Autonomous mobile apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017231447-A1
Application number	US-201515504593-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 10, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	Aug 17, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An autonomous mobile apparatus such that damage to a camera thereof can be avoided. The autonomous mobile apparatus includes: a main body case; a running gear for moving the main body case when placed on the floor; a driving force source for driving the running gear; a robot controller for controlling the driving force source so that the main body case autonomously moves on the floor; a bumper disposed on the front side of the main body case; and a camera unit disposed on the rear side of a side surface of the main body case and images the area behind the main body case.

First claim

1 . An autonomous mobile apparatus comprising:
a casing; a running gear adapted to move the casing on a floor surface; a driving force source adapted to drive the running gear; a controller adapted to control the driving force source so that the casing autonomously moves on the floor surface; a bumper that is provided on a front side of the casing; and a camera unit disposed on a rear side of a side face of the casing to take a photograph an area behind the casing.

2 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the camera unit is arranged to offset to either right or left from a center line of the casing in a front-rear direction.

3 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein of a photographing range of the camera unit includes an upper range provided above a horizontal direction, and a lower range provided below the horizontal direction when the casing is placed on the floor surface configured to be horizontal, the upper range is wider than the lower range.

4 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an illuminator placed beside the camera unit and adopted to illuminate a photographing range of the camera unit.

5 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein of a lighting coverage of the illuminator includes an upper coverage provided above a horizontal direction, and a lower coverage provided below the horizontal direction when the casing is placed on the floor surface configured to be horizontal, the upper coverage is wider than the lower coverage.

6 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein when the casing is placed on the floor surface configured to be horizontal, an optical axis of the illuminator is inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction.

7 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein an optical axis of the illuminator is inclined more greatly than a shooting direction of the camera unit.

8 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a shield adapted to shield part of a spread of the lighting coverage provided below the horizontal direction of light emitted from the illuminator.

9 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein of a photographing range of the camera unit includes an upper range provided above a horizontal direction, and a lower range provided below the horizontal direction when the casing is placed on the floor surface configured to be horizontal, the upper range is wider than the lower range.

10 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an illuminator placed beside the camera unit and adopted to illuminate a photographing range of the camera unit.

11 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising an illuminator placed beside the camera unit and adopted to illuminate a photographing range of the camera unit.

12 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein when the casing is placed on the floor surface configured to be horizontal, an optical axis of the illuminator is inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction.

13 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein an optical axis of the illuminator is inclined more greatly than a shooting direction of the camera unit.

14 . The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein an optical axis of the illuminator is inclined more greatly than a shooting direction of the camera unit.

Assignees

• Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corp

Inventors

• Izawa Hirokazu
• Marutani Yuuki
• Watanabe Kota
• Furuta Kazuhiro

Classifications

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• A47L9/009 Primary

  Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles · CPC title

• A47L9/30

  Arrangement of illuminating devices · CPC title

• A47L9/2852 Primary

  Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title