JP2006263310A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner stably detecting tension caused by a suction mechanism, having a vacuum cleaner body capable of self-traveling according to the movement of the suction mechanism by detecting a change in direction of the suction mechanism and smoothly changing the direction of the vacuum cleaner body, and having improved usability, a simplified detecting portion, and elongated life time. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cleaner has a suction mechanism-attached portion provided at the vacuum cleaner body and attached with the suction mechanism, the suction mechanism-attached portion is applied with a pair of symmetrical distortion gauges 23a and 23b, and the distortion gauges detect distortion in a tension direction which is generated at a suction mechanism-attached portion when the suction mechanism is manually operated. The vacuum cleaner is provided with a running motor 14 for rotationally driving wheels 14a and 14b, and a steering motor for controlling the direction of a steering wheel. When the tension amount by manual operation of the suction mechanism and detected by the right and left distortion gauges exceeds a threshold, the running motor is driven to run the vacuum cleaner body 3, the steering motor is controlled to change the direction of the steering wheel according to the difference between tensions detected by the right and left distortion gauges, and the direction of the the vacuum cleaner body is smoothly changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner that includes a suction mechanism that forms an air passage and is manually operated, and a vacuum cleaner body that has a suction mechanism attachment portion to which the suction mechanism is attached.

Conventionally, in a vacuum cleaner, a cleaning hose mounting base for connecting a cleaning hose is provided rotatably on the main body of the vacuum cleaner, and when the cleaning hose is pulled, the cleaning hose mounting base rotates, thereby mechanically The switch is turned off and the driving means is operated for a certain period of time so that the main body of the cleaner is self-propelled for a certain distance. Further, a direction changing means comprising a plurality of gears and rotating shafts is provided, and the direction of the cleaning hose is changed. It is known that the wheels are always directed in the direction in which the cleaning hose is pulled out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-107218

  However, the cleaning hose mounting base for connecting the cleaning hose is provided on the main body of the vacuum cleaner so that the switch is turned on / off by the rotation of the cleaning hose mounting base. was there. In addition, when the mechanical switch is turned on and off, the strength due to the pulling condition of the cleaning hose cannot be detected, and the drive means is always operated for a certain period of time. The main body of the vacuum cleaner is self-propelled for a certain distance. For example, when the main body of the vacuum cleaner only needs to be moved a little, an unnatural operation such as a long distance may be performed. In addition, since a mechanical switch is used, there is a problem that the life is short. Furthermore, since the direction changing means comprising a plurality of gears and rotating shafts is used for changing the direction, there is a problem that the configuration is complicated in this respect as well.

  Therefore, the present invention can stably detect the tension applied to the cleaner body by manual operation of the suction mechanism and can detect the direction change of the suction mechanism to smoothly change the direction of the cleaner body. A vacuum cleaner that can smoothly move the main body of the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the movement of the suction mechanism, improve usability, and can simplify and extend the life of the detection unit.

  The present invention forms an air passage that communicates with a suction port for sucking dust, and includes a suction mechanism that is manually operated, and a vacuum cleaner body that has a suction mechanism attachment portion that attaches an air passage end of the suction mechanism to a tip portion. The cleaner body has a dust collection chamber and a suction motor that communicate with the rear end of the suction mechanism mounting portion, and a cleaner mechanism that collects dust sucked by the suction mechanism in the dust collection chamber by driving the suction motor, and a floor A pair of traveling wheels traveling on the surface, a motor as a drive source, driving means for driving each traveling wheel, steering means for determining the direction of driving, and a suction mechanism attaching portion are asymmetrically pasted A pair of strain gauges for detecting strain in the pulling direction generated in the suction mechanism mounting portion during manual operation of the suction mechanism, and when the amount of strain detected by each strain gauge exceeds a preset threshold, Motor In which the strain gages as well as dynamic control is a control circuit for controlling the steering means according to the difference between the distortion quantity detecting.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stably detect the tension applied to the cleaner body by manual operation of the suction mechanism and to detect the direction change of the suction mechanism to smoothly change the direction of the cleaner body. The vacuum cleaner main body can be made to smoothly run in accordance with the movement of the suction mechanism, improving usability. In addition, it is possible to simplify and extend the life of the detection unit.

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

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner, which is composed of a manually operated suction mechanism 1 and a cleaner body 3 having a suction mechanism mounting portion 2 to which the suction mechanism 1 is attached.

  The suction mechanism 1 includes a first extension pipe 5 that is detachably attached to a suction port 4 that slides on the floor surface and sucks dust at one end, and a second extension pipe 7 that has an operation portion 6 attached to one end. The hose 8 is extended from the operation portion 6 so as to be slidable, and the tip portion 8a of the hose 8 is fitted to the tip portion of the suction mechanism attachment portion 2 of the cleaner body 3. That is, the extension pipes 5 and 7 and the hose 8 form an air passage that communicates with the suction port 4, and the tip 8 a of the hose 8 is an air passage end.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 6 is turned on and off on the upper surface side of the grip unit 9 to be grasped with a hand, and a plurality of operation buttons 9a for selecting the strength of suction are arranged and a finger is applied. A switch 9b is arranged on the lower surface side as grip detection means for detecting the grip state.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cleaner body 3 incorporates a cleaner mechanism having a dust collection chamber 10, a filter 11, and a suction motor 12 communicating with the rear end portion of the suction mechanism attachment portion 2. . The cleaner mechanism generates an air flow by driving the suction motor 12, sucks air from the suction port 4 of the suction mechanism 1, and the air is supplied to the first extension pipe 5, the second extension pipe 7, and the operation unit 6. , Through the hose 8 in sequence, and further discharged from the suction mechanism mounting portion 2 through the dust collection chamber 10, the filter 11, and the suction motor 12, and at that time, dust is also sucked together, The dust is collected in the dust collection chamber 10.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 3 has traveling wheels 14a and 14b traveling on the floor surface 13 on the left and right sides of the rear, and a driving means for rotating the wheels 14a and 14b while providing a traveling motor 15 as a driving source. 16 is provided. The driving means 16 includes a power transmission unit 17 and a differential gear mechanism 18 each having a plurality of gears, and transmits the rotation of the traveling motor 15 to the differential gear mechanism 18 via the power transmission unit 17. Transmission is performed from the gear mechanism 18 to the left and right wheels 14a and 14b via the axle 19.

  The main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner is attached to a steering wheel 20 with the direction being freely rotatable at the front center bottom, and the direction of the steering wheel 20 is rotated left and right by a steering motor 21. The steered wheel 20 is attached with an encoder, a potentiometer and the like used for detecting the direction.

The vacuum cleaner body 3 is also equipped with a rechargeable secondary battery 22 serving as a power source for driving the suction motor 12, the travel motor 15, the steering motor 21, and a control unit described later.
A pair of strain gauges 23 a and 23 b for detecting the tension in the pulling direction of the suction mechanism 1 are directly attached to the left and right symmetrical positions of the suction mechanism mounting portion 2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the differential gear mechanism 18 includes an outer ring gear 18a that rotates around the axle 19, two planetary bevel gears 18b and 18c fixed inside the outer ring gear 18a, and the planetary umbrellas. Two bevel gears 18d and 18e are configured to transmit the rotation of the outer ring gear 18a to the axle 19 through the gears 18b and 18c. Each of the planetary bevel gears 18b and 18c also acts to absorb the difference in rotation between the left and right wheels 14a and 14b, so that the cleaner body 3 travels while smoothly turning in the direction pulled by the suction mechanism 1. be able to.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit. Reference numeral 31 denotes a CPU (central processing unit) constituting the control unit main body. Reference numeral 32 denotes a ROM (read-only ROM) storing program data for the CPU 31 to control each unit. Reference numeral 33 denotes a RAM (random access memory) provided with a memory for temporarily storing processing data. Reference numeral 34 denotes an input port, 35 denotes a driver of the traveling motor 15, 36 denotes a driver of the intake motor 12, and 37 denotes a driver of the steering motor 21. The CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, input port 34, and drivers 35, 36, and 37 are electrically connected to each other by a bus line 38. The driver 35 is connected to the switch 9b, and the driving motor 15 can be energized only when the switch 9b detects the gripping state and is turned on.

  The input port 34 has digital data obtained by digitally converting the detection output from the left pull amount detection circuit 41 by the A / D converter 42, and the detection output from the right pull amount detection circuit 43 as the A / D converter. Digital data obtained by digital conversion at 44 and a digital detection signal from a steering direction detector 45 including an encoder, a potentiometer, and the like are input.

  The left pull amount detection circuit 41 is connected to a strain gauge 23a attached to the left side surface of the suction mechanism attachment portion 2, and the right pull amount detection circuit 43 is a strain attached to the right side surface of the suction mechanism attachment portion 2. A gauge 23b is connected, and the circuit configuration is the same as shown in FIG.

  That is, a resistance bridge circuit 46 in which the strain gauge 23a or the strain gauge 23b is connected to one side and a resistor is connected to the other three sides is connected to the + E1 power source from the secondary battery 21. When the strain gauge 23a (or 23b) is distorted and its resistance changes, the resistance bridge circuit 46 generates a voltage corresponding to the strain between output terminals.

  The output of the resistor bridge circuit 46 is amplified by a differential amplifier 47, and the amplified output is supplied to an inverting amplifier 49 through a resistor 48 in series. The output of the inverting amplifier 49 is supplied to the A / D converter 42 (or 44) through a resistor 50 in series.

  In the vacuum cleaner having such a configuration, when an operator holds the grip 9 of the suction mechanism 1 with his / her hand, the finger presses the switch 9b, and the switch 9b is turned on. In this state, when the operation button 9a in the grip portion 9 is operated, the suction motor 12 operates to drive the cleaner mechanism. Thereby, the dust sucked from the suction port 4 is collected in the dust collecting chamber 10 of the cleaner body 3 through the first extension pipe 5, the second extension pipe 7, the operation unit 6, and the hose 8 in order.

  An operator moves the suction mechanism 1 forward and backward, for example, and gradually moves forward to start cleaning. When the suction mechanism 1 is moved to the front front, the hose 8 is pulled to the front, and the suction mechanism attaching portion 2 is also pulled to the front. As a result, the strain gauges 23a and 23b are subjected to substantially equal tension with respect to the pulling direction to generate strain.

  Accordingly, the pull amount detected by the left pull amount detection circuit 41 and the pull amount detected by the right pull amount detection circuit 43 are substantially equal. The CPU 31 takes in the left pull amount and the right pull amount through the input port 34 and compares them with a preset threshold value. If any amount exceeds the threshold value, the driver 35 is controlled to drive the travel motor 15. The rotation of the travel motor 15 is transmitted to the left and right wheels 14 a and 14 b via the power transmission unit 17, the differential gear mechanism 18, and the axle 19. Thereby, the cleaner body 3 starts running.

  Further, the CPU 31 obtains a difference between the left pull amount and the right pull amount. Since there is no difference in the left and right pull amounts now, the driver 37 is controlled, and the direction of the steering motor 21 is controlled so that the steering wheel 20 goes straight. Thus, the cleaner body 3 travels forward and in front according to the pulling of the suction mechanism 1. Then, the direction of the steered wheels 20 is detected by the steering direction detection unit 45, and the CPU 31 takes in the detection signal via the input port 34 and manages the steering direction.

  If the forward movement of the suction mechanism 1 is stopped, both the left pull amount and the right pull amount are equal to or less than the threshold value, and the driving of the travel motor 15 is stopped. As described above, when the suction mechanism 1 is moved forward and in front, the cleaner body 3 smoothly travels forward following the movement of the suction mechanism 1.

  Further, when the moving direction of the intake mechanism 1 is changed, a difference is generated between the left pulling amount and the right pulling amount. For example, if the direction in which the intake mechanism 1 is moved is changed to the right side, the left side pull amount becomes larger than the right side pull amount, resulting in a difference. If the difference is larger than a certain value, the CPU 31 controls the driver 37 to drive the steering motor 21 so that the steering wheel 20 is largely rotated to the right. In this way, the cleaner body 3 changes its direction to the right. At this time, the traveling wheels 14a and 14b also operate smoothly according to the direction change by the operation of the differential gear mechanism 18.

  Further, if the difference between the pulling amount on the left side and the pulling amount on the right side is small, the direction of the cleaner body 3 is changed at an angle corresponding to the difference. That is, the CPU 31 controls the driver 37 to drive the steering motor 21 so that the steering wheel 20 rotates by an angle corresponding to the difference.

  In this way, the steering wheel 20 changes direction according to the direction of the intake mechanism 1 regardless of whether the direction of the intake mechanism 1 is changed greatly or small during cleaning, so that the cleaner body 3 is smoothly changed direction. Become. Then, the vacuum cleaner body 3 changes its direction so that there is no difference between the left pull amount and the right pull amount, and the direction of the steered wheels 20 is controlled so as to gradually face the front accordingly. And the direction of the cleaner main body 3 are matched, and the cleaner main body 3 runs toward the front.

  In this way, the vacuum cleaner body 3 can be made to self-run smoothly in accordance with the movement of the suction mechanism 1 by manual operation, and the cleaner body 3 can be smoothly directed even when the direction of the suction mechanism 1 is changed. It can be converted and usability can be improved.

  In addition, the pulling of the hose 8 due to manual operation of the suction mechanism 1 is detected using the strain gauges 23a and 23b, and the detection output is electrically processed, so that it is compared with that using a mechanical switch. In addition, the configuration of the detection unit can be simplified and the life can be extended.

  Further, when the operator removes his / her hand from the grip portion 9, the switch 9b is turned off. At this time, the operation of the travel motor 15 is forcibly stopped. Therefore, even if the operator stops the manual operation of the suction mechanism 1, even if the strain gauges 23a and 23b detect the strain, the traveling motor 15 does not operate and safety can be improved.

  In this embodiment, a switch is used as the grip detection means for detecting the grip state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a switch in which two metal plates are separated from each other is used, and the finger is 2 Even if the current flowing through the metal plate is detected and gripped is detected, the change in capacitance between the two metal plates can be detected by the finger touching the two metal plates. It may be detected and gripped.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, the traveling wheels 14a and 14b also serve as steering wheels. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those of the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a pair of traveling motors 51 and 52 are provided, and the rotation of one traveling motor 51 is transmitted to the traveling wheel 14a through a power transmission mechanism 53 composed of a plurality of gears. The rotation of the other traveling motor 52 is transmitted to the traveling wheel 14b via a power transmission mechanism 54 composed of a plurality of gears.

A caster wheel 55 whose direction freely changes is attached to the front center bottom of the cleaner body 3 instead of the steering wheel.
The configuration of the control unit is the same as that shown in FIG. 6 except that the steering motor is replaced with a traveling motor and the two traveling motors are individually controlled by a driver.

  In the vacuum cleaner having such a configuration, when the suction mechanism 1 is moved forward and in front, the suction mechanism attaching portion 2 is pulled to the front, so that substantially equal tension is applied to the strain gauges 23a and 23b. Therefore, the pull amount detected by the left pull amount detection circuit 41 and the pull amount detected by the right pull amount detection circuit 43 are substantially equal. If this pull amount exceeds a preset threshold value, the CPU 31 detects each travel motor 51. , 52 are rotated at the same speed. In this way, the cleaner body 3 travels toward the front front.

Further, when the direction in which the intake mechanism 1 is moved is changed, a difference occurs between the left pull amount and the right pull amount. The CPU 31 changes the speeds of the left and right traveling motors 51 and 52 according to the difference. For example, when the direction in which the intake mechanism 1 is moved is changed to the left side, the right pulling amount becomes larger than the left pulling amount, which causes a difference. If the difference is larger than a certain value, the CPU 31 increases the rotational speed of the right traveling motor 51 to be larger than the rotational speed of the left traveling motor 52 and rotates the right wheel 14a faster than the left wheel 14b. .
Thus, the main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner largely changes its direction to the left side. Further, the caster wheel 55 changes its direction according to the direction change of the cleaner body 3.

  Further, if the difference between the pulling amount on the left side and the pulling amount on the right side is small, the direction of the cleaner body 3 is changed at an angle corresponding to the difference. That is, the CPU 31 controls the rotational speed of the right traveling motor 51 and the rotational speed of the left traveling motor 52 according to the difference.

As described above, the cleaner body 3 smoothly changes its direction by controlling the rotational speeds of the right traveling motor 51 and the left traveling motor 52 regardless of whether the direction of the intake mechanism 1 is changed greatly or small during cleaning. can do. Then, the direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 3 is changed, so that the difference between the left pull amount and the right pull amount disappears, and the operation direction of the intake mechanism 1 and the direction of the cleaner main body 3 are eventually matched. 3 will run toward the front.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Third embodiment)
In this embodiment, another configuration of the suction mechanism attaching portion will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a suction mechanism in which the rear end portion is formed in a horizontal cylindrical shape, and the rear end portion is rotatably supported by the cleaner body 3 so that the front end portion rotates up and down. A mounting portion 25 is provided. The rear end portion of the suction mechanism attachment portion 25 and the dust collecting chamber 10 may communicate with each other even if the air path communicates straightly or bends 90 degrees along the rotation axis of the rear end portion. Good. When communicating straight, a shutter or the like may be provided.

  A pair of strain gauges 23 a and 23 b for detecting the tension in the pulling direction of the suction mechanism 1 are directly attached to the left and right symmetrical positions on the distal end side of the suction mechanism attachment portion 25. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

  In such a configuration, since the tip of the suction mechanism attachment portion 25 is rotated up and down, even when the vertical pull direction by the suction mechanism 1 is different due to the height difference of the operator, the suction mechanism attachment portion 25 is always directed in the pull direction. .

  Accordingly, the strain gauges 23a and 23b attached to the suction mechanism mounting portion 25 do not detect excessive force in the vertical direction, and can accurately detect the tension in the pulling direction by the suction mechanism 1. In addition, since the tip of the suction mechanism mounting portion 25 is rotated up and down, no tension acts on the strain gauges 23a and 23b even when the suction mechanism 1 is placed on the floor. In other respects, this embodiment can obtain the same operational effects as the above-described embodiment.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The elements on larger scale which show the structure of the operation part of the attraction | suction mechanism in the embodiment. The top view of a state without the case upper part which shows the principal part structure in the cleaner body in the embodiment. The side view of the state which does not have the case left side part and left wheel which show the principal part structure in the vacuum cleaner main body in the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the differential gear mechanism in the embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control part in the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a specific circuit example of a left and right pull amount detection circuit in FIG. 6. The top view of a state without the case upper part which shows the principal part structure in the vacuum cleaner main body of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The side view of the state which does not have the case left side part and left wheel which show the principal part structure in the vacuum cleaner main body in the embodiment. The top view of a state without the case upper part which shows the principal part structure in the vacuum cleaner main body of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The side view of the state which does not have the case left side part and left wheel which show the principal part structure in the vacuum cleaner main body in the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Suction mechanism, 2 ... Suction mechanism attaching part, 3 ... Vacuum cleaner main body, 4 ... Suction port, 10 ... Dust collection chamber, 12 ... Suction motor, 14a, 14b ... Traveling wheel, 15 ... Traveling motor, 16 ... Driving means, 20 ... steering wheel, 21 ... steering motor, 22 ... secondary battery, 23a, 23b ... strain gauge, 31 ... CPU (central processing unit), 41 ... left tension detection circuit, 42 ... right tension detection circuit .

Claims (3)

Forming an air passage that communicates with the suction port for sucking dust, consisting of a suction mechanism that is manually operated, and a vacuum cleaner main body that has a suction mechanism attaching portion that attaches the air passage end of the suction mechanism to the tip portion,
The cleaner body has a dust collection chamber and a suction motor communicating with a rear end portion of the suction mechanism attachment portion, and a cleaner mechanism that collects dust sucked by the suction mechanism by driving the suction motor in the dust collection chamber A pair of traveling wheels traveling on the floor, a motor as a driving source, driving means for driving each traveling wheel, steering means for determining the direction of driving, and the suction mechanism attaching portion And a pair of strain gauges for detecting strain in the pulling direction generated in the suction mechanism attachment portion during manual operation of the suction mechanism, and a threshold value set in advance by a strain amount detected by each strain gauge And a control circuit that controls the driving of the motor of the driving means when the value exceeds the value and controls the driving of the steering means in accordance with the difference in strain detected by each strain gauge. Removal machine. Forming an air passage that communicates with the suction port for sucking dust, consisting of a suction mechanism that is manually operated, and a vacuum cleaner main body that has a suction mechanism attaching portion that attaches the air passage end of the suction mechanism to the tip portion,
The cleaner body has a dust collection chamber and a suction motor communicating with a rear end portion of the suction mechanism attachment portion, and a cleaner mechanism that collects dust sucked by the suction mechanism by driving the suction motor in the dust collection chamber A pair of traveling wheels traveling on the floor, a pair of driving means using a motor for independently driving each of the traveling wheels as a driving source, and the suction mechanism mounting portion symmetrically A pair of strain gauges that are attached and detect strain in the pulling direction generated in the suction mechanism attachment portion during manual operation of the suction mechanism, and when the strain amount detected by each strain gauge exceeds a preset threshold value And a control circuit for controlling the driving of the motors of the driving means for traveling and individually controlling the driving of the motors of the driving means for steering in accordance with the difference in strain detected by the strain gauges. Vacuum cleaner, characterized in that was.   3. The suction mechanism attaching portion is characterized in that the rear end portion is rotatably supported by the cleaner body so that the tip end portion to which the air path end portion of the suction mechanism is attached is turned up and down. Electric vacuum cleaner.

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