KR20200008401A - Cleaning system - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a robot system comprises: an injection device installed on a wall or a bottom surface of an indoor space to measure a floating level of dust floating in the air, and spray water or ions into the air according to the measured dust floating level; and a robot cleaner connected in communication with the injection device to clean a predetermined cleaning area based on a cleaning start command of the injection device.

Description

Cleaning system

The present invention relates to a cleaning system.

Conventionally, home appliances, such as a washing machine, an air conditioner, and a cleaner, used in a predetermined space of a home or an office, individually perform unique functions and operations. For example, a refrigerator stores food, a washing machine processes laundry, an air conditioner adjusts room temperature, a cooking appliance cooks food, and a cleaner performs a function of cleaning an indoor floor.

In recent years, with the development of various communication technologies, a number of home appliances are networked by wired / wireless communication. Home appliances constituting a network may transmit data from one device to another device, and may check information of another device from one device.

In addition, by configuring a network including a smart device such as a mobile terminal, a user can check and control information of home appliances using his smart device anytime and anywhere. This home network of devices is also called a smart home.

In connection with the smart home technology, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0077231 discloses a robot cleaner, a robot cleaner system, and a control method thereof.

Disclosed is a technology for generating a cleaning history information of a robot cleaner through an external terminal and transmitting cleaning history information to an external terminal (for example, a smartphone equipped with a Wi-Fi module) through an external terminal. . That is, the user can easily grasp the cleaning history through the robot cleaner through the terminal.

The robot cleaner is a device for automatically cleaning by sucking foreign matters such as dust from the floor surface while driving the area to be cleaned by itself. The robot cleaner is equipped with a rechargeable battery, which is free to move and can be moved by itself using the operating power of the battery.The robot cleaner sucks and cleans the foreign substances on the floor during the movement and returns to the charging station when necessary to charge the battery. do.

However, the robot cleaner disclosed in the prior art has the following problems.

First, in the case of the conventional robot cleaner, since the cleaning is performed according to the user's cleaning command input or the cleaning history information, it is difficult to intensively clean the indoor space in which the fine dust concentration or the pollution is severe.

Second, in the related art, the robot cleaner merely performs a function of automatically cleaning by suctioning foreign substances such as dust from the floor surface, and there is a problem that it is impossible to clean the dust floating in the indoor air.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system that can measure the dust concentration in the air, and lower the dust concentration in the air when the measured dust concentration is less than the reference value.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system that can effectively remove dust that has settled on the floor, based on the floating level of dust suspended in air.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system capable of effectively cleaning by avoiding obstacles such as an object or a person.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system that can easily check the cleaning completion alarm and the dust concentration of indoor air when the cleaning is completed.

Cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on the wall or floor surface of the indoor space, to measure the floating level of the dust floating in the air, and to spray water or ions into the air in accordance with the measured dust floating level Apparatus and a robot cleaner in communication with the injector, for cleaning a predetermined cleaning area based on a cleaning start command of the injector.

At this time, the injection device measures the floating level of the dust floating in the air through the dust sensor, and if the measured dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, by spraying water or ions into the air for a predetermined time, the indoor air Can effectively reduce dust concentration.

Further, when the measured dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, the injection apparatus determines whether an object is recognized in front or around, and if the object is not recognized in front or around, water into the air for a predetermined time. Alternatively, by injecting ions, obstacles such as an object or a person can be avoided and water or ions can be prevented from penetrating into the eyes of a person.

If it is determined that the object is recognized in front or around, the injection device may wait for a predetermined time after generating an alarm, and determine again whether the object is recognized in the front or around.

In addition, the injection device after the water or ions are injected into the air for a predetermined time, and again measuring the floating level of the dust floating in the air, and whether the measured dust floating level is less than the second reference value less than the first reference value Can be further judged.

At this time, if it is determined that the measured dust suspended level is less than the second reference value smaller than the first reference value, the injection device may transmit a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner.

And, when the injection device receives a cleaning completion signal from the robot cleaner, by transmitting a cleaning completion signal to the portable terminal connected to the communication device, when the cleaning is completed, the cleaning completion alarm and the dust concentration of the indoor air can be easily confirmed have.

If it is determined that the measured dust floating level is not less than the second reference value smaller than the first reference value, the injection apparatus may effectively lower the dust concentration in the air by re-injecting water or ions into the air for a predetermined time. .

In addition, the robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving unit is provided with a wheel and a motor for driving, coupled to the driving unit, the suction unit for sucking dust or foreign matter, the floating level of dust floating in the air A floating level detection unit for measuring, a spraying unit for injecting water or ions into the air, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the spraying unit according to the dust floating level measured by the floating level detection unit.

The cleaning system according to the embodiment of the present invention constituting the above configuration has the following effects.

First, by measuring the dust concentration in the air, only when the measured dust concentration is less than the reference value can be sprayed coarsening induction material, there is an advantage that can effectively lower the dust concentration of the indoor air.

Second, after spraying the coarsening induction material, when the dust floating level is lowered, since the cleaning start command can be transmitted by the robot cleaner, there is an advantage that can quickly remove the dust settled on the floor.

Third, since the coarsening inducing material may be selectively injected depending on whether the object is recognized, the coarsening inducing material may be prevented from penetrating into the object or the eyes of a person.

Fourth, since the cleaning completion alarm can be transmitted to the portable terminal when the cleaning is completed, there is an advantage that it is easy to check the dust concentration of the cleaning completion time and indoor air.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of coarsening dust particles in a cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an injection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a robot cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a flow chart showing a control method of the injection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a robot cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flow chart showing a control method of a robot cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

Hereinafter, the cleaning system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of coarse dust particles in the cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the cleaning system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a home server 10, an injection device 20, a robot cleaner 30, and a portable terminal 40. do.

At least two or all of the home server 10, the injection device 20, the robot cleaner 30, and the portable terminal 40 may be connected through a network.

Here, the network transmits and receives data between the home server 10 and the injection device 20, transmits and receives data between the injection device 20 and the robot cleaner 30, or the robot cleaner 30 and the portable terminal ( 40) may include various types of wired or wireless networks capable of transmitting and receiving data therebetween.

The home server 10 may be a server that controls a plurality of home appliances installed in the home. For example, the home server 10 may be connected to at least one of a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a dryer, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, a display device, and a lighting device through a network.

For example, when the home server 10 receives a cleaning start command from the portable terminal 40, the home server 10 may control the spraying device 20 or the robot cleaner 30 to clean a predetermined area.

Alternatively, when the injection device 20 receives a cleaning start command from the portable terminal 40, the injection device 20 may control the robot cleaner 30 to clean a predetermined area.

The said injector 20 is installed in the wall surface W or the bottom surface G of an indoor space, and is understood as an apparatus for coarsening the dust particle D floating in air. The injection device 20 may apply electric charge to dust floating in the air by using an electrospray method.

For example, the injection device 20 may include an ion generating device.

The ion generating device may include a plurality of ion generating units and blowers configured to generate positive and negative ions, respectively. The ion generating device may generate positive and negative ions while receiving a power supply from a power supply to generate a plasma discharge. And cations and anions generated from the ion generating unit may be released into the air by the operation of the blower. Then, the fine dust particles attached to the cation and the fine dust particles attached to the anion may be combined with each other to induce coarsening of the fine dust particles. By this principle, the coarse fine dust particles can sink to the ground by their own weight without floating in the air.

That is, the injection device 20 may lower the degree of dust floating in the air by inducing coarse dust particles floating in the air.

Here, the degree of dust floating in the air is defined as the "dust floating level".

"High dust suspended level" means that the amount of dust suspended in the air is relatively high, and "low dust suspended level" means that the amount of dust suspended in the air is relatively low. .

As another example, the spraying device 20 may include a spraying device for spraying water containing water or ions.

The spray device, by injecting water or ions (cationic or anion) containing water into the air, dust floating in the air can be combined with water or ions can induce coarsening of dust particles.

Here, in order to induce coarsening of dust particles suspended in the air, water or ions sprayed by the injector 20 may be defined as a "coarsening inducing substance".

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, when the injection device 20 is installed on the wall surface (W) of the indoor space, the injection device 20 is a coarse induction material (P) to the injection device 20 Can be sprayed forward.

Here, the term “front” may be understood as a direction toward the inside of the indoor space in a state where the injection device 20 is installed on the wall surface W. As shown in FIG.

Alternatively, when the injection device 20 is installed on the bottom surface G of the indoor space, the injection device 20 may discharge the coarsening inducing material P upward or radial direction.

That is, the discharging direction of the coarsening inducing substance P may vary according to the space and the situation in which the injection device 20 is installed.

When the coarsening inducing material (P) is injected to the front, the dust particles (D) floating in the air is combined with the coarsening inducing material (P) is coarse dust particles (D). And the coarse dust particle (D) is sinking to the ground (G) by its own weight.

Thereafter, the home server 10 or the injection device 20 communicates with the robot cleaner 30 and transmits a cleaning start command. For example, the home server 10 or the injection device 20 may transmit a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner 30 when the currently measured fine dust concentration is less than a reference value. Then, the robot cleaner 30 moves to the space where the injection device 20 is located or a predetermined cleaning space to clean the dust D that has sunk on the bottom surface G.

When the cleaning of the robot cleaner 30 is completed, the robot cleaner 30 or the home server 10 may generate a cleaning completion alarm or transmit a cleaning completion message to the portable terminal 40.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an injection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the injection device 20 according to the first embodiment includes a float level detector 21, a sprayer 22, an object recognition unit 23, a communication unit 24, a display unit 25, Some or all of the alarm unit 26 and the control unit 27 may be included.

In detail, the floating level detecting unit 21 is understood as a configuration for detecting the degree of floating of dust floating in the air. That is, the float level detector 21 is configured to determine whether the dust float level is higher or lower than the reference value.

The floating level detecting unit 21 may include a dust detecting sensor for measuring the dust floating level.

The dust sensor is installed on the outer surface of the injection device 20, it can detect the amount of dust contained in the indoor air.

The dust sensor includes an air passage through which air is introduced and an optical transceiver configured to be installed in the air passage. The optical transceiver includes an optical transmitter disposed at one side of the air passage and irradiating light. For example, the light transmitting unit may include a light emitting diode (LED).

In addition, the optical transmission and reception unit, which is disposed on the other side of the air flow path when the light emitted from the light transmission unit acts on the air flowing through the air flow path, measuring the sensitivity of the light scattered by the dust contained in the air An optical receiver is included. For example, the light receiver may include a photodiode detector.

The greater the amount of dust included in the air, the lower the sensitivity of light received by the light receiving unit, and the output voltage value may be higher. That is, the sensitivity of light and the output voltage value may be inversely proportional.

By the above-described dust sensor, the float level detecting unit 21 may measure the dust float level of the dust suspended in the air.

The spraying unit 22 is understood as a configuration for injecting a coarsening inducing substance for inducing coarsening of suspended dust.

As described above, the spray unit 22 may induce coarsening of dust particles by injecting water or ions (cations or anions) as dust floating in the air is combined with water or ions.

The spraying unit 22 may be an ion generating device or a water spraying device, but is not limited thereto, and an apparatus for spraying various materials capable of coarsening dust particles floating in air may be applied.

The object recognition unit 23 is understood as a configuration for detecting whether or not the object is recognized in the vicinity of the injection device (20). For example, when the injection device 20 is installed on the wall surface of the indoor space, the object recognition unit 23 determines whether an object is detected in front of the injection device 20.

The object recognizing unit 23 may include various sensors for recognizing an object. In one example, the sensor may be an infrared sensor, a proximity sensor or an image sensor.

That is, the object recognizing unit 23 uses at least one or more of the above-described sensors to detect an object (eg, a person or an object) in the periphery of the injection device 20, that is, in the front, side, rear, and upward direction. It can be determined whether is located.

When an object is detected by the object recognition unit 23, the sensing information may be provided to the controller 27.

The communication unit 24 is understood as a configuration for communicating with some or all of the home server 10, the robot cleaner 30, and the portable terminal 40. The communication unit 24 may be short-range or long-distance communication.

For example, the communication unit 24 may be communicatively connected to the home server 10, the robot cleaner 30, and the portable terminal 40 through various communication methods such as Wi-Fi communication or Bluetooth communication.

The said display part 25 is a structure which displays the state information of the indoor space, the state information of the said injection device 20, etc.

For example, the display unit 25 may display not only the temperature and humidity of the indoor space but also the fine dust concentration of the indoor air. In this case, the display unit 25 may be displayed together with the floating dust level, which means the fine dust concentration.

Here, the suspended dust level may be displayed as "normal" when approaching a predetermined reference level, "good" when lower than the reference level, and "bad" when higher than the reference level. In addition, there will be various ways to indicate the level of suspended dust.

In addition, the display unit 25 may display operation information and status information of the robot cleaner 30 that is connected in communication. For example, the display unit 25 may display a current position of the robot cleaner 30, a cleaning state (for example, cleaning, completion of cleaning, etc.), emptying of a dust container, a battery remaining amount, error information, and the like.

The alarm unit 26 is understood to be configured to notify the user when the level of suspended dust in the current indoor space is high or when cleaning is completed.

For example, the alarm unit 26 may output a sound (voice) or blink an LED when the level of suspended dust in the current indoor space is very high or when cleaning is completed.

The control unit 27 may include some or all of the above-described floating level detecting unit 21, spraying unit 22, object recognizing unit 23, communication unit 24, display unit 25, and alarm unit 26. To control.

For example, the controller 27 may control the operation of the sprayer 22 by using the information transmitted from the float level detector 21. In addition, the controller 27 may be connected to the robot cleaner 30 through the communication unit 24 to control the cleaning cleaner to transmit a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner 30.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a robot cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the robot cleaner 30 according to the first embodiment includes a running unit 31, a suction unit 32, a position recognition unit 33, a communication unit 34, a display unit 35, and a sensor unit. Some or all of the 36 and the control unit 37 may be included.

In detail, the driving unit 31 is understood as a configuration that allows the robot cleaner 30 to travel on the floor. The driving unit 31 may include a rotatable wheel, a power transmission unit for transmitting power to the wheel, a wheel motor, and the like.

Since the configuration of the driving unit 31 is similar to that of a known robot cleaner, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The suction part 32 is understood as a component for sucking dust or foreign matter on the ground. The suction part 32 includes an air suction device including a motor, a fan, a suction nozzle, a dust container, and the like for generating a suction force.

The suction part 32 may suck the air containing dust or foreign matter by driving the air suction device, separate and collect the foreign matter, and discharge the purified air from which the foreign matter is separated to the outside of the cleaner.

The location recognizing unit 33 includes a memory that stores location information about the current location and the cleaning area of the robot cleaner 30. For example, the location recognition unit 33 may be provided with a map for a cleaning area to be cleaned by the robot cleaner 30 through an application executed in the portable terminal 40.

Alternatively, the location recognition unit 33 may store in advance location information on a plurality of cleaning zones separated in the building. In addition, the position recognition unit 33 further includes arrangement information on obstacles or furniture disposed in the building, so that the robot cleaner 30 can clean the driving area while driving stably.

The communication unit 34 is understood as a configuration for communication connection with some or all of the home server 10, the injection device 20, and the portable terminal 40. The communication unit 24 may be short-range or long-distance communication.

For example, the communication unit 34 may be communicatively connected to the home server 10, the injection device 20, and the portable terminal 40 through various communication methods such as Wi-Fi communication or Bluetooth communication.

The display unit 35 is understood as a configuration for displaying the current position of the robot cleaner 30, a cleaning state (for example, cleaning, completion of cleaning, etc.), emptying of the dust container, battery remaining amount, error information, and the like.

For example, the display unit 35 may further display cleaning reservation information, a battery state, an operation mode, and the like, and may output a cleaning completion indication when the cleaning of the cleaning area is completed.

The sensor unit 36 may be configured to detect and avoid obstacles and the like while the robot cleaner 30 is traveling.

The sensor unit 36 may include various sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a lidar sensor, a cliff detection sensor, or a proximity sensor.

The control unit 37 controls some or all of the driving unit 31, the suction unit 32, the position recognizing unit 33, the communication unit 34, the display unit 35, and the sensor unit 36 described above. do.

For example, when the control unit 27 receives a cleaning start command from the injection device 20 through the communication unit 34, the control unit 27 controls the driving unit 31 and the suction unit 32 to drive the cleaning area. Can be cleaned while.

In addition, the robot cleaner 30 may further include an operation unit (not shown) capable of receiving power on / off or various commands.

In addition, the robot cleaner 30 may further include a battery module (not shown).

The battery module may include a battery for supplying power to the robot cleaner 30, a charging module for charging the battery, and the like.

Hereinafter, a control method of an injection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the injection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5, in step S10, the injection device 20 measures the level of dust floating in the air.

The injection device 20 may detect the amount of dust contained in the air introduced through the dust sensor, and measure the dust floating level.

Specifically, the injection device 20 may measure the dust floating level in the air at a predetermined time or at a predetermined time. Alternatively, the injection device 20 may measure the dust floating level in the air immediately after receiving a command from the user.

When the dust floating level is measured, in step S20, the injection device 20 determines whether the dust floating level exceeds the first reference value.

Here, the first reference value may be understood as a reference value for injecting the coarsening inducing substance. That is, the measured dust floating level exceeding the first reference value means a state in which cleaning is necessary because there are many dust concentrations floating in the indoor air.

If the dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, in step S30, the injection device 20 determines whether there is no object in front (or around).

In the step S30, the reason for determining whether there is no object in front of the object, when there is an object, for example, a person or a thing in front of the injection device 20, the coarsening induction material injected from the injection device 20 This is because it is not sprayed properly, and can enter the object or the eyes of a person.

If, in step S30, the object is recognized in front, in step S40, the injection device 20 waits for a predetermined time after generating the alarm.

That is, when the injection device 20 recognizes that a person or a thing exists, the spraying device 20 may wait for a predetermined time until the person or the thing disappears without spraying the coarsening inducing substance.

On the contrary, in step S30, when the object is not recognized in front, in step S50, the injection device 20 sprays the coarsening inducing material for a predetermined time.

Herein, the coarsening inducing material may be a material in which ions, water, or ions and water are combined. That is, the spray device 20 sprays water or ions toward the front when no person is present in the front.

Next, in step S60, the injection device 20 determines whether the dust floating level is less than the second reference value.

Here, the second reference value may be understood as a reference value for stopping the injection of the coarsening inducing substance. In other words, when the measured dust floating level is less than the second reference value, it means that the dust concentration floating in the indoor air is small, and thus it is no longer necessary to spray the coarsening inducing substance.

Here, the first reference value may be higher or higher than the second reference value.

That is, when the dust floating in the indoor air is coarsened and settles to the floor, the dust floating level may be gradually lowered, and when the dust floating level is lower than a certain level, the injection of the coarsening inducing material is stopped.

Alternatively, the second reference value may be understood as a reference value for performing cleaning through the robot cleaner. That is, since the measured dust floating level is less than the second reference value means that the first floating in the indoor air mostly sinks to the floor. In this case, it is necessary to clean the floor. Therefore, in this case, the injection device 20 may instruct cleaning through the robot cleaner 30.

In operation S60, when the dust floating level is not less than the second reference value, the injection device 20 may repeat operation S50.

That is, despite spraying the coarsening inducing material for a certain time, if the dust suspended level is still measured high, the injection device 20 may spray the coarsening inducing material once more.

On the contrary, in step S60, when the dust floating level is less than the second reference value, in step S70, the injection device 20 communicates with the robot cleaner 30 and transmits a cleaning start command.

Then, the robot cleaner 30 cleans the designated cleaning area in response to the cleaning start command. In this case, the robot cleaner 30 may store location information about the space where the injection device 20 is located. Alternatively, the injection device 20 may transmit a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner 30, and at the same time, transmit location information about the cleaning area.

The robot cleaner 30 cleans dust and foreign substances that have settled on the floor while driving to the cleaning zone according to the location information.

Thereafter, in step S80, the injection device 20 determines whether a cleaning completion signal is received from the robot cleaner 30.

Specifically, when the robot cleaner 30 completes the cleaning of the predetermined cleaning area, the robot cleaner 30 may transmit a cleaning completion signal to the injection device 20. In this case, the robot cleaner 30 may transmit a cleaning completion signal to the home server 10 as well as the injection device 20.

In operation S80, when the cleaning completion signal is received from the robot cleaner, in operation S90, the injection device 20 transmits a cleaning completion signal to the portable terminal 40 or generates a cleaning completion alarm.

That is, when the cleaning of the robot cleaner 30 is completed, the injection device 20 generates an alarm through the alarm unit 26 provided therein or transmits a cleaning completion signal to the portable terminal 40. The user may be informed that the cleaning is completed.

Here, the cleaning completion signal may include dust concentration information of indoor air immediately after the cleaning is completed, as well as the time when the cleaning is completed. Therefore, when the cleaning is completed, the user can easily check the dust completion time and the dust concentration of the indoor air.

Hereinafter, a cleaning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a robot cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in other parts, except that the configuration of the robot cleaner is different. Therefore, hereinafter, only the characteristic parts of the present embodiment will be described, and the same parts as the first embodiment will be used herein.

The cleaning system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a home server 10, a robot cleaner 30, and a portable terminal 40.

Since the configuration of the home server 10 and the portable terminal 40 is the same as in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6, the robot cleaner 30 includes a driving unit 31, a suction unit 32, a position recognition unit 33, a communication unit 34, a display unit 35, a sensor unit 36, and a control unit. It includes part or all of (37).

Since the configuration of the driving unit 31, the suction unit 32, the position recognition unit 33, the communication unit 34, the display unit 35 and the sensor unit 36 is the same as the first embodiment described above, Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the robot cleaner 30 is characterized in that it further comprises a floating level detecting unit 38 and the spraying unit (39).

Here, the floating level detecting unit 38 corresponds to the floating level detecting unit 21 of the spraying apparatus 20 described above, and the spraying unit 39 corresponds to the spraying unit of the spraying apparatus 20 described above. 22).

That is, in the present embodiment, without using the injection device 20, the robot cleaner 30 itself detects the dust floating level, it characterized in that to spray the coarsening induction material.

Therefore, the robot cleaner 30 according to the present embodiment may perform a function performed by the injection device 20 described in the first embodiment by itself.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling a robot cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 7, in step S110, the robot cleaner 30 measures the dust floating level in the air.

The robot cleaner 30 may measure the dust floating level by detecting the amount of dust contained in the air introduced through the dust sensor.

Specifically, the robot cleaner 30 may measure the dust floating level in the air at a predetermined time or at a predetermined time. Alternatively, the robot cleaner 30 may measure the dust floating level in the air immediately after receiving a command from the user.

When the dust float level is measured, in step S120, the robot cleaner 30 determines whether the dust float level exceeds the first reference value.

Here, the first reference value may be understood as a reference value for injecting the coarsening inducing substance. That is, the measured dust floating level exceeding the first reference value means a state in which cleaning is necessary because there are many dust concentrations floating in the indoor air.

When the dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, in step S130, the robot cleaner 30 determines whether there is no object around.

In operation S130, the reason for determining whether there is no object in the vicinity is that when an object, for example, a person or an object is present in the vicinity of the robot cleaner 30, the coarsening inducing material sprayed from the injection device 20. This is because it is not sprayed properly, and can enter the object or the eyes of a person.

If, in step S130, the object is recognized in the surrounding, in step S140, the robot cleaner 30 waits for a predetermined time after generating the alarm.

That is, when the robot cleaner 30 recognizes that the person or the object exists, the robot cleaner 30 may wait for a predetermined time until the person or the object disappears without spraying the coarsening inducing substance.

On the contrary, in step S130, when no object is recognized in the surrounding, in step S150, the robot cleaner 30 sprays the coarsening inducing material for a predetermined time.

Here, the coarsening inducing material may be a material in which ions, water, or ions and water are combined. That is, the robot cleaner 30 sprays water or ions in at least one direction of the front, rear, both sides, and the upper side when there is no person around.

Next, in step S160, the robot cleaner 30 determines whether the dust floating level is less than the second reference value.

Here, the second reference value may be understood as a reference value for stopping the injection of the coarsening inducing substance. In other words, when the measured dust floating level is less than the second reference value, it means that the dust concentration floating in the indoor air is small, and thus it is no longer necessary to spray the coarsening inducing substance.

Here, the first reference value may be higher or higher than the second reference value.

That is, when the dust floating in the indoor air is coarsened and settles to the floor, the dust floating level may be gradually lowered, and when the dust floating level is lower than a certain level, the injection of the coarsening inducing material is stopped.

Alternatively, the second reference value may be understood as a reference value for performing cleaning through the robot cleaner 30. That is, since the measured dust floating level is less than the second reference value means that the first floating in the indoor air mostly sinks to the floor. In this case, it is necessary to clean the floor.

In step S160, if the dust floating level is less than the second reference value, the robot cleaner 30 may repeat step S150.

That is, despite spraying the coarsening inducing material for a predetermined time, if the dust suspended level is still measured, the robot cleaner 30 may spray the coarsening inducing material once more.

On the contrary, in step S160, when the dust floating level is less than the second reference value, in step S170, the robot cleaner 30 cleans the cleaning area.

Specifically, the robot cleaner 30 stores location information about the current location and the cleaning area. For example, the robot cleaner 30 may be provided with a map of a driving area to be cleaned by the robot cleaner 30 through an application executed in the portable terminal 40.

The robot cleaner 30 cleans dust and foreign substances that have settled on the floor while driving to the cleaning zone based on the location information or the map of the cleaning zone.

Thereafter, in step S180, the robot cleaner 30 determines whether the cleaning is completed, and when the cleaning is completed, in step S190, transmits a cleaning completion signal to the mobile terminal 40 or generates a cleaning completion alarm. .

That is, when the cleaning of the robot cleaner 30 is completed, the robot cleaner 30 generates an alarm through an alarm unit (not shown) provided therein or transmits a cleaning completion signal to the portable terminal 40. The user may be informed that the cleaning is completed.

Here, the cleaning completion signal may include dust concentration information of indoor air immediately after the cleaning is completed, as well as the time when the cleaning is completed. Therefore, when the cleaning is completed, the user can easily check the dust completion time and the dust concentration of the indoor air.

In the present specification, a robot cleaner for cleaning an indoor space is described as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, not only a robot cleaner, but also an air cleaner or a humidifier that sucks in dust contained in the air may be applied. In this case, the air cleaner or humidifier may be controlled by an injection device or may perform a function of the injection device by itself.

Within the scope of the basic technical idea of the present invention as well as many other modifications are possible to those skilled in the art, the scope of the invention should be interpreted based on the appended claims. .

Claims (16)

An injection apparatus installed on a wall or a bottom surface of an indoor space to measure a floating level of dust floating in the air, and spray water or ions into the air according to the measured dust floating level; And
And a robot cleaner connected in communication with the spraying device, the robot cleaner cleaning the predetermined cleaning area based on a cleaning start command of the spraying device. The method of claim 1,
The injection device,
The dust detection sensor measures the float level of dust suspended in the air.
A cleaning system that sprays water or ions into the air for a period of time if the measured dust flotation level exceeds the first reference value. The method of claim 2,
The injection device,
If the measured dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, it is determined whether an object is recognized in front or around,
A cleaning system that sprays water or ions into the air for a period of time if it is determined that an object is not recognized in front or around it. The method of claim 3, wherein
The injection device,
And if it is determined that an object is recognized in front of or around the vehicle, the system waits for a predetermined time after generating an alarm, and determines again whether the object is recognized in the front or surroundings. The method of claim 2,
The injection device,
After water or ions are injected into the air for a period of time, the floating level of the dust floating in the air is measured again.
And further determine whether the measured dust floatation level is less than a second reference value less than the first reference value. The method of claim 5, wherein
The injection device,
And if it is determined that the measured dust floating level is less than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value, the cleaning system sends a cleaning start command to the robot cleaner. The method of claim 6,
The injection device,
And a cleaning completion signal transmitted from the robot cleaner to the portable terminal in communication with the injection device. The method of claim 6,
The injection device,
And re-spray water or ions into the air for a period of time if it is determined that the measured dust suspended level is not less than a second reference value less than the first reference value. A driving unit provided with a wheel and a motor for driving;
A suction unit coupled to the driving unit and sucking dust or foreign matter;
A float level detector for measuring a float level of dust suspended in air;
Spray unit for spraying water or ions into the air; And
And a controller for controlling the operation of the spraying unit according to the dust floating level measured by the floating level detecting unit. The method of claim 9,
The control unit,
The dust detection sensor measures the float level of dust suspended in the air.
The robot cleaner controls to spray water or ions into the air for a predetermined time when the measured dust floating level exceeds the first reference value. The method of claim 10,
The control unit,
If the measured dust floating level exceeds the first reference value, it is determined whether an object is recognized in front or around,
If it is determined that the object is not recognized in front or around, the robot cleaner for controlling to spray water or ions into the air for a predetermined time. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
If it is determined that an object is recognized in front of or around the robot cleaner, the robot cleaner waits for a predetermined time after generating an alarm and determines again whether the object is recognized in the front or surroundings. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
After water or ions are injected into the air for a period of time, the floating level of the dust floating in the air is measured again.
And further determine whether the measured dust floatation level is less than a second reference value less than the first reference value. The method of claim 13,
The control unit,
And if it is determined that the measured dust floating level is less than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value, the robot cleaner controls to clean the cleaning area. The method of claim 14,
The control unit,
When the cleaning of the cleaning area is completed, the robot cleaner for controlling to transmit a cleaning completion signal to the mobile terminal communication with the robot cleaner. The method of claim 14,
The control unit,
And if it is determined that the measured dust floating level is not less than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value, the robot cleaner controls to re-inject water or ions into the air for a predetermined time.

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