Mobile body and method for controlling mobile body

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a mobile body capable of removing dust from a filter with a simpler mechanism. [Solution] A mobile body comprising: at least one omnidirectional wheel; a heat source including a control unit that controls rotation of the omnidirectional wheel; a filter that covers an opening that takes in outside air supplied to the heat source; and at least one axle of the omnidirectional wheel that is physically connected to one surface of a housing to which the filter is installed.

Description

Mobile body and method for controlling a mobile body

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile body and a method for controlling a mobile body.

[0002] In recent years, mobile bodies (robots) capable of autonomous movement have been widely used in various fields.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a cleaning robot that cools a power supply device by blowing outside air sucked into a robot body (housing) toward the power supply device.

[0004] The cleaning robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 converts the air flow that has flowed into the main body into clean air that does not contain dust by passing it through a filter. Further, the cleaning robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 generates vibration with a vibration motor when the amount of dust collected on the filter increases in order to prevent the filter from becoming clogged, and removes the dust collected on the filter by vibration.

[0005] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-68895

[0006] As described above, the cleaning robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 further includes an additional mechanism such as a vibration motor for removing dust from the filter. Therefore, in the cleaning robot disclosed in Patent Document 1, costs for installing the additional mechanism are incurred.

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a novel and improved mobile body and a method for controlling a mobile body that can remove dust from a filter with a simpler mechanism.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a mobile body including at least one omnidirectional wheel, a heat source including a control unit that controls the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel, a filter that covers an opening for taking in outside air supplied to the heat source, and at least one axle of the omnidirectional wheel physically connected to one surface of a housing to which the filter is attached.

[0009] Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a method for controlling a mobile body, which includes rotating at least one omnidirectional wheel provided on the mobile body in order to remove dust adhering to a filter covering an opening through which outside air supplied to a heat source of the mobile body is taken in, and transmitting vibrations generated by the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel to the filter mounted on one side of a housing that is physically connected to the axle of at least one of the omnidirectional wheels.

[0010] This is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a mobile body according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a schematic bottom view showing the configuration of a mobile body according to the same embodiment. This is a partial front view showing the relationship between the filter and the axle. This is a block diagram showing the control configuration of a mobile body according to the same embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the control flow of a mobile body according to the same embodiment. This is a top view illustrating the rotation of the mobile body at its current position. This is a top view illustrating the rotation of the mobile body at its current position. This is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the mobile body.

[0011] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] The explanation will be given in the following order: 1. Structure of the mobile unit 2. Control of the mobile unit 2.1. Control configuration 2.2. Control flow 3. Hardware configuration

[0013] <1. Structure of the Mobile Body> First, the configuration of a mobile body according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment includes, for example, omnidirectional wheels 110, a filter 120, a fan 130, a housing 150, and a heat source 140.

[0015] The omnidirectional wheels 110 are a moving mechanism for moving the mobile body 10, and at least one is provided on the lower part of the housing 150 of the mobile body 10. For example, three or more omnidirectional wheels 110 are provided and are positioned to correspond to the vertices of a polygon in order to properly support the weight of the mobile body 10. The omnidirectional wheels 110 can move the mobile body 10 by rotating around an axle that extends in a direction parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 150 of the mobile body 10 (for example, perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1).

[0016] Specifically, the omnidirectional wheel 110 is a wheel that includes a main wheel rotated by a drive mechanism such as a motor, and a plurality of trailing wheels arranged to rotate freely in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel. The omnidirectional wheel 110 may be a Mecanum wheel in which the rotation axes of the trailing wheels are arranged obliquely to the outer circumference direction of the main wheel, or it may be an omni-wheel in which the rotation axes of the trailing wheels are arranged parallel to the outer circumference direction of the main wheel. The omnidirectional wheel 110 can move the mobile body 10 in a direction perpendicular to the axle of the omnidirectional wheel 110 by actively rotating the main wheel. Alternatively, the omnidirectional wheel 110 can move the mobile body 10 in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the trailing wheels (i.e., parallel to or oblique to the axle of the omnidirectional wheel 110) by passively rotating the plurality of trailing wheels arranged along the outer circumference of the main wheel.

[0017] According to this, a mobile body 10, equipped with omnidirectional wheels 110 at positions corresponding to the vertices of a rectangle, can move parallel to the front, back, left, and right without using steering by independently controlling the rotation of each omnidirectional wheel 110. Furthermore, such a mobile body 10 can turn without changing its current position by reversing the rotation direction of the left and right omnidirectional wheels 110.

[0018] The mobile unit 10 is provided with an air intake port IN and an exhaust port EX. The outside air AR taken into the housing 150 through the air intake port IN cools the heat source 140 and is then discharged to the outside of the housing 150 through the exhaust port EX. For example, the air intake port IN may be an opening provided on the bottom surface of the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10, facing downwards, and the exhaust port EX may be an opening provided on the side surface of the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10, facing sideways. The passage for the outside air AR inside the housing 150 from the air intake port IN to the exhaust port EX becomes the supply path FP for the outside air AR to the heat source 140. The supply path FP may be provided as a closed space such as a duct partitioned from other spaces to prevent the outside air AR from escaping, or it may be provided as an open space not partitioned from other spaces. The air intake IN may be an opening provided on either the bottom or side of the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10, and the exhaust port EX may be an opening provided on either the side or top of the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10.

[0019] According to this, the mobile body 10 can be air-cooled by the outside air AR that generates heat from the heat source 140, and discharged to the outside of the housing 150 along with the outside air AR. Therefore, the mobile body 10 can be prevented from having its functions deteriorated or its components damaged by the heat generated from the heat source 140.

[0020] The filter 120 is installed so as to cover the intake port IN that takes in outside air AR inside the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10. Specifically, the filter 120 may be installed so as to cover the intake port IN formed on the bottom or side surface of the housing 150 of the mobile unit 10. The filter 120 can prevent dust or debris that is sucked in along with the outside air AR from the intake port IN from entering the supply path FP inside the housing 150.

[0021] In this specification, the filter 120 includes not only air filters made of nonwoven fabric or urethane resin, but also all types of materials that cover the air intake IN, such as metal or plastic mesh, nets, strainers, sieves, strainers, or gratings, which have a coarser mesh than the air filter.

[0022] The fan 130 is installed in the supply path FP between the intake port IN inside the housing 150 and the heat source 140, and blows outside air AR taken into the housing 150 from the intake port IN to the heat source 140. The fan 130 may be a propeller fan or a sirocco fan, as long as it can draw in outside air AR from outside the housing 150 and blow it towards the heat source 140. For example, the fan 130 can blow outside air AR to the heat source 140 by sending the outside air AR from the preceding supply path FP to the subsequent supply path FP. Alternatively, the fan 130 can draw outside air AR from outside the housing 150 into the housing 150 via the filter 120 by sending the outside air AR from the preceding supply path FP to the subsequent supply path FP and creating negative pressure in the preceding supply path FP.

[0023] The heat source 140 is a heat source provided inside the housing 150 of the mobile body 10. The heat source 140 includes, for example, a control unit that controls the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110. The control unit includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory), and generates heat through the rotation control processing of the omnidirectional wheels 110 and the calculation processing of the travel path of the mobile body 10.

[0024] The mobile body 10 according to this embodiment is capable of autonomous movement based on the external environment detected by a sensor (not shown). In such a mobile body 10, the amount of computation performed by the control unit is greater than when it is remotely controlled by a user, as it calculates the travel path after creating a map of the external environment and estimating its own position on the map. This results in higher power consumption and heat generation. In the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment, the heat source 140, including the control unit, can be air-cooled by drawing in outside air AR with a fan 130, thus preventing performance degradation of the control unit due to heat.

[0025] Furthermore, the heat source 140 may include a storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an energy storage unit such as a battery including a lithium-ion secondary battery. Since these storage units or energy storage units may also generate heat during operation, the mobile unit 10 can prevent performance degradation of the storage units or energy storage units due to heat by cooling them with outside air AR.

[0026] The housing 150 is an exterior component of the mobile body 10 and is made of metal or plastic. For example, the housing 150 may be rectangular in shape, or it may be a streamlined shape that takes air resistance into consideration. As described above, the housing 150 is provided with an intake port IN, which is an opening for drawing in outside air AR, and an exhaust port EX, which is an opening for discharging the drawn-in outside air AR.

[0027] The mobile unit 10, having the above configuration, can draw outside air AR into the housing 150 through the intake port IN by driving the fan 130, and discharge the outside air AR, which has cooled the heat source 140 inside the housing 150, to the outside of the housing 150 through the exhaust port EX. In addition, dust or debris that is drawn in along with the outside air AR through the intake port IN is removed from the outside air AR by adhering to the filter 120.

[0028] At this time, the removed dust or debris may accumulate in the filter 120, potentially causing it to become clogged. In such a case, the amount of outside air AR taken into the supply path FP from the intake port IN decreases, reducing the cooling efficiency of the heat source 140 by the outside air AR.

[0029] In the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment, one surface of the housing 150, which is equipped with a filter 120, is physically connected to the axle of the omnidirectional wheel 110. As a result, vibrations generated by the omnidirectional wheel 110 are transmitted to the filter 120, so the mobile body 10 can shake off dust or debris attached to the filter 120 by the transmitted vibrations. Therefore, the mobile body 10 can remove dust and debris from the filter more easily without providing any additional mechanisms.

[0030] The relationship between the filter 120 and the omnidirectional wheel 110 described above will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a schematic bottom view showing the configuration of the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is a partial front view showing the relationship between the filter 120 and the axle 111.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the axle 111 that rotates the omnidirectional wheels 110 extends from the rotation center of the omnidirectional wheels 110 and is connected to a motor (not shown). At this time, as shown in Figure 3, the axle 111 is physically connected to one side 150A of the housing 150 on which the filter 120 is provided (for example, the bottom surface of the housing 150).

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the axle 111 and one surface 150A of the housing 150 may be connected via a connecting member 113 or directly connected. The connecting member 113 may be a rigid member or an elastic member. However, one surface 150A of the housing 150 is connected to the axle 111 firmly enough to transmit vibrations from the axle 111 to the surface 150A of the housing 150.

[0033] The omnidirectional wheel 110 has a plurality of trailing wheels arranged in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel. Therefore, when the omnidirectional wheel 110 rotates, vibrations are generated as each of the multiple trailing wheels successively contacts the running surface. In this embodiment, the moving body 10 transmits the vibrations generated by the contact between the trailing wheels and the running surface to the filter 120 via the axle 111, thereby shaking off dust or debris attached to the filter 120 with the transmitted vibrations.

[0034] Furthermore, one side 150A of the housing 150 on which the filter 120 is installed only needs to be physically connected to the axle 111 of at least one of the omnidirectional wheels 110. Of course, it goes without saying that one side 150A of the housing 150 on which the filter 120 is installed may also be physically connected to the axles 111 of all the omnidirectional wheels 110 that the mobile body 10 is equipped with.

[0035] When the mobile body 10 travels through an environment with a lot of dust, dust and other particles tend to adhere to the filter 120 more frequently. In this embodiment, the mobile body 10 can transmit vibrations to the filter 120 in conjunction with the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110 when the omnidirectional wheels 110 are rotating, so that dust and other particles adhering to the filter 120 can be removed at a higher frequency.

[0036] Furthermore, when the mobile body 10 performs autonomous movement, which involves a large amount of computation in the control unit and generates a lot of heat, the amount of outside air AR drawn in from the air intake IN increases, making it easier for dust and other debris to adhere to the filter 120. In addition, if the mobile body 10 is equipped with a lithium-ion secondary battery as an energy storage unit, the lithium-ion secondary battery may also generate heat, which increases the amount of outside air AR drawn in from the air intake IN, making it easier for dust and other debris to adhere to the filter 120. In this embodiment, the mobile body 10 can transmit vibrations to the filter 120 in conjunction with the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110 when the omnidirectional wheels 110 are rotating during travel, so that dust and other debris adhering to the filter 120 can be removed at a higher frequency.

[0037] <2. Control of the Mobile Body> (2.1. Control Configuration) Next, the control of the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, the mobile unit 10 comprises a control unit 160, an input unit 167, an internal sensor unit 169, a fan 130, and omnidirectional wheels 110. The fan 130 and omnidirectional wheels 110 are as described above with reference to Figure 1, so their explanation is omitted here.

[0039] The input unit 167 generates an input signal based on user input and outputs the generated input signal to the control unit 160. The input unit 167 may be a device that receives user input, such as a touch panel, button, switch, or lever. Alternatively, the input unit 167 may be a microphone that detects the user's voice, or a remote control device that uses infrared or other radio waves.

[0040] The internal sensor unit 169 includes various sensors that sense the internal state of the moving body 10, and outputs the sensing results by the various sensors to the control unit 160. For example, the internal sensor unit 169 may include various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a vibration sensor, an encoder, a voltmeter, an ammeter, a strain gauge, a pressure gauge, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, or an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

[0041] The control unit 160 controls all operations and all judgments of the moving body 10. Specifically, the control unit 160 includes a main control unit 161, a drive control unit 163, and a cleaning judgment unit 165.

[0042] The main control unit 161 controls the operations of each part of the moving body 10. For example, the main control unit 161 may perform operations such as creating a map of the external environment, estimating the self-position of the moving body 10 in the created map, and creating a travel route of the moving body 10 regarding the autonomous movement of the moving body 10. Also, the main control unit 161 may control the driving of the fan 130 based on the temperature of the heat source 140 inside the moving body 10. Furthermore, the main control unit 161 may control a cleaning process of shaking off dust or dirt from the filter 120 by rotating the omnidirectional wheels 110.

[0043] Note that for creating a map of the external environment and estimating the self-position, captured images of various imaging devices such as an RGB camera, a grayscale camera, an infrared camera, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, or a depth camera (not shown), or sensing results of various distance measurement sensors such as a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor, a Radar (Radio Detecting And Ranging) sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a sonar are used.

[0044] The drive control unit 163 controls the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110 based on the travel route created by the main control unit 161. For example, the drive control unit 163 may move the moving body 10 omnidirectionally along the travel route by independently controlling the rotation speed and rotation direction of each of the omnidirectional wheels 110.

[0045] Further, the drive control unit 163 may control the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110 to perform a cleaning process for shaking off dust or dirt from the filter 120. At this time, the drive control unit 163 may rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 at a constant rotational speed, or may rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 at a plurality of rotational speeds while switching the rotational speed. The frequency of the vibration generated at the contact between the omnidirectional wheels 110 and the traveling surface is determined by the number of the follower wheels provided along the outer periphery of the main wheels of the omnidirectional wheels 110 and the rotational speed of the main wheels. Therefore, the drive control unit 163 can generate, by controlling the rotational speed of the omnidirectional wheels 110, vibrations having a frequency that can resonate with the filter 120 or one surface 150A of the housing 150 in which the filter 120 is provided, using the omnidirectional wheels 110.

[0046] The cleaning determination unit 165 determines whether to perform the cleaning process of the filter 120 based on the output from the input unit 167 or the internal sensor unit 169. Specifically, the cleaning determination unit 165 may determine to perform the cleaning process of the filter 120 when an input from a user instructing to perform the cleaning process of the filter 120 is input from the input unit 167. Alternatively, the cleaning determination unit 165 may determine to perform the cleaning process of the filter 120 when the temperature of the heat source 140 sensed by the temperature sensor included in the internal sensor unit 169 becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value.

[0047] When the cleaning determination unit 165 determines to perform the cleaning process of the filter 120, the main control unit 161 stops the fan 130 and instructs the drive control unit 163 to rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 for the cleaning process of the filter 120. Thereby, the cleaning determination unit 165 can start the cleaning process of the filter 120 based on the air-cooled state of the heat source 140 or the instruction of the user.

[0048] (2.2. Control flow) Next, referring to FIGS. 5 to 6B, the control flow of the mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control flow of the mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment. FIGS. 6A and 6B are top views for explaining the turning at the current position of the mobile body 10.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, first, the cleaning determination unit 165 determines that the filter 120 should be cleaned (S101). Specifically, the cleaning determination unit 165 may determine to clean the filter 120 based on user input from the input unit 167 instructing the system to perform the cleaning process on the filter 120. Alternatively, the cleaning determination unit 165 may determine to clean the filter 120 based on the temperature sensing result of the heat source 140 from the internal sensor unit 169.

[0050] Next, the main control unit 161 switches the drive mode of the mobile body 10 from the normal movement mode to the cleaning mode (S103). The movement mode is, for example, a mode for autonomously moving the mobile body 10. The cleaning mode is a mode in which the omnidirectional wheels 110 are rotated to turn at the current position in order to clean the filter 120.

[0051] Next, the main control unit 161 stops the fan 130 from running (S105). This eliminates the intake of outside air AR into the air intake IN, and thus eliminates the suction force of dust and other particles onto the filter 120, making it easier to shake off dust and other particles from the filter 120. Subsequently, the main control unit 161 instructs the drive control unit 163 to rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 for cleaning the filter 120.

[0052] The drive control unit 163 instructs the omnidirectional wheels 110 to rotate (S107). Specifically, the drive control unit 163 rotates the left and right omnidirectional wheels 110 in opposite directions to rotate the mobile body 10 at its current position. When the mobile body 10 is rotated at its current position, vibrations can be generated in place by the omnidirectional wheels 110, making it possible to clean the filter 120 in a more space-saving manner. For example, as shown in Figure 6A, the drive control unit 163 rotates the left omnidirectional wheels 110A and 110C in the backward direction R and the right omnidirectional wheels 110B and 110D in the forward direction F, thereby causing the mobile body 10 to rotate counterclockwise. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6B, the drive control unit 163 rotates the omnidirectional wheels 110A and 110C on the left side of Figure 6B in the forward direction F, and the omnidirectional wheels 110B and 110D on the right side in the backward direction R, thereby causing the mobile body 10 to rotate clockwise.

[0053] In this case, the drive control unit 163 may rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 at multiple rotational speeds. By rotating the omnidirectional wheels 110 at multiple rotational speeds and generating vibrations of multiple frequencies, the mobile body 10 can more efficiently shake off dust and other debris from the filter 120. For example, the drive control unit 163 may rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 at multiple rotational speeds to search for a rotational speed at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration sensor provided on one surface 150A of the housing 150 becomes larger. In this case, the drive control unit 163 can search for a rotational speed at which the amplitude of vibration is largest due to resonance, as the frequency of the generated vibration becomes the natural frequency of one surface 150A of the housing 150, and rotate the omnidirectional wheels 110 at that rotational speed. It is preferable that the vibration sensor be provided on one surface 150A of the housing 150, but it may be provided anywhere on the housing 150 or inside the mobile body 10.

[0054] Next, the main control unit 161 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since instructing the cleaning process of the filter 120 (S109). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S109 / NO), the main control unit 161 waits further and then repeats the determination in step S109. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed (S109 / YES), the main control unit 161 instructs the drive control unit 163 to stop the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels 110 and changes the drive mode of the mobile body 10 from cleaning mode to normal movement mode (S111).

[0055] Subsequently, the main control unit 161 restarts the operation of the fan 130 (S113). As a result, the mobile unit 10 can complete the cleaning process of the filter 120 and return to a state where it can move autonomously again.

[0056] According to the above operation, the mobile body 10 in this embodiment can more efficiently shake off dust and other particles adhering to the filter 120 in a space-saving manner.

[0057] <3. Hardware Configuration> The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. The information processing of the mobile device 10 described above is realized through the cooperation of software and hardware. Below, an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that can be applied to the mobile device 10 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0058] Figure 7 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer 1000 that realizes the functions of the mobile device 10. The computer 1000 has a processing circuitry 1100, RAM 1200, ROM 1300, secondary storage device 1400, communication interface 1500, input / output interface 1600, display unit 1700, camera unit 1800, microphone 1900, and speaker 2000. The various parts of the computer 1000 are connected by a bus 1050.

[0059] The processing circuit 1100 operates based on a program stored in the ROM 1300 or secondary storage device 1400, and controls each part. For example, the processing circuit 1100 loads the program stored in the ROM 1300 or secondary storage device 1400 into the RAM 1200 and executes processing corresponding to various programs.

[0060] ROM 1300 stores boot programs such as the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) executed by the processing circuit 1100 when the computer 1000 starts up, as well as programs that depend on the computer 1000's hardware.

[0061] The secondary storage device 1400 is a computer-readable recording medium that non-temporarily records programs executed by the processing circuit 1100 and data used by the program. Specifically, the secondary storage device 1400 is a recording medium that records programs for each process of the mobile body 10 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, which is an example of program data 1450.

[0062] The communication interface 1500 is an interface for the computer 1000 to connect to the external network 1550. For example, the processing circuit 1100 can receive data from other devices or transmit data it has generated to other devices via the communication interface 1500.

[0063] The input / output interface 1600 is an interface for connecting the input / output device 1650 and the computer 1000. The input / output interface 1600 may also function as a media interface for reading programs, etc., recorded on a predetermined recording medium (media). Examples of media include optical recording media such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), magneto-optical recording media such as MO (Magneto-Optical disk), tape media, magnetic recording media, or semiconductor memory.

[0064] The processing circuit 1100 also receives data from input devices such as the microphone 1900 and the touch panel. The processing circuit 1100 also transmits data to output devices such as the display unit 1700 and the speaker 2000.

[0065] The display unit 1700 is an interface for displaying information processed by the computer 1000. The display unit 1700 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display. Alternatively, the display unit 1700 may be a touch panel display device or an image projection device.

[0066] The camera unit 1800 is an interface for the computer 1000 to capture images. The microphone 1900 is an interface for the computer 1000 to capture sound. The speaker 2000 is an interface for the computer 1000 to output processed sound. The various parts of the computer 1000 are connected by the bus 1050. Each interface does not necessarily have to be located inside the computer 1000, but may be located outside the computer 1000 via a network or the like. Furthermore, each part of the computer 1000 may be controlled by a circuit different from the processing circuit 1100. For example, the display unit 1700 may be controlled not by the processing circuit 1100, but by a circuit dedicated to display processing provided within the display unit 1700.

[0067] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as a mobile device 10 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, the processing circuit 1100 of the computer 1000 functions as a control unit 160 by executing a program loaded on the RAM 1200. The processing circuit 1100 reads and executes program data 1450 from the secondary storage device 1400, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from other devices via an external network 1550. That is, the secondary storage device 1400 is not limited to being inside the computer 1000, but may be located outside the computer 1000. The processing circuit 1100 is an example of an integrated circuit, and CPU, MPU, GPU, APU, ASIC, and FPGA can all be considered integrated circuits.

[0068] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure that various modifications or alterations may be conceived within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] For example, in the above embodiment, the mobile body 10 is provided with four omnidirectional wheels 110, but this technology is not limited to such examples. The mobile body 10 only needs to have at least one omnidirectional wheel 110, as long as it can adequately support its own weight and move the mobile body 10, and it may also have ordinary wheels other than omnidirectional wheels 110. For example, the mobile body 10 may have two omnidirectional wheels 110 and two ordinary wheels.

[0070] Furthermore, among the processes described in the embodiments of this disclosure described above, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically may be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually may be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above document and drawings may be changed at will unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the information shown.

[0071] Furthermore, the components of each illustrated device are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions.

[0072] Furthermore, the embodiments of this disclosure described above can be combined as appropriate in areas where the processing content is not contradictory. Also, the order of each step shown in the flowchart of this embodiment can be changed as appropriate. For example, each step may be processed chronologically, repeatedly, or partially in parallel.

[0073] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or illustrative and not limiting. In other words, the technology relating to this disclosure may produce other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, in addition to or in lieu of the effects described herein.

[0074] The following configurations also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure: (1) A mobile body comprising: at least one omnidirectional wheel; a heat source including a control unit for controlling the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel; a filter covering an opening for taking in outside air supplied to the heat source; and at least one axle of the omnidirectional wheel physically connected to one side of a housing to which the filter is attached. (2) The mobile body according to (1), wherein the omnidirectional wheel includes a main wheel that rotates under the control of the control unit and a plurality of trailing wheels arranged in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel. (3) The mobile body according to (2), wherein the omnidirectional wheel is a Mecanum wheel or an Omni wheel. (4) The mobile body according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the opening is provided facing downward or to the side of the mobile body. (5) The mobile body according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein a fan is further provided in the outside air supply path from the opening to the heat source for blowing the outside air toward the heat source. (6) The mobile body according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit autonomously moves the mobile body. (7) The mobile body according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein one side of the housing is physically connected to the axle via an elastic member. (8) A method for controlling a mobile body, comprising: rotating at least one omnidirectional wheel provided on the mobile body to remove dust adhering to a filter covering an opening through which outside air supplied to a heat source of the mobile body is taken in; and transmitting vibrations generated by the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel to the filter attached to one side of the housing that is physically connected to the axle of at least one of the omnidirectional wheels. (9) The method for controlling a mobile body according to (8), wherein the heat source includes a control unit that controls the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel. (10) The method for controlling a mobile body according to (9), wherein the omnidirectional wheels include a main wheel that rotates under the control of the control unit and a plurality of trailing wheels arranged in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel, and the vibration is generated by contact between the trailing wheels and the running surface of the mobile body. (11) The method for controlling a mobile body according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the mobile body rotates at its current position due to the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels.(12) A method for controlling a mobile body according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the omnidirectional wheels are rotated at multiple rotational speeds. (13) A method for controlling a mobile body according to (12), wherein the rotational speed of the omnidirectional wheels is controlled based on the output of a vibration sensor attached to the mobile body. (14) A method for controlling a mobile body according to any one of (8) to (13), wherein a fan for blowing outside air is provided in the supply path of outside air from the opening to the heat source, and the fan is stopped when the omnidirectional wheels are rotating. (15) A method for controlling a mobile body according to any one of (8) to (14), further comprising determining whether or not to rotate the omnidirectional wheels to remove dust adhering to the filter based on the air-cooling state of the heat source or input from the user of the mobile body.

[0075] 10 Mobile body 110 All-directional wheels 111 Axle 113 Connecting member 120 Filter 130 Fan 140 Heat source 150 Housing 150A One side 160 Control unit 161 Main control unit 163 Drive control unit 165 Cleaning judgment unit 167 Input unit 169 Internal sensor unit IN Intake port EX Exhaust port AR Outside air FP Supply path

Claims

1. A mobile body comprising: at least one omnidirectional wheel; a heat source including a control unit for controlling the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel; a filter covering an opening for taking in outside air supplied to the heat source; and at least one axle of the omnidirectional wheel physically connected to one side of a housing to which the filter is attached.

2. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the omnidirectional wheels include a main wheel that rotates under the control of the control unit and a plurality of trailing wheels arranged in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel.

3. The mobile body according to claim 2, wherein the omnidirectional wheels are Mecanum wheels or omniwheels.

4. The movable body according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided facing downward or to the side of the movable body.

5. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the supply path of outside air from the opening to the heat source is further provided with a fan that blows the outside air toward the heat source.

6. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the control unit autonomously moves the mobile body.

7. The movable body according to claim 1, wherein one side of the housing is physically connected to the axle via an elastic member.

8. A method for controlling a mobile body, comprising: rotating at least one omnidirectional wheel provided on the mobile body in order to remove dust adhering to a filter covering an opening through which outside air supplied to a heat source of the mobile body is taken in; and transmitting vibrations generated by the rotation of the omnidirectional wheel to the filter mounted on one side of a housing that is physically connected to the axle of at least one of the omnidirectional wheels.

9. The method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 8, wherein the heat source includes a control unit for controlling the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels.

10. The method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 9, wherein the omnidirectional wheels include a main wheel that rotates under the control of the control unit and a plurality of trailing wheels arranged in the same direction along the outer circumference of the main wheel, and the vibration is generated by contact between the trailing wheels and the running surface of the mobile body.

11. The method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 8, wherein the mobile body rotates at its current position by the rotation of the omnidirectional wheels.

12. The method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 8, wherein the omnidirectional wheels are rotated at multiple rotational speeds.

13. The method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 12, wherein the rotational speed of the omnidirectional wheels is controlled based on the output of a vibration sensor attached to the mobile body.

14. A fan for blowing outside air is provided in the supply path of outside air from the opening to the heat source, and the fan is stopped when the omnidirectional wheels are rotating, the method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 8.

15. A method for controlling a mobile body according to claim 8, further comprising determining whether or not to rotate the omnidirectional wheels to remove the dust adhering to the filter, based on the air-cooling state of the heat source or user input of the mobile body.

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