JP7538993B2 - Display device, system having autonomous vacuum cleaner and display device, display method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a display device, a system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device, a display method, and a program.

Patent document 1 describes a vacuum cleaner that uses an obstacle sensor to detect the surrounding situation and creates a map based on the detection results.

JP 2005-205028 A

In recent years, vacuum cleaners equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) have been commercialized, and the detection range of obstacles has expanded. However, if all obstacles detected by the vacuum cleaner are displayed, for example as in the map described in Patent Document 1, obstacles that exist outside the room will also be displayed, and unnecessary information for the user will be displayed on the display.

The present invention is a display device capable of displaying on a map obstacles detected by the LIDAR while an autonomous vacuum cleaner is traveling, the display device having a first detection unit that detects obstacles and a second detection unit, LIDAR, that detects obstacles using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit.When the display device displays the map, it is capable of displaying at least one of the obstacles, the amount of dirt, and the traveling route of the autonomous vacuum cleaner in the inner area, which is an area surrounded by walls, and the display device displays the map in such a way that information detected by the LIDAR is not reflected in the outer area, which is the area outside the walls.

The present invention is a system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device, the autonomous vacuum cleaner having a first detection unit that detects obstacles and a second detection unit that is a LIDAR that detects obstacles using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit , and the display device is capable of displaying on a map obstacles detected by the LIDAR when the autonomous vacuum cleaner is traveling, and when displaying the map, the display device is capable of displaying at least one of obstacles, the amount of garbage, and the traveling route of the autonomous vacuum cleaner in an inner area that is an area surrounded by a wall, and displays the map in an outer area that is an area outside the wall in a manner that does not reflect information detected by the LIDAR.This is a system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device.

The present invention is a display method having the steps of: a first detection unit that detects obstacles in an autonomous vacuum cleaner; a second detection unit, which is a LIDAR and detects obstacles using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit, detecting obstacles while the autonomous vacuum cleaner is traveling; a map information creation unit creating information on the obstacles detected by the LIDAR and their positions; a map creation unit creating a map such that, if there is information detected by the LIDAR in an outer area, which is an area outside a wall, the map information creation unit does not reflect that information on the map; and a display unit displaying the map created by the map creation unit .

The present invention is a program having the steps of a first detection unit that detects obstacles in an autonomous vacuum cleaner, a second detection unit that detects obstacles using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit, which is a LIDAR, detecting obstacles while the autonomous vacuum cleaner is moving, a map information creation unit creating information on the obstacles detected by the LIDAR and their positions, a map created by the map information creation unit such that if there is information detected by the LIDAR in an outer area, which is an area outside a wall, the map creation unit creates a map so that the information is not reflected on the map, and a display unit displays the map created by the map creation unit .

This invention makes it possible to display a map while eliminating as much information as possible that is unnecessary for the user.

FIG. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a plan view of a vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a left side view of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view of a vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; A bottom view of the vacuum cleaner 100 of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; Block diagram of a vacuum cleaner 100 according to a first embodiment. Block diagram of a server according to the first embodiment Block diagram of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment. Sequence diagram of the vacuum cleaner system according to the first embodiment Sequence diagram of the vacuum cleaner system according to the first embodiment FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an operation of a communication terminal 300 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the third embodiment. Sequence diagram of the vacuum cleaner system according to the third embodiment FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an operation of a communication terminal 300 according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing an operation of a communication terminal 300 according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a display example of the display unit 305 in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 23 shows an operational transition of the vacuum cleaner 100 in the sixth embodiment.

The following describes the embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vacuum cleaner system according to a first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the autonomous vacuum cleaner (vacuum cleaner 100) can wirelessly connect to the router 200 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

The router 200 can be wirelessly connected to the vacuum cleaner 100 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Furthermore, the router 200 can also be connected to the network N using, for example, the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol.

The communication terminal 300 is, for example, a communication terminal that can be operated using a touch panel such as a smartphone, a mobile phone device, a personal computer, or the like, that has the function of connecting to the communication network N.

The server 400 is connected to the communication network N and has the function of receiving, storing, and transmitting various information sent from the vacuum cleaner 100 and the communication terminal 300.

The vacuum cleaner 100 may have not only a function for short-range wireless connection, but also a function for long-range wireless communication such as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) (registered trademark), and may have a function for connecting to a communication network N via a cable.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment. In Figure 2, the front, rear, left and right sides of the vacuum cleaner 100 are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 2, the housing 1 of the vacuum cleaner 100 has an upper body 2 and a lower body 3, and a bumper 4 is disposed in front of the housing 1. One or more collision detection switches (not shown) are disposed on the inside of the bumper 4, and when the bumper 4 collides with an obstacle, the bumper 4 moves toward the inside of the housing 1 and the switch is turned on, detecting that the bumper 4 has collided with the obstacle.

A cover 5 is disposed on the top surface of the housing 1 and behind the bumper 4. A dust collection container (not shown) is disposed inside the cover 5, and when the user presses the cover 5, the front or rear of the cover 5 is released, allowing the dust collection container to be removed from the housing 1.

A LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 6 is disposed behind the cover 5. This LIDAR 6 can detect obstacles and the like around the housing 1 by rotating the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit around the axis at the center of the LIDAR 6. It is also possible to create a map of the room by using this LIDAR 6.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment. In Figure 3, the front, rear, left and right sides of the vacuum cleaner 100 are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 3, a bumper 4 that is roughly U-shaped when viewed from above is disposed in front of the housing 1, and an upper body 2 is disposed behind the housing 1. A cover 5 is disposed between the bumper 4 and the upper body 2, and a LIDAR 6 is disposed behind the cover 5.

The bumper 4 is biased toward the front of the housing 1 by a spring (not shown) located inside, and there is a gap between the bumper 4 and the upper body 2. When the bumper 4 collides with an obstacle, the bumper 4 can move backwards by the amount of this gap against the force of the spring.

Figure 4 is a left side view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment. In Figure 4, the front, rear, top, and bottom of the vacuum cleaner 100 are indicated by arrows.

A bumper 4 is disposed in front of the housing 1, and an upper body 2 is disposed behind it. Exhaust ports 7 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the upper body 2, and a LIDAR 6 is disposed on the rear upper surface of the upper body 2. Side brushes 8 are disposed in front of the lower body 3, and rear wheels 9 are disposed behind it.

Figure 5 is a front view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment. In Figure 5, the top, bottom, left side, and right side of the vacuum cleaner 100 are indicated by arrows.

The front surface of the bumper 4 has two ultrasonic sensors 10 and two infrared sensors 11 each having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. In addition, a side brush 8 is disposed in front of the lower body 3. The side brush 8 is disposed on both the front right side and the front left side of the lower body 3, but it may be disposed on either the front right side or the front left side of the lower body 3.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment. In Figure 6, the front, rear, left and right sides of the vacuum cleaner 100 are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 6, rear wheels 9 are disposed behind the lower body 3, and a battery 18, which is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, is disposed in front of the rear wheels 9. A right drive wheel 19 and a left drive wheel 20 are disposed approximately in the center of the lower body 3, and a wheel support member 21 is connected to each of the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20. The wheel support member 21 can move in the vertical direction of the housing 1 around axis A. A wheel spring (not shown) is disposed between each of the two wheel support members 21 and the lower body 3, and the wheel spring urges the wheel support member 21 and the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20 toward the floor surface.

In FIG. 6, a portion of the battery 18 is located between the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20, but the battery 18 may be located behind the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20. However, in this embodiment, the battery 18 is located behind the housing 1, so that the center of gravity of the housing 1 is designed to be at the rear of the housing. For this reason, it is preferable that at least a portion of the battery 18 is located between the axes A of the two wheel support members 21.

In FIG. 6, an intake port 22 for sucking in collected dust is formed forward of the battery 18 and forward of the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20, and a main brush 23 is rotatably supported inside this intake port 22.

A step sensor 24 is located on each side of the suction port 22. The step sensor 24 has a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and detects when the housing 1 approaches a step.

In FIG. 6, the tip of the step sensor 24 is located on the axis of the rotation shaft of the main brush 23 or at approximately the same position. Alternatively, the tip of the step sensor 24 may be located rearward of the axis of the rotation shaft of the main brush 23.

The step sensor 24 may be positioned in a location other than that shown in FIG. 6. For example, it may be positioned on the front side of the lower body 3.

There is a recess 25 in front of the step sensor 24, and the side brushes 8 are arranged with their axis at approximately the center of this recess 25. The side brushes 8 rotate toward the suction port 22. Therefore, in FIG. 6, the left side brush 8 rotates clockwise, and the right side brush 8 rotates counterclockwise.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner 100, which is the device of this embodiment, seen from the front and below.

In FIG. 7, recesses 25 in which side brushes 8 are disposed are formed on the left and right sides of the front of the lower body 3. The length of the side brushes 8 is such that they protrude beyond the recesses 25 toward the outside of the housing 1.

Figure 8 is a functional block diagram of the vacuum cleaner 100 of Example 1. Note that among the functional blocks of a normal autonomous vacuum cleaner, configurations that are not directly related to this example are omitted.

In FIG. 8, the communication unit 101 can wirelessly connect to the communication terminal 300, the router 200, etc., and has communication functions such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The storage unit 102 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores the control program executed by the control unit 110, various parameters, etc.

The suction motor 104 is a motor for generating suction air. The suction motor 104 is connected to the suction port 22 formed on the back surface of the vacuum cleaner 100, and the suction motor 104 sucks in outside air and dust from the suction port 22.

The right drive unit 44 is a motor for driving the right drive wheel 19. The left drive unit 45 is a motor for driving the left drive wheel 20.

The rotation detection unit 103 detects the direction of rotation, number of rotations, rotation speed, etc. of each of the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20.

The sensor group 105 has multiple types of sensors. The step sensor 24 is disposed on the rear surface of the vacuum cleaner 100 and is a sensor that detects steps on the floor surface. This step sensor 24 is, for example, an infrared sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element.

The infrared sensor 11 is, for example, an infrared sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and is arranged on the front surface of the vacuum cleaner 100 to detect the presence or absence of obstacles around the vacuum cleaner 100 and the distance to the obstacles. Note that the infrared sensor 11 may be arranged not only on the front surface of the vacuum cleaner 100, but also on the right side, left side, rear surface, etc.

The ultrasonic sensor 10 is an ultrasonic sensor having an output section that emits ultrasonic waves and an input section that detects reflected ultrasonic waves. A plurality of ultrasonic sensors 10 are arranged on the front surface of the vacuum cleaner 100 to detect the presence or absence of obstacles around the vacuum cleaner 100 and the distance to the obstacles. Note that the ultrasonic sensors 10 may be arranged not only on the front surface of the vacuum cleaner 100, but also on the right side, left side, rear surface, etc.

The gyro sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the direction and speed of movement of the vacuum cleaner 100.

The LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 6 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, as well as a rotation mechanism and a motor for rotating these elements.

The control unit 110 is composed of a microcomputer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each circuit. The control unit 110 includes a movement control unit 111, a position information calculation unit 112, and a map information creation unit 113.

The movement control unit 111 performs cleaning when instructed by the user to start cleaning or according to a cleaning plan. For example, the movement control unit 111 starts a cleaning operation when the set cleaning start time arrives. While the vacuum cleaner 100 is traveling, the movement control unit 111 rotates and drives the main brush 23 and side brushes 8 to clean the floor surface, and drives the suction motor 104 to suck up dust.

The movement control unit 111 controls the right drive unit 44 and the left drive unit 45 to drive the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20, thereby moving the vacuum cleaner 100. When cleaning is started, the movement control unit 111 causes the vacuum cleaner 100 to leave the base station (charging base). The movement control unit 111 travels around the room according to a predetermined travel plan or randomly, for example, while referring to a map stored in the storage unit 102. When cleaning is completed, the movement control unit 111 causes the vacuum cleaner 100 to return to the base station (charging base), for example, while referring to a map stored in the storage unit 102.

When creating map information, the movement control unit 111 controls the right drive unit 44 and the left drive unit 45 to drive the right drive wheel 19 and the left drive wheel 20 to move the vacuum cleaner 100. For example, map information can be created by having the vacuum cleaner 100 move in a zigzag pattern within a room or along the walls of the room.

The position information calculation unit 112 calculates information on the self-position from the information detected by the LIDAR 6 and the information detected by the rotation detection unit 103. The information detected by the rotation detection unit 103 is, for example, information on the rotation angle and movement amount of the drive wheels. In this embodiment, the position of the charging stand is set as the initial position, and information on the self-position is calculated from the holding position of the device based on the information detected by the LIDAR 6 and the information detected by the rotation detection unit 103. The self-position is calculated, for example, by an odometry method.

The method of obtaining the self-location information by the position information calculation unit 112 is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and other methods are also possible. For example, the information indicating the current location of the vacuum cleaner 100 can be calculated using information about obstacles detected by the infrared sensor 11 or ultrasonic sensor 10 (information about the presence or absence of an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle, etc.), information about obstacles detected by the LIDAR 6 (information about the presence or absence of an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle, etc.), and information about the rotation direction, speed, number of rotations, etc. of the drive wheels detected by the rotation detection unit 103.

In addition, the location information calculation unit 112 may also use information such as the traveling direction and speed of the vacuum cleaner 100 detected by the gyro sensor 12 to calculate information indicating the current location of the autonomous vacuum cleaner.

The map information creation unit 113 creates map information including information about the layout of the room using, for example, information about obstacles detected by the infrared sensor 11 and the ultrasonic sensor 10 (information about the presence or absence of an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle, etc.) and information about obstacles detected by the LIDAR 6 (information about the presence or absence of an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle, etc.). This map information mainly includes the positions of the walls of the room and the positions of obstacles. It is also possible to use only the information detected by the LIDAR 6 when creating the map information.

In this embodiment, a map is created on the server 400 or the communication terminal 300 side based on the information created by the map information creation unit 113. The user can check the map of the room to be cleaned by the vacuum cleaner 100 by displaying the map on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 such as a smartphone. In addition, the following settings can be made by the user's operation.

For example, the setting of the route that the vacuum cleaner 100 will clean, the setting of areas where the vacuum cleaner 100 is prohibited from entering or cleaning, the setting of the areas that the vacuum cleaner 100 will clean, the setting of the date and time for cleaning, etc.

In this embodiment, the information indicating the current location of the autonomous vacuum cleaner calculated by the position information calculation unit 112 and the map information created by the map information creation unit 113 are included in a frame described below and transmitted to the communication terminal 300, etc., using the communication unit 101.

Figure 9 is a block diagram of server 400.

In FIG. 9, the server control unit 401 is composed of a microcomputer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each circuit.

The server communication unit 402 connects to the communication network N using a communication protocol such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). The server storage unit 403 stores various data transmitted and received by the server communication unit 402.

Figure 10 is a block diagram of the communication terminal 300.

The terminal control unit 301 is composed of a microcomputer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each circuit. The terminal control unit 301 has a map creation unit 302. The terminal communication unit 303 establishes a wireless connection with the base station.

The short-range wireless unit 304 can wirelessly connect to the vacuum cleaner 100 and the like, and has a communication function such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). If the vacuum cleaner 100 also has a short-range wireless unit, it is also possible to directly connect to the vacuum cleaner 100 using this short-range wireless unit 304.

The display unit 305 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device having a touch panel function. The input unit 306 is, for example, a capacitive touch panel mounted on the display unit 305. The terminal storage unit 307 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores the control program executed by the terminal control unit 301, various parameters, map information, maps (maps to be displayed on the display unit 305), etc.

Figure 11 is a sequence diagram of the vacuum cleaner system of Example 1. In the method shown in Figure 11, map information from the vacuum cleaner 100 is sequentially transmitted to the server 400 and stored in the storage unit of the server 400. Thereafter, if the communication terminal 300 requests map information from the server 400, the server 400 transmits the map information to the communication terminal 300, and a map is created and displayed based on the map information received on the communication terminal 300 side. Note that the router 200 wirelessly connected to the vacuum cleaner 100 is omitted in Figure 11.

In the method of FIG. 11, map information from the vacuum cleaner 100 is temporarily stored in the server 400, and the communication terminal 300 collectively receives the map information stored in the server 400 and creates a map. Therefore, the user of the communication terminal 300 can view the map when the vacuum cleaner 100 has completed its travel and the map information has been compiled.

11, when the vacuum cleaner 100 starts operating, the vacuum cleaner 100 notifies the server 400 that it is operating. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 notifies the server 400 of the status every time the status of the vacuum cleaner 100 changes. The status of the vacuum cleaner 100 includes, for example, the start and end of cleaning, the operating status, and errors such as being unable to move.

The status notification (operating) shown in FIG. 11 includes, for example, cases where map information of a room is created, or where cleaning operations are performed after map information of a room is created, etc.

The vacuum cleaner 100 creates a frame at predetermined intervals (e.g., every second). The frame contains information about obstacles such as walls and floors, information about the trajectory of the vacuum cleaner 100, and information about the positions of obstacles including walls, etc.

Specifically, the information includes information calculated by the position information calculation unit 112 of the vacuum cleaner 100 indicating where the autonomous vacuum cleaner was located, information about the trajectory of the vacuum cleaner 100, and map information created by the map information creation unit 113.

Furthermore, frames are assigned numbers. The first frame transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400 after the vacuum cleaner 100 starts operating is frame 0, and the number increases every second with each frame transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100: frame 1, frame 2, frame 3, etc.

When frame 0 is created on the vacuum cleaner 100 side, frame 0 is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400, and when frame 0 is received by the server communication unit 402 on the server 400 side, it is stored in the server storage unit 403. Next, when frame 1 is created on the vacuum cleaner 100 side, frame 1 is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400, and when frame 1 is received by the server communication unit 402 on the server 400 side, it is stored in the server storage unit 403. In this way, frame data is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400 every second, starting from frame 0.

When the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 is finished, the vacuum cleaner 100 transmits information to that effect to the server 400. The server 400 then saves the map information from the multiple frame data stored in the server storage unit 403.

When an operation is performed on the communication terminal 300 to launch a specific application software (for example, an application that displays a map of a room), a request is made to the server 400 to transmit map information. In response, the server 400 transmits the map information stored in the server storage unit 403 to the communication terminal 300.

The communication terminal 300 creates a map using the map information received from the server 400 and displays the map on the display unit 305 (for example, a map as shown in FIG. 18).
With regard to the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 11, if the communication terminal 300 requests map information from the server 400 while the vacuum cleaner 100 is transmitting a frame to the server 400, the server 400 may transmit the map information stored in the server storage unit 403 at that time to the communication terminal 300, or the server 400 may transmit a signal to the communication terminal 300 indicating that it is refusing to transmit the map information.

In addition, the map information transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400 may be stored in a storage unit of the communication terminal 300 instead of in the server 400, or may be stored in both the storage unit of the server 400 and the storage unit of the communication terminal 300.

Fig. 12 is another sequence diagram of the vacuum cleaner system of the first embodiment. In the method shown in Fig. 12, map information from the vacuum cleaner 100 is sequentially transmitted to the server 400 and stored in the storage unit of the server 400, and the server 400 transmits the map information to the communication terminal 300. The communication terminal 300 sequentially generates a map each time it receives map information (the map is generated so as to sequentially update areas for which no map has yet been generated). Therefore, the user of the communication terminal 300 can see the position of the vacuum cleaner 100 and the state in which the maps are being generated one after another in real time.

In FIG. 12, when the vacuum cleaner 100 starts operating, the vacuum cleaner 100 notifies the server 400 that it is operating. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 notifies the server 400 of its status every time the status of the vacuum cleaner 100 changes. The status of the vacuum cleaner 100 includes, for example, the start and end of cleaning, the operating status, and errors such as being unable to move.

The status notification (operating) shown in FIG. 12 includes, for example, the case where map information of a room is created, or the case where cleaning operation is performed after the map information of a room is created, etc.

The vacuum cleaner 100 creates a frame at predetermined intervals (e.g., every second). The frame contains information about obstacles such as walls and floors, information about the trajectory of the vacuum cleaner 100, and information about the positions of obstacles including walls, etc.

Specifically, the information includes information calculated by the position information calculation unit 112 of the vacuum cleaner 100 indicating where the vacuum cleaner 100 was located, information regarding the trajectory of the vacuum cleaner 100, and map information created by the map information creation unit 113.

Furthermore, frames are assigned numbers. The first frame transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400 after the vacuum cleaner 100 starts operating is frame 0, and the number increases every second with each frame transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100: frame 1, frame 2, frame 3, etc.

When frame 0 is created on the vacuum cleaner 100 side, frame 0 is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400. When frame 0 is received by the server communication unit 402 on the server 400 side, it is stored in the server storage unit 403, and frame 0 is transmitted from the server communication unit 402 to the communication terminal 300. When the communication terminal 300 receives frame 0, it stores it in the terminal storage unit 307. Note that in the example of FIG. 12, it is assumed that the communication terminal 300 has launched an app and is in a state capable of displaying a map before receiving frame 0. However, when executing the sequence diagram of FIG. 12, the communication terminal 300 can receive frames even if the app is not launched.

Next, when frame 1 is created on the vacuum cleaner 100 side, frame 1 is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400. When frame 1 is received by the server communication unit 402 on the server 400 side, it is stored in the server storage unit 403, and frame 1 is transmitted from the server communication unit 402 to the communication terminal 300. When the communication terminal 300 receives frame 1, it stores it in the terminal storage unit 307.

In this way, frame data is transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400 every second, starting from frame 0.

Each time the communication terminal 300 receives a frame, the map creation unit 302 creates a map from the map information contained in the received frame, and the display unit 305 displays the created map. In this way, maps are created or updated one after another.

Then, when the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 is finished, information to that effect is sent from the vacuum cleaner 100 to the server 400.

In this manner, by operating in accordance with the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 11 or the sequence diagram shown in FIG.
Example 2
Next, a description will be given of Example 2. The system configuration, the configuration of the vacuum cleaner 100, etc. are the same as those of Example 1, so the description will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, when the map creation unit 302 of the communication terminal 300 creates a map based on information from the map information creation unit 113 of the vacuum cleaner 100 and displays the map on the display unit 305, information detected by the LIDAR 6 or the like outside the room is not displayed on the map.

Figure 13 shows an example of a map created by the communication terminal 300 using the detection results of the LIDAR 6, ultrasonic sensor 10, and infrared sensor 11 of the vacuum cleaner 100. The walls of a room can be roughly created using the ultrasonic sensor 10, etc., but a more accurate map can be created by adding information from the LIDAR 6. However, since the light from the LIDAR 6 passes through glass, etc., parts that extend beyond the walls are displayed as if they were flooded with water (the two places circled in Figure 13). In other words, the light that passes through the glass detects reflected light from outside the room, and if such information is used as is to create a map, even information detected outside the room will be displayed on the map.

In this embodiment, when displaying a map, any parts that extend beyond the glass or the like as a result of the measurement by the LIDAR 6 are not displayed on the map. The display result is shown in FIG. 14. By displaying in this manner, the user can use the map comfortably without wondering what the parts of the map that extend beyond the room are.

Figures 13 and 14 show the results of actual experiments and are examples of map displays, but to make the explanation easier to understand, we will use simplified drawings in Figures 15 and 16.

Figure 15 shows an example of a simplified map created by the communication terminal 300 using the detection results of the LIDAR 6, ultrasonic sensor 10, and infrared sensor 11 of the vacuum cleaner 100. The walls of a room can be roughly created using the ultrasonic sensor 10, etc., but a more accurate map can be created by adding information from the LIDAR 6. However, since the light from the LIDAR 6 passes through glass, etc., parts that extend beyond the walls (excess information in Figure 15) are displayed as if they were flooded with water. In other words, the light that passes through the glass detects reflected light from outside the room, and if such information is used as is to create a map, even information detected outside the room will be displayed on the map.

In this embodiment, when displaying a map, any parts that extend beyond the glass or the like as a result of the measurement by the LIDAR 6 are not displayed on the map. Figure 16 shows a simplified version of the display result. By displaying in this manner, the user can use the map comfortably without wondering what the parts of the map that extend beyond the room are.

In addition, the information that extends beyond the map of the room is not necessarily only information detected by LIDAR 6. There is a possibility that light from the infrared sensor passes through glass or the like to detect objects outside the room, and information that extends beyond the map of the room may be detected by other obstacle detection methods. In the second embodiment, such information that extends beyond the map of the room is not displayed on the map.

Figure 17 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the communication terminal 300.

In step S1, when the terminal control unit 301 determines that an operation to start a map application has been performed from the input unit 306, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the terminal control unit 301 controls the terminal communication unit 303 to receive map information from the vacuum cleaner 100 via the server 400, and stores the received map information in the terminal storage unit 307. In step S3, the map creation unit 302 starts creating a map.

In step S4, the map creation unit 302 determines whether there is a portion detected by the light emitted by the LIDAR 6 that extends beyond the room (e.g., the extra information in FIG. 15) based on the wall information created by the ultrasonic sensor 10 and the information detected by the LIDAR 6. If it is determined that there is, the terminal control unit 301 proceeds to step S5.

As a more specific example, the map creation unit 302 creates information about the walls of the room based on information created by the ultrasonic sensor 10, and when it determines that there is information about an obstacle or the like detected by the LIDAR 6 outside the wall, it performs control so that the information is not reflected on the map.

In step S5, the map creation unit 302 prevents the parts of the light emitted by the LIDAR 6 that extend beyond the wall from being displayed on the map (excessive information in FIG. 15), and the terminal control unit 301 displays the map on the display unit 305 (for example, the display shown in FIG. 16).

In step S6, the map creation unit 302 creates a map, and the terminal control unit 301 displays the map on the display unit 305 (for example, the display shown in FIG. 16).

When the map is displayed on the display unit 305 in step S5, if there are still parts that extend beyond the room due to reasons such as the processing power of the map creation unit 302, the user may operate the input unit 306 to surround or trace the parts that extend beyond the room and delete them. Alternatively, corrections may be made based on the user's operation, such as extending walls on the map or placing obstacles. For example, when the vacuum cleaner 100 has low accuracy in detecting obstacles, such a function is particularly easy for the user to use.

It is also possible to store and learn information about areas that were automatically deleted by the map creation unit 302 in step S5 or areas that were deleted by the user, thereby making it possible to more reliably delete protruding areas. In that case, the functions of the map creation unit may be installed in the server 400, and the results may be sent to the communication terminal 300.

Furthermore, in step S6, when the map is displayed on the display unit 305, the user may operate the input unit 306 to modify the map. Here, modification refers to, for example, processing such as erasing walls or obstacles, extending or moving walls, or placing obstacles.

This process may be performed in real time while the vacuum cleaner 100 is moving and the map is being created on the communication terminal 300 side, or may be performed in response to an operation of the communication terminal 300. In other words, a map may be created in real time while the vacuum cleaner 100 is moving and the map may be displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300, or the map may be displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 after the vacuum cleaner 100 has moved or after map information has been acquired.

The map displayed in the second embodiment may be configured to be divided into a number of grids or cells, and the amount of dust in each cell may be displayed in a manner that indicates the amount of dust by using shades of color or different colors. In this case, the vacuum cleaner may be equipped with a dust sensor that detects dust, and information regarding the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor may be reflected on the map.

The display screen may be switched between the maps shown in Figures 13 to 16 and the amount of garbage as mentioned above, for example, by using different colors, or the two screens may be displayed side by side. In particular, by displaying the two screens side by side, the user can compare the two screens.

In the first and second embodiments and the following embodiments, the communication terminal may receive frames from the server via a public line and a base station, or may receive frames from the server via a router.
Example 3
Next, a description will be given of Example 3. The system configuration, the configuration of the cleaner 100, and the like are the same as those of Example 1, so the description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, when an error occurs while the vacuum cleaner is moving (e.g., the battery runs out, the dust container is full, the vacuum cleaner is unable to move, etc.), an error message corresponding to the error (e.g., text such as E101) is displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 (e.g., the display shown in FIG. 18).

Furthermore, in Example 3, after an error display is displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300, guidance indicating the specific content of the error information (text explaining more specifically the content of the currently displayed error information, for example, "The battery is dead") is displayed on the display unit 305 (for example, the display shown in FIG. 19).

The error message may be in the form of numbers, English, Japanese, an abbreviation of some word, an icon, etc. If the error content is displayed as text (for example, "The vehicle is unable to be driven"), the number of characters to be displayed will be large, so if a vacuum cleaner icon is displayed on a map, there is a high possibility that the text and the vacuum cleaner icon will overlap, making the location of the vacuum cleaner unclear. For this reason, it is preferable to display a short error message.

It is also preferable to configure the vacuum cleaner to monitor its battery, and have the vacuum cleaner 100 notify the communication terminal 300 when the remaining battery power falls below a certain level. This configuration makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the remaining battery power suddenly drops to zero and communication itself becomes impossible.

The system operation of Example 3 will be explained using the sequence diagram in Figure 20.

When the control unit 110 of the vacuum cleaner 100 determines that an error (e.g., the battery is dead, the dust container is full, the vacuum cleaner is unable to move, etc.) has occurred while the vacuum cleaner 100 is moving, the control unit 110 controls the communication unit 101 to include information about the error that has occurred (e.g., the type of error, the location where the error occurred, the time of occurrence, etc.) in a frame and transmit the frame to the server 400 (step S301). Note that in the following description, the information about the error that has occurred will sometimes be referred to as error information.

In the server 400, when the server communication unit 402 receives a frame transmitted from the vacuum cleaner, the server control unit 401 stores the information contained in the received frame in the server storage unit 403 and controls the server communication unit 402 to transmit the received frame to the communication terminal 300 (step S302).

In the communication terminal 300, when the terminal control unit 301 determines that the frame received by the terminal communication unit 303 contains error information, it displays text data on the display unit 305 indicating that an error has occurred (step S303).

Note that the communication terminal 300 may be configured to notify the user that an error has occurred by vibrating a built-in vibrator or by generating an alarm sound from a speaker.

In the communication terminal 300, the terminal control unit 301 displays an error along with a map on the display unit 305. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, text indicating the type of error (e.g., E101) is displayed on the map (step S304).

By seeing this display, the user can know that some kind of error has occurred while the robot vacuum cleaner was cleaning. A detailed explanation (guidance) regarding the error can then be displayed on the display unit 305.

Next, the operation of the communication terminal 300 will be explained in more detail using the flow diagram in Figure 21.

First, when the communication terminal 300 is in a standby state, in step S311, if the terminal communication unit 303 receives a frame and determines that the frame contains information about the error that has occurred (e.g., the type of error, the location where the error occurred, the time of occurrence, etc.), then in step S312, the terminal control unit 301 displays text data indicating that an error has occurred (e.g., "Vacuum Cleaner Error") on the display unit 305. On the other hand, if the terminal communication unit 303 does not receive a frame containing error information, the terminal control unit 301 proceeds to step S317.

In step S312, the user may be notified that an error has occurred by vibrating a vibrator built into the communication terminal 300 or by generating an alarm sound from a speaker. Alternatively, an icon indicating that an error has occurred may be displayed on the display unit 305 instead of text data.

In step S313, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that an operation to start an application that displays a map has been performed from the input unit 306, the process proceeds to step S314; otherwise, the communication terminal 300 remains in a standby state.

In step S314, the map creation unit 302 creates a map from the map information stored in the terminal storage unit 307, and the terminal control unit 301 displays an error message on the display unit 305 at the location where the error occurred along with the created map. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, an error message (e.g., E101) is displayed on the map at the location where the error occurred.

By looking at this display, the user can know where an error occurred while the robot vacuum cleaner was cleaning.

In step S315, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that an operation to display guidance (operation instructions related to the currently displayed screen or icon) has been performed from the input unit 306, the process proceeds to step S316, and if no operation has been performed, the standby state is maintained.

In step S316, the terminal control unit 301 displays guidance on the display unit 305 (such as text that more specifically explains the content of the currently displayed error, for example, "The battery is dead"). At this time, a method for dealing with the error may also be displayed. This guidance may be stored in the terminal storage unit 307 in advance, or may be stored in the server storage unit 403 of the server 400 and received from the server 400.

In step S317, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that a map is being displayed on the display unit 305, the process proceeds to step S318; otherwise, the process maintains the standby state and returns to step S311. The map referred to in step S317 is a state in which the error display shown in step S314 is not being displayed. Before receiving the frame including the error information in step S311, the terminal control unit 301 determines in step S317 whether or not an application for displaying a map has already been started and a map is being displayed on the display unit 305.

In step S318, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that an operation to display guidance (operation instructions related to the currently displayed screen or icon) has been performed from the input unit 306, the process proceeds to step S319, and if no operation has been performed, the standby state is maintained.

In step S319, the terminal control unit 301 displays guidance (operation instructions related to the currently displayed screen or icon) on the display unit 305. Figure 19 is an example of a display screen showing that guidance.

In this way, in the third embodiment, when an error occurs in the vacuum cleaner 100 during cleaning, the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 is notified of the occurrence of the error, and when the user displays a map, text corresponding to the error is displayed on the map. Furthermore, when the user performs an operation to display guidance in this state, guidance related to the displayed text is displayed.

In addition, if an operation to display guidance is performed while the communication terminal 300 is on standby, guidance such as an explanation related to the currently displayed screen is displayed (for example, the display form shown in FIG. 22).

In the third embodiment, the user of the communication terminal 300 can know that an error has occurred while the vacuum cleaner 100 is cleaning, and can also know what specific information is contained in the error that has occurred. Furthermore, the user can also know how to respond to the error.

The map and text may be displayed in real time when an error occurs in the vacuum cleaner 100, or after the vacuum cleaner 100 has finished cleaning. Furthermore, the map and text may be configured to be enlarged. This configuration can avoid the text being too small to read as much as possible, and also allows the user to check in more detail where the error occurred.

Map information, error information, etc. may be stored in the server storage unit 403 of the server 400, or in the terminal storage unit 307 of the communication terminal 300.

The map displayed in Example 3 may be configured to be divided into a number of grids or cells, and the amount of dust in each cell may be displayed by using shades of color or different colors. In this case, the vacuum cleaner may be equipped with a dust sensor that detects dust, and information regarding the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor may be reflected on the map.

Furthermore, it may be possible to switch between a screen that displays text corresponding to the error and a screen that displays the amount of garbage mentioned above using a different color, or the two screens may be displayed side by side. In particular, by displaying the two screens side by side, the user can compare the two screens.

Examples of guidance include "Charging stand not found," "Tires have come off the floor. Please check," "Battery is dead," "Dust collection container is full," and "Cannot be driven."

When notifying that the dust collection container is full, the configuration may be such that a notification is sent to the communication terminal 300 when the amount of dirt in the dust collection container is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount while the vacuum cleaner 100 is charging on the charging base. If the dust collection container becomes full while the vacuum cleaner 100 is cleaning, the vacuum cleaner 100 will not be able to collect any more dirt even if it is forced to run from then on. This is because if the dust collection container is full, it is better for the vacuum cleaner 100 to wait on the charging base until the user has emptied the dirt in the dust collection container.

In the third embodiment, when an error occurs in the vacuum cleaner 100, the occurrence of the error is notified on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300, but when the error is cleared in the vacuum cleaner 100, the error display on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 may be automatically cleared, or a message indicating that the error has been cleared may be displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300. Also, a history of the error occurrence and error clearance may be stored in one or more storage units of the vacuum cleaner 100, the server 400, and the communication terminal 300, and the history may be made viewable later on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300.
Example 4
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The system configuration, the configuration of the vacuum cleaner 100, and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, the user can check the path traveled by the vacuum cleaner 100 after cleaning is completed. More specifically, in response to an operation by the user of the communication terminal 300, a map is displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300, and the path traveled by the vacuum cleaner 100 is displayed in animation. FIG. 23 shows an example of the display on the display unit 305 in the fourth embodiment.

In FIG. 23, the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300 displays a map of the room, as well as icons of the charging base and the vacuum cleaner 100, and also displays the path that the vacuum cleaner 100 has taken from the charging base. In addition, operation icons are displayed at the bottom of the screen, and when the user touches the icon in the center, the vacuum cleaner 100 starts moving from the charging base. This is the so-called play button. When the user touches the icon on the right, the vacuum cleaner 100 moves in fast forward. This is the so-called fast forward button. When the user touches the icon on the left, the vacuum cleaner 100 moves in reverse. This is the so-called reverse button.

In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the movement of the vacuum cleaner 100 in response to the user's operation is displayed like an animation, and the user can check the location to which the vacuum cleaner 100 has moved. In addition, an icon for stopping the vacuum cleaner may be displayed on the display unit.

Next, the operation of the communication terminal 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the communication terminal 300.

First, in the standby state, when the terminal control unit 301 determines that an application startup operation has been performed from the input unit 306, the process proceeds to step S412 (step S411).

Next, the terminal control unit 301 displays a map and icons as shown in FIG. 23 on the display unit 305 (step S412).

In step S413, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that the play icon has been operated from the input unit 306, in step 414, it controls the display unit 305 to display an animation of the vacuum cleaner 100 moving from the charging base, and returns the process to step S413.

In step S415, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that the fast-forward operation icon has been operated from the input unit 306, in step 416, it controls the display unit 305 to display an animation of the vacuum cleaner 100 moving in fast forward, and returns the process to step S413.

In step S417, if the terminal control unit 301 determines that the reverse operation icon has been operated from the input unit 306, in step 418, it controls the display unit 305 to display an animation of the vacuum cleaner 100 moving in reverse, and returns the process to step S413.

In step S419, if the terminal control unit determines that an operation to end the application has been performed from the input unit 306, the application is ended and the device enters a standby state. On the other hand, if it determines that no operation has been performed, the process returns to step S413.

Needless to say, in the process from steps S411 to S419, other controls are also performed, such as notifying the user of an incoming call, just like in a normal mobile terminal, but we will not explain this here.

In the fourth embodiment, information on the path traveled by the vacuum cleaner 100 may be stored in the server storage unit 403 of the server 400, or in the terminal storage unit 307 of the communication terminal 300. In order to display the animation after cleaning is completed, it is necessary to store all frames including the position information of the vacuum cleaner 100 transmitted from the vacuum cleaner 100 in the server storage unit 403 or the terminal storage unit 307. However, in order to display the path traveled by the vacuum cleaner 100 as an animation before the vacuum cleaner 100 completes cleaning, the position information of the vacuum cleaner 100 stored in the server storage unit 403 or the terminal storage unit 307 may be read out and the animation before cleaning is completed may be displayed.

In this case, the vacuum cleaner 100 can be animated in real time to show how it is cleaning. In this case, it is preferable to perform the operation shown in the sequence diagram in FIG. 12.

In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the movement of the vacuum cleaner 100 in response to the user's operation is displayed like an animation, and the user can check the locations and order in which the vacuum cleaner 100 has moved. It is also possible to rewind the video to view a part that was missed, or to fast-forward the video to play the animation faster.

The map displayed in Example 4 may be configured to be divided into a number of grids or cells, and the amount of dust in each cell may be displayed in a manner that indicates the amount of dust by the shade of color or by different colors. In this case, the vacuum cleaner 100 may be equipped with a dust sensor that detects dust, and information regarding the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor may be reflected on the map.

23 and the above-mentioned screen showing the amount of dust may be switched by using a different color, or the two screens may be displayed side by side. In particular, by displaying the two screens side by side, the user can compare the two screens.
Example 5
Next, a description will be given of Example 5. The system configuration, the configuration of the cleaner 100, and the like are the same as those of Example 1, so the description will be omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 has a silent mode. When the silent mode is set to ON, the power of the suction motor 104, the power of the brush rotation motor, the moving speed, and the output of the electronic sound (alert sound) are reduced when the vacuum cleaner 100 performs cleaning. Any one of these may be selectively performed, or all of them may be performed.

By running the vacuum cleaner 100 in silent mode, it is possible to avoid situations where the user is woken up by the noise of the vacuum cleaner 100 while sleeping, or is unable to concentrate while studying, etc.

In addition, in Example 5, the user can set areas to be cleaned and areas where cleaning is prohibited. FIG. 25 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 305. As shown in FIG. 25, a map of the room, areas A and B are displayed on the display unit 305. Area A is, for example, an area to be cleaned by the vacuum cleaner 100, and area B is an area where the vacuum cleaner 100 is prohibited from moving. The user can set areas to be cleaned and areas where movement is prohibited by tracing or surrounding the display unit with a finger.

Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, the area in which the vacuum cleaner 100 travels in silent mode can be set. This setting can be made in the same way as when setting the area to be cleaned by the vacuum cleaner 100. For example, area A or area B shown in FIG. 24 can be set as the area in which the vacuum cleaner 100 travels in silent mode.

Alternatively, it may be possible to set it for each room. For example, the bedroom and study room may be set as areas where the vacuum cleaner 100 runs in silent mode, the kitchen may be set as an area where the vacuum cleaner 100 cleans normally, and the toilet, etc. may be set as an area where the vacuum cleaner 100 is prohibited from moving.

Information regarding the silent mode set on the communication terminal 300 side can be included in a frame and transmitted from the communication terminal 300 to the vacuum cleaner 100 via the server 400, thereby enabling remote setting from the communication terminal 300 to the vacuum cleaner 100. Settings for areas to be cleaned, areas to be prohibited from movement, and areas to move in silent mode can also be made in the same manner.
Example 6
Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. The system configuration, the configuration of the vacuum cleaner 100, and the like are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the description will be omitted. The difference from the first embodiment is that the vacuum cleaner 100 has a dust sensor for detecting dust.

In the sixth embodiment, the suction power, travel speed, and operation of the suction motor are changed according to the amount of dirt detected by the dirt sensor (for example, five levels, with 5 being the most and 1 being the least). Figure 26 shows an example of such a table, where the suction power is strong when the amount of dirt is 5 or 4, medium when the amount of dirt is 3 or 2, and weak when the amount of dirt is 1.

When the amount of dirt is 5, 4, or 3, the running speed is slow, and when the amount of dirt is 2 or 1, the running speed is normal. Furthermore, when the amount of dirt is 5, the vacuum cleaner 100 moves back and forth, and when the amount of dirt is 4 or less, the running operation is performed.

In this way, in areas with a large amount of dirt, the suction motor's suction power is increased and the running speed is slowed down, and conversely, in areas with a small amount of dirt, the suction motor's suction power is reduced to below normal and the running speed is set to normal.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably clean up dirt in places with a lot of dirt, while avoiding unnecessary power consumption in places with little dirt.
(Other possible embodiments for all the examples)
In this embodiment, a map is displayed on the display unit 305 of the communication terminal 300, but it is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which a display unit is installed in the vacuum cleaner 100 and the map is displayed on the vacuum cleaner 100, or an embodiment in which the map is displayed on a display unit of a personal computer or the like connected to the network N.

When the communication terminal 300 receives a frame from the server 400, it may receive the frame from a base station connected to a public line network, or it may receive the frame via a router by wirelessly connecting to a home router or the like.

Although the communication terminal 300 is equipped with a function for creating a map, the function for creating a map may be equipped in the vacuum cleaner 100 or the server 400, and the communication terminal 300 may receive and display the map from the server 400 or from the vacuum cleaner 100 via the server 400.

The total amount of dust detected by the dust sensor in one cleaning may be displayed as a bar graph, and multiple bar graphs may be displayed. Also, the cumulative amount of dust detected by the dust sensor in multiple cleanings may be displayed as a bar graph. Furthermore, when the total amount of dust detected by the dust sensor in one cleaning is displayed as a bar graph, and multiple bar graphs are displayed, it may be possible to display a map of the room corresponding to the selected bar graph when the user selects one. In this case, the trajectory of the vacuum cleaner may be displayed, or the room may be divided into multiple cells and the amount of dust in each cell may be displayed as a shade of color, etc.

The current running status of the vacuum cleaner may be displayed on the display. For example, the currently detected amount of dirt and the status of the items shown in FIG. 26, such as the running speed, suction power, and operation, may be displayed on the display. In this case, the display may be in text form or may be an animation or icon of the vacuum cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner may be equipped with a camera, and when an intruder is detected, the camera may recognize people from images captured by the camera and notify the communication terminal 300 of the detection.

The display device, the system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device, the display method and the program disclosed herein can be widely applied not only to home use, but also to offices, factories, restaurants, etc., or public facilities such as airports and hospitals.

1 Housing 2 Upper body 3 Lower body 4 Bumper 5 Cover 6 LIDAR
7 Exhaust port 8 Side brush 9 Rear wheel 10 Ultrasonic sensor 11 Infrared sensor 12 Gyro sensor 18 Battery 19 Right drive wheel 20 Left drive wheel 21 Wheel support member 22 Suction port 23 Main brush 24 Step sensor 25 Depression 100 Vacuum cleaner 101 Communication unit 102 Storage unit 103 Rotation detection unit 104 Suction motor 105 Sensor group 110 Control unit 111 Movement control unit 112 Position information calculation unit 113 Map information creation unit 200 Router 300 Communication terminal 302 Map creation unit 303 Terminal communication unit 304 Short-range wireless unit 305 Display unit 306 Input unit 307 Terminal storage unit 400 Server 401 Server control unit 402 Server communication unit 403 Server storage unit

Claims (4)

A display device capable of displaying on a map obstacles detected by the LIDAR during travel of an autonomous vacuum cleaner having a first detection unit that detects obstacles and a second detection unit that is a LIDAR that detects obstacles using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit,
When the display device displays the map , it is capable of displaying at least one of obstacles, the amount of garbage, and the driving route of the autonomous vacuum cleaner in an inner area that is an area surrounded by a wall , and the display device displays the map in an outer area that is an area outside the wall so as not to reflect information detected by the LIDAR . A system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device,
The autonomous vacuum cleaner has a first detection unit that detects an obstacle, and a second detection unit that detects an obstacle using a detection method different from that of the first detection unit, the second detection unit being a LIDAR ,
The display device is a display device capable of displaying an obstacle detected by the LIDAR while the autonomous vacuum cleaner is traveling on a map,
A system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner and a display device , in which, when displaying the map, the display device is capable of displaying at least one of obstacles, the amount of dirt, and the driving route of the autonomous vacuum cleaner in an inner area that is an area surrounded by a wall, and displays the map in an outer area that is an area outside the wall in a manner that does not reflect information detected by the LIDAR . A step of detecting an obstacle while the autonomous vacuum cleaner is traveling by a first detection unit that detects an obstacle of the autonomous vacuum cleaner and a second detection unit that detects an obstacle by a detection method different from that of the first detection unit, the LIDAR being the second detection unit;
A map information creation unit creates information on obstacles detected by the LIDAR and positions of the obstacles;
A step of creating a map by the map information creation unit such that, if there is information detected by the LIDAR in an outer area that is an area outside a wall, the map creation unit does not reflect the information on the map;
and displaying, by a display unit, the map created by the map creation unit. A first detection unit that detects an obstacle of the autonomous vacuum cleaner, and a detection unit different from the first detection unit
detecting an obstacle while traveling by a LIDAR, which is a second detection unit that detects an obstacle by the method;
A map information creation unit creates information on obstacles detected by the LIDAR and positions of the obstacles;
A step of creating a map by the map information creation unit such that, if there is information detected by the LIDAR in an outer area that is an area outside a wall, the map creation unit does not reflect the information on the map;
and a step of displaying the map created by the map creation unit by a display unit.

Images