JP2024044740A - Autonomously travelling cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an autonomously travelling cleaner that suppresses an increase in the number of components.SOLUTION: An autonomously travelling cleaner S includes travelling motors 3m and 4m, a cleaner body 1 equipped with a fan motor 22, and a control device 30 for controlling the travelling motors 3m and 4m, and the fan motor 22. The cleaner body 1 includes a LiDAR unit 40 protruding from the top surface of the cleaner body 1 for measuring a distance, and a LiDAR cover 44 for covering the LiDAR unit 40. The control device 30 is provided with a detection switch 45 for detecting that the LiDAR cover 44 has come in contact with an obstacle. The LiDAR cover 44 includes a rotary shaft 44b provided integrally with the LiDAR cover 44 for rotatably and pivotably supporting the LiDAR cover 44, and a detection switch pressing part 44d provided integrally with the LiDAR cover 44 for pressing the detection switch 45 involved in the rotation of the LiDAR cover 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous vacuum cleaner that autonomously navigates and cleans.

An autonomous vacuum cleaner is equipped with a detection means for detecting obstacles around the housing of the autonomous vacuum cleaner. One means for detecting obstacles is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). LiDAR has a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, and detects obstacles around the housing by rotating the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit around the axis at the center of the LiDAR. In order to rotate the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit, the LiDAR is installed so that it protrudes from the top surface of the main body of the autonomous vacuum cleaner.

An autonomous vacuum cleaner drives a suction motor to generate suction force, and collects dust sucked in from the bottom surface of the housing into a dust collection container inside the housing. The autonomous vacuum cleaner then avoids obstacles detected by LiDAR and cleans the entire room. Such an autonomous vacuum cleaner is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

JP 2021-112416 A

Therefore, it is necessary to take into consideration the case where it is necessary to enter a gap under a bed or the like to clean. If the gap is higher than the product's external dimensions by a certain margin, the product will travel smoothly, but if the gap is lower than a certain level, the product will not be able to enter the gap due to a contact sensor (bumper) installed at the front of the product and will have to take evasive action. An autonomous vacuum cleaner equipped with LIDAR must be installed so that it protrudes from the top of the main body in order to rotate the LIDAR and measure the distance in each direction. This results in a difference between the height limit that the bumper can detect and the height of the gap through which the product can travel. If the autonomous vacuum cleaner enters a gap close to this height, it will be pinched between the bed or the floor and will be unable to operate.

In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 provides a switch lever that is pressed by the LiDAR cover that protects the LiDAR and rotates about an axis, and a collision detection section that is pushed downward by the switch lever, so that the LiDAR cover protects the LiDAR. When the LiDAR cover collides with an obstacle, the switch lever is pressed, and the switch lever rotates about its axis to push in the collision detection part, thereby detecting that the LiDAR cover has collided with the obstacle.

However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, when the LiDAR cover collides with an obstacle, the collision detection unit is pushed in via a switch lever that is a separate component, which increases the number of parts and reduces the structure. There was an issue of increasing complexity.

The object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous vacuum cleaner that solves the above problems and prevents an increase in the number of parts.

In order to achieve the above object, an autonomous vacuum cleaner of the present invention includes a vacuum cleaner body including a drive wheel and a travel motor for driving the drive wheel, and a dust collector provided in the vacuum cleaner body to collect dust. A case, a fan motor that is included in the vacuum cleaner body and generates suction force, a storage battery that supplies power to the travel motor and the fan motor, and a control device that controls the travel motor and the fan motor. The autonomous vacuum cleaner is equipped with a first distance sensor, which is installed on the vacuum cleaner body so as to protrude from the upper surface of the vacuum cleaner body, and measures a distance between the autonomous vacuum cleaner and the surroundings. , a sensor cover that covers the first distance measurement sensor, the control device includes a detection switch that detects that the sensor cover has come into contact with an obstacle, and the sensor cover includes a sensor cover that covers the first distance measurement sensor. a rotation shaft that is provided integrally with the sensor cover and rotatably supports the sensor cover; and a detection switch that is provided integrally with the sensor cover and presses the detection switch as the sensor cover rotates. It is characterized by comprising a pressing part.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an autonomous vacuum cleaner that suppresses an increase in the number of parts.

1 is an external perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view in the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an upper case 1u is removed from an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1. It is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1. 4 is a perspective view showing a LiDAR unit 40. FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing method of the control device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1; 1 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the correspondence table which made the first characteristic of a person and the operation of autonomous vacuum cleaner S correspond. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating human movements. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the recognition state of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S. It is a figure which shows the movement state of autonomously running vacuum cleaner S. It is an external perspective view of drone D concerning Example 3 of the present invention. It is an external perspective view of the drone D seen from above in a state where the upper cover is removed from the drone D. It is an external perspective view of drone D seen from below. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating human movements. It is a figure showing the recognition state of drone D. It is a figure showing the moving state of drone D. It is a flowchart of the dust identification method based on Example 4 of this invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display result of the information terminal device 100. 13 is a flowchart showing a means for reducing power consumption according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, taken in a vertical section in the front-rear direction. It is a schematic cross-sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, taken in a horizontal direction and viewed from above. FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a modification of the sixth embodiment, taken in a vertical section in the front-rear direction. FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a modification of the sixth embodiment, taken in a horizontal direction and viewed from above. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the side. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention viewed from above.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are given similar reference numerals and similar descriptions will not be repeated.

The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities, and it is permissible for one component to be made up of multiple members, for multiple components to be made up of one member, for one component to be part of another component, or for part of one component to overlap with part of another component.

In the diagram, the ceiling side is up, the floor side is down, the side in the direction of travel of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is the front, the side opposite the direction of travel of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is the back, and the left side in the direction of travel of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is the left. , the right side in the direction of movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is defined as right.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view in the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper case 1u is removed from the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1. Note that in FIG. 5, the LiDAR cover 44 and some parts are not shown in cross section to make it easier to understand the positional relationship of the LiDAR unit 40 and other surrounding parts. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the LiDAR unit 40.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S is an electric device that automatically cleans a predetermined cleaning area (for example, the floor surface Y of a room (see FIGS. 2 and 5)) while autonomously moving thereon. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S also includes a vacuum cleaner main body 1, a bumper 2 that covers the side periphery of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, a pair of drive wheels 3 and 4 (see FIG. 3), an auxiliary wheel 5 (see FIG. 3), and It is equipped with a side brush 6.

The vacuum cleaner main body 1 has an upper case 1u forming an upper part and a lower case 1s forming a bottom part. Further, the cleaner body 1 includes a front body part 1f in front of the center part 1c in the front-rear direction, and a rear part 1r in the rear of the center part 1c in the front-rear direction. An upper cover 1v is provided on the main body front part 1f of the upper case 1u. The upper surface of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 (upper case 1u) is formed in a step shape so that the heights in the vertical direction are different from each other with the center portion 1c in the front-rear direction as a boundary. Note that the front-rear direction central portion 1c does not necessarily mean the center position in the front-rear direction, but means a position where a step is formed.

A LiDAR unit 40 (Light Detection and Ranging) is installed in the front part 1f of the cleaner body 1. The LiDAR unit 40 is provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface 17a of the main body front part 1f.

Further, the rear part 1r of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 7 (7a, 7b, 7c) for commanding to stop the operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, and a dust case 8 for collecting dust. ing. The dust case 8 is provided so as to be removable upward from the rear part 1r of the main body, and is attached with a rotatable handle 8a which becomes a handle for the user when removing it from the rear part 1r of the main body. Although details will be described later, the upper surface 17b of the rear main body 1r is formed to be higher than the upper surface 17a of the front main body 1f.

The bumper 2 is provided in front of the center portion 1c of the cleaner body 1 in the front-rear direction, and has an end portion 2a provided at the center portion 1c of the cleaner body 1 in the front-rear direction. That is, the bumper 2 is integrally formed on the front surface and both left and right side surfaces of the cleaner main body 1 up to the end 2a of the central portion 1c in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, there is no gap in the bumper 2, and noise leaking from the bumper 2 is suppressed, making the autonomous vacuum cleaner S quieter.

The bumper 2 is provided in such a manner that at least the side periphery on the front side of the vacuum cleaner body 1 can move horizontally, particularly in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner S moves and comes into contact with an obstacle or the like, the bumper 2 can be pushed by the force of the contact and displaced toward the inside of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S (rearward if the bumper 2 is contacted on the front side of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S).

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive wheels 3 and 4 are wheels as an example of a drive unit, and are attached to the lower case 1s. Furthermore, by rotating the drive wheels 3 and 4 themselves, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can move forward, backward, and turn (including a super-turn). Further, the driving wheels 3 and 4 are arranged on both the left and right sides, and are rotationally driven by wheel units each composed of traveling motors 3m and 4m (see FIG. 4) and deceleration mechanisms 3b and 4b (see FIG. 3). Further, the driving wheels 3 and 4 are provided approximately at the center in the front-rear direction and near the outer periphery (outside) of the lower case in the left-right direction.

Further, the lower case 1s is provided with drive mechanism housing portions 11, 11 (see FIG. 3) that house drive mechanisms including travel motors 3m, 4m, arms 3a, 4a, and deceleration mechanisms 3b, 4b. It is being

Furthermore, behind the drive wheels 3, 4 and the drive mechanism housing 11, 11, there is a suction port 12 that houses the rotating brush 14 and sucks in dirt, a scraping brush 15, etc.

The rotating brush 14 is disposed approximately parallel to an axis (in the left-right direction) that passes through the rotation center of the drive wheels 3 and 4. The rotating brush 14 is driven by a rotating brush motor 14a (see FIG. 4).

The scraping brush 15 is arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating brush 14. Further, the scraping brush 15 is composed of a so-called lint brush, and is configured to rotate within a predetermined angular range.

The auxiliary wheel 5 is a driven wheel and is a caster that rotates freely. Further, the auxiliary wheel 5 is provided on the front side of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S in the front-rear direction and approximately in the center in the left-right direction. Further, the auxiliary wheels 5, together with the drive wheels 3 and 4, contribute to keeping the lower case 1s at a predetermined height from the floor surface Y (see FIG. 5). In addition, the drive wheels 3 and 4 and the auxiliary wheels 5 allow the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to move smoothly. The auxiliary wheels 5 rotate due to the frictional force generated between the autonomous vacuum cleaner S and the floor surface Y as the autonomous vacuum cleaner S moves, and are pivoted on the lower case 1s so that the auxiliary wheels 5 can rotate 360° in the horizontal direction. ing.

The side brush 6 is placed to either the left or right from the center of the vacuum cleaner body 1 in the left-right direction, and a part of the side brush 6 is located outside the vacuum cleaner body 1 to scrape out dust from places that are difficult for the rotating brush 14 to reach, such as near walls. , a brush that leads to the mouthpiece 12. Further, the side brush 6 has three bundles of brushes extending radially at intervals of 120° in a plan view, and is arranged on the front side of the lower case 1s. Further, the base of the side brush 6 is fixed to the side brush holder 6a. In this embodiment, the side brush 6 is placed on the left side in the direction of travel, but it may be placed on the right side in the direction of travel. It may be placed at least on either the left or right side, or both.

As shown in FIG. 3, floor distance measuring sensors 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are provided at four locations on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the lower case 1s. Floor distance measuring sensor 13a is located in front of the training wheels 5. Floor distance measuring sensor 13c is located on the outer periphery between the drive wheels 4 and the left side brush 6. Floor distance measuring sensor 13b is located symmetrically to floor distance measuring sensor 13c. Floor distance measuring sensor 13d is located behind the scraping brush 15.

The lower case 1s is also provided with a connection portion 16 that is electrically connected to the charging base. The connection portion 16 is located between the side brush holder 6a and the floor distance sensor 13a.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S includes a LiDAR unit 40 (first distance measurement sensor) as an example of a distance measurement sensor using light, a camera (image pickup ) 50, a distance measurement sensor 60 (second distance measurement sensor), a distance measurement sensor 61 (third distance measurement sensor), and an infrared light receiving section 70.

The LiDAR unit 40 (Light Detection and Ranging) is installed so as to protrude from the upper surface 17a of the main body front part 1f of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 that constitutes the outer shell of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 50, distance measuring sensor 60, and infrared light receiving section 70 are arranged in front of the main body front part 1f so as to face the front side. The LiDAR unit 40 is covered by a LiDAR cover 44 (sensor cover), which will be described later.

The distance sensor 61 is arranged on the side surface of the cleaner main body 1 on the side where the side brush 6 is arranged, of the left and right sides in the direction of movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. In this embodiment, the distance measurement sensor 61 is arranged so as to face the left side in the direction of movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S.

The infrared light receiving section 70 receives an infrared signal (charging stand return signal) transmitted from the charging stand.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S of this embodiment is equipped with drive wheels 3 and 4 that drive the vacuum cleaner main body 1, a LiDAR unit 40 provided on the vacuum cleaner main body 1, cameras (imaging units) 50 provided on the front and sides of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, and a camera (imaging unit) 50 provided on the vacuum cleaner main body 1, thereby enabling the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to accurately create a map of the cleaning location.

As shown in FIG. 7, the LiDAR unit 40 is divided into an upper rotating part 40a and a lower fixed part 40b. On the upper side, a LiDAR 41 is configured, which is a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance between the autonomous vacuum cleaner S and the surroundings using light such as infrared rays. The lower fixed part is composed of a rotary drive motor 42 for rotating the LiDAR 41, a belt 43 that transmits the rotation of the rotary drive motor 42 to the LiDAR 41, and a bearing that reduces the frictional force between the fixed part and the rotary part when it rotates. Ru. The LiDAR 41 includes a light emitting section 41a and a light receiving section 41b, and measures the distance to an object using trigonometry based on the light emitting angle of the light emitting section 41a and the light receiving angle of the light receiving section 41b. In this embodiment, the light emitting section 41a is an infrared light emitting section, and the light receiving section 41b is an infrared light receiving section, and these are configured as one unit. Moreover, the LiDAR cover 44 is formed with a notch opening 44c for allowing the infrared rays of the LiDAR 41 to pass through. Alternatively, the opening may be omitted and it may be covered with a functional resin component that transmits infrared rays emitted from the LiDAR 41. By using a functional resin that transmits infrared rays to transmit only the wavelength of infrared rays emitted from the LiDAR 41, it is possible to prevent disturbances such as sunlight that contains a mixture of various wavelengths.

Based on the angle of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 on the horizontal plane measured by the LiDAR unit 40 and the distance to the obstacle, map information of the surroundings is created, and the position and speed vector of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 on the map are identified. Note that the long-distance surrounding detection sensor can be replaced with LiDAR 41 and can be any distance measurement sensor capable of measuring 1 m or more, such as a millimeter wave radar or ultrasonic sensor. In addition, the rotation angle of the rotating part of the LiDAR unit 40 is not limited to 360°, and it is sufficient if the belt is replaced with a link mechanism and it can measure 60° or more. The rotation can be a swinging motion. The distance measurement method of LiDAR is not limited to trigonometry, and can also be a Time of Flight method that uses the phase difference of light between the light emitting part and the light receiving part.

The LiDAR unit 40 may also be capable of detecting obstacles at greater distances by changing the intensity of the light from the LiDAR 41. However, since power consumption increases if the intensity of the light from the LiDAR 41 is always kept high, it is advisable to lower the intensity when there is no need to detect distant obstacles. Furthermore, obstacles can be detected in greater detail by increasing the rotation speed of the rotary drive motor 42. However, power consumption increases if the rotation speed of the rotary drive motor 42 is always kept high, so it is advisable to lower the rotation speed when there is no need to detect obstacles at a more detailed angle.

The camera (imaging unit) 50 is a monocular camera, and is located on the central axis of the front surface of the cleaner body 1.

Furthermore, the camera 50 can detect the shape and position of objects more accurately than the LiDAR unit 40, making it easier to avoid obstacles. Furthermore, since the camera 50 can have a wider angle of view in the vertical direction than the LiDAR unit 40, obstacles on the floor can be avoided. For example, it can prevent clothes on the floor from getting caught in the brush or cords from getting tangled with the brush. In this way, by using the camera 50 in conjunction with the LiDAR unit 40, it is possible to detect the rough location of obstacles over a wide range, while clearly detecting the shape and position of obstacles at a short distance. It becomes possible to distinguish.

The camera 50 is also capable of changing the frame rate. For example, the frame rate is increased when detecting a nearby obstacle, and decreased when moving through an open area with no obstacles. This eliminates the need for the camera 50 to always operate at a high frame rate, thereby reducing the power consumption of the camera 50.

In this way, in this embodiment, by using both the LiDAR 41 and the camera 50, distance information and shape information to the obstacle can be detected with high accuracy. More specifically, when creating a map of the cleaning area, the position information of detected obstacles etc. is detected and mapped mainly or exclusively using LiDAR 41, and the shape information is mainly or exclusively used using the camera. Can be detected and mapped. In order to make these connections highly accurate, in this embodiment, the LiDAR 41 and the camera are provided adjacent to each other (within a distance of 10 cm, 5 cm, or 3 cm).

Furthermore, the focal length of the camera may be adjusted or the moving speed of the cleaner body 1 may be changed (for example, decelerated) based on the distance information detected by the LiDAR 41.

The distance measurement sensor 60 (second distance measurement sensor) is an ultrasonic sensor that emits ultrasonic waves and measures the time it takes for the waves to return to measure the distance to an obstacle. The distance measurement sensor 60 is provided in two locations on both the left and right sides of the front of the vacuum cleaner body 1.

On the left side of the moving direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, the distance measurement sensor 61 (third distance measurement sensor) is an infrared sensor whose detection range is, for example, about 1/10 or more shorter than that of the LiDAR and measures the distance to a relatively nearby obstacle (for example, about 1 m, preferably about 50 cm or 30 cm or less), and is composed of, for example, a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) sensor. The distance measurement sensor 61 has an infrared emitting unit that emits infrared rays and a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light that is reflected by the obstacle and returns. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. Specifically, the distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the position where the reflected light is received, the time until the reflected light is received, the amount and strength of the reflected light, etc. Note that the distance measurement sensor 61 is not limited to a PSD sensor, and may be an ultrasonic sensor. By providing the distance measurement sensor 61 on the side where the side brush 6 is arranged in this way, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can be brought close to the wall and the side brush 6 can be brought into contact with the wall, and cleaning can be performed along the wall.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S is electrically connected to the charging stand via the connection part 16 and supplies power to the storage battery 21 . In addition, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S specifies the direction of the charging stand with respect to the cleaner body 1 according to the type of received infrared rays by receiving three types of infrared LEDs emitted from the charging stand with the infrared receiver 70. do.

As shown in FIG. 5, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S includes a storage battery 21, a fan motor 22, a dust sensor 80, a first control board 10a, and a second control board 10b.

The storage battery 21 is arranged in front of the fan motor 22, and is connected to various motors such as travel motors 3m and 4m (see FIG. 4), side brush motor 6b (see FIG. 4), rotary brush motor 14a, and fan motor 22, and a bumper sensor (not shown). ), a camera 50, distance sensors 60, 61, floor distance sensors 13a to 13d, and a LiDAR unit 40.

The first control board 10a and the second control board 10b constitute a control device 30 (see FIG. 8), which will be described later. The first control board 10a extends from a central position in the front-rear direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S toward the front, avoiding the LiDAR unit 40, and is disposed above the fan motor 22. The first control board 10a includes a plurality of operation switches 46 (46a, 46b, 46c) corresponding to each of the plurality of operation buttons 7 (7a, 7b, 7c), and a LiDAR cover 44 (described later) that contacts an obstacle. A detection switch 45 is provided to detect this.

The second control board 10b is disposed at a forward position in the fore-and-aft direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, in front of the fan motor 22 (behind the camera 50 and distance measuring sensors 60, 61). The first control board 10a is disposed so as to extend horizontally, and the second control board 10b is disposed so as to extend vertically.

The first control board 10a controls the travel motors 3m and 4m, the side brush motor 6b, the rotary brush motor 14a, the fan motor 22, the dust sensor 80, the floor distance measuring sensors 13a to 13d, and the like. The second control board 10b controls the camera 50, distance measuring sensors 60, 61, LiDAR unit 40, and the like. In this embodiment, since the control board is divided into the first control board 10a and the second control board 10b, for example, the camera 50, distance measuring sensors 60, 61, LiDAR unit 40, and second control board 10b are configured separately. The wiring to be connected can be shortened, and the workability of assembling the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can be improved.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the storage battery 21 is composed of a plurality of cells 21a, 21b, and 21c, and the cells 21a and 21b are arranged one behind the other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cells (see FIGS. 5), and the cells 21a and 21c are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the cells (see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the side brush motor 6b and the storage battery 21 do not interfere with each other, and an increase in the height of the cleaner main body 1 can be suppressed.

The fan motor 22 (see FIG. 5) generates a suction force to collect the dust scraped off by the rotating brush 14 in the dust case 8. The fan motor 22 includes a motor section 22a, a fan 22b driven by the motor section 22a, and a rotating shaft 22c connecting the motor section 22a and the fan 22b. The fan motor 22 is also provided between the drive wheels 3 and 4 in the center in the front-to-rear direction.

The dust case 8 includes an inlet 8c that serves as an inlet for dust, a dust accommodating section 8d that accommodates dust, and a guide rib 8e that guides the dust that has flowed in from the inlet 8c to the dust accommodating section 8d. The guide ribs 8e are arranged to extend in the up-down direction (vertical direction). As shown by arrow A in FIG. 5, the dust flowing in from the inlet 8c moves upward along the guide rib 8e, changes its flow direction at the upper end of the guide rib 8e, and moves forward. The dust is stored in the dust storage section 8d. A dust filter 8b is arranged between the dust case 8 and the fan motor 22.

The air taken into the dust case 8 together with dust is taken into the fan motor 22 via the dust collection filter 8b. The exhaust air from the fan motor 22 is mainly exhausted to the outside of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S from the exhaust port 1t formed in the lower case 1s (see Figure 4), but a portion is exhausted toward the front of the cleaner body 1. The exhaust gas is used to cool the rotary drive motor 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shaft 22c of the fan motor 22 in this embodiment is arranged to extend in the front-rear direction of the vacuum cleaner body 1, and is arranged at an angle so that the dust collection filter 8b side (rear side) is higher when the autonomous vacuum cleaner S is placed on the floor surface Y. The fan 22b attached to the rotating shaft 22c faces the dust collection filter 8b, smoothing the air flow from the inlet 8c, the guide rib 8e, the dust storage section 8d, to the dust collection filter 8b. This reduces ventilation resistance and improves the dust collection efficiency.

Figure 8 is a control block diagram showing the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the control device 30 controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner S in an overall manner, and is configured, for example, by mounting a microcomputer and peripheral circuits on a board. The microcomputer reads out a control program stored in a read only memory (ROM) and expands it in a random access memory (RAM), and the CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes the program to realize various processes. The peripheral circuits include an A/D and D/A converter, a sensor drive circuit, a charging circuit for the storage battery 21, as well as a map creation unit, an image processing unit, a self-position determination unit, a driving route creation unit, and a driving control unit.

The control device 30 also performs calculations in response to the operation of the operation button 7, which allows the user to input commands, and signals input from the bumper sensor (not shown), floor distance measuring sensors 13a-13d, distance measuring sensor 60, camera 50, LiDAR 41, dust sensor 80, and communication means 90, and outputs the processed signal. Although not shown, the communication means 90 is provided at any position on the vacuum cleaner body 1. The control device 30 controls the travel motors 3m, 4m, side brush motor 6b, rotary brush motor 14a, and fan motor 22 based on the above sensors.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S starts running from the charging stand and cleans the floor, etc., for example, when instructed by the user or at a scheduled start time. When the cleaning is finished, the autonomous vacuum cleaner returns to the charging stand.

Next, the processing method of the control device 30 will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing method of the control device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The information captured by the camera 50 is processed by the control device 30 (second control board 10b). The control device 30 stores information learned by machine learning about at least one or more pieces of information about the shape, hue, and other information of each object included in the object group, as well as information such as whether each object included in the object group is a cleaning target and the difficulty of cleaning. Here, the object group refers to a collection of at least one or more objects selected by the manufacturer of the autonomous vacuum cleaner before shipping the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to detect, or selected arbitrarily by the user and information stored. Based on this learned information, the control device 30 calculates the confidence C (probability) that the subject captured by the camera 50 is an object included in the object group, and the position information of the subject in the video.

As shown in FIG. 9, the camera 50 captures an image of an object (step S901), and the subject information of the captured object is transmitted to the control device 30.

The control device 30 determines whether the subject photographed by the camera 50 is a cleaning target based on the confidence level C (step S902).

If it is determined that the subject captured by the camera 50 is an object to be cleaned (YES in step S902), the control device 30 determines whether the confidence level C1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TV1 (step S903).

If it is determined that the subject captured by the camera 50 is not an object to be cleaned (No in step S902), the control device 30 executes the process of step S907.

If it is determined that the confidence level C1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value TV1 (YES in step S903), the control device 30 estimates the distance L from the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to the subject, and the angle A at which the subject is positioned relative to the front of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. The distance L and angle A are estimated from the position information of the subject shown in the video. That is, the vertical position of the subject shown in the video is converted to distance L, and angle A is estimated using the horizontal position. In addition, information from other sensors such as LiDAR 41 and distance sensor 60 may be used in these estimations.

If it is determined that the confidence level C1 is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value TV1 (No in step S903), execute step S901.

The control device 30 drives the driving motors 3m and 4m so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S moves to the position of the subject to clean the subject, and calculates the time T required to reach the subject from the estimated distance L, angle A, and the driving speed of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S (step S904).

After a predetermined time T has elapsed, the control device 30 determines whether the dust sensor 80 provided on the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has detected dust (step S905). When the dust sensor 80 provided on the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has detected dust (YES in step S905), the control device 30 determines that the subject has been cleaned (sucked into the dust case 8) and notifies the user.

When issuing the notification, the control device 30 determines whether the confidence level C1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TV2 (step S906). When the confidence level C1 is equal to or greater than an arbitrary second threshold value TV2 (TV1<TV2≦C1) (YES in step S906), the control device 30 determines that the subject is an object and issues a notification of the image and name of the subject and that the subject has been cleaned (YES in step S906). At this time, it is possible to change the input to the fan motor 22 and the rotary brush motor 14a and perform cleaning according to the cleaning difficulty level of the object stored in the control device 30.

On the other hand, when the confidence level C is less than the second threshold TV2 (TV1<C1<TV2), the subject is not determined to be an object, and only the image of the subject 51 and the fact that it has been cleaned are notified (No in step S906).

This allows the user to know specifically what the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has cleaned (suctioned), and how well the autonomous vacuum cleaner S cleans the room when the user is not present. You can tell if it has been cleaned in the past. Furthermore, even if the user inhales a property that was accidentally dropped on the floor, it is possible to know by notification.

Furthermore, if the dust sensor 80 does not react after the time T has elapsed (NO in step S905), the control device 30 determines that the subject has not been cleaned (some part has been left behind by vacuuming) and notifies the user of an image of the subject and the fact that it could not be cleaned.

Also, if the subject captured by the camera 50 is determined to be an object not to be cleaned (NO in step S902), the control device 30 determines whether the confidence level C2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TV3 (step S907).

When it is determined that the confidence level C2 that the subject is a non-cleaning object is greater than or equal to the arbitrary threshold TV3 (YES in step S907), the control device 30 causes the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to run to avoid the subject ( Step S908).

After the autonomous vacuum cleaner S avoids the subject, when the confidence level C2 is equal to or higher than the arbitrary threshold value TV4 (TV3<TV4≦C2) (YES in step S909), the control device 30 determines that the subject is an object, and The image and name of the object will be displayed, and the object will be notified that the object has been avoided. On the other hand, when the confidence level C2 is less than the threshold TV4 (TV3<C2<TV4) (NO in step S909), the control device 30 does not determine that the subject is an object, and the image of the subject and the autonomous vacuum cleaner S are Notify that it has been avoided.

The notification means may be, for example, an information terminal device 100 as shown in FIG. 12. When displaying the notification content on the information terminal device 100, it is displayed on a map together with the location information. Alternatively, it may be displayed as a pop-up on the information terminal device 100 without being linked to a map, or it may be a list of objects that have been cleaned and objects that could not be cleaned, or any other means that can provide information to the user.

The configuration of a cleaning system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner S and a map creation method will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to Example 1 of the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the cleaning system of this embodiment is composed of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S, a wireless LAN router 200, an information terminal device 100, and a home appliance server 300.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S can wirelessly connect to an external home appliance server 300 via a wireless LAN router 200 installed in the home. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S can also communicate with an information terminal device 100 outside and inside the home via the wireless LAN router 200 and the home appliance server 300. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner S communicates with an information terminal device 100 inside the home, the communication goes through the wireless LAN router 200, the home appliance server 300, the wireless LAN router 200, and the home appliance server 300.

The information terminal device 100 can make a schedule reservation for the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, and instruct the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to start and stop cleaning, via the wireless LAN router 200 and the home appliance server 300. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S that has received the schedule reservation starts cleaning at the set date and time. Furthermore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S that has received the request to start cleaning leaves the charging stand and starts cleaning.

Furthermore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S transmits map information created based on the information of the LiDAR 41 and the camera 50 to the information terminal device 100 via the wireless LAN router 200 and the home appliance server 300.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, the map creation unit 31 creates a map of the room that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S is cleaning based on the information detected by the LiDAR 41. The map information created by the map creation section 31 is a two-dimensional grid map.

The image processing unit 32 identifies obstacles from the image data captured by the camera 50, acquires information regarding the relative positions of the obstacles, and transmits the information to the map creation unit 31.

The self-position determination unit 33 determines the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S based on the information detected by the LiDAR 41 and transmits the determined position to the map creation unit 31 .

The map creation unit 31 writes the obstacle identification result including the position information of the obstacle identified by the image processing unit 32 and the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S determined by the self-position determination unit 33 onto the created map. The map information and obstacle identification result created by the map creation unit 31 are stored in the memory unit of the control device 30.

The driving route creation unit 34 calculates the driving range based on the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S determined by the self-position determination unit 33 and the map information stored in the memory unit, creates a driving route for the autonomous vacuum cleaner S starting from the self-position, and transmits it to the communication means 90 and the driving control unit 35.

The travel control unit 35 controls the travel motors 3m and 4m so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S travels according to the created travel route.

The device control unit 36 controls the driving motors 3m and 4m, the side brush motor 6b, the rotating brush motor 14a, and the fan motor 22 as the autonomous vacuum cleaner S drives.

The communication means 90 transmits the travel route created by the travel route creation unit 34 to the home appliance server 300, and also transmits the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S determined by the self-position determination unit 33 and the map information stored in the storage unit. , periodically transmits the obstacle identification results stored in the storage unit to the home appliance server 300.

Now, since an autonomous vacuum cleaner needs to enter the gap under a bed, for example, to clean, the height dimension is limited to fit the gap under the bed. In an autonomous vacuum cleaner equipped with LiDAR on the top of the housing, the top position of the LiDAR is the height dimension that is limited. For this reason, in an autonomous vacuum cleaner, the housing of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is designed based on the top position of the LiDAR, so the height dimension of the housing is small, and there is a problem that the capacity of the dust collection container installed in the housing is small. Therefore, in this embodiment, the upper surface 17b of the rear body 1r on which the dust case 8 is provided is formed so as to be higher than the upper surface 17a of the front body 1f on which the LiDAR unit 40 is installed. In other words, the upper surface 17a of the front body 1f is formed lower than the upper surface 17b of the rear body 1r. The upper surface 8u of the dust case 8 is formed flush with the upper surface 17b of the rear body 1r.

According to this embodiment, the upper surface 17b of the rear body 1r where the dust case 8 is provided is formed to be higher than the upper surface 17a of the front body 1f where the LiDAR unit 40 is installed. Even with the autonomous vacuum cleaner S equipped with the unit 40, it is possible to clean by entering the gap under the bed, etc., and the dust collection capacity of the dust case 8 can be secured. Moreover, since the LiDAR unit 40 is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface 17a of the main body front part 1f, it is possible to suppress obstruction of obstacle detection by the LiDAR unit 40.

In the autonomous vacuum cleaner S of this embodiment, the top surface position of the LiDAR unit 40 is higher than the top surface 17b of the main body rear part 1r. Depending on the type of furniture, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner S enters the gap under the bed, etc., the top of the LiDAR unit 40 may get caught on the bed, etc., and the autonomous vacuum cleaner S may become unable to move. Since the autonomous vacuum cleaner S needs to clean by entering, for example, a gap under the bed, its dimension in the height direction is limited by the gap under the bed. Furthermore, since the LiDAR unit 40 that rotates and performs operations such as rotation poses a risk of being touched by the user, a LiDAR cover 44 must be provided to cover the LiDAR 41 and protect it from being touched by the user. Therefore, in an autonomous vacuum cleaner S having LiDAR on the upper part of the casing, the upper surface 44a of the LiDAR cover 44 has a limited height dimension. Therefore, an undetectable range 94 is created between the detection range 92 of the light emitting part 41a and the light receiving part 41b of the LiDAR 41 and the height direction of the cover top surface 44a, including other detection means (FIG. 5). For example, if there is a gap at the bottom of a bed or sofa, and the ranging sensor 60 or bumper 2 detects the space, if the top surface of the gap is within the above height dimension, the LiDAR unit 40 will not touch the bed or sofa. They end up colliding. For this reason, autonomous vacuum cleaners have responded by making the LiDAR cover 44 that covers the LiDAR 41 movable and arranging a detection switch 45 or something similar at the location where it interferes. However, if the number of components related to detection, such as the LiDAR unit 40 and the LiDAR cover 44, increases, the product height will increase. In addition, one way to solve the above structure is to reduce the height by not placing parts etc. above and below the structure in the height direction, but in that case, the horizontal dimension of the product becomes large. This makes it impossible to clean small spaces. Means for solving this problem will be explained using FIGS. 5, 10, and 11.

Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. Figure 10 shows the bumper 2 attached to the upper case 1u. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line V-V in Figure 1. Note that in Figure 11, the LiDAR unit 40 and the first control board 10a are not shown in cross section.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S is assembled in the following order from the bottom: a lower case 1s, a LiDAR unit 40, a first control board 10a, an upper case 1u, a LiDAR cover 44, and an upper cover 1v.

The LiDAR unit 40 protrudes upward from the upper surface 17a of the main body front part 1f, and a LiDAR cover 44 is disposed on the top of the LiDAR unit 40 so as to cover the LiDAR unit 40. In addition, in order to suppress the product outline in the horizontal direction and ensure the dust collection capacity of the dust case 8, the storage battery 21, LiDAR unit 40, first control board 10a, and LiDAR cover 44 are disposed so as to be stacked in the height direction (vertical direction).

The LiDAR cover 44 includes a rotation shaft 44b extending in the left-right direction and protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the LiDAR cover 44 to the left and right. The rotation shaft 44b is located forward of the center position of the LiDAR cover 44 in the front-rear direction.

The upper case 1u is provided with a bearing portion 1w into which the rotation shaft 44b of the LiDAR cover 44 is inserted (FIGS. 5, 6, 10, and 11). The rotation shaft 44b has an upper portion supported by the bearing portion 1w, and a lower portion supported by the first control board 10a.

The LiDAR cover 44 is integrally provided with a pivot 44b that rotatably supports the LiDAR cover 44. The LiDAR cover 44 can be rotated in the vertical direction behind the pivot 44b by the pivot 44b and the bearing 1w. The pivot 44b and the bearing 1w can be fixed with a screw or can be connected by a recessed and protruding fit.

The LiDAR cover 44 also has a detection switch pressing portion 44d that protrudes rearward from the outer peripheral surface of the LiDAR cover 44. The detection switch pressing portion 44d is integrally formed with the LiDAR cover 44.

The first control board 10a is provided with a detection switch 45. The upper case 1u located above the detection switch 45 has a notch 1u1 formed therein.

When the LiDAR cover 44 is attached to the vacuum cleaner body 1, the detection switch pressing portion 44d is positioned so as to be located above the detection switch 45 through the cutout portion 1u1. In other words, the detection switch pressing portion 44d is positioned so as to come into contact with and release the detection switch 45. The detection switch 45 is biased upward, and when no load is applied to the LiDAR cover 44, the detection switch 45 supports the LiDAR cover 44 via the detection switch pressing portion 44d.

When the autonomous vacuum cleaner S enters a gap under a bed or the like while traveling and the front or top of the LiDAR cover 44 comes into contact with an obstacle, the LiDAR cover 44 rotates around the pivot 44b as a fulcrum, and the LiDAR cover 44 on the rear side of the pivot 44b moves downward. The detection switch pressing portion 44d formed integrally with the LiDAR cover 44 moves downward together with the LiDAR cover 44 and presses the detection switch 45.

When the detection switch 45 is pressed, the control device 30 detects that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has come into contact with an obstacle and controls the travel motors 3m and 4m to avoid the obstacle.

By doing this, it is possible to avoid obstacles that cannot be detected by other sensors, and to prevent the robot from getting pinched between the floor and the top of the gap under the bed, making it unable to move.

In this embodiment, a contact type switch that contacts the detection switch pressing portion 44d is used as the detection switch 45, but the detection switch 45 may be replaced with a non-contact type such as a photointerrupter.

Further, when the control device 30 detects that the detection switch 45 is pressed, the control device 30 may stop the operation of the travel motors 3m, 4m, the rotary brush motor 14a, and the fan motor 22. After stopping each motor, the control device 30 notifies an information terminal device owned by the user via the communication means 90 that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has stopped in an emergency.

The LiDAR cover 44 is arranged in the upper case 1u as described above, but the LiDAR unit 40 and the storage battery 21 are arranged in the lower case 1s. This is achieved by arranging electrical system components such as the LiDAR unit 40 that transmit signals and control to the first control board 10a via wiring in the same unit as the first control board 10a. This is because it makes it easier to perform wiring, suppresses wiring connection mistakes, and facilitates wiring confirmation.

Because the LiDAR cover 44 is a single component, only a small force is required when rotating the LiDAR cover 44. As a result, parts such as springs to correct the posture of the LiDAR cover 44 or to return it to its original posture when it becomes free after the detection switch 45 is pressed are not required, or only a minimum number of parts are required, and a small size that does not require a large force is sufficient, resulting in fewer parts, reduced costs, improved assembly, and a more compact product.

According to the first embodiment, since the detection switch pressing part 44d that presses the detection switch 45 is provided integrally with the LiDAR cover 44, it is possible to provide an autonomous vacuum cleaner that suppresses an increase in the number of parts.

In the first embodiment, the upper case 1u is placed on the front part 1f of the main body to hide the inside of the product housing and improve the design, so that the aesthetic appearance is not marred by the visibility of the pivot shaft 44b. However, the pivot shaft 44b may be hidden by other methods, or the pivot shaft 44b may be treated as an external design element.

When changing the operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, the user must directly operate the autonomous vacuum cleaner S or an external terminal such as an information terminal device or a remote controller that is electronically or radio-wave connected to the autonomous vacuum cleaner S in order to operate the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. In order to directly operate the autonomous vacuum cleaner S or the external terminal, the user must approach either of them in person to operate them, which is inconvenient. Below, we will explain the means for solving the above problem.

In the second embodiment, the camera 50 recognizes the characteristics and position of the person and moves the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to a position where the person can perform additional operations.

The camera 50 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can recognize the shape, color, movement, heat, bioelectricity, electromagnetic waves, or voice of a person as a first characteristic of a person. Next, the control device 30 is equipped with a determination unit that determines the first characteristic of the person. The determination unit of the control device 30 determines a first operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S that corresponds to the first characteristic of the person.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a correspondence table in which the first characteristics of a person and the actions of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S are made to correspond.

The first motion of the person is determined based on a correspondence table between the first characteristics of the person and the first motion of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, which are set in advance, as shown in FIG. 14 . For example, a person's ``action of waving their hand at a low position'' corresponds to the autonomous vacuum cleaner S ``moving to a position where the person can perform additional operations,'' and a person's ``action of raising their hand'' corresponds to the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. Machine S corresponds to "movement in the direction away from the person". Here, the human movement and the corresponding movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S are not limited to the above example. Further, these correspondence tables may be set in advance or may be set by the user himself/herself.

The control device 30 controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S determined by the determination unit. Specific examples are shown below in FIGS. 15 to 17.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing human motion. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the recognition state of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the moving state of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S.

In FIG. 15, for example, a person waves their hand at a low position near the floor surface. The camera 50 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S captures the waving action and acquires it as a first characteristic of the person. Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S recognizes the position of the person using either or both of the camera 50 and the distance measuring sensor. After that, the determination unit of the control device 30 refers to the correspondence table of FIG. 14 and determines that the first action of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S corresponding to the action of the person waving their hand at a low position near the floor surface is movement to a position where the person can perform additional operations. Accordingly, the control device 30 generates a movement route with the range where the person's hand can reach the operation button 7 as the destination, and as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 30 drives the wheels to move the autonomous vacuum cleaner S along the generated movement route. The control device 30 stops the movement when the autonomous vacuum cleaner S arrives at the destination and waits until it is operated by a person.

Here, the camera 50 acquires a second characteristic of the person as an additional operation by the person. The determination unit of the control device 30 determines a second operation of the autonomous mobile device that corresponds to the second characteristic of the person, and the control device 30 controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to execute the determined second operation.

The means for acquiring the first or second characteristics of a person is not limited to the camera 50, but may be a heat sensitive device, an electromagnetic wave receiver, a sound collector, or the like.

The means for acquiring the position information of a person is not limited to the camera 50 or a distance sensor, but also includes an electromagnetic wave receiver, a sound collector, a distance detector, a position detector, a speed detector, an acceleration detector, an angular velocity detector, and an angular acceleration detector. etc.

As explained above, in the second embodiment, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S acquires the first characteristic and position information of the person, and controls the operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the first characteristic of the person. Performs judgment and controls for execution. Specifically, by waving a hand from a low position, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can be moved to a position where the person can perform additional operations. Thereby, the user's travel cost when operating the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can be reduced, and the autonomous vacuum cleaner S can be operated in a sophisticated manner.

Next, we will explain Example 3. Example 3 is an example in which a drone is used instead of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S of Example 2.

Figure 18 is an external perspective view of drone D according to Example 3 of the present invention. Figure 19 is an external perspective view of drone D as viewed from above with the top cover removed. Figure 20 is an external perspective view of drone D as viewed from below. Drone D flies in the air and can take photographs of the ground and surroundings as well as transport cargo.

Drone D has a lower case 400 that serves as a base for assembling the parts constituting the device main body, and an upper cover 401 for storing the parts inside the main body is attached. The upper cover 401 is equipped with the minimum necessary operation switch 402 for the user to operate the drone D. A control device 403 equipped with software for electronically controlling the drone D (hereinafter also referred to as control software) is provided inside the upper cover 401.

The control device 403 includes a determination unit and a control unit. The control device 403 is provided with a pressure detection unit, and is operated by pressing the operation switch 402. The control device 403 uses a battery (not shown) mounted on the drone D as a power source to drive the control device 403 itself, and also distributes power to drive all other electronic devices mounted on the drone D. The control device 403 may perform multiple functions, such as movement control and image processing, and may be divided into multiple units for each function.

A vane wheel 404 is mounted around the lower case 400 as a means of moving the drone D, and is driven by the control unit of the control device 403 so that the drone can freely control its movement. A protective member 405 is provided around the vane wheel 404 to protect the vane wheel 404.

Support posts 406 are mounted around the lower case 400 and the protective member 405 to connect them to each other. Furthermore, a camera 407 is mounted on the lower front part of the lower case 400 to capture images of the surroundings of the drone D. Although not shown, the drone D is also equipped with other components required for the minimum operation of the drone D, such as a drive system for driving the impeller 404, sensors for acquiring various environmental information, a display unit such as an LED, a speaker, a radio wave transmitter/receiver, wiring, etc.

Next, an autonomous movement control method will be described in which the imaging device 37 recognizes the characteristics and position of the person, moves the drone D to a position where the person can perform additional operations, and receives the additional operation. The various drive systems of the drone D may be stopped or may be operating before entering into the main control. The control unit previously holds information on the characteristics of a person who can be recognized.

The camera 407 of the drone D can recognize the first characteristics of a person, such as the shape, color, movement, heat, bioelectricity, electromagnetic waves, and voice of the person. Next, the determination unit of the control device 403 determines the first movement of the drone D corresponding to the first characteristic of the person. The first movement is determined based on a correspondence table of predetermined human characteristics and drone D movements as shown in FIG. 14. For example, a person's "movement of waving their hand next to their face" corresponds to the drone D's "movement to a position where the person can perform additional operations," and a person's "movement of raising their hand" corresponds to the drone D's "movement of moving away from the person." Here, human movements and the corresponding drone D movements are not limited to these examples. Furthermore, these correspondence tables may be preset or may be set by the user himself.

The control device 403 controls the drone D in response to the first motion of the drone D determined by the determination unit. Specific examples are shown in Figures 21 to 23 below.

Figure 21 is a diagram showing the movements of a person. Figure 22 is a diagram showing the recognition state of drone D. Figure 23 is a diagram showing the movement state of drone D.

In FIG. 21, for example, a person makes an action of waving his hand next to his face. The camera 407 of the drone D captures the waving motion and acquires it as the first characteristic of the person. Next, as shown in FIG. 22, the drone D recognizes the location of the person using either the camera 407 or the distance sensor (not shown), or both. Thereafter, the determination unit of the control device 403 takes into account the correspondence table and determines that the motion of the drone D that corresponds to the motion of the person waving his or her hand next to the person's face is movement to a position where the person can perform additional operations. . Accordingly, as an additional operation, the control device 403 generates a travel route with a position where the second feature of the person is largely reflected in the imaging range as the destination, in order to obtain the second feature of the person. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 23, the control device 403 drives the impeller 404 to move the drone D along the movement route, and stops moving when it reaches the destination until it is operated by a person. stand by. Here, the camera 407 acquires the second characteristic of the person as an additional operation by the person. The determination unit of the control device 403 determines a second motion of the autonomous mobile device that corresponds to the second characteristic of the person, and the control unit of the control device 403 causes the drone D to execute the determined second motion. control.

The means for acquiring the first or second characteristics of a person is not limited to an imaging device, but may also be a heat sensitive device, an electromagnetic wave receiver, a sound collector, or the like. In addition, the means for acquiring a person's position information are not limited to imagers and distance sensors, but also electromagnetic wave receivers, sound collectors, distance detectors, position detectors, speed detectors, acceleration detectors, angular velocity detectors, and angular acceleration detectors. A detector may also be used.

As explained above, in the third embodiment, the drone D acquires the first characteristic and position information of the person, determines the operation of the drone D according to the first characteristic of the person, and performs control to execute the operation. I do. Specifically, by waving a hand next to the person's face, the drone D can be moved to a position where the person can perform additional operations. Thereby, the user's movement cost when operating the drone D can be reduced, and the drone D can be operated in a sophisticated manner.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, a method of identifying dirt will be described. Since the autonomous vacuum cleaner S performs cleaning automatically, it is preferable that the autonomous vacuum cleaner S be operated according to the type of dirt. It is also preferable that the user be able to know the type of dirt sucked in by the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. Means for solving these problems will be described.

Figure 24 is a flowchart of a dust identification method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The operation shown in Figure 24 is executed by the control device 30 in Figure 8.

As shown in FIG. 24, the camera 50 photographs an object (step S1001), and subject information of the photographed object is transmitted to the control device 30.

The control device 30 determines whether the subject photographed by the camera 50 is to be cleaned (step S1002).

If it is determined that the object photographed by the camera 50 is an object to be cleaned (YES in step S1002), the control device 30 identifies the type of garbage (step S1003). The control device 30 stores in advance information regarding the type of garbage based on characteristics such as color and shape, and compares the subject information of the object photographed by the camera 50 with the information regarding the type of garbage to identify the type of garbage. . If it is determined that the object photographed by the camera 50 is not an object to be cleaned (NO in step S1002), the control device 30 executes the process in step S1001.

Next, the control device 30 determines whether the weight of the identified garbage is equal to or greater than a predetermined weight (step S1004). For example, if the control device 30 determines that the garbage is metal, plastic, etc., it determines that the garbage has a predetermined weight or more.

If it is determined that the identified garbage is equal to or greater than the predetermined weight (YES in step S1004), the control device 30 operates the fan motor 22 at high speed to increase the suction power (step S1005).

After operating the fan motor 22 at high speed, the control device 30 drives the travel motors 3m and 4m to move the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to the location where the dirt is located (step S1006).

If it is determined in step S1004 that the identified garbage is less than the predetermined weight (NO in step S1004), the control device 30 executes step S1006.

Next, the control device 30 determines whether the identified dust has been sucked into the autonomous vacuum cleaner S (step S1007). This determination is made using the detection results of the dust sensor 80.

If the identified garbage is sucked into the autonomous vacuum cleaner S (YES in step S1007), the control device 30 transmits the result to the information terminal device 100 owned by the user via the communication means 90 (step S1008). ). If the identified dirt is not sucked into the autonomous vacuum cleaner S (No in step S1007), the control device 30 repeats the process in step S1007.

In the fourth embodiment, the result of dust suction is transmitted to the information terminal device 100. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a display result of the information terminal device 100.

The display screen 101 of the information terminal device 100 displays cleaning time, cleaning area, map, and cleaning completion date and time. The map displayed on the display screen 101 shows the floor plan of the room, the type of surface to be cleaned, the travel trajectory of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S, and the position of the sucked garbage.

If you want to check the type of garbage that has been sucked in, touch the location of the garbage displayed on the display screen 101 of the information terminal device 100, and pop-up screens 102, 103 will appear, displaying the type of garbage that has been sucked in. In FIG. 25, as an example, when you touch the location of the garbage displayed on the information terminal device 100, coins and scraps of paper are displayed.

According to the fourth embodiment, the type of garbage is identified, it is determined whether the garbage weighs more than a predetermined weight, and the fan motor is operated at high speed when the garbage weighs more than a predetermined weight. It is possible to suppress the amount of leftover suction. Further, according to this embodiment, the fan motor is not operated at high speed when the weight of the garbage is less than a predetermined weight, so power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, since the position of the sucked-in garbage and the type of the sucked-in garbage are displayed on the information terminal device 100, it is possible to know what the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has accidentally sucked, such as a coin. .

Next, Example 5 will be explained. In Example 5, an example of a method for reducing power consumption will be described. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S includes three or more sensors, such as a camera 50, ranging sensors 60 and 61, and a LiDAR unit 40. In particular, the power consumption of the camera 50 for photographing objects is large. Means for reducing this will be explained below.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing means for reducing power consumption according to Example 5 of the present invention.

When the autonomous vacuum cleaner S starts traveling (step S1101), the presence or absence of an obstacle is detected by the ranging sensors 60, 61 and the LiDAR unit 40 (step S1102).

When the ranging sensors 60, 61 and the LiDAR unit 40 detect an obstacle (YES in step S1102), the control device 30 activates the camera 50 (step S1103). If the ranging sensors 60, 61 and the LiDAR unit 40 do not detect an obstacle (NO in step S1102), the process in step S1102 is repeated.

After starting the camera 50, the control device 30 recognizes the captured image and determines whether it is an obstacle or dust that can be sucked in (step S1104).

If the photographed image is of dust that can be sucked (step S1105), the control device 30 drives the travel motors 3m and 4m to cause the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to approach the dust and suction it (step S1106).

On the other hand, if the captured image shows an obstacle (step S1107), the control device 30 drives the driving motors 3m and 4m to operate the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to avoid the obstacle (step S1108).

After the autonomous vacuum cleaner S has sucked up the dirt or avoided an obstacle, the control device 30 stops the camera 50 (step S1109).

After stopping the camera 50, the control device 30 causes the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to start moving again (step S1110).

According to Example 5, by installing three or more sensors, it becomes possible to detect obstacles and the distance from the autonomous vacuum cleaner S to obstacles that were previously undetectable. It can improve the driving performance inside. Further, power consumption can be reduced by limiting the activation time of the camera 50 to when an obstacle is detected by another sensor.

Next, Example 6 will be described. In Example 6, a means for reducing noise generated from the autonomous vacuum cleaner S will be described. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S is equipped with multiple motors, such as a fan motor 22, a side brush motor 6b that drives the side brushes, a rotary brush motor 14a that drives the rotary brushes, and travel motors 3m, 4m that drive the drive wheels 3, 4, and these motors are the cause of noise generation. The sides of the vacuum cleaner body are covered with bumpers, but the bumpers are attached with a gap from the vacuum cleaner body in order to operate the bumpers, and motor sounds leak out from these gaps, causing noise. In particular, the noise generated from the fan motor 22 and rotary brush motor 14a, which rotate at high speeds, is noticeable. The means for reducing noise will be described below.

FIG. 27 is a schematic side sectional view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, taken in a vertical section in the front-rear direction. FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, taken in a horizontal direction and viewed from above.

In Example 6, the fan motor 22 and the rotary brush motor 14a mounted on the lower case 1s are positioned toward the rear of the vacuum cleaner body 1, and the upper case 1u is positioned so that no gap is created above the lower case 1s. Therefore, the bumper 2 that is placed around the vacuum cleaner body 1 is only placed at the front.

Noise is generated when the fan motor 22 and the rotary brush motor 14a are driven, but since the lower case 1s and the upper case 1u are connected without any gaps, the noise generated from the fan motor 22 and the rotary brush motor 14a is absorbed by the upper case 1u. reflected within.

Next, a modified example of Example 6 will be described. FIG. 29 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a modified example of Example 6, cut vertically in the front-rear direction. FIG. 30 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to a modified example of Example 6, cut horizontally and viewed from above.

The difference from the configurations in Figures 27 and 28 is that the internal space of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is divided into front and rear spaces by a partition plate 500, and the fan motor 22 and rotary brush motor 14a are arranged in the rear space divided by the partition plate 500.

In the modified example, by providing the partition plate 500, the degree of sealing in the rear space of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is increased, and the effect of suppressing sound leakage can be further enhanced.

According to the sixth embodiment, the sound generated from the fan motor 22 and the rotary brush motor 14a can be prevented from leaking out of the cleaner body 1, and the noise can be reduced.

Next, Example 7 will be explained. In Example 7, a means for suppressing lifting of the suction port 12 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S will be described.

Figure 31 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to Example 7 of the present invention, as viewed from the side. Figure 32 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to Example 7 of the present invention, as viewed from above.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S has drive wheels 3, 4 located in the center of the cleaner body 1 in the front-to-rear direction, side brushes located in front, and a suction nozzle 12 located in the rear. The autonomous vacuum cleaner S has a center of gravity located forward of the drive wheels 3, 4, and when the cleaner body 1 tilts forward with the drive wheels 3, 4 as a fulcrum, the suction nozzle 12 located at the rear of the cleaner body 1 may move away from the floor surface Y, resulting in a decrease in dirt removal performance.

Therefore, in the seventh embodiment, the weight 600 is placed closer to the suction mouth 12 (rearward) than the drive wheels 3 and 4. The weight 600 is divided and placed in the left-right direction of the vacuum cleaner body 1. If the weight 600 is placed on the vacuum cleaner body 1, the weight of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S increases, the load on the drive motors 3m and 4m that drive the drive wheels 3 and 4 increases, and power consumption increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the weight of the weight is set to 10% or less of the total weight of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. Since a typical autonomous vacuum cleaner S weighs 2300g to 2500g (weight without the weight), it is preferable that the weight 600 to be placed on the autonomous vacuum cleaner S is about 200g (total of the left and right).

According to the seventh embodiment, since the weight 600 is arranged closer to the suction port 12 (rear side) than the drive wheels 3 and 4, the suction port 12 is prevented from moving away from the floor surface Y, and the cleaning performance is improved. can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. The above-described embodiment has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described.

S...autonomous vacuum cleaner, 1...vacuum cleaner body, 1c...front-rear center, 1f...front body, 1r...rear body, 1s...lower case, 1t...exhaust port, 1u...upper case, 1v...upper cover, 1w...bearing, 2...bumper, 2a...end, 3...drive wheel, 3a...arm, 3b...reduction mechanism, 3m...travel motor, 4...drive wheel, 4a...arm, 4b...reduction mechanism, 4m...travel motor, 5...auxiliary wheel, 6...side brush, 6a...side brush holder, 6b...side Brush motor, 7...operation button, 8...dust case, 8a...handle, 8b...dust collection filter, 8c...inlet, 8d...dust storage section, 8e...guide rib, 10a...first control board, 10b...second control board, 11...drive mechanism storage section, 12...suction port section, 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d...floor distance measuring sensor, 14...rotating brush, 14a...rotating brush motor, 15...scraping brush, 16...connection section, 17a, 17b...upper surface, 21...storage battery, 21 a, 21b, 21c...cell, 22...fan motor, 30...control device, 40...LiDAR unit, 40a...rotating part, 40b...fixed part, 41...LiDAR, 41a...light emitting part, 41b...light receiving part, 42...rotation drive motor, 43...belt, 44...LiDAR cover, 44a...upper surface, 44b...rotating shaft, 44c...notched opening, 44d...detection switch pressing part, 45...detection switch, 50...camera, 60, 61...distance measuring sensor, 70...infrared receiving Optical unit, 80...dust sensor, 90...communication means, 92...detection range, 94...non-detection range, 100...information terminal device, 101...display screen, 102, 103...pop-up screen, 200...wireless LAN router, 300...home appliance server, D...drone, 400...lower case, 401...upper cover, 402...operation switch, 403...control device, 404...impeller, 405...protective member, 406...support, 407...camera, 500...partition plate, 600...weight

Claims (4)

A vacuum cleaner body including a drive wheel and a travel motor that drives the drive wheel, a dust case included in the vacuum cleaner body to collect dust, and a fan included in the vacuum cleaner body to generate suction force. An autonomous vacuum cleaner comprising a motor, a storage battery that supplies power to the travel motor and the fan motor, and a control device that controls the travel motor and the fan motor,
The vacuum cleaner body includes a first distance measurement sensor that is installed to protrude from the top surface of the vacuum cleaner body and measures the distance between the autonomous vacuum cleaner and the surroundings, and a sensor cover that covers the first distance measurement sensor. and,
The control device includes a detection switch that detects that the sensor cover has contacted an obstacle,
The sensor cover includes a rotation shaft that is provided integrally with the sensor cover and rotatably supports the sensor cover, and a rotation shaft that is provided integrally with the sensor cover and that rotates as the sensor cover rotates. An autonomous vacuum cleaner, comprising: a detection switch pressing section that presses the detection switch by pressing the detection switch. In claim 1,
the rotation shaft extends in the left-right direction of the vacuum cleaner body and is located forward of a center position of the sensor cover in the front-rear direction,
The autonomous vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the detection switch pressing portion is provided so as to protrude rearward from the outer peripheral surface of the sensor cover. In claim 2,
The autonomous running system is characterized in that the rotation shaft is supported by a bearing formed in an upper case that constitutes an upper part of the vacuum cleaner body, and a control board that is covered by the upper case and constitutes the control device. type vacuum cleaner. In claim 3,
The upper case has a notch formed therein,
The detection switch pressing portion is disposed so as to be positioned above the detection switch through the cutout portion.

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