JP7280719B2 - autonomous vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to autonomous vacuum cleaners.

Autonomous vacuum cleaners are known which have a constant-width figure, for example the Reuleaux Triangle, whose width is always constant in plan view.

WO2016/002186

Autonomous vacuum cleaners comprise a cleaning part having at least one of, for example, a suction inlet and a wiping member, such as a non-woven fabric.

Further, in order to clean the walls and corners of the cleaning area, it is preferable that the cleaning unit is provided at the front edge of the bottom surface of the main body of the autonomous cleaner. It is preferable that the front edge can be closely approached to the edge of a wall or a corner with as little clearance as possible. That is, the body of the autonomous vacuum cleaner preferably has a straight front edge.

By the way, in a plan view, it is difficult for an autonomous vacuum cleaner having a body of a constant-width figure such as a circle or a Reuleaux triangle to bring the cleaning part close to a wall or a corner without gaps. , it is possible to easily perform a so-called super pivot turn, which turns on the spot. As a result, conventional autonomous vacuum cleaners are inferior in cleaning ability near walls and corners, but they can move smartly when changing direction on the spot and heading to the next cleaning location.

However, although an autonomous vacuum cleaner with a straight front edge is superior in cleaning ability near walls and corners, it is difficult to perform super pivot turns in consideration of interference between the front edge of the main body and walls and corners. difficult.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes an autonomous vacuum cleaner that is excellent in cleaning ability near walls and corners of a cleaning place and that can move smoothly away from the sides and corners of a cleaning place.

In order to solve the above problems, an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a cleaning part provided on the bottom surface of the main body, and a pair of left and right driving wheels for moving the main body, or a pair of left and right endless wheels. a moving part having a track; and a control part for controlling the moving part to move the main body autonomously. When driven in a different direction to make a super pivot turn, it protrudes outside a first circle having a radius of a first distance from the pivot turning center to the front end, and is positioned forward of the pivot turning center. The front half has a linear front edge and one of the pair of left and right drive wheels or one of the pair of left and right endless tracks is stopped and the other is driven to perform a pivot turn. a side edge that is farther from the turning center of time and is farther from the one driving wheel that stops or the one endless track that stops, and the front edge and the side edge are , within an inner region of a second circle having a radius of a second distance from the pivot turning center to the side edge through the pivot turning center, wherein the second distance is the pivot turning center to the pivot turn center and the first distance, and the cleaning portion is arranged along the leading edge portion.

Further, the autonomous vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a cleaning part provided on the bottom surface of the main body, a moving part for moving the main body, and the main body being autonomously controlled by controlling the moving part. a control unit for moving, wherein the main body protrudes to an outer region of a first circle having a radius of a first distance from the center of turning of the super-pivot to the front end when the super-pivot turns, and It has a front half located forward of the turning center, and the front half includes a straight front edge, a side edge farther from the turning center when performing a pivot turn, and the front edge. and a deforming portion that deforms a part of the front half so that the side edge fits within an inner region of a second circle having a radius equal to a second distance from the pivot center to the side edge. and the cleaning portion is arranged along the front edge portion, and after the deforming portion is deformed, the connection portion between the front edge portion and the side edge portion is straight forward through the pivot center. Positioned inside a region sandwiched by a pair of extending left and right imaginary lines, the main body is caused to interfere with the corner in a state where the front edge and the side edge are positioned substantially without gaps at the corner of the cleaning place. Rotate without a hitch.

1 is a perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. The right view of the autonomous cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The bottom view of the autonomous cleaner concerning the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view of a first example of a main body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. An example of a cleaning procedure in the first example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of a cleaning procedure in the first example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of a cleaning procedure in the first example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a second example body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; An example of the cleaning procedure in the second example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the second example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the second example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the second example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the second example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a third example body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; An example of the cleaning procedure in the third example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the third example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the third example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the third example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure in the third example of the main body of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

An embodiment of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same or corresponding structure in several drawings.

1 is a perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment is a so-called robot cleaner. The autonomous cleaner 1 moves autonomously by consuming power of a secondary battery 3 mounted on a main body 2.例文帳に追加The autonomous cleaner 1 comprehensively moves around and cleans the surface f to be cleaned in the area A to be cleaned, that is, the floor surface. After the cleaning operation, the autonomous cleaner 1 returns to the charging base 5 and waits for the next cleaning operation. The autonomous cleaner 1 that has returned to the charging stand 5 charges the secondary battery 3 while waiting for the next cleaning operation. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 saves the user the trouble of charging, and can respond to sudden cleaning operations requested by the user.

The charging stand 5 can be installed on the surface f to be cleaned in the living room. The charging stand 5 can smoothly connect or disconnect the autonomous cleaner 1 . The charging stand 5 is provided with a power cord 6 that guides power from a commercial AC power source to the secondary battery 3 while the autonomous cleaner 1 is connected. A power cord 6 is an electric circuit for transmitting power to the secondary battery 3 .

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the invention.

3 is a bottom view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. The operation of the autonomous cleaner 1 is controlled by controlling the cleaning unit 12 that cleans f, the detection unit 13 that detects objects to be detected around the main body 2, the detection unit 13, the moving unit 11, and the cleaning unit 12. and a secondary battery 3 that supplies electric power to each part of the autonomous cleaner 1 including the moving part 11 , the cleaning part 12 , the detection part 13 and the control part 15 .

A solid-line arrow F in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the forward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . A solid-line arrow B in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the backward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 .

The main body 2 includes, for example, a synthetic resin main body case 21 and a bumper 22 provided on the side surface of the main body case 21 . The main body 2 has a non-constant width figure shape in plan view. A front edge 23 of the body 2 has a linear shape.

The main body case 21 is the outer shell of the main body 2 .

The bumper 22 is provided on the side surface of the body case 21 .

The moving part 11 includes a plurality of driving wheels 26, a plurality of electric motors 27 for individually driving the driving wheels 26, and driven wheels 28 supporting the main body 2 on the surface f to be cleaned together with the driving wheels 26. there is

Each driving wheel 26 transmits the force for moving the main body 2 to the surface f to be cleaned. Each drive wheel 26 rolls around an axle extending in the width direction (horizontal width direction) of the main body 2 . The plurality of drive wheels 26 includes a pair of drive wheels 26 spaced apart at least in the width direction of the main body 2, that is, in the left-right direction. The driving wheels 26 are pressed against the surface f to be cleaned by a suspension device, a so-called suspension.

Each electric motor 27 drives each drive wheel 26 individually and independently. In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 controls the electric motors of the electric motors 27 individually and independently to drive the drive wheels 26 individually and independently. The autonomous cleaner 1 moves straight (forward or backward) by rotating a pair of drive wheels 26 spaced apart in the width direction of the main body 2 in the same direction, and moves forward or backward by rotating the pair of drive wheels 26 in different directions. Make a turn (turn right or turn left). In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 adjusts the forward or backward speed by increasing or decreasing the output of the left and right driving wheels 26, or adjusts the size of the turning radius by varying the output of the left and right driving wheels 26. can do.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 rotates the left and right electric motors 27 in different directions, drives the left and right electric motors 27 with the same output, and turns on the spot, so-called spin turn, neutral turn. , counter-rotation turn). In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 stops one of the left and right electric motors 27 and drives the other of the left and right electric motors 27 to turn around the stopped driving wheels 26, that is, so-called pivot turning. (pivot turn, skid turn) can be performed. Furthermore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can drive the left and right electric motors 27 at different rotational speeds to perform a so-called slow turn (power turn), in which the course is changed in an arc while moving forward or backward. It should be noted that super-pivot turns, pivot turns, and gentle turns are collectively referred to simply as turns.

The moving part 11 of the autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment may have an endless track instead of the pair of left and right driving wheels 26 . Further, the moving part 11 may include a plurality of drive wheels 26 arranged on each of the left and right sides. In either case, the turning center when making a super pivot turn is called the super pivot turning center Cn1, the turning center when making a pivot turn is called the pivot turning center Cn2, and when making a gentle turn. The turning center of is called the gentle turning center. It is preferable that the super pivot turning center Cn1 coincide with the center of gravity of the main body 2 .

Also, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that there are a pair of left and right drive wheels 26, and the axles of the left and right drive wheels 26 are arranged in a straight line. It is assumed that the super-pivot turning center Cn1 is located between the left and right drive wheels 26 and on the extension line of the axle. It is assumed that the pivot turning center Cn2 is positioned at the ground contact point of either the left or right drive wheel 26 and in the middle of the wheel width.

The driven wheel 28 is arranged at the substantially central portion in the width direction of the lower portion of the main body 2 and at the rear portion. The driven wheel 28 is a circular rotating body, such as a caster. The driven wheels 28 easily follow the advance, retreat, and turning of the autonomous cleaner 1 to change direction and stabilize the movement of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The center of gravity of the autonomous cleaner 1 supported by the drive wheels 26 and the driven wheels 28 is preferably located inside the triangle formed by the pair of drive wheels 26 and driven wheels 28 . In that case, the risk of the autonomous cleaner 1 tipping over is reduced. In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 can move more stably. The driven wheel 28 may be omitted.

The cleaning part 12 is provided at the bottom of the main body 2 . The cleaning part 12 cleans dust on the surface to be cleaned f immediately below the main body 2 and its surroundings. The cleaning unit 12 includes, for example, a suction cleaning unit 31 that generates negative pressure to suck dust, and a wiping unit 32 that wipes or polishes the floor surface below the main body 2 .

The suction cleaning part 31 includes a suction port 34 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 2 , a rotating brush 35 arranged at the suction port 34 , a brush electric motor 36 for rotating the rotating brush 35 , and a rear part of the main body 2 . A dust container 37 and an electric blower 38 housed in the main body 2 and fluidly connected to the dust container 37 are provided.

The suction port 34 sucks dust together with air by the negative pressure generated by the electric blower 38 . The suction port 34 is arranged at the bottom front edge 23 of the body 2 . The suction port 34 extends in the width direction of the main body 2 . In other words, the opening width of the suction port 34 in the left-right direction is larger than the opening width of the suction port 34 in the front-rear direction. Since the bottom surface of the main body 2 faces the surface f to be cleaned during autonomous travel, the suction port 34 removes dust on the surface f to be cleaned or dust scraped up from the surface f to be cleaned by the rotating brush 35. Can be easily inhaled.

The rotation center line of the rotating brush 35 is oriented in the width direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The rotating brush 35 contacts the surface f to be cleaned when the autonomous cleaner 1 is placed on the surface f to be cleaned so as to be able to travel. Therefore, the rotating brush 35 that is rotationally driven scrapes up the dust on the surface f to be cleaned. The dust that has been scraped up is efficiently sucked into the suction port 34 .

The brush electric motor 36 rotates the rotating brush 35 forward (in a direction that assists the propulsive force of the autonomous cleaner 1 when moving forward) or reversely (in a direction that assists the propulsive force of the autonomous cleaner 1 when reversing).

The dust container 37 accumulates dust sucked from the suction port 34 by suction negative pressure generated by the electric blower 38 . The dust container 37 includes a filter that filters and collects dust, and inertial separation such as centrifugal separation (cyclone separation) and straight separation (separation method that separates dust and air by the difference in inertial force between air and dust traveling straight). It is a separation device that accumulates dust by The dust container 37 is detachable from the main body 2 and can be opened and closed. The user temporarily removes the dust container 37 from the main body 2 and opens the dust container 37 to easily discard the dust accumulated in the dust container 37, or clean or wash the dust container 37. be able to.

The electric blower 38 is driven by consuming the power of the secondary battery 3 . The electric blower 38 sucks air from the dust container 37 to create suction negative pressure. The negative pressure generated in the dust container 37 acts on the suction port 34 . The main body 2 has an exhaust port for discharging exhaust (clean air) from the electric blower 38 to the outside of the main body 2 .

The wiping part 32 is arranged at the bottom of the main body 2 and right behind the suction port 34 . The wiping part 32 includes, for example, a removable wiping sheet 39 made of a fibrous material such as a non-woven fabric on the bottom surface of the main body 2 . The wiping sheet 39 contacts the surface f to be cleaned when the autonomous cleaner 1 is placed on the surface f to be cleaned so that it can travel. The wiping sheet 39 is preferably pressed against the surface f to be cleaned with a pressure that does not allow the drive wheels 26 to spin on the surface f to be cleaned. An elastic member such as foamed resin is provided between the wiping sheet 39 and the bottom surface of the main body 2 . This elastic member presses the wiping sheet 39 against the cleaning surface f with a uniform pressure.

Note that the front and back of the arrangement of the suction cleaning part 31 and the wiping cleaning part 32 may be reversed. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the suction cleaning part 31 may be arranged at the front edge part 23 of the bottom of the main body 2, and the wiping cleaning part 32 may be arranged immediately after the suction cleaning part 31, or the wiping cleaning part 32 may be arranged on the main body. 2 at the front edge 23 of the bottom, with the suction cleaning section 31 located immediately after the wiping section 32 . Either one of the suction cleaning portion 31 and the wiping cleaning portion 32 is arranged along the front edge portion 23 regardless of the arrangement relationship. In other words, the cleaning part 12 is arranged on the frontmost side in the bottom part of the main body 2 .

The detection unit 13 detects an object O to be detected that approaches the main body 2 as the main body 2 moves or an object to be detected O that contacts the main body 2 . The detection unit 13 includes a camera unit 41 provided in the main body 2 for capturing an image of the surroundings of the autonomous cleaner 1, and a camera unit 41 provided in the main unit 2 so that the main unit 2 detects an object other than the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, an object to be detected. A proximity detection unit 42 that detects that O has approached, a contact detection unit 43 that is provided in the main body 2 and detects that the main body 2 has come into contact with an object other than the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, the object to be detected O, contains.

The camera unit 41 is provided on the front surface of the main body 2 and photographs the forward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, the traveling direction when moving forward.

The autonomous cleaner 1 may be provided with a distance measuring device 45 that obtains depth information in the imaging range by a principle different from that of the stereo camera instead of or in addition to the camera section 41 .

The proximity detector 42 is, for example, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. The proximity detection unit 42 using an infrared sensor includes a light-emitting element that emits infrared light and a light-receiving element that receives light and converts it into an electric signal. The proximity detection unit 42 emits infrared light from the light emitting element, receives the infrared light reflected by the object O to be detected by the light receiving element, and converts it into electric power. Before the main body 2 comes into contact with the detected object O, it is detected that the detected object O has approached within the distance. The proximity detection unit 42 using an ultrasonic sensor detects the object O by using ultrasonic waves instead of infrared rays.

The contact detection unit 43 is a so-called bumper sensor. The contact detection part 43 is interlocked with the bumper 22 that mitigates the impact on the main body 2 when the moving main body 2 contacts the object O to be detected. The bumper 22 is displaced so as to be pushed toward the inside of the main body 2 when it comes into contact with the object O to be detected. The contact detection unit 43 detects the displacement of the bumper 22 to detect that the main body 2 has come into contact with the object O to be detected. The contact detection unit 43 includes, for example, a microswitch that is turned on and off by displacement of the bumper 22, an infrared sensor that measures the amount of displacement of the bumper 22 without contact, and an ultrasonic sensor.

The secondary battery 3 stores power consumed by each part of the autonomous cleaner 1 including the moving part 11 , the cleaning part 12 , the detection part 13 and the control part 15 . The secondary battery 3 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and has a control circuit for controlling charging and discharging. This control circuit outputs information regarding charging and discharging of the secondary battery 3 to the control unit 15 .

Next, the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 will be described in detail. The same applies to the main body 2 of the first example, the main body 2A of the second example (hereinafter simply referred to as "main body 2A"), and the main body 2B of the third example (hereinafter simply referred to as "main body 2B"). The same reference numerals are given to the configurations, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a first example body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 2 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment has a radius of a first distance R1 from a super-pivot turning center Cn1 to a front end 51 of the main body 2 when the super-pivot turning is performed. It has a front half portion 52 projecting to the outer region OR1 of the first circle Ci1 and a rear half portion 53 connected to the front half portion 52 . A front half portion 52 of the main body 2 is a portion on the front side of the pivot turning center Cn1, and a rear half portion 53 of the main body 2 is a portion on the rear side of the pivot turning center Cn1. A front end 51 of the main body 2 is a portion where an imaginary line segment extending straight ahead through the pivot turning center Cn1, that is, a center line CL extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 and the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 intersect. .

Also, the longitudinal length of the main body 2 and the maximum width of the main body 2 are substantially twice the first distance R1. In other words, the main body 2 fits into a virtual square whose side length is twice the first distance R1 and whose sides extend in the front, back, left, and right directions. The intersection of the diagonal lines of this square substantially coincides with the supercenter turning center Cn1.

Further, the pivot turning center Cn2 is arranged on a line segment that bisects the virtual square surrounding the main body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 through the super pivot turning center Cn1.

The front half portion 52 has a linear front edge portion 23 and a pair of left and right side edge portions 55 .

The front edge portion 23 includes the front end 51 of the main body 2 and extends linearly substantially orthogonally to the center line CL extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 through the pivot turning center Cn1. In other words, the front edge portion 23 extends in the left-right direction or width direction of the main body 2 . When the autonomous cleaner 1 advances straight towards the boundary of the area to be cleaned A, eg the wall W, the front edge 23 of the body 2 faces, faces, faces the wall W squarely. Then, when the autonomous cleaner 1 moves forward and reaches the wall W, the front edge 23 of the main body 2 follows the wall W with a small gap therebetween or in contact with the wall W. Therefore, the cleaning part 12 arranged along the bottom surface of the main body 2 and along the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 can clean the side of the wall.

In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 detects the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42 provided facing the front edge 23 of the main body 2 and the contact detection unit 43 provided on the front edge 23 for detecting displacement of the bumper. Based on the detection result, the main body 2 is brought closer to the wall.

The pair of left and right side edge portions 55 includes a left side edge portion 55L farther from the pivot turning center Cn2R when performing a pivot turn with the right driving wheel 26 as the pivot turning center Cn2R, and a left side edge portion 55L farther from the pivot turning center Cn2R. is the pivot turning center Cn2L, and a right side edge portion 55R farther from the pivot turning center Cn2L when performing a pivot turn.

The front edge portion 23 and the left side edge portion 55L are contained in an inner region IR2R of a second circle Ci2R having a radius of a second distance R2R from the right pivot center Cn2R to the left side edge portion 55L. In addition, the front edge portion 23 and the right side edge portion 55R are contained in an inner region IR2L of a second circle Ci2L having a radius of a second distance R2L from the left pivot turning center Cn2L to the right side edge portion 55R. there is In addition, it is preferable that the main body 2 can be turned in the same manner whether it is turned to the right or turned to the left. Therefore, it is preferable that the main body 2 has a symmetrical shape. Therefore, it is preferable that the left and right second distances R2L and R2R are substantially the same.

Further, the right side edge portion 55R is contained within an inner region IR2L of a second circle Ci2R having a radius of a second distance R2R from the right pivot center Cn2R to the left side edge portion 55L. The left side edge 55L is contained within an inner region IR2L of a second circle Ci2L having a radius of a second distance R2L from the left pivot center Cn2L to the right side edge 55R.

Here, an imaginary line VL extending straight ahead through the pivot turning centers Cn2L and Cn2R is set. There are a pair of left and right virtual lines VL. That is, the pair of virtual lines VL includes a virtual line VLL extending straight ahead through the left pivot turning center Cn2L and a virtual line VLR extending straight ahead through the right pivot turning center Cn2R.

A connecting portion 56 between the front edge portion 23 and the side edge portion 55 is positioned inside a region G sandwiched between a pair of left and right imaginary lines VL extending straight ahead through the respective pivot turning centers Cn2L and Cn2R. there is In other words, the connecting portion 56L between the front edge portion 23 and the left side edge portion 55L is located inside the region G, and the connecting portion 56R between the front edge portion 23 and the right side edge portion 55R is located inside the region G. located inside.

The rear half portion 53 is contained in the inner region of a third circle Ci3 centered on the pivot turning center Cn1 and having a radius of a third distance R3 from the pivot turning center Cn1 to the rear ends of the side edges 55L and 55R. ing. The third distance R3 is substantially equal to the first distance R1.

In FIG. 4, two walls W that define the area A to be cleaned and are perpendicular to each other, that is, corners of the area A to be cleaned are indicated by two-dot chain lines. One wall Wf is positioned directly in front of the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 , and the other wall Wr is positioned on the right side of the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The autonomous cleaner 1 cleans the wall side with the linear front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 being brought close to the wall W with a minute gap or the front edge portion 23 being in contact with the wall W. - 特許庁Since the cleaning part 12 is arranged along the front edge part 23 of the main body 2, the autonomous cleaner 1 can reliably clean the vicinity of the wall. The state in which the front edge portion 23 is brought close to the wall W with a small gap or the state in which the front edge portion 23 is in contact with the wall W is hereinafter simply referred to as "the state in which the front edge portion 23 is along the wall". .

However, as shown in FIG. 4, it is difficult for the autonomous cleaner 1 to change its traveling direction on the spot with the front edge 23 along the wall. In other words, it is difficult for the autonomous cleaner 1 to make a pivot turn with the front edge 23 along the wall. When the front edge portion 23 is along the wall, the portion protruding to the outer region OR1 of the first circle Ci1 touches the wall W and hinders the autonomous cleaner 1 from pivoting.

Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 makes a pivot turn, gets out of the wall, and moves to another place. In the situation as shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous cleaner 1 rotates clockwise about the pivot turning center Cn2 farther from the right wall Wr, that is, the left pivot turning center Cn2L, and moves from the wall side. break away. At this time, the front edge portion 23 and the left side edge portion 55L of the main body 2 including the connecting portions 56L and 56R move along a trajectory away from the front wall Wf. In addition, the right side edge portion 55R including the right connecting portion 56R is contained within the left second circle Ci2L, so that it moves without interfering with the right side wall Wr.

That is, the autonomous cleaner 1 allows the main body 2 to interfere with the corners of the area A to be cleaned in a state in which the front edge 23 and the side edge 55 are positioned at the corners of the area A to be cleaned substantially without any gap. It is possible to turn around without

5A to 5C are an example of a cleaning procedure in a first example body of an autonomous cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The autonomous cleaner 1 having the main body 2 of the first example cleans the corners of the area to be cleaned A according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5C.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the front wall Wf. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, the autonomous cleaner 1 rotates clockwise around the left pivot center Cn2L and leaves the wall. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 that makes a pivot turn near the wall turns the front direction of the main body 2 by 180 degrees. That is, the rear half portion 53 of the main body 2 faces the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the autonomous cleaner 1 turns counterclockwise near the front wall Wf. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 that makes a super-pivot turn near the wall turns the front direction of the main body 2 by 90 degrees. That is, the front half portion 52 of the main body 2 faces the wall Wr on the right side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the autonomous cleaner 1 enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the right side wall Wr. Thus, the corners of the area to be cleaned A are cleaned. After cleaning the corner of the area A to be cleaned, the autonomous cleaner 1 rotates counterclockwise about the turning center Cn2R on the right side to leave the corner of the area A to be cleaned, or retreat once. It turns clockwise to move away from the corner of the area to be cleaned A and continues to move.

Since the main body 2 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape, even if the wall W is on the front and left sides of the main body 2, the right-side pivot turning center Cn2R is oriented counterclockwise. By making a ground turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily leave the place. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 has a corner of the area A to be cleaned in both a state in which the corner is viewed on the right side of the main body 2 and a state in which the corner is viewed on the left side of the main body 2. I can clean it. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can clean the corners of the area A to be cleaned deeper than a conventional cleaner having a constant width diagram-shaped main body.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a second example body of an autonomous cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

As shown in FIG. 6, the maximum width of the main body 2A of the autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment is substantially twice the first distance R1. The longitudinal length of the main body 2 is smaller than twice the first distance R1.

The connecting portion 56A of the main body 2A is positioned outside the region G sandwiched between a pair of left and right imaginary lines VL extending straight ahead through the respective pivot turning centers Cn2L and Cn2R. In other words, the connecting portion 56AL between the front edge portion 23 and the left side edge portion 55L is located outside the region G, and the connecting portion 56AR between the front edge portion 23 and the right side edge portion 55R is located outside the region G. located outside. In other words, a left portion 23aL of the front edge portion 23 and a right portion 23aR of the front edge portion 23 are located outside the region G. As shown in FIG.

That is, in the main body 2A of the second example, the left and right connecting portions 56AL and 56AR are positioned outside the region G, unlike the main body 2 of the first example. Therefore, in the state where the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2A of the second example is along the wall side, a part of the front edge portion 23 that is outside the region G and closer to the pivot turning center Cn2 is attached to the wall W. It touches and obstructs the pivot turning of the autonomous cleaner 1. - 特許庁For example, when the main body 2A of the second example makes a pivot turn about the left pivot turn center Cn2L, the left side of the front edge portion 23 outside the area G and close to the left pivot turn center Cn2 23aL touches the front wall Wf and hinders the pivot turning of the autonomous cleaner 1. As shown in FIG.

Therefore, the main body 2A of the second example retreats directly behind with the front edge portion 23 and the side edge portion 55 positioned at the corners of the area to be cleaned A with substantially no gap therebetween, and then makes a pivot turn. . In the situation as shown in FIG. 6, the autonomous cleaner 1 moves backward to the rear, and then rotates clockwise around the pivot turning center Cn2 farther from the right wall Wr, that is, the left pivot turning center Cn2L. Turn around and leave the wall. At this time, the distance by which the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats directly behind is determined from the distance Ln1 between the pivot turning center Cn2 and the connecting portion 56A closer to the pivot turning center Cn2 to the pivot turning center Cn2 and the front edge. 23, if it is longer than the distance obtained by subtracting the shortest distance Ln2. It should be noted that in order to reverse the direction of travel by making a pivot turn near the wall, the distance that the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats directly behind so that the rear half portion 53 of the main body 2A does not interfere with the wall W is set to a super pivot turn. It retreats by a distance between the center Cn1 and the rear end, that is, a distance obtained by subtracting the distance Ln2 from the first distance R1.

Then, the left portion 23aL of the front edge portion 23 including the left connecting portion 56AL temporarily approaches the front wall Wf, but exceeds the retreated distance (the distance Ln1 minus the distance Ln2). Move without approaching the front wall Wf. In addition, since the right side edge portion 55R including the right connecting portion 56AR is contained within the left second circle Ci2L centered on the left pivot turning center Cn2L, it does not interfere with the right side wall Wr. move without

In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 can pivot without causing the main body 2A to interfere with the corners of the area A to be cleaned in a state where the side edges 55 are positioned at the corners of the area A to be cleaned with substantially no gaps. can be done.

7A to 7E are an example of a cleaning procedure in a second example body of an autonomous cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The autonomous cleaner 1 having the main body 2A of the second example cleans the corners of the area to be cleaned A according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A to 7E.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the front wall Wf. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats once to provide an appropriate gap between the front wall Wf and the main body 2A. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the robot turns clockwise around the left-side pivot turning center Cn2L and leaves the wall. The autonomous cleaner 1 that has turned around turns the front direction of the main body 2A by 180 degrees. That is, the rear half portion 53 of the main body 2A faces the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats the main body 2A to the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7D, the autonomous cleaner 1 turns counterclockwise near the front wall Wf. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 that makes a super-pivot turn near the wall changes the direction of the front of the main body 2A by 90 degrees. That is, the front half portion 52 of the main body 2A faces the wall Wr on the right side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7E, the autonomous cleaner 1 enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the right side wall Wr. Thus, the corners of the area to be cleaned A are cleaned. After cleaning the corner of the area A to be cleaned, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats once and rotates counterclockwise about the right pivot turning center Cn2R to leave the corner of the area A to be cleaned, or It retreats once, rotates clockwise, moves away from the corner of the area A to be cleaned, and continues to move.

The autonomous cleaner 1 can easily move in the front-rear direction, but cannot easily move in the horizontal direction. Therefore, if there is a wall W in front of the main body 2A that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 will be hindered by the front wall Wf if it retreats as shown in FIG. 7A. can turn without However, when there is a wall W on the side of the main body 2A that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 has a wall W for turning between the side wall W and the main body 2A. You can't move to the side to separate the gap. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 places the side edge 55 of the front half 52 in the inner region IR of the second circle Ci2 whose radius is the second distance R2 from the turning center Cn2 to the side edge 55 on the far side. is paid. Therefore, even if the super-pivot turn is blocked by the side wall W, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily turn around the pivot turn center Cn2 farther from the wall W. can move to

Since the main body 2A has a bilaterally symmetrical shape, even if the wall W is on the front and left sides of the main body 2A, after retreating, the right turn center Cn2R is set. By turning counterclockwise, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily leave the spot. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 has a corner of the area A to be cleaned in both a state in which the corner is viewed on the right side of the main body 2A and a state in which the corner is viewed on the left side of the main body 2A. I can clean it. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can clean the corners of the area A to be cleaned deeper than a conventional cleaner having a constant width diagram-shaped main body.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a third example body of an autonomous cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

As shown in FIG. 8, the front half portion 52B of the main body 2B of the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment includes a linear front edge portion 23B and a front edge portion 23B farther from the pivot turning center Cn2 when turning. A side edge portion 55B and a deformation portion 58 that deforms a portion of the front half portion 52 are provided.

The front half portion 52B of the main body 2B has a portion protruding to the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2 centered on the pivot turning center Cn2. That is, the left side portion 23aL of the front edge portion 23B, the front side portion 55aL of the left side edge portion 55BL, and the left front portion 52aL of the front half portion 52B including the left side connecting portion 56BL are the right side second Located in the outer region OR2 of the circle Ci2R, the right front portion of the front half portion 52B including the right portion 23aR of the front edge portion 23B, the front portion 55aR of the right side edge portion 55BR, and the right connecting portion 56BR. The portion 52aR is located in the outer region OR2 of the left second circle Ci2L.

The main body 2B of the third example differs from the main body 2 of the first example and the main body 2A of the second example in that the left front portion 52aL and the right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52B are formed on the far second circle. It is located in the outer region OR2 of Ci2. Therefore, in the state where the front edge portion 23B of the main body 2B of the third example is along the wall side, a part of the front half portion 52B farther from the pivot turning center Cn2 is in contact with the side wall W and the autonomous cleaner is in contact with the side wall W. Blocks 1's turn. For example, when the main body 2B of the third example makes a pivot turn about the left pivot turn center Cn2L, the right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52B is in contact with the right wall Wr and autonomously cleans. Impedes machine 1's pivot turn.

Therefore, the main body 2B of the third example has a deformation portion 58. As shown in FIG. The deforming portion 58 deforms a portion of the front half portion 52B located in the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2 and farther from the pivot turning center Cn2 so as to fit within the inner region IR of the second circle Ci2. .

As indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, the deformable portion 58 spans the entire width of the front half portion 52 including the left front portion 52aL and the right front portion 52aR, and extends over the left front portion 52aL and the right front portion 52aR. The part 52aR is integrally moved in parallel in the lateral direction of the main body 2B. Further, the deformation portion 58 may move the left front portion 52aL and the right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52 individually. Furthermore, the deformable portion 58 may include partial deformable portions arranged in a plurality of stages in the front-rear direction of the front half portion 52 . The partial deformation portions are individually movable in parallel in the left-right direction, and are fitted in an inner region IR2 of a second circle Ci2 having a radius of a second distance R2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the side edge portion 55. move individually. Furthermore, the deformable portion 68 may move a part of the front side of the front half portion 52, for example, the front half. In this case, the non-deformed portion on the rear side of the front half portion 52, which is not deformed, has a radius of the second distance R2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the side edge portion 55, like the main body 2 of the first example. It suffices if it falls within the inner region IR2 of the second circle Ci2.

It is preferable that the deformed portion 58 extending over the entire width of the front half portion 52 is integrally provided with the suction port 34 . The suction port 34 is connected to the dust container 37 via a flexible tube.

Further, the left and right deformation portions 58 that are individually deformed may be formed by deforming the left and right deformation portions 58 at the same time. It may be deformable.

Preferably, the body 2B can be pivoted in the same manner whether it is pivoted to the right or to the left. Therefore, it is preferable that the shape of the deformable portion 58 deformed by parallel movement to the left and the shape of the deformed portion 58 by parallel movement to the right have an inverted relationship about the center line CL extending in the front-rear direction of the main body 2B. .

The deformation section 58 may be of an electric type having an electric motor and an appropriate mechanism such as a slide mechanism, a cam mechanism, a link mechanism, etc. For example, an elastic force generated by a spring and a slide mechanism, a cam mechanism, a link mechanism, etc. may be used. It may be a mechanical type having an appropriate mechanism of By controlling the electric motor by the control unit 15, the electric deformation unit 58 can be deformed and restored to the state before deformation at a suitable time when turning. The mechanical deformation portion 58 stores energy as it deforms, and consumes the energy so that the deformation portion 58 returns to its pre-deformation state. For example, the mechanical deformation part 58 deforms the portion protruding to the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2 against the wall W during turning, for example, while compressing the spring, the turning progresses smoothly, and the turning progresses. The spring is extended accordingly to restore the portion projecting to the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2.

The deformable portion 58 deforms in a direction away from the side wall W of the main body 2B when the vehicle makes a pivot turn. In the situation shown in FIG. 8, the deformable portion 58 translates away from the right side wall W, that is, to the left. The deforming portion 58 that has moved in parallel moves the portion near the wall W on the right side, that is, the portion 52aR on the front right side of the front half portion 52, into the second circle Ci2L on the left side.

By the way, the left front portion 52aL and the right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52 are outside the region G sandwiched between a pair of left and right imaginary lines VL extending straight ahead through the respective pivot turning centers Cn2L and Cn2R. To position. In the situation shown in FIG. 8, when the right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52 is moved into the left second circle Ci2L by the deformation of the deformation portion 58, the left front portion 52aL of the front half portion 52 is , protrudes outside the region G.

Then, in the state where the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2B of the third example is along the wall, a portion of the front edge portion 23 that is outside the region G and closer to the pivot turning center Cn2 is attached to the wall W. It touches and obstructs the pivot turning of the autonomous cleaner 1. - 特許庁For example, when the main body 2B of the third example makes a pivot turn about the left pivot turn center Cn2L, the left front side of the front half portion 52 that is outside the region G and close to the left pivot turn center Cn2. 52aL contacts the front wall Wf and obstructs the pivot turning of the autonomous cleaner 1. As shown in FIG.

Therefore, in the main body 2B of the third example, the deformable portion 58 is deformed while the front edge portion 23 and the side edge portion 55 are positioned at the corners of the area A to be cleaned with substantially no gap, and the main body 2B retreats directly behind. After that, turn around. In the situation as shown in FIG. 8, the autonomous cleaner 1 moves backward to the rear, and then rotates clockwise around the pivot turning center Cn2 farther from the right wall Wr, that is, the left pivot turning center Cn2L. Turn around and leave the wall. At this time, the distance that the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats directly behind is calculated from the distance Ln3 between the pivot turning center Cn2 and the connecting portion 56B closer to the pivot turning center Cn2 after deformation to the pivot turning center Cn2. The distance may be equal to or greater than the distance obtained by subtracting the distance Ln2 to the front edge portion 23 . As a result, the left portion of the front edge portion 23 including the left connecting portion 56BL temporarily approaches the front wall Wf, but exceeds the retreated distance (the distance obtained by subtracting the distance Ln2 from the distance Ln3). It moves without approaching the wall Wf of . In addition, since the right side edge portion 55R including the right connecting portion 56BR is contained within the left second circle Ci2L centered on the left pivot turning center Cn2L, it does not interfere with the right side wall Wr. move without

In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 can pivot without causing the main body 2B to interfere with the corners of the area A to be cleaned in a state where the side edges 55 are positioned at the corners of the area A to be cleaned with substantially no gaps. can be done.

9A to 9E are an example of a cleaning procedure in a third example body of an autonomous cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the deformation|transformation part 58 shall be an electric type.

The autonomous cleaner 1 having the main body 2B of the third example cleans the corners of the area to be cleaned A according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A to 9E.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the front wall Wf. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats once to provide an appropriate gap between the front wall Wf and the main body 2B. Then, the autonomous cleaner 1 deforms the deformable portion 58 to keep it away from the wall W on the right side. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the autonomous cleaner 1 rotates clockwise around the left pivot center Cn2L and leaves the wall. The autonomous cleaner 1 that has turned around turns the front direction of the main body 2B by 180 degrees. That is, the rear half portion 53 of the main body 2B faces the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the autonomous cleaner 1 restores the deformation of the deformation portion 58, and then retreats the main body 2B to the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9D, the autonomous cleaner 1 turns counterclockwise near the front wall Wf. The autonomous cleaner 1 that makes a super-pivot turn near the wall changes the front direction of the main body 2B by 90 degrees. That is, the front half portion 52 of the main body 2B faces the wall Wr on the right side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9E, the autonomous cleaner 1 enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the right side wall Wr. Thus, the corners of the area to be cleaned A are cleaned. After cleaning the corner of the area A to be cleaned, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats once and rotates counterclockwise about the right pivot turning center Cn2R to leave the corner of the area A to be cleaned, or It retreats once, rotates clockwise, moves away from the corner of the area A to be cleaned, and continues to move.

The autonomous cleaner 1 can easily move in the front-rear direction, but cannot easily move in the horizontal direction. Therefore, if there is a wall W in front of the main body 2B that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 will be hindered by the front wall Wf if it retreats as shown in FIG. 9A. can turn without However, when there is a wall W on the side of the main body 2B that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 has a wall W for turning between the side wall W and the main body 2B. You can't move to the side to separate the gap. Therefore, in the autonomous cleaner 1, the deformed portion 58 that accommodates the front half portion 52 in the inner region IR of the second circle Ci2 whose radius is the second distance R2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the far side edge portion 55. It has Therefore, even if the super-pivot turn is blocked by the side wall W, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily turn around the pivot turn center Cn2 farther from the wall W. can move to

Since the main body 2B can deform the deformation portion 58 bilaterally symmetrically, even if the wall W is on the front and left side of the main body 2B, the right pivot turning center Cn2R is rotated counterclockwise. By turning around, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily leave the spot. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 has a corner of the area A to be cleaned in both a state in which the corner is viewed on the right side of the main body 2B and a state in which the corner is viewed on the left side of the main body 2B. I can clean it. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can clean the corners of the area A to be cleaned deeper than a conventional cleaner having a constant width diagram-shaped main body.

Also, the deformable portion 58 may be deformed and restored at a time that does not hinder the rotation of the autonomous cleaner 1 .

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 10 in addition to FIGS. 2 and 3, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment includes an electric motor 27 of the moving unit 11, a brush electric motor 36 and an electric blower 38 of the suction cleaning unit 31, and a detection unit. 13 , control unit 15 , secondary battery 3 , and communication unit 61 .

The communication unit 61 includes a transmission unit 61a including, for example, an infrared light emitting element, which transmits infrared signals to the charging base 5, and a receiving unit 61b including, for example, a phototransistor, which receives infrared signals from the charging base 5 and the remote controller. , is equipped with

A camera unit 41 of the detection unit 13 is, for example, a digital camera. That is, the camera unit 41 includes an image sensor 41a (image sensor, not shown) that converts a captured image into an electric signal, and an optical system 41b that forms (generates) an image on the image sensor 41a. The imaging element 41a is, for example, a CCD image sensor (Charge-Coupled Device image sensor) or a CMOS image sensor (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor). Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can immediately handle the digital data of the image captured by the camera section 41 . In other words, an image captured by the camera unit 41 can be compressed into a predetermined data format, converted into a binary image, or converted into a gray scale by using an image processing circuit, for example. The camera unit 41 captures an image in the visible light region, for example. An image in the visible light region has better image quality than, for example, an image in the infrared region, and can easily provide the user with visible information without performing complicated image processing.

The camera unit 41 is a so-called stereo camera. Images captured by the camera unit 41 are overlapped in a capturing range including a front position extending from the center line in the width direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The camera unit 41 can obtain information on the depth (separation distance seen from the autonomous cleaner 1) in the imaging range. An image containing depth information is called a "distance image".

The camera unit 41 may be provided with a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a light bulb. The illumination device illuminates part or all of the imaging range of the camera unit 41 . The lighting device enables the camera unit 41 to acquire an appropriate image even in a dark place such as a shadow of obstacles such as furniture or in a dark environment such as at night.

A large number of pixels are arranged on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 41a. Each pixel on the light-receiving surface converts the received light into an electrical signal. By integrating the information of the light received by each pixel according to the position of each pixel, an image representing the scenery captured by the camera section 41 is obtained. A general image sensor 41a captures a color image. Color images are represented by mixing three colors, red, green, and blue, for example.

The distance measuring device 45 includes a light emitting section 45a that emits light to a range for obtaining depth information, and a light receiving section 45b that receives the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting section 45a. The autonomous cleaner 1 can acquire distance information from the autonomous cleaner 1 to the detected object O based on the time difference from when the light emitting unit 45a starts emitting light until the light receiving unit 45b receives the reflected light. The light emitting unit 45a emits, for example, infrared rays or visible light.

The control unit 15 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU, not shown), various arithmetic programs executed (processed) by the central processing unit, an auxiliary storage device (for example, read only memory, ROM , not shown), and a main storage device (for example, random access memory, RAM, not shown) in which a program work area is dynamically secured. The auxiliary storage device is preferably rewritable, such as non-volatile memory.

Control unit 15 is electrically connected to electric motor 27 of moving unit 11 , brush electric motor 36 and electric blower 38 of suction cleaning unit 31 , detection unit 13 , secondary battery 3 , and communication unit 61 . The control unit 15 operates the electric motor 27 of the moving unit 11, the brush electric motor 36 and the electric blower 38 of the suction cleaning unit 31, the detection unit 13, It controls the secondary battery 3 .

The control unit 15 includes an autonomous movement control unit 71 that controls autonomous movement of the autonomous cleaner 1 and a detection control unit 72 that controls the operation of the detection unit 13 . The autonomous movement control unit 71 and the detection control unit 72 are arithmetic programs.

The autonomous movement control unit 71 controls a map information storage unit 73 that stores environmental map information (environment map, not shown) of the area to be cleaned A and the moving unit 11 to autonomously move the main bodies 2, 2A, and 2B. A movement control unit 78 and a cleaning control unit 79 for controlling the operation of the brush electric motor 36 of the suction cleaning unit 31 and the electric blower 38 are provided.

The map information storage unit 73 is a collection of data constructed in a storage area secured in an auxiliary storage device, and has an appropriate data structure. The map information storage unit 73 is read from the auxiliary storage device into the main storage device for use, and is overwritten in the auxiliary storage device through appropriate updating.

The environment map information is information used for the autonomous movement of the autonomous cleaner 1, and includes at least the shape of the area where the autonomous cleaner 1 can move in the location to be cleaned. The environment map information is constructed, for example, as a collection of 10-centimeter-side rectangles that are orderly arranged. The environment map information may be prepared in advance when the autonomous cleaner 1 is used, or may be created at the same time as self-position estimation by Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). The environment map information may be created and updated in the process of moving along with the cleaning operation. When creating environment map information by SLAM, the autonomous cleaner 1 preferably includes various sensors such as an encoder in addition to the detection unit 13 . The movement control unit 78 creates environment map information based on information acquired from the detection unit 13 and various sensors.

The movement control unit 78 controls the movement unit 11 based on the environment map information and the detection result of the detection control unit 72 to autonomously move the autonomous cleaner 1 . The movement control unit 78 controls the magnitude and direction of the current flowing through the electric motor 27 to rotate the electric motor 27 forward or backward. The movement control unit 78 controls driving of the driving wheels 26 by rotating the electric motor 27 forward or backward.

Further, based on the detection result of the detection control unit 72, for example, the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42, the movement control unit 78 avoids obstacles in the area to be cleaned A, moves to the boundary of the area to be cleaned A, that is, It moves along the wall side while providing a required gap between the wall side and the main body 2, 2A, 2B. Furthermore, based on the detection result of the detection control unit 72 , for example, the detection result of the contact detection unit 43 , the movement control unit 78 approaches the obstacle or the wall to the very limit and cleans the edge of the obstacle or the wall.

The cleaning control unit 79 individually controls the brush motor 36 and the electric blower 38 .

The detection control section 72 controls the operation of the camera section 41 . The detection control unit 72 causes the camera unit 41 to capture an image at predetermined time intervals. The detection control section 72 stores the image captured by the camera section 41 in the detection result storage section 81 . The image captured by the camera unit 41 is secured in the main storage device in the detection result storage unit 81 . The detection result storage unit 81 stores images captured by the camera unit 41 . The detection result storage unit 81 has a capacity capable of storing a plurality of images.

The detection result storage unit 81 may store the image information representing the image captured by the camera unit 41 without processing, or may store the information necessary for image analysis processing so as to reduce the data size. Image information may be stored. The image information stored in the detection result storage unit 81 is, for example, an image obtained by converting an image captured by the camera unit 41 into a grayscale (hereinafter referred to as an image, the same as the original image captured by the camera unit 41). can be For grayscale images, the pixel values of the image correspond to the luminance values. When storing an image converted to grayscale, the control unit 15 can allocate a smaller amount of memory area (resource) to the detection result storage unit 81 than when storing the original image. be. Also, when the image converted to grayscale is used for subsequent analysis processing, the control unit 15 can reduce the load on the central processing unit compared to processing the original image. Image processing including image grayscaling may be performed by the camera unit 41 . By executing the image processing in the camera section 41, the load on the central processing unit is reduced.

Further, the detection control unit 72 controls lighting and extinguishing of the lighting device. The illumination device brightens the image to facilitate the analysis process and improve accuracy.

Furthermore, the detection control unit 72 detects the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42, that is, the proximity of the detected object O to the main bodies 2, 2A, and 2B, and the distance between the detected object O and the main bodies 2, 2A, and 2B at that time. The distance is stored in the detection result storage unit 81 .

Further, the detection control unit 72 stores the detection result of the contact detection unit 43, that is, the contact of the detected object O with the main bodies 2, 2A, and 2B in the detection result storage unit 81. FIG.

As described above, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment protrudes into the outer region OR of the first circle Ci1 having a radius of the first distance R1 from the pivot turning center Cn1 to the front end 51, and A front half portion 52 that fits in an inner region IR of a second circle Ci2 having a radius of a second distance R2 from the turning center Cn2 to the far side edge portion 55, and a front edge portion 23 of the front half portion 52. A cleaning unit 12 is provided. Therefore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 can more reliably clean dust along the walls and corners of the area A to be cleaned, compared to a conventional autonomous vacuum cleaner having a constant-width figure-shaped main body. It can easily move away from the wall side or corner of the building.

The autonomous cleaner 1 also has connecting portions 56L and 56R positioned inside a region G sandwiched between a pair of left and right imaginary lines VL extending straight ahead through the pivot center Cn2. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 pivots without causing the main body 2 to interfere with the corners in a state where the front edge 23 and the side edges 55 are positioned at the corners of the area to be cleaned A with substantially no gap. be able to.

Further, the autonomous cleaner 1 has connecting portions 56AL and 56AR located outside the region G sandwiched between a pair of left and right imaginary lines VL extending straight ahead through the pivot turning center Cn2, and the front edge portion 23. and the side edge portion 55 are positioned at the corner of the area A to be cleaned substantially without any gap, the main body 2A is retracted directly behind, and then pivoted. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 pivots without causing the main body 2A to interfere with the corners in a state where the front edge 23 and the side edges 55 are positioned at the corners of the area A to be cleaned with substantially no gap. be able to.

In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 has an inner region IR of a second circle Ci2 having a radius of a second distance R2 from the front edge portion 23B and the side edge portion 55B to the far side edge portion 55 from the pivot turning center Cn2. It has a deforming portion 58 that deforms a part of the front half portion 52 so as to fit in. Therefore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 can more reliably clean dust along the walls and corners of the area A to be cleaned, compared to a conventional autonomous vacuum cleaner having a constant-width figure-shaped main body. It can easily move away from the wall side or corner of the building.

Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment is excellent in the ability to clean the sides and corners of the area A to be cleaned, and can smoothly move away from the sides and corners of the area A to be cleaned.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Autonomous cleaner, 2, 2A, 2B... Main body, 3... Secondary battery, 5... Charging base, 6... Power supply cord, 11... Moving part, 12... Cleaning part, 13... Detection part, 15... Control part , 21... body case, 22... bumper, 23, 23B... front edge part, 23aL, 23aR... part of front edge part, 26... drive wheel, 27... electric motor, 28... driven wheel, 31... suction cleaner, 32 Wiping unit 34 Suction port 35 Rotating brush 36 Electric motor for brush 37 Dust container 38 Electric blower 39 Cleaning sheet 41 Camera unit 41a Image sensor 41b Optical system 42 Proximity detector 43 Contact detector 45 Distance measuring device 45a Light emitter 45b Light receiver 51 Front end 52, 52B Front half 52aL, 52aR Part of front half 53 Rear half 55, 55L, 55R, 55B, 55BL, 55BR Side edge 55a Part of side edge 56, 56L, 56R, 56A, 56AL, 56AR, 56B, 56BL, 56BR Connecting portion 58... Transformation unit 61... Communication unit 61a... Transmission unit 61b... Reception unit 71... Autonomous movement control unit 72... Detection control unit 73... Map information storage unit 78... Movement control unit 79... Cleaning control Section 81: Detection result storage section.

Claims (3)

the main body;
a cleaning part provided on the bottom surface of the main body;
a moving part having a pair of left and right driving wheels or a pair of left and right endless tracks for moving the main body;
a control unit that controls the moving unit to autonomously move the main body,
The radius is defined as a first distance from the turning center to the front end of the main body when turning by driving the pair of left and right drive wheels or the pair of left and right endless tracks in mutually different directions. has a front half projecting to the outer region of the first circle and located on the front side of the super pivot turning center,
The front half has a linear front edge, and one of the pair of left and right drive wheels or one of the pair of left and right endless tracks is stopped and the other is driven to perform a pivot turn from the pivot turn center. a side edge farther from the one drive wheel that stops or the one track that stops;
The front edge portion and the side edge portion fall within an inner region of a second circle having a radius of a second distance from the pivot turning center through the super pivot turning center to the side edge portion,
The second distance is the sum of the distance from the super pivot turning center to the pivot turning center and the first distance,
The autonomous vacuum cleaner, wherein the cleaning portion is arranged along the front edge. a connecting portion between the front edge portion and the side edge portion is located inside an area sandwiched by a pair of left and right imaginary lines extending straight ahead through the pivot turning center;
2. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said front edge and said side edge are positioned at a corner of a cleaning location with substantially no space between them, and said main body is pivoted without interfering with said corner. . a connecting portion between the front edge portion and the side edge portion is positioned outside an area sandwiched by a pair of left and right imaginary lines extending straight ahead through the pivot turning center;
2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the main body is retracted directly rearward while the side edges are positioned at the corners of the cleaning area with substantially no clearance therebetween, and then the main body is pivoted without interfering with the corners. autonomous vacuum cleaner.

Images