Dust detection apparatus and dust detection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9529086-B2
Application number	US-201514664951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 9, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A dust detection apparatus includes a dust measuring unit that measures an amount of dust in air, a controller that determines a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on the measured amount of dust or a predetermined dust accumulation position candidate, a flight controller that controls a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction, and a communication unit that sends, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position determined based on the measured amount of dust and the amount of dust measured by the dust measuring unit at the dust accumulation position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dust detection apparatus comprising:
a memory that stores predetermined dust accumulation candidate positions, including a first position and a second position;
a dust sensor that measures a first plurality of air dust amounts at the first position in a plurality of directions, the first plurality of air dust amounts including a first air dust amount at the first position in a first direction of the plurality of directions;
a controller that determines a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus, the moving direction being a direction directed toward the second position, when the first plurality of air dust amounts do not exceed a threshold, and the moving direction being the first direction when the first air dust amount exceeds the threshold and is the largest of the first plurality of the air dust amounts;
a flight controller that controls a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction; and
a communicator that sends, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position an air dust amount at the dust accumulation position,
wherein the dust sensor further measures a second plurality of air dust amounts at a location during movement of the dust detection apparatus in the first direction, and
when the second plurality of air dust amounts are less than the first plurality of air dust amounts, the controller determines the location as the dust accumulation position, and changes the moving direction from the first direction to the direction directed toward the second position.

2. A dust detection apparatus comprising:
a dust sensor that measures an amount of dust in air;
a controller that determines a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on the measured amount of dust or a predetermined dust accumulation candidate position;
a flight controller that controls a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction; and
a communicator that sends, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position determined based on the measured amount of dust, and the amount of dust measured by the dust sensor at the dust accumulation position,
a furniture shape sensor that detects a shape of indoor furniture,
wherein furniture having a large cross section viewed in a vertical direction is determined as the dust accumulation candidate position, based on the detected shape of indoor furniture.

3. The dust detection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a guiding processor that guides a user to the dust accumulation position.

4. A dust detection apparatus comprising:
a dust sensor that measures an amount of dust in air;
a controller that determines a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on the measured amount of dust or a predetermined dust accumulation candidate position;
a flight controller that controls a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction;
a communicator that sends, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position determined based on the measured amount of dust, and the amount of dust measured by the dust sensor at the dust accumulation position; and
a guiding processor that guides a user to the dust accumulation position,
wherein, when there is a plurality of dust accumulation positions, the server divides the plurality of dust accumulation positions into a plurality of sets based on the amount of dust, and
the guiding processor guides the user in order from the dust accumulation positions included in each of the plurality of sets having the larger amount of dust.

5. The dust detection apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, the server determines a guiding order to the dust accumulation positions based on the amount of dust and on a moving distance of the user to the dust accumulation positions.

6. The dust detection apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the guiding processor guides the user to a position that the user selects from the dust accumulation positions.

7. A dust detection apparatus comprising:
a dust sensor that measures an amount of dust in air;
a controller that determines a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on the measured amount of dust or a predetermined dust accumulation candidate position;
a flight controller that controls a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction;
a communicator that sends, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position determined based on the measured amount of dust, and the amount of dust measured by the dust sensor at the dust accumulation position; and
a straw-shaped dust collector that takes air into the dust sensor from a distal end of the straw shape,
wherein the straw-shaped dust collector is extendable and retractable downwardly from a body of the dust detection apparatus such that the distal end of the straw-shaped dust collector protrudes in an oblique direction to an outside of an area directly below a bottom of the body of the dust detection apparatus.

8. A dust detection method using a dust detection apparatus, the dust detection method comprising:
storing predetermined dust accumulation candidate positions, including a first position and a second position;
measuring a first plurality of air dust amounts at the first position in a plurality of directions, the first plurality of air dust amounts including a first air dust amount at the first position in a first direction of the plurality of directions;
determining a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus, the moving direction being a direction directed toward the second position, when the first plurality of air dust amounts do not exceed a threshold, and the moving direction being the first direction when the first air dust amount exceeds the threshold and is the largest of the first plurality of the air dust amounts;
controlling a flight of the dust detection apparatus in the determined moving direction;
measuring a second plurality of air dust amounts at a location during movement of the dust detection apparatus in the first direction,
determining, when the second plurality of air dust amounts are less than the first plurality of air dust amounts, the location as a dust accumulation position, and changing the moving direction from the first direction to the direction directed toward the second position; and
sending, to a server, location information of the dust accumulation position an air dust amount at the dust accumulation position.

9. A dust detection method using a dust detection apparatus, the dust detection method comprising:
measuring an amount of dust in air by a dust sensor;
determining, by a processor of the dust detection apparatus, a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on the measured amount of dust or a predetermined dust accumulation candidate position;
controlling, by the processor, a flight of the dust detection apparatus to the determined moving direction; and
sending, by the processor, to a server, location information of a dust accumulation position determined based on the measured amount of dust, and the measured amount of dust at the dust accumulation position;
detecting a shape of indoor furniture; and
determining furniture having a large cross section viewed in a vertical direction as the dust accumulation candidate position, based on the detected shape of indoor furniture.

10. A dust detection method using a dust detection apparatus, the dust detection method comprising:
measuring an amount of dust in air by a dust sensor;
determining, by a processor of the dust detection apparatus, a moving direction of the dust detection apparatus based on t

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Taoka Hiroki
• Kayama Hiroyuki
• Takei Ichiro

Classifications

• B64C2201/027

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G01S17/88

  Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• A47L11/00 Primary

  Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• A47L2201/06

  Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning · CPC title