JP7295657B2 - Autonomous vehicle device - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an autonomous mobile device having an autonomous mobile that autonomously travels based on map data held in a map holding memory.

Conventionally, as this type of autonomous mobile body, a so-called autonomous mobile vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans a floor surface as a surface to be cleaned while autonomously traveling on the floor surface is known. This vacuum cleaner generally constitutes a vacuum cleaner as an autonomous mobile device together with a charging device for charging a secondary battery that serves as a power source.

In such a vacuum cleaner, map information such as the shape of the cleaning area and obstacles is accumulated at the start of the cleaning process or during the cleaning process, and by estimating the self position and the place to travel from now on, Efficient cleaning with little bias is possible.

Since vacuum cleaners are often used repeatedly in a single cleaning area or multiple cleaning areas in the same house, it is not necessary to update the map data each time the cleaning process is started. For example, different map data may be required when the vacuum cleaner is moved to another room. Therefore, it is required to adopt appropriate map data according to need.

Japanese Patent No. 5426603

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile device capable of autonomous traveling based on suitable map data.

An autonomous running body device of an embodiment has an autonomous running body and a base device. The autonomous vehicle includes a map holding memory and travel control means. The map holding memory holds map data. The travel control means controls autonomous travel based on the map data held in the map holding memory. The base device comprises a connection and detection means. The connector is connected to an external power supply. The detection means detects whether or not the connection portion is connected to the external power supply. Then, when the autonomous traveling body starts autonomous traveling from the base device, the traveling control means detects that the connection between the connection portion and the external power supply is cut off by the detecting means, and after the unsteady state has occurred, the autonomous traveling Change the map data for

In addition, the autonomous running body device of the embodiment has an autonomous running body and a base device. The autonomous vehicle includes a map holding memory and travel control means. The map holding memory holds map data. The travel control means controls autonomous travel based on the map data held in the map holding memory. The base unit includes a connection and a lift sensor. The connector is connected to an external power supply. A lift sensor detects a lift. Then, when the autonomous traveling body starts autonomous traveling from the base device, the traveling control means changes the map data for autonomous traveling after an unsteady state in which the lifting sensor detects that the base device has been lifted .

It is a perspective view showing an autonomous running body device of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a return state of the autonomous running body of the same autonomous running body device to the base device; It is a top view which shows the autonomous running body of an autonomous running body apparatus same as the above from the downward direction. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of an autonomous mobile body same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the base device of an autonomous running body apparatus same as the above. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a method of calculating three-dimensional coordinates of an object by a sensor of the autonomous mobile body; 4 is a flow chart showing control of the autonomous running body device from the start to the end of the autonomous running of the same autonomous running body. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the autonomous running body of the autonomous running body apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the base device of an autonomous running body apparatus same as the above. 4 is a flowchart showing control of the autonomous running body from the start to the end of the autonomous running of the autonomous running body of the autonomous running body device;

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

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 11 is a vacuum cleaner as an autonomous mobile body, and this vacuum cleaner 11 is an autonomous mobile device together with a charging device (charging base) 12 which is a base device of this vacuum cleaner 11. 1 constitutes an electric cleaning device (electric cleaning system) 13. In this embodiment, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is a so-called self-propelled robot cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans the floor while autonomously traveling (self-propelled) on the floor, which is the surface to be cleaned as the traveling surface. ).

The vacuum cleaner 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 has a hollow main body case 20. As shown in FIG. In addition, the vacuum cleaner 11 is provided with drive wheels 21 which are traveling drive units. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 11 may include a cleaning section 22 for cleaning dust. The vacuum cleaner 11 also includes a sensor section 23 as an information acquisition means. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a communication unit 24, which is communication means as information acquisition means for communicating via a network, for example, by wire or wirelessly. The electric vacuum cleaner 11 also includes a control section 25 as a control means which is a controller. This electric vacuum cleaner 11 is provided with a secondary battery 26 that is a battery for power supply. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 11 may include an input/output unit for inputting/outputting signals between an external device and the user. Hereinafter, the direction along the running direction of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) will be referred to as the front-rear direction (directions of arrows FR and RR shown in FIG. 3), and the left-right direction intersecting (perpendicular to) the front-rear direction ( The lateral direction) will be described as the width direction.

The body case 20 is made of synthetic resin, for example. The main body case 20 may be formed, for example, in a flat cylindrical shape (disc shape). Further, the main body case 20 may be provided with a suction port 31 as a dust collection port or the like in a lower portion facing the floor surface.

The drive wheels 21 are for running (autonomously running) the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) on the floor surface in forward and backward directions, that is, for running. In this embodiment, a pair of drive wheels 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the body case 20, for example. The driving wheels 21 are driven by a motor 33 as driving means. It should be noted that instead of the driving wheels 21, an endless track or the like can be used as a driving portion.

Motor 33 is arranged corresponding to drive wheel 21 . Therefore, in this embodiment, a pair of left and right motors 33 are provided, for example. This motor 33 can drive each drive wheel 21 independently.

The cleaning unit 22 removes dust from a portion to be cleaned, such as a floor surface or a wall surface. The cleaning unit 22 has a function of collecting dust on the floor surface from the suction port 31 and wiping the wall surface, for example. The cleaning unit 22 includes an electric blower 35 that sucks dust together with air from the suction port 31, a rotating brush 36 that is rotatably attached to the suction port 31 and serves as a rotating cleaning body that scrapes up dust, and the rotating brush 36 is driven to rotate. and a side brush 38, which is an auxiliary cleaning means (auxiliary cleaning portion) as a rotating cleaning portion that is rotatably attached to both sides such as the front side of the main body case 20 and collects dust, and drives the side brush 38. At least one of a side brush motor 39 that allows Further, the cleaning section 22 may include a dust collection section 40 that communicates with the suction port 31 and collects dust. Note that the cleaning unit 22 is not an essential component.

The sensor unit 23 senses various types of information that support running of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20). More specifically, the sensor unit 23 senses, for example, the uneven state (step) of the floor surface, walls or obstacles that hinder travel, the amount of dust on the floor surface, and the like. The sensor unit 23 has an ambient detection sensor 41 as a sensor. Also, the sensor section 23 may include an infrared sensor or a dust amount sensor (dust sensor), for example.

The surrounding detection sensor 41 detects the external conditions of the main body case 20, for example, the shape of the surroundings of the main body case 20. As shown in FIG. The surrounding detection sensor 41 has a camera 51 as imaging means. In addition, the surroundings detection sensor 41 has a determination section 52 . The ambient detection sensor 41 may include a lamp 53 as detection assistance means (detection assistance section).

The camera 51 captures a digital image at a predetermined horizontal angle of view (for example, 105°) in front of the body case 20, which is the running direction, at predetermined time intervals, for example, at intervals of several tens of milliseconds, or at intervals of several seconds. It is a digital camera that takes an image every time. This camera 51 may be singular or plural. In this embodiment, a pair of left and right cameras 51 are provided. That is, the cameras 51 are arranged in the front part of the body case 20 so as to be separated from each other in the left and right direction. Further, the imaging ranges (fields of view) of these cameras 51 and 51 overlap with each other. Therefore, the imaging areas of the images captured by these cameras 51 and 51 overlap in the horizontal direction. The image captured by the camera 51 may be, for example, a color image or a black-and-white image in the visible light region, or may be an infrared image.

The determining unit 52 extracts feature points from the image captured by the camera 51, and determines the shape (distance and height of the object) of objects (such as obstacles) located around the main body case 20 from the captured image. ) is configured to detect In other words, the determination unit 52 is configured to determine whether or not an object whose distance from the main body case 20 is calculated based on the image captured by the camera 51 is an obstacle. For example, the determination unit 52 uses a known method to calculate the distance (depth) and three-dimensional coordinates of the object (feature point) based on the image captured by the camera 51 and the distance between the cameras 51. is configured to That is, the determination unit 52 specifically determines the distance f (parallax) between the cameras 51 and 51 and the object O (feature point SP) of the images G captured by these cameras 51 and 51, and the camera 51 , 51 by applying triangulation based on the distance l between the cameras 51, 51, detecting pixel dots indicating the same position from the respective images G, G taken by the cameras 51, 51, and detecting the pixel dots in the vertical, horizontal, and front-back directions. , and from these angles and the distance l between the cameras 51, 51, the distance and height of that position from the camera 51 are calculated, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the object O (feature point SP) are calculated. (Fig. 6). In addition, the determination unit 52 determines, for example, the distance of the object captured in a predetermined image range (for example, an image range set corresponding to the width and height of the main body case 20). It is configured to compare with a set distance, which is a variably set threshold value, and determine an object located at a distance equal to or less than this set distance (distance from vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20)) as an obstacle. there is Note that the determination unit 52 may have an image correction function that performs primary image processing such as lens distortion correction, noise removal, contrast adjustment, and matching of the image center of the raw image captured by the camera 51, for example. good. Also, the determination unit 52 may be provided in the control unit 25 . Furthermore, when there is a single camera 51, the determination unit 52 can also calculate the distance from the movement amount of the coordinates of the object when the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) moves.

The lamp 53 illuminates the imaging range of the camera 51 to obtain the brightness necessary for imaging. This lamp 53 is provided corresponding to each camera 51, for example. An LED or the like is used as the lamp 53, for example.

The communication unit 24 transmits and receives signals to and from the charging device 12, for example. The communication unit 24 includes a transmission unit 55 that transmits signals to the charging device 12 using infrared communication or wireless communication. The communication unit 24 also includes a receiving unit 56 that receives a signal from the charging device 12 using infrared communication or wireless communication.

For example, when the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12, the transmission unit 55 requests that the charging device 12 side output a guidance signal for guiding the vacuum cleaner 11 to the charging device 12. Output a signal (request signal).

For the control unit 25, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., which is a control means main body (control unit main body) is used. The control unit 25 includes a travel control unit 61 as travel control means for driving the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). The control unit 25 also includes a cleaning control unit 62 as cleaning control means electrically connected to the cleaning unit 22 . Further, the control section 25 has a sensor connection section 63 which is a sensor control means electrically connected to the sensor section 23 . The control unit 25 also includes a map generating unit 64 as mapping means (mapping unit). Further, the control section 25 includes a communication control section 65 as communication control means electrically connected to the communication section 24 . That is, the control section 25 is electrically connected to the cleaning section 22, the sensor section 23, the communication section 24, and the like. Also, the control unit 25 is electrically connected to the secondary battery 26 . The control unit 25 includes a memory 67 that is a non-volatile map holding memory (storage means) such as a flash memory. The controller 25 also includes a charging controller 68 that controls charging of the secondary battery 26 .

The travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the motor 33, that is, by controlling the magnitude and direction of the current flowing through the motor 33, the motor 33 is rotated forward or backward, thereby controlling the driving of the motor 33. By controlling the driving of the motor 33, the driving of the driving wheels 21 is controlled. The travel control unit 61 may be configured to set an optimum travel route based on map data held in the memory 67 . Here, as the optimal travel route to be created, a route that can travel in the shortest travel distance in the cleanable area (area excluding the untravelable area such as obstacles and steps) in the map data, for example, the vacuum cleaner 11 A route in which (main body case 20) goes straight as far as possible (with the fewest direction changes), a route with few contact with obstacles, or a route with the least number of repeated runs in the same place. A route that allows efficient running (cleaning) is set. The travel control unit 61 can also change the travel route at any time according to obstacles detected by the sensor unit 23 (surrounding detection sensor 41 and infrared sensor).

The cleaning control unit 62 controls the driving of the electric blower 35, the brush motor 37 and the side brush motor 39 of the cleaning unit 22. , the driving of these electric blower 35, brush motor 37 (rotating brush 36), and side brush motor 39 (side brush 38) is controlled.

The sensor connection section 63 acquires the detection result by the sensor section 23 (surrounding detection sensor 41, infrared sensor, dust amount sensor). Further, the sensor connection unit 63 controls the operation of the camera 51 (shutter operation, etc.) and controls the operation of the lamp 53 (on/off of the lamp 53) and the imaging control unit that causes the camera 51 to take an image at predetermined time intervals. It may have the function of a lighting control unit.

The map generation unit 64 indicates whether or not it is possible to travel in the cleaning area (driving area) based on the shape of the surroundings of the main body case 20 (distance and height of obstacles) detected by the surrounding detection sensor 41. It creates map data. Specifically, the map generation unit 64 determines the self-position of the vacuum cleaner 11 and the presence or absence of obstacles based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the feature points of the object in the image captured by the camera 51. At the same time, map data describing the positional relationships and heights of objects (obstacles) located within the cleaning area where vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is arranged is created. That is, the known SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology can be used for this map generator 64 .

The communication control unit 65 controls the driving of the communication unit 24 to allow the charging device 12 to transmit and receive signals. The communication control section 65 has a transmission control section 71 that controls the operation of the transmission section 55 . The communication control section 65 also includes a reception control section 72 that controls the operation of the reception section 56 . Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 11 has a transmission control section 71 . The vacuum cleaner 11 also includes a reception control section 72 .

The memory 67 can hold map data created by the map generation unit 64, map data received from an external device via the communication unit 24, or the like.

The charging control unit 68 controls charging of the secondary battery 26 by the charging device 12 . This charging control unit 68 may be provided in the charging device 12 .

Note that traveling control unit 61, cleaning control unit 62, sensor connection unit 63, map generation unit 64, communication control unit 65 (transmission control unit 71, reception control unit 72), memory 67, and charging control unit 68 are In the embodiment, they are configured to be integrally provided with the control unit 25, but they may be provided separately from each other in the vacuum cleaner 11, or at least one of them may be arbitrarily combined and integrally configured. may be

The secondary battery 26 supplies power to the cleaning unit 22, the sensor unit 23, the communication unit 24, the control unit 25, and the like. Further, the secondary battery 26 is electrically connected to charging terminals 74 (FIG. 3) as a connecting portion exposed at the bottom of the main body case 20, for example, and these charging terminals 74 (FIG. 3) are connected to the charging device. By being electrically and mechanically connected to the 12 side, it is charged via this charging device 12 .

In this embodiment, the charging device 12 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 is a base device at which the cleaning (autonomous running) of the vacuum cleaner 11 starts or ends. This charging device 12 has a case body 76 which is a device main body. The charging device 12 also includes a power supply section 77, which is a connection section connected to an external power supply. In addition, this charging device 12 includes a power detection unit 78 as detection means. Furthermore, this charging device 12 is equipped with a lift sensor 79 . In addition, the charging device 12 includes a device communication section 80 as device-side communication means. Furthermore, this charging device 12 has a collision prevention signal output section 81 as a transmission means. The charging device 12 also includes a charging circuit 82 as charging means for charging the secondary battery 26 . Furthermore, this charging device 12 has a charging terminal 83 for charging the secondary battery 26 . The charging device 12 includes a device control section 84 as charging device control means.

The power supply unit 77 takes power from an external power supply and supplies power to the lifting sensor 79, the device communication unit 80, the charging circuit 82, the device control unit 84, and the like. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 77 uses a cord reel device provided with a power cord for supplying power from an external power supply (not shown) such as a commercial AC power supply.

The power detection unit 78 detects whether or not the external power supply and the power supply unit 77 are connected. In this embodiment, the power detection unit 78 detects whether power is supplied to the power supply unit 77 from an external power source.

The lifting sensor 79 detects lifting of the charging device 12 (case body 76). As the lifting sensor 79, for example, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like is used.

The device communication section 80 transmits and receives signals to and from the communication section 24 of the vacuum cleaner 11 . Specifically, the device communication section 80 includes a device transmission section 86 that is device transmission means as transmission means (transmission section). Further, the device communication section 80 includes a device reception section 87 as device reception means. Therefore, charging device 12 includes device transmitter 86 . The charging device 12 also includes a device reception section 87 .

Device transmission section 86 transmits a signal to reception section 56 of vacuum cleaner 11 using infrared communication or wireless communication. In this embodiment, for example, the device transmission unit 86 outputs a guide signal (guide beacon) for guiding the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to the charging device 12. FIG.

Device receiving section 87 receives a signal transmitted from transmitting section 55 of vacuum cleaner 11 .

The collision prevention signal output unit 81 prevents the charging device 12 (case body 76) from colliding with the charging device 12 (case body 76) while the vacuum cleaner 11 is autonomously traveling. It outputs an anti-collision signal such as an infrared signal to a predetermined surrounding area. That is, when the receiving unit 56 of the vacuum cleaner 11 receives the anti-collision signal, the travel control unit 61 performs travel control so that the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) does not approach the charging device 12 any more. ing.

A known circuit such as a constant current circuit is used for the charging circuit 82, for example.

The charging terminal 83 is electrically connected to the charging circuit 82, and is mechanically and electrically connected to the charging terminal 74 (FIG. 3) of the vacuum cleaner 11 returned to the charging device 12. there is

For the device control unit 84, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., which is a device control means main body (device control unit main body) is used. The device control section 84 is electrically connected to the power supply section 77 . The device control section 84 also includes a device communication control section 91 which is a device communication control means electrically connected to the device communication section 80 . Also, the device control section 84 may include an output control section 92 electrically connected to the anti-collision signal output section 81 . This device control section 84 is provided with a device memory 93 .

The device communication control section 91 controls the drive of the device communication section 80 to allow the charging device 12 to transmit and receive signals. The device communication control section 91 includes a device transmission control section 95 that controls the operation of the device transmission section 86 . The device communication control section 91 also includes a device reception control section 96 that controls the operation of the device reception section 87 . Therefore, the charging device 12 includes a device transmission control section 95. FIG. The charging device 12 also includes a device reception control section 96 .

The device transmission control section 95 is electrically connected to the power detection section 78 , the lifting sensor 79 and the device memory 93 .

The output control section 92 controls the operation of the anti-collision signal output section 81 . This output control section 92 is electrically connected to the power detection section 78 , the lifting sensor 79 and the device memory 93 .

The device memory 93 is a non-volatile memory such as flash memory. This device memory 93 has a map information holding flag. The device memory 93 also has a running processing flag.

The map information holding flag is initialized when the power detection unit 78 detects that the power supply unit 77 is connected to an external power source, or when the lifting sensor 79 detects that the charging device 12 (case body 76) has been lifted. becomes FALSE.

The running processing flag is initialized when the power detection unit 78 detects that the power supply unit 77 is connected to an external power source, or when the lifting sensor 79 detects that the charging device 12 (case body 76) has been lifted. When the electric vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (running) from the charging device 12, it becomes TRUE, and when the electric vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12, it becomes FALSE. That is, the traveling processing flag is switched between FALSE and TRUE depending on whether the vacuum cleaner 11 is attached to or detached from the charging device 12 .

Note that the device communication control unit 91 (the device transmission control unit 95, the device reception control unit 96), the output control unit 92, and the device memory 93 are provided integrally with the device control unit 84 in this embodiment. However, they may be provided in charging device 12 separately from each other, or at least one of them may be arbitrarily combined and integrally configured.

The external device is capable of wired or wireless communication with the network via, for example, a home gateway inside the building, and is capable of wired or wireless communication with the network outside the building, such as a PC (tablet terminal). )) and general-purpose devices such as smartphones (mobile phones). This external device may have a display function to display an image.

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

In general, the vacuum cleaner 13 is roughly divided into a cleaning operation of cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 11 and a charging operation of charging the secondary battery 26 with a charging device. Since the charging operation uses a known method using the charging circuit 82 built into the charging device 12, only the cleaning operation will be described. In addition, an imaging operation of imaging a predetermined object with the camera 51 in response to a command from an external device or the like may be provided separately.

First, the outline from the start to the end of cleaning (running) will be described.

When vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (runs) from charging device 12 and map data is not held in memory 67 , vacuum cleaner 11 creates map data by itself using map generation unit 64 and stores map data in memory 67 . Alternatively, it waits for map data to be input from an external device or the like and stored in the memory 67, and performs cleaning by the cleaning unit 22 while autonomously traveling based on the new map data. When map data is created by the map generation unit 64, cleaning can be performed by the cleaning unit 22 while creating the map data.

Further, when the map data is held in the memory 67, the travel control unit 61 determines whether to use the map data as it is for travel control or to change the map data for travel control, and determines not to change the map data. In this case, the map data held in the memory 67 is used as it is, and when it is determined to be changed, the travel control unit 61 changes the map data for travel control and operates the vacuum cleaner 11 based on the map data. cleans by the cleaning unit 22 while autonomously traveling.

That is, if the same cleaning area as the previous cleaning is to be cleaned, the map data can be basically used as is to control travel. If the vacuum cleaner 13 (charging device 12) is relocated to another area, the map data cannot be used as it is. When relocating the charging device 12 to a different cleaning area, the user usually disconnects the power supply unit 77 of the charging device 12 from the external power supply or lifts the charging device 12. It is assumed that there is a high possibility that the charging device 12 has been relocated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the travel control unit 61 determines whether or not to change the map data, whether or not the power source detection unit 78 has detected that the connection between the external power source and the power source unit 77 has been temporarily interrupted, Alternatively, the determination is made based on whether or not the lifting sensor 79 has detected that the charging device 12 has been lifted. That is, when the power detection unit 78 detects that the connection between the external power source and the power supply unit 77 is once interrupted, or when the lifting sensor 79 detects that the charging device 12 is lifted. Then, this detection is transmitted to the electric vacuum cleaner 11, and based on the transmitted information, the travel control unit 61 determines whether or not it is necessary to change the map data for travel control. This determination can be made at any timing after detection by the power detection unit 78 or the lifting sensor 79. For example, it may be made at the start of cleaning, or at the end of cleaning for the next cleaning. good too.

When vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (running) from a position different from charging device 12, vacuum cleaner 11 first attempts to return to charging device 12. FIG. When returning to the charging device 12, the transmission control unit 71 of the vacuum cleaner 11 controls the operation of the transmitting unit 55 to output a request signal, and the charging device 12 receives the request signal by the device receiving unit 87. Then, the device transmission control section 95 controls the operation of the device transmission section 86 to output the guidance signal. Vacuum cleaner 11 can return to charging device 12 by traveling while receiving the guidance signal by receiving unit 56 . Then, when the vacuum cleaner 11 is connected to the charging device 12, it performs the same control as when cleaning is started from the charging device 12 described above.

After cleaning all cleaning areas, the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12, and when connected to the charging device 12, the secondary battery 26 is charged.

The above control when cleaning (running) is started from charging device 12 will be described more specifically. The vacuum cleaner 11 is activated, for example, when a preset cleaning start time comes, or when the input/output unit receives a control command to start cleaning transmitted from a remote controller or an external device, or when the power is turned on. At the timing of , the control unit 25 switches from the standby state to the running mode (cleaning mode). Next, travel control unit 61 controls driving of drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to separate vacuum cleaner 11 (body case 20) from charging device 12. As shown in FIG.

If the map data of the cleaning area is not held in the memory 67, the user inputs the map data from an external device, or the travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). Thus, map data is created by the map generation unit 64 based on information about the surroundings of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) acquired by the sensor unit 23 (surrounding detection sensor 41) while the main body case 20 is autonomously traveling. When creating this map data, the cleaning control unit 62 may operate the cleaning unit 22 to perform cleaning.

On the other hand, when map data of the cleaning area is held in memory 67, traveling control unit 61 outputs an unsteady state signal indicating an unsteady state from charging device 12, and receives the unsteady state signal from the receiving unit. Based on whether it has been received by 56, it is determined whether to use the map data as is or to change the map data. That is, the unsteady state signal is a change instruction signal that instructs vacuum cleaner 11 to change the map data. Here, the unsteady state is when the power detection unit 78 detects that the connection between the power supply unit 77 of the charging device 12 and the external power source is cut off, or when the lifting sensor 79 lifts the charging device 12. It means when it detects that An arbitrary signal can be used as the unsteady state signal, but since the information to be transmitted can be 1 bit, the vacuum cleaner 11 can move away from the charging device 12, travel autonomously, or return to the charging device 12. It is possible to determine whether or not the signal is unnecessary information at the timing when the signal is received. For example, the anti-collision signal output from the anti-collision signal output unit 81 or the guidance signal output from the device transmission unit 86 can be used as the unsteady state signal. That is, the anti-collision signal is normally output from anti-collision signal output unit 81 after vacuum cleaner 11 starts autonomous running, and the guidance signal is normally output after vacuum cleaner 11 finishes autonomous running. The device receiving unit 87 receives the request signal output from the transmitting unit 55 to return to the charging device 12, and then the device transmitting unit 86 outputs the request signal. Since this is unnecessary information that is not output, when receiving unit 56 receives any of these signals when vacuum cleaner 11 is detached from charging device 12, vacuum cleaner 11 side (travel control unit 61) Then, these signals can be judged to be non-stationary state signals.

The output control of the unsteady state signal will now be described in more detail. Each flag of the device memory 93 of the charging device 12 is used for these controls. That is, using the travel processing flag and the map information holding flag set in the device memory 93 of the charging device 12, the map information is held according to the traveling processing execution flag when the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12. By switching the flag, it is determined whether or not to output an unsteady state signal based on this map information holding flag. Specifically, when vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning from charging device 12 and autonomously returns to charging device 12, transmission control unit 71 of vacuum cleaner 11 controls transmission unit 55 to A map information holdable signal is transmitted to the charging device 12 . Any signal can be used as the map information holdable signal. It is possible to use a signal used for feedback or the like and determine whether or not the signal is unnecessary information at the timing at which the signal is received. For example, a request signal output from the transmitting unit 55 can be used as the map information holdable signal. That is, the request signal is normally output to request output of an induction signal from charging device 12 to return to charging device 12 when vacuum cleaner 11 finishes cleaning. Since this is unnecessary information that is not normally output at the timing of connecting to the device 12, the request signal is received by the device receiving unit 87 when the vacuum cleaner 11 is connected to the charging device 12 or when it is connected. In this case, the charging device 12 side can determine that this request signal is the map information holdable signal.

Then, on the charging device 12 side, when the device receiving unit 87 receives the map information holding enable signal (for example, the request signal), the traveling processing execution flag of the device memory 93 is referred to. The running process running flag becomes TRUE when the electric vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning from the charging device 12, and when the power detection unit 78 detects disconnection between the power supply unit 77 and the external power supply, or when the lifting sensor 79 is initialized to FALSE when the lifting of the charging device 12 is detected by Since it is assumed that the power supply unit 77 of the charging device 12 and the external power supply are not cut off during the traveling process, or the charging device 12 is not lifted during the traveling process, the map information holding flag of the device memory 93 is Otherwise, the map information holding flag of the device memory 93 becomes FALSE. Then, in the charging device 12, when the map information holding flag of the device memory 93 is FALSE, when the vacuum cleaner 11 leaves the charging device 12 to start cleaning (immediately after leaving), an unsteady It outputs a state signal (for example, an anti-collision signal or a guidance signal) and controls so as not to output an unsteady state signal when the map information holding flag of the device memory 93 is TRUE.

Then, in the vacuum cleaner 11, when the reception unit 56 receives the unsteady state signal, the map data stored in the memory 67 is detected based on the detection of the surroundings by the surrounding detection sensor 41, for example, or the map data is detected. , based on the history of use, or discard the map data held in the memory 67 and generate new map data by the map generation unit 64 based on the detection of the surrounding detection sensor 41. Alternatively, the map data held in the memory 67 may be left as they are, and map data may be newly created by the map generation unit 64 based on detection by the surrounding detection sensor 41 and added to the memory 67. The map data for the travel control unit 61 to use for travel control is changed by executing either holding.

Here, the detection of the surroundings by the surroundings detection sensor 41 may be performed while the vacuum cleaner 11 is positioned at the charging device 12, or may be performed once the vacuum cleaner 11 is detached from the charging device 12. . In the present embodiment, the surrounding conditions are detected by the surrounding detection sensor 41 from the image captured by the camera 51, and the feature points in the captured image are detected in the cleaning area (running area) previously stored in the memory 67 or the like. area), the determination unit 52 determines whether the vacuum cleaner 11 or the charging device 12 has been relocated. When it is determined that the vacuum cleaner 11 or the charging device 12 has been relocated, it is determined which cleaning area (running area) it has been relocated to, and the map data of the corresponding cleaning area (running area) is stored in the memory 67. If it is stored in advance, the travel control unit 61 changes the map data to the map data, and if the map data of the corresponding cleaning area (travel area) is not stored in the memory 67, the capacity or remaining capacity of the memory 67 is changed. In response, the map data held in the memory 67 is discarded and new map data is created by the map generation unit 64 based on the detection of the surrounding detection sensor 41 and held in the memory 67, or the map data held in the memory 67 is The existing map data is left as it is, new map data is created by the map generation unit 64 based on the detection of the surrounding detection sensor 41, and the map data is added to the memory 67 and stored. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vacuum cleaner 11 or the charging device 12 has not been moved, the map data need not be changed.

Thereafter, based on the map data, the travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to autonomously travel along the set travel route of the main body case 20, while the cleaning control unit 62 controls the cleaning unit. 22 is operated to clean the floor surface of the cleaning area. In the cleaning unit 22, dust on the floor surface is sucked by, for example, an electric blower 35, a brush motor 37 (rotating brush 36), or a side brush motor 39 (side brush 38) driven by the control unit 25 (cleaning control unit 62). It collects into the dust collector 40 through the port 31 . Further, when the vacuum cleaner 11 detects the three-dimensional coordinates and position of an object such as an obstacle not described in the map data by the surrounding detection sensor 41 and the infrared sensor of the sensor unit 23 during autonomous travel, the map generation unit 64 can be reflected in map data and stored in memory 67 .

When vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) completes traveling and cleaning along the travel route, vacuum cleaner 11 completes the cleaning operation, and travel control unit 61 of vacuum cleaner 11 controls driving of drive wheels 21 (motor 33). and returns to the charging device 12. At this time, in the vacuum cleaner 11, the communication control unit 65 (transmission control unit 71) controls the operation of the communication unit 24 (transmission unit 55) to output a request signal for the feedback signal, and this request signal is transmitted to the device communication unit. The charging device 12 received by 80 (device receiving section 87) outputs a guidance signal by device communication section 80 (device transmitting section 86). In the vacuum cleaner 11, the travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the driving wheels 21 (motor 33) so that the receiving unit 56 travels while receiving the guidance signal, thereby sequentially approaching the charging device 12 and preventing collision. After reversing the front-rear direction at the position where the signal and the induction signal intersect, it is connected to the charging device 12 (the charging terminal 74 and the charging terminal 83 are mechanically and electrically connected). After that, the charging operation can be shifted to the charging operation at a predetermined timing such as immediately after the connection or after a predetermined time from the connection.

The control from the start of cleaning (running) to the end of cleaning will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when cleaning (running) is started, vacuum cleaner 11 determines whether or not it is connected to charging device 12 (step S1). This determination can be made, for example, based on whether or not the charging terminal 74 and the charging terminal 83 can be energized. In this step S1, when it is determined that the charging device 12 is not connected, the travel control unit 61 controls driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to connect the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to the charging device. It autonomously returns to 12 and connects (step S2), and proceeds to step S3. Further, in step S1, when it is determined that the charging device 12 is connected, the traveling control unit 61 controls driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to charge the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20). It is separated from the device 12 (step S3), and the charging device 12 determines whether or not the map information retention flag of the device memory 93 is TRUE (step S4). In step S4, when it is determined that the map information holding flag is not TRUE (FALSE), the charging device 12 (anti-collision signal output unit 81 or device transmission unit 86) outputs an unsteady state signal (anti-collision signal or guidance signal) (step S5), and the vacuum cleaner 11 that has received this unsteady state signal by the receiving unit 56 creates new map data or inputs map data (step S6), Proceed to step S7. Further, when it is determined in step S4 that the map information retention flag is TRUE, the vacuum cleaner 11 autonomously travels while the travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). The cleaning control unit 62 drives the cleaning unit 22 to clean (step S7). Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 (travel control unit 61) determines whether or not cleaning is completed (whether or not the travel route set based on the map data has been completed) (step S8). If it is determined in step S8 that the cleaning has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S7. Further, in step S8, when it is determined that the cleaning is completed, the vacuum cleaner 11 returns and connects to the charging device 12, and the transmission control unit 71 controls the operation of the transmission unit 55 to generate a map holding enable signal. (request signal) is output (step S9). Next, when the device receiving unit 87 receives the map holding enable signal, the charging device 12 determines whether or not the running processing flag in the device memory 93 is TRUE (step S10). In step S10, when it is determined that the traveling processing flag is TRUE, the map information holding flag becomes TRUE (step S11), and the cleaning processing ends. If it is determined in step S10 that the running flag is not TRUE (it is FALSE), the map information holding flag becomes FALSE (step S12), and the cleaning process ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the charging device 12 determines that it is in an unsteady state, the traveling control unit 61 of the vacuum cleaner 11 instructs to change the map data. When vacuum cleaner 11 receives this unsteady state signal by receiving unit 56, travel control unit 61 changes the map data for autonomous travel. Even when the vacuum cleaner 11 is relocated to a travel area), the vacuum cleaner 11 can autonomously travel based on appropriate map data.

Specifically, using the travel processing flag and the map information holding flag set in the device memory 93 of the charging device 12, the travel processing flag is TRUE when the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12. In other cases, the map information holding flag is set to TRUE, and in other cases, the map information holding flag is set to FALSE. Whether or not to change the map data used by the control unit 61 can be determined with a simple configuration.

That is, since the unsteady state signal is only a signal that transmits 1-bit information instructing to change the map data, between the vacuum cleaner 11 and the charging device 12, the unsteady state signal, etc. As a configuration for transmitting and receiving, the configuration of the receiving unit 56, the anti-collision signal output unit 81, the device transmitting unit 86, etc. provided in advance in the vacuum cleaner 11 and the charging device 12 can be used as they are. There is no need to separately provide a communication function in the electric vacuum cleaner 11 or the charging device 12, and it is possible to avoid an increase in manufacturing costs while providing the necessary functions.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. It should be noted that the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations and actions as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, when the travel control unit 61 in the first embodiment is transmitted from the charging device 12 that it is in an unsteady state, the vacuum cleaner 11 is controlled based on the transmitted information. It judges whether or not it is necessary to change the map data for allowing the (main body case 20) to travel autonomously.

That is, the vacuum cleaner 11 has a volatile or non-volatile retention memory 98 . This holding memory 98 has a feedback number counter that counts the number of times of feedback to the charging device 12 . The holding memory 98 also has a map information holding flag. The number-of-returns counter is 0 when the vacuum cleaner 11 is manufactured or when the main power supply is turned off. 1 if the upper limit is reached. Also, the map information holding flag is initialized to FALSE when the vacuum cleaner 11 is manufactured or when the main power supply is turned off.

The charging device 12 also includes a volatile device retention memory 99, for example. The device holding memory 99 has a return count counter that counts the number of times the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12 . This feedback number counter is initialized when the power supply detection unit 78 detects that the power supply unit 77 is connected to the external power supply, or when the lifting sensor 79 detects that the charging device 12 (case body 76) has been lifted. is 0, and is incremented by 1 each time the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12, but is set to 1 when it reaches a predetermined upper limit in order to prevent overflow. This upper limit value is the same as the upper limit value of the number-of-returns counter of vacuum cleaner 11 .

It should be noted that not only when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (running) from the charging device 12, but also when it starts cleaning (running) from a position different from the charging device 12, when it returns to the charging device 12, each return The number counter may be incremented by one.

Then, when vacuum cleaner 11 completes cleaning, returns to charging device 12, and is connected to charging device 12, vacuum cleaner 11 and charging device 12 change their respective return counters, and then return to each other. Transmit the number of feedback counters and compare the counter values of itself and others. If the counter values are different from each other, the return counters are both changed to 0, and the map information holding flag of the holding memory 98 of the vacuum cleaner 11 is switched to FALSE. That is, the vacuum cleaner 11 and the charging device 12 use a feedback counter that counts the number of times the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12, which the holding memory 98 and the device holding memory 99 have. The feedback number counter becomes 0 when the power supply detection unit 78 detects the connection of the power supply unit 77 to the external power supply, or when the lifting sensor 79 detects the lifting of the charging device 12 (case body 76). Using this, it is determined whether or not the charging device 12 is in an unsteady state based on whether or not the return counter matches or does not match, and the map information holding flag is switched based on this determination. In other words, unless the charging device 12 is in an unsteady state, these feedback counters match each other. It can be sensed whether the device 12 is in a non-steady state.

Also, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (running) from the charging device 12, if the map information holding flag is FALSE, the vacuum cleaner 11 creates new map data, and when the creation is completed, switches the map information holding flag to TRUE. . On the other hand, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning (running) from the charging device 12, if the map information holding flag is TRUE, the map data stored in the memory is used instead of creating new map data. Start the running process.

The above control will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 as well. First, when cleaning is started, after the processing of steps S1 to S3 in the flow chart shown in FIG. 7, the vacuum cleaner 11 determines whether or not the map information holding flag of the holding memory 98 is TRUE (step S15). ). If it is determined in step S15 that the map information holding flag is not TRUE (FALSE), the vacuum cleaner 11 creates new map data or inputs map data (step S16), and proceeds to step S17. move on. Further, in step S15, when it is determined that the map information holding flag is TRUE, the vacuum cleaner 11 autonomously travels while the travel control unit 61 controls the driving of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). The cleaning control unit 62 drives the cleaning unit 22 to clean (step S17). Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 11 (travel control unit 61) determines whether or not the cleaning is finished (whether or not the travel route set based on the map data has been completed) (step S18). If it is determined in step S18 that the cleaning is not finished, the process proceeds to step S17. Further, when it is determined in step S18 that cleaning has been completed, the vacuum cleaner 11 returns and connects to the charging device 12, and each return counter is incremented by 1 (step S19). At this time, if each feedback number counter exceeds the upper limit value, each feedback number counter is set to 1 respectively. Next, the transmission control unit 71 of the vacuum cleaner 11 controls the operation of the transmission unit 55, or the device transmission control unit 95 of the charging device 12 controls the operation of the device transmission unit 86, and transmits the feedback count counter value. Then, the device receiving unit 87 or the receiving unit 56 receives the data, compares these feedback counter values with each other, and determines whether or not these counter values are the same (step S20). If it is determined in this step S20 that the counter values are the same, the map information holding flag of the holding memory 98 remains TRUE (step S21), and the cleaning process ends. Further, in step S20, when it is determined that the counter values are not the same or different, the transmission control unit 71 of the vacuum cleaner 11 controls the operation of the transmission unit 55, or the device transmission control unit of the charging device 12 95 controls the operation of the device transmission unit 86 to transmit the reset of the return counter value, so that each return counter becomes 0 and the map information holding flag of the holding memory 98 is switched to FALSE (step S22), the cleaning process is terminated.

In this way, when the travel control unit 61 receives the information indicating whether the charging device 12 is in an unsteady state by the receiving unit 56, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is caused to travel autonomously based on this information. Therefore, even if the charging device 12 is relocated to a different cleaning area (running area), the vacuum cleaner 11 can autonomously travel based on appropriate map data. .

Specifically, the vacuum cleaner 11 and the charging device 12 use the feedback count counters held by the holding memory 98 and the device holding memory 99, and exchange these feedback count counter values, which should match each other unless the charging device 12 is in an unsteady state. If they match, the map information holding flag is set to TRUE, if they do not match, the map information holding flag is set to FALSE, and if the map information holding flag is FALSE, the travel control unit 61 changes the map data. Thus, it is possible to determine whether or not the map data used by the travel control unit 61 needs to be changed with a simple configuration.

Although it depends on the value of the counter for the number of times of feedback, in the case of this embodiment, it is considered that approximately 4 to 8 bits are required to be transmitted and received in order to determine whether map data needs to be changed. In this case, for example, communication functions such as IR code, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be required by another product. If the device communication unit 80 (the device transmission unit 86, the device reception unit 87) is provided in advance, there is no need to provide a separate configuration, and it is possible to avoid an increase in manufacturing costs while providing the necessary functions. When the power of the charging device 12 is turned on again during processing, or when the vacuum cleaner 11 is manually returned to the charging device 12 after the charging device 12 has been relocated, etc. It is possible to judge the necessity of change.

In each of the above-described embodiments, vacuum cleaner 11 returns to charging device 12 once when autonomous travel is started from a state in which it is not connected to charging device 12, that is, when autonomous travel is started from a position different from charging device 12. In addition, when autonomous travel is started from a position different from that of the charging device 12, the travel control unit 61 causes the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to travel autonomously. may be configured to change In this case, for example, when only the vacuum cleaner 11 is moved to a cleaning area different from the previous cleaning area and cleaning is started, appropriate map data is created and vacuum cleaning is performed based on the map data. Machine 11 becomes capable of autonomous travel.

Furthermore, the charging device 12 may be configured to include only one of the power supply detection unit 78 and the lifting sensor 79 .

Also, the charging device 12 can be a charging adapter or the like that is detachably connected to the vacuum cleaner 11 . In this case, the vacuum cleaner 11 does not return to the charging adapter after autonomous travel, or returns to the vicinity of the charging adapter, and the user connects the charging adapter to the vacuum cleaner 11 to charge the secondary battery 26. It shall be. In addition, when cleaning (autonomous running) is started, for example, the user removes the charging adapter from the vacuum cleaner 11 and commands the start, or magnetizes the connection terminal with the charging adapter to respond to the command. start autonomously. When the user attaches or detaches the charging adapter, for example, at the timing when the receiving unit receives the anti-collision signal output by the charging adapter from the anti-collision signal output unit 81, or at a predetermined time after the charging adapter is removed. By setting the running process to start at a timing before the elapse of , it is possible to perform the same control as when running (cleaning) is started after detaching from the charging device 12 as in each of the above-described embodiments. In this case, it is also possible to prepare a plurality of charging adapters and select suitable map data from the map data held in the memory 67 according to the adapter to which the vacuum cleaner 11 is connected, for example. . That is, a unique identification number (ID) is set for each adapter, and the vacuum cleaner 11 holds information for matching the identification number of the adapter with each of the plurality of map data held in the memory 67, and connects. When the identification number of the adapter is acquired, it is also possible to select the map data corresponding to the identification number. In this case, it is possible to use it in an environment where a plurality of charging adapters are installed in a plurality of cleaning areas. It becomes possible to clean it.

Furthermore, although the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is used as the autonomous mobile body, an autonomous mobile body such as a watching robot that does not include the cleaning unit 22 can be used in the same manner.

In addition, the surrounding detection sensor 41 is not limited to one having a camera, and any sensor such as a non-contact sensor such as an infrared ray or an ultrasonic wave or a contact sensor may be used.

Although charging device 12 is provided with charging circuit 82 , charging circuit 82 may be provided in vacuum cleaner 11 . That is, the base device is not limited to the charging device 12 having a charging function, and may simply be a base device that serves as a base point when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts autonomous travel. In each of the above-described embodiments, the power source unit 77 connected to the external power source is configured to take power from the external power source. The presence or absence of connection with an external power source may be detected by a detection means.

According to at least one embodiment described above, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts autonomously traveling from the charging device 12, the travel control unit 61 cuts off the connection between the power supply unit 77 and the external power supply by the power supply detection unit 78. By changing the map data for autonomously running the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) after an unsteady state in which it is detected that the power supply has been detected, for example, the power supply Even if the vacuum cleaner 13 is relocated to a different cleaning area by unplugging the unit 77 from an outlet or the like, the vacuum cleaner 11 can provide the vacuum cleaner 13 that can autonomously travel based on appropriate map data.

Alternatively, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts autonomously traveling from the charging device 12, the travel control unit 61 starts the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body By changing the map data for allowing the case 20) to run autonomously, it is possible to move the vacuum cleaner 13 to a different cleaning area by carrying the charging device 12, for example, without changing the map data unnecessarily. Even if there is, the vacuum cleaner 11 can provide the vacuum cleaner 13 capable of autonomously traveling based on appropriate map data.

Further, a map generation unit 64 for generating map data based on detection by the surrounding detection sensor 41 is provided. When creating new map data, only the minimum necessary map data can be held in the memory 67, and the capacity of the memory 67 can be suppressed, so that miniaturization and cost reduction are possible. In addition, appropriate map data can be used for travel control, and map data is not created by the map generation unit 64 when it is determined that there is no need to change the map data. The power of the secondary battery 26, which has a limited operable time, can be efficiently used for originally desired processing such as moving to a location or cleaning.

Further, a map generating unit 64 for generating map data based on detection by the surrounding detection sensor 41 is provided. When adding to the map data held in , even if new map data is created, the previously held map data will remain, so by selecting these map data as necessary Since map data once created can be used effectively, appropriate map data can be used for travel control, and map data is not created by the map generation unit 64 when it is determined that there is no need to change the map data, Unnecessary map creation processing can be omitted, and the power of the secondary battery 26, which has a limited operable time, can be efficiently used for originally desired processing such as movement to a destination point and cleaning. When adding map data, metadata such as the time of last use of the map data, for example, is retained so that the capacity of the memory 67 does not run out. Map data that has passed the longest time may be discarded if necessary.

Further, when changing the map data by the travel control unit 61, if suitable map data is selected from the map data held in the memory 67, the surrounding detection sensor 41, the map generation unit 64, etc. are used to generate new map data. This eliminates the need for a configuration to be created, so that the electric vacuum cleaner 11 can be made at a lower cost, and appropriate map data can be used for travel control. If no suitable map data is found in the map data, new map data can be created and added.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these embodiments. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications 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 scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

11 Vacuum Cleaner as an Autonomous Vehicle
12 Charging equipment as base equipment
13 Vacuum cleaner as an autonomous mobile device
Ambient detection sensor which is 41 sensors
56 Receiving section as receiving means
61 Travel control unit as travel control means
64 Map generator as a mapping tool
67 Memory that is map retention memory
77 Power supply as connection
78 Power Detector as Detection Means
79 Lifting sensor
81 Collision prevention signal output unit as transmission means
86 Device Transmitter as Transmission Means

Claims (8)

an autonomous mobile body having a map holding memory that holds map data and a traveling control means that controls autonomous traveling based on the map data held in the map holding memory;
A connection unit connected to an external power supply, and a base unit equipped with detection means for detecting whether or not the connection unit is connected to the external power supply,
When the autonomous traveling body starts autonomous traveling from the base device, the traveling control means detects that the connection between the connecting portion and the external power supply is cut off by the detecting means, and after the unsteady state is reached. , an autonomous mobile device characterized by changing map data for autonomous travel. an autonomous mobile body having a map holding memory that holds map data and a traveling control means that controls autonomous traveling based on the map data held in the map holding memory;
a base unit with a connection for connection to an external power source and a lift sensor for detecting lift;
The travel control means changes map data for autonomous travel after an unsteady state in which the lift sensor detects that the base device has been lifted when the autonomous mobile body starts to travel autonomously from the base device. An autonomous mobile device characterized by: The base device comprises a transmission means for instructing the travel control means to change the map data when it is determined that it is in an unsteady state,
The autonomous vehicle comprises a receiving means for receiving information instructed by the transmitting means,
3. The autonomous mobile device according to claim 1, wherein said travel control means changes map data for autonomous travel when information from said transmission means is received by said reception means. The base unit comprises a communication means for communicating detection of the unsteady state,
The autonomous vehicle comprises a receiving means for receiving information transmitted by the transmitting means,
3. Autonomy according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the information from the transmission means is received by the reception means, the travel control means determines whether or not the map data for autonomous travel needs to be changed based on this information. vehicle device. The autonomous vehicle is
a sensor that detects external conditions;
mapping means for creating map data based on detection by the sensor;
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the map data is changed by the travel control means, the map data held in the map holding memory is discarded and new map data is created by the mapping means. Autonomous body device. The autonomous vehicle is
a sensor that detects external conditions;
mapping means for creating map data based on detection by the sensor;
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the map data is changed by the travel control means, new map data is created by the mapping means and added to the map data held in the map holding memory. autonomous vehicle device. The map holding memory holds map data of a plurality of travel areas,
7. The autonomous mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, wherein when the map data is changed by the travel control means, the autonomous mobile body selects suitable map data from the map data held in the map holding memory. autonomous vehicle device. Equipped with multiple base units,
The map holding memory holds map data of a plurality of travel areas,
The travel control means selects suitable map data from the map data held in the map holding memory according to the base device to which the autonomous mobile body is connected. An autonomous vehicle device as described .

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