Cleaning support method, cleaning support device, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a cleaning support program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018252534-A1
Application number	US-201815897433-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 15, 2018
Priority date	Mar 1, 2017
Publication date	Sep 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A terminal device includes a processor that obtains person-present position information indicating a position of a person in a predetermined space cleanable by an autonomous cleaner. The terminal device divides the predetermined space into a multiple cleaning target areas to be individually cleaned by the autonomous cleaner, and determines, based on the person-present position information and among the cleaning target areas, a person-present cleaning target area where the person is present. The terminal device also determines surrounding cleaning target areas that surround the person-present cleaning target area. The terminal device further includes, a display that displays, non-cleanable areas and cleanable areas of the cleaning target areas, using different forms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cleaning support method for a cleaning support device having a processor, a display, and a memory, the cleaning support device supports cleaning by an autonomous cleaner in a predetermined space, the method comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, an electronic floor plan of the predetermined space, the predetermined space being a cleaning range of the autonomous cleaner; obtaining, by the processor, person-present position information indicating a position of a person in the predetermined space; dividing, by the processor, the predetermined space into a plurality of cleaning target areas to be individually cleaned by the autonomous cleaner; determining, by the processor and based on the person-present position information, a person-present cleaning target area, among the plurality of cleaning target areas, occupied by the person; determining, by the processor, surrounding cleaning target areas that surround the person-present cleaning target area; and displaying, on the display, non-cleanable areas and cleanable areas among the plurality of cleaning target areas, wherein the non-cleanable areas include the person-present cleaning target area and the surrounding cleaning target areas, the cleanable areas include cleaning target areas other than the non-cleanable areas, and the non-cleanable areas are displayed differently from the cleanable areas.

2 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving on an input, among the displayed cleanable areas and the non-cleanable areas, a selection of an area to be cleaned by the autonomous cleaner; and when the area selected to be cleaned corresponds to the cleanable areas, outputting area selection information indicating the selected cleanable area.

3 . The cleaning support method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
when the area selected to be cleaned corresponds to the non-cleanable areas, outputting, notification information to notify that the autonomous cleaner cannot clean the area selected to be cleaned.

4 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, stay time information indicating stay time of the person in the person-present cleaning target area; and displaying, by the display, the stay time in the person-present cleaning target area based on the obtained stay time information.

5 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, stay time information indicating stay time of the person in the person-present cleaning target area; displaying, by the display, the person-present cleaning target area; and displaying the stay time of the person corresponding to the obtained stay time information.

6 . The cleaning support method according to claim 5 , wherein the stay time of the person is displayed in the person-present cleaning target area.

7 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the person-present cleaning target area includes
a first person-present cleaning target area, and
a second person-present cleaning target area that is different from the first person-present cleaning target area,
wherein the surrounding cleaning target areas include
a first surrounding cleaning target area adjacent to the first person-present cleaning target area, and
a second surrounding cleaning target area adjacent to the second person-present cleaning target area, and
wherein, when the first surrounding cleaning target area and the second surrounding cleaning target area partially overlap one another, overlapping portions including a first portion of the first surrounding cleaning target area and a first portion of the second surrounding cleaning target area that overlap one another, and non-overlapping portions including a second portion of the first surrounding cleaning target area and a second portion of the second surrounding cleaning target area that do not overlap, the overlapping portions and the non-overlapping portions are displayed differently to be distinguishable from one another.

8 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the person-present cleaning target area includes
a first person-present cleaning target area,
a second person-present cleaning target area that is different from the first person-present cleaning target area, and
a third person-present cleaning target area that is different from the first person-present cleaning target area and the second person-present cleaning target area,
wherein the surrounding cleaning target areas include
a first surrounding cleaning target area adjacent to the first person-present cleaning target area,
a second surrounding cleaning target area adjacent to the second person-present cleaning target area, and
a third surrounding cleaning target area adjacent to the third person-present cleaning target area, and
wherein, when the first surrounding cleaning target area, the second surrounding cleaning target area and the third surrounding cleaning target area partially overlap one another, overlapping portions including the first portion of the first surrounding cleaning target area, the first portion of the second surrounding cleaning target area, and the first portion of the third surrounding cleaning target area that overlap one another, and partially overlapping portions including a second portion of the second surrounding cleaning target area, a second portion of the third surrounding cleaning target area that overlap one another but do not overlap the first surrounding cleaning target area, the overlapping portions and the partially overlapping portions are displayed differently to be distinguishable from one another.

9 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, position information indicating a current position of the autonomous cleaner in the predetermined space; generating, by the processor, routes for the autonomous cleaner to travel from the current position to each of the plurality of cleaning target areas, based on the obtained position information; and changing, by the processor, when the person-present cleaning target area or one of the surrounding cleaning target areas is included on a route from the current position of the autonomous cleaner to a particular cleaning target area corresponding to one of the cleanable areas, the one of the cleanable areas corresponding to the particular cleaning target area to a non-cleanable area.

10 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
managing, by the processor, cleaning history information of the autonomous cleaner regarding each of the plurality of cleaning target areas; and displaying, on the display, each of the cleanable areas in accordance with elapsed time from its last cleaning time , based on the cleaning history information regarding each of the plurality of cleanable areas.

11 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, position information indicating a current position of the autonomous cleaner in the predetermined space; generating, by the processor, routes for the autonomous cleaner to travel from the current position to each of the plurality of cleaning target areas, based on the obtained position information; and displaying, on the display, each of the cleanable areas in accordance with distance of the routes.

12 . The cleaning support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the processor, surrounding areas for each of the plurality of cleaning target areas;

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Kuhara Shunsuke

Classifications

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• A47L9/2805 Primary

  Parameters or conditions being sensed · CPC title

• G01C21/206 Primary

  specially adapted for indoor navigation · CPC title

• G05D2201/0215

  Physics · mapped topic

• A47L9/2847

  Surface treating elements · CPC title