JP2019083872A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the cleaning performance of a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner. SOLUTION: A suction port capable of sucking dust by driving an electric blower, a dust sensor capable of detecting the amount of dust, a sensor for detecting the type of floor surface, or a motor whose current amount changes according to the resistance of the floor surface. It is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that is autonomously driven with, and when the dust sensor detects a relatively large amount of dust, or when the sensor detects that the resistance of the floor surface is relatively large by the sensor or the motor, it is electric. Increase the input to the blower. [Selection diagram] FIG. 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner which performs an operation of moving in a spiral state after detecting dust with a dust detection sensor.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that reciprocates when it detects that the amount of dust is large (0042, FIG. 6).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-211365 JP 2004-254735 A

  In the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, it is necessary to take out the waste efficiently because of the limitation of the battery which is an energy source. The patent documents 1 and 2 do not disclose the technique which controls appropriately the input to the electric blower under autonomous drive.

In the movement as in the spiral state of Patent Document 1, it takes time to complete the operation, so there is a possibility that the battery is consumed excessively and the entire room can not be cleaned.
Further, Patent Document 2 is a reciprocation of the same area, and there is a possibility that the cleaning can not be performed effectively when the dust accumulation area is wide.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, according to the suction port capable of suctioning dust by driving the electric blower, the dust sensor capable of detecting the amount of dust, the sensor for detecting the type of floor surface or the resistance of the floor surface A self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner having a motor whose current amount changes, the dust sensor detecting a relatively large amount of dust, or the sensor or the resistance of a floor surface by the motor Is detected as being relatively large, the input to the electric blower is increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view in the state where the upper case and dust case of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 were removed. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner concerning embodiment 1. FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the apparatus connected to a control apparatus. It is an operation view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body at the time of a dust sensor unit concerning Embodiment 1 reacting. It is the figure which showed the suction | attraction force of the electric blower of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner by the floor surface which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the kind of refuse.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated. The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be configured by one member, and for example, one component may be configured by a plurality of members, and a plurality of components may be configured by one member. , Allow some of the components and some of the other components to overlap each other.

  Of the traveling directions of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 (see FIG. 1), the direction in which the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 normally travels is forward, the direction opposite to the gravity direction is upward, and the driving wheel 116 (see FIG. The direction in which 3) faces is defined as the left and right. That is, as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the side brush 15 is attached to the front side of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1.

[Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment.
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is a vacuum cleaner that cleans the cleaning area (for example, the room) while autonomously moving it. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 includes an upper case 111 which is an upper wall (and a part of the side wall), a lower case 112 which is a bottom wall (and a part of the side wall), and a bumper 18 installed at the front. A main body 11 is included.

  Further, on the upper rear side of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1, a dust case 4 is provided. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment autonomously drives and cleans the drive wheels 116 by the arithmetic processing of the control device 2, but may be driven by receiving a user's command using a remote control or the like.

[Lower case 112]
2 is a perspective view with the upper case 111 and the dust case 4 removed, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the suction port 113, the dust sensor unit 12, and the dust case 4. FIG.
The lower case 112 includes a drive mechanism housing portion 114 for housing a drive mechanism including a drive wheel 116, a travel motor 1161, an arm 1141, and a reduction mechanism 1142, a side brush attachment portion 1121, a travel motor 1161, a rotation It is a thin disk-shaped member to which the brush motor 1133, the electric blower 16, the battery 19, the battery housing 115 (see FIG. 4) for housing the battery 19, the control device 2, and the suction port 113 are attached. .

[Driving mechanism housing 114]
The drive mechanism accommodated in the drive mechanism accommodation portion 114 shown in FIG. 3 and the like is a mechanism for supporting the drive wheel 116 on the main body 11. The drive mechanism includes a travel motor 1161, an arm 1141 supporting the drive wheel 116 from the left and right inside, and a speed reduction mechanism 1142. The arm 1141 is a member provided between two drive wheels 116, one end of which is a pivot shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and the other end of which is connected to the drive wheel 116. It is a member which can rotate each drive wheel 116. The pivot axes are located between the two drive wheels 116, in particular in the present embodiment between the drive wheels 116 and the central projection 1124 and the projection 1125.

[Drive wheel 116]
As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the driving wheels 116 are members that receive the driving force of the traveling motors 1161 via the reduction mechanisms 1142, respectively. Thus, the main body 11 can be advanced, retracted, and turned by the rotation of the drive wheel 116 itself. The drive wheels 116 are disposed on the left and right sides.

[Bumper 18]
The bumper 18 is installed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, preferably further in the left-right direction, in accordance with the pressure applied from the outside. The bumper 18 is biased in the forward direction by a pair of left and right bumper springs (not shown). When a drag force from an obstacle acts on the bumper spring via the bumper 18, the bumper spring is deformed to allow the bumper 18 to retreat while biasing the bumper 18 in the forward direction. When the bumper 18 separates from the obstacle and there is no drag, the biasing force of the bumper spring returns the bumper 18 to its original position. Incidentally, the retraction of the bumper 18 (that is, the contact with the obstacle) is detected by a bumper sensor (infrared sensor), and the detection result is input to the control device 2. Since the displacement amount of the bumper 18 differs depending on the contact position of the obstacle or the like, it is also possible to detect the position of the obstacle or the like with respect to the main body 11.

[Rotating brush 14]
The rotating brush 14 is disposed substantially parallel to an axis (left and right direction) passing through the rotation center of the drive wheel 116 (see FIG. 3). The rotary brush 14 is a cylindrical shape having a rotation axis in the horizontal direction (in the left and right direction in the present embodiment), and is rotatably supported by the suction port 113. The rotary brush 14 is rotationally driven by receiving a driving force by a rotary brush motor 1133 (see FIG. 2). The rotating brush 14 includes a plurality of bristles 142 protruding in the normal direction from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 141.

[Side brush 15]
The side brush 15 illustrated in FIG. 3 etc. is outside the main body 11 such as a corner of a room, and is a brush that guides dust in a place where it is not easy for the rotating brush 14 to reach the suction port 113 (suction port 1131). It is. The rotation axis of the side brush 15 is in the vertical direction, and a part of the side brush 15 is exposed from the main body 11 in a plan view. The side brush 15 has three bundles of brushes radially extending at intervals of 120 ° in a plan view, and is disposed on the front left and right sides of the lower case 112, respectively. The base of the side brush 15 is fixed to the side brush holder 151.

[Electric blower 16]
The electric blower 16 shown in FIG. 4 has a fan having an axis in the front-rear direction, and when the fan is rotationally driven, the air in the dust case 4 is discharged to the outside to generate negative pressure, and a suction port is created from the floor surface. It has a function of sucking in dust through 1131 (inlet 113). An elastic body 161 is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the electric blower 16. Thus, by interposing the elastic body, the vibration of the electric blower 16 is attenuated and hardly transmitted to the main body 11, and the vibration and noise of the main body 11 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the electric blower 16 is disposed near the center of the lower case 112.

[Suction part 113]
The suction port 113 is a member in which a suction port 1131 communicating with the dust case 4 is formed, and the scraping brush 13 and the rotating brush 14 are accommodated. The rotary brush motor 1133 may be attached to the suction port 113.

  In the present embodiment, air sucked by the negative pressure of the electric blower 16 passes through the suction port 1131, the dust sensor unit 12, the dust case 4, the dust collection filter 46, the electric blower 16, and the exhaust port 1126 in this order. . This air often contains dust and is blocked by the dust collection filter 46 and stored in the dust case 4. Hereinafter, a direction substantially perpendicular to the suction port 1131 and the frame 121 of the dust sensor unit 12 (the front view direction of the frame 121) will be referred to as a main direction. In addition, the exhaust port 1126 is provided in the lower case 112, and in the present embodiment, six exhaust ports 1126 are positioned between the two drive wheels 116.

[Dust sensor unit 12]
The dust sensor unit 12 is a sensor disposed between the suction port 113 and the dust case 4 and capable of detecting the amount of dust sucked from the suction port 113.

[Dust case 4]
The dust case 4 is a container for accumulating dust sucked from the floor surface through the suction port 1131 (the suction port 113). The dust case 4 has a duct 42 formed on the suction port 1131 side, a main storage chamber 41 mainly storing collected dust, a lid 45 enabling removal of the stored dust from the filter 46 side (upper side), and rotation And a foldable handle 43 capable of opening and closing the opening on the lower side (the duct 42 side) of the main storage chamber 77. The dust case 4 is attached obliquely from the top of the main body 11 to the bottom.

[Sensors]
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration view showing a control device 2 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 and devices connected to the control device 2. The bumper sensor (obstacle detection means) is a sensor that detects the backward movement of the bumper 18 (that is, contact with an obstacle).

  The distance measurement sensor 210 (obstacle detection means) illustrated in FIG. 2 and the like is an infrared sensor that detects the distance to the obstacle. In the present embodiment, distance measurement sensors are provided at a total of five places, three at the front and two at the side.

  The distance measuring sensor 210 has a light emitting unit (not shown) that emits infrared light, and a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives reflected light from the infrared light reflected by an obstacle and returned. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. Note that at least the vicinity of the distance measurement sensor in the bumper 18 is formed of resin or glass that transmits infrared light.

[Treatment of waste hunting when there is a lot of dust]
FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a traveling locus that can be executed when the dust sensor unit 12 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment detects a large amount of dust. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a state in which the suction force of the electric blower is changed according to the type of floor surface and the amount of dust of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, only the outer edge of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is shown. The size of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is 250 mm long × 250 mm wide × 92 mm high.
When the dust sensor unit 12 detects dust of a predetermined level or more, the control device 2 can increase the input of the electric blower 16 for a certain period of time. It is preferable to suppress the power consumption of the electric blower 16 without extending the input increase time of the electric blower 16 according to the detected dust amount.

[Small turning step]
In addition, when such predetermined dust or more dust or a larger amount of dust is detected, the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 has a diameter (for example, radius R = 50) shorter than its own width dimension or axial dimension of the suction port 113. ) And reverse the course (for example, a swing angle of approximately 180 degrees, preferably 170 degrees or 175 degrees or more and 190 degrees or 185 degrees or less) (small turn).
When a large amount of dust is detected, it is desirable not only to increase the power consumption by raising the input to the electric blower 16 but also to widely clean the vicinity of the area from the viewpoint of cleaning efficiency. For this reason, when dust of the first threshold or more is detected, the input to the electric blower 16 is increased, and preferably dust of the second threshold or more larger than the first threshold is detected. It is preferable to perform a turning step, a large turning step, and the like.

[Forward step before major turning after minor turning]
Forward travel is performed over a length substantially equal to the longitudinal dimension (front-to-back dimension) of the rear body of the small turning step (for example, 85% or more and 115% or less of the longitudinal dimension of the body. The purpose of making them substantially the same is to suppress the disturbance of the running track when there is a wall or obstacle in the vicinity of the area where the small turning step has been performed, for example, even if an obstacle or the like is detected. The length of the advance is not particularly limited as long as the operation to return to the original traveling locus is performed. Further, as an alternative, it is preferable that the distance between the dust sensor unit 12 detecting dust and the start of the small turning step is substantially the same.

In the forward movement after the small turn and before the large turn, the dust sensor unit 12 passes through the area including at least a part of the reacted area, so the dirty area can be effectively cleaned. As for the length, it is preferable to clean a range at least equivalent to the size of the main body.
As an alternative, there is a certain time difference between the time when the dust sensor unit 12 detects dust and the time when dust is actually sucked from the suction port 113. This is due to the time required for detection of the dust sensor unit 12 and the distance from the floor surface. For this reason, since self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 will move forward only by this time difference, when dust sensor unit 12 can react, it may have passed the field with many dust. For this reason, the advancing distance before the large turning after the small turning is not less than the product vt of the advancing speed v of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 and the time t from when the dust on the floor surface is sucked to the dust sensor unit 12 reacts. Can be

[Large swing step]
After the advancing step, the path is reversed by turning at a diameter (for example, R = 150) longer than its own width dimension or the axial (width direction) dimension of the suction portion 113 or a turning diameter of a small turn Great turning). The turning direction at this time is preferably the same as the small turning direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). The turning angle may be similar to the small turning step, but as an alternative, it is possible to change the course by turning of approximately 90 degrees (for example, 80 degrees or more and 100 degrees or less) instead of reversing.

[Advance step after large swing step]
After the large turning step, optionally, advance again over substantially the same length as the longitudinal dimension of the main body (for example, 85% or more and 115% or less of the longitudinal dimension of the main body). It is preferable that the advancing direction and one or both of the advancing directions before and after the small turn be substantially parallel.

  The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 after the large turning is out of the region which was traveling before the dust sensor unit 12 reacted (for example, a position deviated laterally by one width of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1) . That is, with respect to the cleaning area before the small turning, the area where the cleaning area after the large turning overlaps is smaller than the area where the cleaning area after the small turning overlaps. Therefore, the area around the area where the dust sensor unit 12 has reacted can be cleaned widely.

  By performing such control operations in series, it is possible to efficiently remove dust and to reduce power consumption. The order of execution of the small turn and the large turn may be reversed, but if the dust sensor unit 12 responds in the vicinity of an obstacle or wall, the contact with an obstacle or the like occurs when the large turn is performed first, and the travel area is Since there is a possibility of disturbance, it is preferable to carry out the small turn first as in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the dust sensor unit 12 measures the number of dust per unit time, but the input of the electric blower 16 is increased when it becomes equal to or more than the first threshold, and is larger than the first threshold When it becomes more than the 2nd threshold, it is made to carry out the above-mentioned refuse hunting run. The first threshold and the second threshold may be the same.

[Input to the electric blower]
<Floor type>
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 can detect the type and state of the floor surface on which the main body 11 is traveling from the current value (load) of the rotary brush motor 1133. If the floor surface exerts a large resistance on the rotating brush 14, it can be estimated that the floor surface is difficult to clean (dust is likely to be accumulated). As illustrated in FIG. 7, for example, resistance on a carpet is large. When this is recognized, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased to increase the suction force. Resistance is small on the floor. When this is recognized, control is performed to reduce the power consumption of the rechargeable battery 19 by setting the input of the electric blower 16 small. The increase in the input to the electric blower 16 according to the type of floor surface may be a fixed time, but is preferably always.

<Dust amount>
As described above, when the dust sensor unit 12 detects dust of a predetermined level or more, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 can increase the input of the electric blower 16 for a certain period of time.

<Input that considers both>
As exemplified in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, when the current value of the rotating brush motor 1133 is relatively small (when the resistance of the floor surface is small) and when the number of dust detected by the dust sensor unit 12 is relatively small, , Make the input of the electric blower 16 normal (relatively small).
The dust sensor unit 12 can distinguish the amount of dust in three stages as described above, and "less" the first threshold or less, "more" from the first threshold to the second threshold, the second threshold or more Is indicated as "very many".

  If the current value of the rotating brush motor 1133 is relatively large (if the resistance of the floor is large) or if the number of dust detected by the dust sensor unit 12 is large or very large, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased (relatively large ). The type of floor surface is set to have a greater effect on the input to the electric blower 16 than the amount of dust, but this is because suction of dust is more difficult if the resistance of the floor surface is large. .

  As described above, if the input to the electric blower 16 is increased in the case of a floor surface or a dirty area that is difficult to clean, effective cleaning can be realized. In addition, when the input of the electric blower is adjusted in two steps, the change in noise is small, and discomfort to the user can be reduced. However, the detection results of the current amount of the rotating brush motor 1133 and the dust amount of the dust sensor unit 12 may be superimposed and adjusted in three or more steps.

  On the other hand, it is preferable to execute an interruption process in the autonomous drive to clean the surrounding area when the amount of dust is very large regardless of the type of floor surface. The cleaning of the peripheral area can include performing control to execute part or all of the small turn, forward, large turn, and course change (or reversal) described above. However, instead of the small turn, the forward turn, the large turn, and the change of course (or reversal) described above, any interrupt process may be used to clean the vicinity of the area that satisfies the condition. For example, it can advance in a spiral or can reciprocate in a predetermined range.

  The current value of the side brush motor 152 may be used instead of the rotating brush motor 1133, or a sensor capable of distinguishing the type of floor surface may be used, or the input to the electric blower 16 is not increased. A control may be introduced to perform only an interrupt to the autonomous drive (cleaning of the peripheral area).

[Control device 2]
The control device 2 is, for example, a microcomputer (Microcomputer: not shown), reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands it in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs various processing. It is supposed to run.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 11 Body 111 Upper case 112 Lower case 1121 Side brush attachment part 1122 Auxiliary wheel attachment part 1123 Rear projection 1124 Center front projection 1125 Central rear side projection 1126 Exhaust port 1127 Bumper frame 1128 Attachment claw locking part 113 Suction part 1131 Suction port 1133 Rotating brush motor 114 Drive mechanism accommodation part 1141 Arm (suspension)
1142 Speed Reduction Mechanism 115 Battery Housing 116 Drive Wheel 1161 Travel Motor 117 Front Lid 12 Dust Sensor Unit 13 Scratch Brush 14 Rotation Brush 15 Side Brush 151 Side Brush Holder 152 Side Brush Motor 153 Root Elastic Part 16 Electric Motor 17 Electric Blower 17 Auxiliary Wheel 18 Bumper 19 Battery 2 Control device 21 Control board 210 Sensors (ranging sensor)
211 Sensors (ranging sensors for floor)
4 dust case 45 lid 46 filter 80 support plate

Claims (8)

A suction unit capable of suctioning dust by driving of an electric blower;
A dust sensor capable of detecting the amount of dust;
It is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner which has a sensor which detects the kind of floor or a motor whose current amount changes according to the resistance of the floor and which is autonomously driven,
Self-propelled type characterized in that the input to the electric blower is increased when the dust sensor detects a relatively large amount of dust or when the sensor detects that the resistance of the floor is relatively large by the motor or Vacuum cleaner. According to the detection result of the dust sensor and the sensor or the motor
Control to increase the input to the electric blower,
The control according to claim 1, wherein two or three of the control for cleaning the peripheral area and the control for cleaning the peripheral area while increasing the input to the electric blower are separately executed. Mobile vacuum cleaner. The control to increase the input to the electric blower depends on the dust sensor and the detection result of the sensor or the motor, respectively.
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the control for cleaning the surrounding area is such that the influence of the detection result of the dust sensor is larger than the influence of the detection result of the sensor or the motor. Control to clean the surrounding area is
A small turning step to make a small turn and reverse the course;
The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising: a large turning step of turning at a diameter larger than a turning diameter in the small turning step to reverse or change a path.   The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein a turning diameter in the small turning step is equal to or less than or less than a width of the suction port or the width of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.   The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a turning diameter in the large turning step is a width of the suction port or a width of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.   The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a turning direction in the small turning step and a turning direction in the large turning step are the same direction.   After the small swing step and before the large swing step, the forward speed v of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 and dust on the floor surface are absorbed, which are substantially the same as the vertical dimension of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein a large turning pre-advancing step is performed to advance a distance greater than a product of time t until the dust sensor reacts. .

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