Self-propelled cleaner charging-type travel system and charging-type travel system

• US 20060080802A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tani, Takao
• Application Number:
  US11/239,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• 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: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

When a residual quantity of a battery of a self-propelled cleaner is decreased, automatic cleaning is interrupted and driving of a cleaner mechanism is simultaneously stopped, and when a forward obstacle is detected while allowing a self-propelled cleaner to be traveled along a wall, a rotary encoder measures a traveling distance of a cleaner body BD, thereby measuring a depth of the obstacle. Then, in a case where the measured traveling distance (X) is equal to a width (H) of a charger device that projects from the wall, it is judged that the obstacle is the charger device, and traveling of the self-propelled cleaner is controlled in such a manner that its charging terminal is operatively connected to an electrical supply terminal of the charger device. Thus said charging-type travel system is precisely self-traveled to a charger device and cause itself be positively subjected to charging.

Claims

1. A self-propelled cleaner charging-type travel system comprising:

a self-propelled cleaner adapted to self-travel; and

a charger device adapted to be set on a wall surface of a room so as to project from said wall surface;

said self-propelled cleaner comprising;

a body provided with wheels;

a cleaner mechanism;

a driving mechanism responsible for steering and driving of said body;

a forward obstacle sensor for detecting a forward obstacle;

sidewall sensors for detecting a lateral obstacle;

a rotary encoder for measuring a traveling distance from revolutions of said wheels;

a charging terminal provided at a rear side of said body for facilitating charging of said self-propelled cleaner; and

an automatic charge-controlling unit;

said charger device including an electrical supply terminal to which said charging terminal of said self-propelled cleaner is operatively connected, and a recess portion to be detected by said sidewall sensors;

said automatic charge-controlling unit being adapted to facilitate operative connecting of said charging terminal to said electrical supply terminal of said charger device after said self-propelled cleaner moves near said charger device, and adapted to facilitate traveling of said body along a wall of a room;

said automatic charge-controlling unit comprising;

a charger device-search controlling unit adapted to receive data indicating that a forward obstacle has been detected by said forward obstacle sensor during the traveling of said body along said wall, then cause said body to be turned through an angle of 90°

, cause said encoder to conduct measuring of a travel distance of said self-propelled cleaner during the detection of said lateral obstacle that is performed by said sidewall sensors while causing said body to be traveled perpendicularly to said wall, measure a depth of said lateral obstacle, and judge on the basis of measuring results whether or not said lateral obstacle is said charger device; and

a position-registering processor adapted to receive data indicating that said body is turned through the angle of 90° and

travels in parallel with said wall, after said charger device is detected by said charger device-search controlling unit, and said recess portion has been detected by said sidewall sensors, cause the traveling of said body to be stopped, and then conduct a position-registering between said self-propelled cleaner and said charging device, wherein said self-propelled cleaner charging-type travel system is adapted cause said body to be turned through an angle of 90°

after said position-registering is performed by said position-registering processor, to thereby cause said charging terminal provided at said rear side of said self-propelled cleaner body to be opposed to said electrical supply terminal of said charger device, and thereafter cause said self-propelled device body to be moved back, to thereby said charging terminal to be operatively connected to said electrical supply terminal.

2. A charging-type travel system comprising:

a travel device adapted to self-travel; and

a charger device adapted to be set on a wall surface of a room so as to project from said wall surface;

said travel device comprising;

a driving mechanism responsible for steering and driving of said travel device;

a forward obstacle sensor for detecting a forward obstacle;

sidewall sensors for detecting a lateral obstalce;

a charging terminal for facilitating charging of said travel device; and

an automatic charge-controlling unit;

said charger device including an electrical supply terminal to which said charging terminal of said travel device is to be operatively connected;

said automatic charge-controlling unit being adapted to cause said charging terminal to be operatively connected to said electrical supply terminal of said charger device after said travel device moves near said charger device;

said automatic charge-controlling unit including a charger device-search controlling unit adapted to cause said travel device to be travel led along said wall; and

said charger device-search controlling unit being adapted to receive data indicating that said forward obstacle has been detected by said forward obstacle sensors during the traveling of said travel device along said wall, then cause said travel device to be turned through an angle of 90°

, measure a depth of said forward obstacle travel device while causing said travel device to be traveled perpendicularly to said wall, and judge on the basis of measuring results whether or not said forward obstacle is said charger device.

3. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said travel device is provided with wheels and a rotary encoder for measuring a traveling distance of said travel device from revolutions of said wheels, and wherein said charger device-search controlling unit is adapted to receive data indicating that said forward obstacle has been detected by said forward obstacle sensor during the traveling of said body along said wall, then cause said travel device to be turned through an angle of 90°

, cause said encoder to conduct the measuring of said traveling distance of said travel device during the detection of said lateral obstacle that is performed by said sidewall sensors while causing said travel device to be traveled perpendicularly to said wall, and measure a depth of said lateral obstacle.

4. A charging-type travel system according to claim 3, wherein said charger device includes a recess portion to be detected by said sidewall sensors, and wherein said automatic charge-controlling unit comprises a position-registering processor that is adapted to receive data indicating that said travel device has been turned through the angle of 90°

and has traveled in parallel with said wall, after said charger device is detected by said charger device-search controlling unit, and said recess portion has been detected by said sidewall sensors, cause the traveling of said travel device to be stopped, and then conduct a position-registering between said self-propelled cleaner and said charging device.

5. A charging-type travel system according to claim 4, wherein said charging terminal is provided at a rear side of a body of said travel device, and wherein said automatic charge-controlling unit is adapted to cause said travel device to be turned through an angle of 90°

and then cause said charging terminal provided at said rear side of said travel device body to be opposed to said electrical supply terminal of said charger device after said position-registering is performed by said position-registering processor, and thereafter cause said travel device body to be moved back, thereby cause said charging terminal to be operatively connected to said electrical supply terminal of said charger device.

6. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said travel device comprises a self-propelled cleaner that is provided with a cleaner mechanism.

7. A charging-type travel system according to claim 6, wherein driving of said self-propelled cleaner is adapted to be stopped during performing of charging by said automatic charge-controlling unit.

8. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said travel device includes image picking-up sensors and a suspicious person judging processors for analyzing image picking-up signals supplied by said image picking-up sensors and then judging whether or not a suspicious person has been detected by said image picking-up sensors.

9. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said forward obstacle sensors comprises ultrasonic sensors that comprises dispatching sections for generating ultrasonic waves and receiver sections for receiving said ultrasonic waves that are sent from said dispatching sections, reflected by a forward wall of said room, and then returned, said ultrasonic sensors being adapted to be calculate distances between said travel device and said forward wall from time required from the sending of said ultrasonic waves by said dispatching sections to the receiving of said ultrasonic waves by said receiver sections.

10. A charging-type travel system according to claim 9, wherein said ultrasonic sensors are symmetrically disposed at left and right sides of a front surface of a body of said travel device, so that when a travel direction of said travel device body is perpendicular to said forward wall, the distances that are calculated by said ultrasonic sensors provided at the left and right sides of said front surface of said travel device body are all same.

11. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said driving mechanism comprises two drive wheels provided at left and right sides of a bottom of a body of said travel device, and three supplementary wheels provided at a forward region of said bottom of said travel device body.

12. A charging-type travel system according to claim 4, wherein said position-registering recess portion is provided at a lower portion of said electrical supply terminal.

13. A charging-type travel system according to claim 12, wherein said sidewall sensors comprise photo reflectors and said recess portion is adapted to be detected by said sidewall sensors.

14. A charging-type travel system according to claim 2, wherein said sidewall sensors are comprised of photo reflectors that comprise dispatching sections for generating infrared rays and receiver sections for receiving said infrared rays reflected, and said sidewall sensors are adapted to detect sidewalls of said room.

15. A charging-type travel system according to claim 11, wherein said driving mechanism further includes motor drivers, drive wheel motors, a gear unit between said drive wheel motors and said drive wheels,

16. A charging-type travel system according to claim 13, wherein for said recess portion, reflected lights are obtained at locations where are away from said sidewall sensors, as compared to portions of said charger device except said recess portion, so that first output values of said sidewall sensors with respect to said recess portion and second output values of said sidewall sensors with respect to said portion of said charger device except said recess portion are different, said sidewall sensors being adapted to detect differences between said first and second output values, to thereby judge a presence of said recess portion.