Communication apparatus and program for communication apparatus

Abstract

To provide a communication device capable of confirming a foreign matter other than a cleaning object.SOLUTION: The communication device has a communication function capable of connecting to a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners via the Internet. The autonomous vacuum cleaner includes a reception means for receiving information from each of the autonomous vacuum cleaners which perform cleaning while moving in a cleanable area determined before cleaning execution as an area excluding a resident obstacle in a predetermined cleaning target area of each of the autonomous vacuum cleaners, and a display means for iconizing foreign matter other than a cleaning target object detected during cleaning execution in the cleanable area where each of the autonomous vacuum cleaners performs cleaning using the information received by the reception means and displaying the foreign matter at a cleaning position where the foreign matter is detected and displaying the cleanable area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device having a function of communicating with an electric vacuum cleaner and a program for the communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] Known household vacuum cleaners that clean by sucking up objects to be cleaned include manual vacuum cleaners in which the user manually moves the head with the suction port to perform the cleaning operation, and self-propelled vacuum cleaners that have a rechargeable battery as a power source and a driving unit for autonomous travel (hereinafter referred to as self-propelled), and perform the cleaning operation while propelled by themselves.

[0003] In a manual vacuum cleaner, the user performs cleaning by simply moving the head equipped with a suction port forward or by moving it back and forth multiple times in the same area while visually avoiding or clearing away obstacles.

[0004] Furthermore, in the case of self-propelled vacuum cleaners, a technology has been proposed that allows the vacuum cleaner to avoid obstacles and perform cleaning operations without any problems while self-propelled, even if there are obstacles in the area to be cleaned, such as the room to be cleaned (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2011-233149 A) ​​and Patent Document 2 (JP 2004-33340 A)). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-233149 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-33340 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When cleaning with a manual vacuum cleaner, a user visually checks the position of the vacuum cleaner head to determine which area of ​​the cleaning area, such as a room, is currently being cleaned. However, users rarely perfectly remember the traced position (movement history) of the head, and may not even notice that there are areas that have not yet been cleaned. Furthermore, if cleaning is interrupted by a phone call or a visitor, the user may forget how far they have cleaned.

[0007] Furthermore, in the case of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the user rarely constantly monitors the movement status of the automatic cleaning, and simply expects that the self-propelled vacuum cleaner has thoroughly cleaned the area to be cleaned. Therefore, even if the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is unable to perform cleaning due to some reason such as a malfunction, and an uncleaned area occurs, the user will not notice this.

[0008] Considering the above, whether the vacuum cleaner is a manual type or a self-propelled type, when cleaning of the area to be cleaned is completed, if the user can know which areas within the area to be cleaned have actually been cleaned, the user can know which areas have not been cleaned or have not been cleaned, which is beneficial and convenient.

[0009] It would also be beneficial and convenient to know the degree of cleaning when cleaning is performed with a vacuum cleaner.

[0010] However, with conventional vacuum cleaners, the user is unable to check which areas within the cleaning target area have actually been cleaned, or whether there are any areas that have not been cleaned and remain uncleaned. Furthermore, if there is something in an uncleaned area that is not to be cleaned, the user is unable to recognize this.

[0011] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that makes it possible to easily identify foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned within the cleaning area of ​​the cleaning target. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: A communication device having a communication function that enables connection with a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners via the Internet, a receiving means for receiving information from each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners that performs cleaning while moving within a cleanable area that is determined before cleaning as an area excluding permanently residing obstacles within a predetermined cleaning target area that each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners has; a display means for displaying the cleanable area by using the information received by the receiving means to iconize foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned that are detected during cleaning by each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners, and displaying the foreign objects at the cleaning positions where the foreign objects were detected; and The present invention provides a communication device comprising:

[0013] According to the invention having the above-described configuration, the communication device displays an icon that allows one to guess what foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned are in the cleanable area within the cleaning area that has been cleaned by the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner.

[0014] Therefore, a user of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner can easily recognize, on the communication device, what foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned are in the cleanable area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The communication device according to the present invention has the advantageous effect of being useful and convenient, since it allows the user to easily recognize what foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned are in the cleanable area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a first embodiment of an electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an area to be cleaned in the electric cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the cleaning result of an area to be cleaned in the first embodiment of the electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control circuit section of a first embodiment of an electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the cleaning result of an area to be cleaned in the first embodiment of the electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for registering an area to be cleaned by the electric cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process for registering an area to be cleaned by the electric cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning operation in an area to be cleaned by the electric cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning operation in an area to be cleaned by the electric cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a second embodiment of an electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of a second embodiment of an electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process for registering an area to be cleaned in the electric cleaning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning operation in an area to be cleaned by a second embodiment of the electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning operation in an area to be cleaned by a second embodiment of the electric cleaning device according to the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the cleaning result of an area to be cleaned in the electric cleaning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the electric cleaning device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, assuming that the electric cleaning device is applied to an electric cleaning device that is manually moved and operated by a user for cleaning.

[0018] 1(A) is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a first embodiment of a vacuum cleaner 1. The vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment comprises a vacuum cleaner body 10, a suction hose 11, a handle 12, a joint tube 13, a head unit 14, an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, and a control circuit unit 20.

[0019] The vacuum cleaner body 10 includes a dust collection chamber 101 and a suction drive unit 102, and has the function of suctioning objects to be cleaned, such as dust and dirt, through the head unit 14 and collecting them in the dust collection chamber 101 by driving the suction drive unit 102. The vacuum cleaner body 10 includes rollers 103 that can move autonomously when the user performs cleaning.

[0020] The dust collection chamber 101 of the vacuum cleaner body 10 is connected to a suction hose 11. A handle 12 is joined to the side of the suction hose 11 opposite to the side connected to the vacuum cleaner body 10. Furthermore, the side of the handle 12 opposite to the side connected to the suction hose 11 is joined to a joint pipe 13. A head portion 14 is provided on the tip side of the joint pipe 13.

[0021] The handle 12 is provided with an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, and a control circuit unit 20. A user holds the handle 12 to perform cleaning. The operation unit 15 includes a plurality of key buttons. The display unit 16 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and is provided with a display screen 16D that can display images. In this embodiment, the operation unit 15 includes a touch panel (not shown) that is superimposed on the display screen 16D of the display unit 16.

[0022] The user can operate the key buttons on the operation unit 15 as needed while cleaning using the handle 12. The user can also view the display screen on the display unit 16 while holding the handle 12 and cleaning. The control circuit unit 20 is electrically connected to the operation unit 15 and the display unit 16, and is also electrically connected to the suction drive unit 102 of the vacuum cleaner body 10.

[0023] The head unit 14 has a suction port 141 with a predetermined area (cross-sectional area). The suction port 141 is provided so as to have an opening on the side of the housing 142 of the head unit 14 that faces the cleaning surface, such as a floor. When the suction drive unit 102 of the vacuum cleaner body 10 is driven, objects to be cleaned that are smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 141 and foreign objects other than the objects to be cleaned are sucked in through the suction port 141 and sucked into the dust collection chamber 101 via the joint pipe 13, the handle 12, and the suction hose 11. Note that even if long objects such as plastic bags, vinyl bags, and cords are sucked into the suction port 141, they may not be able to be sucked in completely. Note that FIG. 1(B) is a view of the head unit 14 from the side opposite the side on which the suction port 141 is located.

[0024] In the electric cleaning device 1 of this embodiment, the head unit 14 is provided with multiple cameras. That is, in this embodiment, cameras 171 and 172 are attached to a surface of the head unit 14 that intersects with the surface facing the cleaning surface, such as a floor, during the cleaning operation and is located forward in the direction of forward and backward movement of the head unit 14 when the user performs the cleaning operation, so that the cameras can capture images of the cleaning target and foreign objects other than the cleaning target that are located on the cleaning surface, such as a floor, in front of the head unit 14 as the head unit 14 moves forward and backward during the cleaning operation. Furthermore, cameras 173 and 174 are attached to a surface of the head unit 14 that intersects with the surface facing the cleaning surface, such as a floor, during the cleaning operation and is located rearward in the direction of forward and backward movement of the head unit 14 during the cleaning operation, so that the cameras can capture images of the cleaning target and foreign objects other than the cleaning target that are located on the cleaning surface, such as a floor, behind the head unit 14 as the head unit 14 moves forward and backward during the cleaning operation. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , lighting, such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), is provided near each of the cameras 171 to 174 to brightly illuminate the image capture positions.

[0025] The four cameras 171 to 174 are configured to include, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) imaging element or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging element and an imaging lens, and are electrically connected to the control circuit unit 20.

[0026] In this embodiment, among the sides of the head unit 14 that are parallel to the direction of forward and backward movement during cleaning, a plurality of distance measuring sensors 181, 182 (two in this example) are provided on the left side in this example. These distance measuring sensors 181, 182 are configured using infrared, laser, or ultrasonic sensors. As will be described later, these distance measuring sensors 181, 182 are used when registering the area to be cleaned, such as the room to be cleaned.

[0027] An LED 183 is provided on the top surface of the head unit 14 opposite the surface where the suction port is located. As will be described later, this LED 183 is also used during the process of registering the area to be cleaned using distance measuring sensors 181 and 182. In this example, the distance measuring sensor is provided on the left side, but it may also be provided on the right side, both left and right sides, or even the front.

[0028] Furthermore, a gyro sensor 191 is provided inside the head unit 14 as an acceleration sensor for detecting the movement of the head unit 14. The gyro sensor 191 is electrically connected to the control circuit unit 20 so that the acceleration detected by the gyro sensor 191 is supplied to the control circuit unit 20.

[0029] Furthermore, a geomagnetic sensor 192 for detecting the orientation of the head unit 14 is provided inside the head unit 14. This geomagnetic sensor 192 is also electrically connected to the control circuit unit 20.

[0030] [Explanation of a configuration example of the control circuit unit 20] For example, in the case of a household vacuum cleaner, separate areas such as the living room, bedroom, and children's room are designated as areas to be cleaned, but in the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the cleanable area in each area to be cleaned, excluding permanent obstacles such as furniture, is registered and stored in advance.

[0031] Before starting cleaning, the user selects and specifies the area to be cleaned using the operation unit 15 of the vacuum cleaner 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, a cleanable area AR of the selected area to be cleaned is displayed as a frame on the display screen 16D. In this embodiment, the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is determined based on a predetermined reference position within the area to be cleaned as the starting point, and the position Po indicated by "H" in FIG. 2 is an example of this reference position. Also, in FIG. 2, the hatched areas indicate permanent obstacles OB, such as furniture, present in the room of the area to be cleaned, which do not actually need to be displayed on the display screen 16D.

[0032] In the electric cleaning device 1 of this embodiment, while the area to be cleaned is being cleaned, the areas that have been cleaned (cleaned areas) in the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned are displayed on the display screen 16D in a gradually filled-in manner (see, for example, Figure 3), allowing the user to easily recognize the cleaned areas within the area to be cleaned during the cleaning operation.

[0033] In the example display of FIG. 3, the approximately central portion of the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is an uncleaned area and is therefore displayed blank.

[0034] In addition, in the electric cleaning device 1 of this embodiment, the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is divided into unit areas BK, which are small areas of a predetermined size (see dotted lines in Figure 3), and the degree of thoroughness of cleaning (cleaning level) is determined for each unit area.The intensity of the fill and display color for each unit area are changed depending on the cleaning level, allowing the user to easily recognize the cleaning level of the cleaned areas within the area to be cleaned during the cleaning operation.

[0035] Furthermore, the electric cleaning device 1 of this embodiment also has a function that allows, after cleaning is completed, to compare and display the cleaning results for the area to be cleaned against standard cleaning result information that has been prepared in advance for each cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned.

[0036] Control circuit unit 20 has a configuration for realizing the above functions of electric cleaning device 1. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of control circuit unit 20, illustrating the connection relationship between control unit 201, which is made up of a microcomputer, and each unit that is electrically connected to it.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the control circuit unit 20 has a control unit 201 consisting of a microcomputer, which is connected via a system bus 200 to a suction control unit 202, a display control unit 203, an operation unit 15, cameras 171 to 174, distance sensors 181, 182, an LED driving unit 205 that drives an LED 183, a gyro sensor 191, and a geomagnetic sensor 192.

[0038] Furthermore, the system bus 200 is connected to a cleaning position detection unit 206, a cleaning target area information generation and memory unit 207, a movement history detection unit 208, a cleaned area detection unit 209, a cleaning degree detection unit 210, a cleaning result display information generation unit 211, a cleaning result information accumulation unit 212, a reference cleaning result information generation and memory unit 213, an image recognition unit 214, and a clock unit 215.

[0039] The suction control unit 202 is electrically connected to the suction drive unit 102 disposed in the vacuum cleaner body 10. The control unit 201 supplies a drive start control signal to the suction drive unit 102 in response to a cleaning start operation on the operation unit 15 by the user, and supplies a drive stop control signal in response to a cleaning stop operation. In this embodiment, the operation unit 15 is equipped with a suction force specification operator that variably specifies the suction force as "strong," "medium," "weak," etc., and the control unit 201 receives suction force specification information via the suction force specification operator on the operation unit 15 and controls the suction drive unit 102 via the suction control unit 202 to set the suction force to the specified strength.

[0040] The display unit 16 is connected to the display control unit 203. The display control unit 203 includes a video RAM (Random Access Memory) and has a function for displaying an image on the display screen 16D of the display unit 16.

[0041] In this embodiment, the operation unit 15 includes a plurality of key buttons including a suction drive start button and a suction drive stop button, a suction force designation operator, and a touch panel superimposed on the display screen 16D.

[0042] Camera control signals are supplied to each of cameras 171 to 174 from control unit 201 of control circuit unit 20, and the start and stop of imaging of each of cameras 171, 172, 173, and 174 are controlled. Upon receiving the imaging start control, each of cameras 171, 172, 173, and 174 supplies captured images to system bus 200 in an imaging operation state.

[0043] In this embodiment, as described above, each of the cameras 171-174 is provided with an illumination unit, for example, an LED (not shown). The illumination unit is controlled by the control unit 201. In this case, the control unit 201 measures the brightness of the captured image from the cameras 171-174 (such as the average brightness of the captured image) through software processing, and controls the illumination unit to turn on the LED when the brightness of the captured image is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Note that the control unit 201 may also control the illumination unit to always be turned on when the cameras 171-174 are in an imaging operation state.

[0044] The distance measuring sensors 181, 182 are used to measure the distance between the left side of the head unit 14 to which they are attached and a wall or the like, and the distance measurement output information is sent to the cleaning target area information generation memory unit 207 described later and is used to generate cleaning target area information under the control of the control unit 201.

[0045] The gyro sensor 191 detects the angular velocity of the movement of the head unit 14 and supplies the detected angular velocity to the control unit 201. The control unit 201 receives the detected output of this angular velocity, integrates the change over time, calculates the movement angle of the head unit 14, and supplies the result to the cleaning position detection unit 206.

[0046] The geomagnetic sensor 192 is made up of, for example, a Hall element, and detects the direction in which the head unit 14 is facing by detecting the geomagnetism, and supplies information on the detected direction of the head unit 14 to the cleaning position detection unit 206.

[0047] Cleaning position detection unit 206 detects the direction and distance of movement of head unit 14 from information about the movement angle based on the angular velocity output of head unit 14 from gyro sensor 191 and information about the orientation of head unit 14 from geomagnetic sensor 192, and detects the cleaning position as the position of head unit 14 relative to a reference position within the area to be cleaned, as described below. In the electric vacuum cleaner 1, the size of the opening of suction port 141 of head unit 14 is the effective suction area during cleaning, so the detected cleaning position indicates the position of an area range corresponding to the size of the opening of suction port 141 of head unit 14, and is expressed, for example, as the center position of that area or the positions of two diagonal points of the area range corresponding to rectangular suction port 141. Cleaning position detection unit 206 supplies information about the detected cleaning position to movement history detection unit 208.

[0048] In this embodiment, when cleaning position detection unit 206 detects that the cleaning position has moved a predetermined distance, it sends information about the current cleaning position and information about the time (travel time) taken to move from the previous cleaning position to the current cleaning position to movement history detection unit 208. In this case, cleaning position detection unit 206 measures the information about the time (travel time) taken to move from the previous cleaning position to the current cleaning position based on time information acquired from clock unit 215.

[0049] Instead of sending information about the movement time from cleaning position detection unit 206 to movement history detection unit 208, movement history detection unit 208 can detect the time when the cleaning position information sent from cleaning position detection unit 206 was received by referring to the clock information of clock unit 215, and detect the movement time as the difference between the time when the previous cleaning position information was received and the time when the current cleaning position information was received.

[0050] When it is detected that the cleaning position has moved a predetermined distance, rather than cleaning position detection unit 206 sending information about the cleaning position after movement to movement history detection unit 208, movement history detection unit 208 may request cleaning position detection unit 206 at regular time intervals to acquire cleaning position information. In this case, movement history detection unit 208 can detect the movement time from one cleaning position to another cleaning position based on how many times cleaning position information is acquired during that time.

[0051] When generating cleaning target area information, which will be described later, the cleaning position detection unit 206 supplies information on the detected position of the head unit 14 to the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207 .

[0052] When generating information about the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned, the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207 generates and stores the information about the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned using information about the position of the head unit 14 relative to a reference position from the cleaning position detection unit 206. The operations of generating and storing the information about the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned by this cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207 will be described in detail later.

[0053] The movement history detection unit 208 detects the movement trajectory of the cleaning position from the previously acquired cleaning position and the newly acquired cleaning position. The movement history detection unit 208 then supplies information on the detected movement trajectory and information on the movement time acquired from the cleaning position detection unit 206 as movement history information to the cleaning degree detection unit 210, and also supplies information on the movement trajectory to the cleaned area detection unit 209.

[0054] The cleaned area detection unit 209 acquires information about the cleanable area of ​​the cleaning target area selected at the start of cleaning from the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207. The cleaned area detection unit 209 then divides the cleanable area into a plurality of unit areas BK as shown in FIG. 3 . The cleaned area detection unit 209 then fits the movement trajectory information acquired from the movement history detection unit 208 into the unit areas BK, and recognizes any unit area BK that is determined to have been completely traced as a cleaned area, and sets a flag to that effect (cleaned flag) in association with the unit area BK. The cleaned area detection unit 209 then supplies identification information of the unit area BK recognized as a cleaned area (information indicating which unit area BK in the cleanable area it is) to the cleaning degree detection unit 210 and to the cleaning result display information generation unit 211.

[0055] The cleaning degree detection unit 210 also acquires information about the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned, which is selected at the start of cleaning, from the cleaning area information generation and storage unit 207, and divides the cleanable area into a plurality of unit areas BK as shown in Fig. 3. Then, the cleaning degree detection unit 210 detects the unit areas BK that have been recognized as cleaned areas based on the identification information of the cleaned unit areas BK from the cleaned area detection unit 209.

[0056] Then, for the detected unit area BK, the cleaning degree detection unit 210 detects the number of traces of the head unit 14 in the detected unit area BK and the total movement time in that unit area BK from the movement trajectory information and movement time information from the movement history detection unit 208, and detects the cleaning degree in that unit area BK from the detected number of traces and total movement time. In this case, the greater the number of traces and the longer the total movement time, the more thorough the cleaning in that unit area BK is determined to be, and the cleaning degree is detected.

[0057] In this embodiment, the control unit 201 also supplies the cleaning degree detection unit 210 with information on the magnitude of the suction force of the suction drive unit 102 during the movement trajectory and movement time, in association with information on the movement history and movement time from the movement history detection unit 208. The cleaning degree detection unit 210 detects the cleaning degree for each unit area BK, taking into account the magnitude of the suction force of the suction drive unit 102. In this case, it is determined that the greater the suction force, the more thorough the cleaning. The cleaning degree detection unit 210 then supplies the cleaning degree for each unit area BK, together with identification information for that unit area BK, to the cleaning result display information generation unit 211.

[0058] The cleaning result display information generation unit 211 receives identification information of the cleaned unit areas BK from the cleaned area detection unit 209 and recognizes the unit areas BK to be displayed as cleaned. Furthermore, the cleaning result display information generation unit 211 receives the identification information of the unit areas BK and information on the cleaning degree from the cleaning degree detection unit 209 and recognizes the cleaning degree of the unit areas BK indicated by the identification information. Then, the cleaning result display information generation unit 211 displays the recognized cleaned unit areas BK in the area to be cleaned displayed on the display screen 16D by filling them in with a display style according to the recognized cleaning degree.

[0059] In this case, the unit area BK is filled in with a predetermined single color, with the density increasing as the degree of cleaning increases. The fill-in display mode is not limited to this, and various modes are possible. For example, the unit area BK may be filled in with a different color depending on the degree of cleaning. Furthermore, when cleaning begins, the actual image of the floor may be displayed in a deformed, dirty state, and as the degree of cleaning increases, the dirt may be removed and the image may approach the actual image of a clean floor. Furthermore, when thorough cleaning has been performed, the area may be displayed with sparkles or hearts.

[0060] The cleaned area detection unit 209 and the cleaning degree detection unit 210 detect the cleaned area and the cleaning degree in real time while cleaning is being performed, and supply the detection results in real time to the cleaning result display information generation unit 211. Then, the cleaning result display information generation unit 211 fills in each unit area BK in the area to be cleaned on the display screen 16D in real time according to the detection results of the cleaned area and the detection results of the cleaning degree.

[0061] FIG. 3 shows an example of the cleaning result at the time when the user has temporarily finished cleaning. In the example of FIG. 3, the areas in the upper left corner and the lower right corner of the cleanable area AR have been cleaned relatively thoroughly, resulting in a high degree of cleaning, and the unit area BK is filled in with a density or color corresponding to that degree of cleaning. In addition, the areas near the center, the lower left, and the upper right have no movement trajectory during the cleaning operation and are uncleaned, so the unit area BK is filled in with the lowest density or white. The user can view this cleaning result on the display screen 16D, identify the areas that have not yet been cleaned, and then perform cleaning in those areas.

[0062] 3 shows the state at the time when cleaning has been completed, so that most of the unit areas BK in the cleanable area AR have been filled in, but as described above, as cleaning is performed, the actual display screen 16D displays the cleaned unit areas BK within the cleanable area AR (and, as will be described later, outside the cleanable area in some cases) as being filled in in real time. Therefore, on the display screen 16D, the uncleaned areas within the cleanable area AR, which are displayed in the lowest density or white, gradually disappear, and the unit areas BK in the repeatedly traced areas are displayed in a gradually darker density or in a color that indicates an increase in the degree of cleaning.

[0063] As will be described later, the cleaning result display information generating unit 211 also displays, at the time cleaning is completed, the most recent cleaning result that has been completed and the reference cleaning result information for comparison.

[0064] When cleaning of the area to be cleaned is completed, the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212 stores information on the cleaned area for the area to be cleaned from the cleaned area detection unit 209 and information on the degree of cleaning for the area to be cleaned from the cleaning degree detection unit 210 as cleaning result information for the area to be cleaned, in association with identification information for the area to be cleaned and date and time information at that time (for example, the time when cleaning is completed).

[0065] In this example, when cleaning is completed, the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212 receives from the cleaned area detection unit 209 and the cleaning degree detection unit 210 information on the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned and information on all cleaned unit areas BK detected in the area to be cleaned, and also receives from the cleaning degree detection unit 210 information on the cleaning degree of all cleaned unit areas BK detected in the area to be cleaned, and stores this received information as information on the cleaning result of the area to be cleaned, in association with the identification information of the area to be cleaned and the date and time information at that time (for example, when cleaning is completed).

[0066] It should be noted that, rather than storing information on the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned and information on the degree of cleaning of the cleaned unit area BK in the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212 after cleaning of the area to be cleaned is completed, the information on the cleaned unit area BK and information on the degree of cleaning of the cleaned unit area BK may be supplied to the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212 from the cleaned area detection unit 209 and the cleaning degree detection unit 210 while the cleaning operation is being performed and stored therein.

[0067] The reference cleaning result information generation and storage unit 213 is a means for generating and storing reference cleaning result information to be compared with the cleaning result of the most recent cleaning completed. Reference cleaning result information is generated for each cleaning target area registered and stored in the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207, and in this embodiment, multiple types are prepared as follows, and the user can select and specify them.

[0068] That is, the types of standard cleaning result information are: (1) Standard cleaning result information (2) Previous cleaning result information (3) Information on cleaning results for past specified dates and times (4) Average information of all past cleaning results (5) Average of past cleaning results for the same day (6) Average cleaning result information for past weekdays (Monday to Friday (excluding holidays)) (7) Average cleaning results for past Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays etc. can be selected and specified.

[0069] "(1) Standard reference cleaning result information" is the cleaning degree of each unit area BK when the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is divided into unit areas BK as shown in Figure 3, and the cleaning degree of each unit area BK is determined by performing a standard number of repeated traces, a standard time (total movement time for each unit area BK), and a standard suction force, and is stored in advance in the reference cleaning result information generation memory unit 213.

[0070] "(2) Previous cleaning result information" reads the cleaning result one time before the most recent cleaning result (the cleaning result of the current cleaning) from the cleaning result information stored in the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212, and stores this as reference cleaning result information in the reference cleaning result information generation memory unit 213.

[0071] "(3) Cleaning result information at a specified date and time in the past" sets the cleaning result at a date and time selected by the user from a list of date and time information of past cleaning results as the reference cleaning result. In this case, the reference cleaning result information generation storage unit 213 reads the cleaning result one time before the cleaning result at the date and time specified by the user (the cleaning result at which the current cleaning was completed) from the cleaning result information stored in the cleaning result information accumulation unit 212, and sets it as the reference cleaning result information.

[0072] The average information of past cleaning results (4) to (7) is calculated and stored in advance in the reference cleaning result information generation and storage unit 213 using the past cleaning result information stored in the cleaning result information storage unit 212. Then, every time a new cleaning result is stored in the cleaning result information storage unit 212, the average information related to the new cleaning result is updated.

[0073] In addition, for employers who work on weekdays, (6) and (7) are classified differently in consideration of the fact that cleaning time is longer and more thorough on weekdays than on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Of course, for employers who work on Saturdays and Sundays and have weekdays off, there may be no cleaning time or only a short amount of time on Saturdays and Sundays, so they are treated as (6) working days and (7) holidays.

[0074] In the above examples (4) to (7), the average of all cleaning result information that meets various conditions is used as statistical information of multiple past cleaning result information, but it is also possible to use the average of cleaning result information for multiple specified dates and times specified by the user.

[0075] When each cleaning session is completed, the standard cleaning result information generating and storing unit 213 reads out the standard cleaning result information designated by the user and supplies it to the cleaning result display information generating unit 211 .

[0076] As described above, cleaning result display information generating unit 211 displays information on the currently completed cleaning result (the most recent cleaning result) on display screen 16D by sequentially filling in the information until cleaning is completed. Then, cleaning result display information generating unit 211 compares the information on the currently completed cleaning result (the most recent cleaning result) with the reference cleaning result information sent from reference cleaning result information generating and storing unit 213, and displays the comparison result on display screen 16D.

[0077] In this embodiment, the display mode of the comparison result between the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information is prepared in several modes selectable by the user. (A) Parallel display of standard cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information (B) Display of the difference between the standard cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information (C) Display of the most recent cleaning result information as a percentage of the standard cleaning result information (D) Display of OK / NG based on the comparison result between the standard cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information etc. can be selected by the user.

[0078] "(A) Parallel display of standard cleaning result information and most recent cleaning result information" is a display mode in which standard cleaning result information (display in unit area BK units) is displayed next to the most recent cleaning result information already displayed on the display screen 16D at the time cleaning is completed, as shown in Figure 5 (A), allowing the user to compare the two.

[0079] "(B) Displaying the difference between the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information" is a mode in which, next to the most recent cleaning result information already displayed on the display screen 16D at the time cleaning is completed, a unit area BK in which a significant difference has occurred as the difference in cleaning degree between the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information, as shown in Fig. 5(B). In this case, the significant difference is that there are unit areas BK in which the most recent cleaning result is better in terms of cleaning degree, and unit areas BK in which the most recent cleaning result is worse, so the two are displayed in a distinguishable manner, for example, by changing the density (increasing the density if better) or by changing the display color of the unit areas BK.

[0080] "(C) Percentage display of most recent cleaning result information relative to reference cleaning result information" is a display mode in which, next to the most recent cleaning result information already displayed on the display screen 16D at the time cleaning is completed, the number of unit areas BK in which the difference between the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information is within a predetermined range is displayed as a percentage of the total number of unit areas BK in the cleanable area AR, as shown in Fig. 5(C). The percentage display may also display the percentage of unit areas BK whose cleaning level is above a predetermined level compared to the reference, or the percentage of unit areas BK whose cleaning level is below a predetermined level compared to the reference, etc.

[0081] "(D) Displaying OK / NG based on the comparison result between the standard cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information" is a mode in which the number of unit areas BK for which the difference between the standard cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information is within a specified range is calculated as a percentage of the total number of unit areas BK within the cleanable area AR, and if the percentage value is a specified value, for example 70%, or more, "OK" is displayed, and if it is less than 70%, "NG" is displayed instead of the percentage value in Figure 5(C).

[0082] The above is the case of cleaning results in which the degree of cleaning is taken into account in the cleaned area, but it is also possible to specify that only the cleaned area be displayed in comparison with the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information without taking the degree of cleaning into account.

[0083] When displaying the comparison results of only the cleaned areas, the display mode (A) above allows the uncleaned areas to be easily confirmed by side-by-side comparison, while the display mode (B) above allows only the uncleaned areas to be displayed as differences, making it easy to intuitively grasp the uncleaned areas in the cleanable area AR.

[0084] In the case of the display mode (C) above, the percentage of the cleaned area excluding the uncleaned area relative to the standard cleaning result is displayed. Furthermore, in the case of the display mode (D) above, "OK" or "NG" is displayed depending on the amount of uncleaned area.

[0085] The display modes (A) to (D) above may be used in combination.

[0086] In this embodiment, the image recognition unit 214 is used to perform image recognition on the images captured by the cameras 171 to 174 in order to identify the position of a starting point for detecting a cleaning position within the area to be cleaned. That is, as will be described later, when the area to be cleaned is registered, the position of a starting point for detecting a cleaning position within the area to be cleaned is also registered, and the images captured by the cameras 171 to 174 at the positions are stored in an image memory provided in the image recognition unit 214 as the registration information.

[0087] The image recognition unit 214 determines whether or not the head unit 14 is at the position of the starting point based on whether or not the images captured by the cameras 171 to 174 are the stored captured images.

[0088] In the configuration of the control circuit unit 20 of the above-mentioned electric cleaning device 1, the functions of the suction control unit 202, cleaning position detection unit 206, the cleaning target area information generation function of the cleaning target area information generation memory unit 207, the movement history detection unit 208, the cleaned area detection unit 209, the cleaning degree detection unit 210, the cleaning result display information generation unit 211, the reference cleaning result information generation function of the reference cleaning result information generation memory unit 213, and the image recognition unit 214 can be realized by the control unit 201 as software processing.

[0089] [Cleaning area registration process] As described above, in the electric cleaning device of this embodiment, the cleanable area AR of each room or the like that is to be cleaned is registered in advance. This process of registering the area to be cleaned will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0090] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing operations performed by the control unit 201 of the control circuit unit 20 of the electric cleaning device 1 for registering the area to be cleaned. Fig. 7 is a diagram used to explain the processing operations for registering the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, such as a specified room.

[0091] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, information on the area frame of the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is registered as information on the movement trajectory by moving the head unit 14 of the electric cleaning device 1 along the wall RM of the area to be cleaned, for example, a room.

[0092] In this case, the user first places head unit 14 of vacuum cleaner 1 at a predetermined home position, which is a point on the area frame of the cleanable area AR to be registered (see position "H" in FIG. 7). Then, the user moves head unit 14 in a certain direction along wall RM, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7. In this case, head unit 14 may be moved so that the side of head unit 14 lightly touches wall RM. However, this makes it difficult to move head unit 14 smoothly. Therefore, in this example, the sensor output of distance measuring sensors 181, 182 provided on the side of head unit 14 is monitored to move head unit 14 to a position a predetermined distance, for example, about 5 cm, from wall RM. Then, control unit 201 of vacuum cleaner 1 detects and registers the area frame, which is wider by, for example, about 5 cm, which is the distance (offset distance) between head unit 14 and wall RM, as information on the area frame of the cleanable area to be cleaned.

[0093] The control unit 201 monitors the sensor outputs of the distance measuring sensors 181, 182, and determines whether the distance between the side surface of the head unit 14 and the wall RM is a predetermined distance ±α (α is a value smaller than the predetermined distance, for example, 2 cm), and when it is the predetermined distance ±α, the LED driving unit 205 drives the LED 183 to light up the LED 183. The user checks the lighting state of the LED 183 and moves the head unit 14 along the wall RM so as to maintain the lighting state.

[0094] When the user wishes to register the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, the user causes a function menu to be displayed on the display screen 16D via the operation unit 15 and selects an item for processing to register the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned from the function menu. In response to the user's selection of the item for processing to register the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, the control unit 201 starts the processing routine of Fig. 6. Note that the processing routine of Fig. 6 is a processing routine executed by the cleaning target area information generation function of the cleaning target area information generation storage unit 207, but the following description will be given assuming that the control unit 201 realizes the cleaning target area information generation function of the cleaning target area information generation storage unit 207 as a software processing function.

[0095] First, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the user has issued an instruction to start the process of registering the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned (step S1). If it is determined in step S1 that the start instruction has been issued, the control unit 201 drives the cameras 171 to 174 and stores and holds the images captured by them as captured image information for the home position (step S2).

[0096] Next, the control unit 201 monitors the sensor outputs of the gyro sensor 191 and the geomagnetic sensor 192 to determine whether the head unit 14 has moved (step S3). As described above, in parallel with this processing routine, the control unit 201 determines the distance of the head unit 14 from the wall RM from the sensor outputs of the distance measuring sensors 181 and 182, and when the determination result shows that the head unit 14 is maintained at the predetermined distance ±α, the control unit 201 controls the LED 183 to light up via the LED drive unit 205.

[0097] If it is determined in step S3 that the head unit 14 has moved, the control unit 201 detects the relative position after the movement from the home position from the sensor outputs of the gyro sensor 191 and the geomagnetic sensor 192 (step S4).Then, the control unit 201 detects the movement trajectory using the detected position after the movement and information on the movement positions detected up to that point, and stores the information on the movement trajectory (step S5).

[0098] Next, the control unit 201 determines whether or not an instruction to end the registration process of the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned has been detected through the operation unit 15 (step S6), and if it determines that an instruction to end has not been detected, returns the process to step S3 and repeats the processes from step S3 onwards.

[0099] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S3 that the head unit 14 has not moved, the control unit 201 jumps the process to step S6 and repeats the processes from step S6 onwards.

[0100] Then, when it is determined in step S6 that an end instruction has been detected, the control unit 201 displays a message on the display screen 16D prompting the user to input the name of the area to be cleaned, and also emits a voice message (step S7).

[0101] Then, when the control unit 201 confirms that the user has input the name of the area to be cleaned, it stores information about the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, calculated from the movement trajectory information stored by repeating steps S3 to S6, in association with the input name of the area to be cleaned (step S8). In the processing of step S8, information about the images captured by cameras 171 to 174 at the home position held in step S2 is also stored in association with the input name of the area to be cleaned. This completes the processing routine of FIG. 6.

[0102] As described above, the information on the cleanable area of ​​the registered cleaning mode area is an area expanded by a predetermined offset distance, for example, a width of about 5 cm, from the wall RM of the room to the position of the head unit 14, compared to the area frame of the movement trajectory of the head unit 14. As a result, the area frame of the cleanable area of ​​the cleaning target area stored in the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207 becomes the same as the wall surface RM and the end face of the resident obstacle OB for the cleanable area AR in Fig. 7.

[0103] [Cleaning result display process during cleaning operation of electric vacuum cleaner 1] 8 and 9 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the cleaning result display process during the cleaning operation of the electric cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment. The process of the flowcharts in Fig. 8 and 9 will be explained assuming that the functions of the suction control unit 202, cleaning position detection unit 206, movement history detection unit 208, cleaned area detection unit 209, cleaning degree detection unit 210, cleaning result display information generation unit 211, the reference cleaning result information generation function of the reference cleaning result information generation storage unit 213, and the image recognition unit 214 are realized by the control unit 201 as software processing.

[0104] First, the control unit 201 displays a list of registered cleaning target area names on the display screen 16D, and also displays a message prompting the user to select the name of the cleaning target area to start cleaning from the list, and emits a sound (step S11). Next, the control unit 201 accepts a selection input from the user via the operation unit 15 corresponding to the message, and recognizes the selected cleaning target area (step S12).

[0105] Then, the control unit 201 reads out information on the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned stored in the cleaning area information generation and memory unit 207, supplies it to the movement history detection unit 208 and the cleaning degree detection unit 210, and displays the cleanable area together with its home position on the display screen 16D (step S13; see Figure 3).

[0106] The user looks at the frame of the cleanable area and the home position displayed on the display screen 16D and positions the head unit 14 at the home position.

[0107] The control unit 201 compares the images captured by the cameras 171-174 attached to the head unit 14 with the images captured at the home position of the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, which are stored in the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 207, to determine whether the position of the head unit 14 is at the home position (step S14). If it is determined in step S14 that the position of the head unit 14 is not at the home position, the control unit 201 displays a message and emits sound to prompt the user to move the head unit 14 to the home position (step S15). Then, the control unit 201 returns the process to step S14.

[0108] Then, when it is determined in step S14 that the position of the head unit 14 is at the home position, the control unit 201 determines whether the user has pressed the suction drive start button via the operation unit 15 (step S16), and when it is determined that the suction drive start button has been pressed, it controls the suction drive unit 102 via the suction control unit 202 to operate at the selected suction force (step S17).

[0109] Next, the control unit 201 detects the position of the head unit 14 relative to the home position, i.e., the cleaning position, based on the sensor outputs of the gyro sensor 191 and the geomagnetic sensor 192 (step S18). Then, the control unit 201 detects the movement history of the head unit 14, i.e., the movement trajectory and the time required for movement (movement time), detects the cleaned area for each unit area BK, and stores the detected cleaned area (step S19).

[0110] Next, the control unit 201 detects and stores the cleaning level of the unit area BK detected as having been cleaned based on the movement history consisting of the detected movement trajectory and movement time (step S20).The control unit 201 then fills in and displays the unit area BK that has been detected as having been cleaned in a display mode (different density or different color) according to the detected cleaning level (step S31 in FIG. 9).

[0111] Next, the control unit 201 determines whether cleaning has finished based on whether a cleaning finish instruction has been received through the operation unit 15 (step S32), and if it determines that cleaning has not finished, returns the process to step S18 and repeats the processes from step S18 onwards.

[0112] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S32 that cleaning has been completed, the control unit 201 stores information on the cleaning result of the area to be cleaned in the cleaning result information storage unit 212 in association with the name of the area to be cleaned selected in step S12 (step S33).

[0113] Next, the control unit 201 acquires information on the standard cleaning result selected by the user from the standard cleaning result information generation and storage unit 213 (step S34). Next, the control unit 201 displays the information on the current cleaning result (the most recent cleaning result) and the acquired standard cleaning result information on the display screen 16D together with the information on the current cleaning result in the display format of the comparison result selected by the user (step S35).

[0114] Next, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the user has issued an instruction to change the information on the standard cleaning result via the operation unit 15 (step S36). If it is determined in step S36 that the user has issued an instruction to change the information on the standard cleaning result via the operation unit 15, the control unit 201 returns the process to step S34, acquires the information on the selected standard cleaning result from the standard cleaning result information generation memory unit 213, and repeats the processes from step S34 onwards.

[0115] Also, if it is determined in step S36 that the user has not issued an instruction to change the information on the standard cleaning result through the operation unit 15, the control unit 201 determines whether the user has issued an instruction to change the display mode of the comparison result through the operation unit 15 (step S37).

[0116] If it is determined in step S37 that the user has issued an instruction to change the display mode of the comparison results via the operation unit 15, the control unit 201 performs processing according to the changed display mode of the comparison results (step S38), and then returns the processing to step S35 and repeats the processing from step S35 onwards.

[0117] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S37 that the user has not issued an instruction to change the display mode of the comparison results via the operation unit 15, the control unit 201 determines whether the power has been turned off (step S39), and if it is determined that the power has not been turned off, the process returns to step S36 and the processes from step S36 onwards are repeated. Also, if it is determined in step S39 that the power has been turned off, the control unit 201 ends this processing routine.

[0118] As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, when the user performs cleaning, the display screen displays in real time the areas that have been cleaned within the cleanable areas of the registered cleaning target area. Therefore, by looking at this display screen, the user can easily determine the areas that have not been cleaned in the cleaning operation that they performed, and can clean those uncleaned areas, which is convenient.

[0119] In addition, the degree of thoroughness of cleaning (cleaning level) can be determined, and the density and display color of the fill can be changed depending on the degree of cleaning, so the user can easily recognize the degree of cleaning of the areas that have been cleaned within the area to be cleaned while cleaning.The cleaning level displayed on the display screen is also convenient because it allows the user to grasp areas that have not been cleaned or areas that have been unevenly cleaned within the area to be cleaned.

[0120] Furthermore, since the comparison result between the most recent cleaning result and the standard cleaning result can be displayed, there is an advantage that it is easy to know how the most recent cleaning result compares with the standard cleaning result. Then, the comparison result between the standard cleaning result and the most recent cleaning result completed immediately before can be evaluated, and this makes it possible to determine whether more thorough cleaning is needed or whether the cleaning result is satisfactory, which is useful and convenient.

[0121] In the above examples, the cleaned areas of each unit area BK are mainly displayed by filling them in, and the fill display pattern for each unit area BK is changed depending on the degree of cleaning. However, as described above, it is also possible to display only the cleaned areas of each unit area BK by filling them in, without reflecting the degree of cleaning in the cleaning result. In this case, the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned and the cleaned area that has actually been cleaned are displayed comparatively. In this case, the uncleaned areas of the cleanable area AR are clearly displayed.

[0122] The cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned is the information of the standard cleanable area set by the user. Therefore, by displaying the cleanable area AR shown in the figure and filling in the cleaned area, it is possible to compare what areas have been cleaned with the standard cleanable area.

[0123] In addition, in a situation where a resident cleaning obstacle OB is removed from the area to be cleaned due to a subsequent change after the area to be cleaned has been registered, the area that has been cleaned when cleaning is actually performed may extend beyond the registered standard cleanable area AR, and this state will also be displayed on the display screen 16D.

[0124] In addition, when comparing with past cleaning results, it is possible to compare only the cleaned area, excluding the degree of cleaning. In this case, it is possible to compare the size of the entire cleanable area and the cleaned / uncleaned state of each unit area BK.

[0125] In the above embodiment, each unit area BK is filled in for display, but it goes without saying that each area corresponding to the size of the suction port 141 of the head portion 14 may be filled in for display.

[0126] In the above explanation, it has been assumed that cleaning is always performed with the head unit 14, but there may be cases in the middle of cleaning where an attachment is attached instead of the head unit 14 for use in places where the head unit 14 cannot reach. If this is assumed, it is advisable to attach the gyro sensor and geomagnetic sensor not to the head unit 14 but to the tip of the joint pipe, near the joint with the head unit 14 and the attachment.

[0127] When cleaning using an attachment, it becomes possible to clean an area beyond the cleanable area of ​​the registered cleaning target area, and this area can also be reflected in the cleaning result as a cleaned area. However, when considering the case where the attachment is replaced with the head unit 14, it is not desirable to consider the point of replacement as the end of cleaning. For this reason, the operation unit 15 is provided with a pause button that indicates interruption of the cleaning operation, and operation of this pause button is not considered to be the end of cleaning, but a temporary pause of cleaning. In this way, when the pause button is operated, the head unit 14 is replaced with an attachment, and cleaning is continued, it is considered as a series of cleaning operations, and the cleaning operation with the attachment is also reflected in the cleaning result.

[0128] [Second embodiment] The electric cleaning device of the second embodiment is a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner.

[0129] [Outline of the 30" Vacuum Cleaner] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 constituting a cleaning device of a second embodiment. Figure 10(A) is a diagram showing the bottom surface 30b side of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 of this example, which has the suction port 31, and Figure 10(B) is a diagram of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 of this example, as seen from the direction of travel during cleaning operation. In Figure 10(A), an arrow DR indicates the direction of travel (forward direction) of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 during cleaning operation.

[0130] As shown in Fig. 10(A), self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 of this example has a substantially rectangular housing with suction port 31 provided on bottom surface 30b. Inside the housing of vacuum cleaner 30, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10(B), there is provided dust collection chamber 32 that communicates with suction port 31 and collects the sucked objects to be cleaned and foreign matter other than the objects to be cleaned. Although not shown in Fig. 10, inside the housing of vacuum cleaner 30 there is provided a suction drive unit for sucking the objects to be cleaned into dust collection chamber 32.

[0131] As shown in Fig. 10(A), the vacuum cleaner 30 of this embodiment includes a flexible brush 33 and a rolling brush 34 within the suction port 31. A roller 35 is provided on the bottom surface 30b of the housing of the vacuum cleaner 30, approximately in the center forward of the position of the suction port 31 in the direction of travel during cleaning. The roller 35 is rotatably attached in a plane in which the axial direction of its rotation shaft is parallel to the bottom surface 30b. Therefore, the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the roller 35 can be oriented in any direction, not just perpendicular to the arrow DR. Left and right wheels 36L, 36R are provided on both sides of the suction port 31 on the bottom surface 30b, and are rotated by a travel drive unit (not shown in Fig. 10).

[0132] The wheels 36L, 36R are driven to rotate by the travel drive unit, causing the vacuum cleaner 30 to travel under its own power, but as described above, the rollers 35 can rotate about any direction as the rotation axis, so the vacuum cleaner 30 can not only travel straight ahead in the direction of the arrow DR, but also rotate and travel in any direction intersecting the arrow DR as its direction of travel. Furthermore, by controlling the rotation direction of the wheels using the travel drive unit, the vacuum cleaner 30 can also travel backward in the opposite direction to the arrow DR.

[0133] In this embodiment, camera 371 is provided at the center of the side surface of the housing in front of roller 35 of vacuum cleaner 30, with its imaging direction (optical axis direction) approximately parallel to bottom surface 30b. Cameras 372 and 373 are provided at the left and right ends of the same side surface of the housing. Furthermore, camera 374 is provided at the side surface of the housing behind roller 35 of vacuum cleaner 30, with its imaging direction (optical axis direction) approximately parallel to bottom surface 30b. Camera 371 captures an image of the area ahead in the traveling direction of self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 at a predetermined angle of view. Cameras 372 and 373 capture an image of the area diagonally forward left and diagonally forward right of vacuum cleaner 30 at predetermined angles of view. Furthermore, camera 374 captures an image of the area behind the traveling direction of self-propelled vacuum cleaner 30 at a predetermined angle of view.

[0134] Cameras 371 to 373 correspond to cameras 171 and 172 in cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment. Camera 374 corresponds to cameras 173 and 174 in cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment.

[0135] It should be noted that cameras 371 and 374 have a predetermined angle of view, and therefore the imaging direction (optical axis direction) does not need to be parallel to bottom surface 30b as long as they can capture an image of at least the floor surface to be cleaned in the traveling direction of vacuum cleaner 30. As in the first embodiment, the above four cameras 371 to 374 are configured to include, for example, a CCD imaging element or a CMOS imaging element and an imaging lens.

[0136] In the second embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 30 has a display unit (not shown in FIG. 10) on its upper surface 30a, and also has an operation unit (not shown in FIG. 10).

[0137] In this example, vacuum cleaner 30 is provided with distance measuring sensors 381 and 382 on the left side of the housing as viewed in the direction of travel, which correspond to distance measuring sensors 181 and 182 in vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, vacuum cleaner 30 is provided with gyro sensor 391 and geomagnetic sensor 392 which correspond to gyro sensor 191 and geomagnetic sensor 192 in vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment. Gyro sensor 391 and geomagnetic sensor 392 are provided near suction port 31 of vacuum cleaner 30.

[0138] [Circuit configuration of the electric cleaning device of the second embodiment] The vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment is configured to have the same function as the vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment in terms of displaying the cleaning result. However, because it is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner controls its own movement, and the configuration of the functional parts related to the self-propulsion is different from that of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this second embodiment, when an obstacle is detected during cleaning, the vacuum cleaner controls its movement to avoid the obstacle, and therefore has the function of notifying the user of the reason why an area remains uncleaned as a result of cleaning.

[0139] 11 is a diagram showing the electrical circuit configuration of the vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment. In the electrical circuit configuration of the vacuum cleaner 30, components similar to those of the control circuit section 20 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment are numbered in the 300 range to facilitate the understanding of the correspondence.

[0140] That is, in the electrical circuit of the vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment, the components similar to those of the first embodiment are configured as shown in FIG. 11, such that a suction control unit 302, a display control unit 303, an operation unit 304, a cleaning position detection unit 306, a cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307, a movement history detection unit 308, a cleaned area detection unit 309, a cleaning degree detection unit 310, a cleaning result information generation unit 311, a cleaning result information accumulation unit 312, a standard cleaning result information generation and storage unit 313, an image recognition unit 314, a clock unit 315, cameras 371 to 374, distance measurement sensors 381, 382, ​​a gyro sensor 391, and a geomagnetic sensor 392 are connected to a control unit 301 equipped with a microcomputer via a system bus 300.

[0141] In the electric vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment, a travel control unit 321 and an image memory 322 are further connected to the system bus 300.

[0142] A suction drive unit 331 is connected to the suction control unit 302, a display unit 332 is connected to the display control unit 303, and a drive drive unit 333 that drives the wheels 36L and 36R is connected to the drive control unit 321.

[0143] In the second embodiment, the suction control unit 302 can also vary the suction force of the suction drive unit 331 based on the control of the control unit 301, and information on the suction force is supplied to the cleaning degree detection unit 310 to be reflected in the cleaning degree, as in the first embodiment.

[0144] The travel control unit 321 controls the travel drive unit 333 in accordance with the control of the control unit 301 so that the travel speed becomes the speed specified by the control unit 301. Information about the travel speed at this time is supplied to the cleaning position detection unit 306 and the movement history detection unit 308, and is also supplied to the cleaning degree detection unit 310 so that it is reflected in the cleaning degree.

[0145] In the second embodiment, the display unit 332 is also configured with, for example, an LCD, and the display information of the cleaning result is displayed on the display screen via the display control unit 303 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0146] The operation unit 304 includes operation buttons for starting, stopping, charging, etc. of the vacuum cleaner 30 in this example, and operators for selecting function items that are displayed on the display screen of the display unit 332, such as registering information about the area to be cleaned, selecting reference cleaning result information, and selecting the comparison mode between the reference cleaning result information and the most recent cleaning result information.

[0147] In the second embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner 30, the user selects registration of cleaning area information from the function items in the cleaning target area information generation memory unit 307 and executes that function item, which automatically generates and registers the cleaning target area information.

[0148] 12 is a diagram illustrating the generation and registration process of the area to be cleaned in the second embodiment. The vacuum cleaner 30 is equipped with a rechargeable battery, and a charging station (charger) 334 may be provided in the room of the area to be cleaned. The home position, which is the starting point of the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned, may be the position of this charging station 334 or another position.

[0149] In the mode for generating and registering cleaning target area information, similarly to the first embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 30 stores images captured by the cameras 371-374 at the home position. In this second embodiment, a temporary area name is automatically assigned to the area to be cleaned, and the images captured by the cameras 371-374 at the home position corresponding to the area name are stored in the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307. Note that the temporary area name can be modified by the user later.

[0150] When a travel start command is issued from the home position to generate and register the area to be cleaned, the vacuum cleaner 30 monitors the sensor output of the distance measuring sensors 381 and 382 and moves along the wall RM of the room, which is the area to be cleaned, while maintaining a constant distance, for example, 5 cm, between the side of the vacuum cleaner 30 on which the distance measuring sensors 381 and 382 are provided and the wall RM, which is the area to be cleaned. Based on the trajectory of the self-propelled movement, information on the cleanable area AR of the area to be cleaned is stored in the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307 stores an area expanded outside the trajectory of the self-propelled movement of the vacuum cleaner 30, using the distance between the wall RM and the distance measuring sensors 381 and 382 as an offset value, as the cleanable area of ​​the target area to be cleaned. In this case, in the example of FIG. 12 , the cleanable area registered and stored is the same as the wall RM and the end faces of the resident obstacles OB1, OB2, and OB3.

[0151] In Figure 12, OB1, OB2, and OB3 indicate resident obstacles that exist within the area to be cleaned at the time of registration, and the vacuum cleaner 30 generates a cleanable area AR as a movement trajectory that avoids these resident obstacles OB1, OB2, and OB3, and registers and stores it.

[0152] As in the first embodiment, cleaning position detection unit 306 detects the cleaning position (the position of suction port 31 of vacuum cleaner 30) based on the angular velocity detected by gyro sensor 391 and the direction detected by geomagnetic sensor 392. In this second embodiment, the cleaning position is detected by also referring to information on the traveling speed.

[0153] As in the first embodiment, the movement history detection unit 308 detects movement history information consisting of movement trajectory and movement time based on the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 391, the direction detected by the geomagnetic sensor 392, and time information from the clock unit 315. In this second embodiment, the movement history is detected by also referring to information on the running speed.

[0154] The cleaned area detection unit 309 detects the cleaned area in units of unit areas BK from the movement trajectory information included in the movement history information from the movement history detection unit 308, in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0155] The cleaning degree detection unit 310 detects the cleaning degree based on the cleaning history information from the cleaning history detection unit 308 and the suction power information and traveling speed information from the control unit 301. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the traveling speed information from the control unit 301 is reflected in the cleaning degree. However, in this example, the traveling speed information is used as information to supplement the travel time of the travel history information. Note that, instead of using the traveling speed information as a supplement, the cleaning degree can also be detected using the traveling speed information without using the travel time for the unit area BK.

[0156] In this second embodiment, cleaning result display information generating unit 311 may display the cleaning result in real time during the cleaning operation, but since a user normally does not look at the display screen of the display unit of vacuum cleaner 30 while vacuum cleaner 30 is cleaning, in this example, the cleaning result display information generating unit 311 does not display the cleaning result in real time during the cleaning operation. Then, when cleaning is completed, cleaning result display information generating unit 311 displays the result of this cleaning (the most recent cleaning result) on the display screen, and also displays information on the comparison result between the most recent cleaning result and standard cleaning result information selected in advance by the user on the display screen so that they can be compared.

[0157] As in the first embodiment, the cleaning result information accumulation unit 312 accumulates information on the results of each cleaning session, that is, information on the movement history and cleaning degree for each unit area BK in the cleaning target area where cleaning has been performed.

[0158] The standard cleaning result information generating and storing unit 313 generates or reads out information on the standard cleaning result selected by the user, and supplies it to the cleaning result display information generating unit 311, as in the first embodiment.

[0159] In this second embodiment, the image recognition unit 314 not only performs image recognition processing for confirmation at the home position described above, but also performs image recognition processing for detecting obstacles in the cleanable area AR during cleaning operation that were not present when the robot was registered. The image memory 322 is a memory for storing images used for image recognition processing during cleaning operation.

[0160] Image memory 322 temporarily stores captured image information sent from each of cameras 371 to 374, and supplies the temporarily stored captured image information for image recognition to image recognition unit 314. Furthermore, as will be described later, when image recognition unit 314 recognizes a foreign object other than the object to be cleaned, image memory 322 stores and holds the captured image information based on the image recognition result.

[0161] In this embodiment, the image recognition unit 314 recognizes and detects foreign matter other than the object to be cleaned from the captured image information from each of the cameras 371 to 374.The image recognition unit 314 recognizes foreign matter by pattern matching with pre-registered captured images, and determines whether the size of the captured object is equal to or larger than a pre-set size, and whether the luminous intensity of the reflected light when light is shone on it is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, such as precious metals, to recognize whether the object is a foreign matter other than the object to be cleaned.

[0162] Image memory 322 also stores image information of objects to be recognized as foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned in advance, in order to recognize foreign objects by pattern matching. Image recognition unit 314 performs pattern matching by comparing the captured image information from each of cameras 371 to 374 with the images stored in image memory 322, and recognizes foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned by detecting a match between the two or a similarity between the two at a predetermined similarity level or higher.

[0163] Image memory 322 is pre-registered and stored with captured image information of objects assumed to be foreign objects other than cleaning targets by the manufacturer of vacuum cleaner 30 before shipping from the factory. In this embodiment, in addition to image information pre-registered by the manufacturer, the user can register and store in image memory 322 images of objects that the user wants vacuum cleaner 30 to recognize as foreign objects other than cleaning targets. Examples of foreign objects other than cleaning targets include excrement from pets, elderly people requiring care, and infants. If these objects are sucked up, they can cause malfunctions in vacuum cleaner 30, and the suction operation can spread the dirt. Images of these foreign objects can be captured by cameras 371-374 and stored in image memory 322.

[0164] In the configuration of the vacuum cleaner 30 in FIG. 11, the functions of the suction control unit 302, cleaning position detection unit 306, the cleaning target area information generation function of the cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307, the movement history detection unit 308, the cleaned area detection unit 309, the cleaning degree detection unit 310, the cleaning result display information generation unit 311, the reference cleaning result information generation function of the reference cleaning result information generation and storage unit 313, the image recognition unit 314, and the travel control unit 321 can be realized by the control unit 301 as software processing.

[0165] [Cleaning Operation of the Vacuum Cleaner 30 and Cleaning Result Display Processing] 13 and 14 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the cleaning operation and cleaning result display process of the electric vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment. The process of the flowcharts in Fig. 13 and 14 will be explained assuming that the functions of the suction control unit 302, cleaning position detection unit 306, movement history detection unit 308, cleaned area detection unit 309, cleaning degree detection unit 310, cleaning result display information generation unit 311, the reference cleaning result information generation function of the reference cleaning result information generation storage unit 313, the image recognition unit 314, and the travel control unit 321 described above are realized by the control unit 301 as software processing.

[0166] First, the control unit 301 displays a list of registered cleaning target area names on the display screen of the display unit 332, and also displays a message prompting the user to select the name of the cleaning target area to start cleaning from the list, and emits a sound (step S41). Next, the control unit 301 accepts a selection input from the user via the operation unit 304 in response to this message, and recognizes the selected cleaning target area (step S42).

[0167] Then, the control unit 301 reads out information on the cleanable area of ​​the area to be cleaned stored in the cleaning area information generation memory unit 307, supplies it to the movement history detection unit 308 and the cleaning degree detection unit 310, and sets it as an area in which the cleaning results will be reflected (step S43).

[0168] Next, control unit 301 determines whether the user has pressed the start button via operation unit 304 (step S44), and if it determines that the start button has been pressed, it compares the images captured by cameras 371-374 with the images captured at the home position of the cleanable region of the area to be cleaned, which are stored in cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307, to determine whether vacuum cleaner 30 is at the home position (step S45). If it determines in step S45 that vacuum cleaner 30 is not at the home position, control unit 301 controls vacuum cleaner 30 to move to the home position (step S46). Then, control unit 301 returns the process to step S45.

[0169] Then, when it is determined in step S45 that the position of the vacuum cleaner 30 is at the home position, the control unit 301 controls the suction drive unit 331 via the suction control unit 302 to operate at a predetermined suction force, and drives the travel drive unit 333 via the travel control unit 321. The control unit 301 also starts the cameras 371 to 374 during the cleaning operation (step S47).

[0170] Next, the control unit 301 detects the position of the vacuum cleaner 30 relative to the home position, that is, the cleaning position, based on the sensor outputs of the gyro sensor 391 and the geomagnetic sensor 392 and the traveling speed (step S48).

[0171] Next, the control unit 301 performs the image recognition process described above for the image recognition unit 314 on the images captured by the cameras 371 to 374 (step S49), and determines whether or not a foreign object other than the object to be cleaned has been detected (step S51 in FIG. 14).

[0172] If it is determined in step S51 that a foreign object other than the object to be cleaned has been detected, control unit 301 associates the cleaning position where the foreign object was detected with a captured image of the detected foreign object and stores them in image memory 322 (step S52). Then, control unit 301 controls travel drive unit 333 via travel control unit 321 so that vacuum cleaner 30 moves while avoiding the detected foreign object (step S53).

[0173] When it is determined in step S51 that no foreign matter other than the object to be cleaned has been detected, or after step S53, the control unit 301 detects the movement history of the vacuum cleaner 30, i.e., the movement trajectory and the time required for movement (movement time), detects a cleaned area for each unit area BK, and stores the detected cleaned area in the cleaning result information storage unit 312 in association with the identification information of the area to be cleaned selected in step S42 (e.g., the name of the area to be cleaned) (step S54). Next, the control unit 301 detects the cleaning degree of the unit area BK detected as cleaned based on the movement history consisting of the detected movement trajectory and movement time, and stores the degree in association with the identification information of the area to be cleaned selected in step S42 in the cleaning result information storage unit 312 (step S55). Therefore, the cleaning results of the areas to be cleaned are sequentially stored in the cleaning result information storage unit 312.

[0174] Next, the control unit 301 determines whether or not cleaning should be terminated according to a cleaning program prepared in advance (step S56), and if it determines that cleaning should be continued, returns the process to step S48 and repeats the processes from step S48 onwards.

[0175] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S56 that cleaning may be ended, control unit 301 reads out information on the cleaning result of the area to be cleaned that has been stored up to that point in cleaning result information storage unit 312, generates display information for the cleaning result, and displays this as a display image NP of the current cleaning result on display screen 332D of display unit 332 (step S57), as shown in Fig. 15. Then, control unit 301 reads out captured images of foreign objects recognized during the cleaning operation and their positional information within the area to be cleaned that are stored in image memory 322, and displays captured images IM1 and IM2 of the foreign objects on display screen 332D in correspondence with positions P1 and P2 indicated by the positional information within the area to be cleaned in display image NP of the current cleaning result, as shown in Fig. 15 (step S58).

[0176] Next, the control unit 301 acquires information on the standard cleaning result selected by the user from the standard cleaning result information generation and storage unit 313 (step S59). Next, the control unit 301 displays information on the current cleaning result (most recent cleaning result) and the acquired standard cleaning result information together with the current cleaning result information on the display screen 332D in the display format of the comparison result selected by the user, as shown in FIG. 15 (step S60). In FIG. 15, the standard cleaning result information is the standard cleaning result information PP of the corresponding area to be cleaned. With this, the control unit 301 ends this processing routine.

[0177] According to the vacuum cleaner 30 of the second embodiment described above, after the cleaning operation is completed, the most recent cleaning result after the cleaning operation is completed is displayed on the display screen 332D, as in the first embodiment. The cleaning result displayed on the display screen 332D displays the cleaned area in units of unit areas BK, reflecting the degree of cleaning for each unit area BK, and is displayed in different intensities and colors depending on the degree of cleaning. Therefore, by looking at the cleaning result on the display screen, the user can intuitively understand the results of the most recent cleaning.

[0178] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, for areas that have not been traced by the vacuum cleaner 30 due to foreign matter other than the object to be cleaned, captured images IM1 and IM2 of the foreign matter that caused the uncleaned area are displayed, so that the cause of the uncleaned area can be easily understood and appropriate measures can be taken, such as removing the foreign matter and cleaning the area.

[0179] Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the comparison results between the most recent cleaning result and the standard cleaning result can be displayed, so that it is easy to know how the most recent cleaning result compares with the standard, which is beneficial and convenient.

[0180] The vacuum cleaner 30 of this second embodiment has a function that detects a drop in battery voltage during cleaning operation and returns to the charger (charging station) when the battery voltage drops to a level that requires charging. In this example, when the vacuum cleaner returns to the charging station during cleaning operation due to a drop in battery voltage, the display screen of the display unit 332 displays a message that cleaning has been stopped for charging, as well as the cleaning results up to that point. Therefore, by looking at this display screen, the user can conveniently know that cleaning has been stopped for charging and how much cleaning has been completed.

[0181] In the second embodiment described above, when a foreign object is detected by image recognition and an uncleaned area is displayed in association with a captured image of the recognized foreign object. However, instead of displaying a captured image of the foreign object in association with the image, it is preferable to display the uncleaned area due to the presence of the foreign object in the display image of the cleaning result in a way that distinguishes it from other areas and draws attention to it by adding a special mark, flashing it, or displaying it in a special color. In particular, areas containing foreign objects such as pet feces, elderly care recipients, or infants are areas that are undesirable or difficult to clean with an electric vacuum cleaner, and are areas that should be avoided. Such areas that are uncleaned due to difficulty in cleaning are uncleaned areas where it is essential to later clean the foreign object that caused the problem in an appropriate manner, and it is therefore effective to display them in a special manner as described above. Furthermore, the foreign object may be displayed as an icon to help users guess what the foreign object is.

[0182] [Third embodiment] The third embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment described above, the vacuum cleaner 30 is configured to have all the processing functions. However, instead of the vacuum cleaner having all the functions, the vacuum cleaner having a communication function may be combined with another device having a communication function, such as a personal computer or a high-function mobile phone called a smartphone, to function as a vacuum cleaner.

[0183] For example, when combined with a personal computer, the vacuum cleaner is equipped with a wireless communication function, and the cleaning position detection unit 306, cleaning target area information generation and storage unit 307, movement history detection unit 308, cleaned area detection unit 309, cleaning degree detection unit 310, cleaning result display information generation unit 311, cleaning result information accumulation unit 312, reference cleaning result information generation and storage unit 313, image recognition unit 314, and image memory 322 shown in Figure 11 are not provided, but these functions are provided on the personal computer side.

[0184] While performing the cleaning operation, the vacuum cleaner transmits the sensor output of gyro sensor 391, the sensor output of geomagnetic sensor 392, information on traveling speed, information on suction power, and information on images captured by cameras 371 to 374 to the personal computer.

[0185] The personal computer detects the cleaning position using the sensor output of gyro sensor 391, sensor output of geomagnetic sensor 392, traveling speed information, and suction power information from the vacuum cleaner. The personal computer then uses the detected cleaning position to detect the movement history, the cleaned area, and the cleaning degree, and stores the cleaning result information in cleaning result information storage unit 312. When cleaning is completed, the personal computer generates display information of the cleaning result from the information of the current cleaning result stored in cleaning result information storage unit 312 and sends it to the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner receives this display information and displays it on the display screen. The personal computer also sends display information of the results of comparing the most recent cleaning result with a reference cleaning result to the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner receives this display information and displays it on the display screen.

[0186] In this configuration, the number of vacuum cleaners that can communicate with the personal computer does not need to be limited to one; if the user owns multiple vacuum cleaners, communication can be performed with each of the multiple vacuum cleaners, and cleaning results for each vacuum cleaner can be generated and provided.

[0187] In this third embodiment, the reference cleaning result information can be information on past cleaning results based on cleaning results performed in the same cleaning area with different vacuum cleaners. This makes it possible to compare cleaning results for each vacuum cleaner. Furthermore, even for the same vacuum cleaner, it is possible to compare cleaning results due to functional updates, such as software or hardware upgrades or the introduction of new accessories.

[0188] In the third embodiment, the display unit 332 and the display control unit 303 are provided in the vacuum cleaner, but the display unit and the display control unit may be provided in the personal computer.

[0189] Furthermore, when the device connected to the vacuum cleaner via a communication path is a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like, the device is connected via a local area network. However, the device connected to the vacuum cleaner may be configured as a so-called cloud, that is, a device connected via a broadband network such as the Internet.

[0190] [Other embodiments or modifications] <Modifications of the above embodiment> In the above example, to detect the cleaning position in the area to be cleaned, cleaning is started from a specific home position, and this home position is used as the positional starting point for detecting the cleaning position. However, this method of detecting the cleaning position as assumed position information relative to the specific starting point is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to install transmitters such as radio waves, light, and ultrasonic waves in advance at at least three specific locations in a room or other area to be cleaned, and have the vacuum cleaner receive transmission signals from these three locations to measure the distance from the transmitters and detect the cleaning position using the so-called triangulation principle.

[0191] Furthermore, if transmitters indicating each position are placed, for example, at each mesh-like position on the floor or ceiling of a room or other area to be cleaned, the vacuum cleaner can detect its own position (cleaning position) by receiving position information from the transmitters.

[0192] In the above embodiment, the cleaned area and the degree of cleaning are detected for each unit area BK, but as mentioned above, the cleaned area and the degree of cleaning may be detected using the movement history of the suction port itself. Also, the movement trajectory of the vacuum cleaner 30 during cleaning may be displayed as is, so that the progress of cleaning can be seen in real time.

[0193] In the above embodiment, the comparison of cleaning results is limited to the comparison between the most recent cleaning result and a standard cleaning result, but the present invention can also be applied to the comparison of cleaning results from a specific date and time in the past with a selected standard cleaning result. Furthermore, three or more cleaning results may be displayed for comparison.

[0194] The display manner of the comparison results is not limited to the example described above, and various other manners are of course possible. For example, the cleaned area may be displayed as an area, i.e., how many square meters have been cleaned, how many tatami mats have been cleaned, how many square meters or tatami mats remain, etc. Also, the cleaned area may be displayed as a percentage, i.e., how many percent has been cleaned, or how many percent remain.

[0195] <About cleaning level> In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning degree is detected (calculated) from information about the cleaning history, such as the number of times the suction port is traced for each unit area BK, the tracing speed (tracing time), and the suction power, but the method of detecting (calculating) the cleaning degree is not limited to this.

[0196] For example, the difference between an image captured by a camera in front of the vacuum cleaner's suction port when a cleaning operation is performed and an image captured by a camera behind the suction port after the vacuum cleaner has passed the position in front of the suction port may be detected, and the cleaning degree may be detected (calculated) based on the difference. Alternatively, the difference between an image captured by a camera in front of the vacuum cleaner's suction port when a predetermined cleaning operation is performed and an image captured by a camera in front of the vacuum cleaner's suction port when the same area is cleaned next may be detected, and the cleaning degree may be detected (calculated) based on the difference. Furthermore, the cleaning degree of the cleaning result may be detected (calculated) using both the information on the cleaning degree obtained using the camera and the cleaning degree detected (calculated) from the information on the cleaning history.

[0197] The cleaning device may also be provided with a sensor for detecting the degree of dirt, and the difference between the degree of dirt before and after cleaning detected by the sensor may be detected. The control unit of the cleaning device may then display different information depending on the difference between the degree of dirt before and after cleaning, thereby displaying information according to the degree of cleaning.

[0198] For example, a dust sensor (such as a house dust sensor) is provided as an example of a sensor for detecting the degree of dirtiness in a vacuum cleaner. The difference between the sensor output of the dust sensor before cleaning or after the first cleaning and the sensor output of the dust sensor after the last cleaning is detected. The control unit of the vacuum cleaner then detects (calculates) the degree of cleaning based on this difference, and changes, for example, the display density or color of the unit area BK depending on the detected degree of cleaning.

[0199] <About dust mite removal> In the above-described embodiment, the object to be cleaned was so-called dust, but dust mites could also be the object to be cleaned. In this case, dust mites can be removed by sucking them up using a suction drive unit, as described above. In this case, the degree of cleaning corresponds to the amount of dust mites removed by suction. To detect the degree of cleaning, a method can be used in which images captured by a camera mounted on the vacuum cleaner are analyzed to recognize and count dust mites or their carcasses. The degree of cleaning can be displayed, for example, by changing the display density or color of the black unit area according to the number of detected dust mites or their carcasses. Furthermore, if no dust mites are found through image analysis, the dust mites may be deemed to have been completely removed. The degree of cleaning may be classified into categories such as not cleaned, dust mites removed (with some remaining dust mites), and dust mites completely removed, and displayed as a change in density or color.

[0200] Furthermore, a mite sensor can be provided in the electric vacuum cleaner, and the mite sensor can be used to detect whether the amount of mites that has been removed (eliminated) is large or small, and display the degree of cleaning.

[0201] This invention can also be applied to cases where the target object is pollen, not dust mites, and the cleaning results are displayed. In this case, the vacuum cleaner sucks in and removes the pollen. The vacuum cleaner detects the amount of pollen suctioned based on the suction power, the number of traces, and the tracing time, and then determines the degree of pollen removal based on the detection results. The display intensity and color of each unit area (BK) can then be changed depending on the degree of cleaning.

[0202] The present invention can also be applied to objects other than mites and pollen as objects to be cleaned.

[0203] <Other> In the above-described embodiment, the electric cleaning device has a suction port and performs suction through the suction port, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to an electric cleaning device that wipes floors or an electric cleaning device that uses a magnet to attract and clean iron filings and the like.

[0204] In the above description, the electric cleaning device is for home use, but it is of course applicable to industrial use as well. [Explanation of symbols]

[0205] 1...electric cleaning device, 16...display unit, 20...control circuit unit, 102...suction drive unit, 141...suction port, 191...gyro sensor, 192...geomagnetic sensor, 206, 306...cleaning position detection unit, 208, 308...movement history detection unit, 209, 309...cleaned area detection unit, 210, 310...cleaning degree detection unit, 211, 311...cleaning result display information generation unit, 212, 312...cleaning result information accumulation unit, 213, 313...reference cleaning result information generation and storage unit

Claims

1. A communication device having a communication function that enables connection with a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners via the Internet, a receiving means for receiving information from each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners that performs cleaning while moving within a cleanable area that is determined before cleaning as an area excluding permanently residing obstacles within a predetermined cleaning target area that each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners has; a display means for displaying the cleanable area by using the information received by the receiving means to iconize foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned that are detected during cleaning by each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners, and displaying the foreign objects at the cleaning positions where the foreign objects were detected; and A communication device comprising:

2. The display means displays the cleaning target area and the cleanable region of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. The cleanable area is registered and stored in advance in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner as an area excluding permanent obstacles within the cleaning target area.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The information received by the receiving means includes information on the cleaning position of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner detected within the cleanable area by the cleaning position detection means of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, The display means displays the cleaning position where the foreign object is detected based on the information on the cleaning position of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner included in the information received by the receiving means.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

5. The information received by the receiving means includes information on the cleaning position of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner detected within the cleanable area by the cleaning position detection means of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, The display means displays a movement trajectory of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner during cleaning based on the cleaning position information of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner received by the receiving means.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

6. The display means displays the movement trajectory in real time.

6. The communication device according to claim 5.

7. The display means displays the cleaned area by filling it in, and the uncleaned area by not filling it in and displaying it as an open area, thereby distinguishing the uncleaned area from the cleaned area.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

8. The information received by the receiving means includes information on an image captured by a camera of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, a means for detecting the foreign matter from the captured image; 8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

9. The display means displays items including a mode for registering information about the area to be cleaned and the cleanable region of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner and / or a mode for displaying cleaning result information so that the items can be selected.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

10. The information received by the receiving means includes information on when cleaning has been interrupted to charge the battery of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and the display means displays that cleaning has been interrupted to charge the battery.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

11. The display means uses the information received by the receiving means to also display the degree of cleaning in the area where the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner has performed cleaning. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The cleaning degree is the amount of the object to be cleaned that is sucked and removed by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

12. The communication device according to claim 11.

13. The display means displays the cleaning degree of the most recently performed cleaning, the cleaning degree of the cleaning performed at a specific date and time in the past, or the average information of the cleaning degrees of the cleanings performed previously.

13. The communication device according to claim 11 or 12.

14. The display means displays the area cleaned by the self-propelled vacuum cleaner in units of small areas of a predetermined size by filling in the area with different densities and / or different display colors according to the degree of cleaning. The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. The display means displays the degree of cleaning by filling in each small area in real time.

15. The communication device according to claim 14.

16. The information received by the receiving means includes information on the cleaning position of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner detected by the cleaning position detection means of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner within a cleanable area excluding permanent obstacles within a cleaning target area, The display means detects a movement history of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner from the information on the cleaning position of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner included in the information received by the receiving means, and displays the cleaning degree from the detected movement history. The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 15.

17. The display means displays the cleaning result resulting from the function update of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, including the update of the software of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. The display means displays cleaning results before and after updating the software of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The information received by the receiving means includes information on when cleaning was interrupted to charge the battery of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and the display means displays the fact that cleaning was interrupted to charge the battery and the cleaning result up until the interruption. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The icon is an icon that suggests that the foreign object is excrement from a pet, an elderly person in need of care, or an infant.

20. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices are connected to each other.

21. The information received by the receiving means includes information on cleaning results obtained from each of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaners. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. The display means displays the cleaning results obtained from each of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaners. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. The information received by the receiving means includes information on cleaning results performed in the same cleaning target area by different self-propelled vacuum cleaners. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. The display means displays cleaning results performed on the same cleaning target area by different self-propelled vacuum cleaners. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. The information received by the receiving means includes information on an image of the detected foreign object photographed by a camera of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, A storage means is provided for storing the cleaning position where the foreign object was detected and the photographed image in association with each other. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. The information received by the receiving means includes information on an image of the detected foreign object photographed by a camera of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, The display means displays the cleaning position where the foreign object was detected in association with the photographed image. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

27. The communication device is a smartphone or a personal computer. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A computer provided in a communication device having a communication function that enables connection with a plurality of self-propelled vacuum cleaners via the Internet, a receiving means for receiving information from each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners that performs cleaning while moving within a cleanable area that is determined before cleaning as an area excluding permanently residing obstacles within a predetermined cleaning target area that each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners has; a display means for iconizing foreign objects other than the object to be cleaned detected in the cleanable area where each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners has performed cleaning, using the information received by the receiving means, and displaying the foreign objects at the cleaning positions where the foreign objects were detected, and displaying the cleanable area; A program for a communication device to function as a

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