JP6912937B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner that autonomously travels in a cleaning area in a zigzag manner for cleaning.

Conventionally, a so-called autonomous traveling type electric vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans the floor surface while autonomously traveling on the floor surface as a surface to be cleaned is known.

In such a vacuum cleaner, for example, the size and shape of the room to be cleaned, obstacles, etc. are reflected on a map and generated (mapped), and a traveling route is set in a zigzag shape based on the generated map. , There is a technology to travel along the travel route.

In general, the shape and floor plan of a room to be a cleaning area are various. For example, even a square cleaning area may have a shape close to a square or an elongated shape such as a corridor. Therefore, it is required to efficiently run autonomously according to the shape of such a cleaning area.

Japanese Patent No. 5426603

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of cleaning a cleaning area while efficiently and autonomously traveling.

The vacuum cleaner of the embodiment includes a main body case, a cleaning unit, a holding means, a driving unit, a battery, and a traveling control means. The cleaning department cleans. The holding means holds information on the cleaning area. The drive unit runs the main body case. The battery supplies power to at least the drive unit. The travel control means includes a zigzag travel mode in which the main body case is autonomously traveled in a zigzag shape in a cleaning area where information is retained by the possessing means by controlling the drive of the drive unit. This travel control means controls the drive of the drive unit so as to travel in a zigzag shape with respect to the quadrangle inscribed in the obstacle in the cleaning area in the zigzag travel mode. Then, in this traveling control means, the traveling direction of the main body case at the start of the zigzag traveling mode is set to the direction along the longitudinal direction of the quadrangle.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vacuum cleaner of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the electric cleaning device provided with the electric vacuum cleaner as above. It is a top view which shows the electric vacuum cleaner from the bottom. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the calculation method of the 3D coordinates of an object by the surrounding detection means of the vacuum cleaner. It is explanatory plan view which shows typically the running state just before the start of the zigzag running mode of the electric vacuum cleaner. (a) is an explanatory plan view schematically showing the running state of one cleaning area in the zigzag running mode, and (b) is an explanatory plan view schematically showing the running state of the other cleaning area in the zigzag running mode. be. It is explanatory plan view which shows typically the running state in the zigzag running mode in the order of (a) to (d) when the size of the cleaning area of the electric vacuum cleaner is more than a predetermined size. It is the flowchart which shows the control of the zigzag running mode of the vacuum cleaner. It is explanatory top view which shows typically the traveling state of the electric vacuum cleaner of 2nd Embodiment in the zigzag traveling mode. It is explanatory top view which shows typically the traveling state of the electric vacuum cleaner of 3rd Embodiment in the zigzag traveling mode.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes an electric vacuum cleaner as an autonomous traveling body, and the electric vacuum cleaner 11 together with a charging device (charging stand) 12 as a base device serving as a base for charging the electric vacuum cleaner 11, for example. It constitutes an electric cleaning device (electric cleaning system) as an autonomous vehicle device. Then, in the present embodiment, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is a so-called self-propelled robot cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans the floor surface while autonomously traveling (self-propelled) on the floor surface which is the surface to be cleaned as the traveling surface. ).

The vacuum cleaner 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a hollow main body case 20. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a drive wheel 21 which is a drive unit. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a cleaning unit 22 for cleaning dust. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 may include a sensor unit 23. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a control means (control unit) 24 which is a controller. Then, the vacuum cleaner 11 may include a secondary battery which is a battery for power supply. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 may be provided with a data communication means (communication unit) as an information transmission means for communicating via a network, for example, by wire or wirelessly. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 may include an input / output unit for inputting / outputting signals to / from an external device or a user. Hereinafter, the direction along the traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is defined as the front-rear direction (arrows FR and RR directions shown in FIG. Both sides) will be described as the width direction.

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

The drive wheel 21 causes the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to travel (autonomously travel) in the forward direction and the backward direction (autonomous travel) on the floor surface, that is, for traveling. In this embodiment, a pair of drive wheels 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the main body case 20, for example. The drive wheels 21 are driven by a motor 33 as a drive means. Instead of the drive wheels 21, an endless track or the like as a drive unit can be used.

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

The cleaning unit 22 removes dust from a unit to be cleaned, such as a floor surface or a wall surface. The cleaning unit 22 has a function of collecting and collecting dust on the floor surface from the suction port 31, or wiping and cleaning the wall surface, for example. The cleaning unit 22 rotates and drives an electric blower 35 that sucks dust together with air from the suction port 31, a rotary brush 36 as a rotary cleaning body that is rotatably attached to the suction port 31 and scoops up dust, and the rotary brush 36. Drives the brush motor 37 to be operated, the side brush 38 which is an auxiliary cleaning means (auxiliary cleaning part) as a swivel cleaning part which is rotatably attached to both sides such as the front side of the main body case 20 and collects dust, and this side brush 38. It may be provided with at least one of the side brush motors 39. Further, the cleaning unit 22 may include a dust collecting unit 40 that communicates with the suction port 31 to collect dust.

The sensor unit 23 senses various information that supports the running of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20). More specifically, the sensor unit 23 senses, for example, an uneven state (step) on the floor surface, a wall or obstacle that hinders traveling, the amount of dust on the floor surface, and the like. The sensor unit 23 includes a perimeter detection sensor 43 which is a perimeter detection means. Further, the sensor unit 23 may include, for example, an infrared sensor or a dust amount sensor (dust sensor). The sensor unit 23 is not an indispensable configuration.

The surroundings detection sensor 43 detects the shape and arrangement of obstacles and the like around the main body case 20. That is, the surrounding detection sensor 43 detects information on the cleaning area around the main body case 20. The surrounding detection sensor 43 includes a camera 51 as an imaging means. Further, the surrounding detection sensor 43 includes a determination unit 52. The surrounding detection sensor 43 may include a lamp 53 as a detection assisting means (detection assisting unit).

The camera 51 displays a digital image at a predetermined horizontal angle of view (for example, 105 °) in front of the main body case 20 in a traveling direction every predetermined time, for example, every minute time such as every several tens of milliseconds, or for several seconds. It is a digital camera that captures images every time. The camera 51 may be singular or plural. In this embodiment, a pair of left and right cameras 51 are provided. That is, the camera 51 is arranged at the front portion of the main body case 20 so as to be separated from each other on the left and right. Further, these cameras 51 and 51 have overlapping imaging ranges (fields of view) of each other. Therefore, in the images captured by these cameras 51 and 51, the imaging region wraps in the left-right 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 an infrared image.

By extracting feature points and the like from the image captured by the camera 51, the determination unit 52 extracts the shape (distance and height of the object) of an object (obstacle, etc.) located around the main body case 20 from the captured image. It is configured to detect (such as). In other words, the determination unit 52 is configured to determine whether or not the 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 calculates the distance (depth) and three-dimensional coordinates of an object (feature point) based on the image captured by the camera 51 and the distance between the cameras 51 using a known method. It is configured in. That is, the determination unit 52 specifically determines the distance f (misparity) between the cameras 51 and 51 and the object O (feature point SP) of the images G and G captured by the cameras 51 and 51, and the camera 51. By applying triangulation based on the distance l between the cameras 51 and 51, pixel dots indicating the same position are detected in the images G and G captured by the cameras 51 and 51, and the pixel dots are in the vertical, horizontal, and front-back directions. To calculate the distance and height from the camera 51 at that position from these angles and the distance l between the cameras 51 and 51, and to calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the object O (feature point SP). It is configured in (Fig. 4). Further, the determination unit 52 presets or sets the distance of the object imaged in, for example, 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 judge an object located at a distance less than or equal to this set distance (distance from the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20)) as an obstacle by comparing with the set distance which is a variable set threshold. There is. Even if the determination unit 52 has an image correction function that performs primary image processing such as lens distortion correction, noise removal, contrast adjustment, and image center matching of a raw image captured by the camera 51, for example. good. Further, the determination unit 52 may be provided in the control means 24. Further, when the number of cameras 51 is singular, the determination unit 52 can also calculate the distance from the amount of movement of the coordinates of the object when the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) moves.

The lamp 53 obtains the brightness required for imaging by illuminating the imaging range of the camera 51. In the present embodiment, the lamp 53 is arranged at an intermediate position between the cameras 51 and 51, and is provided corresponding to each camera 51. For this lamp 53, for example, an LED or the like is used.

For example, the infrared sensor emits infrared rays toward the outside of the main body case 20, and the emitted infrared rays can detect obstacles and the like by using reflected waves reflected by an object.

As the dust amount sensor, for example, an optical sensor having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit is used, and the amount of light from the light emitting unit received by the light receiving unit due to dust passing between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can be adjusted. Based on this, it is possible to detect the amount of dust sucked into the dust collecting unit 40.

As the control means 24, 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 means 24 includes a travel control unit 61 which is a travel control means for driving the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). Further, the control means 24 includes a cleaning control unit 62 which is a cleaning control means electrically connected to the cleaning unit 22. Further, the control means 24 includes a sensor connection unit 63 which is a sensor control means electrically connected to the sensor unit 23. Further, the control means 24 includes a map generation unit 64 as a mapping means (mapping unit). Further, the control means 24 may include a direction calculation unit 65 which is a direction calculation means. Further, the control means 24 may include a memory 66 which is a holding means (holding unit). That is, the control means 24 is electrically connected to the cleaning unit 22, the sensor unit 23, and the like. Further, the control means 24 is electrically connected to the secondary battery. Further, the control means 24 may include a charge control unit that controls charging of the secondary battery.

The travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the motor 33, that is, controls the drive of the motor 33 by rotating the motor 33 forward or reverse by controlling the magnitude and direction of the current flowing through the motor 33. However, the drive of the drive wheels 21 is controlled by controlling the drive of the motor 33. Then, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to autonomously move the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) in a zigzag shape within the cleaning area where the information is held by the memory 66. It has a zigzag driving mode to drive. Here, the zigzag-shaped autonomous traveling (zigzag traveling) is a cleaning region in which the cleaning region sequentially advances in another direction intersecting (orthogonal) with one direction while repeating reciprocating traveling along a direction parallel to a predetermined direction. It means to run autonomously so as to fill in. More specifically, zigzag autonomous driving means that the cleaning area goes straight in a predetermined direction and turns 90 ° in a predetermined direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) in the vicinity of one end of the cleaning area (super-credit). After turning) and traveling a predetermined distance, turning 90 ° in the same direction, the cleaning area goes straight in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction, and in the vicinity of the other end of the cleaning area, the direction opposite to the predetermined direction. It means repeating the running operation of turning 90 ° (counterclockwise or clockwise), traveling a predetermined distance, turning 90 ° in the same direction, and then going straight in a predetermined direction in the cleaning area. .. The travel control unit 61 may separately include a travel mode for setting other travel routes in addition to the zigzag travel mode.

The cleaning control unit 62 controls the drive of the electric blower 35, the brush motor 37, and the side brush motor 39 of the cleaning unit 22, that is, the energization amounts of the electric blower 35, the brush motor 37, and the side brush motor 39 are separated from each other. By controlling to, the drive of these electric blowers 35, the brush motor 37 (rotary brush 36), and the side brush motor 39 (side brush 38) is controlled. The cleaning control unit 62 can also control the drive of the electric blower 35, the brush motor 37, and the side brush motor 39 based on the remaining amount of the secondary battery. For example, when the remaining amount of the secondary battery is insufficient, the drive of the electric blower 35, the brush motor 37, and the side brush motor 39 can be reduced to reduce the amount of the secondary battery used.

The sensor connection unit 63 acquires the detection result by the sensor unit 23 (surrounding detection sensor 43, etc.). Further, the sensor connection unit 63 controls the operation of the camera 51 (shutter operation, etc.) to control the operation of the imaging control unit and the lamp 53 (on / off of the lamp 53) to capture an image by the camera 51 at predetermined time intervals. It may have a function of a lighting control unit.

The map generator 64 is a map (map) indicating whether or not the cleaning area can be traveled based on the shape of the periphery of the main body case 20 (distance and height of an obstacle object) detected by the surrounding detection sensor 43. It generates data. Specifically, the map generator 64 determines the self-position of the vacuum cleaner 11 and the presence / absence of an obstacle object 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 showing the positional relationship and height of objects (obstacles) and the like located in the cleaning area where the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is arranged is generated. That is, a known SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technique can be used for the map generation unit 64.

The direction calculation unit 65 calculates the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area (room) from the map data generated by the map generation unit 64 based on the information of the cleaning area detected by the surrounding detection sensor 43, and the traveling control unit 61 zigzags. The traveling start direction in the traveling mode is set to this longitudinal direction. Specifically, the direction calculation unit 65 determines in which direction the cleaning area is long in a predetermined one direction (vertical direction) and another direction (horizontal direction) intersecting (orthogonal) with respect to this one direction. , It is detected from the aspect ratio of the map data generated by the map generation unit 64 based on the information of the cleaning area detected by the surrounding detection sensor 43. Here, one direction is, for example, a direction away from the charging device 12, and the other direction is a direction orthogonal to this one direction. That is, since the charging device 12 is usually arranged along the vertical or horizontal direction of the room, such as along a wall, the direction of separation from the charging device 12 is one direction, and the direction orthogonal to the charging device 12 is the other direction. This makes it possible to set one direction and the other direction along the length and width of the cleaning area.

The memory 66 is, for example, non-volatile. The memory 66 stores and holds the map data generated by the map generation unit 64.

The input / output unit acquires control commands transmitted from an external device such as a remote controller (not shown), a switch provided on the main body case 20, or a control command input from an input means such as a touch panel, and at the same time, for example, a charging device 12 It sends a signal to such as. This input / output unit transmits a wireless signal (infrared signal) to, for example, a charging device 12, a transmitting means (transmitting unit) (not shown) such as an infrared light emitting element, and a wireless signal (a wireless signal) from the charging device 12, a remote controller, or the like. It is provided with a receiving means (reception unit) (not shown) such as a phototransistor that receives an infrared signal).

The secondary battery supplies power to the cleaning unit 22, the sensor unit 23, the control means 24, and the like. Further, this secondary battery is electrically connected to a charging terminal 71 as a connection portion exposed at the lower part of the main body case 20, for example, and these charging terminals 71 are electrically and mechanically connected to the charging device 12 side. By being connected, the battery is charged via the charging device 12.

The charging device 12 has a built-in charging circuit such as a constant current circuit. Further, the charging device 12 is provided with a charging terminal 73 for charging the secondary battery. The charging terminal 73 is electrically connected to the charging circuit, and is mechanically and electrically connected to the charging terminal 71 of the vacuum cleaner 11 that has returned to the charging device 12.

The external device can be wired or wirelessly communicated with the network inside the building via, for example, a home gateway, and can be wired or wirelessly communicated with the network outside the building, for example, a PC (tablet terminal (tablet PC)). )) And general-purpose devices such as smartphones (mobile phones). This external device may have a display function for displaying an image.

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

The outline from the start to the end of cleaning when the travel control unit 61 is set to the zigzag travel mode will be described. First, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning, if the map data of the cleaning area is stored in the memory 66, the vacuum cleaner 11 moves to the corner closest to the current position in the map data and the size of the cleaning area is large. Correspondingly, the direction calculation unit 65 calculates the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area or the divided region divided into a plurality of cleaning regions, and starts the zigzag running so as to go in this longitudinal direction. If the map data of the cleaning area is not stored in the memory 66, the map generation unit 64 generates the map data based on the information of the cleaning area acquired by the surrounding detection sensor 43, and the current map data in the map data is generated. Move to the corner closest to the position, and calculate the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area or the divided area divided into a plurality of cleaning areas by the direction calculation unit 65 according to the size of the cleaning area, and head toward this longitudinal direction. Start zigzag running. The vacuum cleaner 11 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 22 while traveling in a zigzag manner. Then, when the cleaning is completed, the vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device 12 and then shifts to the charging work of the secondary battery.

To explain the above control more specifically, the vacuum cleaner 11 receives, for example, a cleaning start control command transmitted by a remote controller or an external device by an input / output unit when a preset cleaning start time is reached. The control means 24 switches from the standby mode to the traveling mode at such a timing.

Next, in the vacuum cleaner 11, when the map data of the cleaning area is stored in the memory 66, the traveling control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33), so that the current main body in the cleaning area CA The main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is autonomously driven toward the corner CO closest to the position of the case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) (Fig. 5). At this time, when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning from the position connected to the charging device 12, the traveling control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to control the drive of the main body case 20 (electricity). After the vacuum cleaner 11) is separated from the charging device 12, it is driven toward the corner CO, and when the vacuum cleaner 11 starts cleaning from a position where it is not connected to the charging device 12, it is directly from that position. Drive toward the corner CO. If the vacuum cleaner 11 is located in the corner CO of the cleaning area in advance, it is not necessary to control the vacuum cleaner 11 to travel toward the corner CO.

On the other hand, when the map data of the cleaning area is not stored in the memory 66, the vacuum cleaner 11 scans the cleaning area by the surrounding detection sensor 43. This scanning may be performed, for example, while turning 360 ° on the spot, or while traveling within a predetermined range. Then, the map generation unit 64 generates map data based on the scanned cleaning area information, and this map data is stored in the memory 66. Then, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) from the current position of the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) in the map data of the cleaning area stored in the memory 66. Autonomously drive the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) toward the nearest corner.

Further, when the size of the cleaning area in which the map data is stored in the memory 66 is not more than a predetermined value (less than a predetermined value), the direction calculation unit 65 calculates the longitudinal direction of the entire cleaning area. Then, the traveling control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33), and zigzags the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) toward the longitudinal direction in the entire cleaning area calculated by the direction calculation unit 65. Start running.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the case of one square-shaped cleaning area CA having a longitudinal direction in the vertical direction (vertical direction) in the drawing, the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is used. Start zigzag running along the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the case of another square-shaped cleaning area CA having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) in the drawing, the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is used. Start zigzag running along the left-right direction.

When the size of the cleaning area in which the map data is stored in the memory 66 is equal to or larger than a predetermined size, the direction calculation unit 65 divides the cleaning area into a plurality of divided areas and calculates the longitudinal direction for each divided area. This divided area has, for example, a quadrangular shape. This division area can be optimized for division so that the entire map data can be run in a zigzag manner most efficiently. Then, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to execute the zigzag travel mode for each division region toward the longitudinal direction of each division region calculated by the direction calculation unit 65.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, when the cleaning area CA is large, the direction calculation unit 65 divides the cleaning area CA into a plurality of division areas DA (for example, division areas DA1 to DA4). The main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) starts zigzag running along the longitudinal direction for each divided area DA. The cleaning area CA may be divided into a plurality of divided area DAs at once at the start of cleaning, or the next divided area DA is formed each time the zigzag running (cleaning) of one divided area DA is completed. You may do so. Further, the calculation in the longitudinal direction of the divided region may be performed collectively at the start of cleaning, or may be performed for the next divided region after the zigzag running in one divided region is completed.

Then, the traveling control unit 61 controls the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to drive the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) in a zigzag manner, while the cleaning control unit 62 operates the cleaning unit 22 to operate the floor in the cleaning area. Clean the surface. The cleaning unit 22 sucks dust on the floor surface by, for example, an electric blower 35 driven by a control means 24 (cleaning control unit 62), a brush motor 37 (rotary brush 36), or a side brush motor 39 (side brush 38). It collects in the dust collecting part 40 through the mouth 31. Further, when the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is autonomously traveling, the peripheral detection sensor 43 of the sensor unit 23 and the infrared sensor use the tertiary of an object such as an obstacle in the cleaning area that is not recorded in the map data stored in the memory 66. When the original coordinates and the position are detected, the map generation unit 64 may reflect them in the map data and store them in the memory 66.

Then, when the vehicle travels in a zigzag manner so as to fill the cleaning area CA, the vacuum cleaner 11 ends the cleaning operation, and the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to move to the charging device 12. , The charging device 12 is connected (the charging terminal 71 and the charging terminal 73 are mechanically and electrically connected), and the charging operation is started at a predetermined timing such as after a predetermined time from this connection.

This control will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the travel control unit 61 determines whether or not the map data of the cleaning area is stored in the memory 66 (step S1).

If it is determined in step S1 that the map data of the cleaning area is not stored in the memory 66, the surrounding detection sensor 43 scans the cleaning area, the map generation unit 64 generates the map data, and the memory 66 stores the map data. Remember (step S2) and proceed to step S3.

On the other hand, in step S1, when it is determined that the map data of the cleaning area is stored in the memory 66, it is determined whether or not the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is located at the corner of the cleaning area. (Step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is not located at the corner of the cleaning area, the traveling control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33). Move the body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) to the corner of the cleaning area (step S4). If it is determined in step S3 that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is located at the corner of the cleaning area, the process proceeds to step S5.

Next, it is determined whether or not the size of the cleaning area in which the map data is stored in the memory 66 is equal to or larger than a predetermined size (step S5). If it is determined in step S5 that the size of the cleaning area is not greater than or equal to a predetermined value (less than a predetermined value), the direction calculation unit 65 calculates the longitudinal direction of the entire cleaning area (step S6), and the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to start the zigzag running so that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) faces this longitudinal direction (step S7).

Then, the traveling control unit 61 determines whether or not the traveling of the entire cleaning area is completed (step S8), and if it is determined that the traveling is not completed, repeats this step S8 and the traveling is completed. If it is determined, the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) is controlled to return the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) to the charging device 12 (step S9), and the zigzag running mode is terminated.

Further, in step S5, when it is determined that the size of the cleaning area is larger than a predetermined size, the direction calculation unit 65 divides the cleaning area into a plurality of divided areas and calculates the longitudinal direction for each divided area ( Step S10). Then, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) to start zigzag travel so that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) faces this longitudinal direction for each divided region ( Step S11).

Then, the traveling control unit 61 determines whether or not the traveling in all the divided regions has been completed (step S12), and if it is determined that the traveling has not been completed, repeats this step S12 and the traveling is completed. If it is determined that the procedure has been performed, the process proceeds to step S9.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the memory 66 holds the map data of the cleaning area as the information of the cleaning area, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area can be easily detected based on the map data. The cleaning area can be cleaned efficiently and autonomously.

When the cleaning area is larger than a predetermined size, the travel control unit 61 executes a zigzag travel mode for each divided region that divides the cleaning region into a plurality of divided regions, and the main body case 20 at the start of each zigzag travel mode ( By setting the traveling direction of the vacuum cleaner 11) to be along the longitudinal direction of the divided region, it is possible to perform fine zigzag traveling in each divided region even in a large cleaning region, so that the cleaning region can be traveled more efficiently and autonomously. You can clean it while cleaning.

In particular, by making the above-mentioned divided area into a quadrangular shape, the divided area for zigzag traveling can be simplified, and the longitudinal direction during zigzag traveling can be easily set, and the efficiency of zigzag traveling can be further improved.

Moreover, since the map data of the cleaning area is stored in the memory 66, it is possible to set the divided area based on the shape of the entire cleaning area and the like. Therefore, it is possible to set the divided area so that the traveling efficiency is the best when viewed from the entire cleaning area, and the cleaning area can be cleaned while autonomously traveling more efficiently.

Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same components and operations as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the driving wheel 21 (motor 33) causes the traveling control unit 61 to travel in a zigzag shape with respect to a quadrangle inscribed in the cleaning area in the zigzag traveling mode. It controls the drive of.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the obstacle OB is located along the wall in the room and the outer edge of the cleaning area CA is uneven, the traveling control unit 61 is the largest quadrangle inscribed in the obstacle OB. SQ1 is extracted, and the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) is controlled so that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) runs in a zigzag manner inside the square SQ1. The direction calculation unit 65 may calculate the longitudinal direction of the quadrangle SQ1 instead of calculating the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area CA. This control may be performed only when, for example, the cleaning area CA is not larger than a predetermined size, or may be similarly performed for each divided area when the cleaning area CA is larger than a predetermined size.

In this way, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) so that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner) travels in a zigzag shape with respect to the quadrangle inscribed in the cleaning area. In the case of a cleaning area having a complicated shape due to the arrangement of objects, the zigzag traveling area can be simplified, and the main part of the cleaning area can be cleaned in a short time.

In the case of this configuration, the traveling control unit 61 cleans the cleaning area located outside the quadrangle inscribed in the cleaning area by the cleaning unit 22 while traveling the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) along the wall. It is possible to clean the entire cleaning area by performing a separate finishing operation such as.

Next, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same components and operations as in each of the above embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, in the first embodiment, the driving wheel 21 (motor 33) causes the traveling control unit 61 to travel in a zigzag shape with respect to a quadrangle circumscribing the cleaning area in the zigzag traveling mode. It controls the drive of.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, even when the obstacle OB is located in the cleaning area CA, the smallest quadrangle SQ2 including the cleaning area CA is extracted ignoring the obstacle OB, and the main body is inside the quadrangle SQ2. The drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) is controlled so that the case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) runs in a zigzag manner. This control may be performed only when, for example, the cleaning area CA is not larger than a predetermined size, or may be similarly performed for each divided area when the cleaning area CA is larger than a predetermined size. In FIG. 10, the quadrangle SQ2 is shown slightly smaller than the cleaning area CA for the sake of clarity.

At this time, at the position of the obstacle OB, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) and travels the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) so as to avoid the obstacle OB. Let me.

In this way, the travel control unit 61 controls the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) so that the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) travels in a zigzag shape with respect to the quadrangle circumscribing the cleaning area. Although there are areas where the zigzag traveling areas overlap at positions near the obstacles, the entire cleaning area can be cleaned in order without performing a finishing operation.

In each of the above embodiments, the map data is transmitted not only to the memory but also to the server via the network via the data communication means and stored, or is transmitted to the external device and stored in the memory of the external device. It can be displayed on an external device.

Further, the traveling direction at the start of the zigzag traveling mode is determined based on the map data of the cleaning area stored in the memory 66. For example, the information of the cleaning area detected by the surrounding detection sensor 43 is stored in the memory 66. Even if the traveling direction at the start of the zigzag traveling mode is determined based on the retained information, the same effect can be obtained. In this case, for example, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area or the divided area can be found and set from the range that can be detected by the surrounding detection sensor 43. Further, in this case, the map generation unit 64 becomes unnecessary.

Further, for example, the user can input a map of the cleaning area by externally inputting it via an input / output unit or the like and store it in the memory 66. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the surrounding detection sensor 43 and the map generation unit 64, respectively.

Further, as the ambient detection sensor 43, in addition to the one using the camera 51, an arbitrary configuration for detecting the three-dimensional coordinates of an object, such as one using a laser or infrared rays, can be applied.

Further, the traveling control unit 61, the cleaning control unit 62, the sensor connection unit 63, the map generation unit 64, the direction calculation unit 65, the memory 66, the charge control unit, etc. are configured to be provided in the control means 24, but they are separately provided. It may be provided, or it may be arbitrarily combined integrally.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the travel control unit 61 sets the travel direction of the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) at the start of the zigzag travel mode to be along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area. Therefore, the number of turns at the time of changing the direction of zigzag running can be reduced. Therefore, the cleaning area can be cleaned while traveling efficiently and autonomously.

That is, when turning at the time of turning, it is necessary to temporarily stop the traveling, turn 90 ° to travel a predetermined distance, and then temporarily stop the traveling to turn 90 °. Therefore, it takes time for these series of operations. Needs. Therefore, as the number of turns can be reduced, the time required to complete the cleaning area can be shortened. Therefore, by setting the traveling direction at the start of the zigzag traveling mode to the longitudinal direction of the cleaning area, the cleaning area can be reduced. The number of turns can be reduced compared to when heading in the short direction, and autonomous driving can be performed efficiently.

In particular, in the case of the vacuum cleaner 11 that uses a secondary battery as a power source, the cleaning time can be shortened by reducing the number of turns, so that the power of the secondary battery can be effectively used and the charging time and the number of charging times can be suppressed. At the same time, it becomes possible to clean a larger area of cleaning area.

For example, when cleaning a cleaning area such as an elongated corridor whose length in the longitudinal direction is very large compared to the length in the lateral direction, the number of turns can be significantly reduced, and cleaning can be performed efficiently in a short time. ..

The travel control unit 61 moves the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) to the corner of the cleaning area if the main body case 20 (vacuum cleaner 11) is not in the corner of the cleaning area before the start of the zigzag travel mode. By controlling the drive of the drive wheels 21 (motor 33) so as to start the zigzag running mode after the driving, the efficiency of the zigzag running is compared with the case where the zigzag running is started from the central part of the cleaning area, for example. It is possible to clean the entire cleaning area at once by zigzag running.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

11 vacuum cleaner
20 Body case
21 Drive wheels that are the drive unit
22 Cleaning department
43 Peripheral detection sensor, which is a peripheral detection means
61 Travel control unit, which is a travel control means
66 Memory as a means of possession
CA cleaning area
CO corner
DA division area

Claims (5)

Body case and
Cleaning department to clean and
The means of holding information on the cleaning area and
The drive unit that runs the main body case and
At least a battery that supplies power to the drive unit,
It is provided with a traveling control means having a zigzag traveling mode in which the main body case is autonomously traveled in a zigzag shape in the cleaning area where information is retained by the possessing means by controlling the driving of the driving unit.
In the zigzag traveling mode, the traveling control means controls the driving of the driving unit so as to travel in a zigzag shape with respect to a quadrangle inscribed in the obstacle in the cleaning area, and the traveling control means at the start of the zigzag traveling mode. An electric vacuum cleaner characterized in that the traveling direction of the main body case is along the longitudinal direction of the quadrangle. The traveling control means implements a zigzag traveling mode for each divided region that divides the cleaning area into a plurality of quadrangles inscribed in the obstacle, and sets the traveling direction of the main body case at the start of each zigzag traveling mode as the divided region. The direction is along the longitudinal direction
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is characterized in that. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the holding means holds the map data of the cleaning area as the information of the cleaning area. Equipped with a peripheral detection means that detects information around the main body case,
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the holding means holds the information detected by the surrounding detection means as the information of the cleaning area . The electricity according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the travel control means controls the drive of the drive unit so as to start the zigzag travel mode after moving the main body case to the corner of the cleaning area. Vacuum cleaner.

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