JP2020177594A - Autonomous traveling cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To address an underlying problem of a cleaner, which autonomously travels while detecting an obstacle and recognizing a space and an own position, that when an object of detection is subjected to range-finding, since a detector tends to be expensive, means for inexpensively manufacturing the detector has to be employed.SOLUTION: In order to solve the aforesaid problem, an autonomous traveling cleaner according to the present invention includes: a cleaner body; a control unit for causing the cleaner body to clean a cleaning area; an object detection unit that is mounted to the cleaner body and detects a position of an object, which is placed in the cleaning area, while moving together with the cleaner body; a travel control unit; and a control mode designation instruction receiving unit that receives a designation instruction based on which a control mode is designated. The cleaner body is traveled so that the cleaner body can travel in the cleaning area according to a result of the detection by the object detection unit, and can thus clean the cleaning area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner.

In recent years, autonomous traveling vacuum cleaners perform obstacle detection, space recognition, and self-position recognition to identify a floor surface that has not been cleaned, and efficiently travel on that floor surface to create a floor surface that has already been cleaned. Heavy cleaning can be prevented and efficient self-propelled cleaning becomes possible. As a prior art, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-143715, in which the light source and the detector of the laser pulse rotate at a predetermined speed, and the light source and the detector of this machine do not rotate and are fixed to the machine body. The light source measures the distance between the obstacle and the space wall by the rotation of the aircraft itself.

JP-A-2018-143715

Vacuum cleaners that travel autonomously while detecting obstacles, recognizing space, and recognizing their own position tend to have expensive distance measuring detection devices for measuring the distance to be detected. An object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner provided with an inexpensive distance measuring detection device.

In order to solve the above problems, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is mounted on the vacuum cleaner main body, a control unit for causing the vacuum cleaner main body to clean the cleaning area, and the vacuum cleaner main body together with the vacuum cleaner main body. The object detection unit includes an object detection unit that detects the position of an object placed in the cleaning area while moving, a travel control unit, and a control mode setting instruction reception unit that receives setting instructions for setting a control mode. The vacuum cleaner main body is run in the cleaning area based on the detection result by the above, and the vacuum cleaner main body is run so as to be cleaned.

According to the present invention, it is possible to inexpensively provide a distance measuring detection device for an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner.

It is a side view which shows the autonomous vacuum cleaner of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment. It is a distance measurement detection device layout diagram which shows the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the viewing angle of the distance measuring detection device which shows the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment runs. It is a figure which shows the distance measurement range when the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment travels. It is a figure which shows the locus when the autonomous vacuum cleaner of an embodiment runs in a comb shape.

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment.

The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner 100 includes a display board 1, a main board 2, a dust case 3, a battery 4, a fan motor 5, and a main brush 6. The main board 2 is arranged on the lower surface of the display board 1 and power is supplied from the battery 4. The supplied power supply drives a load such as a fan motor 5 and a main brush 6 provided for sucking dust and the like. Further, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner 100 includes a side brush 7, a battery cover 8, wheels 9, a rotary brush 10, a rotary brush 11, a scraping brush 12, a charging terminal 13, a wheel cover 14, and a main power switch 15. A motor (not shown) for rotating the wheels 9 provided for moving the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100 is driven to enable autonomous driving.

FIG. 3 is a layout detection device layout diagram showing the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment.

A distance measurement sensor a21, a distance measurement sensor b22, and a distance measurement sensor c23 using radio waves such as infrared rays and millimeter waves are arranged at three locations on the front surface of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100 at intervals of 45 °. Distance measurement sensors (electromagnetic wave sensors such as infrared rays or millimeter waves) are arranged at three locations in front of the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100, and obstacle recognition, space recognition, and self-position recognition are performed using the TOF distance measurement method.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a viewing angle of a distance measuring detection device showing the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment.
For example, if the viewing angle is 10 °, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100 can perform distance measurement within the ranges shown in the distance measurement range a40, the distance measurement range b41, and the distance measurement range c42. In this case, there is a range that cannot be detected, but it is possible to detect the distance to a wall or an object by the procedure described later.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment runs. In the space recognition and self-position recognition procedure of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100, when an operation command is first input to the autonomous vacuum cleaner, since it is initially at the position of the charger 30, it irradiates infrared rays in a charging state. Measure the distance around the irradiated area. Next, from the position in the charger 30, the movement distance 32 (30 cm in the embodiment) is moved in the movement direction 31a (forward direction in the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100) so as not to hit the charger 30 at the next control. , Located in front position Z. At that position, rotate 360 ° and measure the distance to the surrounding walls and obstacles. At this time, if a wall or an obstacle cannot be detected around it, it rotates 90 ° in the rotation direction 33 (counterclockwise rotation direction in the embodiment) and moves in the movement direction 31b (forward direction in the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100). In the embodiment, it moves about 30 cm) and moves to the position Y37. At that position Y37, it rotates 90 ° in the rotation direction 33 (counterclockwise rotation direction in the embodiment), and advances in the movement direction 31c (forward direction in the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100) until the wall 35 can be recognized forward. The presence of the wall 35 in front can be determined by calculating the moving distance of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100 and the distance to the wall 35 by three sensors arranged in front. After recognizing the wall 35, it rotates 90 ° in a rotation direction different from the rotation direction 33 (clockwise rotation direction in the embodiment), moves along the wall 35, and after recognizing another wall 39 ahead. The same operation as when recognizing the wall 35 in front of the above is performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a distance measurement range when the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment travels. Reference numerals 60 to 63 indicate positions. When the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100 moves straight from the position 62 to the position 53, the distance from the self-supporting vacuum cleaner 100 detected by the distance measuring sensor 22 to the position of the wall 35 changes each time it moves. Since the range of the wall 35 detected by the distance measuring sensor 23 also changes from c64 to d65 and the range of the wall 35 detected by the distance measuring sensor 21 also changes from e68 to f67, it changes with the movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 100. By plotting the distance to the wall as a point, the space near the wall can be drawn. At this time, the range of the wall detected by the distance measuring sensor 22 also changes. In addition, the range of the wall detected by any of the distance measuring sensors becomes smaller as the distance from the wall becomes shorter.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a locus when the autonomous vacuum cleaner of the embodiment runs in a comb shape.
With this procedure, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to first run near the wall and draw the outline of the room. At this time, the feature points a71, b72, c73, and d74 such as the corners of the wall are memorized, and the contour of the room is also memorized. After traveling along the wall, the vehicle travels like a comb-shaped traveling locus 70 so as to fill the space of the room, and the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner sequentially moves and cleans the floor that has not moved.

With the above configuration, it is possible to provide an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner provided with an inexpensive ranging detection device.

1 Display board 2 Main board 3 Dust case 4 Battery 5 Fan motor 6 Main brush 7 Side brush 8 Battery cover 9 Wheels 10 Rotating brush 12 Scraping brush 13 Charging terminal 14 Wheel cover 15 Main power switch 21 Distance measurement sensor a
22 Distance measurement sensor b
23 Distance measurement sensor c
24 Autonomous vacuum cleaner 30 Charger 31 Moving direction 32 Moving distance 33 Rotating direction 34 Moving distance 35 Wall 36 Front position Z
37 Y
40 Range a
41 Distance measurement range b
42 Distance measurement range c
70 Comb-shaped running locus 71 Feature point a
72 Feature point b
73 Feature point c
74 Feature point d

Claims (2)

A self-propellable housing having a suction port and an exhaust port, a rotating brush provided at the suction port, and
A pair of drive wheels provided for the housing to run on the floor surface in the middle of the front-rear direction of the housing, a drive motor built in the housing for rotating the rotary brush, and air on the floor surface. The air is sucked into the housing from the suction port together with the dust, and the air from which the dust has been removed is provided with a blower for discharging the air from the exhaust port to the outside.
The blower portion is an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner having a housing and an electric blower housed in the housing, and using a built-in battery as a power source to control traveling and obstacle detection. Autonomous driving characterized by having the above-mentioned functions, arranging three electromagnetic wave sensors such as infrared rays or millimeter waves in front of the vacuum cleaner, and performing obstacle recognition, space recognition, and self-position recognition using the TOF distance measurement method. Mold vacuum cleaner.

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