JP6789073B2 - Vacuum cleaner control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner control system.

In recent years, in buildings such as houses, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner may be used when cleaning a room. Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum cleaner control system in which a plurality of such self-propelled vacuum cleaners are provided in a building and the room is efficiently cleaned by controlling the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners. Has been done.

JP-A-2015-147901

However, in the system of Patent Document 1, since the room is cleaned by a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners, the resident feels annoyed by the vacuum cleaner, for example, the vacuum cleaners interfere with the resident. There is a risk that it will end up.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a configuration in which a room is cleaned by a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners, a user such as a resident feels annoyed by the vacuum cleaner. The main purpose is to provide a vacuum cleaner control system that can suppress the above.

In order to solve the above problems, the vacuum cleaner control system of the first invention is a building in which a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners are provided and a plurality of rooms are cleaned by the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners. A vacuum cleaner control system that controls a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners, the absence determination means for determining the absence time zone in which the user is absent for each room, and the absence determination means. According to the cleaning schedule creating means for creating a cleaning schedule when the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners are made to clean each room based on the determination result by the above, and the cleaning schedule created by the cleaning schedule creating means. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner is provided with a vacuum cleaner control means for performing a cleaning process for cleaning the room.

According to the present invention, when the absence time zone in which the user is absent is determined for each room to be cleaned, and based on the result of the determination, a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners are allowed to clean each room. Cleaning schedule is created. Then, according to the created cleaning schedule, the room is cleaned by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner. In this case, since the user can clean the room while aiming at the time when the user is absent from the room, it is possible to avoid cleaning by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner in the room where the user is present. As a result, in a configuration in which the room is cleaned by a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling annoyed by the self-propelled vacuum cleaners.

In the first invention, the vacuum cleaner control system of the second invention has a plurality of absent rooms, which are the rooms in which the user is absent in a predetermined time zone as a result of the determination by the absentee determination means. A priority room determining means for determining whether or not a priority room that needs to be preferentially cleaned is included in the plurality of absent rooms is provided, and the cleaning schedule creating means is the priority room determining means. When it is determined that there is a priority room, the cleaning schedule is created so that a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners among the self-propelled vacuum cleaners are assigned to the priority room at the predetermined time zone. It is characterized by doing.

According to the present invention, when there are a plurality of absent rooms in which the user is absent in a predetermined time zone, the priority rooms that need to be preferentially cleaned are included in the plurality of absent rooms. Whether or not it is judged, and if the priority room is included as a result of the judgment, a cleaning schedule is created so that multiple self-propelled vacuum cleaners out of each self-propelled vacuum cleaner are assigned to the priority room. Will be done. As a result, cleaning of the priority room can be completed promptly.

In the second invention, the vacuum cleaner control system of the third invention is that the priority room determination means sets a part of the plurality of absent rooms in the predetermined time zone based on the determination result by the absence determination means. Immediately after, it is determined whether or not a room in which the user will be present is included, and as a result of the determination, if the room is included, the room is determined as the priority room. ..

According to the present invention, when a part of a plurality of absent rooms in a predetermined time zone includes a room in which the user will be present immediately after the predetermined time zone, that room is the priority room. Is judged as. As a result, if a plurality of absent rooms include a room to be used immediately after the user returns home, that room can be cleaned as a priority room, so that the user's room can be used in time. You can finish the cleaning.

In the second or third invention, the vacuum cleaner control system of the fourth invention has the plurality of cleaning schedule creating means when it is determined by the priority room determining means that the priority room is not included. It is characterized in that the cleaning schedule is created so as to assign the self-propelled vacuum cleaner to each of the absent rooms.

According to the present invention, when a plurality of absent rooms do not include a priority room, a cleaning schedule is created so that a self-propelled vacuum cleaner is assigned to each of the plurality of absent rooms. For example, when cleaning each absent room, it is conceivable to assign a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners to each absent room in order. However, in that case, since each self-propelled vacuum cleaner needs to move between the absent rooms, energy is consumed when moving. In that respect, according to the above configuration, since each self-propelled vacuum cleaner only needs to clean the assigned absent room, it is not necessary to move between the absent rooms, and it is possible to save energy accordingly. ..

In any one of the first to fourth inventions, the vacuum cleaner control system of the fifth invention is a means for acquiring the time when the user returns home when the cleaning process is performed by the vacuum cleaner control means. , The absence time change determination means for determining whether or not a change occurs in the absence time zone in any of the rooms based on the user's return time acquired by the acquisition means, and the absence time change determination means by the absence time change determination means. When it is determined that a change occurs in the time zone, the vacuum cleaner control means includes a schedule recreating means for recreating the cleaning schedule according to the change, and the vacuum cleaner control means is based on the recreated cleaning schedule. The present invention is characterized in that each self-propelled vacuum cleaner is allowed to clean the room.

According to the present invention, when the room is cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the user's return time is acquired by the acquisition means, and the absence time zone in any of the rooms based on the acquired return time. It is determined whether or not a change occurs in. Then, when the user returns home earlier than planned and a change occurs in the absent time zone, the cleaning schedule is recreated according to the change, and each self-propelled vacuum cleaner is created based on the recreated cleaning schedule. The room is cleaned by. In this case, even if the return time is changed due to the user's convenience, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling annoyed by the vacuum cleaner.

In the vacuum cleaner control system of the sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, a person detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the room is provided for each room, and the vacuum cleaner control means. Is characterized in that, when the person detecting means detects that there is a person in the room being cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the cleaning of the room by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is completed. ..

If a user such as a resident returns home earlier than planned, it is assumed that the user may enter the room even though the room is being cleaned by a self-propelled vacuum cleaner. .. Therefore, in view of these points, in the present invention, when it is detected by the person detecting means that a person is present in the room being cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is used for the room. Cleaning is to be completed. As a result, even if the user enters the room being cleaned, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling annoyed by the vacuum cleaner.

Schematic diagram showing a building with a vacuum cleaner control system. A plan view showing the floor plan of the first floor. The figure which shows the electrical composition of a vacuum cleaner control system. A flowchart showing the flow of the vacuum cleaner control process. The figure which shows the action schedule of each resident. The figure which shows the absence time zone in each room. The figure which shows the created cleaning schedule. The figure which shows the recreated cleaning schedule.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners for cleaning a room are provided in the building, and a vacuum cleaner control system for controlling the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners is embodied. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a building in which the vacuum cleaner control system is installed. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that parents (father and mother) and their children live in the building as residents.

As shown in FIG. 1, a building 10 such as a house is a two-story building having a first floor portion 11 and a second floor portion 12. A plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 (cleaning robots) are provided on the first floor portion 11, and specifically, three are provided. In the first floor portion 11, the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are used to clean a plurality of rooms K1 as targets for cleaning. On the other hand, only one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is provided on the second floor portion 12. In the second floor portion 12, this one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is used to clean one room K2 as a cleaning target.

The building 10 is provided with a vacuum cleaner control system that controls each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 on the first floor portion 11 and the second floor portion 12. The vacuum cleaner control system includes a home server 30 that collectively controls each of these self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20. The home server 30 is provided, for example, on the second floor portion 12, and is attached to a wall or the like. When a home energy management system (HEMS) is installed in the building 10, the monitor of the HEMS may be used as the home server 30.

Subsequently, the floor plan of the first floor portion 11 of the building 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the floor plan of the first floor portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first floor portion 11 is provided with an entrance 13, a living room 14, a dining room 15, a kitchen 16, a master bedroom 17, and a children's room 18 (children's bedroom) as rooms. The entrance 13 is provided with an entrance 21, and the entrance 21 is provided with an entrance door 22. The entrance door 22 is provided with a locking / unlocking device 23 for locking / unlocking the door 22. The locking / unlocking device 23 includes an electric lock that electrically locks / unlocks the entrance door 22. The locking / unlocking device 23 can be locked / unlocked using an electronic key 25 (see FIG. 3) possessed by the resident. Further, the locking / unlocking device 23 is locked / unlocked by using the electronic key 25 not only when the resident returns home to the building 10 but also when going out from the building 10.

On the first floor portion 11, each room except the entrance 13, that is, the living room 14, the dining room 15, the kitchen 16, the master bedroom 17, and the children's room 18 is a room K1 to be cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20. All of these rooms K1 (14 to 18) have the same floor height, so that the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 can move (go back and forth) to each of these rooms K1.

Each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 provided on the first floor portion 11 has the same configuration. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 has a rechargeable battery 36 (see FIG. 3), and runs using the electric power stored in the battery 36. Further, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 has a suction unit (not shown) for sucking dust and a dust storage unit 37 (see FIG. 3) for storing dust sucked from the suction unit. The dust storage unit 37 is made of a paper dust pack and can store a predetermined amount of dust. Although not shown, a charging point (charging device) for charging the battery 36 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is provided on the first floor portion 11, and the battery 36 is charged at the charging point. It has become a thing.

Here, as described above, the first floor portion 11 is cleaned by a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20, so that the vacuum cleaners 20 get in the way of the resident and the resident cleans. The machine 20 may cause annoyance. Therefore, in this vacuum cleaner control system, a characteristic configuration is provided in the first floor portion 11 in order to suppress the resident from feeling the annoyance. In the following, the characteristic configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vacuum cleaner control system.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the first floor portion 11, a person detection sensor 26 is provided in each room K1 (14 to 18) to be cleaned. The person detection sensor 26 is a sensor that detects the presence of a person in the room K1 in which it is installed. Of these human detection sensors 26, the human detection sensor 26a is provided in the living room 14, the human detection sensor 26b is provided in the dining room 15, the human detection sensor 26c is provided in the kitchen 16, and the human detection sensor 26d is provided in the master bedroom 17. A person detection sensor 26e is provided in the children's room 18. The individual detection sensors 26a to 26e are attached using the walls and ceilings of the rooms K1 (14 to 18). Further, each person detection sensor 26 (26a to 26e) corresponds to each person detection means.

As shown in FIG. 3, the home server 30 is configured by using a well-known personal computer or the like. The home server 30 includes a controller 31 and a communication unit 32, and the communication unit 32 is connected to the controller 31. The controller 31 is configured to include a well-known microcomputer having a CPU or the like, and has a storage unit 33.

Each person detection sensors 26a to 26e are connected to the controller 31. The detection results are sequentially input to the controller 31 from these person detection sensors 26a to 26e.

A locking / unlocking controller 27 that controls the locking / unlocking device 23 is connected to the controller 31. The locking / unlocking controller 27 has a well-known microcomputer, and is provided integrally with the locking / unlocking device 23. Further, the lock / unlock controller 27 has a communication function capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 25 possessed by the resident.

ID code information as identification information is stored in the electronic key 25. Specifically, the electronic key 25 of each resident stores different ID code information for each resident. On the other hand, the lock / unlock controller 27 stores an ID code corresponding to each ID code information stored in the electronic key 25 of each resident. Here, when the resident performs an unlocking operation with the electronic key 25 near the entrance door 22 (for example, when the unlock button of the electronic key 25 is pressed), the ID code information is transmitted from the electronic key 25. When the transmitted ID code information is received by the locking / unlocking controller 27, the locking / unlocking controller 27 determines (authentication) whether or not the received ID code information matches the ID code stored in the controller 27. I do. Then, the locking / unlocking controller 27 controls the locking / unlocking of the locking / unlocking device 23 based on the result of the authentication.

The locking / unlocking controller 27 determines which resident locked / unlocked by the locking / unlocking device 23 based on the ID code signal from the electronic key 25. The lock / unlock controller 27 also determines when the lock / unlock was performed. That is, the locking / unlocking controller 27 determines when the locking / unlocking of the locking / unlocking device 23 was performed by which resident. Then, the lock / unlock controller 27 outputs the determination result (that is, the result regarding when the lock / unlock was performed by which resident) to the controller 31 as the lock / unlock information of the resident each time.

When the controller 31 inputs the locking / unlocking information of the resident output from the locking / unlocking controller 27, the controller 31 determines which resident returned home or went out based on the locking / unlocking information. Then, the controller 31 stores the determination result in the storage unit 33 each time as the resident's return / going out information. The resident's return / going out information corresponds to the resident's behavior history information.

When the controller 31 determines that any resident has returned home, the resident is present in any of the rooms K1 based on the detection results from the individual detection sensors 26a to 26e. It is detected sequentially (for example, every minute). Then, the controller 31 stores the room K1 in which the resident's presence is detected in the storage unit 33 each time in association with the detected time (for example, a time zone). As a result, the storage unit 33 stores the occupancy history information regarding when the resident is in which room K1 for each resident. The resident's occupancy history information corresponds to the resident's behavior history information.

The controller 31 determines (predicts) the absence time zone in which the resident is absent for each room K1 based on the occupancy history information of each resident stored in the storage unit 33. Further, the controller 31 creates a cleaning schedule regarding how to make each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 clean each room K1 based on the determined (predicted) absence time zone in each room K1. To do.

The communication unit 32 enables wireless communication with each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20. Each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 has a built-in vacuum cleaner controller 35 having a well-known microcomputer, and the vacuum cleaner controller 35 has a communication unit 35a capable of wireless communication with the communication unit 32. have. In this case, the controller 31 is capable of wireless communication with the vacuum cleaner controller 35 via the communication units 32 and 35a.

The controller 31 transmits the cleaning schedule information regarding the created cleaning schedule to each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 through the communication unit 32. In this case, when the transmitted cleaning schedule information is received by the vacuum cleaner controller 35 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, the vacuum cleaner controller 35 uses the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 based on the received cleaning schedule information. Have the room K1 cleaned.

The vacuum cleaner controller 35 stores the floor plan information regarding the floor plan of each room K1 in advance, and the vacuum cleaner controller 35 causes the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 to clean the room K1 based on the floor plan information.

The vacuum cleaner controller 35 transmits cleaning progress information regarding the progress of cleaning of the room K1 by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 to the controller 31 side each time. As a result, the controller 31 side can grasp the progress status of cleaning of the room K1 by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 each time by receiving the cleaning progress information.

The vacuum cleaner controller 35 is connected to the battery 36 and the dust storage unit 37, respectively. The vacuum cleaner controller 35 has a function of calculating the charge amount (remaining amount) of the battery 36, and transmits the calculated battery remaining amount information to the controller 31 each time. Further, the vacuum cleaner controller 35 has a function of calculating the free space of the dust storage unit 37, and transmits the calculated free space information to the controller 31 each time. As a result, the controller 31 side can grasp the charge amount (remaining amount) of the battery 36 and the free capacity of the dust storage unit 37 each time by receiving each of the information. The battery remaining amount information and the free capacity information correspond to the cleaning ability information regarding the cleaning ability (cleaning performance) of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20.

The communication unit 32 of the home server 30 is connected to the base station 42 of the mobile phone company via an external network 41 such as the Internet. In this case, the controller 31 is capable of communicating with the mobile phone 43 carried by each resident via the communication unit 32 and the base station 42. The mobile phone 43 is made of, for example, a smartphone and has a GPS function. Therefore, the mobile phone 43 can acquire its own position information and, by extension, the position information of the resident who owns the mobile phone 43 by receiving a signal (GPS signal) transmitted from a GPS satellite. ..

The resident position information acquired by the mobile phone 43 is transmitted from the mobile phone 43 to the controller 31 as needed. Specifically, the controller 31 transmits a request signal to the resident's mobile phone 43 as needed, and when the request signal is received by the mobile phone 43, the resident responds to the request signal from the mobile phone 43. The position information of is transmitted to the controller 31. As a result, the controller 31 side can grasp the position of the resident even when the resident is out by receiving the position information. Further, the controller 31 has a function of calculating (acquiring) the return time when the resident returns home based on the position information of the resident who is out of the office received from the mobile phone 43.

Next, the contents of the vacuum cleaner control process executed by the controller 31 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the vacuum cleaner control process. This process is started once a day when a predetermined start time (for example, 8:00 am) is reached as a trigger.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, in step S11, it is determined whether today (the day on which the main processing is performed) is a weekday or a holiday.

In step S12, the behavior history information (home / outing information and occupancy history information) of each resident is read out from the storage unit 33 and acquired. In this case, if today is determined to be a weekday in step S11, the behavior history information of each resident on a weekday is read from the storage unit 33, and if today is determined to be a holiday in step S11, it is stored. The behavior history information of each resident on a holiday is read from the unit 33. When reading the action history information, for example, the latest one month's worth of action history information is read out.

In step S13, an action schedule determination process for determining (predicting) the action schedule of each resident is performed based on the action history information of each resident acquired in step S12. FIG. 5 illustrates the action schedule of each resident determined. The action schedule shown in FIG. 5 is determined based on the action history information of each resident on weekdays. Therefore, FIG. 5 shows the action schedule of each resident on weekdays.

In the example of FIG. 5, the father is in the office during the morning hours (9:00 to 12:00), the daytime hours (12:00 to 16:00), and the evening hours (16:00 to 19:00). I am out in the middle of the night (19:00 to 24:00), come home from the office and stay in the living room 14 or dining 15 for dinner or family gathering, etc. It is scheduled to stay in the main bedroom 17 for bedtime from 00 to). In addition, the mother is in the dining room 15 or the kitchen 16 for housework in the morning time, in the living room 14 for watching TV in the daytime, and for preparing dinner in the evening time. We are in the kitchen 16 and in the living room 14, dining 15 or kitchen 16 for dinner, family gathering, cleaning up dinner, etc. at night time, and in the main bedroom 17 for bedtime at midnight. It is a schedule to do. In addition, the child goes out to school during the morning and noon hours, returns home from the school during the evening hours, and stays in the living room 14 for watching TV, etc., and during the night hours. The schedule is to stay in the living room 14 or dining room 15 for dinner or family gatherings, and to stay in the children's room 18 for bedtime at midnight. In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, dot hatches are attached to the time zones in which each resident (father, mother and child) is in room K1 (14 to 18).

In step S14, based on the action schedule of each resident determined in step S13, an absence determination process for determining (predicting) the absence time zone in which the resident will be absent is performed for each room K1 (14 to 18). .. FIG. 6 shows the absent time zone in each room K1 determined. The absence time zone of each room K1 shown in FIG. 6 is determined based on the action schedule of each resident shown in FIG. Therefore, FIG. 6 shows the absence time zone of each room K1 on weekdays.

In the example of FIG. 6, in the living room 14, the morning time zone and the midnight time zone are the absent time zones in which the resident is absent, respectively. Further, the dining 15 has a daytime zone, an evening time zone, and a midnight time zone, respectively, and the kitchen 16 has a daytime zone and a midnight time zone, respectively. Further, in the master bedroom 17 and the children's room 18, each time zone except the midnight time zone is an absent time zone. Note that, in FIG. 6 (the same applies to FIGS. 7 and 8 described later), for convenience of explanation, dot hatches are added to the time zones in which the resident is in each room K1 (14 to 18).

In step S15, as a result of the determination by the absentee determination process (step S14), when there are a plurality of rooms K1 (hereinafter referred to as absent rooms) in which the resident is absent in a predetermined time zone, the plurality of absent rooms are present. Priority room determination processing is performed to determine whether or not a priority room that needs to be cleaned with priority is included in the room. In this process, when a plurality of absent rooms exist in a predetermined time zone, a part of the plurality of absent rooms includes a room K1 in which a resident will be present immediately after the predetermined time zone. As a result of the determination, if the room K1 is included, the room K1 is determined as the priority room.

In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of absent rooms (living room 14, master bedroom 17, children's room 18) exist in the morning time zone (corresponding to a predetermined time zone), and the morning in a part of the plurality of absent rooms. Room K1 (living room 14) where a resident (specifically, a mother) is present in the daytime immediately after the time zone is included. Therefore, in this case, the living room 14 is determined as the priority room in the morning time zone. In addition, there are a plurality of absent rooms (dining 15, kitchen 16, master bedroom 17, children's room 18) during the daytime (corresponding to a predetermined time zone), and daytime is provided in some of the absent rooms. Room K1 (kitchen 16) in which a resident (specifically, a mother) is present in the evening time immediately after the time zone is included. Therefore, in this case, the kitchen 16 is determined as the priority room in the daytime zone. In addition, there are multiple absent rooms (dining 15, master bedroom 17, children's room 18) in the evening time zone (corresponding to a predetermined time zone), and some of these absent rooms are in the evening time zone. Room K1 (dining 15) where residents (specifically, father, mother, children) are in the room immediately after the night time is included. Therefore, in this case, the dining 15 is determined as the priority room in the evening time zone.

In addition, although there are a plurality of absent rooms (master bedroom 17, children's room 18) in the night time zone, each of these absent rooms 17 and 18 is a resident in the midnight time zone immediately after the night time zone. Is supposed to be in the room. Therefore, in the night time zone, none of the plurality of absent rooms 17 and 18 is the priority room.

In step S16, a cleaning schedule for creating a cleaning schedule S relating to the procedure for cleaning each room K1 by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 based on the determination result by the absentee determination process (step S14). Perform the creation process. In this process, when it is determined by the priority room determination process (step S15) that the priority room is included in the predetermined time zone, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner is used for the priority room in the predetermined time zone. A cleaning schedule S is created so as to allocate a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 out of 20. FIG. 7 illustrates the created cleaning schedule S. The cleaning schedule S shown in FIG. 7 is determined based on the absence time zone of each room K1 shown in FIG. Therefore, FIG. 7 shows the cleaning schedule S on weekdays.

In the example of FIG. 7, since the living room 14 is determined to be the priority room in the morning time zone, the living room 14 has a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 (specifically, all three) in the morning time zone. A running vacuum cleaner 20 is assigned. Further, since the kitchen 16 is determined to be the priority room during the daytime, a plurality of (specifically, two) self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 among the self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are assigned to the kitchen 16. There is. Further, since the dining 15 is determined to be the priority room in the night time zone, a plurality of (specifically, two) self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 among the self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are assigned to the dining 15. There is.

Since two self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are assigned to the kitchen 16 and the dining 15 respectively in the daytime zone and the evening time zone, the remaining one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is not cleaned. It becomes a standby state to wait for. In this standby state, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 may be moved to a charging spot to charge the battery 36.

In the night time zone, two self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are assigned to the master bedroom 17, and one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is assigned to the children's room 18. In the night time zone, there are a plurality of absent rooms 17 and 18 such as a master bedroom 17 and a children's room 18, but as described above, all of these absent rooms 17 and 18 are priority rooms. Absent. Therefore, in the night time zone in which the priority room does not exist in this way, in the present embodiment, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is assigned to each of the plurality of absent rooms 17 and 18. When assigning each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 to each of these plurality of absent rooms 17 and 18 (that is, when assigning how many self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 to each absent room 17 and 18), each absent room 17 , 18 floor areas (specifically, the floor area to be cleaned) and the capacity information (battery remaining amount information, free capacity information) of each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 may be used for allocation.

In step S17, a cleaning process is performed in which each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is made to clean the room K1 according to the cleaning schedule S created in step S16. In this process, the communication unit 32 transmits a cleaning start signal to each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, and also transmits cleaning schedule information regarding the cleaning schedule S. When transmitting the cleaning schedule information to each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, first, based on the above cleaning schedule S, for each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, which room K1 is to be cleaned at what time zone, and for each vacuum cleaner 20 individually. Create a schedule. Then, the individual schedule for each of the created vacuum cleaners 20 is transmitted to each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 as cleaning schedule information.

When the transmitted operation start signal and cleaning schedule information are received by the vacuum cleaner controller 35 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, the controller 35 cleans the room K1 in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 according to the received cleaning schedule information. To carry out. As a result, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 cleans the room K1 according to the cleaning schedule S.

In step S18, at the time of carrying out the cleaning process (step S17), the return time acquisition process for acquiring the return time of the resident who is out is performed. In this process, a request signal is first transmitted to a mobile phone 43 possessed by a resident (specifically, a father and a child) who is out of the office through a communication unit 32, and is transmitted from the mobile phone 43 as a response to the request signal. Receive resident location information. Then, based on the received location information of the resident, the return time of the resident to return home is calculated (acquired).

In step S19, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the return time of the resident based on the return time of the resident who is out of the office acquired in step S18. In other words, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the absence time zone in which the resident is absent in any of the rooms K1 based on the acquired resident's return time. For example, the father's return time (scheduled return time) was initially 19:00 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), but it is determined whether or not there is a change in the return time. If there is no change in the resident's return time, the process proceeds to step S22, and if there is a change in the resident's return time, the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, if there is a change in the resident's return time, in other words, if there is a change in the absence time zone in which the resident is absent in any room K1, the cleaning schedule S is re-executed according to the change. Perform the cleaning schedule re-creation process to be created. FIG. 8 illustrates the recreated cleaning schedule S. In the following, the recreated cleaning schedule S will be referred to as the cleaning schedule Sa in order to distinguish it from the previous cleaning schedule S (created in step S16).

In the example of FIG. 8, the father's return time (scheduled return time) was initially 19:00 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), but the father's return time acquired in step S18 is 18:00, and the father It is assumed that he will return home earlier. That is, in the example of FIG. 8, the cleaning schedule Sa is recreated in accordance with the earlier return time of the father. Further, in the example of FIG. 8, it is assumed that it was determined (understood) that the father returned home earlier in the evening time zone (for example, around 16:30), and therefore cleaning after the evening time zone was performed. The schedule (only) has been recreated.

In the example of FIG. 8, due to the earlier return time of the father, the absence time zone has changed in the dining 15 where the father is present immediately after returning home. That is, in the dining 15, the absent time zone was initially from 12:00 to 19:00, but this has been changed to the absent time zone from 12:00 to 18:00. Then, in response to the change in the absence time zone, the number of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 assigned to the dining 15 in the evening time zone has been changed (increased) from two to three. That is, in the evening time zone, two self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 were originally assigned to the dining 15 and the remaining one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 was in a standby state. (See FIG. 7), this has been changed to a cleaning schedule Sa in which one self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 in the standby state is also assigned to the dining 15 and the dining 15 is cleaned by a total of three self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20. ing.

In step S21, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is made to clean the room K1 based on the cleaning schedule Sa recreated in step S20. Specifically, in this step, based on the recreated cleaning schedule Sa, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 recreates an individual schedule for each vacuum cleaner 20 at what time and which room K1 is to be cleaned. Then, the individual schedule for each of the recreated vacuum cleaners 20 is transmitted to each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 as the re-cleaning schedule information.

When the transmitted re-cleaning schedule information is received by the vacuum cleaner controller 35 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, the controller 35 causes the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 to clean the room K1 based on the re-cleaning schedule information. Let me do it. As a result, the cleaning of the room K1 is performed by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 according to the cleaning schedule Sa recreated.

In step S22, it is determined whether or not the cleaning of the room K1 by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 based on the cleaning schedule S (Sa) is completed. This determination is made based on the cleaning progress information transmitted from the vacuum cleaner controller 35 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20. When the cleaning of the room K1 by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is completed, this process is completed. If the cleaning of the room K1 by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 has not been completed yet, the process returns to step S18.

After the cleaning of the room K1 by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is completed, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 may be moved to a charging spot to charge the battery 36.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment described in detail above, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

For each room K1 to be cleaned, the absence time zone in which the resident (corresponding to the user) is absent is determined, and based on the determination result, a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are made to clean each room K1. A cleaning schedule S was created. Then, according to the created cleaning schedule S, each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 was made to clean the room K1. In this case, since the resident can clean the room K1 aiming at the absent time zone when the resident is absent from the room K1, it is possible to avoid cleaning by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 in the room where the resident is present. can do. As a result, it is possible to prevent the resident from feeling annoyed by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 in the configuration in which the room K1 is cleaned by the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20.

If there are multiple absent rooms in which the resident is absent in a predetermined time zone (specifically, morning time zone, daytime zone, evening time zone), priority is given to those multiple absent rooms. It is determined whether or not a priority room that needs to be cleaned is included, and as a result of the determination, if a priority room is included, a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 are used for the priority room. A cleaning schedule S was created so as to allocate the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 of the above. As a result, cleaning of the priority room can be completed promptly.

It is determined whether or not a part of a plurality of absent rooms in a predetermined time zone includes a room K1 in which a resident will be present immediately after the predetermined time zone, and as a result of the determination, the room K1 is determined. If it is included, the room K1 (specifically, the living room 14 in the morning time, the kitchen 16 in the daytime, and the dining 15 in the evening) is determined as the priority room. As a result, if the absent room includes a room K1 to be used immediately after the resident returns home, the room K1 can be cleaned as a priority room, so that the resident's room K1 can be used. You can finish the cleaning in time.

If the plurality of absent rooms do not include priority rooms in a predetermined time zone (specifically, night time zone), the cleaning schedule S is set so that the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is assigned to each of the plurality of absent rooms. Created. For example, when cleaning each absent room, it is conceivable to allocate a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners 20 to each absent room in order. However, in that case, since each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 needs to move between the absent rooms, the charging power of the battery 36 is consumed at the time of the movement. In that respect, according to the above configuration, since each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 only needs to clean the assigned absent room, it is not necessary to move between the absent rooms, and it is possible to save energy accordingly. Become.

At the time of carrying out the cleaning process (step S17), the resident's return time is calculated (acquired) based on the resident's position information transmitted from the resident's mobile phone 43, and the acquired return time is set. Based on this, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the absence time zone when the resident is absent in any of the rooms K1. Then, when it is determined that a change occurs in the absent time zone, the cleaning schedule Sa is recreated according to the change, and the room K1 is cleaned by each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 based on the recreated cleaning schedule Sa. Was made to do. In this case, even if the resident's return time is changed due to the convenience of the resident (specifically, the father), the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 suppresses the resident from feeling annoyed. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be implemented as follows, for example.

(1) The controller 31 determines whether or not there is a person in the room K1 being cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 based on the detection results from the person detection sensors 26a to 26e, and as a result of the determination, the cleaning is in progress. When there is a person in the room K1, the cleaning of the room K1 by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 may be completed. For example, when the controller 31 determines that there is a person in the room K1 being cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20, a cleaning end signal is transmitted to the vacuum cleaner controller 35 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20. .. Then, when the cleaning end signal is received by the vacuum cleaner controller 35, it is conceivable that the controller 35 causes the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 to finish cleaning the room K1. In this case, even if the resident enters the room K1 being cleaned due to an early return home contrary to the schedule, it is possible to prevent the resident from feeling annoyed by the vacuum cleaner 20.

As described above, when the cleaning of the room K1 by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is terminated in the middle, the storage unit 33 stores that the cleaning of the room K1 has not been completed yet as the cleaning work in process information. You may try to do it. In that case, for example, it is conceivable to (re) create a cleaning schedule based on the cleaning work in process information stored in the storage unit 33.

(2) In the above embodiment, when there are a plurality of absent rooms in which the resident is absent in the predetermined time zone, the resident is present in a part of the plurality of absent rooms in the time zone immediately after the predetermined time zone. When the room K1 to be used is included, the room K1 is determined to be the priority room, but the method of determining the priority room is not necessarily limited to this.

For example, as described in (1) above, when cleaning work-in-process information is stored in the storage unit 33, room K1 (work-in-process room) being cleaned is included in a plurality of absent rooms based on the cleaning work-in-process information. May be determined, and as a result of the determination, if the work-in-process room is included, the work-in-process room may be determined as the priority room. In that case, the cleaning of the room K1 in the middle of cleaning can be completed promptly.

(3) In the above embodiment, the action schedule of each resident is determined based on the action history information of each resident, and the absence time zone for each room K1 is determined based on the determined action schedule of each resident. However, the method of determining the absence time zone in each room K1 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the home server 30 is provided with an input unit for inputting room usage schedule information (information regarding which room K1 is used at what time of day) for each resident, and is input to the input unit. The absence time zone for each room K1 may be determined based on the room usage schedule information of each resident.

(4) As a result of the judgment by the absence judgment process, if there is an absence time zone (all room absence time zone) in which the resident is absent in all rooms K1 (in other words, in the building 10), the absence time zone A cleaning schedule may be created so that each self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is assigned to the room K1 only in. In that case, since the room K1 is cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 only when all the residents are absent in the building 10, the residents feel annoyed by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20. Can be reliably avoided.

(5) In the above embodiment, the return time of the resident is calculated (acquired) based on the resident's position information transmitted from the mobile phone 43 possessed by the resident who is out. , The method of obtaining the return time is not always limited to this. For example, when the resident's return time is transmitted by e-mail or the like from the mobile phone 43 based on the input operation of the resident who is out, even if the return time is acquired by receiving the transmitted return time. Good.

In addition, when a resident goes out by using transportation such as a train or a bus, the resident's pass record is recorded on the IC card commuter pass used when getting on and off the transportation. The time to return home may be calculated (acquired). In addition, when a resident goes out with a private car, the resident's return time is calculated (acquired) based on the position information of the private car acquired from the navigation system with GPS function installed in the private car. You may do so.

(6) In the above embodiment, the room K1 to be cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 is the living room 14, the dining 15, the kitchen 16, the master bedroom 17, and the children's room 18, but the room K1 to be cleaned is not necessarily the room K1 to be cleaned. It is not necessary to limit to these five rooms 14-18. For example, the entrance 13 may be included in the room K1 to be cleaned. Further, a setting unit for setting (changing) the room K1 to be cleaned may be provided. Then, only the room to be cleaned can be cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20.

(7) In the above embodiment, the vacuum cleaner control process (FIG. 4) is performed by the controller 31 built in the home server 30, and the control process is performed by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 20 (for example, any one of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners). This may be done by the controller 35 built in the vacuum cleaner 20).

10 ... building, 14 ... living room, 15 ... dining, 16 ... kitchen, 17 ... master bedroom, 18 ... children's room, 20 ... self-propelled vacuum cleaner, 26 ... person detection sensor as a person detection means, 30 ... home server, 31 ... Absence determination means, priority room determination means, cleaning schedule creation means, controller as vacuum cleaner control means, K1 ... room.

Claims (4)

It is applied to buildings where multiple self-propelled vacuum cleaners are installed and multiple rooms are cleaned by these multiple self-propelled vacuum cleaners.
A vacuum cleaner control system that controls the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners.
An absentee determination means for determining an absent time zone in which the user is absent for each room,
A cleaning schedule creating means for creating a cleaning schedule for having the plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners clean each room based on the determination result by the absentee determination means.
A vacuum cleaner control means that performs a cleaning process that causes each self-propelled vacuum cleaner to clean the room according to the cleaning schedule created by the cleaning schedule creating means.
Equipped with a,
Further, as a result of the determination by the absentee determination means, when there are a plurality of absent rooms which are the rooms in which the user is absent in a predetermined time zone, the cleaning is given priority among the plurality of absent rooms. It is equipped with a priority room determination means for determining whether or not a priority room that needs to be performed is included.
When the priority room determining means determines that the priority room exists, the cleaning schedule creating means has a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners for the priority room in the predetermined time zone. When the cleaning schedule is created so as to allocate a running vacuum cleaner and it is determined by the priority room determining means that the priority room is not included, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is assigned to each of the plurality of absent rooms. A vacuum cleaner control system, characterized in that the cleaning schedule is created to be assigned . Based on the determination result by the absentee determination means, the priority room determination means includes a room in which the user will be present immediately after the predetermined time zone in a part of the plurality of absent rooms. The vacuum cleaner control system according to claim 1 , wherein it is determined whether or not the room is included, and as a result of the determination, the room is determined as the priority room when the room is included. When the cleaning process is performed by the vacuum cleaner control means, the acquisition means for acquiring the user's return time and the acquisition means.
An absence time change determination means for determining whether or not a change occurs in the absence time zone in any of the rooms based on the user's return time acquired by the acquisition means.
When the absence time change determination means determines that a change occurs in the absence time zone, the schedule recreating means for recreating the cleaning schedule according to the change, and the schedule recreating means.
With
The vacuum cleaner control system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the vacuum cleaner control means causes each self-propelled vacuum cleaner to clean the room based on the recreated cleaning schedule. Each of the rooms is provided with a person detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the room.
When the person detection means detects that there is a person in the room being cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner control means ends the cleaning of the room by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the vacuum cleaner control system is characterized.

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