Autonomously-traveling cleaner and cleaning support system

Abstract

To manage a cleaning area of an autonomously-traveling cleaner in accordance with an actual situation and to appropriately present the result of the management.SOLUTION: Provided is a cleaning support system that includes an autonomously-traveling cleaner 200 which travels in a cleaning area and performs cleaning, and a home appliance server 300 which is an information processing apparatus, the cleaning support system including: a control device 30 which controls travel of the autonomously-traveling cleaner 200 for cleaning; a camera 90 which is an information acquisition unit for acquiring cleaned area information indicating a state of a cleaned area that has been cleaned by the autonomously-traveling cleaner 200; a cleaning result determination unit 34 which uses the cleaned area information to determine whether or not there is residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult to deal with by the autonomously-traveling cleaner; and a display unit 17 which displays a determination result of the cleaning result determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for assisting cleaning using a vacuum cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, autonomous vacuum cleaners, known as robot vacuum cleaners, are in widespread use and are used for efficient cleaning. An autonomous vacuum cleaner needs to manage the cleaning area by itself. For example, it is necessary to specify the route to be traveled when cleaning and to manage the cleaning history showing the routes already traveled. In addition, an autonomous vacuum cleaner controls the operation details, such as suction power, according to the condition of the floor surface to be cleaned.

[0003] As described above, an autonomous vacuum cleaner needs to manage the cleaning area, such as the travel path and the floor surface. Technologies for managing the cleaning area have been proposed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0004] In the patent document 1, a vacuum cleaner (1) cleans a surface (2) according to a predefined work schedule, a dirt level of at least one of the surfaces (2) is determined, and cleaning tasks are controlled depending on the dirt level. In order to perform more flexible and individual cleaning actions, the dirt level is entered into a map (4) related to the location information of the environment, and a user edits the map (4), i.e. defines surface zones (5, 6, 7, 8) of the surface (2) on the map (4), and manually assigns cleaning tasks of the vacuum cleaner (1) to at least one surface zone (5, 6, 7, 8).

[0005] Also, in the patent document 2, a vacuum cleaner (1) cleans a surface according to a preset work plan, a detection device (3) of the vacuum cleaner (1) detects the dirt levels of a plurality of partial surface areas (4, 5, 6) of the surface (2), a cleaning operation of the vacuum cleaner (1) is modified depending on the detection result, an overall dirt level for the surface (2) is determined from the dirt levels of the plurality of partial surface areas (4, 5, 6), and a cleaning operation is performed with cleaning parameters that correspond to the overall dirt level of the entire surface (2). To replace the generic operating method, it is disclosed that the determined overall dirt level is compared with at least one reference dirt level, in particular with an overall dirt level determined during a temporally preceding cleaning activity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-34136 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-34138 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Here, in order to achieve efficient and cleaner cleaning, it is necessary to properly manage the cleaning area. For example, depending on the model of the autonomous vacuum cleaner, some dirt and debris may be difficult to deal with. More specifically, an autonomous vacuum cleaner that does not have a wiping function may have difficulty removing grease stains that have accumulated in the gaps of flooring. To deal with this, it is necessary to properly manage the cleaning area in accordance with the actual situation. In addition, it is necessary to properly present the results of this management to the user. Therefore, the present invention aims to manage the cleaning area of ​​the autonomous vacuum cleaner in accordance with the actual situation and to properly present the results. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention manages the cleaning area according to each time period during cleaning, including before and after cleaning, and presents the results. Representative aspects of the present invention include the following (1) to (3). (1) Determine whether there is any dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult for the autonomous vacuum cleaner to deal with, and output the result. (2) A zigzag path is created for the autonomous vacuum cleaner through the area to be cleaned. (3) A cleaning history showing the route traveled as the cleaned area of ​​the autonomous vacuum cleaner is generated and presented.

[0009] A more specific embodiment is a cleaning assistance system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner that travels through a cleaning area and performs cleaning, and an information processing device, the cleaning assistance system having a control device that controls the travel of the autonomous vacuum cleaner for cleaning, an information acquisition unit that acquires cleaned area information indicating the state of an area that has been cleaned by the autonomous vacuum cleaner, a cleaning history determination unit that uses the cleaned area information to determine whether there is any residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult for the autonomous vacuum cleaner to deal with, and an output unit that outputs the determination result of the cleaning history determination unit.

[0010] The present invention also includes each device and subcombination that constitutes the cleaning support system. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a cleaning support method using these devices, a program for causing each device to function as a computer, and a storage medium storing the program. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to manage the cleaning area of ​​an autonomous vacuum cleaner in accordance with the actual situation and to present the results appropriately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an operation state of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2]1 is a system configuration diagram including a cleaning assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of an information terminal device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing map information 361 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing cleaning history information 362 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing cleaning record information 363 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a home appliance server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a cleaning area management process in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a processing sequence in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 5 is a flowchart showing details of a residual stain determination process in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device 30 in a second embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing a travel process of the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing a driving route generation process executed during a driving process in the second embodiment. [Figure 17A] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a route generated with a turn-back width (standard / D1) in the second embodiment. [Figure 17B]FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a route generated with a turn-back width (narrow / D0) in the second embodiment. [Figure 18A] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a route that is generated with a return width (standard / D1) in the second embodiment and is not travelable with the current remaining battery charge. [Figure 18B] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a route generated with a return width (wide / D2) in the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning support system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in a third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a flow from the start of cleaning to the end of cleaning in the third embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a home screen in the third embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an automatic mode screen in the third embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a preferred cleaning selection screen in the third embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a home screen for prompting settings suited to the cleaning environment in Example 3. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device 30 in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning support system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing a flow from the start of cleaning to the end of cleaning in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] 13 is a flowchart showing a travel process of the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing a flow from displaying the accumulated travel locus to completing additional cleaning in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the appearance of a room 1000 which is an example of a cleaning area to be cleaned in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 31] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in the fourth embodiment travels (cleans) in a room 1000. [Diagram 32]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of travel locus information in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 33] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of the travel locus information in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of accumulated travel locus information in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 35] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of a travel locus information display screen in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 36] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of a travel locus information display screen in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 37] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an additional cleaning setting screen in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the operation of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 travels through a room 1000, which is a cleaning area, and performs cleaning. In FIG. 1, the dashed arrow indicates the route already traveled in the cleaned area, and the solid arrow indicates the route to be traveled. Residual dirt exists in the cleaned area, particularly in the route already traveled. Therefore, in this embodiment, the management of the cleaning area is performed by dealing with the residual dirt, creating a travel route that is the route to be traveled, and creating a cleaning history that indicates the route already traveled. The residual dirt includes garbage, dust, dirt, stains, etc. remaining in the cleaned area, and the cause may be sebum, oil, calcium, etc. Furthermore, it does not matter whether it is a liquid or a solid.

[0014] Next, a configuration for managing the cleaning area in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a system configuration diagram including the cleaning support system in this embodiment. In Fig. 2, an information terminal device 100, an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, and a home appliance server 300 are connected to each other via a wireless LAN router 400 and a network 600. In addition, a floor washer 500 is used as a device for dealing with residual dirt.

[0015] First, the information terminal device 100 can be realized by various computers (information processing devices) such as a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone, or a PC. In this embodiment, the information terminal device 100 is used to manage the cleaning area of ​​an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. As shown in FIG. 1, the information terminal device 100 has a communication unit 11, a cleaning path generation unit 12, a cleaning control unit 13, a cleaning performance determination unit 14, a cleaning history generation unit 15, an input unit 16, a display unit 17, and a storage unit 18.

[0016] First, the communication unit 11 of the information terminal device 100 has a function of communication via the wireless LAN router 400 and the network 600 and a short-distance wireless communication function. Furthermore, the cleaning path generation unit 12 generates a travel path for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to clean. Furthermore, the cleaning control unit 13 creates a control command for controlling the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. In response to this, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 executes a travel function and a cleaning function according to the control command.

[0017] Furthermore, the cleaning record determination unit 14 determines whether there is residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to deal with, based on the cleaned area information. Furthermore, the cleaning history generation unit 15 creates a cleaning history indicating the route that has been traveled. Here, "difficult to deal with" includes the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 being unable to remove the residual dirt or the dirt being unexpected. In this embodiment, the determination is made using the determination criteria information 364 to 184.

[0018] Furthermore, the input unit 16 accepts various operations from the user. Furthermore, the display unit 17 displays the generated cleaning route, cleaning history, and the judgment result by the cleaning performance judgment unit 14. The input unit 16 and the display unit 17 may be integrated into one unit, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the storage unit 18 stores map information 181, cleaning history information 182, cleaning performance information 183, and judgment criteria information 184. These pieces of information will be described later.

[0019] Next, an implementation example of the information terminal device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information terminal device 100 in this embodiment. In Fig. 3, the information terminal device 100 has a touch panel 101, a processing device 102, a communication device 103, and a storage device 104, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0020] First, the touch panel 101 is configured to serve both as the input unit 16 and the display unit 17 in Fig. 2, and receives operations from the user and displays various information such as housework scenarios. Note that the touch panel 101 may be configured separately as an input device and a display device.

[0021] The processing device 102 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes calculations according to a cleaning assistance program 105 stored in a storage device 104, which will be described later.

[0022] The cleaning support program 105 is composed of a cleaning path generation module 106, a cleaning control module 107, a cleaning performance determination module 108, and a cleaning history generation module 109 for each function. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination. The cleaning support program 105 may be realized as one function of an integrated management application that manages multiple home appliances including other home appliances (devices) such as a washing machine.

[0023] The information terminal device 100 shown in FIG. 2, which executes the same functions as each module, has the following configuration. Cleaning path generating unit 12: cleaning path generating module 106 Cleaning control unit 13: cleaning control module 107 Cleaning record determination unit 14: cleaning record determination module 108 Cleaning history generation unit 15: cleaning history generation module 109 Therefore, the processing device 102 executes the processes of the cleaning path generating unit 12, the cleaning control unit 13, the cleaning performance determining unit 14, and the cleaning history generating unit 15 in accordance with the cleaning support program 105. The cleaning support program 105 can be stored in the storage device 104 (described later) or other storage media.

[0024] 2, and has a function of communicating via a wireless LAN router 400 or a network 600 and a short-distance wireless communication. The storage device 104 corresponds to the storage device 18 in FIG. 2, and stores the above-mentioned cleaning support program 105, purchase support program 110, user management information 111, home appliance management information 112, and housework scenario information 113. For this reason, the storage device 104 may be realized by a main storage device such as a memory and a secondary storage device (storage medium) that is a so-called storage. The secondary storage device may be realized by an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), memory card, or the like.

[0025] This concludes the explanation of the information terminal device 100. Returning to FIG. 2, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 will now be explained. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is an electric device that automatically cleans a predetermined cleaning area while autonomously moving around the area. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner in this embodiment. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 also includes a vacuum cleaner body 1, a bumper 2 that covers the sides of the vacuum cleaner body 1, a pair of drive wheels 3, 4 (see FIG. 5 described later), an auxiliary wheel 5 (see FIG. 5 described later), and a side brush 6.

[0026] An operation button 7 is provided on the top surface of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 to perform various operations such as starting and stopping the operation. The vacuum cleaner main body 1 is also provided with a dust case 8 to collect dust on the floor surface. In the drawing, the ceiling side is defined as up, the floor side as down, the side in the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is defined as the front, the side opposite the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is defined as the rear, the left side of the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is defined as the left, and the right side of the traveling direction of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is defined as the right (the same applies below).

[0027] 5 is a bottom view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the drive wheels 3 and 4 are wheels as an example of a drive unit, and are attached to the vacuum cleaner body 1. The drive wheels 3 and 4 themselves rotate, so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can move forward, backward, and turn (including pivot turning).

[0028] Further, a suction port part 9 that houses a rotating brush 19 rotated by a rotating brush motor 19m and sucks in dust is provided behind the drive wheels 3, 4. The dust sucked into the suction port part 9 is collected in a dust case 8. Further, the rotating brush 19 is disposed approximately parallel to an axis (in the left-right direction) that passes through the rotation center of the drive wheels 3, 4.

[0029] Further, part of the side brush 6 is located outside the vacuum cleaner body 1, and guides dust from places that are difficult for the rotating brush 19 to reach to the suction port 9. As shown by arrow α1, the side brush 6 rotates to sweep the area on the front outside of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in a direction from the outside to the inside in the left-right direction, and collects dust on the floor surface toward the central suction port 9. The side brush 6 is driven to rotate by a side brush motor 6m (not shown). Furthermore, floor distance measuring sensors 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are provided at four locations on the front, back, left, and right sides on the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body 1.

[0030] Next, Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the control device 30 comprehensively controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, and is configured by mounting, for example, a microcomputer and peripheral circuits on a board. The microcomputer reads out a control program stored in a read only memory (ROM) and loads it in a random access memory (RAM). Then, a central processing unit (CPU) executes this control program to realize various processes. The peripheral circuits include an A / D·D / A converter, a sensor driving circuit, and a charging circuit for the storage battery 20.

[0031] The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 also includes a LiDAR (long-distance surrounding detection sensor) 40 as an example of a distance measuring sensor using light. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 also includes drive wheels 3 and 4 for driving the vacuum cleaner body 1, a LiDAR 40 provided on the vacuum cleaner body 1, and a gyro sensor 50, so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can accurately create a map of the cleaning location. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 also includes a dust sensor 70, so that the amount of dust collected in the dust case 8 can be detected.

[0032] The control device 30 executes arithmetic processing in response to the operation of the operation button 7 through which a user can input commands, and signals input from a bumper sensor (not shown), various sensors, and a communication device 80, and outputs the processed signal. The various sensors include floor distance measuring sensors 10a to 10d, a distance measuring sensor 60, a LiDAR 40, and a dust sensor 70. The communication device 80 can be, for example, a modem.

[0033] The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starts traveling from the charging base at, for example, a command from a user or a scheduled start time, and cleans the floor surface, etc. When cleaning is completed, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S returns to the charging base and starts charging the storage battery 20. Furthermore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 transmits map information created based on information from the LiDAR 40 and the gyro sensor 50 to the information terminal device 100 via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300.

[0034] Moreover, the rotary brush motor 19m is a motor that rotates the rotary brush 19 in accordance with the control device 30. Similarly, the other motors also rotate their own components.

[0035] Furthermore, the camera 90 is an example of an image capturing unit that captures an image of the cleaning area and obtains an image showing the state of the area. The camera 90 can capture an image of the cleaned area and obtain cleaned area information showing the state of the area. For this reason, in this embodiment, the cleaning information is obtained as image data. Here, the camera 90 can obtain the cleaned area information by capturing an image of the cleaned area during or after cleaning with the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200.

[0036] The camera 90 can also capture an image of the cleaning area before cleaning and acquire pre-cleaning area information indicating the state. Furthermore, by using an information acquisition unit other than the image capture unit (camera 90), it is possible to acquire cleaned area information and pre-cleaning area information other than image data. For example, the LiDAR 40 or the distance measurement sensor 60 may be used as the information acquisition unit. When these are used, the presence or absence of garbage such as empty containers can be determined as residual dirt.

[0037] This concludes the description of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, and we will now return to Fig. 2 to describe the home appliance server 300. The home appliance server 300 manages various home appliances such as the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, and can use an information processing device (computer) used by manufacturers and distributors of home appliances such as the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. In this embodiment, the home appliance server 300 is used to manage the cleaning area of ​​the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. In FIG. 1, the home appliance server 300 includes a communication unit 31, a cleaning path generation unit 32, a cleaning control unit 33, a cleaning performance determination unit , a cleaning history generation unit 35, and a storage unit .

[0038] First, the communication unit 31 connects to the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and the information terminal device 100 via the network 600. The cleaning path generation unit 32, the cleaning control unit 33, the cleaning performance determination unit 34, and the cleaning history generation unit 35 have the same functions as the cleaning path generation unit 12, the cleaning control unit 13, the cleaning performance determination unit 14, and the cleaning history generation unit 15, respectively. Therefore, a description of these functions will also be omitted. Furthermore, at least one of the cleaning path generation unit 32 to the cleaning history generation unit 35 and the cleaning path generation unit 12 to the cleaning history generation unit 15 may be provided, and the others may be omitted.

[0039] The storage unit 36 ​​also stores map information 361, cleaning history information 362, cleaning performance information 363, and judgment criteria information 364. Hereinafter, these pieces of information will be described together with the map information 181, cleaning history information 182, cleaning performance information 183, and judgment criteria information 184. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing map information 361 used in this embodiment. The map information 361 is created based on information from the LiDAR 40 and the gyro sensor 50 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, and is information indicating a cleaning area. As shown in FIG. 7, the map information 361 of this embodiment indicates a room, position information, and a travel route for each vacuum cleaner. The room indicates the cleaning area of ​​the vacuum cleaner. The position information indicates the position information, for example, coordinates, of the room. Furthermore, the travel route indicates the route along which the vacuum cleaner travels when cleaning the room. More preferably, it indicates a zigzag route, as described in the embodiment described later. The map information 361 may include information indicating obstacles such as furniture that may hinder cleaning in the room and their positions.

[0040] 8 is a diagram showing cleaning history information 362 used in this embodiment. The cleaning history information 362 is information indicating the route traveled by the relevant vacuum cleaner when cleaning. For this reason, the cleaning history information 362 has the items of room, date and time, and movement history for each vacuum cleaner. The room indicates the cleaning area of ​​the relevant vacuum cleaner, similar to the map information 361. The date and time indicates the date and time when the relevant vacuum cleaner was operated, that is, traveled during cleaning. Furthermore, the movement history indicates the movement route at the relevant date and time.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing cleaning record information 363 used in this embodiment. The cleaning record information 363 is information showing the cleaning record of the corresponding vacuum cleaner including the cleaned area information acquired by the information acquisition unit. For this reason, the cleaning record information 363 has the items of room, meta information, and cleaned area information for each vacuum cleaner. The room indicates the cleaning area of ​​the corresponding vacuum cleaner, similar to the map information 361. The meta information is related information of the cleaned area information. For example, when an image is used as the cleaned area information, Exif information including the date and time of shooting and the location can be used as the meta information. The cleaned area information is information showing the status of the area that has been cleaned by the corresponding vacuum cleaner. For example, image data captured by the camera 90 can be used as the cleaned area information. Information showing residual dirt extracted from acquired information such as image data may be used as the cleaned area information.

[0042] The map information 361, cleaning history information 362, and cleaning record information 363 are managed collectively for a plurality of use locations (such as home). The map information 181, cleaning history information 182, and cleaning record information 183 are similar information having the same items as the map information 361, cleaning history information 362, and cleaning record information 363. However, the map information 181, cleaning history information 182, and cleaning record information 183 are each held in the information terminal device 100, and are information specialized for the corresponding vacuum cleaner (autonomous vacuum cleaner 200). That is, the map information 361, cleaning history information 362, and cleaning record information 363 are configured with records for the corresponding vacuum cleaner (autonomous vacuum cleaner 200). The map information 181 to cleaning record information 183 or the map information 361 to cleaning record information 363 may be managed collectively as one piece of information.

[0043] Moreover, the judgment criteria information 364 is information for judging whether or not it is difficult to deal with the vacuum cleaner. Here, the judgment of whether or not it is difficult to deal with can be performed by identifying the remaining dirt from the cleaned area information and comparing it with this. For this reason, the judgment criteria information 364 is information that serves as a standard for the remaining dirt, and can use a reference value such as size or color or the type of dirt. For this reason, it can be judged that it is difficult to deal with when it is larger than the reference value or when it is a color indicated by a predetermined value. Regarding the type of dirt, it can be judged that it is difficult to deal with when it is a specific dirt such as oil dirt or grease dirt, or when it is a material that is difficult to suck, such as liquid. Furthermore, these can be used in combination. Furthermore, the judgment criteria information 364 can use the learning result by machine learning. It is to be noted that the judgment criteria information 364 is the same information as the judgment criteria information 184.

[0044] Furthermore, the determination criterion information 364 and the determination criterion information 184 further include a countermeasure such as information for identifying an apparatus capable of dealing with residual dirt that is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in the first embodiment described below. In other words, the determination criterion information 364 and the determination criterion information 184 include a correspondence relationship between the type of dirt, including residual dirt, and a countermeasure method. The correspondence relationship may be managed as separate information. Furthermore, the countermeasure method in the correspondence relationship is not limited to an apparatus, but also includes a countermeasure method such as manual work.

[0045] Next, a hardware configuration as an implementation example for executing the functions of the home appliance server 300 will be described. The home appliance server 300 can be realized by an information processing device (computer) such as a cloud system. Fig. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of the home appliance server 300 in this embodiment. In Fig. 10, the home appliance server 300 has a processing device 301, a communication device 302, a memory 303, and a secondary storage device 304, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0046] First, the processing device 301 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU, and executes calculations according to a cleaning assistance program 305 stored in a secondary storage device 304 described later. The communication device 302 corresponds to the communication unit 31 in Fig. 2, connects to the network 600, and communicates with other devices such as the information terminal device 100 and the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200.

[0047] 2. In the memory 303, the cleaning support program 305 stored in the secondary storage device 304 and information used for processing by the processing device 301 are expanded. In addition, the secondary storage device 304 can be realized by a so-called storage. In addition, the secondary storage device 304 stores the cleaning support program 305, map information 361, cleaning history information 362, cleaning performance information 363, and judgment criteria information 364. In addition, the secondary storage device 304 may be realized by various storage media such as an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card, or may be realized by a device separate from the home appliance server 300, such as a file server.

[0048] Here, the cleaning assistance program 305 is composed of a cleaning path generation module 306, a cleaning control module 307, a cleaning performance determination module 308, and a cleaning history generation module 309, for each function. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination.

[0049] Here, the configuration of the home appliance server 300 shown in FIG. 2, which executes the same functions as each module, is as follows. Cleaning path generation unit 32: cleaning path generation module 306 Cleaning control unit 33: cleaning control module 307 Cleaning record determination unit 34: Cleaning record determination module 308 Cleaning history generation unit 35: cleaning history generation module 309 Therefore, the processing device 301 executes the processes of the cleaning path generating unit 32, the cleaning control unit 33, the cleaning result determining unit 34, and the cleaning history generating unit 35 in accordance with the cleaning support program 305. The cleaning support program 305 can execute the same processes as the cleaning support program 105 of the information terminal device 100. The cleaning support program 305 can be stored in the secondary storage device 304 or other storage media.

[0050] The home appliance server 300 may be realized as a home appliance management device that comprehensively manages various home appliances in addition to providing cleaning support. This concludes the description of the home appliance server 300, and the other devices in FIG. 2 will now be described.

[0051] The wireless LAN router 400 is a device for connecting the information terminal device 100 and the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to the network 600. The wireless LAN router 400 may be provided with a wired communication function and connected to the information terminal device 100 and the like by wire.

[0052] Furthermore, the floor washer 500 is an example of a device that can handle residual dirt that is difficult to deal with using the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. For this reason, the floor washer 500 cleans the floor surface using cleaning liquid water. Furthermore, the network 600 can be realized by a wide area network such as the Internet. This concludes the explanation of the configuration and information of this embodiment, but these devices, components (parts) and information are used in any of the embodiments described below, and some of them can be omitted.

[0053] Next, a process flow of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 is a flow chart showing the cleaning area management process of this embodiment. In Fig. 11, cleaning is started by the autonomously traveling cleaner 200 in response to an operation by the user or the like.

[0054] First, in step S1, information on the cleaning area is acquired by an information acquisition unit such as the LiDAR 40, the gyro sensor 50, and the camera 90. In step S2, the cleaning path generation unit 12 or the cleaning path generation unit 32 uses the acquired information on the cleaning area to specify a cleaning path and create map information. This is an example of a presetting process for the cleaning conditions of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200.

[0055] In step S3, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 performs cleaning. At this time, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 travels along the cleaning path. In step S4, the information acquisition unit acquires cleaned area information indicating the state of the cleaned area. For example, the camera 90 captures an image of the cleaned area and acquires the image data. Note that step S4 may be performed when the cleaning in step S3 is performed, or may be performed after the cleaning is completed. Note that the acquisition of the cleaned area during cleaning may be performed in parallel with traveling, or may be performed after the cleaning of a unit area such as a room or its section is completed.

[0056] In step S5, the cleaned area information is processed, including (1) a process for determining whether or not there is any residual dirt, and (2) a process for generating a cleaning record. In (1), the cleaning history determination unit 14 or the cleaning history determination unit 34 uses the cleaned area information to determine whether there is residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. To this end, the cleaning history determination unit 14 or the cleaning history determination unit 34 identifies the residual dirt from the cleaned area information. In (2), the cleaning history generating unit 15 or the cleaning history generating unit 35 generates a cleaning history indicating the route that has been traveled from the cleaned area information.

[0057] Note that step S5 is a process in some embodiments and may be omitted in other embodiments.

[0058] Then, in step S6, the output unit, which is the display unit 17 or the communication unit 11 to the communication unit 31, outputs the processing result. The processing result includes at least one of the created cleaning path, the residual dirt determination result, and the cleaning history. Furthermore, the communication unit 11 to the communication unit 31 may notify a control command to other devices based on the residual dirt determination result. By outputting the residual dirt determination result, the cleaning history, and the control command, it is possible to support post-cleaning processing such as additional cleaning. This concludes the description of this embodiment, and examples showing specific examples of this embodiment will be described. EXAMPLES

[0059] Example 1 is an example in which it is determined whether there is dirt in a cleaned area that is difficult for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to deal with, and the result is output. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a processing sequence in Example 1. First, the information terminal device 100 notifies the home appliance server 300 of a control command indicating a cleaning start request. This is executed by the cleaning control unit 13 using the communication unit 11 in accordance with a user's operation on the input unit 16. Then, the communication unit 31 of the home appliance server 300 transfers the control command indicating the cleaning start request to the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. This cleaning start request also includes a request for cleaned area information.

[0060] The communication device 80 accepts this request to start cleaning, and the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starts cleaning. More specifically, the control device 30 controls the traveling motors 3m and 4m, the fan motor 21, etc., in accordance with the control command. Note that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 may automatically start cleaning using a timer function or the like.

[0061] Furthermore, in response to the request for the cleaned area information, the control device 30 controls the camera 90 to capture an image of the cleaned area. Then, while the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is cleaning, the control device 30 notifies the home appliance server 300 of the cleaned area information, which is the captured image data, via the communication device 80. As a result, the communication unit 31 of the home appliance server 300 receives the cleaned area information. Then, the received cleaned area information is stored in the cleaning record information 363 of the memory unit 36.

[0062] In response to this, the cleaning history determination unit 34 executes a remaining dirt determination process for the area that has been cleaned by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. An example of this remaining dirt determination process will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the remaining dirt determination process in the first embodiment. In step S11 of FIG. 13, the cleaning history determination unit 34 reads cleaned area information from the cleaning history information 363.

[0063] Furthermore, in step S12, the cleaning history determination unit 34 uses the cleaned area information to determine whether there is any remaining dirt. For this purpose, the cleaning history determination unit 34 performs image processing on the cleaned area information and performs object extraction to determine whether there is any remaining dirt. At this time, it is desirable to compare with the map information 361 and exclude furniture and other regularly installed objects. As a result, if there is any remaining dirt (YES), the process proceeds to step S13. If there is no remaining dirt, the process proceeds to step S17, and the information terminal device 100 is notified that there is no remaining dirt.

[0064] In addition, in step S13, the cleaning record determination unit 34 determines whether the remaining dirt determined in step S12 is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. For this purpose, the cleaning record determination unit 34 uses the determination criterion information 364, and this determination method is as described above. As a result, if it is difficult to deal with (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If it is possible to deal with (NO), the process proceeds to step S17, and the information terminal device 100 is notified that there is remaining dirt that can be dealt with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. As a result, the user can use the information terminal device 100 to cause the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to perform re-cleaning. In this case, the cleaning control unit 13 may notify the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 of a control command requesting re-cleaning using the communication unit 11. As a result, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 will re-clean the already-cleaned area.

[0065] Furthermore, in step S14, the cleaning history determination unit 34 identifies a method capable of dealing with the remaining dirt using the determination criterion information 364. To this end, the cleaning history determination unit 34 uses a correspondence relationship indicating the remaining dirt in the determination criterion information 364 and a method capable of dealing with the remaining dirt. At this time, if there is no method capable of dealing with the remaining dirt, the cleaning history determination unit 34 may use the communication unit 31 to notify the information terminal device 100 of that effect.

[0066] Furthermore, in step S15, when a device is identified in step S14, the cleaning record determination unit 34 determines whether the device is a controllable device. For this purpose, it is preferable that the home appliance server 300 uses information that manages devices that the user can use. As a result, if the device is controllable (YES), the process proceeds to step S16. If the device is not controllable, for example, if the device does not have a communication function or needs to be dealt with manually (NO), the process proceeds to step S17. As a result, in step S17, the method of dealing with the problem identified in step S14 is notified to the information terminal device 100.

[0067] In step S16, in response to a request from the cleaning performance determination unit 34, the cleaning control unit 33 creates a control command for the device identified in step S14 to deal with the remaining dirt. Then, the cleaning control unit 33 notifies the corresponding device of the control command. For example, if the floor washer 500 has a communication function or the like and is the device identified in step S14, the remaining dirt is removed or reduced by floor cleaning by the floor washer 500.

[0068] Then, in step S17, the cleaning performance determination unit 34 notifies the information terminal device 100 that a control command for dealing with the residual dirt has been notified to the device identified in step S14. As a result, the display unit 17 of the information terminal device 100 can display information according to the residual dirt, such as whether there is residual dirt and whether the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can deal with it. This allows the user to deal with the residual dirt appropriately, including dealing with it by themselves. Furthermore, in the above steps S16 and S17, an output according to the determination result is made. Therefore, the communication unit 31 of the home appliance server 300 and the display unit 17 of the information terminal device 100 can be understood as an output unit that outputs the determination result.

[0069] This completes the explanation of Fig. 13, and we now return to Fig. 12 to explain the processing after the residual stain determination processing. As explained in step S17 above, the home appliance server 300 notifies the information terminal device 100 of the determination result of the residual stain determination processing. Then, the display unit 17 of the information terminal device 100 displays the determination result.

[0070] In the above example, the process of determining whether or not there is residual dirt is performed during cleaning, but it may be performed after cleaning. This is also shown in FIG. 12. In other words, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 finishes cleaning, the control device 30 controls the travel motors 3m and 4m, the fan motor 21, etc., to finish cleaning.

[0071] Furthermore, when cleaning is completed, the control device 30 controls the camera 90 in response to a request for cleaned area information to capture an image of the cleaned area. The control device 30 then notifies the home appliance server 300 of the cleaned area information, which is the captured image data, via the communication device 80. As a result, the communication unit 31 of the home appliance server 300 receives the cleaned area information and executes the process of determining whether there is any residual dirt and notifies the result according to Fig. 13. However, in this case, the camera 90 does not need to capture images during cleaning.

[0072] In this embodiment, the determination process for residual dirt is executed by the home appliance server 300, but at least a part of the process may be executed by a corresponding configuration of the information terminal device 100. Furthermore, at least a part of the determination process may be executed by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. In this case, the process of this embodiment may be processed by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and the information terminal device 100 in cooperation with each other to be executed as a cleaning assistance system. This concludes the explanation of the first embodiment. In this way, the cleaning assistance system can be configured by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and an information processing device that is at least one of the information terminal device 100 and the home appliance server 300. EXAMPLES

[0073] The second embodiment is a first example of management of a cleaning area in which a zigzag travel path is created for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 through an area to be cleaned.

[0074] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 30 in the second embodiment. In Fig. 14, the map creation unit 30-1 creates a map of a room in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is cleaning, based on information detected by the LiDAR 40. The map information created by the map creation unit 30-1 is a two-dimensional lattice-like map.

[0075] Furthermore, the self-position determination unit 30-2 determines the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S based on the information detected by the LiDAR 40, and transmits the determined position to the map creation unit 30-1.

[0076] Furthermore, the map creation unit 30-1 creates dust collection information based on the dust detection result detected by the dust sensor 70 and the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2. The dust collection information is, for example, data summarizing the amount of dust on the floor surface and position information. The map information and dust collection information created by the map creation unit 30-1 are stored in the storage unit of the control device 30.

[0077] Further, the travel route creation unit 30-3 creates a travel route of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starting from the self-position based on the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2, the map information stored in the storage unit, and the dust collection information. Then, the travel route creation unit 30-3 notifies the communication device 80 and the travel control unit 30-4 of the created travel route. As an example of an efficient travel route that can travel on the floor surface without omissions and without overlapping, there is a method of traveling in a zigzag pattern throughout the entire room as shown in FIG. 17A, FIG. 17B, FIG. 18A, and FIG. 18B described later.

[0078] The driving control unit 30-4 also sends a driving command to the device control unit so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 travels along the created driving route. The device control unit 30-5 also controls the driving motors 3m and 4m, the side brush motor 6m, and the fan motor 21 in response to the driving command from the driving control unit 30-4.

[0079] The communication device 80 is a type of communication means, and notifies the home appliance server 300 of the travel route created by the travel route creation unit 30-3. Furthermore, the communication device 80 periodically (for example, periodically) transmits to the home appliance server 300 the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2, the map information stored in the storage unit, and the obstacle identification result stored in the storage unit.

[0080] Next, a process flow of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 16. The operation flows of Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 are executed by the control device 30. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the traveling process of the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 in the second embodiment. That is, Fig. 15 shows the operation flow when autonomously traveling in a certain cleaning area.

[0081] 16 is a flowchart showing a travel route generation process executed during the travel process in the embodiment 2. That is, FIG. 16 shows an operation flow for setting an optimal turn width from dust collection information during the previous cleaning in the travel route generation.

[0082] First, when there is a travel start (cleaning start request) in Fig. 15, the process shown in this flowchart starts. In step S101, when the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 starts cleaning, the control device 30 starts route generation. The details of this will be described later with reference to Fig. 16.

[0083] Furthermore, in step S102, the control device 30 performs route-following traveling according to the generated route until a termination condition is satisfied. That is, in step S103, the control device 30 determines whether or not a termination condition is satisfied during route-following traveling. Possible termination conditions include, for example, the generated route being completely traveled, or the charge rate of the storage battery 20 falling below a threshold. As a result, if the termination condition is satisfied (YES), traveling is terminated. If the termination condition is not satisfied (NO), step S102 is continued.

[0084] Next, details of the route generation in step S101 will be described. In this route generation process, the dust removal performance and the cleanable range are optimized according to the cleaning environment. For this reason, three types of turn widths are defined: turn width (narrow), turn width (standard), and turn width (wide). In this definition, the turn width is set to (standard) when it is desired to improve the dust removal performance and collect more dust on the floor, and the turn width is set to (narrow) when the planned cleaning area is wide and there is a possibility that the battery will run out during travel with the current remaining battery power, and a route is generated by setting the turn width to (wide).

[0085] As an example of a method for determining this folded width, it can be set as follows according to the structure shown in Fig. 5. The folded width (narrow) is set to the width D0 of the suction mouth part 9, the folded width (standard) is set to the width D1 of the motor shaft of the left and right side brush motors 6m, and the folded width (wide) is set to the floor contact width D2 of the side brush 6. The following will be explained with reference to Fig. 16.

[0086] First, when path generation starts, in step S201, the control device 30 judges from the dust collection information whether there was a lot of dust in the area to be cleaned at the time of the previous cleaning. In other words, it estimates whether it is a place that is easily soiled. As a result, if there is a lot (YES), the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if there is only a little (NO), the process proceeds to step S203.

[0087] In step S202, the control device 30 estimates that the location (area) is prone to getting dirty, so it generates a path with a narrow turn-back width to improve dirt removal performance. In step S203, the control device 30 estimates that the location is not prone to getting dirty, so it generates a path with a standard turn-back width.

[0088] Here, an image of a travel route when the turn width is narrowed will be described with reference to Figs. 17A and 17B. Fig. 17A is a diagram showing a typical route generated with a turn width (standard / D1) in the second embodiment. Fig. 17B is a diagram showing a typical route generated with a turn width (narrow / D0) in the second embodiment. Since D1>D0, the room in Fig. 17B can be cleaned more thoroughly. On the other hand, the room in Fig. 17A requires fewer turns and can be cleaned more quickly. That is, the travel distance and travel time in Fig. 17A are shorter (short time). For this reason, in step S201, the time available for cleaning may be accepted and the turn width may be determined based on this.

[0089] In step S204, the control device 30 determines whether the entire route created in step S203 is possible for the area to be cleaned with the current remaining battery charge of the storage battery 20. As a result, if it is possible (YES), this flowchart ends. If it is not possible (NO), the process proceeds to step S205. Note that in the second embodiment, step S203 is performed only when the turn-back width is (standard), but it may also be performed when the turn-back width is (narrow), or may be limited to when the turn-back width is (narrow).

[0090] In step S205, the control device 30 recreates the travel route with the turn back width (wide). Here, an image of the travel route when the turn back width is widened will be described with reference to Figs. 18A and 18B. Fig. 18A is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a route generated with the turn back width (standard / D1) in the second embodiment, which is incapable of travel with the current remaining battery level. Fig. 18B is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a route generated with the turn back width (wide / D2) in the second embodiment. In these diagrams, D2>D1. For this reason, in Fig. 18A, the travel route with the turn back width (standard / D1) is incapable of travel with the current remaining battery level, and the "start of return to charging base" position is set before the end of cleaning the room. For this reason, the travel route is recreated with the turn back width (wide / D2) in Fig. 18B, which requires a shorter travel distance.

[0091] According to the above-described second embodiment, it is possible to provide an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and a cleaning assistance system including the same that can optimize the dust removal performance and cleaning range according to the cleaning environment. EXAMPLES

[0092] Example 3 is a second example of creating a zigzag travel path for an area to be cleaned in the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 as a cleaning area management. In Example 2, the travel path is generated in consideration of the cleaning environment, but the optimal cleaning method differs depending on the purpose of use of the user. Therefore, in Example 3, in addition to the functions of Example 3, settings related to the path generation of the cleaning method can be made from an information terminal device 100 such as a smartphone.

[0093] 19 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning support system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in Example 3. The cleaning system of this example is composed of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, a wireless LAN router 400, an information terminal device 100, and a home appliance server 300. However, the cleaning support system of this example is composed of a sub-combination including at least two of these. First, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can communicate with a home appliance server 300 outside the home via a wireless LAN router 400 installed in the home. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can also communicate with an information terminal device 100 outside and inside the home via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 communicates with an information terminal device 100 inside the home, the communication goes through the wireless LAN router 400, the home appliance server 300, the wireless LAN router 400, and the home appliance server 300.

[0094] Furthermore, the information terminal device 100 can instruct the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to schedule, start, and stop cleaning via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 receives a schedule reservation, it starts cleaning at the set date and time. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 receives a command to start cleaning, it leaves the charging base and starts cleaning.

[0095] Next, a description will be given of the operations of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, the home appliance server 300, and the information terminal device 100. Fig. 20 is a sequence diagram showing the flow from the start of cleaning to the end of cleaning in the third embodiment.

[0096] 20, similarly to FIG. 12 (Example 1), a cleaning start request is notified to the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 from the information terminal device 100 via the home appliance server 300. Then, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 leaves the charging base and starts cleaning, it transmits the map information, dust collection information, and the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 obtained by the map creation unit 30-1 and the self-position determination unit 30-2 to the home appliance server 300 via the communication device 80. The information transmitted from the communication device 80 is transmitted periodically (for example, periodically) until the autonomous vacuum cleaner S returns to the charging base.

[0097] As a result, the map information is displayed on the display unit 17 of the information terminal device 100. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a home screen in the third embodiment. The display unit 17 indicates at its upper part that this screen is a home screen. The main display screen 17-1 displays an automatic cleaning button 17-2 for starting cleaning by the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, a custom cleaning button 17-3, a cleaning history button 17-4 for displaying the cleaning history state, and a cleaning reservation button 17-5 for setting a reservation time for cleaning. When the user operates these buttons, the cleaning control unit 13 can create a control command for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. The main display screen 17-1 also includes a next reservation display window 17-6. The user can check information about the next cleaning by checking the next reservation display window 17-6.

[0098] Next, FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an automatic mode screen in Example 3. This is an example of a display when the automatic cleaning button 17-2 in FIG. 21 is pressed and operation is started in the automatic cleaning mode. First, the display unit 17 indicates at the top that this screen is the automatic mode screen. Then, when the automatic cleaning button 17-2 is pressed, the information terminal device 100 requests the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 to start cleaning in the automatic cleaning mode. That is, the cleaning control unit 13 creates a control command to start cleaning and notifies the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner 200 of this using the communication unit 11.

[0099] Here, in the case of the automatic cleaning mode, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 generates a route and performs autonomous traveling as described in Fig. 16. Also, based on the map information received from the home appliance server 300, the map information is displayed on the display unit 17 in real time.

[0100] Next, a method for a user to change the cleaning method will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a diagram showing a preferred cleaning selection screen in the third embodiment. First, the display unit 17 indicates at the top that this screen is a preferred cleaning selection screen. This preferred cleaning selection screen is displayed after pressing the preferred cleaning button 17-3 on the home screen. A quick button 17-7, a standard button 17-8, and a slow button 17-9 are also displayed.

[0101] Here, when the hurry button 17-7 is pressed, the information terminal device 100 requests the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to start cleaning in the hurry cleaning mode. That is, the cleaning control unit 13 creates a control command to start the hurry cleaning mode (wide turn width) and notifies the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 of this using the communication unit 11. In the hurry cleaning mode, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 generates a route with a wide turn width and performs autonomous traveling.

[0102] Furthermore, when the standard button 17-8 is pressed, the information terminal device 100 requests the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to start cleaning in the standard cleaning mode. That is, the cleaning control unit 13 creates a control command to start the standard cleaning mode (turn width (standard)) and notifies the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 of this using the communication unit 11. In the standard cleaning mode, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 generates a route with the turn width (standard) and performs autonomous traveling.

[0103] Furthermore, when the slow cleaning button 17-9 is pressed, the information terminal device 100 requests the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to start cleaning in the slow cleaning mode. That is, the cleaning control unit 13 creates a control command to start the slow cleaning mode (narrow turning width) and notifies the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 of this using the communication unit 11. In the slow cleaning mode, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 generates a route with a narrow turning width and performs autonomous driving. Note that the running speed of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 may be changed for each cleaning mode. That is, the speed of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 decreases in the order of quick cleaning mode - standard cleaning mode - slow cleaning mode.

[0104] Next, an example of a method for assisting a user in making a decision when setting an optimal cleaning environment is shown. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a home screen for prompting a setting suited to the cleaning environment in the third embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when it is determined that there is a lot of garbage during the current cleaning and that it is more efficient to generate a route with a narrow return width for the next cleaning, the control device 30 transmits display information to the information terminal device 100 via the communication device 80 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200. The display information transmitted from the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is transmitted to the information terminal device 100 via the wireless LAN router 400. When the information terminal device 100 receives the display information transmitted from the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, the home screen shown in FIG. 24 is displayed. In addition, the display unit 17 indicates at its upper portion that this screen is a home screen.

[0105] Then, a pop-up window 17-10 is launched, and a message such as "Notice: To improve dirt removal performance, we recommend cleaning in the thorough cleaning mode." is displayed in the pop-up window 17-10. The user can check the optimal cleaning settings by checking the pop-up window 17-10 displayed on the display unit 17. As described above, according to the third embodiment, the user can easily set the cleaning method of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S according to the purpose of use. EXAMPLES

[0106] Next, a fourth embodiment is an example in which a cleaning history indicating a route traveled as a cleaned area of ​​the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is generated and presented.

[0107] In this embodiment as well, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starts traveling from the charging base at, for example, a command from a user or a scheduled start time, and cleans the floor surface, etc. When cleaning is completed, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 returns to the charging base and starts charging the storage battery 20. Furthermore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 transmits map information created based on information from the LiDAR 40 and the gyro sensor 50 to the information terminal device 100 via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300 (see FIG. 26).

[0108] The configuration of the fourth embodiment will be described below. Fig. 25 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 30 in the fourth embodiment. In Fig. 25, a map creation unit 30-1 creates a map of a room in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner S is cleaning, based on information detected by the LiDAR 40. The map information created by the map creation unit 30-1 is a two-dimensional lattice-like map.

[0109] Furthermore, the self-position determination unit 30-2 determines the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S based on the information detected by the LiDAR 40, and notifies the map creation unit 30-1. Furthermore, the map creation unit 30-1 creates travel trajectory information during cleaning based on the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2. The travel trajectory information is information on the results of one cleaning session, and is information that indicates the locations that have been cleaned and the locations that have not been cleaned. Information such as the date of cleaning is added to the travel trajectory information, and information for multiple sessions is accumulated.

[0110] Hereinafter, the travel trajectory information will be described with reference to Figs. 30 to 34. Fig. 30 is a diagram showing the state of a room 1000, which is an example of a cleaning area to be cleaned in the fourth embodiment. Fig. 31 is a diagram showing the state in which the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in the fourth embodiment travels (cleans) the room 1000. That is, Figs. 32 and 33 show examples of the travel trajectory information when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 travels as shown in Fig. 31 in the room 1000 in which the furniture is arranged as shown in Fig. 30. The gray areas G1 and G2 in Fig. 32 indicate the places where the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 could not clean between the dining chairs and became untraveled places. The gray area G3 indicates the place where the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 could not travel because a TV board was placed there, and the gray area G4 indicates the place where the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 could not travel because a trash can was placed there.

[0111] 33, gray areas G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5 indicate areas where the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 could not travel due to some factor. Therefore, by displaying these on the display unit 17, the user can understand the untraveled areas for each past cleaning result.

[0112] Furthermore, the map creation unit 30-1 creates accumulated travel locus information, which is an example of a cleaning history, based on the travel locus information. The accumulated travel locus information is, for example, information on travel locus information for a certain period designated by the user, such as the date of cleaning performed in the past, which is accumulated and displayed on one piece of map information. The accumulated travel locus information is information that expresses points that have not been traveled at all or points that have been traveled only a small number of times during a designated period, using shades of color, gradations, colors, etc.

[0113] 34 is a diagram showing a schematic of the accumulated travel locus information in the fourth embodiment. For example, the information shows the accumulated travel locus information for the past week, with cleaning performed once a day, and shows areas where the robot has not been traveled once, such as the gray area G1, areas where the robot has not been traveled six times, such as the gray area G2, and areas where the robot has not been traveled at all, such as the black area B. This allows the user to understand the unevenness of the cleaning for the past week.

[0114] The map information, travel track information, and accumulated travel track information created by the map creation unit 30-1 are stored in the memory unit 30-6 of the control device 30. The travel route creation unit 30-3 creates a travel route for the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starting from the self-position based on the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2, the map information stored in the memory unit 36, and the accumulated travel track information. The travel route creation unit 30-3 then notifies the communication device 80 and the travel control unit 30-4 of this. This allows the user to perform additional cleaning only at points where the number of travels in a certain period of time is low, thereby reducing unevenness in cleaning.

[0115] The travel control unit 30-4 notifies the device control unit 30-5 of a travel command so that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 travels along the created travel route. Then, the device control unit 30-5 controls the travel motors 3m and 4m, the side brush motor 6m, and the fan motor 21 in accordance with the travel command from the travel control unit 30-4.

[0116] Furthermore, the communication device 80 notifies the home appliance server 300 of the travel route created by the travel route creation unit 30-3. Furthermore, the communication device 80 notifies the home appliance server 300 periodically (for example, periodically) of the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 determined by the self-position determination unit 30-2, the map information stored in the memory unit 30-6, and the accumulated travel trajectory information stored in the memory unit 36.

[0117] FIG. 26 is a configuration diagram of a cleaning support system including an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in Example 4. The cleaning system of this example is composed of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, a wireless LAN router 400, an information terminal device 100, and a home appliance server 300. In FIG. 26, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can communicate with the home appliance server 300 outside the home via the wireless LAN router 400 installed in the home. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 can also communicate with the information terminal device 100 outside and inside the home via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 communicates with the information terminal device 100 inside the home, the communication goes via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300.

[0118] Furthermore, the information terminal device 100 can instruct the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 to schedule, start, and stop cleaning via the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 receives a schedule reservation, it starts cleaning at the set date and time. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 receives a command to start cleaning, it leaves the charging base and starts cleaning.

[0119] Next, a description will be given of the operations of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200, the home appliance server 300, and the information terminal device 100 in the fourth embodiment. Fig. 27 is a sequence diagram showing the flow from the start of cleaning to the end of cleaning in the fourth embodiment.

[0120] 27, as in FIG. 12 (Example 1) and FIG. 20 (Example 3), a cleaning start request is notified to the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 from the information terminal device 100 via the home appliance server 300. Then, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 leaves the charging base and starts cleaning, it transmits the map information, travel trajectory information, and the self-position of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 obtained by the map creation unit 30-1 and the self-position determination unit 30-2 to the home appliance server 300 via the communication device 80. The information transmitted from the communication device 80 is transmitted periodically (for example, periodically) until the autonomous vacuum cleaner S returns to the charging base.

[0121] As a result, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 performs cleaning, that is, a travel process. Here, the travel process of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 will be described. FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing the travel process of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 in Example 4. Here, the operation flow is when the control device 30 autonomously travels through a certain cleaning area. When travel is started (a request to start cleaning) in FIG. 28, the process of this flowchart starts. In step S301, the control device 30 generates a route.

[0122] When the route generation is completed, in step S302, the control device 30 starts the route following travel control according to the generated route until the end condition is satisfied. Then, during the travel started in step S302, in step S303, the control device 30 updates the travel trajectory information. For this purpose, the control device 30 creates travel trajectory information as appropriate and updates the contents of the storage unit 30-6.

[0123] In step S304, the control device 30 determines whether the route-following traveling on the generated route has ended. As a result, if the route-following traveling has ended (YES), the process proceeds to step S305. If the route-following traveling has not ended (NO), the route-following traveling, that is, step S303, continues. Note that the end condition for the route-following traveling can be, for example, that all the generated traveling routes have been traveled, that the charging rate of the storage battery 20 falls below a threshold, and the like. In step S305, the control device 30 updates the accumulated traveling trajectory information, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0124] Next, FIG. 29 is a sequence diagram showing a flow from displaying the accumulated travel trajectory to completing the additional cleaning in the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 29, the information terminal device 100 acquires the accumulated travel trajectory information from the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and displays it on the screen of the information terminal device 100. The user can set the additional cleaning based on the accumulated travel trajectory information for a certain period displayed on the information terminal device 100 and the number of untraveled areas to be cleaned. As a result, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 is notified of a request to start additional cleaning. Then, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 receives a request to start additional cleaning, it generates a travel route and performs cleaning by performing route following travel based on this travel route. Also, when the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 finishes the additional cleaning, it notifies the information terminal device 100 via the home appliance server 300 of the completion of the additional cleaning.

[0125] Next, the display contents displayed on the display unit 27 of the information terminal device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 35 to Fig. 37. Fig. 35 is a diagram showing a first example of a travel locus information display screen in the fourth embodiment. The display unit 17 indicates at its upper portion that it is a travel locus information display screen. This travel locus information display screen includes an ↑ button 17-12 and a ↓ button 17-13.

[0126] By operating these buttons, the information on each past cleaning result is displayed on the display screen 17-11. That is, the display contents of the additional travel trajectory information 17-14, for example, the travel trajectory information 17-15 corresponding to the date and time, are switched. This allows the user to know the untraveled areas for each past cleaning result.

[0127] 36 is a diagram showing a second example of the accumulated travel locus information display screen in the fourth embodiment. The display unit 17 indicates at its upper portion that it is a travel locus information display screen. The travel locus information display screen includes ↑ buttons 17-16 and 17-18 and ↓ buttons 17-17 and 17-19. By operating these buttons, the accumulated travel locus information display start 17-20 can be switched.

[0128] Also, by operating the ↑ button 17-18 and the ↓ button 17-19, the cumulative travel locus information display end 17-21 can be switched. That is, the map creation unit 30-1 accumulates the travel locus information for the set period set by the cumulative travel locus information display start 17-20 and the cumulative travel locus information display end 17-21 changed by each of the above-mentioned buttons to create the cumulative travel locus information. Then, this cumulative travel locus information is displayed on the cumulative travel locus information display 17-22. This allows the user to check the untraveled places and the number of untraveled times during the specified period, and to grasp unevenness in cleaning.

[0129] Furthermore, if there is an untraveled location in the cumulative travel trajectory information of the cumulative travel trajectory information display 17-22, a notification 17-23 for notifying the user of the existence of an untraveled location is displayed on the display unit 17. The notification 17-23 displays a message to review the placement of furniture, etc., and includes an additional cleaning button 17-24 for performing additional cleaning.

[0130] Next, Fig. 37 is a diagram showing an example of an additional cleaning setting screen in Example 4. The additional cleaning setting screen is a screen on which detailed settings for additional cleaning can be made, and the additional cleaning setting screen is indicated at the top of the display unit 17. This additional cleaning setting screen is displayed by pressing the additional cleaning button 17-24 on the accumulated travel trajectory information display screen in Fig. 36, and allows settings for additional cleaning to be made.

[0131] In addition, the additional cleaning settings screen has the following areas and buttons: Displays cumulative driving trajectory information 17-25, ↑ button 17-26, ↓ button 17-27, condition setting 17-28, ↑ button 17-29, ↓ button 17-30, suction power selection 17-31, start additional cleaning button 17-32, automatic checkbox 17-33.

[0132] Here, the condition setting 17-28 is used to set the number of untraveled times and select the cleaning location, such as judging a location that has been traveled a certain number of times or more as a cleaning location. Also, by operating the ↑ button 17-26 or the ↓ button 17-27, the number of untraveled times is set and the cleaning location can be selected in accordance with the number.

[0133] In addition, the suction power for cleaning can be set by operating the ↑ button 17-29 and the ↓ button 17-30. In addition, by checking the automatic checkbox 17-33, the cleaning location and suction power are set in the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 according to pre-programmed conditions. In addition, when the additional cleaning start button 17-32 is pressed, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 starts cleaning the set cleaning location and suction power.

[0134] According to the above-mentioned fourth embodiment, it is possible to visualize the number of times each point has not been traveled in a certain period of time. In addition, it is possible to specify a point where the number of times the robot has not been traveled in any given period of time and perform additional cleaning. Furthermore, it is possible to strengthen the suction power when performing additional cleaning.

[0135] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes various modified examples. The above-mentioned embodiments are described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. For example, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 200 and the information terminal device 100 may transmit and receive data directly without going through the wireless LAN router 400 and the home appliance server 300. In addition, in the second and third embodiments, for example, the cleaning area may be set in a spiral shape instead of a zigzag shape. Furthermore, at least two of the embodiments may be combined to achieve the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 1...vacuum cleaner body, 2...bumper, 3...drive wheel, 4...drive wheel, 5...auxiliary wheel, 6...side brush, 7...operation button, 8...dust case, 9...suction nozzle, 10...floor distance sensor, 11...communication unit, 12...cleaning path generation unit, 13...cleaning control unit, 14...cleaning performance determination unit, 15...cleaning history generation unit, 16...input unit, 17...display unit, 18...memory unit, 20...storage battery, 21...fan motor, 30...control device, 40...LiDAR, 50...gyro sensor, 60...distance measurement sensor, 70...dust sensor, 80...communication device, 90... Camera, 181...map information, 182...cleaning history information, 183...cleaning performance information, 184...criteria information, 100...information terminal device, 200...autonomous vacuum cleaner, 31...communication unit, 32...cleaning path generation unit, 33...cleaning control unit, 34...cleaning performance determination unit, 35...cleaning history generation unit, 36...storage unit, 361...map information, 362...cleaning history information, 363...cleaning performance information, 364...criteria information, 300...home appliance server, 400...wireless LAN router, 500...floor washer, 600...network, 1000...room

Claims

1. In an autonomous vacuum cleaner that travels through a cleaning area and performs cleaning, A control device that controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner's travel for cleaning; An information acquisition unit that acquires cleaned area information indicating a state of a cleaned area that has been cleaned by the autonomous vacuum cleaner; a communication unit that notifies an information processing device of the cleaned area information; A cleaning record determination unit of the information processing device determines whether there is residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner, using the cleaned area information; An autonomous vacuum cleaner capable of outputting the determination result of the cleaning performance determination unit at an output unit.

2. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, The output unit is a display unit that displays the determination result.

3. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, In the cleaning performance determination unit, if the remaining dirt is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner, the autonomous vacuum cleaner determines other equipment that can deal with the remaining dirt.

4. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, the cleaning performance determination unit determines whether the other appliance can be controlled using the information processing device; Furthermore, when the information processing device is controllable, the information processing device has a cleaning control unit that creates a control command for the other device, An autonomous vacuum cleaner in which a communication unit, which is the output unit, notifies the other device of the control command.

5. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, When there is no other device capable of dealing with the residual dirt, the cleaning performance determination unit determines, as the determination result, that the residual dirt will be dealt with manually, The output unit is an autonomous vacuum cleaner that suggests manual action.

6. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, The display unit of the autonomous vacuum cleaner displays, as the determination result, areas without residual dirt and / or areas where residual dirt is present.

7. A cleaning assistance system having an autonomous vacuum cleaner that travels through a cleaning area and performs cleaning, and an information processing device, A control device that controls the autonomous vacuum cleaner's travel for cleaning; An information acquisition unit that acquires cleaned area information indicating a state of a cleaned area that has been cleaned by the autonomous vacuum cleaner; a cleaning performance determination unit that uses the cleaned area information to determine whether there is residual dirt in the cleaned area that is difficult to deal with by the autonomous vacuum cleaner; A cleaning assistance system having an output unit that outputs a result of the determination made by the cleaning performance determination unit.

8. The cleaning support system according to claim 7, The output unit is a display unit that displays the determination result.

9. The cleaning support system according to claim 7, The cleaning performance determination unit is a cleaning support system that determines other equipment that can deal with the residual dirt if the residual dirt is difficult to deal with using the autonomous vacuum cleaner.

10. The cleaning support system according to claim 9, the cleaning performance determination unit determines whether the other appliance can be controlled using the information processing device; Further, a cleaning control unit that generates a control command for the other appliance when the other appliance is controllable, A cleaning support system in which a communication unit, which is the output unit, notifies the other device of the control command.

11. The cleaning support system according to claim 9, When there is no other device capable of dealing with the residual dirt, the cleaning performance determination unit determines, as the determination result, that the residual dirt will be dealt with manually, The output unit is a cleaning support system that suggests manual measures.

12. The cleaning support system according to claim 8, The display unit is a cleaning support system that displays, as the determination result, areas without residual dirt and / or areas where residual dirt is present.

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