SELF-PROPELLED ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150151646A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Noiri, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,340,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

There is provided a self-propelled electronic device that is supplied with power from a charging base installed in a predetermined position and automatically travels to a position away from the charging base, the self-propelled electronic device including: a travelling control unit that makes the self-propelled electronic device move automatically by controlling the rotation of a wheel; a rechargeable battery that supplies power for performing travelling control during the automatic travelling; a charging base searching unit that searches for the position of the charging base; and a control unit; wherein, when the control unit determines that returning to the charging base is required, the control unit performs return processing by which the self-propelled electronic device is made to come to rest and then rotate in a resting state by the travelling control unit and, when the charging base searching unit searches for the direction in which the charging base lies and detects the direction in which the charging base lies, the self-propelled electronic device moves in the direction in which the charging base lies.

Claims

1. A self-propelled electronic device that is supplied with power from a charging base installed in a predetermined position and automatically travels to a position away from the charging base, the self-propelled electronic device comprising:

a travelling control unit that makes the self-propelled electronic device move automatically by controlling a rotation of a wheel;

a rechargeable battery that supplies power for performing travelling control during the automatic travelling;

a charging base searching unit that searches for a position of the charging base; and

a control unit;

wherein

when the control unit determines that returning to the charging base is required, the control unit performs return processing by which the self-propelled electronic device is made to come to rest and then rotate in a resting state by the travelling control unit and, when the charging base searching unit searches for a direction in which the charging base lies and detects the direction in which the charging base lies, the self-propelled electronic device moves in the direction in which the charging base lies.

2. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a remaining battery level detecting unit that detects a remaining battery level of the rechargeable battery; and

a storage unit that stores in advance battery information which is compared with the detected remaining battery level;

wherein

when the detected remaining battery level becomes less than or equal to a first remaining level threshold value P1 stored as the battery information, the control unit determines that returning to the charging base is required and performs the return processing.

3. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 2, wherein

when the remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detecting unit becomes less than or equal to a second remaining level threshold value P2 smaller than the first remaining level threshold value P1 while the self-propelled electronic device is automatically travelling, the control unit stops the travelling control and makes the self-propelled electronic device come to rest in a current position.

4. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input portion with a charging request switch to be used by a user to input a charging request;

wherein

when the charging request switch is depressed during the automatic travelling, the control unit determines that returning to the charging base is required and performs the return processing.

5. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiving portion that detects a signal transmitted from the charging base;

wherein

when the signal is detected by the receiving portion, the charging base searching unit recognizes that the charging base lies in a front direction of the receiving portion.

6. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 4, wherein

the input portion includes a starting switch for performing operation start and stop input, and

when the starting switch is input during travelling, the control unit stops the travelling control.

7. The self-propelled electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the self-propelled electronic device is a vacuum cleaner with a cleaning function or an ion generating device with an ion generating function.