JP2016054918A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner adding an air brush function with neither increasing the number of components, complicating the structure, nor enlarging a housing.SOLUTION: The self-propelled vacuum cleaner comprises a flat-board-like housing, a dust collection part provided inside the housing, and an electric blower. The housing includes a suction port provided on a bottom, a first exhaust port, and a second exhaust port provided on an outer peripheral part. The housing further includes, in the inside thereof: a second exhaust air path along an inner surface of the outer peripheral part of the housing between the second exhaust port and the electric blower; and a first exhaust air path between the first exhaust port and the electric blower. The second exhaust port is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides in the outer peripheral part of the housing and opened forward so as to forward blow out an air flow from the second exhaust air path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner.

  As a conventional self-propelled cleaner, Patent Document 1 discloses a side brush provided on both left and right sides in front of the bottom of the housing, and a suction port provided between a pair of left and right side brushes on the bottom of the housing. There is disclosed a self-propelled cleaner (prior art 1) provided with a suction device that is provided in a housing and sucks dust on a floor surface together with air from a suction port.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, a nozzle hole provided on both the left and right sides in front of the bottom of the casing, a suction port provided between a pair of left and right nozzle holes in the bottom of the casing, and a casing provided in the casing. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with a suction device that sucks dust on the floor together with air from the suction port, and an exhaust port that is provided at the rear of the housing and discharges the air sucked into the suction device to the outside ( Prior art 2) is disclosed.

  The self-propelled cleaner of the prior art 1 is configured to collect dust on the floor surface by sucking with a suction device by rotating a pair of side brushes, but the wall stands up from the floor surface. The side brush does not reach the corner. For this reason, the dust accumulated in the corners of the wall cannot be scraped off by the side brush.

  In the self-propelled cleaner of the prior art 2, in order to solve the above-described problem of the self-propelled cleaner of the prior art 1, a part of the exhaust is discharged from the pair of nozzle holes to the left and right front. . That is, the exhaust air blown out from the nozzle hole on the wall side is blown into the wall or the corner of the wall, whereby the dust at the wall or the corner is blown and moves to another place. And the dust which moved to another place is sucked and removed from the suction port.

  Patent Document 2 also discloses a suction port and a pair of left and right side brushes provided on the bottom plate of the housing, a first exhaust port provided on the top plate of the housing, and a first exhaust port provided on the side plate of the housing. Self-propelled that has two exhaust ports, and blows out the exhaust air from the second exhaust port to blow off dust at the corner of the wall to another place and collect it by the side brush to the suction port side. A type vacuum cleaner (prior art 3) is disclosed.

JP-A-8-89448 JP 2013-223650 A

  Each of the self-propelled vacuum cleaners of the prior arts 2 and 3 needs to create a dedicated exhaust air passage for blowing exhaust air toward the wall or the corner of the wall in the housing, so the number of parts increases. There have been problems such as a complicated structure and a large casing.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is a self-propelled cleaner to which an airbrush function is added without increasing the number of parts, without complicating the structure, and without increasing the size of the casing. Is to provide.

Thus, according to the present invention, it is provided with a flat plate-shaped casing, a dust collecting portion and an electric blower provided in the casing,
The housing has a suction port provided at the bottom, a first exhaust port, and a second exhaust port provided at the outer periphery,
In the housing, a second exhaust air passage is formed between the second exhaust port and the electric blower along the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the housing, and the first exhaust port and the electric blower A first exhaust air passage is formed between them,
The second exhaust port is disposed on at least one of the left and right side portions of the outer peripheral portion of the casing and opens forward, and blows an air flow from the second exhaust air passage forward. A self-propelled cleaner configured as described above is provided.

Since the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention has a structure in which the second exhaust air passage is formed along the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the housing between the second exhaust port and the electric blower, the air flow is blown forward. A second exhaust air path between the second exhaust port and the electric blower can be formed using a part of the housing. Therefore, it is possible to provide a self-propelled cleaner to which an airbrush function is added without increasing the number of parts, without complicating the structure, and without increasing the size of the casing.
Also, since dust can be moved to the front of the runway of the self-propelled cleaner with an airbrush, if a side brush is provided in the self-propelled cleaner, the dust is guided to the suction port with the side brush during subsequent travel. And can collect dust efficiently.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a top view of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a front view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a side view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a rear view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a plane sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is another plane sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. (A)-(C) are explanatory drawings which show the state which the self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 1 cleans toward the corner from the wall.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following description is an illustration in all the points, Comprising: It should not be interpreted as limiting this invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a self-propelled cleaner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 2 is a plan view of the self-propelled cleaner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is another plan sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 is a sectional side view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG.

≪Configuration of self-propelled vacuum cleaner≫
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the self-propelled cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment includes a flat plate-shaped housing 2, a dust collecting unit 15 and an electric blower 115 provided in the housing 2. Is provided. In the case of the first embodiment, the housing 2 has a disk shape, but the shape is not limited to this, and the shape viewed in a plane may be an ellipse, or a polygon such as a quadrangle, a pentagon, or a hexagon.

The housing | casing 2 has the suction port 31 provided in the bottom part, the 1st exhaust port 32, and the 2nd exhaust port 33 provided in the outer peripheral part.
In the housing 2, a second exhaust air passage 35 is formed between the second exhaust port 33 and the electric blower 115 along the inner surface of the latter half of the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2, and the first exhaust port 32 and the electric blower 115 are electrically driven. A first exhaust air passage 34 is formed between the blowers 115.
The second exhaust port 33 is disposed on at least one of the left and right side portions of the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2 and opens forward, so that the air flow from the second exhaust air passage 35 is blown forward. It is configured. Here, “front” means a direction parallel to the direction in which the self-propelled cleaner goes straight, but it does not have to be strictly a parallel direction, and includes some oblique directions.

  More specifically, the housing 2 is covered with a bottom plate 2a constituting the bottom portion, a top plate 2b constituting the top portion, a side plate 2c constituting the outer peripheral portion, and the bottom plate 2a, the top plate 2b and the side plate 2c. And a structural wall 2d. The internal structural wall 2d is configured by combining a plurality of structural members.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom plate 2a is formed in a circular shape and is attached to the lower surface of the internal structural wall 2d. The bottom plate 2 a has a rectangular suction port 31, a pair of circular hole portions 2 a ₁ for housing side brushes 10, which will be described later, which are formed at diagonally forward positions of the suction port 31, and a suction port 31. left and right obliquely rearward positioned pair of left and right driving wheels 22L to be described later is formed, and a pair of openings 2a ₂ that houses the 22R is provided for. In addition, a concave portion 2a ₃ that rotatably accommodates the rear wheel 26 is provided at the left and right intermediate positions of the rear half of the bottom plate 2a. 4, 6, and 9, the state in which the rear wheel 26 is rotated 180 degrees forward is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 2b of the housing 2 is formed in a circular shape and attached to the upper surface of the internal structure wall 2d. The top plate 2b is configured to be separable by a front plate portion 2b ₁ constituting the front portion and a lid portion 2b ₂ constituting the middle portion to the rear portion. At the end of the boundary side of the front plate portion 2b ₁ of the lid portion 2b _2, a pair of hinge portions (not shown) for openably supporting the lid 2b ₂ are provided, each hinge portion to the top plate 2b It is pivotally attached.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the side plate 2c is attached to the internal structural wall 2d in a state of being divided into an arc-shaped front half 2c ₁ and a rear half 2c ₂ , respectively. 2c ₁ is attached to the inner structure wall 2d via the elastic member (not shown) to function as a bumper. The front half portion 2c _1, the collision sensor 14C for detecting a collision of the front half portion 2c ₁ is provided therein. Furthermore, in the front half 2c ₁ , the ultrasonic receivers 14A are arranged at three locations on the front and left and right diagonally forward, and the ultrasonic transmitters 14B are arranged at two locations between the three ultrasonic receivers 14A. Has been. The induction signal receiving unit 24 and the charging connection unit 13 are provided at positions that are visible from the outside of the front surface of the housing 2.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a rotary brush 9, the side brush 10, a circuit board 11 </ b> S having a control unit 11, a rechargeable battery 12, a charging connection unit 13, a failure detection unit 14, and the dust collection unit 15. , A gyro sensor 20, a power unit 21, a pair of left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R, a guidance signal receiving unit 24, and a rear wheel 26. Furthermore, an input unit 51, a storage unit 61, the electric blower 115, a brush motor 119, and an ion generator 120 are provided.

  While the self-propelled cleaner 1 is self-propelled on the floor surface where it is installed, the self-propelled cleaner 1 sucks in air containing dust on the floor surface (travel surface) and exhausts the air from which the dust has been removed. clean. The self-propelled cleaner 1 has a function of autonomously avoiding obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit 14 and autonomously returning to a charging station (not shown) when cleaning is completed.

In addition, floor surface detection sensors 18 are disposed at the front center position of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 and the axial center positions of the left and right side brushes 10, respectively.
The self-propelled cleaner 1 advances forward with the right drive wheel 22R and the left drive wheel 22L rotating forward in the same direction, and travels forward where the central ultrasonic receiver 14A is disposed. Further, the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R rotate backward in the same direction and move backward by rotating in opposite directions or rotating at different speeds. This includes the case where only one drive wheel stops. For example, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 reaches the periphery of the cleaning area by the sensors of the failure detection unit 14, the left and right drive wheels are decelerated and then stopped. Thereafter, the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R are rotated in opposite directions to turn 90 °, travel a distance substantially equal to the size of the suction port 31, and further turn 90 ° to travel in the opposite direction to the original course.

Also, when an obstacle is detected on the path, the self-propelled cleaner 1 turns to avoid the obstacle after decelerating or stopping, and if the obstacle is no longer detected, the original path is extended. Turn around to get on and continue running. Further, when each floor surface detection sensor 18 does not detect the floor surface, the vehicle temporarily stops and moves backward and / or turns so as not to fall from the stairs or the like. In this way, the self-propelled cleaner 1 self-propels while avoiding obstacles over the entire installation location or the entire desired range.
Here, the front means the forward direction of the self-propelled cleaner 1 (upward along the plane of the paper in FIG. 2), and the rear means the backward direction of the self-propelled cleaner 1 (the plane of paper in FIG. 2). Along the bottom).

  Furthermore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 detects the signal emitted from the induction signal transmission unit 203 of the charging stand 201 by the induction signal receiving unit 24 and recognizes the direction in which the charging stand 201 is present. When the cleaning is completed, when the remaining charge of the rechargeable battery 12 is low, or when a predetermined cleaning operation period has elapsed, the vehicle travels autonomously along a route in a certain direction of the charging stand 201. And it returns to the charging stand 201. However, if there is an obstacle, it moves in the direction of the charging stand 201 while avoiding it.

Hereinafter, each component shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
1 is a part that controls the operation of each component of the self-propelled cleaner 1, and is mainly realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, an I / O controller, a timer, and the like. The control unit 11 includes a function of a travel control unit 11 a that controls the travel of the self-propelled cleaner 1.

The circuit board 11 </ b> S including the control unit 11 is installed in the front part of the internal structural wall 11 d in front of the dust collection part 15. Accordingly, a plurality of air holes 2b ₁₁ for releasing the heat of the circuit board 11S are provided at the front end portion of the front plate portion 2b ₁ of the top plate 2b of the housing 2.

  The CPU executes processing based on a control program stored in advance in a storage unit 61, which will be described later, and developed in the RAM, and organically operates each hardware to execute the cleaning function, the traveling function, and the like of the present invention.

The rechargeable battery 12 is a part that supplies power to each functional element of the self-propelled cleaner 1, and is a part that mainly supplies power for performing a cleaning function and travel control. For example, a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or a Ni—Cd battery is used.
The rechargeable battery 12 is charged by contacting the charging connection portion 13 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and the charging terminal portion 202 of the charging stand 201 with the self-propelled cleaner 1 docked to the charging stand 201. Do.

The obstacle detection unit 14, particularly the ultrasonic reception unit and the transmission units 14 </ b> A and 14 </ b> B, detect that the self-propelled cleaner 1 is in contact with or approaches an obstacle such as an indoor wall, desk, or chair while traveling. It is used for the self-propelled cleaner 1 to travel along the wall or obstacle while detecting it. The obstacle detection unit 14 detects proximity to the obstacle using the ultrasonic wave reception unit and the transmission units 14A and 14B. Instead of the ultrasonic receivers and transmitters 14A and 14B, or together with the ultrasonic receivers and transmitters 14A and 14B, other types of non-contact sensors such as an infrared distance sensor may be used.
The collision sensor 14 </ b> C is disposed, for example, inside the side plate 2 c of the housing 2 in order to detect that the self-propelled cleaner 1 has come into contact with an obstacle during traveling. The CPU knows that the side plate 2c has collided with an obstacle based on the output signal from the collision sensor 14C.

Each floor detection sensor 18 detects a large step such as a descending staircase.
The CPU recognizes a position where an obstacle or a step exists based on the signal output from the obstacle detection unit 14. Based on the recognized obstacle and step position information, the next direction to travel is determined while avoiding the obstacle and step. The left and right floor surface detection sensors 18 detect the down stairs when the front floor surface detection sensor 18 fails to detect the level difference or fails, and the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 detects the fall to the down stairs. To prevent.

The gyro sensor 20 provides information on the traveling direction to the traveling control unit 11a when the self-propelled cleaner 1 travels.
The power unit 21 is a part that realizes traveling by a drive motor that rotates and stops the left and right drive wheels of the self-propelled cleaner 1. In this embodiment, by configuring the drive motor so that the left and right drive wheels can be independently rotated in both forward and reverse directions, the traveling state of the self-propelled cleaner 1 such as forward, backward, turning, acceleration / deceleration and the like can be achieved. Realized.

  The induction signal receiving unit 24 is an infrared sensor for receiving infrared rays, and is disposed in the front part of the housing 2. The induction signal receiving unit 24 receives a position indicator signal (beacon) and the like emitted from the induction signal transmission unit 203 of the charging stand 201.

  The suction port 31 and the first and second exhaust ports 32 and 33 are portions that perform intake and exhaust of air for cleaning, respectively. In particular, the second exhaust port 33 is also a location for generating an air brush that collects the dust at the wall to the corner by blowing air forward therefrom and moves the dust at the corner to the wall (FIG. 11). reference). This will be described in detail later.

The dust collection unit 15 is a part that performs a cleaning function for collecting indoor dust and dust, and mainly includes a dust collection container 15a, a filter unit 15b, and a cover unit 15c that covers the dust collection container 15a and the filter unit 15b. With. Further, the dust collecting container 15 a has an inlet 15 a ₁ that communicates with an inflow path that communicates with the suction port 31, and an exhaust port 15 a ₂ that communicates with a duct portion 114 that communicates with the electric blower 115.

Inside the housing 2, the rechargeable battery 12 and the electric blower 115 are disposed behind the dust collection unit 15.
The electric blower 115 has an upper opening-like intake hole connected to the duct portion 114 at the upper portion thereof, and has a first exhaust hole 115a and a second exhaust hole 115b on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and has an axial center. It is arranged on the right rear side of the dust collecting portion 15 in a state of being directed in the vertical direction. The electric blower 115 sucks air from the suction port 31, guides the air into the dust collecting container 15 a through the inflow passage, and the dust-collected air is supplied to the duct portion 114, the electric blower 115, the first and the second. An air flow discharged from the first and second exhaust ports 32 and 33 through the exhaust air passages 34 and 35 is generated.

  In the housing 2, the first exhaust hole 115 a of the electric blower 115 communicates with the first exhaust port 32 through the first exhaust air passage 34, and the second exhaust hole 115 b of the electric blower 115 is the second exhaust air passage. The second exhaust port 33 communicates with the second exhaust port 33.

Second exhaust air passage 35, the outer peripheral portion late of the inner surface of the housing 2, i.e., the inner surface of the rear half portion 2c ₂ of the side plate 2c, is formed by a rib provided along the inner surface. The ribs are the ribs 2d ₁ , 2d ₂ constituting the internal structure wall 2d of the housing 2 and the ribs provided on the lower surface of the top plate 2c. The second exhaust port 33 is formed in a vertically long shape by an open end on the right end portion 2c ₂₁ of the second half portion 2c ₂ of the side plate 2c. On the other hand, the left end 2c ₂₂ of the rear half 2c ₂ of the side plate 2c is bent in an L shape, and is overlapped with a gap inside the left end of the front half 2c ₁ of the side plate 2c.

Thus, the second exhaust port 33 is disposed at a rear half portion 2c ₂ in the vicinity of the boundary between the front half portion 2c ₁ of the side plate 2c and the latter half portion 2c _2. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 8, a recess 2 c ₁₁ is provided at a position facing the second exhaust port 33 at the right end of the front half 2 c ₁ of the side plate 2 c. The second exhaust port 33 by the recess 2c ₁₁ is open forward without being blocked by the right end of the front half portion 2c _1. Incidentally, the recess 2c ₁₁ is a shallow consisting shape toward forward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of Embodiment 1, since the 2nd exhaust port 33 is arrange | positioned in the lower part of the thickness direction of the housing | casing 2, the 2nd exhaust port 33 is close to the floor surface. Thereby, an air flow close to parallel to the floor surface can be blown against the floor surface. As a result, it is possible to efficiently blow forward even with a small amount of air while suppressing the upward movement of dust from above the floor surface.

  On the other hand, the first exhaust port 32 is formed on the rear left side of the rear half 2c2 of the side plate 2c. A space between the first exhaust port 32 and the first exhaust hole 115 a of the electric blower 155 in the housing 2 is a first exhaust air passage 34. Since the ion generator 120 is disposed in the first exhaust air passage 34, ions generated by the ion generator 120 are included in the air flow discharged from the first exhaust port 32 to the outside.

  A rotary brush 9 that rotates about an axis parallel to the bottom surface is provided behind the suction port 31, and a side brush 10 that rotates about a vertical rotation axis is provided on both the left and right sides of the suction port 31. ing. The rotating brush 9 is formed by implanting a brush or a blade spirally on the outer peripheral surface of a roller which is a rotating shaft. The side brush 10 is formed by providing a brush bundle radially at the lower end of the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the rotating brush 9 and the rotating shaft of the pair of side brushes 10 are pivotally attached to a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2, and a brush motor 119 provided in the vicinity thereof, a pulley, a belt, etc. It is connected via a power transmission mechanism that includes it. This is an example, and a dedicated drive motor for rotating the side brush 10 may be provided.

  The dust collection mechanism according to the present invention includes the dust collection unit 15, the rotary brush 9, the side brush 10, the brush motor 119, and the electric blower 115 described above. The dust suction mechanism takes in dust on the running surface such as a floor into the suction port 31 by the rotation of the rotating brush 9 and sucks air from the suction port 31 in accordance with the dust, and is sucked into the dust collecting container 15a of the dust collecting unit 15. Take in dust.

  As shown by arrows A and B in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, the sucked air passes through the filter 15 b disposed in the dust collecting container 15 a and flows into the duct portion 114. In FIG. 7, the dust collecting portion 15 is shown with the cover 15c and the filter 15b removed.

  The air that has flowed into the duct portion 114 flows into the interior from the upper opening of the electric blower 115, and as shown by arrows C and D in FIGS. 2 and 7, the air flows through the first exhaust hole 115a of the electric blower 115. It passes through the first exhaust air passage 34 and is discharged to the outside from the first exhaust port 32, and passes through the second exhaust air passage 35 from the second exhaust hole 115 b of the electric blower 115 to the outside through the second exhaust port 33. Is done. The ratio of the air volume discharged from the first exhaust port 32 and the air volume discharged from the second exhaust port 33 is arbitrary, and in the case of the first embodiment, it is set to approximately 1: 1.

The input unit 51 is a part where the user inputs an instruction to operate the self-propelled cleaner 1, and is provided on the surface of the housing 2 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 as an operation panel or an operation button.
Further, a remote control unit is provided separately from the operation panel and operation buttons provided in the above-described cleaner body, and this remote control unit also corresponds to the input unit 51. When an operation button provided on the remote control unit is pressed, an infrared ray or a radio wave signal is transmitted from the remote control unit, and an operation instruction is input by wireless communication.

  The input unit 51 includes a main power switch 52M, a power switch 52S, and a start switch 53. The main power switch 52M is a switch that turns on / off the power supply from the rechargeable battery 12 to the control unit 11 and the like. The power switch 52 </ b> S is a switch for turning on / off the power of the self-propelled cleaner 1. The start switch 53 is a switch for starting the cleaning work. As the input unit 51, other switches (for example, a charge request switch, an operation mode switch, a timer switch) are further provided. When the remote controller serving as the input unit 51 receives an instruction from the user, the control unit 11 responds to the instruction, for example, controls the power unit 21 to travel in the direction instructed by the user or stop traveling.

  The storage unit 61 is a part that stores information necessary for realizing various functions of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and a control program, and is used by a non-volatile semiconductor storage element such as a flash memory or a storage medium such as a hard disk. It is done.

  The storage unit 61 includes, for example, battery information 62 indicating a state such as a remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery 12, history of a travel route of the self-propelled cleaner 1, position information 63 indicating a current position and direction, and a self-propelled cleaner. Operation mode information 71 indicating one operation mode is stored. The operation mode information 71 stores an operation mode 72, a standby mode 73, and a sleep mode 74. The operation mode 72 is data indicating that a cleaning operation is being performed. The standby mode 73 is data indicating that the state of the self-propelled cleaner is a standby mode in which cleaning can be started in response to the start switch 53. The sleep mode 74 is data indicating that the sleep mode is in the power saving state.

  The charging stand 201 includes a charging terminal unit 202 and an induction signal transmission unit 203. By electrically contacting the charging terminal portion 202 of the charging stand 201 and the charging connection portion 13 of the self-propelled cleaner 1, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is supplied with electric power from the charging stand 201 and is self-propelled. The rechargeable battery 12 of the traveling vacuum cleaner 1 is charged. The induction signal transmission unit 203 includes a signal generation circuit that generates a beacon signal and an LED that radiates the generated signal.

≪Running control of self-propelled vacuum cleaner≫
FIGS. 11A to 11C are explanatory views showing a state in which the self-propelled cleaner according to the first embodiment cleans from the wall toward the corner.
Usually, the charging stand 201 is installed near the wall, and the self-propelled cleaner 1 starts from the charging stand 201 near the wall. That is, when the start switch 53 is turned on, the traveling control unit 11a starts traveling by rotating the drive motor of the power unit 21. Moreover, the control part 11 rotates the electric blower 115 and the brush motor 119, and starts cleaning operation | work. Further, each ultrasonic receiver 14A and each ultrasonic transmitter 14B are activated.
Here, zigzag traveling will be described as an example of the traveling mode of the self-propelled cleaner 1 with reference to FIG.

When traveling is started, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, the traveling control unit 11a moves the self-propelled cleaner 1 along the wall surface W1 in the direction indicated by the arrow X (X Drive in the axial direction). During this time, the air flow F ₁ that blows out from the second exhaust port 33 on the right side of the housing 2 acts like an air brush to blow away the dust Q near the wall forward, and the pair of left and right side brushes 10 rotate reversely to each other. The surrounding dust Q is collected in the suction port 31.

At this time, the air flow F ₁ is blown to the front area including the rotation range R (within the range of the imaginary line) of the right side brush 10. In this way, since the dust Q that has passed through the side brush 10 can be blown off in front of the side brush 10, the side brush 10 can more reliably scrape and remove the dust Q toward the suction port 31 side. That is, it is possible to reduce the scraping residue from the side brush 10.

  Then, the ultrasonic wave receiving unit 14A in front of the failure detection unit 14 is moved until it detects the front wall surface W2. The traveling along the wall surface W1 is performed based on the detection by the ultrasonic receiving unit 14A on the right side. The traveling control unit 11a sets the direction when traveling straight along the wall surface W1 as the reference coordinate axis for determining the starting point and the ending point of the zigzag traveling, that is, the X-axis direction. While traveling along the wall surface W1, the traveling control unit 11a sequentially calculates the position in the X axis direction and the Y direction perpendicular thereto based on information from the rotational speeds of the gyro sensor 20 and the left and right drive wheels 22L, 22R. . Then, the history of the traveled position is sequentially recorded in the position information 63.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, when the front ultrasonic wave receiving unit 14A detects a wall surface W2 that is an obstacle ahead in the traveling direction, the traveling control unit 11a moves the self-propelled cleaner 1 at a point in front of it. Turn 90 ° to the left (counterclockwise as viewed from above). At this time, the dust Q pushed to the corner K between the wall surface W1 and the wall surface W2 moves along the wall surface W2 when the air flow F1 hits the front wall surface W2. Is removed. At this time, in order to carefully clean the corner K, it may be turned counterclockwise by 90 °, then turned in the opposite direction, and turned again in the counterclockwise direction. , 2-5 times) may be repeated.

  After turning as described above, the traveling control unit 11a causes the self-propelled cleaner 1 to travel in the arrow Y direction (Y-axis direction) along the wall surface W2 while viewing the wall surface W2 on the right side. During this time, the dust Q near the wall is blown forward by the air flow F1. And, for example, after traveling a distance of about the diameter of the self-propelled cleaner 1, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is turned 90 ° counterclockwise as shown by a solid line arrow in FIG. Then, the vehicle is moved forward and travels in a zigzag manner while repeating straight movement and turning. Alternatively, as shown by a dotted arrow in FIG. 11C, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 travels along the wall surface W2 and approaches a wall surface (not shown) that intersects the wall surface W2 at a right angle, the counterclockwise direction is 90 °. After turning and proceeding the distance of about the diameter of the self-propelled cleaner 1 along the wall, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is turned 90 ° counterclockwise and then moved forward, thus moving straight and turning Make a zigzag run while repeating. In either case, the 90 ° turn is alternately performed twice in each of the counterclockwise direction and the clockwise direction. Thereby, self-propelled cleaner 1 runs zigzag.

When the traveling mode is wall-side traveling, the self-propelled cleaner 1 continues traveling along the wall surface, removes dust at each corner of the room with an air brush, and collects the dust at the suction port 31 with the side brush 10. 15 collects dust.
When the cleaning of the room is completed, the self-propelled cleaner 1 returns to the charging stand 201. At this time, the self-propelled cleaner 1 returns from the front part to the charging stand 201, and the pair of charging connection portions 13 provided at the front part of the bottom plate 2 a of the self-propelled cleaner 1 are charged terminals of the charging stand 201. The rechargeable battery 12 is charged by contacting the unit 202.

  Note that the self-propelled cleaner 1 may be configured to clean the wall and corners while blowing the air flow from the left side with the internal structure reversed left and right. Or the structure which an airflow blows off from right and left both sides may be sufficient.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment has exemplified the case of forming the second exhaust air path 35 by the ribs 2d _1, 2d ₂ or the like provided in the latter half portion 2c ₂ and internal structure wall 2d of the side plate 2c of the housing 2, the internal structure walls it may form a second discharge air path to form a gap between the rear half portion 2c ₂ of the various components and the side plate 2c to be installed to 2d.

(Embodiment 3)
In the case of Embodiment 1, since the output of the electric blower 115 is constant, the air volume of the air flow F ₁ from the second exhaust port 33 is also constant.
Therefore, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, in the self-propelled cleaner 1, when the front ultrasonic receiving unit 14A detects the front wall surface W2, the output of the electric blower 115 is output. It may be increased from the normal level (for example, 1.3 to 1.5 times), and the air volume of the air flow F ₂ blown out from the second exhaust port 33 may be increased accordingly. Thereby, the cleaning power of the corner K where dust Q tends to accumulate can be increased. If the front ultrasonic wave receiving unit 14A does not detect the wall surface, the output of the electric blower 115 is returned to the normal level.

(Embodiment 4)
In the case of the first embodiment, the airflow is blown out from the second exhaust port 33 even when the self-propelled cleaner 1 travels outside the wall.
Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, for example, electromagnetic valves are provided in the first and second exhaust air passages 34 and 35, respectively, and when traveling along the wall, only the electromagnetic valve of the second exhaust air passage 35 is opened to exhaust all exhaust. 2 When blowing out from the exhaust port 33 and traveling outside the wall, only the electromagnetic valve of the first exhaust air passage 34 may be opened to blow out all exhaust from the first exhaust port 32.

As a result, it is possible to increase the cleaning power of the corners without increasing the output of the electric blower 115, and to prevent the dust on the floor from diffusing by blowing an air flow on the floor when traveling outside the wall. Become.
In addition, the exhaust hole of the electric blower 115 is provided at one place, a switching valve capable of switching the exhaust in two directions is provided in the exhaust hole, and the first and second exhaust air passages are connected to the two outlets of the switching valve for switching. You may comprise so that air may be sent to a 1st or 2nd exhaust air path by a valve.

(Summary)
The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention includes a flat plate-shaped casing, a dust collecting unit and an electric blower provided in the casing,
The housing has a suction port provided at the bottom, a first exhaust port, and a second exhaust port provided at the outer periphery,
In the housing, a second exhaust air passage is formed between the second exhaust port and the electric blower along the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the housing, and the first exhaust port and the electric blower A first exhaust air passage is formed between them,
The second exhaust port is disposed on at least one of the left and right side portions of the outer peripheral portion of the casing and opens forward, and blows an air flow from the second exhaust air passage forward. It is configured as follows.

The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention may be configured as follows.
(1) The second exhaust air passage may be formed by an inner surface of an outer peripheral portion of the casing and a rib provided along the inner surface.
If it does in this way, the 2nd exhaust air way can be easily formed using the case containing a rib.

(2) It further includes a side brush that protrudes rotatably from the bottom of the housing,
An air flow may be blown out from the second exhaust port toward the rotation range of the side brush.
In this way, even if there is dust that has passed through the side brush, the dust can be blown to the front of the side brush, so that the side brush can more reliably scrape and remove the dust to the suction port side. . In addition, the rotation range said here means the inner side area | region of the circle which a brush tip rotates and draws.

(3) The outer periphery of the housing is divided into a front half and a rear half,
The second exhaust port may be arranged in the second half part in the vicinity of the boundary between the first half part and the second half part of the outer peripheral part.
In this way, the front half of the outer periphery of the housing can function as a bumper, and the end of the rear half near the boundary can be an open end to be the second exhaust port, which is advantageous. Become. The first half and the second half may be equally divided or may not be equally divided.

(4) The casing may be formed in a disk shape, and a recess may be provided at a position facing the second exhaust port in the front half near the boundary.
By doing so, the direction of the tangent line that contacts the vicinity of the boundary of the disk-shaped housing and the traveling direction (front) coincide with each other, so that it is preferable as a structure for blowing an air flow forward from the second exhaust port. In this case, by providing a recess in the front half, it becomes unnecessary to make the radius of curvature of the front half smaller than the radius of curvature of the rear half so as not to hinder the air flow blown forward from the second exhaust port. Therefore, it is possible to design the outer peripheral portion in a continuous substantially circular shape without a large step when viewed in plan.

  The disclosed embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

2 Housing 2a Bottom plate (bottom)
2b Top plate (top)
2c Side plate (outer periphery)
2c ₁ first half 2c _{2 second} half 2c ₁₁ recess 2d ₁ , 2d ₂ rib 10 side brush 15 dust collecting part 31 suction port 32 first exhaust port 33 second exhaust port 34 first exhaust air channel 35 second exhaust air channel 115 electric blower F _1, F ₂ airflow R rotation range

Claims (5)

A flat plate-shaped casing, and a dust collecting section and an electric blower provided in the casing,
The housing has a suction port provided at the bottom, a first exhaust port, and a second exhaust port provided at the outer periphery,
In the housing, a second exhaust air passage is formed between the second exhaust port and the electric blower along the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the housing, and the first exhaust port and the electric blower A first exhaust air passage is formed between them,
The second exhaust port is disposed on at least one of the left and right side portions of the outer peripheral portion of the casing and opens forward, and blows an air flow from the second exhaust air passage forward. A self-propelled cleaner characterized by being configured as described above.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the second exhaust air passage is formed by an inner surface of an outer peripheral portion of the housing and a rib provided along the inner surface. A side brush protruding rotatably from the bottom of the housing;
The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an air flow is blown from the second exhaust port toward a rotation range of the side brush. The outer peripheral portion of the housing is divided into a front half and a rear half,
The said 2nd exhaust port is a self-propelled cleaner as described in any one of Claims 1-3 arrange | positioned in the said second half part in the boundary vicinity of the said first half part and the said second half part of the said outer peripheral part.   5. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the casing is formed in a disk shape, and a recess is provided at a position facing the second exhaust port in the front half near the boundary.