Autonomous traveler
View Patent ↗Provided herein a vacuum cleaner capable of effectively escaping from a situation where driving wheels are in an idling state. The vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, a control unit and an idling detection part. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The control unit controls the driving of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel. The idling detection part detects that the driving wheels are in an idling state. In the case where the idling detection part detects that the driving wheels are in an idling state, the control unit controls the operation of the driving wheels so as to, after the operation to make the main casing retreat by a certain distance, repeat consecutively for a plurality of times the operation to make the main casing turn in a specified one direction and advance by a specified distance.
1. An autonomous traveler, comprising:
a main casing;
a driving part, including a motor and at least one wheel, for enabling the main casing to travel;
circuitry configured to
control a driving of the driving part to make the main casing autonomously travel; and
detect that the driving part is in an idling state, wherein
directly in response to a single detection of the idling state, the circuitry is further configured to control an operation of the driving part to, after making the main casing retreat by a certain distance, repeat consecutively, for a plurality of times, a particular operation to make the main casing turn in a specified first direction and advance by a specified first distance.
2. The autonomous traveler according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to stop the operation of the driving part when detecting that the driving part is in the idling state after controlling the operation of the driving part.
3. The autonomous traveler according to claim 1 , wherein
when the circuitry detects that the driving pan is in the idling state, the circuitry is further configured to control the operation of the driving part to, after making the main casing retreat by the certain distance, alternately implement a first operation to make the main casing turn in the specified first direction and advance by the specified first distance repeatedly and consecutively for a first plurality of times, and a second operation to make the main casing turn in another direction that is a direction opposite to the specified first direction and advance by a specified second distance repeatedly and consecutively for a second plurality of times.
4. The autonomous traveler according to claim 3 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the operation of the driving part to,
in the first operation, make the main casing turn in the specified first direction and advance by a first particular distance, which is equal to or less than the specified first distance by which the main casing is immediately previously made to advance after previously turning in the specified first direction, and
in the second operation, make the main casing turn in the other direction and advance by a second particular distance, which is longer than the specified second distance by which the main casing is immediately previously made to advance after previously turning in the other direction.
5. The autonomous traveler of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the driving part to repeat the particular operation of turning and advancing the plurality of times, without making the main casing retreat between performance of each particular operation of turning and advancing, directly in response to only the single detection of the idling state.
6. A control method for an autonomous traveler, comprising:
directly in response to a single detection that a driving part is in an idling state, after retreating by a certain distance, repeating consecutively, for a plurality of times, a particular operation of turning in a specified first direction and advancing by a specified first distance.
7. The control method for the autonomous traveler according to claim 6 , further comprising stopping an operation of the driving part upon detecting that the driving part is in the idling state.
8. The control method for the autonomous traveler according to claim 6 , further comprising, upon detecting that the driving part is in the idling state, after retreating by the certain distance, alternately implementing a first operation of turning in the specified first direction and advancing by the specified first distance repeatedly and consecutively for a first plurality of times, and a second operation of turning in another direction that is a direction opposite to the specified first direction and advancing by a specified second distance repeatedly and consecutively for a second plurality of times.
9. The control method for the autonomous traveler according to claim 8 ,
wherein, in the first operation, a first particular distance for advancing after turning in the specified first direction is equal to or less than the specified first distance for immediately previously advancing after previously turning in the specified first direction, and
wherein, in the second operation, a second particular distance for advancing after turning in the other direction is longer than the specified second distance for immediately previously advancing after previously turning in the other direction.
10. An autonomous traveler, comprising:
a main casing;
a driving part, including a motor and at least one wheel, for enabling the main casing to travel;
circuitry configured to
control a driving of the driving part to make the main casing autonomously travel; and
detect that the driving part is in an idling state, wherein
directly in response to a single detection of the idling state, the circuitry is further configured to control an operation of the driving part to consecutively perform, in order: making the main casing retreat by a certain distance, making the main casing turn in a specified first direction, making the main casing advance by a specified first distance, making the main casing turn in the specified first direction, and making the main casing advance by the specified first distance.