JP2020138046A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaning device, program for self-propelled vacuum cleaning device, and cleaning system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaning device capable of efficiently performing a cleaning operation.SOLUTION: A self-propelled vacuum cleaning device includes: detection means for detecting a non-cleaning object during a cleaning operation while performing autonomous traveling; determination means for determining whether or not a non-cleaning object detected by the detection means can be moved; movement means for moving a non-cleaning object to another position; and avoidance means for avoiding a cleaning object so as to perform a cleaning operation. When the determination means determines that a non-cleaning object detected by the detection means can be moved, the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position by the movement means. When it is determined that a non-cleaning object cannot be moved, a non-cleaning object is avoided by the avoidance means so as to perform a cleaning operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a self-propelled electric cleaning device, a program for a self-propelled electric cleaning device, and a cleaning system.

In recent years, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that is equipped with a rechargeable battery as a power source, a traveling drive unit for autonomous driving (hereinafter referred to as self-propelled), and performs a cleaning operation while self-propelled is known. ing. Conventionally, in this type of self-propelled electric cleaning device, even if an obstacle exists in a cleaning area such as a room to be cleaned, the self-propelled electric cleaning device avoids the obstacle and runs by itself. , A technology has been proposed that enables the cleaning operation while running on its own without any trouble.

For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-233149) provides a cleaning map created during cleaning or traveling, and is provided with a robot vacuum cleaner that provides a monitoring image of a specific position or area for cleaning. A technique for controlling a robot vacuum to move to a specific position or area on a map or to perform cleaning of the area is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-333340), room map data in which obstacles in a room are registered, attribute data in which the attributes of obstacles are stored, and a cleaning route in which cleaning routes are stored are described. A vacuum cleaner that enables the cleaning operation to be performed without any trouble by self-propelling while avoiding the registered obstacles is described. Then, in Patent Document 2, an obstacle detection sensor for detecting an obstacle is provided, and when an unregistered obstacle is encountered during cleaning, the cleaning route is reconstructed and cleaning is restarted. It is disclosed that the cleaning operation can be performed while avoiding the unregistered obstacles.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-233149 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-333340

However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any measures to be taken when an object that does not exist on the cleaning map appears.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, when an object that does not exist (not registered) on the cleaning map appears, the cleaning route is reconstructed so as to avoid the object and self-propell, so that the object that does not exist on the cleaning map appears. It can be dealt with when it appears.

However, in the technique of Patent Document 2, since the self-propelled cleaning route is reconstructed by avoiding the objects that do not exist in the cleaning map, there is a problem that the uncleaned area is expanded by the objects that do not exist in the cleaning map. was there.

Therefore, it is conceivable to move objects that do not exist on the cleaning map before starting cleaning or during the cleaning operation, but when those objects are moved from their original positions, the user can move them. There is a disadvantage that the location of the object cannot be known.

In view of the above points, the present invention can significantly reduce the uncleaned area even if an obstacle or an object that does not exist on the cleaning map appears during the cleaning operation, and can be used after the cleaning is completed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of preventing the inconvenience that a person loses the whereabouts of those objects.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is
A driving drive unit for autonomous driving and
A detection means for detecting a non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation while autonomously traveling,
A determination means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, and
A means of transportation capable of moving the non-cleaning object to another position,
A workaround means for avoiding the non-cleaning object and performing a cleaning operation,
With
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, the moving means moves the non-cleaning object to the other position, and the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position. Provided is a self-propelled electric cleaning device characterized in that the avoiding means avoids the non-cleaning object and performs a cleaning operation when it is determined that the device is not movable.

In the self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 1 having the above configuration, when a non-cleaning object is detected during a self-propelled cleaning operation, the detected non-cleaning object moves by a determination means. When it is determined that it is possible, the non-cleaning object is moved to another position by the means of transportation, and when it is determined that the detected non-cleaning object is not movable, the non-cleaning object is avoided and cleaned. Make it work.

Therefore, according to the self-propelled electric cleaning device of the invention of claim 1 having the above configuration, cleaning can be performed while determining whether to move or avoid according to the non-cleaning object, so that cleaning can be performed efficiently. The operation can be performed.

According to the self-propelled electric cleaning device according to the present invention, it is possible to perform an efficient cleaning operation by performing cleaning while deciding whether to move or avoid according to a non-cleaning object, which is extremely high. It's convenient.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the mechanical part of the embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning device by this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the mechanical part of the embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning device by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure example in embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus by this invention. It is a figure used for demonstrating the main part of the structural example of embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus according to this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example in embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus by this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example in embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus by this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example in embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus by this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the mechanical part of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner which comprises the other embodiment of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner by this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the mechanical part of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner which comprises the other embodiment of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner by this invention. It is a figure used for demonstrating the main part of the structural example of the other embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning device by this invention.

An embodiment of the self-propelled electric cleaning device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of this embodiment includes a self-propelled vacuum cleaner and a cleaning support server device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a server device) connected to the self-propelled vacuum cleaner through a wireless communication path. Consists of. As the wireless communication path, for example, a short-range wireless communication path of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard is used in the embodiment described below. The wireless communication path is not limited to this, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or other wireless communication means can also be used. The server device can be configured by, for example, a personal computer, or can be configured by a high-performance mobile phone terminal called a so-called smartphone. In this example, the server device is a personal computer.

[Outline of processing of the self-propelled electric cleaning device of this embodiment]
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner constituting the self-propelled electric cleaning device of this embodiment has a traveling drive unit for self-propelling, and a traveling direction and other directions during the cleaning operation while self-propelling. An imaging unit for taking a picture, a moving means for moving an uncleaned object during a cleaning operation, a control unit for controlling a traveling drive unit and the moving means, and wirelessly transmitting the captured image information captured by the imaging unit to a server device. At the same time, it is provided with a wireless communication means for receiving transmission information from the server device.

On the other hand, the server device uses the captured image information sent from the vacuum cleaner to detect a non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation while the vacuum cleaner is self-propelled, and the detection unit. A determination means for determining whether or not the detected non-cleaning object can be moved, a determination result by this determination means are transmitted to the vacuum cleaner, and the captured image information is received from the vacuum cleaner. A wireless communication unit is provided for this purpose.

Then, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner captures the traveling direction and other directions by the imaging unit during the cleaning operation while self-propelling, and sends the captured image information to the server device through the wireless communication path.

The server device analyzes the received captured image information and executes the detection process of the non-cleaning object. Then, when the server device detects the non-cleaning object, it determines whether or not the detected non-cleaning object is movable, and transmits the determination result to the vacuum cleaner through the wireless communication path.

When the vacuum cleaner analyzes the determination result received from the server device and determines that a movable non-cleaning object is detected, the vacuum cleaner moves the non-cleaning object by using a moving means. In this way, the vacuum cleaner performs the cleaning operation while moving the movable non-cleaning object to another place.

As will be described later, in this embodiment, as the mode of movement, the non-cleaning object can be pushed and moved, and the manipulator described later can be used to grab and grab and lift (pick up) the object. That is, the manipulator of this example has both functions of grasping and lifting an uncleaned object. The vacuum cleaner of this example has a function as a means for grasping the non-cleaning object by the manipulator and moving it as it is, and a function as a means for grasping and lifting the non-cleaning object by the manipulator and moving it as it is.

Further, in this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner is provided with a cleaning map created in advance, and performs a cleaning operation while self-propelled in a cleaning area based on the cleaning map. Then, in this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner moves the movable non-cleaning object to a predetermined place that does not interfere with the cleaning operation while self-propelled, which is predetermined from the cleaning map. .. Then, after the cleaning operation is completed, it has a function of returning the non-cleaning object that has been moved to a predetermined place to the original position.

[Example of mechanical configuration of self-propelled vacuum cleaner]
1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining the external configuration of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 constituting the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of this embodiment. FIG. 1 (A) is a view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 of this example from the upper surface 10a side, and FIG. 1 (B) is a side view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 of this example. It is a figure seen from a direction. FIG. 2A is a view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 of this example from the bottom surface 10b side provided with the suction port 11, and FIG. 2B is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner of this example. It is a figure which looked at the machine 10 from the forward traveling direction at the time of a cleaning operation. In addition, in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2A, the arrow AR indicates the traveling direction (forward direction) of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 during the cleaning operation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 of this example includes a substantially rectangular flat board-shaped housing. As shown in FIG. 1A, the upper surface 10a of the vacuum cleaner 10 is provided with, for example, a touch-type operation button group 12 and a receiving unit 13 for a remote controller. The touch-type operation button group 12 is, for example, a mode for turning on a start / stop button for starting and stopping the drive of the vacuum cleaner, and a mode for performing a cleaning operation while moving a non-cleaning object. It is equipped with a button, a charging button that controls charging start and stop, and the like.

The touch-type operation button group 12 is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel, and the LCD can also perform a predetermined display such as during charging. ing. The receiver 13 for the remote controller can receive, for example, an infrared remote controller signal from a remote controller transmitter (not shown) to start, stop, and control the mode of the vacuum cleaner of this example.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, a suction port 11 is provided on the bottom surface 10b of the vacuum cleaner 10. Then, in the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2 (B), the sucked object to be cleaned and the non-cleaned object other than the object to be cleaned are collected by communicating with the suction port 11. A dust collecting chamber 14 is provided. Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a suction drive unit for sucking the object to be cleaned into the dust collecting chamber 14 is provided in the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2A, the vacuum cleaner 10 of this embodiment includes a flexible brush 15 and a rolling brush 16 in the suction port 11. A roller 17 is provided at substantially the center of the suction port 11 on the bottom surface 10b of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10 in the traveling direction during the cleaning operation. The roller 17 is rotatably attached in a plane whose axial direction is parallel to the bottom surface 10b. Therefore, the axial direction of the rotation axis of the roller 17 can be directed not only in the direction orthogonal to the arrow AR but also in any direction. On both sides of the suction port 11 on the bottom surface 10b, wheels 18 and 19 that are rotationally driven by a traveling drive unit (not shown in FIG. 2) are provided.

The electric vacuum cleaner 10 self-propells when the wheels 18 and 19 are driven by the traveling drive unit and rotate. However, as described above, the roller 17 can rotate in any direction as the rotation axis direction. The electric vacuum cleaner 10 is capable of not only traveling straight in the direction of the arrow AR, but also rotating and moving in an arbitrary direction intersecting the arrow AR. Further, the vacuum cleaner 10 can also travel backward on the side opposite to the arrow AR by controlling the rotation direction of the wheels by the traveling drive unit.

Then, in this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 10 includes an imaging unit. That is, a camera 21 is provided on the side surface of the housing in front of the roller 17 of the vacuum cleaner 10 so that the photographing direction (optical axis direction) is substantially parallel to the bottom surface 10b. Further, in this embodiment, the substantially corner portion of the side surface of the housing where the camera 21 is provided has an oblique direction (optical axis direction) that intersects the direction indicated by the arrow AR. Cameras 22 and 23 are provided. Similar to the camera 21, the optical axis directions of the cameras 22 and 23 may be such that the shooting direction (optical axis direction) is substantially parallel to the bottom surface 10b, but in this example, the direction is more parallel than the parallel direction. It is installed slightly upward. Further, a camera 24 is provided on the side surface of the housing behind the roller 17 of the vacuum cleaner 10 so that the photographing direction (optical axis direction) is substantially parallel to the bottom surface 10b.

The camera 21 photographs the front of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 in the traveling direction at a predetermined angle of view. Further, the cameras 22 and 23 take pictures in the oblique right direction and the oblique left direction in the traveling direction at a predetermined angle of view. Further, the camera 24 photographs the rear of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10 in the traveling direction at a predetermined angle of view.

In this embodiment, when the non-cleaning object is recognized, the images of the cameras 21 to 24 are associated with the recognized non-cleaning object identification information (non-cleaning object ID) as the image of the position. Try to remember. Then, the vacuum cleaner 10 sends the captured image information to which the non-cleaning object ID is given to the server device.

The above cameras 21 to 24 are configured to include, for example, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, and an imaging lens.

The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a moving means controlled according to a determination result by the movable determining means. In this embodiment, the moving means is configured by a manipulator 30 including a so-called magic hand.

In this example, the manipulator 30 is provided on the right side surface of the vacuum cleaner 10 in the forward traveling direction, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The manipulator 30 includes a telescopic sliding link mechanism portion 31, a rotating link mechanism portion 32, and a magic hand portion 33.

The telescopic sliding link mechanism portion 31 is formed by connecting the telescopic sliding link portion 31b to the telescopic sliding base portion 31a, and is expanded and contracted by the telescopic sliding drive portion (not shown) provided in the telescopic sliding base portion 31a. The sliding link portion 31b is configured to be able to expand and contract in the direction along the side surface of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10. The telescopic sliding drive unit provided in the telescopic sliding base 31a is controlled by a control signal from a control unit provided in the vacuum cleaner 10, for example, a microcomputer, as described later, and is a telescopic sliding link. The portion 31b is controlled so as to expand and contract along the side surface of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10.

The rotation link mechanism portion 32 includes a rotation base portion 32a and a rotation arm portion 32b. The rotation base portion 32a is provided by being coupled to the tip of the telescopic sliding link portion 31b of the telescopic sliding link mechanism portion 31. The rotation arm portion 32b is attached to the rotation base portion 32a so as to rotate around the rotation base portion 32a. The rotation drive unit (not shown) provided in the rotation base portion 32a is controlled by a control signal from the control unit included in the vacuum cleaner 10, and the rotation arm portion 32b is the vacuum cleaner 10. It is controlled to rotate around the rotation base 32a in the plane along the side surface of the housing.

The magic hand portion 33 includes a connecting coupling portion 33a, a connecting arm portion 33b, and a grip portion 33c. The connecting coupling portion 33a is coupled to the tip of the rotating arm portion 32b of the rotating link mechanism portion 32. The connecting arm portion 33b is coupled to the connecting connecting portion 33a in a state in which the connecting arm portion 33b itself is rotatable about its axial direction. The grip portion 33c is attached to the tip of the connecting arm portion 33b.

The grip portion 33c is formed by attaching two arc-shaped grip arms 331 and 332 to the drive fulcrum portion 333 in a state of facing each other. In the initial state, the gripping arms 331 and 332 are in a state in which their tips are opposed to each other by a predetermined distance, as shown in FIG. 1 (A). Then, in the magic hand portion 33 of this example, the gripping arms 331 and 332 have the same mechanism as the well-known magic hand, and the gripping arms 331 and 332 use the drive fulcrum portion 333 as the drive fulcrum, and as shown by the arrow HL in FIG. The tip of the arm is driven to approach so that the substance can be gripped.

In this example, the connecting and connecting portion 33a is provided with a gripping arm driving portion (not shown). The gripping arm driving unit operates so as to apply a tensile force to the connecting connecting portion 33a side to the driving fulcrum portion 333 and the gripping arms 331 and 332 of the gripping portion 33c via the connecting arm portion 33b. By this tensile force, the gripping arms 331 and 332 are driven with the drive fulcrum portion 333 as the drive fulcrum so that the tips of the arms approach each other as shown by the arrow HL. That is, the gripping arms 331 and 332 operate to grip the non-cleaning object. The gripping arm drive unit provided in the connecting / coupling unit 33a is controlled by a control signal from the control unit included in the vacuum cleaner 10 so that the gripping arms 331 and 332 can be gripped. ..

Further, the connecting coupling portion 33a is also provided with a mechanism for controlling the rotation of the connecting arm portion 33b about the axial direction, and the direction of the surface including the two gripping arms 331 and 332 is always electric, for example. A state in which control is performed so as to maintain a state parallel to the upper surface 10a of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10, and the direction of the surface including the two gripping arms 331 and 332 is orthogonal to the upper surface 10a of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10. It is possible to control it so that it becomes.

In the manipulator 30 configured as described above, in order to receive a control signal from the control unit of the vacuum cleaner 10 and to grip the detected non-cleaning object, the telescopic sliding link mechanism unit 31 The position of the rotation base portion 32a of the rotation link mechanism portion 32 is slid and moved, and the position of the rotation arm portion 32b of the rotation link mechanism portion 32 and the position of the connecting joint portion 33a of the magic hand portion 33 are not cleaned. Rotate so that it is close to the position of. Then, the control unit of the vacuum cleaner 10, coupled with the traveling control of the vacuum cleaner 10, controls the two gripping arms 331 and 332 of the magic hand unit 33 to positions where the non-cleaning object can be gripped. At that position, the gripping arms 331 and 332 grip the non-cleaning object. At the time of this control, the control unit causes the traveling drive unit 122 to travel and control the position while also referring to the captured image information of the cameras 21 to 24.

[Explanation of Electrical Configuration Example of Self-propelled Electric Cleaning Device of the Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electrical circuit configuration of the vacuum cleaner 10 of the self-propelled electric cleaning device of this embodiment and the server device 40 wirelessly connected to the electric vacuum cleaner 10 via a wireless communication path 50. is there.

[Circuit configuration example of vacuum cleaner 10]
First, a circuit configuration example of the vacuum cleaner 10 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum cleaner 10 controls the suction control unit 102, the travel control unit 103, and the manipulator control of the control unit 101 on which the microcomputer is mounted through the system bus 100 as an electric circuit configuration. Unit 104, operation unit 105, wireless communication unit 106, transmission image information generation unit 107, reception information analysis unit 108, cleaning area map data storage unit 109, own position detection unit 110 in the cleaning area, and non-existence. The cleaning object detection unit 111, the position image storage unit 112, the control signal generation unit 113, and the cameras 21 to 24 are connected.

A suction drive unit 121 is connected to the suction control unit 102, and a travel drive unit 122 is connected to the travel control unit 103. The suction drive unit 121 is for sucking the object to be cleaned from the suction port 11. The traveling drive unit 122 rotationally drives the wheels 18 and 19 so that the vacuum cleaner 10 is self-propelled.

When the control unit 101 receives the cleaning start instruction input through the operation unit 105, the control unit 101 supplies the drive start control signal to the suction drive unit 121 and the travel drive unit 122 through the suction control unit 102 and the travel control unit 103 to supply them. Is started to be driven, and the automatic cleaning operation while running by the vacuum cleaner 10 is started. When the control unit 101 receives the cleaning stop instruction input through the operation unit 105, the control unit 101 supplies the drive stop control signal to the suction drive unit 121 and the travel drive unit 122 through the suction control unit 102 and the travel control unit 103. The drive of the suction drive unit 121 and the traveling drive unit 122 is stopped, and the automatic cleaning operation by the vacuum cleaner 10 is stopped.

Further, in this embodiment, when the control unit 101 receives the control instruction information from the server device 40 through the wireless communication unit 106 based on the cleaning support program stored in the built-in memory, the control unit 101 receives the control instruction information. A control signal based on the above is generated and supplied to the suction drive unit 121 and the travel drive unit 122 through the suction control unit 102 and the travel control unit 103 to control the drive thereof.

The manipulator control unit 104 is a gripping arm of the manipulator 30, which is provided in the rotation base portion 32a described above, the expansion / contraction sliding drive unit provided in the expansion / contraction sliding base portion 31a, and the connecting / coupling unit 33a. Each of the drive units is configured to be independently connected to each other and to be driven and controlled independently of each other.

When the control unit 101 receives the movement instruction of the non-cleaning object detected during the cleaning operation from the server device 40, the control unit 101 moves according to the movement mode indicated by the movement instruction based on the cleaning support program described above. Perform processing. For example, when the movement instruction is an instruction to pick up and move the detected non-cleaning object, the control unit 101 controls the manipulator 30 so as to perform the pick-up operation based on the cleaning support program. Is supplied to the manipulator 30 through the manipulator control unit 104.

The operation unit 105 includes the above-mentioned touch-type operation button group 12 and the receiver unit 13 for the remote controller, and provides instruction input information based on the fact that any one of the touch-type operation button group 12 is pressed, and the remote controller. The instruction input information from the remote controller transmitter received by the receiving unit 13 is supplied to the control unit 101 through the system bus 100. The control unit 101 executes processing according to the instruction input information.

In this embodiment, lighting units 21L, 22L, 23L, and 24L made of, for example, LEDs are added to the cameras 21, 22, 23, and 24, respectively. The control unit 101 supplies a camera control signal to each of the cameras 21, 22, 23, 24, and controls the start and stop of imaging of each of the cameras 21, 22, 23, 24. Each of the cameras 21, 22, 23, and 24 receives the image pickup start control and supplies the captured image to the system bus 100 in the image pickup operation state.

The lighting units 21L, 22L, 23L, and 24L are lit and controlled by the control unit 101. In this case, the control unit 101 measures the brightness of the captured image (average value of the brightness of the captured image, etc.) from the cameras 21, 22, 23, 24 by software processing, and determines the brightness of the captured image. At the following times, the control unit 101 controls the lighting units 21L, 22L, 23L, and 24L to light up. The control unit 101 may control the illumination units 21L, 22L, 23L, and 24L to always light up when the cameras 21, 22, 23, and 24 are in the imaging operation state.

The transmission image information generation unit 107 generates transmission image information of captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24 while the vacuum cleaner 10 is in the cleaning operation. In this case, the transmission image information generation unit 107 adds camera identification information (camera ID) as to which camera's captured image information is to the captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24. .. Further, the transmission image information generation unit 107 generates the transmission image information by appropriately performing encoding processing such as data compression on the captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24, and transmits the image information through the wireless communication unit 106. To.

The wireless communication unit 106 is for transmitting and receiving information to and from the server device 40 through the wireless communication path 50, and as described above, in this embodiment, it has a function of short-range wireless communication of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The wireless communication unit 106 transmits the transmission image information generated by the transmission image information generation unit 107 to the server device 40 through the wireless communication path 50, and the control instruction sent through the server device 40 through the wireless communication path 50. The information is transferred to the received information analysis unit 108.

The reception information analysis unit 108 analyzes the control instruction information sent through the server device 40 and determines whether or not the movement is possible. If the movement is possible, the reception information analysis unit 108 determines the movement mode and generates a control signal based on the determination result. It is supplied to the unit 113.

The vacuum cleaner 10 of this embodiment includes a cleaning area map data storage unit 109. The cleaning area map data storage unit 109 stores, for example, data on a cleaning area recognized by the vacuum cleaner 10 traveling in advance and data on a travel route of the vacuum cleaner 10 in the recognized cleaning area. There is. This travel route is created with a specific position in the stored cleaning area as the home point and the home point as the starting point. Examples of the method for creating the cleaning area map and the method for creating the traveling route include JP-A-2005-205028, the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, and JP-A-8-16241 and JP-A. A known technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-222852 can be used. A predetermined position for moving the non-cleaning object that does not interfere with cleaning is preset in this cleaning area map, and is set in advance by referring to this cleaning area map during the movement operation by the transportation means. The process of moving to a position that does not interfere with cleaning is performed.

The self-position detection unit 110 in the cleaning area detects the self-position when the cleaning operation is performed while the vehicle is self-propelled. The self-position detecting unit 110 in the cleaning area detects the moving direction and the mileage by using, for example, a moving direction detecting means using a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration detecting means such as a gyro, and determines the above-mentioned home point. As a starting point, it detects its own position in the cleaning area according to the direction and how much it has moved.

The non-cleaning object detection unit 111 determines whether or not the size of the images captured from each of the cameras 21 to 24 is larger than the preset size, and when light is applied like a precious metal. It has a function of determining whether or not the luminous intensity of the reflected light of the above is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and recognizing whether or not the object is a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object. Further, the non-cleaning object detection unit 111 is configured so that only the objects existing on the floor surface to be cleaned are detected as the images captured from each of the cameras 21 to 24. This is because an object other than the floor surface does not affect the suction drive and the traveling drive in the cleaning operation. The non-cleaning object detection unit 111 does not need to have a function of recognizing an image in comparison with a registered image.

In this embodiment, when the non-cleaning object detection unit 111 detects a non-cleaning object, the control unit 101 controls the travel control unit 103 to suspend the travel and control from the server device 40. Wait for the instruction information to be received. Then, when the control instruction information from the server device 40 is a movement instruction, the movement processing operation to a predetermined position that does not interfere with the cleaning is performed in response to the movement instruction, and then the cleaning operation is restarted. When the control instruction information from the server device 40 is an avoidance instruction described later, the control unit 101 resumes the cleaning operation from the paused state, but the detected non-detection is incorporated in the cleaning support program. A control operation is performed so as to avoid the object to be cleaned and run.

When the control instruction information from the server device 40 is a movement instruction, the position image storage unit 112 stores the position information of the temporarily stopped position, and the captured image of the cameras 21 to 24 corresponding to the position information. Memorize information. Further, when the non-cleaning object is moved, the captured image information before and after the movement is stored. In this case, a mark may be added to the place where the moved non-cleaning object was present in the captured image after the movement processing of the non-cleaning object is completed. By doing so, when the non-cleaned object is returned to the original position after the cleaning is completed, the original position can be easily detected.

The control signal generation unit 113 generates a control signal for the traveling drive unit 122 and the manipulator 30 based on the instruction control including the movement possibility and the movement mode from the reception information analysis unit 108. The suction drive of the suction drive unit 121 may be stopped, or a control signal for reducing the suction force may be generated together.

In this embodiment, the control signal generation unit 113 does not generate a control signal based only on the instruction control including the movement possibility and the movement mode from the reception information analysis unit 108, but the own position detection unit 110 in the cleaning area. It is also considered which position of the cleaning area stored in the cleaning area map data storage unit 109 is the detected temporary stop position. That is, for example, when the control signal generation unit 113 is "possible" to move from the reception information analysis unit 108 and the movement mode is "push", the own position is the corner position of the cleaning area. Since it cannot be pressed, the control signal generates a control signal for avoiding the non-cleaning object to travel, even though the movement is "possible".

In the circuit configuration of the vacuum cleaner 10 shown in FIG. 3, the suction control unit 102, the travel control unit 103, the transmission image information generation unit 107, the reception information analysis unit 108, the non-cleaning object detection unit 111, and the control signal generation The unit 113 can also be realized as a software function of the microcomputer constituting the control unit 101.

[Circuit configuration example of server device 40]
Next, a circuit configuration example of the server device 40 will be described. As described above, the server device 40 is composed of a personal computer in this example.

As described above, the server device 40 has a function of performing image recognition processing of the non-cleaning object with respect to the captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24 sent from the vacuum cleaner 10, and recognizes the image information. A means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object can be moved by the vacuum cleaner 10 is provided. The configuration of the server device 40 shown in FIG. 3 shows the configuration of only the image recognition processing function unit and the mobility determination unit of the non-cleaning object for convenience.

That is, the server device 40 is connected to the wireless communication path 50 and controls the communication interface 401 for communicating with the vacuum cleaner 10, the captured image storage unit 402, the image recognition unit 403, and the image registration memory 404. The instruction information generation unit 405 is provided. In this embodiment, the image recognition unit 403 and the control instruction information generation unit 405 include a function of a means for determining whether or not the image-recognized non-cleaning object can be moved by the vacuum cleaner 10.

The captured image storage unit 402 decodes and separates each of the captured image information of the cameras 21 to 24 from the transmitted image information sent from the vacuum cleaner 10 received through the communication interface 401, and the image recognition unit 403 Temporarily stored for image recognition. Then, the captured image storage unit 402 supplies the captured image information of the temporarily stored cameras 21, 22, 23, 24 to the image recognition unit 403 for image recognition.

The image recognition unit 403 recognizes and detects a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object from the captured image information from each of the cameras 21, 22, 23, and 24. In this case, the image recognition unit 403 performs pattern matching on the captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24 by comparing with the image stored in the image registration memory 404, and matches the two or a predetermined value of the two. By detecting similarities above the similarity level, non-cleaning objects other than cleaning objects are recognized.

When the image recognition unit 403 recognizes the non-cleaning object, the image recognition unit 403 supplies the information of the non-cleaning object ID stored in the image registration memory 404 to the control instruction information generation unit 405 as a recognition result. As will be described later, in this embodiment, in the image registration memory 404, in addition to the correspondence information between the image information of the non-cleaning object and the non-cleaning object ID, an electric vacuum cleaner is used according to each of the non-cleaning objects. Information on the mobility of whether or not it is movable according to 10 and information on the movement mode and the coping information when the movement is not possible (avoidance in this example) are registered. The control instruction information generation unit 405 determines the mobility by referring to the image registration memory 404 based on the non-cleaning object ID of the recognition result, and generates the control instruction information to be transmitted to the vacuum cleaner 10.

In the image registration memory 404, captured image information of an object assumed as a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object is registered and stored in advance. The information stored in the image registration memory 404 may be downloaded from, for example, a website operated by the manufacturer of the vacuum cleaner 10 and acquired, or the user of the vacuum cleaner 10 may not clean the image. The object may be imaged with a camera and registered together with other predetermined registration information.

In this case, the image registration memory 404 stores a plurality of image information captured by each of the cameras 21 to 24 as registered image information for one non-cleaning object. Further, for each of the image information captured by each of the cameras 21 to 24, image information from a plurality of imaging directions such as from the front, from the back, from the left side, from the right side, etc. is stored in the image registration memory 404. Has been done. The registered image information of these non-cleaning objects is stored in the image registration memory 404 in association with the identification information (non-cleaning object ID) given to each non-cleaning object.

Then, in the image registration memory 404, information on whether or not the registered non-cleaning object can be moved by the vacuum cleaner 10 is stored in association with the non-cleaning object ID. Further, when the registered non-cleaning object can be moved by the vacuum cleaner 10, the information of the moving mode (picking up or pushing in this example) is stored as the information for instruction control. Further, when the registered non-cleaning object cannot be moved by the vacuum cleaner 10, information on instruction control for avoiding the non-cleaning object to travel is stored.

In order to enable the user to register an image of an object to be recognized as a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object by the vacuum cleaner 10 and store it in the image registration memory 404, this embodiment. The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner has a function of registering a captured image of a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object by the user. The function of registering the captured image of the non-cleaning object is installed in the server device 40 as a function of the cleaning support program in the server device 40. When the user selects the registration function of the captured image of the non-cleaning object, the registration procedure of the registered image of the non-cleaning object is displayed on the display screen of the display unit of the server device 40 by a message or animation. The user can perform the registration process of the registered image of the non-cleaning object while observing the message or animation of the registration procedure of this display screen.

For example, on the display screen, first, a screen prompting the cameras 21, 22, 23, and 24 to take an image of the non-cleaning object to be registered as a subject is displayed. Then, for each of the cameras 21 to 24, the positional relationship between the camera and the subject is instructed, and each camera is urged to take an image. When the user takes an image with the cameras 21, 22, 23, 24 according to the registration procedure displayed on the display screen, they are associated with the assigned non-cleaning object ID and stored in the image registration memory 404. To. Next, on the display screen, an instruction prompting the user to enter the name of the non-cleaning object in text characters is displayed, and when the name of the non-cleaning object registered by the user is input, the entered text character information is displayed. Is stored in the image registration memory 404 in association with the non-cleaning object ID of the registered non-cleaning object.

After that, information on whether or not to move when the registered non-cleaning object is recognized and an instruction prompting to input settings for instruction control are displayed on the display screen, and the user inputs and instructs accordingly. Then, the information on whether or not the movement is possible and the information on the instruction control are stored in the image registration memory 404 in association with the registered image of the non-cleaning object and the ID of the non-cleaning object.

The above description is a process of registering an image of a non-cleaning object using cameras 21 to 24 included in the vacuum cleaner 10. However, the process of registering the image of the non-cleaning object is not limited to the method of imaging the non-cleaning object by using the cameras 21 to 24 included in the vacuum cleaner 10 in this way. For example, an uncleaned object is imaged with a predetermined camera, stored in a storage medium such as a USB memory or an SD card, and the stored material is stored through a predetermined interface means such as a USB interface or an SD card interface. , You can also register.

FIG. 4 shows an example of information on a non-cleaning object stored in the image registration memory 404. In the example of FIG. 4, in the image registration memory 404, the name of the non-cleaning object, the registered images V01, V02, V03, ..., the information on whether or not the movement is possible, and the information on the instruction control are stored on the non-cleaning object. It is stored in association with the ID. In this embodiment, as the instruction control, "pickup" and "push" are stored as movement modes, and "avoidance" is registered as instruction control when movement is not possible.

As described above, each of the registered images V01, V02, V03, ... Consists of image information of a plurality of captured images, is associated with the non-cleaning object ID, and is held as one set.

In the control instruction information generation unit 405, in this embodiment, even if the "movability" information stored in the image registration memory 404 is "movable", the non-cleaning object is a bottle or a glass. When caution information is added, such as "OK (content confirmation)", the liquid can be detected by analyzing the captured image information and detecting a boundary in the liquid storage space of the bottle or glass. After determining whether or not the liquid remains in the storage space, the final control instruction information is generated. That is, for example, when it is found that a predetermined amount or more of the liquid remains in the captured image of the bottle, the control instruction information is set to "avoid" even if the information of "movability" is "movable". To do so. In addition to bottles and glasses, for transparent and translucent containers that may contain liquids such as PET bottles, shoyu-sashi, and vases, the same processing is applied to the judgment of whether or not to move and the movement control based on the judgment result. do.

In addition, since it is possible to determine the open, unopened or closed state of the bottle by image recognition, even if the bottle contains liquid, it should be movable if it is in the unopened or closed state. Can be done.

In the case of an opaque container such as a teacup or a paper carton, it is not possible to determine whether or not the container contains a liquid by image recognition of the captured image. Therefore, in the case of the above-described embodiment, in principle, when an opaque container is recognized by image recognition, it is assumed that the container cannot be moved and an avoidance operation is performed.

However, for example, if a camera is attached to the tips of the gripping arms 331 and 332 of the magic hand portion 33 of the manipulator 30 and a photograph is taken so as to look into an opaque container such as a teacup, the liquid remains in the container. Since it is possible to determine whether or not the container is present, when it is confirmed from the determination result that no liquid remains, even the opaque container can be made movable.

In the case of a paper pack, for example, a weight sensor is attached to the magic hand portion 33, and the weight of the paper pack is measured by the weight sensor by grasping and lifting the paper pack with the gripping arms 331 and 332. To do. Then, by comparing the weight when the paper pack is empty and the weight of the paper pack when measured by the weight sensor, it is possible to determine whether or not the liquid is contained in the paper pack. Therefore, when it is confirmed from the judgment result that no liquid remains, even the container such as the opaque paper carton can be made movable.

Further, a humidity sensor is attached to the gripping arms 331 and 332 of the magic hand portion 33, and the humidity sensor is immersed in the liquid in the container or brought close to the liquid to measure the humidity to see if the liquid is contained. When it is determined whether or not the liquid is left, and it is confirmed from the result of the determination that no liquid remains, even the container such as the opaque paper pack can be made movable.

[Explanation of processing during cleaning operation in the embodiment]
In this embodiment, the user performs a cleaning start instruction operation through the operation unit 105 of the vacuum cleaner 10. Then, the vacuum cleaner 10 and the server device 40 execute the processing operations as described below.

5 and 6 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the flow of the processing operation in the vacuum cleaner 10 at this time. Further, FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of the processing operation of the server device 40.

First, the processing operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the following description, the control unit 101 functions as a suction control unit 102, a travel control unit 103, a transmission image information generation unit 107, a reception information analysis unit 108, a non-cleaning object detection unit 111, and a control signal generation unit 113. Is executed as a software function.

The control unit 101 determines whether or not the cleaning start instruction operation has been performed, and waits for the cleaning start instruction operation to be performed (step S101). When it is determined in step S101 that the cleaning start instruction operation has been performed, the control unit 101 starts driving the suction drive unit 121 and the traveling drive unit 122, and instructs each of the cameras 21 to 24 to start capturing an image. To do. Further, the wireless communication unit 106 creates a communication path with the server device 40 (step S102).

Then, the control unit 101 collects captured images from each of the cameras 21 to 24 during the cleaning operation, generates transmission image information, and prepares to transmit the images to the server device 40 (step S103).

Next, the control unit 101 performs a process of detecting a non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object based on the size and the brightness of the images captured from each of the cameras 21 to 24 (step S104). ). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the presence of the non-cleaning object other than the cleaning object is detected (step S105), and when it is determined that the presence of the non-cleaning object is not detected, the control unit 101 determines. Returns the process to step S103, and repeats the processes after this step S103.

When it is determined in step S105 that the presence of a non-cleaning object is detected, a pause instruction signal is supplied to the travel drive unit 122 through the travel control unit 103 to suspend the cleaning operation and step S103. The transmission image information prepared in step 4 is transmitted to the server device 40 (step S106). At this time, in this embodiment, the control unit 101 controls the suction drive unit 121 through the suction control unit 102 to reduce the suction force and reduce the power consumption. It is not necessary to control the suction drive unit 121.

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the control instruction information from the server device 40 has been received (step S107). When it is determined in step S107 that the control instruction information from the server device 40 has been received, the control unit 101 has the received control instruction information and the self in the cleaning area detected by the own position detection unit 110 in the cleaning area. A control signal is generated based on the position and the information of the cleaning area of the cleaning area map data storage unit 109 (step S108).

That is, in step S108, the following processing is performed. When the control instruction information is "avoid", a control signal for performing the "avoidance" process is generated. Further, when the control instruction information is movement and the movement mode is "pickup", a control signal for performing the movement processing of the "pickup" is generated. This control signal includes a control signal for the manipulator 30 and a control signal for the traveling drive unit 122. Further, when the control instruction information is moving and the movement mode is "push", it is determined whether or not the own position in the cleaning area is located in the corner of the cleaning area of the cleaning area map data storage unit 109, and the corner is set. If it is not located, it will generate a control signal to perform the "push" movement process. This control signal is composed of the control signal of the traveling drive unit 122. However, when the non-cleaning object is grasped and pushed by the manipulator 30, the control signal supplied to the manipulator 30 is included. Further, if the non-cleaning object is located in a corner, a control signal for performing the "avoidance" process is generated without performing the "push" movement process. This control signal is composed of the control signal of the traveling drive unit 122.

Following step S108, the control unit 101 determines whether the control signal is related to movement processing or avoidance processing (step S109). When it is determined in step S109 that the movement is related to the movement process, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the movement mode is "pickup" (step S121 in FIG. 6).

When it is determined in step S121 that the movement mode is "push" instead of "pickup", the control unit 101 pushes the detected non-cleaning object to perform cleaning in the cleaning area as described above. It is moved to a predetermined position such as a predetermined corner that does not get in the way (step S122). In this "pushing" movement process, as described above, the manipulator 30 may hold a part of the non-cleaning object and then "push" the main body of the vacuum cleaner 10 or perform electric cleaning. The "pushing" operation may be performed only by the main body of the machine 10. When performing this "pushing" operation, the control unit 101 refers to the images captured by the cameras 21 to 24 and moves the object while checking other non-cleaning objects.

After moving the non-cleaning object to a predetermined position that does not interfere with cleaning by this "push" movement process, the control unit 101 controls the traveling drive unit 122 to restart the self-propelled cleaning. , The cleaning operation is restarted (step S123). At this time, when the suction force of the suction drive unit 121 is reduced, a process of controlling the suction drive unit 121 so as to return to the suction force at the time of cleaning operation is also performed. Further, in step S123, transmission of the captured image information to the server device 40 is stopped.

Next, when it is determined in step S121 that the movement mode is "pickup", the control unit 101 captures the captured images of the cameras 21 to 24 before the movement of the "pickup" at its own position at that time. It is stored in the position image storage unit 112 in association with the information and also with the non-cleaning object ID (step S124).

Next, the control unit 101 executes the movement process of the “pickup” (step S125). That is, the control signal at this time is a control signal for controlling the manipulator 30, and also for controlling the traveling of the traveling drive unit 122 so that the gripping arms 331 and 332 of the magic hand unit 33 grip the non-cleaning object. The control signal of is also included. That is, the control unit 101 controls the expansion / contraction sliding drive unit of the expansion / contraction sliding link mechanism unit 31 of the manipulator 30, and the length of the expansion / contraction sliding link portion 31b is suitable for gripping the non-cleaning object. Expand and contract to the position. Then, the control unit 101 controls the rotation drive unit of the rotation link mechanism unit 32 of the manipulator 30 so that the position of the magic hand unit 33 becomes a position suitable for gripping the non-cleaning object. The rotation arm portion 32b is rotated. Then, the gripping arm driving unit of the magic hand unit 33 is controlled to grip the non-cleaning object.

Then, the control unit 101 stores the image captured by the cameras 21 to 24 at the position where the non-cleaning object does not exist after the pickup, with a mark at the position where the non-cleaning object exists. Store in unit 112 (step S126).

Next, the control unit 101 controls the traveling drive unit 122 to a position where the non-cleaned object that has been picked up can be picked up again in order to return it to the original position later, and the position does not interfere with the cleaning. The non-cleaning object is released from being gripped by the gripping arms 331 and 332 at that position, and the non-cleaning object is moved to a predetermined position (step S127). Next, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S123, controls the traveling drive unit 122 to return to the traveling state at the time of cleaning, and restarts the cleaning operation.

After step S123, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a cleaning operation stop instruction has been given through the operation unit 105, for example, when a cleaning stop instruction has been received from the remote controller transmitter (step S128). When it is determined in step S128 that the cleaning operation stop instruction has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the end of cleaning has been detected based on whether or not all the cleaning in the cleaning range has been completed (step). S129), when the end of cleaning is not detected, the process is returned to step S103, transmission image information is generated, and the cleaning operation is continued while wirelessly transmitting to the server device 40.

Then, when it is determined in step S128 that the cleaning operation stop instruction has been received, the control unit 101 captures the pickup position of the picked-up non-cleaning object stored in the position image storage unit 112 and images before and after the pickup. Using the image, a process of returning the picked-up non-cleaning object to the original position is performed (step S130). That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 10 is moved to the position where the picked-up non-cleaning object is moved, the non-cleaning object is picked up, and then the non-cleaning object is moved to the original position, and the gripping arm 331 of the magic hand portion 33 is moved. , 332 releases the grip and repositions it in its original position. At this time, the original position can be easily confirmed by relying on the mark given to the captured image.

When the process of returning all the non-cleaned objects that have been picked up and moved to their original positions is completed, the control unit 101 stops the driving of the suction drive unit 121 and the traveling drive unit 122, and the cameras 21 to 24, respectively. Is instructed to stop shooting the image. Further, the communication path with the server device 40 is disconnected (step S131). In step S131, this processing routine ends.

When the end of cleaning is detected in step S129, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S130, returns the picked-up non-cleaned object to the original position, and then proceeds to step S131 to drive suction. The drive of the unit 121 and the traveling drive unit 122 is stopped, the cameras 21 to 24 are instructed to stop taking an image, and the communication path with the server device 40 is cut off.

In this embodiment, since the server device 40 performs image recognition of the non-cleaning object by matching processing by comparing with the image information stored in the image registration memory 404, the electric vacuum cleaner 10 detects the non-cleaning object. Even in such a case, the non-cleaning object may not be image-recognized by the server device 40. In this embodiment, in consideration of this point, the following is performed.

That is, when the control instruction information from the server device 40 is not received in step S107 of FIG. 5, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined fixed time has elapsed since the traveling was temporarily stopped (step). S110). Then, when it is determined in step S110 that a certain time has not elapsed, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S107 and repeats the processes after this step S107.

Further, when it is determined in step S110 that a certain time has passed, the control unit 101 controls the traveling drive unit 122 to release the self-propelled suspension for cleaning and avoid the detected non-cleaning object. The cleaning operation is restarted so as to execute cleaning on the moving route to be performed (step S111).

As a traveling drive control mode of the traveling drive unit 122 in the case of avoiding the non-cleaning object at this time, for example, while referring to the captured images of the cameras 21 to 24, the detected non-cleaning object is avoided. In various modes such as "running drive right turn", "running drive left turn", "running drive forward", "running drive backward", "running drive stop and turn clockwise", "running drive stop and turn left", etc. Drive control is used. When the traveling is controlled so as to avoid the non-cleaning object, the suction drive control of the suction drive unit 121 may or may not be performed together. Then, when the avoidance operation is completed, when the suction force of the suction drive unit 121 is controlled to be reduced, the suction drive unit 121 is controlled so as to return to the suction force at the time of the cleaning operation. Then, after this step S110, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S128, and repeats the process after this step S128 described above.

Further, when it is determined in step S109 of FIG. 5 that the process is related to the avoidance process, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S111 and controls the traveling drive unit 122 as described above to control the self for cleaning. The process of resuming the cleaning operation is performed by canceling the suspension of running and executing cleaning by a movement route that avoids the detected non-cleaning object.

This completes the process during the cleaning operation of the vacuum cleaner 10.

Next, the processing operation of the server device 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

First, the server device 40 determines whether or not a communication path generation request has been received from the vacuum cleaner 10 (step S201), and when it is determined that the communication path generation request has been received, the server device 40 passes through the wireless communication path 50. A communication path with the vacuum cleaner 10 is generated (step S202).

Next, the server device 40 determines whether or not the captured image information sent from the vacuum cleaner 10 is received through the generated wireless communication path (step S203), and waits for the reception of the captured image information. Then, when it is determined in step S203 that the captured image information from the vacuum cleaner 10 has been received, the server device 40 separately acquires the captured image information from each of the cameras 21 to 24, and the cameras 21 to 21 The image recognition process is executed by comparing the images captured from each of the 24 images with the images of the non-cleaning object stored in the image registration memory 404 by pattern matching (step S204). Then, the server device 40 determines whether or not the non-cleaning object is recognized as a result of the image recognition in step S204 (step S205).

Then, in step S205, when it is determined that the non-cleaning object is recognized as a result of the image recognition, the server device 40 refers to the image registration memory 404, and the recognized non-cleaning object is the recognized non-cleaning object by the vacuum cleaner 10. It is determined whether or not it can be moved (step S206). When it is determined in step S206 that the image is movable, the image registration memory 404 is further referred to, and the image stored in the captured image storage unit 402 is referred to to generate control instruction information for electrical cleaning. It is transmitted to the machine 10 (step S207). That is, with respect to a liquid container such as a bottle or a glass, even when it is considered to be movable, it is determined from the captured image whether or not the liquid is contained. Then, when there is liquid in the bottle or glass, there is a risk of spilling the liquid inside when the movement process fails, so the server device 40 determines that this is an avoidance process. Generates a control instruction signal to instruct. In other cases, in this embodiment, the server device 40 generates a control instruction signal according to the information stored in the image registration memory 404.

After step S207, it is determined whether or not the communication path disconnection between the server device 40 and the vacuum cleaner 10 is detected (step S209). When the communication path disconnection is detected in step S209, this processing routine ends. When the communication path disconnection is not detected in step S209, the process returns to step S203 and the processes after step S203 are repeated.

When it is determined in step S205 that the non-cleaning object is not recognized, the server device 40 advances the process to step S209, and repeats the above-mentioned processes after step S209.

Further, when it is determined in step S206 that the image registration memory 404 is immovable, the server device 40 generates a control instruction signal instructing the avoidance process and transmits it to the vacuum cleaner 10 ( Step S208). Then, the server device 40 advances the process to step S209, and repeats the process after this step S209 described above.

[Effect of Embodiment]
As described above, in the self-propelled electric cleaning device of the above-described embodiment, when a non-cleaning object is detected during the cleaning operation, is the non-cleaning object movable by the vacuum cleaner 10. If it can be moved, it can be moved to remove it from the cleaning area and perform a cleaning operation. Therefore, even if there is a non-cleaning object in the cleaning area, which has been an obstacle to cleaning in the past, cleaning can be performed without making the area an uncleaned area. That is, it becomes possible to clean an area that could not be cleaned in the past, and the cleaning area can be expanded.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, since the non-cleaning object is moved to a place where it does not interfere with cleaning, cleaning can be smoothed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the non-cleaning object that has been moved is returned to the original position after the cleaning is completed. Therefore, when the non-cleaning object is moved, the user can perform the non-cleaning. There is no inconvenience of not knowing the location of the object.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, even if the detected non-cleaning object is movable, if it interferes with the movement such as containing a liquid, it is judged from the captured image and moved. Since it is decided not to do so, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the liquid is spilled and soiled during movement.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, even if the detected non-cleaning object is movable, the cleaning area map and the position of the own device may be determined depending on the specified movement mode such as "pushing" the detected location. If it can be determined from the above that movement is not possible, it is determined not to move, so there is an effect that unnecessary processing is not performed.

[Modified example of the above-described embodiment]
In the processing examples of FIGS. 5 and 6 described above, the captured image information is supplied to the server device only when the non-cleaning object detection unit 111 of the vacuum cleaner 10 detects the non-cleaning object. However, the captured image information may be transmitted to the server device at all times during the cleaning operation. Then, when the vacuum cleaner 10 constantly transmits the captured image information to the server device during the cleaning operation, the server device also performs detection processing of the non-cleaning object by image recognition, and the non-cleaning is performed. By transmitting the detection output of the object to the vacuum cleaner 10, the vacuum cleaner 10 does not need to provide the non-cleaning object detection unit 111.

Further, in the self-propelled electric cleaning device of the above-described embodiment, when the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 10 recognizes the existence of a non-cleaning object, the traveling by the traveling drive unit is temporarily stopped to stop the cleaning operation. However, instead of stopping the running, the vehicle decelerates and continues the cleaning operation, waits for the arrival of the control instruction information from the server device 40, performs the movement process based on the received control instruction information, and moves. After the processing operation is completed, the cleaning operation can be performed at the original speed. It is also possible to perform the movement process while continuing the cleaning operation at a constant speed without decelerating. Depending on the type of non-cleaning object, the stop, deceleration, and constant speed may be controlled by the traveling drive unit.

In addition, when a non-cleaning object is recognized using an image during the cleaning operation, the traveling control unit controls the traveling drive unit to suspend or decelerate the traveling, and then the vicinity of the recognized non-cleaning object. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner may be driven to move forward, backward, left and right, and may be imaged with a camera from various directions. In that case, by recognizing an image using a plurality of captured images from the various directions, it is possible to increase the detection accuracy of the non-cleaning object and the determination accuracy of the mobility.

Similarly, when the non-cleaning object is controlled to move the position of the vacuum cleaner to a position where the non-cleaning object can be easily grasped by the magic hand unit 33 of the manipulator 30, the image captured by the camera is confirmed. , The traveling drive unit is controlled by the traveling control unit to control the traveling drive of the electric vacuum cleaner in the vicinity of the recognized non-cleaning object.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in order to restore the moved non-cleaning object, the own position in the cleaning area where the movement process is executed is detected, and the original position is imaged in association with the own position. Although the image is stored, the vacuum cleaner 10 may install (drop) the self-transmitting marker at the position where the movement process is executed. In this case, the marker transmits a transmission signal including radio waves, light, ultrasonic waves, and the like. This transmission signal includes identification information that identifies each marker. The vacuum cleaner 10 stores the identification information of the moved non-cleaning object and the identification information of the marker in association with each other, receives a transmission signal from the marker, and moves to the position of the marker. It is possible to reach the position where the moved non-cleaning object is to be restored and to perform the process of restoring the corresponding non-cleaning object.

Further, in the above description, the detected non-cleaning object is moved to a place in the cleaning area that does not interfere with cleaning, but the moving place may be the upper surface 10a of the vacuum cleaner 10. In that case, a basket-shaped storage box is provided on the upper surface 10a of the vacuum cleaner 10.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the server device is a personal computer has been described, but instead of the personal computer, a high-performance mobile phone terminal called a so-called smartphone or a pad-type mobile computer can also be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the detected non-cleaning object is immovable, only the operation of avoiding the non-cleaning object is performed, but the detected non-movable non-cleaning object is performed. The object may be displayed on the display screen of the server device 40, for example, and may be inquired as to whether or not to register the object as a non-cleaning object resident in the cleaning area.

In that case, when the user inputs an instruction to register the non-cleaning object in response to the inquiry, the server device 40 sends a notification to that effect to the vacuum cleaner 10 through the wireless communication path 50. The vacuum cleaner 10 refers to the position image storage unit 112 based on the identification information of the non-cleaning object, detects the position, and places the non-cleaning at the corresponding position in the cleaning area of the cleaning area map data storage unit 109. Try to remember the object.

In this way, an immovable non-cleaning object that is intended to be resident in the cleaning area can be easily registered and stored in the cleaning area map data storage unit 109. However, in that case, it is necessary for the position image storage unit 112 to store not only the moved non-cleaning object but also the detected positions of all the detected non-cleaning objects.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the moving means is configured as a manipulator using a magic hand so as to grip and pick up an uncleaned object or grip and push it. However, the magic hand is an example, and the configuration of the tip of the manipulator is not limited to the shape of the gripping arm, but may be the shape of pliers, tongs, chopsticks, or the like. Further, the means of transportation is not limited to the means of pushing, grasping and grasping and lifting the non-cleaning object. For example, it is also possible to use a means for pulling, a means for scooping (a means for scooping and a means for lifting), a means for blowing gas, a means for wiping left and right, a means for hooking, a means for sticking, a means for adsorbing and moving with a magnet, and the like.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a vacuum cleaner provided with a scooping means. The vacuum cleaner 10A of the example of FIG. 8 is the same as the vacuum cleaner 10 described above except that the means of transportation is different. Therefore, in FIG. 8, the same reference numerals as those of the vacuum cleaner 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 (A) is a view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10A of this example from the upper surface 10a side, and FIG. 8 (B) is a side view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 10A of this example. It is a view from the direction.

The vacuum cleaner 10A of this example includes a configuration of a scooping means as a moving means controlled according to a determination result by the movableness determining means. In this specification, this scooping means is referred to as a scooping device unit.

That is, the scooping device unit 60 of this example is a shovel mechanism unit held by the holding arm mechanism units 61L and 61R provided on the left and right side surface portions of the vacuum cleaner 10A and the left and right holding arm mechanism units 61L and 61R. It consists of 62.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the left and right holding arm mechanism portions 61L and 61R are composed of a telescopic sliding link mechanism portion 63L and 63R and a rotating link mechanism portion 64L and 64R, respectively.

Further, FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining a state in which the scooping device unit 60 as a means of transportation of this example is driven, and each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners 10A of this example. Is a view seen from the upper surface 10a side and a view seen from the side surface direction in a state where the scooping device unit 60 is driven.

Each of the telescopic sliding link mechanism portions 63L and 63R is a telescopic sliding link portion 63Lb and 63Rb coupled to the telescopic sliding base portions 63La and 63Ra, respectively, and is provided in the telescopic sliding base portions 63La and 63Ra, respectively. The sliding drive unit (not shown) is configured so that each of the telescopic sliding link portions 63Lb and 63Rb can be expanded and contracted in the direction along the side surface of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 10A. The telescopic sliding drive unit provided in the telescopic sliding bases 63La and 63Ra is controlled by a control signal from the control unit 101 included in the vacuum cleaner 10A, and the telescopic sliding link portions 63Lb and 63Rb are vacuum cleaners. It is controlled to expand and contract along the side surface of the housing of 10A.

Each of the rotation link mechanism portions 64L and 64R includes a rotation base portion 64La and 64Ra and a rotation arm portion 64Lb and 64Rb, respectively. The rotating base portions 64La and 64Ra are provided by being coupled to the tips of the telescopic sliding link portions 63Lb and 63Rb of the telescopic sliding link mechanism portions 63L and 63R. The rotating arm portions 64Lb and 64Rb are attached to the rotating base portions 64La and 64Ra so as to rotate around the rotating base portions 64La and 64Ra. The rotation drive unit provided in the rotation base portions 64La and 64Ra is controlled by a control signal from the control unit included in the vacuum cleaner 10, and the rotation arm portions 64Lb and 64Rb are the housings of the vacuum cleaner 10A. It is controlled to rotate around the rotation bases 64La and 64Ra in the plane along the side surface of the body.

The shovel mechanism portion 62 includes a shovel portion 62a and a holding arm portion 62b. The left and right ends of the holding arm portion 62b are coupled to the tips of the rotating arm portions 64Lb and 64Rb of the rotating link mechanism portions 64L and 64R. The shovel portion 62a is rotatably attached to the holding arm portion 62b with the axial center position of the holding arm portion 62b as the center of rotation.

The scooping device unit 60 configured as described above receives a control signal from the control unit 101 of the vacuum cleaner 10 and controls the telescopic sliding link mechanism unit 63L and the rotation link mechanism unit 64L to shovel. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the portion 62a is arranged in the forward traveling direction of the vacuum cleaner 10A (the direction indicated by the arrow AR in FIGS. 8 and 9). Then, the non-cleaning object is scooped up by the shovel portion 62a by the traveling control of the traveling drive unit 122 by the control of the control unit 101 and the expansion / contraction sliding drive control of the expansion / contraction sliding link mechanism unit 63L, and then the rotation link mechanism. The shovel portion 62a can be returned to the state shown in FIG. 8A by lifting the non-cleaning object scooped up by the shovel portion 62a by the portion 64L.

In the case of this example, the non-cleaning object to be scooped up is attached to the shovel portion 62a as valuables such as envelopes / postcards, precious metals (jewels), banknotes, memory cards, and keys, as illustrated in FIG. Even after the cleaning operation is completed, the scooped up non-cleaning object can be held in the shovel portion 62a without returning to the original position in the cleaning area. In addition, books, magazines, newspapers, documents, etc. are heavy or bulky, so after scooping them up on the shovel section 62a, move them to a predetermined place that does not interfere with the cleaning operation without holding them on the shovel section 62a. Can be done.

In the present invention, as another means of transportation, as described above, a means for blowing a gas can be used in addition to the means for scooping as described above. The means for blowing the gas can be configured by separately installing an air ejection means, but can be configured by an exhaust means during the cleaning operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner without providing a new means. .. When this exhaust means is used, the traveling drive unit 122 controls the rotation of the vacuum cleaner 10 so that the exhaust outlet of the exhaust means is directed toward the non-cleaning object. In this case, the target non-cleaning object is a lightweight object such as a plastic shopping bag, a plastic bag, or tissue paper, and the vacuum cleaner may be configured to strongly inject exhaust gas.

Further, the means for moving the brush to the left and right is, for example, a state in which the brush-like member is separated from the cleaning surface during the cleaning operation, and is in a state of being slightly pressed against the cleaning surface when the operation of paying the brush to the left and right is performed. Attach it to the vacuum cleaner. Then, for example, a small non-cleaning object is swept left and right to move by the brush constituting the means for wiping left and right.

Next, the hooking means may be configured to provide hook means instead of the gripping arm of the magic hand portion 33 of the manipulator described above, for example. In the case of this hooking means, the position of the handle of, for example, a plastic shopping bag, a plastic bag, a paper bag, etc. is confirmed by the image captured by the camera, and the handle portion is hooked by the hook means described above, and the bag is caught as it is or is caught. Can be moved.

In this case, it is determined from the image captured by the camera, for example, whether the shopping bag, plastic bag, paper bag, etc. is empty or contains the contents, and when it is determined that the bag is empty, it is hooked. Try to hook it and move it. However, paper bags and the like are opaque, and it is difficult to confirm whether or not they contain the contents. In consideration of this, it may be judged that the paper bag cannot be moved at the initial stage, but for example, from the captured image, the unevenness of the cash register bag, the plastic bag, the paper bag, etc., or the shape itself such as irregularity may be obtained. Based on this, it is possible to judge whether or not the contents are contained, touch the paper bag and judge whether or not the contents are contained by the tactile sensor, or once hook it by a hooking means to catch it and measure its weight with the weight sensor. You may decide whether or not the contents are contained.

Next, the adhesive means may be configured to provide, for example, a means for adhering a non-cleaning object with an adhesive instead of the gripping arm of the magic hand portion 33 of the manipulator described above. When this adhesive means is used as a means of transportation, the non-cleaning object is relatively light, such as a plastic shopping bag, a plastic bag, DM (direct mail), a newspaper advertisement, or a leaflet, although it depends on the adhesive strength of the adhesive. Will be done.

Next, as a magnet means for attracting and moving by a magnet, a permanent magnet such as a small neodymium magnet or a ferrite magnet is provided at a position opposite to the cleaning surface of the housing of the electric vacuum cleaner. It is possible to arrange an electromagnet with a coil wound around the core. When using a means of attracting and moving with a magnet, it is possible to perform cleaning operation with a self-propelled vacuum cleaner while attracting metal screws, nails, pins, clips, etc. and removing them from the cleaning area. it can.

In the case of non-cleaning objects such as household electric cleaning devices that include magnetic cards (cash cards and credit cards with magnetic stripes), watches, mobile phone terminals, video tapes, music cassette tapes, etc. The former configuration using a permanent magnet is not preferable. In a cleaning area where these magnetically affected objects are expected to be included in the non-cleaning object, the coil should be operated by passing an electric current only when a magnetically attractable non-cleaning object is detected. Use an electromagnet.

Also, in the case of a commercial electric cleaning device that performs cleaning work in a manufacturing factory where there is a high possibility that non-cleaning objects such as scrap iron, screws, bolts, and nails have fallen on the floor, there is concern about the influence of magnetism. Instead, a strong neodymium magnet may be used.

Needless to say, the means of transportation provided by the vacuum cleaner is not limited to the case of using one of the various means described above, but may be a combination of two or more means of transportation.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the non-cleaning object detection means is performed by recognizing the image information captured by the imaging unit using the CCD image sensor or the CMOS image sensor. Even if other sensors such as photoelectric sensor, infrared sensor, ultrasonic sensor, tactile sensor, biosensor, odor sensor, metal detection sensor, capacitance sensor, magnetic sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, weight sensor, etc. are used. Good. Further, the image pickup unit and the above-mentioned sensor may be used in combination to recognize (detect) a non-cleaning object. In addition, two or more image sensors, photoelectric sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, tactile sensors, biosensors, odor sensors, metal detection sensors, capacitance sensors, magnetic sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, weight sensors, etc. It may be used to detect a non-cleaning object.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner and the server device are connected to each other through a wireless communication path such as a short-range wireless communication system. However, the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention may be configured by using a self-propelled vacuum cleaner and a server (cloud) on the Internet.

Further, the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention can be configured only by the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner because the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner also has the function of the server device 40. In that case, the non-cleaning object detection unit 111 in the example of FIG. 1 can be omitted, and the image recognition unit can be configured to also have the function of the non-cleaning object detection unit 111.

[Other embodiments or modifications]
Although the above explanation is mainly based on the assumption of a household electric cleaning device, it should also be applicable to a commercial electric cleaning device used in factories, shops, restaurants, etc. Needless to say.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that the above also belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

10 ... Self-propelled vacuum cleaner, 11 ... Suction port, 14 ... Dust collection room, 21-24 ... Camera, 30 ... Manipulator, 40 ... Server device, 50 ... Wireless communication path, 101 ... Control unit, 121 ... Suction Drive unit, 122 ... Travel drive unit, 403 ... Image recognition unit, 404 ... Image registration memory

Claims (30)

A driving drive unit for autonomous driving and
A detection means for detecting a non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation while autonomously traveling,
A determination means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, and
A means of transportation capable of moving the non-cleaning object to another position,
A workaround means for avoiding the non-cleaning object and performing a cleaning operation,
With
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, the moving means moves the non-cleaning object to the other position, and the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position. A self-propelled electric cleaning device characterized in that when it is determined that the object is not movable, the avoiding means avoids the non-cleaning object and performs a cleaning operation. An imaging unit for capturing at least the direction of autonomous driving during the cleaning operation,
An image recognition means for recognizing an image captured from the imaging unit,
With
The self-propelled vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means detects the non-cleaning object based on the image recognition result of the image recognition means during the cleaning operation while the autonomous traveling. Type electric cleaning device. An imaging unit for capturing at least the direction of autonomous driving during the cleaning operation,
An image recognition means for recognizing an image captured from the imaging unit,
With
The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the determination means determines whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable based on the image recognition result. Self-propelled electric cleaning device. An imaging unit for capturing at least the direction of autonomous driving during the cleaning operation,
A storage unit that stores the image information of the non-cleaning object in correspondence with the movementability information of whether or not the non-cleaning object is movable.
With
The determination means is the non-cleaning detected by the detecting means based on the movable / non-movable information stored in the storage unit corresponding to the image information of the non-cleaning object detected by the detecting means. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein it determines whether or not the object can be moved. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the moving means moves the non-cleaning object to a predetermined position that does not interfere with cleaning. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 5, further comprising means for returning the non-cleaning object, which has been moved to a predetermined position that does not interfere with the cleaning by the moving means, to the original position. When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object is movable, the determination means includes a position storage means for storing the position where the non-cleaning object is detected by the detection means.
The means for returning to the original position is to return the non-cleaning object moved to a predetermined position that does not interfere with the cleaning to the position where the non-cleaning object stored in the position storage means is detected. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 6. When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object is movable, a means for installing a self-transmitting marker at a position where the non-cleaning object is detected by the detection means is provided.
The means for returning to the original position detects the position of the self-propelled marker based on the transmission signal from the self-propelled marker, and sets the detected position of the self-propelled marker on the non-cleaning object. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the self-propelled electric cleaning device is detected as a return position. The self-transmitting marker transmits the transmission signal including the identification information, and the identification information of the self-transmitting marker and the non-cleaning object moved from the position where the self-transmitting marker is installed. With a means to associate and store
The means for returning to the original position is characterized in that the non-cleaning object is returned to the position of the self-propelled marker that transmits the identification information stored in association with the non-cleaning object. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 8. Equipped with a storage unit for storing non-cleaned objects
The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein a predetermined position that does not interfere with the cleaning is the storage portion that stores the non-cleaning object. A means for recognizing a cleaning area for cleaning while autonomously traveling is provided.
The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein a predetermined position that does not interfere with the cleaning is preset in the cleaning area. A map storage unit that stores a cleaning map showing a cleaning area for cleaning while driving autonomously,
A function of autonomously traveling and performing a cleaning operation based on the cleaning map of the map storage unit while detecting the position of the own device in the cleaning area.
With
The judgment means is
Based on the cleaning map and the position of the self-propelled device in the cleaning area, the surrounding situation of the position where the non-cleaning object is detected by the detecting means is determined, and the determination result of the surrounding situation is used. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein it is determined whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means can be moved. When the non-cleaning object is detected by the detection means, the traveling drive unit is controlled to suspend or decelerate the autonomous traveling of the cleaning operation.
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position by the moving means, and then the cleaning operation is restarted while the autonomous traveling is performed. Self-propelled electric cleaning device. The moving means is one of a means for scooping, a means for pushing, a means for grasping, a means for pulling, a means for lifting, a means for blowing gas, a means for removing, a means for hooking, a means for sticking, and a means for attracting with a magnet. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the self-propelled electric cleaning device comprises one or two or more. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the moving means includes a gripping means for gripping the non-cleaning object. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 15, wherein the gripping means has at least two gripping arms. The detection means has a function of determining whether or not the detected non-cleaning object is a container.
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is a container, the determination means determines whether or not the container contains a liquid, and whether or not the container contains a liquid. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein it is determined whether or not the container is movable based on the determination result. When the determination means determines that the container does not contain a liquid, the determination means determines that the container is movable, and the moving means moves the container to the other position. Item 17. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to item 17. When the determination means determines that the container contains a liquid, or when it cannot determine whether or not the container contains a liquid, the determination means determines that the container is not movable, and the avoidance means The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the cleaning operation is performed while avoiding the container. The detection means has a function of determining whether or not the detected non-cleaning object is a bag such as a plastic shopping bag, a plastic bag, or a paper bag.
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is a bag, it determines whether or not the contents of the bag are contained, and whether or not the contents of the bag are contained. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein it is determined whether or not the bag is movable based on the determination result. When the determination means determines that the contents of the bag are not contained, the determination means determines that the bag is movable, and the moving means moves the bag to the other position. Item 20 is a self-propelled electric cleaning device. When the determination means determines that the contents of the bag are contained, or when it is not possible to determine whether or not the contents of the bag are contained, the determination means determines that the bag is not movable, and the above-mentioned determination means. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 20, wherein the avoiding means is to avoid the bag and perform a cleaning operation. The moving means has a function of attracting the non-cleaning object with a permanent magnet and / or an electromagnet.
The detection means has a function of determining whether or not the detected non-cleaning object is magnetically adsorbable.
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is magnetically adsorbable, the non-cleaning object is adsorbed by the permanent magnet and / or the electromagnet. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the self-propelled electric cleaning device is determined to be movable. The self-driving car according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the detection means is provided on a cloud connected via the Internet. The self-driving car according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the determination means is provided on a cloud connected via the Internet. The self-driving car according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the image recognition means is provided on a cloud connected via the Internet. A computer provided by a self-propelled electric cleaning device including a traveling drive unit for autonomous driving and a moving means capable of moving a non-cleaning object to another position.
A detection means for detecting the non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation while autonomously traveling.
A determination means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means can be moved,
When the determination means determines that the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, the moving means moves the non-cleaning object to the other position, and the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position. When it is determined that the object is not movable, the control means for controlling the avoidance means to avoid the non-cleaning object and perform the cleaning operation.
A program for self-propelled electric cleaners to function as. It consists of a self-propelled electric cleaning device and a server device wirelessly connected to the self-propelled electric cleaning device through a communication network.
The self-propelled electric cleaning device is
A driving drive unit for autonomous driving and
A detection means for detecting a non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation while autonomously traveling,
An imaging unit for imaging the non-cleaned object,
A means of transportation capable of moving the non-cleaning object to another position,
A workaround means for avoiding the non-cleaning object and performing a cleaning operation,
A first communication means for wirelessly connecting to the server device through the communication network,
When the non-cleaning object is detected by the detection means, the first transmission means for transmitting the captured image of the imaging unit to the server device by the first communication means, and the first transmission means.
With
The server device
A second communication means for wirelessly connecting the self-propelled electric cleaning device to the communication network,
An image recognition means for recognizing the captured image received from the self-propelled electric cleaning device through the second communication means, and an image recognition means.
Based on the image recognition result of the image recognition means, a determination means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, and
A second transmission means for transmitting the determination result of the determination means to the self-propelled electric cleaning device by the second communication means, and
With
In the self-propelled electric cleaning device, when the determination result from the server device is that the non-cleaning object is movable, the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position by the moving means, and the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position. A cleaning system characterized in that when a non-cleaning object is not movable, the avoiding means avoids the non-cleaning object and performs a cleaning operation. It consists of a self-propelled electric cleaning device and a server device wirelessly connected to the self-propelled electric cleaning device through a communication network.
The self-propelled electric cleaning device is
A driving drive unit for autonomous driving and
An imaging unit for capturing at least the direction of autonomous driving during the cleaning operation,
A means of transportation that can move non-cleaned objects to other positions,
A workaround means for avoiding the non-cleaning object and performing a cleaning operation,
A first communication means for wirelessly connecting to the server device through the communication network,
A first transmission means for transmitting an image captured by the imaging unit to the server device by the first communication means, and a first transmission means.
The server device
A second communication means for wirelessly connecting the self-propelled electric cleaning device to the communication network,
An image recognition means for recognizing the captured image received from the self-propelled electric cleaning device through the second communication means, and an image recognition means.
Based on the image recognition result of the image recognition means, a detection means for detecting the non-cleaning object during the cleaning operation of the self-propelled electric cleaning device, and
Based on the image recognition result of the image recognition means, a determination means for determining whether or not the non-cleaning object detected by the detection means is movable, and
A second transmission means for transmitting the determination result of the determination means to the self-propelled electric cleaning device by the second communication means, and
With
In the self-propelled electric cleaning device, when the determination result from the server device is that the non-cleaning object is movable, the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position by the moving means, and the non-cleaning object is moved to the other position. A cleaning system characterized in that when a non-cleaning object is not movable, the avoiding means avoids the non-cleaning object and performs a cleaning operation. The cleaning system according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the server device includes a personal computer, a smartphone, or a pad-type portable computer.

Images