JP2005211368A - Self-propelled cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve dust collecting force by preventing the scattering of dust in a self-propelled cleaner provided with side brushes for gathering the dust on a floor surface to the inner side of a cleaner body on both sides of the cleaner body. <P>SOLUTION: By inclining the rotary shaft 31R of a right side brush 30R to be rotated in the counterclockwise direction r1 in top view such that a lower end side 31a is turned to the right outer part and rear part of the cleaner body 1 and inclining the rotary shaft 31L of a left side brush 30L to be rotated in the clockwise direction r2 in top view such that the lower end side 31a is turned to the left outer part and rear part of the cleaner body 1, the outer side parts of the side brushes 30R and 30L are prevented from being in contact with the floor surface at the rear parts of the side brushes 30R and 30L. Thus, the dust raked at the front parts of the side brushes 30R and 30L is not raked out to the outer side of the cleaner body 1 at the rear parts of the side brushes 30R and 30L. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner, and more particularly to a self-propelled cleaner having a side brush for collecting dust on a floor surface inside a cleaner body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called self-propelled cleaner is known in which a driving motor for driving a wheel is mounted on a cleaner body, and the driving motor is controlled to control the cleaning of the cleaner body to clean it. In particular, in recent years, autonomous self-propelled cleaners that perform cleaning while automatically determining a cleaning place based on signals from a plurality of sensors have been developed.

  In such a self-propelled cleaner, one having a side brush is known. Side brushes are attached to both sides of the vacuum cleaner body, and scrape dust on the floor surface inside the vacuum cleaner body by rotating around a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction. However, in the conventional self-propelled cleaner, the rotation axis of the side brush is arranged in the vertical direction, and the entire brush surface of the side brush is in contact with the floor surface. There is a risk that the scraped up dust will be scraped out and scattered on the outside of the main body of the cleaner at the rear part of the side brush.

By the way, the rotating shaft of the side brush is attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner body, and the rotating shaft is biased so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction. A self-propelled cleaner that is in contact with a surface is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-228090

  However, in the self-propelled cleaner described in Patent Document 1, a part of the brush surface of the side brush is placed on the floor surface by attaching the rotation axis of the side brush to the cleaner body so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction. However, because the outer tip of the side brush is biased to contact the floor, the outer tip of the side brush contacts the floor at the rear part of the side brush. Therefore, it was not possible to sufficiently prevent the dust from being scattered in the rear part of the side brush.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is capable of collecting dust by preventing dust collected at the front part of the side brush from being scattered outside the cleaner body at the rear part of the side brush. It aims at providing the self-propelled cleaner which can improve.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a rotary shaft that is disposed on the left and right in front of the cleaner body in the advancing direction and extends in the vertical direction to collect dust on the floor surface inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body. A pair of side brushes each including a right brush that rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above and a left brush that rotates clockwise when viewed from above, and disposed behind the side brush, A main brush that scrapes dust collected inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body by the side brush by rotating around a horizontal axis, a dust suction fan that sucks dust scraped by the main brush, and A dust collector having a dust box for collecting dust sucked by a dust suction fan, obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles during movement, and position recognition for recognizing the position during movement A self-propelled cleaner that moves and cleans while automatically determining a cleaning place based on the obstacle detection means and the position recognition means, wherein the side brush is rotationally driven. The rotating shaft, a brush holder provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a mop-shaped brush body having an upper end side bound and fixed to the brush holder and the lower end side being a free end and spreading in a frustoconical shape. The shaft is inclined so that the lower end side is on the right outer side and the rear side of the cleaner body, and the rotating shaft of the left brush is inclined so that the lower end side is on the left outer side and the rear side of the cleaner body. The inner portion of the side brush is in contact with the floor surface at a higher contact pressure than the outer portion of the side brush.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a right-side brush that rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above about a rotation axis that extends in the vertical direction in order to collect dust on the floor surface inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body, and a clockwise direction as viewed from above A self-propelled cleaner having a pair of side brushes, each of which has a left brush that rotates in the right direction, and the rotation axis of the right brush is such that its lower end is on the right outside of the cleaner body and on the rear. The rotation axis of the left brush is inclined such that the lower end is on the left outer side of the cleaner body and on the rear side.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the side brush includes a rotating shaft that is rotationally driven, a brush holder that is provided at a lower end portion of the rotating shaft, and an upper end side that is bound to the brush holder It is composed of a mop-shaped brush body that is fixed and has a frustoconical shape having a lower end as a free end, and an inner portion of the side brush is in contact with a floor surface with a higher contact pressure than an outer portion of the side brush.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation axis of the right brush that rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above is inclined so that the lower end is on the right outer side of the cleaner body and on the rear side. By tilting the rotation axis of the left brush that rotates in the clockwise direction so that the lower end is on the left outer side of the vacuum cleaner body and on the rear, the rear part of the side brush and the outer part of the side brush are on the floor. Since it can be made not to come into contact with the surface, the dust collected at the front part of the side brush is not scraped out to the outside of the main body of the cleaner at the rear part of the side brush. In particular, in a so-called autonomous self-propelled cleaner that moves and cleans while automatically determining the cleaning location, the cleaned area is usually not cleaned again. The dust collecting power of the vacuum cleaner can be improved by preventing the dust from being scattered in the cleaned area by the portion.

  Moreover, the dust collecting force of the bottom inner part of the cleaner body can be enhanced by making the inner part of the side brush contact the floor surface with a higher contact pressure than the outer part of the side brush.

  In addition, by making the shape of the brush body of the side brush into a mop shape with the lower end side being a free end and spreading in a truncated cone shape, the cleaning range of the side brush can be widened, so the dust collecting power of the vacuum cleaner is improved. be able to.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation axis of the right brush is inclined so that the lower end side is on the right outer side of the cleaner body and rearward, and the rotation axis of the left brush is placed on the left side of the cleaner body. By tilting outward and rearward, it is possible to prevent the outside of the vacuum cleaner body from coming into contact with the floor surface at the rear part of the side brush. There is no scraping outside the vacuum cleaner body.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the dust collecting force of the bottom inner part of the cleaner body is enhanced by making the inner part of the side brush contact the floor surface with a higher contact pressure than the outer part of the side brush. be able to. In addition, by making the shape of the brush body of the side brush into a mop shape with the lower end side being a free end and spreading in a truncated cone shape, the cleaning range of the side brush can be widened, so the dust collecting power of the vacuum cleaner is improved. be able to.

  A self-propelled cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1 is a device that cleans the floor surface while traveling autonomously, and the cleaner body 1 determines a cleaning place based on signals from a plurality of sensors S1, S2, etc. An operation control device 2 that controls the cleaning operation of the machine main body 1 and a dust collector 3 that moves a place based on a control signal from the operation control device 2 and cleans dust on the floor surface are provided. In FIG. 1, the cleaner body 1 constituted by the operation control device 2 and the dust collector 3 is shown separately as the operation control device 2 and the dust collector 3.

  The dust collector 3 includes a pair of left and right side brushes 30R, 30L for collecting dust on the floor surface inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 1, a side brush motor 34 for rotating the side brushes 30R, 30L, A main brush 40 that scrapes dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 1 with the side brushes 30R and 30L, a main brush motor 41 that rotates the main brush 40, and a driven roller 42 that is driven by the main brush 40. And a dust suction fan 51 for sucking dust scraped up by the main brush 40, and a dust box 52 for storing the dust sucked by the dust suction fan 51.

  The dust collector 3 includes a right wheel 60R and a left wheel 60L on both sides of the cleaner body 1, and a right wheel motor 61R and a left wheel motor 61L that rotationally drive these wheels 60R and 60L. In front of these wheels 60R, 60L, a driven wheel 62 that follows the operation of both wheels 60R, 60L is provided. Details of each part of the dust collector 3 will be described later.

  Next, the block configuration of the cleaner body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The vacuum cleaner body 1 includes a front sensor S1, a ceiling sensor S2, and a step sensor S3 that constitute obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles and the like, and geomagnetism that constitutes position recognition means for recognizing the position during movement. A sensor S4, an acceleration sensor S5, a map information memory 71, and the like are provided. For example, an optical distance measuring sensor is used as the front sensor S1, the ceiling sensor S2, and the step sensor S3. The front sensor S1 monitors an oblique downward direction in front of the cleaner body 1, and measures the distance to obstacles such as steps, walls, pillars, furniture, tables and bed legs. The ceiling sensor S2 monitors the front of the cleaner body 1 obliquely upward, detects an obstacle in front of the cleaner body 1 (whether it can pass under a table or a bed), and detects the obstacle. Measure height and distance to obstacles. The step sensor S3 monitors the front of the cleaner body 1 slightly diagonally downward and measures the distance to the obstacle. The acceleration sensor S5 detects acceleration acting on the cleaner body 1 independently in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction.

  Furthermore, the cleaner body 1 includes an operation unit 72 operated by a user, a control unit 73 that controls each part of the cleaner body 1, and a battery 74 that supplies power to the cleaner body 1. The operation unit 72 is operated to start and stop the cleaning operation by the cleaner body 1 and to make various other settings.

  The control unit 73 controls each part of the cleaner body 1 based on signals input from various sensors S1 to S5 and the like, and includes a position / direction determination unit 73a, a travel control unit 73b, and a cleaning operation control unit 73c. Is provided.

  The position / direction determination unit 73a creates map information about the area where the obstacle exists and the cleaned area based on the outputs from the front sensor S1, the ceiling sensor S2, and the step sensor S3, and maps the map information to the map. The information is stored in the information memory 71. Further, the travel speed of the cleaner body 1 is calculated by time-integrating the longitudinal acceleration detection value from the acceleration sensor S5, and the travel distance is calculated based on the travel speed and the travel time. Moreover, the direction which the cleaner body 1 is facing is determined based on the output value corresponding to the direction of geomagnetism from the geomagnetic sensor S4.

  The traveling control unit 73b controls the traveling direction and traveling speed of the cleaner body 1 by independently controlling the rotational direction and rotational speed of the right wheel motor 61R and the left wheel motor 61L. The map information in the map information memory 71 is updated as needed during the cleaning operation, and the cleaner body 1 proceeds with the cleaning operation with reference to this.

  The cleaning operation control unit 73c controls the driving of the side brush motor 34, the main brush motor 41, and the dust suction motor 51a that rotationally drives the dust suction fan 51 to adjust the force for collecting and sucking dust.

  Next, the dust collector 3 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The side brushes 30R and 30L are provided with rotating shafts 31R and 31L that are rotationally driven by a side brush motor 34, brush holders 32R and 32L provided at the lower ends of the rotating shafts 31R and 31L, and brush holders 32R and 32L. It is composed of mop-shaped brush bodies 33R and 33L that are bound and fixed at the upper end side and spread in a truncated cone shape with the lower end side as a free end. Since the shape of the brush bodies 33R and 33L of the side brushes 30R and 30L is a mop shape having a lower end side as a free end and spreading in a truncated cone shape, the cleaning range of the side brushes 30R and 30L can be widened. The dust collecting power of the main body 1 can be improved.

  Further, the rotating shaft 31R of the right brush 30R is inclined so that the lower end side 31a is on the right outside and the rear side of the cleaner body 1, and the rotating shaft 31L of the left brush 30L has the lower end side 31a on the cleaner body 1. Inclined so that it is on the outside of the left side and on the rear side. A side brush motor 34 is attached to the rotary shafts 31R and 31L, and the right brush 30R rotates in the counterclockwise direction r1 when viewed from the top surface and the left brush 30L rotates in the clockwise direction r2 when viewed from the top surface. Garbage on the surface is collected inside the vacuum cleaner body 1.

  Further, by tilting the rotation shafts 31R, 31L of the side brushes 30R, 30L so that the inner portions of the side brushes 30R, 30L are in contact with the floor surface at a higher contact pressure than the outer portions of the side brushes 30R, 30L, The dust collecting power of the inner surface of the bottom surface of the cleaner body 1 can be enhanced.

  The main brush 40 is disposed behind the side brushes 30R and 30L, and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow r3 about the horizontal direction axis 40a of the cleaner body 1 by the main brush motor 41, whereby the cleaner body 1 Scoop up the trash collected on the inside of the bottom. A driven roller 42 is disposed in front of the main brush 40. The driven roller 42 follows the operation of the main brush 40 and rotates in the direction of the arrow r4, thereby scraping up the dust together with the main brush 40.

  A nozzle 53 is disposed above the main brush 40, and dust scraped up by the main brush 40 and the like by the air flow created by the dust suction fan 51 is sucked into the dust box 52. A valve 53 a that allows dust to pass only when the dust suction fan 51 is operating is attached to the inlet of the nozzle 53 on the main brush 40 side.

  Next, the cleaning operation of the cleaner body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The cleaner body 1 performs a cleaning operation using the side brushes 30R, 30L, the main brush 40, the dust suction fan 51, and the like while moving in the traveling direction F by rotating and driving the right wheel 60R and the left wheel 60L. For example, the dust at the P1 position on the floor surface is scraped to the inside of the bottom surface of the cleaner body 1 through the P2 position when the left brush 30L is rotationally driven in the r2 direction. By tilting the rotating shafts 31R, 31L of the side brushes 30R, 30L as described above, the outer portions of the side brushes 30R, 30L do not contact the floor surface at the rear part of the side brushes 30R, 30L. , 30L can be prevented from being scattered by the rear portion of the side brushes 30R, 30L without scraping the dust collected at the front portion of 30L, for example, to the P5 position. As described above, in the autonomous self-propelled cleaner, the location where the cleaning operation is completed is stored, and the region once cleaned is not cleaned again, so that it has been cleaned by the side brushes 30R and 30L. The dust collecting power of the vacuum cleaner can be improved by preventing dust from being scattered in the area.

  The dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 1 by the side brushes 30R and 30L is scraped up to the vicinity of the inlet 53a (P3 position) of the nozzle 53 on the main brush side by the main brush 40 and the driven roller 42, and the dust suction fan It moves on the air flow created by the nozzle 51 and moves to the position P4 in the nozzle 53 and is sucked into the dust box 52.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the cleaner body 1 may not be a so-called autonomous cleaner, and may be a self-propelled cleaner provided with a small number of side brushes including the right brush 30R and the left brush 30L.

The disassembled perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner body by one embodiment of the present invention. The block block diagram of the vacuum cleaner main body. (A) is a top view explaining the dust collector of the same vacuum cleaner, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a left side view. (A) is a top view for explaining the dust collecting operation of the vacuum cleaner, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a left side view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner main body 3 Dust collector 30L, 30R Side brush 31L, 31R Rotating shaft 32L, 32R Brush holder 33L, 33R Brush main body 40 Main brush 51 Dust suction fan 52 Dust box

Claims (3)

A right brush that is arranged on the left and right in front of the direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner body and rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above, with a rotation axis extending vertically to collect dust on the floor inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body And a set of side brushes consisting of a left brush that rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from above,
A main brush that is arranged behind the side brush and that scrapes dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body by the side brush by rotating around a horizontal axis of the cleaner body;
A dust suction fan for sucking dust scraped up by the main brush;
A dust collector having a dust box for collecting dust sucked by the dust suction fan;
An obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle during movement, and a position recognition means for recognizing the position during movement,
A self-propelled cleaner that moves and cleans while automatically determining a cleaning place based on the obstacle detection means and the position recognition means,
The side brush includes a rotary shaft that is driven to rotate, a brush holder that is provided at the lower end of the rotary shaft, and a mop-shaped brush that spreads in a truncated cone shape with the upper end side being bound and fixed to the brush holder and the lower end side being a free end. Consisting of the body,
The rotation axis of the right brush is inclined so that the lower end side is on the right outer side and the rear side of the cleaner body, and the rotation axis of the left brush is on the left outer side and the rear side of the cleaner body. Is inclined to
A self-propelled cleaner, wherein an inner portion of the side brush is in contact with a floor surface at a higher contact pressure than an outer portion of the side brush. A right brush that rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above and a left brush that rotates clockwise when viewed from above to collect dust on the floor inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner with a set of side brushes,
The rotation axis of the right brush is inclined so that the lower end side is the right outer side of the cleaner body and the rear side,
The rotating shaft of the left brush is inclined so that the lower end side is on the left outer side of the cleaner body and on the rear side. The side brush includes a rotating shaft that is driven to rotate, a brush holder provided at a lower end portion of the rotating shaft, and a mop-shaped brush that spreads in a truncated cone shape with the upper end side bound and fixed to the brush holder and the lower end side being a free end. Consisting of the body,
The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 2, wherein an inner portion of the side brush is in contact with a floor surface with a higher contact pressure than an outer portion of the side brush.

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