JP6505802B2 - Self-propelled electronic device and control method of self-propelled electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled electronic device that moves based on travel route information received via a communication network, and an electronic device control system that instructs the communication terminal device to move the self-propelled electronic device via the communication network. And an electronic device control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique for controlling the operation of various home appliances from a communication terminal device such as a mobile telephone via a communication network.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a robot cleaner provided with a control unit for creating a cleaning map of a cleaning area by driving the robot cleaner to search a cleaning area, and a cleaning map received from the robot cleaner And a wireless terminal device that generates a control signal for moving the robot cleaner to a position according to an instruction from the user input with reference to the displayed cleaning map, and transmits the control signal to the robot cleaner System is disclosed.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent 2011-233149 (November 17, 2011 publication)

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, in order to move the robot cleaner to the position instructed by the user, it is necessary to make the robot cleaner accurately detect the position of the robot cleaner. And in the technique of patent document 1, in order to make a robot vacuum cleaner detect the position of the robot vacuum cleaner correctly, a plurality of marks are formed beforehand on the ceiling, and the plurality of marks are first time and second time. By taking pictures at each time, the movement distance of the robot cleaner from the first time to the second time is calculated.

  For this reason, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form a plurality of marks on the ceiling in advance, which takes time and effort. Further, since the movement control of the robot cleaner can be performed only within the range where the position detection based on the mark formed on the ceiling is possible, the range where the position control of the robot cleaner can be performed is limited.

  Further, as a method of accurately detecting the position of the robot cleaner, a method of performing position control using, for example, a GPS signal can be considered, but such a method causes an increase in the cost of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to move a self-propelled electronic device moving based on movement route information received through a communication network according to a user's instruction. To move easily and accurately.

  A self-propelled electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention is a self-propelled electronic device capable of returning to a reference position set in advance, the mobile driving device for causing the self-propelled electronic device to travel, and the mobile drive A control unit that controls the control unit, the control unit facing the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position with the front surface of the self-propelled electronic device facing the direction of the reference position The movement drive unit is controlled to return the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position by advancing the position to the position, turning the self-propelled electronic device at the position and then retracting the reference position. It is.

  A control method of a self-propelled electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention is a control method of a self-propelled electronic device capable of returning to a preset reference position, which controls traveling of the self-propelled electronic device. The control step, wherein the control step advances the self-propelled electronic device to a position opposite to the reference position in a state where the front surface of the self-propelled electronic device faces the direction of the reference position; After the self-propelled electronic device is turned, the self-propelled electronic device is returned to the reference position by retracting the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position.

  According to the self-propelled electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention, the self-propelled electronic device can be used as the user's device without necessarily detecting the position of the self-propelled electronic device at the time of receiving an instruction from the user. It is possible to accurately move to the destination according to the instruction. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a means for accurately detecting the position of the self-propelled electronic device, the user can easily and accurately move to the destination according to the user's instruction without increasing the cost of the self-propelled electronic device. It is possible to realize a self-propelled electronic device that can be

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the self-propelled electronic device concerning one Embodiment of this invention, and an electronic device control system provided with the same. It is a perspective view of the self-propelled electronic device (self-propelled vacuum cleaner) with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is sectional drawing of the self-propelled electronic device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is a top view of the bottom face of the self-propelled electronic device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the charging stand to which the self-propelled electronic device shown to FIGS. 2-4 is connected. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the driving prohibition range information corresponding to an icon and the said icon which are memorize | stored in the server apparatus with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the driving prohibition range information corresponding to an icon and the said icon which are memorize | stored in the server apparatus with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of household appliance information memorize | stored in the server apparatus with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in the case of moving the self-propelled electronic device to the desired destination in the electronic device control system shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the communication terminal device with which the electronic device control system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the layout information used with the electronic device control system shown in FIG.

  One embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(1-1. Overall Configuration of Electronic Device Control System 100)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an electronic device control system 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the electronic device control system 100 includes a communication terminal device 10, a self-propelled electronic device 20, and a server device (layout information creation device) 80, and these devices are connected via the communication network 90. Communication is possible. Further, the communication terminal device 10 and the self-propelled electronic device 20 have a function of performing inter-device communication between the two devices without passing through the communication network 90. The number of self-propelled electronic devices 20 provided in the electronic device control system 100 is not limited to one, and a plurality of self-propelled electronic devices 20 may be provided. Similarly, the number of communication terminal devices 10 is not limited to one, and a plurality of communication terminal devices 10 may be provided.

(1-1-1. Configuration of communication terminal device 10)
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal device 10 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The configuration of the communication terminal device 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a communication terminal device having the functions of the above-described units. For example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), a personal computer, a mobile A type game machine etc. can be used.

  The control unit 11 is a control unit of the communication terminal device 10 that controls the operation of each unit of the communication terminal device 10. The control unit 11 is, for example, an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or a dedicated processor, and a storage unit such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), or a hard disk drive (HDD). And the like, and reads out and executes various information stored in the storage unit and a program for performing various controls, thereby controlling the operation of each unit of the communication terminal device 10.

  The communication unit 12 has a function (for example, a long-distance communication function, for example, a communication function used in an after-mentioned mode to be described later) for communicating with another device existing at a remote location via the communication network 90 This is communication means provided with a function (near field communication function, for example, communication function used at the time of an indoor mode described later) for performing communication between other apparatuses existing in the same facility).

  As a communication network 90 used by the above-mentioned telecommunications function, the Internet, a telephone network, a mobile communication network, a CATV communication network, a satellite communication network etc. are mentioned, for example.

  In addition, as the above-mentioned short distance communication function, for example, WiFi (registered trademark) in which wireless devices are mutually connected using IEEE 802.11 (IEEE 802.11a or IEEE 802.11b) which is one of wireless LAN standards. Use the communication function of the device, the communication function based on the wireless LAN standard other than IEEE 802.11, the communication function using the short distance wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark), the infrared communication function, etc. it can. Note that the communication network of the present application includes both the long-distance communication function and the short-distance communication function.

  The display unit 13 displays various information to be presented to the user according to an instruction of the control unit 11. The configuration of the display unit 13 is not particularly limited, and, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL panel, a plasma display panel, or the like can be used.

  The operation unit 14 receives an operation input from a user and transmits the operation input to the control unit 11. The configuration of the operation unit 14 is not particularly limited, and various conventionally known operation input means can be used. In the present embodiment, a touch panel having the function of the display unit 13 and the function of the operation unit 14 is used.

  The storage unit 15 is a storage unit that stores various types of information used in the communication terminal device 10. The configuration of the storage unit 15 is not particularly limited, and conventionally known storage means can be used.

(1-1-2. Configuration of Self-propelled Electronic Device 20)
The self-propelled electronic device 20 has a function of performing an operation according to an instruction from the user to an operation unit (an operation unit 23 described later) provided in the own device and an operation according to a control command from the communication terminal device 10. It is a home appliance. In the present embodiment, the case where the self-propelled electronic device 20 is a self-propelled cleaner will be mainly described. However, the configuration of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is not limited to this, and a self-propelled electronic device (electronic device having a moving function) having a function of performing an operation according to a control command from the communication terminal device 10 If it is For example, the self-propelled electronic device 20 may be an air cleaning device, an imaging device, an AV device, various robot devices (for example, a housework support robot, an animal robot, etc.).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the self-propelled electronic device 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, an operation unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a device function unit 25.

  The control unit 21 is a control unit of the self-propelled electronic device 20 that controls the operation of each part of the self-propelled electronic device 20. The control unit 21 is, for example, a computer device including an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU and a dedicated processor, and a storage unit (all not shown) such as a RAM, a ROM, and an HDD. The operation of each part of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is controlled by reading and executing the various information and the program for performing the various controls.

  The communication unit 22 has a function (long-distance communication function) for communicating with another device existing at a remote place via the communication network 90, and another device existing in a communicable range (for example, in the same facility). It is a communication means provided with the function (short distance communication function) which performs communication between apparatuses. As the communication unit 22, for example, the same one as the communication unit 12 provided in the communication terminal device 10 can be used.

  The operation unit 23 receives an instruction input from the user and transmits it to the control unit 21. The configuration of the operation unit 23 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a key operation button, a touch panel, or a combination thereof.

  The storage unit 24 is a storage unit that stores various types of information used in the self-propelled electronic device 20. The configuration of the storage unit 24 is not particularly limited, and, for example, various types of RAM, ROM, HDD and the like can be used.

  The device function unit 25 executes the device function of the self-propelled electronic device 20 according to an instruction of the control unit 21. For example, when the self-propelled electronic device 20 is a self-propelled cleaner, the device function unit 25 executes a traveling function (moving function), a cleaning function (dust collecting function), an imaging function, and the like. When the self-propelled electronic device 20 is an air cleaning device, a photographing device, an AV device, various robots, etc., the device function unit 25 has device functions (for example, a traveling function, an air cleaning function) provided for each device. , Shooting function, moving function etc.).

  In the present embodiment, the self-propelled electronic device 20 is a self-propelled cleaner, and as shown in FIG. 1, the device function unit 25 includes a movement drive unit 61, a brush drive unit 62, a fan drive unit 63, and imaging. A drive wheel 32, a rotating brush 44, a side brush 45, a suction fan 58, an ultrasonic sensor 41, an infrared transmission unit 36, a voltage detection unit 64, a battery 31, a charging terminal 49, and a conduction detection unit 65 are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a self-propelled electronic device 20 (self-propelled cleaner) according to the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled electronic device 20, and FIG. It is a top view of the bottom (floor side) of 20. FIG.

  The self-propelled electronic device 20 includes a self-propelled electronic device 20 (self-propelled vacuum cleaner) main body and a battery (secondary battery) 31 formed of a substantially disk-shaped casing 30 having an outer diameter of about 35 cm. The drive wheel 32 is driven by using the drive wheel 32 as a power supply source, and has a function of collecting dust (cleaning) while traveling on its own.

  A lid 34, an operation unit 35, and an infrared transmission unit 36 are provided on the top surface of the housing 30. In addition, although the housing | casing 30 has a shape where the upper surface and bottom face comprise a circle in this embodiment, the shape of the housing | casing 30 is not specifically limited.

  The lid portion 34 can be opened and closed with respect to the housing 30. By opening the lid portion 34, the dust collection container 38 accommodated in the dust collection portion 37 in the housing 30 is attached and detached. It is possible to discard the waste inside.

  The operation unit 35 is provided with an operation switch (operation unit) for receiving input of data such as various instructions from the user, characters, and numbers, and a display (display unit) for displaying various information to be presented to the user. . The operation unit 35 may be provided as a touch panel.

  The infrared transmission unit 36 is for transmitting an infrared signal (remote control signal) from the self-propelled electronic device 20 to another home appliance. In the present embodiment, the infrared transmitting unit 36 is provided with a plurality of infrared light sources arranged so that the main axis directions of the emitted light are different from each other, thereby comparing the self-propelled electronic device 20 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The infrared signal can be output in a wide range of angles. The configuration of the infrared transmitting unit 36 is not particularly limited, and the number of installed infrared light sources and the emission angle range of infrared signals may be set as appropriate. For example, an infrared signal may be emitted from the self-propelled electronic device 20 in all directions or in a wide range by arranging a lens at a position facing the emission surface of the infrared light source. Further, the infrared transmitting unit 36 may be provided to the self-propelled electronic device 20 or may be detachably attached to the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  A bumper 39 is provided on the side surface of the housing 30 to reduce the impact on the housing 30 when the housing 30 collides with a wall or the like. In addition, an imaging unit 40 is provided in a hole provided in a part of the bumper 39, and an ultrasonic sensor 41 is provided in another hole provided in a part of the bumper 39.

  The imaging unit 40 captures an image (a moving image and / or a still image) around the self-propelled electronic device 20 to generate captured data. The configuration of the imaging unit 40 is not particularly limited, and conventionally known imaging means can be used. For example, an imaging unit provided with an optical lens, a color filter, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) as a light receiving element, or the like may be used. In addition to the imaging unit 40, a voice acquisition unit (not shown) may be provided to acquire voices around the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  The ultrasonic sensor 41 outputs an ultrasonic wave toward the periphery of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by an obstacle, whereby a fault existing around the self-propelled electronic device 20 Detect the position of the object.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the drive wheel 32, the front wheel 47, the rear wheel 48, the rotating brush 44, the side brush 45, and the suction port 46 are provided on the bottom surface of the housing 30.

  The driving wheels 32 are respectively provided on both ends of a center line 32 a of a circle formed by the bottom surface of the housing 30. Each of the drive wheels 32 is attached to a rotation axis (not shown) parallel to the center line 32 a in a state where a part of each drive wheel 32 protrudes from the bottom surface of the housing 30. Each of the rotary shafts is rotationally driven by driving a movement drive unit 61 (see FIG. 1), a motor, a gear (not shown), etc. using electric power supplied from the battery 31. Thereby, each drive wheel 32 rotates and the self-propelled electronic device 20 self-travels on the floor surface.

  In addition, each drive wheel 32 is rotationally driven separately, and when each drive wheel 32 is rotationally driven in the same direction, the self-propelled electronic device 20 is in the rotation direction of each drive wheel 32. Move forward or backward accordingly. In addition, when the drive wheels 32 are rotationally driven in opposite directions, the self-propelled electronic device 20 rotates (turns) in a direction parallel to the bottom on the spot according to the rotation direction of the drive wheels 32. . Thereby, the advancing direction of self-propelled electronic device 20 can be changed. The self-propelled electronic device 20 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting when the bumper 39 collides with a wall or the like, and travels when the self-propelled electronic device 20 collides with the wall or the like during movement The movement may be continued by changing the direction. In addition, obstacles such as walls and furniture are detected according to the detection result of the ultrasonic sensor 41, the imaging result of the imaging unit 40, etc., and the self-propelled electronic device 20 moves avoiding the obstacle automatically. May be

  In addition, a rectangular suction port 46 formed of a concave portion recessed inward of the housing 30 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 30, and a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 30 is provided in the concave portion of the suction port 46. There is provided a rotating brush 44 which rotates along the Further, side brushes 45 that rotate along a rotation axis perpendicular to the bottom surface of the housing 30 are provided at positions close to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the suction port 46 with respect to the suction port 46. The rotating brush 44 and the side brush 45 rotationally drive the rotating shaft of the rotating brush 44 and the side brush 45 by the power supplied from the battery 31 according to the instruction from the control unit 21 by the brush drive unit 62 (see FIG. 1). Rotate by.

  Furthermore, a roller-shaped front wheel 47 is provided on the bottom of the housing 30 further to the front of the suction port 46. In the vicinity of the rear end (rear end) of the bottom surface of the housing 30, a rear wheel 48 composed of a free wheel is provided. When the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed on a flat floor surface, the rotary brush 44, the driving wheel 32, and the rear wheel 48 are in contact with the floor surface F while the front wheel 47 is separated from the floor surface F The weight distribution in the front-rear direction is set in, and the cleaning is performed with the front wheels 47 separated from the floor surface F. Therefore, dust in front of the path can be guided to the suction port 46 without being blocked by the front wheel 47. When a step appears on the path, the front wheel 47 is grounded to the step so that the self-propelled electronic device 20 can easily get over the step.

  At the rear end of the circumferential surface (side surface) of the housing 30, a charging terminal 49 used when charging the battery 31 is provided so as to be exposed from the housing 30 to the outside. In the present embodiment, at the rear end of the circumferential surface of the housing 30, two charging terminals 49 extending in a direction substantially horizontal to the floor surface are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The installation position and the number of the charging terminals 49 are not limited to this.

  When charging the battery 31, as shown in FIG. 3, the self-propelled electronic device 20 is returned to the charging stand (home position) 70, and the charging terminal 49 provided on the charging stand 70 is charged. The battery 31 is charged by bringing the battery 31 into contact. The charging stand 70 is usually installed so that the back side (the side opposite to the side on which the power supply terminal 71 is provided) faces the side wall S in the room, and the power supplied from the commercial power source is supplied through the power supply terminal 71. It supplies the self-propelled electronic device 20. Further, the charging stand 70 is disposed at a predetermined position on the floor surface so as not to move.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the charging stand 70. As shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, on the front surface of the charging stand 70 (the surface facing the circumferential surface of the housing 30), the self-propelled electronic device 20 can be brought into contact with the charging terminal 49 of the self-propelled electronic device 20. The same number of feed terminals 71 as the number of the charge terminals 49 are provided so as to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the floor surface. Each feed terminal 71 is urged to protrude from the front surface of the charging stand 70 to the outside of the charging stand 70 by urging means such as a spring (not shown), and the self-propelled electronic device 20 is returned to the charging stand 70 When docking is performed, the charging terminal 49 pushes the feeding terminal 71 in the direction opposite to the biasing force by the biasing means, and pushes back until the tip surface of the feeding terminal 71 and the front surface of the charging stand 70 become substantially flat. It is possible. Then, while the charging terminal 49 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is in contact (electrically connected) with the feeding terminal 71 of the charging stand 70, the front end face of the feeding terminal 71 is pushed until it becomes substantially flat with the front face of the charging stand 70 The feed terminal 71 is electrically connected to a contact (not shown) provided inside the charging stand 70, and the power supplied from the commercial power source to the charging stand 70 is self-propelled via the feed terminal 71 and the charging terminal 49. It is supplied to the electronic device 20 and the battery 31 is charged.

  The battery 31 is a power supply source of the entire self-propelled electronic device 20. Although the configuration of the battery 31 is not particularly limited, for example, a lead battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a lithium ion battery, or a capacitor can be used. Preferably, the battery 31 is a large capacity rechargeable battery capable of repeated charge and discharge.

  The voltage detection unit 64 detects the voltage of the battery 31 and calculates the charge amount of the battery 31 from the detected voltage.

  The energization detection unit 65 determines the amount of energization from the feeding terminal 71 to the charging terminal 49 (the current value of the current supplied from the feeding terminal 71 to the battery 31 through the charging terminal 49 and / or the charging terminal 49 by the feeding terminal 71). To detect the voltage value applied to the

  In the housing 30, a dust collection unit 37 for collecting dust is disposed. The dust collection unit 37 is housed in a dust collection chamber 50 provided inside the housing 30. The dust collection chamber 50 is composed of an isolation chamber in which circumferential surfaces and bottom surfaces of the four sides are covered, and is formed extending in the axial direction of the rotating brush 44 so as to partition the inside of the housing 30. Each wall surface of the dust collection chamber 50 is closed except for an axially extending front wall of the rotating brush 44. A first air intake passage 51 communicating with the suction port 46 is provided on the front wall of the dust collection chamber 50.

  The dust collection unit 37 is opened to the outside of the housing 30 by opening the lid 34 of the housing 30. The dust collection portion 37 is formed by attaching an upper cover 53 having a filter 52 on the top of a bottomed dust collection container 38. The upper cover 53 is locked to the dust collection container 38 by a movable locking portion (not shown), and the upper surface of the dust collection container 38 is opened and closed by operation of the locking portion. Thereby, the dust accumulated in the dust collection container 38 can be discarded.

  An inflow passage 54 communicating with the first intake passage 51 is provided on the circumferential surface of the dust collection container 38. Further, in the dust collection container 38, an inflow portion 54b for guiding the air flow downward by bending continuously to the inflow path 54 is provided. An outflow passage 55 communicating the inside of the dust collection container 38 with the second intake passage 56 is provided on the circumferential surface of the upper cover 53. The second intake passage 56 is disposed to communicate a motor unit 57 described later with the outflow passage 55.

  A gasket (not shown) closely contacting the front wall of the dust collection chamber 50 is provided around the opening in the inflow passage 54 and the outflow passage 55. Thereby, the inside of the dust collection chamber 50 which accommodated the dust collection part 37 is sealed.

  A control substrate 42 is disposed at the upper rear of the dust collection chamber 50 in the housing 30. The control board 42 is provided with a control unit 21 that controls each part of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and a storage unit 24 that stores various data. A battery 31 is disposed at the rear lower portion of the dust collection chamber 50. The battery 31 is charged by the power supplied from the charging stand 70 through the charging terminal 49, and supplies power to the control board 42, the driving wheel 32, the rotating brush 44, the side brush 45, the suction fan 58 and the like.

  In the self-propelled electronic device 20, when a cleaning operation is instructed, the suction fan 58, the driving wheel 32, the rotating brush 44, and the side brush 45 are driven by the power supplied from the battery 31. The suction fan 58 is driven by the fan drive unit 63 (see FIG. 1) driving the motor unit 57. As a result, in the self-propelled electronic device 20, the rotary brush 44, the driving wheel 32, and the rear wheel 48 are in contact with the floor surface F and self-propelled in a predetermined cleaning area, dust on the floor surface F from the suction port 46 Containing air flow is sucked. At this time, dust on the floor surface F is scraped up by the rotation of the rotating brush 44 and guided into the suction port 46. Further, dust on the side of the suction port 46 is guided to the suction port 46 by the rotation of the side brush 45.

  The air flow sucked from the suction port 46 flows into the dust collection portion 37 via the first air intake passage 51 as shown by arrow A1 in FIG. The air flow that has flowed into the dust collection unit 37 collects dust by the filter 52 and flows out of the dust collection unit 37 through the outflow passage 55. Thereby, dust is collected in the dust collection container 38 and accumulated. The air flow that has flowed out of the dust collection unit 37 flows into the suction fan 58 of the motor unit 57 via the second air intake passage 56 as indicated by an arrow A2.

  The air flow having passed through the suction fan 58 is exhausted from the exhaust port 59 provided on the upper surface of the housing 30 to the upper rear of the self-propelled electronic device 20 as shown by an arrow A3.

(1-1-3. Configuration of Server Device 80)
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the server device 80 includes a control unit 81, a communication unit 82, and a storage unit 83.

  The control unit 81 is a control unit of the server device 80 that controls the operation of each unit of the server device 80. The control unit 81 is, for example, a computer including an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU and a dedicated processor, and a storage unit (not shown) such as a RAM, a ROM, and an HDD. The operation of each part of the server device 80 is controlled by reading out and executing various information and programs for performing various controls. Further, the control unit 81 has a function of reading out and executing the electronic device control application stored in the electronic device control application storage unit 84.

  The communication unit 82 is a communication unit that communicates with another device via the communication network 90. As the communication network 90, each configuration described above can be used.

  The storage unit 83 is a storage unit that stores various types of information used in the electronic device control system 100, and includes an electronic device control application storage unit 84 and a setting information storage unit 85.

  The electronic device control application storage unit 84 controls the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 from the communication terminal device 10 via the communication network 90, and registers various setting information related to control of the self-propelled electronic device 20. Store the electronic device control application to be launched.

  As the above-described electronic device control application, for example, a setting application for generating and registering setting information related to the self-propelled electronic device 20, an authentication application for performing login authentication, an imaging function for the self-propelled electronic device 20 Device function execution applications that execute "Kansu" function), cleaning function ("Soji" function), transfer function ("Ido" function), home appliance operation function ("Kaden" function) and the like.

  In the present embodiment, when the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is controlled from the communication terminal device 10 via the communication network 90 or when various settings relating to the self-propelled electronic device 20 are performed, the user The server device 80 is accessed to activate the electronic device control application, and various instruction inputs are performed while referring to the interface screen provided by the electronic device control application. Thereby, the electronic device control application generates a control command according to the instruction input from the user and transmits it to the self-propelled electronic device 20, and causes the self-propelled electronic device 20 to execute an operation according to the instruction input. Alternatively, the electronic device control application generates setting information in accordance with an instruction input from the user, and causes the setting information storage unit 85 to store the setting information.

  The setting information to be stored in the setting information storage unit 85 includes, for example, (i) a user that associates the self-propelled electronic device 20 with the user information of the user who is permitted to control the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20. Authentication information, (ii) terminal authentication information in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 and the communication terminal device 10 permitting operation control of the self-propelled electronic device 20 are associated, (iii) the self-propelled electronic device 20 is arranged Layout information (room layout information) of the space (area) being processed is included. Here, the layout information is information regarding a space (region) in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed or an object existing in the space, and in particular, the information regarding the outer shape, arrangement, and properties of the space or the object It is information including at least one or more pieces of information.

  FIG. 22 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of layout information. As shown in this figure, the layout information includes, for example, (1) layout outer shape information indicating the size and shape of a space (a room, a house, a facility, etc.) in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed, (2) Arrangement information indicating the arrangement state of arrangement objects such as furniture and home appliances, (3) travel prohibited area information indicating an area where the self-propelled electronic device 20 can not travel (or an area where the self-propelled electronic device 20 is not desired to travel) , (4) The manufacturer name and model name of the home electric appliance disposed in the space where the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed, the name given to the home electric appliance by the user, and the operation of the home electric appliance by remote control operation The control information includes operation contents that can be instructed, operation signal information (a frequency, a signal waveform, etc.) indicating a remote control signal (operation signal) for performing the operation of each of the operation contents, and the like. The operation signal information may be operation signal information optionally learned by the user. The operation signal information can be acquired, for example, by recording an operation signal emitted by the remote controller, as in a commercially available learning remote controller. The layout information is set in advance by the user and stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Then, when the user inputs an instruction to the electronic device control application, the electronic device control application generates an interface screen (layout screen) to be displayed on the communication terminal device 10 based on the layout information, or the self-propelled electronic device 20 To select (search) the movement route when moving the

  In the present embodiment, the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is controlled from the communication terminal device 10 via the server device 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication terminal device 10 or the self-propelled electronic device 20 is provided with the function of the server device 80, and the communication terminal device 10 accesses the self-propelled electronic device 20 via the communication network 90 or inter-device communication (short distance communication). By doing this, the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 may be controlled. In this case, the communication terminal device 10 or the self-propelled electronic device 20 is an example of the layout information creation device of the present invention. Further, a part of the functions of the server device 80 of the present embodiment may be provided in the communication terminal device 10 or the self-propelled electronic device 20. In this case, the server device 80 and the communication terminal device 10 and / or the self-propelled electronic device 20 are an example of the layout information creation device of the present application.

(1-2. Launch of electronic device control application)
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the state transition of the display screen displayed on the communication terminal device 10 when the electronic device control system 100 accesses the server device 80 from the communication terminal device 10 and starts the electronic device control application. is there.

  When the user selects the self-propelled electronic device 20 (the electronic device control application corresponding to the self-propelled electronic device 20) on the home screen of the communication terminal device 10, the communication terminal device 10 displays the initial screen of the electronic device control application Display on 13. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a “mode selection screen” for selecting one of the “home mode” and the “loose mode” is displayed as the initial screen. The communication terminal apparatus 10 may transmit an initial screen transmission request to the server apparatus 80 (electronic device control application) and acquire the above initial screen from the server apparatus 80, and the storage unit 15 of the communication terminal apparatus 10 may It may be stored in advance.

  In the “Osoto mode”, a control command according to an instruction input by the user via the operation unit 14 of the communication terminal device 10 is transmitted from the communication unit 12 to the self-propelled electronic device 20 via the communication network 90. The mode is for controlling the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  The “home mode” transmits a control command according to an instruction input by the user of the communication terminal device 10 through the operation unit 14 from the communication unit 12 to the self-propelled electronic device 20 by inter-device communication (short distance communication) In this mode, the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is controlled. In the “home mode”, for example, the user can control the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 while watching the self-propelled electronic device 20 to execute various functions (for example, a cleaning function, a moving function, etc.). In the present embodiment, a case where the operation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is controlled using the “temporary mode” will be mainly described.

  When the user performs the selection operation of the “Osoto mode” on the initial screen shown in FIG. 6, a signal indicating the operation is transmitted to the server device 80, and the electronic device control application performs user authentication to the communication terminal device 10. "Login screen" is sent. In addition, when using the “Osoto Mode” for the first time, the Terms of Use screen showing the Terms of Use for the “Osoto Mode” is displayed before the “Login Screen” is displayed, and the Login Screen (if the user agrees to the Terms of Use) Alternatively, the user registration screen may be displayed.

  When the user inputs user authentication information (for example, an ID and a password) to the above “login screen”, the user authentication information is transmitted to the server device 80, and the electronic device control application performs the user authentication process. When the electronic device control application determines that the electronic device control system 100 permits the operation control of the self-propelled electronic device 20 as a result of the user authentication process, the electronic device control application causes the communication terminal device 10 to “Oso and mode”. The home screen (“Osoto mode home screen”) is transmitted and displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10. In addition, when the communication terminal device 10 (or the user who is operating the communication terminal device 10) and the self-propelled electronic device 20 to be controlled are not associated (when both are not paired), both are A registration screen for performing registration processing (pairing processing) for registration in association with the server device 80 is displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10, and after the registration processing is completed, “Osoto mode” You may shift to the home screen.

  On the home screen of “Osoto mode”, items for selecting control contents for the self-propelled electronic device 20 (“Kansatsu”, “Soji”, “Kade”, “Ido” in the example of FIG. 6, Items for performing setting for the electronic device control system 100 ("set" in the example of FIG. 6) are displayed, and the user can select an item desired.

  When the user operates the “Katsusatsu” button, the control command for causing the self-propelled electronic device 20 to execute the “Katsusatsu” function is transmitted from the electronic device control application operating on the server device 80. Thereby, the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the operation of each part (the imaging unit 34 etc.) of the device function unit 25 to image the periphery of the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the imaging data is taken as a server device Send to 80 The electronic device control application transfers the imaging data transmitted from the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the server device 80 to the communication terminal device 10. Thereby, the user of the communication terminal device 10 can confirm the captured image around the self-propelled electronic device 20 from a remote place.

  When the user operates the “Shoji” button, a control command for causing the self-propelled electronic device 20 to execute the “Shoji” function is transmitted from the electronic device control application operating on the server device 80. Thereby, the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the operation of each unit (the movement drive unit 61, the brush drive unit 62, the fan drive unit 63, etc.) of the device function unit 25 to execute the cleaning function.

  When the user operates the “KADEN” button, the electronic device control application operating on the server device 80 stores in the setting information storage unit 85 the home appliance to be controlled and the interface screen for selecting the control content for the home appliance. Content generated based on the layout information being transmitted and transmitted to the communication terminal device 10, and the instruction content from the user for the screen (a selection instruction to select a home electric device to be operated from among the icons included in the layout image; Information indicating the content of the operation instruction for specifying the operation content for the selected home appliance is acquired. Then, a control instruction for causing the home appliance selected by the user to perform an operation according to the instruction from the user is generated and transmitted to the self-propelled electronic device 20. The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 generates an infrared signal (operation signal) according to a control command from the electronic device control application and causes the infrared transmission unit 36 to output the generated signal. As a result, an infrared signal corresponding to the user's instruction is output from the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the home electric appliance to be controlled that has received the infrared signal can be made to execute an operation according to the user's instruction. It has become.

  When the user operates the "Ido" button, the electronic device control application operated on the server device 80 is an interface screen for the user to specify the destination based on the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Are generated and transmitted to the communication terminal apparatus 10, and information indicating the designation instruction of the moving destination from the user on the screen is acquired. Then, based on the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85 and the designation instruction of the movement destination from the user, the electronic device control application moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the movement destination according to the instruction from the user. Search the moving route (moving route) for moving. Then, the electronic device control application generates a control command for moving the self-propelled electronic device 20 along the moving route according to the search result, and transmits the control command to the self-propelled electronic device 20. The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the operation of each part of the device function unit 25 according to a control command from the electronic device control application, and moves the self-propelled electronic device 20. Thereby, the user of the communication terminal device 10 can move the self-propelled electronic device 20 from a remote place to a desired position.

  In the present embodiment, when the self-propelled electronic device 20 is moved to a movement destination specified by the user when the “Ido” button is operated, the electronic device control application is configured so that the self-propelled electronic device 20 has a predetermined home. It is determined whether or not the position (in the present embodiment, the charging terminal 49 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is in contact with the feed terminal 71 of the charging stand 70 and the battery 31 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is charged). . When it is determined that the self-propelled electronic device 20 is not at the home position, the electronic device control application causes the self-propelled electronic device 20 to once return to the home position and then starts moving to the movement destination. ing.

  When the user operates the “return” button, the electronic device control application operating on the server device 80 transmits a control instruction for returning the self-propelled electronic device 20 to a predetermined home position to the self-propelled electronic device 20 Do.

  The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the operation of each part of the device function unit 25 according to a control command from the electronic device control application, and moves (returns) the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the home position. . The method of returning the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the home position will be described later.

  When the user operates the “setting” button, the electronic device control application operating on the server device 80 transmits to the communication terminal device 10 a setting screen for the user to input layout information. The communication terminal device 10 causes the display unit 13 to display the setting screen transmitted from the server device 80 (electronic device control application), receives an instruction input from the user on the setting screen, and causes the server device 80 (electronic device control application) Send. Thereby, the electronic device control application generates layout information in accordance with an instruction from the user, and stores the layout information in the setting information storage unit 85. Details of the layout information generation process will be described later.

(1-3. Method of generating layout information)
Next, a method of generating layout information will be described.

  When the user selects "set" in the "Osoto mode home screen" shown in FIG. 6, the "Osoto mode setting screen" shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. That is, when the user of the communication terminal apparatus 10 selects "setting" on the "Oso and mode home screen", the control unit 11 of the communication terminal apparatus 10 transmits information indicating the content of the operation to the server apparatus 80, and the server When the electronic device control application operating in the device 80 receives the information, the electronic device control application transmits the screen data of “Osoto mode setting screen” to the communication terminal device 10 and causes the display unit 13 to display the screen data.

  On the “Osuto mode setting screen”, the buttons “Ohase or form formation”, “icon layout”, “do not run area setting”, “register home appliance”, “home”, “setting” and “help” are Is displayed.

  "Formation of outline or shape" is a button for setting the layout outline information, "icon layout" is a button for setting the layout information, and "setting for prohibited driving area" is for prohibited driving area information It is a button for setting, and "home appliance registration" is a button for setting home appliance information. Also, when the "home" button is operated, the screen shifts to the "other mode home screen", when the "set" button is operated, the screen shifts to the "slow mode setting screen", and when the "help" button is operated, the user's operation is supported. It is set to display a help screen showing information to do this.

(1-3-1. Setting of layout outline information)
First, a method of setting layout outline information will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 at the time of setting processing of layout outer shape information.

  When the user selects "form and outline" on the "Osuto mode setting screen", the electronic device control application displays the external shape of the space in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed, as shown in FIG. For example, the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 displays an “outer form forming screen” for setting a floor plan of a room, a house, a facility, and the like.

  The example of FIG. 7 shows an example in which a rectangular room is set as layout outer shape information, and the user can arbitrarily set the vertical and horizontal room sizes. However, the setting content of the layout outer shape information is not limited to this. For example, the layout outer shape may be set to a layout shape other than a rectangle, or the layout outer shape including a plurality of rooms may be set. You may set the layout outline including the bathroom, the kitchen, the entrance and the like.

  In addition, the user selects a pattern close to the layout outline of the space in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 is arranged from among a plurality of basic patterns of layout outline stored in advance, and adjusts the size, shape, etc. of each part The layout outline may be set by doing this.

  When the user inputs the layout outline on the "form formation screen" and operates the "OK" button, the electronic device control application communicates the "execution confirmation screen" for confirming to the user whether the layout outline information can be updated or not. It is displayed on the display unit 13 of the device 10.

  In the “execution confirmation screen”, information for confirming to the user whether or not to change the layout outline information is displayed. When the user instructs to change the layout outline information on the "execution confirmation screen" (when "Yes" is operated), the electronic device control application causes the layout outline information to be stored in the setting information storage unit 85 to be "outline formation screen". It sets to the content which the user set, and returns the display of the display part 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to a "slow mode setting screen."

(1-3-2. Setting of arrangement information)
Next, the setting method of the arrangement | positioning information which shows the arrangement | positioning state of arrangement | positioning target objects, such as furniture and household appliances, is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 at the time of setting processing of arrangement information.

  When the user selects the “icon arrangement” in the “possibility mode setting screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “icon arrangement screen” as shown in FIG. In the “icon arrangement screen”, registered layout outlines and icons are displayed based on the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. That is, a layout image in which an image of an icon showing an arrangement of furniture, home appliances, etc. arranged in a space provided with the self-propelled electronic device 20 is superimposed on the layout outline image showing the layout outline Be done. Further, on the “icon arrangement screen”, respective buttons of “delete”, “add” and “completed” are displayed.

  When the user drags an icon displayed superimposed on the image of the layout outline on the “icon layout screen”, the electronic device control application moves the icon on the layout outline according to the drag operation of the user. Then, when the user moves the icon to a desired position and drops it, and operates the “Done” button, the electronic device control application stores the position of the icon in the arrangement information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Set to the dropped position. In addition, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display an “execution confirmation screen” indicating that the icons are arranged, and operates the “OK” button on the “execution confirmation screen”. The display of 13 is returned to the display of "Osoto mode setting screen".

  When the user operates the "delete" button in the "icon layout screen", the electronic device control application displays an "icon delete screen" for confirming with the user whether or not to delete the icon, as shown in FIG. It is displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10. When the user selects “Yes” in the “icon deletion screen”, the electronic device control application deletes the icon selected by the user from the arrangement information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. In addition, after deleting the icon, the electronic device control application returns the display of the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to the "Most mode setting screen".

  When the user operates the “add” button on the “icon arrangement screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “icon selection top screen” as shown in FIG. The “icon selection top screen” is a screen for selecting the type of icon to be arranged. In the example of FIG. 8, the item according to the arrangement | positioning object can be selected now from "furniture and a pillar", "arbitrary household appliances", and "self-propelled vacuum cleaner."

  When an item according to the placement object is selected in the "icon selection top screen", the electronic device control application displays the "icon selection screen" in which the icons related to a plurality of objects belonging to the item can be selected. Is displayed on the display unit 13 of For example, when the user selects “Furniture / Pillar”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a plurality of icons regarding furniture, a pillar, and the like, as shown in FIG. The user selects an icon according to the placement object from among the plurality of icons.

  When the user selects “arbitrary home appliance”, as shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a plurality of icons related to various home appliances, and the user uses the plurality of icons. Select the icon according to the target home appliance from among the items.

  In addition, when the user selects the “self-propelled cleaner”, the electronic device control application, as shown in FIG. 11, arranges the disposition direction of the self-propelled cleaner (the self-propelled electronic device 20) and the charging stand 70. A plurality of icons corresponding to are displayed on the display unit 13, and the user selects an icon according to the arrangement direction of the charging stand 70 from among the plurality of icons.

  When the user selects an icon according to the registration target in the "icon selection screen", the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the "icon arrangement screen" as shown in FIG. . At this time, in the initial state, the icon selected by the user is arranged at a predetermined position (upper left corner in the example of FIG. 8) of the “icon arrangement screen”. Then, as in the case described above, the user drags the icon displayed superimposed on the image of the layout outline in the layout image displayed on the “icon layout screen” to place the icon at the desired position. Move it. When the user operates the “Done” button while moving the icon to the desired position, the electronic device control application causes the icon and the arrangement position of the icon to be stored in the arrangement information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Set In addition, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display an "execution confirmation screen" indicating that the icons are arranged, and displays the screen when the user operates the "OK" button on the "execution confirmation screen". The display of the section 13 is returned to the "Osoto mode setting screen".

  In the present embodiment, the electronic device control application is configured to include travel prohibited area information in the layout information in addition to the layout outline information and the arrangement information. A method of generating the travel prohibited area information will be described.

  (A) of FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing an example of the “icon arrangement screen” displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal device 10 based on the layout outline information and the arrangement information, and (b) of FIG. It is an explanatory view showing run prohibition area information corresponding to (a) of a.

  As shown in (b) of FIG. 12, the electronic device control application divides the floor surface of the space specified by the layout outline information into a matrix of many blocks, and makes each block a self-propelled electronic device 20. Generates run prohibited area information indicating which of the runable block (runable area) the block can run and the run prohibited block (run prohibited area) the block in which the self-propelled electronic device 20 can not run Do.

  In the present embodiment, the size of one block is set to 25 cm × 25 cm. Thereby, the electronic device control application can easily determine whether the self-propelled electronic device 20 can travel on the boundary between adjacent blocks based on the travel prohibited area information.

  That is, in the present embodiment, since the external shape of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is about 35 cm, when the self-propelled electronic device 20 travels on the boundary between movable blocks, the self-propelled electronic device 20 in the block A gap (a margin) of 25-35 / 2 = 7.5 cm is generated between the boundary opposite to the traveling boundary and the outer edge of the self-propelled electronic device 20. Therefore, the self-propelled electronic device 20 can travel without protruding into a block adjacent to the boundary opposite to the boundary where the self-propelled electronic device 20 travels in the block. Therefore, even if the block adjacent to the boundary line on the opposite side is the travel prohibited block, the self-propelled electronic device 20 can be traveled so as not to protrude into the travel prohibited block. For this reason, the electronic device control application determines that the self-propelled electronic device 20 can travel on the boundary between the adjacent blocks if both of the adjacent blocks can travel. On the other hand, when at least one of the adjacent blocks is the run prohibition block, the electronic device control application determines that the run on the boundary between the two blocks is not possible.

  The size (length of one side) of one block in the travel prohibited area information is not limited to the size (25 cm × 25 cm) described above, but a part of the self-propelled electronic device 20 when the self-propelled electronic device 20 travels In order to prevent the runaway block from sticking out to the run prohibition block, it is necessary to make it at least larger than 1/2 times the outer diameter in the direction perpendicular to the run direction of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and parallel to the floor surface. In addition, if the block size is too large, the search accuracy in the case of searching for the optimal travel route of the self-propelled electronic device 20 may be reduced based on the travel prohibited area information, so in the travel prohibited area information The size of one block (length of one side) is preferably equal to or less than the outer diameter in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and parallel to the floor surface. That is, the size (length of one side) of one block in the travel prohibited area information is larger than half the outer diameter of the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and parallel to the floor surface, It is preferable that it is 1 time or less.

  When the setting information storage unit 85 arranges the icons selectable on the above-described “icon selection screen” and the object corresponding to the icons in the space where the self-propelled electronic device 20 is disposed, the self-running is performed. The driving prohibition range information indicating each block (a driving prohibition block, a driving prohibition range) corresponding to a range in which the formula electronic device 20 can not be driven by the target object is stored in advance in association with each other. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing an example of the icon and the corresponding travel prohibition range information.

  In addition, about the target object which is not arrange | positioned on a floor surface and does not become an obstacle of driving of self-propelled electronic equipment 20 like the icon of the ceiling light shown in FIG. 13, driving which shows that a driving prohibition block does not exist Prohibited range information is stored. In the case of icons such as an air conditioner and a wall-mounted fan installed on the upper wall and ceiling of the room, as in the case of the ceiling light, travel prohibition range information indicating that there is no travel prohibition block is stored.

  In addition, even when the object corresponding to the icon is installed, when the self-propelled electronic device 20 can travel a part of the facing area between the object and the floor surface, depending on the travelable range. The travel prohibition range information in which the travelable block and the travel prohibition block are set may be stored in association with the icon of the object. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the self-propelled electronic device 20 is an object supported by the leg and in a region where the leg is not disposed in the opposing region between the object and the floor surface. For those that can travel, the block corresponding to the travelable area (the area where the legs are not located) is the travelable block, and for the non-travelable areas (the area where the legs are located) the travel prohibited block The travel prohibition range information set as may be stored.

  In addition, the user may arbitrarily edit the travel prohibition range information corresponding to the icon stored in the setting information storage unit 85. In this way, the travel prohibited block that the user associates with the icon of the placement object can be edited as appropriate according to the actual shape, size, placement method, etc. of the placement object, so more appropriate placement information is generated. be able to. In addition, when the user is allowed to arbitrarily edit the travel prohibition range information corresponding to the icon, the initial setting of the travel prohibition range information of the icon is changed according to the correction instruction of the user and the setting information storage unit 85 is It may be stored. As a result, when arranging the same icon next time, it is possible to save the user the trouble of making the same setting again, and to improve the convenience of the user.

  When the user sets the position of the icon on the "icon arrangement screen", the electronic device control application stores the layout outer diameter information, the arrangement position of the icon set by the user, and the travel prohibition stored in association with the icon. The travel prohibited area information is created based on the range information.

  That is, when the layout external shape information is set, the electronic device control application generates an image according to the layout external shape information, and has an external shape according to the layout external shape information, and the inside thereof is 25 cm × 25 cm. The travel prohibited area information divided into a number of blocks having the shape of Then, in the electronic device control application, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, when the icon is arranged on the image according to the layout outer shape information, as shown in (b) of FIG. The travel prohibition range information corresponding to the icon is arranged at a position corresponding to the arrangement position of the icon in the area information. In this way, travel prohibited area information is generated according to the layout outline information and the arrangement information of each icon.

  In addition, the electronic device control application stores the generated travel prohibited area information in the setting information storage unit 85 in association with the layout outline information and the arrangement information. In addition, as shown in (c) of FIG. 12, in the “icon arrangement screen”, a layout image (an image in which an icon image according to the arrangement information is arranged on the image according to the layout outline information) In the case of displaying the prohibited driving area image according to the above (dividing the inside of the layout outline into a large number of blocks and identifiably classifying each block on the prohibited driving block and the possible traveling block) Good.

(1-3-3. Setting of prohibited driving area information)
Next, a method of setting the travel prohibited area information will be described. FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing an example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 at the time of setting (editing) processing of the travel prohibited area information.

  When the user selects “no travel area setting” on the “Osto mode setting screen”, the electronic device control application receives the “non travel area setting screen” according to the no travel area information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Is displayed. In the "no-travel area setting screen", a no-travel area image (an image in which the inside of the layout outline is divided into a large number of blocks and each block is classified into a no-travel block and a travelable block) and And the "Done" button are displayed.

  When the user selects an arbitrary block on the “travel prohibited area setting screen”, the electronic device control application switches the travel prohibited / travelable of the block. That is, the electronic device control application switches the block to a travelable block when the user selects a travel prohibited block in the travel prohibited area image, and the user inhibits the travel prohibited block when the user selects a travelable block. Switch to The electronic device control application temporarily stores the switching result in the work memory.

  When the user selects the "Redo" button on the "travel prohibited area setting screen", the electronic device control application discards the above switching result stored in the work memory, and displays the display of the display unit 13 in the setting information storage unit 85. It returns to the display of "the driving prohibition area setting screen" according to the driving prohibition area information memorized.

  When the user selects the "Done" button on the "travel prohibited area setting screen", the electronic device control application travels by being reflected and stored in the setting information storage unit 85 based on the switching result stored in the work memory. The prohibited area information is updated, and the display of the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 is returned to the "Osoto mode setting screen".

  In the present embodiment, even when the user deletes the icon arranged on the layout outline, the setting of the travel prohibition / travelable setting of each block corresponding to the icon in the travel prohibited area information is automatic. When deleting without deleting it, the user selects "Set travel prohibited area" and edits travel prohibited area information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when a user deletes an icon arranged on the layout outline, each block corresponding to the icon in the travel prohibited area may be automatically set to be travelable. Alternatively, when the block corresponding to the travel prohibition range information of the icon to be deleted in the travel prohibition area also corresponds to the travel prohibition range information of the other icon, the block according to the travel prohibition range information of the other icon Block travel prohibition / traveling may be set. As a result, for example, when a home appliance disposed on a piece of furniture is removed, the block corresponding to the home appliance is rewritten to a runnable block although the block can not be run by the furniture. It is possible to prevent such problems.

(1-3-4. Setting of home appliance information)
Next, the setting method of household appliance information is demonstrated. Drawing 16 is an explanatory view showing an example of a picture displayed on indicator 13 of communication terminal device 10 at the time of setting processing of household appliance information.

  When the user selects “register home appliance” in the “possibly mode setting screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “home appliance selection screen”. In the "home appliance selection screen", a list of registered home appliances, a "new" button, and an "edit" button are displayed. In the example of FIG. 16, one of the registered home appliances (“Takeshi's TV”) is displayed, and a display switching button (black triangle button) is displayed on the side thereof. When the user operates the display switching button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a list (not shown) of registered home appliances, and a home appliance desired for the user from among the home appliances included in the list Select the device.

  When the user operates the “new” button on the “home appliance selection screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “home appliance registration screen”. In the example of FIG. 16, in the “home appliance registration screen”, an entry field for the name of the home appliance (a name given to the home appliance by the user), a selection field for the category of home appliance, a selection field for model name of the home appliance, an icon Information indicating the presence / absence of setting, a button for switching to layout display (display of “icon arrangement screen”), and a “completion” button are displayed. In addition to these items, for example, a selection column of the maker name of the home appliance may be provided.

  When the user selects the input field of the name of the home electric device, the electronic device control application activates software (FEP (Front End Processor)) for performing text input, and a text box for inputting the name of the home electric device. It is displayed on the display unit 13. The user can assign a name to the home appliance to be registered by inputting a desired name into this text box.

  In addition, when the user selects a category selection column of home appliances, the electronic device control application displays a list of selectable home appliance categories. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the setting information storage unit 85 includes various categories of home electric appliances, manufacturer names, model names, operation contents operable using infrared signals, and operation of the home electric appliances. Household appliance information indicating in advance the frequency of the infrared signal and the signal waveform of the infrared signal for causing the home appliance to perform a desired operation is stored in advance. The electronic device control application displays a list of categories of home appliances selectable based on the home appliance information stored in the setting information storage unit 85 in the selection column of the category of home appliances in the “home appliance registration screen”.

  In the example of FIG. 16, “TV”, which is one of the categories of selectable home appliances, is displayed in the selection column of the category of home appliances, and a display switching button (black triangle button) is displayed next to it. Is displayed. When the user operates the display switching button, a list of selectable home appliance categories is displayed, and the user can select a category corresponding to the home appliance to be registered from the categories included in the list. .

  In addition, when the user selects the selection field of the model name of the home appliance, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a list of model names of selectable home appliances. Specifically, the electronic device control application displays a list of model names of home electric devices selectable based on the above-described home electric appliance information stored in the setting information storage unit 85. Display in the selection field of.

  In the example of FIG. 16, “SH-AA14AZ”, which is one of model names of selectable household electric appliances, is displayed in the selection column of model names of household electric appliances, and a display switching button ( Black triangle button is displayed. When the user operates the display switching button, a list of model names of selectable electric home appliances is displayed, and from among the model names included in the list, the user can select the model name corresponding to the home electric appliance to be registered. It has become.

  As the information indicating the presence or absence of the icon setting, information indicating whether the home appliance is associated with the icon displayed on the icon arrangement screen is displayed.

  When the user operates the button for switching to the layout display of the home appliance, the electronic device control application displays the “icon layout screen” corresponding to the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85 on the display unit of the communication terminal device 10 Display on 13.

  When the user selects an icon that associates home appliance information to be registered in the “icon layout screen”, the electronic device control application associates the selected icon with home appliance information being registered. By selecting the icon displayed on the “icon arrangement screen”, the home appliance information being registered can be associated with the already registered icon. In addition, by operating the “add” button displayed on the “icon arrangement screen”, an icon can be added, and home appliance information being registered can be associated with the added icon.

  When the user operates the “Done” button displayed on the “icon layout screen” after associating the icon with the home appliance information, the electronic device control application uses the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85 as the layout information. Reflect the correspondence between icons and home appliance information.

  When the user operates the “Edit” button in a state where a home electric appliance is selected, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a “home electric appliance registration screen” reflecting the registration information of the selected home electric appliance. The user can appropriately edit the content of the desired item among the registration items for the home electric appliance displayed on the “home electric appliance registration screen” by the same method as in the case of the new registration.

  When the user operates the “Done” button on the “Home appliance registration screen”, the electronic device control application updates the information on the registration target icon in the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85, and displays the display unit 13 Shift the status to the "Osoto mode setting screen" display.

(1-4. "Ido" process)
Next, the process when "Ido" is selected on the "Osoto mode home screen" will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the flow of “Ido” processing in the electronic device control application. FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing the transition of the display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 in the “Ido” process.

  When the electronic device control application receives that the user of the communication terminal device 10 has selected “I do” in the “Oso to mode home screen” (S1), the “moving destination selection screen is displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 (See FIG. 19) is displayed (S2), and an instruction to specify a movement destination from the user is received (S3). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, a layout image (an image in which icons such as furniture and home appliances are arranged on an image showing the layout outline) is displayed as a “destination selection screen”, and the user A desired position is designated by a touch operation or the like, and the move destination can be designated by operating the "OK" button.

  When the electronic device control application receives an instruction to specify a destination of movement from the user, the electronic device control application searches for an optimal movement route from the home position to the destination of movement based on the layout information stored in the setting information storage unit 85 (S4) . In addition, while searching for the movement route, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a “searching screen” indicating that the movement route is being searched, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, a moving route is searched based on the following rules (1) to (5).
(1) The self-propelled electronic device 20 travels on the boundary between adjacent travelable blocks in the travel prohibited area information.
(2) Among the travel routes from the home position to the destination, select the route with the least number of turns.
(3) When there are a plurality of routes with the least number of turns, the route with the shortest travel distance from the home position to the destination is selected.
(4) When there are a plurality of routes with the smallest number of turns and a plurality of routes with the shortest travel distance from the home position to the destination, the route with the widest minimum width of the travel route (self-running The route having the largest minimum value of the number of travelable blocks continuously present in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the electronic device 20 is selected.
(5) In the case where there are a plurality of routes with the smallest number of turns, and a plurality of routes with the shortest travel distance from the home position to the destination, and a plurality of routes with the widest minimum path width of the travel route In the above, the user is made to select a desired route from those routes, or any route is selected by a predetermined method.

  In addition, the search method of a movement route is not limited to the method mentioned above, A conventionally well-known various method can be used. For example, in the above-described method, the priority of the conditions to be referred to when determining the movement route is set in the order of the number of turns, the movement distance, and the road width of the movement route. In addition, the movement route may be determined with reference to other conditions.

  When the search for the movement route is completed, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the movement route searched and determines whether to move the self-propelled electronic device 20 based on the movement route. The "execution confirmation screen" (see FIG. 19) for confirming the user is displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 (S5).

  Then, the electronic device control application determines whether to execute movement based on the movement route searched in S4 based on the user's instruction input on the “execution confirmation screen” (S6).

  When it is determined that the movement is not performed in S6 (when the user selects "No" in the "execution confirmation screen"), the electronic device control application returns to the process of S2. In this case, the user resets the move destination.

  When it is determined that the movement is to be performed in S6 (when the user selects “Yes” in the “execution confirmation screen”), the electronic device control application determines that the self-propelled electronic device 20 has a home position (in the present embodiment, self-propelled) It is determined whether the electronic device 20 is at a position where it is connected to the charging stand 70 (S7). In this determination, for example, a signal indicating whether or not the self-propelled electronic device 20 is connected to the charging stand 70 (whether or not the charging terminal 49 and the feeding terminal 71 are conductive) is transmitted to the server device 80 , And the electronic device control application may be performed based on the signal.

  If it is determined in S7 that the self-propelled electronic device 20 is not at the home position, the electronic device control application instructs the self-propelled electronic device 20 to return (returns the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the home position). (S8), and returns to the process of S7.

  The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the operation of each part of the device function unit 25 according to a control command from the electronic device control application, and moves (returns) the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the home position. . While the self-propelled electronic device 20 is executing feedback processing to the home position, a screen may be displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to indicate that feedback is in progress.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the charging stand 70 charges when the self-propelled electronic device 20 is separated from the charging stand 70 (when the feeding terminal 71 and the charging terminal 49 do not conduct). A feedback signal indicating the installation position of the base 70 and the position of the feed terminal 71 is constantly transmitted. When receiving the feedback command from the electronic device control application, the self-propelled electronic device 20 detects a feedback signal transmitted from the charging stand 70 and automatically returns to the location where the charging stand 70 is installed. In the present embodiment, an infrared signal is transmitted as the feedback signal, but a signal other than the infrared signal may be used.

  The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 detects the position of the charging stand 70 based on the detected feedback signal, and moves and moves forward in the direction of the charging stand 70 (advancing the front surface in the traveling direction) The control unit 61 controls the operation of the unit 61 to move to a position facing the charging stand 70. Then, when reaching the position facing the charging stand 70, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the movement driving unit 61 to temporarily stop the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the charging terminal 49 faces the feeding terminal 71. The housing 30 is pivoted around the center line C until it is in the position shown in FIG. Thereafter, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the movement driving unit 61 to retract the housing 30 (advance the back surface in the traveling direction). Then, in the control unit 21, the charging terminal 49 is in contact with the feeding terminal 71, and the feeding terminal 71 in contact with the charging terminal 49 is pushed toward the inside of the charging stand 70 to charge the tip end face of the feeding terminal 71 The retraction is continued until the docking position (the position at which the pushing back of the feed terminal 71 stops) at which the front surface of the table 70 is substantially flat is reached. When the self-propelled electronic device 20 reaches the docking position described above, energization of the battery 31 is started via the power supply terminal 71 and the charge terminal 49.

  When the energization detection unit 65 detects the start of energization from the charging stand 70 to the battery 31, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the movement drive unit 61 to stop the retraction, and brings the charging terminal 49 into contact with the feeding terminal 71. While causing the self-propelled electronic device 20 to rotate forward (clockwise) by a predetermined angle around the center line C and perform reverse motion (rotation counterclockwise) a predetermined number of times. Further, the control unit 21 controls the conduction detection unit 65, and the amount of conduction from the feeding terminal 71 to the charging terminal 49 during normal rotation and reverse rotation (the amount of current flowing from the feeding terminal 71 to the charging terminal 49, or charging). Voltage value applied to the terminal 49). Then, the turning (forward rotation / reverse rotation) of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is stopped at the position where the amount of current flow becomes maximum. Alternatively, if the amount of energization at the time of the first contact is not sufficient, the battery 70 is once advanced by a sufficient distance of about 50 cm and then a series of feedback operations are performed again to perform a normal stop on the charger 70. The distance to advance once is not necessarily 50 cm, and may be appropriately set according to the feedback performance and the feedback method of the housing. After stopping, normal energization (charging) is performed. As a result, the battery 31 is charged in a state where the self-propelled electronic device 20 faces a predetermined direction and is stopped at the docking position. Further, since the direction of the self-propelled electronic device 20 at the home position can be accurately adjusted, movement control can be performed more accurately at the time of moving from the home position to a movement destination according to the instruction of the user.

  The above-mentioned predetermined angle at the time of performing normal rotation and reverse rotation should just be an angle which contact with charge terminal 49 and electric supply terminal 71 does not lose. Further, the number of times the forward rotation and the reverse rotation are repeated is not particularly limited as long as the turning angle at which the amount of energization becomes maximum can be appropriately detected. As described above, by performing normal rotation and reverse rotation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 while bringing the charge terminal 49 into contact with the feed terminal 71, an effect is obtained that the direction of the self-propelled electronic device 20 can be appropriately adjusted. The effect of automatically removing dirt such as dust and dirt adhering to the charging terminal 49 or the feeding terminal 71 can also be obtained.

  The method of returning the self-propelled electronic device 20 to the home position and the method of adjusting the orientation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 at the home position are not limited to the methods described above.

  For example, the docking of the charging terminal 49 and the feeding terminal 71 is performed by installing a rear sensor (not shown) on the back surface (rear end) of the housing 30 and detecting a feedback signal by the rear sensor. You may carry out by moving back the self-propelled electronic device 20, adjusting the direction of 20. In this case, when the rear sensor does not detect the feedback signal, the self-propelled electronic device 20 can forwardly or reversely rotate the self-propelled electronic device 20 by a small amount around the center line C of the housing 30 to detect the feedback signal. Adjust the direction of 20 and move backward. Thereby, alignment with charge terminal 49 of self-propelled electronic equipment 20 and electric supply terminal 71 of charge stand 70, and adjustment of direction of self-propelled electronic equipment 20 can be performed appropriately.

  If it is determined in S7 that the self-propelled electronic device 20 is at the home position, the electronic device control application moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 based on the travel route searched in S4 ) Are transmitted to the self-propelled electronic device 20 (S9).

  Note that the movement command described above is, for example, a distance for moving the self-propelled electronic device 20 forward and a direction for turning the self-propelled electronic device 20, such as ○ cm forward → 90 ° forward rotation → ΔΔ cm forward A combination of 90 ° forward rotation or 90 ° reverse rotation) may be used. In the present embodiment, as described above, the installation position of the charging stand 70 which is the home position is fixed, and the orientation of the self-propelled electronic device 20 when returning to the home position is accurately adjusted. It has become. Therefore, even in the case where the self-propelled electronic device 20 is moved using the above-described simple movement instruction, it is possible to accurately move the self-propelled electronic device 20 to a target movement destination.

  Thereafter, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display a “moving screen” indicating that the self-propelled electronic device 20 is moving (S10). For example, in the “moving screen”, for example, the image indicating the moving path may be blinked to indicate that the moving screen is being moved.

  In addition, after it is determined that the movement is to be performed in S6, the “moving screen” may be displayed on the display unit 13 even while the feedback processing is performed on the self-propelled electronic device 20. The display unit 13 displays a screen indicating that feedback is in progress while the feedback processing is being performed on the electronic device 20, and the "moving screen" is displayed after the feedback of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is completed. It may be displayed on the display unit 13.

  In addition, after starting the movement of the self-propelled electronic device 20, the electronic device control application determines whether the movement failure notification has been received from the self-propelled electronic device 20 (S11) and the movement completion notification It is judged whether or not (S12). After receiving the movement command from the electronic device control application, the self-propelled electronic device 20 executes movement of the own device based on the movement instruction, and when the movement destination arrives, the movement completion notification is sent to the electronic device It transmits to a control application (server apparatus 80). In addition, when it can not arrive at the moving destination, for example, when it can not continue moving due to collision with an obstacle before arriving at the moving destination, a movement failure notification is sent to the electronic device control application (server apparatus 80) .

  If it is determined in S11 that the movement failure notification has been received, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a "completion notification screen (failure)" (see FIG. 19) (S13). Further, the electronic device control application determines whether the user has operated the “OK” button on the “completion notification screen (failure)” (S14). If it is determined in S14 that the user has not operated the “OK” button, the electronic device control application continues the process of S13. On the other hand, if it is determined in S14 that the user has operated the "OK" button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a "completion screen (failure)" (see FIG. 19) (S15). Further, the electronic device control application determines whether the user has operated the “home” button in the “completion screen (failure)” (S16). If it is determined in S16 that the user has not operated the “home” button, the electronic device control application continues the process of S15. On the other hand, if it is determined in S16 that the user has operated the "home" button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display "Osoto mode home screen" (S21), and ends the "Ido" process. .

  If it is determined in S12 that the movement completion notification has been received, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a "completion notification screen (success)" (see FIG. 19) (S17). Further, the electronic device control application determines whether the user has operated the “OK” button on the “completion notification screen (success)” (S18). If it is determined in S18 that the user has not operated the “OK” button, the electronic device control application continues the process of S17. On the other hand, when it is determined in S18 that the user has operated the “OK” button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display “completion screen (success)” (see FIG. 19) (S19). Also, the electronic device control application determines whether the user has operated the “home” button in the “completion screen (success)” (S20). If it is determined in S20 that the user has not operated the “home” button, the electronic device control application continues the process of S19. On the other hand, if it is determined in S20 that the user has operated the "home" button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display "Osoto mode home screen" (S21), and ends the "Ido" process. .

(1-5. "Kaden" processing)
Next, the process when "Kade" is selected on the "Osoto mode home screen" will be described. FIG. 20 is an explanatory view showing the transition of the display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 in the “care” process.

  When “Don't care” is selected on the “Osuto mode home screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display a “home appliance icon selection screen” (see FIG. 20).

  In the "home appliance icon selection screen", a layout image (an image obtained by superimposing the images of the respective icons registered in the setting information on the image according to the layout outline information) is displayed, and the user By performing the selection operation, it is possible to select a home appliance to be operated.

  Further, in the "home appliance icon selection screen", a menu image for selecting a home appliance to be operated from among the home appliances registered in the setting information is displayed, and the user operates from the menu image. It is also possible to select target household appliances. In the example of FIG. 20, one of the registered home appliances ("Takeshi's TV") is displayed, and a display switching button (black triangle button) is displayed on the side thereof. When the user operates the display switching button, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 to display a list of registered home appliances, thereby selecting a home appliance desired by the user from among the home appliances included in the list. It can be done.

  When the user selects a household electrical appliance to be operated on the "home appliance icon selection screen", the electronic device control application determines the household electrical appliance control application based on the setting information (see FIG. 17) related to the household electrical appliance stored in the setting information storage unit 85 A “remote control operation screen” (see FIG. 20) for operating the home appliance is generated and displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10. In the example of FIG. 20, a “remote control operation screen” for selecting “power on” or “power off” is displayed as the operation content.

  Then, when the user inputs an instruction to operate the home appliance of the operation target on the “remote control operation screen”, the electronic device control application stores the setting information on the home appliance stored in the setting information storage unit 85 ( Control signal (signal for causing the self-propelled electronic device 20 to generate an infrared signal (remote control signal) to be transmitted to the home electric device) for performing an operation according to the user's instruction input based on FIG. It is generated and transmitted to the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  The control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 generates an infrared signal (remote control signal) based on the control signal transmitted from the electronic device control application, and causes the infrared transmission unit 36 to output (transmit) it. Further, when the output (transmission) of the infrared signal (remote control signal) is completed, the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 transmits a transmission completion notification to the electronic device control application (server device 80).

  When the electronic device control application receives the transmission completion notification from the self-propelled electronic device 20, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display a “completion notification screen” (see FIG. 20), and ends the “care” process. .

  In the present embodiment, when “Kade” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen”, the home electronic device 20 is operated at the position of the self-propelled electronic device 20 at that time and the home electric device is selected. In order to output an infrared signal. Therefore, for example, when operating a home appliance that is difficult to operate by an infrared signal from the home position, the user moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 to an appropriate position by performing the "Ido" operation and then "Kade". Do the operation.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the home appliance to be operated is designated by the “Kade” operation, the electronic device control application is based on the positional relationship between the self-propelled electronic device 20 and the home appliance to be operated. It is determined whether the movement is necessary, and when movement is required, the electronic device control application automatically moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 to a position where operation control by the infrared signal can be performed to the home appliance to be operated. May be

(1-6. "Kansatsu" operation)
Next, a process when “Kansu” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen” will be described.

  When “Kansatsu” is selected on the “Temperature mode home screen”, the electronic device control application transmits an instruction to start the imaging process to the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  When the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 receives an instruction to start the imaging process, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the imaging unit 40 to image the surroundings of the self-propelled electronic device 20 and use the electronic device control application for imaging data. respond. In addition, the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 controls the movement drive unit 61 to turn the self-propelled electronic device 20, etc., and images in a plurality of directions or a wide angle range from the self-propelled electronic device 20. You may make it image pick-up.

  When receiving the imaging data from the self-propelled electronic device 20, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the received imaging data and presents the same to the user.

  In the present embodiment, when “Kansatsu” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen”, the self-propelled electronic device 20 is made to perform an imaging process at the position of the self-propelled electronic device 20 at that time. It is supposed to be. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to observe the situation at a position away from the home position, the user moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 to a desired position by performing the "Ido" operation, and then performs the "Kansatsu" operation. Do. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the observation target area is specified by the “Kinatsu” operation, and the electronic device control application automatically moves the self-propelled electronic device 20 to a position according to the observation target area. May be

(1-7. "Soji" operation)
Next, the process when “Soji” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen” will be described. FIG. 21 is an explanatory view showing the transition of the display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 in the “Shoji” process.

  When “Soji” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display “Soji mode selection screen” (see FIG. 21).

  In the “shrinking mode selection screen”, an image for causing the user to select a desired shivering mode from among a plurality of previously set shivering modes is displayed. In the example of FIG. 21, each of the “AUTO”, “Spot 1”, “Spot 2”, and “Kabegiwa” mode is selectable. “AUTO” is a mode in which cleaning is performed while causing the self-propelled electronic device 20 to travel at random. "Spot 1" and "Spot 2" are modes for cleaning the inside of a preset cleaning area. “Kabegiwa” is a mode in which cleaning is performed while moving the self-propelled electronic device 20 along an obstacle such as a wall.

  When the user selects the sogi mode on the “souji mode selection screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “execution confirmation screen” (see FIG. 21).

  When the user selects “No” in the “execution confirmation screen”, the electronic device control application returns the display of the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to the “Shogi mode selection screen”.

  When the user selects “Yes” on the “execution confirmation screen”, the electronic device control application causes the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 to display the “execution notification surface” (see FIG. 21). Then, when the user selects “OK” in the “execution notification surface”, the electronic device control application causes the “display mode 13 home screen” to be displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 and relates to the “Soji” operation. End the process.

(1-8. "Return" operation)
Next, processing when “return” is selected on the “Osoto mode home screen” will be described.

  When “Feedback” is selected on the “Perhaps and mode home screen”, the electronic device control application transmits a feedback command to the self-propelled electronic device 20.

  When the control unit 21 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 receives the feedback command, the home position of the self-propelled electronic device 20 (in the present embodiment, the charging terminal 49 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is the feed terminal 71 of the charging stand 70). And a feedback process of moving (returning) to a position where charging of the battery 31 of the self-propelled electronic device 20 is performed. The method of feedback processing is as described above.

  Note that, during execution of the feedback process, an image may be displayed on the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10 indicating that the feedback process is being performed. Also, when the feedback processing is completed, the self-propelled electronic device 20 transmits a notification of completion of the feedback processing to the electronic device control application (server device 80), and the electronic device control application displays the display unit 13 of the communication terminal device 10. You may make it display the image which shows that feedback processing was completed, or the image which shows that self-propelled electronic device 20 exists in a home position.

(Example of 1-9. Program)
In the present embodiment, each block of the communication terminal device 10, the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the server device 80, in particular, the control unit 11, the control unit 21, and the control unit 81 are formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip). It may be realized by hardware with the above logic circuit, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the communication terminal device 10, the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the server device 80 execute a command of a program for realizing each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing the program, and the program A storage device (recording medium) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) to be expanded, a memory for storing the above program and various data, and the like are provided. The object of the present invention is to provide a program for executing control programs of the communication terminal device 10, the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the server device 80, which is software for realizing the functions described above (executable program, intermediate code program, source program Program recorded in a computer readable manner to the communication terminal device 10, the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the server device 80, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) is recorded in the recording medium It can also be achieved by reading and executing the code.

  Examples of the recording medium include non-transitory tangible media such as tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and CD-ROM / MO. Disks including optical disks such as / MD / DVD / CD-R, IC cards (including memory cards) / cards such as optical cards, semiconductor memories such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM (registered trademark) / flash ROM Alternatively, logic circuits such as a programmable logic device (PLD) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) can be used.

  The communication terminal device 10, the self-propelled electronic device 20, and the server device 80 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. This communication network is not particularly limited as long as the program code can be transmitted. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, Virtual Private Network, telephone network, mobile communication network, satellite communication network, etc. can be used. Also, the transmission medium that constitutes this communication network may be any medium that can transmit the program code, and is not limited to a specific configuration or type. For example, even if wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line, infrared such as IrDA or remote control, Bluetooth (registered trademark), IEEE 802.11 wireless, HDR ( The present invention can also be used wirelessly such as High Data Rate), Near Field Communication (NFC), Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) (registered trademark), a cellular phone network, a satellite circuit, and a terrestrial digital network. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

(1-10. Summary of Embodiment 1)
As described above, a self-propelled electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention is a self-propelled electronic device that moves based on movement route information received via a communication network, and is a device of the self-propelled electronic device. The control unit is configured to control movement, and the movement path information is information indicating a movement path for moving the self-propelled electronic device from a preset reference position to a movement destination according to a user's instruction, The control unit, when performing movement based on the movement route information, returns the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position and then follows the movement route indicated in the movement route information. Move

  According to the above configuration, the self-propelled electronic device moves the movement route information indicating the movement route for moving the self-propelled electronic device from the preset reference position to the movement destination according to the user's instruction. When it is received, the self-propelled electronic device is returned to the reference position and then moved along the movement route indicated by the movement route information. Thereby, regardless of the position of the self-propelled electronic device at the time of receiving an instruction from the user, the movement route from the reference position to the movement destination is calculated, and the self-propelled electronic device is moved along the calculated movement route. It can be done. Therefore, even if the position of the self-propelled electronic device at the time of receiving the instruction from the user is not necessarily accurately detected, the self-propelled electronic device can be accurately moved to the destination according to the user's instruction. . In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a means for accurately detecting the position of the self-propelled electronic device, the user can easily and accurately move to the destination according to the user's instruction without increasing the cost of the self-propelled electronic device. It is possible to realize a self-propelled electronic device that can be

  In addition, when receiving the instruction from the user, the control unit may control the self-propelled electronic device such that the self-propelled electronic device faces a predetermined direction at the reference position.

  According to the above configuration, the self-propelled electronic device is controlled to turn in a predetermined direction at the reference position and then the movement is started. Thus, the direction of the self-propelled electronic device can be set to a predetermined direction at the time of starting movement along the movement route calculated by the movement route calculation unit, so the self-propelled electronic device can be moved more accurately. be able to.

  Further, the reference position may be a power supply terminal provided at a predetermined position and provided on a charging stand for charging a battery provided in the self-propelled electronic device, and a charge provided in the self-propelled electronic device The control unit is a position where the terminal abuts, and the control unit causes the self-propelled electronic device to face the predetermined direction at the reference position by bringing the feed terminal and the charge terminal into contact with each other. The electronic device may be configured to be controlled.

  According to the above configuration, the direction at the reference position of the self-propelled electronic device can be appropriately adjusted.

  Further, the movement path calculation unit is information indicating a movement path of the self-propelled electronic device by combining a straight movement distance for causing the self-propelled electronic device to go straight and a turning direction for turning the self-propelled electronic device. May be transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit may control movement of the self-propelled electronic device based on the information transmitted from the movement path calculation unit.

  According to the above configuration, the information transmitted from the movement route calculation unit to the control unit can be simplified, so that the configuration of the information transfer means between the movement route calculation unit and the control unit can be simplified. Further, since the control unit only needs to control the straight movement / turning of the self-propelled electronic device based on the information transmitted from the movement path calculation unit, the configuration of the control unit can be simplified. Also, based on the simplified information as described above, the self-propelled electronic device is adjusted based on the above information after adjusting the direction of the self-propelled electronic device at the reference position to be a predetermined direction. Even if movement control is performed, movement of the self-propelled electronic device can be appropriately controlled.

  An electronic device control system according to an aspect of the present invention is an electronic device control system that issues a movement instruction to any of the self-propelled electronic devices described above from a communication terminal device via a communication network, and the self-propelled electronic device A storage unit storing layout information of an area in which the device is arranged; an operation input unit provided in the communication terminal apparatus for receiving from the user an instruction of a move destination for moving the self-propelled electronic device; A movement path calculation unit for calculating a movement path for moving the self-propelled electronic device to a movement destination according to the instruction based on the instruction from the user and the instruction from the user, and the instruction from the user is received The movement path calculation unit calculates a movement path of the self-propelled electronic device from the reference position to the movement destination according to the instruction.

  Further, an electronic device control method according to an aspect of the present invention is an electronic device control method for instructing movement of a self-propelled electronic device from a communication terminal device via a communication network, wherein the self-propelled electronic device When the instruction of the movement destination for moving the object is received, the reference position set in advance based on the instruction from the user and the layout information of the area in which the self-propelled electronic device stored in advance is arranged. Moving route calculating step of calculating a moving route of the self-propelled electronic device from the point to the destination according to the instruction, and returning the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position before the self-propelled electronic device is A moving step of moving along the moving route calculated in the moving route calculating step is performed.

  According to the electronic device control system and the electronic device control method described above, when the user receives an instruction of the moving destination of the self-propelled electronic device from the user, the self-running from the preset reference position to the moving destination according to the instruction The movement path of the electronic device is calculated, and the self-propelled electronic device is returned to the reference position and then moved along the movement path. Thereby, regardless of the position of the self-propelled electronic device at the time of receiving an instruction from the user, the movement route from the reference position to the movement destination is calculated, and the self-propelled electronic device is moved along the calculated movement route. It can be done. Therefore, even if the position of the self-propelled electronic device at the time of receiving the instruction from the user is not necessarily accurately detected, the self-propelled electronic device can be accurately moved to the destination according to the user's instruction. . In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a means for accurately detecting the position of the self-propelled electronic device, the user can easily and accurately move to the destination according to the user's instruction without increasing the cost of the self-propelled electronic device. It is possible to realize a self-propelled electronic device that can be

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. That is, an embodiment obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified without departing from the scope of the present invention is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled electronic device that moves based on travel route information received via a communication network, and an electronic device control system that instructs the communication terminal device to move the self-propelled electronic device via the communication network. Applicable to and and.

Reference Signs List 10 communication terminal device 11 control unit 12 communication unit 13 display unit 14 operation unit 15 storage unit 20 self-propelled electronic device 21 control unit 22 communication unit 23 operation unit 24 storage unit 25 apparatus function unit 36 infrared transmission unit 49 charge terminal 70 charging 71 Power feed terminal 80 server device (layout information creation device)
81 control unit 82 communication unit 83 storage unit 84 electronic device control application storage unit 85 setting information storage unit 90 communication network 100 electronic device control system

Claims (3)

A self-propelled electronic device capable of returning to a preset reference position, wherein
A movement drive unit for causing the self-propelled electronic device to travel;
And a control unit that controls the movement drive unit.
The control unit advances the self-propelled electronic device to a position opposite to the reference position in a state where the front surface of the self-propelled electronic device faces the direction of the reference position, and the self-propelled electronic electronic device at the position Controlling the movement drive unit to return the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position by rotating the device and then retracting to the reference position;
The reference position is a power supply terminal provided in a charging stand for charging a battery provided in the self-propelled electronic device, which is disposed in a predetermined position, and a charge terminal provided in the self-propelled electronic device Is the position where it abuts,
The control unit turns the self-propelled electronic device while bringing the feed terminal and the charge terminal into contact with each other when the feed terminal detects the energization from the feed terminal after the feedback, and the control unit causes the feed terminal to rotate from the feed terminal. A self-propelled electronic device characterized in that the turning is stopped at a position where the amount of energization to a charging terminal is maximum. A self-propelled electronic device capable of returning to a preset reference position, wherein
A movement drive unit for causing the self-propelled electronic device to travel;
And a control unit that controls the movement drive unit.
The control unit advances the self-propelled electronic device to a position opposite to the reference position in a state where the front surface of the self-propelled electronic device faces the direction of the reference position, and the self-propelled electronic electronic device at the position Controlling the movement drive unit to return the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position by rotating the device and then retracting to the reference position;
The reference position is a power supply terminal provided in a charging stand for charging a battery provided in the self-propelled electronic device, which is disposed in a predetermined position, and a charge terminal provided in the self-propelled electronic device Is the position where it abuts,
The control unit causes the self-propelled electronic device to once advance forward a predetermined distance when the amount of current flow at the time of initial contact between the power supply terminal and the charge terminal is not sufficient, and then the self-propelled electronic device is again performed. A self-propelled electronic device characterized in that the movement drive unit is controlled to return the A control method of a self-propelled electronic device capable of returning to a preset reference position, comprising:
Including a control step of controlling traveling of the self-propelled electronic device;
In the control step, in a state where the front surface of the self-propelled electronic device faces the direction of the reference position, the self-propelled electronic device is advanced to a position facing the reference position, and the self-propelled electronic electronic device is After turning the device back and moving it back to the reference position, after returning the self-propelled electronic device to the reference position, when energization from the power supply terminal to the charging terminal is detected, the power supply terminal and Turning the self-propelled electronic device while making contact with a charging terminal, and stopping the turning at a position where the amount of current supplied from the power supply terminal to the charging terminal is maximum;
The reference position is a power supply terminal provided in a charging stand for charging a battery provided in the self-propelled electronic device, which is disposed in a predetermined position, and a charge terminal provided in the self-propelled electronic device The control method of a self-propelled electronic device, comprising: