JPS62152424A - Self-propelling cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that is equipped with a cleaning function and a moving function and that cleans floors. 2. Description of the Related Art Vacuum cleaners have been developed that have a moving function added to improve operability during cleaning.

Particularly recently, self-propelled vacuum cleaners of the so-called self-guided type have been developed, which are equipped with microcomputers and various sensors to clean while making decisions about where to clean on their own.

This type of self-propelled vacuum cleaner connects a rotary encoder, etc. to the left and right running wheels, measures the moving speed and distance from the rotation speed of the running wheels, determines the moving direction, and emits ultrasonic waves etc. around the main body. Usually, obstacles are avoided using an obstacle detection sensor. Additionally, some devices are equipped with a gyro sensor such as a gas rate gyro to measure the direction of movement.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the case of using only a rotary encoder, the moving speed and moving distance are measured from the number of rotations of the running wheels, so if the diameter of the running wheels changes, the moving speed and moving distance will be This will cause an error in measurement.

Since this error is of a cumulative nature, as the moving distance increases, the error accumulates, making it impossible to determine the position, leading to unfinished cleaning and malfunctions. In particular, in the case of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, pneumatic tires must be used for the running wheels to avoid damaging the floor or carpet that is being moved, and the weight and center of gravity change depending on the amount of cleaning (amount of dirt sucked in). There was also a particular problem in that the diameter of the ring was easily variable. For this reason, if the center of gravity changes and an imbalance occurs in the diameters of the left and right running wheels, the rotation speed of the left and right running wheels is the same, and the course that should normally be traveling in a straight line deviates to the left or right, causing a problem where control becomes impossible. It had become. Furthermore, in devices that use a gyro to control direction, there is a drift peculiar to the gyro, and when used continuously for a long period of time, the direction gradually shifts, and in this case too, errors accumulate, making accurate guidance difficult.

The present invention provides a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that moves by self-guided guidance even when the diameter of its two running wheels changes, and thoroughly cleans the movable surface without damaging it.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a rotary encoder as well as a pair of vehicle height detection means for detecting the height of the axles of the pair of left and right steering and driving wheels. It is equipped with a judgment processing circuit that receives this output signal, the output signal from the rotary encoder, and the signal from the distance detection means for detecting obstacles, and sends output signals to the steering and driving wheels and the drive means for driving. It is something that

Operation With this configuration, the moving speed of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner body can be accurately determined by taking the rotational speed of the steering/driving wheel from the rotary encoder and the rotation radius from the vehicle height detection means. Therefore, since the moving speed and distance are not indirectly measured only from the number of rotations of the running wheels, the diameter of the running wheels is irrelevant.The diameter of the running wheels changes depending on the amount of cleaning, as the weight and center of gravity change. It moves by self-guided guidance, allowing you to thoroughly clean the moving surface without damaging it.

Embodiment Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 is the main body of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, 2 is an electric blower, and 3 is a filter disposed on the suction side of the vacuum cleaner, which is located in a dust collection chamber 4. This dust collection chamber 4 is connected via a hose 5 to a nozzle 6 provided below the main body 1. The nozzle 6 is provided with a suction lower, and a moving surface A is provided in front of the lower suction lower.
A rotary brush 8 is provided at the rear to draw the dust into the suction lower, and a fixed brush 9 is provided at the rear. In addition, side brushes 10 are provided on both sides of the main body 1 and on the left and right sides of the nozzle 6.
L and 10R are attached and rotate to guide the dust on the floor on the left and right sides of the main body 1 to the suction port. 11L, 1
1R is a pair of steering and driving wheels provided on the left and right sides of the main body, respectively, and drive motors 12L are driving means for the left and right sides, respectively.
, 12R. 13 is an auxiliary wheel rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body 1. 14 is a power source such as a storage battery, and 15 is a judgment processing circuit. 1eL and 1eR are rotary encoders connected to the shafts of the left and right drive motors 12L and 12R, and are connected to the steering and driving wheels 11L and 11.
It is also connected to the R axis. A pair of vehicle height/detection means 21L, 21R is provided at the same height as the shaft, and measures the substantial radius of the wheel.

17, 17' and 18, 18' and 19.19
' is an obstacle detection sensor that is attached to the front, left and right sides of the main unit, and consists of an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element or a light emitter and a photoreceptor, and detects the presence or absence of an obstacle or the distance to the obstacle. It constitutes the detection means 20.

As shown in the system block diagram of FIG. 3, in the same way as the rotary encoders 16L, 16R and the height detection means 21L, 21R, the signal from the distance detection means 20 is also transmitted to the judgment processing circuit 15. 1
The drive motors 12L and 12R are constantly operated by the output signal from the main body 1 to control the movement of the main body 1. Also, vehicle height detection means 21L.

Since the output from 21R is an analog value, the signal is transmitted to the judgment processing circuit 16 through A/D converters 22L and 22R. This judgment processing circuit 15 uses a microcomputer.

FIG. 4 is a detailed diagram of one vehicle height detection means 21H. The light from the light source 23R passes through a condensing lens 24R, is reflected on the floor A, passes through a light receiving lens 25R, and is condensed onto a light receiving body 26H. When the diameter of the steering/driving wheel 11R is large and the axle height is high, light passes through as shown by the solid line and Pl
If the diameter is small and the axle height is low, the light will be focused at P2 as shown by the broken line. If a near-infrared light emitting diode is used as the light source 23H, it will not be affected by ambient light. Also, the photoreceptor 2
Since the 6R uses a PSD (position sensing device), the output signal changes as an analog value depending on the position where the light is focused, and the vehicle height can be detected as a change in voltage. Of course, it goes without saying that the other vehicle height detection means 21L also has the same configuration.

Vehicle height detection means 21L and 21R configured as described above,
Since the rotary encoders 16L and 16R are provided as a pair on the left and right, the moving distance can be determined from the moving speed, and the moving direction can be detected and controlled by detection at two locations.

The operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner configured as above will be described below.

First, a method for detecting moving speed, moving distance, and moving direction will be explained. Rotary encoder 16L, 16
The number of divided pulses of R is P. [) <Le V rotation], Pl the output of rotary encoders 16L and 16R [pulse 7 seconds]
, vehicle height detection means 21L.

The output of 21H is the actual radius of the steering and driving wheels 11L and 11R, so if this is r [mm], the moving speed v
Ctran/sec] is determined by the following formula.

Further, if the moving distance 2 [throat] elapsed time is t [seconds], it is calculated by the following formula.

λ=V・t(wn) ・・・・・・・・・・・・
...(2) Also, regarding the moving direction θ (deq), the distance (trend) between the steering and driving wheels 11L and 11R is T, [
], and the left and right moving distances are I L and 11, respectively.
If R (mm 2 ), then 0 is obtained by the following formula.Actually, the above calculation is performed by a microcomputer, which is the judgment processing circuit 15, using a method of performing and integrating the calculations at minute intervals.

Next, the overall operation will be explained. As an example, if the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is placed at a cleaning place as shown in FIG.

Obstacle detection sensors installed on the left and right sides 17°17'
, 18 , 18 ′, 19 , 19 ′ detect the surrounding wall C and perform cleaning while moving the moving surface A along the surrounding wall C as shown by the arrow. At this time, a pair of rotary encoders 16L and 1 installed on the left and right
6R and vehicle height detection means 21L.

21H, the moving distance and the moving direction are measured by detecting the speed with respect to each moving surface A during movement, and are sequentially stored in a storage circuit provided in the judgment processing circuit 160. Therefore, when the robot goes around the surrounding wall C and returns to the original location, the shape and size of the cleaning location are stored in the memory circuit.

After going around the surrounding wall C and returning to the original location, the vehicle then moves straight toward the opposite wall C1, as shown in FIG. As shown in , 90' direction change is performed twice, and the next opposite wall C is turned again.
Go straight towards 2.

When traveling straight, rotary encoder 16L.

1eR and the vehicle height detection means 21L and 21H so that the left and right movement distance of the main body 1 is controlled to be the same, so even if the moving surface A is uneven and the direction of the main body 1 changes, the main body 1 will always move straight. The direction can be corrected.

When the vacuum cleaner approaches the next opposing wall C2 to a certain distance, it again changes direction by 90 degrees twice as shown by arrow F, repeats the above operation, and moves to the cleaning area as shown by arrow G in FIG. It can be thoroughly cleaned.

Note that the movement procedure described above is just an example, and the point is that the vehicle height detection means 21L are attached to the left and right sides of the main body.

With 21H, even if the weight and center of gravity change due to the amount of dirt sucked in due to cleaning, etc., and the diameter of the running wheels changes, it will not affect the measurement error of the travel distance and can ensure straightness. The procedure may be any method.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention includes a pair of left and right vehicle height detection means for detecting the height of the axle of the running wheels together with a rotary encoder, and output signals from these are processed by a judgment processing circuit for steering. Even if the running wheels are distorted during movement, which is typical of vacuum cleaners, they do not shift unlike conventional systems that only use rotary encoders, and accurate self-guided guidance can be achieved. Furthermore, since distortion is no longer an issue, pneumatic tires can also be used, making it possible to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can thoroughly clean moving surfaces without damaging them.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, Fig. 3 is a system block diagram of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, Fig. 4 is a principle diagram showing details of the vehicle height detection means, and Figs. 5 to 7 are It is an explanatory view showing an example of a movement procedure of the same self-propelled cleaner. ill,, 11R...Steering and driving wheel, 12L. 12R..., drive means (lower movement motor), 14...
...Power supply, 16...Judgment processing circuit, 16L,
16R...Rotary encoder, 20...
...Distance detection means, 21L, 21R...Vehicle height detection means. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person11
R-m-steering and driving wheel 15--judgment processing circuit/6/'<-2-rotary encoder 16R, f6L
-・-Loderie〉Coda Figure 3 20-・
Distance estimating means 21R, 21L -'-AA 46 & emitting means Fig. 5 A Fig. 6 Fig. 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A cleaning means, a pair of steering and driving wheels that are driven independently on the left and right sides, a pair of rotary encoders that detect the rotational speed of the steering and driving wheels, and a pair of rotary encoders that detect the axle height of the steering and driving wheels. a vehicle height detection means, a distance detection means for detecting obstacles provided in front and on the left and right sides, and input signals from the distance detection means, the rotary encoder, and the vehicle height detection means are processed to drive the steering and driving wheels. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with a judgment processing circuit that sends an output signal to the means and a power source to operate the entire device.