JP2018041253A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner to an uncleaned area by recognizing a virtual wall with a simple constitution.SOLUTION: A self-propelled vacuum cleaner includes a traveling part for performing self-propelling on a floor surface. The traveling part includes: first and second infrared sensors for respectively irradiating a floor surface with infrared rays and detecting the reflection light; a cleaning part for removing dust on a floor surface by sucking; a storage section for storing a control program of the traveling part and the cleaning part; and a control section for controlling the traveling part and the cleaning part on the basis of outputs of the infrared sensors and a control program. When light intensities obtained from the first and second infrared sensors during the traveling of the traveling part are changed from within a predetermined prescribed range into out-of-range, the control section obtains a time difference between kinds of timing to start change into out-of-range concerning the respective light intensities, and allows the traveling part to travel in a direction corresponding to an obtained time difference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner.

  As background art of the present invention, in order to prevent overrun of the self-propelled cleaner to the outside of the cleaning area, a rectangular flat plate is bent as a virtual wall (virtual wall) installed on the floor as the boundary. A transparent case that accommodates the shaded uneven marker having a shape is fixed to the floor, and the reflected light of the light projected onto the shade marker is detected by the reflective light sensor provided in the self-propelled cleaner, and the detected reflected light shade It is known that the brightness of the self-propelled cleaner with respect to the virtual wall is recognized based on the rotation angle versus lightness characteristics obtained in advance, and the subsequent running direction is controlled (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-34866 A

  However, in the conventional traveling control of such a self-propelled cleaner, a transparent case that accommodates a light and dark marker having a shape obtained by bending a rectangular flat plate is fixed as a virtual wall on the floor, and the self-propelled cleaner The reflected light of the light projected on the light / dark marker is detected by the reflective light sensor prepared for the self-propelled cleaning of the virtual wall based on the rotation angle versus light / light characteristic obtained in advance from the light / light intensity of the detected reflected light. In order to recognize the traveling angle of the machine, there is a problem that the structure of the virtual wall side and the circuit configuration for angle recognition with respect to the virtual wall on the cleaner side are complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and uses a virtual wall with a simple configuration, recognizes the traveling direction with respect to the virtual wall in a simple manner, and can easily change the traveling direction. A possible self-propelled vacuum cleaner is provided.

  The present invention includes a traveling unit that self-travels on a floor surface, and the traveling unit irradiates infrared rays on the floor surface and detects reflected light, and dust on the floor surface. A cleaning unit that performs suction removal, a storage unit that stores a control program for the traveling unit and the cleaning unit, and a control unit that controls the traveling unit and the cleaning unit based on the output of the infrared sensor and the control program are mounted. When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors changes from the preset predetermined range to the outside of the range during traveling of the traveling unit, the control unit changes outside the range of each light intensity. The self-propelled cleaner is characterized in that a time difference of the start timing is obtained, and the traveling unit is caused to travel in a direction corresponding to the obtained time difference.

  According to the present invention, when the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors changes from the preset predetermined range to the outside of the range during traveling of the traveling unit, the light intensity changes outside the range. Since the time difference of the start timing is obtained and the traveling part is caused to travel in the direction corresponding to the obtained time difference, the self-propelled cleaner is provided with a virtual wall by installing an infrared reflecting member or an infrared absorbing member as a virtual wall on the floor surface. The time difference can be obtained when the vehicle encounters and the traveling direction can be easily changed based on the time difference.

It is a perspective view of the upper surface back side of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view of the upper surface front side of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the bottom face side of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 2 which shows the state which took out the dust collector. It is a principal part enlarged view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a circuit diagram of the control circuit of the floor detection sensor which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a wave form diagram which shows the waveform of each part of the control circuit shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change condition of the running direction of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change condition of the running direction of the self-propelled cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 of a control circuit of a floor detection sensor according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 9 and showing waveforms at various parts of the control circuit shown in FIG. 12.

  The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention includes a traveling unit that self-propels on the floor surface, and the traveling unit irradiates the floor surface with infrared rays to detect the reflected light, and a second infrared sensor, A cleaning unit that sucks and removes dust on the floor, a storage unit that stores a control program for the traveling unit and the cleaning unit, and a control that controls the traveling unit and the cleaning unit based on the output of the infrared sensor and the control program. And when the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors changes from within a preset predetermined range to outside the range during traveling of the traveling unit, the control unit A time difference in timing at which the change starts to be out of the range is obtained, and the running unit is caused to travel in a direction corresponding to the obtained time difference.

  When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is higher than the upper limit value of the predetermined range, the control unit recognizes that the light irradiation target of the first and second infrared sensors is an infrared reflecting member, The traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference may be a direction away from the infrared reflecting member.

  The controller recognizes that the light irradiation target of the first and second infrared sensors is an infrared absorbing member when the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is lower than the lower limit value of the predetermined range, The traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference may be a direction away from the infrared absorbing member.

  When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is changed from a predetermined range outside the predetermined range during traveling of the traveling unit, the control unit emits light from the first and second infrared sensors. The target may be recognized as an infrared reflecting or absorbing member, and the traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference may be a direction close to the infrared reflecting or absorbing member.

  In the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention, as a virtual wall (virtual wall) installed on the floor surface to prevent overrun outside the cleaning area, a normal floor surface (flooring, carpet, tatami etc.) Infrared reflecting members or infrared absorbing members having significantly different infrared reflectivities can be suitably used. As the infrared reflecting member, for example, a belt-like aluminum vapor-deposited sheet having a width of 5 to 10 cm and a length of 1 to 2 m can be used, and as the infrared absorbing member, for example, a graphite sheet having the same size can be used. In addition, an aluminum vapor deposition sheet and a graphite sheet can be easily fixed to a floor surface using a double-sided adhesive tape or the like.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. This does not limit the invention.

(Embodiment 1)
Diagram 1 is a top rear perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention of the self-propelled cleaner, Figure 2 is A-A sectional view taken along line of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 1 self FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state where the dust collecting device is taken out.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the self-propelled cleaner 1 (hereinafter referred to as “vacuum cleaner”) 1 according to the first embodiment uses the floor surface (surface to be cleaned) F (FIG. 2) at the place where it is installed. While running, the air containing dust on the floor surface F is sucked and the air from which the dust has been removed is exhausted to clean the floor surface.

  The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a disk-shaped housing 2, and a rotating brush 9, a side brush 10, a dust box (hereinafter referred to as a dust collector) 30, an electric blower 22, and a pair of drives are provided inside and outside the housing 2. A wheel 29, a pair of floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b, a rear wheel 26, and the like are provided.

  In this vacuum cleaner 1, the part where the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b are arranged is the front part, the part where the rear wheel 26 is arranged is the rear part, and the part where the dust collector 30 is arranged is the intermediate part. is there.

  The housing 2 has a circular bottom plate 2 a (FIG. 4) having a suction port 6 formed at a position near the boundary with the intermediate portion in the front portion, and a dust collector 30 with respect to the housing 2. A top plate 2b (FIG. 1) having a lid 3 that opens and closes in the middle is provided, and a side plate 2c provided along the outer periphery of the bottom plate 2a and the top plate 2b.

  Also, the bottom plate 2a shown in FIG. 4 is formed with a plurality of holes for projecting the lower portions of the pair of drive wheels 29 and the rear wheel 26 from the inside of the housing 2 to the outside, and the front portion of the top plate 2b shown in FIG. An exhaust port 7 is formed at the boundary with the intermediate portion. In addition, the side plate 2c is divided into two parts in the front-rear direction, and the side front part is provided to be displaceable so as to function as a bumper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a power switch (push button switch) 62, a start switch for starting the vacuum cleaner 1, and a dust collection amount full check described later are provided at a rear portion of the top plate 2 b of the housing 2. An input unit (input panel) 63 having an adjustment part for adjusting various switches and various control conditions, and a display unit (display panel) 64 for displaying a dust collection full alarm or a vacuum cleaner status. I have.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an infrared detection main sensor 110 is provided at the front end of the top plate 2b of the housing 2, and three infrared detection sub-sensors 111a to 111c and a single one are provided at the front portion of the side plate 2c. An ultrasonic ranging sensor 112 is provided.

  The infrared detection main sensor 110 can detect infrared rays incident from all directions (360 °), and the infrared detection sub-sensors 111a to 111c can detect infrared rays incident at a predetermined angle from the front. Further, the ultrasonic distance measuring sensor 112 emits ultrasonic waves forward and measures the distance by reflection thereof.

  FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state where the dust collector 30 is taken out. As shown in the figure, the housing 2 has a front storage chamber R1 for storing the electric blower 22 in the front portion and an intermediate storage chamber R2 for storing the dust collector 30 in the intermediate portion. .

  In addition, the rear portion has a rear storage chamber R3 for storing the control board 15 of the control portion, the battery (storage battery) 14, the charging input terminals 4a and 4b, and the like, and the suction path 11 near the boundary between the front portion and the intermediate portion. And an exhaust passage 12.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the suction passage 11 communicates the suction port 6 (FIG. 4) and the intermediate storage chamber R2, and the exhaust passage 12 communicates the intermediate storage chamber R2 and the front storage chamber R1. Each of the storage chambers R1, R2, R3, the suction path 11 and the exhaust path 12 is partitioned by a partition wall 39 provided inside the housing 2 and constituting these spaces.

  The pair of drive wheels 29 are fixed to a pair of rotating shafts that are perpendicular to the center line C (FIG. 2) passing vertically through the center of the housing 2, and when the pair of drive wheels 29 rotate in the same direction, the housing. When the body 2 moves forward and backward and each drive wheel 29 rotates in the opposite direction, the housing 2 turns around the center line C.

  The rotation shafts of the pair of drive wheels 29 are coupled so that rotational force can be obtained individually from the pair of drive wheel motors, and each motor is fixed to the bottom plate 2a of the housing directly or via a suspension mechanism. ing.

  The rear wheel 26 in FIG. 4 is a free wheel, and is rotatably provided on a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 so as to come into contact with the floor surface F with which the drive wheel 29 comes into contact.

  In this way, the pair of driving wheels 29 is disposed in the middle in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 2, the front portion of the housing 2 is floated from the floor surface F, and the weight of the cleaner 1 is set to the pair of driving wheels 29 and the rear wheels. The weight in the front-rear direction is distributed to the housing 2 so that it can be supported by 26. Thereby, the dust ahead of the course can be smoothly and efficiently guided to the suction port 6.

  4 is an open surface of a recess 8 (FIG. 2) formed on the bottom surface (bottom plate 2a) of the housing 2 so as to face the floor surface F, and a bottom plate as a suction body is formed in the recess 8. The suction port 6 is formed by inserting 60.

A rotating brush 9 (FIG. 4) that rotates about an axis parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 2 is provided in the recess 8, and a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the bottom plate 2 a is provided on the left and right sides of the recess 8. The side brush 10 which rotates is provided.

  The rotating brush 9 is formed by implanting a brush spirally on the outer peripheral surface of a roller that is a rotating shaft. The side brush 10 is formed by providing four bundles of brushes 10a radially at the lower end of the rotating shaft.

The rotating shaft of the rotating brush 9 is connected to the brush drive motor, and the rotating shaft of the side brush 10 is connected to the side brush drive motor.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a brushed brush 65 serving as a blade-like capturing member is provided at the rear edge of the suction port 6 to capture dust that has not been sucked by the suction port 6 and prevent scattering of the dust. ing.

  On the control board 15 (FIGS. 2 and 5), a control circuit constituting a control system (FIG. 7) described later, that is, a microcomputer for controlling the cleaner 1, a drive wheel 29, a rotating brush 9, and a side brush 10 are provided. A control circuit such as a motor driver circuit for driving each element such as the electric blower 22 is provided.

  Charging input terminals 4a and 4b for charging the battery 14 are provided at the rear end of the side plate 2c of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 that cleans the room while self-propelled returns to the charging unit (charging base) 40 (FIG. 2) installed in the room. As a result, the charging input terminals 4a and 4b come into contact with the output terminals 41a and 41b provided in the charging unit 40, and the battery 14 is charged. The charging stand 40 connected to a commercial power source (outlet) is usually installed along the side wall S in the room.

  The dust collector 30 shown in FIG. 2 is normally stored in the intermediate storage chamber R2 above the axis of the rotation shaft of both drive wheels 29 in the housing 2 and collected in the dust collector 30. When discarding the dust, the dust collector 30 can be taken in and out by opening the lid 3 of the housing 2 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dust collector 30 includes a dust collection container 31 having an opening, a filter unit 33 that covers the opening of the dust collection container 31, a filter unit 33, and an opening of the dust collection container 31. The cover part 32 to cover is provided. The cover part 32 and the filter part 33 are pivotally supported by the opening edge of the front side of the dust collecting container 31 so that rotation is possible.

  An inflow path 34 communicating with the suction path 11 of the housing 2 and the housing 2 in a state where the dust collecting device 30 is housed in the intermediate storage chamber R2 of the housing 2 are disposed at the front portion of the side wall of the dust collecting container 31. An exhaust passage 35 communicating with the exhaust passage 12 is provided.

Configuration of Floor Surface Detection Sensor As shown in FIG. 4, floor surface detection sensors 13 a and 13 b are installed on the front side of the pair of drive wheels 29. As will be described later, the vacuum cleaner 1 recognizes the infrared reflecting member or the infrared absorbing member installed on the floor surface as a virtual wall by using these during traveling, and changes the traveling direction.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b. The floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b are composed of a sensor module 113. In the sensor module 113, an infrared light emitting element (LED) 114 and a light receiving element (phototransistor) 116 are mounted in a translucent case.

  When the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 114 irradiates an object (normal floor surface F), reflected light having an intensity within a predetermined range is received by the light receiving element 116. On the other hand, when the object is a virtual wall made of an infrared reflecting member or an infrared absorbing member, the intensity of the received reflected light is outside the predetermined range (the range of the reflected light intensity of the normal floor surface F). Therefore, the presence or absence of a virtual wall on the floor is detected.

Diagram 7 of the control system of the cleaner is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the cleaning device 1. As shown in the figure, the control system includes a control unit 54 having a microcomputer including a CPU 51, a ROM 52, and a RAM 53, and a sensor control unit 66 for driving and controlling various sensors 67, and further includes two drive wheels 29. A motor driver circuit 57 for controlling the drive wheel motors 55 and 56 for driving, a motor driver circuit 59 for controlling the brush drive motor 58 for driving the rotating brush 9, and two drives for driving the two side brushes 10 respectively. A motor driver circuit 92 for controlling the motor 70, a motor driver circuit 68 for controlling a DC motor 69 incorporated in the electric blower 22, a power switch 62, an input unit 63, and a display unit 64 are provided. The various sensors 67 include floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b, an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor 112, an infrared detection main sensor 110, and infrared detection sub-sensors 111a to 111c. The DC motor 69 is a permanent magnet excitation DC motor.

  When the power switch 62 is turned on, the output power of the battery 14 is supplied to the motor driver circuits 57, 92, 59, and 68, and is also supplied to the control unit 54, the input unit 63, the display unit 64, and the like. .

  The CPU 51 of the control unit 54 is a central processing unit that performs arithmetic processing on signals received from the input unit 63 and various sensors 67 based on a program stored in the ROM 52 in advance, and motor driver circuits 57, 92, 59. 68, the display unit 64, the sensor control unit 66, and the like.

  Note that the RAM 53 temporarily stores various commands input from the input unit 63, various operating conditions of the cleaner 1, outputs of various sensors 65, and the like.

The RAM 53 can store a travel map of the cleaner 1. The travel map is information related to travel such as the travel route and travel speed of the cleaner 1, and can be stored in advance in the RAM 53 by the user, or can be automatically recorded during the cleaning operation of the cleaner 1 itself.
Further, the control unit 54 has a function of detecting the terminal voltage of the battery 14 and the like to detect the remaining amount of electricity stored in the battery 14.

Cleaning operation of the vacuum cleaner In the vacuum cleaner 1 configured as described above, when a cleaning operation is instructed by the user via the input unit 63, first, the presence / absence of the dust collector 30 is confirmed, and the dust collector 30 is attached. If it does, the electric blower 22, the drive wheel 29, the rotating brush 9, and the side brush 10 will drive.

  Thereby, in a state in which the rotary brush 9, the side brush 10, the drive wheel 29, and the rear wheel 26 are in contact with the floor surface F, the housing 2 self-propells a predetermined range and removes dust on the floor surface F from the suction port 6. Inhale air containing. At this time, the dust on the floor surface F is scraped up by the rotation of the rotating brush 9 and guided to the suction port 6. Further, the dust on the side of the suction port 6 is guided to the suction port 6 by the rotation of the side brush 10.

  Air containing dust sucked into the housing 2 from the suction port 6 passes through the suction passage 11 of the housing 2 and the inflow passage 34 of the dust collector 30 as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. It flows into the dust collecting container 31. The airflow that has flowed into the dust collection container 31 passes through the filter portion 33, flows into the space between the filter portion 33 and the cover portion 32, and is discharged to the exhaust passage 12 through the discharge passage 35. At this time, the dust contained in the airflow in the dust collecting container 31 is captured by the filter unit 33, so that the dust accumulates in the dust collecting container 31.

  The airflow flowing into the exhaust passage 12 from the dust collector 30 flows into the electric blower 22 in the front storage chamber R1 as shown by an arrow A2 in FIG. 2, and flows through a first exhaust passage and a second exhaust passage (not shown). . Then, as indicated by an arrow A3 in FIG. 2, the air is discharged as clean air dust-removed by the filter unit 33 obliquely upward to the rear from the exhaust port 7 provided on the upper surface of the housing 2.

  Thereby, the cleaning on the floor surface F is performed. At this time, exhaust is performed obliquely upward from the exhaust port 7 to the rear, so that the dust on the floor surface F is prevented from being rolled up, and the cleanliness of the room can be improved.

  In addition, as described above, the vacuum cleaner 1 moves the center line C by rotating the right and left drive wheels 29 forward in the same direction, moving forward, moving backward in the same direction, moving backward, and rotating in the opposite directions. Turn to the center.

  For example, when the cleaner 1 reaches the periphery (virtual wall) of the cleaning area, the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b (FIG. 4) notify the control unit 54 (FIG. 7), and the driving wheel 29 stops. Then, the left and right drive wheels 29 are rotated in opposite directions to change directions. Thereby, the vacuum cleaner 1 can carry out self-propelled and clean within the predetermined cleaning area | region reliably.

Control Circuit of Floor Surface Detection Sensor FIG. 8 shows a control circuit (infrared reflecting member detection circuit) of the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b in the first embodiment. This control circuit is provided in the sensor control unit 66 of FIG. FIG. 9 shows signal waveforms at various parts of the control circuit shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a DC voltage Vb is applied to the light emitting element (infrared light emitting diode) 114 via the resistor R2 and the NPN transistor Q1, and a signal S1 is applied to the base of the NPN transistor Q1 from the CPU 51 via the resistor R3. It has come to be.

  On the other hand, the DC voltage Vb is applied to the light receiving element (phototransistor) 116 via the resistor R1. The light receiving element 116 supplies a current corresponding to the intensity of light from the light emitting element 114 to the resistor R1. The terminal voltage S2 of the resistor R1 that changes accordingly is amplified by the amplifier Ap1 and becomes a signal S3.

  The signal S3 is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator Cp1, and compared with the threshold voltage Vr1 input from the CPU 51 to the negative input terminal. When the signal S3 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr1, the output signal S4 of the comparator Cp1 becomes a “High” digital signal, and when it is lower than the threshold voltage Vr1, the output signal S4 of the comparator Cp1 becomes a “Low” digital signal.

  Next, the output signal S4 is smoothed by the smoothing circuit Sm1 to become an analog signal S5. The signal S5 is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator Cp2, and compared with the threshold voltage Vr2 input from the CPU 51 to the negative input terminal. The When the signal S5 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr2, the output signal S6 “High” of the comparator Cp2 is a digital signal. When the signal S5 is lower than the threshold voltage Vr2, the output signal S6 of the comparator Cp2 is a “Low” digital signal. It is like that.

  The case where an infrared reflective member (aluminum vapor deposition sheet) is used as a virtual wall in such a circuit configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, when a reference pulse signal S1 having a fixed period is applied from the CPU 51 to the transistor Q1 via the resistor R3, the light emitting element 114 periodically emits light in synchronization with the signal S1, and in this embodiment, The aluminum vapor deposition sheet affixed on the floor surface F (FIG. 2) is irradiated.

  When the light receiving element 116 receives light reflected from the aluminum vapor deposition sheet, an analog signal S2 appears as a terminal voltage of the resistor R1. The signal S2 is amplified by the amplifier Ap1 to become the signal S3, which is compared with the threshold voltage Vr1 in the comparator Cp1. Then, a signal equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr1 is output from the comparator Cp1 as the “High” digital signal S4, and is smoothed by the smoothing circuit Sm1 to become the analog signal S5.

  The signal S5 is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator Cp2, and compared with the threshold voltage Vr2 input from the CPU 51 to the negative input terminal. The output signal S6 of the comparator Cp2 is “High” during the period when the signal S5 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr2, that is, during the period when the light receiving element 116 receives light stronger than the reflected light from the normal floor surface from the aluminum vapor deposition sheet. It comes to become.

Based on this, the control unit 54 recognizes that the self-propelled cleaner 1 has encountered a virtual wall (infrared reflecting member), and changes the traveling direction of the self-propelled cleaner 1.
The adjustment operation of the threshold voltages Vr1 and Vr2 is manually performed at the input unit 63 (FIGS. 1 and 7). By adjusting the threshold voltages Vr1 and Vr2, variations such as the infrared reflection performance of the infrared reflecting member, the light emission intensity of the light emitting element (infrared light emitting diode) 114, and the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element (phototransistor) 116 can be absorbed.

Operation Figure 10 for the virtual wall of the cleaner, in the embodiment 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of changing the direction of travel when the cleaner 1 encounters a virtual wall away from the virtual wall.
In this embodiment, an aluminum vapor deposition sheet (5 cm × 150 cm), which is an infrared reflecting member, is fixed to the floor surface as the virtual wall VW (FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow A1, first, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b, and then the floor surface. The virtual wall VW is detected by the detection sensor 13a. The control unit 54 recognizes the traveling direction A1 of the cleaner 1 with respect to the virtual wall VW from the detection time difference between the sensors 13a and 13b (detection start time difference), and the uncleaned region in the direction of the arrow A2 opposite to the arrow A1. The cleaner 1 is run in the direction. The angle θ at which the cleaner 1 is separated from the virtual wall VW may be associated with the angle at which the cleaner 1 first intersects the virtual wall VW, or may be a certain angle (for example, 30 degrees to 60 degrees). Good.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow B1, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13a. Subsequently, the virtual wall VW is detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b. The controller 54 recognizes the traveling direction B1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 from the detection time difference between the sensors 13a and 13b (time difference in detection start timing), and the direction of the uncleaned region in the direction of the arrow B2 opposite to the arrow B1. The vacuum cleaner 1 is run. The angle θ at which the cleaner 1 is separated from the virtual wall VW is determined in the same manner as in the case of FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow C1, the virtual wall VW is detected simultaneously by the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b. The controller 54 recognizes the traveling direction C1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 because the detection time difference between the sensors 13a and 13b (time difference between detection start timings) is zero, and the direction of the arrow C2 or C3, that is, either The self-propelled cleaner 1 is run in the direction of the uncleaned area. Note that the angle θ at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves away from the virtual wall VW is determined in the same manner as in the case of FIG.

(Embodiment 2)
Operation Figure 11 for the virtual wall of the cleaner, in the embodiment 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of changing the direction of travel when the cleaner 1 encounters a virtual wall in a direction nestling the virtual wall. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
Also in this embodiment, an aluminum vapor deposition sheet (5 cm × 150 cm), which is an infrared reflecting member, is fixed to the floor surface as the virtual wall VW, as in the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 11A, when the cleaner 1 starts to intersect the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow A1, first, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b, and then the floor surface. The virtual wall VW is detected by the detection sensor 13a.

The control unit 54 recognizes the traveling direction A1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 from the difference in detection time between the sensors 13a and 13b, and moves the cleaner 1 in the direction of the arrow A3, that is, the direction of the uncleaned area while approaching the virtual wall VW. Run to.
At this time, the control unit 54 ensures that the floor detection sensor 13b is always present on the virtual wall (aluminum vapor deposition sheet) VW, and the floor detection sensor 13a is always present outside the virtual wall (aluminum vapor deposition sheet) VW. Then, the cleaner 1 is maintained in the traveling direction to the arrow A3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow B1, first, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13a. Subsequently, the virtual wall VW is detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b. The control unit 54 recognizes the traveling direction B1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 from the detection time difference between the sensors 13a and 13b (time difference of detection start timing), and closes the cleaner 1 to the direction of the arrow B3, that is, the virtual wall VW. And run in the direction of the uncleaned area.

  At this time, the controller 54 controls the cleaner 1 so that the floor detection sensor 13a is always present on the virtual wall (aluminum vapor deposition sheet) VW and the floor detection sensor 13b is always present outside the virtual wall VW. Is maintained in the direction of travel to the arrow A3.

As shown in FIG. 11C, when the cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow C1, the virtual wall VW is detected simultaneously by the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b. The controller 54 recognizes the traveling direction C1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 because the detection time difference between the sensors 13a and 13b (time difference between detection start timings) is zero, and is the same as in FIG. 11 (a) or (b). The self-propelled cleaner 1 is caused to travel in the direction of the arrow C4 or C5 while being brought close to the virtual wall VW.
Therefore, in the second embodiment, by installing the virtual wall (aluminum vapor deposition sheet) VW near the actual wall, it is possible to efficiently clean the wall.

(Embodiment 3)
Control Circuit of Floor Surface Detection Sensor FIG. 12 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 showing the control circuit (infrared absorbing member detection circuit) of the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b of the third embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. It is.
This control circuit is provided in the sensor control unit 66 of FIG. 7 in place of the control circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 13 shows signal waveforms at various parts of the control circuit shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a DC voltage Vb is applied to a light emitting element (infrared light emitting diode) 114 via a resistor R12 and an NPN transistor Q2, and a signal S11 is applied to the base of the NPN transistor Q2 from the CPU 51 via a resistor R13. It has come to be.

  On the other hand, the DC voltage Vb is applied to the light receiving element (phototransistor) 116 via the resistor R11. The light receiving element 116 supplies a current corresponding to the intensity of light from the light emitting element 114 to the resistor R11. The terminal voltage S12 of the resistor R11 that changes accordingly is amplified by the amplifier Ap2 and becomes a signal S13.

  Then, the signal S13 is input to the negative input terminal of the comparator Cp3 and compared with the threshold voltage Vr3 input from the CPU 51 to the positive input terminal. When the signal S13 is less than the threshold voltage Vr3, the output signal S14 of the comparator Cp3 becomes a “High” digital signal, and when the signal S13 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr3, the output signal S14 of the comparator Cp3 becomes a “Low” digital signal.

  Next, the output signal S14 is smoothed by the smoothing circuit Sm2 to become an analog signal S15. The signal S15 is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator Cp4 and compared with the threshold voltage Vr4 input from the CPU 51 to the negative input terminal. The When the signal S15 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr4, the output signal S16 of the comparator Cp4 becomes a “High” digital signal. When the signal S15 is lower than the threshold voltage Vr4, the output signal S16 of the comparator Cp4 becomes a “Low” digital signal. It is supposed to be.

  In such a circuit configuration, a case where an infrared absorbing member (graphite sheet) is used as a virtual wall will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, when the reference pulse signal S11 having a constant period is applied to the transistor Q2 via the resistor R13, the light emitting element 114 periodically emits light in synchronization with the signal S11. The graphite sheet affixed to the surface F (FIG. 2) is irradiated.

  When the light receiving element 116 receives light reflected from the graphite sheet, a signal S12 appears as a terminal voltage of the resistor R11. The signal S12 is amplified by the amplifier Ap2, becomes a signal S13, is input to the negative input terminal of the comparator Cp3, and is compared with the threshold voltage Vr3 input from the CPU 51 to the positive input terminal.

  Accordingly, the signal S13 having a voltage lower than the threshold voltage Vr3 is output from the comparator Cp3 as the “High” digital signal S14, and is smoothed by the smoothing circuit Sm2 to become the analog signal S15. The signal S15 is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator Cp4, and is compared with the threshold voltage Vr4 input from the CPU 51 to the negative input terminal.

  The output signal S16 of the comparator Cp4 becomes “High” during a period when the signal S15 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vr4, that is, during a period when the light receiving element 116 receives light weaker than reflected light from the normal floor surface from the graphite sheet. It is supposed to be.

Based on this, the controller 54 recognizes that the cleaner 1 has encountered a virtual wall (infrared absorbing member), and changes the traveling direction of the cleaner 1.
The adjustment operation of the threshold voltages Vr3 and Vr4 is manually performed at the input unit (FIGS. 1 and 7). By adjusting the threshold voltages Vr3 and Vr4, it is possible to absorb variations such as the infrared absorption performance of the infrared absorbing member, the light emission intensity of the light emitting element (infrared light emitting diode) 114, and the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element (phototransistor) 116.

Operation of the vacuum cleaner against the virtual wall
In Embodiment 3, the vacuum cleaner 1 performs the operation | movement which leaves | separates from a virtual wall when encountering a virtual wall (infrared absorption member).
In this embodiment, unlike Embodiment 1, a graphite sheet (5 cm × 150 cm), which is an infrared reflection / absorption member, is fixed to the floor as a virtual wall VW (FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow A1, first, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b, and then the floor surface. The virtual wall VW is detected by the detection sensor 13a. The controller 54 recognizes the traveling direction A1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 from the difference in detection time between the sensors 13a and 13b (time difference in detection start timing), and the direction of the uncleaned region in the direction of the arrow A2 opposite to the arrow A1. The self-propelled cleaner 1 is run. The angle θ at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves away from the virtual wall VW may be associated with the angle at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 first intersects the virtual wall VW, or may be a certain angle (for example, 30 to 60 degrees). Degree).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow B1, the virtual wall VW is first detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13a. Subsequently, the virtual wall VW is detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13b. The control unit 54 recognizes the traveling direction B1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 from the difference in detection time between the sensors 13a and 13b, and the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves in the direction of the arrow B2 opposite to the arrow B1, that is, toward the uncleaned region. To run. Note that the angle θ at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves away from the virtual wall VW is determined in the same manner as in the case of FIG.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 crosses the virtual wall VW from the direction of the arrow C1, the virtual wall VW is detected simultaneously by the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b. . The controller 54 recognizes the traveling direction C1 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 because the difference in detection time between the sensors 13a and 13b is zero, and performs self-propelled cleaning in the direction of the arrow C2 or C3, that is, the direction of the uncleaned area. The machine 1 is run. Note that the angle θ at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 moves away from the virtual wall VW is determined in the same manner as in the case of FIG.

(Embodiment 4)
Control circuit of the floor detection sensor In this embodiment, the circuit of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 12, that is, the infrared absorbing member detection circuit is used as the control circuit of the floor detection sensors 13a and 13b.

In the fourth embodiment of the operation of the vacuum cleaner on the virtual wall , when the vacuum cleaner 1 encounters the virtual wall (infrared absorbing member), it performs an operation of leaning on the virtual wall.
In this embodiment, a graphite sheet (5 cm × 150 cm), which is an infrared absorbing member, is fixed to the floor surface as the virtual wall VW (FIG. 11) as in the third embodiment.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 (a), 11 (b), and 11 (c), when the cleaner 1 starts to intersect the virtual wall VW from the directions of arrows A1, B1, and C1, the floor detection sensor. The virtual wall VW is detected by 13a and 13b. The controller 54 recognizes the traveling directions A1, B1, C1 with respect to the virtual wall VW of the cleaner 1 from the detection time difference between the sensors 13a, 13b (detection start timing difference), and moves the cleaner 1 to the arrows A3, B3, C4 or The vehicle travels in the direction of C5, that is, in the direction of the uncleaned area while approaching the virtual wall VW. At this time, the control unit 54 makes sure that one of the floor surface detection sensors 13a and 13b is always on the virtual wall (graphite sheet) VW and the other is always on the outside of the virtual wall (graphite sheet) VW. The vacuum cleaner 1 is controlled.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the near wall can be efficiently cleaned by installing the virtual wall (graphite sheet) VW near the actual wall.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self-propelled cleaner 2 Case 4a Charging input terminal 4b Charging input terminals 13a and 13b Floor detection sensor 14 Battery 41a Output terminal 41b Output terminal 62 Power switch 63 Input unit 110 Infrared detection main sensors 111a to 111c Infrared detection Sub sensor 112 Ultrasonic distance sensor 113 Sensor module 114 Infrared light emitting element 116 Light receiving element F Floor surface

Claims (4)

A traveling unit that self-travels on the floor surface, the traveling unit irradiating the floor surface with infrared rays and detecting reflected light thereof, and cleaning for removing dust on the floor surface by suction A control unit that controls the traveling unit and the cleaning unit based on the output of the infrared sensor and the control program, and a control unit that controls the traveling unit and the cleaning unit based on the control program. When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors changes from the predetermined range within the predetermined range during the traveling of the traveling unit, the time difference between the timings at which the light intensity starts to change outside the range. The self-propelled cleaner is characterized in that the traveling unit travels in a direction corresponding to the determined time difference. When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is higher than the upper limit value of the predetermined range, the control unit recognizes that the light irradiation target of the first and second infrared sensors is an infrared reflecting member, The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference is a direction away from the infrared reflecting member. The controller recognizes that the light irradiation target of the first and second infrared sensors is an infrared absorbing member when the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is lower than the lower limit value of the predetermined range, The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference is a direction away from the infrared absorbing member. When the light intensity obtained from the first and second infrared sensors is changed from a predetermined range outside the predetermined range during traveling of the traveling unit, the control unit emits light from the first and second infrared sensors. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the object is recognized as an infrared reflecting or absorbing member, and the traveling direction of the traveling unit corresponding to the time difference is a direction close to the infrared reflecting or absorbing member. .

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