JP6440994B2 - Vacuum cleaner and image display method - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a vacuum cleaner including a main body case capable of autonomous traveling, and an image display method using the vacuum cleaner.

  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 the autonomous running function of such a vacuum cleaner, the state of your home while you are out (for example, whether the window is left open or the light is on) and pets There is a cleaning system in which a vacuum cleaner can automatically capture an indoor state with a camera in response to a command from a portable terminal so that the state of the camera can be monitored and confirmed. In particular, by processing images captured by a camera to generate a panorama composite image, it is possible to see the interior in more detail.

  However, in such a cleaning system, it is assumed that an image is clearly captured by a camera and can be reliably combined. In an actual room, for example, there are carpets, steps, and the like, and an image captured while traveling autonomously is not always clearly captured, and a composite image may not be generated reliably. For this reason, it is desirable to be able to see the interior of the room even when such a composite image cannot be generated neatly or even when a panorama composite image cannot be displayed depending on the type of terminal.

JP 2013-235351 A JP 2006-139525 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner and an image display method capable of selectively displaying an image and a composite image on a display device as necessary.

The electric vacuum cleaner of the embodiment includes a main body case, a drive wheel, and a control unit, a cleaning unit, an imaging unit, an image combining unit, and an image combination evaluating unit, and communication means. 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 cleaning unit cleans the surface to be cleaned. The image pickup means can pick up an image at each position where the drive wheel is driven by the control means and the main body case is moved by a predetermined amount. The image synthesizing unit generates a synthesized image by synthesizing a plurality of images captured by the imaging unit. The image composition determination means determines whether the composition processing to the composite image by the image composition means is successful. The communication means, when the image composition judgment means judges that the composition processing has been successful, at least the data of the composite image can be stored in the data storage means which can store the data and can be downloaded by the display device via the network. When the image composition means determines that the composition processing has failed, the image data is transmitted to the data storage means via the network .

It is a block diagram showing typically a cleaning system containing a vacuum cleaner of a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows a cleaning system same as the above. It is a top view which shows the main body case of a vacuum cleaner same as the above from the downward direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the interface image displayed on a display apparatus same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the interface image displayed on a display apparatus same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the imaging of the image by the imaging means of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing examples of individual images taken by the imaging means, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing examples of images obtained by performing lens distortion correction processing on these images, and (c) is those lens distortion correction processing performed It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the synthesized image which synthesize | combined the image. (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams respectively showing examples of images obtained by cutting out images to be displayed on the display device from the synthesized image of FIG. 7 (c) at positions I and II and performing distortion correction processing. It is a flowchart which shows control of mode switching of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows the control in the imaging mode of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows control of the image display method using a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example sentence of the email transmitted to a display apparatus when a synthetic | combination process same as the above fails. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the interface image displayed on the display apparatus of the cleaning system containing the vacuum cleaner of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control in the imaging mode of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows the control in the imaging mode of the vacuum cleaner of 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows typically the cleaning system containing the vacuum cleaner of 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control in the imaging mode of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of the image display method using a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of the image display method using the vacuum cleaner of 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the imaging of the image by the imaging means of the vacuum cleaner of 6th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control in imaging mode of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control of the image display method using a vacuum cleaner same as the above.

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

  1 to 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a cleaning system. The cleaning system 10 is an electric vacuum cleaner 11 serving as an autonomous traveling body, a charging base portion of the electric vacuum cleaner 11, and a dust disposal portion. An access point 14 as a relay means such as a vacuum cleaner 11 and a home gateway (router) disposed in a room which is a cleaning area in a building H such as a house. To and from the building H via a general-purpose (external) network 15 such as the Internet by communicating (transmitting / receiving) with a wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). This is a system capable of wired or wireless communication with a general-purpose server 16 serving as a data storage means and a general-purpose external device 17 serving as a display device.

  In this embodiment, the electric vacuum cleaner 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 11 has a hollow main body case 20 as a running / cleaning part, an electric blower 21 as an operation part (cleaning part) housed in the main body case 20, and a suction side of the electric blower 21 For example, a plurality of (a pair of) driving wheels 23 and 23 for driving, and motors 24 and 24 as driving means for driving these driving wheels 23 and 23. For example, a plurality of (a pair of) swivel cleaning parts (cleaning parts), which are auxiliary cleaning means disposed in a lower part of the main body case 20 so as to be turnable along the floor surface, Side brush motors 27 and 27, which are turning drive means as an operation part for turning the side brushes 26, 26, and rotation which is a cleaning means as a rotary cleaning body (cleaning part) rotatably arranged at the lower part of the main body case 20 The brush 28 and the rotary brush 28 are driven to rotate. And a like brush motor 29 is a rotation driving means as an operation unit. Further, this vacuum cleaner 11 includes, as an input / output / control unit, a sensor unit 31 as an operation unit having various sensors, a display unit 34 as a display means, a communication unit 35 as an operation unit (communication unit), a circuit board. The control means 37 etc. which are main body control circuits comprised by the above are provided. The vacuum cleaner 11 is provided with 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 11 (main body case 20) is defined as the front-rear direction (arrow FR, RR directions shown in FIG. 1 and the like), and the left-right direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the front-rear direction. (Both sides direction) is 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, and a plurality of exhaust ports 42 are opened in front of the suction port 41. In addition, an openable / closable discharge port 43 communicating with the dust collecting unit 22 is opened at the left and right central portion of the rear portion of the main body case 20, and the secondary battery 39 is connected to both sides of the discharge port 43. Electrically connected charging terminals 45, 45 are arranged.

  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 exhaust port 42 communicates with the exhaust side of the electric blower 21 through the dust collecting unit 22.

  The electric blower 21 generates a negative pressure by driving and sucks and cleans floor 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 It is accommodated in the main body case 20 along the direction (horizontal direction). 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 collection unit 22 collects dust sucked from the suction port 41 by driving the electric blower 21.

  Each drive wheel 23 causes the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to travel in the forward and backward directions (autonomous traveling) on the floor surface, that is, for traveling, and is not illustrated along the left-right width direction. It has an axis and is arranged symmetrically in the width direction.

  Each motor 24 is arranged corresponding to each of the driving wheels 23, for example, and can drive each driving wheel 23 independently.

  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 a rotation axis along the vertical direction (vertical direction), swivels along the floor surface, and collects and cleans dust. A plurality of (for example, 3) protruding radially and contacting the floor surface. And bristles 48 as cleaning bodies. 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 that dust in the front (traveling direction) is scraped 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 rotating brush 28 has a rotating shaft in the horizontal direction along the floor surface, and sweeps out dust on the floor surface to clean it.It is formed in a long shape, and both end portions rotate around both sides of the suction port 41 in the width direction. It is pivotally supported. The rotating brush 28 protrudes from the suction port 41 to the lower side of the lower surface of the main body case 20, and with the vacuum cleaner 11 placed on the floor surface, the lower portion touches the floor surface and scrapes dust. Is configured to take.

  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 is, for example, a rotational speed detection means such as an optical encoder that measures the rotational speed of the motor 24, an obstacle such as an ultrasonic sensor that detects an obstacle by detecting a distance from an obstacle such as a wall or furniture. It is equipped with functions such as obstacle detection means that is distance measurement means such as an infrared sensor and step detection means such as an infrared sensor that detects a step on the floor surface, etc., and the upper and outer peripheral parts (front and rear parts) of the main body case 20 ) And the lower part.

  The display unit 34 displays time and time, or various types of information related to the vacuum cleaner 11, and is disposed, for example, on the upper portion of the main body case 20. The display unit 34 may be, for example, a touch panel that also has a function of an input operation unit that allows a user to directly input various settings.

  The communication unit 35 is configured separately from the control unit 37, and includes a camera 51 as an imaging unit, a wireless LAN device 52 as a communication unit for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside, and the camera 51 and the wireless LAN. A signal processing circuit 53 electrically connected to the device 52 is provided in a unit form.

  The camera 51 is an imaging camera module including a wide-angle lens 51a and a CMOS sensor (not shown), and is detachably connected to the signal processing circuit 53 via a connector (not shown). The camera 51 is disposed, for example, in the direction of the rear 45 ° of the outer periphery of the main body case 20, and is inclined in the direction along the radial direction of the central axis of the main body case 20, in this embodiment, from the front to the front. It is possible to capture an image of the region extending over the upper part with a predetermined horizontal angle of view (for example, 105 °), and the captured image can be converted into data and output to the signal processing circuit 53. That is, the camera 51 is disposed at a position away from the turning center (center axis) of the main body case 20.

  The wireless LAN device 52 is used for wireless communication with the external device 17 via the access point 14 and the network 15. Accordingly, various information can be received from the network 15 and various information can be input from the external device 17 via the wireless LAN device 52. That is, the wireless LAN device 52 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 17 via the network 15. The wireless LAN device 52 is detachably connected to the signal processing circuit 53 via a connector (not shown) or the like.

  The signal processing circuit 53 is detachably connected to the control means 37 via a connector or the like (not shown), processes a signal received via the wireless LAN device 52, and outputs it to the camera 51 and the control means 37 It is possible to output signals from the camera 51 and the control means 37 to the wireless LAN device 52. This signal processing circuit 53 is a lens distortion correction process that corrects lens distortion caused by the wide-angle lens 51a of the camera 51, and a synthesis process that generates a composite image (data) by combining adjacent images based on overlapping image information. And image synthesizing means having various image processing functions such as compression processing for compressing the image data 55 generated by the synthesis processing into a predetermined format, for example, a format such as jpeg. The function of image composition determination means for determining success or failure of composition processing is provided.

  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 such as an SDRAM that stores image data captured by the camera 51, a timer that measures calendar information such as the current date and time, and the like are provided. The control unit 37 is electrically connected to the electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, the brush motor 29, the sensor unit 31, the display unit 34, and the signal processing circuit 53, and is detected by the sensor unit 31. Based on the results, the autonomous battery and the cleaning mode, which is a running mode for controlling the driving of the electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, the brush motor 29, and the like, and the secondary battery 39 via the charging device There are a charging mode in which charging is performed, an imaging mode in which imaging is performed by the camera 51, and a standby mode in standby for operation.

  Secondary battery 39 includes electric blower 21, each motor 24, each side brush motor 27, brush motor 29, sensor unit 31, communication unit 35 (camera 51, wireless LAN device 52 and signal processing circuit 53), control means 37, etc. The power is supplied to

  On the other hand, the charging device is disposed at a position that does not interfere with cleaning, such as in the vicinity of a wall section that divides a room. The charging device includes a charging circuit for charging the secondary battery 39 such as a constant current circuit, a pair of charging terminals electrically connected to the charging circuit, a power supply cord for power supply connected to a commercial power source, And a detachable dust box for collecting dust. In addition, the charging device is airtightly connected to the discharge port 43 of the vacuum cleaner 11 that has returned, and a suction port that sucks out the dust in the dust collecting portion 22 by driving the electric blower 21 in the main body case 20 is a dust box. Open to communicate.

  The access point 14 is installed in the building H and connected to the network 15 by, for example, a wired connection.

  The server 16 is a computer connected to the network 15 and can store various data. The server 16 stores image data 55 captured by the camera 51 and display means 56 that is a dedicated program for viewing the image data 55. These data 55 and display means 56 are stored in the server 16. Can be downloaded to the external device 17 via the network 15.

  The image data 55 includes composite image (panoramic image) data obtained by combining the image data captured by the camera 51 by the signal processing circuit 53.

  The display means 56 is described in a language that does not depend on the type of the external device 17 such as Javascript (registered trademark), in other words, can be executed by various external devices 17, and is combined with the image data 55. It is downloaded to the external device 17 via the network 15. In this display means 56, for example, a display mode for instructing the camera 51 to capture an image and displaying the captured image, a state display mode for displaying the state of the vacuum cleaner 11, Various modes such as a setting mode for inputting various settings are installed. The display unit 56 is dedicated to the cleaning system 10 of the present embodiment, and the cleaning unit 58 is configured by the display unit 56, the electric vacuum cleaner 11, the charging device, and the like.

  The external device 17 can be wired or wirelessly communicated with the network 15 via the access point 14 inside the building H, for example, and can be wired or wirelessly communicated with the network 15 outside the building H, for example, PC (Tablet terminal (tablet PC)) 17a and a general-purpose device such as a smartphone (mobile phone) 17b. The external device 17 includes a display unit that can display an image, a display engine that controls display of the display unit, and external device control means that controls various operations.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  When cleaning, for example, the vacuum cleaner 11 uses a wireless LAN to send a cleaning command signal transmitted from the external device 17 and transmitted by the access point 14 via the network 15 when a preset cleaning start time is reached. Control means that has received the device 52 and has entered the cleaning mode from the standby mode at the start of cleaning, such as when a cleaning start signal based on this cleaning command signal is input to the control means 37 via the signal processing circuit 53 37 drives the electric blower 21, drive wheels 23, 23 (motors 24, 24), side brushes 26, 26 (side brush motors 27, 27), rotating brush 28 (brush motor 29), etc. Then, the cleaning is started while autonomously running on the floor surface by the drive wheels 23 and 23. The cleaning start position can be set at an arbitrary place such as the travel start position of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 or the entrance / exit of the room.

  During traveling, the control means 37 detects, for example, the distance from the wall portion W surrounding the room or an obstacle in the room, a step on the floor, and the like via the sensor unit 31, and the vacuum cleaner 11 By monitoring the running state of the (main body case 20) and driving the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) in response to the detection from the sensor unit 31, electric power can be avoided while avoiding obstacles and steps. The cleaner 11 is made to run on the floor surface, for example, randomly or along the wall.

  Then, the vacuum cleaner 11 collects dust to the suction port 41 by the side brushes 26, 26 that are driven to rotate, and the suction port in which the negative pressure generated by driving the electric blower 21 acts via the dust collection unit 22 41 sucks dust on the floor together with air. 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 the exhaust port 42 to the outside of the main body case 20.

  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 vacuum cleaner 11 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) by the control means 37 and returns to the charging device. At the time of this return, for example, the vacuum cleaner 11 may be brought close to the charging device based on a guide signal output from the charging device, or charging may be performed according to a room map stored in advance in the control means 37. You may return to the position of the device. Then, the vacuum cleaner 11 connects the charging terminal 45 (mechanically and electrically) to the charging terminal in a state of moving (returning) to the charging device, stops each part, and finishes the cleaning operation.

  After the cleaning operation is completed, for example, the control unit 37 drives the electric blower 21 to suck out dust collected in the dust collecting unit 22 from the discharge port 43 to the dust box through the suction port of the charging device. Further, the control means 37 shifts to the charging mode at a predetermined timing, for example, when a preset charging start time is reached or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the vacuum cleaner 11 was connected to the charging device. When the charging circuit of the charging device is driven to charge the secondary battery 39, and it is determined that the voltage of the secondary battery 39 has increased to a predetermined usable voltage, the charging device stops charging by the charging circuit and performs charging work. And the control means 37 enters the standby mode.

  Then, when taking a picture of the interior (home) of the building H such as a room using the camera 51, the signal processing circuit 53 is connected from the external device 17 to the network 15 as described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Whether or not the wireless LAN device 52 has received an imaging instruction signal, which is an external signal instructing imaging with the camera 51 transmitted by the access point 14 via, is determined, for example, in real time or at predetermined time intervals (step 1). . For wireless communication between the external device 17 and the vacuum cleaner 11, for example, by setting an ID and a password for each external device 17 and each vacuum cleaner 11 and requesting authentication at the time of connection, it is illegal. It is preferable not to receive the signal.

  If it is determined in step 1 that an imaging instruction signal has not been received, step 1 is repeated. If it is determined that an imaging instruction signal has been received, the signal processing circuit 53 sends a movement command signal based on the imaging instruction signal to the control means 37. (Step 2). Next, the control means 37 that has received the movement command signal detects the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 regardless of the mode, and the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is an imageable capacity that can be imaged by the camera 51. It is determined whether or not there is (step 3). Hereinafter, the imageable capacity means, for example, that the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner 11) can travel for a predetermined distance or more, and the signal processing circuit 53 processes the image 55 captured by the camera 51 and the captured image data 55. The capacity can be transmitted from the network 15 to the external device 17 via the wireless LAN device 52.

  If it is determined in step 3 that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is not an imageable capacity, the control means 37 generates a signal indicating that the image cannot be captured and outputs the signal to the signal processing circuit 53. Based on the signal received from the means 37, the signal processing circuit 53 outputs to the wireless LAN device 52, for example, a signal notifying the external device 17 that imaging is impossible, and the access point 14 is transmitted from the wireless LAN device 52 to the wireless LAN device 52. To the external device 17 via the network 15 (step 4), ignoring the imaging instruction signal and returning to step 1.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 3 that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 39 is greater than or equal to the imageable capacity, the control means 37 determines the current mode (step 5).

  If it is determined in step 5 that the charging mode or the standby mode is selected, the control means 37 drives the driving wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) to separate the vacuum cleaner 11 from the charging device ( Step 6), and shifts to the imaging mode (Step 7). On the other hand, if it is determined in step 5 that the cleaning mode is set, 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), for example. The driving is stopped to stop the cleaning (step 8), and the process proceeds to step 7 to shift to the imaging mode. This imaging mode processing will be described later.

  When the imaging mode in step 7 is completed, the signal processing circuit 53 outputs a signal indicating the end of the imaging mode to the control means 37 (step 9), and the control means 37 that has received this signal shifts to the imaging mode. The mode immediately before is determined (step 10). When it is determined in step 10 that the charging mode or the standby mode is set, the control means 37 returns the vacuum cleaner 11 to the charging device in the same manner as in the cleaning operation, and shifts to the charging mode (step 11).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 10 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 12). When it is determined that the capacity is sufficient, the control means 37 is operated by the electric blower 21, the side brushes 26 and 26 (side brush motors 27 and 27), and the rotating brush 28 (brush motor 29). Is driven to return to cleaning (step 13), and when it is determined that the capacity is insufficient, the process proceeds to step 11, and the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is returned to the charging device in the same manner as in the cleaning operation to shift to the charging mode. 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.

  Next, the imaging mode in step 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In this imaging mode, first, the control means 37 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) to autonomously travel the main body case 20 to a predetermined position (step 21). This movement to the predetermined position may be guided by outputting a guide beacon that guides the main body case 20 to the predetermined position by a guide means (not shown) installed in the room, for example, or using the function of the sensor unit 31. Alternatively, it may be a substantially central position of a room separated by a predetermined distance or more from the surrounding wall. When the position where the imaging instruction signal is received is the predetermined position, imaging is performed at that position. That is, the autonomous traveling of the main body case 20 at a predetermined position includes the case where the autonomous traveling distance of the main body case 20 is zero. The imaging position may be selected from a plurality. In this case, it is preferable that the user can select or set the imaging position using the external device 17 or the like.

  Next, the control means 37 outputs a signal that stops moving to the signal processing circuit 53, and the signal processing circuit 53 that has received this signal outputs a signal instructing imaging to the camera 51, whereby the camera 51 An image is picked up (FIG. 7A), and the image data is output to the signal processing circuit 53 (step 22). Thereafter, the signal processing circuit 53 performs lens distortion correction processing for correcting the distortion of the wide-angle lens 51a of the camera 51 on the received image data (step 23, FIG. 7B).

  Further, in the signal processing circuit 53, it is determined whether or not the camera 51 has captured a predetermined number of images, for example, eight images in the present embodiment (step 24). If it is determined in step 24 that a predetermined number of images have not been captured, a signal is output to the control means 37, and the control means 37 that has received this signal turns the drive wheels 23, 23 (motors 24, 24) on. By driving, the main body case 20 is turned leftward (or rightward) by a predetermined turning angle (step 25), and the process returns to step 22. The predetermined turning angle is a predetermined imaging angle, in this embodiment, an angle obtained by dividing 360 ° by a predetermined number and a predetermined angle less than the horizontal angle of view of the camera 51, preferably a predetermined angle equal to or less than half of the horizontal angle of view. In the embodiment, it is set to 45 °. By controlling in this way, the vacuum cleaner 11 can capture images in a plurality of adjacent directions at an angle less than the horizontal angle of view of the camera 51 by a predetermined imaging angle (FIG. 6). Therefore, these images include, for example, 30 ° of image information (imaging area) that overlaps at least adjacent images, and in this embodiment, more than half of the images adjacent to each other overlap, An image is captured without a blind spot over a predetermined imaging angle. Hereinafter, the turning of the main body case 20 (the vacuum cleaner 11) means that one driving wheel 23 (one motor 24) and the other driving wheel 23 (the other motor 24) are rotated in opposite directions. Thus, it is said to be a so-called super-spindle turn that keeps its position around the central axis of the main body case 20, but is not limited to this, for example, around a predetermined turning center with a predetermined radius This includes the case where the vehicle travels in a circle to turn.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 24 that a predetermined number of images have been captured, the signal processing circuit 53 trims a rectangular area from the image data corrected in step 23 (in the imaginary line in FIG. 7B). Then, the image is projected onto the cylindrical surface and synthesized (step 26, FIG. 7 (c)). Since the algorithm of this image composition processing is already known, its details are omitted. Next, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the synthesis process is successful (step 27).

  As the determination of the success or failure of the composition processing, the success or failure of the composition processing to the composite image is determined depending on whether or not the matching error between adjacent images is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. That is, the adjacent images are captured by the camera 51 having the wide angle lens 51a having the horizontal field angle of 105 ° while the main body case 20 is rotated by a predetermined turning angle, 45 ° in this embodiment. Since the image overlaps with the image by 30 °, overlay matching is performed at each of these portions, the degree of overlap at this time is digitized, and the magnitude is compared with a preset threshold value. In the present embodiment, for example, the degree of overlap is quantified to 0 to 1, and the threshold is set to 0.25. To do. Further, as the determination of success or failure of the synthesis in the signal processing circuit 53, when the imaging with the camera 51 fails at at least one location, it is determined that the synthesis processing to the synthesized image is unsuccessful. In other words, when the image data captured by the camera 51 is lost due to an external factor such as noise, or when the storage fails, it is assumed that the composition processing has failed.

  If it is determined in step 27 that the composition is successful, the signal processing circuit 53 compresses the generated composite image (panoramic image) data to generate image data 55 (step 28). The image data 55 is output to the wireless LAN device 52, and the image data 55 is transmitted from the wireless LAN device 52 to the server 16 via the access point 14 via the network 15 (step 29). The server 16 storing the wirelessly transmitted image data 55 indicates to the external device 17 that the image composition processing has been successful and a URL indicating the position of the image data 55 when the image is stored. The electronic mail 59 as the notification means described is transmitted (step 30), and the imaging mode processing is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 27 that the composition process has not succeeded (the composition process has failed), the signal processing circuit 53 compresses the data of each unsynthesized image by one sheet, Data 55 is generated (step 31), and it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of sheets have been compressed (step 32). If it is determined in this step 32 that the predetermined number of sheets have not been compressed, the process returns to step 31. If it is determined that the predetermined number of sheets has been compressed, the image data 55 is transferred to the wireless LAN device 52 as 1. Each image is output and image data 55 is transmitted from the wireless LAN device 52 via the access point 14 to the server 16 via the network 15 (step 33). The transmitted image data 55 is stored in the server 16. Next, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the image data 55 has been transmitted for a predetermined number of unsynthesized images (step 34). If it is determined in step 34 that the predetermined number of sheets has not been transmitted, the process returns to step 33. If it is determined that the predetermined number of sheets has been transmitted, an e-mail notifying the composition processing failure and prompting improvement of the imaging position environment 59 (see, for example, FIG. 12) is transmitted from the server 16 to the external device 17 (step 35), and the imaging mode processing is terminated.

  The image data 55 stored in the server 16 is downloaded to the external device 17 together with the display means 56 by accessing the above URL from the external device 17 via the network 15, and this display means 56 is executed by the external device 17. Therefore, it can be visually confirmed at an arbitrary timing. In this display means 56, for example, an angle range to be reproduced (cut out) from a composite image generated from the image data 55 is converted into a turning angle of the main body case 20 and changed by a predetermined angle (a constant interval) to change one sheet. A method of displaying frame by frame (frame-by-frame display), a method of displaying a frame-by-frame continuous image at predetermined time intervals by converting the synthesized image generated from the image data 55 into a turning angle of the main body case 20 at a predetermined minute angle. (Animation display), a method of sequentially displaying each unsynthesized image generated by the image data 55 (sequential turning display), and each unsynthesized image generated by the image data 55 is automatically displayed continuously. One of the methods (automatic turning display) can be selected.

  For example, the display unit 56 displays an input / output interface image as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, for example, in a state where the display mode is selected by being executed by the external device 17. The interface image shown in FIG. 4 is for a terminal such as a PC 17a having a relatively wide display screen, for example, and the interface image shown in FIG. 5 is, for example, a smartphone 17b having a relatively narrow display screen in a portrait orientation. For terminals. In these screens, a display area 61 for displaying an image is provided at a substantially central portion, and an operation input means for instructing a frame advance direction when displaying an image frame by frame is displayed below the display area 61. The frame advance buttons 62 and 63, and an automatic display operation button 64 as animation operation input means for instructing start and stop when an image is displayed in animation are arranged. Furthermore, in this interface image, a mode switching button 65 for switching the mode of the display means 56 is arranged at the upper part of the display area 61 or the like.

  The display means 56 operates the frame advance buttons 62 and 63 to display a frame advance display, for example, a predetermined angle (45 ° in the present embodiment) that is a turning angle of the main body case 20 at the time of imaging. In this embodiment, an angle range of ± 15 °, for example, is cut out from the composite image in the display area 61 and displayed in the display area 61, and each unsynthesized image is sequentially displayed in the display area 61 when sequentially turning. To display. Further, the display means 56 operates the automatic display operation button 64 so that, for example, an animation display is performed at an angle smaller than the playback angle at the time of frame advance display from a composite image, for example, 1 in this embodiment. Images in the above angle range are cut out and displayed continuously in the display area 61, and unsynthesized images are automatically and continuously displayed during automatic turning display. Of course, the angle to be reproduced at the time of frame advance display and animation display need not be limited to the above-mentioned angle, and may be appropriately set to a captured image or an angle that is easy for the user to view.

  Specific display control by the display means 56 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The display means 56 determines whether the image data 55 downloaded from the server 16 is composite image data, in other words, whether it is composite image data or uncombined image data (step 41). If it is determined in step 41 that the image data 55 is composite image data, the processing proceeds to the following steps 42 to 52, that is, control of frame advance display or animation display (composite image display control). If it is determined that the image data 55 is not composite image data (unsynthesized image data), the processing in the following steps 55 to 61, that is, control of sequential turning display or automatic turning display (individual Proceed to composite image display control. In other words, the display means 56 switches display control according to the type of image data 55 stored (uploaded) in the server 16 (whether the image data 55 includes composite image data).

  First, in the composite image display control, the display means 56 determines whether a display operation has been input (step 42). The display operation in step 42 specifically refers to a frame advance operation for frame advance display by operating the frame advance buttons 62 and 63, or an operation for starting or stopping animation display by operating the automatic display operation button 64.

  If it is determined in step 42 that the frame advance button 62 has been operated, that is, a display operation for performing a frame advance operation in the forward direction (the same direction as the turning direction during imaging of the main body case 20) is input, The means 56 increases the angle for reproducing the image by a predetermined angle (for example, + 15 °) (step 43), and cuts out the image to be reproduced and displayed in the display area 61 from the synthesized image (step 44). On the other hand, if it is determined in step 31 that the frame advance button 63 has been operated, that is, a display operation for performing a frame advance operation in the reverse direction (the direction opposite to the turning direction during imaging of the main body case 20) has been input, The means 56 increases the reproduction angle by a predetermined angle (for example, −15 °) (step 45), and proceeds to step 44. After step 44, the display means 56 corrects the image distortion of the clipped reproduced image (FIG. 8 (a) and FIG. 8 (b)) and displays it in the display area 61 (step 46). The distortion correction process in step 46 is an inverse conversion process in which an image projected on a cylindrical surface is projected onto a plane when generating a composite image (panoramic image), and is a known technique, and therefore will not be described in detail. Is omitted.

  After this step 46, the display means 56 determines whether or not to end the display mode (step 47). The end of the display mode indicates, for example, a case where another mode is selected by the mode switching button 65. If it is determined in step 47 that the display mode is to be terminated, the display mode is terminated as it is. If it is determined in step 47 that the display mode is not terminated, the process returns to step 42.

  If it is determined in step 42 that the automatic display operation button 64 has been operated, that is, a display operation for displaying an animation has been input, the display means 56 increases the angle for reproducing the image by a predetermined angle (for example, +1). (Step 48), and a playback image within a predetermined angle range is cut out from the synthesized image (step 49), and image distortion of the cut-out playback image is corrected (reverse conversion) (FIG. 8 (a)). 8 (b)) and displayed in the display area 61 (step 50). If the playback angle becomes 360 ° in step 48, the playback angle may be reset to 0 ° and continued (loop display), or the animation display is stopped and the process proceeds to step 47. But you can.

  After step 50, the display means 56 determines whether or not the automatic display operation button 64 has been operated, that is, whether or not an animation display stop operation has been input (step 51), and the automatic display operation button 64 is operated. If it is determined that the animation display is stopped (step 52), the process proceeds to step 47. If it is determined that the automatic display operation button 64 is not operated, the process returns to step 48.

  Similarly, in the individual unsynthesized image display control, the display unit 56 determines whether or not a display operation has been input (step 55). The display operation in step 55 specifically refers to a sequential turning display operation by operating the frame advance buttons 62 and 63, or an automatic turning display start or stop operation by operating the automatic display operation button 64.

  Then, when it is determined in step 55 that the frame advance button 62 has been operated, that is, a display operation for feeding an unsynthesized image in the forward direction (the same direction as the turning direction during imaging of the main body case 20) has been input. The display means 56 sends one order of the data of a plurality of unsynthesized images, and displays an image on the display area 61 based on the data of the unsynthesized images (step 56). On the other hand, when it is determined in step 55 that the frame advance button 63 has been operated, that is, a display operation for performing an operation to send an unsynthesized image in the reverse direction (the direction opposite to the turning direction during imaging of the main body case 20) is input. The display means 56 reverses the order of the data of the plurality of unsynthesized images, and displays the images in the display area 61 based on the data of the unsynthesized images (step 57). Unlike the composite image data, each unsynthesized image is not subjected to any image processing after the lens distortion correction process, so when displaying it in the display area 61, an image such as step 46 or step 50 is displayed. Distortion correction processing (inverse transformation) is unnecessary.

  After these steps 56 and 57, the display means 56 determines whether or not to end the display mode (step 58). If it is determined in step 58 that the display mode is to be ended, the display mode is ended as it is. If it is determined in step 58 that the display mode is not terminated, the process returns to step 55.

  If it is determined in step 55 that the automatic display operation button 64 has been operated, that is, a display operation for automatic turning display has been input, the display means 56 selects the next order from the plurality of unsynthesized image data. Based on the data, images are displayed for a predetermined time (step 59), and then it is determined whether or not the automatic display operation button 64 has been operated, that is, whether or not an automatic turning display stop operation has been input (step 60). If it is determined in step 60 that the automatic display operation button 64 has been operated, the automatic turning display is stopped (step 61), and the process proceeds to step 58, where it is determined that the automatic display operation button 64 has not been operated. If YES, return to step 59. In step 59, when the display of the data in the last order is finished, the order of the data of the image to be displayed may be reset first and continued (loop display), or the automatic turning display is stopped. You may proceed to step 55.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, at least one of each image captured by the camera 51 at a position where the main body case 20 is moved by a predetermined amount and a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing these images is displayed on the external device 17. By enabling the display, the image and the composite image can be selectively displayed on the external device 17 as necessary.

  In the first embodiment, as in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the external device 17 can designate and set which of the individual image data and the composite image data is necessary. It is good also as a structure.

  That is, for example, by displaying a selection button 68 as a selection means operable by the user on an interface screen displayed on the external device 17 by the display means 56, when outputting an imaging command signal or before that In the stage, individual unsynthesized images and synthesized images can be selected.

  In this case, after step 24 of the first embodiment, for example, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the synthesis mode is selected (step 65), and when it is determined that the synthesis mode is selected. The process proceeds to step 26, and if it is determined that the synthesis mode is not selected, the process proceeds to step 31.

  After step 34, for example, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether the synthesis process has failed (step 66) .If it is determined that the synthesis process has not failed, the process proceeds to step 30, and the synthesis process is performed. If it is determined that the process has failed, the process proceeds to step 35.

  In this way, the external device 17 can select whether the image data 55 transmitted by the wireless LAN device 52 via the network 15 is the composite image data or the plurality of unsynthesized image data. By doing so, it is possible to display an image suitable for the performance of the external device 17 used by the user.

  Further, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 15, it is possible to switch between transmission of individual image data and composite image data according to the type of the external device 17.

  That is, the signal processing circuit 53 or the like has functions of a type detection unit and an image selection unit that detect the type (model) of the external device 17, and the external device 17 that outputs the imaging command signal is inferior in display function (for example, In the case of a specific model such as a small display screen or a low display resolution) or a specific model such as slow image processing, it is possible to display only individual unsynthesized images without displaying synthesized images. . In addition, only when the external device 17 that has output the imaging command signal is a specific model with excellent display function or a specific model such as fast image processing, it is possible to display a composite image or individual unsynthesized images, For other models, only individual unsynthesized images may be displayed.

  Specifically, after step 24 of the first embodiment, for example, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the type of the external device 17 is a model that may transmit composite image data (step 68). ), If it is determined that it is a model that can transmit composite image data, the process proceeds to step 26, and if it is determined that it is not a model that can transmit composite image data, the process proceeds to step 31. move on.

  Further, after step 34, for example, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the synthesis process has failed (step 69) .If it is determined that the synthesis process has not failed, the process proceeds to step 30 and the synthesis process is performed. If it is determined that the process has failed, the process proceeds to step 35.

  In this way, depending on the type of the external device 17, whether the image data 55 transmitted to the server 16 via the network 15 by the wireless LAN device 52 is composite image data or a plurality of unsynthesized image data. By selecting, it is possible to automatically display an image suitable for the performance of the external device 17 used by the user, and to compose only when necessary according to the type of external device 17 Since the processing is performed, the processing in the signal processing circuit 53 can be further reduced.

  Note that the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, the synthesized image data generated by the signal processing circuit 53 and the plurality of unsynthesized image data output from the signal processing circuit 53 by the wireless LAN device 52. By enabling transmission to the server 16 via the network 15, it is possible to reduce the processing capacity and memory capacity of the server 16 and the external device 17 that receive images.

  Specifically, the wireless LAN device 52 transmits at least composite image data to the server 16 via the network 15 when determining that the compositing process has succeeded, and when determining that the compositing process has failed, Sending the composite image data to the server 16 via the network 15 does not provide the user with an image that has failed in the composition process, and does not impair the function of displaying the image even if the composition process fails. Since it is possible to provide an image for the user to see the state of the house, a safer watching function can be obtained.

  In addition, when the composite image data obtained by combining the data of each image captured by the camera 51 is transmitted to the server 16, a wide range can be confirmed by the composite image (panoramic image) that has been combined, The amount of data when the image data 55 is transmitted to the server 16 is reduced.

  Moreover, since the composite image is compressed and transmitted to the server 16, the amount of data when the image data 55 is transmitted to the server 16 is reduced, communication time can be shortened and communication quality can be stabilized, and communication load can be reduced. Can be further reduced.

  Further, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the composition processing of individual images may be performed by the display means 56 that is a program stored in the server 16. That is, the display unit 56 may have functions of a storage unit and an image composition determination unit.

  Specifically, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 17, Step 71 to Step 74 similar to Step 31 to Step 34 are performed after Step 24 of the first embodiment. That is, the signal processing circuit 53 compresses each piece of unsynthesized image data by one to generate image data 55 (step 71), and determines whether or not a predetermined number of compressions have been performed (step 72). . If it is determined in step 72 that the predetermined number of sheets have not been compressed, the process returns to step 71. If it is determined that the predetermined number of sheets has been compressed, the image data 55 is transferred to the wireless LAN device 52 by one. The image data is output one by one, and image data 55 is transmitted from the wireless LAN device 52 via the access point 14 to the server 16 via the network 15 (step 73). Next, the signal processing circuit 53 determines whether or not the image data 55 has been transmitted for a predetermined number of unsynthesized images (step 74). If it is determined in step 74 that the predetermined number has not been transmitted, the process returns to step 73. If it is determined that the predetermined number has been transmitted, the process proceeds to step 30.

  Further, the display means 56 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 18 as well. In step 75, instead of step 41, a step 75 for combining each unsynthesized image transmitted in step 73 and stored in the server 16, In step 75, step 76 is performed to determine whether or not the synthesis process is successful. In this step 76, it is determined in the same manner as in the above step 27 whether or not the synthesizing process is successful. If it is determined in step 76 that the combining process has been successful, the process proceeds to step 42, and if it is determined that the combining process has not been successful (the combining process has failed), the process proceeds to step 55.

  In this way, the display unit 56 having the function of a storage unit that generates a single composite image data by combining the data of a plurality of unsynthesized images transmitted from the wireless LAN device 52 and stores the data in the server 16 is provided. By providing the server 16, the processing amount of the signal processing circuit 53 on the electric vacuum cleaner 11 side can be reduced, and the server 16 capable of performing higher-speed processing than the signal processing circuit 53 can be used for image synthesis processing. Therefore, the synthesis process can be performed at a higher speed.

  Further, when the display unit 56 determines that the combining process is successful, the display unit 56 displays the combined image based on at least the combined image data, and when the display unit 56 determines that the combining process has failed, Since each image is displayed on the basis of the image, it is possible to provide the user with an image for failing the compositing process and to provide an image for the user to see the state of the house even if the compositing process fails. A safer watch function can be obtained.

  In the fourth embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the display unit 56 can indicate and set which of the individual image data and the composite image data is necessary. It is good.

  That is, for example, by displaying the selection button 68 (see FIG. 13) that can be operated by the user on the interface screen displayed on the external device 17 by the display means 56, or before the imaging command signal is output. At this stage, individual unsynthesized images and synthesized images can be selected.

  Then, the display means 56 performs step 78 before step 75 to determine whether or not the synthesis mode is selected as in step 65. If it is determined in step 78 that the synthesis mode is selected, the process proceeds to step 75. If it is determined that the synthesis mode is not selected, the process proceeds to step 55.

  In this way, the user can select whether the image displayed by the display means 56 is a composite image based on the composite image data or each non-composite image based on the data of a plurality of unsynthesized images. As a result, an image suitable for the performance of the external device 17 used by the user can be displayed.

  Further, in the fourth and fifth embodiments, the lens distortion correction process may be performed by the signal processing circuit 53 of the vacuum cleaner 11, or the wireless LAN of the vacuum cleaner 11 without performing the lens distortion correction process. The image data 55 transmitted from the device 52 may be subjected to lens distortion correction means such as display means 56 provided in the server 16.

  According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the camera 51 captures an image of a wide range in the house such as a room at each position where the main body case 20 is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle by the control means 37. For example, a 360 ° panoramic image can be obtained.

  Furthermore, since the camera 51 includes the wide-angle lens 51a, a wide range can be imaged by one imaging, the number of imaging can be suppressed, and the power consumption of the secondary battery 39 can be suppressed. On the other hand, since the image captured by the wide-angle lens 51a is distorted, by correcting the lens distortion by the signal processing circuit 53, it is possible to provide an image that is easy for the user to capture while capturing a wide range.

  Then, since the control unit 37 captures images in a plurality of adjacent directions at an angle less than the angle of view of the wide-angle lens 51a of the camera 51 by the camera 51, a wide range can be reliably captured by the camera 51 without blind spots. Therefore, for example, it is possible to effectively capture the indoor state and changes.

  In each of the above embodiments, as in the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, when the camera 51 captures an image, the control means 37 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 so that the main body case 20 is predetermined. You may make it image | photograph whenever it carries out the distance linear movement.

  Specifically, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 21 as well, if it is determined in step 24 of each of the above embodiments that a predetermined number of images has not been captured, the signal processing circuit 53 outputs a signal to the control means 37. Upon receipt of this signal, the control means 37 drives the drive wheels 23 and 23 (motors 24 and 24) to move the main body case 20 straight by a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction (step 81), and returns to step 22. It may be. The predetermined distance is a distance obtained by dividing a predetermined imaging range by a predetermined number and less than a distance that can be imaged by the horizontal angle of view of the camera 51, and includes at least image information (imaging areas) that overlap each other between adjacent images. Thus, an image is captured without a blind spot over a predetermined imaging range.

  Further, the display means 56 will be described with reference also to the flowchart of FIG. Step 82 and step 83 for moving forward or backward by a first predetermined distance are performed, and instead of step 48, the range for reproducing the image is smaller than the first predetermined distance for moving forward or backward by step 82 and step 83 A step 84 for advancing the second predetermined distance is performed, and a step 85 for cutting out a reproduced image within a predetermined distance range from the position advanced by the step 84 from the synthesized image instead of the step 49 is performed.

  In this way, by imaging with the camera 51 for each position where the main body case 20 is linearly moved by a predetermined distance by the control means 37, a wide range in the house such as a room can be imaged. Can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, when the imaging instruction signal is received during the charging operation of the secondary battery 39, it waits until the secondary battery 39 is charged to a predetermined capacity (for example, full charge), You may transfer to imaging mode after charging.

  Furthermore, when communication between the network 15 and the wireless LAN device 52 is interrupted, for example, when the vacuum cleaner 11 enters the blind spot of communication with the network 15 (access point 14) during the imaging mode, The electric vacuum cleaner 11 may be stopped at that position, or the electric vacuum cleaner 11 may be stopped after autonomous traveling to a predetermined position.

  Since wireless communication using the wireless LAN device 52 consumes power, it is preferable to suppress communication by the wireless LAN device 52 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 52 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 vacuum cleaner 11 is connected to the charging device.

  Also, when the imaging instruction signal is received via the external device 17, the mode is switched to the imaging mode. For example, when the predetermined time stored in advance or every predetermined time is reached, the mode is automatically switched to the imaging mode using a timer. You may make it do. In this case, the predetermined time and the predetermined time may be directly set in the vacuum cleaner 11 (control unit 37) via a display unit 34 having a function of an external input unit such as a remote controller (not shown) or an input operation unit. Alternatively, remote setting may be performed from the external device 17. And in this structure, when there exists a target which a user wants to image regularly, it becomes possible to image automatically.

  The imaging instruction signal is ignored during the charging mode for charging the secondary battery 39. For example, power is supplied to the sensor unit 31 even in the charging mode, and the imaging instruction signal is received even in the charging mode. That way, you can always monitor the room.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, at least one of each image captured by the camera 51 at a position where the main body case 20 is moved by a predetermined amount and a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing these images is external device 17. By enabling the display, the image and the composite image can be selectively displayed on the external device 17 as necessary, and convenience is improved.

  In addition, the display means 56 changes the display method depending on whether the image data 55 stored in the server 16 is composite image data or uncombined image data, so that it is suitable for each image. The display can be selected and set, and the image can be made easier to see.

  Specifically, in the display means 56, when the composite image data is stored in the server 16, the image is sequentially cut out from the composite image by a predetermined angle in terms of the turning angle or the straight movement distance of the main body case 20. Frame-by-frame, so you can see the image of your home in greater detail.

  In addition, since the frame advance direction of the clipped image can be set in both directions, it is possible to easily select a location that the user wants to see.

  Further, the display means 56 can convert the turning angle or the straight travel distance of the main body case 20 from the composite image and cut out a predetermined angle continuously and continuously feed frames, so when using a moving image with a large amount of data and a large communication load Compared to, the panorama composite image can be reproduced as if it were a moving picture, although the amount of data is small.

  Further, the display means 56 can display each of these images when the server 16 stores data of a plurality of unsynthesized images. Therefore, even if the synthesized image cannot be generated, the state of the home is not displayed. It can be seen by a composite image, and a safer watching function can be obtained.

  Further, since the signal processing circuit 53 or the display means 56 of the server 16 determines whether or not the synthesis processing to the composite image is successful depending on whether or not the matching error between adjacent images is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, I can judge.

  In addition, the signal processing circuit 53 or the display unit 56 of the server 16 determines that the composition processing to the composite image is unsuccessful when imaging by the camera 51 fails at at least one location. Judgment can be made more reliably.

  As a result, an image for which the composition process has failed is not provided to the user.

  Furthermore, since at least one of the success or failure of the composition processing to the composite image determined by the signal processing circuit 53 or the display means 56 of the server 16 is notified by the electronic mail 59, the success or failure of the composition processing can be determined even if the user is in a remote place. Easy and reliable confirmation.

  In addition, when the electronic mail 59 determines that the composition processing to the composite image is unsuccessful by the signal processing circuit 53 or the display unit 56 of the server 16, the composition processing has failed and the environment of the imaging position Since the content that prompts improvement is notified, the success rate of the subsequent imaging can be improved by the user improving the environment of the imaging position.

  Also, by setting the turning angle or moving distance when taking an image with the camera 51 to be half or less of the horizontal angle of view, a lot of image information that overlaps adjacent images is included, so the image quality of the generated composite image is further improved it can.

  Since the image data 55 is transmitted to the server 16 that can be downloaded to the external device 17 via the network 15 and stored, for example, in the home, the external device 17 such as the PC 17a is used and the network 15 via the access point 14 or the like. The image data 55 can be easily downloaded to the external device 17 by accessing via the network 15, and the server 16 can be accessed via the network 15 using the external device 17 such as the smartphone 17b outside the home. Can be downloaded easily.

  Therefore, the image can be seen by the external device 17 even in a remote place, and the state of the house can be easily confirmed.

  Further, since the image data 55 is compressed, the data amount of the image data 55 transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 11 is further reduced, so that communication time can be shortened and transmission errors can be prevented more effectively.

  Moreover, since the above-described various image processing is performed by the signal processing circuit 53, even if the vacuum cleaner 11 performs another operation in the control means 37 such as movement, the image processing is performed without affecting it, so that it is stable. Thus, high-speed image processing can be realized.

  In addition, since the display means 56 that is a program for processing and displaying the image data 55 is stored in the server 16 so as to be downloadable, the display means 56 is downloaded to the external device 17 together with the image data 55. Then, the image processed by the display means 56 can be viewed on the external device 17, and by describing it in a language independent of the model, one display means 56 (program) can deal with various external devices 17.

  The display means 56 performs distortion correction processing (inverse conversion) on the cut-out image, so that it displays not only the image portion actually captured by the camera 51 but also the image portion at the boundary between the images. It becomes possible. That is, by cutting out only the portion of the composite image that is desired to be displayed and performing distortion correction processing, an image at an arbitrary position can be viewed without interruption.

  As a result, the display means 56 can display an image over which a wide range, in this embodiment, the entire circumference of 360 ° can be surely viewed, and an image with a safe watching function can be obtained.

  In addition, the distortion correction process described above can be realized simply by downloading the image data 55 having a small amount of synthesized data by being operated by the display unit 56 on the external device 17, thereby reducing communication time and communication. The quality can be stabilized.

  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.

11 Vacuum cleaner
15 network
16 Server as a data storage means
17 External devices that are display devices
20 Main unit case
21 Electric blower as cleaning part
23 Drive wheels
26 Side brush as cleaning part
28 Rotating brush as cleaning part
37 Control means
51 Cameras as imaging means
52 Wireless LAN devices as communication means
53 Signal processing circuit having functions of image composition means, image composition judgment means and image selection means

Claims (19)

A body case,
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;
A cleaning section for cleaning the surface to be cleaned;
Imaging means capable of imaging at each position where the driving wheel is driven by the control means to move the main body case by a predetermined amount;
Image synthesizing means for synthesizing a plurality of images taken by the imaging means to generate a synthesized image;
Image composition determination means for determining success or failure of the composition processing to the composite image by the image composition means;
If it is determined by the image composition determination means that the composition processing has been successful, at least the composite image data is transmitted via the network to a data storage means capable of storing the data and downloadable by the display device via the network. And a communication means for transmitting the data of the plurality of images to the data storage means via a network when it is determined that the composition processing has failed by the image composition means . Communication means, and data of the synthesized image generated by the images combining means, and wherein a plurality of output from the image synthesizing unit image data and the transmission is possible over the network to the data storage means, respectively The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 . Image selection means for selecting whether the image data to be transmitted to the data storage means via the network by the communication means is composite image data or multiple image data according to the type of display device; The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the image composition determination means determines whether or not the composition processing to the composite image is successful depending on whether a matching error between adjacent images is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. . Image synthesis determining unit, when it fails to imaging by the imaging means at least one location, combining processing to the composite image claims 1 to characterized in that it is determined that the failure to 3 electrical any one described Vacuum cleaner. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the imaging means can take an image at each position where the main body case is turned by a predetermined turning angle by the control means. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the image pickup means can pick up an image at every position where the main body case is linearly moved by a predetermined distance by the control means. A main body case, a drive wheel that allows the main body case to travel, a control unit that autonomously travels the main body case by controlling driving of the drive wheel, a cleaning unit that cleans a surface to be cleaned, and an imaging unit; An image composition means for compositing a plurality of images picked up by the image pick-up means to generate a composite image, an image composition determination means for judging the success or failure of the composition processing to the composite image by the image composition means, and the image When it is determined by the combining determination means that the combining process has been successful, at least the composite image data is transmitted via the network to the data storage means capable of storing the data and downloadable by the display device via the network, When it is determined by the image composition means that the composition processing has failed, the data of the plurality of images is transferred to the data storage means via a network. In an image display method for displaying an image captured using a vacuum cleaner provided with a communicating means for transmitting,
The image display method characterized in that from said data storage means and the can be displayed by obtaining at least one of the respective image and the synthetic image. The image display method according to claim 8 , wherein the display method differs according to the image data stored in the data storage means. When the data of the composite image is stored in the data storage means, the image can be sequentially cut out from the composite image by a predetermined angle in terms of the turning angle of the main body case, and the frame advance can be performed. The image display method according to 8 or 9 . The image display method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein when a plurality of image data are stored in the data storage means, each of these images can be displayed. The image display according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the image data transmitted via the network by the communication means can be selected to be composite image data or a plurality of image data. Method. When the data of a plurality of images are stored in the data storage means, any the preceding claims 8 to characterized in that it is to generate and display the data of the data of the image synthesizing processing to synthetic images 12 An image display method according to claim 1. When the success or failure of composite processing of multiple images is determined and it is determined that the composite processing is successful, the composite image is displayed based on at least the composite image data, and the composite processing is determined to have failed Furthermore, each image is displayed based on the data of each image. The image display method of Claim 13 characterized by the above-mentioned. The image display method according to claim 14, wherein the success or failure of the composition process for the composite image is determined based on whether or not the matching error between adjacent images is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The image display method according to claim 14 , wherein if the imaging unit fails in imaging at least at one place, it is determined that the synthesis process to the composite image has failed. The image display method according to any one of claims 14 to 16 , wherein at least one of success or failure of the composition processing on the determined composite image is notified. The image display method according to claim 17 , wherein at least one of success / failure of the composition processing of the determined composite image is notified by electronic mail. 19. The image according to claim 17 or 18 , wherein when it is determined that the composition processing to the composite image is unsuccessful, the composition processing is unsuccessful, and contents for prompting improvement of the environment of the imaging position are notified. Display method.

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