JP2005304515A - Self-traveling vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of a self-traveling vacuum cleaner executing a diagnosis non-accompanied by an actual operation and actually not surely diagnosing a basic performance. <P>SOLUTION: This self-traveling vacuum cleaner allows driving wheel motors 42R and 42L to actually execute rotating operations; simultaneously diagnose the change in the azimuth by a terrestrial magnetism sensor 43, a rotating operation by an acceleration sensor 44, a change in an obstacle state in the side by an AF passive sensor 31, and the detection of a human body to raise by a human body sensor 21; and simultaneously diagnosing the detection of a step by the AF passive sensor 31 by the rising of the body by the raising operation and the moving by the acceleration sensor 44. This vacuum cleaner thus surely diagnoses the various types of states brought to the actual operation or has a high efficiency in diagnosing a plurality of functions in a single operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner provided with a main body provided with a cleaning mechanism and a drive mechanism capable of steering and driving.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a self-propelled cleaner that performs self-propelled cleaning with a cleaning robot and performs diagnosis of each part is known.
In the conventional technique shown in Patent Document 1, when a cleaning abnormality is detected, the mobile phone is notified. In the conventional technique shown in Patent Document 2, the amount of dust in the dust bag is detected when a reservation setting is input. When there is a lot of dust, it is urged to replace the dust bag.
JP2000-342496 JP 7-171078 A

In the above-described conventional self-propelled cleaner, a diagnosis that is not accompanied by an actual operation is performed, and there is a problem that the basic performance cannot be actually diagnosed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled cleaner that can perform actual operation and reliably diagnose basic performance.

Means, actions and effects for solving the problem

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a self-propelled cleaner including a main body having a cleaning mechanism and a drive mechanism capable of steering and driving, and an orientation for detecting a traveling direction. A sensor, a side sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a side obstacle, a step sensor for detecting a front step, a human body sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a surrounding human body, and a rotation amount of a drive wheel It has a rotary encoder to detect, a display panel that can display a predetermined message, and a three-axis acceleration sensor. When the power is turned on, the rotation operation is performed, and the direction sensor and the side sensor The sensor, the rotary encoder, the XY axes of the acceleration sensor, and the function of the human body sensor are diagnosed, and then the user is instructed to lift the display panel, the step sensor, and the acceleration sensor X It is constituted having a self-diagnosis control unit for diagnosing an axis.

  In the present invention configured as described above, the direction sensor for detecting the traveling direction, the side sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a side obstacle, the step sensor for detecting the front step, and the surroundings A human body sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the human body, a rotary encoder for detecting the amount of rotation of the drive wheel, a display panel capable of displaying a predetermined message, and a triaxial acceleration sensor. Then, when the power is turned on, the rotation operation is performed to diagnose the functions of the azimuth sensor, the side sensor, the rotary encoder, the XY axes of the acceleration sensor, and the human body sensor, Next, the user instructs the user to lift the display panel, and diagnoses the step sensor and the XY axes of the acceleration sensor.

  In other words, the rotation operation is actually performed, the change in the azimuth and the change in the lateral obstacle state, the detection of the human body to be lifted, and the XY axis of the acceleration sensor can be diagnosed at the same time, Detection of a step due to the main body rising by operation and diagnosis of the Z axis of the acceleration sensor. As a result, various situations brought about by the actual operation are surely diagnosed, and a plurality of functions are diagnosed by one operation, which is efficient.

  As the azimuth sensor, a geomagnetic sensor or the like can be attached, as a side sensor or a step sensor, an autofocus passive sensor can be attached, and as a human body sensor, an infrared light emitting moving object can be detected, A motion sensor or the like that detects a change in an image captured by the camera element can be attached. An acceleration sensor using a piezo element can be mounted.

  The self-diagnosis does not necessarily need to be performed when the power is turned on. For example, in the invention according to claim 3, the self-diagnosis control means performs the diagnosis when the power is turned on. Can be changed, the history of turning on the power and the history of diagnosis results are retained, and it is determined whether diagnosis is performed corresponding to each history, and the above diagnosis is performed based on the determination result It is as composition to do.

  By maintaining the history of turning on the power and the history of diagnosis results, for example, it is determined that the frequency may be reduced if various functions are often normal in the past, and the power on The implementation of the diagnostic function may be thinned out using a function that is inversely proportional to the number of times. In addition, from experience, if there is a part having parts that gradually wear out depending on the number of cleanings, the self-diagnosis may be performed from the time when the predetermined number of times is activated. These are all determined by referring to a predetermined table based on the number of executions and the history of diagnosis results.

  The self-diagnosis is not limited to the above-described functions. In the invention according to claim 4, the cleaning mechanism has a plurality of motors used for cleaning and is wirelessly the same as a camera system unit including a camera element. Wireless transmission means capable of transmitting captured image data captured by the camera system unit, and the self-diagnosis control means, after executing the diagnosis, diagnosis of the cleaning mechanism, diagnosis of the camera system unit, The wireless transmission unit is diagnosed.

  The above self-diagnosis mainly diagnoses the basic performance of the drive mechanism, but in addition to this, it has a plurality of motors used for cleaning, and also has a camera system unit and wireless transmission means After executing the basic performance diagnosis, the cleaning mechanism diagnosis, the camera system unit diagnosis, and the wireless transmission means diagnosis are executed.

  The diagnosis of the cleaning mechanism may be performed by, for example, driving a motor used for cleaning and inputting the FG pulse, or by providing an encoder and obtaining the output. The motor is installed as a side brush motor that scrapes the surrounding dust in the center, a main brush motor that scrapes the dust on the floor upward, or a suction motor that sucks dust by generating negative pressure. Can be diagnosed. Further, for the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the wireless transmission means, an individual self-check program prepared for each may be executed, and the result may be input.

  If there is an abnormality in the diagnosis, it is necessary to take some measures. For example, in the invention according to claim 5, the self-diagnosis control means disables the operation when an abnormality is detected in the result of the diagnosis. In addition, the cleaning mechanism can be operated even when an abnormality is detected in the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means.

  Even if some functions are defective, it is useless to paralyze the entire function. The camera system unit and the wireless transmission means as described above are used as a security function and are not related to cleaning. For this reason, if only the security is abnormal, the original function can be cleaned, so cleaning is performed.

  As the position of the cleaning mechanism, there is a dust cup that accumulates dust, and when the dust cup is full, further cleaning is wasted. For this reason, in the invention concerning Claim 6, while the said cleaning mechanism has a dust cup which accumulate | stores the captured dust, the dust cup has a transparent inclined wall which reaches an upper end from a bottom face, The same inclination in the main body side A light receiving element is arranged below the wall corresponding to each height, and illumination light can be irradiated from the inner surface of the inclined wall. If the position is low, the remaining amount of dust is large. If the height position where the light receiving element can receive light is high, it is determined that the remaining amount of dust is small.

  When collecting dust trapped in the dust cup, it is not easy to determine the amount of trapped dust. For this reason, a transparent inclined wall reaching the upper end from the bottom surface is formed on the dust cup, and a light receiving element is disposed below the inclined wall on the main body side corresponding to each height. It was made possible to irradiate illumination light from the inner surface. As dust is trapped in the dust cup, the inclined wall is gradually buried, and the dust rises up the inclined wall. Since the irradiation light is irradiated from above with the inclined wall interposed therebetween, it is possible to determine the remaining amount that can be captured at a light receiving height position in the lower light receiving element.

In this way, it becomes possible to accurately determine the amount of capture in the dust cup for which it is difficult to determine the amount of capture with a simple configuration.
If the self-diagnosis is started at the start of cleaning, the cleaning delay cannot be denied even for a short time. For this reason, in the invention concerning Claim 7, the said self-diagnosis control means has a timer which outputs time, and an operation means which designates the time which performs a self-diagnosis function, The time output by the said timer, The self-diagnosis function is implemented when the time operated by the operation means coincides.

  Since self-propelled vacuum cleaners are equipped with a battery, saving battery power is an important issue. For this reason, in the invention according to claim 8, the main body has a charging means for charging the internal battery in a non-contact manner, and the self-diagnosis is an external device in which charging power is supplied in a non-contact manner to the charging means. The configuration is implemented at the installation position of the device.

  If it is an installation position of an external device to which charging power is supplied in a non-contact manner, the amount of use of the battery is reduced, and power can be saved. As charging means for charging in a non-contact manner, for example, AC power is generated at both ends of the electromotive coil by receiving an AC magnetic field from the outside and positioning the electromotive coil in the magnetic field. Can be rectified and smoothed to obtain charging power.

In the invention according to claim 9, the self-diagnosis control means has a plurality of types of messages to be displayed on the display panel, and displays a message belonging to the selected type.
Since the message has a plurality of types for each type, the message type can be changed according to the user's selection or the like. For example, it is possible to select a pet-type message or a dialect of each region. Thereby, it becomes possible to find usability more than a vacuum cleaner in a self-propelled cleaner.

The diagnosis result can be displayed in various ways. For example, the diagnosis result can be displayed on the display panel. As another example, in the invention according to claim 10, the self-diagnosis control means displays the diagnosis result. The wireless transmission means transmits the information to the outside.
When the wireless transmission means is attached, various types of information can be transmitted via wireless, and diagnosis results can also be transmitted. In this case, it may be output as a file to an external server or output as an e-mail.
As for the cleaning mechanism provided in the main body, a suction type cleaning mechanism may be adopted, a cleaning mechanism of a type scraped with a brush may be adopted, or a combination of both may be adopted.
The drive mechanism that can be steered and driven can have various configurations, and may have drive wheels that are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body and whose rotation can be individually controlled. In this case, by individually controlling the rotation of the drive wheels arranged on the left and right sides of the main body, steering and driving such as forward, backward, direction change to the left and right, and rotation at the same place are possible. Of course, it goes without saying that auxiliary wheels may be provided at the front and rear. Further, the drive wheel may be realized by a configuration that drives not only the wheel but also an endless belt.

In addition to this, the drive mechanism can be realized with various configurations such as four wheels and six wheels.
As an example of a more specific configuration based on the configuration described above, the invention according to claim 1 is a steering system that is disposed on the left and right sides of the main body having a cleaning mechanism and can be individually controlled in rotation. And a drive mechanism having a drive wheel that realizes driving, wherein the drive mechanism includes a direction sensor for detecting a traveling direction and a side for detecting the presence or absence of a side obstacle. Direction sensor, a step sensor for detecting a front step, a human body sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a surrounding human body, a rotary encoder for detecting the amount of rotation of a drive wheel, and a display capable of displaying a predetermined message The cleaning mechanism has a plurality of motors used for cleaning, and further has a camera system unit equipped with a camera element, and wirelessly captures images with the camera system unit. Wireless transmission means capable of transmitting imaged image data, and when the power is turned on by the self-diagnosis control means, the rotation operation is performed, and the direction sensor, the side sensor, and the rotary It is possible to diagnose the function of the encoder, and then instruct the user to lift the display panel using the display panel to diagnose the functions of the step sensor and the human body sensor. The history of turning on and the history of diagnosis results are retained, and it is determined whether or not to perform diagnosis corresponding to each history, and the above diagnosis is performed based on the determination result. The self-diagnosis control means performs the diagnosis of the cleaning mechanism, the diagnosis of the camera system unit, and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means after executing the diagnosis, and detects an abnormality in the result of the diagnosis. The operation of the cleaning mechanism can be performed even when an abnormality is detected in the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means. The self-diagnosis can be performed by designating and the self-diagnosis is performed at the installation position of the charging device, and the type of message displayed on the display panel can be selected.

  With the above configuration, when the power is turned on, the rotation operation is performed to diagnose the functions of the azimuth sensor, the side sensor, and the rotary encoder, and then the display panel The user is instructed to lift and diagnose the functions of the step sensor and the human body sensor. The self-diagnosis control means holds the history of turning on the power and the history of the diagnosis results, determines whether or not to perform the diagnosis corresponding to each history, and based on the determination result, the diagnosis is performed. To implement. The self-diagnosis control means executes the diagnosis of the cleaning mechanism, the diagnosis of the camera system unit, and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means after executing the diagnosis. Here, it is possible to disable the operation when an abnormality is detected in the result of the diagnosis, and even when an abnormality is detected in the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means, The operation of the cleaning mechanism can be performed. Furthermore, the self-diagnosis can be performed by designating the execution time, and the self-diagnosis can be performed at the installation position of the charging device, and the type of message displayed on the display panel can be selected.

  As described above, there is an effect that not only can a diagnosis of a plurality of functions be performed along with the actual operation, but also a self-propelled cleaner with various conveniences can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention.
As shown in the figure, a control unit 10 for controlling each unit, a human body sensing unit 20 for detecting whether or not a person is in the vicinity, an obstacle monitoring unit 30 for detecting surrounding obstacles, and movement , A cleaner system unit 50 for cleaning, a camera system unit 60 for photographing a predetermined range, and a wireless LAN unit 70 for connecting to a LAN wirelessly. The main body BD has a thin and substantially cylindrical shape.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric system that specifically realizes each unit.
As the control unit 10, a CPU 11, a ROM 13, and a RAM 12 are connected via a bus 14. The CPU 11 executes various controls using the RAM 12 as a work area according to the control program and various parameter tables recorded in the ROM 13. The contents of the control program will be described later.

  The bus 14 is provided with an operation panel unit 15. The operation panel unit 15 is provided with various operation switches 15a, a liquid crystal display panel 15b, and a display LED 15c. As the liquid crystal display panel, a monochrome liquid crystal panel capable of multi-gradation display is used, but a color liquid crystal panel or the like can also be used.

  This self-propelled cleaner has a battery 17, and the CPU 11 can monitor the remaining amount of the battery 17 via the battery monitoring circuit 16. The battery 17 includes a charging circuit 18 that charges using electric power supplied in a non-contact manner via an induction coil 18a. The battery monitoring circuit 16 mainly monitors the voltage of the battery 17 and detects the remaining amount.

  As the human body sensing unit 20, four human body sensors 21 (21fr, 21rr, 21fl, 21rl) are provided facing each other in the front left / right diagonal direction and the rear left / right diagonal direction. Each human body sensor 21 includes an infrared light receiving sensor and detects the presence or absence of a human body based on a change in the amount of received infrared light. In order to change an output status when a changing infrared irradiation object is detected, The CPU 11 can acquire the detection of the human body sensor 21 via the bus 14. That is, the CPU 11 goes to acquire the status of each human body sensor 21fr, 21rr, 21fl, 21rl every predetermined time. If the acquired status changes, the CPU 11 moves in the opposite direction of the human body sensors 21fr, 21rr, 21fl, 21rl. The presence of the human body can be detected.

  Here, the human body sensor is configured by a sensor based on a change in the amount of infrared light, but the human body sensor is not limited to this. For example, if the processing amount of the CPU increases, a configuration can be realized in which a color image is taken, a skin color region characteristic of the human body is searched, and the human body is detected based on the size and change of the region. Of course, a motion sensor that captures a monochrome image and detects a moving object based on a change in the image may be realized.

  The obstacle monitoring unit 30 includes an AF passive sensor 31 (31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, 31CL) as a distance measuring sensor for autofocus (hereinafter referred to as AF) and an AF that is a communication interface thereof. It comprises a sensor communication I / O 32, an illumination LED 33, and an LED driver 34 that supplies a drive current to each LED. First, the configuration of the AF passive sensor 31 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the AF passive sensor 31. The biaxially parallel optical systems 31a1 and 31a2, the CCD line sensors 31b1 and 31b2 disposed substantially at the imaging positions of the optical systems 31a1 and 31a2, and the image data of the CCD line sensors 31b1 and 31b2, respectively. And an output I / O 31c for outputting to the outside.

  The CCD line sensors 31b1 and 31b2 have a CCD sensor of 160 to 170 pixels, and can output 8-bit data representing the amount of light for each pixel. Since the optical system is biaxial, the imaged image has a shift corresponding to the distance, and the distance can be measured based on the shift of data output from the CCD line sensors 31b1 and 31b2. For example, the shift of the image is larger as the distance is shorter, and the shift of the image is eliminated as the distance is longer. Therefore, the data string for every 4 to 5 pixels in one output data is scanned in the output data of the image report, and the difference between the address of the original data string and the address of the discovered data string is obtained. The actual distance is obtained by referring to the prepared difference amount-distance conversion table.

  Of the AF passive sensors 31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, and 31CL, the AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, and 31FL are used to detect frontal obstructions. The AF passive sensor 31CL is used to detect the distance to the front ceiling.

  FIG. 4 shows the principle for detecting an obstacle immediately before the front and left and right with the AF passive sensor 31. These AF passive sensors 31 are arranged obliquely with respect to the surrounding floor surface. When there is no obstacle in the facing direction, the distance measured by the AF passive sensor 31 is L1 in almost the entire imaging range. However, when there is a step as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the drawing, the distance measurement distance is L2. It can be determined that there is a step that decreases as the distance is increased. If there is a step that rises as shown by the two-dot chain line, the distance measurement distance is L3. When there is an obstacle, the distance measuring distance is measured as the distance to the obstacle, as is the step that goes up, and is shorter than the floor.

  In the present embodiment, when the AF passive sensor 31 is oriented obliquely on the front floor surface, the imaging range is about 10 cm. Since the width of the self-propelled cleaner is 30 cm, the three AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31FL are arranged with slightly different angles so that the imaging ranges do not overlap. As a result, the three AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, and 31FL can detect an obstacle and a step in a range of 30 cm in the forward direction. Of course, the detection width varies depending on the sensor specification, the mounting position, and the like, and the number of sensors corresponding to the actually required width may be used.

  On the other hand, the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L that detect obstacles immediately before and after the front left and right are arranged obliquely with respect to the floor surface with respect to the vertical direction. In addition, the AF passive sensor 31R is mounted on the left side of the main body and is opposed so as to capture the right range beyond the main body width from the position immediately before the right across the center of the main body. While being attached to the right, it is opposed so as to image the left range exceeding the width of the main body from the position immediately before the left across the center of the main body.

  If the left and right positions are photographed without crossing, the sensor must face the floor surface at a steep angle, and in this case, the imaging range becomes extremely narrow, so a plurality of sensors are required. . For this reason, the arrangement is made to cross, and the imaging range is widened so that the required range can be covered with a small number of sensors. Further, arranging the imaging range obliquely with respect to the vertical direction means that the arrangement direction of the CCD line sensors is directed in the vertical direction, and the width capable of imaging is W1, as shown in FIG. Here, the distance L4 to the floor surface is short on the right side of the imaging range, and the distance L5 is long on the left side. If the boundary line on the side surface of the main body BD is a wavy position B on the drawing, the imaging range up to the boundary line is used for detecting a step, and the imaging range exceeding the boundary line is used for detecting the presence or absence of a wall surface. The

The AF passive sensor 31CL that detects the distance to the front ceiling faces the ceiling. Normally, the distance from the floor surface to the ceiling detected by the AF passive sensor 31CL is constant, but when approaching the wall surface, the imaging range becomes the wall surface instead of the ceiling, and the distance measurement distance becomes shorter. Accordingly, the presence of the front wall surface can be detected more accurately. FIG. 6 shows the positions where the AF passive sensors 31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, and 31CL are attached to the main body BD, and the imaging ranges on the respective floor surfaces. Are shown in correspondence with symbols in parentheses. The imaging range is omitted for the ceiling.

  In order to prove the imaging of the AF passive sensors 31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, a right illumination LED 33R composed of white LEDs, a left illumination LED 33L, and a front illumination LED 33M are provided, and the LED driver 34 is a CPU 11. Based on a control instruction from the device, a drive current is supplied to enable illumination. This makes it possible to obtain effective captured image data from the AF passive sensor 31 even at night or in a dark place such as under a table.

  The travel system unit 40 includes motor drivers 41R and 41L, drive wheel motors 42R and 42L, and a gear unit (not shown) and drive wheels that are driven by the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L. One drive wheel is arranged on each of the left and right sides of the main body BD. In addition, a free rolling wheel having no drive source is attached to the front lower center lower surface of the main body. The drive wheel motors 42R and 42L can be driven in detail by the motor drivers 41R and 41L with respect to the rotation direction and rotation angle, and each motor driver 41R and 41L outputs a corresponding drive signal in accordance with a control instruction from the CPU 11. In addition, the actual rotation direction and rotation angle of the drive wheel can be accurately detected from the output of the rotary encoder that is integrally attached to the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L. Note that the rotary encoder is not directly connected to the drive wheel, and a driven wheel that can be freely rotated is mounted in the vicinity of the drive wheel, and the drive wheel slips by feeding back the rotation amount of the driven wheel. It may be possible to detect the amount of rotation. In addition to this, the traveling system unit 40 is provided with a geomagnetic sensor 43 so that the traveling direction can be determined in light of the geomagnetism. The acceleration sensor 44 detects the acceleration in the XYZ triaxial directions and outputs the detection result.

Various types of gear units and drive wheels can be employed, and may be realized by driving a circular rubber tire or driving an endless belt.
The cleaning mechanism in the self-propelled cleaner is arranged on both front sides and scrapes dust near the both sides in the traveling direction of the main body BD to the vicinity of the center of the main body BD, and is scraped to the vicinity of the center of the main body BD. The main brush scoops up the dust and a suction fan that sucks up the dust scooped up by the main brush and stores it in the dust box. The cleaner unit 50 includes side brush motors 51R and 51L that drive each brush, a main brush motor 52, motor drivers 53R, 53L, and 54 that supply driving power to the respective motors, and a suction motor 55 that drives a suction fan. The motor driver 56 supplies driving power to the suction motor. The cleaning using the side brush and the main brush is controlled by the CPU 11 appropriately judging according to the condition of the floor, the condition of the battery, the user's instruction, and the like.

  The camera system unit 60 includes two CMOS cameras 61 and 62 having different viewing angles, and is set at different elevation angles in the front direction of the main body BD. A camera communication I / O 63 is also provided for instructing the cameras 61 and 62 to capture images and outputting captured images. Furthermore, a camera illumination LED 64 composed of 15 white LEDs facing the imaging direction of the cameras 61 and 62 and an LED driver 65 for supplying illumination drive power to the LEDs are provided.

  The wireless LAN unit 70 has a wireless LAN module 71, and the CPU 11 can be connected to an external LAN wirelessly according to a predetermined protocol. Assume that the wireless LAN module 71 is connected to an external wide area network (for example, the Internet) via a router or the like on the assumption that an access point (not shown) exists. Therefore, it is possible to send and receive normal mail via the Internet and browse the WEB site. The wireless LAN module 71 includes a standardized card slot and a standardized wireless LAN card connected to the slot. Of course, other standardized cards can be connected to the card slot.

Next, the operation of the self-propelled cleaner having the above configuration will be described.
(1) Traveling Control and Cleaning Operation FIGS. 7 and 8 show flowcharts corresponding to the control program executed by the CPU 11, and FIG. 9 shows a traveling route along which the self-propelled cleaner travels according to the control program. FIG.

  When the power is turned on, the CPU 11 starts the traveling control shown in FIG. In step S110, the detection result of the AF passive sensor 31 is input, and the front area is monitored. The detection results of the AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31FL are used for monitoring the front area. If the floor surface is flat, the captured image can be obtained up to the floor surface obliquely below shown in FIG. Distance L1. Based on the detection results of the respective AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, and 31FL, it can be determined whether or not the front floor surface corresponding to the main body BD width is flat. However, at this time, no information is obtained between the floor position where each AF passive sensor 31FR, 31FM, 31FL is facing and the position immediately before the main body, so that it becomes a blind spot.

  In step S120, the driving wheel motors 42R and 42L are instructed to drive the same amount of rotation through the motor drivers 41R and 41L while changing the rotation directions. Thereby, the main body BD starts rotating on the spot. The rotation amounts of the drive motors 42R and 42L required for 360-degree rotation (spin turn) at the same place are known in advance, and the CPU 11 instructs the motor drivers 41R and 41L to perform the rotation amounts.

During the spin turn, the CPU 11 inputs the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L, and determines the status of the position immediately before the main body BD. The blind spot described above is almost eliminated by the detection result during this period, and when there is no step or obstacle, the presence of the surrounding flat floor surface can be detected.
In step S130, the CPU 11 instructs the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L to drive the same rotation amount via the motor drivers 41R and 41L. As a result, the main body BD starts going straight. While traveling straight, the CPU 11 inputs detection results of the AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, and moves forward while judging whether there is an obstacle in front. And if the wall surface which is an obstruction in the front is detected from the detection result, it will stop in front of the predetermined distance of the wall surface.

  In step S140, it is rotated 90 degrees to the right. In step S130, the actuator stops at a predetermined distance on the wall surface, but this predetermined distance does not collide with the wall surface when the main body BD rotates, and the AF passive sensor 31R for determining the immediately preceding and left and right situations. , 31L is a distance in a range corresponding to the outside of the body width detected. That is, the distance is such that at least the AF passive sensor 31L can detect the position of the wall surface when stopping based on the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31FL in step S130 and rotating 90 degrees in step S140. It is trying to become. Further, when rotating 90 degrees, the state of the immediately preceding position is determined based on the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L. FIG. 9 shows a situation in which the cleaning travel is started with the lower left corner of the room when viewed in the plan view thus reached as the cleaning start position.

  There are various other methods for reaching the cleaning travel start position. If you rotate 90 degrees to the right while in contact with the wall surface, it may start from the middle of the first wall surface, so if you reach the optimal position in the lower left corner, as shown in FIG. It is also desirable travel control to rotate 90 degrees to the left, move forward until it contacts the front wall surface, and rotate 180 degrees when contacted.

  In step S150, cleaning travel is performed. A more detailed flow of the cleaning traveling is shown in FIG. When traveling forward, detection results of various sensors are input in steps S210 to S240. In step S210, forward monitoring sensor data is input. Specifically, detection results of AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, and 31CL are input, and whether or not an obstacle or a wall surface exists in front of the traveling range. It will be used for judgment. In addition, in the case of forward monitoring, monitoring of the ceiling in a broad sense is included.

  In step S220, step sensor data is input. Specifically, the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L are input to determine whether or not there is a step at a position immediately before the travel range. In addition, when moving in parallel along the wall surface or obstacle, the distance to the wall surface or obstacle is measured and used to determine whether the object is moving in parallel.

  In step S230, geomagnetic sensor data is input. Specifically, the detection result of the geomagnetic sensor 43 is input and used to determine whether or not the traveling direction has changed during straight traveling. For example, the geomagnetic angle at the start of cleaning traveling is stored, and if the angle detected during traveling is different from the stored angle, the rotational amounts of the left and right drive wheel motors 42R, 42L are slightly increased. Correct the direction of travel by making it different, and return to the original angle. For example, if the angle changes in a direction in which the angle increases based on the angle of geomagnetism (change from 359 degrees to 0 degrees is an exception), the trajectory needs to be corrected in the left direction, and the right drive wheel motor 42R Instructions for controlling the drive are output to the respective motor drivers 41R and 41L so that the rotation amount is slightly increased from the rotation amount of the left drive wheel motor 42L.

  In step S240, acceleration sensor data is input. Specifically, the detection result of the acceleration sensor 44 is input and used for checking the running state. For example, normal acceleration can be determined if acceleration in a substantially constant direction can be detected at the start of straight traveling, but abnormality such that one of the drive wheel motors is not driven can be determined by detecting rotating acceleration. In addition, when the acceleration value exceeds the normal range, it is possible to determine an abnormality such as a fall from a step or a rollover. And if the big acceleration to the direction which hits back is detected during advance, the abnormality which contact | abutted the front obstacle can be judged. In this way, there is no direct control over traveling such as inputting the acceleration value to maintain the target acceleration or obtaining the speed based on the integral value, but the acceleration value is used for the purpose of detecting an abnormality. We use effectively.

  In step S250, the obstacle is determined based on the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, 31CL, 31FL, 31R, and 31L input in steps S210 and S220. Obstacles are determined for each of the front, ceiling, and immediately preceding parts. The front is determined as the meaning of an obstacle or a wall, and immediately before the step is determined, the right and left conditions outside the traveling range, for example, the presence or absence of a wall are determined. Even if there is no obstacle in the front when the distance to the ceiling is decreasing due to a duck or the like, the ceiling is used to determine that it is a corridor and goes out of the room.

  In step S260, the detection result from each sensor is comprehensively determined to determine whether or not it is necessary to avoid it. Unless there is a need for avoidance, the cleaning process in step S270 is executed. The cleaning process is a process of sucking dust while rotating the side brush and the main brush. Specifically, the motor drivers 53R, 53L, 54, and 56 are instructed to drive the motors 51R, 51L, 52, and 55. Output. Of course, the same instruction is always issued during traveling, and the vehicle is stopped when the termination condition for cleaning traveling is satisfied, as will be described later.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that avoidance is necessary, a 90 degree turn to the right is performed in step S280. This turn is a 90-degree turn at the same position, and drives the rotation amount necessary for the 90-degree turn while changing the rotation direction with respect to the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L via the motor drivers 41R and 41L. Instruct. The rotation direction is the backward direction with respect to the right drive wheel, and the forward direction with respect to the left drive wheel. During the rotation, the detection results of the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L, which are step sensors, are input to determine the state of the obstacle. For example, when an obstacle is detected on the front and a 90-degree turn to the right is performed, if the AF passive sensor 31R does not detect the wall surface immediately before the front right, it can be said that it is simply in contact with the front wall surface. After that, if the wall surface is detected at a position immediately before the right front side, it can be determined that the wall has entered the corner. Further, if neither of the AF passive sensors 31R, 31L detects an obstacle immediately before the rotation when rotating 90 degrees to the right, it can be determined that the obstacle is not a contact with the wall surface but a small obstacle.

  In step S290, the vehicle advances to change the course while scanning the obstacle. It abuts against the wall and rotates forward 90 degrees to the right. If stopped before the wall surface, the forward travel amount is approximately the width of the main body BD. After advance by that amount, in step S300, the right 90 degree turn is performed again.

During the above movement, the presence or absence of front obstacles and front and right obstacles is always scanned to check the situation and stored as information on the presence or absence of obstacles in the room.
By the way, in the above description, the right 90 degree turn is executed twice. However, when the right 90 degree turn is executed next when the wall surface is detected forward, the turn returns to the original state. If you repeat the right, the next is the left, the next is the right, and so on. Therefore, a right turn is used for the odd-numbered obstacle avoidance and a left turn is used for the even-numbered obstacle avoidance.

  As described above, the cleaning traveling is continued by scanning the room in a zigzag manner while avoiding the obstacles. Then, in step S310, it is determined whether or not the end of the room has been reached. The end of the cleaning travel is when the second turn is advanced along the wall surface to perform the cleaning travel, after which an obstacle is detected forward and when the vehicle has already traveled. In other words, the former is an end condition that occurs after the last end-to-end travel that traveled in a folded manner, and the latter ends when an uncleaned area is found and cleaning travel is started again as will be described later. It becomes a condition.

If this termination condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S210 and the above processing is repeated. If the termination condition is satisfied, the subroutine process of the main cleaning traveling is terminated and the process returns to the process shown in FIG.
After returning, in step S160, it is determined whether or not an uncleaned area remains from the previous travel route and the situation around the travel route. Various known methods can be used to determine whether or not there is an uncleaned area. For example, a method of mapping and storing a travel route so far can be used. In this example, based on the detection result of the rotary encoder described above, the indoor travel route and the presence / absence of the wall surface detected during the travel are written on a map designated to be secured in the storage area, and the surrounding wall surface is interrupted. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is running continuously, and the surroundings of obstacles that existed in the room are also continuous, and the entire range excluding the obstacles has been traveled. If an uncleaned area is found, it moves to the starting point of an uncleaned area at step S170, returns to step S150, and restarts cleaning travel.

Even if the uncleaned areas are scattered in a plurality of places, the uncleaned areas are finally eliminated by repeating the detection of the uncleaned areas every time the termination condition of the cleaning traveling as described above is satisfied. .
(2) Self-diagnosis function FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the self-diagnosis process performed by the CPU 11, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a diagnosis result flag table in which the diagnosis result is written as a flag.
The self-diagnosis process starts when the user installs the main body BD near the wall surface and turns on the power.
The CPU 11 first determines whether or not it is immediately after power-on in step S400. Since it is sufficient to execute the self-diagnosis process once after the power is turned on, step S400 is a determination not to repeat the following process twice. For example, when the following processing is performed, a predetermined flag is set. If this flag is not set, it is determined that the activation is the first time, and the following processing is executed. In step S401, the diagnosis result flag table is initialized. That is, the initial value “0” is written as the table contents.

  In step S402, a 360-degree spin turn is instructed to the drive wheel motor. Specifically, the motor drivers 41R and 41L are instructed to rotate 360 degrees with different rotation directions, and the motor drivers 41R and 41L drive the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L. Output power. While the main body BD rotates 360 degrees according to this instruction, the CPU 11 repeatedly performs the processes of steps S404 to S414.

  First, in step S404, the detection result of each sensor is input. In step S406, sidewall detection diagnosis processing is executed. The side sensors that detect the presence or absence of side obstacles correspond to AF passive sensors 31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, and 31CL. Of course, these include not only the side face of the main body BD but also the distances of the front and the ceiling, but these are used to detect whether there is a wall surface around the main body BD. It can be used to detect the presence or absence of side obstacles. If the detection output of AF passive sensors 31R, 31FR, 31FM, 31FL, 31L, and 31CL is obtained while rotating 360 degrees, and each changes as can be expected when the main body BD rotates near the wall surface, there is no abnormality It can be judged. However, if no wall surface is detected, it can be determined that there is an abnormality. For example, if the front passive sensors 31FR, 31FM, and 31FL are used, they should face each other adjacent to each other during one rotation, and the distance measurement at this time is closer to the original floor surface. . In addition, regarding the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L that are also used as step sensors, a distance measurement distance for detecting a wall surface in part when the entire range is a floor surface during one rotation should be obtained. The AF passive sensor 31CL facing the front ceiling faces the upper part of the wall surface when the main body BD faces the wall surface, and faces the ceiling when facing the opposite surface, so it faces the ceiling so that it can measure the distance during one rotation. Will change. Whether there is any abnormality in the detection result of the sensor (side sensor) can be determined based on the presence or absence of these changes.

  In step S408, a human body detection diagnosis process is performed. That is, the abnormality of the human body sensors 21fr, 21rr, 21fl, 21rl is diagnosed. Since the user places the main body BD near the wall surface and turns on the power, each human body sensor 21fr, 21rr, 21fl, 21rl faces the user once and detects the human body while the main body BD rotates once. Should output the result. An abnormality can be diagnosed if the result of detecting the user is not output once during one rotation.

In step S410, a direction detection diagnosis process is performed. The main body BD is provided with a geomagnetic sensor 43 for detecting the azimuth, and the geomagnetism should rotate once while the main body BD rotates once. If the detection result of geomagnetism does not change 360 degrees, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.
In step S411, the acceleration sensor 44 is diagnosed. Unless the acceleration sensor 44 is aligned with the rotational axis of the main body BD, the acceleration sensor 44 should detect the acceleration in the XY directions while the main body BD rotates once. If a detection result in the XY directions is not obtained, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.

  In step S412, a rotational motion diagnosis process is performed. As described above, the rotary encoders are integrally output to the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L, and since the rotation operation is instructed, the encode output should be gradually changed. On the other hand, if the encode output does not change even though the rotation operation is instructed, it can be determined that the rotary encoder is abnormal.

In step S414, the determination for repeating the diagnosis is performed until the rotation of 360 degrees is completed.
As described above, based on one operation of 360-degree spin turn, it is possible to diagnose the detection functions of the side sensor, the azimuth sensor, and the rotary encoder in the broad sense as described above.
In step S416, a message is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 15b so as to lift the main body BD to the user. Immediately thereafter, a step detection diagnosis process is performed in step S418. The step sensors correspond to the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L, and when the user lifts the main body, the distance measurement distance farther than the original floor surface can be obtained in the shooting range of the AF passive sensors 31R and 31L. In step S419, the acceleration sensor 44 is diagnosed. If the main body BD is lifted, the acceleration sensor 44 should output the detection result in the Z-axis direction. If a detection result in the Z-axis direction is not obtained, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.
In step S420, it is determined whether or not the time is up in order to repeat the diagnosis in steps S418 and S419 for a certain period of time.

This completes the basic performance diagnosis process in the drive mechanism.
Next, diagnosis of various motors used for the cleaning mechanism is performed in the processes of steps S422 to S426. Here, it is assumed that an FG pulse generator for detecting rotation is provided for the following motors. In step S422, in order to diagnose the side brush motors 51R and 51L, driving is instructed to the motor drivers 53R and 53L, and an output state of an FG pulse generator (not shown) is input. If the rotation is instructed but no FG pulse is output, it is determined that the rotation is not performed. The operation diagnosis process of the main brush motor in step S424 and the suction motor operation diagnosis process in step S426 are performed in the same manner. The motor driver 54 and the motor driver 56 are instructed to rotate, and the main brush motor 52 and the suction motor 55 are instructed. The output status of the FG pulse generator provided in is input to determine whether there is an abnormality.

In step S428, a diagnosis process for LED emission is performed. The LED drivers 34 and 65 are instructed to turn on the LEDs, and it is determined whether or not the LEDs are lit by looking at the voltage drop of the battery at that time.
In step S430, a diagnostic process related to the security function is performed. In the present embodiment, the security function corresponds to the camera system unit 60 and the wireless LAN unit 70. Each is equipped with a self-check function, the self-check is executed, and the result is acquired. Of course, the CPU 11 may individually control and obtain a diagnosis within a possible range. In the case of the camera system unit 60, first, an image is captured to acquire the first captured image data, the main body BD is rotated to acquire the second captured image data, and the first and second images are acquired. If the captured image data is different, the camera system unit 60 is regarded as operating normally. In the case of the wireless LAN unit 70, dummy data is transmitted via the wireless LAN, written in a predetermined area of the server, and then the same area is read. If the written data matches the read data, the wireless LAN unit 70 is regarded as operating normally.

  When the above determination is obtained in each of the above diagnosis processes, “1” is set in a predetermined area in the diagnosis result flag table shown in FIG. In step S432, the diagnosis result flag table is referenced to determine whether or not an abnormality has been detected. If there is an abnormality, an abnormality notification process is performed in step S434.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the abnormality notification process performed by the CPU 11, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display on the liquid crystal display panel 15b for selecting the abnormality notification method.
As a notification method, in addition to display on the liquid crystal display panel 15b, transmission by mail and addition to a log file in a predetermined area of the server are possible. One of these is selected by an operation switch 15a (not shown).
In step S450 of the abnormality notification, it is determined whether or not mail output is selected. If it is selected, the diagnosis result is transmitted as mail in step S452.
In step S454, it is determined whether log output is selected. If it is selected, the diagnosis result is transmitted as an email in step S456.
The display on the liquid crystal display panel 15b is always performed, and the message type is read in step S458.
In this self-diagnosis process, the type of message to be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 15b can be selected. Specifically, on the selection screen shown in FIG. You can select from "Kansai dialect version" and "ENGLISH (English)" types. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the contents of a table that stores messages for each type, and stores a plurality of messages for each type for one display content. Since the message is managed by CODE, when the message content is determined according to each situation, the CODE corresponding to the same content is determined. Therefore, the selected type is read and the CODE content is read. Refer to the same table. Step S458 is a process of reading a type of a preset type, and step S460 is a process of reading a message that is actually displayed from the table with the contents of the CODE corresponding to the diagnosis result and the type of the type. Thereafter, in step S462, the same message is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 15b, and the abnormality notification process is terminated and the self-diagnosis process is also terminated.

Of course, if no abnormality is detected in step S432, the self-diagnosis process is terminated without performing abnormality notification.
The abnormality self-diagnosis process is executed only once when the user turns on the power. If the self-diagnosis process is always performed every time the user tries to clean, a certain amount of time is required, so that the cleaning is delayed. In order to prevent this delay, it is convenient that a self-diagnosis process is performed every day at a certain time so that the diagnosis result can be understood when the user turns on the power.

FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 show a flowchart of display on the liquid crystal display panel 15b and processing executed by the CPU 11 for implementing such a timer function.
The liquid crystal display panel 15b performs display for designating whether or not to select the timer ON function and the start time when the timer ON function is selected. Each operation is performed with the operation switch 15a. The CPU 11 performs the timer activation process shown in FIG. 17 every predetermined time, acquires the current time in step S464, and determines whether or not the timer ON function is selected in step S466. If it is not selected, the timer activation process is terminated. If it is selected, it is determined in step S468 whether the current time matches the set time. If they match, the automatic diagnosis process described above is executed in step S470.

In this way, when the user turns on the power for cleaning, the self-diagnosis has already been executed once, so it is possible to immediately determine whether there is an abnormality.
On the other hand, the self-diagnosis as described above may be troublesome, especially because it should normally end normally. For this reason, the frequency of self-diagnosis may be reduced as the number of normal terminations increases.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an execution frequency determination process for changing the execution frequency in this way. In step S472, the number of activations, which is a variable for storing the number of times the power is turned on, is counted up. In step S474, the number of successful completions is read. In step S476, it is determined whether the number of times of normal termination has continued 10 times or more. If it is less than 10 times, a self-diagnosis is executed in step S484. If it is continuous 10 times or more, it is determined in step S478 whether it is continuous 20 times or more. When it does not continue 20 times or more, it is a case where it continues for at least 10 times or more, and when this condition is met, it is self-executed once every two times based on the number of activations in step S480. Diagnosis processing is executed. Specifically, the number of activations is divided by 2, and if the remainder is “0”, the self-diagnosis process is executed. As a result, since the self-diagnosis process is executed at the 10th time, the 12th time, the 14th time,..., The frequency decreases.

  On the other hand, when it continues for 20 times or more, the frequency is further lowered. In step S482, the self-diagnosis process is executed once every three times. Specifically, the number of activations is divided by 3, and if the remainder is “0”, the self-diagnosis process is executed. As a result, since the self-diagnosis process is executed at the 21st, 24th, 27th, etc., the frequency is further reduced.

  As a result of the self-diagnosis, in step S468, the presence / absence of an abnormality is determined. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, the number of normal terminations is incremented in step S488. If there is more than this, the normal end count is cleared in step S489. Since the number of normal end times is processed in this way, as described above, the number of consecutive times can be known only by looking at the number of normal end times. If the self-diagnosis process is not executed in steps S480 and S482 in order to reduce the frequency, the execution frequency determination process ends without performing the normal end count process.

  By the way, when there is the above in the self-diagnosis process, the liquid crystal display panel 15b or the like is notified, but it may be useless to prevent all functions from being implemented by detecting all abnormalities. For example, there is a case where an abnormality occurs in the security function when it is desired to clean only, but the security function does not need to be performed.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of processing for determining whether or not a cleaning operation is possible in relation to the presence or absence of such an abnormality.
In step S490, the CPU 11 refers to the diagnosis result flag table described above and acquires the diagnosis result. In step S492, it is determined whether or not there is even one abnormality flag. If not, in step S496, an operable flag indicating operable is set and the process ends. On the other hand, even if there is an abnormality flag, it is determined in step S494 whether the abnormality is related to the security function. If it is related to the security function, the operation enable flag is set in step S496 as before. Thereby, even if there is an abnormality, the flag is set so that the cleaning operation can be performed if it relates to the security function, and the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the abnormality flag is other than the security function, it is related to cleaning, so that the operation disabled flag is set in step S498 and the process is terminated.
Thus, in this self-propelled cleaner, the rotation operation is actually performed by the drive wheel motors 42R and 42L, and the change in the azimuth by the geomagnetic sensor 43 and the acceleration sensor 44 that should be detected by the rotation operation. Simultaneously diagnoses the rotation operation due to AF, the change in the lateral obstacle state by the AF passive sensor 31, and the detection of the human body to be lifted by the human body sensor 21, and the step by the AF passive sensor 31 due to the main body rising by the lifting operation And detection of movement by the acceleration sensor 44 are simultaneously diagnosed. As a result, various situations brought about by the actual operation are surely diagnosed, and a plurality of functions are diagnosed by one operation, which is efficient.

  A self-propelled vacuum cleaner with fewer sensors can detect steps and walls along with the presence or absence of surrounding obstacles with an autofocus distance measuring sensor placed obliquely downward with respect to the surrounding floor surface from the upper part. Can be controlled.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the self-propelled cleaner concerning this invention. It is a more detailed block diagram of the self-propelled cleaner. It is a block diagram of a passive sensor for AF. It is explanatory drawing which shows the condition of the floor surface condition, and the change of ranging distance when the passive sensor for AF is oriented obliquely downward with respect to the floor surface. It is explanatory drawing which shows the ranging distance of the imaging range in case the passive sensor for AF for immediately before positions is orientated diagonally downward with respect to the floor surface. It is a figure which shows the arrangement position and ranging part of each passive sensor for AF. It is a flowchart of traveling control. It is a flowchart of cleaning travel. It is a figure which shows the indoor traveling route. It is a flowchart of the process of self-diagnosis. It is a figure which shows a diagnostic result flag table. It is a flowchart of an abnormality notification process. It is a figure which shows the display of the liquid crystal display panel which selects the method of abnormality notification. It is a figure which shows the display of the liquid crystal display panel which selects a message type. It is a figure which shows the table content which has memorize | stored the message for every type. It is a figure which shows the setting which starts a timer for automatic diagnosis with a liquid crystal display panel. It is a flowchart of a timer start process. It is a flowchart of the process of execution frequency determination. It is a flowchart of the process of cleaning operation availability judgment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Control unit 20 ... Human body detection unit 30 ... Obstacle monitoring unit 40 ... Traveling system unit 50 ... Cleaner system unit 60 ... Camera system unit 70 ... Wireless LAN unit

Claims (10)

A self-propelled cleaner comprising a main body provided with a cleaning mechanism, and a drive mechanism having drive wheels arranged on the left and right of the main body and capable of individually controlling rotation and realizing steering and driving,
The above drive mechanism detects a direction sensor for detecting a traveling direction, a side sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a side obstacle, a step sensor for detecting a front step, and the presence or absence of a surrounding human body. A human body sensor, a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the drive wheel, a display panel capable of displaying a predetermined message, and a three-axis acceleration sensor,
The cleaning mechanism has a plurality of motors used for cleaning,
Furthermore, it has a camera system unit provided with a camera element, and wireless transmission means capable of transmitting captured image data captured by the camera system unit wirelessly,
When the power is turned on by the self-diagnosis control means, the rotation operation is performed, and the direction sensor, the side sensor, the rotary encoder, the XY axes of the acceleration sensor, and the human body sensor Diagnosing the function, then instructing the user to lift with the display panel, diagnosing the step sensor and the Z-axis of the acceleration sensor; and
The self-diagnosis control means retains a history of turning on the power and a history of diagnosis results, determines whether or not to perform a diagnosis corresponding to each history, and performs the diagnosis based on the determination result. To implement, and
The self-diagnosis control means operates when the diagnosis of the cleaning mechanism, the diagnosis of the camera system unit, and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means are executed and an abnormality is detected in the result of the diagnosis after the diagnosis is executed. The operation of the cleaning mechanism can be performed even when an abnormality is detected in the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission means.
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can perform self-diagnosis by specifying the implementation time, and can perform self-diagnosis at the installation position of the charging device and select the type of message to be displayed on the display panel. . A self-propelled cleaner comprising a main body provided with a cleaning mechanism and a drive mechanism capable of steering and driving,
An orientation sensor for detecting the direction of travel;
A side sensor that detects the presence or absence of side obstacles;
A step sensor for detecting a front step, and
A human body sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a surrounding human body,
A rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the drive wheel;
A display panel capable of displaying a predetermined message;
A three-axis acceleration sensor,
When you turn on the power
Rotating operation is performed to diagnose the function of the azimuth sensor, the side sensor, the rotary encoder, the XY axes of the acceleration sensor, and the human body sensor,
Next, the self-propelled cleaner is provided with self-diagnosis control means for instructing the user to lift the display panel and diagnosing the step sensor and the XY axes of the acceleration sensor. The self-diagnosis control means can change the frequency of diagnosis when the power is turned on, and keeps a history of turning on the power and a history of diagnosis results, and makes a diagnosis corresponding to each history. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 2, wherein it is determined whether or not to perform the diagnosis, and the diagnosis is performed based on the determination result. The cleaning mechanism includes a plurality of motors used for cleaning, a camera system unit including a camera element, and wireless transmission means capable of transmitting captured image data captured by the camera system unit wirelessly. The said self-diagnosis control means performs the diagnosis of the said cleaning mechanism, the diagnosis of the said camera system unit, and the diagnosis of the said wireless transmission means after performing the said diagnosis. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to any one of the above. The self-diagnosis control unit can disable the operation when an abnormality is detected in the result of the diagnosis, and an abnormality is detected in the diagnosis of the camera system unit and the diagnosis of the wireless transmission unit. 5. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the operation of the cleaning mechanism can be carried out. The cleaning mechanism has a dust cup that accumulates the captured dust, and the dust cup has a transparent inclined wall that reaches the upper end from the bottom surface, and corresponds to each height below the inclined wall on the main body side. The light receiving element is disposed and illumination light can be irradiated from the inner surface of the inclined wall, and the self-diagnosis control means can capture dust when the light receiving position of the light receiving element is low. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein if the height position at which the light receiving element can receive light is high, the remaining amount of dust is determined to be small. The self-diagnosis control means has a timer for outputting a time and an operation means for designating a time for performing the self-diagnosis function, and the time output by the timer and the time operated by the operation means are The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the self-diagnosis function is performed when they coincide with each other. The main body has charging means for charging the internal battery in a non-contact manner, and the self-diagnosis is performed at an installation position of an external device to which charging power is supplied to the charging means in a non-contact manner. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 7. 9. The self-diagnosis control means has a plurality of types according to type as messages to be displayed on the display panel, and displays messages belonging to the selected type. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner described in Crab. 6. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the self-diagnosis control unit transmits a diagnosis result to the outside by the wireless transmission unit.

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