JP2020039456A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of efficiently capturing dust while suppressing power consumption.SOLUTION: A self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust sensor unit increases input of an electric blower when an amount of dust is small and a reaction of the dust sensor unit is low, and executes travel control so as to predominantly pass through a region where there is a large amount of dust when an amount of dust is large and a reaction of the dust sensor unit is high. Furthermore, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner executes control to read floor quality like a carpet in which it is difficult to capture dust by a load of a rotary brush motor, and increase input of the electric blower when the load is increased by a certain value or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 31

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner and its operation.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a vacuum cleaner that stores dust sucked through a suction port in a dust case, a vacuum cleaner that forms a structure connecting the suction port and the dust case is known. A sensor for detecting the amount of dust may be provided in this structure.

  Patent Document 1 relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, in which a suction nozzle 9 provided with a dust sensor 17 extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and connects a suction port 9a to a dust box 10 (FIG. 1).

  Patent Document 2 relates to a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner, and measures dust using a sensor provided in a part of a suction pipe (FIG. 5).

  Patent Document 3 relates to a vacuum cleaner, and includes a photointerrupter for detecting dust passing through a suction port (paragraph 0008, FIG. 1).

JP 2005-213365 Public Relations JP-A-64-2618 JP-A-2000-60782

    In a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, it is necessary to efficiently remove garbage due to the limitation of a battery which is an energy source.

  In Patent Document 1, an operation of moving in a spiral state after dust is detected by a dust detection sensor is performed, and it takes time to complete the operation. For this reason, the battery may be excessively consumed and the entire room may not be cleaned.

  In Patent Document 2, when the dust detection sensor does not react for a certain period of time, it is determined that there is no dust in the cleaning area, and the direction is changed so as to operate to another place. If not, it is determined that the cleaning surface has become clean and cleaning is completed. For this reason, there is a possibility that the cleaning may be completed if the user stays in a complicated area (a place where it is difficult to move out) for a long time during the cleaning.

  Patent Document 3 discloses that after detecting the amount equal to or more than the first set amount of waste and detecting that the amount is equal to or less than the second set amount of waste, the vehicle is caused to make a 180 ° change of direction and to turn around the area with a large amount of dust for cleaning. If the first set amount of waste is not detected after a certain period of time or after a certain distance or after a change, the vehicle returns to the point where the first turn was made. Considering that, since other parameters such as the output of the electric blower are not optimized, it cannot be said that the efficiency is high.

  The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a rotary brush driven by a rotary brush motor, a suction port having a suction port, and an electric blower that generates a suction pressure by generating a negative pressure. And a dust case having a main storage portion, and a part or all of a path from the suction port to the main storage portion is surrounded by a duct integrated with the dust case, and the suction portion is A dust sensor having a suction port duct forming a part of a path from the suction port to the main storage section, and a dust sensor separate from the dust case and the suction port along a path from the suction port to the main storage section. When the dust sensor unit responds to a certain amount of dust by disposing the unit, the rotation speed of the electric brush increases and the suction force increases.In a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the rotation of the rotating brush according to the rotation speed of the electric fan is increased. The number will rise The features.

  Alternatively, the suction device includes a rotary brush driven by a rotary brush motor, a suction unit having a suction port, an electric blower that generates a negative pressure and generates a suction force, and a dust case having a main storage unit. Part or all of the path from the mouth to the main storage section is surrounded by a duct integrated with the dust case, and the suction port forms a part of the path from the suction port to the main storage section. The dust case and the dust sensor unit that is separate from the suction port are disposed on the path from the suction port to the main storage unit, and the dust sensor unit reacts to a certain amount of dust. Then, in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner in which the rotation speed of the electric blower increases and the suction force increases, the rotation speed of the rotating brush increases in accordance with the rotation speed of the electric blower, and the response of the sensor unit further increases. If, inverted 180 degrees with a small radius, performs substantially the same dimension of the straight running and the body, and rotated 180 degrees and then a large radius, and performs substantially the same dimension of the straight running and the body.

  Further, when the load of the rotating brush motor becomes equal to or more than a certain value, the rotating speed of the electric blower increases and the rotating speed of the rotating brush also increases.

It is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner concerning Embodiment 1. It is a perspective view in the state where the upper case and the dust case of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to Embodiment 1 were removed. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner concerning Embodiment 1. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a suction port, a dust sensor unit, and a dust case of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a suction port, a dust sensor unit, and a dust case of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. It is a front view of the dust sensor unit of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to Embodiment 1. It is a side view of the dust sensor unit of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to Embodiment 1. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is DD sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view of the dust case in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body concerning Embodiment 1. It is a perspective view of the dust case in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body concerning Embodiment 1. It is a perspective view including the area | region where a dust case is mounted in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner main body which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5. It is a perspective view including a prop storage part and a prop according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the main body to which the dust case according to the first embodiment is attached. It is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner from which the upper case concerning Embodiment 1 was removed. It is EE sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotating brush according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an auxiliary wheel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where the airtight member according to the first embodiment is removed from a main body. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the airtight member according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the apparatus connected to a control apparatus. It is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner from which the upper case concerning Embodiment 2 was removed. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner with the switch sheet further removed from the state of FIG. 25. Front perspective view of the switch sheet 22 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the switch sheet 22 according to the second embodiment. It is a perspective view of the side brush concerning Embodiment 3. It is a side view when the side brush which concerns on Embodiment 3 is bending. It is an operation | movement diagram of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner main body when the dust sensor unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 reacted. It is the figure which showed the suction force of the electric blower of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the floor surface and the kind of garbage which concerns on Embodiment 1.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated. Various components of the present invention do not necessarily need to be configured by one member, for example, that one component is configured by a plurality of members, and that a plurality of components is configured by a single member , Allow a part of one component and a part of another component to overlap with each other.

  In the direction in which the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 (see FIG. 1) travels, the direction in which the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 normally travels is forward, the direction opposite to the direction of gravity is upward, and the drive wheel 116 (FIG. 3) are leftward and rightward. That is, front and rear, up and down, left and right are defined as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, a side brush 15 is attached to the front side of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1.

<First embodiment>
[Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment.
The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves and cleans a cleaning area (for example, a room). The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 includes an upper case 111 serving as an upper wall (and some side walls), a lower case 112 serving as a bottom wall (and some side walls), and a bumper 18 installed in a front part. The main body 11 includes and includes. On the upper case 111, a switch sheet 22 and a circular operation button 221 and an annular operation button 222 as operation buttons for giving a command to the control unit 2 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 by a user are arranged.

  A dust case 4 is provided on the upper and rear sides of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment autonomously drives and cleans the driving wheels 116 by the arithmetic processing of the control device 2, but may be driven by receiving a user's command from a remote controller or the like.

[Lower case 112]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state where the upper case 111 and the dust case 4 are removed, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the suction port 113, the dust sensor unit 12, and the dust case 4.
The lower case 112 includes a drive mechanism housing section 114 that houses a drive mechanism including a drive wheel 116, a travel motor 1161, an arm 1141, and a reduction mechanism 1142, and a side brush attachment section 1121, a travel motor 1161, It is a thin disk-shaped member to which the brush motor 1133, the electric blower 16, the rechargeable battery 19, the battery accommodating portion 115 (see FIG. 4) for accommodating the rechargeable battery 19, the control device 2, and the suction port 113 are attached. .

  The lower case 112 has a bumper frame 1127 provided on the entire periphery or substantially the entire periphery including the lower end of the side surface, preferably the lower end. The bumper frame 1127 is formed of a material that is softer than a member that forms the other portion of the side surface, and can employ, for example, a resin material such as an elastomer. In addition, the bumper frame 1127 protrudes from the other portion of the side surface, for example, the outer peripheral side with respect to the bumper 18. Thereby, even if self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 collides with furniture etc., it can control that furniture etc. are damaged.

  In addition, since the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner 1 mainly advances, the front side surface is likely to collide with furniture or the like. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the bumper frame 1127 including the front side of the side surface.

(Balance of self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1)
Among the members provided in the main body 11, those which are relatively heavy are the rechargeable battery 19 and the electric blower 16. The rechargeable battery 19 is often heavier than the electric blower 16. In order to balance the weight of the main body 11 of the present embodiment, first, the electric blower 16 is provided substantially at the center of the lower case 112, and the rechargeable battery 19 is provided on the front side.

  Here, on the rear side of the center of the lower case 112, there are provided a suction port 113 accommodating the rotating brush 14, and a scraping brush 13. Since the electric blower 16 is located on the center side (between the two drive wheels 116) and the rechargeable battery 19 is located on the front side, it is preferable to install a heavy load on the rear side to achieve balance. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a weight is fixed to the inner periphery of the scraping brush 13 by sticking or the like (not shown). Thereby, the dead space in the scraping brush 13 can be effectively used. In the present embodiment, since the scraping brush 13 is located farther from the center than the rotating brush 14, it is preferable to provide a weight here. Of course, a weight may be provided in the rotating brush 14. Further, it is preferable that the weight is provided at the center of the main body 11 in the left-right direction from the viewpoint of the balance between the left and right.

(Projection of lower case 112)
In the lower case 112, at least a part of a rear projection 1123, which is a convex portion provided on the bottom surface of the lower case 112, is provided on each of the outer sides in the left and right direction of the rotating brush 14 (externally right outer side and outer right right side). At least a part of each of the rear projections 1123 is also located immediately behind the drive wheel 116.

  Further, a central front projection 1124 and a central rear projection 1125 are provided in a central area of the lower case 112 corresponding to an area between the two drive wheels 116. The center front protrusion 1124 is a convex portion located on the front end side of the drive wheel 116 in the front-rear direction and on the center side of the lower case 112 in the left-right direction. The central rear projection 1125 is a projection extending in the front-rear direction on the rear side of the central front projection 1124.

  In the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, the rear end of the drive wheel 116 and the outer end of the rotating brush 14 are close to each other. Specifically, the distance from the left and right inner portions of the rear end of the drive wheel 116 to the left and right outer portions of the front end of the rotating brush 14 is, for example, 20 mm or less from the viewpoint of miniaturization. The rotating brush 14 and / or an airtight member 118 to be described later protrude from the lower case 112 to be close to the floor surface and facilitate dust suction, and the drive wheel 116 similarly protrudes to contact the floor surface. . Therefore, an obstacle is present in a region between the two drive wheels 116 (the center region where the protrusion 1124 and the protrusion 1125 are provided) and a region behind the drive wheel 116 (the region where the protrusion 1123 is provided). If it does, it may fit between the driving wheel 116 and the rotating brush 14 and hinder the driving of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. In order to suppress such a situation, the projections 1123, 1124, and 1125 are provided. Each of the projections 1123, 1124, and 1125 is a projection that is adjusted to be separated from the floor surface at least while the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is traveling on at least a flat floor surface.

[Drive mechanism housing section 114]
The drive mechanism housed in the drive mechanism housing section 114 shown in FIG. 3 and the like is a mechanism that supports the drive wheels 116 on the main body 11. The drive mechanism includes a traveling motor 1161, an arm 1141 that supports the drive wheels 116 from the left and right inside, and a speed reduction mechanism 1142. The arm 1141 is provided between the two drive wheels 116, one end is a rotating shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and the other end is a member connected to the drive wheel 116. It is a member that can rotate each of the drive wheels 116. Each of the rotation shafts is located between the two drive wheels 116, in particular, in the present embodiment, between each of the drive wheels 116 and the center protrusion 1124 and the protrusion 1125.

[Battery accommodating section 115]
As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the battery accommodating portion 115 is a space for accommodating the rechargeable battery 19 therein, and is located forward of the center of the lower case 112. The battery housing 115 has a downward opening for replacing the rechargeable battery 19. It should be noted that side brush mounting portions 1121 for mounting the side brushes 15 are formed on the left and right sides of the battery housing portion 115.

[Drive wheel 116]
As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, each of the drive wheels 116 is a member that receives a driving force of each of the traveling motors 1161 via each of the speed reduction mechanisms 1142. Thus, the main body 11 can be moved forward, backward, and turned by rotating the drive wheel 116 itself. The drive wheels 116 are arranged on both left and right sides.

[Front lid 117]
As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the front lid 117 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member that closes the opening of the battery housing 115 (see FIG. 4) formed on the front end side of the lower case 112 from the lower surface of the lower case 112. The front cover 117 includes a circular auxiliary wheel mounting portion 1122 for mounting the auxiliary wheel 17 near the center of the lower case 112.

[Auxiliary wheel 17]
FIG. 21 is an enlarged perspective view of the auxiliary wheel 17. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 20, the auxiliary wheel 17 is an auxiliary wheel for moving the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 smoothly while separating the lower case 112 from the floor surface. Is provided. The auxiliary wheel 17 is supported by a fixed shaft 173 so as to be driven and rotated by a frictional force generated between the auxiliary wheel 17 and the floor surface with the movement of the main body 11 by the driving wheel 116. The auxiliary wheel 17 includes a substantially circular ground wheel 171 and a disk portion 172 that are rotatably provided around a fixed shaft 173 as a rotation axis. The grounding wheel 171 rotates in contact with the floor surface as the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 travels. The disk portion 172 is adjacent to the grounding wheel 171 and has a smaller diameter than the grounding wheel 171 and a larger diameter than the fixed shaft 173. When the hair debris or the like adheres to the grounding wheel 171 as the grounding wheel 171 rotates, the hair debris or the like may turn around the fixed shaft 173 and become entangled with the fixed shaft 173. At this time, since the disk portion 172 is adjacent to the grounding wheel 171, hair dust and the like are easily entangled with the disk portion 172 instead of the fixed shaft 173. For this reason, by rotating the disk portion 172 around the fixed shaft 173, hair dust can be relatively easily removed.

  The auxiliary wheel 17 is configured to be rotatable 360 ° in the horizontal direction. The auxiliary wheel 17 shown in FIG. 3 is provided at the center in the left-right direction in front of the main body 11 and is attached to the auxiliary wheel attachment portion 1122.

  Note that the grounding wheel 17 may be replaced with a driven roller 1186 described later, and a configuration similar to that of the disk portion 172 may be provided on the airtight member 118.

[Bumper 18]
The bumper 18 is installed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, preferably in the left-right direction, according to the pressing force acting from the outside. The bumper 18 is urged forward by a pair of left and right bumper springs (not shown). When a drag from an obstacle acts on the bumper spring via the bumper 18, the bumper spring deforms and allows the bumper 18 to retract while urging the bumper 18 forward. When the bumper 18 separates from the obstacle and loses its resistance, the biasing force of the bumper spring returns the bumper 18 to its original position. Incidentally, retreat of the bumper 18 (that is, contact with an obstacle) is detected by a bumper sensor (infrared sensor), and the detection result is input to the control device 2. Since the amount of displacement of the bumper 18 varies depending on the contact position of an obstacle or the like, the position of the obstacle or the like with respect to the main body 11 can be detected.

[Scraping brush 13]
The scraping brush 13 is a brush having a flocking on part or substantially the entire surface and having an axis in a direction substantially parallel to a rotating brush 14 described later. In the present embodiment, the scraping brush 13 is driven or rotated by contact with the floor surface. I do. In the case of rotation, a rotation range is regulated by providing a stopper or the like. When the flooring (between the plates) is to be cleaned, the tip position of the flocking of the scraping brush 13 is preferably such that the tip is separated from the floor surface by about 0.5 mm. Further, it is preferable that the position of the flocking of the scraping brush 13 overlaps the bristles of the carpet when cleaning the carpet. Therefore, the scraping brush 13 can collect the dust so as to scrape out the dust from the carpet surface.

  When the scraping brush 13 is used in a mode in which it is provided with a stopper and rotates, a predetermined area can be kept in contact with the floor surface and dust can be scraped out. At this time, it is preferable that the area of the scraping brush 13 that is to be kept in contact with the floor surface has a flat shape. That is, the shape of the scraping brush 13 is, in the axial direction, a shape in which a part of the cylindrical shape is replaced with a flat plane (for example, a shape in which a part of a circle is cut by a chord, or a substantially half-moon shape). It is preferred that there is.

[Rotating brush 14]
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the rotating brush 14. The rotating brush 14 is arranged substantially parallel to an axis (left-right direction) passing through the center of rotation of the driving wheel 116 (see FIG. 3). The rotating brush 14 has a cylindrical shape having a rotation axis in a horizontal direction (left and right direction in the present embodiment), and is rotatably supported by the mouth portion 113. The rotating brush 14 is driven to rotate by receiving a driving force from a rotating brush motor 1133 (see FIG. 2). The rotating brush 14 includes a plurality of bristles 142 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 141 in the normal direction. The flocking 142 of the rotating brush 14 includes a plurality of types of flocking such as a flocking having a different length and a flocking having a different hardness, and each flocking is arranged so as to form a spiral line with respect to the rotation axis (FIG. 20).

  A nonwoven fabric 143 is provided adjacent to each of the flocking 142. Each of the nonwoven fabrics 143 shares a root with each of the flocking 142. When the rotating brush 14 is rotated by the rotating brush motor 1133, the nonwoven fabric 143 adjacent to the flocking 142, for example, in the present embodiment, each of the nonwoven fabric 143 and the nonwoven fabric 143 has the same root. 143 is arranged to be in contact with the floor surface. Thereby, the hair debris and the like existing on the floor surface comes into contact with the nonwoven fabric 143 first, and thus the hair litter and the like are suppressed from being entangled in the flock 142. The nonwoven fabric 143 has one or more slits 1431 extending in the radial direction. Thereby, the twist of the nonwoven fabric can be suppressed.

  Note that a configuration in which a blade member made of an elastic material such as rubber is spirally arranged between the flocking 142 arranged in a spiral shape may be added, and may be appropriately changed. The dust brushed up by the rotating brush 14 passes through the opening 17 and is stored in the dust case 4. Further, in order to prevent the flocking 142, the non-woven fabric 143, or the blade member from contacting the bridging portion 1181 of the airtight member 118 described later, a part of these may be shortened or a notch may be provided.

[Airtight member 118]
FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view in a state where the airtight member 118 is removed from the main body 11, and FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of the airtight member 118.
An airtight member 118 is attached to a portion located below the rotating brush 14. The airtight member 118 includes a bridging portion 1181 provided in an area below the rotary brush 14 in the front-rear direction, a swing shaft 1182 extending in the left-right direction, and the rotary brush 14 in a bottom view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. 1183, a removing claw 1184 used for removing the airtight member 118, an urging portion 1185 for urging the bridge portion 1181 and the frame 1183 downward, and a driven roller 1186.

  The airtight member 118 is a member that swings separately from the suction opening 113 and the rotating brush 14, and is urged downward by the urging portion 1185. For this reason, the airtight member 118 moves up and down as the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 runs on a step. Thereby, the position where the airtight member 118 is close to or in contact with the floor surface is maintained, so that the airtightness can be improved. In addition, since the airtight member 118 swings separately from the mouth portion 113 and the rotating brush 14, it is not necessary to provide a swing space for the mouth portion 113 in the main body 11, which contributes to downsizing of the main body 11.

  The swing shaft 1182 of this embodiment is provided coaxially with the scraping brush 13, and the scraping brush 13 can be attached to the swing shaft 1182. Thereby, when the airtight member 118 and the scraping brush 13 are provided together, the installation space can be reduced, which contributes to downsizing of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. The swing shaft 118 is provided on the rear end side of the airtight member 118.

  The detaching claw 1184 is attached to the left and right sides of the airtight member 118, and can be detached from the main body 11 by moving in the left and right direction (in this embodiment, inward in the left and right direction). . Since the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 mainly moves in the front-rear direction, it can be removed by moving the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 in the left-right direction in this way, so that the airtight member 118 can be prevented from falling off from the main body 11 during traveling. .

  The urging portion 1185 is provided on the back side of the airtight member 118, and is, for example, a spring-like member that can urge the frame portion 1183 and its vicinity downward. The airtight member 118 is urged by the urging unit 1185 so as to come into contact with the floor surface while the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is traveling. Thereby, since the airtightness around the rotating brush 14 can be improved, the dust collection efficiency can be improved.

  The driven rollers 1186 are provided on the left and right outer portions of the airtight member 118, respectively, come into contact with the floor surface as the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 runs, and can support the airtight member 118. Thereby, even if the airtight member 118 is urged downward, frictional resistance with the floor surface can be suppressed, and energy loss and damage to the floor surface can be suppressed. In addition, since the driven roller 1186 is located on the opposite side of the auxiliary wheel 17 via the driving wheel 116 in the front-rear direction, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is effectively supported by these three components. Can be.

[Side brush 15]
The side brush 15 illustrated in FIG. 3 and the like is a brush that is located outside the main body 11 such as a corner of a room and guides dust in a place where the rotating brush 14 is not easy to reach to the suction port 113 (suction port 1131). It is. The rotation axis of the side brush 15 is a vertical direction, and a part of the side brush 15 is exposed from the main body 11 in a plan view. The side brushes 15 include three bundles of brushes extending radially at 120 ° intervals in a plan view, and are disposed on the front left and right sides of the lower case 112, respectively. The root of the side brush 15 is fixed to the side brush holder 151.

  In each of the side brushes 15, the side brush holder 151 side (root side) is a root elastic portion 153 having flexibility such as an elastomer, and the tip side is a brush portion 154 having, for example, a brush. In the present embodiment, the side brush holder 151 and the root elastic portion 153 forming the rotation shaft (hub) of the side brush 15 are integrally formed. By making the base of the side brush 15 an elastic body such as the base elastic part 153, the brush part 154 is less likely to bend as compared with the configuration in which the brush part 154 extends from the base to the tip. Can be improved in durability.

  The flocking of the side brush 15 is inclined so as to approach the floor as approaching the tip, and the vicinity of the tip is in contact with the floor.

  The side brush holder 151 is installed near the bottom surface of the lower case 112, and is connected to the side brush motor 152 (see FIG. 2). When the side brush motor 152 is driven, the side brush 15 rotates inward (in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3), and collects dust at the suction port 1131.

[Electric blower 16]
The electric blower 16 shown in FIG. 4 has a fan having a shaft in the front-rear direction, and when the fan is driven to rotate, the air in the dust case 4 is discharged to the outside to generate a negative pressure, and a suction port is provided from the floor surface. It has a function of sucking dust through 1131 (suction part 113). An elastic body 161 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric blower 16. By interposing the elastic body in this manner, the vibration of the electric blower 16 is attenuated and hardly transmitted to the main body 11, and the vibration and noise of the main body 11 can be reduced. In this embodiment, the electric blower 16 is arranged near the center of the lower case 112.

[Suction part 113]
6 is an exploded perspective view of the suction port 113, the dust sensor unit 12, and the dust case 4, FIG. 7 is a front view of the dust sensor unit 12, and FIG. 8 is a right side view of the dust sensor unit 12.
The suction port 113 is a member that has a suction port 1131 communicating with the dust case 4 and accommodates the scraping brush 13 and the rotating brush 14. The rotary brush motor 1133 may be attached to the suction port 113. The upstream side (the rotating brush 14 side) of the suction port 1131 is a space in which the rotating brush 14 is stored, and has a larger sectional area than the suction port 1131.

  In the present embodiment, the air sucked by the negative pressure of the electric blower 16 is supplied to the suction port 1131, the dust sensor unit 12, the duct 42 and the main storage chamber 41 of the dust case 4, the dust collecting filter 46, the electric blower 16, and , And exhaust ports 1126 in this order. This air often contains dust, and is blocked by the dust filter 46 and stored in the dust case 4. Hereinafter, a direction substantially perpendicular to the suction port 1131 and the frame 121 of the dust sensor unit 12 (a front view direction of the frame 121) is referred to as a main direction. It should be noted that six exhaust ports 1126 are provided in the lower case 112 and are located between the two drive wheels 116 in the present embodiment.

  Although the suction port 113 of the present embodiment does not have a portion extending in the main direction from the suction port 1131, the suction port 113 extends in the main direction as in a duct 42 of the dust case 4 described later, for example. And an inlet duct integrated with the suction port. In this case, the suction port duct, the dust sensor unit 12, and the duct 42 surround the path from the suction port 1131 to the inside of the dust case 4. In this regard, as will be described later, from the viewpoint of increasing the volume of the dust case 4 and the like, the length of the suction port duct (for example, the length in the main direction) and the length of the frame 121 (for example, the length in the main direction) are included in this process. ) Is preferably longer than the length of the duct 42 (for example, the length in the main direction).

[Dust sensor unit 12]
The dust sensor unit 12 is arranged between the suction port 113 and the dust case 4.
The dust sensor unit 12 includes a frame 121, a light emitting unit 122 and a light receiving unit 123 provided on the frame 121 and facing each other, a close contact member 124 attached to the dust case 4 side of the frame 121, and a substrate 127. The dust sensor unit 12 is formed as a separate member from the suction port 113 and the dust case 4. The frame 121 is brought into contact with the suction port 113 and is mounted in this state, so that the light emitting section 122, the light receiving section 123, the connector 126 And the contact member 124 can be attached at the same time. For this reason, the dust sensor unit 12 of the present embodiment is excellent in assemblability.

(Frame 121)
The frame 121 is a member capable of attaching the light emitting unit 123 and the light receiving unit 124 to the frame 121 itself or in the vicinity thereof while securing a space in an optical axis connecting the light emitting unit 123 and the light receiving unit 124. The frame 121 of the present embodiment has a shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape. In the present embodiment, the shape is substantially rectangular. The light receiving section 123 and the substrate 127 are attached to one of the longitudinal directions of the frame 121. A light emitting unit 122 is attached to the other side of the frame 121 in the longitudinal direction. Note that the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 may be provided in the short direction of the frame 121. Further, the frame 121 may have a square shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an egg shape, or the like.

(Light emitting unit 122 and light receiving unit 123)
The light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 face each other, and light such as infrared light emitted by the light emitting unit 122 is received by the light receiving unit 123. The light emitted by the light emitting unit 122 is not limited to light, and may be various known light sources that can detect the presence or absence of dust, such as ultrasonic waves. The light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 may be provided on the same side, but it is preferable that they face each other from the viewpoint of miniaturization.

(Wiring 125, connector 126, substrate 127)
The substrate 127 can be provided with a drive circuit for the light-emitting unit 122, an amplifier circuit for the light-receiving unit 123, a comparator for comparing the amplified signal with a certain reference voltage, and outputting as a pulse a decrease in the amount of received light due to the passage of dust. Instead of or in addition to the comparator, it may be possible to detect that the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit 123 is continuously decreasing. In this case, it can be estimated whether or not the dust case 4 is full.

  The light emitting section 122 and the substrate 127 are electrically connected by the wiring 125. The wiring 125 extends along the facing direction of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 in the vicinity of the frame 121, or in the frame 121, or is incorporated between the frame 121 and the contact member 124. A driving current for the light emitting unit 122 flows through the wiring 125. The light receiving section 123 is also electrically connected to the substrate 127 by wiring (not shown). These wires are electrically connected to the connector 126.

(Adhesion member 124)
The contact member 124 has a shape conforming to the peripheral shape of the frame 121, and is a hollow substantially rectangular shape in the present embodiment. The shape of the frame 121 conforms to the shape of the suction port 1131. As the contact member 124, packing or the like can be adopted.

(Advantages of the dust sensor unit 12)
In the dust sensor unit 12 configured as described above, the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 can be integrally held, so that it is easy to make the optical axes coincide. Further, since the light receiving unit 123 and the substrate 127 can be arranged close to each other, the distance from the light receiving unit 123 to the amplifier circuit can be shortened, and the influence of electromagnetic noise on the output of the light receiving unit 123 that is a weak signal is reduced. can do. Further, the wiring 125 of the light emitting unit 122 is also integrated in the dust sensor unit 12, and when electrically connected to the control device 2, it is only necessary to connect the wiring (not shown) to the connector 126. Is excellent.

  Further, it is preferable to use an elastic material such as an elastomer for the contact member 124 which is a member that comes into contact with the dust case 4, but such a material deteriorates relatively more quickly than other components. Also, the surfaces of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are liable to be stained or damaged by dust. According to the present embodiment, parts that are likely to need to be replaced due to such deterioration, dirt, or scratches can be replaced at the same time by replacing the dust sensor unit 12, and thus excellent maintainability is achieved.

(Dimensions of the frame 24 in the non-opposing direction, etc.)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. Regarding the dust sensor unit 12, a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are opposed to each other is referred to as a non-opposing direction among the directions parallel to the frame 121 (directions perpendicular to the main direction). If the width of the frame 121 in the non-opposing direction on the suction port 1131 side is a, and the width of the dust case 4 in the non-opposing direction is b, a ≒ b and a <b. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cross-sectional area of the plane perpendicular to the main direction from becoming narrower than necessary and increasing the loss. The center line 90 (substantially parallel to the main direction) of the area surrounded by the frame 121 is a straight line passing through the midpoint of the dimensions a and b. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, when considering a straight line that satisfies a1 = a2 = a / 2 and b1 = b2 = b / 2, a1 and b1 are above the center line, and a2 and b2 are below the center line. It is. At this time, the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are disposed below the center line 90 in the non-opposing direction. Since dust is heavier than air and has a high probability of passing under the center line 90, the provision of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 on the lower side makes it possible to detect dust with high accuracy.

  FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. The light emitting section 122 has a light emitting element 1221 and a transparent resin cap 1239, and the light receiving section 123 has a light receiving element 1232 and a transparent resin cap 1239. Regarding the attached transparent resin cap 1239, each of the regions between the light emitting element 1221 and the light receiving element 1232 has a dimension smaller than the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the light emitted by the light emitting element 1221. This makes it possible to protect the element with the transparent resin cap 1239 and to suppress the dust sensor unit 12 from being enlarged in the vertical and longitudinal dimensions while guiding the light of the light emitting element 32.

(Dimensions of the frame 24 in the facing direction, etc.)
Of the directions parallel to the frame 121, a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are opposed is referred to as an opposite direction. If the width in the facing direction on the suction port 1131 side is e and the width in the facing direction on the dust case 4 side is d, then e> d. That is, the width of the frame 121 in the facing direction decreases toward the dust case 4 side. As a result, the air containing dust flows in the direction of arrow 91, and the dust flows away from the wall surface due to inertia. Therefore, scratches and dirt on the transparent resin cap 1239 can be suppressed.

[Dust case 4]
11 and 12 are perspective views showing a state where the dust case 4 is detached from the main body 11, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view including a region of the main body 11 in which the dust case 4 is mounted in the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. 14 (a) and 14 (b) are enlarged views of a main part of FIG. 12, FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5, FIG. 16 is a perspective view including the prop housing 1102 and the prop 95, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the main body 11 to which the case 4 is attached.
The dust case 4 is a container that accumulates dust sucked from the floor surface through the suction port 1131 (the suction port 113). The dust case 4 includes a duct 42 formed on the suction port 1131 side, a main storage chamber 41 for mainly storing collected dust, a lid 45 for allowing the collected dust to be taken out from the filter 46 side (upper side), and a rotation. The main storage chamber 77 is provided with a check valve 44 capable of opening and closing an opening on the lower side (the duct 42 side), and a foldable handle 43. The dust case 4 is attached from obliquely above the main body 11 to obliquely below.

(Main storage room 41)
The main storage chamber 41 is a region formed of, for example, a resin material and enclosing a space, and the lid 45 and the backflow suppression valve 44 prevent dust from leaking out of the space. The lid 45 can close the horizontal opening of the main storage chamber 41, and the check valve 44 can close the lower opening of the main storage chamber 41. The sectional area of the space included in the main storage chamber 41 is larger than the sectional area of the frame 121. Here, the cross-sectional area of the space included in the main storage chamber 41 may be, for example, a cross-sectional area in a direction perpendicular to the filter 46.

(Duct 42)
The duct 42 has one end below the main storage chamber 41 and the other end that can be opened and closed by a check valve 44. The duct 42 is an integral part of the dust case 4 that forms part, substantially all, or all of the path from the suction port 1131 to the main storage chamber 41. The duct 42 of the present embodiment has a shape in which one end side extends substantially vertically and extends obliquely downward from the middle toward the other end, but only the latter, that is, obliquely toward the other end. It may be composed of only a portion extending downward.

  Thus, the duct 42 extends obliquely downward from one end to the other end as a whole. One end of the duct 42 can be provided, for example, on the lower surface of the main storage chamber 41, and is preferably provided at a position farther than the other end of the duct 42 with respect to the center of the lower surface of the main storage chamber 41 when viewed from above. Can be This makes it easy to reduce the size of the dust case 4 as viewed from above.

(Handle 43)
The handle 43 is a member that is rotatably provided with the upper side of the main storage chamber 41 as a rotation axis, and has a grip portion 431, a retaining portion 432, an action point portion 433, and a locking portion 434. The handle 43 can rotate approximately 90 ° to 100 ° from the front of the rotation axis to the upper side of the rotation axis. In order to exhibit the action of both the action point portion 433 and the locking portion 434 described later, it is preferable that the rotation accommodation range is more than 90 °, generally 135 ° or less, preferably 120 ° or less. Here, the state in which the grip part 431 is lying (the state in which the grip part 431 is locked by the locking part 434) is defined as a rotation angle of 0 °. The state illustrated in FIG. 17 is a rotation angle of about 90 °.

  The grip portion 431 is a portion where the user can easily grip the dust case 4 and use the dust case 4 for attaching and detaching operations, and has a locking portion 434 at a front end. When the dust case 4 is attached to the main body 11, the locking portion 434 is locked to a non-locking portion (not shown) provided on the upper case 111, and the handle 43 can be locked.

  The retaining portion 432 is a protruding portion provided near the rotation axis and closer to the locking portion 434 (the rotation angle is 0 ° side) than the rotation axis. In a state where the handle 43 is located on the front side, the retaining portion 432 enters the main body 11 and comes into contact with a portion inside the main body 11 to generate frictional resistance. Thereby, the handle 43 is prevented from coming off.

  The action point portion 433 is a portion that comes into contact with the upper surface side of the main body 11 when the user further applies a force rearward (toward a direction in which the rotation angle exceeds 90 °) with the handle 43 positioned above. It is. In this state, the action point portion 433 becomes an action point of the force for lifting the dust case 4 from the main body 11, and the rotation axis becomes a fulcrum. This can assist the user in removing the dust case 4. The upper surface of the main body 11 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a guide step 119 described later.

[Shape of dust case 4 and prop storage section]
The dust case 4 has a shape in which the rear upper side protrudes rearward, and when attached to the main body 11, the rear upper side forms a part of a side surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 (see FIG. 17 and the like). For this reason, in the main body 11, a region directly below the rear upper region in the dust case 4 also forms a part of the side surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. In the present embodiment, a prop housing 1102 as illustrated in FIG. 16 and the like is provided near a part of the side surface of the main body 11, and stores a cleaning brush 95 as an example of the prop. The cleaning brush 95 can be used, for example, by a user to clean the inside of the dust case 4, and has a shape bent along the outer peripheral shape of the main body 11. Thereby, the space required for housing the cleaning brush 95 can be provided along the inner periphery of the side surface of the main body 11. Further, a jig for removing the side brush 15 and other props may be stored instead of or in addition to the cleaning brush 95.

  The manner in which the props are stored is not limited to the above. If the dust case 4 is attached to the main body 11, the main body 11 may have a region surrounded by the main body 11 and the dust case 4.

(Check valve 44)
The backflow suppression valve 44 is integrally or separately attached to the main surface 441 and the main surface 441 that can close the opening as the other end of the duct 42, and is provided outside the duct 42 in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface 441. It has a protruding protrusion 442 and an urging portion 443 that urges the main surface 441 and the protruding portion 442 in a rotating direction. In the present embodiment, the protrusions 442 are provided on the outside in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface 441.

The urging portion 443 is a member that urges the check valve 44 in a direction in which the main surface 441 closes the opening, and various known members can be used. For example, a spring can be used. If the urging portion 443 is, for example, a coil spring, the urging portion 443 itself can be a rotation axis.
Therefore, when no external force acts, the check valve 44 blocks the other end of the duct 42.

  When the dust case 4 is mounted on the main body 11, the protruding portion 442 comes into contact with a guide step 119 as an anti-biasing portion provided in a region where the dust case 4 is stored. The guide steps 119 are two steps provided in a region of the main body 11 that is visible when the dust case 4 is removed. The guide steps 119 are respectively provided along the mounting direction of the dust case 4, and in the present embodiment, extend from the upper rear to the lower front.

  When the dust case 4 is moved downward along with the attachment of the dust case 4 to the main body 11, the protrusion 442 comes into contact with and slides on each of the guide steps 119, and the main surface 441 receives a force in a direction to open the opening. Accordingly, the check valve 44 opens the other end of the duct 42 against the urging force of the urging portion 443. Like the guide step 119 illustrated in the present embodiment, the main surface 441 receives a force in the opposite direction to the urging force of the urging portion 443 due to the contact between the counter urging portion and the protruding portion 442, and the other end of the duct 42. The opening as can be opened.

  Specifically, rotation of the check valve 44 around the longitudinal direction occurs, and the other end of the duct 42 is opened. Since the check valve 44 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape, if the check valve 44 is turned around the short direction or turned about the direction perpendicular to the main surface 441, the check valve 44 is turned. Since a large space is required to perform the rotation, it is preferable that the rotation be performed about the longitudinal direction as an axis. That is, the urging portion 443 rotates the check valve 44 about the longitudinal direction of the main surface 441 as an axis.

  The protruding portion 442 only needs to be able to open the check valve 44 by coming into contact with any member (anti-biasing portion) of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1.

A gap 1101 is provided in front of the front end of the guide step 119 of the present embodiment, and the check valve 44 slides while being pressed by the guide step 119 in a state where the dust case 4 is attached to the main body 11. And is stored in the gap 1101. The gap 1101 is located outside the plane of the frame 121 projected in the main direction. Therefore, when the dust case 4 is mounted, the other end of the duct 42 is in contact with the dust sensor unit 12, and in particular, is in close contact with the contact member 124 in the present embodiment.

[Structure provided from suction port 1131 to main storage chamber 41]
In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the dimension 92 of the dust sensor unit 12 is shorter than the dimension 93 on the other end side of the duct 42 in the main direction. That is, the dimension 93 on the other end side of the duct 42 forms a part of the path connecting the suction port 1131 to the main storage chamber 41, preferably more than the dimension 92. Thus, a part of the dust case 4 can be provided in a region from the suction port 1131 to the main storage chamber 41, so that the volume of the dust case 4 can be increased.

  Here, the duct 42 may include an upright portion 421 that forms one end of the duct 42 and has a dimension 94 and extends vertically. The upright portion 421 suppresses dust from leaking from the main storage chamber 41 to the other end of the duct 42.

  Here, as the dimension 93, the lower surface of the dust case 4 is simulated as a plane (the main storage chamber 41 is approximated to a box shape), and measurement is performed using a straight line substantially parallel to the dimension 92 of the dust sensor unit 12. It can be considered as the distance from the plane to the dust sensor unit 12. Note that the main storage chamber 41 of the present embodiment can be considered to be a box type.

[Clogging of duct 42 by check valve 44]
As described above, when the dust case 4 is mounted on the main body 11, the check valve 44 is stored above the rotating brush 14. When the dust case 4 is removed from the main body 11, the check valve 44 is rotated by the urging force of the urging portion 443, and closes the opening at the other end of the duct 42. Thereby, even if dust is accumulated in the duct 42, it is possible to suppress the dust from spilling out of the dust case 4. The main surface 441 may have a flat plate shape or a mesh shape that can suppress the passage of dust.

[Detection of full dust]
When the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 sucks dust, the sucked dust first accumulates in the main storage chamber 41, and when the main storage chamber 41 is full, the dust is also accumulated in the duct 42. Since the duct 42 is obliquely downward facing the horizontal direction with respect to the direction of gravity, it is possible to suppress dust from falling from the duct 42. Further, the dust is more likely to accumulate in the duct 42 relatively soon after the main storage chamber 41 is filled up, and the dust is easily detected by the dust sensor unit 12 since the main storage chamber 41 is filled up.

  In addition, the upright portion 421 can prevent dust from flowing down the duct 42 and falling, even though the main storage chamber 41 has room. In the dust case 4 according to the present embodiment, the majority of the space included in the main storage chamber 41 is provided in front of one end of the duct 42, so that dust is easily accumulated on the front side. However, since the upright portion 421 is provided between the majority of the space and the duct 42, dust moves rearward as the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 accelerates forward, which is the main movement direction. Also, it is possible to effectively suppress the dust from falling into the duct 42. That is, from the front to the rear, the main storage chamber 41 is positioned in the order of the majority of the space contained therein, the upright portion 421, and one end of the duct 42 in that order.

  When the dust accumulates in the duct 42 and becomes almost full, the dust continues to block the light of the light emitting unit 122, and the state in which the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit 123 is reduced continues. By detecting this state, it is possible to detect the fullness of the dust case 4, notify the user, and start the control for returning the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 to the charging stand (not shown).

[Detection of the amount of passing dust]
When the light from the light emitting unit 122 is momentarily blocked, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 123 decreases in a pulsed manner. This makes it possible to detect that dust is passing toward the dust case 4. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area in the main direction is larger on the rotary brush 14 side than the suction port 1131, smaller on the frame 121 and the duct 42, and larger on the main storage chamber 41. That is, the cross-sectional area in the path from the storage space of the rotating brush 14 to the main storage chamber 41 is the smallest in the frame 121 and / or the duct 42. For this reason, the sucked dust is concentrated on the frame 121 having a small sectional area according to the shape of the duct 42. Since the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are provided in the frame 121, most of the dust passes between the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123. That is, the amount of dust can be measured with high accuracy.

  Dust after passing through the frame 121 passes through the duct 42 having substantially the same cross-sectional area. That is, it is possible to prevent the dust from flowing backward due to the eddy current and being detected multiple times. Further, since the cross-sectional area after passing through the duct 42 is increased, windage loss can be suppressed.

  Further, the cross-sectional area on the upstream side of the dust sensor unit 12, that is, the cross-sectional area from the suction port 113 to the dust sensor unit 12 may be monotonously reduced. In this case, a vortex is generated upstream of the dust sensor unit 12, and it is possible to suppress the dust from being detected by the dust sensor unit 12 multiple times.

[Layout]
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 with the upper case 111 removed, and FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG.
In order to make the vertical dimension of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 small, the vertical dimension of the main body 11 is substantially the same as the vertical dimension of the electric blower 16. As illustrated in FIG. 18, when the upper case 111 is removed, a convex shape 113 that covers a part of the upper surface of the electric blower 16 is configured to be visible. This contributes to downsizing of the main body 11 in the vertical direction. In addition, the bottom surface side of the main body 11 may have a convex shape projecting downward at a position overlapping the electric blower 16 when viewed from below.

  In addition, if the cylindrical electric blower 16 is normally disposed obliquely, the vertical dimension of the main body 11 needs to be increased, so that the axial direction of the electric blower 16 is less than or equal to ± 10 degrees from the horizontal direction or the horizontal direction, preferably The deviation is less than ± 5 degrees.

  As viewed in the axial direction of the electric blower 16, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the rotation axis side of the arm 1141 is located inside a substantially square region circumscribing the cylindrical electric blower 16. Although this area easily becomes a dead space, by arranging a part of the arm 1141 in this way, the space can be effectively used, and the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 can be downsized. Further, since the exhaust port 1126 is located directly below the electric blower 16 or directly below the opening on the downstream side of the electric blower 16, the exhaust air path can be shortened.

  The present embodiment has various configurations for downsizing, and as a result, the vertical dimension can be made close to the vertical dimension of the electric blower 16. Specifically, even considering the influence of the drive wheels 116 on the dimensions, the vertical dimension of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 in a state where the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is placed on the floor (that is, the arm 1141) The upper and lower sides of the electric blower 16 are configured so that the vertical dimension of the electric blower 16 falls within a range of 70% or more, preferably 75% or more, or 85% or more of the upper and lower sides when the driving wheel 116 is stored. I have.

  The upper and lower dimensions of the region where the upper case 111 and the lower case 112 surround the upper and lower sides are substantially the same as the upper and lower dimensions of the electric blower 16. Specifically, the vertical dimension of the electric blower 16 is 90% or more, preferably 95% or more of the vertical dimension of the region surrounded by the upper case 111 and the lower case 112.

  As described above, among the structures mounted on the main body 11, those having a large weight are the rechargeable battery 19 and the electric blower 16. If the rechargeable battery 19 is arranged on the center side, it tends to hinder wiring and the like. Therefore, in this embodiment, the electric blower 16 is arranged on the center side, and the rechargeable battery 19 is arranged on the front side.

[Rotation speed of side brush 15]
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 has a side brush 15 on each of the left and right sides. In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the side brush 15 can be changed. Specifically, when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is executing the wall-side cleaning mode in which the wall runs on the left side, the left side brush 15 on the same side as the side on which the wall is located. The rotation speed is controlled to be higher than the rotation speed of the other side brush 15. Thereby, cleaning of the wall side can be performed more effectively. The wall-side cleaning mode can be executed by various known methods. For example, the wall-edge cleaning mode can be realized by controlling the travel so that the distance measurement sensor 210 provided on the left side of the main body 11 continuously detects the wall surface (obstacle).
Note that the same control can be performed even in the case where the wall cleaning mode in which the vehicle runs so that the wall is located on the right side is executed. In addition, when the rotation speed of the side brush 15 on the wall side during the execution of the wall-side cleaning mode is changed to another control mode, for example, when a wall surface or an obstacle is detected, the traveling direction is changed in a direction away from the wall surface or the obstacle to travel. The same effect can be obtained by controlling the rotation speed to be higher than the rotation speed during the execution of the reflex running mode to be restarted.

[Torque of side brush 15]
Each of the side brushes 15 is driven by a side brush motor 152 driven by the power of the rechargeable battery 19. In the present embodiment, a DC motor is employed as the side brush motor 152. The DC motor can transmit a high torque when the duty ratio is high (the voltage application time is long), even if the voltage output on a time average is the same value. When the side brush 15 is in contact with a wall or an obstacle, the friction reduces the torque, so that the cleaning efficiency tends to decrease.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, for example, in a case where the wall side cleaning mode in which the vehicle travels so that the wall is located on the left side is executed, the torque is transmitted to the left side brush 15 on the same side as the side on which the wall is located. The duty ratio of the side brush motor 152 can be controlled to be higher than the duty ratio of the side brush motor 152 that transmits torque to the other side brush 15.

  When the energy of the rechargeable battery 19 decreases and the output voltage decreases, the torque decreases even with the same duty ratio. Therefore, the duty ratio increases as the remaining power of the rechargeable battery 19 decreases.

  For the same reason, the torque to be output also varies depending on the material of the floor surface. Therefore, the duty ratio may be determined according to the type of the floor surface. For example, control can be performed such that the duty ratio during carpet cleaning is higher than during flooring cleaning.

  Furthermore, the duty ratio can be reduced as the number of detected dusts of the dust sensor unit 12 increases. This makes it possible to prevent the side brush 15 from scattering and scattering dust in a region where a large amount of dust is present.

  In addition, when the duty ratio of the side brush 15 on the wall side during the execution of the wall edge cleaning mode is changed to another control mode, for example, when a wall surface or an obstacle is detected, the traveling direction is changed in a direction away from the wall surface or the obstacle to travel. The same effect can be obtained by controlling the duty ratio to be higher than the duty ratio during the execution of the reflex running mode to be restarted.

[Sensors]
FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the control device 2 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner and the devices connected to the control device 2. The bumper sensor (obstacle detection means) is a sensor that detects retreat of the bumper 18 (that is, contact with an obstacle).

  The distance measuring sensor 210 (obstacle detecting means) illustrated in FIG. 2 and the like is an infrared sensor that detects a distance to an obstacle. In this embodiment, the distance measuring sensors are provided at a total of five places, three places at the front and two places at the side.

  The distance measuring sensor 210 includes a light emitting unit (not shown) that emits infrared light, and a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives reflected light that returns after the infrared light is reflected by an obstacle. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. In addition, at least the vicinity of the distance measurement sensor in the bumper 18 is formed of resin or glass that transmits infrared rays.

  The floor distance measuring sensor 211 (floor detecting means) illustrated in FIG. 3 and the like is an infrared sensor that measures the distance to the floor, and is installed at four locations on the lower surface of the lower case 112 in front, rear, left and right. . More specifically, it is located on the front side of the auxiliary wheel 17, the rear side of the rotary brush 14 and the scraping brush 13, the front side of each drive wheel 116, and the outside in the left-right direction.

  The self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 can be prevented from dropping (from a stair or the like) by detecting a large step such as a stair by the floor distance measuring sensor. For example, when the floor distance measuring sensor detects a step of about 30 mm ahead, the control device 2 controls the traveling motor to move the main body 11 backward and change the traveling direction.

  The floor distance measuring sensor 211 on the front side of the auxiliary wheel 17 (the front end side of the lower case 112) detects that the distance from the floor is far, and the rear side of the rotary brush 14 (the rear end side of the lower case 112). If the floor element distance sensor 211 of (2) detects that the distance from the floor is short, the control device 2 may keep the main body 11 moving forward. This is because in the case of such a combination of detections, it is considered that the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 often climbs a step. Similarly, the floor distance measuring sensor 211 on the front side of the auxiliary wheel 17 detects that the distance from the floor is short, and the floor element distance sensor 211 on the rear side of the rotary brush 14 is far from the floor. When detecting that the main body 11 has been detected, the control device 2 may continue to move the main body 11 forward. The term “close” used herein means, for example, the distance detected by the floor distance measuring sensor 211 when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner C is traveling on a flat floor, and “far”. Is greater than the distance detected by the floor distance measuring sensor 211 when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner C is traveling on a flat floor, for example. In addition, one or two appropriate thresholds may be set, and the result may be compared.

  The rotation speed and rotation angle of the traveling motor 1161 are detected using the traveling motor pulse output shown in FIG. The control device 2 calculates the moving speed and the moving distance of the main body 11 based on the rotation speed and the rotation angle detected from the traveling motor pulse output, the gear ratio of the reduction mechanism, and the diameter of the driving wheel 116.

  The traveling motor current measuring device is a measuring device that measures a current flowing through the armature winding of the traveling motor 1161. Similarly, the electric blower current measuring device measures the current value of the electric blower 16, and the rotating brush motor current measuring device measures the current value of the rotating brush motor 1133. The two side brush motor current measuring devices measure the current value of the side brush motor 152. Each current measuring device outputs the measured current value to the control device 2. Using the detection result of the current value, it is possible to detect, for example, an abnormality in which rotation has stopped due to foreign matter entangled in the rotating brush, and the user can be notified of the abnormality with the operation button.

  In addition, the state of the floor surface on which the main body 11 is traveling is detected from the current value of the rotating brush motor 1133. For example, when it is recognized that the carpet is on a carpet where it is difficult to remove dust, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased and the number of rotations is increased. In addition to increasing the suction force and increasing the number of rotations of the rotating brush to efficiently increase the dust collection performance, the input of the electric blower 16 is set to a small value to reduce the number of rotations on the flooring where dust can be easily removed, and the number of rotations is further increased. Control is performed to suppress the power consumption of the rechargeable battery 19 by also suppressing the number of rotations of the brush (FIG. 31).

When dust is detected by the dust sensor unit 12, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased for a certain period of time to increase the rotation speed (FIG. 31). The input increase time of the electric blower 16 is not determined (for example, extended) according to the detected dust amount. Thereby, the power consumption of the electric blower 16 is suppressed. In addition, by increasing the rotation speed of the rotating brush together with the rotation speed of the electric blower, it becomes possible to improve the dust collection performance more than only by increasing the rotation speed of the electric blower. Further, when a larger amount of dust is detected, the main body is turned 180 degrees at R50, travels forward by about 250 mm with the main body, rotates 180 degrees at the next larger radius R150, and advances 250 mm again (FIG. 31).
Here, since the size of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is 250 mm in length x 250 mm in width x 92 mm in height, after rotating at R50, it passes through the place where the garbage reacted again (passes the same place) , You can remove the garbage firmly. In addition, after rotating at R150, since the position of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner was shifted by one unit from the position where the self-propelled vacuum cleaner was operating before the sensor responded, the peripheral area where the dust reacted was widely cleaned. It is possible (FIG. 31).
Thus, by controlling the output of the electric blower 16 and the movement of the autonomous vacuum cleaner, it is possible to efficiently remove dust and suppress power consumption.
In the present embodiment, when the dust sensor unit detects dust and counts 1 or more when a certain threshold or more is reached, and when it becomes 3 during 1 s, the input of the electric blower is increased to increase the rotation speed. At the same time, the number of rotations of the rotating brush is also increased. When the rotation becomes 6, the operation is performed.

[Drive device]
The traveling motor driving device (left) (right) shown in FIG. 24 is an inverter that drives the left and right traveling motors 1161 or a pulse waveform generating device based on PWM control, and operates according to a command from the control device 2. . The same applies to the electric blower driving device, the rotating brush motor driving device, and the side brush motor driving device (left) and (right). Each of these driving devices is installed in the control device 2 (see FIG. 2) in the main body 11.

[Control device 2]
The control device 2 is, for example, a microcomputer (Microcomputer: not shown), reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands the program in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs various processes. It is supposed to run. The control device 2 executes arithmetic processing according to signals input from the switch sheet 22 (see FIG. 1) and the above-mentioned sensors, and outputs a command signal to each of the above-mentioned driving devices.

  The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments. It should be noted that the content of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and it is needless to say that modifications and changes can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, in the present embodiment, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner has been described as an example, but the same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a canister type, a stick type, and a handy type vacuum cleaner.

<Embodiment 2>
The configuration of the second embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment except for the following points.
[Switch sheet 22]
25 is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 with the upper case 111 removed, FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 with the switch sheet 22 further removed from the state of FIG. 25, and FIG. () Is a front perspective view of the switch sheet 22, and FIG. 27 (b) is a rear perspective view of the switch sheet 22.

The switch sheet 22 is provided between the upper case 111 and the control board 21. The control board 21 is located below the upper case 111 in the main body 11. Further, between the control board 21 and the switch sheet 22, for example, a resin support plate 80 on which the switch sheet 22 is placed is provided.
The switch sheet 22 has operation buttons 221 and 222 that output an operation signal according to a user operation to the control device 2, and a soft part 223. The operation buttons 221 and 222 include a circular operation button 221 having a circular shape and an annular operation button 222 having a circular shape surrounding the circumference of the circular operation button 221. By pressing the operation buttons 221 and 222, the control device 2 can output a signal. The operation buttons 221 and 222 and the soft part 223 are assembled in advance and formed as one member.
The operation buttons 221 and 222 are exposed on the upper surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. The operation buttons 221 and 222 can have, for example, a function of outputting to the control device 2 a signal for turning on / off the power, starting / ending cleaning, and changing the cleaning mode.
The soft part 223 can be a flexible rubber member surrounding the operation buttons 221 and 222, for example. By placing the soft part 223 on the support plate 80 and sandwiching the soft part 223 between the upper case 111 and the support plate 80, from the vicinity of the operation buttons 221 and 222 exposed on the upper surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 Intrusion of water droplets and the like can be suppressed. With this configuration, the operation buttons 221 and 222 can be exposed to the upper surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 while suppressing intrusion of water droplets and the like, so that the push-down operation buttons 221 and 222 are waterproof. It is possible to reduce the necessity of enclosing with a member, and so on, thereby improving the design.

  The soft part 223 has one or two or more through holes 2231. A light emitting unit (not shown) such as an LED is provided on the opposite side of the upper case 111 via the through hole 2231. The light emitting unit can be provided on the control board 21, for example. By changing the color of the light emitted from the light emitting unit in response to the pressing of the operation buttons 221 and 222, the user can be notified that the operation by the operation buttons 221 and 222 has been recognized by the control device 2. The through hole 2231 is separated from the operation buttons 221 and 222 when the switch sheet 22 is viewed from the front. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the water droplet from entering the through hole 2231.

  The display panel driving device is a device that applies a voltage to the electrodes of the display panel and emits a light emitting unit in response to a command from the control device 2. For example, the light-emitting unit may operate the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 in an operation state mode (automatic or manual) or a state (notification of the necessity of trash disposal or remaining charge value), a timer reservation time, and an input mode (strong, medium, Weak) and so on.

  The support plate 80 has a through hole 801 at a position overlapping the operation buttons 221 and 222, respectively. The operation buttons 221 and 222 have projections 2211 and 221 and a support projection 2232 on the back surface. The support protrusion 2232 prevents the protrusions 2211 and 221 from contacting the switches of the control board 21 when the operation button 221.222 is not pressed, and the protrusions 2211 and 221 when the operation buttons 221 and 222 are pressed. Can enter the through hole 801 and come into contact with the switch of the control board 21. Note that a through hole 802 is also provided at a position overlapping the above-described light emitting portion and the through hole 2231.

  Note that the operation buttons 221 and 222 do not have a display unit for notifying the detection of dust. When the dust is detected, the input mode of the electric blower changes, so that it is also used as the input mode display section of the electric blower. Thus, the cost of the display unit can be reduced.

  The rechargeable battery 19 is, for example, a secondary battery that can be reused by being charged, and is housed in the battery housing unit 115 (see FIG. 4). Electric power from the rechargeable battery 19 is supplied to each sensor, each motor, each driving device, and the control device 2.

<Embodiment 3>
The configuration of this embodiment can be the same as that of the first or second embodiment except for the following points.
[Shape of side brush 15]
FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the side brush 15, and FIG. 29 is a view showing a state in which the side brush 15 is bent. The base elastic portion 153 of the side brush 15 has a narrow portion 1531 on the side brush holder 151 side (root side) smaller in shape than the thick portion 1532 on the brush portion 154 side. Since the thin portion 1531 is connected to the side brush holder 151, the thick portion 1532 and the brush portion 154 can be relatively easily bent around the thin portion 1531. Therefore, even if the power cord or the like comes into contact with the side brush 15, as shown in FIG. 29, the side brush 15 bends around the thin portion 1531 so that the side brush 15 rotates without being entangled with the power cord or the like. Easy to continue.

  Further, the dimension (length dimension) along the brush portion 154 of the elastic base 153 is such that when the autonomous traveling cleaner S is placed on the floor, the elastic base 153 may be bent toward the floor. It is a length that does not reach the floor. Accordingly, even when the power supply cord or the like comes into contact with the side brush 15 and the side brush 15 is bent, for example, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the root elastic portion 153 comes into contact with the floor surface and the side brush 15 is sharply folded from the root. That is, the dimension of the root elastic portion 153 is adjusted so that the tip of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 does not contact the floor surface during traveling.

  The distance (the dimension of the step between the thin portion 1531 and the thick portion 1532) in the direction perpendicular to the brush portion 154 from the upper surface portion of the thin portion 1531 to the upper surface portion of the thick portion 1532 is 1 .2 mm or less.

(Other technical ideas)
This application includes the following technical concept. The respective technical ideas described as additional notes mn (m and n are natural numbers) can be arbitrarily combined as long as there is no problem in context. The “vacuum cleaner” described below is intended to include so-called canister-type and stick-type vacuum cleaners.

[Supplementary Note 1-1]
A mouth portion having a suction port,
A dust case having a main storage unit,
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner in which part or all of a path from the suction port to the main storage unit is surrounded by a duct integrated with the dust case.

  According to Supplementary Note 1-1, a small-sized self-propelled vacuum cleaner having an improved dust collection volume can be provided.

[Appendix 1-2]
The above-mentioned mouthpiece has a mouthpiece duct which forms a part of the way from the above-mentioned suction mouth to the above-mentioned main accumulation part, and the length of this mouthpiece duct is shorter than the length of the above-mentioned duct. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to 1-1.

[Appendix 1-3]
On a path from the suction port to the main storage section, the dust case and the suction port section have a separate dust sensor unit,
Wherein the duct forms a longer path than the path formed by the dust sensor unit in the path from the suction port to the main storage section. A traveling vacuum cleaner.

[Appendix 1-4]
A dust sensor unit comprising: a frame; a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit provided on the frame and facing each other; and a close contact member attached to the frame.

[Appendix 1-5]
A box-shaped main storage portion, and a duct extending obliquely downward from the main storage portion, integrally having;
Having a check valve which can open and close the duct,
The check valve is a dust case having a main surface, a protruding portion, and an urging portion.

[Appendix 2-1]
Electric blower,
A suction unit having a suction port,
A dust sensor unit having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit facing each other, and detecting dust passing therethrough by the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit;
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a dust case,
The cross-sectional area perpendicular to the main direction, which is the direction in which air flows mainly by driving the electric blower, decreases from the upstream side of the suction port toward the dust sensor unit, and from the dust sensor unit toward the dust case. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner characterized by being large.

  According to Supplementary Note 2-1, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a dust sensor unit capable of effectively detecting the amount of passing dust can be provided. In Patent Document 1 described above, it can be seen that the cross-sectional area from the dust detection sensor to the dust bin unit is clearly reduced. With this configuration, the air volume decreases because the cross-sectional area on the downstream side of the dust detection sensor is small, but the dust detection sensor does not exist in such a small cross-sectional area, so the dust detection accuracy is low. There is room for improvement. The same applies to Patent Document 2 described above. In addition, Patent Document 3 described above merely describes that the cross-sectional area is made substantially constant.

[Appendix 2-2]
The self-collecting unit according to Supplementary note 2-1 wherein, among the suction port, the dust sensor unit, and the dust case, a cross-sectional area of a portion facing the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is substantially minimum or minimum. A traveling vacuum cleaner.

[Appendix 2-3]
The dust case has an integrally formed duct,
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to attachment 2-1 or 2-2, wherein the dimension in the main direction is longer in the duct than in the dust sensor unit.

[Appendix 3-1]
A vacuum cleaner including a dust case having a main storage chamber and a handle rotatable around a rotation axis,
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the handle has an action point portion that can be an action point of a force applied to the handle by rotating the handle to contact the vacuum cleaner.

  According to Supplementary Note 3-1, a vacuum cleaner capable of easily removing the dust case can be provided.

[Appendix 4-1]
A vacuum cleaner having a detachable dust case on a main body,
The main body has an area surrounded by the main body and the dust case when the dust case is attached to the main body,
A vacuum cleaner, wherein props are stored in the area.

  According to Supplementary Note 4-1, a vacuum cleaner capable of storing props, preferably props related to a dust case, can be provided.

[Appendix 4-2]
The vacuum cleaner according to attachment 4-1 wherein the prop is a brush having a shape bent along the side surface shape of the main body.

[Appendix 5-1]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a suction part for storing a rotating brush, and an airtight member provided below the rotating brush and the suction part,
The airtight member is urged downward, and swings with respect to the rotating brush and the suction opening.

  According to Supplementary Note 5-1, a small self-propelled vacuum cleaner can be provided.

[Appendix 5-2]
The airtight member has a removal claw,
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the airtight member can be removed from the self-propelled vacuum cleaner by moving the removal claw in the left-right direction.

[Appendix 6-1]
The lower case,
A self-rotating brush having two driving wheels attached to the lower case side and a rotating brush provided in front of or behind the driving wheels and having a rotation axis in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the two driving wheels face each other; A traveling vacuum cleaner,
The distance between each end of the driving wheel and the rotating brush is 20 mm or less,
A rearward projection provided immediately before or immediately after the drive wheel and on an extension of the rotation shaft, and / or
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a central projection provided between two driving wheels.

  According to Supplementary Note 6-1, it is possible to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of suppressing the insertion of an obstacle.

[Appendix 7-1]
An electric blower provided in an upper case and a lower case, and a self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a drive wheel attached to the lower case side,
Regarding the self-propelled vacuum cleaner in which the driving wheels are placed in contact with the floor, the axial direction of the electric blower is horizontal or has an inclination of 10 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal direction,
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner, wherein the upper case and / or the lower case has a recess near the upper and lower end surfaces of the electric blower in a direction away from the electric blower.

  According to Supplementary Note 7-1, a small self-propelled vacuum cleaner can be provided.

[Appendix 7-2]
The supplementary note 7-1 wherein the ratio of the vertical dimension of the electric blower attached to the area to the vertical dimension of the area where the upper case and the lower case surround the upper and lower sides is 0.90 or more. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner as described.

[Appendix 7-3]
A drive wheel provided on the lower case side, and a drive mechanism for rotating the drive wheel,
The vertical dimension of the area surrounded by the upper case and the lower case is 70% or more of the vertical dimension when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is placed on the floor and the driving wheels are in contact with the floor. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to Supplementary Note 7-2, wherein:

[Supplementary Note 8-1]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having two driving wheels, an electric blower, a rechargeable battery, and a brush having a rotation axis in a horizontal direction,
In the front-back direction,
The electric blower and the two drive wheels are located at the center of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner,
The rechargeable battery is located on one side with respect to the electric blower,
The brush is located on the other side with respect to the electric blower,
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner, wherein the brush has a weight inside.

  According to Supplementary Note 8-1, it is possible to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of disposing the electric blower on the center side while maintaining the balance of the center of gravity.

[Appendix 9-1]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a DC motor that transmits power to a side brush and a sensor that detects a wall surface,
The DC motor performs control to increase the rotation speed of the side brush or increase the duty ratio of the DC motor during execution of a wall cleaning mode in which the self-propelled vacuum cleaner travels along a wall. Features a self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

  According to Supplementary Note 9-1, the cleaning efficiency in the wall-side cleaning mode can be improved.

[Appendix 9-2]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a DC motor that transmits power to a side brush, and a sensor that distinguishes and detects two or more types of floor surfaces,
The self-propelled vacuum cleaner, wherein the DC motor controls a rotation speed of the side brush or controls a duty ratio of the DC motor according to a type of floor surface detected by the sensor.

  According to Supplementary Note 9-2, cleaning can be performed more appropriately according to the type of floor surface.

[Appendix 9-3]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a DC motor that transmits power to a side brush, and a sensor that detects an amount of dust passing through a suction port,
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner wherein the DC motor is controlled so that a negative phase is established between the number of dust detected by the sensor and a duty ratio of the DC motor.

  According to Supplementary Note 9-3, it is possible to suppress the side brush from scattering and scattering the dust in an area where there is much dust.

[Supplementary Note 10-1]
A vacuum cleaner having a rotating brush rotated about a horizontal axis by a motor,
The rotary brush has a flocking and a non-woven fabric adjacent to each other, and is provided so that the non-woven fabric contacts a floor surface earlier than the flocking in a rotation direction by the motor. Machine.

  According to Supplementary Note 10-1, it is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner having a rotating brush that suppresses tangling of hair and the like.

[Appendix 10-2]
The vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 10-1, wherein the nonwoven fabric has a slit extending in a radial direction of the rotating brush.

[Supplementary Note 11-1]
A vacuum cleaner including a side brush having a brush portion rotating around a side brush holder,
An electric vacuum cleaner comprising a base elastic portion, which is an elastic body, as an integral member with the side brush holder, between the brush portion and the side brush holder.

  According to Supplementary Note 11-1, the durability of the side brush can be improved.

[Supplementary Note 11-2]
The side brush is provided in a lower case of the vacuum cleaner,
The length of the said base elastic part is shorter than the length from the floor when the said vacuum cleaner is grounded to the said lower case, The vacuum cleaner characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to Supplementary Note 11-2, it is possible to suppress the base elastic portion from contacting with the floor and being bent, and the side brush from being twisted.

[Supplementary Note 12-1]
A vacuum cleaner having a driven auxiliary wheel,
The auxiliary wheel has a fixed shaft fixed to the vacuum cleaner, a ground wheel having the fixed shaft as a rotation axis, and a disk portion adjacent to the ground wheel,
The vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the disk portion has a diameter larger than the fixed shaft and smaller than the ground wheel.

  According to Supplementary Note 12-1, hair dust and the like can be prevented from becoming entangled with the fixed shaft.

[Supplementary Note 13-1]
A switch sheet having an operation button and a soft part,
A device having a case, a control board, and a support plate,
The support plate is located on one side of the control board,
The soft part is sandwiched between the support plate and the case,
The device, wherein the operation button is exposed from the case.

  According to Supplementary Note 13-1, it is possible to provide a device capable of suppressing design of the operation button and suppressing intrusion of water into the case. The device is not limited to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and various known electric devices can be adopted.

[Appendix 14-1]
A vacuum cleaner including a dust case having a check valve provided in an opening,
The check valve is
A main surface capable of closing the opening,
An urging portion for urging the main surface in a direction to close the opening,
A projection extending in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface and reaching the outside of the opening,
The urging unit can rotate the main surface by urging the longitudinal direction of the check valve as a rotation axis,
The vacuum cleaner is
An electric vacuum cleaner having a counter-biasing portion capable of applying a force in a direction of opening the opening by contacting the protruding portion to the main surface.

[Appendix 14-2]
The counter-biasing portion is a guide step as a step provided in the vacuum cleaner,
The vacuum cleaner according to attachment 14-1, wherein the check valve is housed in a gap provided above the rotating brush when the check valve is attached to the vacuum cleaner.

[Appendix 14-3]
14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the dust case has an upright portion extending vertically in a downstream side of the opening.

[Appendix 15-1]
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a lower case and a bumper provided on a side surface and autonomously traveling by controlling driving wheels,
A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a resin bumper frame located on the outer peripheral side of the bumper on the entire side surface or substantially the entire periphery.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 11 Main body 111 Upper case 112 Lower case 1121 Side brush attachment part 1122 Auxiliary wheel attachment part 1123 Rear projection 1124 Center front projection 1125 Center rear projection 1126 Exhaust port 1127 Bumper frame 1128 Mounting claw locking part 113 Suction port 1131 Suction port 1133 Rotary brush motor 114 Drive mechanism housing 1141 Arm (suspension)
1142 reduction mechanism 115 battery housing 116 drive wheel 1161 running motor 117 front lid 118 airtight member 1181 bridging part 1182 swing shaft 1183 frame body 1184 removal claw 1185 biasing part 1186 driven roller 119 guide step 1101 gap 1102 prop housing part 12 Dust sensor unit 121 Frame 122 Light emitting section 1221 Light emitting element 123 Light receiving section 1232 Light receiving element 1239 Transparent resin cap 124 Adhesive member 125 Wiring 126 Connector 127 Board 13 Scrape brush 14 Rotary brush 141 Shaft section 142 Flocked 143 Non-woven fabric 1431 Slit 15 Side brush 151 Side brush holder 152 Side brush motor 153 Root elastic part 1531 Narrow part 1532 Thick part 154 Brush part 155 Mounting claw 16 Electric blower 161 Elastic body 17 Auxiliary wheel 171 Portion 172 circular disk 173 fixed shaft 18 bumper 19 Battery 2 controller 21 controls substrate 210 sensors (distance measurement sensor)
211 sensors (distance measuring sensor for floor)
22 Switch sheet 221 Circular operation button 222 Ring operation button 4 Dust case 41 Main storage chamber 42 Duct 421 Upright portion 43 Handle 431 Grip portion 432 Retaining portion 433 Working point portion 434 Locking portion 44 Backflow suppression valve 441 Main surface 442 Projection 443 urging part 45 lid 46 filter 80 support plate 90 center line 91 arrow 92 main dimension of dust sensor unit 93 dimension of the other end side of duct (oblique dimension)
94 Dimension of one end of duct (vertical dimension)

Claims (4)

  A rotary brush driven by a rotary brush motor, a suction port having a suction port, an electric blower that generates a negative pressure and creates a suction force, and a dust case having a main storage section; Part or all of the path from the suction port to the main storage section is surrounded by a duct integrated with the dust case, and the suction port forms a part of the path from the suction port to the main storage section. A dust duct, and a dust sensor unit separate from the dust case and the suction port is disposed on a path from the suction port to the main storage section, and when the dust sensor unit reacts to a certain amount of dust, A self-propelled vacuum cleaner in which the rotational speed of an electric blower increases and suction power increases, wherein the rotational speed of a rotating brush increases in accordance with the rotational speed of the electric blower. A rotary brush driven by a rotary brush motor, and a suction unit having a suction port, an electric blower that generates a negative pressure and creates a suction force, and a dust case having a main storage unit, and Part or all of the path to the main storage section is surrounded by a duct integral with the dust case, and the suction port forms a part of the path from the suction port to the main storage section. Having a unit duct, a dust sensor unit separate from the dust case and the suction unit is disposed on a path from the suction port to the main storage unit, and when the dust sensor unit reacts to a certain amount of dust, In a self-propelled vacuum cleaner where the rotation speed of the electric blower increases and the suction power increases,
When the rotation speed of the rotating brush increases in accordance with the rotation speed of the electric blower, and the response of the sensor unit further increases, the rotation is reversed by 180 degrees with a small radius, and the vehicle travels straight in the same dimension as the main body, and then travels in the next direction. A self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner characterized in that it rotates 180 degrees in a radius and travels straight ahead for substantially the same size as the main body. 3. The dust sensor unit according to claim 1, wherein the dust sensor unit includes a frame, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit provided on the frame and facing each other, and a close contact member attached to the frame. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner.   The self-propelled electric cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the load of the rotating brush motor is equal to or more than a certain value, the rotation speed of the electric blower increases, and the rotation speed of the rotating brush also increases. Machine.

Images