Robot cleaner, control apparatus, control system, and control method of robot cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robot cleaners face challenges in efficiently navigating and cleaning areas due to obstacles and varying floor conditions, leading to incomplete cleaning and user inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A control system and method for a robot cleaner that includes a user interface for map generation, editing, and schedule setting, allowing users to download, edit, and update cleaning maps and schedules based on the robot's state and environment, enabling adaptive cleaning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If robot cleaner performs random cleaning without user intervention, then automation is improved, but cleaning completeness deteriorates due to obstacles and floor conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating a cleaning map of the entire area before actual cleaning operations. This preliminary mapping allows the robot to plan its cleaning path in advance, identifying obstacles and accessible areas, thereby improving cleaning completeness while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where the robot cleaner detects obstacles during cleaning operations and reports them to the control apparatus. The control apparatus then updates the cleaning map and adjusts the cleaning path accordingly, ensuring that previously inaccessible areas are cleaned in subsequent passes.
2Reliability
If cleaning area is divided into multiple cells or maps, then cleaning completeness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning area is segmented into multiple cells or divided into already-cleaned and to-be-cleaned areas through map generation. This segmentation allows the robot to systematically navigate and clean each section, improving overall cleaning completeness while managing complexity through structured division.
Solution Approach 2:
The control apparatus serves multiple functions: it generates cleaning maps, divides cleaning areas, tracks cleaning progress, and adjusts cleaning paths. By consolidating these functions in a single control system, the patent manages complexity while achieving comprehensive cleaning coverage.
3Ease of operation
If user can edit and customize cleaning maps and schedules, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus acts as an intermediary between the user and the robot cleaner. It provides a user interface for map editing and schedule setting, processing user commands and translating them into cleaning operations. This intermediary layer simplifies user interaction while managing the underlying system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and stores cleaning maps as digital representations of the physical cleaning area. Users can edit these map copies without affecting the actual environment, and the control apparatus uses these copied maps to plan cleaning paths, thereby simplifying user operations while managing complexity through virtual modeling.
Data Source
AI summary
A control apparatus of a robot cleaner includes a user interface unit to receive a user command controlling the robot cleaner; a controller to generate a control signal to receive a map of a cleaning area, based on the user command; and a communicator to receive the map of the cleaning area from an external server or the robot cleaner, based on the control signal. An embodiment may download or generate a map of a cleaning area and allow a map editing to be performed by a user. An embodiment may set and edit a cleaning schedule. When setting the cleaning schedule, an embodiment may recommend a cleaning schedule based on cleaning history data. An embodiment may automatically determine whether the environment is changed or whether the cleaning is available, while the robot cleaner performs the cleaning, and it may be possible to actively deal with this.