JP2013248065A - Self-propelled home appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self-propelled home appliance capable of easily moving to a user's desired position.SOLUTION: A self-propelled cleaner 1 of a self-propelled home appliance includes: a control part 52 that controls a traveling drive part 58 and an imaging part 63; and a moving object detector 523 that detects the direction of a moving object from an image which the imaging part 63 has taken. The control part 52 controls the traveling drive part 58 to move the device itself in the direction of the moving object that the movement detector 523 has detected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled home appliance that follows a user.

  In recent years, self-propelled vacuum cleaners have become popular in ordinary households. As such a self-propelled cleaner, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled cleaner having a tracking mode. In the self-propelled cleaner of Patent Document 1, the self-propelled cleaner can be easily moved to a user's desired location by tracking the light emitted from the position indicating means.

JP 2002-282179 A (published on October 2, 2002)

  However, the self-propelled cleaner disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is, for example, when the position indicating means is not at hand of the user, when it cannot be found immediately, or when the position indicating means is out of battery. The self-propelled cleaner cannot be moved to a location desired by the user. That is, the self-propelled cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is not user-friendly.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said problem, The objective is to provide the self-propelled household appliance which can move to a user's desired position easily.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention controls the travel drive unit that travels and drives the device, the image capturing unit that captures a surrounding image, the travel drive unit, and the image capturing unit. And a moving object detection unit that detects the direction of the moving object from the image captured by the imaging unit, and the control unit sets its own device in the direction of the moving object detected by the moving object detection unit. The traveling drive unit is controlled to move.

  In the self-propelled home appliance having the above configuration, the traveling drive unit is controlled so as to move in the direction of the moving object detected from the surrounding captured image. Therefore, the self-propelled home appliance can follow the moving object by repeatedly detecting the direction in which the moving object exists and moving in the direction of the moving object. Therefore, if a user moves in the position which enters the picture which self-propelled household appliances photograph, self-propelled household appliances can be made to follow a user. Here, the movement of the user may be, for example, walking or an operation such as stepping or waving. In these cases, the user can move the self-propelled home appliance to the desired position by walking to the desired position or by the user stepping on or shaking the hand at the desired position. .

  Thus, according to the said structure, a self-propelled household appliance can be easily moved to a user's desired position.

  Here, the moving object detection unit may detect the direction of the moving object based on a change between an image captured by the imaging unit this time and an image captured last time. According to the above configuration, the direction of the moving object can be detected by a simple process based on the comparison of images.

  Further, in the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention, when the moving object detection unit cannot detect the direction of the moving object, the control unit controls the traveling drive unit and the photographing unit to rotate the own device. The moving object detection unit may detect the direction of the moving object by performing shooting while performing the shooting.

  According to the above configuration, when the self-propelled home appliance can no longer detect a moving object, it can easily detect the direction of the moving object by photographing while rotating. When the direction of the moving object is detected, the rotation can be stopped and the moving object can be followed by following the moving object.

  Alternatively, the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention includes a travel drive unit that travels and drives the device, a sound acquisition unit that acquires surrounding sounds, the travel drive unit, and the sound acquisition, in order to solve the above-described problem. A sound source direction detection unit that detects the direction of the sound source of the sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit, and the control unit is arranged in the direction of the sound source of the sound detected by the sound source direction detection unit. The traveling drive unit is controlled so that the own apparatus moves.

  In the self-propelled home appliance having the above-described configuration, the travel drive unit is controlled so as to move in the direction of the sound source detected by the sound source direction detection unit. Thus, when the self-propelled home appliance acquires sound, it can move in the direction of the sound source of the sound. Therefore, if a user utters a voice, a self-propelled household appliance can be moved to a user's direction. Here, the sound to be acquired may be a specific sound. The specific voice may be, for example, “Come here” or “Come here”. In these cases, the user can move the self-propelled home appliance to a desired position by moving to a desired position while emitting a specific sound or by a user speaking a specific sound at a desired position. It becomes possible.

  Thus, according to the said structure, a self-propelled household appliance can be easily moved to a user's desired position.

  Moreover, the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention may have a cleaning function for cleaning. According to the said structure, the self-propelled household appliance which cleans, ie, a self-propelled cleaner, can be easily moved to a user's desired position.

  Moreover, the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention may clean the surroundings of the self-apparatus during the follow-up mode in which the self-apparatus is moved in the direction of the moving object or in the direction of the sound source. According to the above configuration, the surroundings can be cleaned even while moving in the direction in which the moving object exists or in the direction of the sound source.

  Moreover, the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention includes a follow-up mode end detection unit that detects the end of the follow-up mode, and when the follow-up mode end detection unit detects the end of the follow-up mode, even if cleaning is started. Good. According to the above configuration, cleaning is started when the end of the follow-up mode is detected. Therefore, after moving a self-propelled household appliance to a user's desired location, the desired location can be cleaned by performing the input which instruct | indicates completion | finish of follow-up mode, for example.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the self-propelled household appliance which can be easily moved to a user's desired position can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the self-propelled cleaner which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner. It is side surface sectional drawing of the said air cleaner. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner. It is a schematic diagram which shows the said self-propelled cleaner which follows a user. It is a figure which shows an example of the state transition about the said self-propelled cleaner. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process of the search in the said self-propelled cleaner. It is a figure which shows the flow of the tracking process in the said self-propelled cleaner. It is a figure which shows the flow of the target detection process in the said self-propelled cleaner. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process of the initialization in the said self-propelled cleaner. It is a figure explaining the moving object detection which the moving object detection part of the said self-propelled cleaner performs. It is a figure which shows another example of the state transition about the said self-propelled cleaner.

  An embodiment in which the self-propelled home appliance according to the present invention is applied to a self-propelled cleaner that performs self-propelled cleaning will be described as follows with reference to FIGS.

(Appearance structure of self-propelled vacuum cleaner)
In FIGS. 2-4, the perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner (self-propelled home appliance) 1 of this embodiment, side sectional drawing, and bottom view are shown, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the self-propelled cleaner 1 has a self-propelled cleaner 1 main body formed of a main body housing 2 whose outer frame is circular in plan view, and a battery (secondary) as shown in FIG. Battery) 14 and a drive wheel 29 driven by a power supply source, and is a device that collects dust (cleans) while running on its own. In the present embodiment, the main body housing 2 has a shape in which the upper surface and the bottom surface form a circle, but is not limited to this shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an operation panel 50 for inputting instructions to the self-propelled cleaner 1 is provided on the upper surface of the main body housing 2. The operation panel 50 includes an operation switch (operation unit) that receives input of various instructions, data such as characters and numbers, and a display (display unit) that displays various information to be presented to the user. Is provided. The operation panel 50 may be provided as a touch panel.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of drive wheels 29 that protrude from the bottom surface and rotate around a horizontal rotation shaft 29 a are arranged on the bottom surface of the main body housing 2. The rotation shaft 29 a of the drive wheel 29 is disposed on the center line (center axis) C of the main body housing 2. When both wheels of the drive wheel 29 rotate in the same direction, the self-propelled cleaner 1 advances and retreats, and when the wheels rotate in opposite directions, the self-propelled cleaner 1 rotates. The travel drive unit that drives the drive wheels 29 is battery-driven, and the self-propelled cleaner 1 is self-propelled. During cleaning, when the main housing 2 reaches the periphery of the cleaning area or when it collides with an obstacle on the path, the drive wheels 29 are stopped. Then, both wheels of the drive wheel 29 are rotated in opposite directions, and the main body of the self-propelled cleaner 1 is rotated around the center line C of the main body housing 2 to change its direction and turn. Thereby, while making the self-propelled cleaner 1 self-propelled to the whole desired cleaning area | region, it can be made to self-propelled avoiding an obstruction. Note that the self-propelled cleaner 1 may be moved backward by reversing both wheels of the drive wheels 29 with respect to forward movement.

  Further, a roller-shaped front wheel 27 is provided in front of the bottom surface of the main body housing 2. In addition, a rear wheel 26 made of a free wheel is provided at the rear (rear end) of the bottom surface of the main body housing 2. In the self-propelled cleaner 1, the weight is distributed in the front-rear direction to the drive wheel 29 disposed in the center of the main body housing 2, the front wheel 27 is separated from the floor surface F, and the rear wheel 26 is grounded to the floor surface F. And self-run. The front wheel 27 contacts the step appearing on the course so that the self-propelled cleaner 1 can easily get over the step.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 is self-propelled when the driving wheel 29 is driven by the traveling drive unit to which electric power is supplied from the battery 14. Hereinafter, the front in the traveling direction when the self-propelled cleaner 1 is self-propelled is referred to as the front (direction on the front wheel 27 side), and the rear is referred to as the rear (direction on the rear wheel 26 side). In addition, on the peripheral surface (side surface) of the main body housing 2, a surface facing the front in the traveling direction is referred to as a front surface, and a surface facing the rear (a surface located on the side opposite to the front surface) is referred to as a back surface. The photographing unit 63 is provided on the front surface of the peripheral surface (side surface) of the main body housing 2, and the charging terminal 4 is provided on the back surface.

  A suction port 6 is provided in front of the bottom surface of the main body housing 2. The suction port 6 is formed so as to face the floor surface F by an open surface of a recess 8 that is recessed in the bottom surface of the main body housing 2. A rotating brush 9 that rotates on a horizontal rotating shaft is disposed in the recess 8, and a side brush 10 that rotates on a vertical rotating shaft is disposed on both sides of the recess 8.

  Further, the main body housing 2 is provided with a photographing unit 63 for photographing a surrounding image. The photographing unit 63 includes an optical lens, a color filter, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) that is a light receiving element, and the like. The image captured by the imaging unit 63 may be a moving image or a still image. In the present embodiment, the photographing unit 63 is provided on the front surface of the peripheral surface of the main body housing 2, but the position where the photographing unit 63 is provided is not limited. It is preferable to be provided on the peripheral surface of the main body housing 2 because the own device can rotate in the horizontal direction so that a maximum 360 ° range can be imaged. In addition, a plurality of photographing units may be provided.

  In addition, a bumper 5 is provided on the front surface of the main body housing 2 to buffer the impact and vibration on the main body of the self-propelled cleaner 1. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 detects that the bumper 5 has come into contact with an obstacle during traveling, the traveling direction is changed and the traveling is continued. Here, for example, by providing a micro switch inside the bumper 5, it is possible to detect that the bumper 5 is in contact with an obstacle.

  A control board 15 and a detachable battery 14 are disposed in the main body housing 2. The control board 15 is provided with a control unit 52 for controlling each part of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and a storage unit 57 to be described later for storing various data. The battery 14 is a power supply source for the entire self-propelled cleaner 1. The battery 14 is desirably a large capacity rechargeable battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. For example, a lead battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a lithium ion battery, or a capacitor may be used.

  A charging terminal 4 that charges the battery 14 is exposed at the rear end of the peripheral surface of the main body housing 2. The self-propelled cleaner 1 returns to the place where the charger 40 is installed after cleaning or when the charge amount falls below a predetermined value. Then, the battery 14 is charged by contacting the charging terminal 4 to the power supply terminal 41 provided in the charger 40.

  The charger 40 is a device for charging the battery 14 of the self-propelled cleaner 1, and the charger 40 includes a charging circuit for controlling charging of the battery 14 and the like. The same number as the charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 is located on the front surface of the charger 40 (the surface facing the peripheral surface of the main body housing 2) at a position where it can come into contact with the charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled cleaner 1. The power supply terminal 41 is provided. The power supply terminal 41 protrudes from the front surface of the charger 40 when it is not in contact with anything, and can be pushed back until the front end surface of the power supply terminal 41 and the front surface of the charger 40 are almost flat. . When the charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 is in contact (electrical connection) with the power supply terminal 41 of the charger 40 and is pushed until the front end surface of the power supply terminal 41 is substantially flat with the front surface of the charger 40, The electric current from the commercial power source connected to the charger 40 through the contact flows through the self-propelled cleaner 1. In this state, the battery 14 can be charged. The back surface of the charger 40 connected to the commercial power supply (the surface not facing the peripheral surface of the main body housing 2) is usually installed along the side wall S in the room.

  The charger 40 is configured to transmit a feedback signal (beacon) indicating the installation location of the charger 40 and the position of the power supply terminal 41. The self-propelled cleaner 1 detects the feedback signal emitted from the charger 40 when the end of cleaning is detected or the charge amount of the battery 14 falls below a predetermined value, and the charger 40 is installed. Return automatically to where you are. Here, detection of the end of cleaning is performed, for example, by detecting that the self-propelled cleaner 1 has moved a certain distance or a certain time has passed, or by detecting the air state in the traveling region with a sensor or the like. Also good. Alternatively, the self-propelled cleaner 1 receives an instruction for prompting feedback to the charger 40 such as an instruction to end cleaning or an instruction to interrupt from the operation panel 50 or a remote control device or a terminal device connected by wireless communication. , May be done.

  In this embodiment, an infrared signal is transmitted as a feedback signal indicating the installation location of the charger 40 and the position of the power supply terminal 41, but a signal other than the infrared signal may be transmitted. The feedback signal is always transmitted if the charger 40 is connected to a commercial power source and the self-propelled cleaner 1 is away from the charger 40.

  The airflow sucked from the suction port 6 provided on the bottom surface of the main body housing 2 flows rearward through the first intake passage 11 as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. Flow into. The airflow that has flowed into the dust collecting unit 30 collects dust by the filter 33 and flows out from the dust collecting unit 30 through the outflow path 35. Thereby, dust is collected and accumulated in the dust collecting container 31. The airflow flowing out from the dust collection unit 30 flows forward through the second intake passage 12 as indicated by an arrow A2 and flows into the electric blower 22 of the motor unit 20.

  The airflow that has passed through the electric blower 22 is exhausted upward and rearward as indicated by an arrow A3 from an exhaust port 7 provided on the upper surface of the main body housing 2. In addition, the ion generator may be provided in the vicinity of the electric blower 22. If an ion generator is provided, the air flow containing ions can be exhausted from the exhaust port 7 and, when cleaning or running, disinfecting and deodorizing can be performed by spreading the ions contained in the exhaust to the cleaning area. Can do. Since the exhaust is performed upward from the exhaust port 7, it is possible to prevent the dust on the floor surface F from being rolled up and improve the cleanliness of the room.

  Furthermore, when the ion generator is provided, it may be configured such that a part of the airflow including ions is guided to the recess 8. If comprised in this way, ion will be contained in the airflow guide | induced to the 1st intake path 11 from the suction inlet 6. FIG. Thereby, sterilization and deodorization of the dust collection container 31 and the filter 33 of the dust collection part 30 can be performed.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 is configured to be capable of bidirectional communication with a terminal device (not shown) such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a tablet terminal connected by wireless communication. It is possible to operate the self-propelled cleaner 1 from a terminal device connected by wireless communication, and conversely, data obtained by the self-propelled cleaner 1 (for example, data of a photographed image) is stored in the terminal device. It is also possible to transmit. The data obtained by the self-propelled cleaner 1 may be transmitted to an external server device, and the terminal device may be configured to acquire the data from the server device. A known technique can be used for these communication methods.

  In addition to the operation panel 50 and the terminal device, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is configured to be operable by voice. Further, it may be configured to be operable by a remote control device that performs infrared communication.

  Moreover, the self-propelled cleaner 1 includes various sensors, and is configured to avoid obstacles and to be able to self-propel without falling from steps or stairs. Examples of such sensors include a cliff sensor (step detection sensor), a distance sensor (obstacle detection sensor), a human sensor, and a CCD camera. These are merely examples and need not all be provided. The cliff sensor and the human sensor can be configured by, for example, an infrared sensor, and the distance sensor can be configured by, for example, an ultrasonic sensor. Further, the self-propelled cleaner 1 may include, for example, an odor sensor, a temperature sensor, a dust sensor, and the like, and the operation may be controlled according to the sensing result.

(Functional configuration of self-propelled vacuum cleaner)
Next, the functional configuration of the self-propelled cleaner 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a control unit 52, a data communication unit 53, an operation panel 50, a voltage detection unit 55, a charging terminal 4, a battery 14, a storage unit 57, a photographing unit 63, a travel drive. Unit 58, driving wheel 29, rotating brush driving unit 59, rotating brush 9, side brush driving unit 60, side brush 10, motor unit 20, and sound acquisition unit 65. Description of the members described above is omitted.

  The control unit 52 is based on the program and data stored in the storage unit 57, and further, the program and data input from the operation panel 50, the terminal device connected by the above-described wireless communication, the voice acquisition unit 65, or the remote controller. This is a block that controls various operations of each block of the self-propelled cleaner 1.

  The data communication unit 53 is a block that transmits / receives data to / from an external device. A control signal or the like for controlling the self-propelled cleaner 1 is received from the remote controller or the terminal device connected by wireless communication. Further, data stored in the storage unit 57 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and the self-propelled cleaner 1 can be acquired (for example, photographing, measurement, sensing) with respect to the terminal device connected by wireless communication. Data (for example, photographed image data) is transmitted. The data communication unit 53 also receives a feedback signal (beacon) from the charger 40.

  The voltage detection unit 55 is a block that detects the voltage of the battery 14, and obtains the charge amount of the battery 14 from the detected voltage. A charging terminal 4 is electrically connected to the battery 14.

  The storage unit 57 includes (1) a control program executed by the control unit 52 of the self-propelled cleaner 1, (2) an OS program executed by the control unit 52, and (3) the control unit 52 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 And (4) various data to be read when the application program is executed. Alternatively, (5) the control unit 52 stores data used for calculation and calculation results in the course of executing various functions. For example, the above data (1) to (4) are stored in ROM (read only memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) (registered trademark), HDD (Hard Disc Drive), etc. It is stored in a non-volatile storage device. For example, the data (5) is stored in a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The storage unit 57 further stores data acquired (for example, photographing, measurement, sensing) by the self-propelled cleaner 1.

  The storage unit 57 stores various condition settings relating to the operation of the self-propelled cleaner 1 received from the remote control device or the terminal device via the operation panel 50 or the data communication unit 53. Furthermore, the storage unit 57 may store a travel map around the installation location of the self-propelled cleaner 1. The travel map is map information including information related to travel such as the travel route and travel speed of the self-propelled cleaner 1, or information related to the travel area. The travel map may be created in advance by the user and stored in the storage unit 57, or the travel map may be created or updated by the self-propelled cleaner 1 while traveling. A conventionally known technique may be used for creating the travel map.

  The travel drive unit 58 includes a motor driver, a drive wheel motor, and the like, and is a block that drives the drive wheels 29 by determining a rotation direction, a rotation angle, and the like based on a control signal from the control unit 52.

  The rotating brush drive unit 59 includes a motor driver, a rotating brush motor, and the like, and is a block that determines the number of rotations and the like based on a control signal from the control unit 52 and drives the rotating brush 9.

  The side brush drive unit 60 includes a motor driver, a side brush motor, and the like, and is a block that determines the number of rotations and the like based on a control signal from the control unit 52 and drives the side brush 10.

  As described above, the motor unit 20 includes the electric blower 22 and the like, and performs intake to the inside of the main body housing 2 and exhaust from the inside.

  The distance sensor 64 is a block that measures the distance between the self-propelled cleaner 1 and the obstacle. As the distance sensor 64, an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor can be used.

  The sound acquisition unit 65 is a block that acquires surrounding sound, and includes a sound input device such as a microphone.

  Further, the control unit 52 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a travel drive control unit 521 that controls the travel operation of the travel drive unit 58, an imaging control unit 522 that controls the imaging unit 63, and an image captured by the imaging unit 63. A moving object detection unit 523 that detects the direction in which the moving object is present, a voice input control unit 526 that controls on / off of the voice acquisition unit 65, and a sound source of a specific voice among the voices acquired by the voice acquisition unit 65 A sound source direction detection unit 524 that detects the direction of the sound source.

  And self-propelled cleaner 1 has follow-up mode which follows a moving object. When the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts a follow-up mode that follows a moving object, the moving object detection unit shoots a surrounding image by the shooting control unit 522 and the travel drive control unit 521. The photographing unit 63 and the traveling drive unit 58 are controlled so that the own apparatus moves in the direction of the moving object detected by the reference numeral 523.

  Therefore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 can follow the moving object by repeatedly detecting the direction in which the moving object exists and moving in the direction of the moving object. Therefore, if a user moves in the position which enters into the picture photoed by photography part 63 of self-propelled cleaner 1, self-propelled cleaner 1 can be made to follow a user. The movement of the user may be, for example, walking, or an operation such as stepping or waving. In these cases, the user can move the self-propelled cleaner 1 to a desired position by walking to a desired position (see FIG. 5) or by the user stepping on or shaking hands at the desired position. It becomes possible.

  Here, the moving object detection unit 523 may detect the direction of the moving object based on a change between the image captured by the image capturing unit 63 this time and the image captured last time. In this case, the photographing unit 63 may be a visible light camera, an infrared camera, an infrared thermography, or the like as long as it can acquire an image of a moving object. In the present embodiment, the moving object detection unit 523 detects the direction of the moving object from the position of the center of gravity of the moving object included in the image captured by the imaging unit 63. The moving object detection process for detecting the direction of the moving object based on the change in the captured image will be described in detail later.

  When moving the own device in the direction of the moving object, it may be moved until it hits the moving object, or the distance sensor 64 provided in the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves until just before hitting the moving object. It may be configured.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 has a follow-up mode that moves in the direction of the sound source. In this case, when the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts a follow-up mode in which the operation panel 50 moves in the direction of the sound source of the voice, the control unit 52 includes the voice input control unit 526, the travel drive control unit 521, Thus, the surrounding sound is acquired, and the sound acquisition unit 65 and the traveling drive unit 58 are controlled so that the own device moves in the direction of the sound source of the sound detected by the sound source direction detection unit 524. The detection of the direction of the sound source can be obtained from, for example, the difference in the reception time of the sound received by the sound acquisition unit 65 having two microphones. Moreover, you may detect the direction of a sound source using another conventional method.

  Therefore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 can move in the direction of the sound source of the sound when the sound is acquired. Therefore, if a user utters a sound, self-propelled cleaner 1 can be moved in the direction of a user. Here, the sound to be acquired may be a specific sound. The specific voice may be, for example, “Come here” or “Come here”. In these cases, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is moved to a desired position by the user moving to a desired position while producing a specific sound, or by the user producing a specific sound at a desired position. It becomes possible.

  As described above, the self-propelled cleaner 1 can be easily moved to a user's desired position.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 has a follow-up mode, and this follow-up mode is a mode that follows a moving object or a mode that moves in the direction of a sound source of sound, and includes an operation panel 50, a data communication unit 53, Alternatively, when the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts the follow-up mode, a process that has priority between the process of moving the own apparatus in the direction of the moving object and the process of moving the own apparatus in the direction of the sound source of the specific sound is performed. It may be configured to do. The process to be prioritized may be determined when the self-propelled cleaner 1 is shipped, or may be set or changed by the user.

  Moreover, the self-propelled cleaner 1 may have only one of a mode that follows a moving object or a mode that moves in the direction of an audio source as the follow mode. In the case of only the mode of following a moving object, the voice acquisition unit 65, the voice input control unit 526, and the sound source direction detection unit 524 may not be provided. Further, in the case of only the mode of moving in the direction of the sound source of sound, the photographing unit 63, the photographing control unit 522, and the moving object detection unit 523 may not be provided.

  Below, the operation | movement in the follow-up mode of the self-propelled cleaner 1 is demonstrated as an example when the follow-up mode is a mode for following a moving object.

Example 1
The state transition diagram in the present Example about the self-propelled cleaner 1 is shown in FIG. “Standby” is a state where the self-propelled cleaner 1 is not moving (running). When the user's start operation is performed while the self-propelled cleaner 1 is “standby”, that is, when the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts the follow-up mode, the self-propelled cleaner 1 Starts “search”. “Search” is a process of detecting a moving object while rotating. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 detects a moving object during “searching”, “following” is started. If a moving object is not detected for a certain period of time during “search”, or the “search” end operation is performed by the user, that is, the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 terminates the follow-up mode. If accepted, return to "standby".

  “Following” is a process of moving toward a moving object. If the moving object is lost during “following”, that is, if the moving object detection unit 523 can no longer detect the moving object, the moving object is temporarily stopped. If no moving object is detected for a certain time, the process returns to “search”. When “following” is ended by the user during “following”, that is, when the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts the end of the tracking mode, the process returns to “standby”. Here, the self-propelled cleaner 1 may perform cleaning while moving during “following”.

  Next, “search” of the self-propelled cleaner 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When “search” is started, initialization is executed (S1). Initialization is processing for acquiring an image by the photographing unit 63 as shown in FIG. This initialization process may be performed once when there is no image acquired since the “search” is started. Next, it is determined whether or not there is an end operation (S2). If there is an end operation (YES in S2), the process proceeds to "standby" (S8). If there is no end operation (NO in S2), rotation is executed (S3). This rotation is performed at least once. A moving object detection process is executed during rotation (S4). As a method for detecting a moving object, it is conceivable to detect a moving object from a time difference between images. In order to obtain the difference, it is preferable to select the angle of view and the shooting interval so that there is a 1/2 or more common part between the image acquired this time and the image acquired last time. The moving object detection process will be described in detail later.

  Then, it is determined whether or not a moving object is detected in the process of S4 (S5). When a moving object is detected (YES in S5), a “follow” process is executed (S6). During “following”, the moving object moves in such a way that the moving object comes to the front of the photographing unit 63 of the self-propelled cleaner 1. Details of the “following” process will also be described later. If a moving object is not detected (NO in S5), it is determined whether the rotational speed exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or a certain period has passed (S7). If the rotational speed exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or if a certain period of time has elapsed (YES in S7), the process proceeds to “standby” (S8). That is, if a moving object is not detected even after a predetermined number of rotations or a certain period of time has elapsed, “search” is stopped and “standby” is entered.

  If the rotational speed does not exceed the predetermined upper limit value or if a certain period has not elapsed (NO in S7), the process returns to S2.

  Next, “following” of the self-propelled cleaner 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The “following” process is performed while the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves. When “follow” is started, initialization is executed (S1). The initialization is the same as the processing described in “Search”. Next, it is determined whether or not there is an end operation (S2). If there is an end operation (YES in S2), the process proceeds to "standby" (S8). If there is no end operation (NO in S2), a moving object detection process is executed (S4). This rotation is performed at least once. During the rotation, a moving object detection process is executed (S4), and it is determined whether or not a moving object is detected (S5). If a moving object is detected (YES in S5), it moves to the side where the difference (change) is larger (S9), and the process returns to S2 of "follow-up". When moving to the side with a large difference, the moving object moves so that the moving object comes to the front of the photographing unit 63 of the self-propelled cleaner 1. As a moving object detection method, a moving object may be detected from a time difference between images. It is preferable that images are taken at a somewhat fine interval so that the entire image is not greatly shifted by moving the viewpoint. Then, the center of gravity of the difference between the images is obtained, the center of the moving object is obtained, and the movement is performed in the direction of the center. In addition, you may be comprised so that it may stop, if it approaches sufficiently to a moving object. The moving object detection process for detecting the direction of the moving object will be described in detail later.

  If no moving object is detected (NO in S5), that is, if there is no change other than the change of the image due to the movement of the own device, the operation is stopped (S10), and it is determined whether the stop time has exceeded the threshold (S11). ). When the stop time exceeds the threshold value (YES in S11), the process returns to S2 of "Follow-up". If the stop time does not exceed the threshold (NO in S11), the process returns to “search” (S12).

  Next, the moving object detection process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. When the moving object detection process is started, the photographing unit 63 acquires an image (S21). This image is the image acquired this time, that is, the latest image. An example is shown in FIG.

  The moving object detection unit 523 considers the rotation and movement of the image acquired this time by the imaging unit 63 illustrated in FIG. 11B with the image acquired previously by the imaging unit 63 illustrated in FIG. Then, image conversion is performed (S22), and a difference between the image acquired this time and the image acquired last time is calculated (S23). In this way, during rotation, the difference is obtained by shifting the image according to the rotation angle. During movement, a difference is obtained in consideration of enlargement / reduction associated with movement. FIG. 11C illustrates a difference image.

  Here, in order to obtain the difference between the images, it is preferable to adjust the angle of view and the number of rotations of the lens of the photographing unit 63 so that the common part of the two images is 1/2 or more of the whole. Further, it is preferable that the photographing unit 63 acquires images at intervals such that the movement amount is not too large so that the image shift due to movement does not increase. If the distortion around the image is large, the periphery may be ignored. Alternatively, it is desirable to calculate the difference after correcting the distortion.

  Thereafter, the moving object detection unit 523 obtains the difference amount and the center of gravity as shown in FIG. 11D from the difference obtained in S23 (S24). In this case, the difference for each pixel may be accumulated in the vertical direction to obtain the amount of difference for each horizontal direction. Moreover, what is necessary is just to obtain | require the gravity center position and difference amount of the difference of a horizontal direction. The direction of the moving object can be detected by such processing from S21 to S24.

  By the above process, the self-propelled cleaner 1 can move to a user's desired location.

  In the above description, the direction of the moving object is detected and tracked from the difference between the images based on the captured image. However, the direction of the moving object may be detected and tracked using other methods. For example, the direction of the moving object may be detected by a plurality of cameras, or the contour of the moving object may be followed and followed.

  In addition, the self-propelled cleaner 1 rotates and moves in the horizontal direction to detect the direction of the moving object. However, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is configured so that the self-propelled cleaner 1 can move in the vertical direction. It may be configured to detect the direction of the moving object while moving. Alternatively, the direction of the moving object may be detected by combining the movement in the horizontal direction and the movement in the vertical direction.

(Example 2)
In Example 1, it does not touch about the process which self-propelled cleaner 1 which received follow-up mode performs after "follow-up". Therefore, in the present embodiment, a process executed after “following” will be referred to. Moreover, in this embodiment, the self-propelled cleaner 1 further includes a follow-up mode end detection unit 525 in which the control unit 52 detects the end of the follow-up mode in addition to the above configuration.

  FIG. 12 is a state transition diagram in the present embodiment for the self-propelled cleaner 1. “Standby”, “search”, and “follow” are the same as those in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, when the moving object (target) is in front during “following”, the distance to the target is measured by the distance sensor 64, and “cleaning” is started when approaching a certain distance from the target. In this case, the follow-up mode end detection unit 525 detects the end of the follow-up mode by detecting that the distance sensor 64 has approached a certain distance from the measurement. When the tracking mode end detection unit 525 detects the end of the tracking mode, “cleaning” is started. Alternatively, during “following”, the voice acquisition unit 65 acquires a voice instructing the end of the tracking mode, so that the tracking mode end detection unit 525 detects the end of the tracking mode and starts “cleaning”. Good. The voice instructing the end of the follow mode may be, for example, “stop”, “follow stop”, or “start cleaning”. These are examples.

  “Cleaning” is a process of cleaning the vicinity of the cleaning start position. When a certain period of time has elapsed during “cleaning”, the process returns to “search” again. When “cleaning” is finished by the user during “cleaning”, that is, when the operation panel 50, the data communication unit 53, or the voice acquisition unit 65 accepts the termination, the process returns to “standby”.

  Thus, after making self-propelled cleaner 1 follow a user's desired place, the desired place can be cleaned.

(Other application examples of self-propelled home appliances)
In the present embodiment, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is described as a suction-type cleaner. However, the self-propelled cleaner 1 can be applied to, for example, a mop type or a brush type cleaner. it can. Self-propelled cleaner 1 may be not only for home use but also for business use. Moreover, the self-propelled cleaner 1 may or may not include an ion generator.

  In the above description, the traveling drive unit has driven the driving wheels 29 to cause the self-propelled cleaner 1 to travel. However, for example, the traveling drive unit 58 may travel on a walking leg. As long as the self-propelled cleaner 1 can be self-propelled, it may have any shape.

  Of course, besides the self-propelled cleaner, the self-propelled home appliance of the present invention has a photographing unit or a sound acquisition unit and can be applied to various home appliances that are self-propelled. You may apply the self-propelled household appliance of this invention to a self-propelled air cleaner, for example. Such a self-propelled air cleaner is basically configured to have the air cleaning function without the cleaning function of the self-propelled cleaner 1 described above. Such a self-propelled air cleaner may or may not include an ion generator.

  Moreover, you may apply the self-propelled household appliance of this invention to the self-propelled waxing apparatus which waxes a floor surface, a self-propelled humidifier, a dehumidifier, etc.

(Program and recording medium)
The control unit 52 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 described above may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions of a control program that implements each function, a read only memory (ROM) that stores the program, and a random access memory (RAM) that expands the program. memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data. The object of the present invention is to record the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of each control program of the self-propelled cleaner 1 which is software for realizing the above-described functions so as to be readable by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the recording medium to the self-propelled cleaner 1, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium.

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. IC cards (including memory cards) / optical cards, semiconductor memories such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM, logic circuits such as PLD (Programmable Logic Device), etc. it can.

  Moreover, the self-propelled cleaner 1 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), IEEE802.11 radio, HDR (High Data Rate), NFC (Near Field Communication), DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, etc. . The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various self-propelled electronic devices including a photographing unit. For example, it can be used for a self-propelled cleaner.

1 Self-propelled vacuum cleaner (self-propelled home appliance)
2 Main body housing 4 Charging terminal 5 Bumper 14 Battery 15 Control board 20 Motor unit 29 Driving wheel 40 Charger 41 Power supply terminal 50 Operation panel 52 Control unit 53 Data communication unit 55 Voltage detection unit 57 Storage unit 58 Traveling drive unit 63 Imaging unit 64 Distance sensor 65 Voice acquisition unit 521 Travel drive control unit 522 Shooting control unit 523 Moving object detection unit 524 Sound source direction detection unit 525 Tracking mode end detection unit 526 Audio input control unit C Center line (center axis)

Claims (7)

A travel drive unit that travels and drives the device;
A shooting section for shooting surrounding images;
A control unit for controlling the traveling drive unit and the photographing unit;
A moving object detection unit that detects the direction of the moving object from the image captured by the imaging unit;
The self-propelled home appliance characterized in that the control unit controls the traveling drive unit to move the device in the direction of the moving object detected by the moving object detection unit.   The self-propelled home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the moving object detection unit detects the direction of the moving object based on a change between an image captured by the image capturing unit this time and an image captured last time. When the moving object detector cannot detect the direction of the moving object,
2. The moving object detection unit detects the direction of the moving object by the control unit controlling the travel driving unit and the imaging unit to perform imaging while rotating the device itself. 2. The self-propelled home appliance described in 2. A travel drive unit that travels and drives the device;
An audio acquisition unit that acquires ambient audio;
A control unit for controlling the travel drive unit and the voice acquisition unit;
A sound source direction detection unit that detects the direction of the sound source of the sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit;
The self-propelled home appliance characterized in that the control unit controls the travel drive unit so that the own apparatus moves in the direction of the sound source of the sound detected by the sound source direction detection unit.   The self-propelled home appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cleaning function for performing cleaning.   6. The self-propelled home appliance according to claim 5, wherein the surroundings of the self-apparatus are cleaned during the follow-up mode in which the self-apparatus is moved in the direction of the moving object or in the direction of the sound source. A follow-up mode end detection unit that detects the end of the follow-up mode,
The self-propelled home appliance according to claim 6, wherein cleaning is started when the follow-up mode end detection unit detects the end of the follow-up mode.

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