JP2013234781A - Self-propelled ion emission device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new utilization of a self-propelled ion emission device.SOLUTION: A self-propelled air cleaner 110 applying the self-propelled ion emission device includes a voltage detection unit 55 for detecting a charging amount of a battery 14 and an ion emission control unit 520 for causing an ion emission unit 63 to emit ions when a charging amount detected by the voltage detector 55 while charging the battery 14 becomes more than a predetermined value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled ion emitter that emits ions while self-propelled.

  In recent years, self-propelled electronic devices for general households have been developed and spread. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air cleaning robot that self-propels to purify a room over a wide range. Patent Document 2 discloses a robot cleaner that cleans air by generating ions in addition to cleaning.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-331128 (released on December 2, 2005) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-46616 (released on February 24, 2005)

  However, home-use electronic devices for home use have just begun to spread, and sufficient utilization is also being considered in self-propelled air cleaners such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. I can't say that.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said problem, The objective is to provide the new utilization of a self-propelled ion discharge | release apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a self-propelled ion emission device according to the present invention includes an ion emission unit that emits ions, a travel drive unit that travels and drives the device, and a secondary that is a power supply source of the device. A self-propelled ion emission device comprising a battery, a charge amount detection unit for detecting a charge amount of the secondary battery, and a charge amount detected by the charge amount detection unit during charging of the secondary battery And an ion emission control unit that causes the ion emission unit to emit ions when the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  According to the above configuration, when the secondary battery of the self-propelled ion emission device is being charged and the charge amount is a predetermined value or more, the ion emission control unit causes the ion emission unit to emit ions. In other words, according to the above configuration, when charging is in progress and the amount of charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, ions are automatically released from the discharge port, and the air around the self-propelled ion emitter is released by the released ions. Purification is performed. Therefore, when charging is in progress and the amount of charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, ions can be released as if they were installed type ion emission devices. Here, the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value includes the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at the time when charging is started, in addition to the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value during charging. Furthermore, it includes after the end of charging when the charging amount is full (full).

  As described above, according to the above configuration, a new self-propelled ion emission device that takes advantage of the characteristics of the ion emission device that automatically generates ions in the self-propelled ion emission device during and after the charging is completed. Utilization can be provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to promote the spread of self-propelled ion emitters. In many cases, detection of charging and detection of charge amount are functions originally provided in the self-propelled ion emission device. In this case, charging can be easily performed without adding a new function. It can be determined whether the charging amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  Here, in the said structure, when the charge amount of a secondary battery is more than predetermined value, ion is discharge | released. Therefore, even if an instruction for self-running is received during the release of ions during charging, the charge amount of the secondary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, so that self-running can be started at a predetermined value or greater. That is, even if ions are released during charging, a certain amount of charge can be secured and self-running can be started. Therefore, the predetermined value is preferably a value within a range where the next self-running and the ion emission during the self-running can be appropriately performed. For example, the predetermined value may be a value of 80% with respect to full charge (full tank). Of course, this numerical value is an example. When the charge amount detection unit detects that the charge amount is 100%, that is, the secondary battery is fully charged, the ion release control unit may cause the ion release unit to release ions.

  On the other hand, ions are not released until the charge amount of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined amount during charging. Therefore, electric power can be stored for the next self-running and self-running ion emission until the charge amount reaches a predetermined value.

  Moreover, in the self-propelled ion emission apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, the ion emission control unit is configured to release ions released from the discharge port according to the charge amount detected by the charge amount detection unit. The ion emission part may be controlled so that is changed.

  According to the said structure, the discharge | release amount of ion is changed according to the charge amount of a secondary battery. Therefore, for example, when the charge amount is small, the secondary battery can be charged while reducing the power used to release the ions of the secondary battery by reducing the ion release amount. Therefore, by controlling the amount of ions released according to the amount of charge, the amount of charge can always be set to a predetermined value or more during charging, and in this case, ions can always be released during charging. Become.

  Moreover, in the self-propelled ion emission apparatus according to the present invention, the ion emission unit includes an ion generation unit that generates ions and a blower unit that generates an air flow that discharges the generated ions from the discharge port. The ion release controller may change at least one of the amount of ions generated by the ion generator and the amount of air generated by the blower to change the amount of ions released from the outlet.

  According to the above configuration, the amount of ions released from the outlet can be adjusted by changing at least one of the amount of generated ions and the amount of air.

  As described above, the self-propelled ion emission apparatus according to the present invention includes a charge amount detection unit that detects a charge amount of the secondary battery, and a charge amount detection unit that detects that the secondary battery is being charged. And an ion emission control unit that causes the ion emission unit to emit ions when the charged amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  According to the above configuration, when charging is in progress and the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, ions are automatically released from the discharge port, and the released ions purify the air around the self-propelled ion emitter. Done. Therefore, when charging is in progress and the amount of charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, ions can be released as if they were installed type ion emission devices. Here, the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value includes the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at the time when charging is started, in addition to the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value during charging. Furthermore, it includes after the end of charging when the charging amount is full (full).

  As described above, according to the above configuration, a new self-propelled ion emission device that takes advantage of the characteristics of the ion emission device that automatically generates ions in the self-propelled ion emission device during and after the charging is completed. Utilization can be provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to promote the spread of self-propelled ion emitters.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the self-propelled air cleaner which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the self-propelled air cleaner which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the self-propelled air cleaner. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled air cleaner. It is a perspective view of the said self-propelled air cleaner, and shows the case where an intake porter is removed. (A), (b) is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of ion discharge | release in the said self-propelled air cleaner in charge.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, a case where the self-propelled ion emission device of the present invention is applied to a self-propelled air cleaner will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 2 to 4 show a side sectional view, a perspective view, and a bottom view of the self-propelled air cleaner (self-propelled ion emission device) 110 of the present embodiment, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the self-propelled air purifier 110 includes a self-propelled air purifier 110 main body having an outer frame formed of a main body housing 200 having a circular shape in plan view, and a battery ( The secondary battery 14) is a device that has drive wheels 29 that are driven by using the power supply source 14 as a power supply source, and purifies the air while traveling on its own. In the present embodiment, the main body case 200 has a shape in which the upper surface and the bottom surface form a circle, but is not limited to this shape.

  Although not shown, the main body housing 200 is provided with an operation panel including an operation unit that inputs various instructions to the self-propelled air cleaner 110 and a display unit that displays various information.

  The self-propelled air purifier 110 drives a rotating fan (blower unit) 104 to rotate by a motor (blower unit) (not shown) to generate an air flow, and passes air sucked from the intake port 101 through an internal filter 105. The ions generated by the ion generator (ion generator) 62 are mixed into the air stream and exhausted from the exhaust port (discharge port) 102. As shown in FIG. 3, a louver 65 is provided at the exhaust port 102, and the exhaust direction of the airflow is changed by changing the elevation angle of the louver 65. The white arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the air flow when the rotary fan 104 is rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an intake port 103 is provided on the upper surface of the main body casing 200. The intake port 103 covers a part of the upper surface of the main body casing 200, and the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is provided with a rotating fan (air blower) in order to prevent foreign matter, dust, dust, etc. from entering the intake port 101. In the state where the part 104 is not operated, the intake port 103 is lowered downward to a position where the intake port 101 is blocked. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the apparatus is operating and the intake port is moving upward. If the intake port 103 is moving upward as described above, intake is possible. When the intake port 103 is removed from the main body housing 200, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is in the state shown in FIG. However, the intake port 103 may not be removable in a normal use state.

  The filter 105 collects dust, dust, and the like of air sucked from the intake port 101. The filter 105 is attached to the main body housing 200 by a filter holding member 107. As the filter 105, for example, a known filter such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter or an activated carbon filter can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ion generator 62 is an apparatus that is provided near the rotary fan 104 and generates ions. Ions generated by the ion generator 62 are mixed into the air that has passed through the filter 105 and discharged from the exhaust port 102. The released ions can remove airborne bacteria in the air and purify the air.

  The amount of ions generated by the ion generator 62 and the amount of air generated by the rotary fan 104 driven by a motor are controlled by the control unit 52 described later.

  The dotted line in FIG. 2 shows the flow of ions generated from the ion generator 62. Air containing ions generated from the ion generator 62 is discharged from the suction port 106, sucked into the airflow generated by the rotation of the rotary fan 104, and discharged from the exhaust port 102. In FIG. 2, the traveling direction of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is from the right to the left as shown by the arrow X. Accordingly, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 sucks air from the rear side with respect to the traveling direction and discharges air to the front side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a pair of drive wheels 29 projecting from the bottom surface and rotating around a horizontal rotation shaft 29 a are arranged on the bottom surface of the main body housing 200. The rotation shaft 29 a of the drive wheel 29 is disposed on the center line (center axis) C of the main body housing 200. When both wheels of the drive wheel 29 rotate in the same direction, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 advances and retreats. When the wheels rotate in opposite directions, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 rotates around the center line C. When the driving wheel 29 is driven by the traveling drive unit 58 supplied with power from the battery 14, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is self-propelled. Hereinafter, the front in the traveling direction when the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is self-propelled is referred to as the front, and the rear is referred to as the rear. In addition, on the peripheral surface (side surface) of the main body housing 200, a surface facing the front in the traveling direction is referred to as a front surface, and a surface facing the rear (a surface located on the side opposite to the front surface) is referred to as a back surface. An imaging unit is provided on the front surface of the peripheral surface (side surface) of the main body housing 200, and the charging terminal 4 is provided on the back surface. Various sensors are provided on the peripheral surface and bottom surface of the main body housing 200.

  During the self-running, the drive wheel 29 is stopped when the main body casing 200 reaches the periphery of the running area or collides with an obstacle on the course. Then, both wheels of the drive wheel 29 are rotated in opposite directions, and the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is rotated around the center line C of the main body housing 200 to change its direction and turn. Thereby, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 can be self-propelled over the entire desired traveling area and can be self-propelled while avoiding obstacles. The self-propelled air cleaner 110 may be moved backward by rotating (reversing) both wheels of the drive wheel 29 in the opposite direction to the rotation at the time of forward movement.

  Further, a roller-shaped front wheel 27 is provided in front of the bottom surface of the main body housing 200. Further, a rear wheel 26 made of a free wheel is provided at the rear (rear end) of the bottom surface of the main body housing 200. In the self-propelled air cleaner 110, the weight is distributed in the front-rear direction to the drive wheels 29 disposed in the center of the main body housing 200, the front wheels 27 are separated from the floor surface F, and the rear wheels 26 are disposed on the floor surface F. Ground and self-run. The front wheel 27 contacts the step appearing on the course, and the self-propelled air cleaner 110 can easily get over the step.

  In addition, the main body housing 200 is provided with a photographing unit for photographing an image. The photographing unit includes an optical lens, a color filter, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) that is a light receiving element, and the like. The self-propelled air cleaner 110 captures an image at the photographing unit during self-propelled operation. The image may be a moving image or a still image.

  A bumper 5 is provided around the main body casing 200 to buffer the impact and vibration on the self-propelled air cleaner 110. When the self-propelled air cleaner 110 detects that the bumper 5 is in contact with an obstacle during self-propelled movement, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 changes the traveling direction and continues self-propelled. Here, for example, by providing a micro switch inside the bumper 5, it is possible to detect that the bumper 5 is in contact with an obstacle.

  A control board 150 and a detachable battery 14 are arranged in the main body casing 200. The control board 150 is provided with a control unit 52 and a storage unit 57 that control each unit of the self-propelled air cleaner 110. The battery 14 is a power supply source for the entire self-propelled air cleaner 110. The battery 14 is desirably a large capacity rechargeable battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. For example, a lead battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a lithium ion battery, or a capacitor may be used.

  On the back surface (rear end) of the peripheral surface of the main body housing 200, a charging terminal 4 for charging the battery 14 is exposed. The battery 14 is charged from the charger 40 via the charging terminal 4, and supplies power to the control board 150, the drive wheel 29, the rotary fan 104, the ion generator 62, and the like. In the present embodiment, two charging terminals 4 are provided above and below the back surface of the peripheral surface of the main body housing 200, but one or three or more charging terminals 4 may be provided. The self-propelled air cleaner 110 returns to the place where the charger 40 is installed after purifying the air in the traveling region or when the charge amount of the battery 14 falls below a predetermined value. Then, the battery 14 is charged by contacting the charging terminal 4 to the power supply terminal 41 provided in the charger 40. The back surface of the charger 40 connected to the commercial power supply (the surface not facing the peripheral surface of the main body housing 200) is usually installed along the side wall S in the room.

  The charger 40 is a device for charging the battery 14 of the self-propelled air purifier 110, and the charger 40 includes a charging circuit for controlling charging of the battery 14 and the like inside.

  The charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled air purifier 110 is located on the front surface of the charger 40 (the surface facing the peripheral surface of the main body casing 200) at a position where it can come into contact with the charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled air purifier 110. The same number of power supply terminals 41 are provided. The power supply terminal 41 protrudes from the front surface of the charger 40 when it is not in contact with anything, and can be pushed back until the front end surface of the power supply terminal 41 and the front surface of the charger 40 are almost flat. . When the charging terminal 4 of the self-propelled air purifier 110 is in contact (electrical connection) with the power supply terminal 41 of the charger 40 and is pushed until the front end surface of the power supply terminal 41 becomes substantially flat with the front surface of the charger 40. The electric current from the commercial power source connected to the charger 40 through the contact flows through the self-propelled air cleaner 110. In this state, the battery 14 can be charged.

  The charger 40 is configured to transmit a feedback signal (beacon) indicating the installation location of the charger 40 and the position of the power supply terminal 41. The self-propelled air purifier 110 detects the feedback signal emitted from the charger 40 when the end of the air purification is detected or when the charge amount of the battery 14 falls below a predetermined value. Return automatically to the place where it is installed. Here, the end of air purification is detected, for example, by detecting that the self-propelled air purifier 110 has moved a certain distance or a certain time has passed, or by detecting the state of the air in the traveling region with a sensor or the like. It may be broken. Or, the self-propelled air purifier 110 gives an instruction to prompt feedback to the charger 40 such as an instruction to end air purification or an instruction to stop air from the operation panel, a remote control device described later, or a terminal device connected by wireless communication. It may be done by accepting.

  In this embodiment, an infrared signal is transmitted as a feedback signal indicating the installation location of the charger 40 and the position of the power supply terminal 41, but a signal other than the infrared signal may be transmitted. The feedback signal is always transmitted when the charger 40 is connected to a commercial power source and the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is away from the charger 40.

  In the present embodiment, the self-propelled air purifier 110 detects the return signal, moves forward (in other words, moves forward in the direction of travel), and returns to the vicinity of the place where the charger 40 is installed. It stops temporarily and turns around the center line C of the main body housing 200 until the charging terminal 4 comes to a position facing the power supply terminal 41. Thereafter, the main body housing 200 starts to retreat (in other words, the back surface proceeds in the traveling direction). The self-propelled air cleaner 110 is further retracted after the charging terminal 4 contacts the power supply terminal 41, and the front end surface of the power supply terminal 41 in contact with the charging terminal 4 and the front surface of the charger 40 are substantially flat. When it comes to a position (position where the pushing back of the power supply terminal 41 stops, docking position), the power supply from the power supply terminal 41 is detected and the backward movement is stopped. Charging is performed in this stopped state. In addition, the process regarding the return of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 and the docking between the charging terminal 4 and the power supply terminal 41 (docking between the self-propelled air purifier 110 and the charger 40) is limited to the above-described process. Instead, other known techniques can be used.

  For docking between the charging terminal 4 and the power supply terminal 41, for example, a rear sensor is installed on the back surface (rear end) of the main body housing 200, and the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is moved backward while detecting a return signal with the rear sensor. Can be done. When the rear sensor no longer detects the feedback signal, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is rotated forward (clockwise) or reversely (counterclockwise) by a small amount around the center line C, and after detecting the feedback signal, Do a retreat. In this manner, the positions of the charging terminal 4 and the power feeding terminal 41 can be aligned by retracting the main body housing 200 while always detecting the feedback signal.

  Both the rear sensor and the charging terminal 4 are preferably provided on a line parallel to the rotation shaft 29 a of the drive wheel 29. If provided in this way, the rear sensor moves backward while maintaining detection of the feedback signal from the charger 40, and the charging terminal 4 can be appropriately connected to the power supply terminal 41.

  The self-propelled air purifier 110 includes various sensors (not shown), and is configured to be able to self-propel without falling off a step or stairs while avoiding obstacles. Examples of such sensors include a cliff sensor (step detection sensor), an obstacle detection sensor, a human sensor, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera, and the like. These are merely examples and need not all be provided. The cliff sensor and the human sensor can be configured by, for example, an infrared sensor, and the obstacle detection sensor can be configured by, for example, an ultrasonic sensor.

  Moreover, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 includes, for example, a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, a distance detection sensor, an angle sensor, and the like, and the operation during self-running may be controlled. Moreover, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 may include, for example, an odor sensor, an ion concentration sensor, and the like, and may be controlled to release ions according to the sensing results.

  In the present embodiment, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is operated not only from the operation panel provided in the self-machine, but also from a remote control device (not shown) by infrared communication such as IrDA and IrSS (registered trademark). You may be able to do. The self-propelled air purifier 110 is a terminal device (not shown) such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a tablet terminal connected by wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark). ) May also be able to be operated via. Self-propelled air cleaner 110 may be connected to a wide area wireless network. In this case, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 can be operated from a terminal device connected to a wide-area wireless network. Furthermore, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 may be configured to allow voice input operations.

(Functional configuration of self-propelled air purifier)
Next, the functional configuration of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 includes a control unit 52, a data communication unit 53, an operation panel 50 for inputting instructions to the self-propelled air purifier 110, and a voltage detection unit (charging Quantity detection unit) 55, charging terminal 4, battery 14, energization detection unit 56, storage unit 57, travel drive unit 58, drive wheel 29, blower (blower) 61, and ion generator (ion generator) 62. The ion emission part 63 which has these. Description of the members described above is omitted.

  Based on the program and data stored in the storage unit 57, and the program and data input from the operation panel 50, the remote control device, and the terminal device connected by wireless communication, the control unit 52 includes the self-propelled air cleaner 110. This block controls various operations of each block.

  The data communication unit 53 is a block that transmits / receives data to / from an external device. A control signal or the like for controlling the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is received from the remote controller or the terminal device connected by wireless communication. In addition, data stored in the storage unit 57 of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 and data measurable by the self-propelled air cleaner 110 are transmitted to the terminal devices connected by wireless communication. It may be. The data communication unit 53 also includes a signal receiving unit 530 that receives a feedback signal from the charger 40.

  The voltage detection unit 55 is a block that detects the voltage of the battery 14, and obtains the charge amount of the battery 14 from the detected voltage. A charging terminal 4 is electrically connected to the battery 14.

  The energization detection unit 56 is a block that detects energization from the charger 40 to the battery 14.

The storage unit 57 includes (1) a control program executed by the control unit 52 of the self-propelled air purifier 110, (2) an OS program executed by the control unit 52, and (3) the control unit 52 is self-propelled air purifier. Machine 110
And (4) various data to be read when the application program is executed. Alternatively, (5) the control unit 52 stores data used for calculation and calculation results in the course of executing various functions. For example, the above data (1) to (4) are stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as a ROM (read only memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), etc. Is remembered. For example, the data (5) is stored in a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  In addition, the storage unit 57 stores various condition settings relating to the operation of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 received from the remote control device or the terminal device described above via the operation panel 50 or the data communication unit 53. . Furthermore, the storage unit 57 may store a travel map around the place where the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is installed. The travel map is information related to travel such as the travel route and travel speed of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 or information related to the travel area. The travel map may be created in advance by the user and stored in the storage unit 57, or may be configured such that the self-propelled air cleaner 110 is created or updated by itself during travel. A conventionally known technique may be used for creating the travel map.

  The travel drive unit 58 includes a motor driver, a drive wheel motor, and the like, and is a block that drives the drive wheels 29 by determining a rotation direction, a rotation angle, and the like based on a control signal from the control unit 52.

  The blower device 61 is a device that includes a motor and a rotary fan 104 and performs intake and exhaust from the inside of the main body housing 200.

  The ion generator 62 is a device that generates ions. In the present embodiment, the ion generator 62 is assumed to be a plasma cluster ion (registered trademark) generator. Therefore, the ion generator 62 is provided with a plasma cluster ion generating element, and the plasma cluster ion generating element includes a positive ion generating unit that generates positive ions and a negative ion generating unit that generates negative ions. Yes. Such an ion generating element is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-58731 filed earlier by the applicant of the present invention. It should be noted that the ion generator 62 of the present embodiment is not limited to the plasma cluster ion generator, but naturally includes a wide range of ion generators that generate at least one of positive ions and negative ions.

  The ions generated by the ion generator 62 are released from the exhaust port 102 to the outside of the main body casing 200 by riding on the airflow generated by the blower 61. The released ions can remove airborne bacteria in the air and purify the air.

  Furthermore, the control unit 52 of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 includes an ion emission control unit 520 that controls the ion emission unit 63 including the ion generator 62 and the blower 61. The ion release controller 520 controls the amount of ions generated in addition to the start and stop of ion generation by the ion generator 62. The ion emission control unit 520 controls the air volume in addition to the start and stop of the air blowing by the air blower.

  In the present embodiment, the ion emission control unit 520 is not only during the self-running of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 but also in a state where the charging terminal 4 and the power feeding terminal 41 are connected, that is, during charging of the battery 14. Also, the ion emitter 63 is controlled as follows. When the amount of charge detected by the voltage detector 55 during charging of the battery 14 by the charger 40 exceeds a predetermined value, the ion release controller 520 controls the ion emitter 63 including the ion generator 62 and the blower 61. Thus, an air stream containing ions is discharged from the exhaust port 102. Next, ion release during charging will be described.

(Ion release during charging)
As shown in FIG. 6A, when the self-propelled air cleaner 110 returns to the place of the charger 40 or when it is in the place of the charger 40, the energization detection unit 56 detects the energization. That is, it is determined whether charging is in progress (step 1; hereinafter omitted as S1). When energization is detected (YES in S1), the voltage detector 55 detects the voltage of the battery 14 to detect the amount of charge (S2). Next, the ion emission control unit 520 determines whether or not the detected charge amount of the battery 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S3), and if the detected charge amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (YES in S3). Then, the ion emission unit 63 is controlled to release ions (S4). When energization is not detected (NO at S1) or when the detected charge amount is below a predetermined value (NO at S3), the process is repeated from the determination of energization.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the ion emission control unit 520 causes the ion emission control unit 520 to release ions when the charge amount becomes a predetermined value or more during charging of the battery 14 of the self-propelled air cleaner 110. That is, according to the self-propelled air cleaner 110, when the charge amount becomes a predetermined value or more during charging, ions are automatically released from the exhaust port 102, and the ions around the self-propelled air cleaner 110 are released by the released ions. Air purification is performed. Therefore, when the charge amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined value during charging, it is possible to release ions as if it were a stationary ion emission device. Here, the case where the charge amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value includes after the end of charge when the charge amount is full (full tank). In the case where it is determined that the detected charge amount of the battery 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value when the self-propelled air purifier 110 returns to the place where the charger 40 is installed and energization is started. The ion emission control unit 520 may immediately control the ion emission unit 63 to perform ion emission.

  Thus, according to the self-propelled air purifier 110, the new utilization of the self-propelled air purifier 110 that automatically generates ions in the self-propelled air purifier 110 during and after charging is completed. Can be provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to promote the spread of the self-propelled air cleaner 110. In addition, detection of charging and detection of charge amount are functions originally provided in the self-propelled air cleaner 110 in order to automatically return to the place of the charger 40. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether the charge amount is equal to or higher than a predetermined value during charging without adding a new function.

  In self-propelled air cleaner 110, as described above, ions are released during charging and after the end of charging. At this time, the elevation angle of louver 65 is such that an airflow containing ions is released upward and rearward from exhaust port 102. Since the charging terminal 4 is provided at the rear end of the main body casing 200, the air flow including ions flows in the direction of the charger 40. Here, when the back surface of the charger 40 is installed along the side wall S in the room, the airflow including ions rises along the side wall S. Since the airflow circulates along the ceiling wall and the opposite side wall in the room, the ions spread throughout the room, and the sterilization effect and the deodorization effect can be improved.

  As described above, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 releases ions when the amount of charge of the battery 14 exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, even if a self-running operation instruction is received during the release of ions during charging, the charge amount of the battery 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, so that self-running can be started at a predetermined value or higher. That is, even if ions are released during charging, a certain amount of charge can be secured and self-running can be started. Therefore, the predetermined value is preferably a value within a range where the next self-running and the ion emission during the self-running can be appropriately performed. For example, the predetermined value may be a value of 80% with respect to full charge (full tank). Of course, this numerical value is an example. If the voltage detection unit 55 detects that the charge amount is 100%, that is, the battery 14 is fully charged, the ion emission control unit 520 may cause the ion emission unit 63 to emit ions. Good.

  On the other hand, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 does not release ions until the amount of charge of the battery 14 reaches a predetermined amount during charging. Therefore, electric power can be stored for the next self-running and self-running ion emission until the charge amount of the battery 14 reaches a predetermined value.

  In addition, the said predetermined value may be preset at the time of shipment of the self-propelled air cleaner 110, for example, and may be changeable suitably later.

  In addition, the ion emission control unit 520 may control the ion emission unit 63 so that the emission amount of ions emitted from the exhaust port 102 is changed according to the charge amount detected in S2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6B, after S2, the ion emission control unit 520 determines the ion emission amount according to the detected charge amount of the battery 14 (S30).

  For the determination of the ion release amount, a storage amount table in which the charge amount and the ion release amount are associated with each other may be stored in the storage unit 57, and the determination may be made with reference to the discharge amount table. An example of the discharge amount table will be described. Three set values (set value 1, set value 2, set value 3) for distributing the charge amount are set, and the ion release amount can be released in three stages, with a large release amount (for example, the ion release unit 63 can release the charge amount). The maximum value Max), the discharge amount (for example, 50% of Max), and the discharge amount small (for example, 20% of Max) are set in advance. In the discharge amount table, when “set value 1 ≦ charge amount <set value 2”, “discharge amount is small”, and when “set value 2 ≦ charge amount <set value 3”, “medium discharge amount”, “ In the case of setting value 3 ≦ charge amount, the charge amount and the ion release amount are associated with each other, for example, “a large discharge amount”. This discharge amount table is merely an example, and is not limited to this.

  Here, the amount of ions released from the exhaust port 102 changes when the amount of ions generated in the ion generator 62 and the amount of air in the blower 61 change. For this reason, an air volume table in which the charge amount and the air volume are associated with each other (the “discharge amount” is replaced with “air volume”) is stored in the storage unit 57, and the air volume is determined with reference to the air volume table. Thus, the ion emission amount may be determined. Alternatively, an ion generation amount table in which the charge amount and the ion generation amount are associated with each other (the “release amount” is replaced with the “generation amount”) is stored in the storage unit 57, and the ion generation amount table is referred to. Then, the ion emission amount may be determined by determining the ion generation amount. Or you may determine discharge | release amount using both an air volume table and an ion generation amount table. Or the said discharge | release amount table may prescribe | regulate both the air volume and ion generation amount, respectively.

  For example, when the charge amount is small, the battery 14 can be charged while reducing the power used to release the ions of the battery 14 by reducing the discharge amount of ions. Therefore, by controlling the amount of released ions according to the amount of charge, it becomes possible to always set the amount of charge to a predetermined value or more during charging. In this case, ions are always released from the exhaust port 102 during charging. It becomes possible.

  In S30, according to the above discharge amount table, the ion discharge amount corresponding to the charge amount acquired in S2 is determined. Of course, in S30, instead of the discharge amount table, for example, the ion discharge amount may be determined from a function indicating the relationship between the charge amount and the ion discharge amount.

  Thereafter, the ion release control unit 520 controls the ion release unit 63 so as to release ions with the release amount determined in S30 (S40).

  In the above description, the case where the amount of released ions is changed according to the amount of charge has been described. However, other control relating to the release of ions according to the amount of charged may be performed. For example, the ion emission direction may be changed according to the charge amount. Note that the ion emission direction can be changed by changing the elevation angle of the louver 65 or the horizontal rotation angle of the self-propelled air cleaner 110.

(Other application examples of self-propelled ion emitters)
Although the example which applied the self-propelled ion emission apparatus of this invention to the self-propelled air cleaner was demonstrated above, the ion emission apparatus of this invention has various ion equipment which has an ion emission part and is self-propelled. Can be applied to. For example, you may apply to a self-propelled cleaner. In this case, if the self-propelled cleaner has a cleaning function, even if it is a suction type that sucks in dust on the floor surface, it is a mop type that cleans the floor surface or a brush type that cleans with a brush. It doesn't matter. In the case of the suction type, an airflow path for cleaning may be used as an airflow path for ion emission.

  In addition, the self-propelled ion emission device may be applied to a self-propelled device that waxes the floor surface, or may be applied to a self-propelled humidifier or dehumidifier.

  Self-propelled air cleaner 110 may be not only for home use but also for business use.

  In the above description, the self-propelled air purifier 110 main body is self-propelled by the drive wheels 29. However, for example, it may be a walking leg, that is, the object to be driven by the travel drive unit 58 is self-propelled. Any shape can be used as long as the air purifier 110 can be self-propelled.

(Program and recording medium)
The control unit 52 of the self-propelled air cleaner 110 described above may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a read only memory (ROM) that stores the program, and a random access memory (RAM) that expands the program (random access memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data. The object of the present invention is to record the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of each control program of the self-propelled air purifier 110, which is software that realizes the functions described above, in a computer-readable manner. This can also be achieved by supplying the recorded medium to the self-propelled air cleaner 110, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium.

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. IC cards (including memory cards) / optical cards, semiconductor memories such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM, logic circuits such as PLD (Programmable Logic Device), etc. it can.

  In addition, the self-propelled air cleaner 110 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), IEEE802.11 radio, HDR (High Data Rate), NFC (Near Field Communication), DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, etc. . The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various electronic devices that have an ion emission portion and are self-propelled. For example, it can be used for a self-propelled air cleaner, a self-propelled cleaner, and the like.

4 Charging Terminal 5 Bumper 14 Battery 29 Driving Wheel 40 Charger 41 Feeding Terminal 52 Control Unit 53 Data Communication Unit 55 Voltage Detection Unit (Charge Amount Detection Unit)
56 energization detection unit 57 storage unit 58 travel drive unit 61 blower (blower unit)
62 Ion generator (ion generator)
65 louvers 101 Intake port 102 Exhaust port (Exhaust port)
104 Rotating fan (blower)
105 filter 110 self-propelled air purifier (self-propelled ion emission device)
150 Control Board 200 Main Body Case 520 Ion Emission Control Unit C Center Line

Claims (3)

In a self-propelled ion emission device comprising an ion emission unit that emits ions from an outlet, a travel drive unit that travels and drives the device, and a secondary battery that is a power supply source of the device.
A charge amount detection unit for detecting the charge amount of the secondary battery;
An ion emission control unit that causes the ion emission unit to emit ions when the charge amount detected by the charge amount detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value during charging of the secondary battery. Self-propelled ion emitter.   The ion emission control unit controls the ion emission unit such that an ion emission amount emitted from the discharge port is changed according to a charge amount detected by the charge amount detection unit. The self-propelled ion emitter according to claim 1. The ion emission unit includes an ion generation unit that generates ions and a blower unit that generates an air flow for discharging the generated ions from the discharge port,
The ion release controller changes at least one of the amount of ions generated by the ion generator and the amount of air generated by the blower to change the amount of ions released from the outlet. The self-propelled ion emitter according to claim 2.

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