Home appliance, and operation method of home appliance

Abstract

A robot vacuum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may travel indoors to generate a map, perform ultra wideband (UWB) communication with at least one home appliance while traveling indoors, obtain position information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication, and transmit information on the map and the position information of the at least one home appliance to a server.

Description

Home appliances and how they operate

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a home appliance and a method of operating the home appliance.

[0002] Smart home services connect indoor home appliances via a network, allowing users to monitor or control each appliance. Typically, smart home services are accessed through smart home applications installed on display devices such as mobile devices. For example, users can use smart home applications to monitor the operating status of home appliances or change operating modes or settings.

[0003] Appliances for smart home services can be registered with a smart home application via Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) or Bluetooth communication. Registration of appliances can be performed by the user, and registered appliances can be controlled through the smart home application.

[0004] Typically, smart home services require users to individually register each appliance in a smart home application. Appliances not registered by the user may be excluded from the service, even if they are in the same space.

[0005] Even if home appliances are registered in a smart home application, users have the inconvenience of having to select each registered home appliance to monitor or control.

[0006] Smart home services utilize Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication to identify the location of each appliance. However, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication is significantly affected by physical obstacles such as walls and furniture, resulting in inaccurate estimates of the location of each appliance. For example, when distance measurement technologies based on signal strength, such as RSSI (received signal strength indication), are used via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, physical obstacles around the appliance can increase the error between the actual distance and the measured distance. As the error increases, the accuracy of the appliance location decreases, hindering the accurate provision of services based on the appliance location.

[0007] One embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a home appliance and a method of operating the home appliance.

[0008] One embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a home appliance and a method capable of generating a map in which at least one home appliance is located by estimating the location of at least one home appliance based on UWB (ultra wideband) communication.

[0009] One embodiment of the present disclosure can provide a home appliance and method capable of generating a three-dimensional map by precisely estimating the location of at least one home appliance.

[0010] One embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a home appliance and a method that can provide a service based on the location of at least one home appliance based on a map in which at least one home appliance is placed.

[0011] One embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a home appliance and a method that enable monitoring or controlling at least one home appliance based on various information such as identification information, type information, status information, or control information of at least one home appliance.

[0012] One embodiment of the present disclosure can provide a home appliance and method that can identify the location or distance between home appliances capable of UWB communication or between a home appliance capable of UWB communication and a mobile terminal, thereby enabling adjacent devices to perform related functions.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device is provided for a robot vacuum cleaner, comprising: a driving unit including at least one wheel for driving; a suction unit for sucking up dust; a first communication unit; a second communication unit; a memory for storing at least one program; and a processor electrically connected to the driving unit, the suction unit, the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the memory, and including a processing circuit for executing commands of at least one program stored in the memory, wherein the processor: controls the driving unit to drive indoors to generate a map, controls the first communication unit to perform UWB (ultra wideband) communication with at least one home appliance while driving indoors, obtains location information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication, and controls the second communication unit to transmit information about the map and location information of the at least one home appliance to a server.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the processor may obtain location information of the at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which the at least one UWB signal was received from the at least one home appliance, location information of the robot cleaner, direction information at which the at least one UWB signal was received, or angle information at which the at least one UWB signal was received.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the processor may control the second communication unit to obtain at least one piece of information from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication, and transmit the obtained at least one piece of information to the server.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the at least one piece of information obtained is provided to a mobile terminal connected to the server, and the at least one home appliance can be controlled by the mobile terminal based on the at least one piece of information obtained.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the control information of the at least one home appliance may include at least one of information for controlling power of the at least one home appliance, information for controlling an operation mode of the at least one home appliance, or information for controlling environment or function setting information of the at least one home appliance.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance may include two-dimensional location information or three-dimensional location information of the at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

[0019] According to one embodiment, information about the map and location information of the at least one home appliance can be used to display the location of the at least one home appliance on the map.

[0020] Another device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a home appliance, comprising: a first communication unit; a second communication unit; a memory storing at least one program; and a processor electrically connected to the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the memory, the processor including a processing circuit that executes instructions of at least one program stored in the memory, wherein the processor: controls the first communication unit to identify a location where the home appliance is placed based on location information provided from a server, perform UWB (ultra wideband) communication with at least one home appliance at the identified location, obtains location information of the at least one home appliance based on the identified location through the UWB communication, and controls the second communication unit to transmit the location information of the at least one home appliance to the server.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the processor may obtain location information of the at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which the at least one UWB signal was received from the at least one home appliance at the identified location, direction information at which the at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location, or angle information at which the at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the processor may control the second communication unit to obtain at least one piece of information from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication, and transmit the obtained at least one piece of information to the server.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the at least one piece of information obtained is provided to a mobile terminal connected to the server, and the at least one home appliance can be controlled by the mobile terminal based on the at least one piece of information obtained.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the control information of the at least one home appliance may include at least one of information for controlling power of the at least one home appliance, information for controlling an operation mode of the at least one home appliance, or information for controlling environment or function setting information of the at least one home appliance.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance may include two-dimensional location information or three-dimensional location information of the at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance is used to display the location of the at least one home appliance on a map stored in the server, and the map stored in the server may be any one map selected from among pre-stored maps, or a map generated based on pre-set map components.

[0027] A method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a method for operating a robot vacuum cleaner, comprising: driving indoors to create a map; performing ultra-wideband (UWB) communication with at least one home appliance while driving indoors; acquiring location information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication; and transmitting information about the map and location information of the at least one home appliance to a server.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the operation of obtaining location information of the at least one home appliance may include an operation of obtaining location information of the at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information of receiving at least one UWB signal from the at least one home appliance, location information of the robot cleaner, direction information of which the at least one UWB signal was received, or angle information of which the at least one UWB signal was received.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of obtaining at least one piece of information from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication; and an operation of transmitting the obtained at least one piece of information to the server.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance may include two-dimensional location information or three-dimensional location information of the at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

[0031] According to one embodiment, information about the map and location information of the at least one home appliance can be used to display the location of the at least one home appliance on the map.

[0032] Another method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a method for operating a home appliance, the method including: identifying a location where the home appliance is placed based on location information provided from a server; performing ultra-wideband (UWB) communication with at least one home appliance at the identified location; obtaining location information of the at least one home appliance based on the identified location through the UWB communication; and transmitting location information of the at least one home appliance to the server.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the operation of obtaining location information of the at least one home appliance may include an operation of obtaining location information of the at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which the at least one UWB signal was received from the at least one home appliance at the identified location, direction information at which the at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location, or angle information at which the at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of obtaining at least one piece of information from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance through the UWB communication; and an operation of transmitting the obtained at least one piece of information to the server.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance may include two-dimensional location information or three-dimensional location information of the at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the location information of the at least one home appliance is used to display the location of the at least one home appliance on a map stored in the server, and the map stored in the server may be any one map selected from among pre-stored maps, or a map generated based on pre-set map components.

[0037] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram according to one embodiment.

[0038] Figure 2a is a block diagram of a home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 2b is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration between a processor and a UWB communication unit according to one embodiment.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0041] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a display device according to one embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining an operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment to obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication.

[0043] FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the position estimation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining an operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment to obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication.

[0045] FIG. 6b is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the location estimation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0046] FIG. 6c is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the location estimation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0048] Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0050] Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0051] Fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0052] Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0053] Fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0054] Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0055] Fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a display device according to one embodiment.

[0056] The accompanying drawings are referenced in the following description, and specific examples of implementations are illustrated within the drawings. Furthermore, other examples may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various examples.

[0057] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components. Furthermore, in the drawings and related descriptions, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0058] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram according to one embodiment.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 1, the system (100) may include one or more home appliances (130), a display device (140), and a server (150). The system (100) may be a system that can manage and control one or more home appliances (130) indoors. As an example, the system (100) may be referred to by various terms such as a smart home system, a smart home control system, or a home appliance control system.

[0060] According to one example, one or more home appliances (130) may include a first type of home appliance (110) and / or a second type of home appliance (120).

[0061] For example, the first type of home appliance (110) may include a home appliance that does not include a movement or driving function, or that cannot generate a map of an indoor space. For example, the first type of home appliance (110) may include at least one of a refrigerator, a washing machine, a dryer, a television (TV), a microwave oven, an oven, an air fryer, a cooking appliance, an air conditioner, an air purifier, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a dishwasher, or a dish dryer.

[0062] For example, the second type of home appliance (120) may include a home appliance with a movement or driving function, a home appliance capable of generating a map of an indoor space, or a home appliance capable of acquiring information (e.g., sensing data) for generating a map. For example, the second type of home appliance (120) may include a robot vacuum cleaner.

[0063] For convenience of explanation, the first type of home appliance (110) will be referred to as a home appliance (110) and the second type of home appliance (120) will be referred to as a robot vacuum cleaner (120).

[0064] For example, the home appliance (110) and the robot cleaner (120) can each perform UWB (ultra-wideband) communication with other home appliances. For example, the robot cleaner (120) can perform UWB communication with the home appliance (110). The robot cleaner (120) can identify the location information of the home appliance (110) through UWB communication (e.g., distance information between the location of the robot cleaner (120) and the home appliance (110), or direction information or angle information at which the home appliance (110) is located).

[0065] As an example, the robot vacuum cleaner (120) can generate a map for an indoor space and transmit information about the generated map and the location information of the home appliance (110) to the server (150) so that the location of the home appliance (110) is displayed on the generated map.

[0066] As another example, the robot cleaner (120) may transmit sensing data acquired through various sensors (e.g., at least one of an image sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor, a LiDAR (laser imaging detection and ranging) sensor, or a RADAR (radio detection and ranging) sensor) included in the robot cleaner (120) to the server (150) as information for generating a map. The server (150) may receive the sensing data from the robot cleaner (120) to generate a map. The robot cleaner (120) may transmit location information of the home appliance (110) to the server (150) so that the location of the home appliance (110) may be displayed on the map generated by the server (150).

[0067] For example, if there is no robot vacuum cleaner (120) and there are multiple home appliances (110), a first home appliance (e.g., a refrigerator) among the multiple home appliances can perform UWB communication with at least one second home appliance (e.g., a washing machine and / or dryer) among the multiple home appliances. For example, the first home appliance may be a home appliance that is first placed in an indoor space or a home appliance selected by a user, and may be referred to as a reference home appliance. The first home appliance may identify a location of at least one second home appliance through UWB communication, and transmit information about the identified location of the at least one second home appliance to the server (150).

[0068] According to one example, the home appliance (110) and / or the robot cleaner (120) may communicate with the server (150). For example, the home appliance (110) and / or the robot cleaner (120) may communicate with the server (150) based on any of various wireless communication protocols, such as long term evolution (LTE), LTE advance (LTE-A), new radio (NR), Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

[0069] According to one example, the display device (140) may register one or more home appliances (130), such as a home appliance (110) and / or a robot vacuum cleaner (120), and may include an application (e.g., an application for a smart home service) that can control or monitor one or more registered home appliances (130). When the application is selected or executed, the display device (140) may output a menu, icon, or map on the screen that can control or monitor one or more home appliances (130). The display device (140) may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a wearable device (e.g., a head mounted display (HMD)), or a home appliance including a display (e.g., a TV), but is not limited thereto.

[0070] In one example, a server (150) may communicate with one or more home appliances (130) and a display device (140) to provide services associated with the one or more home appliances (130). The server (150) may be a server associated with an application included in the display device (140), and may be a web server, an application server, or a server in the cloud. The server (150) may be a single independent server or may include two or more servers.

[0071] According to one example, the server (150) may provide a map provision service. For example, the map provision service may include a service for providing a map corresponding to an indoor space. The map provision service may be used through an application included in the display device (140). The map provision service may be used when a robot vacuum cleaner (120) capable of creating a map does not exist. According to one example, the server (150) may include a map database for the map provision service. The map database may store various maps, and any one of the maps stored in the map database may be selected or changed by the display device (140). The maps stored in the map database may include maps of various structures based on the number or arrangement of rooms. The maps stored in the map database may include two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) maps.

[0072] According to one example, the server (150) may provide a map generation service. For example, the map generation service may include a service that enables generation of a map corresponding to an indoor space based on preset map elements (e.g., elements for setting the layout or number of rooms, living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, windows, verandas, multipurpose rooms, entrances, exits, or directions). The server (150) may generate a map based on sensing data received from the robot cleaner (120) or according to a selection of the display device (140). For example, the server (150) may generate a 2D or 3D map based on the number of rooms, the layout of rooms, or the entrances of rooms selected by the display device (140).

[0073] According to one example, the server (150) can store a map selected through a map provision service, a map generated by a map generation service, or a map generated by a robot cleaner (120) as a map for a smart home service or a map for controlling home appliances.

[0074] According to one example, the server (150) may receive map information (e.g., a map generated by the robot cleaner (120) or sensing data for map generation) and location information of the home appliance (110) from the robot cleaner (120). Based on the received information, the server (150) may generate a home appliance layout map by displaying the location of the home appliance (110) on the map generated by the robot cleaner (120) or the server (150). The server (150) may provide the home appliance layout map to the display device (140).

[0075] According to one example, when there are multiple home appliances (110), the server (150) may receive location information of at least one second home appliance from a first home appliance (or a reference home appliance) among the multiple home appliances. Based on the received location information, the server (150) may generate a home appliance layout by displaying the location of at least one second home appliance on a map selected through a map provision service or a map generated by a map generation service. The server (150) may provide the home appliance layout to a display device (140).

[0076] Figure 2a is a block diagram of a home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 2A, the home appliance (110) may include a communication unit (210), a memory (220), and a processor (230). According to an example, the home appliance (110) may include additional components (e.g., a display) in addition to the illustrated components, or may omit at least one of the illustrated components.

[0078] According to an example, the communication unit (210) may include a UWB communication unit (212) and a wireless communication unit (214). The UWB communication unit (212) may include a communication circuit or communication interface for performing UWB communication with the robot cleaner (120) or at least one home appliance.

[0079] The wireless communication unit (214) may include a communication circuit or a communication interface for performing communication with the server (150). For example, the wireless communication unit (214) may perform communication with the server (150) based on wireless communication such as short-range communication or mobile communication (or cellular communication). For example, the short-range communication may include at least one of Bluetooth communication, NFC (near field communication), RFID (radio-frequency identification) communication, Zigbee communication, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication, BLE (bluetooth low energy) communication, WLAN (wireless local area network) communication, ANT+ communication, UWB communication, IrDA (infrared data association) communication, or uWave communication. For example, the mobile communication may include at least one of LTE communication, LTE-A communication, or NR communication.

[0080] According to one example, the memory (220) can store at least one program for processing and controlling the processor (230), and can store input and / or output data. The memory (220) can also store an artificial intelligence (AI) model. The memory (220) can include a storage medium corresponding to at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., a secure digital (SD) or extreme digital (XD) memory), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0081] According to one example, the processor (230) can control the overall operation of the home appliance (110). The processor (230) can execute calculations or data processing related to control and / or communication of at least one other component of the home appliance (110). For example, the processor (230) can be electrically connected to the communication unit (210) (or the UWB communication unit (212) and the wireless communication unit (214)) and the memory (220), and can execute instructions of a program stored in the memory (220). The processor (230) can include a processing circuit that executes instructions of the program stored in the memory (220). The processor (240) may include at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), a system on chip (SoC), or an integrated circuit (IC), a sensor hub, a supplementary processor, a communication processor, an application processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and may have multiple cores.

[0082] According to one example, the processor (230) can perform operations of the home appliance (110) (or at least one home appliance included in the home appliance (110)) to be presented below.

[0083] FIG. 2b is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration between a processor and a UWB communication unit according to one embodiment.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 2B, the home appliance (110) as illustrated in FIG. 2A may include a control circuit board (or, a control PBA (printed board assembly)) (260). According to one example, the control circuit board (250) may be one of two types. For example, the control circuit board (250) may be a first type as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 2B, or a second type as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 2B.

[0085] Referring to (a) of FIG. 2B, the first type of control circuit board (250) may include a processor (230) and a UWB communication unit (212). For example, the first type of control circuit board (250) may be a surface mount device (SMD) type PBA in which the processor (230) and the UWB communication unit (212) are attached to a surface, but is not limited thereto.

[0086] According to an example, in the first type of control circuit board (250), the processor (230) and the UWB communication unit (212) may be bidirectionally connected. For example, the processor (230) and the UWB communication unit (212) may perform SPI (serial peripheral interface) communication via a USB (universal serial bus) interface.

[0087] According to an example, the UWB communication unit (212) may include an antenna unit (240) or may be connected to the antenna unit (240). The antenna unit (240) may include one or more antennas for performing UWB communication with the robot cleaner (120) or at least one home appliance.

[0088] For example, the antenna unit (240) may include two antennas that perform signal transmission and reception to obtain 2D location information (e.g., (X, Y) coordinate information) of at least one home appliance, or three antennas that perform signal transmission and reception to obtain 3D location information (e.g., (X, Y, Z) coordinate information) of at least one home appliance.

[0089] For example, the antenna unit (240) may include two antennas that transmit and receive signals so that the robot cleaner (120) can obtain 2D location information (e.g., (X, Y) coordinate information) of the home appliance (110), or three antennas that transmit and receive signals so that the robot cleaner (120) can obtain 3D location information (e.g., (X, Y, Z) coordinate information) of the home appliance (110).

[0090] Referring to (b) of FIG. 2B, the second type of control circuit board (250) may include a processor (230) and a first connection unit (260). The processor (230) and the first connection unit (260) may be bidirectionally connected. For example, the processor (230) and the first connection unit (260) may perform SPI communication via a USB interface.

[0091] According to one example, the UWB communication unit (212) may be included outside the control circuit board (250) and may include a second connection unit (270) or be connected to the second connection unit (270). The processor (230) and the UWB communication unit (212) may be connected via the first connection unit (260) and the second connection unit (270). The first connection unit (260) and the second connection unit (270) may be connected wirelessly or by wire.

[0092] According to an example, the UWB communication unit (212) may include an antenna unit (240) or may be connected to the antenna unit (240). The antenna unit (240) may include one or a plurality of antennas for performing UWB communication with the robot cleaner (120) or at least one home appliance. In (a) and (b) of FIG. 2b, the home appliance (110) is illustrated as including three antennas (or 3 X 3 antennas) as an example, but the number of antennas is not limited thereto and may be variously changed.

[0093] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 3, the robot cleaner (120) may include a driving unit (310), a suction unit (320), a sensing unit (330), a communication unit (340), a memory (350), and a processor (360). According to an example, the robot cleaner (120) may include additional components (e.g., a display) in addition to the illustrated components, or may omit at least one of the illustrated components.

[0095] According to an example, the driving unit (310) may include at least one wheel for driving the robot cleaner (120). For example, the driving unit (310) may include at least one wheel and a first motor (or wheel motor) configured to rotate the at least one wheel.

[0096] According to one example, the suction unit (320) can suck up dust. For example, the suction unit (320) can include a rotating brush for sucking up dust and a second motor (or rotating brush motor) configured to rotate the rotating brush. The suction unit (320) can collect dust on the floor while sucking in air, and may further include an air intake, a filter, a dust collection chamber, or an air exhaust, but is not limited thereto. The suction unit (320) can also be equipped with a structure in which a brush that can sweep away dust from corners rotates.

[0097] According to one example, the sensing unit (330) may include at least one sensor configured to detect information about the surrounding environment of the robot cleaner (120). For example, the sensing unit (330) may include at least one of an image sensor (e.g., a stereo camera, a mono camera, a wide-angle camera, an around-view camera, or a 3D vision sensor), an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a lidar sensor, or a distance sensor, but is not limited thereto. Since the function of each sensor can be intuitively inferred from its name by a person skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. According to one example, sensing data (e.g., location data, distance data, angle data, or direction data) acquired by the sensing unit (330) may be used to generate a map corresponding to an indoor space.

[0098] According to an example, the communication unit (330) may include a UWB communication unit (342) and a wireless communication unit (344). The UWB communication unit (342) and the wireless communication unit (344) may correspond to the UWB communication unit (212) and the wireless communication unit (214) of FIG. 2A, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0099] According to one example, the memory (350) can store various information or data related to the operation of the robot cleaner (120). The memory (350) can store at least one program for processing and controlling the processor (360) and can store input and / or output data. The memory (350) can also store an AI model. The memory (350) can include a storage medium corresponding to at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0100] According to one example, the processor (360) can control the overall operation of the robot cleaner (120). The processor (360) can execute calculations or data processing related to control and / or communication of at least one other component of the robot cleaner (120). For example, the processor (360) can be electrically connected to the driving unit (310), the suction unit (320), the sensing unit (330), the communication unit (340), and the memory (350), and can execute instructions of a program stored in the memory (350). The processor (360) can include a processing circuit that executes instructions of the program stored in the memory (350). The processor (360) can include at least one of a CPU, an NPU, a GPU, an MPU, an MCU, an AP, a CP, an SoC, or an IC sensor hub, a coprocessor, a communication processor, an application processor, an ASIC, or an FPGA, and can have multiple cores.

[0101] According to an example, the processor (360) can perform the operations of the robot vacuum cleaner (120) to be presented below.

[0102] According to an example, the processor (360) and the UWB communication unit (342) of the robot vacuum cleaner (120) may be connected as shown in (a) of FIG. 2b or (b) of FIG. 2b, but are not limited thereto and may be connected in various forms.

[0103] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a display device according to one embodiment.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 4, the display device (140) may include a display (410), a communication unit (420), a memory (430), and a processor (440). According to one example, the display device (140) may include additional components (e.g., an input unit) in addition to the illustrated components, or may omit at least one of the illustrated components.

[0105] According to one example, the display (410) may perform functions for outputting information in the form of numbers, characters, images, and / or graphics. The display (410) may display a screen corresponding to data received from the processor (440).

[0106] According to one example, the display (410) can display or output various information related to an application running on the display device (140). For example, the display (410) can output a screen for using a map provision service or a map creation service provided from a server (150), a screen for registering at least one home appliance to an application, or a screen for controlling or monitoring at least one home appliance registered to an application. The screen output on the display (410) can include at least one of information, a menu, an icon, a user interface (UI), or a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0107] According to one example, the display (410) may be configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure with a touchpad. In this case, the display (410) may be used as an input device in addition to an output device. The display (410) may include at least one of a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, a 3D display, and an electrophoretic display. Depending on the implementation, there may be two or more displays (410), and they may be referred to as an output unit, a display unit, or other terms having equivalent technical meanings.

[0108] According to one example, the communication unit (420) may include one or more components (e.g., a communication circuit or at least one antenna) for communicating with other electronic devices, such as a home appliance (110), a robot vacuum cleaner (120), or a server (150). For example, the communication unit (420) may perform communication with other electronic devices based on short-range communication or mobile communication, but is not limited thereto.

[0109] According to one example, the memory (430) can store various information or data related to the operation of the display device (140). The memory (430) can store at least one program for processing and controlling the processor (440) and can store input and / or output data. The memory (430) can also store an AI model. The memory (430) can include a storage medium corresponding to at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0110] According to one example, the processor (440) can control the overall operation of the display device (140). The processor (440) can execute calculations or data processing related to control and / or communication of at least one other component of the display device (140). For example, the processor (440) can be electrically connected to the display (410), the communication unit (420), and the memory (430), and can execute instructions of a program stored in the memory (430). The processor (440) can include a processing circuit that executes instructions of the program stored in the memory (430). The processor (440) can include at least one of a CPU, an NPU, a GPU, an MPU, an MCU, an AP, a CP, an SoC, an IC sensor hub, a coprocessor, a communication processor, an application processor, an ASIC, or an FPGA, and can have multiple cores.

[0111] According to one example, the processor (440) can perform the operations of the display device (140) presented below.

[0112] FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining an operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment to obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication.

[0113] Referring to FIG. 5A, the robot cleaner (120) can perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance. For example, the at least one home appliance may be included in the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1. The robot cleaner (120) may be a home appliance registered with the application and may drive indoors to generate a map.

[0114] The robot cleaner (120) can perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance while driving indoors to generate a map, or while driving along a set driving route after map generation is complete. For example, if a wall-mounted air conditioner (512), a first air purifier (514), a stand air conditioner (516), a refrigerator (518), a cooking appliance (520), a second air purifier (522), or an integrated washer / dryer (524) exists in the indoor space, the robot cleaner (120) can perform UWB communication with each of the wall-mounted air conditioner (512), the first air purifier (514), the stand air conditioner (516), the refrigerator (518), the cooking appliance (520), the second air purifier (522), or the integrated washer / dryer (524) while driving indoors.

[0115] According to one example, the robot cleaner (120) can obtain location information of each of the wall-mounted air conditioner (512), the first air purifier (514), the stand air conditioner (516), the refrigerator (518), the cooking appliance (520), the second air purifier (522), or the integrated washer / dryer (524) through UWB communication. For example, the location information may include at least one of information indicating a relative location of each home appliance based on the location of the robot cleaner (120), information indicating a distance from the location of the robot cleaner (120) to each home appliance, or information indicating a direction or angle at which each home appliance is located based on the location of the robot cleaner (120).

[0116] The location of the robot cleaner (120) may be any one of the following: the location where it started driving, a location moved a certain distance from the location where it started driving, or a location on a set driving path. For example, the robot cleaner (120) may set the location where it started driving as (0,0) and identify the location it moved to as a relative location equal to the distance moved from (0,0). For example, the robot cleaner (120) may also identify its own location based on surrounding environment information acquired using at least one sensor.

[0117] For example, in UWB communication, a robot vacuum cleaner (120) may be an anchor (hereinafter referred to as an 'Anchor'), and a wall-mounted air conditioner (512), a first air purifier (514), a stand air conditioner (516), a refrigerator (518), a cooking appliance (520), a second air purifier (522), or an integrated washer / dryer (524) may each be a tag (hereinafter referred to as a 'Tag').

[0118] For example, an Anchor may be a home appliance registered through an application and stored in a server (e.g., server (150) of FIG. 1) or a home appliance initially registered. An Anchor may be a home appliance that has been placed in an indoor space and has location information (e.g., coordinate information on an indoor space or a map) or that can identify its own location. The location of an Anchor may serve as a reference for identifying the location of a Tag. An Anchor may wait for a signal to be received from a Tag. There may be one or more Anchors, and they may be switched by Tags. When there are multiple Anchors, different Anchors may be used in different areas of the room. For example, when there are two Anchors, the first Anchor may be used to obtain location information of at least one home appliance in the living room and bedroom, and the second Anchor may be used to obtain location information of at least one home appliance in the kitchen and bedroom. The first Anchor and the second Anchor may perform similar operations except that the operating area and at least one appliance performing UWB communication are different.

[0119] For example, a Tag may correspond to a home appliance that requires location information identification. The Tag may transmit a UWB signal (hereinafter referred to as a "UWB signal") for location information identification to an Anchor (or any one of multiple Anchors) so that the Tag can identify the location information. For example, the Tag may transmit a UWB signal periodically or aperiodically, or transmit a UWB signal at a specific time, a preset time, or for a preset period of time. There may be one or more Tags, and they may be switched to Anchors.

[0120] For example, the robot cleaner (120) can acquire location information of each home appliance based on a location estimation method based on UWB communication. For example, the location estimation method based on UWB communication may include at least one of a ToF (Time of Flight) method, a TWR (Two-Way Ranging) method, a TdoA (Time Difference of Arrival) method based on AoA (Angle of Arrival), or a combination thereof (e.g., a combination of a TWR method and a TdoA method based on AoA), but is not limited thereto.

[0121] For example, when the ToF method is used, the robot cleaner (120) can receive the first UWB signal transmitted by the home appliance at time A. Here, the home appliance may be any one of the home appliances whose location the robot cleaner (120) wants to estimate, such as a wall-mounted air conditioner (512), a first air purifier (514), a stand air conditioner (516), a refrigerator (518), a cooking appliance (520), a second air purifier (522), or an integrated washer / dryer (524). In response to the first UWB signal, the robot cleaner (120) can transmit a second UWB signal to the home appliance at time C, which is a preset time T1 after time B at which the first UWB signal is received.

[0122] The home appliance can calculate the round-trip time from point A, where the first UWB signal is transmitted, to point D, where the second UWB signal is received. For example, the home appliance can calculate the time T'1 between points A and D, and calculate the round-trip time as the difference between T'1 and T1. The home appliance can obtain the ToF, which indicates the distance to the anchor, by dividing the round-trip time in half. This can be expressed as a mathematical formula, as shown in the following [Mathematical Formula 1].

[0123]

[0124] The home appliance can transmit information indicating the acquired ToF (or distance information or distance value) to the robot cleaner (120). The robot cleaner (120) can calculate the distance to the home appliance based on the information received from the home appliance, and estimate the location of the home appliance based on the calculated distance and its own location.

[0125] For example, when the ToF method is used, the operation of the robot cleaner (120) may be performed by the home appliance, and the operation of the home appliance may be performed by the robot cleaner (120).

[0126] For example, the TWR method may refer to a method of measuring distance based on the time it takes for a message to travel back and forth between an Anchor and a Tag in UWB communication. For example, the time from when a home appliance (or a robot cleaner (120)) transmits a message to when a response message is received from the robot cleaner (120) (or the home appliance) may be calculated as the round-trip time. The round-trip time calculated by the home appliance or the robot cleaner (120) may be used to estimate the distance, and information about the estimated distance may be acquired by the robot cleaner (120) and used to identify the location of the home appliance.

[0127] For example, the TWR method can be utilized even when there are two or more Anchors. For example, the two or more Anchors may correspond to a robot cleaner (120) and at least one home appliance or at least one electronic device other than the robot cleaner (120). When two or more Anchors are used, each of the two or more Anchors can perform UWB communication with one Tag based on the TWR method. When ToF or distance information for a Tag is estimated from each of the two or more Anchors, the location of the Tag can be identified based on each estimated distance information.

[0128] The ToF and TWR methods discussed above can be distance-based position estimation methods. The AoA-based TdoA method, described below, can be a distance and direction-based position estimation method. For example, the AoA-based TdoA method can be used when an anchor and / or tag includes two or more antennas.

[0129] For example, if a robot cleaner (120) includes two or more antennas, it can receive UWB signals from a home appliance through the two or more antennas. The robot cleaner (120) can measure the time at which a signal is received by each of the two or more antennas, and calculate the difference in the measured times for each of the two or more antennas. Based on the difference in the calculated times, the robot cleaner (120) can calculate the signal reception angle or signal arrival angle of each antenna, and estimate the direction and distance of the home appliance based on the calculated angle.

[0130] According to one example, the robot cleaner (120) may obtain, as device information about the home appliance, at least one of identification information of the home appliance (e.g., identifier (ID), serial number, or MAC (media access control) address), type information of the home appliance (e.g., model name or product name), status information of the home appliance (e.g., information indicating whether the power is on / off, information indicating the operating mode, environmental information, or function setting information), or control information of the home appliance (e.g., power on / off control information, operating mode control information, information for changing environmental information, or information for controlling function setting information) based on UWB communication with the home appliance. The environmental information of the home appliance described above may include information about an object (such as furniture, a structure such as a wall, or an obstacle) located within a certain distance from the home appliance, and the information about the object described above may include information about the size, position, shape, and distance from the home appliance of the object. The information for controlling the function setting information of the above-described home appliance may include a menu for controlling a specific function of the home appliance, a list of functions with a predetermined operation order (pre-set course information), etc. For example, the robot cleaner (120) may transmit a device information request signal to the home appliance and receive a response signal including device information in response to the device information request signal. For example, without a request from the robot cleaner (120), the home appliance may periodically or aperiodically transmit a signal including device information to the robot cleaner (120), or transmit it at a specific time, a preset time, or for a preset period of time.

[0131] For example, the robot cleaner (120) can generate a map by driving indoors, and can generate a home appliance layout (or home appliance layout information) based on the generated map and the location information of the home appliances. The robot cleaner (120) can generate the home appliance layout by synchronizing the generated map with the location information of the home appliances. For example, the robot cleaner (120) can generate the home appliance layout by including information indicating the location of the home appliances in the generated map based on the location information of the home appliances.

[0132] For example, the appliance layout may also include appliance information. For example, the robot vacuum cleaner (120) may map at least one of appliance identification information, appliance type information, appliance status information, or appliance control information to an appliance whose location is indicated on the generated map. The mapped appliance information may or may not be displayed on the generated map, and may optionally be displayed in the form of a pop-up window.

[0133] According to one example, the robot vacuum cleaner (120) can directly transmit the home appliance layout diagram to the display device (140) or to the server (150).

[0134] According to one example, the robot cleaner (120) can transmit map information and location information of the home appliance to the server (150). The server (150) can generate a home appliance layout map based on the map information and location information of the home appliance obtained from the robot cleaner (120). For example, the map information may include information regarding a map generated by the robot cleaner (120), or sensing data acquired by at least one sensor of the robot cleaner (120) for the server (150) to generate a map.

[0135] For example, when the server (150) receives device information of a home appliance from a robot vacuum cleaner (120), it may generate a home appliance layout diagram that further includes the device information. The home appliance layout diagram generated by the server (150) may be provided to a display device (140).

[0136] FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the position estimation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 5b, the display device (140) can display on the screen a home appliance layout diagram (500) provided from a robot cleaner (120) or a server (150). For example, in the home appliance layout diagram (500), the locations of a wall-mounted air conditioner (512), a first air purifier (514), a stand air conditioner (516), a refrigerator (518), a cooking appliance (520), a second air purifier (522), or an integrated washer / dryer (524) can be displayed in the form of icons representing the respective home appliances.

[0138] According to one example, the home appliance layout diagram (500) may display device information corresponding to each of a wall-mounted air conditioner (512), a first air purifier (514), a stand air conditioner (516), a refrigerator (518), a cooking appliance (520), a second air purifier (522), or an integrated washer / dryer (524). For example, the home appliance layout diagram (500) may display at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of each home appliance, or when any one of the icons displayed in the home appliance layout diagram (500) is selected, at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of the selected home appliance may be displayed.

[0139] As an example, the home appliance layout diagram (500) may be expressed as a 2D graphic as illustrated in Fig. 5a, but may also be expressed as a 3D graphic. For example, if the location information of each home appliance based on UWB communication includes coordinate information on the X, Y, and Z axes, the home appliance layout diagram (500) may be expressed as a 3D graphic.

[0140] FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining an operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment to obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 6A, in an environment without a robot cleaner (120), a reference home appliance (e.g., a refrigerator) (618) can perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance. The reference home appliance (618) and the at least one home appliance may be included in the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1. The at least one home appliance may include, for example, an air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624).

[0142] For example, the reference home appliance (618) may be a home appliance initially registered with the application or a selected one of the home appliances registered with the application, and may be a home appliance whose location in an indoor space or on a map has been determined and whose location information can be identified. The reference home appliance (618) may be determined from one or more home appliances set as anchors, or may be two or more.

[0143] For example, in an environment without a robot vacuum cleaner (120), a map for an indoor space may be provided and used from a server (150). For example, a map selected by a display device (140) from among various maps provided through a map provision service of the server (150), or a map generated by a map generation service of the server (150) according to a selection of the display device (140), may be used as a map for the indoor space.

[0144] According to one example, a map for an indoor space may indicate the location of a reference home appliance (618). The location of the reference home appliance (618) may be determined by a user of the display device (140). For example, when the display device (140) receives a user input indicating a location to place the reference home appliance (618), the display device (140) may transmit information about the location indicated by the user to the server (150). The server (150) may store the information about the location indicated by the user as location information corresponding to the reference home appliance (618). The server (150) may transmit the stored location information to the reference home appliance (618) and provide a map indicating the location of the reference home appliance (618) to the display device (140).

[0145] The reference home appliance (618) can perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance based on location information of the reference home appliance (618). For example, the reference home appliance (618) can perform UWB communication with each of a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624).

[0146] According to one example, the reference home appliance (618) can obtain location information of each of the wall-mounted air conditioner (612), the first air purifier (614), the stand air conditioner (616), the cooking appliance (620), the second air purifier (622), and the integrated washer / dryer (624) through UWB communication. For example, each location information may include at least one of information indicating a relative location of each home appliance based on a location of the reference home appliance (618), information indicating a distance from a location of the reference home appliance (618) to each home appliance, or information indicating a direction or angle at which each home appliance is located based on the location of the reference home appliance (618).

[0147] In one example, in UWB communication, a reference home appliance (618) may be an Anchor, and a home appliance other than the reference home appliance (618), for example, a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624), may each be a Tag.

[0148] For example, the reference home appliance (618) can acquire location information of each home appliance based on a location estimation method based on UWB communication. For example, similar to the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner (120) described in FIG. 5A, the reference home appliance (618) can acquire location information of each home appliance based on at least one of the ToF method, the TWR method, or the AoA-based TdoA method.

[0149] In one example, the reference home appliance (618) can obtain device information of each home appliance (e.g., at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of each home appliance) based on UWB communication with each home appliance. For example, the device information of each home appliance can be obtained at the request of the reference home appliance (618), or can be obtained from a signal transmitted periodically or aperiodically from each home appliance without the request of the reference home appliance (618), or a signal transmitted at a specific time, a preset time, or for a preset period of time.

[0150] According to one example, when location information of each home appliance, or location information and device information of each home appliance, is acquired, the reference home appliance (618) can transmit the acquired information to the server (150).

[0151] For example, the server (150) may generate a home appliance layout map based on the location information of each home appliance received from the reference home appliance (618) and a map of the indoor space. For example, the server (150) may generate a home appliance layout map by adding information indicating the location of each home appliance to the map of the indoor space based on the location information of each home appliance received from the reference home appliance (618).

[0152] According to one example, if the server (150) receives device information as well as location information of each home appliance from the reference home appliance (618), it may generate a home appliance layout map that further includes device information of each home appliance.

[0153] In the example illustrated in FIG. 6A, the server (150) can generate an appliance layout map by displaying the locations of each of a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), and an integrated washer / dryer (624) on a map of an indoor space. The server (150) can provide the generated appliance layout map to a display device (140).

[0154] According to one example, the server (150) may display at least one of identification information of each home appliance, type information of each home appliance, status information of each home appliance, or control information of each home appliance on the home appliance layout diagram or provide it to the display device (140) as separate information based on device information of each home appliance received from the reference home appliance (618).

[0155] FIG. 6b is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the location estimation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0156] Referring to FIG. 6b, the display device (140) can display on the screen a home appliance layout diagram (600) provided from a server (150). For example, in the home appliance layout diagram (600), the locations of not only a refrigerator (618), which is a standard home appliance, but also a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624) can be displayed in the form of icons representing the respective home appliances.

[0157] According to one example, device information corresponding to each of a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624) may be displayed. For example, at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of each home appliance may be displayed in the home appliance layout diagram (600), or when any one of the icons displayed in the home appliance layout diagram (600) is selected, at least one of identification information, type information, or status information of the selected home appliance may be displayed in the form of a pop-up window.

[0158] For example, if the location information of each home appliance based on UWB communication includes coordinate information on the X and Y axes, a home appliance layout diagram (600) expressed in 2D graphics as illustrated in FIG. 6b can be generated.

[0159] For example, if the location information of each home appliance based on UWB communication includes coordinate information on the X, Y, and Z axes, a home appliance layout map expressed as a 3D graphic as illustrated in FIG. 6c can be generated.

[0160] FIG. 6c is a diagram illustrating a home appliance layout generated based on the location estimation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 6c, the display device (140) can display on the screen a home appliance layout diagram (610) provided from a server (150). The home appliance layout diagram (610) can be generated based on a similar method to the home appliance layout diagram (600) of FIG. 6b, but there is a difference in that the location information of each home appliance used is different.

[0162] According to one example, the appliance layout diagram (610) can be expressed in 3D graphics based on coordinate information on the X, Y, and Z axes indicating location information of each appliance. The coordinate information on the X, Y, and Z axes of each appliance can be obtained based on the 3 x 3 antenna configuration of the reference appliance (618). For example, the first antenna of the reference appliance (618) can be used to obtain the location on the X axis with the first antenna of each appliance, the second antenna of the reference appliance (618) can be used to obtain the location on the Y axis with the second antenna of each appliance, and the third antenna of the reference appliance (618) can be used to obtain the location on the Z axis with the third antenna of each appliance.

[0163] Unlike the home appliance layout diagram (600) of FIG. 6b, the home appliance layout diagram (610) of FIG. 6c can be expressed stereoscopically in the form of 3D graphics. For example, in the home appliance layout diagram (610), the locations of a refrigerator (618), which is a standard home appliance, as well as a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624) are displayed in the form of 3D icons, thereby providing a more realistic home appliance layout structure similar to reality.

[0164] When UWB communication is used, more precise location estimation (e.g., location estimation in centimeters) can be achieved compared to when other communications (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communications) are used. Since UWB communication uses relatively short pulse waves compared to other communications and multiple anchors can be set to compensate for communication dead zones, the influence of obstacles can be relatively small. When such UWB communication is used to estimate the location of home appliances, the locations of adjacent home appliances (e.g., home appliances arranged above / below, left / right, or front / back) can also be clearly distinguished. For example, in the home appliance layout diagram (610), the locations of a wall-mounted air conditioner (612) and a first air purifier (614) arranged above / below can each be clearly distinguished and identified, and the location of a cooking appliance (620) located on an island can also be clearly identified. For example, instead of an integrated washer / dryer (624), even if there are washer and dryers positioned adjacently above and below, the positions of the washer and dryer can be clearly distinguished and identified based on position estimation through UWB communication.

[0165] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 7, in operation 702, the robot cleaner (120) may drive indoors to create a map. In one example, the robot cleaner (120) may drive indoors and acquire sensing data that may be used to create a map through various sensors (e.g., at least one of an image sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor, or a lidar sensor).

[0167] For example, a robot vacuum cleaner (120) can acquire an image of the surrounding environment using an image sensor, and obtain the results of analyzing the acquired image as sensing data.

[0168] For example, a robot vacuum cleaner (120) can obtain sensing data such as information identifying the presence of a person or animal using an infrared sensor, or information analyzing the movement or movement pattern of a person or animal using an infrared sensor.

[0169] For example, a robot vacuum cleaner (120) can measure the distance to the surrounding environment (e.g., furniture, structures such as walls, or obstacles) using an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor, or a lidar sensor, and obtain information related to the measured distance as sensing data.

[0170] In operation 704, the robot cleaner (120) may perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance (e.g., the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1, or the wall-mounted air conditioner (512), the first air purifier (514), the stand air conditioner (516), the refrigerator (518), the cooking appliance (520), the second air purifier (522), or the integrated washer / dryer (524) of FIG. 5A) while driving indoors. In one example, the robot cleaner (120) may be an Anchor that receives at least one UWB signal, and the at least one home appliance may be a Tag that transmits at least one UWB signal.

[0171] In operation 706, the robot cleaner (120) can obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication. In one example, the robot cleaner (120) can obtain location information of at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which at least one UWB signal is received from at least one home appliance, location information of the robot cleaner (120), direction information at which at least one UWB signal is received, or angle information at which at least one UWB signal is received. In one example, the robot cleaner (120) can obtain location information of at least one home appliance based on at least one of a ToF method, a TWR method, or a TdoA method based on AoA.

[0172] In operation 708, the robot cleaner (120) may transmit information about the map and location information of at least one home appliance to the server (150). In one example, the information about the map may include information about a map generated by the robot cleaner (120) based on sensing data, or sensing data acquired for map generation by the server (150).

[0173] Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0174] Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 802, the robot cleaner (120) can drive indoors to create a map.

[0175] In operation 804, the robot cleaner (120) can perform UWB communication with at least one home appliance (e.g., home appliance (110) of FIG. 1, or wall-mounted air conditioner (512) of FIG. 5a, first air purifier (514), stand air conditioner (516), refrigerator (518), cooking appliance (520), second air purifier (522), or integrated washer / dryer (524)) while driving indoors.

[0176] In operation 806, the robot cleaner (120) may obtain location information and device information of at least one home appliance via UWB communication. According to one example, the device information may include at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of at least one home appliance.

[0177] In operation 808, the robot cleaner (120) can transmit information about the map, location information of at least one home appliance, and device information to the server (150).

[0178] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0179] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 902, the server (150) may receive information about a map and location information of at least one home appliance (e.g., home appliance (110) of FIG. 1, or wall-mounted air conditioner (512), first air purifier (514), stand air conditioner (516), refrigerator (518), cooking appliance (520), second air purifier (522), or integrated washer / dryer (524) of FIG. 5A) from the robot cleaner (120).

[0180] In operation 904, the server (150) may obtain a map based on information about the map. In one example, the server (150) may obtain a map generated by the robot cleaner (120) based on information about the map, or may generate a map based on sensing data included in the information about the map.

[0181] In operation 906, the server (150) may generate home appliance layout information (e.g., home appliance layout map (500) of FIG. 5b) in which the location of at least one home appliance is displayed on the acquired map based on the location information of at least one home appliance.

[0182] In operation 908, the server (150) can transmit home appliance placement information to the display device (140).

[0183] Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a robot vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0184] Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1002, the server (150) may receive information about a map from the robot cleaner (120) and location information and device information of at least one home appliance (e.g., the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1, or the wall-mounted air conditioner (512), the first air purifier (514), the stand air conditioner (516), the refrigerator (518), the cooking appliance (520), the second air purifier (522), or the integrated washer / dryer (524) of FIG. 5A).

[0185] In operation 1004, the server (150) can obtain a map based on information about the map.

[0186] In operation 1006, the server (150) may generate home appliance layout information (e.g., home appliance layout map (500) of FIG. 5b) in which the location of at least one home appliance is displayed on the acquired map based on the location information of at least one home appliance.

[0187] In operation 1008, the server (150) may update the appliance placement information to include device information of at least one appliance. In one example, the server (150) may update the appliance placement information to include at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of at least one appliance.

[0188] According to an example, the server (150) may generate appliance placement information to include device information of at least one appliance in operation 1006. In this case, operation 1008 may be omitted.

[0189] In operation 1010, the server (150) can transmit updated appliance placement information to the display device (140).

[0190] Fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0191] Referring to FIG. 11, in operation 1102, a reference home appliance may identify a location where the reference home appliance is placed. In one example, the reference home appliance may be included in the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1 and may correspond to a reference home appliance (e.g., a refrigerator) (618) of FIG. 6A. In one example, the location where the reference home appliance is placed may be a location in an indoor space or a location on a map, and may be identified based on location information provided from a server (150).

[0192] In operation 1104, the reference appliance can perform UWB communication with at least one appliance (e.g., a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624) of FIG. 6A) at an identified location.

[0193] In operation 1106, the reference home appliance can obtain location information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication. For example, the reference home appliance can obtain location information of at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which at least one UWB signal was received from at least one home appliance at an identified location, direction information at which at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location, or angle information at which at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location.

[0194] In operation 1108, the reference home appliance can transmit location information of at least one home appliance to the server (150).

[0195] Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0196] Referring to FIG. 12, in operation 1202, a reference home appliance may identify a location where the reference home appliance is placed. In one example, the reference home appliance may be included in the home appliance (110) of FIG. 1 and may correspond to a reference home appliance (e.g., a refrigerator) (618) of FIG. 6A. In one example, the location where the reference home appliance is placed may be a location in an indoor space or a location on a map, and may be identified based on location information provided from a server (150).

[0197] In operation 1204, the reference appliance can perform UWB communication with at least one appliance (e.g., a wall-mounted air conditioner (612), a first air purifier (614), a stand air conditioner (616), a cooking appliance (620), a second air purifier (622), or an integrated washer / dryer (624) of FIG. 6A) at an identified location.

[0198] In operation 1206, the reference home appliance can obtain location information and device information of at least one home appliance through UWB communication. For example, the reference home appliance can obtain location information of at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which at least one UWB signal was received from at least one home appliance at an identified location, direction information at which at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location, or angle information at which at least one UWB signal was received at the identified location.

[0199] According to one example, the reference home appliance can receive, as device information, at least one of identification information, type information, status information, or control information of at least one home appliance.

[0200] In operation 1208, the reference home appliance can transmit location information and device information of at least one home appliance to the server (150).

[0201] Fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0202] Referring to FIG. 13, in operation 1302, the server (150) can receive location information of at least one home appliance from a reference home appliance.

[0203] In operation 1304, the server (150) can identify a map on which the reference home appliance is placed.

[0204] In operation 1306, the server (150) can generate home appliance placement information in which the location of at least one home appliance is displayed on the acquired map based on the location information of at least one home appliance.

[0205] In operation 1308, the server (150) can transmit home appliance placement information to the display device (140).

[0206] Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server associated with a reference home appliance according to one embodiment.

[0207] Referring to FIG. 14, in operation 1402, the server (150) can receive location information and device information of at least one home appliance from a reference home appliance.

[0208] In operation 1404, the server (150) can identify a map on which the reference home appliance is placed.

[0209] In operation 1406, the server (150) can generate home appliance placement information in which the location of at least one home appliance is displayed on the acquired map based on the location information of at least one home appliance.

[0210] In operation 1408, the server (150) may update the appliance placement information to include appliance information of at least one appliance.

[0211] In operation 1410, the server (150) can transmit updated appliance placement information to the display device (140).

[0212] Fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a display device according to one embodiment.

[0213] Referring to FIG. 15, in operation 1502, the display device (140) can receive home appliance layout information (e.g., home appliance layout diagram (500) of FIG. 5b, home appliance layout diagram (600) of FIG. 6b, or home appliance layout diagram (610) of FIG. 6c) from the server (150).

[0214] In operation 1504, the display device (140) can display the received home appliance arrangement information on the screen.

[0215] In operation 1506, the display device (140) may determine whether a home appliance is selected based on the home appliance arrangement information. In one example, the display device (140) may determine whether any one of at least one home appliance displayed in the home appliance arrangement information is selected. In one example, the selected home appliance may be a home appliance that the user wishes to control, and an input for controlling the selected home appliance may additionally be received.

[0216] In operation 1508, the display device (140) can control the selected home appliance if the home appliance is selected. For example, the display device (140) can transmit a control signal to the server (150) for power on / off control, operation mode change, or environment or function setting change of the selected home appliance, or can directly transmit the control signal to the selected home appliance.

[0217] For example, if there is a home appliance capable of moving and UWB communication (hereinafter referred to as a “UWB home appliance”), home appliance linkage operations that take mobility into greater consideration can be performed based on location information.

[0218] For example, a mobile UWB appliance, such as a robot vacuum cleaner or portable appliance, can transmit information about its moved or changed location to a server (150) so that the appliance layout can be updated. The updated appliance layout can be used to provide location-based services or device linkage services associated with the UWB appliance.

[0219] For example, an air monitoring device capable of monitoring indoor air quality, temperature, or humidity could exist as a UWB appliance. For example, the air monitoring device could be placed in the kitchen, or the user could bring it into the kitchen.

[0220] The air monitoring device can identify the location and information of kitchen appliances (e.g., induction cooktops, hoods, or ovens) adjacent to the air monitoring device based on an appliance layout diagram (or an updated appliance layout diagram). In one example, the kitchen appliances may be UWB appliances, and the appliance layout diagram may be provided from a server (150). In one example, the appliance layout diagram may be generated based on location information of each appliance obtained based on UWB communication between the air monitoring device and the kitchen appliances, or UWB communication between a robot vacuum cleaner, the air monitoring device, and the kitchen appliances, or UWB communication between a reference appliance, the air monitoring device, and the kitchen appliances.

[0221] For example, an air monitoring device can control adjacent kitchen appliances based on ambient air quality. For example, an air monitoring device can change the operating level of a hood or adjust the heat output of an induction cooktop based on ambient air quality.

[0222] If the air monitoring device is moved to a different location in the kitchen, or if the air monitoring device is moved more than a preset distance away from the hood, the hood may terminate the operation controlled by the air monitoring device or turn off the power.

[0223] For example, when an air monitoring device is moved from the kitchen to any location in the room (e.g., the living room), the air monitoring device can identify at least one appliance adjacent to the air monitoring device based on the appliance placement map. For example, the air monitoring device can identify an air conditioner and / or an air purifier.

[0224] For example, an air monitoring device can control the operating mode or set temperature of an air conditioner or set or change the operating mode of an air purifier based on temperature, humidity, or air quality conditions.

[0225] For example, the location information for each appliance acquired based on UWB communication can be precise enough to distinguish between appliances located above and below it. For example, even if an air conditioner is wall-mounted and an air purifier is placed directly below it, the positions of the two can be clearly distinguished, allowing for precise device control.

[0226] For example, when the air monitoring device is moved to another location, the set temperature or operating mode of the air conditioner and air purifier can be maintained or turned off, and the air monitoring device can be linked to another home appliance in the moved location.

[0227] For example, location-based control operations or course pop-up operations of home appliances can be performed using a mobile terminal capable of UWB communication, such as a mobile phone or smartphone. For example, the mobile terminal can correspond to a display device (140), can be a device capable of executing an application, and can be a device controllable by a user.

[0228] A mobile terminal can identify its location in a home appliance layout. For example, when a mobile terminal approaches a UWB home appliance, the UWB home appliance can recognize the location of the mobile terminal via UWB communication and transmit the recognized information to a server (150). The server (150) can add the mobile terminal's location to the home appliance layout and provide it to the mobile terminal.

[0229] Based on the appliance layout, the mobile terminal can control at least one appliance adjacent to the mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal can display a menu or preset course information (e.g., a pop-up window) for controlling at least one appliance in the application to receive user selection. Depending on the settings, the mobile terminal can also directly transmit preset course information to at least one appliance without user selection.

[0230] For example, a mobile terminal can perform the following actions depending on the type of adjacent home appliance.

[0231] - Washing machine: Display and transmit preset washing cycles

[0232] - Dryer: Displays and transmits preset drying courses

[0233] - Garment handler: Displays and transmits preset garment care courses

[0234] - Cooking appliances: Display and transmit preset recipes

[0235] - Dishwasher: Display and transmit preset washing cycles

[0236] According to various embodiments as described above, based on UWB communication between home appliances, it is possible to obtain accurate location information (or distance information, direction information, or angle information) of each home appliance, and to easily obtain various information associated with each home appliance (e.g., home appliance identification information, type information, status information, or control information).

[0237] Information obtained about home appliances can be utilized in various ways. For example, an appliance layout map can be generated based on the location information of the appliances. Since the appliance layout map can be generated using appliances associated with the same application (e.g., a robot vacuum cleaner or a reference appliance), it can be acquired in any environment where appliances are present.

[0238] UWB technology allows the precise location of appliances along the X, Y, and Z axes to be identified, enabling their locations to be represented graphically in 3D on appliance layout maps. Based on these 3D graphical appliance layout maps, users can identify the locations of appliances within their homes in a realistic manner.

[0239] UWB communication enables precise device location (e.g., centimeter-level) resolution, enabling the creation of highly accurate appliance layout maps. For example, appliance layout maps can clearly display the locations of appliances at different heights within the same location, or those placed in front, behind, or to the left and right.

[0240] Various information related to home appliances, including their location information, can be used through applications to provide location-based services or to monitor or control their operation. For example, the current temperature and humidity of the living room and bedroom, acquired by an air monitoring device or air conditioner, can be displayed on the application, allowing actions such as changing the air conditioner's set temperature or operating a dehumidifier to be performed based on the user's selection or preset actions.

[0241] When a mobile device capable of UWB communication exists, the mobile device and home appliance can monitor each other's distance and location through UWB communication, or identify their proximity. This can be used to provide users with linkage services between mobile devices and home appliances, enhancing the integrated user experience across multiple devices, such as the multi-device experience (MDE).

[0242] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "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 include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0243] The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs 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).

[0244] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In robot vacuum cleaners, A driving part including at least one wheel for driving; A suction part that sucks up dust; First communication circuit; Second communication circuit; memory for storing at least one program; and A processor including a processing circuit electrically connected to the driving unit, the suction unit, the first communication circuit, the second communication circuit, and the memory, and executing instructions of at least one program stored in the memory, The above processor: Control the driving unit to drive indoors to generate a map, Controlling the first communication circuit to perform UWB (ultra wideband) communication with at least one home appliance while driving in the above room, Obtaining location information of at least one home appliance through the UWB communication, A robot vacuum cleaner that controls the second communication circuit to transmit information about the map and location information of at least one home appliance to a server.

2. In paragraph 1, The above processor, A robot cleaner that obtains location information of at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information on receiving at least one UWB signal from at least one home appliance, location information of the robot cleaner, direction information on which the at least one UWB signal was received, or angle information on which the at least one UWB signal was received.

3. In paragraph 1, The above processor, Through the UWB communication, at least one piece of information is acquired from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance. A robot vacuum cleaner that controls the second communication circuit to transmit at least one piece of information obtained above to the server.

4. In paragraph 3, A robot vacuum cleaner in which at least one piece of information obtained is provided to a mobile terminal connected to the server, and at least one home appliance is controlled by the mobile terminal based on the at least one piece of information obtained.

5. In paragraph 3, Control information of at least one of the above home appliances, A robot vacuum cleaner comprising at least one of information for controlling the power of at least one home appliance, information for controlling the operation mode of at least one home appliance, information for changing environmental information of at least one home appliance, or information for controlling function setting information of at least one home appliance.

6. In paragraph 1, The location information of at least one of the above home appliances, A robot vacuum cleaner comprising two-dimensional position information or three-dimensional position information of at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

7. In paragraph 1, Information about the above map and location information of the at least one home appliance, A robot vacuum cleaner used to display the location of at least one home appliance on the map.

8. In home appliances, First communication circuit; Second communication circuit; memory for storing at least one program; and A processor including a processing circuit electrically connected to the first communication circuit, the second communication circuit, and the memory, and executing instructions of at least one program stored in the memory, The above processor: Identify the location of the home appliance based on the location information provided from the server, Controlling the first communication circuit to perform UWB (ultra wideband) communication with at least one home appliance at the identified location; Through the UWB communication, location information of at least one home appliance is obtained based on the identified location, A home appliance device that controls the second communication circuit to transmit location information of at least one home appliance to the server.

9. In paragraph 8, The above processor, A home appliance device that obtains location information of the at least one home appliance based on at least one of time information at which at least one UWB signal is received from the at least one home appliance at the identified location, direction information at which the at least one UWB signal is received at the identified location, or angle information at which the at least one UWB signal is received at the identified location.

10. In paragraph 8, The above processor, Through the UWB communication, at least one piece of information is acquired from among identification information of the at least one home appliance, type information of the at least one home appliance, status information of the at least one home appliance, or control information of the at least one home appliance. A home appliance device that controls the second communication circuit to transmit at least one piece of information obtained above to the server.

11. In paragraph 10, A home appliance device in which at least one piece of information obtained is provided to a mobile terminal connected to the server, and at least one home appliance is controlled by the mobile terminal based on the at least one piece of information obtained.

12. In paragraph 10, Control information of at least one of the above home appliances, A home appliance device comprising at least one of information for controlling the power of at least one home appliance, information for controlling the operation mode of at least one home appliance, information for changing environmental information of at least one home appliance, or information for controlling function setting information of at least one home appliance.

13. In paragraph 8, The location information of at least one of the above home appliances, A home appliance device comprising two-dimensional location information or three-dimensional location information of at least one home appliance obtained through the UWB communication.

14. In paragraph 8, The location information of at least one of the above home appliances, A home appliance device used to display the location of at least one home appliance on a map stored in the server, wherein the map stored in the server is one of the pre-stored maps selected from among the pre-stored maps or a map generated based on pre-set map elements.

15. In the operating method of the robot vacuum cleaner, The action of driving indoors to create a map; An action of performing UWB (ultra wideband) communication with at least one home appliance while driving in the above indoor space; An operation of obtaining location information of at least one home appliance through the UWB communication; and A method comprising the action of transmitting information about the map and location information of at least one home appliance to a server.

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