JP6266331B2 - Running body device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a traveling body device including an autonomous traveling body capable of autonomous traveling and a beacon device that guides the autonomous traveling body.

  Conventionally, a so-called autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans the floor surface while autonomously traveling on the floor surface as a surface to be cleaned while detecting an obstacle using a sensor or the like is known. ing. In recent years, using a vacuum cleaner like this, you can monitor the state of your home while you are out (for example, the window is not open or the light is still on), the state of your pet, etc. As can be confirmed, there is a system in which the electric vacuum cleaner is remotely operated by a portable terminal to travel inside the room, and the inside of the room can be imaged by a camera.

JP 2002-92762 A

  In the case of the system as described above, it is necessary to input a room layout, a layout, and the like into the system in advance in order to photograph a desired position, and it cannot be said that the usability is necessarily good.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a traveling device that can image an object with the image pickup unit directed to the object easily and reliably.

  The traveling body device of the embodiment is a traveling body device that includes an autonomous traveling body capable of autonomous traveling and a beacon device that guides the autonomous traveling body, and is capable of imaging a subject. In the beacon device, a setting direction to be directed to the subject is set in advance. In addition, the beacon device includes a transmission unit that transmits a guidance signal for guiding the autonomous traveling body to the beacon device in a direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the set direction. The autonomous traveling body includes a main body case, driving wheels, control means, and receiving means. The main body case has imaging means for imaging a subject. The drive wheel is allowed to travel in the main body case. The control means causes the main body case to autonomously travel by controlling driving of the drive wheels. The receiving means receives the induction signal transmitted by the transmitting means. Then, the control means causes the main body case to travel so as to approach the beacon device along the guidance signal received by the receiving means, and sets the setting direction when the main body case is at a predetermined distance from the beacon device. An imaging mode for imaging by the imaging means is provided.

It is a top view which shows typically operation | movement of the autonomous traveling body of the traveling body apparatus of 1st Embodiment. (a) is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the autonomous traveling body of the traveling body device, and (b) is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the beacon device of the traveling body apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a traveling body apparatus same as the above. It is a top view which shows an autonomous running body same as the above from the lower part. It is a top view which shows typically the guidance principle of the autonomous running body by a beacon apparatus same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of a traveling body apparatus same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of the traveling body apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows typically operation | movement of the autonomous traveling body of the traveling body apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of a traveling body apparatus same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows control of the avoidance operation | movement of the charging device by the autonomous traveling body of a traveling body apparatus same as the above.

  The configuration of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 5, reference numeral 10 denotes a vacuum cleaner as a traveling body device. The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a vacuum cleaner body 11 as an autonomous traveling body and a charging base for the vacuum cleaner body 11. And a charging device (charging base) 12 as a beacon device that guides the vacuum cleaner main body 11. The vacuum cleaner body 11 communicates (transmits / receives) with a wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with an access point 14 as a relay means disposed in the room R, for example, Wireless communication with an external device (not shown) via the (external) network 15 is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the vacuum cleaner body 11 is a so-called self-propelled robot cleaner that cleans the floor surface while autonomously running (self-propelled) on the floor surface as a surface to be cleaned. And this electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 has a hollow main body case 20 as a running / cleaning part, an electric blower 21 as an operation part (cleaning part) accommodated in the main body case 20, and an intake of the electric blower 21 Dust collecting unit 22 communicating with the side, for example, driving wheels 23 and 23 as a plurality of (a pair of) driving units for traveling, motors 24 and 24 as driving means for driving these driving wheels 23 and 23, Side brushes 26 and 26, which are auxiliary cleaning means as, for example, a plurality of (a pair of) swivel cleaning parts (cleaning parts) disposed so as to be turnable along the floor surface at the lower part of the body case 20 Side brush motors 27 and 27, which are turning drive means as an operation part (cleaning part) for turning these side brushes 26 and 26, and a rotary cleaning body (cleaning part) arranged rotatably at the lower part of the body case 20 Rotating brush 28 that is a cleaning means, and rotating this rotating brush 28 A brush motor 29 or the like, which is a rotation driving means, is provided as an operation part (cleaning part) to be driven to roll. The vacuum cleaner main body 11 includes, as an input / output / control unit, a sensor unit 31 as an operation unit having various sensors, a light receiving unit 32 as a traveling body side receiving unit as a receiving unit, and a light emission as a traveling unit side transmitting unit. Unit 33, touch panel 34 having functions of input operation means and display means, camera 35 as imaging means, wireless LAN device 36 as wireless communication means, control means 37 configured by a circuit board and the like . The vacuum cleaner main body 11 includes a secondary battery 39 in the main body case 20 for supplying power to each of the above parts. Hereinafter, the direction along the traveling direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) will be referred to as the front-rear direction (arrow FR and RR directions shown in FIG. 3 and the like), The direction (both sides) will be described as the width direction.

  The main body case 20 is formed into a flat columnar shape (disk shape) by, for example, synthetic resin, etc., and is long in the width direction, that is, horizontally long at a position near the rear portion of the center portion in the width direction of the circular bottom surface. The suction port 41 is opened. Further, a camera 35 is disposed in the main body case 20.

  The suction port 41 is in communication with the suction side of the electric blower 21 via the dust collecting unit 22. In addition, the rotary brush 28 is rotatably disposed in the suction port 41.

  The electric blower 21 generates negative pressure by driving and sucks dust from the suction port 41 to the dust collecting part 22.For example, the suction side is directed rearward and the axial direction is the front-rear direction (horizontal direction). Along the way, it is housed inside the main body case 20. The electric blower 21 may not be necessary in the case of, for example, a configuration in which dust is scraped up to the dust collection unit 22 by the rotating brush 28 or the like, and is not an essential configuration.

  The dust collecting unit 22 collects dust sucked from the suction port 41 by driving the electric blower 21, and is located, for example, at the rear part of the main body case 20, and can be attached to and detached from the main body case 20. ing.

  Each driving wheel 23 is for traveling (autonomous traveling) the vacuum cleaner body 11 (main body case 20) in the forward and backward directions on the floor surface, that is, for traveling, not shown along the left-right width direction. It is formed in a disk shape having a rotation axis. Further, these drive wheels 23 are disposed in the width direction on both sides of the suction port 41 at positions near the center in the front-rear direction of the lower part of the main body case 20, and are symmetrical with respect to the width direction. It has become.

  Each motor 24 is arranged corresponding to each of the driving wheels 23, for example, and can drive each driving wheel 23 independently. These motors 24 may be directly connected to each drive wheel 23, or may be connected to each drive wheel 23 via a transmission means (not shown) such as a gear or a belt.

  The swivel wheel 25 is a driven wheel that is positioned at the front and substantially at the center in the width direction of the main body case 20, and is capable of swiveling along the floor surface.

  Each side brush 26 has brush hairs 43 as a plurality of (for example, three) cleaning bodies that project radially and come into contact with the floor surface. The side brushes 26 and 26 are disposed at positions on both sides of the main body case 20 in front of the drive wheels 23 and 23 and behind the swivel wheel 25.

  Each side brush motor 27 moves each side brush 26 to the center side in the width direction of the body case 20, in other words, the right side brush 26 to the left side, and the left side brush 26 to the right side, that is, each side. The brushes 26 can be rotated so as to scrape dust to the suction port 41 side.

  The side brush 26 and the side brush motor 27 are not indispensable as long as they can be sufficiently cleaned by the electric blower 21 or the rotating brush 28.

  The rotary brush 28 is formed in a long shape, and both end portions are pivotally supported on both side portions in the width direction of the suction port 41 so as to be rotatable. The rotating brush 28 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body case 20 through the suction port 41, and the lower part contacts the floor surface while the vacuum cleaner main body 11 is placed on the floor surface, and dust is collected. It is configured to scrape.

  The brush motor 29 is housed inside the main body case 20, and is connected to the rotating brush 28 via a gear mechanism (not shown) as a mechanism portion.

  Note that the rotating brush 28 and the brush motor 29 are not essential components as long as they can be sufficiently cleaned by the electric blower 21 or the side brushes 26 and 26.

  The sensor unit 31 includes obstacle detection means (obstacle sensor (ranging sensor) such as a rotation speed sensor such as an optical encoder that measures the rotation speed of the motor 24, and an infrared sensor that detects obstacles such as walls and furniture. )), Step detection means (step sensor) such as an infrared sensor for detecting a step on the floor, and collision prevention detection means (collision prevention sensor) such as an infrared sensor for preventing collision with the charging device 12 etc. It has a function and is arranged in each part such as an upper part, an outer peripheral part (front part and rear part), and a lower part of the main body case 20.

  The light receiving unit 32 is for estimating the position of the charging device 12 by detecting infrared light emitted from the charging device 12, for example, with respect to the central portion in the left-right direction of the front portion of the outer periphery of the main body case 20. Thus, the left light receiving part 32L and the right light receiving part 32R are arranged at positions separated left and right. These light receiving portions 32L and 32R are arranged symmetrically, for example.

  The light emitting unit 33 emits infrared rays or the like to the charging device 12, and is disposed, for example, on the upper portion of the main body case 20.

  The touch panel 34 allows the user to directly input various settings, and displays various information related to the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11. The touch panel 34 is disposed, for example, on the upper portion of the main body case 20.

  The camera 35 is a digital still camera that captures an image in a predetermined direction of the main body case 20, in this embodiment, from the front to the front upper portion. For example, the main body case 20 is located at the center of the front of the main body case 20 in the left-right direction. The outer peripheral portion or the upper portion of the main body case 20, that is, the front portion of the main body case 20. The camera 35 can convert the captured image into data and output the data to the control means 37.

  The wireless LAN device 36 is used for wireless communication with an external device via the access point 14 and the network 15. Therefore, it is possible to receive various information from the network 15 via the wireless LAN device 36, or to input various information from an external device (external terminal) such as a smartphone. That is, the wireless LAN device 36 has functions of an external signal receiving unit and a signal receiving unit that receive an external signal transmitted from the access point 14 from the external device via the network 15.

  The control means 37 includes various memory areas such as a CPU which is a main body of the control means, a ROM which is a storage unit storing fixed data such as a program read by the CPU, and a work area which is a work area for data processing by the program. A RAM that is an area storage unit that is dynamically formed, a memory that is a storage unit that stores image data captured by the camera 35, a timer that measures calendar information such as the current date and time, and the like are provided. The control means 37 includes the electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, brush motor 29, sensor unit 31, light receiving unit 32, light emitting unit 33, touch panel 34, camera 35, wireless LAN device 36, and the like. Based on the detection result of the sensor unit 31 electrically connected, a cleaning mode for controlling driving of the electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, the brush motor 29, etc. There are a charging mode in which the secondary battery 39 is charged, an imaging mode in which an image is captured by the camera 35 in accordance with an external signal, and a standby mode in standby.

  The secondary battery 39 supplies power to the electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, brush motor 29, sensor unit 31, light receiving unit 32, light emitting unit 33, camera 35, wireless LAN device 36, control means 37, etc. To do. The secondary battery 39 is electrically connected to, for example, the charging terminals 45 exposed on both sides of the turning wheel 25 on the lower surface of the main body case 20, that is, the front part.

  On the other hand, the charging device 12 includes a charging device case 51 as a beacon device case, a charging circuit 52 accommodated in the charging device case 51, a charging terminal 53 electrically connected to the charging circuit 52, and a commercial power source. Power supply cord 54, for example, charging device light-emitting unit 55 which is a beacon device side transmission means as a transmission means for outputting various signals such as position information of charging device 12 by infrared rays, etc., from light-emitting unit 33 of vacuum cleaner body 11 Charging device light receiving unit 56 which is a beacon device side receiving means for receiving the emitted light, for example, charging device transmission unit 57 which is a beacon device side sending means for outputting a collision prevention signal SS around charging device 12 by infrared rays, and The charging device light emitting unit 55, the charging device light receiving unit 56, the charging device transmitting unit 57, and the like are provided with a charging device control means 58, which is a beacon device control means for controlling operations of the charging device light emitting section 57 and the charging device transmission section 57, respectively.

  The charging device case 51 (charging device 12) includes, for example, a direction instruction means 59 for instructing a setting direction to be directed toward the subject P at the top, and a position that does not interfere with cleaning, such as the vicinity of the wall W that partitions the room R. And, it is arranged so that the direction indicated by the direction instructing means 59 faces the subject P.

  Here, the direction instruction means 59 is, for example, an arrow indicating a direction in the present embodiment, but may be, for example, a mark such as an icon arranged on a surface in the direction indicated, for example, a charging device case 51 It is also possible to indicate the direction by changing some of the colors, or indicate the direction depending on the shape of the charging device case 51. That is, the direction instructing means 59 sets the setting direction to be directed to the subject P in the charging device 12 in advance. Therefore, the direction instructing unit 59 may use a structure, a shape, or the like provided in advance in the charging device 12 as long as the user can specify the setting direction.

  The charging circuit 52 is a constant current circuit for charging the secondary battery 39 of the vacuum cleaner body 11 in which the charging terminal 45 is connected to the charging terminal 53.

  The charging terminal 53 is exposed at a lower portion of the charging device case 51, and is connected mechanically and electrically to the charging terminal 45 of the vacuum cleaner body 11 that has moved (returned) to the charging device 12. .

  The power cord 54 is electrically connected to the charging circuit 52, the charging device light emitting portion 55, the charging device light receiving portion 56, the charging device transmitting portion 57, and the charging device control means 58, and is an outlet installed on the wall W or the like. So that power can be supplied from a commercial power source.

  The charging device light emitting unit 55 has a predetermined relationship with respect to the direction instructed by the direction instructing unit 59 (a direction forming a predetermined angle), and in the present embodiment, in the direction instructed by the direction instructing unit 59. It emits infrared rays or the like toward the vacuum cleaner main body 11 in a direction intersecting by 90 °. For example, the left side light emitting unit 55L of the charging device and the left side light emitting unit 55L and A charging device right side light emitting unit 55R is arranged. The charging device light emitting unit 55 may emit light at all times, or may emit light when light from the light emitting unit 33 of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is received by the charging device light receiving unit 56, for example.

  The charging device light receiving unit 56 is for grasping the positional relationship between the vacuum cleaner main body 11 and the charging device 12 by detecting infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit 33 of the vacuum cleaner main body 11, for example, Arranged at the top of the charging device case 51.

  The charging device transmitter 57 outputs a collision prevention signal SS for preventing the vacuum cleaner main body 11 from approaching the position of a predetermined radius (for example, about 30 cm) centered on the charging device 12, for example. For example, it is arranged at the center of the upper part of the charging device case 51 or the like.

  The charging device control means 58 generates, for example, an infrared signal emitted from the charging device light emitting unit 55, or processes the infrared signal received from the charging device light receiving unit 56 from the light emitting unit 33 of the vacuum cleaner body 11. It is. The charging device control means 58 includes a charging mode for charging the secondary battery 39 via the charging circuit 52, and an imaging mode for guiding the vacuum cleaner body 11 to a position where the camera 35 can capture images. And a standby mode for waiting for operation.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In general, the autonomously traveling electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is roughly divided into a cleaning operation in which the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 cleans and a charging operation in which the secondary battery 39 is charged by the charging device 12, but this embodiment Then, in addition to these operations, an imaging operation for imaging the subject P (for example, a pet such as a dog placed in the bag C) is performed.

(Cleaning work)
In the vacuum cleaner main body 11, when the cleaning start time set in advance is reached, the control means 37 that is changed from the standby mode to the cleaning mode is operated by the electric blower 21, the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24), and the side brushes 26 and 26. (Side brush motors 27 and 27), rotating brush 28 (brush motor 29), and the like are driven, detached from the charging device 12, for example, and cleaning is started while driving autonomously on the floor surface by the drive wheels 23 and 23. The cleaning start position can be set at any place such as the travel start position of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 or the entrance / exit of the room R.

  During traveling, the control means 37 detects, for example, the distance from the wall surrounding the periphery of the cleaning area or an obstacle in the cleaning area, the step of the floor surface, etc. By monitoring the running state of the main body 11 (main body case 20) and driving the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) in response to detection from the sensor unit 31, obstacles and steps are avoided. While running the vacuum cleaner body 11 on the floor.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 11 collects dust to the suction port 41 by the side brushes 26 and 26 that are driven to rotate, and the suction generated by the negative pressure generated by the driving of the electric blower 21 via the dust collection unit 22 Dust on the floor surface is sucked together with air through the mouth 41. In addition, the rotary brush 28 that is driven to rotate scrapes off dust on the floor surface to the dust collecting unit 22.

  The dust sucked together with the air from the suction port 41 is separated and collected by the dust collecting unit 22, and the air from which the dust is separated is sucked into the electric blower 21, and after cooling the electric blower 21, it becomes exhaust air. The air is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) provided in the main body case 20 to the outside.

  Cleaning of the cleaning area has been completed, or the capacity of the secondary battery 39 has fallen to a predetermined amount and is insufficient to complete the cleaning (the voltage of the secondary battery 39 has dropped to near the discharge end voltage) ) And the like, the control unit 37 transmits a signal from the light emitting unit 33 to end the cleaning mode and shift to the charging mode. The charging device 12 that has received this signal by the charging device light receiving unit 56, the charging device control means 58, a feedback signal that guides the charging device light emitting unit 55 to return (move) the vacuum cleaner body 11 to the charging device 12. Send. Then, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 that has received the feedback signal by the light receiving unit 32 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) by the control means 37 so as to approach the charging device 12 by a predetermined distance. To do. Thus, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 is gradually approached by repeating transmission and reception between the light receiving unit 32 and the light emitting unit 33 of the vacuum cleaner main body 11 and the charging device light emitting unit 55 and the charging device light receiving unit 56 of the charging device 12. The charging terminal 45 is connected (mechanically and electrically) to the charging terminal 53 while being moved (returned) to the charging device 12, and each part is stopped to complete the cleaning operation.

(Charging work)
After the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is connected to the charging device 12, a predetermined time, for example, a predetermined time after the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is connected to the charging device 12 when a preset charging start time is reached. When the time elapses, the control unit 37 and the charging device control unit 58 shift to the charging mode, drive the charging circuit 52, and start charging the secondary battery 39. When it is determined that the voltage of the secondary battery 39 has increased to a predetermined usable voltage, the control unit 37 and the charging device control unit 58 stop the charging by the charging circuit 52 to end the charging operation, and the control unit 37 and The charging device control means 58 is in the standby mode.

(Imaging work)
The control unit 37 determines whether or not the wireless LAN device 36 has received an imaging instruction signal, which is an external signal instructing imaging with the camera 35 transmitted from the external device via the network 15, via the access point 14, for example. Judgment is made in real time or every predetermined time (step 1). Regarding wireless communication between the external device and the vacuum cleaner body 11, for example, by setting an ID and password for each external device and each vacuum cleaner body 11 and requesting authentication at the time of connection, it is illegal. It is preferable not to receive the signal.

  When it is determined in step 1 that the wireless LAN device 36 has received an imaging instruction signal that is an external signal for instructing imaging with the camera 35 transmitted from the external device via the network 15, first, the control means 37 Regardless of the mode, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is detected to determine whether or not the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is an imageable capacity that can be captured by the camera 35 (step 2). In the following description, the imageable capacity is, for example, reciprocal to a predetermined imaging position where the subject P is imaged, and the image captured by the camera 35 and the captured image data are externally transmitted from the network 15 via the wireless LAN device 36. The capacity can be transmitted to the device.

  If it is determined in step 2 that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is not an imageable capacity, the control unit 37 uses the wireless LAN device 36 to notify the external device that imaging is not possible, for example ( Step 3), ignoring the imaging instruction signal and returning to Step 1.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2 that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is greater than or equal to the imageable capacity, the control means 37 (and the charging device control means 58) determines the mode (step 4).

  If it is determined in step 4 that the charging mode or the standby mode is selected, the control means 37 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24), and the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is moved from the charging device 12, for example. A distance (for example, 30 cm or more) is set apart (step 5), and the mode is shifted to the imaging mode (step 6).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4 that the mode is the cleaning mode, the control means 37 controls, for example, the electric blower 21, the side brushes 26 and 26 (side brush motors 27 and 27), and the rotary brush 28 (brush motor 29). The driving is stopped to stop the cleaning (step 7), and the process proceeds to step 6 to shift to the imaging mode.

  Then, in the imaging mode of step 6, first, a signal indicating that the imaging mode is set is transmitted from the light emitting unit 33 of the vacuum cleaner body 11 to the charging device 12 (step 8). When the charging device 12 receives a signal indicating that it is in the imaging mode from the vacuum cleaner body 11, the charging device control means 58 shifts to the imaging mode, and the charging device left-side light emitting unit 55L of the charging device light-emitting unit 55 and the charging device Induction signals SL and SR are output from the device right side light emitting unit 55R, respectively, and a predetermined collision prevention signal SS is output from the charging device transmission unit 57. In the present embodiment, for example, guidance is performed from the charging device left side light emitting unit 55L and the charging device right side light emitting unit 55R of the charging device light emitting unit 55 in a direction intersecting the front direction of the subject P (vertical direction in FIG. 1). Outputs signals SL and SR. In other words, the induction direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 11 to the charging device 12 by the induction signals SL and SR is a direction that intersects (orthogonally) with respect to the direction toward the subject P. These induction signals SL and SR can be identified on the main body 11 side of the vacuum cleaner, for example, by making the codes different from each other or by outputting signals of the same code in a time-sharing manner. Therefore, after step 8, the control means 37 determines whether or not there is a response from the charging device 12 side (step 9), and if there is no response for a predetermined time, the control means 37 causes the drive wheels 23 and 23 ( The motors 24, 24) are driven to run the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) (step 10), and the process returns to step 8. The control of step 10 is that there is no response from the charging device 12 side in step 9, that the signal from the vacuum cleaner body 11 is not received by the charging device 12, or the response from the charging device 12 is Assuming that the vacuum cleaner main body 11 is in a position where it cannot be received, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) is swung in the room R, and the charging device 12 can receive the signal, or the charging device 12 The position where the signal from can be received is searched. Therefore, in this step 10, the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) is turned, for example, rotated at that position, randomly traveled, or traveled along a circle with a predetermined radius. You can find a position where you can communicate with.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 9 that there is a response from the charging device 12 side, the control means 37 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24), and the charging device according to the induction signals SL and SR. The vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) is caused to travel so as to approach the predetermined distance to 12 (step 11).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the induction signals SL and SR are output radially (long elliptical shape) to the left region from the left side light emitting unit 55L of the charging device toward the front of the charging device 12, and charged. From the device right side light emitting unit 55R toward the front of the charging device 12, it is output radially (long elliptical shape) in the right region. Specifically, for example, when the vacuum cleaner body 11 (main body case 20) first receives only the induction signal SL at the left light receiving unit 32L of the light receiving unit 32, it travels relatively to the left, First, when only the guide signal SR is received by the right light receiving unit 32R of the light receiving unit 32, the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) are driven and controlled to travel relatively to the right. Then, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) receives the induction signal SL by the left light receiving unit 32L, and travels at a position where the induction signals SL and SR are received by the right light reception unit 32R. , 23 (motors 24, 24) can be driven linearly toward the charging device 12 along a region where the induction signals SL, SR overlap each other (for example, a width of about 10 to 20 cm).

  Next, the control means 37 determines whether or not the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12 based on whether or not the collision prevention signal SS is received by the sensor unit 31 (step 12). Here, the collision prevention signal SS is output, for example, within a circle having a predetermined radius (for example, 30 cm) with the charging device 12 as the center, and the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is set not to enter inside the radius. If it is determined in step 12 that the vacuum cleaner body 11 is not located at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12, the process returns to step 9. Also, in this step 12, when it is determined that the vacuum cleaner main body 11 has reached a predetermined distance from the charging device 12, traveling stops at that position (step 13), and the drive wheels 23, 23 (motor 24 , 24) is controlled to turn the body case 20 together with the camera 35 at a predetermined angle (for example, 90 °) toward the direction indicated by the direction indicating means 59, that is, the subject P, as shown in FIG. The camera 35 disposed at the front of the case 20 and facing the charging device 12 is pointed in the direction of the subject P to take a still image, and this image data is stored in the memory, and the wireless LAN device 36 via the network 15 To the external device (step 14). That is, since the charging device 12 is installed with the direction indicated by the direction indicating means 59 facing the subject P, the subject P is imaged when the camera 35 captures the indicated direction. Note that the turning angle of the main body case 20 is determined by the control means 37 based on the difference in rotational speed between the left and right motors 24 and 24 detected by the sensor unit 31.

  When the imaging is completed, the control unit 37 transmits an imaging end signal indicating that the imaging mode is to be ended from the light emitting unit 33 (step 15). When this imaging end signal is received by the charging device light receiving unit 56 of the charging device 12, the charging device control means 58 stops outputting the collision prevention signal SS from the charging device transmission unit 57 (step 16). Further, the control means 37 determines the mode immediately before shifting to the imaging mode (step 17).

  When it is determined in step 17 that the charging mode or the standby mode is set, the control means 37 returns the main body 11 of the vacuum cleaner to the charging device 12 in the same manner as during the cleaning operation, and the charging mode is transferred to the charging mode together with the charging device control means 58. (Step 18).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 17 that the cleaning mode is set (the cleaning mode is interrupted and the mode is changed to the imaging mode), the control means 37 compares the capacity of the secondary battery 39 with the remaining capacity required for cleaning. It is determined whether or not the capacity is sufficient (step 19), and when it is determined that the capacity is sufficient, the control means 37 controls the electric blower 21, the side brushes 26 and 26 (side brush motors 27 and 27), and the rotating brush 28 (brush motor 29). Drive to return to cleaning (step 20), and if it is determined that the capacity is insufficient, proceed to step 18 and return the vacuum cleaner body 11 to the charging device 12 and shift to the charging mode in the same way as during the cleaning operation. To do. Regardless of the mode immediately before the transition to the imaging mode, the control may be performed such that the transition to the charging mode is always performed when the imaging mode ends. In this case, after the charging of the secondary battery 39 is finished, for example, the standby mode may be shifted as it is, or only when the mode immediately before the transition to the imaging mode is the cleaning mode after the charging. You may return to cleaning.

  That is, if the vacuum cleaner body is simply guided to a predetermined position near the subject by the induction signal from the charging device, the charging device is imaged by the camera mounted on the front part of the body case of the vacuum cleaner body. . For this reason, it is conceivable to place the charging device in front of the subject so that the subject is imaged together with the charging device, but even in this case, the charging device reflected in the captured image prevents the imaging of the subject. It is done. Therefore, in the first embodiment, when the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner main body 11) is at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12 in the imaging mode, the camera 35 is connected to the charging device 12 together with the main body case 20. The camera 35 can be directed to the subject P located in that direction by turning a predetermined angle toward the preset setting direction to be directed to the subject P, in this embodiment, the direction indicated by the direction indicating means 59 in this embodiment. Thus, it is possible to reliably image only the subject P with the camera 35 without imaging the charged charging device 12 while reliably guiding the vacuum cleaner body 11 to a predetermined position (imaging position).

  In the above imaging operation (imaging mode), the electric blower 21, the side brushes 26 and 26 (side brush motors 27 and 27), and the rotating brush 28 (brush motor 29) are used to effectively use the power of the secondary battery 39. However, if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 has a margin, these may be operated and cleaned at the same time.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the structure and effect | action similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the second embodiment, when the image is taken by the camera 35 in the image pickup mode of the first embodiment, the image is taken while turning the direction in which the camera 35 is directed by a predetermined angle.

  That is, after step 13, the control means 37 controls the drive of the drive wheels 23, 23 (motors 24, 24), rotates the body case 20 together with the camera 35 by a predetermined angle, and takes a still image with the camera 35. The image data is stored in the memory and transmitted to the external apparatus via the network 15 by the wireless LAN device 36 (step 31). Next, the control means 37 determines whether or not the main body case 20 (camera 35) has rotated a predetermined maximum rotation angle, for example, 360 ° or more (step 32). If it is determined in this step 32 that the rotation is greater than the maximum rotation angle, the process proceeds to step 15. If it is determined that the rotation is not greater than the maximum rotation angle, the process returns to step 31. Note that the image data captured by the camera 35 may be transmitted to the external device collectively after all the image capturing is completed, in addition to being transmitted to the external device every time it is captured.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, not only the subject P but also the state of the room R around the subject P is obtained by taking an image while rotating the camera 35 with the main body case 20 by a predetermined angle in the imaging mode. Can also be captured by the camera 35. As a result, it is possible to obtain images obtained by imaging the subject P from different angles, and not only the state of the subject P but also the state of the home while going out (for example, whether the window is left open, You can also monitor and check if you have left.

  In each of the above embodiments, the camera 35 is rotated together with the main body case 20. However, for example, the camera 35 may be provided separately rotatable with respect to the main body case 20, and only the camera 35 may be rotated. In this case, it is preferable to provide direction detecting means for detecting the direction of the camera 35 so that the direction of the camera 35 can be monitored by the control means 37.

  The predetermined angle when the camera 35 is rotated is the external signal when the control unit 37 receives an external signal corresponding to the input operation from the external device by the user in the imaging mode. It may be changed accordingly. In this case, the position that the user considers necessary can be more reliably imaged by the camera 35, and the usability is further improved.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, an image that reliably captures the subject P can be obtained while the electric vacuum cleaner body 11 is reliably guided to the predetermined position by the charging device 12.

  Further, since the control means 37 turns the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) in the imaging mode to turn the camera 35 in the setting direction (direction instructed by the direction instruction means 59), the main body case 20 is The traveling wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) for running can be used as they are to change the direction of the camera 35, and no separate configuration or control for changing the direction of the camera 35 is required, and the configuration and control are performed. Can be further simplified.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the structure and effect | action similar to said each embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  This third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment described above, for example, along the front direction of the subject P (vertical direction in FIG. 8), the charging device left side light emitting portion 55L of the charging device light emitting portion 55 of the charging device 12, and The control means 37 avoids the charging device 12 instead of the control for turning the main body case 20 when the guidance signal SL, SR is output from the right side light emitting unit 55R of the charging device and imaged by the camera 35 in the imaging mode. By moving the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) in a preset direction to be directed to the subject P (a direction indicated by the direction indicating means 59) set in the charging device 12 in advance, the camera 35 is set to the subject P. It is intended.

  That is, in this embodiment, the direction in which the guidance signals SL and SR are transmitted from the charging device light emitting unit 55 (each light emitting unit 55L and 55R) is opposite to the direction instructed by the direction indicating unit 59 (180 ° Direction). For this reason, in this embodiment, it replaces with step 14 of the said 1st Embodiment, and the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) avoids the charging device 12, and travels in a setting direction along this charging device 12. The camera 35 disposed at the front of the main body case 20 is pointed in the direction of the subject P, a still image is captured by the camera 35, the image data is stored in a memory, and the network 15 is connected by the wireless LAN device 36. To the external device (step 41).

  As an avoiding operation of the charging device 12 by the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 at this time, for example, whether the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 has an obstacle on one side of the charging device 12 (for example, the left side in FIG. 8). When it is detected by the sensor unit 31 (step 45) and it is determined that there is no obstacle, the control means 37 controls the driving of the drive wheels 23, 23 (motors 24, 24), and the vacuum cleaner body 11 ( After the main body case 20) travels a predetermined distance to one side of the charging device 12, it travels along the charging device 12 in the set direction (step 46). On the other hand, if it is determined in step 45 that there is an obstacle on one side of the charging device 12, the control means 37 controls the driving of the drive wheels 23, 23 (motors 24, 24) to The main body 11 (main body case 20) travels a predetermined distance to the other side of the charging device 12 (for example, the right side in FIG. 8), and then travels in the setting direction along the charging device 12 (step 47). That is, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 (main body case 20) approaches the subject P while avoiding the charging device 12 in a crank shape (L shape). This is an avoiding operation assuming that the charging device 12 is generally disposed in the vicinity of the wall portion W of the room R as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner main body 11) is at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12 in the imaging mode, the charging device 12 is avoided. By moving the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner main body 11) in the set direction, the camera 35 can be directed to the subject P, and while reliably guiding the vacuum cleaner main body 11 to a predetermined position (imaging position), Only the subject P can be reliably imaged by the camera 35 without imaging the induced charging device 12.

  In particular, the control unit 37 detects that the sensor unit 31 causes a failure on one side of the charging device 12 when the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner body 11) is at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12 in the imaging mode. When an object (wall W) is not detected, the main body case 20 (electric vacuum cleaner main body 11) travels to one side of the charging device 12, and then the main body case 20 (electric cleaning) is moved along the charging device 12. Machine body 11) travels in the set direction, and when sensor unit 31 detects an obstacle (wall W) on one side of charging device 12, body case 20 (electricity) on the other side of charging device 12 After running the vacuum cleaner main body 11), the main body case 20 (electric vacuum cleaner main body 11) runs in the setting direction along this charging device 12, so it is easy to make the charging device 12 without complicated control. In addition, it is possible to reliably avoid the camera 35 and to point the camera 35 at the subject P.

  In addition, the vacuum cleaner main body 11 capable of autonomous traveling generally includes a sensor unit 31 for autonomously traveling while avoiding obstacles, so that the configuration is complicated by using the sensor unit 31. Thus, the avoiding operation of the charging device 12 can be easily performed.

  In addition, you may combine the said 3rd Embodiment with the said 1st Embodiment or 2nd Embodiment. That is, the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 pointing the camera 35 toward the subject P may be varied depending on the direction in which the induction signals SL and SR are output from the charging device 12.

  In each of the above embodiments, the imaging unit may be a digital video camera that captures moving images, for example, other than the camera 35 that captures still images.

  Further, when the imaging instruction signal is received during the charging operation of the secondary battery 39, the secondary battery 39 is charged to a predetermined capacity (for example, a capacity capable of reciprocating to the subject P or a full charge). May wait for a while, and after charging, may shift to the imaging mode.

  Further, although the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is provided with the function of an autonomous traveling body, the autonomous traveling body is not limited to the one that performs cleaning, and may be one that is simply used for imaging using the camera 35.

  The charging device 12 has the function of the beacon device for guiding the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 (autonomous vehicle) to a predetermined position, but the beacon device may be provided separately from the charging device 12.

  In addition, when the communication between the network 15 and the wireless LAN device 36 is interrupted, for example, when the vacuum cleaner body 11 enters the blind spot of communication with the network 15 (access point 14) during the imaging mode. The electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 may be stopped at that position, or the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 may be stopped after autonomous traveling to a predetermined position.

  Further, since wireless communication using the wireless LAN device 36 consumes power, it is preferable to suppress communication by the wireless LAN device 36 in a state where the power of the secondary battery 39 is used, that is, during cleaning. Therefore, when the imaging instruction signal is received during the cleaning mode, the wireless LAN device 36 is used to notify the user that the cleaning is currently being performed via the network 15, and the imaging instruction signal is ignored. However, the transition to the imaging mode may be enabled only in the charging mode or standby mode in which the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is connected to the charging device 12.

  Then, when the imaging instruction signal is received via the external device, the mode is changed to the imaging mode. However, for example, the mode may be automatically changed to the imaging mode at a predetermined time stored in advance.

  Further, the image data captured by the camera 35 in the image capturing mode may be stored in a memory without being transmitted to the external device so that the user can check when desired.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, the main body case 20 (the electric vacuum cleaner main body 11 is arranged so as to approach the charging device 12 along the induction signals SL and SR received by the light receiving section 32 (light receiving sections 32L and 32R). ) And when the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner main body 11) is at a predetermined distance from the charging device 12, the camera 35 captures the set direction (the direction indicated by the direction indicating means 59). By doing so, it is possible to reliably image only the subject P positioned in the setting direction without imaging the induced charging device 12 while reliably guiding the vacuum cleaner body 11 to a predetermined position (imaging position). . Then, by transmitting the image data to the external device, it is possible to provide the user-friendly vacuum cleaner 10 that can easily and reliably monitor the state of the subject P from the outside using the external device.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

10 Electric vacuum cleaner as a running body device
11 The main body of the vacuum cleaner as an autonomous vehicle
12 Charging device as a beacon device
20 Main unit case
23 Drive wheels
31 Sensor unit with function of obstacle detection means
32 Light receiving unit as receiving means
35 Cameras as imaging means
36 Wireless LAN device having functions of external signal receiving means and signal receiving means
37 Control means
55 Light-emitting unit of charging device as transmission means P

Claims (8)

A traveling body device comprising an autonomous traveling body capable of autonomous traveling and a beacon device for guiding the autonomous traveling body, and capable of imaging a subject,
The beacon device has a preset setting direction to be directed to the subject, and transmits a guidance signal for guiding the autonomous traveling body to the beacon device in a direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the set direction. With means,
The autonomous vehicle is
A body case having imaging means for imaging a subject;
A drive wheel that allows the main body case to travel,
Control means for autonomously running the main body case by controlling the drive of the drive wheels;
Receiving means for receiving the induction signal transmitted by the transmitting means,
The control means causes the main body case to travel so as to approach the beacon device along the guidance signal received by the receiving means, and the main body case is positioned at a predetermined distance from the beacon device. A traveling body apparatus characterized by having an imaging mode in which the setting direction is sometimes imaged by the imaging means. The traveling body apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means directs the imaging means in the setting direction by running the main body case in the imaging mode. The traveling body device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means turns the imaging means at the predetermined angle when the main body case is located at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode. The control means is configured to cause the main body case to travel in the setting direction while avoiding the beacon device when the main body case is positioned at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode. The traveling body device according to the description. The autonomous traveling body includes obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle,
When the main body case is located at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode, the control unit detects the obstacle on one side of the beacon device by the obstacle detection unit. After the main body case travels to one side, the main body case travels along the beacon device in the setting direction, and the obstacle detection means detects an obstacle on one side of the beacon device. 5. The traveling body according to claim 4, wherein after the main body case travels to the other side of the beacon device, the main body case travels in the setting direction along the beacon device. 6. apparatus. The traveling body according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control means captures an image while turning the imaging means by a predetermined angle when the main body case is at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode. apparatus. The autonomous traveling body includes external signal receiving means capable of receiving an external signal different from the induction signal transmitted from the transmitting means of the beacon device,
The traveling body apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control means changes the predetermined angle for turning the imaging means in accordance with an external signal received by the external signal receiving means in the imaging mode. The autonomous traveling body includes a cleaning unit that cleans the surface to be cleaned, and a signal receiving unit that receives an imaging instruction signal from the outside.
When the imaging instruction signal is received by the signal receiving unit during the cleaning mode in which the cleaning unit performs cleaning, the control unit interrupts cleaning by the cleaning unit and shifts to the imaging mode. The traveling body device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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