Self-propelled cleaner
AssigneeFunai Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorTakao Tani
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
It is an object to provide a self-propelled cleaner which facilitates restricting the raising of the cost of the self-propelled cleaner and can positively clean uncleaned areas. The self-propelled cleaner is constructed in such a manner to calculate the minimum of values (L) obtained by using the following equation (1), from present coordinates (Xc, Yc) of a place where a body has been situated, and coordinates (Xn, Yn) of uncleaned areas stored by a mapping operation, specify an uncleaned area relating to the value (L) that is the minimum, causes the body to be traveled to the uncleaned area, and cleans the uncleaned area. L=(Xc−Xn)2+(Yc−Yn)2 Equation (1).
Claims15
A self-propelled cleaner comprising:
- a body provided with a cleaner mechanism;
- a driving mechanism for realizing steering and driving of said body;
- a mapping means for mapping cleaned areas as cleaning-completed area and mapping areas, not to be cleaned, as uncleaned area, while controlling said cleaner mechanism and said driving mechanism and causing said body to be traveled;
- an ultrasonic sensor for sensing an obstacle in front of said body;
- sidewall sensors for sensing obstacles on right and left sides of said body;
- said mapping means being designed in such a manner to assume an interior of a room, that is to be cleaned, as a plane-coordinate system of an X-axis and a Y-axis, take areas to be cleaned by said body at the time of stopping of said body, as unit areas, store coordinates of said cleaning-completed areas and coordinates of said uncleaned areas, and store coordinates of places where said obstacles are present when said obstacles are present in front of said body and on the right and left sides of said body;
- an uncleaned area-searching means for calculating the minimum of values (L) obtained by using the following equation (1), from present coordinates (Xc, Yc) of a place where said body is located, and coordinates (Xn, Yn) of said uncleaned areas stored by said mapping means, and searching an uncleaned area that is generally close to a present location of said body;
- an uncleaned area-cleaning means for causing said body to be traveled to said uncleaned area that is generally close to the present location of said body and has been searched by said uncleaned area-searching means, and causing said cleaner mechanism to clean said uncleaned area;
- and
- a deleting means for deleting from said mapping means data on said uncleaned area that has been cleaned by said uncleaned area-cleaning means.
- L=(Xc−Xn)2+(Yc−Yn)2 Equation (1).
A self-propelled cleaner comprising:
- a body provided with a cleaner mechanism;
- a driving mechanism for realizing steering and driving of said body;
- a mapping means for mapping cleaned areas as cleaning-completed area and mapping areas, not to be cleaned, as uncleaned area, while controlling said cleaner mechanism and said driving mechanism and causing said body to be traveled;
- said mapping means being designed in such a manner to assume an interior of a room as a plane-coordinate system of an X-axis and a Y-axis, take ranges to be cleaned by said body at the time of stopping of said body, as unit areas, and store coordinates of said cleaning-completed areas and coordinates of said uncleaned areas;
- and
- an uncleaned area-searching means for calculating the minimum of values (L) obtained by using the following equation (1), from present coordinates (Xc, Yc) of a place where said body is located, and coordinates (Xn, Yn) of said uncleaned areas stored by said mapping means, and searching an uncleaned area that is generally close to a present location of said body.
- L=(Xc−Xn)2+(Yc−Yn)2 Equation (1).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.