Cleaner and cleaner operation method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a cleaner operation method. The method may comprise the operations of: providing a first user interface for setting a user-designated floor; identifying a first floor corresponding to a first user input from among one or more floors associated with the first user interface; collecting first floor data for the first floor; providing a second user interface for setting a suction force for the first floor; and setting, as the suction force for the first floor, a first suction force corresponding to a second user input from among a plurality of suction forces associated with the second user interface.

Description

Vacuum cleaners and how they work

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner and a method of operating the vacuum cleaner.

[0002] As the performance of vacuum cleaners (e.g., cleaning devices) has advanced, it has become possible for vacuum cleaners to judge the floor environment (e.g., conditions) and provide functions appropriate to the floor environment.

[0003] However, the vacuum cleaner's floor environment assessment relies on pre-tested and collected floor data at the time of manufacturing. Vacuum cleaners that provide this floor assessment function do not provide features for users to set floor boundaries or areas (e.g., custom floors) or collect data related to these areas or boundaries.

[0004] However, there still remains a need to provide cleaning services optimized for user convenience and floor conditions. Therefore, it's necessary to consider a vacuum cleaner that offers these features.

[0005] The above information is provided solely as background information to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No determination or assertion is made as to whether any of the above applies as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0006] Aspects of the present disclosure address at least the problems and / or disadvantages mentioned above, and provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure provide a vacuum cleaner and a method for operating the vacuum cleaner.

[0007] Additional aspects will be partly set forth in the following description, partly will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the embodiments presented.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a vacuum cleaner is provided. The method may include: entering a personalization mode; providing a first user interface for setting a user-defined floor; identifying a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with the first user interface; collecting first floor data for the first floor, the first floor data including sensor data collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor; providing a second user interface for setting a suction force for the first floor; and setting a first suction force corresponding to a second user input among the plurality of suction forces associated with the second user interface as a suction force for the first floor.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vacuum cleaner is provided. The vacuum cleaner comprises a memory storing one or more computer programs; and one or more processors communicatively connected to the memory, wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vacuum cleaner to: enter a personalization mode, provide a first user interface for setting a user-defined floor, identify a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with the first user interface, collect first floor data for the first floor, the first floor data including sensor data collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor, provide a second user interface for setting a suction force for the first floor, and set a first suction force corresponding to a second user input among the plurality of suction forces associated with the first user interface as a suction force for the first floor.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cleaner to store first representative value data comprising the first floor data or representative values ​​representing the first floor data.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cleaner to set a first suction power, which is a user-specified suction power for the first floor, and to obtain first status information representing a status of the cleaner at a first point in time associated with collection of the first floor data. The first status information and information about the first suction power may be stored together with the first floor data or the first representative value data.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media are provided that store computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a vacuum cleaner, cause the vacuum cleaner to perform operations. The operations include computer-executable instructions that provide a first user interface for setting a user-defined floor, identify a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with the first user interface, collect first floor data for the first floor, the first floor data including sensor data collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor, provide a second user interface for setting a suction force for the first floor, and cause the first suction force corresponding to the second user input among the plurality of suction forces associated with the first user interface to be set as a suction force for the first floor.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first user interface includes at least one selectable floor item, and the second user interface includes at least one selectable suction power item, wherein the at least one selectable suction power item may include at least one suction power item corresponding to each of at least one preset basic suction power or a suction power item corresponding to a user-defined suction power.

[0014] Other aspects, advantages and salient features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of various embodiments of the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0015] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1A is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 1b is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating an exemplary configuration of a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure from the perspective of function and control.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for determining an exemplary user-specified floor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D illustrate screens provided in an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for setting suction force on a floor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates a screen provided in an exemplary suction power setting procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary operation of storing data associated with a floor, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d illustrate examples of floor data overlapping according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data utilization procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating exemplary changes in floor data according to changes in the status of a vacuum cleaner, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a floor set using collected data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating exemplary changes in floor data by load according to changes in the status of a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating exemplary reference data indicating changes in floor data according to changes in the status of a vacuum cleaner, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary comparison between actual floor data and predicted floor data for the same floor, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 16A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a custom floor set using floor data, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 16b is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a custom floor set using floor data, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 16c is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a user-defined floor set using multiple floor data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor determination procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor determination procedure using a margin according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIGS. 19a, 19b, and 19c illustrate exemplary areas with margins applied, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary data continuity determination according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of operating a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] The same reference numbers are used to represent identical components throughout the drawings.

[0041] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. While it includes numerous specific details to aid understanding, these should be considered merely illustrative. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, descriptions of known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and brevity.

[0042] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not intended to be limited by their bibliographic meanings, but rather have been used by the inventors solely to facilitate a clear and consistent understanding. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0043] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" should be understood to include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a "component surface" includes reference to one or more such surfaces.

[0044] In this disclosure, phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed with the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. The term "and / or" as used herein should be understood to encompass any and all possible combinations of one or more of the items listed with the corresponding term. Terms such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" as used herein may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding element from other elements, and do not limit the corresponding elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0045] When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled," "connected," "connected," "joined," "supported," "connected," or "in contact with" another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it includes instances where the component is directly coupled, connected, joined, supported, or in contact with the other component, as well as instances where the component is indirectly coupled, connected, joined, supported, or in contact with the other component through a third component.

[0046] Terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the present disclosure, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. When it is said that a component is located "on" another component, this includes not only cases where a component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where another component is present between the two components.

[0047] The expression "configured to" used in the present disclosure can be appropriately used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for," "capable of," "designed to," "modified to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" may not necessarily mean something "specially designed" in terms of hardware. Instead, in some situations, the expression "a device configured to" may mean that the device is "capable of" doing something together with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "a device configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated device for performing the operations, or a general-purpose device that can perform various operations including the operations.

[0048] As used herein, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms such as "logic," "logic block," "component," or "circuit." A module may be a single essential component, a minimal unit, or a portion thereof adapted to perform one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0049] While the description herein focuses on specific embodiments, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments, but rather encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the various embodiments described herein. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related components.

[0050] Although not limited thereto, the various proposals of the present disclosure may be applied to various fields where wired or wireless communication between devices (e.g., fifth generation (5G) or sixth generation (6G) communication) is possible.

[0051] The network environment to which the present disclosure applies can be implemented through various electronic devices. Electronic devices may refer to various types of wired and wireless communication devices capable of performing communication using wired or wireless communication technologies (e.g., including 5G NR (new radio), LTE (long term evolution), etc.). Without being limited thereto, electronic devices may include robots, vehicles, XR (extended reality) devices, mobile devices, various home appliances, other IoT (internet of things) devices, AI (artificial intelligence) devices, AP (application processor) devices, or servers. Vehicles may include, for example, vehicles equipped with wireless communication modules, autonomous vehicles, or connected cars. Vehicles may include UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). XR devices may include, for example, AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), or MR (mixed reality) devices. Although not limited thereto, XR devices may be implemented in the form of, or at least as a part of, a Head Mounted Device (HMD), a Head Up Display (HUD), a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, smartglasses, smartgoggles, etc.), digital signage, a vehicle, or a robot, for example. Portable devices may include various forms of user devices including, for example, a smartphone, a smartpad, a wearable device, or a computer. Home appliances may include, for example, a television, a refrigerator, a washing machine, etc. IoT devices may include, for example, a smart sensor, a smart meter, etc.

[0052] Communication between electronic devices applicable to the present disclosure may be achieved through various networks that a network environment may include. For example, the network may include one or more of various networks, such as a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Campus Area Network (CAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Broadband Network (BBN), and the Internet. Furthermore, communication between electronic devices applicable to the present disclosure is not limited to via a network, and may also be achieved through direct communication between electronic devices (e.g., sidelink communication). For example, each home appliance or IoT device (e.g., a smart sensor) may communicate directly with other electronic devices.

[0053] It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and the combination of flowcharts can be performed by one or more computer programs containing computer-executable instructions. The one or more computer programs may be stored entirely in a single memory device, or the one or more computer programs may be divided into different parts stored in multiple different memory devices.

[0054] Any function or operation described in the present disclosure may be processed by a single processor or a combination of processors. A single processor or a combination of processors is a circuit that performs processing, and may be an application processor (AP, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a communication processor (CP, e.g., a modem), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU) (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI) chip), a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip, or a Bluetooth chip. TMIt includes circuits such as chips, global positioning system (GPS) chips, near field communication (NFC) chips, connectivity chips, sensor controllers, touch controllers, fingerprint sensor controllers, display driver integrated circuits (ICs), audio codec (CODEC) chips, universal serial bus (USB) controllers, camera controllers, image processing ICs, microprocessor units (MPUs), systems on chips (SoCs), ICs, etc.

[0055] The operating principle and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings below.

[0056] FIG. 1A is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 1A, the vacuum cleaner (1) may be a stick-type vacuum cleaner. In the present disclosure, the description will mainly focus on a stick-type vacuum cleaner, but the vacuum cleaner according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be a variety of types of cleaners, such as a handy type, a stick type, a handy-stick type, a canister type, or an upright type. The extension tube structure described in this specification may be applied not only to a vacuum cleaner but also to various types of stick-type cleaners, such as a mop cleaner that requires an extension tube structure. However, the following description will use the vacuum cleaner (1) as an example for the purpose of explanation.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 1a, a vacuum cleaner (1) may include a cleaner body (10), a suction assembly (20), a dust collection assembly (30), an extension tube (40), or a cleaner head (50).

[0059] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner body (10) may include a battery holder (11), a handle (12), an operating unit (13), a connection tube (14), and / or a display (15). The vacuum cleaner body (10) may also include a controller (60) or a battery (70). The battery holder (11) may be provided, for example, to hold and fix the battery (70). The battery holder (11) may be provided so that the battery (70) is held vertically, but is not limited thereto. The handle (12) may be provided so that a user can hold the vacuum cleaner (1). The handle (12) may be located, for example, adjacent to the battery holder (11). The handle (12) may be located, for example, at the top of the vacuum cleaner (1). The battery (70) may supply power to, for example, the suction assembly (20). The battery (70) may be implemented as, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery. A charging terminal may be provided on one side of the battery (70).

[0060] According to one embodiment, the operating unit (13) may be provided on the outside of the cleaner body (10). The operating unit (13) may, for example, form or make up a part of the exterior of the cleaner body (10). The operating unit (13) may, for example, be located around or near the handle (12). Accordingly, the user may easily touch or contact (e.g., approach) the operating unit (13) while holding the handle (12). According to one embodiment, the operating unit (13) may include a power button and a pair of control buttons. For example, referring to area A' which includes an enlarged view of the operating unit (13) and the display (15) included in area A, the operating unit (13) may include a power button (13-1) and a pair of control buttons (13-2, 13-3). The power button (13-1) may be, for example, a toggle button that switches between an on state and an off state. A pair of control buttons (13-2, 13-3) may be, for example, a set of buttons for controlling the suction strength of the vacuum cleaner (1). The set of buttons for controlling the suction strength may include, for example, a button (13-2) for increasing the suction strength of the cleaner (1) and a button (13-3) for decreasing the suction strength of the cleaner (1). According to one embodiment, the operating unit (13) may be provided with separate buttons according to each cleaning mode. In addition, buttons having various functions may be added to the operating unit (13).

[0061] According to one embodiment, the connecting pipe (14) may be provided to be connected to an extension pipe (40). The connecting pipe (14) and the extension pipe (40) may be detachably coupled. The connecting pipe (14) may be provided, for example, at the lower portion of the cleaner body (10), but is not limited thereto. The connecting pipe (14) may have a hollow portion through which air drawn in from the cleaner head (50) may pass. The connecting pipe (14) may have, for example, one end connected to the dust collection assembly (30) and the other end connected to the extension pipe (40). Accordingly, the connecting pipe (14) may provide a path through which air passing through the extension pipe (40) may flow to the dust collection assembly (30).

[0062] According to one embodiment, the display (15) can perform functions for outputting information in the form of numbers, characters, images, and / or graphics. According to one embodiment, the display (15) can include at least one hardware module for outputting information related to the display. The at least one hardware module can include, for example, at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), a Light Emitting Polymer Display (LPD), an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED), or a Flexible LED (FLED). According to one embodiment, the display (15) can display a screen corresponding to data received from the control unit (60). As an example, referring to area A' including an enlarged view of the operation unit (13) and the display (15) included in area A, the display unit (15) can display a user interface (e.g., a screen providing information for setting a mode of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., personalized, normal, strong, super strong mode)). According to one embodiment, the display (15) may be provided on the outside of the cleaner body (10). The display (15) may, for example, form a part of the exterior of the cleaner body (10). The display (15) may, for example, be located around or near the operating unit (13). In the present disclosure, the display (15) may be referred to as an 'output unit', a 'display unit', or other terms having equivalent technical meanings thereto.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the control unit (60) may be accommodated inside the vacuum cleaner body (10). The control unit (60) may, for example, control the driving or operation of the suction assembly (20). That is, the control unit (60) may adjust the driving strength of the suction assembly (20) according to a user's input to the operating unit (13).

[0064] According to one embodiment, the suction assembly (20) may be coupled to one side of the cleaner body (10). The suction assembly (20) may have, for example, a cylindrical appearance, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The suction assembly (20) may be arranged, for example, such that the height direction is parallel to the extension direction of the extension tube (40). The suction assembly (20) may generate power to generate a suction force, for example, within the cleaner body (10). Air containing foreign substances or dust (32) may be sucked in through the extension tube (40) by the suction force of the suction assembly (20), and the foreign substances or dust (32) may be collected by the dust collection assembly (30). In this disclosure, the term “force” as used for “suction force” may be referred to, mean, encompass, or be used interchangeably with terms such as “strength,” “force,” “capability,” and the like.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the dust collection assembly (30) can be connected to the suction assembly (20). According to one embodiment, as illustrated, the dust collection assembly (30) can be coupled to the lower end of the suction assembly (20). That is, the suction assembly (20) can be placed between the cleaner body (10) and the dust collection assembly (30). The dust collection assembly (30) can collect dust or foreign substances (32) by filtering (e.g., absorbing) the air sucked in through the suction force generated by the suction assembly (20).

[0066] In one embodiment, the extension pipe (40) may be formed as a double-pipe structure in which two pipes of different diameters are overlapped. In one example, the overall length of the extension pipe (40) may be variably adjusted by sliding one of the two pipes forming the double-pipe structure relative to the other pipe. The extension pipe (40) may have, for example, a hollow cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto.

[0067] In one embodiment, the cleaner head (50) may be connected to an extension tube (40). The cleaner head (50) may, for example, move along a surface to be cleaned while sucking up foreign substances from the surface to be cleaned. The sucked foreign substances may pass through the extension tube (40) and be received in the dust collection assembly (30).

[0068] FIG. 1b is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a vacuum cleaner from the viewpoint of function and control, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 1b, the vacuum cleaner (1) may include an input unit (110). The input unit (110) may be configured to obtain user input for controlling the vacuum cleaner (1).

[0070] In one example, the input unit (110) may include, but is not limited to, the operating unit (13) of FIG. 1A. User-defined setting data (e.g., a user-defined floor, suction power for a user-defined floor, etc.) may be input through the input unit (110).

[0071] In one example, the input unit (110) may include a touch panel that receives a user's touch input and generates an electrical signal corresponding to the received touch input.

[0072] In one example, the input unit (110) may include an infrared signal receiving unit. A user may input setting data remotely via a remote control, and the input setting data may be received by the input unit (110) as an infrared signal.

[0073] In one example, the input unit (110) may include a microphone, and setting data by the user's voice may be acquired through the microphone.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the setting data acquired through the input unit (110) may be transmitted to the control unit (60) described below. In one example, the setting data acquired through the input unit (110) may be transmitted externally through the communication unit (130) described below, and this document is not limited thereto.

[0075] According to one example, the vacuum cleaner (1) may include an output unit (120). In one example, the output unit (120) may be provided on the outside of the main body (10). In one example, the output unit (120) may display various setting data obtained from a user or an external source through the input unit (110) and / or the communication unit (130) or control information of the vacuum cleaner (1). In one example, the output unit (120) may display various sensing information (or sensing information) obtained from the sensor unit (140), the current operating status of the vacuum cleaner (1), and / or various warning / error messages.

[0076] In one example, the output unit (120) may include, but is not limited to, the display (15) of FIG. 1A. The output unit (120) may be any of various visual display means capable of displaying images, characters, numbers, etc., including, for example, an LCD panel, an LED panel, an OLED panel, a uLED panel, and a plasma display panel (PDP). In one example, the output unit (120) may include a speaker, and may provide each of the aforementioned information in voice form through the speaker.

[0077] According to one example, the vacuum cleaner (1) may include a communication unit (130) that supports signal transmission and reception with an external device. In one example, the communication unit (130) may receive and / or transmit wired / wireless signals between an external wired / wireless communication system, an external server, and / or other devices according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (130) may include one or more modules that connect the vacuum cleaner (1) to one or more networks. In one example, the communication unit (130) may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wired / wireless Internet module, a short-range communication module, and / or a location information module.

[0078] In one example, the mobile communication module may transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of an external base station, an external terminal, and an external server through a mobile communication network according to any of various communication protocols for mobile communication. The wireless signals may include various types of data signals. In one example, the wireless signals may include voice call signals, video call call signals, and text / multimedia message signals, but this document is not limited thereto.

[0079] In one example, the wired / wireless Internet module may support, but is not limited to, wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, digital living network alliance (DLNA), wireless broadband (WiBro), world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), long term evolution (LTE), or long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A). In one example, the wired / wireless Internet module of the communication unit (130) may transmit and receive data according to at least one wired / wireless Internet technology among the Internet technologies not listed above.

[0080] The short-range communication module is for short-range communication, and can support short-range communication using at least one of Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) technologies, for example. The short-range communication module can support wireless communication between the vacuum cleaner (1) and a wireless communication system, between the vacuum cleaner (1) and another device, or between the vacuum cleaner (1) and a network in which another device is located, for example, through a short-range wireless communication network.

[0081] The location information module may be, for example, a module for obtaining the location of the vacuum cleaner (1), and may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) module or a Wi-Fi module. If the refrigerator (1) utilizes a GPS module, information regarding the location of the refrigerator (1) can be received using signals transmitted from GPS satellites. If the vacuum cleaner (1) utilizes a Wi-Fi module, information regarding the location of the vacuum cleaner (1) can be received based on information from a wireless AP (Wireless Access Point) that transmits and receives wireless signals with the Wi-Fi module.

[0082] In one example, the communication unit (130) may receive a setting data signal input by a user from the user's mobile terminal in the form of a wireless signal according to a predetermined wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (130) may receive information and / or commands for controlling the operation of the vacuum cleaner (1) from an external server in the form of signals according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. The communication unit (130) may transmit various received signals to the control unit (60) described below. In one example, the communication unit (130) may transmit various data generated or acquired on the vacuum cleaner (1) in the form of wired / wireless signals according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol, for example, to the user's mobile terminal or an external server.

[0083] According to one example, the vacuum cleaner (1) may include a sensor unit (140). According to one example, the sensor unit (140) may detect an operating state (e.g., pressure, current, power, speed, incline, or temperature) of the vacuum cleaner (1) or an external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor unit (140) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a current sensor, a motion sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor. However, the types of sensors listed herein are merely exemplary and this document is not limited thereto.

[0084] In one example, a pressure sensor (or barometric pressure sensor) can detect or measure the difference between atmospheric pressure and the pressure at the vacuum cleaner's suction port. The pressure sensor may be provided, for example, within the connection pipe (14), but is not limited thereto. Pressure data corresponding to the detected (or detected) pressure may be transmitted to the control unit (60).

[0085] In one example, a current sensor may sense (or detect) or measure the current (e.g., current or flow) of a brush motor. The current sensor may be provided, for example, within the vacuum cleaner head (50), but is not limited thereto. Current data corresponding to the sensed (or detected) current may be transmitted to the control unit (60).

[0086] In one example, the vacuum cleaner (1) may include a control unit (60) that controls the overall operation of the vacuum cleaner (1). The control unit (60) may include a memory (62) that stores programs and / or data for controlling each component of the vacuum cleaner (1), and a processor (61) that generates a control signal for controlling each component of the vacuum cleaner (1) according to the programs and / or data stored in the memory (62) and information obtained from each of the other components.

[0087] In one example, the processor (61) of the control unit (60) can receive various input / setting information from the input unit (110) and / or the communication unit (130) described above. The processor (61) can obtain sensing information (or detection information), for example, pressure data sensed (or detected) by a pressure sensor, and / or current data sensed (or detected) by a current sensor, from the sensor unit (140).

[0088] In one example, the processor (61) of the control unit (60) may generate an operation control command for each component of the cleaner (1) based on various information received from the input unit (110), the communication unit (130), and / or the sensor unit (140). In one example, the processor (61) may control the brush motor to adjust the suction power of the cleaner (1). In one example, the processor (61) may generate a command for controlling whether and how information is displayed through the output unit (120).

[0089] In this drawing, the control unit (60) is disclosed as a single comprehensive configuration that controls all components included in the cleaner (1), but this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the cleaner (1) may be configured to include multiple control unit configurations that individually control at least one component of the cleaner (1). In one example, the cleaner (1) may have a separate control unit having a processor and a memory for controlling the operation of a user interface according to a user input. The processor (61) of the control unit (60) may include multiple processors, and the memory (62) may include multiple memory devices.

[0090] The present disclosure discloses a cleaner capable of determining the status of the cleaner and the cleaning floor environment by using sensor data of the cleaner (e.g., load current data of the brush motor of the cleaner, voltage data of the battery, and / or pressure data of a pressure sensor).

[0091] According to one embodiment, the cleaner can learn the floor environment (or condition) of a floor area or boundary specified by a user (or collect floor data for the floor environment (or condition)). According to one embodiment, the cleaner can determine the environment (or condition) of the user-specified floor (or user-defined floor) by reflecting the state of the cleaner, and control the cleaner with a suction power desired by the user. In the present disclosure, the term “floor” used for the term “user-specified floor”, “first floor”, “second floor”, or simply “floor” may be referred to as, mean, encompass, or be used interchangeably with terms such as “floor area”, “floor boundary”, “floor region”, “floor section”.

[0092] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide a custom floor determination function that allows the vacuum cleaner to clean a custom floor with a desired suction power when used.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide an algorithm for determining the floor by reflecting the state of the vacuum cleaner so that the vacuum cleaner can determine the floor it has already learned (or the floor for which floor data has been collected) without error even if the state of the vacuum cleaner changes.

[0094] In one embodiment, when a user-defined floor is learned (or floor data for the user-defined floor is collected), the vacuum cleaner can automatically recognize or identify the user-defined floor and adjust the suction power to the user-defined suction power without additional learning (or floor data collection). This can provide convenience to the user while cleaning with the vacuum cleaner.

[0095] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner can detect its status and reflect the floor's status to determine the floor's condition, thereby reducing misjudgments or miscalculations of the floor's condition. This allows for high-accuracy judgments to be maintained even when the vacuum cleaner's status changes.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide the ability to support the above-described functions for multiple floors.

[0097] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for determining an exemplary user-specified floor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 2, a user-defined floor determination method of a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIG. 1a / b) may include a floor data collection procedure of operation 2010 and / or a floor data utilization procedure of operation 2020.

[0099] In one embodiment, a custom floor may be a floor boundary or area specified (or set) by a user (or user input). For example, a custom floor may be a floor directly specified or defined by a user, rather than a factory setting (e.g., set by a manufacturer during the manufacturing, development, or update phase of the vacuum cleaner). As an example, a custom floor may be, but is not limited to, a floor area set and / or used in a preset operating mode (e.g., personalized mode) of the vacuum cleaner.

[0100] According to one embodiment, the custom floor judgment method may be performed when the vacuum cleaner is operating in a preset operating mode (e.g., personalized mode).

[0101] According to one embodiment, the floor data collection procedure of operation 2010 may include an operation for setting a custom floor and / or an operation for collecting floor data for the set custom floor. Various embodiments of the floor data collection procedure of operation 2010 are described below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4a to 4d, 5 to 8, and 9a to 9d.

[0102] In one embodiment, the floor data utilization procedure (2020) may include identifying a user-specified floor using the collected floor data, and / or operating the vacuum cleaner with a suction power associated with the identified user-specified floor. Various embodiments of the floor data utilization procedure (2020) are described below with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15, 16a to 16c, 17, 18, 19a to 19c, and 20.

[0103] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 3, in operation 3010, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIGS. 1A / B) may enter an operation mode (e.g., a personalized mode) associated with a custom floor. In one embodiment, the operation mode associated with the custom floor may provide at least one function for setting and / or utilizing the custom floor. For example, the operation mode associated with the custom floor may provide at least one function for setting the custom floor, collecting floor data for the custom floor, identifying the custom floor, and / or operating the vacuum cleaner with a suction power associated with the identified custom floor. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the personalized mode is described as an example of an operation mode associated with a custom floor. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0105] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may enter a personalized mode based on a user input received through an input unit of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., the control unit (13) of FIG. 1A and / or the input unit (110) of FIG. 1B). For example, the vacuum cleaner may enter a personalized mode when a user input (basic input) of pressing an input button of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., the power button (13-1) and / or a pair of control buttons (13-2, 13-3) of the control unit (13) of FIG. 1A) is received, a user input of pressing and holding an input button of the vacuum cleaner (long press input), and a user input of double-clicking an input button of the vacuum cleaner (double-click input) is received. The input buttons of the vacuum cleaner may include, but are not limited to, a power button (e.g., power button (13-1)) of an operating unit (e.g., operating unit (13) of FIG. 1A), a pair of control buttons (e.g., suction power increase button (13-2), suction power decrease button (13-3)) and / or a newly added button for entering a personalized mode.

[0106] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may enter a personalized mode based on a user voice input received via an input unit (e.g., the input unit (110) of FIG. 1B). For example, the vacuum cleaner may have a voice recognition function and may use the voice recognition function to identify a user voice input for entering the personalized mode, and may enter the personalized mode based on the identified user voice input. The user voice input for entering the personalized mode may be, for example, a voice input such as "Enter personalized mode," but is not limited thereto.

[0107] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may enter the personalized mode based on a request for entering the personalized mode (a personalized mode entry request) received from an external electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the vacuum cleaner via a communication unit (e.g., the communication unit (130) of FIG. 1B). The personalized mode entry request may be generated based on, for example, a user input via an application associated with the vacuum cleaner included in the external electronic device, but is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device may be connected to the vacuum cleaner via, for example, another electronic device (e.g., a server) or may be directly connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0108] According to one embodiment, when entering the personalized mode, the cleaner may provide information indicating that the cleaner has entered the personalized mode through an output portion of the cleaner (e.g., a display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or an output portion (120) of FIG. 1B).

[0109] According to one embodiment, when the vacuum cleaner first enters the personalized mode, or when a user input for setting the personalized mode is received after entering the personalized mode, the vacuum cleaner may provide information indicating that the personalized mode has been set. For example, the information indicating that the personalized mode has been set may include, but is not limited to, information such as that illustrated in the screen (410) of FIG. 4a, 4b, 4c, or 4d (e.g., guidance stating “Set the personalized mode”).

[0110] In operation 3020, the vacuum cleaner may provide first information (e.g., a first user interface) for setting a custom floor (or a floor used in personalized mode). The first information may include, but is not limited to, information as illustrated in screen (440) of FIG. 4A, 4B, 4C, or 4D.

[0111] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide first information for setting a custom floor via an output of the vacuum cleaner or an output of an external electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0112] For example, the vacuum cleaner may visually provide first information for setting a custom floor via a display of the vacuum cleaner or a display of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner. As an example, the vacuum cleaner may display a first user interface (e.g., a first graphical user interface) including, for example, a screen (440) of FIG. 4a, 4b, 4c, or 4d) via a display of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., the display (15) of FIG. 1a and / or the output unit (120) of FIG. 1b).

[0113] For example, the vacuum cleaner may provide first information for setting a customized floor by voice or sound through a speaker of the vacuum cleaner or a speaker of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner. As an example, the vacuum cleaner may provide a voice that informs of at least one piece of information included in, for example, a screen (440) of FIG. 4A, 4B, 4C, or 4D) through a display of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., a display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or an output unit (120) of FIG. 1B) as a first user interface (e.g., a first voice user interface).

[0114] In operation 3030, the cleaner can identify a first floor corresponding to the first user input among at least one floor associated with the first information.

[0115] For example, if the first information includes information such as that illustrated in the screen (440) of FIG. 4a, 4b, 4c or FIG. 4d, the cleaner may identify (or set) a floor corresponding to a user input selecting a first floor item (441) or a second floor item (442) as a user-specified floor.

[0116] In operation 3040, the cleaner can collect floor data for the first floor (hereinafter, first floor data).

[0117] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may collect floor data for each suction power for the first floor. For example, the vacuum cleaner may collect floor data for each of a plurality of suction powers for the first floor. The plurality of suction powers may include, for example, at least one basic suction power set by the manufacturer and / or at least one custom suction power set by the user. The basic suction power may include, but is not limited to, a regular suction power (e.g., 50 W), a strong suction power (e.g., 100 W), an ultra-strong suction power (e.g., 200 W), and / or a jet suction power (e.g., 300 W). The custom suction power may be, but is not limited to, a suction power different from the basic suction power (e.g., 150 W). In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may sequentially collect floor data for each of a plurality of suction powers for the first floor. For example, the vacuum cleaner may sequentially collect floor data for the first floor in ascending order of suction power (e.g., 50 W, 100 W, 150 W, 200 W, 300 W) or descending order (e.g., in the reverse order of ascending order). In one embodiment, the period for collecting floor data for each suction power may be set to a preset period (e.g., 3 seconds), but is not limited thereto.

[0118] According to one embodiment, the first floor data for the first floor may include floor data for each suction power collected for the first floor. The floor data for each suction power may include suction power data and sensor data (e.g., pressure data and / or current data) for the corresponding suction power. For example, the floor data for the first suction power (e.g., 50 W) may include suction power data including a value indicating the first suction power, pressure data for the first suction power, and / or current data for the first suction power.

[0119] Pressure data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of relative pressure within the vacuum cleaner collected while the vacuum cleaner is operating at that suction power (e.g., values ​​of the pressure difference between atmospheric pressure and the vacuum cleaner's suction inlet).

[0120] Current data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of load current of a brush motor collected while the vacuum cleaner is operating at the corresponding suction power.

[0121] At operation 3050, the cleaner can determine whether there is an error in the first floor data for the first floor.

[0122] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner can determine whether there is an error in the floor data for each suction power.

[0123] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may determine whether there is an error in the first floor data for the first floor based on preset criteria.

[0124] For example, the vacuum cleaner may determine whether the first floor data has an error based on sensor data (e.g., pressure data) for each suction power included in the first floor data and a first reference value for each suction power. For example, if the range of the maximum / minimum values ​​of the pressure data for the corresponding suction power included in the first floor data is smaller than the first reference value for the corresponding suction power, the vacuum cleaner may determine that the floor data for the corresponding suction power has an error. This is because, if the range of the maximum / minimum values ​​of the pressure data for the corresponding suction power is smaller than the first reference value for the corresponding suction power, the vacuum cleaner may not operate normally when collecting floor data (e.g., insufficient force is provided when pushing or pulling).

[0125] For example, the vacuum cleaner may determine whether the first floor data has an error based on the sensor data (e.g., pressure data) for each suction power included in the first floor data and the second reference value for each suction power. For example, if the range of the maximum / minimum values ​​of the pressure data for the corresponding suction power included in the first floor data is greater than the second reference value for the corresponding suction power, the vacuum cleaner may determine that the floor data for the corresponding suction power has an error. This is because, if the range of the maximum / minimum values ​​of the pressure data for the corresponding suction power is greater than the second reference value for the corresponding suction power, it may be the case that the floor data is collected from multiple floors at the same time when collecting the floor data. According to one embodiment, the second reference value may be set to a value greater than the first reference value for the corresponding suction power.

[0126] For example, the vacuum cleaner may determine whether the first floor data has an error based on the sensor data (e.g., pressure data) for each suction power included in the first floor data and the pressure value in the idle state for each suction power. For example, the vacuum cleaner may determine that the floor data for each suction power has an error if at least a portion of the pressure data for each suction power included in the first floor data is the same as or similar to the pressure value in the idle state for each suction power. This is because if at least a portion of the pressure data for each suction power is the same as or similar to the pressure value in the idle state for each suction power, there is a possibility that the user may not properly place (or flush) the vacuum cleaner on the floor when collecting the floor data (e.g., by lifting or angling the vacuum cleaner).

[0127] According to one embodiment, reference values ​​(e.g., first reference value and / or second reference value) for determining errors in floor data may be preset for each basic suction power.

[0128] According to one embodiment, a reference value for determining an error in floor data for a user-specified suction force can be obtained (or estimated) through data interpolation based on reference values ​​for each preset basic suction force.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may use motion sensor data related to the movement of the cleaner to determine whether there is an error in the first floor data for the first floor. For example, the cleaner may use the motion sensor data to determine whether a normal motion required to collect the first floor data (e.g., a user pushing, pulling, and / or stopping the cleaner) has been performed normally, or an abnormal motion (e.g., a user lifting and / or pressing the cleaner) has been performed. For example, if an abnormal motion is determined, the cleaner may determine that there is an error in the first floor data for the first floor. The motion sensor data may include, but is not limited to, data acquired by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor.

[0130] According to one embodiment, if there is an error in the collected first floor data, the cleaner may inform the user that all or part of the first floor data needs to be collected again.

[0131] In one embodiment, if there is an error in the first floor data, the cleaner may perform an operation to re-collect all or part of the floor data for the first floor. For example, the cleaner may perform operation 3040 again.

[0132] According to one embodiment, if there is no error in the first floor data, the cleaner may perform operation 3060.

[0133] At operation 3060, the cleaner can store data associated with the first floor.

[0134] In one embodiment, the data associated with the first floor may include first floor data for the first floor. That is, the cleaner may store the collected floor data itself.

[0135] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may store data associated with the first floor, including representative value data of the first floor data. That is, the vacuum cleaner may store value(s) representing the floor data, rather than the collected floor data itself. This may reduce the vacuum cleaner's memory usage.

[0136] In one embodiment, the type of representative value data may vary depending on the algorithm (or method) used to determine the floor. The representative value data may include, for example, maximum and / or minimum values ​​of pressure data and current data, or support vector data.

[0137] In one embodiment, therefore, data associated with the first floor may include integrated data of the first floor data and previously stored floor data (hereinafter, existing floor data) or representative value data of the integrated data.

[0138] Integrated data may be, for example, data that includes both existing floor data and primary floor data. The type of representative value data of the integrated data may vary depending on the algorithm (or method) used to determine the floor. The representative value data of the integrated data may include, for example, the maximum and / or minimum values ​​of the pressure data of the integrated data and the current data of the integrated data, or may include support vector data.

[0139] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D illustrate screens provided in an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0140] According to one embodiment, the screens (or user interfaces) illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4D may be displayed on an output unit (e.g., the display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or the output unit (120) of FIG. 1B) of a vacuum cleaner (e.g., the vacuum cleaner (1) of FIGS. 1A / B) and / or an output unit (e.g., a display) of an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the vacuum cleaner, for example, in a floor data collection procedure (e.g., the floor data collection procedure of FIG. 3 or the floor data collection procedure of FIG. 7) or a suction power setting procedure included in the floor data collection procedure (e.g., the suction power setting procedure of FIG. 5).

[0141] Referring to FIGS. 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, the screen (410) may provide information guiding that the cleaner will set the personalized mode (e.g., a guidance phrase such as “Set the personalized mode.”).

[0142] According to one embodiment, the screen (410) may be displayed when the vacuum cleaner first enters the personalization mode, or when a user input for setting the personalization mode is received after the vacuum cleaner has entered the personalization mode. For example, the screen (410) may be displayed on the display in response to receiving a user input for the vacuum cleaner to first enter the personalization mode, or in response to receiving a user input for setting the personalization mode after the vacuum cleaner has entered the personalization mode.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the screen (410) may be displayed after the mode setting screen (401), for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4D . For example, the screen (410) may be displayed when a personalized mode is selected through the mode setting screen (401). According to one embodiment, the mode setting screen (401) may provide information about modes that can be set in the vacuum cleaner. The modes that can be set may include, but are not limited to, a normal mode, an AI mode, a personalized mode, a strong mode, an ultra-strong mode, and / or a jet mode. For example, the mode setting screen (401) may include selectable items corresponding to each of the settable modes. In the present disclosure, the mode setting screen (401) may be referred to as a mode setting user interface.

[0144] According to one embodiment, the screen (440) may provide information for setting a custom floor (hereinafter, “floor setting information”). In the present disclosure, the screen (440) may be referred to as a floor setting screen, a first user interface, or a floor setting user interface.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the screen (440) (or floor setting information) may include, for example, at least one selectable floor item. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the screen (440) (or floor setting information) may include a first floor item (441) corresponding to floor 1 (or first floor) and a second floor item (442) corresponding to floor 2 (or second floor). For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4B to 4D, the screen (440) (or floor setting information) may include a first floor item (441) corresponding to floor 1, a second floor item (442) corresponding to floor 2, and a floor item (443) corresponding to a non-selected floor. A non-selected floor may be, for example, a floor for which suction power has not yet been selected.

[0146] In one embodiment, when a floor item within the screen (440) (or floor setting information) is selected, the floor corresponding to the selected floor item may be set as a custom floor. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, when a user input for selecting a first floor item (441) is received, the first floor corresponding to the first floor item (441) may be set as a custom floor.

[0147] In one embodiment, the screen (440) may be automatically displayed after a preset time (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed since the screen (410) was displayed. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C , the screen (440) may be automatically displayed after a preset time has elapsed even without separate user input after the screen (410) is displayed.

[0148] According to one embodiment, screen (440) may be displayed after a user input for using a preset operating mode (e.g., personalized mode) is received. For example, after a preset time (e.g., 3 seconds) has elapsed since screen (410) is displayed, screen (420) may be displayed, which provides a use item (421) for selecting use of the personalized mode and a disable item (422) for selecting disablement of the personalized mode, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, and when a user input for selecting the enable item (421) is received, screen (440) may be displayed.

[0149] According to one embodiment, screen (440) may be displayed when user input for setting a custom floor is received after screen (410) is displayed.

[0150] The screen (470) may provide information indicating that the vacuum cleaner is collecting floor data for the user-specified floor (e.g., a message such as “Collecting floor data…”).

[0151] According to one embodiment, the screen (470) may be displayed when one of the floor items within the screen (440) is selected. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the screen (470) may be displayed when the first floor item (441) corresponding to floor 1 among the floor items within the screen (440) is selected.

[0152] According to one embodiment, the screen (470) may be displayed when user input for floor data collection is received.

[0153] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4b, when a first floor item (441) corresponding to floor 1 among the floor items in the screen (440) is selected, a screen (460) may be displayed, and when a selection item (461) corresponding to floor data collection among the selectable items of the screen (460) is selected (e.g., when a user input for selecting the selection item (461) is received), a screen (470) may be displayed.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the selection items of the screen (460) may include, for example, a selection item (461) corresponding to floor data collection, a selection item (462) corresponding to suction power selection, and / or a selection item (463) corresponding to use / disable. For example, when the selection item (462) is selected, a screen for selecting suction power for the corresponding floor may be displayed. For example, when the selection item (463) is selected, a screen for selecting whether to use or not use floor data for the corresponding floor may be displayed. According to one embodiment, when the third floor item (443) corresponding to a non-selected floor in the screen (440) is selected, the screen (460) may only display (or activate) the selection item (462) corresponding to suction power selection. In one embodiment, when a selection item corresponding to the floor within the screen (440) is selected (e.g., selection item (441 or 442)), the screen (460) may display (or activate) all of selection item (461), selection item (462), and selection item (463).

[0155] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4c or 4d, when a first floor item (441) corresponding to floor 1 among the floor items in the screen (440) is selected, a screen (450) for specifying a name for the corresponding floor may be displayed, and when the name of the corresponding floor is specified (e.g., when a user input for specifying a name for the corresponding floor is received), a screen (460) may be displayed, and when a selection item (461) corresponding to floor data collection among the selection items of the screen (460) is selected (e.g., when a user input for selecting the selection item (461) is received), a screen (470) may be displayed.

[0156] In one embodiment, the screen (450) may provide at least one selectable item for naming the corresponding floor. For example, the screen (450) may provide an item (451) for specifying that the corresponding floor (e.g., floor 1) is a living room, an item (452) for specifying that the corresponding floor is a kitchen, and / or an item (453) for specifying a custom name for the corresponding floor. For example, if item (453) is selected, a custom name for the corresponding floor may be entered through the input of the vacuum cleaner or an input of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0157] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for setting suction force on a floor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0158] According to one embodiment, the procedure for setting the suction force for the custom floor (the suction force setting procedure) may be performed within the floor data collection procedure, before collecting the floor data for the custom floor (e.g., before operation 3030 of FIG. 3 is performed or before operation 7030 of FIG. 7 is performed), or after determining whether the collected floor data has an error (e.g., after operation 3050 of FIG. 3 is performed or after operation 3050 of FIG. 3 is performed and it is determined that there is no error in the floor data, or after operation 7050 of FIG. 7 is performed or after operation 7050 of FIG. 7 is performed and it is determined that there is no error in the floor data).

[0159] Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 5010, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIGS. 1a / b) may provide second information (e.g., a second user interface) for setting suction power for a user-specified floor (e.g., a first floor). The second information may include, but is not limited to, information such as that illustrated in screen (620) of FIG. 6.

[0160] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide second information for setting the suction power for a user-specified floor via an output of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., output (120) of FIG. 1B) or an output of an external electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0161] For example, the vacuum cleaner may visually provide second information for setting suction power for a user-specified floor via a display of the vacuum cleaner or a display of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner. For example, the vacuum cleaner may display a second user interface (e.g., a second graphical user interface) including, for example, a screen (620) of FIG. 6 via a display of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., a display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or an output unit (120) of FIG. 1B).

[0162] For example, the vacuum cleaner may provide second information for setting suction power for a user-specified floor through a speaker of the vacuum cleaner or a speaker of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner, either verbally or audibly. As an example, the vacuum cleaner may provide a voice indicating at least one piece of information included in, for example, a screen (620) of FIG. 6 as a second user interface (e.g., a second voice user interface) through a display of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., a display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or an output unit (120) of FIG. 1B).

[0163] In operation 5020, the vacuum cleaner may set a suction power corresponding to a second user input among the plurality of suction powers associated with the second information as the suction power for a user-specified floor (e.g., the first floor). The suction power set in this way may be used to operate the vacuum cleaner at the corresponding suction power if the current floor is determined to be the user-specified floor through a subsequent floor determination procedure.

[0164] FIG. 6 illustrates a screen provided in an exemplary suction power setting procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0165] According to one embodiment, the screens (or user interfaces) illustrated in FIG. 6 may be displayed on an output unit (e.g., display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or output unit (120) of FIG. 1B) of a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIG. 1A / B) and / or an output unit (e.g., display) of an electronic device (e.g., smartphone) connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 6, the screen (610) may provide information guiding the suction power selection process (e.g., guidance text such as “Please select the suction power”).

[0167] In one embodiment, screen (610) may be displayed prior to collecting floor data for the corresponding custom floor (e.g., prior to performing operation 3030 of FIG. 3 or prior to performing operation 7030 of FIG. 7). For example, screen (610) may be displayed when a suction selection item (462) within screen (460) of FIG. 4b, 4c, or 4c is selected. In this case, screen (610) may be displayed prior to screen (470) of FIG. 4b, 4c, or 4c, for example.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the screen (610) may be displayed after it is determined whether the collected floor data contains an error (e.g., after operation 3050 of FIG. 3 is performed, or after it is determined that there is no error in the corresponding floor data by performing operation 3050 of FIG. 3 , or after operation 7050 of FIG. 7 is performed, or after it is determined that there is no error in the corresponding floor data by performing operation 7050 of FIG. 7 ). For example, the screen (610) may be displayed after the screen (470) of FIG. 4a , 4b , 4c , or 4c is displayed.

[0169] The screen (620) may provide information for setting suction power for a custom floor (hereinafter, suction power setting information). In the present disclosure, the screen (620) may be referred to as a second user interface, a suction power setting user interface.

[0170] According to one embodiment, the screen (620) may provide at least one selectable item for setting the suction power for the corresponding user-specified floor (e.g., floor 1). For example, the screen (620) may include an item (661) for setting the suction power for the corresponding floor (e.g., floor 1) to normal suction power (e.g., 50 W), an item (662) for setting the suction power for the corresponding floor to strong suction power (e.g., 100 W), an item (623) for setting the suction power for the corresponding floor to super strong suction power (e.g., 200 W), an item (624) for setting the suction power for the corresponding floor to jet suction power (e.g., 300 W), and / or an item (625) for setting the suction power for the corresponding floor to a user-specified value (e.g., 150 W). According to one embodiment, the item (625) to be set to a custom value may be displayed (or activated) only when the screen (620) is displayed, for example, before the screen (470) of FIG. 4a, 4b, 4c, or 4d is displayed. The custom value may be, for example, a value different from the default suction power.

[0171] In one embodiment, when a user input is received for selecting one of the selectable items within the screen (620), the vacuum cleaner may set the suction power corresponding to the selected item as the suction power (or custom suction power) for the corresponding user-specified floor. The second user input may be received, for example, through an input port of the vacuum cleaner or an input port of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0172] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data collection procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0173] The floor data collection procedure of the embodiment of FIG. 7 may further include, compared to the floor data collection procedure of the embodiment of FIG. 3 , an operation for setting a user-specified suction power and / or an operation for acquiring status information of the vacuum cleaner. For a description of operations corresponding to those of the floor data collection procedure of the embodiment of FIG. 3 among the operations of the floor data collection procedure of the embodiment of FIG. 7 , reference may be made to FIG. 3 . Any duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0174] Referring to FIG. 7, in operation 7010, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIG. 1a / b) may enter a preset operation mode (e.g., personalized mode). A description of operation 7010 may refer to the description of operation 3010 of FIG. 3.

[0175] In Action 7011, the vacuum cleaner can set a custom suction power.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide, for example, a screen (610) and / or a screen (620) of FIG. 6, via an output of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., a display (15) of FIG. 1A and / or an output (120) of FIG. 1B) or an output of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner, to set a user-defined suction power.

[0177] According to one embodiment, when a user input is received to select one of the selectable items in the screen (620) of FIG. 6, the vacuum cleaner may set the suction power corresponding to the selected item as a custom suction power. The custom suction power may be, for example, one of the default suction powers or a suction power set to a user-specified value. The user input may be received, for example, through an input port of the vacuum cleaner or an input port of an external electronic device connected to the vacuum cleaner.

[0178] In one embodiment, the custom suction force may be associated with a corresponding custom floor (e.g., a first floor) and may be stored in memory in association with that custom floor.

[0179] In operation 7012, the vacuum cleaner may obtain vacuum cleaner status information (hereinafter, referred to as first status information). The first status information may be information indicating the status of the vacuum cleaner at a first point in time (e.g., a setting point for a user-specified floor). For example, the first status information may be information indicating the status of the vacuum cleaner at the point in time when floor data is collected.

[0180] In one embodiment, the first state information may be associated with a user-specified floor (e.g., a first floor) or floor data for a user-specified floor (e.g., first floor data of the first floor).

[0181] According to one embodiment, the first state information may be acquired based on pressure data (reference pressure data) and / or current data (reference current data) acquired by operating the cleaner at a reference suction power (e.g., but not limited to, a normal suction power (e.g., 50 W)) in an idle state. For example, the first state information may include an average value of reference pressure data and / or an average value of reference current data acquired by operating the cleaner at the reference suction power in an idle state. The idle state may be, but is not limited to, a state in which the cleaner is placed on a cleaner station. The reference pressure data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of relative pressure within the flow path collected while the cleaner is operating at the reference suction power in the idle state. The reference current data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of load current of the brush motor collected while the cleaner is operating at the reference suction power in the idle state.

[0182] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may provide guidance to the user for obtaining first state information. For example, to obtain the first state information, the vacuum cleaner may provide guidance to operate the vacuum cleaner at a standard suction power while in an idle state (e.g., to operate the vacuum cleaner at a standard suction power (e.g., 50 W) while placed on a vacuum cleaner station).

[0183] According to one embodiment, the first state information may be associated with a corresponding custom floor (e.g., a first floor) and may be stored in memory in association with the custom floor.

[0184] In operation 7020, the vacuum cleaner may provide first information for setting a custom floor (or a floor used in personalized mode). A description of operation 7020 may refer to the description of operation 3020 of FIG. 3.

[0185] In operation 7030, the cleaner can identify a first floor corresponding to the first user input among at least one floor associated with the first information. A description of operation 7030 may refer to the description of operation 3030 of FIG. 3.

[0186] In operation 7040, the vacuum cleaner may collect first floor data of the first floor. A description of operation 7040 may refer to the description of operation 3040 of FIG. 3.

[0187] In operation 7050, the cleaner may determine whether there is an error in the first floor data for the first floor. A description of operation 7050 may refer to the description of operation 3050 of FIG. 3.

[0188] At operation 7060, the vacuum cleaner may store data associated with the first floor. A description of operation 7050 may refer to the description of operation 3050 of FIG. 3.

[0189] In one embodiment, the data associated with the first floor may include first floor data of the first floor. That is, the cleaner may store the collected floor data itself.

[0190] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may store data associated with the first floor, including representative value data of the first floor data. That is, the vacuum cleaner may store value(s) representing the floor data, rather than the collected floor data itself. This may reduce the vacuum cleaner's memory usage.

[0191] In one embodiment, the type of representative value data may vary depending on the algorithm (or method) used to determine the floor. The representative value data may include, for example, maximum and / or minimum values ​​of pressure data and current data, or support vector data.

[0192] In one embodiment, therefore, data associated with the first floor may include integrated data of the first floor data and previously stored floor data (hereinafter, existing floor data) or representative value data of the integrated data.

[0193] Integrated data may be, for example, data that includes both existing floor data and primary floor data. The type of representative value data of the integrated data may vary depending on the algorithm (or method) used to determine the floor. The representative value data of the integrated data may include, for example, the maximum and / or minimum values ​​of the pressure data of the integrated data and the current data of the integrated data, or may include support vector data.

[0194] According to one embodiment, the data associated with the first floor may further include data of the user-defined suction power set in operation 7011, and / or data of the first status information of the cleaner acquired in operation 7012, together with the first floor data or the representative value data of the first floor data (or the integrated data or the representative value data of the integrated data).

[0195] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary operation of storing data associated with a floor, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d illustrate floor data overlapping, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0196] The operation of storing data associated with the floor of FIG. 8 may be an example of operation 3060 of FIG. 3 or operation 7060 of FIG. 7.

[0197] Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 8010, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIG. 1a / b) can determine whether there is already stored floor data (hereinafter, existing floor data).

[0198] If the floor data collection is not the first time, existing floor data may exist. In this case, a data overlap comparison may be required between the existing floor data and the currently collected first floor data (e.g., the first floor data currently collected through operations 3040 / 3050 of FIG. 3 or operations 7040 / 7050 of FIG. 7). In the present disclosure, the first floor data may also be referred to as current floor data.

[0199] If existing floor data exists, operation 8020 may be performed. If existing floor data does not exist, operation 8040 may be performed.

[0200] At operation 8020, the cleaner can decide whether to perform an error check for data overlap.

[0201] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may determine whether to perform an error check for data overlap based on data overlap information and / or suction power comparison information.

[0202] According to one embodiment, the data overlap information may include, for example, information about the overlap between existing floor data and first floor data.

[0203] According to one embodiment, the cleaner can obtain data overlap information by calculating a square area using the maximum / minimum values ​​of each floor data and calculating the overlapping area of ​​each square area.

[0204] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A to 9D, the cleaner can obtain the degree of overlap of the floor data by calculating the first square area using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the existing floor data, and the second square area using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the first floor data, and calculating the area where the first square area and the second square area overlap.

[0205] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may determine the degree of overlap of floor data based on preset criteria. For example, if the overlapping area is greater than the non-overlapping area, the vacuum cleaner may determine that the degree of overlap of floor data is high. If the overlapping area is smaller than the non-overlapping area, the vacuum cleaner may determine that the degree of overlap of floor data is low.

[0206] For example, as illustrated in Fig. 9a, if the overlapping area of ​​the first square area (910a) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the existing floor data and the second square area (920a) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the first floor data is larger than the non-overlapping area, the cleaner can determine that the overlapping degree of the floor data is high.

[0207] For example, as illustrated in Fig. 9b, if the overlapping area of ​​the first square area (910b) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the existing floor data and the second square area (920b) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the first floor data is smaller than the non-overlapping area, the cleaner can determine that the overlapping degree of the floor data is low.

[0208] For example, as illustrated in Fig. 9c, if the overlapping area of ​​the first square area (910c) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the existing floor data and the second square area (920c) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the first floor data is larger than the non-overlapping area, the cleaner can determine that the overlapping degree of the floor data is high.

[0209] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9d, if the overlapping area of ​​the first square area (910d) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the existing floor data and the second square area (920d) calculated using the maximum / minimum values ​​of the first floor data is smaller than the non-overlapping area, the cleaner can determine that the overlapping degree of the floor data is low.

[0210] According to one embodiment, the suction force comparison information may include, for example, information on whether the suction force set for the existing floor data and the suction force set for the first floor data are the same or different.

[0211] Accordingly, in one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9a, when the overlap of floor data is high and the suction power of the two floor data is the same (e.g., 100 W), the cleaner may not perform an error check for data overlap.

[0212] According to one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9b, when the overlap of floor data is low and the suction power of the two floor data is the same (e.g., 100 W), the cleaner may not perform an error check for data overlap.

[0213] According to one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9c, when the degree of overlap of floor data is high and the suction power of the two floor data is different (e.g., the suction power of the existing floor data is 100 W and the suction power of the first floor data is 200 W), the cleaner may perform an error check for data overlap.

[0214] According to one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9d, when the overlap of floor data is low and the suction power is different (e.g., the suction power of the existing floor data is 100 W and the suction power of the first floor data is 200 W), the cleaner may perform an error check for data overlap.

[0215] If it is determined that error checking for data overlap is to be performed, operation 8060 may be performed. If it is determined that error checking for data overlap is not to be performed, operation 8030 may be performed.

[0216] At operation 8030, the cleaner can determine whether data overlap is required.

[0217] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may determine whether data overlapping is necessary based on data overlapping information and / or suction power comparison information.

[0218] According to one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9A, when the degree of overlap of floor data is high and the suction power is the same, the cleaner may determine that data overlap is necessary without performing an error check for data overlap. In this case, even if multiple floor data are integrated into one floor data, since an area that does not include related floor data is not included more than the reference area, virtually no unnecessary area is included. The area that does not include related floor data may be, for example, an area that does not belong to either the area corresponding to the first rectangular area (910a) or the area corresponding to the second rectangular area (920a) among the areas corresponding to the third rectangular area (930a) determined by the existing floor data and the second floor data.

[0219] According to one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9b, when the overlap degree of floor data is low and the suction power is the same, the cleaner may determine that data overlap is not necessary without performing an error check for data overlap. In this case, when multiple floor data are integrated into one floor data, an unnecessary area that does not include related floor data is largely included (e.g., includes more than the reference area). The area that does not include related floor data may be, for example, an area that does not belong to either the area corresponding to the first rectangular area (910b) or the area corresponding to the second rectangular area (920b) among the areas corresponding to the third rectangular area (930b) determined by the existing floor data and the second floor data.

[0220] If data overlapping is required, operation 8050 may be performed. If data overlapping is not required, operation 8040 may be performed.

[0221] In operation 8040, the cleaner can store first floor data or representative value data of the first floor data.

[0222] In operation 8050, the cleaner can store integrated data that integrates the first floor data and the existing floor data, or representative value data of the integrated data.

[0223] Integrated data may be, for example, data that includes both existing floor data and primary floor data. The type of representative value data of the integrated data may vary depending on the algorithm (or method) used to determine the floor. The representative value data of the integrated data may include, for example, the maximum and / or minimum values ​​of the pressure data of the integrated data and the current data of the integrated data, or may include support vector data.

[0224] At operation 8060, the cleaner can determine whether there is an error in the data overlap.

[0225] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner can determine whether there is an error in data overlap based on data overlap information and / or suction power comparison information.

[0226] In one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9c, when the floor data overlaps significantly and the suction power differs, the vacuum cleaner may perform an error check for data overlap and determine that there is an error in the data overlap. This is because it is impossible to determine whether the overlapped data will operate at a suction power (e.g., 100 W or 200 W).

[0227] In one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 9d, if the floor data overlap is low and the suction power is different, the vacuum cleaner can perform an error check for data overlap and determine that there are no errors in the data overlap. This is because an algorithm capable of handling overlapping areas exists. For example, the overlapping area can operate at the default suction power.

[0228] If there is no error in data overlapping, operation 8040 described above may be performed. If there is an error in data overlapping, operation 8070 may be performed.

[0229] In operation 8070, the cleaner can discard the first floor data.

[0230] Meanwhile, depending on the embodiment, the operation of storing data associated with the floor of FIG. 8 may be performed in a different order from the above-described order, some operations may be omitted, additional operations may be performed, or a plurality of operations among the above-described operations may be performed together. For example, operations 8020, 8030, and 8060 may be merged and performed together. In this case, the cleaner may perform an operation of checking for errors in data overlapping based on data overlapping information and / or suction power comparison information, and determining whether there is an error in data overlapping and whether data overlapping is necessary.

[0231] Below, various embodiments of a procedure for utilizing floor data collected through the examples of FIGS. 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d are described.

[0232] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor data utilization procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating exemplary changes in floor data according to a change in the status of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating exemplary areas associated with a floor set using collected data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating exemplary changes in floor data by load according to a change in the status of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating exemplary reference data indicating changes in floor data according to a change in the status of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary comparison between actual floor data and predicted floor data for the same floor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0233] According to one embodiment, the floor data utilization procedure may be a procedure that utilizes data associated with a user-specified floor (e.g., a first floor) collected through the embodiments of FIGS. 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d.

[0234] Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1010, the cleaner can predict second floor data for the first floor based on pre-stored first floor data for the first floor.

[0235] The first floor may be a user-defined floor identified, for example, through operations 3020 and 3030 of FIG. 3 (or operations 7020 and 7030 of FIG. 7). The first floor data may be data associated with the first floor acquired and stored, for example, through operations 3040 to 3060 of FIG. 3 (or operations 7040 and 7060 of FIG. 7). For a description of the first floor and the data associated with the first floor, reference may be made to the description of FIG. 3 or FIG. 7.

[0236] According to one embodiment, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., vacuum cleaner (1) of FIGS. 1a / b) can predict second floor data for a first floor based on first floor data for a first floor, first state information indicating a first state of the vacuum cleaner associated with the first floor data, and / or second state information indicating a second state of the vacuum cleaner.

[0237] The first status information may be, for example, status information acquired through operation 7012 of FIG. 7. As described above, the first status information may be information indicating the status of the vacuum cleaner at a first point in time (e.g., the setup point for a user-specified floor). For example, the first status information may be information indicating the status of the vacuum cleaner at the point in time when floor data is collected.

[0238] The second state information may be information indicating the state of the vacuum cleaner at a second point in time after the first point in time (e.g., a point in time after the point in time at which the first state information is acquired). For example, the second state information may be information indicating the state of the vacuum cleaner at the current point in time.

[0239] According to one embodiment, the second state information may be acquired using the same method as the first state information, but at a different acquisition time. For example, the second state information may be acquired based on pressure data (hereinafter, referred to as reference pressure data) and / or current data (hereinafter, referred to as reference current data) acquired while the cleaner is operating at a reference suction power (e.g., but not limited to, a normal suction power (e.g., 50 W)) in an idle state. For example, the second state information may include an average value of reference pressure data and / or an average value of reference current data acquired while the cleaner is operating at the reference suction power in an idle state. The idle state may be, but is not limited to, a state in which the cleaner is placed on a cleaner station. The reference pressure data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of relative pressure within a flow path collected while the cleaner is operating at the reference suction power in an idle state. The reference current data may include, but is not limited to, values ​​of load current of a brush motor collected while the cleaner is operating at the reference suction power in an idle state.

[0240] In operation 1020, the cleaner may acquire first region data of a first area associated with a first floor based on second floor data. In one embodiment, the first region data may include data of a first area associated with the first floor or data of an area determination line indicating the first area. The first area or the area determination line indicating the first area may be in the form of a closed loop, such as, but not limited to, those illustrated in FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C.

[0241] Meanwhile, floor data for the same floor changes depending on changes in the vacuum cleaner's status. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 11, even if the vacuum cleaner is operated on the same floor with the same suction power (e.g., 50 W), the vacuum cleaner's pressure changes depending on changes in the vacuum cleaner's status (e.g., from 550 Pa to 350 Pa), so the floor data also changes. This pressure change due to changes in the vacuum cleaner's status may be, but is not limited to, a pressure decrease at the same suction power due to aging (or use) of the vacuum cleaner, or a pressure change depending on the status of the vacuum cleaner's dust filter.

[0242] Therefore, when the first floor data collected and stored through the floor data collection procedure is used as is despite the passage of time, for example, due to a change in pressure caused by a change in the status of the vacuum cleaner, the floor data currently input to the vacuum cleaner (hereinafter, input floor data) may be different from the previously collected first floor data even though the suction power for the same floor is the same. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 12, the previously collected first floor data for a suction power of 50 W may be floor data corresponding to 550 Pa, but the currently input floor data for a suction power of 50 W may be floor data corresponding to 400 Pa depending on a change in the status of the vacuum cleaner.

[0243] Therefore, if previously collected first floor data is used as is, it may be difficult to accurately determine the floor at the current point in time. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 12, if previously collected first floor data is used as is to set an area (e.g., a rectangular closed loop) (1210) associated with the first floor, the current input data may not be included in the area (1210) associated with the set first floor depending on changes in the status of the cleaner. Therefore, even though the current cleaner is actually positioned on the first floor, the cleaner may determine that the current cleaner is positioned in an area other than the first floor. Due to such misjudgment of the floor, the suction power may not be appropriately changed, and may be changed to an undesirable suction power, which may cause inconveniences such as damage to the floor, a decrease in cleaning performance, and a suspicion of a malfunction (or, a decrease in function).

[0244] Therefore, considering the change in the status of the vacuum cleaner, it is necessary to obtain second floor data corresponding to the current status of the vacuum cleaner based on the previously collected first floor data, and determine an area associated with the first floor based on the second floor data.

[0245] Meanwhile, as a method for acquiring second floor data corresponding to the current state of the vacuum cleaner, there may be a method in which one of the already collected floor data is selected as the second floor data. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 13, for example, in the development stage of the vacuum cleaner, for each existing suction power, all floor data sets based on each state of the vacuum cleaner are acquired and stored by load (e.g., by load current / pressure), and one of the stored floor data sets is selected as the second floor data. However, when using this method, if the vacuum cleaner uses a user-specified suction power instead of the existing suction power, or if the vacuum cleaner is in a state different from the state of the vacuum cleaner corresponding to the stored floor data, there may be cases in which selection of the second floor data is impossible because the corresponding stored floor data does not exist.

[0246] Therefore, the vacuum cleaner needs to use a method to newly predict second floor data corresponding to the current state by using the first floor data that has already been collected.

[0247] According to one embodiment, the cleaner can predict second floor data based on first floor data already collected using reference data such as that illustrated in FIG. 14.

[0248] The reference data of Fig. 14 may include, for example, reference data for each state of the vacuum cleaner for a suction power of 100 W.

[0249] Referring to FIG. 14, as the state (e.g., pressure state and / or current state) of a vacuum cleaner operating at a suction power of 100 W gradually changes, a trend or direction regarding changes in floor data can be identified.

[0250] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may use reference data to predict second floor data based on first floor data. To this end, the vacuum cleaner may store reference data for each of the existing suction powers (e.g., 50 W, 100 W, 200 W, and / or 300 W).

[0251] Meanwhile, reference data such as the example in Fig. 14 corresponds to raw data, and storing the reference data itself requires a large amount of memory. Therefore, instead of storing the reference data itself, it may be advantageous from a memory usage perspective to store only the relative values ​​(or representative values) required for predicting or transforming the floor data. For example, the reference data can be averaged for each load (e.g., for pressure high load / medium load / low load / idle and / or for current high load / medium load / low load / idle), and the standardized value can be stored as the representative value data of the reference data.

[0252] Representative value data of the reference data may be stored in memory in the form of a table, for example, as in Table 1. In the present disclosure, the table in Table 1 may be referred to as a floor data change rate table.

[0253] [Table 1]

[0254]

[0255]

[0256] According to one embodiment, the floor data change rate table may be a table indicating the rate at which the pressure / current changes as the reference pressure changes. For example, the floor data change rate table may take the average of the pressure / current of reference data (e.g., the reference data of FIG. 14), set the 550Pa value to 1, and indicate the rate at which the pressure / current changes as the reference pressure changes.

[0257] According to one embodiment, values ​​not included in the floor data change rate table can be predicted through a preset interpolation method based on the values ​​included in the table.

[0258] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner can predict second floor data based on first floor data using a pre-stored floor data change rate table and / or an interpolation method. The second floor data predicted in this way may be substantially the same as or similar to actual floor data for the corresponding state. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the second floor data (350Pa predicted) (1520) predicted based on the first floor data (550Pa) (1510) actually acquired at 50W / 500Pa / medium pressure load / high current load may be substantially similar to the third floor data (350Pa actual) (1530) actually acquired at 50W / 350P / medium pressure load / high current load. The second floor data (350Pa predicted) (1520) may be calculated using the following mathematical expression 1 using the table in Table 1.

[0259] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0260] Pressure data of the second floor data (350Pa prediction) = 500Pa pressure data * 0.734707, which is the 50W / 350Pa / heavy load value of the pressure table in Table 1 ÷ 0.933833, which is the 50W / 500Pa / heavy load value of the pressure table in Table 1

[0261] Current data of the second floor data (350Pa prediction) = 500Pa current data * 0.864786, which is the 50W / 350Pa / high load value of the current table in Table 1 ÷ 0.966060, which is the 50W / 500Pa / high load value of the current table in Table 1

[0262] By predicting this second floor data, it is possible to accurately determine the floor at the current point in time, even if the vacuum cleaner's status changes, by using the first floor data collected once, without having to re-collect the floor data.

[0263] FIG. 16A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a custom floor set using floor data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0264] Referring to FIG. 16A, the cleaner can use the maximum and minimum values ​​of the floor data to set an area or area determination line associated with the user-specified floor. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16A, the cleaner can obtain the maximum and minimum values ​​of the pressure data within the floor data and the maximum and minimum values ​​of the current data within the floor data, and set a rectangle (1610a) with each maximum and minimum value as a corner of the rectangle as the area associated with the user-specified floor.

[0265] According to one embodiment, the floor data for setting an area associated with a user-defined floor may be collected first floor data or second floor data predicted through the first floor data. The first floor data may be data associated with the first floor acquired and stored, for example, through operations 3040 to 3060 of FIG. 3 (or operations 7040 and 7060 of FIG. 7). A description of the data associated with the first floor may refer to the description of FIG. 3 or FIG. 7. The second floor data may be second floor data predicted, for example, through operation 1020 of FIG. 10. A description of the second floor data may refer to the description of FIGS. 10 to 15.

[0266] FIG. 16b is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a custom floor set using floor data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0267] In one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may use a support vector machine (SVM) of machine learning (e.g., one class SVM) to set (or determine) an area or an area determination line associated with a user-specified floor based on floor data. The one class SVM may be a method of spreading data into an N-dimensional coordinate axes and then drawing a hyper plane based on the distance from the origin to classify the data. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16b, the vacuum cleaner may use the one class SVM to obtain a hyper plane based on floor data, and set (or determine) a line (1610b) projected onto a pressure-current plane as an area determination line corresponding to the area associated with the user-specified floor.

[0268] According to one embodiment, the floor data for setting (or determining) an area associated with a user-specified floor may be collected first floor data or second floor data predicted through the first floor data. The first floor data may be data associated with the first floor acquired and stored, for example, through operations 3040 to 3060 of FIG. 3 (or operations 7040 and 7060 of FIG. 7). A description of the data associated with the first floor may refer to the description of FIG. 3 or FIG. 7. The second floor data may be second floor data predicted, for example, through operation 1020 of FIG. 10. A description of the second floor data may refer to the description of FIGS. 10 to 15.

[0269] The region of Fig. 16b may be more responsive to floor data (e.g., more fit, suitability, or amendable) than the region of Fig. 16a. However, the method of Fig. 16b requires more computational effort than the method of Fig. 16a.

[0270] FIG. 16c is a diagram illustrating an exemplary area associated with a user-defined floor set using multiple floor data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0271] Referring to Fig. 16c, for convenience of explanation, the area determination line of each floor used to determine the final area determination line is set using a method utilizing maximum / minimum values, as in the example of Fig. 16a, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the area determination line of each floor used to determine the final area determination line may also be set using a method utilizing SVM, as in the example of Fig. 16b.

[0272] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may set a first area determination line (solid line) (1610c) corresponding to a first area associated with a first floor using maximum and minimum values ​​of first floor data (e.g., floor data of 200W), set a second area determination line (solid line) (1620c) corresponding to a second area (e.g., rectangle) associated with a second floor using maximum and minimum values ​​of second floor data (e.g., floor data of 100W), and obtain two intersection points (P1, P2) of the first area determination line and the second area determination line. The intersection points may be calculated, for example, using an equation corresponding to each area determination line.

[0273] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may set a final area determination line (dotted line) (1611c) of the first floor and a final area determination line (dotted line) (1621c) of the second floor using a first area determination line (solid line) (1610c), a second area determination line (solid line) (1620c), and two intersections (P1, P2) (or, an equation of a straight line (1630c) connecting the two intersections). In the present disclosure, the straight line connecting the two intersections may be referred to as an area determination line between an overlapping area of ​​a first area of ​​the first floor and a second area of ​​the second floor.

[0274] Meanwhile, the method for setting a region or region judgment line is not limited to the method of the embodiments of FIGS. 16A to 16C. Various methods for setting a region or region judgment line may be utilized, taking into account available memory, computational performance, etc.

[0275] According to one embodiment, the set area or area determination line may be maintained until a change in the status of the vacuum cleaner is identified. Resetting the area or area determination line may be performed, but is not limited to, according to a preset policy (or procedure), for example, when a user commands the vacuum cleaner status to be updated (e.g., a self-diagnosis command), at a preset cycle, after a preset number of cleaning operations has been completed, at the end of each cleaning operation, or before the start of each cleaning operation.

[0276] For floor determination, only the set area or area determination line needs to be stored. Therefore, the predicted floor data (second floor data) used to set the area or area determination line may not be stored separately.

[0277] FIG. 17 is a flowchart of an exemplary floor judgment procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0278] Referring to FIG. 17, in operation 1710, the cleaner may determine whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on first region data. The first region data may be obtained, for example, by operation 1020 of FIG. 10. According to one embodiment, the first region data may include data of a first region associated with the first floor or data of a region determination line indicating the first region.

[0279] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may determine that the cleaner is located on the first floor if the floor data currently (or most recently) input to the cleaner (hereinafter, input floor data) is included in (or located within) the first area or the area determination line of the first area associated with the first area data. The input floor data may include, for example, sensor data (e.g., pressure data and / or current data) for the corresponding suction power. If the cleaner is located on the first floor, operation 1720 may be performed.

[0280] In one embodiment, the cleaner may determine that the cleaner is not located on the first floor (e.g., located outside the first floor) if the input floor data is located outside the first area associated with the first area data or the area determination line of the first area. If the cleaner is not located on the first floor, operation 1730 may be performed.

[0281] At operation 1720, the vacuum cleaner can operate with a first suction power set on the first floor.

[0282] At operation 1730, the vacuum cleaner can operate with a second suction force that is different from the first suction force. The second suction force may be, for example, a reference suction force, but is not limited thereto.

[0283] Once a vacuum cleaner is positioned on a floor using a single area or area detection line, if the vacuum cleaner moves across the boundary of that area or area detection line, suction power will frequently fluctuate. This is inefficient and can lead users to suspect a vacuum cleaner malfunction. Therefore, to mitigate this abnormal behavior, a floor detection method that incorporates a margin (e.g., a hysteresis margin) should be considered.

[0284] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary floor determination procedure using a margin according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 19a to 19c illustrate exemplary areas to which a margin is applied according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0285] Referring to FIG. 18, in operation 1810, the cleaner may obtain second region data to which a margin (e.g., hysteresis margin) is applied based on first region data.

[0286] The first region data may be obtained, for example, by operation 1020 of FIG. 10. According to one embodiment, the first region data may include data of a first region associated with a first floor or data of a region determination line representing the first region.

[0287] The second region data may be, for example, region data to which a preset margin has been applied to the first region data. In one embodiment, the second region data may include data of the second region associated with the first floor or data of a region determination line representing the second region.

[0288] In one embodiment, when the margin is applied internally, the second region to which the margin is applied may be an internal region of the first region. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19A, the second region (1920a) may be set within the first region (1910a).

[0289] In one embodiment, when the margin is applied externally, the second region to which the margin is applied may be an external region of the first region. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19b, the second region (1920b) may be set external to the first region (1910b).

[0290] According to one embodiment, when multiple floor data exist (or are applied) and the margin is applied internally, the cleaner can obtain the shortest distance from the area determination line (1930c) between the overlapping area of ​​the first area of ​​the first floor and the second area of ​​the second floor to the first vertex (P1) of the first area determination line (e.g., the first solid line in FIG. 19c) (1910c) of the first area and the shortest distance from the second vertex (P2) of the second area determination line (e.g., the second solid line in FIG. 19c) (1920c) of the second area. The acquisition of the area determination line (1901c) between the overlapping areas and the first area determination line (1910c) and the second area determination line (1920c) may refer to the description of FIG. 16c.

[0291] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may set a final area determination line (e.g., the first dotted line in FIG. 19c) (1911c) of the first floor located inside the first area determination line and a final area determination line (e.g., the second dotted line in FIG. 19c) (1921c) of the second floor located inside the second area determination line by applying a preset margin to the shortest distance to each vertex.

[0292] At operation 1820, the cleaner can determine whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on the first area data and the second area data.

[0293] In one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 19a, when the margin is applied inward, the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has entered the first floor if the input floor data (hereinafter, input data) enters the second area (1920a) or the area determination line of the second area (1920a). In this case, the cleaner may maintain the cleaner as being positioned on the first floor until the input data goes out of the first area (1910a) or the area determination line of the first area (1910a). For example, if the input data is positioned in the second area (1920a), and then the input data is positioned outside the second area (1920a) but still within the first area (1910a), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner is still positioned on the first floor. Thereafter, if the input data is positioned outside the first area (1910a) (e.g., at the boundary or outside the area), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has left the first floor. Through this, abnormal behavior due to movement of the vacuum cleaner near the boundary can be prevented.

[0294] In one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 19b, when the margin is applied externally, the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has entered the first floor if the input floor data (hereinafter, input data) enters the first area (1910b) or the area determination line of the first area (1910b). In this case, the cleaner may maintain the cleaner as being positioned on the first floor until the input data enters the second area (1920b) or the area determination line of the second area (1920b). For example, if the input data is positioned in the first area (1910b), and then the input data is positioned outside the first area (1910b) but still within the second area (1920b), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner is still positioned within the first floor. Thereafter, if the input data is positioned outside the second area (1920b) (e.g., at the boundary or outside the area), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has left the first floor. Through this, abnormal behavior due to movement of the vacuum cleaner near the boundary can be prevented.

[0295] In one embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 19c, when there are multiple floor data and the margin is applied inward, the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has entered the first floor if the input floor data (hereinafter, input data) falls within the final area determination line (first dotted line) (1911c) of the first floor. In this case, the cleaner may maintain the cleaner as being positioned on the first floor until the input data goes outside the first area determination line (first solid line including the first dotted line) (1910c) of the first floor. For example, if the input data is positioned within the final area determination line (1911c), and then the input data is positioned outside the final area determination line but still within the first area determination line (1910c), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner is still positioned within the first floor. Thereafter, if the input data is positioned outside the first area determination line (1910c) (e.g., outside the boundary or area), the cleaner may determine that the cleaner has left the first floor. Through this, abnormal behavior due to movement of the vacuum cleaner near the boundary can be prevented.

[0296] If the vacuum cleaner is located on the first floor, operation 1830 may be performed. If the vacuum cleaner is not located on the first floor, operation 1840 may be performed.

[0297] At operation 1830, the vacuum cleaner can operate with a first suction power set on the first floor.

[0298] In operation 1840, the vacuum cleaner can operate with a second suction power that is different from the first suction power. The second suction power may be, for example, a reference suction power, but is not limited thereto.

[0299] To address errors in floor judgment, a judgment method that considers data continuity (data continuity judgment) may be used. For example, data continuity judgment may be performed by judging a user-specified floor as being located inside or outside a preset number of consecutive input values ​​or data (e.g., experimentally, 30) if they are located inside or outside the area judgment line. If the input values ​​or data are discontinuous, judgment may be suspended (e.g., not performed).

[0300] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of data continuity determination according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0301] According to one embodiment, the data continuity determination method can be used together with, for example, the determination method applying the margin of FIG. 18. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, a first area determination line (20010) of a first floor and a second area determination line (20020) of the first floor with an internal margin applied can be set, and although a portion of the input data is located within the second area determination line (20020), since the number of consecutive input values ​​located within the second area determination line (20020) is less than or equal to a preset number, the vacuum cleaner can determine that the vacuum cleaner is not located on the first floor. Through such data continuity determination, it is possible to prevent the floor from being misjudged in certain situations, such as those occurring during noise or floor transition.

[0302] According to one embodiment, the number of data used for data continuity determination can be determined experimentally, for example.

[0303] According to one embodiment, the continuous count may be reset when a discontinuity is detected.

[0304] According to one embodiment, the method for reducing the consecutive count can be applied in various ways depending on the algorithm used.

[0305] FIG. 21 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of operating a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0306] Referring to FIG. 21, in operation 21010, a cleaner (e.g., cleaner (1) of FIG. 1a / b) may provide (e.g., display) a first user interface (or first information) for setting (or determining) a user-defined floor. According to one embodiment, the first user interface (e.g., screen (440) of FIG. 4a, 4b, 4c or FIG. 4d) may include at least one selectable floor item. According to one embodiment, prior to the operation of providing the first user interface, the cleaner may further perform an operation of setting the user-defined floor and entering a personalization mode for collecting floor data for the user-defined floor.

[0307] In operation 21020, the cleaner can identify a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with the first user interface. In one embodiment, the cleaner can identify the first floor in response to a user input for selecting a floor item corresponding to the first floor among at least one selectable floor item included in the first user interface.

[0308] In operation 21030, the vacuum cleaner may collect first floor data for the first floor. In one embodiment, the first floor data may include sensor data (e.g., pressure data and / or current data) collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor.

[0309] In operation 21040, the vacuum cleaner may provide (e.g., display) a second user interface (or, second information) for setting a suction power for the first floor. In one embodiment, the second user interface (e.g., screen (620) of FIG. 6) includes at least one selectable suction power item, and the at least one selectable suction power item may include at least one of a suction power item corresponding to each of at least one preset basic suction power or a suction power item corresponding to a user-defined suction power.

[0310] In operation 21050, the cleaner may set a first suction power corresponding to a second user input among the plurality of suction powers associated with the second user interface as the suction power for the first floor. In one embodiment, the cleaner may set the first suction power as the suction power for the first floor in response to a user input for selecting a suction power item corresponding to the first suction power among at least one selectable suction power item included in the second user interface.

[0311] According to one embodiment, the plurality of suction forces may include at least one of a plurality of basic suction forces or a user-specified suction force, and the operation of collecting the first floor data may include an operation of sequentially collecting sensor data (e.g., pressure data and / or current data) for each of the plurality of suction forces.

[0312] According to one embodiment, the period for collecting sensor data (e.g., pressure data and current data) for each suction force may be set to a preset equal period.

[0313] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may identify that there is no error in the first floor data prior to the operation of providing the second user interface.

[0314] According to one embodiment, the operation of identifying that there is no error in the first floor data may include at least one of: an operation of determining whether a range of maximum and minimum values ​​of the sensor data (e.g., pressure data) is less than a first preset reference value; an operation of determining whether a range of maximum and minimum values ​​of the sensor data (e.g., pressure data) is greater than a second preset reference value, the second reference value being greater than the first reference value; and an operation of determining whether at least a portion of the sensor data (e.g., pressure data) is equal to a pressure value in an idle state.

[0315] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may store first representative value data including the first floor data or representative values ​​representing the first floor data.

[0316] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may perform an operation of setting a first suction power, which is a user-specified suction power for the first floor; and an operation of obtaining first status information indicating a status of the vacuum cleaner at a first point in time associated with the collection of the first floor data. The first status information and information regarding the first suction power may be stored together with the first floor data or the first representative value data.

[0317] According to one embodiment, the first state information may be obtained based on at least one of pressure data or current data obtained by operating the cleaner at a preset reference suction power in an idle state.

[0318] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may perform an operation of predicting second floor data for the first floor based on the first floor data, the first status information, and second status information indicating the status of the cleaner at a second point in time; and an operation of obtaining first area data of a first area associated with the first floor based on the second floor data. The second point in time may be a point in time subsequent to the first point in time.

[0319] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may perform an operation of determining whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on the first area data; an operation of operating the cleaner with the first suction force when the cleaner is located on the first floor; and an operation of operating the cleaner with the second suction force when the cleaner is not located on the second floor.

[0320] According to one embodiment, the cleaner may perform the following operations: acquiring second region data of a second region to which a preset margin is applied based on the first region data; and determining whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on the first region data and the second region data; operating the cleaner with the first suction force when the cleaner is located on the first floor; and operating the cleaner with the second suction force when the cleaner is not located on the second floor.

[0321] According to one embodiment, the vacuum cleaner may perform an operation of determining whether the vacuum cleaner is positioned on the first floor, and an operation of identifying whether a preset number of input data is included within the first area or the second area.

[0322] According to one embodiment, the operation of obtaining the first region data may be performed based on a method using maximum / minimum values ​​or a method using a support vector machine.

[0323] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, components included in the present disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural form, depending on the specific embodiment presented. However, the singular or plural expressions are selected to suit the presented situation for convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components. Components expressed in the plural form may be composed of singular elements, or components expressed in the singular form may be composed of plural elements.

[0324] It will be appreciated that the various embodiments of the present disclosure, as described in the claims and specification, may be realized in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0325] Such software may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs (software modules), and the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the methods of the present disclosure.

[0326] Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage, for example, on a storage device such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), which may or may not be erased or rewritten, or on a form of memory such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a memory chip, device or integrated circuit, or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as a Compact Disk (CD), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, or the like. It will be appreciated that the storage device and the storage medium are various embodiments of a computer program or non-transitory machine-readable storage suitable for storing a computer program including instructions that, when executed, implement various things. Accordingly, various embodiments include a program comprising code for implementing an apparatus or method according to any one of the claims of the present disclosure, and a non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing such a program.

[0327] While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to various embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. In terms of the operating method of the vacuum cleaner, An action that provides a first user interface for setting up a custom floor; An action of identifying a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with said first user interface; An operation of collecting first floor data for the first floor, wherein the first floor data includes sensor data collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor; An operation for providing a second user interface for setting the suction force for the first floor; and A method comprising the action of setting a first suction force corresponding to a second user input among the plurality of suction forces associated with the second user interface as the suction force for the first floor.

2. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the first user interface comprises at least one selectable bottom item, and the second user interface comprises at least one selectable suction power item, wherein the at least one selectable suction power item comprises at least one of a suction power item corresponding to each of at least one preset default suction power or a suction power item corresponding to a user-defined suction power.

3. In the first paragraph, the plurality of suction forces include at least one of a plurality of basic suction forces or a user-specified suction force, The operation of collecting the first floor data includes an operation of sequentially collecting the sensor data for each of the plurality of suction forces, A method wherein the sensor data includes at least one of pressure data or current data of the cleaner.

4. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the period for collecting the above sensor data for each suction force is set to a preset equal period.

5. In paragraph 1, the method: A method, further comprising, prior to the action of providing the second user interface, an action of identifying that there is no error in the first floor data.

6. In paragraph 5, The operation of identifying that there is no error in the above first floor data is: An operation for determining whether the range of the maximum and minimum values ​​of the above sensor data is less than a preset first reference value; An operation for determining whether the range of the maximum and minimum values ​​of the sensor data is greater than a preset second reference value, wherein the second reference value is greater than the first reference value; and A method comprising at least one operation of determining whether at least a portion of said sensor data is equal to an idle state pressure value.

7. In paragraph 1, the method: A method further comprising an operation of storing first representative value data including the first floor data or representative values ​​representing the first floor data.

8. In paragraph 6, the method: An operation of setting a first suction force, which is a user-defined suction force for the first floor; and Further comprising an operation of obtaining first status information indicating the status of the cleaner at a first point in time associated with the collection of the first floor data; A method wherein the first state information and the first suction force information are stored together with the first floor data or the first representative value data.

9. In the 8th paragraph, the first state information is obtained based on at least one of pressure data or current data obtained by operating the cleaner at a preset reference suction power in an idle state.

10. In paragraph 8, the method: An operation of predicting second floor data for the first floor based on the first floor data, the first status information, and second status information indicating the status of the cleaner at a second point in time; and A method further comprising: an operation of acquiring first area data of a first area associated with the first floor based on the second floor data, wherein the second point in time is a point in time subsequent to the first point in time.

11. In paragraph 10, the method: An operation of determining whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on the first area data; When the above cleaner is positioned on the first floor, an operation of operating the cleaner with the first suction force; and A method further comprising the action of operating the cleaner with a second suction force when the cleaner is not positioned on the second floor.

12. In paragraph 11, the method: An operation of acquiring second area data of a second area to which a preset margin is applied based on the first area data; An operation of determining whether the cleaner is located on the first floor based on the first area data and the second area data; When the above cleaner is positioned on the first floor, an operation of operating the cleaner with the first suction force; and Further comprising an action of operating the cleaner with the second suction force when the cleaner is not located on the second floor; A method wherein the operation of determining whether the cleaner is located on the first floor includes an operation of identifying whether a preset number of input data is included within the first area or the second area.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the operation of obtaining the first region data is performed based on a method using maximum / minimum values ​​or a method using a support vector machine.

14. In paragraph 1, the method: A method, further comprising, prior to the action of providing the first user interface, the action of entering a personalization mode for setting the custom floor and collecting floor data for the custom floor.

15. In the vacuum cleaner, A memory storing one or more computer programs; and comprising one or more processors communicatively connected to said memory, wherein said one or more computer programs, when executed by said one or more processors, cause said cleaner to: Provides a first user interface for setting up a custom floor, Identifying a first floor corresponding to a first user input among at least one floor associated with said first user interface; Collecting first floor data for the first floor, wherein the first floor data includes sensor data collected for each of a plurality of suction forces for the first floor, Providing a second user interface for setting the suction force for the first floor; A vacuum cleaner comprising computer-executable instructions that cause the first suction power corresponding to the second user input among the plurality of suction powers associated with the second user interface to be set as the suction power for the first floor.

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