For example, the alarm unit outputs a connection / disconnection signal with an external device through a screen or a speaker.

The power supply unit 197 supplies the operating power of the robot cleaner, and when the remaining amount of power is insufficient, the power supply unit 197 may be charged by receiving a charging current. The power unit 197 may further include a predetermined means for informing the amount of power remaining to determine whether the power is charged, for example, a warning unit (not shown) such as a screen or a speaker.

The image detection unit 110 may include one or more cameras, and photographs the area around the cleaning area by using the provided camera. In FIG. 1, the image detection unit 110 is installed above the robot cleaner, but may be installed without limitation in front, rear, or side. In addition, when provided with a plurality of cameras may be formed on the upper or side surfaces of the robot cleaner at a predetermined distance or a predetermined angle. The image detection unit 110 is connected to the camera to focus a subject (not shown), an adjusting unit (not shown) for adjusting the camera, and a lens adjusting unit (not shown) for adjusting the lens. It may further include. In this case, it is preferable to use a lens having a wide angle of view so that all the surrounding areas, for example, all areas of the ceiling when the camera is upward, can be photographed.

The position recognition unit 170 includes one or more distance sensors to recognize the position of the robot cleaner in the cleaning area. The one or more distance sensors may include an acceleration sensor (not shown) that recognizes a speed and a position, an encoder (not shown) connected to a wheel motor that drives the wheel of the robot cleaner, and a rotation speed of the robot cleaner. One or more of the gyro sensors (not shown) may be included. In addition, the position recognition unit 170 may determine the current position in the cleaning area by using a camera provided in the robot cleaner body. The geographic position information of the robot cleaner obtained through the location recognition unit 170 is transmitted to the control unit 130 or to an external device connected through the communication unit 120 to be used when driving the robot cleaner.

The image processing unit 140 compresses the surveillance image output from the image detection unit 110 using a compression technique such as AVI (Audio Video Interleaved), ASF (Advanced Streaming Format). The compressed image may be transmitted to an external device connected through the communication unit 120.

The drive unit 195 is connected with a plurality of wheels including a plurality of main wheels and one or more auxiliary wheels. The driving unit 195 may include a predetermined wheel motor for rotating the wheels, and move the robot cleaner by driving the wheel motor according to a driving command transmitted from the control unit 130.

The storage unit 180 stores a control program for driving the robot cleaner and data thereof. The storage unit 180 may further store image information, obstacle information, location information, a cleaning area, a cleaning map, and the like in addition to the audio information. In addition, approval information related to the connection with the external device can be further stored. The storage unit 180 may also store a cleaning method, a driving method, and the like. The storage unit 500 generally uses a nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory includes a ROM, a flash memory, a magnetic computer storage device (eg, a hard disk, a diskette drive, a magnetic tape), an optical disk drive, a magnetic RAM, a PRAM, and the like.

The input unit 300 may be located above the robot cleaner as shown in FIG. 1. The keys provided in the input unit 300 may include hard keys, soft keys, touch pads, key pad dome switches, touch pads (static / capacitance), jog wheels, jog switches, and the like. . In addition, the input unit 300 may take the form of receiving a command by a user's voice using a speaker and a voice system as necessary. The user may directly input a control command to the robot cleaner through the input unit 300. Furthermore, the user or the like may input a command to output one or more of the information stored in the above-described storage unit 180 through the input unit 300. The input unit 300 may be formed of one or more buttons. For example, the input unit 300 may include a confirmation button, a setting button, and the like. The confirmation button receives a command for confirming the detection information, the obstacle information, the location information, the cleaning area or the cleaning map. The setting button may receive a command for setting the information. The input unit 300 may further include a reset button, a delete button, a cleaning start button, a stop button, and the like for inputting a command to reset the information. In another embodiment, the input unit 300 may further include a button for setting or deleting reservation information, a button for setting or changing a cleaning mode, a button for receiving a command for returning to the charging station, and the like.

The output unit 400 may be detected through the information on the surveillance image stored in the storage unit 180, the information on the external device, the information on the obstacle information or the cleaning area, the obstacle detection information, and the position recognition unit 170. The recognized information and the cleaning map created through the control unit 130 are output. The output unit 400 displays the reservation information, the battery status, the current position, the intensive cleaning, the space expansion, the cleaning method such as zigzag driving, or the driving method of the robot cleaner on the screen. The output unit 400 may further output state information inside the robot cleaner detected by the detection unit 100, for example, a current state of each unit constituting the robot cleaner and a current cleaning state. In addition, the output unit 400 may display external detection information, obstacle information, location information, a cleaning area, a cleaning map, etc. detected by the detection unit 100 on the screen. The input unit 400 may be any one of a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). It may be formed of one element and may take the form of a touch screen. The output unit 400 may further include sound output means for outputting a result of executing the self-diagnosis mode as a sound. For example, the output unit 400 may output a warning sound to the outside according to the warning signal. The sound output means includes means for outputting a sound such as a beeper and a speaker.

The cleaning unit 160 is provided in the lower part of the said main body, and suctions the dirt or dust in a floor surface or air. To this end, the cleaning unit 160 may include a predetermined suction motor for sucking air and a means for agglomerating dust. Specific operations of the cleaning unit 160 are made according to control commands transmitted from the control unit 130.

4 illustrates a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 200 includes a storage unit 210, a display unit 250, a controller 230, a wireless communication unit 220, and a user interface unit 240. The terminal device 200 may communicate with the robot cleaner 100 through the communication server 121 (eg, Wi-Fi), and may specifically communicate with the robot cleaner through the communication unit 120 provided in the robot cleaner. You can also send and receive.

The display unit 250 displays one or more identifier lists for identifying one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled on the screen. The identifier list may be configured based on, for example, product information of a robot cleaner previously registered in a remote database server or storage unit 210 or the like. The identifier may include at least one of an exterior image, an animation image, a product code number, a name edited by a user, and all text information and image information for identifying a robot cleaner to be remotely controlled. can do. In addition, the display unit 250 may display other execution results of the control program executed by the controller 230 on the screen. In one embodiment, the display unit 250 may display an identifier list screen of the robot cleaner including a first indicator indicating whether or not wireless communication is possible and a second indicator indicating whether to connect with another device. In another embodiment, the display 250 may display the identifier list based on the geographical location information of the robot cleaner. In addition, the display unit 250 may further display a login execution screen and a control screen of another connected robot cleaner described below. In addition, the display 250 may update and display the one or more identifier lists periodically.

The controller 230 executes the control program and generates a control command for controlling the robot cleaner connected at a remote location. The control program may be previously installed in the terminal device 200 or transmitted from the outside. The controller 230 may generate a screen and / or a message to be displayed on the screen of the display 250 according to the execution of the control program. In an embodiment, the controller 230 may construct one or more identifier lists as described above and provide them to the display 250. In another embodiment, the controller 230 may configure the one or more identifier list based on the geographic location information of the robot cleaner. In an embodiment, the controller 230 may determine whether the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled is capable of wireless communication, or may be determined only by the robot cleaner itself, thereby generating an indicator for distinguishing the robot cleaner capable of wireless communication. To the display unit 250. The controller 230 requests a connection (connection) for the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled. According to an exemplary embodiment, when the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled is connected (connected) to another device, the controller 230 may generate an indicator indicating this and provide the indicator to the display 250. In another embodiment, if there is a connection request from the controller 230 and the connection request is approved from the corresponding robot cleaner, the controller 230 generates a control screen for controlling the connected robot cleaner. If the connection request is rejected from the corresponding robot cleaner, the controller 230 generates a connection failure message. The controller 230 may generate an entry path from a current screen of the display 250 to a screen displaying the one or more identifier lists, and provide the entry path to the display 250.

The interface unit 240 may be, for example, located on the screen of the display unit 250, and may receive a control command corresponding to a program execution result through a touch screen, a microphone, a print, or the like. In one embodiment, the interface unit 240 may include a user interface to switch from the current screen to the identifier list screen according to a user action applied to the screen of the display unit 250. The user's operation includes a touch operation on a predetermined area of the interface unit 240, a scroll operation including a direction indication, and the like. The screen switching may be performed based on an entry path generated from the controller 230 or stored in the storage 210.

The storage unit 210 may store a control program of the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled and one or more robot cleaner product information to be remotely controlled. In addition, the storage unit 210 may store an entry path to the identifier list screen generated from the controller 230.

The wireless communication unit 220 receives information such as a response signal to the request of the terminal device 200 and the status information of the product, the self-diagnosis result, the captured image information, the current location information, the cleaning map information, and the like from the connected robot cleaner. do. In addition, the request for transmission of such information and the control command and the like are transmitted to the connected robot cleaner.

5A through 5F illustrate a process in which the terminal device 200 and the robot cleaner 100 are connected through a screen of the terminal device, according to an exemplary embodiment. 4 and 5A to 5F for explanation, the control unit 230 of the terminal device 200 executes a control program of the robot cleaner that is pre-installed in the terminal device 100 or provided from another device. As shown in FIG. 5A, a screen for requesting a user to log in is displayed on the display unit 250 of the terminal device 200. 5B and 5C, the terminal device 100 receives an ID and a password from a user by using a keypad provided on a screen of the terminal device 200. The login information may be stored in, for example, the database server 122, in which case the database server 122 compares the stored login information with an ID and password received from the user. As a result of the comparison, if the stored login information and the ID and password input from the user match, login is allowed. Input of the ID and password for login is made directly only at the first login, and the subsequent login can be omitted to use the ID and password stored in the terminal device 200 according to the user selection. That is, after the initial login, the login may be automatically performed through the stored ID and password. While checking the access right by performing the login, the user interface 240 including the login cancel button together with the specific image or animation effect may be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200 as shown in FIG. 5D.

If login is allowed, a list of one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200 as shown in FIG. 5E. The list may be configured based on, for example, product information of a robot cleaner previously registered in a remote database server. If there is no registered product information, a notification message such as “There is no registered product. Please use after registering the product” may be displayed on the screen of the display unit 250. The list consists of an identifier that identifies one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled. The identifier may include at least one of an exterior image, an animation image, a product code number, a name edited by a user, and all text information and image information for identifying a robot cleaner to be remotely controlled. Can be. In addition, a first indicator indicating whether the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier is capable of wireless communication is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200, and a second indicator indicating whether the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier is currently connected to another terminal device. An indicator may be displayed with the identifier.

In one embodiment, the first indicator may take the form of text or an image. For example, the first indicator may take the form of a displayed image so as to know the communication sensitivity strength of the wireless communication. In this case, the current wireless communication sensitivity may be updated in real time and displayed on the screen of the display unit 250 of the terminal device 200. In another embodiment, the first indicator may display the identifiers of the robot cleaners capable of wireless communication and the identifiers of the robot cleaners not capable of wireless communication in separate groups. In another embodiment, the first indicator may allow only the identifiers of the robot cleaner currently available for wireless communication to be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200. In this case, whether wireless communication is possible may be automatically updated at predetermined time intervals or according to a predetermined command through a user interface. In another embodiment, when the robot cleaner is not capable of wireless communication, a notification message “Please check the network connection” may be individually displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200. In a similar manner, the second indicator may also be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200. For example, if a specific robot cleaner is already connected to another device in the list, a text message "connecting" may be displayed together with the identifier.

In one embodiment, the identifier list to be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200 may be generated based on the geographic location information of the corresponding robot cleaner. The geographic location information may use location information transmitted from the location recognition unit 170 of each robot cleaner through a remote server. In another embodiment, the singer geographic location information may be obtained through a Global Position System (GPS) unit, a Wi-Fi Positioning System and / or a Hybrid Positioning System. The controller 230 of the terminal device 200 may configure an identifier list of the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled based on the obtained geographical location information. In detail, the controller 230 may configure the identifier list by displaying the current position of the robot cleaner corresponding to each identifier in a text message. In addition, the controller 230 may configure the identifier list in a form that reflects the current position of each robot cleaner, such as a house plan, stored in advance, and the like. According to this, in connection with cleaning or monitoring a specific area, a suitable robot cleaner among a plurality of robot cleaners can be intuitively selected.

Referring back to FIG. 5E, the identifier list of one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled may be displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200 or only a part of them. Specifically, when the number of identifiers of the robot cleaner to be displayed is small, the identifiers of the list may be simultaneously displayed on one screen of the terminal device 200. When the number of identifiers of the robot cleaner to be displayed is large, that is, the list is long, only some identifiers may be displayed on the current screen of the terminal device 200. In the latter case, identifiers not displayed on the current screen of the terminal device 200 may be displayed on the screen moved to the right (up) or left (down) according to the operation of the user applied to the screen. For example, if a screen touch operation is input to the left region of the center of the screen or a scroll operation is input from the left to the right of the center of the screen, the screen moved to the left as much as the operation applied to the screen of the terminal device 200 is displayed. Is displayed or the next page of the list is displayed.

In a similar manner, when a screen touch operation is input to the right region of the center of the screen or a scroll operation is input from right to left of the center of the screen, the screen touch operation is moved to the right as much as the operation applied to the screen of the terminal device 200. Display the screen or show the next page of the list.

To this end, the terminal device 200 according to the embodiments of the present invention may be provided with a touch sensor. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position and area of the touch but also the pressure at the touch. When a touch or scroll operation with respect to the touch sensor is input, signals corresponding thereto are transmitted to the controller 230 of the terminal device 200. The control unit 230 which receives the signal interprets these, and according to the analysis result, it is possible to know which area of the screen is touched. According to an embodiment, the touch may include a proximity-touch that recognizes the same touch even when the touch is not actually touched on the screen but is spaced apart from the screen by a predetermined distance.

In another embodiment, identifiers not displayed on the current screen of the terminal device 200 may be displayed on the screen moved up or down according to the operation of the user applied to the screen. Since the screen moving method is similar to that described above, a description thereof will be omitted.

The screen of the terminal device 200 includes, for example, a user including means for displaying the current and remaining number of pages of the list and / or one or more touchpads that move from the current screen to the screen of the previous step or update the list configuration. The interface 240 may be displayed on the screen. The interface 240 may not be displayed in a normal case but may be implemented to be displayed only when a specific area of the screen is touched.

The organization of the list may be updated automatically at regular time intervals or through user input. The updated contents may include not only the identifier, the first indicator and the second indicator, but also a name, an image, and a method of displaying the list of the robot cleaner edited by the user if necessary.

In the identifier list screen shown in FIG. 5E, selection of a specific robot cleaner to be remotely controlled may be made by touching an identifier displayed on the screen or through other key input means (not shown). In another embodiment, a specific robot cleaner to be remotely controlled may be selected as a user voice through a voice recognition unit (not shown) provided in the terminal device 200. For example, the robot cleaner to be remotely controlled may be selected by reading the name or product information of the specific robot cleaner edited by the user from the list shown in FIG. 5E.

When the identifier of the specific robot cleaner is selected, as shown in FIG. 5F, a notification message or an animation effect indicating that the selected robot cleaner is connected while the terminal device 200 is connected may be displayed.

6A through 6D illustrate examples of a case where a terminal device and a robot cleaner fail to connect through a screen of the terminal device. 6A through 6C sequentially illustrate a login execution screen by a user, a login permission determination screen, and an identifier list screen of one or more robot cleaners, as described above with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5C. When a specific robot cleaner is selected in the list shown in FIG. 6C, if the selected robot cleaner is already connected to another device, the controller 230 generates and provides a connection failure message, and the display 250 displays the failure message. Mark on.

For example, if the selected robot cleaner is currently connected to another terminal device, a text message "Another user is in use. Please connect again next time" is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200. When a tap of the "confirmation" key displayed with the text message or the text message is displayed and a few seconds have elapsed, the screen of the terminal device 200 returns to the list screen of the robot cleaner shown in FIG. 6C. In another embodiment, another screen is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 200. Do you want to reconnect? It can be implemented to selectively tap the "Yes" and "No" key with a notification message. If a tap is displayed on the "YES" display, the screen of the terminal device 200 may be immediately switched to the login execution screen or the list screen for reconnection. If a tap is performed on the "no" display, the previous screen may be displayed or the screen may be switched to the list screen.

7 is a flowchart illustrating the above-described process. The process of connecting the terminal device and the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows. First, product information on the robot cleaners to be controlled remotely is registered (S10). The user account is generated through the terminal device (S20). User account creation is performed only once at first, and login related information including a user ID and a password may be stored in the remote database server or the like, for example. A login for granting access to a web page or an installed program of the terminal device is performed through a user input (S30). The remote database server compares the ID and password input by the user with information set at the time of account and determines whether to allow the login. If login is allowed, a list of the robot cleaners configured based on the product information of the robot cleaners stored in the remote database server is displayed on the terminal device screen (S40). The organization of the list and the user interface have been described above in detail. A specific robot cleaner to be controlled remotely is selected from the list through the user interface provided on the screen of the terminal device (S50). The terminal device requests a connection for the selected robot cleaner (S60). The terminal device checks whether wireless communication of the selected robot cleaner body is possible and receives an approval result for the connection request from the selected robot cleaner (S70). If the approval for the connection request is denied, the message "connection failed" is displayed on the screen of the terminal device. If the approval of the connection request is allowed, the screen of the terminal device displays a main control screen for remotely controlling the connected robot cleaner (S80). The terminal device connected to the robot cleaner requests image information captured by the robot cleaner, location information of the robot cleaner, status information of the robot cleaner, self-diagnosis results of the robot cleaner, and map information of the area to be cleaned based on the control screen. A control command for controlling one or more units of the connected robot cleaner is transmitted (S90). The connected robot cleaner transmits the information and the control result corresponding to itself or to the connected terminal device in response to the request (S100).

8A and 8B illustrate a terminal device screen for easily changing a robot cleaner to be connected to a terminal device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, when a connection with a specific robot cleaner is made, information on a robot cleaner connected to a connected user is displayed on a screen of the terminal device. In this case, the touchpad for upgrading the installed remote control program to the latest version may be displayed together. According to an embodiment, the terminal device may generate and store an entry path from a currently displayed screen to a screen showing a list of robot cleaners to be remotely controlled. To this end, the terminal device according to an embodiment may include a storage unit (ie, a memory) for storing the entry path. The terminal device may receive an input of a user's touch screen operation or scroll operation applied to the screen, and sequentially display the stored access route screen. Alternatively, the screen may be immediately switched from the current screen to the list screen through a tab displayed on the screen of the terminal device.

9 is a flowchart illustrating the above-described process. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the process of changing the robot cleaner to be connected to the terminal device is as follows. The registration information of the robot cleaner stored in the remote database server or the like is received through the network, and a list of one or more robot cleaners generated based on this is displayed on the terminal device screen (S40). The terminal device receives a specific robot cleaner to be remotely controlled from the list through an identifier for identifying the robot cleaner and a user interface provided on the screen (S50). The terminal device requests a connection (connection) to the selected robot cleaner (S60). The terminal device checks whether wireless communication is possible, and receives an approval result for the connection request from the selected robot cleaner (S70). If the approval is rejected from the robot cleaner to be controlled remotely, a connection failure message is displayed on the screen of the terminal device. If the approval of the connection request is allowed, the main control screen is displayed on the screen of the terminal device in order to remotely control the connected robot cleaner (S80). If necessary during the connection with a specific robot cleaner or when the connection request in step S70 fails, the terminal device may again display a screen showing a list of the robot cleaners (S90). As described above, the re-entry process may be performed in a manner of sequentially displaying stored access path screens according to a user's operation applied to the screen, or may be directly switched to the list screen through a tap on the screen. At this time, the list of the robot cleaner is updated and displayed with information on the displayed identifier, product information, changes edited by the user, whether or not wireless communication is possible, and display of the connected robot cleaner. As such, the list may be updated automatically every time the screen is displayed again on the screen or at a predetermined time according to the above-described operation. The robot cleaner to be remotely controlled through a user interface such as a screen touch, a keypad input, or a microphone may be easily changed (S100). Meanwhile, the robot cleaner, which has been previously connected, detects the release of the connection with the terminal device 200 through the connection monitoring unit 155 (S110).

As described above, embodiments according to the present invention may generate a list of one or more robot cleaners to be controlled remotely and provide them to the screen of the terminal device together with a user interface, thereby selectively controlling a plurality of robot cleaners at a remote location. The robot cleaner to be controlled can be easily changed according to convenience.

110-Image Detection Unit 120-Communication Unit
130-Control Unit 140-Image Processing Unit
150-Authentication unit 155-Connection monitoring unit
160-Cleaning Unit 170-Position Recognition Unit
180-storage unit 195-drive unit
197-Power Unit 300-Input Unit
400-output unit 200-terminal device
210-Storage 220-Wireless Communication
230-control unit 240-user interface unit
250-display unit

Claims

A communication unit which receives a connection request from an external device, transmits an approval result corresponding to the request to the external device, and receives a control command from the connected external device;
And a control unit that performs an approval procedure of the external device and controls the robot cleaner based on the control command.

The method according to claim 1,
And a connection monitoring unit for monitoring the connection and disconnection with the external device.

The method according to claim 1,
And an authentication unit for approving or blocking the connection of the external device according to the connection request of the external device.

A display unit displaying a list of one or more identifiers for identifying one or more robot cleaners to be remotely controlled on a screen;
And a controller configured to determine whether the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier is capable of wireless communication, request a connection to the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier selected from the list, and generate a control command for controlling the connected robot cleaner. Terminal device characterized in that.

5. The method of claim 4,
The display unit, the terminal device, characterized in that for further displaying geographic location information for the robot cleaner corresponding to the identifier on the screen.

5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit generates an indicator for distinguishing a robot cleaner capable of wireless communication, and the display unit outputs the indicator on the screen.

5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit generates a control screen of the connected robot cleaner when the connection request to the robot cleaner is approved, generates a connection failure message when the connection request to the robot cleaner is rejected, and the display unit fails to connect the control screen or the connection. Terminal device characterized in that for outputting a message.

5. The method of claim 4,
The controller generates and provides a path from a current screen to a screen displaying the one or more identifier lists.

The method of claim 8,
And a user interface for displaying the list screen based on the generated path according to a user action applied to a screen.

The method of claim 8,
And a storage unit for storing the generated route.

The method of claim 8,
The display unit, characterized in that to periodically update the one or more identifier list to display.

A terminal device displaying a list of at least one robot cleaner capable of remote control on a screen; And
And at least one robot cleaner configured to perform an approval procedure according to the connection request of the terminal device and to receive a control command from a connected terminal device to perform an operation of the robot cleaner.

The method of claim 12,
And a database server connected to the terminal device and one or more robot cleaners through a network, the database server storing registration information of the one or more robot cleaners.

The method of claim 12,
The database server, the robot cleaner remote control system, characterized in that further stores the login information set by the user.

The method of claim 12,
The list is a robot cleaner remote control system, characterized in that the one or more robot cleaner to be remotely controlled is updated periodically.