Vacuum cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018296049-A1
Application number	US-201615768360-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 12, 2016
Priority date	Oct 14, 2015
Publication date	Oct 18, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner having improved obstacle detection precision. The vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, control unit, cameras, an image generation part, and a discrimination part. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The control unit controls drive of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel. The cameras are disposed apart from each other in the main casing to pick up images on a traveling-direction side of the main casing. The image generation part generates a distance image of an object positioned on the traveling-direction side based on the images picked up by the cameras. The discrimination part discriminates whether or not the picked-up object is an obstacle based on the distance image generated by the image generation part.

First claim

1 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a main casing; a driving wheel for enabling the main casing to travel; a control unit for controlling drive of the driving wheel to thereby make the main casing autonomously travel; a plurality of cameras disposed apart from each other in the main casing for picking up images on a traveling-direction side of the main casing; a distance image generation part for generating a distance image of an object positioned on the traveling-direction side based on the images picked up by the plurality of cameras; and a discrimination part for discriminating whether or not the picked-up object is an obstacle based on the distance image generated by the distance image generation part.

2 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the distance image generation part generates the distance image by use of respective data within a specified image range among data of the images picked up by the plurality of cameras.

3 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the discrimination part discriminates that, when the object in the distance image generated by the distance image generation part is positioned closer than a specified set distance which is previously set, the object is an obstacle.

4 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 3 , wherein
the distance image generation part changes the specified image range in accordance with the specified set distance.

5 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 4 , wherein
the distance image generation part sets the specified image range relatively large when the specified set distance is relatively small, and sets the specified image range relatively small when the specified set distance is relatively large.

6 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 3 , wherein
the distance image generation part sets the specified image range similar to an external shape of the main casing in accordance with the specified set distance.

7 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 3 , wherein
upon discriminating that the object is an obstacle, the discrimination part sets the specified set distance smaller to re-discriminate whether or not the object is an obstacle.

8 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 7 , wherein
when the discrimination part discriminates that the object is an obstacle, the control unit controls the driving wheel to relatively reduce traveling speed of the main casing, and the discrimination part sets the specified set distance smaller to re-discriminate whether or not the object is an obstacle in a state in which the traveling speed of the main casing is relatively reduced by the control unit.

9 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 7 , wherein
the control unit makes the main casing swing when the discrimination part discriminates that the object is an obstacle, and the discrimination part sets the specified set distance smaller to re-discriminate whether or not the object is an obstacle, after the control unit makes the main casing swing.

10 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
the control unit stops the driving wheel to stop traveling of the main casing when the discrimination part re-discriminates that the object is an obstacle.

11 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the discrimination part manages distance information of the distance image as frequency data, and also discriminates that the object is an obstacle when a frequency of a distance closer than the specified set distance is equal to or above a specified value.

12 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
three or more of the cameras are set and disposed so as to be distanced generally equally from each other, and the distance image generation part generates the distance image based on an average value of distances to the object in the images picked up respectively by two of the cameras disposed adjacent with each other.

13 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 12 , wherein
three or more of the cameras are set so as to include two disposed at a relatively narrow interval and two disposed at a relatively wide interval, the distance image generation part, when the specified set distance is relatively small, generates the distance image based on images picked up by the two of the cameras disposed at the relatively narrow interval, and when the specified set distance is relatively large, generates the distance image based on images picked up by the two of the cameras disposed at the relatively wide interval.

14 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 13 , wherein
three of the cameras are set so as to be disposed at generally equal intervals, the distance image generation part, when the specified set distance is relatively small, generates the distance image based on images picked up by two of the cameras disposed adjacent with each other, and when the specified set distance is relatively large, generates the distance image based on images picked up by two of the cameras disposed not adjacent with each other.

15 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the vacuum cleaner further comprises a light source for emitting a light beam of a wavelength to be able to be picked up by the cameras, and
the distance image generation part calculates a distance to a position on the object irradiated with a light emitted by the light source by calculating a distance of the light beam in the image.

16 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 15 , wherein
the light source irradiates the light beam within image pickup ranges overlapping with each other of the plurality of cameras for picking up images.

17 . The vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 15 , wherein
the light source emits a plurality of light beams.

18 . A control method for a vacuum cleaner in which a main casing having a plurality of cameras is enabled to autonomously travel, the plurality of cameras being disposed apart from each other for picking up images on a traveling-direction side, the method comprising the steps of: generating a distance image of an object positioned on the traveling-direction side based on images picked up by the plurality of cameras; and discriminating whether or not the picked-up object is an obstacle based on the generated distance image.

Assignees

• Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A47L9/0472

  Discs · CPC title

• G01C3/06

  Use of electric means to obtain final indication · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

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

• A47L9/0411

  driven by electric motor · CPC title

• A47L9/28 Primary

  Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means · CPC title