JP2002204769A - Self-propelled cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems with a conventional self-propelled cleaner, including deviation from a required movement route due to an error in position recognition, lengthening of cleaning time due to repetition of movement and passage areas to clean an entire area, and the changeover of a travel pattern by dust detection sensors ending up lowering the speed and adding operations such as travel a plurality of times in the periphery. SOLUTION: The self-propelled cleaner has a cleaning means to clean dust on a floor, a dust sensing means 17 to sense the quantity of dust, and a movement control means 9 to control the movement of the body. The movement control means 9 makes the body less susceptible to the influence of a movement error and concentratedly cleans areas heavily covered by dust by moving roughly in the area, by having a wide area movement control to move the body so that some parts may remain uncleaned, and a pattern movement control to move the body in a prescribed pattern when dust of a prescribed quantity or larger is sensed, resulting in efficiently collecting dust in the entire area in a short time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner having a cleaning function and a moving function and performing automatic cleaning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called autonomous induction type self-propelled vacuum cleaner has been developed in which a moving means, sensors and a movement control means are added to a vacuum cleaner to automatically move and clean a cleaning area. I have. For example, a suction tool and a rotary brush for scraping up dust are provided at the bottom of the main body as a cleaning function, and a driving wheel as a traveling function and a steering means for changing a moving direction for free movement, and an obstacle during the movement. An obstacle detecting means for detecting an object and a position recognizing means are provided.The obstacle detecting means recognizes the area cleaned by the position recognizing means while moving around the obstacle in the cleaning area, and moves the uncleaned portion. To clean the entire area.

Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-236519
JP-A-62-236520 and JP-A-63-236520.
As described in JP-A-222726, a dust detection unit is provided in an air passage connecting the suction tool and the dust collection chamber, and the traveling speed is switched by this signal, or the normal traveling pattern is switched to another traveling pattern. Some have been developed for more careful cleaning.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the position is recognized using the rotation sensor of the driving wheel, the gyro, or the like. However, the position is deviated from a predetermined moving path due to accumulation of position measurement errors. There was something. If the cleaning area is to be reciprocated in the cleaning area so as to completely fill the entire cleaning area, the area that has passed and moved is overlapped to some extent, that is, moved so that a part of the forward path and the return path are overlapped, thereby ensuring the cleaning area. The entire interior was cleaned, so it took a long time to finish cleaning.

Further, even when the traveling pattern is switched by a signal of a dust detection sensor while traveling on a predetermined moving route, the vehicle travels slowly in a place with a lot of dust or travels a plurality of times around the place. It just added an action like.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and presumes that an error occurs in a movement trajectory. By intentionally leaving an uncleaned portion, it is possible to reduce the influence of the movement error for a short time over a wide range. It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that efficiently collects dust in the entire area by performing local and focused cleaning on an area with a large amount of dust.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention comprises: a traveling means for moving a main body; a steering means for changing a moving direction of the main body; A cleaning unit provided on the main body, for cleaning dust on the floor, a dust detection unit for detecting an amount of dust cleaned by the cleaning unit, and controlling the traveling unit and the steering unit to move the main body. A movement control means for controlling the movement of the main body, wherein the movement control means moves the main body regularly so that an uncleaned portion remains in the cleaning area, and moves the main body in a wide range in the cleaning area; And pattern movement control for moving the main body in a predetermined movement pattern when the dust detection means detects a predetermined amount or more of dust during the movement.

With the above configuration, the cleaning area is roughly moved by the wide-range movement control so as to be hardly affected by the movement error. If the area having a large amount of dust is detected by the dust detection means during the wide-range movement control, the local movement is performed by the pattern movement control. By performing cleaning mainly and intensively, dust in the entire cleaning area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a traveling means for moving a main body, a steering means for changing a moving direction of the main body, and a cleaning device provided on the main body for cleaning dust on a floor surface. Means, dust detection means for detecting the amount of dust cleaned by the cleaning means, and movement control means for controlling movement of the main body by controlling the traveling means and the steering means, wherein the movement control means comprises: A wide-area movement control for moving the main body regularly so that an uncleaned portion remains in the cleaning area, and moving the main body in a wide area in the cleaning area; And pattern movement control for moving the main body in a predetermined movement pattern when the main body is detected.

In the above configuration, in the wide-area movement control, the main body is moved regularly so that the uncleaned portion remains in the cleaning area, so that the wide area in the cleaning area can be moved in a short time. As described above, the cleaning area is roughly moved to make it less susceptible to the movement error. On the other hand, when the dust detection means detects that the amount of dust is large during the wide-range movement control, a certain range from the detected point is detected. Since the mode is switched to the pattern movement control for cleaning the entire area, cleaning is performed locally and intensively by this pattern movement control, and dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

[0011] The invention described in claim 2 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
In the wide-range movement control of the movement control means described above, the main body is reciprocated within the cleaning area, and the reciprocating movement trajectory of the main body has a substantially triangular shape, and an uncleaned portion is generated within the triangular shape. In such movement control of the main body, simple movement control such as straight-ahead and turn is sufficient, and dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

[0012] The invention described in claim 3 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
In the wide-range movement control of the movement control means described in the above, the main body is reciprocated within the cleaning area, and the outward path and the return path are moved so as to be substantially parallel so as to leave an uncleaned portion of a predetermined width. In such movement control of the main body,
With simple movement control such as turn, lateral movement, turn, and straight traveling, dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time. Compared with the second aspect, since the lateral movement along the wall of the cleaning area can be performed, cleaning of the wall where dust easily accumulates can be performed more reliably.

[0013] The invention described in claim 4 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
The wide-range movement control of the movement control means described in the above, by moving in a spiral while leaving an uncleaned portion of a predetermined width,
It is possible to efficiently collect dust in the entire area in a shorter time while moving the area roughly by continuous curve movement control without a time-consuming turn operation.

[0014] The invention described in claim 5 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
By moving concentrically while leaving an uncleaned portion of a predetermined width,
It is possible to efficiently collect dust in the entire area in a short time by a simple movement control in which the number of time-consuming turn operations is reduced and the circle is moved with a constant curvature.

[0015] The invention described in claim 6 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
The pattern movement control of the movement control means described in (1) to (5) is performed by moving the main body zigzag while repeating forward and backward movements, so that a region with dust is locally and intensively cleaned with simple movement control. be able to. When the main body is moved in a zigzag manner, it is possible to drastically reduce the amount of dust left behind by moving the main body so that an overlapping portion is generated between the forward path and the return path.

The invention described in claim 7 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
In the pattern movement control of the movement control means according to any one of (5) to (5), the main body is moved in a spiral form from the inside to the outside, so that the area with dust can be moved continuously without a time-consuming turn operation. It is possible to clean the entire area locally and intensively by control. Even when the main body is moved from the inside to the outside in a spiral shape, it is possible to drastically reduce the residue of dust by moving the main body so that a part where the adjacent inner moving path and the outer moving path overlap each other is generated.

The invention described in claim 8 is particularly advantageous in claim 1.
With the wide-range movement control and the pattern movement control described in
By switching the moving speed of the main body, cleaning can be performed more carefully by lowering the moving speed at the time of pattern movement control.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall configuration of a self-propelled cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a self-propelled cleaner that performs cleaning while moving in a cleaning area, and moves forward on a floor surface in the direction of arrow 2. Reference numerals 3 and 4 denote left and right drive motors disposed on the left and right sides of the main body 1, respectively, and output shafts of which run left and right traveling wheels 7 and 8 disposed on both rear sides of the main body 1 via left and right reduction gears 5 and 6, respectively. Drive rotationally. By independently controlling the rotation of the left drive motor 3 and the right drive motor 4, the main body 1 can be moved in the direction of the arrow 2, and the rotation speeds of the left drive motor 3 and the right drive motor 4 can be varied. The main body can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise, and has functions of a traveling means and a steering means. Reference numeral 9 denotes movement control means for controlling the rotation of the left and right drive motors 3 and 4 in accordance with various inputs and for controlling the movement of the main body 1, and comprises a microcomputer and other control circuits.

Reference numerals 10 and 11 denote obstacle detecting means provided on the left and right of the upper portion of the main body 1, and are constituted by optical sensors and the like for measuring a distance to an obstacle in front of and side of the main body 1.
Reference numeral 21 denotes position recognition means for measuring the direction and position of the main body 1, which is composed of trajectory measuring means for calculating a running trajectory from the rotational speeds of the running wheels 7 and 8. They may be combined. 12 is the body 1
A cleaning nozzle for cleaning the floor is disposed at a lower front portion of the cleaning nozzle. A suction port for sucking dust is provided on the lower surface of the cleaning nozzle 12, and an agitator 13 such as a rotating brush is provided to face the suction port. A vacuum pressure is generated by driving a fan motor 14 provided in the electric blower and constituting an electric blower, and the vacuum pressure is applied to the cleaning nozzle 12 to suck dust from a suction port. The agitator 13 is rotationally driven by a nozzle motor 15 via a transmission belt 16. In this embodiment, the cleaning nozzle 12, the fan motor 1
Although the cleaning means is constituted by 4 and the agitator 13, the agitator 13 may be provided as needed.

Reference numeral 17 denotes dust detecting means, such as a photo sensor, provided in an air passage 18 through which dust sucked from the cleaning nozzle 12 passes, and detects the amount of dust cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 12. 19 is an LE provided on the upper part of the main body 1
The operating state of the main body 1 is notified to the user by a display means such as D. Reference numeral 20 denotes a power supply composed of a battery or the like, and the drive motors 3 and 4, the fan motor 14, and the nozzle motor 1 in the main body 1.
5 and the movement control means 9 and the position recognition means 21 which are circuit parts, and the obstacle detection means 10 and 1 which are sensors.
1 to supply power.

FIG. 2 shows a control block configuration of the present embodiment. The movement control means 9 responds to inputs from the obstacle detection means 10 and 11, the position recognition means 21 and the dust detection means 17,
The output to the left drive motor 3 and the right drive motor 4 and the output to the fan motor 14 and the nozzle motor 15 is controlled, and the output to the display means 19 is controlled according to the operation state.

FIG. 3 shows the overall flow of the movement control by the movement control means 9, which will be described step by step. First, when the main body 1 is placed in a predetermined direction at a start point on a floor surface (cleaning area) to be cleaned and starts operation, in step S1,
In the wide-range movement control, the left and right drive motors 3 and 4 are driven to move the main body 1 forward while recognizing its own position by the position recognition means 21. In step S2, it is determined whether there is an obstacle by looking at the inputs of the obstacle detection means 10 and 11, and if there is no obstacle, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, it is determined whether the amount of dust sucked from the cleaning nozzle 12 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount by checking the input of the dust detection means 17, and if there is more than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S4. If there is no more dust than the fixed amount, the process returns to step S1. In step S4, a predetermined pattern movement control operation is started, and the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle. If there is no obstacle, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether or not the predetermined pattern movement has been completed.
And the pattern movement is continued. When the pattern movement is completed in step S6, the process returns to the wide-range movement control in step S1.

If it is determined in step S2 or S5 that there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, an obstacle avoiding operation is performed, and FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. That is, if the main body 1 detects an obstacle (wall surface WB of the cleaning area) at the point B while moving forward in the direction of the arrow a, it immediately stops or decelerates here, and turns left to open the angle θ. Move forward in the direction. If an obstacle (the other wall surface WA of the cleaning area) is detected at point C while moving forward in the direction of arrow b, the vehicle immediately stops or decelerates here, turns right, and moves forward in the direction of arrow c with an angle θ open. I do.

The obstacle avoiding operation has a function of changing the moving direction by the wide-range movement control. The wide-range movement control includes forward movement in step S1, obstacle detection in step S2, and movement in step S7. The direction is changed, and the turn angle θ in step S7 is set to a value at which an uncleaned portion is generated, and is moved in a wide range within the cleaning area in a short time.

The operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 4 shows the pattern movement control S4 shown in FIG.
FIG. The vehicle advances forward from the start point A 'by a fixed distance L' in the direction of arrow a 'and temporarily stops at a stop point B'. Next, the vehicle turns left and moves forward by a fixed distance L 'in the direction of the arrow b' (angle θ ') and stops at the stop point C'. Then, the vehicle turns rightward and advances in the direction of arrow c '(angle θ'). In this way, the zigzag movement is repeated while repeating the forward movement and the direction change, and returns to the start point A '.
The angle θ ′ at which the direction is changed is the lateral displacement (for example, the distance between the points A ′ and C ′) when the main body 1 reciprocates the distance L ′.
Is set to an angle that is equal to or less than the width of the cleaning nozzle 12, that is, the area to be cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 12 on the outward path a 'and the area to be cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 12 on the return path b' are partially overlapped. Accordingly, the cleaning nozzle 12 passes through the floor surface on which the pattern has been moved, and performs cleaning. Furthermore, the traveling speed can be made lower than in the wide-range movement control (step S1), and more careful cleaning can be performed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the overall operation. An example will be described in which a cleaning area surrounded by a wall and in which dust is distributed on the floor like DUST1 to DUST3 is cleaned. When the operation is started by placing the main body 1 at the start point A in the direction shown in the figure as shown in the figure, the nozzle motor 15 of the cleaning nozzle 12 and the fan motor 14 operate to perform the cleaning operation, and at the same time, the left and right drive motors 3 , 4 rotate, and the main body 1 starts moving forward in the direction of arrow a by the wide-range movement control. At this time, the display means 19 is lit in green. Next, at a point B before the opposite side wall surface WB, the main body 1
When the obstacle detecting means 10 and 11 detect the wall surface, they temporarily stop or decelerate, turn to the left and reverse, and start moving forward in the direction of the arrow b which is opened by a predetermined angle θ from the arrow a. When the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST1, the dust detection means 1
7 detects a dust amount equal to or larger than a predetermined amount, and starts pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19 changes from green to red, and the main body 1 cleans the dust in the dust distribution area DUST1 while performing zigzag movement. And again the arrow b
The display means 19 returns from red to green lighting at this time. Next, at a point C before the wall surface WA, when the obstacle detecting means 10, 11 detects the wall, the obstacle detecting means 10, 11 stops or decelerates, turns right and reverses, and an arrow c opens a predetermined angle θ from the arrow b. Start moving in the direction of. When the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST2, the dust detecting means 17 detects a dust amount equal to or more than a predetermined amount,
Start pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19 also changes from green to red, and the main body 1 cleans dust in the dust distribution area DUST2 while performing zigzag movement.
Then, the display returns to the forward movement due to the wide movement of the arrow c again, and at this time, the display means 19 returns from red to green. Hereinafter, the same operation is repeated to advance the cleaning of the cleaning area.

As described above, by the wide-range movement control, FIG.
While moving so as to gradually enlarge the cleaning area while leaving a substantially triangular uncleaned area indicated by the hatched area, the area with dust shown by the dotted area in FIG. Therefore, even if a movement error caused by the position recognition means 21 or the movement control means 9 occurs due to the simple movement control of the straight traveling and the turn, the influence of the movement error is reduced, and the area with much dust is locally and intensively cleaned. Is performed, and dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

The degree of the uncleaned portion, that is, how to set the angle θ between the movement trajectories is arbitrary. For example, the angle θ may be proportional to the traveling distance L, or may be changed according to L so that the distance between the point A and the point C, which has made one reciprocation, is always several times the width of the cleaning nozzle 12. Alternatively, the angle may be constant regardless of L. When assuming various environments of the cleaning area, such as the size of the cleaning area, that is, the straight traveling distance L, and the arrangement of obstacles,
A method in which the distance between the points A and C is always several times the width of the cleaning nozzle 12 is considered to be desirable.

The number of zigzag movements in the pattern movement control, the forward / rearward distance L 'and the direction are arbitrary. However, regarding the number of times,
The number of times that can fill the uncleaned portion is desirable. The direction in which zigzag is performed is desirably opposite to the direction in which cleaning is performed by wide-range movement control (the direction from A to C) in order to reduce the amount of dust left behind.

In the pattern movement control, the main body 1 is zigzag-moved by repeating the operation of advancing the main body 1 by a predetermined distance L ', turning the main body 1 and advancing the main body 1 again by a predetermined distance L'. After that, the main body 1 may be moved in a zigzag manner by alternately repeating the operation of slightly changing the direction and retreating by a certain distance, and then changing the direction slightly and moving forward. In this case, a means for detecting an obstacle at the time of retreat is required, but since the turn time is short, the cleaning time can be shortened.

Although the start point A has been described as the upper right corner in FIG. 5, the operation may start from the lower right corner and make the first turn a right turn, that is, a mirror-symmetric operation.

(Embodiment 2) The description of the same parts as in Embodiment 1 is omitted.

In FIG. 3, if it is determined in step S2 or S5 that there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S7. Step S7 performs an obstacle avoiding operation, which will be described with reference to FIG. 6, which will be described in detail later. If an obstacle (wall surface WA) is detected at point B1 while moving forward in the direction of arrow a1, the vehicle immediately stops or decelerates, turns left approximately 90 degrees, moves forward approximately W1, and turns left 90 degrees again. The body is turned 180 degrees in total and advances in the direction of arrow b1. If an obstacle (wall surface WB) is detected at point C1 while moving forward in the direction of arrow b1, it immediately stops or decelerates, turns right about 90 degrees, moves forward about W1, and turns right again about 90 degrees. , And advance forward in the direction of arrow c1.

The operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall operation. A case will be described as an example in which an area surrounded by walls and in which dust is distributed on the floor as DUST1 to DUST2 is cleaned. When the operation is started with the main body 1 placed at the start point A1 in the direction shown in the figure as shown in the figure, the nozzle motor 15 of the cleaning nozzle 12 and the fan motor 14 are operated to perform the cleaning operation, and at the same time, the left and right drive motors 3 are driven. , 4 rotate, and the main body 1 starts moving forward in the direction of arrow a1 by the wide-range movement control. At this time, the display means 19 is lit in green. Next, at a point B1 before the opposite side wall surface, when the obstacle detection means 10 and 11 detect the wall surface WB, the main body 1 temporarily stops or decelerates, turns leftward by about 90 degrees and moves forward about W1. , Turn left again 90 degrees, total 18
It reverses by 0 degrees and starts moving forward in the direction of arrow b1. When the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST1, the dust detecting means 17 detects a dust amount equal to or more than a predetermined amount, and starts pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19 changes from green to red, and the main body 1 cleans the dust in the dust distribution area DUST1 while performing zigzag movement. Then, the flow returns to the forward movement by the wide-range movement control indicated by the arrow b1.
9 returns from red to green lighting. Next, at a point C1 before the wall surface WA, when the obstacle detection means 10, 11 detects a wall, the obstacle detection means 10, 11 temporarily stops or decelerates, and moves rightward by about 9 degrees.
The vehicle turns forward by about 0 degrees after turning by 0 degrees, turns again by about 90 degrees to the right, reverses by a total of 180 degrees, and starts moving forward in the direction of arrow c1. When the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST2,
The dust detection unit 17 detects a dust amount equal to or more than a predetermined amount, and starts pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19 also changes from green to red, and the main body 1 cleans dust in the dust distribution area DUST2 while performing zigzag movement. Then, the operation returns to the forward movement due to the wide-range movement of the arrow c1. At this time, the display unit 19 returns from red to green. Less than,
The same operation is repeated to advance the cleaning of the cleaning area.

As described above, by the wide-range movement control, FIG.
While moving so as to sequentially enlarge the cleaning area while leaving the uncleaned part of the predetermined width W1 indicated by the hatched area, the area where there is dust indicated by the dotted area in FIG. Therefore, even if a movement error caused by the position recognition means 21 or the movement control means 9 occurs with a simple movement control of going straight and turning, the influence of the movement error is reduced, and an area with a lot of dust is locally and intensively cleaned. Is performed, and dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

The extent of the uncleaned portion, that is, how the predetermined width W1 is set is arbitrary. For example, a simple method is to set the distance between the point A and the point C, which has reciprocated once, to be always several times the width of the cleaning nozzle 12.

(Embodiment 3) Descriptions of parts common to Embodiment 1 are omitted.

In FIG. 3, when it is determined in step S2 or S5 that there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S7. Step S7 performs an obstacle avoiding operation, and moves along the inside of the obstacle as shown in FIG. 10 described in detail below. This movement is continued until returning to the predetermined route.

The operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the overall operation. A case will be described as an example in which an area surrounded by walls and in which dust is distributed on the floor as DUST1 to DUST4 is cleaned. When the operation is started with the main body 1 placed at the start point A2 as shown in the figure, the nozzle motor 15 of the cleaning nozzle 12 and the fan motor 14 operate to perform the cleaning operation, and at the same time, the left and right drive motors 3, 4 rotate. Then, the main body 1 moves while drawing a spiral trajectory as indicated by an arrow a2 by the wide-range movement control. When the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST1, the dust detecting means 17 detects a dust amount equal to or more than a predetermined amount, and starts pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19
Changes from green to red, and the main body 1 cleans dust in the dust distribution area DUST1 while performing zigzag movement. Then, the operation returns to the forward movement by the wide-range movement control indicated by the arrow a2, and at this time, the display unit 19 returns from red to green. Then, while expanding the cleaning area to the outside,
When it comes to the area of UST2 to UST4, the pattern movement control is performed as in the case of DUST1.

As described above, FIG.
While moving so as to gradually enlarge the cleaning area while leaving the uncleaned part of the predetermined width W2 indicated by the shaded area, the area with dust indicated by the dotted area in FIG. In this way, it is possible to control the movement of a continuous curve without a time-consuming turn operation,
1 and a movement error caused by the movement control means 9 is less likely to be affected by the movement error, and an area with a large amount of dust is locally and intensively cleaned, so that dust in the entire area can be efficiently removed in a shorter time. Can be collected.

The extent of the uncleaned portion, that is, how the predetermined width W2 is set is arbitrary. For example, a simple method is to set the width to be several times the width of the cleaning nozzle 12.

The number of zigzag movements in the pattern movement control, the forward / backward movement distance L ', and the direction are arbitrary. However, regarding the number of times,
The number of times that can fill the uncleaned portion is desirable. The direction in which the zigzag is performed is desirably opposite to the direction in which cleaning is performed by the wide-range movement control (the direction from the inside to the outside) in order to reduce the residue of dust.

Although the start point A2 has been described as being near the center of FIG. 7, the start point A2 may be, for example, start near the wall WA and move spirally from the outside to the inside. In addition, regardless of from the inside to the outside, it may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

(Embodiment 4) The description of the same parts as in Embodiment 3 is omitted.

The operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the overall operation. A case will be described as an example in which an area surrounded by walls and in which dust is distributed on the floor as DUST1 to DUST3 is cleaned. When the operation is started with the main body 1 placed at the start point A3 as shown in the figure, the nozzle motor 15 and the fan motor 14 of the cleaning nozzle 12 operate to perform the cleaning operation, and at the same time, the left and right drive motors 3, 4 rotate. Then, the main body 1 moves one round while drawing a circular trajectory as indicated by an arrow a3 by the wide-range movement control. Next, point B moves away from point A3.
It moves to three points and moves around once again while drawing a circular locus again as shown by the arrow b3. Next, it moves to a point C3 in a direction away from the point A3, and moves around once again while drawing a circular locus again as indicated by an arrow c3. On the way, when the main body 1 comes to the dust distribution area DUST1, the dust detecting means 17 detects a dust amount equal to or more than a predetermined amount, and starts the pattern movement control. At this time, the display means 19 changes from green to red, and the main body 1 moves in a zigzag manner while moving in the dust distribution area DUST.
Clean 1 garbage. Then, the process returns to the forward movement by the wide-range movement control indicated by the arrow a3, and at this time, the display unit 19 returns from red to green. Then, while expanding the cleaning area to the outside and coming to the area of DUST2-3 on the way, the D
Pattern movement control is performed as in the case of UST1.

As described above, FIG.
While moving so as to sequentially enlarge the cleaning area while leaving the uncleaned part of the predetermined width W3 indicated by the shaded area, the area with dust indicated by the dotted area in FIG. This reduces the number of time-consuming turn operations and allows simple movement control such as circular movement with a constant curvature to be less susceptible to movement errors caused by the position recognition means 21 and the movement control means 9, and Areas with a large amount of dust are locally and intensively cleaned, and dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a shorter time.

The degree of the uncleaned portion, that is, how to set the predetermined width W3 is arbitrary. For example, a simple method is to set the width to be several times the width of the cleaning nozzle 12.

The number of zigzag movements in the pattern movement control, the forward / backward movement distance L 'and the direction are arbitrary. However, regarding the number of times,
The number of times that can fill the uncleaned portion is desirable. The direction in which the zigzag is performed is desirably opposite to the direction in which cleaning is performed by the wide-range movement control (the direction from the inside to the outside) in order to reduce the residue of dust.

Although the start point A3 has been described as being near the center of FIG. 8, it is also possible to start from near the wall WA and move inward from the outside. Also,
It can be clockwise or counterclockwise, from inside to outside.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 9 shows another example of the pattern movement control, which can be replaced with FIG. 4 described in the first to fourth embodiments. As shown in the drawing, when the cleaning nozzle 1 moves to the area with dust, the cleaning nozzle 1 moves along a spiral trajectory from the inside to the outside as indicated by an arrow a ".
The angle is set to be equal to or less than the width of 2, so that the cleaning surface is moved by the cleaning nozzles 12 to clean the floor. Furthermore, it is also possible to make the traveling speed lower than in the wide-range movement control, and to perform more careful cleaning. The display switching of the display means 19 is the same as described above.

The number of revolutions of the spiral is arbitrary. The number of revolutions that can fill the uncleaned portion is desirable in relation to the degree of the uncleaned portion of the wide-range movement control. It does not matter whether clockwise or counterclockwise. The direction in which the swirling is performed is desirably opposite to the direction in which the cleaning area is enlarged by wide-range movement control in order to reduce the amount of dust left behind.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 10 is a view showing an operation of making a round along the inner area of the cleaning area A. An obstacle 40 is provided in the middle of the cleaning area A. The main body 1 moves forward by controlling the drive motors 3 and 4 so as to keep a certain distance from the wall surface by the obstacle detection means 10 and 11 as shown by the broken arrows in the figure. The distance is set such that the cleaning nozzle 12 approaches the wall surface or the obstacle 40 as much as possible or makes slight contact.

If this operation is performed before the first to fifth embodiments, the cleaning of the wall can be performed, and at the same time, the main body 1 grasps the cleaning area A by itself, and the wide-range movement control mode of the first to fourth embodiments described above. Can be set.

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention, the area is roughly moved by the wide-range movement control so as to be hardly affected by the movement error, and the area with much dust is locally and emphasized by the pattern movement control. By performing the cleaning, dust in the entire area can be efficiently collected in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an internal perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to embodiments 1 to 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration according to the first to sixth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a moving algorithm according to the first to sixth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation of pattern movement control in the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation of wide-range movement control according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a wide-range movement control according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a wide-range movement control according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a wide-range movement control according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation of pattern movement control in a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an operation of traveling near a wall according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body part 3, 4 Drive motor 5, 6 Reduction gear 7, 8 Running wheel 9 Movement control means 12 Cleaning nozzle 14 Fan motor 17 Dust detection means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Yamaguchi 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Masayo Hoshi 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A traveling means for moving a main body, a steering means for changing a moving direction of the main body, a cleaning means provided on the main body for cleaning debris on a floor surface, and debris to be cleaned by the cleaning means. Dust detection means for detecting the amount of
Movement control means for controlling the movement of the main body by controlling the traveling means and the steering means, the movement control means moves the main body regularly so that an uncleaned portion remains in a cleaning area, A wide-area movement control for moving the cleaning area over a wide area, and a pattern movement control for moving the main body in a predetermined movement pattern when the dust detection unit detects a predetermined amount or more of dust while the main body is moving. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner. 2. The wide-range movement control of the movement control means is to reciprocate the main body in a cleaning area, and a reciprocating movement trajectory of the main body has a substantially triangular shape, and an uncleaned portion is included in the triangular shape. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, which is generated. 3. The wide-range movement control of the movement control means includes reciprocating the main body within the cleaning area, and moving the main body so that the outward path and the homeward path are substantially parallel so as to leave an uncleaned portion having a predetermined width. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to 1. 4. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wide-range movement control by the movement control means moves the main body in a spiral shape while leaving an uncleaned portion having a predetermined width. 5. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wide-range movement control by the movement control means moves the main body concentrically while leaving an uncleaned portion having a predetermined width. 6. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the pattern movement control of the movement control means moves the main body zigzag while repeating forward and backward movements. 7. The pattern movement control of the movement control means moves the main body in a spiral form from the inside to the outside.
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to any one of the above. 8. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the movement speed of the main body is switched between a wide-range movement control of the movement control means and a pattern movement control mode.