JP2019084094A - Autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner with which the cleaning area can be set as the user desires.SOLUTION: An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S has a floor surface distance-measuring sensor 16 on the undersurface thereof to detect downward or upward floor step difference. A range of an allowable/unallowable height of step difference to go over can be set as the user desires, by configuring the threshold of the floor surface distance-measuring sensor 16 to be settable. For example, the user sets the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S in autonomous operation in a room and wants the operation within the room. In this case, the user beforehand measures the smallest height among the step differences at the entrance of the room and can set a height less than the smallest height as a threshold. As a result, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is restrained from executing the control to go over the step at the entrance of the room, allowing the user to set the cleaning area (area confined to the room) as desired.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner.

  As a vacuum cleaner which cleans the floor where dust is falling, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner which drives autonomously is known. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner is desired to be able to clean one or more rooms uniformly, but there may be a level difference between the inside of the room and between the room, so it is overcome A configuration that can continue cleaning is required.

  Patent Document 1 can accurately detect whether or not the step D can get over the step D. Therefore, it is possible to accurately prevent that the step D is caught on the impossible step D which is impossible to get over, or can not be dropped to the step D which is impossible to get over. It is supposed that the vacuum cleaner 11 can be provided (0047).

JP 2014-226266 A

  Although the patent document 1 detects whether or not the level difference can be obtained by using the level difference sensor 21, when it is determined that the level difference can be obtained, it tries to reach the other side of the level difference. Since the boundary (threshold) for whether or not to go over the step is fixed, the range (cleanable area) where the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner can reach from the point where the autonomous drive (autonomous cleaning) is started However, there is a risk that it will be wider than the intention of the user. However, since the user may consider an area where the entry of the autonomous vacuum cleaner is not desired in the home etc., the cleaning area should be limited or expanded in accordance with the preference of the user. It is desirable to

  The present invention made in view of the above circumstances comprises a driving wheel for moving itself, and a floor distance measuring sensor capable of detecting a length to a floor surface with respect to a set threshold, and for the floor surface It is an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner which changes a course according to a detection result of a distance measurement sensor, and is characterized in that the threshold can be changed.

The perspective view which looked at an autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner concerning an embodiment of the present invention from left front. The bottom view of the autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner in an embodiment. AA sectional drawing of FIG. The perspective view which shows the internal structure which removed the case of the autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner in embodiment. The traveling locus of the autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner at the time of cleaning in an embodiment. The figure which shows the detailed operation | movement of in-situ rotation in embodiment. The figure which shows the speed change of the right wheel in in-situ rotation in embodiment. The figure which shows the turning movement in embodiment. The figure which shows the detailed operation | movement of turning in embodiment. The figure which shows the speed change of the right wheel in turning. The traveling locus of the autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner at the time of cleaning in an embodiment. The figure which shows the detail of wall wall traveling in embodiment. The figure which shows the speed change of the left wheel in turning in embodiment. Diagram showing step over in the embodiment

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the left front. In the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S, the side provided with the side brush 7 is forward, the vertically upward is upward, the driving wheels 2 and 3 are facing each other, and the driving wheel 2 is left , Drive wheel 3 side to the right. That is, as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner.

  The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is an electric device which automatically cleans a predetermined cleaning area (for example, floor Y of a room) while autonomously moving it.

  The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S includes a case 1 (1 u, 1 s) forming an outer shell, a pair of lower drive wheels 2 and 3 (see FIG. 2), and an auxiliary wheel 4. In addition, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S includes the rotary brush 5, the guide brush 6 and the side brush 7 at the lower part, and the distance measuring sensor 8 for front as an obstacle detecting means (FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4). See).

  The driving wheels 2 and 3 are wheels for moving the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S forward, backward, and turning by the rotation of the driving wheels 2 and 3 themselves. The drive wheels 2 and 3 are disposed on the left and right sides in the diameter direction, and are rotationally driven by wheel units 20 and 30 each configured by a traveling motor and a reduction gear. The auxiliary wheel 4 is a driven wheel and is a freely rotating caster. The driving wheels 2 and 3 are provided on the center side in the front-rear direction of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S and on the outside in the left-right direction, and the auxiliary wheel 4 is provided on the front side in the front-rear direction and at the center side in the left-right direction There is.

  The side brush 7 is provided on the front side of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S and on the outer side in the left and right direction, and the front outside region of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is It rotates to sweep in the direction from the outside to the inside, and collects dust on the floor surface on the central rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 2) side. The two guide brushes 6 are provided on the inner sides in the left-right direction with respect to the drive wheels 2 and 3 respectively, and guide the dust collected by the side brushes 7 so as not to escape from the width of the rotating brush 5 to the outside It is a brush.

  The rotating brush 5 is provided behind the drive wheels 2 and 3 of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S. The left and right direction positions of the left and right side end portions of the rotary brush 5 can be made inside the drive wheels 2 and 3 or inside the guide brush 6 respectively. For example, the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner S shown in the present embodiment has a body width and length of about 250 mm and a body height of about 90 mm.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration in which the case of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner is removed. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the dust collection case 12 is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S internally includes a rechargeable battery 9, a control device 10, a suction fan 11, and a dust collection case 12. The dust collection case 12 has a suction port 12i formed above the rotating brush 5 as an inlet. Further, the dust collection case 12 has a dust collection filter 13 attached to the outlet.

  The rechargeable battery 9 is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery which can be reused by charging, and is accommodated in the battery accommodating portion 1s6. The rechargeable battery 9 is disposed across the left and right ends of the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner S. The power from the rechargeable battery 9 is supplied to various obstacle detection means (8, 15, 16), the control device 10, the motors of the drive wheels 2, 3 and the various brushes (5, 7), the suction fan 11, etc. . The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S is generally controlled by the control device 10.

(Suction fan 11)
As shown in FIG. 4, the suction fan 11 is disposed near the center of the lower case 1s. In the air flow path by the suction fan 11, the dust collection case 12, the dust collection filter 13, the suction fan 11, and the exhaust port 1s5 (see FIG. 2) in order from the suction port 14 (see FIG. 3) toward the downstream side. Is provided. The exhaust port 1s5 is provided in front of the rotary brush 5 and inward in the left-right direction of the drive wheels 2 and 3. By driving the suction fan 11 (see FIG. 3), the air in the dust collection case 12 is discharged from the exhaust port 1s5 to the outside to generate a negative pressure, and dust is collected from the floor surface Y through the suction port 14 Inhale into the 12th.

  In the vicinity of the suction port 14, a rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 3) for scraping dust on the floor surface is provided. The suction fan 11 is disposed between the lower case 1 s and an elastic body (not shown). By interposing the elastic body, the vibration of the suction fan 11 is attenuated and hardly transmitted to the lower case 1s, so that the vibration and the noise can be reduced.

  When the suction fan 11 and the rotary brush motor 5m (see FIG. 4) are driven, dust such as a floor surface is scraped by the rotary brush 5 (see FIG. 3). The scraped dust is introduced into the dust collection case 12 through the suction port 14 and the suction port 12i. The air from which dust has been removed by the dust collection filter 13 is exhausted through the exhaust port 1s5 (see FIG. 2). The dust collection case 12 is removable by opening a lid 1 u 1 (see FIG. 1) provided on the upper case 1 u, and the dust collection filter 13 is removed to discard dust.

(Outline of operation of autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S)
The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S is autonomously moved by the driving wheels 2 and 3 and the auxiliary wheel 4 (see FIG. 2), and can move forward, reverse, turn left and right, turn around the corner, and the like. Then, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S collects dust collected by the side brush 7 and the guide brush 6 and adhering to the periphery of the rotating brush 5 by the suction force of the suction fan 11 through the suction port 14. The air is drawn into the dust collection case 12 from the suction port 12i at the inlet of the case 12 and retained in the dust collection case 12 by the dust collection filter 13 at the outlet.

  When dust is accumulated in the dust collection case 12, the user appropriately takes out the dust collection case 12 from the main body portion Sh, the dust collection filter 13 is removed, and the dust is discarded.

(Case 1)
The case 1 is a case which forms an outer shell and accommodates the wheel units 20 and 30, the rotating brush motor 5m, the suction fan 11, the dust collection case 12, the control device 10 and the like.

  The case 1 includes an upper case 1 u forming an upper wall, a lower case 1 s forming a bottom wall (and a partial side wall), and a bumper 1 b installed at the front lower portion of the case 1.

  The upper case 1 u is provided with a lid 1 u 1 (see FIG. 1) for taking in and out the dust collection case 12 (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the lower case 1s, a wheel unit housing portion 1s1, a side brush mounting portion 1s3, a suction portion 1s4, an exhaust port 1s5, and a battery housing portion 1s6 are formed.

  The wheel unit housing portion 1s1 is formed on the left and right sides of the lower case 1s which exhibits a substantially circular shape in a plan view of FIG.

  The wheel units 20 and 30 in which the drive wheels 2 and 3 are supported and driven are accommodated in the wheel unit accommodation portion 1s1.

  A plurality of exhaust ports 1s5 are formed in the vicinity of the center of the lower case 1s and at a position between the left and right wheel unit receiving portions 1s1.

  The battery housing portion 1s6 is formed on the front side of the center of the lower case 1s. A rechargeable battery 9 is housed in the battery housing portion 1s6. Side brush attachment portions 1s3 to which the side brushes 7 are attached are formed on the left and right of the battery housing portion 1s6.

  A suction portion 1s4 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the rear side of the lower case 1s, that is, on the rear side of the exhaust port 1s5 and the wheel unit storage portion 1s1.

  The bumper 1b (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is installed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction according to the force acting from the outside when colliding with an obstacle such as a wall. The bumper 1 b is biased outward by a pair of left and right bumper springs (not shown).

  When the acting force at the time of collision with an obstacle acts on the bumper spring through the bumper 1b, the bumper spring is deformed so as to fall inward in plan view and urges the bumper 1b outward while retracting the bumper 1b Tolerate. When the bumper 1b separates from the obstacle and the acting force described above disappears, the biasing force of the bumper spring restores the bumper 1b to the original position. Incidentally, the backward movement of the bumper 1b (that is, the contact with an obstacle) is detected by a bumper sensor 15 (see FIG. 4) described later, and the detection result is input to the control device 10.

(Suction part 1s4)
The suction portion 1 s 4 shown in FIG. 3 forms a part of a flow path of air including dust to be sucked by the suction fan 11. The flow passage downstream from the suction portion 1s4 communicates with the dust collection case 12, the dust collection filter 13, the suction fan 11, and the exhaust port 1s5 (see FIG. 2) in order.

  The rotary brush 5 for scraping dust is disposed in the suction portion 1s4, and a rotary brush motor 5m (see FIG. 4) for driving the rotary brush 5 is fixed. The suction portion 1 s 4 is formed with a suction port 14 for sucking the dust scraped by the rotating brush 5 into the dust collection case 12. The rotary brush 5 (see FIG. 2) has substantially the same length as the suction portion 1s4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the suction port 14 communicates with the suction port 12 i of the opening of the dust collection case 12, and dust is collected in the dust collection case 12 via the suction port 14 and the suction port 12 i.

  In the suction portion 1s4, a rotary brush housing portion 14b for housing the rotary brush 5 is formed in the lower case 1s, and the above-described rotary brush 5 is disposed in the rotary brush housing portion 14b. The rotating brush 5 is rotatably attached to the suction portion 1s4. The rotating brush 5 is removably attached to the suction portion 1s4.

(Dust collection case 12)
The dust collection case 12 shown in FIG. 3 is a container for collecting the dust sucked from the floor surface Y via the suction port 14 formed in the suction portion 1s4. The dust collection case 12 has substantially the same horizontal dimension as the rotating brush 5.

  The dust collection case 12 includes a main body that accommodates collected dust, a lid that enables the collected dust to be taken out, and a foldable handle on the upper part of the main body. The main body of the dust collection case 12 has a shape whose lower surface corresponds to the shape of the upper portion of the suction portion 1s4, and is provided with a suction port 12i having a substantially same opening shape facing the suction port 14. The lid faces the suction port of the suction fan 11 and includes the dust collection filter 13 described above.

(Obstacle detection means 8, 15, 16)
As an obstacle detection means, a bumper sensor 15 shown in FIG. 4, a distance measuring sensor 8 for the front, and a distance measuring sensor 16 for the floor are provided. The bumper sensor 15 is a sensor, for example, a photo coupler, which detects that the bumper 1 b (see FIG. 1) is in contact with an obstacle by the backward movement of the bumper 1 b. When an obstacle contacts the bumper 1b, the sensor light is blocked by the backward movement of the bumper 1b. A detection signal corresponding to this change is output to the control device 10.

The front distance measuring sensor 8 is a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to an obstacle using infrared light, and is disposed 5 to 15 mm inside from the surface of the bumper 1 b. The vicinity of the distance measurement sensor 8 of the bumper 1b is formed of resin or glass which transmits infrared light.
The front distance measuring sensor 8 detects reflected light of infrared light from an obstacle, and measures distance based on the intensity of the reflected light. If the intensity of the reflected light is strong, it is determined that it is near, and if it is weak, it is far. That is, the distance from the obstacle is not determined by the binary values of 0 and 1, but it is a distance measuring sensor which can determine the distance from the obstacle in multiple stages (analogically).
A total of five front distance measuring sensors 8 such as the front surface 8a, left side 8b, right side 8c, left front 8d between the front and left side, and right front 8e between the front and right side are provided. There is. In this embodiment, the distance measuring sensor can measure all five “distances” in a plurality of steps, but at least one of the left side surface 8 b and the right side surface 8 c can measure “distances” in a plurality of steps. It may be a distance sensor.
Note that visible light, ultraviolet light, or a laser may be used as the front distance measurement sensor 8. Further, instead of a distance measuring sensor of a type that measures the intensity of infrared light, it may be a type that measures a distance by sensing a light receiving position of reflected light or a type that measures a distance from a time when reflected light returns.

  The floor surface distance measuring sensor 16 shown in FIG. 2 is a distance measuring sensor using infrared rays to measure the distance to the floor surface, and has four positions (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) on the lower surface of the lower case 1s. Installed in When the floor distance measuring sensor 16 detects that the distance between the floor surface and the floor surface is equal to or greater than the threshold (the step is large), the course of the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner S is changed to obtain the distance from the step. It is possible to suppress the situation where the fall is suppressed or the situation where the head continues to go to the step that can not be overcome. The floor distance measuring sensor 16 is also capable of detecting a “down step” toward a position lower than the height at which the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is at present, and an “up step” moving toward a position higher than the current height. Detection is also possible. For example, when the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is moving forward, the downward level difference can be detected by detecting that the distance measurement sensor 16 for the floor surface in front is large in distance to the floor surface. In addition, since the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S is inclined to climb on the step, the distance measurement sensor 16 for the rear floor has a short distance to the floor surface, and the distance measurement for the front floor is also detected. This is possible by detecting that the distance between the sensor 16 and the floor surface is large (see FIG. 14). In the present embodiment, as the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner S changes the course, each of the downward and upward steps is expressed with an adjective such as “above the threshold”.

The setting of the threshold can be changed, and the control device 10 can appropriately change it during autonomous driving, or the user can change it through the operation button bu.
For example, when the threshold value is set to "normal", when the floor surface distance measuring sensor 16 detects a difference in height of about 30 mm (first floor surface threshold value) in front, the control device 10 (see FIG. 3) The drive wheels 2 and 3 are controlled to retract the main body portion Sh, and the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is changed. When the step height corresponding to the threshold is set to “low”, when a step having a height of, for example, 15 mm (second floor threshold) lower than about 30 mm is detected, the control device 10 controls the driving wheels 2 and 3. The main unit Sh is moved backward to change the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S.

(Control device 10)
The control device 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 is configured by mounting, for example, a microcomputer (Microcomputer) and peripheral circuits on a substrate. The microcomputer reads out a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands it in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to realize various processing. The peripheral circuit includes an A / D / D / A converter, drive circuits of various motors, a sensor circuit, a charging circuit of the rechargeable battery 9, and the like.

  The control device 10 executes arithmetic processing in accordance with the operation of the operation button bu by the user and signals input from various obstacle detection means (sensors 8, 15, 16), and various motors, suction fans 11, etc. Input and output signals.

(Auxiliary wheel 4)
The auxiliary wheel 4 shown in FIG. 2 is provided at the center in the left-right direction at the front of the lower case 1s. The auxiliary wheel 4 is a wheel for keeping the main body Sh at a predetermined height together with the driving wheels 2 and 3 to smoothly move the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S. The auxiliary wheel 4 is rotatably supported by the lower case 1 s so that the auxiliary wheel 4 is driven to rotate by a frictional force generated with the floor surface Y with the movement of the main body portion Sh and further rotates 360 ° in the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 5 shows a traveling locus at the time of cleaning. The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S travels in the room 50. The room 50 is surrounded by a wall 51, and there is a desk on the lower left side thereof, and the desk leg 55 is shown in FIG. A dotted line 52 in the room 50 indicates a traveling locus.

  The reflection travel is travel in which the traveling direction is changed when an obstacle is detected by the front distance measurement sensor 8 or the bumper sensor 15. The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S departs from P1 in the figure, and when it approaches the wall 51b of the room 50 which is an obstacle (P2), the traveling direction is turned by rotating in a counterclockwise direction (superfine turning). In other words, it shows a traveling locus as if it were reflected by the wall 51b.

After that, as the wall 51 is approached, the action of changing the traveling direction (the angle of the in-situ rotation is changed randomly) is repeated and approaches the desk leg 55a (P3). If it is determined that the obstacle is a thin (small) obstacle like the desk leg 55a, the main body is pivoted so as to go around the place very close to the obstacle, and the tip of the obstacle is further cleaned.
Then, it approaches the wall 51c, changes the traveling direction, approaches the wall 51a, changes the traveling direction, and approaches the desk leg 55c (P4). If it is determined that the obstacle is a thin (small) obstacle such as the desk leg 55c, the main body is moved so as to make one or more rounds in the vicinity of the obstacle.

  In the above, the turning distance (angle) is different between the case of approaching the desk leg 55a and the case of approaching 55c, but in the present embodiment it is changed randomly, but the detection frequency of thin obstacles The turning distance may be changed. When there are many thin obstacles, for example, there are multiple chairs under the table, it is preferable to make the turning distance longer and clean the floor also to clean the dirt around the legs of the chairs.

As described above, the autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner S rotates on the spot and turns around the obstacle, as well as going straight.
The detailed operation when rotating on the spot is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S in a simplified manner, showing only the main body Sh, the right driving wheel 2 and the left driving wheel 3, and P11 shows the front (head) of the main body Sh. Further, the broken line in the figure indicates the wheel position after the main body Sh rotates in place, and P12 indicates the position of the head of the main body after movement. FIG. 6 shows the case where the right wheel 2 is rotated in place counterclockwise, and the right wheel 2 is rotated forward and the left wheel 3 is rotated backward at substantially the same angular velocity. By making the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of rotation faster than the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of going straight, the rotational speed of the main body is increased to rotate in a short time.

  Specifically, FIG. 7 shows a change in angular velocity of the wheel (right side). The moving speed when going straight is 300 mm / s, and both the left and right wheels 2, 3 are rotating forward at about 510 deg / s (L1) (wheel diameter 68 mm), but when rotating the right wheel 2 is facing forward The left wheel 3 is rotated backward at about 630 deg / s (L2). The angular velocity of the wheel during rotation is approximately 1.2 times the angular velocity during straight ahead.

  In addition, as the movement of the main body Sh, the moving speed of the main body head P11 also moves faster than when going straight, and becomes about 550 mm / s when rotating.

  Thus, time can be shortened by making the wheel speed at the time of rotation approximately equal to or faster than the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of going straight. If the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of in-situ rotation is decelerated from the angular velocity of the wheel at the time of straight traveling, for example, when decelerating 35%, the time required to rotate the main body 150 degrees is about 1.2 seconds. When the angular velocity of the wheel is increased as in the embodiment, it takes about 0.6 seconds, and the time of about 0.6 seconds can be shortened. The number of reflections during one cleaning operation by the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is about 200, and the travel distance can be increased by about 36 m.

  Note that as shown in FIG. 7, the angular velocity during straight running and in-situ rotation is not constant depending on the condition of the floor surface, etc., and when going straight with time L1a to L1b, and during in-situ rotation L2a to L2b. The angular velocity L2b at the time of in-situ rotation is at least higher than L1a.

  Next, the angular velocity of the turning wheel will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows an operation of moving around an obstacle 61 narrower than the main body width as an example of the turning operation.

First, the main body approaches or contacts the obstacle 61 (solid line Sh1 in FIG. 8), and it is confirmed by the distance measurement sensor 8 and / or the bumper sensor 15 whether the obstacle 61 is on the left or right of the main body Sh1. In FIG. 8, it is on the left side of the main body Sh1, and in that case, it is rotated in place clockwise (arrow A). At this time, while monitoring the distance measuring sensor 8, the obstacle 61 is rotated in place until the obstacle 61 is located on the side of the main body. Then, it turns counterclockwise about a point outside the outer periphery of the main body as a rotation center (arrow B).
FIG. 9 schematically shows the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S at the time of turning, showing only the main body Sh, the right driving wheel 2 and the left driving wheel 3, and P21 shows the front (head) of the main body Sh. ing. Further, the broken line in the figure indicates the main body and the wheel position after turning, and P22 indicates the position of the head of the main body Sh after movement. When turning counterclockwise, the left and right wheels are rotated forward, but the right wheel 2 is rotated at a higher angular velocity than the left wheel 3.

  The distance to the obstacle is grasped by the distance measuring sensor 8 provided on the side surface of the main body, the turning radius (turning radius) R at the time of turning is determined, and the angular velocity of the left and right wheels is controlled based on the turning radius. At this time, the turning radius R is set so that the gap between the obstacle 61 and the outer surface of the main body Sh is about 5 mm.

When turning based on the turning radius R, the time required for turning is shortened by making the angular velocity of the wheel opposite to the turning direction (right wheel 2 in FIG. 9) faster than the angular velocity of the right wheel when going straight. Let
Specifically, the moving speed of the head of the main body at the time of turning is made substantially equal to or faster than the moving speed of the head of the main body at the time of straight traveling. The moving speed at the head of the main body at the time of turning was set to 320 mm / s while the moving speed at the head of the main body at the time of straight traveling was 300 mm / s. The distance from the rotation center O to the wheel on the opposite side to the turning direction (right wheel 2) is almost the same as or slightly shorter than the distance from the rotation center O to the head P21, and the moving speed of the right wheel 2 is also about 320 mm / s It is.

  The change of the angular velocity of the wheel 2 on the right side is shown in FIG. The angular velocity of the right wheel 2 at the time of turning is rotated at about 540 deg / s (L4) (wheel diameter 68 mm), and is faster than the angular velocity of the wheel at about 510 deg / s (L1) when traveling straight.

  It can be understood that the time can be significantly reduced compared to the case where the moving speed at the time of turning is decelerated (about 150 mm / s) with respect to the moving speed (about 310 mm / s) when going straight as shown in FIG. 10B. . In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the angular velocities at the time of going straight and turning are not constant depending on the state of the floor surface, etc., and go up and down in the range of L1a to L1b when going straight and L4a to L4b at the time of turning, The angular velocity L4b during turning is at least as high as L1a.

  However, if the obstacle is touched while the moving speed of the main body Sh at the time of in-situ rotation and turning is increased, there is a possibility that the obstacle may be subjected to a large impact. Therefore, it is desirable to detect an obstacle in the vicinity of the main body Sh using the distance measuring sensor 8 provided from the front to the side of the main body Sh. When the main body approaches an obstacle during in-situ rotation and turning, it can be stopped or decelerated so as not to touch the obstacle or to weaken the impact at the time of contact.

Although the case where the left and right wheels rotate in the forward direction is described as the turning operation in the present embodiment, the same applies to turning with one of the wheels stopped and turning with one side slowly counter-rotated.
In addition, as operation | movement at the time of turning, you may turn with a predetermined | prescribed rotation radius, without grasping | ascertaining the distance to an obstruction with the ranging sensor 8 provided in the side of the main body. In addition, as the operation at the time of turning, while the distance to the obstacle is grasped from time to time by the distance measuring sensor provided on the side surface of the main body, turning may be performed while changing the turning radius each time.

  The wall traveling is performed so as to maintain a distance of about 10 mm from the wall 51 by using a distance measuring sensor 8 provided on the side of the main body. The moving speed of the main body Sh at the time of this wall traveling is made substantially equal to or faster than the speed at the time of straight traveling during the reflection traveling.

  The ideal for traveling on a wall is to go straight in parallel with the wall 51 as shown by the broken line C in FIG. 12, but in practice it may come close to the wall 51 or be separated from the wall 51 as shown by the solid arrow line D in FIG. , Meandering. This is because the distance to the wall 51 is measured by the distance measurement sensor 8, and travel control is performed so as to move away from the wall 51 so as to move away from the wall 51. When approaching the wall 51 or moving away from the wall 51, the angular velocities of the left and right wheels 2 and 3 are made different. When the main body Sh is brought close to the left wall 51 of the main body Sh, the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is made faster than the angular velocity of the left wheel 3. When the body Sh is moved away from the wall 51, the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is made faster than the angular velocity of the right wheel 2.

  FIG. 13 shows the change in angular velocity of the left wheel 3. As in the embodiment, when the main body Sh goes straight at 300 mm / s, both the left and right wheels 2 and 3 rotate forward at about 510 deg / s (L1). When it moves to the vicinity of the wall 51, the rotation of the left and right wheels 2 and 3 is stopped, and then it is rotated there to turn the wall 51 and the main body advancing direction substantially parallel. From that state, it shifts to the wall running.

  When the main body Sh is separated from the wall 51 by about 10 mm, which is the target value, the left and right wheels 2, 3 are both rotated forward at about 510 deg / s (V1 in FIG. 13). If it is slightly closer than 10 mm from the wall (if 5 mm or more and less than 10 mm from the wall), rotate the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 at 495 deg / s and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 at 525 deg / s (V2 in FIG. 13) Gently move away from the wall 51 with a turning radius of about 1500 mm. The moving speed at the beginning of the main body Sh at this time is about 300 mm / s, which is almost the same speed as when traveling straight.

  If the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is 525 deg / s and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is 495 deg / s (V3 in FIG. 13), the wall 51 is gently moved to a wall 51 of about 1500 mm. Get close. Also in this case, the moving speed at the beginning of the main body Sh is about 300 mm / s, which is substantially the same as when traveling straight.

  If it is closer to the wall 51 (if it is less than 5 mm from the wall), the angular velocity of the right wheel 2 is rotated at 440 deg / s, and the angular velocity of the left wheel 3 is rotated at 580 deg / s (V4 in FIG. 13). Rapidly move away from the wall 51 by about 300 mm. The moving speed at the beginning of the main body Sh at this time is about 330 mm / s, which is higher than when traveling straight.

In this manner, by setting the angular velocity of at least one of the wheels at the time of turning of the wall traveling controlled so as to keep the distance from the wall constant higher than at the time of straight traveling It can move at speed. As a result, it is possible to travel without lowering the speed than when going straight, and it is possible to prevent the traveling distance from being shortened and to reduce the area of the unpassed area.
In addition, by using the distance measuring sensor 8 as described above, the movement (turning radius) is changed according to the distance between the wall 51 and the main body Sh, thereby preventing contact with the wall even when traveling at a high speed. be able to.
Moreover, although the autonomous travel type vacuum cleaner of this embodiment was shown by substantially circular shape, it may not be substantially circular.
As described above, the traveling distance can be increased by making the angular velocity of at least one of the wheels at the time of in-situ rotation, turning, or wall traveling almost equal to or higher than the angular velocity of the wheels at straight traveling. A large area can be cleaned, and the area of the unpassed area can be reduced.

<< Step height selection >>
The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S can detect the downward step and the upward step using the floor distance measuring sensor 16 as described above. By configuring the threshold value of the floor surface distance measuring sensor 16 to be changeable, it is possible to set the permitted / not permitted range according to the user's preference.

  For example, when the user places the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S in a certain room and autonomously drives it, it is assumed that the user does not want to leave the room. In this case, the user can measure, for example, the lowest height among the height differences of the entrance of the room in advance, and can set the height below this height as a threshold. Then, since the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is suppressed from executing control that exceeds the level difference at the entrance and exit of this room, it is possible to define a cleaning area (an area limited to this room) desired by the user.

  Also, as the floor distance measuring sensor 16, a sensor capable of acquiring the distance to the floor (for example, PSD) instead of the indistinguishable sensor limited to two steps in which the distance to the floor is less than or equal to the threshold If a sensor is employed, the heights that permit climbing (falling) steps may be distinguished by providing a plurality of threshold values. For example, it is assumed that a user who places the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S in a certain room wants to clean the entire area of the room excluding high-quality carpets. And this room is a substantially horizontal flooring (a height of 0 mm), the minimum height difference at the entrance of the room is 30 mm (+30 mm or -30 mm, the first floor threshold), and the carpet edge is +10 mm ( It is assumed that it is the second floor threshold). In such a situation, the user disallows crossing the step less than the second floor threshold, and further exceeds the step from the second floor threshold to the first floor threshold. It is possible to permit to disallow exceeding the level difference equal to or more than the first floor threshold value. In this way, it is possible to finely set the level difference which permits / disallows entry.

  In addition, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S can hold information on the height that can be overcome based on its own mechanical structure and maximum speed. The floor distance measuring sensor 16 determines the presence of a step by determining the distance deviated from the height 0, with the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner S placed on a substantially horizontal floor surface, ing. Then, if there is a hair which is implanted and extends from the floor surface, for example, as in a carpet with a long haired foot, this hair may be determined as a step. For this reason, when the operation is started from a carpet or the like, there is a possibility that the floor distance measuring sensor 16 may react to change the course or stop the operation. This risk increases, especially if the lower height is set to disallow entry. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a predetermined time immediately after the start of operation (for example, 5 seconds) is a predetermined threshold (for example, determined by the manufacturer of the autonomous vacuum cleaner S) without reference to the set threshold. By traveling, the operation stop immediately after the start of the operation was suppressed while maintaining the original safety. Since it is preferable that this threshold value is close to the maximum height that the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S can get over, it is referred to as the maximum threshold value.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the means for detecting the level difference may not be the floor distance measuring sensor 16. In addition, a configuration may be used in which the height over the step height is changed using a smartphone by a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a configuration in which the suction brush 5 and the rotating brush 7 are not provided.

2, 3 Drive wheel 5 Rotating brush 8 Front distance measuring sensor (obstacle detection means)
9 rechargeable battery 11 suction fan 12 dust collection case 14 suction port 15 bumper sensor (obstacle detection means)
16 Floor Range Ranging Sensor (Obstacle Detection Means)
S Autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner Sh Main body (non-rotating part, vehicle body)

Claims (4)

Drive wheels to move themselves,
A floor distance measuring sensor capable of detecting the distance between the floor surface and a set threshold value;
It is an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner which changes a course according to a detection result of the distance measurement sensor for the floor,
An autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner characterized in that the threshold value can be changed.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the threshold is changeable by a user.   The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the threshold values can be set, and entry permission and non-permission can be set according to the respective threshold values.   The autonomous traveling type electric cleaning according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner operates at the maximum threshold regardless of the setting of the threshold for a predetermined time after starting the autonomous driving. Machine.

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