CN110881902A

CN110881902A - Electric vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN110881902A
Application number: CN201910615801.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中村浩之; 山谷辽; 伊藤则和
Original assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2018-09-07
Filing date: 2019-07-09
Publication date: 2020-03-17
Also published as: JP2020039455A

Abstract

The invention provides an electric dust collector with excellent display and confirmation of multiple operation modes. The electric vacuum cleaner can select and execute a plurality of cleaning modes, can display the type of the selected cleaning mode, and is displayed by an operation mode display part for displaying or lighting a part of a plurality of character strings and a mark/number display part for displaying or lighting a mark or a number.

Description

Electric vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses an autonomous vacuum cleaner capable of automatically performing cleaning in accordance with the degree of attention of a user by adjusting the frequency of occurrence of one or more of quick cleaning, deep cleaning, local cleaning, and edge and corner cleaning by the user.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-515311

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the electric vacuum cleaner disclosed in patent document 1, it is inconvenient for the user to either store it in advance or confirm the screen of the portable device 300 without displaying what kind of parameter adjustment results the electric vacuum cleaner main body should perform cleaning. However, in the case of a vacuum cleaner capable of adjusting parameters in detail and a vacuum cleaner capable of executing a plurality of preset modes, if hardware for displaying the parameters by dividing the parameters is set in detail, there is a problem that the display becomes complicated.

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above, the present invention provides an electric vacuum cleaner capable of selecting and executing a plurality of types of cleaning modes and displaying the types of the selected cleaning modes, wherein the display is performed by an operation mode display unit for displaying or lighting a part of a plurality of character strings and a symbol/number display unit for displaying or lighting a symbol or number.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front left.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous traveling type cleaner.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the autonomous vacuum cleaner with the housing removed.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a travel locus of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner during cleaning.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed operation of the in-place rotation.

Fig. 7 is a graph showing a change in the speed of the right wheel in the in-place rotation.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a rotation operation.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed operation of the rotation.

Fig. 10 is a graph showing a change in the speed of the rotating right wheel.

Fig. 11 is a travel locus of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner at the time of cleaning.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing details of wall driving.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a change in the speed of the rotating left wheel.

Fig. 14 is a running image of the automatic operation mode and the fine operation mode.

Fig. 15 is a driving image of a wall-focused driving mode, a reflection-focused driving mode, and a leg-focused driving mode as examples of the recommended mode.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the segment 7 and its surroundings of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner.

In the figure: 2. 3-drive wheel, 5-rotary brush, 8-distance sensor for front (obstacle detecting mechanism), 9-rechargeable battery, 11-suction fan, 12-dust collecting case, 14-suction port, 15-bumper sensor (obstacle detecting mechanism), 16-distance sensor for floor (obstacle detecting mechanism), 20-mark/number display section (7-segment display), 21-operation mode display section (status display LED), 23-operation button, 25-speaker, S-autonomous traveling type dust collector, Sh-main body section (non-rotating section, vehicle body).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front left. In the direction in which the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S travels, the side on which the side brush 7 is provided is set to the front, the vertical direction is set to the upper side, the driving wheel 2 side in the direction in which the

driving wheels

2 and 3 face each other is set to the left, and the driving wheel 3 side is set to the right. That is, the front-back, up-down, and left-right directions are defined as shown in fig. 1 and the like.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous traveling type cleaner.

The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S is an electric machine that automatically cleans a floor surface Y of a predetermined cleaning area (e.g., a room) while automatically moving the cleaning area.

The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S includes a housing 1(1u, 1S) constituting an outer shell, a pair of driving wheels 2, 3 (see fig. 2) at a lower portion, and an auxiliary wheel 4. The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S includes a rotating brush 5, a guide brush 6, and a side brush 7 at the lower portion, and a distance measuring sensor 8 for the front as an obstacle detecting means (see fig. 2, 3, and 4) at the periphery.

The driving

wheels

2 and 3 are wheels for advancing, retreating, and rotating the autonomous vacuum cleaner S by the rotation of the

driving wheels

2 and 3 themselves. The

drive wheels

2 and 3 are arranged on the left and right sides in diameter, and are rotationally driven by

wheel units

20 and 30 each including a travel motor and a reduction mechanism. The auxiliary wheel 4 is a driven wheel and is a freely rotating caster. The

driving wheels

2 and 3 are provided on the center side in the front-rear direction and on the outer side in the left-right direction of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S, and the auxiliary wheel 4 is provided on the front side in the front-rear direction and on the center side in the left-right direction.

The side brushes 7 are provided on the front side and the outer side in the left-right direction of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S, and rotate in a direction scanning from the outer side in the left-right direction to the inner side in the front outer side region of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S as shown by an arrow α 1 in fig. 1, and collect the dust on the side of the rotating brush 5 (see fig. 2) in the center of the dust on the floor surface, and the two guide brushes 6 are provided on the inner side in the left-right direction with respect to the

drive wheels

2 and 3, respectively, and are fixed brushes that guide the dust collected by the side brushes 7 so as not to escape from the inside of the width of the rotating brush 5 to the outer side.

The rotary brush 5 is provided rearward of the

driving wheels

2 and 3 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. The left and right side end portions of the rotary brush 5 are positioned inward of the

drive wheels

2 and 3 or inward of the guide brush 6 in the left and right direction.

(outline of operation of autonomous vacuum cleaner S)

The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S can move forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and can rotate in a super-home manner by autonomous movement of the

driving wheels

2 and 3 and the auxiliary wheel 4 (see fig. 2). The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S sucks dust collected by the side brush 7 and the guide brush 6 and adhering to the periphery of the rotary brush 5 into the dust collection housing 12 from the suction port 12i at the inlet of the dust collection housing 12 through the suction port 14 by the suction force of the suction fan 11, and accumulates the dust in the dust collection housing 12 through the dust collection filter 13 at the outlet.

When the dust is accumulated in the dust collection housing 12, the user appropriately takes out the dust collection housing 12 from the main body Sh, removes the dust collection filter 13, and discards the dust.

The damper 1b is provided to be movable in the front-rear direction by a force applied from the outside when colliding with an obstacle such as a wall. The damper 1b is biased outward by a pair of left and right damper springs (not shown).

When an urging force at the time of collision with an obstacle acts on the bumper spring via the bumper 1b, the bumper spring deforms so as to contract inward in a plan view, urges the bumper 1b outward, and allows the bumper 1b to retreat. When the damper 1b moves away from the obstacle and the above-mentioned force disappears, the damper 1b is restored to the original position by the force of the damper spring. The backward movement of the damper 1b (i.e., the contact with the obstacle) is detected by a damper sensor 15 described later, and the detection result is input to the control device 10.

(dust collecting case 12)

The dust collection case 12 shown in fig. 3 is a container for collecting dust sucked from the floor surface Y through the suction port 14 formed in the suction unit 1s 4. The dust collection housing 12 has substantially the same dimension in the left-right direction as the rotary brush 5.

(obstacle detecting means 8, 15, 16)

As the obstacle detecting means, a bumper sensor 15, a front distance measuring sensor 8, and a floor distance measuring sensor 16 shown in fig. 4 are provided. The bumper sensor 15 is a sensor for detecting that the bumper 1b (see fig. 1) is in contact with an obstacle by the backward movement of the bumper 1b, and is, for example, a photocoupler. When an obstacle contacts the bumper 1b, the sensor light is blocked by the backward movement of the bumper 1 b. A detection signal corresponding to the change is output to the control device 10.

The distance measuring sensor 8 for front is a distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance to an obstacle by using infrared rays, and is provided inside the bumper 1b by 5 to 15mm from the surface thereof. The vicinity of the distance measuring sensor 8 of the bumper 1b is formed of resin or glass that transmits infrared rays.

The distance measuring sensor 8 for the front measures the distance based on the intensity of the reflected light because it senses the reflected light of the infrared ray from the obstacle. When the intensity of the reflected light is strong, it is determined as near, and when it is weak, it is determined as far. That is, the distance to the obstacle is not determined to be two values of 0 and 1, but is a distance measurement sensor capable of determining the distance to the obstacle in multiple stages (in an analog manner).

The front distance measuring sensors 8 are provided on the main body front surface 8a, the left side surface 8b, the right side surface 8c, the left front surface 8d between the front surface and the left side surface, and the right front surface 8e between the front surface and the right side surface, and the total number is five. In the present embodiment, the distance sensors capable of measuring the "distance" in multiple stages are used for all five, but the distance sensors capable of measuring the "distance" in multiple stages may be used for only one of the left and right side surfaces 8b and 8 c.

As the distance measuring sensor 8 for the front, visible light, ultraviolet light, or laser light may be used. Further, instead of the distance measuring sensor of the type for measuring the intensity of infrared rays, a distance measuring sensor of the type for measuring the distance by sensing the light receiving position of reflected light or a distance measuring sensor of the type for measuring the distance based on the time when the reflected light returns may be used.

The distance measuring sensors 16 for floor surface shown in fig. 2 are distance measuring sensors using infrared rays for measuring a distance to the floor surface, and are provided at four places (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) in front, rear, left, and right positions on the lower surface of the lower case 1 s. The floor-surface distance measuring sensor 16 detects a large step such as a step, and thus the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S can be prevented from falling. For example, when the floor distance measuring sensor 16 detects a step of about 30mm or more in the front direction, the control device 10 (see fig. 3) controls the

driving wheels

2 and 3 to move the main body Sh backward, thereby switching the direction of travel of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S.

(control device 10)

The controller 10 shown in fig. 3 is configured by mounting a Microcomputer (Microcomputer) and a peripheral circuit on a board, for example. The microcomputer reads a control program stored in a rom (read Only memory), expands the control program in a ram (random access memory), and executes the control program by a cpu (central Processing unit) to realize various processes. The peripheral circuit includes an a/D, D/a converter, a drive circuit for various motors, a sensor circuit, a charging circuit for charging the battery 9, and the like.

The control device 10 performs arithmetic processing based on the operation of the operation button bu by the user and signals input from various obstacle detection mechanisms (

sensors

8, 15, 16), and outputs output signals to various motors, the suction fan 11, and the like.

(display of autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S side of each mode)

Fig. 15 is a driving image of a wall-focused driving mode, a reflection-focused driving mode, and a leg-focused driving mode as examples of the recommended mode. Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the segment 7 and its surroundings of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S of the embodiment. As shown in fig. 1 and the like, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S includes an operation button 23 on the upper case 1u side, a state display LED21 as an example of an operation mode display unit, and a 7-segment display 20 as an example of a sign/number display unit. By operating the operation button 23, the start and stop of the operation and the switching of the mode can be performed. By pressing the operation button 23 for a long time and entering the setting change mode of the main body, the volume of the sound notification, the suction force of the electric blower, the threshold value of the level difference sensor, and the threshold value for which the travel control is not executed according to the suction amount of the dust can be changed.

The operation mode display unit 21 is provided, for example, in the vicinity of the operation button 23, and has an area in which a character string such as "automatic", "fine", "mute", "recommend", "local", or "home" indicating the type of mode in the present embodiment can be displayed. The state of the main body is transmitted to the user by the lighting, extinguishing, lighting color, and the like of the character string.

The operation mode of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S during execution is transmitted to the user through a combination of the operation mode display unit 21 and the symbol/number display unit 20. The operation modes of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S include various "recommended" modes, in addition to the automatic mode, the fine mode, and the silent mode displayed on the operation mode display unit 21. As the recommended mode, as will be described later with reference to fig. 15 and the like, it is possible to select various modes that match the preference of the user, such as "reflection-focused travel" in which travel is easy on the center side of a room, "wall-focused travel" in which the probability of entering wall-focused travel control is improved, and "leg-focused travel" in which the probability of rotation around a thin obstacle such as a table leg is improved. A part or all of the recommended mode may be a program added by additionally using wired communication or wireless communication, instead of the initial program of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S.

As the recommended pattern, there are 0 or 1 or more patterns included in the initial program of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S, and there are 0 or 1 or more patterns that can be downloaded from a server using a wide area network or the like in the future.

As described above, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S of the present embodiment can execute a plurality of modes included as the "recommended mode". For the execution of these, the "recommended" lighting portion that indicates the recommended mode and is on is lit on the status display LED21, and the display is represented by a combination of the display of the symbol/number display portion 20 that can be displayed by distinguishing the numbers of 0 to 9, for example.

That is, when a unique mode is associated with each mode, as in the automatic mode and the fine mode, the operating mode under selection can be expressed by lighting only the corresponding LED of the status display LED 21. On the other hand, in a recommended mode in which there are a plurality of modes, the "recommended" of the operation mode display unit 21 is turned on, and numbers are displayed on the 7-stage display unit 20 so as to be displayed as "recommended mode 1" and "recommended mode 2". For example, in the present embodiment, the "recommended mode 1" and the "attention-focused wall-side travel mode" are associated with each other, the "recommended mode 2" and the "attention-focused reflection travel mode" are associated with each other, and the "recommended mode 3" and the "attention-focused leg-surrounding travel mode" are associated with each other in advance, and the corresponding operation mode display unit 21 and 7-segment display unit 20 may be displayed during execution of each mode.

The number to be displayed on the 7-segment display unit 20 and the type of each recommended mode can be set or changed by an operation of the operation button 23 or by an operation of a portable terminal (not shown) that can communicate with the autonomous vacuum cleaner S. In addition, it is possible to confirm which recommended mode is currently associated with which number, for example, by the mobile terminal.

This allows the 7-segment display unit 20 to display a plurality of cleaning modes in a divided manner without greatly increasing the types of the operation mode display unit 21. One 7-segment display unit 20 may be provided, or two or more thereof may be provided.

Further, the explanation of each recommended mode may be provided by voice guidance to the user from the speaker 25 of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S by, for example, operation of the operation button 23. By executing the number of the recommended pattern and the description corresponding to the recommended pattern by voice guidance, additional update of the sweep pattern and description of the content thereof can be easily performed. The sound data described above can be stored in the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S together with the initial program for the recommended mode stored in the initial program, and can be stored in the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S by updating the recommended mode newly stored by updating the recommended mode. The method of updating the operation mode is not limited to wireless communication, and may be wired communication or data transfer from a memory used.

For example, when the speaker 25 is requested to describe the "reflection of attention travel mode" as the "recommended mode 2" by the user's operation, the speaker can provide voice guidance to the "recommended mode 2". The emphasis on the reflex driving mode. The mode is to facilitate the movement away from the wall and the obstacle when the wall and the obstacle are detected. "and the like. The voice guidance announces "recommended mode" which is the operation mode requested to be described and the number "2" thereof, and "reflection-emphasized running mode" which is the mode currently associated with "recommended mode 2" and "description of reflection-emphasized running mode".

Next, travel control will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a travel locus during sweeping.

S in fig. 5 is an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner, which travels in the room 50. The room 50 is surrounded by a wall 51, and has a table on its lower left side, and a leg 55 of the table is shown in fig. 5. The dashed line 52 in the room 50 shows the travel path.

The reflex travel is travel in which the travel direction is changed after an obstacle is detected by the front distance measuring sensor 8 or the bumper sensor 15. When the autonomous vacuum cleaner S approaches the wall 51b of the room 50 which is an obstacle (P2), starting from P1 in the drawing, the autonomous vacuum cleaner S turns left and rotates on the spot (i.e., rotates beyond the spot), thereby changing the traveling direction and showing a traveling locus which is reflected by the wall 51 b.

Then, the movement of changing the traveling direction (randomly changing the angle of rotation in the on-site) is repeated to approach the leg 55a of the table (P3). After determining that the obstacle is thin (small) like the leg 55a of the table, the main body is rotated so as to go to a very close position of the obstacle, and the front of the obstacle is further cleaned.

Then, approaching the wall 51c, the direction of travel is changed, approaching the wall 51a, and the direction of travel is changed, approaching the leg 55c of the table (P4). After determining that the obstacle is thin (small) like the leg 55c of the table, the main body is moved so as to make one or more turns at a position very close to the obstacle.

In the above description, the rotation distance (angle) differs between the case of approaching the leg 55a of the table and the case of approaching the leg 55c, but in the present embodiment, the rotation distance is changed randomly, and the rotation distance may be changed with the detection frequency of a fine obstacle as a reference. In the case of having a large number of fine obstacles, for example, in the case of having a plurality of chairs under a dining table or the like, in order to carefully clean up the garbage around the legs of the chairs, it is more preferable to increase the rotating distance and continuously perform cleaning.

Thus, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S rotates on the spot and rotates around an obstacle, in addition to traveling straight.

Fig. 6 shows a detailed operation in the case of the in-place rotation. Fig. 6 simply shows the autonomous traveling type cleaner S, showing only the main body Sh and the right and left

driving wheels

2, 3, and P11 indicating the front (front) of the main body Sh. In the figure, the broken line indicates the wheel position after the body Sh is rotated on the spot, and P12 indicates the position of the leading end of the body after the movement. Fig. 6 shows the counterclockwise rotation, in which the right wheel 2 is rotated in the forward direction and the left wheel 3 is rotated in the backward direction at substantially the same angular velocity. By setting the angular velocity of the wheel during this rotation to be higher than the angular velocity of the wheel during the straight advance, the rotation speed of the main body can be increased, and the main body can be rotated in a short time.

Specifically, fig. 7 shows the change in the angular velocity of the wheel (right side). The moving speed in the straight forward direction was 300mm/s, and both of the left and

right wheels

2, 3 were rotated forward at about 510deg/s (L1) (wheel diameter 68mm), and while rotating, the right wheel 2 was rotated forward at about 630deg/s (L2), and the left wheel 3 was rotated backward at about 630 deg/s. The angular velocity of the wheel when rotating is about 1.2 times the angular velocity when straight ahead.

Further, as the movement of the body Sh, the moving speed of the body front P11 is faster than that in the straight advance, and is about 550mm/s in the rotation.

In this way, the time can be shortened by making the wheel speed at the time of rotation substantially the same as or faster than the angular speed of the wheel at the time of straight advance. If the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of the on-site rotation is made slower than the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of the straight advance, for example, if the vehicle is decelerated by 35%, the time required to rotate the main body by 150 degrees is about 1.2 seconds, but if the angular velocity of the wheel is accelerated as in the present embodiment, the time can be shortened by about 0.6 seconds, which is about 0.6 seconds. The number of reflections in 1 cleaning operation of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S is about 200, and the travel distance can be extended by about 36 m.

As shown in fig. 7, the angular velocity during the straight travel and the in-place rotation is not constant depending on the state of the floor surface, and the angular velocity during the in-place rotation fluctuates from L1a to L1b and from L2a to L2b with time, and L2b is higher than at least L1 a.

Next, the angular velocity of the rotating wheel will be described with reference to fig. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 shows an operation of bypassing around an obstacle 61 having a width smaller than the width of the main body as an example of the turning operation.

First, the body approaches or contacts the obstacle 61 (solid line Sh1 in fig. 8), and it is confirmed by the distance measuring sensor 8 and/or the bumper sensor 15 which side of the body Sh1 the obstacle 61 is located on. In fig. 8, the body Sh1 is located on the left side, and in this case, the clockwise rotation is performed (arrow a). At this time, the distance measuring sensor 8 is rotated on the spot until the obstacle 61 is positioned substantially on the side surface of the main body. Then, the rotation is counterclockwise around a point outside the outer periphery of the main body as a rotation center (arrow B).

Fig. 9 shows the autonomous traveling type cleaner S in a simplified manner when rotating, showing only the main body Sh and the right and left

drive wheels

2, 3, and P21 indicates the front (front) of the main body Sh. In the figure, the broken line indicates the rotated body and wheel position, and P22 indicates the position of the leading end of the body Sh after the movement. In the counterclockwise rotation, the right and left wheels are rotated in the forward direction, but the right wheel 2 is rotated at a faster angular velocity than the left wheel 3.

The distance to the obstacle is grasped by a distance measuring sensor 8 provided on the side surface of the main body, the radius of rotation (radius of rotation) R at the time of rotation is determined, and the angular velocity of the left and right wheels is controlled based on the radius of rotation to rotate. At this time, the rotation radius R is set so that the clearance between the obstacle 61 and the outer contour of the body Sh is about 5 mm.

When the vehicle is rotated based on the radius R of rotation, the angular velocity of the wheel (the right wheel 2 in fig. 9) on the opposite side to the direction of rotation is made higher than the angular velocity of the right wheel when the vehicle is moving straight, and the time required for the rotation can be shortened.

Specifically, the moving speed of the body front at the time of rotation is made substantially the same as or faster than the moving speed of the body front at the time of straight advance. The moving speed of the body front at the time of rotation was set to 320mm/s relative to the moving speed of the body front at the time of straight-ahead movement of 300 mm/s. The distance from the rotation center O to the wheel (right wheel 2) on the opposite side to the rotation direction is substantially the same as or slightly shorter than the distance from the rotation center O to the body front P21, and the moving speed of the right wheel 2 is also about 320 mm/s.

Fig. 10 shows the change in the angular velocity of the right wheel 2. The angular velocity of the right wheel 2 at rotation is about 540deg/s (L4) (wheel diameter 68mm) faster than the angular velocity of the wheel at straight travel is about 510deg/s (L1).

It is found that the time can be significantly shortened as compared with the case where the moving speed during rotation is decelerated (about 150mm/s) with respect to the moving speed during straight movement (about 310mm/s) as shown in fig. 10B of patent document 1.

As shown in fig. 10, the angular velocities during the straight movement and the rotation are not constant depending on the state of the floor surface, and the angular velocities during the straight movement and the rotation fluctuate over time in the range of L1a to L1b, and the angular velocities during the rotation L4b are higher than at least L1a, while the angular velocities during the rotation fluctuate in the range of L4a to L4 b.

However, if the body Sh contacts an obstacle in the on-site rotation or rotation speed-up state as in the present embodiment, there is a problem in that a large impact is applied to the obstacle. Therefore, it is preferable to detect an obstacle near the body Sh by providing the distance measuring sensor 8 from the front to the side of the body Sh. In the on-site rotation and the rotation, when the body approaches an obstacle, the body is stopped or decelerated, and the body can be prevented from contacting the obstacle or the impact at the time of contact can be reduced.

In addition, although the case where the left and right wheels rotate in the forward direction is described as the rotation operation in the present embodiment, the same is true for the rotation in which the one-side wheel is stopped and the one-side wheel is gradually rotated in the reverse direction.

As the operation during rotation, the rotation may be performed with a predetermined radius of rotation without recognizing the distance to the obstacle by the distance measuring sensor 8 provided on the side surface of the main body. As the operation during rotation, the distance to the obstacle may be grasped at any time by a distance measuring sensor provided on the side surface of the main body, and in this case, the rotation may be performed while changing the radius of rotation.

After the multiple reflection traveling, the wall-side traveling along the wall 51 is performed as shown in fig. 11. Fig. 12 shows a detailed operation thereof.

The wall-side traveling is performed so as to maintain a state of about 10mm from the wall 51 using the distance measuring sensor 8 provided on the side surface of the body. The moving speed of the body Sh during the wall-side running is substantially the same as or faster than the speed during the straight running during the reflex running of the first embodiment.

The ideal case of wall-side travel is to travel straight in parallel with the wall 51 as indicated by the broken line C in fig. 12, but actually, as indicated by the solid arrow D in the figure, the travel is meandering toward the wall 51 and away from the wall 51. This is because the distance from the wall 51 is measured by the distance measuring sensor 8, and the travel control is performed so that the vehicle moves away when approaching the wall 51 and moves closer when moving away from the wall 51. When the vehicle approaches the wall 51 and moves away from the wall 51, the angular velocities of the left and

right wheels

2 and 3 are made different. When the body Sh is brought close to the left wall 51 of the body Sh, the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is made higher than the angular velocity of the left wheel 3. In addition, in the case where the body Sh is away from the wall 51, the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is made faster than the angular velocity of the right wheel 2.

Fig. 13 shows a change in the angular velocity of the left wheel 3. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, when the body Sh advances straight at 300mm/s, both the left and

right wheels

2, 3 rotate forward at about 510deg/s (L1). After moving to the vicinity of the wall 51, the left and

right wheels

2 and 3 stop rotating, and then rotate in place so that the body advancing direction is oriented substantially parallel to the wall 51. And the vehicle enters the wall side to travel from the state.

When the body Sh is away from the wall 51 by about 10mm as a target value in wall driving, both the left and

right wheels

2, 3 rotate forward by about 510deg/s (V1 of fig. 13). When the distance to the wall is slightly closer than 10mm (when the distance to the wall is 5mm or more and less than 10 mm), the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is rotated at 495deg/s, and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is rotated at 525deg/s (V2 in fig. 13), and the distance to the wall 51 is gradually increased by about 1500 mm. The moving speed of the leading end of the body Sh at this time is about 300mm/s, and is substantially the same as that at the time of straight advance.

When the distance is longer than 10mm, the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is rotated at 525deg/s, and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is rotated at 495deg/s (V3 in fig. 13), and the wheels approach the wall 51 slowly at a radius of rotation of about 1500 mm. In this case, the moving speed of the leading end of the body Sh is about 300mm/s, which is substantially the same as the speed in the straight advance.

Further, when the vehicle is closer to the wall 51 (when the distance from the wall is less than 5 mm), the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is rotated at 440deg/s, and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is rotated at 580deg/s (V4 in fig. 13), and the vehicle rapidly moves away from the wall 51 with a radius of rotation of about 300 mm. The moving speed of the leading end of the body Sh at this time is about 330mm/s, which is faster than the straight-ahead speed.

In this way, the angular velocity of at least one wheel during rotation of the wall-side traveling controlled so as to keep the distance from the wall constant is set higher than during straight traveling, and the vehicle can move at the same high speed as during straight traveling even during wall-side traveling. This makes it possible to travel without reducing the speed as compared with the straight travel, thereby preventing the travel distance from being shortened and reducing the area of the non-passage area.

Further, by changing the operation (rotation radius) in accordance with the distance between the wall 51 and the body Sh as described above using the distance measuring sensor 8, it is possible to prevent the wall from being touched even when the vehicle travels along the wall at high speed.

The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment is shown as being substantially circular, but may be substantially circular.

As described above, by making the angular velocity of the wheel at least one of when rotating on the spot, rotating, and traveling around the wall substantially the same as or faster than the angular velocity of the wheel when traveling straight, the travel distance can be extended, the area can be made substantially large, and the area of the area that does not pass can be reduced.

Mode selection

The autonomous vacuum cleaner S is configured such that the control device 10 controls the driving speed and the cleaning time of each motor, and the user can select the driving speed and the cleaning time of the motor by selecting the operation mode.

For example, in the automatic operation mode, the electric blower 11 switches between "normal" and "strong" according to the state of the floor surface (detected by the resistance of the main brush 5) and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor provided in the suction port 12i, and the

drive wheels

2 and 3 rotate at "fast" speed. The cleaning time is automatically determined between about 30 minutes and about 60 minutes according to the extent of the space to be cleaned detected by the sensor and the remaining amount of the garbage detected by the garbage sensor. In addition, by combining a plurality of traveling modes, the operation time can be shortened by a quick movement, and a high cleaning performance can be exhibited over a wide range.

In the fine operation mode, the electric blower 11 and the

drive wheels

2 and 3 are operated for about 70 minutes in the same manner as in the automatic operation mode. This enables a higher cleaning performance to be exhibited over a wide range, regardless of the size of the room or the like.

Fig. 14 shows the running images of the automatic operation mode and the fine operation mode.

In the partial operation mode, the electric blower 11 is fixed to the "turbo" having a higher rotation speed ratio, and the

drive wheels

2, 3 rotate at the "slow" speed. The purge time was about 1 minute, purging a limited space. This allows cleaning of an arbitrary narrow range with a higher suction force.

In the reflection-focused travel mode, the electric blower 11, the

drive wheels

2 and 3, and the cleaning time are the same as in the automatic operation mode, the difference in cleaning coverage in the maximum operation time is set to 10% or less, the probability of traveling from the reflection travel to the wall side and the probability of going around to the periphery when a thin obstacle such as a table leg is detected are set to half or less, and reflection is performed with a high probability when an obstacle is detected, and high cleaning performance is exhibited over a wide range in which a user can easily see dust.

In the wall-focused travel mode, the electric blower 11, the

drive wheels

2 and 3, and the cleaning time are the same as those in the automatic operation mode, the difference in cleaning coverage in the maximum operation time is set to 10% or less, the probability of traveling from reflection to wall is set to 2 times or more, the probability of going around to the periphery when a thin obstacle such as a table leg is detected is set to half or less, and the wall side where dust is likely to accumulate is intensively cleaned, so that the remaining amount of dust is suppressed in a wide range, and high cleaning capability can be exhibited.

In the leg-rewinding running mode, the electric blower 11, the

drive wheels

2 and 3, and the cleaning time are the same as in the automatic running mode, the difference in cleaning coverage in the maximum running time is set to 10% or less, the probability of traveling from the reflection running to the wall side is set to half or less, the probability of rewinding around the furniture when a thin obstacle such as a table leg is detected is set to 2 times or more, and the periphery of the furniture is intensively cleaned.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within a scope not changing the idea of the present invention. For example, the travel mode may be changed by using a smartphone or the like via a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the suction brush 5 or the rotary brush 7 may not be provided.

Claims

1. An electric dust collector is characterized in that,

a plurality of cleaning modes can be selected and executed,

the kind of the selected sweeping mode can be displayed,

the display is performed by an operation mode display unit that displays or lights up a part of the plurality of character strings and a symbol/number display unit that displays or lights up a symbol or number.

2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

the operation mode display part is a state display LED for displaying character string by transmitting light of the light source in character shape,

the symbol/number display unit is a 7-segment display capable of displaying any number from 0 to 9.

3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2,

a new pattern of the above-described sweep pattern can be added to or replaced with the initial program and stored,

the association of the symbol or number with the new mode can be performed by an operation using an operation button of the electric vacuum cleaner or an operation using a portable terminal that can communicate with the electric vacuum cleaner.

4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the display device includes a speaker capable of outputting, by sound, a description of the operation mode in association with a symbol or a number that can be displayed on the symbol/number display unit.

5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4,

the operation mode display unit and the symbol/number display unit perform an operation of designating a character string and a symbol/number represented by the operation mode display unit and the symbol/number display unit,

the description includes:

a name of an operation mode associated with the character string and the symbol/number; and

the description of this mode of operation.