TRAVELING BODY DEVICE

• US 20160309974A1
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: ABE, Kouichi, HOSHINO, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,826,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• 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 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• 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: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Provided is an electric cleaning device capable of easily and reliably directing a camera toward an object and imaging the object. An electric cleaning device includes an electric vacuum cleaner main body capable of autonomously traveling, and a charging device that guides the electric vacuum cleaner main body, and can image an object. A control part has an imaging mode in which the control part makes a main body case travel so as to approach the charging device in line with guide signals received by a light receiving part, and performs imaging in a set direction with a camera based on the guide signals when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the charging device.

Claims

1. A traveling body device comprising:

an autonomously traveling body that is capable of autonomously traveling; and

a beacon device that guides the autonomously traveling body, and capable of imaging an object, wherein

the beacon device includes a transmitting part that transmits a guide signal for guiding the autonomously traveling body corresponding to a set direction that is to be directed toward an object,

the autonomously traveling body includes;

a main body case including an imaging part that images an object,

a drive wheel that enable the main body case to travel,

a control part that makes the main body case autonomously travel by controlling driving of the drive wheel, and

a receiving part that receives the guide signal transmitted by the transmitting part, and

the control part has an imaging mode in which the control part makes the main body case travel so as to approach the beacon device in line with the guide signal received by the receiving part, and performs imaging in the set direction by the imaging part based on the guide signal when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the beacon device.

2. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein

in the beacon device, a set direction that is to be directed toward an object is set in advance, and the beacon device transmits a guide signal in a direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the set direction.

3. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein

the control part directs the imaging part toward the set direction by making the main body case travel in the imaging mode.

4. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein

the control part turns the imaging part at a predetermined angle when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode.

5. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein

the control part makes the main body case travel in the set direction while avoiding the beacon device when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode.

6. The traveling body device according to claim 5, wherein

the autonomously traveling body includes an obstacle detecting part that detects obstacles, and

when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the beacon device in the imaging mode, in a case where no obstacle is detected on one lateral side of the beacon device by the obstacle detecting part, the control part makes the main body case travel toward the one lateral side of the beacon device and then travel in the set direction along the beacon device, and in a case where an obstacle is detected on one lateral side of the beacon device by the obstacle detecting part, the control part makes the main body case travel toward the other lateral side of the beacon device and then travel in the set direction along the beacon device.

7. The traveling body device according to claim 4, wherein

the control part performs imaging while turning the imaging part in increments of a predetermined angle in the imaging mode.

8. The traveling body device according to claim 4, wherein

the autonomously traveling body includes an external signal receiving part capable of receiving an external signal that is different from a guide signal to be transmitted from the transmitting part of the beacon device, and

the control part changes the predetermined angle to turn the main body case according to an external signal received by the external signal receiving part in the imaging mode.

9. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomously traveling body includes a cleaning part that cleans a surface to be cleaned, and a signal receiving part that receives an imaging command signal from the outside, and

the control part interrupts cleaning being performed by the cleaning part and shifts to the imaging mode when the imaging command signal is received by the signal receiving part in the cleaning mode in which cleaning is performed by the cleaning part.

10. The traveling body device according to claim 1, wherein the beacon device includes:

an indicating part capable of variably setting a direction that is to be directed toward an object, and

a display part that shows a direction of the guide signal to be transmitted from the transmitting part, and

the transmitting part transmits a guide signal for guiding the autonomously traveling body corresponding to a direction indicated by the indicating part.

11. The traveling body device according to claim 10, wherein

the transmitting part transmits a guide signal having a code which differs depending on a direction indicated by the indicating part, and

the control part directs the imaging part toward an object by turning the imaging part at a predetermined angle corresponding to the code of the guide signal when the main body case reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the beacon device.