JP2016131743A - Self-propelled cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a floor surface detection sensor from the adhesion of dirt and dust.SOLUTION: A self-propelled cleaner comprises: a self-propelled case including a suction port and first and second discharge ports; an air blowing section that sucks dust on a floor surface with air into the case from the suction port and discharges the air from which the dust is removed, to the outside from the first and second discharge ports; an optical floor surface detection sensor provided on a surface of the case opposite to the floor surface; and a control section that controls air blowing operation of the air blowing section and receives output of the floor surface detection sensor to control self-propelled operation of the case. The second discharge port is provided so as to inject a portion of the air from which the dust is removed, in at least the direction of the floor surface from the vicinity of the floor surface detection sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner.

  As a background art of this invention, in a vacuum cleaner that sucks dust on the floor surface together with air into the casing while self-propelled and discharges the air from which dust is removed to the outside, an optical system such as an infrared sensor is used. It is known that the floor surface detection sensor is installed on the surface opposite to the floor surface of the housing and the floor surface is monitored so that the vacuum cleaner does not fall into the floor (cliff) etc. ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-130781 A

  However, in such a conventional self-propelled cleaner, if dust or dust adheres to the floor detection sensor, the floor detection sensor cannot accurately detect the floor, and the cleaner is inadvertent. Malfunctions such as stopping occurred. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the floor detection sensor is always kept clean to prevent malfunction of the vacuum cleaner.

  The present invention provides a self-propelled housing having a suction port and first and second exhaust ports, and sucks dust on the floor surface together with air from the suction port into the housing, and air from which dust has been removed. A blower unit that exhausts air from the first and second exhaust ports, an optical floor detection sensor provided on a surface facing the floor surface of the housing, and a blower unit that controls the blowing operation of the blower unit and the floor surface And a control unit that controls the self-running operation of the housing in response to the output of the detection sensor, and the second exhaust port passes a part of the air from which dust is removed from the vicinity of the floor surface detection sensor to at least the floor surface direction. The present invention provides a self-propelled cleaner characterized by being provided to spray.

  According to the present invention, part of the air from which dust has been removed is jetted at least from the vicinity of the floor surface detection sensor toward the floor surface, so that the floor surface detection sensor is protected from dust and dust adhesion, and the vacuum cleaner is It can operate without malfunction.

It is an upper surface perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the control circuit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is internal structure explanatory drawing seen from the side of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the bottom face detection sensor of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a FIG. 4 corresponding view of the self-propelled cleaner of a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of a self-propelled cleaner according to a second embodiment. It is a FIG. 4 corresponding view of the self-propelled cleaner of a 3rd embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 of a self-propelled cleaner according to a third embodiment. It is a FIG. 4 corresponding view of the self-propelled cleaner of a 4th embodiment. It is a FIG. 2 corresponding view of the self-propelled cleaner of a 5th embodiment.

(First embodiment)
1 is a top perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a block diagram of the control circuit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the internal structure as seen from the side of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG.

  A self-propelled cleaner (hereinafter referred to as a cleaning robot) according to the present invention cleans a floor surface by sucking dust on the floor surface together with air and exhausting the air from which the dust is removed while traveling on the floor surface. It is supposed to be.

  The cleaning robot 1 </ b> A includes a disk-shaped housing 2, and a first exhaust port 41 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate 2a has a rotating brush 3, a pair of side brushes 4, a suction port 11, a pair of drive wheels 5, a rear wheel 7 and a front wheel 8, a floor surface detection sensor 12, and a second exhaust port 42. Is provided. The floor surface detection sensor 12 is housed inside the second exhaust port 42, and the detection surface is exposed from the second exhaust port 42 toward the floor surface.

  Further, in the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 4, a suction path 10 connected to the suction port 11, a dust collection unit 20 provided on the downstream side of the suction path 10, and a downstream side of the dust collection unit 20 , The first exhaust passage 40 connecting the electric blower 30 and the first exhaust port 41, and the second exhaust passage 43 connecting the first exhaust passage 40 and the second exhaust port 42. Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 2 includes a lid 2b ₁ and a top plate 2b having a first exhaust port 41 formed at a rear position of the lid 2b ₁ , and a perimeter of the bottom plate 2a and the top plate 2b. And a side plate 2c having an annular shape in plan view provided along the section. The top panel 2b is provided with an operation panel 31 for inputting operation conditions and operation commands for the cleaning robot 1A.

  The bottom plate 2a (FIG. 2) is formed with a plurality of holes for projecting the second discharge port 42, the front wheel 8 and the lower part of the pair of drive wheels 5 from the inside of the housing 2 to the outside. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 9 for detecting obstacles in the traveling direction of the cleaning robot 1A are provided in front of the side plate 2c.

  The pair of drive wheels 5 are provided so as to be rotatable around an axis 5a (FIG. 2) parallel to the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2. When the pair of drive wheels 5 rotate in the same direction, the housing 2 advances and retreats. When the drive wheels 5 rotate in opposite directions, the housing 2 rotates.

  The rotation shafts of the pair of drive wheels 5 are connected to each other so that rotational force can be obtained individually from a pair of travel motors described later, and each travel motor has a suspension mechanism directly or on the inner surface of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2. Is fixed through.

  The front wheel 8 is made of a roller, and when contacting the step appearing on the path, the bottom plate of the housing 2 is positioned so as to slightly lift from the floor surface with which the driving wheel 5 contacts so that the housing 2 can easily get over the upstep. 2a is rotatably provided.

The rear wheel 7 is a free wheel and is rotatably provided on a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 so as to be in contact with the floor surface.
In this way, the pair of drive wheels 5 are arranged in the middle of the front and rear direction with respect to the housing 2, the front wheels 8 are lifted from the floor surface, and the entire weight of the cleaning robot 1 </ b> A is supported by the pair of drive wheels 5 and the rear wheels 7. The weight is distributed in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 2 so that it is possible. Thereby, the dust in front of the course can be guided to the suction port 11 without being blocked by the front wheel 8.

  The aforementioned rotating brush 3 is provided at the inlet of the suction port 11 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2. The side brushes 4 on the left and right sides of the suction port 11 in the bottom plate 2a rotate about an axis perpendicular to the bottom plate 2a. The rotating brush 3 is formed by implanting a brush spirally on the outer peripheral surface of a roller that is a rotating shaft.

  The side brush 4 has a rotating shaft and a plurality of brush bundles provided radially at the lower end of the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the rotating brush 3 and the rotating shaft of the pair of side brushes 4 are supported on the inner surface of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2, and include a brush drive motor, which will be described later, and power including a pulley and a belt. It is connected via a transmission mechanism.

  Since the floor surface detection sensor 12 for detecting the floor surface as described above is disposed in front of the front wheel 8 on the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2, when the floor surface detection sensor 12 detects a downward step, The detection signal is transmitted to a control unit which will be described later, and the control unit controls to stop both drive wheels 5. As a result, the cleaning robot 1A is prevented from falling to the down step. In addition, when the floor surface detection sensor 12 detects a down step, the control unit may perform control so as to avoid the down step.

  A charging terminal (not shown) for charging a built-in battery is provided at the rear end of the side plate 2 c of the housing 2. The cleaning robot 1 </ b> A that cleans the room while traveling by itself returns to the charging stand installed in the room when the cleaning is completed.

  Thereby, a charge terminal contacts the terminal part provided in the charging stand, and charge of a battery is performed. The charging stand connected to the commercial power source (outlet) is usually installed along the side wall of the room. The battery supplies power to each drive control element such as various motors.

The dust collection unit 20 illustrated in FIG. 4 includes a dust collection box 21 connected to the suction path 10 and a filter 22 provided in the dust collection box 21 so as to be detachable. The dust collection box 21 is usually housed in the housing 2. However, when the dust collected in the dust collection box 21 is discarded, the lid 2 b ₁ (FIG. 1) of the housing 2 is opened. It comes to be taken in and out.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control circuit for controlling the operation of the entire cleaning robot 1A has a control unit 15a, an operation panel 31 for inputting setting conditions and operation commands related to the operation of the cleaning robot 1A, and a memory for storing a travel map 18a. Unit 18, motor driver 30 a for driving the electric blower 30, motor driver 51 a for driving the traveling motor 51 of the drive wheel 5, and brush motor 17 for driving the rotating brush 3 and the side brush 4. A motor driver 17a, a control unit 12a for controlling the floor detection sensor 12, a control unit 9a for controlling the ultrasonic sensor 9, and the like are provided.

  The control unit 15a includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and individually transmits control signals to the motor drivers 30a, 51a, and 17a based on program data stored in advance in the storage unit 18, and the electric blower 30, A series of cleaning operations are performed by drivingly controlling the travel motor 51 and the brush motor 17. Note that the program data includes program data for a normal mode for cleaning a wide area of the floor, and for a wall-side mode for cleaning along a wall.

  In addition, the control unit 15 a accepts the setting conditions and operation commands by the user from the operation panel 31 and stores them in the storage unit 18. The travel map 18a stored in the storage unit 18 is information related to travel such as a travel route and travel speed around the installation location of the cleaning robot 1A, and is stored in the storage unit 18 in advance by the user or the cleaning robot 1A. It can automatically record itself during cleaning operation.

  In the cleaning robot 1 </ b> A configured as described above, the electric blower 30, the drive wheel 5, the rotating brush 3, and the side brush 4 are driven by a cleaning operation start command from the operation panel 31. As a result, the cleaning robot 1A is in a state where the rotating brush 3, the side brush 4, the drive wheel 5, and the rear wheel 7 are in contact with the floor surface, and the air containing dust on the floor surface from the suction port 11 while traveling in a predetermined range. Inhale.

  At this time, the dust on the floor surface is scraped up by the rotation of the rotating brush 3 and guided to the suction port 11. Further, the dust on the side of the suction port 11 is guided to the suction port 11 by the rotation of the side brush 4.

  Air containing dust sucked into the housing 2 from the suction port 11 flows into the dust collection box 21 through the suction path 10 (FIG. 4) of the housing 2. The airflow flowing into the dust collection box 21 passes through the filter 22 and dust is removed, and then flows into the electric blower 30 and is guided to the first and second exhaust passages 40 and 43, respectively. 41 and the second exhaust port 42 are discharged to the outside. At this time, the dust contained in the airflow in the dust collection box 21 is captured by the filter 22 and accumulated in the dust collection box 21.

  Further, when the cleaning robot 1A detects an obstacle on the course as described above and reaches the periphery of the cleaning area, the driving wheel 5 temporarily stops, and then the left and right driving wheels 5 are moved in opposite directions. Rotate to change direction. Accordingly, the cleaning robot 1A can perform self-propelled cleaning while avoiding obstacles in the entire installation place or the entire desired range.

  Further, as described above, the cleaning robot 1A is in contact at the three points of the left and right drive wheels 5 and the rear wheel 7, so that the rear wheel 7 does not lift from the floor surface even if it suddenly stops when moving forward. Weight distribution.

  Therefore, even if the cleaning robot 1A stops suddenly before the down step while moving forward, this prevents the cleaning robot 1A from leaning forward and falling to the down step. The drive wheel 5 is formed by fitting a rubber tire having a groove into the wheel so as not to slip even if suddenly stopped.

<About the floor detection sensor>
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the floor surface detection sensor 12. As shown in the figure, the floor detection sensor 12 is an optical sensor, and includes a light emitting element (infrared light emitting diode) 14 a and a light receiving element (phototransistor) 14 b in a transparent case 13.

  Light emitted from the light emitting element 14 a irradiates the floor surface F through the transparent case 13, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element 14 b through the transparent case 13. Thereby, the floor surface detection sensor 12 distinguishes the presence or absence of the floor surface F, that is, a normal floor surface F and a large step (cliff) such as a staircase.

  Since the floor surface detection sensor 12 is disposed at the forward end of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 2, dust and dust are likely to adhere when the cleaning robot 1A is operated. When dust or dust adheres, the light from the light emitting element 14a does not sufficiently reach the floor surface F, and the light receiving element 14b cannot sufficiently receive the reflected light.

  Accordingly, the floor surface detection sensor 12 performs an erroneous detection, thereby causing the cleaning robot 1A to malfunction. Therefore, in the present invention, when the air sucked from the suction port 11 (FIGS. 2 and 4) and dust is removed by the dust collecting portion 20 is discharged from the first exhaust path 40 to the first exhaust port 41 as described above. Part of the air from which dust has been removed is jetted from the first exhaust path 40 through the second exhaust path 43 to the floor surface via the second exhaust port 42.

  Here, since the floor surface detection sensor 12 is installed in the second exhaust port 42 as shown in FIG. 2, the floor surface detection sensor 12 is surrounded by the flow of air discharged toward the floor surface. That is, the floor detection sensor 12 is surrounded by an air curtain formed by exhaust.

  Therefore, dust and dust are prevented from adhering to the transparent case 13 of the floor detection sensor 12, and the detection accuracy of the floor detection sensor 12 is maintained normally without deteriorating. In this embodiment, the cleaning robot 1A includes one floor surface detection sensor. However, the cleaning robot 1A includes a plurality of floor surface detection sensors, and each of them is protected by an air curtain formed of dust-free air. Good.

(Second Embodiment)
6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of this embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 of this embodiment.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a damper 34 with a drive motor is additionally inserted as a flow rate adjusting part in the middle of the second exhaust path 43 connecting the first exhaust path 40 and the second exhaust port 42.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a motor driver 35a for controlling a damper motor 35 attached to the damper 34 is connected to the controller 15a. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In such a configuration, when the cleaning robot 1A performs a cleaning operation as in the first embodiment, the air blowing amount (the number of rotations) of the electric blower 30 is determined by a command from the operation panel 21 or based on program data. When changed, the control unit 15 a drives the damper motor 35 through the motor driver 35 a and controls the damper 34 so that the amount of air discharged from the second exhaust port 42 becomes constant.

  As a result, air is always discharged from the second exhaust port 42 in a laminar flow with a constant flow rate, and the floor detection sensor 12 is protected from dust and dust by a good air curtain. In this embodiment, the storage unit 18 also stores program data for driving and controlling the motor driver 35a as described above.

(Third embodiment)
8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of this embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 of this embodiment.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the ion generator 25 is installed in the first exhaust path 40 from the electric blower 30 to the second exhaust path 43. And as shown in FIG. 9, the ion generator 25 is connected to the control part 15a. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The ion generator 25 has a plurality of electrodes on the ion generation surface in the first exhaust path 40. A voltage having an AC waveform or an impulse waveform is applied to the electrodes. When the applied voltage of the electrode is a positive voltage, ions are combined with moisture in the air to generate positive ions mainly composed of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) m.

When the applied voltage of the electrode is a negative voltage, the ions are combined with moisture in the air to generate negative ions mainly composed of O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) n. Here, m and n are arbitrary natural numbers. H ⁺ (H ₂ O) m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) n aggregate around the surface of airborne bacteria and odorous components and surround them.

Then, as shown in the formulas (1) to (3), active species [· OH] (hydroxyl radical) and H ₂ O ₂ (hydrogen peroxide) are agglomerated and produced on the surface of a microorganism or the like by collision. Destroy airborne bacteria and odorous components. Here, m ′ and n ′ are arbitrary natural numbers.

_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + O 2 - (H 2 O) n → · OH + 1 / 2O 2 + (m + n) H 2 O ... (1)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + H + (H 2 O) m '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) n + O 2 - (H 2 O) n'
→ 2 ・ OH + O ₂ + (m + m '+ n + n') H ₂ O… (2)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + H + (H 2 O) m '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) n + O 2 - (H 2 O) n'
→ H ₂ O ₂ + O ₂ + (m + m '+ n + n') H ₂ O… (3)

  Therefore, the airflow flowing from the dust collection unit 20 into the first exhaust path 40 and the second exhaust path 43 includes ions (plasma cluster ions) generated by the ion generator 25. Thereby, indoor sterilization and deodorization are performed by ions contained in the exhaust of the first exhaust port 41, and at the same time, disinfection and deodorization of carpets and tatami mats on the floor are performed by ions contained in the exhaust of the second exhaust port 42. Done. In this embodiment, the storage unit 18 also stores program data for driving and controlling the ion generator 25 as described above.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the second exhaust port 42 is formed to inject air in the direction of the floor surface and the suction port 11 as indicated by an arrow A. As a result, dust in front of the vacuum cleaner is blown toward the suction port 11 and efficiently sucked from the suction port 11 in combination with the action of the side brush 4. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to the second exhaust port 42, four third exhaust ports 44 are connected to the second exhaust channel 43 connected to the first exhaust channel 40, as shown in FIG. 11. In addition, a third exhaust path 45 is further connected to the first exhaust path 40, and the other four third exhaust ports 44 are connected to the third exhaust path 45. The eight third exhaust ports 44 are distributed around the floor surface facing surface of the bottom plate 2a, and each of the third exhaust ports 44 transmits air to the floor surface and the suction port 11 like the second exhaust ports 42 shown in FIG. It is comprised so that it may inject in the direction. As a result, fine dust such as dust is collected toward the suction port 11, so that they are efficiently sucked. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A Cleaning robot 2 Case 2a Bottom plate 2b ₁ Lid 2b Top plate 2c Side plate 3 Rotating brush 4 Side brush 5 Driving wheel 7 Rear wheel 8 Front wheel 9 Ultrasonic sensor 10 Suction path 11 Suction port 12 Floor detection sensor 13 Transparent case 14a Light emission Element 14b Light receiving element 20 Dust collector 21 Dust collection box 22 Filter 25 Ion generator 30 Electric blower 31 Operation panel 34 Damper 40 First exhaust path 41 First exhaust port 42 Second exhaust port 43 Second exhaust channel 44 Third exhaust Port 45 third exhaust passage

Claims (5)

  A self-propelled housing having a suction port and first and second exhaust ports, dust on the floor surface is sucked together with air from the suction port into the housing, and the air from which the dust has been removed is first and second. (2) A ventilation unit that exhausts air from the exhaust port, an optical floor detection sensor provided on a surface facing the floor surface of the housing, and an output of the floor detection sensor while controlling the ventilation operation of the ventilation unit And a control unit that controls the self-running operation of the housing, and the second exhaust port injects a part of the air from which dust is removed from the vicinity of the floor surface detection sensor at least in the floor surface direction. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner characterized by being provided.   2. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the suction port is provided on a surface facing the floor surface of the housing, and the second exhaust port is formed so as to inject air toward the floor surface and the suction port.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of third exhaust ports that are provided in a distributed manner around the floor surface facing the casing and inject a part of the air from which dust is removed toward the floor surface and the suction port. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a flow rate adjusting unit that maintains a flow rate of air injected from the second exhaust port constant with respect to a change in the flow rate of air in the blower unit.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising an ion generator for supplying ions to air ejected from the second exhaust port.