JP7282668B2 - Autonomous vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling cleaner.

In Patent Document 1, when the main body runs over an object and gets stuck, the imaging unit photographs the stuck object. An autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner is described.

WO2018/193653

However, when the surroundings of the vacuum cleaner are dark or when the image pickup unit does not operate normally due to dust, the stuck object must be detected by the floor sensor provided on the underside of the vacuum cleaner. If the level difference determination threshold of the surface distance measuring sensor is the same as when stuck, there is a possibility of getting stuck again.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described conventional problems, and to provide an autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner that reduces troubles in traveling when ascending/descending steps.

The present invention comprises a cleaner main body, a drive section for driving the cleaner main body, an imaging section provided on the cleaner main body, and a rotating brush provided on the bottom surface of the cleaner main body . At least one of the values of the image captured by the imaging unit and the load of the rotating brush at the time of change is stored as learning data, and the load of the rotating brush and the image captured by the imaging unit of the learning data are used to determine the floor surface. When there is a difference, the image recognition by the imaging unit and the threshold value of the load of the rotary brush on the floor surface determination are changed during the next and subsequent operations.

Further, the present invention includes a cleaner main body, a drive section for driving the cleaner main body, an image capturing section provided in the cleaner main body, and a dust detection sensor provided in the cleaner main body, and a floor surface. At least one of the image captured by the imaging unit at the time of change and the value of the dust detection sensor is stored as learning data, and there is no difference between the image captured by the imaging unit of the learning data and the amount of dust determined by the dust detection sensor. In some cases, the image recognition by the imaging unit and the threshold value for the determination of the amount of dust by the dust detection sensor are changed during the next and subsequent operations.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the cleaner main body has a communication function with a wireless LAN router , and stores the value of the threshold value for determining the floor surface or the threshold value for the amount of dust in a server.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the cleaner main bodies used within the same cleaning area share the threshold for determining the floor surface .
Further, the present invention is characterized by providing a system for sharing the learning data with home electric appliances other than the main body of the cleaner.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the autonomous traveling cleaner which reduces the trouble in driving|running|working at the time of going up and down a step can be provided.

1 is an external perspective view showing an autonomously traveling cleaner of this embodiment; FIG. It is a bottom view which shows the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1; It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper case from the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows a circumference|surroundings detection sensor unit. It is a perspective view showing a front sensor unit. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing the autonomous traveling cleaner of the embodiment; FIG. 2 shows diagrams for explaining the function of LiDAR, (a) at the start of operation and (b) during operation. It is a flow chart which shows operation of the autonomous traveling type cleaner of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation|movement of the charge stand return of the autonomous driving|running|working type cleaner of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining charge stand return operation|movement of the autonomous traveling type cleaner of this embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device control system; FIG. It is a remote control operation screen of the operation terminal when operating outside the house. It is a remote control operation screen of the operation terminal when operating at home. This is the operation screen when the preference is selected on the remote control operation screen of the operation terminal. It is a reservation operation screen of an operation terminal. It is an operation screen when the reservation setting button is pressed on the reservation operation screen of the operation terminal. It is a history display screen of the operation terminal. This is the screen when the detailed display button is pressed on the history display screen of the operating terminal. It is another menu screen of the operation terminal. It is an example of the remote control operation screen of the operation terminal of the reference example in the case of operating out of the house.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. Of the directions in which the autonomously traveling cleaner S (hereinafter abbreviated as the cleaner S) travels, the direction in which the cleaner S mainly travels is forward, the vertically upward direction is upward, and the drive wheels 3 and 4 face each other. Regarding the direction, the drive wheel 3 side is the right side, and the drive wheel 4 side is the left side (see FIG. 2). That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, front and rear, up and down, and left and right directions are defined.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an autonomously traveling cleaner according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaner S is an electric device that automatically cleans a predetermined cleaning area (for example, the floor surface Y of a room (see FIG. 3)) while autonomously moving. The cleaner S includes a cleaner body 1, a bumper 2 covering the side circumference of the cleaner body 1, a pair of driving wheels 3 and 4 (see FIG. 2), an auxiliary wheel 5 (see FIG. 2), and a side brush 6. It has

The cleaner body 1 has an upper cover 1u that forms at least part of the upper surface and a lower case 1s that forms at least part of the bottom surface.

The upper cover 1u is provided with an operation button 7 for performing various operations such as starting and stopping operation. A detachable dust collecting case 8 is provided on the upper cover 1u. The dust collection case 8 is provided on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction. A handle 8a is rotatably attached to the dust collection case 8. As shown in FIG.

The bumper 2 is provided on substantially the entire side circumference of the cleaner body 1 . Such a bumper 2 can be formed, for example, in a substantially cylindrical shape with no bottom. Just do it. In addition, when the bumper 2 comes into contact with an obstacle or the like as the cleaner S moves, the bumper 2 is pushed by the force associated with the contact and contacts the bumper 2 inside the cleaner S (on the front side of the cleaner S). can be displaced toward the rear).

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the drive wheels 3 and 4 are wheels as an example of a drive unit, and are attached to the lower case 1s. Further, the cleaner S can be moved forward, backward, and turned (including pivot turning) by rotating the drive wheels 3 and 4 themselves. Driving wheels 3 and 4 are arranged on both left and right sides, and are rotationally driven by wheel units each composed of traveling motors 3m and 4m (see FIG. 4) and reduction gears. Further, the drive wheels 3 and 4 are provided substantially in the center in the front-rear direction and near the outer periphery (outside) of the lower case in the left-right direction.

Further, the lower case 1s is provided with drive mechanism housing portions 11, 11 for housing a drive mechanism including the traveling motors 3m, 4m (see FIG. 3), the arms 3a, 4a, and the reduction mechanisms 3b, 4b. It is

Further, behind the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the drive mechanism housing portions 11 and 11, a suction port portion 12 housing a rotating brush 14, a scraping brush 15, and the like are provided.

The rotating brush 14 is arranged substantially parallel to an axis (horizontal direction) passing through the center of rotation of the driving wheels 3 and 4 . The rotating brush 14 is driven by a rotating brush motor 14a (see FIG. 4).

The scraping brush 15 is arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating brush 14 . The scraping brush 15 is a so-called lint brush, and is designed to rotate within a predetermined angular range.

The auxiliary wheel 5 is a driven wheel and a freely rotating caster. Further, the auxiliary wheel 5 is provided on the front side of the cleaner S in the front-rear direction and substantially in the center in the left-right direction. Further, the auxiliary wheels 5 contribute to keeping the lower case 1s at a predetermined height from the floor Y (see FIG. 3) together with the drive wheels 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. Further, the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the auxiliary wheels 5 allow the cleaner S to move smoothly. The auxiliary wheel 5 is pivotally supported by the lower case 1s so that it can be driven to rotate by the frictional force generated between the cleaner S and the floor surface Y as the cleaner S moves, and can revolve 360° in the horizontal direction.

A part of the side brush 6 is located outside the main body 1 of the cleaner (see FIG. 1), and is a brush that guides dust to the suction port 12 in a place where it is not easy for the rotating brush 14 to reach. The side brushes 6 have three bundles of brushes extending radially at intervals of 120° in a plan view, and are arranged on the front side of the lower case 1s. Further, the side brush 6 is fixed at its base to a side brush holder 6a. The rotation axis of the side brush 6 extends vertically (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2), and part of the side brush 6 protrudes outward from the cleaner body 1 (see FIG. 1) in plan view.

The side brush 6 has bristles slanted toward the floor surface Y (see FIG. 3) toward the tip, and the vicinity of the tip is in contact with the floor surface. Further, the side brushes 6 rotate so as to sweep the front outer region of the cleaner S in the direction from the outer side to the inner side in the left-right direction, as indicated by the arrow α1, and sweep the dust on the floor surface Y to the center. Collect on the rotating brush 14 side. The side brushes 6 are rotationally driven by a side brush motor 6b (see FIG. 4).

In addition, the lower case 1s is provided with four distance measuring sensors 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d for the floor in front, back, left, and right. The floor ranging sensor 13 a is located in front of the training wheels 5 . The floor distance measuring sensor 13b is positioned on the outer peripheral side between the driving wheel 3 and the right side brush 6. As shown in FIG. The floor ranging sensor 13c is positioned symmetrically with respect to the floor ranging sensor 13b. The floor ranging sensor 13 d is located behind the scraping brush 15 .

The lower case 1s is also provided with connecting portions 16, 16 electrically connected to the charging stand. The connecting portion 16 is located between the side brush holder 6a and the floor distance measuring sensor 13a.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper case is removed from the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the surrounding detection sensor unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vacuum cleaner S includes a LiDAR unit 40 as an example of a distance measurement sensor using light, a camera 50, a distance measurement sensor 60, and an infrared light receiving section . These LiDAR units 40 are arranged on the central axis of the upper surface of the cleaner S. As shown in FIG. 4, the camera 50, the distance measuring sensor 60, and the infrared light receiving section 70 are arranged so as to face the front side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the LiDAR unit 40 is divided into an upper rotating portion 40a and a lower fixed portion 40b. On the upper side, a LiDAR 41, which is a ranging sensor using light such as infrared rays, and a photointerrupter for detecting the angle of the LiDAR on the horizontal plane are configured. The fixed part on the lower side is an electric motor 42 for rotating the LiDAR 40b, a bearing that reduces the frictional force between the belt 43 that transmits the rotation of the electric motor 42 to the LiDAR 41 and the fixed part when the rotating part rotates, and a photo interrupter on the horizontal surface. It consists of protrusions for detecting angles. The LiDAR 41 is composed of a light-emitting portion 41a and a light-receiving portion 41b, and measures the distance to an object by trigonometry based on the light-emitting angle of the light-emitting portion 41a and the light-receiving angle of the light-receiving portion 41b. The angle on the horizontal plane with respect to the cleaner body 1 is the projection detected between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of each projection on the fixed portion 40a fixed to the cleaner body 1 and the photointerrupter of the rotating portion. The angle of the rotating part on the horizontal plane is detected by the number. Only one protrusion in the front direction of the cleaner body 1 is shortened from the other protrusions, the angle of the front face of the cleaner body 1 is detected, and each angle is detected by the number of protrusions detected from there. Based on the angle of the cleaner body 1 on the horizontal plane and the distance from the obstacle measured by the LiDAR unit 40, the position and velocity vector of the cleaner body 1 on the map are specified while creating surrounding map information. Instead of the LiDAR 41, the surrounding detection sensor may be a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring 1 m or more, such as a millimeter wave radar or an ultrasonic sensor, or a method using trigonometry with the camera 50 . The arrangement of the LiDAR unit is not limited to the upper surface of the cleaner body 1, but may be the lower surface. Further, the rotation angle of the rotating portion of the LiDAR unit 40 is not limited to 360°, and it is sufficient if the rotation angle can be measured at least 60° by replacing the belt with a link mechanism or the like. The LiDAR distance measurement method may be a time-of-flight method that utilizes a phase difference between light from a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion instead of the trigonometric method.

In addition, the LiDAR unit 40 can detect obstacles further away by changing the light intensity of the LiDAR 41 . However, power consumption can be suppressed by lowering the intensity when there is no need to detect distant obstacles instead of keeping the intensity high all the time. Further, by increasing the rotational speed of the electric motor 42, the obstacle can be detected in more detail. However, power consumption can be suppressed by lowering the number of revolutions of the electric motor 42 when it is not necessary to detect an obstacle at a detailed angle instead of keeping the number of revolutions high all the time.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front sensor unit.
As shown in FIG. 6, the front sensor unit includes a camera 50, a distance measuring sensor 60, and an infrared light receiving section 70 inside.

The camera (imaging unit) 50 is a monocular camera and is positioned on the central axis of the front surface of the cleaner body 1 . In addition, since the camera 50 can detect the shape and position of an object more accurately than the LiDAR unit 40, it becomes easier to avoid obstacles. In addition, since the camera 50 can have a wider angle of view in the vertical direction than the LiDAR unit 40, obstacles on the floor can be avoided. For example, it is possible to prevent entanglement of clothes on the floor or entanglement of the cord with the brush. In this way, by using the camera 50 together with the LiDAR unit 40, it is possible to clearly detect the shape and position of short-range obstacles while detecting the rough arrangement of obstacles in a wide range. can be determined.

Also, the camera 50 can change the frame rate. For example, it increases the frame rate when detecting nearby obstacles, and decreases the frame rate when moving in a wide area where there are no obstacles. As a result, the power consumption of the camera 50 can be suppressed because it is not necessary to operate the camera 50 in a state where the frame rate is always increased.

Thus, in this embodiment, by using both the LiDAR 41 and the camera, it is possible to detect the distance information and the shape information to the obstacle with high accuracy. More specifically, when creating a map of the cleaning area, the position information of the detected obstacles is detected and mapped mainly or exclusively using the LiDAR 41, and the shape information is mainly or exclusively used by the camera. Can be detected and mapped. In this embodiment, the LiDAR 41 and the camera are provided adjacent to each other (the separation distance is within 10 cm, 5 cm, or 3 cm) in order to make these associations highly accurate.

Furthermore, based on the distance information detected by the LiDAR 41, the focal length of the camera may be adjusted or the moving speed of the cleaner body 1 may be changed (for example, decelerated).

Related technology vacuum cleaners that can autonomously travel cannot detect a cleaning area located behind obstacles such as furniture. There is a problem that it is necessary to detect again with LiDAR41.

The distance measuring sensor 60 is an infrared sensor that has a detection range shorter than that of LiDAR, for example, by about 1/10 or more, and detects a distance to a relatively nearby obstacle (for example, about 1 m, preferably about 50 cm or 30 cm or less), For example, it is configured by a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) sensor. In addition, the distance measuring sensors 60 are provided at a total of three locations on the front and on the left and right sides. Further, the distance measuring sensor 60 has a light-emitting portion that emits infrared rays, and a light-receiving portion that receives reflected light that is returned after the infrared rays have been reflected by an obstacle. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving section. Specifically, the distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the position at which the reflected light is received, the time until the reflected light is received, the amount and intensity of the reflected light, and the like. Note that the distance measuring sensor 60 is not limited to a PSD sensor, and may be an ultrasonic sensor. By providing a plurality of distance measuring sensors 60 in this way, it is possible to clean along the walls.

The bumper 2 is made of resin or glass that transmits light. At least the portion of the bumper 2 near the distance measuring sensor 60 is made of a material having a higher transmittance for infrared rays than for visible light and ultraviolet rays. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of erroneous recognition of the distance to the obstacle due to the entry of ultraviolet light or visible light into the light receiving section. A material that transmits only the wavelength of the light used may be used.

The vacuum cleaner S is electrically connected to the charging stand via the connecting portion 16 and supplies power to the storage battery 21 . In addition, the cleaner S receives three types of infrared LEDs emitted from the charging stand by the infrared light receiving section 70, and identifies the direction of the charging stand with respect to the main body of the cleaner according to the type of the received infrared rays.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum cleaner S includes a storage battery 21 and a suction fan 22 inside.

The storage battery 21 is arranged in front of the suction fan 22, and includes various motors such as the traveling motors 3m and 4m (see FIG. 4), the rotating brush motor 14a, the suction fan 22, a bumper sensor (not shown), the camera 50, and the range sensor 60. , floor ranging sensors 13a to 13d, LiDAR unit 40, and various other sensors.

The suction fan 22 generates a suction force to collect the dust scraped by the rotating brush 14 into the dust collection case 8 . Further, the suction fan 22 is provided between the driving wheels 3 and 4 in the center in the front-rear direction. Air taken into the dust collection case 8 together with dust is taken into the suction fan 22 via the dust collection filter 8b. Exhaust air from the suction fan 22 is mainly discharged to the outside of the cleaner S through an exhaust port 1t (see FIG. 2) formed in the lower case 1s. Used for cooling 42.

FIG. 7 is a control block diagram showing the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 30 controls the vacuum cleaner S overall, and is configured by mounting a microcomputer and peripheral circuits on a substrate, for example. A microcomputer reads a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), develops it in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and executes various processes by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The peripheral circuits include an A/D/D/A converter, various motor drive circuits, a sensor drive circuit, a charging circuit for the storage battery 21, a communication device with the wireless LAN 504, and the like.

In addition, the control device 30 can operate the operation button 7 that allows the user to input commands, bumper sensors (not shown), floor ranging sensors 13a to 13d, ranging sensors 60, camera 50, LiDAR unit 40 Arithmetic processing is executed according to the input signal, and the signal after the arithmetic processing is output.

FIG. 8 shows diagrams explaining mapping by the LiDAR 41 when the cleaner S moves from S1 to S2, (a) before the movement and (b) after the movement. In addition, in FIG. 8, the state where the obstacle T is placed in the room R is shown.

As shown in FIG. 8A, from the start of operation, the electric motor 42 of the LiDAR unit 40 is rotated to rotate the LiDAR 41 via the belt 43 . Thereby, the LiDAR 41 can detect (recognize) the obstacle T1 around the cleaner S1 and the wall W1 of the room R. FIG. 8(b) is a diagram in which the cleaner S moves from S1 to S2. At position S2, obstacle T2 and wall W2 in room R can be recognized. The feature points of the obstacles T1 and T2 and the walls W1 and W2 are extracted, the shape of the room R in S1 and S2 is matched, and the positions S1 and S2 in the room R are specified to recognize the self position. By rotating the LiDAR 41 with the electric motor 42 in this way, it is possible to map the entire room R1 (create a layout diagram of obstacles in the room) and to recognize the self position within the map. By traveling the entire room and collecting map data before starting cleaning, it is possible to reduce unnecessary routes during cleaning, reduce power consumption during cleaning, and expand the area that can be cleaned. can.

The pre-created map data or the map data of the previous cleaning may be stored even after the automatic cleaning is completed, and the pre-created mapping process may be omitted from the next time onwards. For example, the user can specify whether or not the map data should be created in advance. The user can specify that it is necessary to update the map when the layout has been changed after the latest mapping.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the autonomous traveling cleaner of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, in step S10, it is checked whether a map created in advance or a map from previous cleaning is registered in the main body or the server 501 .

In step S<b>20 , the control device 30 rotates the electric motor 42 of the LiDAR unit 40 to rotate the LiDAR 41 . In addition, when the cleaner S is connected to the charging stand (not shown), the control to separate from the charging stand is executed. Further, by rotating the LiDAR 41 once, it is possible to detect (recognize) the state of the walls of the room where the cleaner S is currently located and the obstacles. In addition to the detection by the LiDAR 41, the camera 50 may be activated to recognize the type of obstacle in front of the wall. It is checked whether the map thus detected and the current position of the cleaner S can match the registered map.

In steps S30 and S31, the control device 30 calculates a cleaning route. As in step S30, there is a registered map for the cleaning route, and if the self-location can be identified, the optimum route is calculated from the registered entire map. As in step S31, if there is no registered map or if self-localization cannot be performed, the cleaning route is calculated from the walls and obstacles in the room detected by the LiDAR41.

In step S40, control device 30 starts cleaning based on step S30 or step S31. That is, the driving wheels 3 and 4, the side brushes 6 and the rotating brush 14 are rotated, and the suction fan 22 is driven to suck the dust from the suction port 12 into the dust collecting case 8.

In step S50, control device 30 turns camera 50 ON. At this time, the frame rate of the camera 50 is lowered. By lowering the frame rate, the power consumption of the camera 50 can be suppressed.

In addition, by detecting walls and obstacles in the room with the LiDAR 41 while the cleaner S is running, it is possible to recognize the position of the cleaner S in the room that is currently being cleaned. Therefore, even if new obstacles such as objects are placed after cleaning is started or pets enter, they are not mistakenly recognized as walls. That is, in this embodiment, by always recognizing the position of the wall, it is possible to always recognize its own position, and it becomes possible to perform cleaning while ignoring new obstacles such as pets.

In step S60, control device 30 determines whether or not an obstacle has been recognized. Obstacles can be recognized by detecting them with the LiDAR 41 or the camera 50 . If the controller 30 detects an obstacle (S60, Yes), it proceeds to step S70, and if it determines that no obstacle is detected (S60, No), it proceeds to step S100.

In step S<b>70 , the control device 30 increases the frame rate of the camera 50 . For example, the frame rate is changed from 10 fps to 30 fps to make it easier to recognize the shape of an object (obstacle).

In step S80, the control device 30 determines whether or not an obstacle has been recognized. If an obstacle has been recognized (Yes), the process proceeds to step S90. The process of step S80 is repeated.

In step S90, the control device 30 reduces the frame rate of the camera 50 (for example, from 30 fps to 10 fps).

In step S100, control device 30 determines whether or not cleaning has been completed. It should be noted that whether or not the cleaning is completed can be determined by referring to the record of traveling the cleaning route calculated in step S30. If the control device 30 determines that the cleaning is completed (S100, Yes), it ends, and if it determines that the cleaning is not completed (S100, No), it returns to step S60.

Thus, in this embodiment, the LiDAR 41 measures the distance, and the camera 50 recognizes the shape of the obstacle. By changing the frame rate of the camera 50 according to the values of the LiDAR 41 and the camera 50, it is possible to achieve both low power consumption and high performance distance detection. That is, when an obstacle is detected by the LiDAR 41 or the camera 50 during normal driving (step S60), the frame rate of the camera 50 is increased (10 fps → 30 fps) to make it easier to recognize the shape of the obstacle (step S70). The original frame rate is restored (step S90). In this way, the high power consumption camera 50 is used only when it is necessary to recognize the shape of an obstacle.

By the way, when the camera 50 is used alone in the cleaner S, power consumption is large in an autonomously traveling cleaner driven by a secondary battery (storage battery 21), and accurate distance detection is difficult. Further, when a single distance sensor such as a laser is fixed to the cleaner S and used, the drive wheels 3 and 4 are controlled to detect the situation around the cleaner S so that the front surface of the cleaner S is moved left and right. There were issues such as longer map creation time and reduced map accuracy.

Therefore, in the cleaner S of the present embodiment, the cleaner body 1, the drive wheels 3 and 4 (driving parts) for driving the cleaner body 1, the LiDAR unit 40 provided in the cleaner body 1, and the drive wheels 3 , 4 and a storage battery 21 (power storage device) that stores power to be supplied to the LiDAR unit 40 . According to this, since the surrounding distance can be measured while traveling, a cleaning place map can be efficiently created.

Further, in this embodiment, the LiDAR unit 40 is positioned on the upper surface of the cleaner body 1 and on the central axis. According to this, it is possible to measure a distance of 360° around the circumference, and it is possible to easily recognize the position of an object with respect to the center of the cleaner main body 1 .

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the details of the action of returning the cleaner body 1 to the charging stand in step S110 of FIG. The vacuum cleaner S identifies the position of the charging stand by receiving an infrared signal transmitted from the charging stand by an infrared light receiving section 70 provided on the front surface of the cleaner body 1, and controls the drive wheels 3 and 4 to charge the battery. Electrically connect to the base. As shown in FIG. 10, in step S210, it is checked whether the position of the charging base is registered on the main body 1 of the cleaner or the server 501 in the map created in advance or in the cleaning map. If the charging stand is registered on the map, the process proceeds to step S220 and self-position identification is performed. After that, using the self-position and the map, the route to the charging base is calculated, and the robot returns to the charging base as in step S230. If the charging stand is not registered on the map, the process proceeds to step S240. The process proceeds to step S211. In step S211, the map data created in the past driving and the data acquired by the LiDAR unit 40 are collated to determine whether there is a match. If there is a match, that map is used to proceed to step S220 to perform self-position identification. If there is no match, the process proceeds to step S240.

In step S240, the main body 1 of the cleaner 1 rotates on the spot so that only the infrared light receiving section 70 provided in front searches for the return signal from the charging stand in all directions. Since the vacuum cleaner body 1 can receive the infrared signal from the charging base from a position about 4m away, if the infrared signal from the charging base cannot be received during this super rotation, the infrared signal from the charging base can be received within 4m around the vacuum cleaner body 1. determines that the charging base does not exist. After completing the super-spin rotation, the process proceeds to step S250.

In step S250, when the infrared signal from the charging base can be received, the charging base return operation is started. If the infrared signal from the charging stand cannot be received, the process proceeds to step S260. In step S260, based on the map data created using the surrounding detection sensor 40, closed space C (see FIG. 11) such as a wall and an open space where walls and obstacles could not be detected by the surrounding detection sensor 40 are detected. Identify the space OP (see FIG. 11). If the open space OP does not exist, it is determined that there is no charging stand within the returnable range, the process proceeds to step S280, the vehicle stops there, and a notification of the suspension is transmitted to the operation terminals 503, 505, and the like. This notification may be given by voice guidance or the like from the main body 1 of the cleaner. If the open space OP exists, the process proceeds to step S270. In step S270, movement to the open space OP is performed. When there are a plurality of open spaces OP, it is determined that the open space with the widest opening is the area where the charging stand is most likely to exist, and movement is performed. After that, the process returns to step S211 and is compared with the map data created in the past driving. If there is no matching map data, the process returns to step S240, and the infrared signal of the charging stand is searched for by performing super-center rotation. By repeating this operation, the infrared signal of the charging stand is searched accurately in an unknown area, and the operation of returning to the charging stand is performed efficiently.

Except when the user gives an instruction to return to the charging base, the operation to return to the charging base is automatically started after cleaning is completed. be done. If the storage battery 21 continues to operate with a small amount of remaining battery power, the depth of discharge increases and the life of the storage battery 21 shortens. Degradation of the storage battery 21 can be suppressed by efficiently performing the charging base return operation using the map data. In addition, when the charging stand does not exist or when the infrared signal from the charging stand cannot be received, the presence or absence of the infrared signal from the charging stand in the room is determined using the map data, and the charging is stopped, thereby discharging the storage battery 21. It is possible to prevent the main body 1 of the cleaner from searching for the charging base until the depth becomes deep, and protect the storage battery 21 from deterioration. In addition, by transmitting a notification to a portable terminal or the like when the vehicle stops, the user can understand that the operation to return to the charging base did not end normally.

Further, in the present embodiment, the surrounding detection sensor 40 rotates and scans by the drive mechanism. However, by driving the cleaner main body 1 with the drive wheels 3 and 4 , scanning may be performed without providing a mechanism for driving the surrounding detection sensor 40 .

Further, in this embodiment, the drive wheels 3 and 4 cause the cleaner body 1 to turn 360 degrees when searching for a charging stand. According to this, it is possible to search at once whether or not there is a charging stand in the surroundings. At the same time, the camera 50 can be used to confirm whether or not there is an obstacle in the surroundings.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the cleaner main body 1 includes a camera 50 (imaging unit). According to this, the type of obstacle can be determined, and since the angle of view is wide, an obstacle on the floor near the main body 1 of the cleaner can be detected. As a result, it is possible to prevent clothes falling on the floor from being entangled, and cords on the floor from being entangled with the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the rotating brush 14.例文帳に追加

Moreover, in this embodiment, the camera 50 is a monocular camera. According to this, it can be configured at a lower cost than a stereo camera.

Further, in this embodiment, the camera 50 is arranged on the front surface of the cleaner body 1 and above the center axis. By arranging the camera 50 so as to face downward from the front from a higher position, the shadow of the object in front becomes clear.

Further, in this embodiment, a control device 30 that controls the frame rate of the camera 50 is provided. The control device 30 increases the frame rate when the camera 50 detects an obstacle, and decreases (restores) the frame rate when the obstacle is recognized. According to this, the frame rate is increased only when an obstacle is detected, so power consumption of the camera 50 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the cleaner body 1 also includes a distance sensor 60 that measures the distance at the position of the reflected infrared light. According to this, a nearby wall can be detected with higher accuracy than an infrared sensor that determines an object based on the presence or absence of reflected infrared light. Therefore, it is possible to come close to the wall and clean corners and along the wall. Similar effects can be obtained by using an ultrasonic sensor instead of the distance measuring sensor 60 . Bumpers or cameras may also be used.

The operation of cleaning along the wall is shifted using the map data. When moving near the wall, first, the robot detects its own position in the map measured by the LiDAR 41, and determines a rough route that allows it to move parallel to the wall. Next, the distance to the wall is measured by the distance measuring sensor 60 on the side of the cleaner body 1, and the drive wheels 3 and 4 are controlled to move the tip of the side brush 6 to the position where it hits the wall when it rotates. After that, it moves according to the route according to the map data. In that case, the cleaner body 1 moves while measuring the distance from the wall by the distance measuring sensor 60 on the side of the cleaner body 1, and when the cleaner body 1 deviates to a position where the side brush 6 does not hit, it moves opposite to the wall. The rotation speed of the side driving wheels 3 or 4 is increased to move to a position where the side brush 6 hits. Since the side brush 6 is arranged on one side of the main body 1 of the cleaner, it cleans the edge of the wall clockwise when it is arranged on the right side and counterclockwise when it is arranged on the left side. In addition, in order to increase the amount of dust scraped from the wall, the number of rotations of the side brush is increased when cleaning the wall.

The operation of corner cleaning is shifted to using the LiDAR 41 and the distance measuring sensor 60 during wall cleaning. When the distance measuring sensor 60 on the front surface of the cleaner main body 1 detects the front wall while the cleaner is moving parallel to the wall for cleaning along the wall, the cleaning operation is shifted to the corner cleaning operation. In this case, distance sensors 60 on the front and side surfaces of the vacuum cleaner body 1 measure the distance to the wall, and when the drive wheels 3 and 4 are controlled to rotate the side brush 6, the tip of the brush 6 moves toward the front and side walls. Clean the corner by moving it to a position where it hits the bottom. After that, it shifts to wall cleaning again.

Further, in the present embodiment, the distance measurement sensor 60 is positioned on the front of the cleaner body 1 and at the center in the width direction. According to this, it is possible to easily recognize the position of the object with respect to the center of the cleaner body 1 . Alternatively, the positions of obstacles and wall surfaces may be set by the LiDAR 41, the shapes thereof by a camera, and the positional information and shapes may be corrected using detection information by a ranging sensor or bumpers.

When the cleaner main body 1 detects that the values detected by the floor surface distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d have exceeded a certain threshold value, the cleaner main body 1 recognizes that there is a step in front of or to the side of the cleaner main body 1, and performs cleaning. After moving backward by a certain distance, the machine body 1 rotates and moves straight backward or obliquely backward with respect to the location detected by the floor range sensors 13a to 13d to avoid a step. Since the values detected by the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d vary due to vibration of the suspension of the driving wheels 3 and 4 and sticking of the rotating brush 14 to the floor surface, it is possible to determine whether or not a step near the threshold value can be ascended or descended. variation occurs. In the user's home, the types of steps do not change and are constant unless the furniture is changed. It is possible to avoid troubles in running, such as the driving wheels 3 and 4 being lifted up by advancing to a step that cannot be ascended and descended and the vehicle being unable to run. From the results of the previous operation, the types of steps, whether or not each step can be ascended and descended, and the values of the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d at that time can be obtained. If the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d make a wrong judgment on a level difference near the threshold value, the threshold of the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d is set so that it can be judged that the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d cannot go up and down in the next operation. By changing the , you can increase the probability of avoiding running problems. The flow of the processing is that when the camera 50 detects a step in the direction of travel, the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d, and whether or not the step can be ascended or descended, are determined if the step cannot be climbed or if the step can be climbed before the step is crossed. Collect data and save it as training data. If there is a difference between the determination value of the step ascending/descending decision value of the learning data and the step ascending/descending result, the threshold values of the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d are changed. The threshold is changed by using an optimization method (for example, the nearest neighbor method) so that the difference between the determination of whether or not the step can be ascended and the result of step ascending/descending is minimized. The step determination method is not limited to the floor surface distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d, and image recognition by the camera 50 may be used.

When the cleaner main body 1 detects that the load applied to the rotating brush 14 exceeds a certain threshold value, the cleaner main body 1 recognizes that the floor surface on which the cleaner main body 1 runs has changed, thereby improving dust suction performance and power consumption. , the number of rotations of the suction fan 22, the number of rotations of the rotating brush 14, and the number of rotations of the side brush 6 are changed according to the floor surface. Since the load detected by the rotating brush 14 varies due to the vibration of the suspension of the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the sticking of the rotating brush 14 to the floor surface, the determination of the floor surface near the threshold value varies. However, in the user's home, the type of floor surface does not change and is constant unless the furniture is changed. If there is a floor near the threshold, the variation in floor determination can be reduced by changing the threshold according to the magnitude of the load on the floor. The flow of processing is that when the camera 50 detects a change in the floor surface in the direction of movement of the cleaner body 1, the load on the rotating brush 14 from before the load on the rotating brush 14 changes to after the load on the rotating brush 14 changes, and other Collect sensor data and save it as learning data. If there is a difference between the load on the rotating brush 14 of the learning data and the determination of the floor surface by the camera 50, the threshold for determining the load on the rotating brush 14 on the floor is changed. The threshold is changed by using an optimization method (for example, the nearest neighbor method) so that the difference between the load of the rotating brush 14 and the floor surface determination of the camera 50 is minimized. change. The method for detecting changes in the floor surface and the determination value for changing the threshold value are not limited to the load of the rotating brush 14, but may be the load of the drive wheels 3 and 4, the load of the side brush 6, or image recognition by the camera 50.

The cleaner body 1 is provided with a dust detection sensor 17 between the rotating brush 14 and the dust collection case 8. - 特許庁The dust detection sensor 17 has an infrared light emitting portion and an infrared light receiving portion, which are arranged across the dust flow path. The amount of dust that has moved from the rotary brush 14 to the dust collection case 8 is estimated from the time during which the dust passing between the infrared light receiving portion and the light emitting portion interferes with the infrared light reception. In this embodiment, an infrared sensor is used as the dust detection sensor 17. However, a pressure sensor may be used instead of the infrared sensor to estimate the amount of dust from changes in pressure. .

When the cleaner main body 1 detects that the value of the dust detection sensor 17 changes and exceeds a certain threshold value, the cleaner main body 1 determines that there is a lot of dust on the floor surface on which the cleaner main body 1 is running, and the suction fan 22 is turned on. The number of rotations, the number of rotations of the rotating brush 14, the number of rotations of the drive wheels 3 and 4, and the number of rotations of the side brush 6 are changed. Since the value detected by the dust detection sensor 17 varies due to the vibration of the suspension of the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the sticking of the rotating brush 14 to the floor surface, the determination of the amount of dust near the threshold value varies. The value of the dust detection sensor 17 and the result of dust detection by the camera 50 are saved as learning data. If there is a difference between the image of the learning data obtained by the imaging unit and the determination of the amount of dust by the dust detection sensor 17, the threshold for image recognition by the imaging unit and determination of the amount of dust by the dust detection sensor 17 is changed. Based on the learning data, the threshold value of the image recognition or the dust detection sensor 17 is corrected so that the determination of the amount of dust by the image recognition of the camera 50 and the determination of the amount of dust by the dust detection sensor 17 match, and the corrected value is used in the next and subsequent operations. Use it while driving. To change the correction value, an optimization method (for example, the nearest neighbor method) is used to change the threshold value for determination so that the difference between the image recognition determination and the dust detection sensor amount determination is minimized.

Learning data relating to step detection, floor surface detection, and dust detection are stored on the server 501 . Calculations are performed within the server 501 from past learning data accumulated in the server 501 to optimize each threshold value. The cleaner main body 1 downloads the threshold value calculated by the server 501 as a setting value via the network, and uses it as a setting for the next and subsequent operations. In addition, when another cleaner body 1 and other home electric appliances used in the same cleaning area refer to the setting values of the server 501 and share them, the cleaner body 1 to be used is increased. , the same setting value can be used in the same cleaning area when other home appliances are added. It should be noted that the storage destination of the learning data and the place of calculation of the threshold value are not limited to the server 501 , and may be inside the control device 30 of the cleaner body 1 or an external data storage connected to the control device 30 .

The contents of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, although the vacuum cleaner S that runs on the floor has been described as an example of the electrical equipment, the same effect can be obtained by applying it to a moving body that flies. By applying it to a flying mobile object, it becomes possible to remove not only dust on the floor surface but also dust adhering to the wall surface.

In this embodiment, the case where the monocular camera 50 is mounted has been described as an example, but instead of the monocular camera 50, a compound-eye camera may be mounted.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the device control system of this embodiment. In this specification, for the sake of convenience, the case where the autonomous mobile cleaner S and the operation terminal are in the same wireless LAN router environment is called inside the home, and the case where they are not in the same wireless LAN router environment is called outside the home. The device control system is composed of a wide area network 502, operation terminals 503 and 505, a wireless LAN router 504 arranged in a home (eg, home), and an autonomous cleaner S.

The server 501 is a device that can communicate with other devices using a wide area network protocol. The server 501 can communicate with other devices in advance, for example, from the autonomous mobile cleaner S through communication using a wireless communication protocol and a wide area network protocol.

In this embodiment, when the first operation terminal 503 (outside the home) that cannot communicate using the wireless communication protocol attempts to send a request to the autonomous mobile cleaner S, the request is sent to the server 501. It is configured. This request includes a unique number (cleaner number) of the target autonomously traveling cleaner S. The cleaner number is acquired when the operation terminals 503 and 505 perform authentication processing with the autonomously traveling cleaner S.

On the other hand, the autonomous cleaner S is configured to periodically inquire of the server 501 whether there is a request, or is always connected to the server 501 so that it can immediately receive a request that reaches the server 501. It is configured. At the time of inquiry, the server 501 is notified of its own cleaner number, and the server 501 confirms whether there is a request for a matching cleaner number. If a corresponding request is found, the server 501 transmits the request to the autonomous cleaner S. By configuring in this way, security can be improved.

The operation terminals 503 and 505 are preferably portable terminals owned by respective users of the autonomously traveling cleaner S, for example. The operation terminals 503 and 505 are devices capable of communicating with the autonomously traveling cleaner S using a wide area network protocol and a wireless communication protocol. In the case of communication using a wide area network protocol, it is possible to communicate with the autonomous mobile cleaner S via the wide area network 502 and the wireless LAN router 504 . Even in the case of communication using a wireless communication protocol, communication with the autonomously traveling cleaner S is possible via the wireless LAN router 504 .

In this embodiment, among the operation terminals 503 and 505, the first operation terminal 503 is a terminal that is not within the wireless communication range (that is, outside the home) according to the wireless communication protocol with the wireless LAN router 504, and the terminal that is within the wireless communication range ( That is, the in-house terminal is referred to as a second operation terminal 505 . The LAN operation terminals 503 and 505 will be explained separately for the sake of convenience. If a certain terminal is inside the home, it will be the second operation terminal 505, and if it is outside the home, it will be the first operation terminal 503. be able to.

The wireless LAN router 504 uses a wide area network protocol and a wireless communication protocol to transmit information sent to the wireless LAN router 504 to other devices (operation terminals 503 and 505, autonomous traveling cleaner S) that are destinations. ).

Autonomous cleaner S can communicate with operation terminals 503 and 505 via communication with wireless LAN router 504 using a wireless communication protocol. Although the details will be described later, the autonomously traveling cleaner S can be driven, driven, and driven through operations such as switches or operation buttons 7 arranged on the autonomously traveling cleaner S and operations from the operation terminals 503 and 505 via communication. It is possible to receive commands such as the end of driving, the reservation of driving, and the adjustment of operations during driving.

The autonomous running type cleaner S stores a transmission/reception unit 561, a determination unit 563 that determines whether or not to accept a command based on conditions for permission or rejection, a processing unit 562 that interprets and executes a command whose acceptance is permitted, and operation authority information. A terminal information storage unit 564 and a timer unit 565 that measures the elapsed time from the latest operation of the determination unit 563 or the like are provided.

The transmitting/receiving unit 561 receives commands (requests) from the operating terminals 503 and 505 and information specific to the operating terminals 503 and 505 (operating terminal information). are transmitted to the operation terminals 503 and 505 via the wireless LAN router 504 .

The determining unit 563 determines whether or not to accept the command received by the transmitting/receiving unit 561 based on a preset permission/prohibition condition. The determination unit 563 of the present embodiment detects that the autonomous mobile cleaner S performs an unexpected operation when another operation terminal attempts to issue a command at the same time as the instruction of a certain operation terminal is received. configured to suppress. Specifically, when a certain operation terminal is transmitting a command to the autonomous mobile cleaner S, the determination unit 563 causes the terminal information storage unit 564 to store operation terminal information unique to this operation terminal. , only commands from this operation terminal are accepted for a certain period of time. At this time, the operation terminal stored in the terminal information storage unit 564 "has the operation right".

The processing unit 562 interprets the command accepted by the determination unit 563 and causes the autonomous traveling cleaner S to execute a process corresponding to the command. For example, when the command is to start autonomous driving of the autonomously traveling cleaner S, the autonomously traveling cleaner S is driven accordingly. In addition, it is possible to follow various commands such as imaging by an imaging unit attached to the autonomously traveling cleaner S and returning of imaging data.

The terminal information storage unit 564 can store terminal information according to a command from the determination unit 563 . The stored terminal information can be erased according to the timing of the timing unit 565 . When the transmitting/receiving unit 561 receives the operating terminal information when the storage terminal information is not set, the determination unit 563 causes the operating terminal information to be set as the storage terminal information.

The timing unit 565 measures the last operation time of the autonomous mobile cleaner S, for example, the transmitting/receiving unit 561, the determination unit 563, or the processing unit 562 (for example, the time when the processing unit 562 last executed the process). Measure elapsed time from When the predetermined time has passed, the operation authority is erased by erasing the stored terminal information.
As described above, in this embodiment, when the transmitting/receiving unit 561 receives a request from one of the operation terminals 503 and 505 when the storage terminal information is not set, the operation terminal information of that operation terminal is set as the storage terminal information. (Operating rights are granted). The determination unit 63 permits acceptance of a request from an operation terminal to which the operation right has been granted.

The transmitting/receiving unit 561 is, for example, a wireless communication board, the determination unit 563 and the processing unit 562 are, for example, processors, the terminal information storage unit 564 is, for example, a semiconductor memory medium, and the clock unit 565 can be configured by, for example, a clock counter.

A program (application) is installed in the operation terminals 503 and 505 to enable commands to be given to the autonomously traveling cleaner S. FIG. The application is configured to send a command via the wireless LAN router 504 using a wide area network protocol when attempting to command the autonomous traveling cleaner S from outside the home. , a command is sent via the wireless LAN router 504 using a wireless communication protocol. Of course, when the user is at home, the user can select to switch to communication using the wide area network protocol. In this case, this operating terminal is in the same state as if it were being communicated from outside the home.

The determination unit 563 of the present embodiment can acquire information as to whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are transmitting requests from inside or outside the home, and make determinations using this information.
The types of commands that can be given to the autonomously traveling cleaner S when outside the home can be made different from the types of commands that can be given when inside the home. The commands include, for example, start reservation, start command, end reservation, end command, auto (autonomous) drive command, manual drive command, viewing information such as reservation status, etc. is mentioned. Of these, for example, manual driving commands (for example, movement commands such as moving forward or jumping from the current position, target value commands such as lowering the set temperature) have a high degree of freedom by the commander. It may be enabled only in the mode. Details of this embodiment will be described later.

Also, for example, information may be browsed from both inside and outside the home. By enabling execution only in the home mode depending on the type of command in this manner, the risk of a person other than the user of the autonomous traveling cleaner S illegally executing the command can be reduced.
From the viewpoint of security, for example, the types of commands that can be issued from inside or outside the home can be changed only when the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside the home. It may be configured to be changeable by directly operating a switch or the like.

In this embodiment, as described above, the position is determined by the protocol used by the operation terminal. You may determine by specifying.

In this embodiment, as a screen that can be displayed after activation of a program (application) for controlling the autonomously traveling cleaner S installed in the operation terminals 503 and 505, a remote controller that transitions with a remote controller operation screen display button 580 is used. The operation screen, the reservation operation screen transitioned by the reservation operation screen display button 590, the history display screen transitioned by the history display screen display button 600, the instruction manual screen transitioned by the instruction screen display button 610, the menu screen display button A menu screen transitioned by 620 is provided. In the following description, for ease of understanding, the reference numerals of the respective display buttons may also be attached to screens transitioned by the respective display buttons.

In this embodiment, the types and arrangement (layout) of the operation buttons included in the operation screen are the same (may be substantially the same) regardless of whether the operation is performed from inside or outside the home. Various buttons and the like displayed on the remote control operation screen 580 displayed as one of the operation screens can be virtual buttons displayed on the touch panels of the operation terminals 503 and 505, for example. Touching these virtual buttons causes the operation terminals 503, 505, etc., to transmit functions and commands corresponding to the buttons to the autonomous mobile cleaner S. express. In this embodiment, buttons that are depressible are displayed in a relatively dark color, as illustrated by spot button 585 in FIG. 13b, and buttons that are not depressible are displayed in spot button 585 in FIG. It is displayed in a relatively light color as illustrated. That is, whether the button can be pressed or the button cannot be pressed is displayed in a visually distinguishable manner. By displaying even buttons that cannot be pressed in this way, variations in the layout of the operation screen can be suppressed.

13a shows the remote control operation screen 580 of the first operation terminal 503 (outside the home) of this embodiment, and FIG. 13b shows the remote control operation screen 580 of the second operation terminal 5 (inside the home) of this embodiment. The remote control operation screen 580 includes a start/stop button 581, a home button 582, a forward button 5831, a right rotation button 5832, a slight return button 5833, and a left rotation button 5834. A spot button 585 and a course selection portion 586 are displayed. The operations and functions that are transmitted by pressing each button and executed by the autonomously traveling cleaner S will be described later. There are some actions and functions that are preferably performed in a state where one can perceive that they are being performed (referred to as perceptible actions and functions).

Perceptible actions and functions are, for example, those that are preferably performed in an environment where the autonomous cleaner S can be perceived (for example, manual operation is preferably in a visible environment, and if a sound is generated, It is preferable that the cleaner S is in the surroundings such as in the same house.), and it is preferable that the autonomous traveling cleaner S is in a specific position or situation when performing its operation or function. In addition, as actions and functions that do not require perceptibility, for example, the autonomously traveling cleaner S can autonomously move around its surroundings or autonomously move to search for a predetermined destination (for example, a charging station). , specifying the autonomous driving mode and course, and outputting the state of the autonomously traveling cleaner S in a manner that the operation terminals 503 and 505 can output.

Buttons corresponding to the perceptible actions and functions of this embodiment include a move button 583, a search button 584, and a spot button 585. For the perceptible actions and functions, a first operation outside the home is performed. Depending on the terminal 503, it is displayed as being unpressable. In addition, items that do not require perceptibility are displayed so that they can be pressed regardless of whether they are inside or outside the home.

The color of the background 589 of the operation screen (FIG. 13b) when the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside the home and the background 589 of the operation screen (FIG. 13a) when the operation terminals 503 and 505 are outside the home are made different from each other. good too. In this way, it is possible to inform the user of which protocol, network, or the like, the operation terminals 503 and 505 are trying to access the autonomous traveling cleaner S so that the user can easily determine.

The start/stop button 581 is displayed so that it can be pressed regardless of whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside or outside the home. When the start/stop button 581 is pressed, a command to autonomously drive (clean) the autonomous cleaner S is transmitted. When this command reaches the transmission/reception unit 561 and the determination unit 563 permits the reception, the processing unit 562 starts cleaning by autonomous drive, which is the content of the command. Even if other buttons are pressed, the flow from command reception by the transmission/reception unit 561 to execution by the processing unit 562 is the same. The start/stop button 581 switches to display "stop" while the autonomously traveling cleaner S is in operation, and by pressing the start/stop button 581 again, the operation of the autonomously traveling cleaner S is stopped.

The home button 582 is displayed so that it can be pressed regardless of whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside or outside the home. When the home button 582 is pressed, the autonomously traveling cleaner S starts autonomously traveling to return to a pre-set home location, such as a charging stand. In this embodiment, the vehicle searches for a signal emitted by the charging stand and follows this signal to run in an attempt to connect to the charging stand. Note that a plurality of locations that can be set as home may be registered so that a location to be set as home can be selected when a command is sent using the home button. The home button 582 cannot be operated when the autonomously traveling cleaner S is connected to the charging base. Whether or not the user is at home can be displayed on the status display section 621, which will be described later.

Move button 583 is displayed so that it can be pressed on second operation terminal 505 inside the home, and cannot be pressed on first operation terminal 503 outside the home. When the forward button 5831 of the movement buttons 583 is pressed, the autonomous traveling cleaner S starts moving forward, when the right rotation button 832 is pressed, it starts rotating right, and when the back button 833 is pressed, it starts moving backward and turns left. When the rotation button 834 is pressed, left rotation is started. Since it is desirable for the user to operate the move button 83 in a state in which the user can check the position and state of the autonomously traveling cleaner S, the move button 83 can be operated only at home (second operation terminal 5). The slightly back button 833 has a function to return the autonomously traveling cleaner S in operation to the previous position (specifically, one main unit behind), so that even at home, the autonomously traveling cleaning can be performed. It can be operated only while the machine S is running.

Search button 584 is displayed so that it can be pressed on second operation terminal 505 inside the home, and cannot be pressed on first operation terminal 503 outside the home. When the search button 584 is pressed, the autonomous cleaner S emits sound and light. This makes it easier for the user in the house to find where the autonomously traveling cleaner S is.

Spot button 585 is displayed so that it can be pressed on second operation terminal 5 inside the house, and cannot be pressed on first operation terminal 503 outside the house. When the spot button 585 is pressed, the autonomous cleaner S moves to clean the vicinity of the current position intensively.

The course selection unit 586 is a slide for selecting one mode (course) of the cleaning operation of the autonomous cleaner S (for convenience, the slide may also be referred to as a button). In this embodiment, a normal course and a manner course are selectable. In the normal course, the driving mechanism (motor of the driving wheel) for driving the driving wheels 3 and 4 of the autonomous cleaner S, This course allows the driving noise of the motor for driving the side brush 6 and the suction fan 22 used for sucking dust to be louder than in the manner course. Among users, those who value cleaning performance and shortened driving time rather than reducing driving noise are likely to select this course. On the other hand, in the etiquette course, cleaning is performed so that the driving noise of these motors is relatively small. It is considered that many of the users who want to reduce the driving sound select this course.
Courses can be selected for modes that can be selected from mode buttons 630, 640, and 650, which will be described later. For example, an automatic mode normal course, an automatic mode manner course, a careful mode normal course, a careful mode manner course, a favorite mode normal course, and a favorite mode manner course can be set.

The user of the first operating terminal 503 or the second operating terminal 505 can select and press one of the automatic mode button 630 , the careful mode button 640 and the favorite mode button 650 . These buttons are used to designate parameters for how the autonomously driven cleaner S should be autonomously driven when the autonomously driven cleaner S is started by operating the start button 581 or the like.

When the automatic mode is selected by pressing the automatic operation mode button 630, the state of the floor surface (for example, the material. Various known methods can be adopted for determining the type of the floor surface). Alternatively, the drive strength of the suction fan 22 of the autonomous cleaner S is autonomously switched between "standard" and "strong" depending on the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor. It also rotates the drive wheels 3, 4 at a "fast" speed. The cleaning time is automatically determined, for example, from about 30 minutes to about 60 minutes, depending on the size of the space to be cleaned detected by the sensor and the remaining amount of dust detected by the dust sensor.

When the careful mode is selected by pressing the careful operation mode button 640, the operation time is made longer than the automatic mode. For example, it is fixed for about 70 minutes.

When the preference mode setting button 650 is pressed, the screen transitions to the screen illustrated in FIG. 13c. In this example, the parameters that can be adjusted as a preference mode include "running along the wall" for running near walls, "reflex running" for running away from walls and obstacles, and thin obstacles such as chair legs. The easiness of execution (execution probability) of "running around the legs" that runs around the circumference is prepared. In this embodiment, the user is presented with buttons 651, 652, and 653 that enable the user to select which of these three types of parameters to emphasize. In the case of using the wall-side traveling emphasis mode button 651, the probability of executing wall-side traveling is increased compared to the other favorite modes 652 and 653. In the case of using the reflexive running emphasis mode button 652, the probability of executing reflexive running is increased compared to other favorite modes. When the leg-around running emphasis mode button 653 is used, the probability of executing leg-around running is increased compared to other favorite modes.

A status display portion 621 and a notification display portion 622 are also displayed on the remote control operation screen 580 . The state display portion 621 displays any one of four types of "driving", "stopped", "home", or "not connected". "During operation" indicates that the autonomously traveling cleaner S is driving (cleaning in this embodiment). "Stopped" indicates that the autonomous traveling cleaner S is not driven ("Home" is preferentially displayed if it is in the "Home" state). "Home" indicates that the autonomously traveling cleaner S is connected to the charging stand. If it is "unconnected", it indicates that communication with the autonomously traveling cleaner S has not been established. By providing an area for displaying the state of the autonomously traveling cleaner S in this way, even if the autonomously traveling cleaner S is located in a place where the user cannot perceive the state of the autonomously traveling cleaner S, the user can check the state of the autonomously traveling cleaner S. can know Also, in the case of "Driving", the status display section 621 is configured to be able to be pressed, and the details of the current driving status can be confirmed on a screen similar to the history screen to be described later. It should be noted that FIG. 13a shows "not connected" and FIG. 13b shows that it is stopped.

The notification display unit 622 can notify the user when it is necessary to request the user to take some action such as maintenance of the autonomous cleaner S (when a notification occurs). When there is a notification, the notification display section 622 can be pressed. When the notification display unit 622 is pressed in this state, the content of the action requested to the user, such as "Please move the main body" or "Please remove the object entangled in the brush", is displayed. This content may be explained not only by text, but also by using, for example, illustrations and moving images. The illustrations and animations may be installed in advance together with the application, or the server may be accessed to request the illustrations and animations from the server.

FIG. 14a shows a reservation operation screen 590 displayed on the operation terminals 503 and 505 of this embodiment. In the reservation operation in this embodiment, one operation reservation can be made for each day of the week. The reservation operation screen 590 includes a reservation status display portion 591 , a day display portion 592 , an operation start time designation portion 593 , a mode designation portion 593 and a course designation portion 594 . For each day of the week displayed in the day of the week display portion 592, for example, a user who wishes to set a reservation for Monday presses a reservation setting button 595 in the line to which the day of the week display portion 592 displayed as "Month" belongs. Then, the screen transitions to the screen for specifying the start time, mode, and course on Monday. Specific designation of operation start time and the like can be performed by various known designation methods. Also, by pressing the reservation status display section 591, ON/OFF of the reservation can be switched. FIG. 14b is a reservation setting screen that transitions when the reservation setting button 595 is pressed. On the reservation setting screen, the contents of the day of the week display section 592a on the same line as the pressed reservation setting button 595 are displayed (reference numeral 592a). Further, the operation start time can be set in increments of 1 hour and 5 minutes by scrolling the hour unit designation portion 593a and the minute unit designation portion 593b. Also, the mode and course can be selected from the mode designation section 594a and the course designation section 595a, respectively. Since this function does not require user perception, it can be used regardless of whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside or outside the home.

FIG. 15a is a history display screen 600 displayed on the operation terminals 503 and 505 of this embodiment. The history display screen 600 displays an operation date display 601 when the autonomous traveling cleaner S was operated, an operation start time display 602, an operation start to end time 603, and an operation start to end distance 604. For example, it is possible to display in order from the newest driving date. Further, a detailed display button 605 is set for each driving day, and by pressing this button, the screen transitions to the history detail screen (Fig. 15b). On this screen, a driving mode 606, a driving course 607, and a driving map 608 can be checked.
Since this function does not require user perception, it can be used regardless of whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside or outside the home.

When the instruction manual screen display button 610 is pressed, a link is made to content uploaded in advance on the WEB (for example, on the server 50), and the user can confirm how to use the autonomous traveling cleaner S. This content may be text, graphics, or video. Since this function does not require user perception, it can be used regardless of whether the operation terminals 503 and 505 are inside or outside the home.

FIG. 16 shows the menu screen when the menu screen display button 620 is pressed. From this screen 620, detailed contents can be set. For example, in this embodiment, an application installed in one operation terminal 503 or 505 can operate up to five autonomously traveling cleaners S. FIG.

There are functions such as "select device", "add device", and "delete device". From "Add Device", one autonomously traveling cleaner S can be associated with the operation terminals 3 and 5 by known pairing. As a result, the operation terminals 503 and 505 can operate the paired autonomous traveling cleaner S. From the "device selection", it is possible to select which one of the paired autonomous traveling cleaners S is to be operated. That is, the operation terminals 503 and 505 operate one autonomously traveling cleaner S with one operation. From "delete device", information on the paired autonomous traveling cleaner S can be deleted.

Conversely, one autonomous traveling cleaner S is configured to be able to receive operation requests from up to five operation terminals 503 and 505 . The details of operations from the plurality of operation terminals 503 and 505 will be described later.

Further, by selecting "version information", the software of the autonomously traveling cleaner S and the applications of the operation terminals 503 and 505 can be confirmed. Thereby, for example, the user can check whether the software of the autonomously traveling cleaner S is the latest, and can update the software. In addition, it is possible to browse various information from the menu 620 .

In this embodiment, one autonomously traveling cleaner S can be operated by up to five operating terminals 503 and 505 as described above. Further, when there are a plurality of operation terminals 503 (outside the home), there is a possibility that a plurality of users will operate the autonomous traveling cleaner S at a distance where they cannot perceive each other. In that case, if request information from a plurality of operation terminals 503 and 505 are applied at the same time, there is a risk that an operation not intended by the user will occur. Therefore, the terminal information storage unit 564 of this embodiment may be configured to be able to store the priority order information of the operation terminals 503 and 505 . For example, the user of the autonomously traveling cleaner S can operate the autonomously traveling cleaner S or the operating terminals 503 and 505 to set in advance that one of the operating terminals 503 and 505 has priority over the other. can. In this embodiment, it is assumed that operation terminal A is set to have priority.

In this case, while the operating terminal information of the operating terminal B is stored in the terminal information storage unit 564 (the operating terminal B has the operation right), the operating terminal A transmits the request to the autonomous traveling cleaner S. and At this time, the determination unit 563 detects that the priority of the operation terminal A that has received the current request is higher than that of the operation terminal B that has the operation right. ) to notify the operation terminal B of the following information (4) or (5).
(1) Stored terminal information is currently set in another terminal.
(2) Stored terminal information is currently set in the operating terminal B;
(3) Information in the storage terminal information erasing unit. For example, the measurement time of the timer 65 .
(4) Another operating terminal with a higher priority than itself is sending a request.
(5) Operation terminal A, which has a higher priority than itself, is sending a request.

Next, the operation terminal A receives an inquiry from the autonomous traveling cleaner S as to whether or not to acquire the operation right. If (forcibly) acquisition of the operation right is desired, the determination unit 563 deletes the operation right of the operation terminal B and instructs the first operation terminal A to operate by replying to the autonomous mobile cleaner S to that effect. grant rights.

Even if this operation priority is not set in advance, when one operation terminal C transmits request information, that operation terminal C has priority over the other operation terminals 503 and 505 for a certain period of time (for example, 5 seconds). By obtaining the right, it is possible to prevent multiple operation terminals 503 and 505 from simultaneously transmitting request information.

Further, when the plurality of operation terminals 503 and 505 can operate the autonomously traveling cleaner S, information on the course 586 selected in the autonomously traveling cleaner S and information on modes 630, 640, and 650 are displayed. , and information on the reservation operation screen 590 and the history display screen 600 can be shared. Therefore, these pieces of information are stored in the terminal information storage unit 564 of the autonomous traveling cleaner S, and periodically (for example, every 0.3 seconds for the information terminal 505 inside the home and every minute for the information terminal 503 outside the home). It is reflected in other operation terminals 503 and 505 through the wireless LAN router 4 .

The autonomous traveling cleaner S can be operated by the body operation button 7 of the cleaner body 1 in addition to the operation terminals 503 and 505 . In addition, it is possible to display information on the selected course 586, information on settings made by mode setting buttons 630, 640, and 650, and part of the reservation operation screen 590 on the display panel. As a result, the cleaner body 1 can also be treated as one of the operation terminals, and the display on the display panel can be shared with the information terminals 503 and 505 through the wireless router 504 . An operation with the operation button 7 is also reflected in the operation terminals 503 and 505 through the wireless router 504 . That is, the display panel is configured to be able to display preferably all of the information that can be checked by the applications installed in the operation terminals 503 and 505 . For example, the main body operation buttons may include main body buttons having functions similar to the remote control operation screen display button 580 , reservation operation screen display button 590 , history display screen display button 600 , and instruction manual display button 610 .

The display panel can be configured to display a remote control operation screen 580, a reservation operation screen 590, a history display screen 600, and an instruction manual display screen 610 according to the operation of these body buttons. Moreover, when the display panel displays the remote control operation screen 580, it is preferable to also display the content of the request from the operation terminal having the operation right (for example, that the forward button 5831 is pressed).

In this case, the user who operates the cleaner main body 1 is closest to the cleaner main body 1 and is considered to be able to perceive it accurately. is desirable. For example, when the user A is operating the operation terminal 503 to move the autonomously traveling cleaner S from outside the home, and the cleaner body 1 moves toward a place where the cleaner body 1 does not want to operate, the cleaner body 1 A user B at the same place can change the movement of the cleaner body 1 preferentially by operating the body operation button. The details of the operations performed by the main body operation buttons are transmitted from the autonomous traveling cleaner S so that they are also displayed on the remote control operation screen 580 and the reservation operation screen 590 of the operation terminals 503 and 505 .

The configuration of the reference example can be the same as that of the present embodiment except for the following points. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a device control system of a reference example.

In the present embodiment, the layout of the operation buttons displayed on the operation screen 580 is made the same or substantially the same between the first operation terminal 503 (outside the home) and the second operation terminal 505 (inside the home). Since the layout can be maintained even if the position is changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in the types of operation methods that the user should learn.

In the reference example, the operation screens of the operation terminal 503 (outside the home) and the operation terminal 505 (inside the home) are completely different. For example, in contrast to the home remote control operation screen (FIG. 13b), the remote control operation screen outside the home is laid out as shown in FIG. 17, focusing on only operable buttons. By doing so, the user can more easily distinguish between the operation terminals 503 and 505 . In addition, if buttons at the same position have different functions depending on the operation terminals 503 and 505, the user will be confused.

1 vacuum cleaner main body 3, 4 driving wheels (driving part)
6 side brush 13 floor ranging sensor 14 rotating brush 17 dust detection sensor 21 storage battery (power storage device)
22 suction fan 30 control device 40 LiDAR unit 41 LiDAR
42 electric motor 50 camera (imaging unit)
( storage terminal information erasure unit)
580 Remote control operation screen 581 Start button 582 Home button 583 Move button 5831 Forward button 5832 Right rotation button 5833 Back button 5834 Left rotation button 584 Search button 585 Spot button 586 Course selection section 590 Reservation operation screen 600 History display screen 610 Instruction button 620 Menu button 621 Status display section 622 News display section 630 Automatic mode selection section 640 Careful mode selection section 650 Favorite mode selection section

Claims (6)

vacuum cleaner body,
a drive unit for driving the cleaner body;
an imaging unit provided in the vacuum cleaner main body;
a rotating brush provided on the bottom surface of the cleaner body,
storing as learning data at least one of the image captured by the imaging unit when the floor surface changes and the value of the load on the rotating brush;
If there is a difference between the load of the rotating brush in the learning data and the determination of the floor surface in the image by the imaging unit,
An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner, wherein a threshold value for image recognition by the imaging unit and floor surface judgment of the load of the rotating brush is changed at the time of subsequent operation. vacuum cleaner body,
a drive unit for driving the cleaner body;
an imaging unit provided in the vacuum cleaner main body;
a dust detection sensor provided on the cleaner body,
storing at least one of the image captured by the imaging unit when the floor surface changes and the value of the dust detection sensor as learning data;
If there is a difference between the image of the learning data obtained by the imaging unit and the amount of dust determined by the dust detection sensor,
An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner, wherein a threshold value for image recognition by the imaging unit and for determination of the amount of dust by the dust detection sensor is changed from the next operation onward. The vacuum cleaner main body has a communication function with a wireless LAN router,
2. The autonomous traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value for determining the floor surface is stored in a server . The vacuum cleaner main body has a communication function with a wireless LAN router,
3. The autonomous traveling cleaner according to claim 2 , wherein the threshold value for the amount of dust is stored in a server. A plurality of cleaner bodies used within the same cleaning area
4. The autonomously traveling cleaner according to claim 3 , wherein the threshold for determining the floor surface is shared. 5. The autonomously traveling cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising a system for sharing said learning data with home electric appliances other than said cleaner body.

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