JP2020039571A - Autonomous travel type cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an autonomous travel type cleaner capable of improving convenience in a pet breeding environment or the like.SOLUTION: An autonomous travel type cleaner includes a cleaner body equipped with brushes, a dust collection case, a blower for generating an air flow to the dust collection case, and a battery charger, so as to perform autonomous travel. The cleaner can selectively perform a normal mode and a pet mode to be performed when it is determined that the cleaner body exists in a pet breeding environment, as a mode to perform automatic cleaning. During performance of a pet mode, predetermined control is performed once or more or intermittently in a part of an automatic cleaning performance time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner.

  Autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaners that perform special control compared to "pet breeding environments" where pets are not bred are known, assuming cleaning of "pet breeding environments" where pets are bred at home. Have been. One of the differences between the two environments, depending on the type of pet being bred, is that dust tends to accumulate quickly in the pet breeding environment.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that a cycle for starting automatic cleaning (time from the end of the previous automatic cleaning to the start of the next automatic cleaning) is varied depending on whether or not a small animal such as a pet is present (claim 1). Is disclosed. Further, it is described that, when a small animal presence notification is obtained, the rotation speed of the suction motor 3 is set higher than usual and automatic cleaning in the cleaning area is started (0031).

JP 2007-29489 A

  During the execution of the automatic cleaning, the user is likely to be inconvenienced by the noise accompanying the cleaning and the movement of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner. For this reason, if it is essential to change the cleaning cycle as in Patent Literature 1, it is likely that the user's lifestyle is forced to match the automatic cleaning cycle of the vacuum cleaner. However, if the amount of accumulated dust is large, if a large amount of dust is collected by one automatic cleaning, for example, the dust adheres to the brush during the automatic cleaning and the cleaning performance is reduced, or the dust collecting case is full. It may be difficult or impossible to continue cleaning.

  In addition, when a high input is performed such as increasing the rotation speed of the suction motor as in Patent Literature 1, the power consumption speed of the rechargeable battery may be increased and the cleaning efficiency may be reduced.

A first aspect of the present invention, which has been made in view of the above circumstances, includes a brush, a dust collecting case, a blower that generates an airflow to the dust collecting case, and a rechargeable battery, includes a cleaner body that autonomously travels, and has an automatic As a mode for performing cleaning, a normal mode and a pet mode that is executed when it is determined that the cleaner body is present in the pet breeding environment can be selected and executed. Is an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner that executes a predetermined control at least once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning.
In addition, a second present invention made in view of the above circumstances includes a brush, a dust collecting case, a blower that generates an air flow to the dust collecting case, and a cleaner body that runs autonomously and has a rechargeable battery. An autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner that performs autonomous maintenance at least once or intermittently for a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning.

It is a perspective view showing the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the state where the upper case of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment was removed. It is the figure which looked up at the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment from the bottom. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked up at the suction part of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment from the lower surface, and is the figure where the rotary brush and the scraping brush were removed. It is the perspective view which looked down at the suction part of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment from the left front. It is a perspective view of a rotating brush of an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view of a scraping brush of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a sectional side view of the suction part of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the apparatus connected to a control apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the cleaning operation | movement of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flow chart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flow chart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a flow chart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a flow chart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner concerning a 4th embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The present embodiment is not limited to the following contents, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the present invention.
In the direction in which the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C (see FIG. 1) travels, the side where the side brush 40 (see FIG. 1) is provided is forward, the vertically upward direction is upward, and the drive wheel 61 (see FIG. 3) is opposed. The directions are left and right. That is, front and rear, up and down, and left and right are defined as shown in FIG.

(1st Embodiment)
[Autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is an electric device that automatically cleans while moving autonomously in a predetermined cleaning area (for example, a room). The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C includes an upper case 91 as an upper wall, a lower case 51 (see FIG. 2) as a bottom wall (and some side walls), and a bumper 92 installed at a front part. Constitutes an outer casing (housing) of the main body 50 (cleaner main body).

  The upper case 91 is provided with a lid 93 for taking in and out a dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) described later.

  An operation button 97 is provided on the upper case 91. The operation button 97 is a button for outputting an operation signal according to a user operation to the control device 95 (see FIG. 2). For example, it has a power button, a cleaning start / end button, and a cleaning mode selection button for changing the cleaning mode.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the upper case 91 is removed, as viewed from the front left.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower case 51 is a housing on which the traveling motor 57, the rotating brush motor 21 (electric motor), the blower 81, the control device (control unit) 95, and the like are placed. It has a plate shape.

  When the blower 81 is driven, the air in the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) is discharged to the outside to generate a negative pressure, and the dust is sucked from the floor surface through the later-described suction port 17 (see FIG. 5). Has a function.

FIG. 3 is a view of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner as seen from below.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lower case 51 includes a drive mechanism housing 54 that houses a drive mechanism including a drive wheel 61, a travel motor 57 (see FIG. 2), and a speed reduction mechanism, A brush mounting portion 82, a hole portion 52 for fixing the suction portion 10, an exhaust port 53, and a battery housing portion 55 (see FIG. 4) for housing the rechargeable battery B (see FIG. 4) are formed.

  The drive mechanism accommodating portions 54 are formed on the left and right sides of the center of the lower case 51 having a disk shape in plan view. The plurality of exhaust ports 53 are formed near the center of the lower case 51 having a circular shape in a plan view, and at positions interposed between the drive mechanism accommodating portions 54.

  The battery housing portion 55 is formed on the front side of the center of the lower case 51. Side brush attachment portions 82 for attaching the side brushes 40 are formed on the left and right sides of the battery housing portion 55.

  The side brush 40 is a brush that guides dust that is not easy to reach the rotating brush 5 such as a corner of a room to the suction unit 10 (the suction port 17), and a part of the side brush 40 is exposed from the main body 50 in a plan view. I have. The side brush 40 has three bundles of brushes extending radially at 120 ° intervals in a plan view, and is disposed on the left and right in front of the suction unit 10.

  The root of the right side brush 40 is fixed to the side brush holder 41. The flocking of the side brush 40 is inclined so as to approach the floor surface toward the front end (see FIG. 4), and the vicinity of the front end is in contact with the floor surface.

  A hole 52 to which the suction unit 10 is fixed is formed on the rear side of the center of the lower case 51, that is, on the rear side of the exhaust port 53 and the drive mechanism housing unit 54. The suction unit 10 fixed to the hole 52 is a member that has the suction port 17 (see FIG. 5) and accommodates the scraping brush 1 and the rotating brush 5.

  The drive wheel 61 is a wheel for moving the main body 50 forward, backward, and turn by the rotation of the drive wheel 61 itself. The drive wheels 61 are arranged on the left and right sides of the center of the lower case 51.

  The support mechanism housed in the drive mechanism housing portion 54 is a mechanism that supports the drive mechanism on the main body 50 (see FIG. 1). The support mechanism includes an arm 71 that supports the drive mechanism.

  The front lid 56 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member that closes the opening of the battery housing portion 55 (see FIG. 4) formed in the lower case 51 from the lower surface of the lower case 51. Further, the front cover 56 includes a circular auxiliary wheel mounting portion 84 near the center side of the lower case 51 for mounting the auxiliary wheel 83.

  The auxiliary wheels 83 are auxiliary wheels for smoothly moving the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C while maintaining the main body 50 (see FIG. 1) at a predetermined height. Further, the auxiliary wheel 83 is pivotally supported so as to be driven and rotated by a frictional force generated between the auxiliary wheel 83 and the floor surface as the main body 50 moves. The auxiliary wheel 83 is configured to be rotatable 360 ° in the horizontal direction. The auxiliary wheel 83 is provided at the center in the left-right direction in front of the main body 50 and is mounted on the auxiliary wheel mounting portion 84 described above.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the dust collection case K is a container that collects dust sucked from the floor via the suction port 17 (suction unit 10). In addition, the dust collecting case K includes a dust collecting case main body that stores the collected dust, a lid that allows the collected dust to be taken out, and a foldable handle. The dust collecting case main body has a shape whose main surface is formed mainly of a cylindrical curved surface corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the suction part 10 (see FIG. 3), and corresponds to the suction port 17 at a position facing the suction port 17. It has an inflow port K1 having a shape, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The lid faces the suction port of the blower and includes a dust collection filter F.

  The bumper 92 is installed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction according to a pressing force acting from the outside. The bumper 92 is urged outward by a pair of left and right bumper springs (not shown). The tip of the bumper spring is curved in a J-shape, and the curved portion is in contact with the inner wall surface of the bumper 92.

  When a drag from an obstacle acts on the bumper spring via the bumper 92, the bumper spring is deformed so as to fall inward in plan view, and allows the bumper 92 to move backward while urging the bumper 92 outward. When the bumper 92 is separated from the obstacle and the above-mentioned drag is eliminated, the bumper 92 returns to the original position by the urging force of the bumper spring. Incidentally, the retreat of the bumper 92 (that is, contact with an obstacle) is detected by distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B (photocouplers) described later (see FIG. 2), and the detection result is a control device 95 (see FIG. 2). Is input to

  The battery accommodating portion 55 accommodates the rechargeable battery B and is configured by a space having a downward opening surrounded by a wall surface. Further, the battery housing portion 55 is located on the front side of the blower 81.

FIG. 5 is a view of the suction unit 10 according to the present embodiment in a state where the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are removed, as viewed from below.
As shown in FIG. 5, the suction part 10 is attached to the hole 52 of the lower case 51 (see FIG. 3). In addition, the suction part 10 forms a flow path through which air that is connected to the dust collection case K (see FIG. 4) can flow. The dust collecting case K is connected to the dust collecting filter F (see FIG. 4), the blower 81 (see FIG. 4), and the exhaust port 53 (see FIG. 3) in order toward the downstream side.

  The suction part 10 is a member that has a suction port 17 connected to the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) and accommodates the rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 4) and the scraping brush 1 (see FIG. 4). And a member for fixing the rotating brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6).

  In addition, a rotary brush housing 15 for housing the rotary brush 5 (see FIG. 4) is formed at the front of the suction unit 10. At the rear of the suction section 10, there is formed a scraping brush accommodation section 11 for accommodating the scraping brush 1 (see FIG. 4). The rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 3) is disposed in the rotating brush housing 15. The scraping brush 1 is disposed in the scraping brush housing 11. That is, the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are arranged in this order from the front of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C. The rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are detachably attached to the suction unit 10.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the suction unit 10 as viewed from the front left.
As shown in FIG. 6, the suction unit 10 includes a rotating brush motor 21 for rotating the rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 4), a power transmission mechanism 22 for transmitting the power of the rotating brush motor 21 to the rotating brush 5, Is provided.

  The rotary brush motor 21 is attached to one end of the suction unit 10 in the left-right direction, that is, to the opposite side (right end) of the suction port 17 in the left-right direction. The rotating brush motor 21 has a rotating shaft arranged in parallel with the rotating shaft 5b of the rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 7). The rotating shaft (not shown) of the rotating brush motor 21 extends toward one end in the left-right direction, and is connected to the rotating shaft 5 b of the rotating brush 5 at one end of the suction unit 10 via the power transmission mechanism 22. I have.

  A bearing 18 (see FIG. 5) that supports the rotating shaft 5b (see FIG. 7) of the rotating brush 5 is provided on the right side of the rotating brush housing portion 15. The bearing 18 corresponds to the outer shape of the fitting portion 6 (see FIG. 7) provided at one end of the rotating brush 5 and has a fitting recess (not shown) in which the fitting portion 6 fits.

  Further, on the left side of the rotating brush housing portion 15, a locking portion 19 (see FIG. 5) for locking the bearing 7 provided on the other rotating shaft 5b (see FIG. 7) of the rotating brush 5; A recess 19a (see FIG. 5) in which the rotating shaft 5b is rotatably accommodated in a non-contact manner is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the scraping brush housing portion 11 is a concave portion having a curved surface whose cross section extending in the left-right direction has an arc shape. Further, by providing the curved surface of the scraping brush housing 11 so as to approach the scraping brush 1 (flocked), the airtightness of the suction unit 10 is increased, and the flow rate of the air sucked by the rotating brush housing 15 is kept high. And a dynamic pressure can be secured. For this reason, the ability of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C to suck dust can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rotating brush 5.
As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating brush (brush) 5 is disposed so as to be parallel to an axis (left-right direction) passing through the center of rotation of the driving wheel 61 (see FIG. 3). The rotating brush 5 is provided continuously from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the rotating brush housing 15 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The rotating brush 5 has a rotating shaft 5 b and is rotatably supported by the suction unit 10.

  The rotating brush 5 is driven to rotate in both forward and reverse directions by a rotating brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6). The rotating brush 5 rotates in the same direction as the direction in which the drive wheel 61 rotates when the main body 50 advances. During normal operation, it rotates in the forward direction, and during automatic brush cleaning, which will be described later, it rotates in the opposite direction to that during normal operation.

  The rotating brush 5 has a flocking 5c protruding in a normal direction from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 5a. In addition, the rotating brush 5 is formed such that each of the flocking 5c extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to a tangent line on the surface of the shaft portion 5a.

  In addition, the flocking 5c of the rotating brush 5 includes a plurality of types of flocking such as flocking having different lengths and flocking having different hardness, and each flocking is arranged in a spiral with respect to the rotating shaft 5b (see the figure). It is arranged.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the case where two types of flocking are arranged has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one type or three or more types may be used. . In addition, a configuration in which a blade member made of an elastic material such as rubber is spirally arranged between the spirally implanted flocks may be added, and may be appropriately changed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a scraping brush. Note that the configuration of the scraping brush 1 is an example, and is not limited to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the scraping brush (lint brush) 1 is disposed so as to be parallel to an axis (left-right direction) passing through the center of rotation of the drive wheel 61 (see FIG. 3). The scraping brush 1 is provided continuously from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the scraping brush housing 11 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The scraping brush 1 has a cylindrical shape having a rotating shaft 4 and is rotatably supported by the suction unit 10. The length of the scraping brush 1 in the axial direction (lateral direction) is shorter than that of the rotating brush 5.

  The scraping brush 1 is provided with a flocking 2 on almost the entire surface of the shaft. Specifically, the scraping brush 1 has a rib 3a protruding in the radial direction along the rotation axis direction, and has the flocking 2 on the entire surface except the rib 3a. The rib 3a is formed linearly from one end in the axial direction of the scraping brush 1 to the other end. Further, in the scraping brush 1, each of the flocking 2 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion at an angle within a certain range (for example, 0 to 45 °) with respect to a tangent line on the shaft portion surface. ing.

  In order to improve the scraping force, the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is preferably longer and harder. The flocking of the scraping brush 1 is preferably soft in order to reduce power consumption. If the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is long, the flocking reaches the interior of a carpet or the like, and dust can be scraped from the interior. If the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is hard, dust can be scraped from the back against the resistance of the bristles of the carpet. If the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is soft, the contact resistance of the bristles of the carpet or the like becomes small, and the scraping brush 1 is easily rotated. Therefore, the power consumption of the traveling motor and the rotating brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6) is small. Become.

  When the flooring (between the plates) is to be cleaned, it is preferable that the position of the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 be raised about 0.5 mm from the floor surface. Further, it is preferable that the position of the flocking of the scraping brush 1 overlaps the bristles of the carpet when cleaning the carpet.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of a suction part of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner.
As shown in FIG. 9, a locking portion 11a for locking the rib 3a is formed on the inner wall surface of the scraping brush housing portion 11. The locking portion 11 a is formed at the front end of the scraping brush housing 11.

  When the scraping brush 1 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, the rib 3a comes into contact with the locking portion 11a, and the rotating operation of the scraping brush 1 is restricted. Further, when the scraping brush 1 is rotated clockwise in the drawing, the rotating operation of the scraping brush 1 is restricted by an internal mechanism (not shown) of the scraping brush 1. That is, the scraping brush 1 is configured not to rotate 360 degrees but to rotate in both directions within a range of about 120 degrees in the scraping brush housing 11.

  Further, during normal operation, the scraping brush 1 starts driven rotation by friction with the cleaning surface with movement of the main body 50 (the rotating brush 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow), and then rotation is regulated by the rib 3a. Therefore, the rotation is not continued and the rotation is stopped. That is, the main body 50 advances while slipping the scraping brush 1 that has stopped rotating.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a control device 95 of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner and devices connected to the control device 95.
As shown in FIG. 10, the bumper sensor (obstacle detecting means) is a photocoupler that detects the retreat (that is, the contact with the obstacle) of the bumper 92 (see FIG. 1). For example, when an obstacle comes into contact with the bumper 92, the light receiving time of (the reflected light of) the sensor light is shortened. A detection signal corresponding to the change in the light receiving time is output to the control device 95.

  The distance measuring sensor (obstacle detecting means) 96A is an infrared sensor that detects a distance to an obstacle. In the present embodiment, distance measuring sensors are provided at a total of five places, three places at the front and two places at the side (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  The distance measuring sensor 96A 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. I have. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the intensity of the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. In addition, at least the vicinity of the distance measuring sensor in the bumper 92 is formed of resin or glass that transmits infrared rays.

  Incidentally, another type of sensor (for example, an ultrasonic sensor or a visible light sensor) may be used as the distance measuring sensor 96A.

  The floor distance measuring sensor (obstacle detecting means) 96B 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 51 (see FIG. 3). By detecting a large step such as a stair by the floor distance measuring sensor 96B, it is possible to prevent the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C from falling (from the stair). For example, when a step of about 30 mm is detected forward by the floor distance measuring sensor 96B, the control device 95 controls the traveling motor 57 (see FIG. 2) to move the main body 50 backward to change the traveling direction.

  The rotation speed and rotation angle of the traveling motor 57 are detected based on the pulse output of the traveling motor encoder shown in FIG. In addition, based on the rotation speed and rotation angle detected by the traveling motor encoder, the gear ratio of the reduction mechanism, and the diameter of the drive wheel 61, the control device 95 controls the main body 50 (autonomous traveling cleaner C). Calculate the moving speed and moving distance.

  The traveling motor current measuring device is a measuring device that measures a current flowing through the armature winding of the traveling motor 57. Similarly, the blower current measuring device measures the current value of the blower 81, and the rotating brush motor current measuring device measures the current value of the rotating brush motor 21. The two side brush motor current measuring devices measure the current value of the side brush motor 42. Each current measuring device outputs the measured current value to the control device 95.

  The operation button 97 is a button that outputs an operation signal according to a user operation to the control device 95 (see FIG. 2).

  The display panel driving device is a device that applies a voltage to the electrodes of the display panel in response to a command from the control device 95. The display panel (not shown) has a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diode: not shown) and a 7-segment display (not shown), and displays the operating state of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C and the like. .

  The rechargeable battery B is, for example, a secondary battery that can be reused by being charged, and is housed in the battery housing 55 (see FIG. 4). The electric power from the rechargeable battery B is supplied to the distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B (see FIG. 2), each motor, each driving device, and the control device 95.

  The traveling motor driving device (left) (right) is an inverter that drives the left and right traveling motors or a pulse waveform generator by PWM control, and operates according to a command from the control device 95. The same applies to the 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 a control device 95 (see FIG. 2) in the main body 50.

  The control device 95 is, for example, a microcomputer (Microcomputer: not shown), reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) and expands the program in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs various processes. It is supposed to run. Further, the control device 95 executes an arithmetic process in accordance with signals input from the operation buttons 97 and the distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B, and outputs a command signal to each of the driving devices.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning operation of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
In the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C, the blower 81, the rotating brush motor 21, and the side brush 40 are driven during normal operation. In this case, the rotating brush 5 rotates in the W1 direction (counterclockwise direction). That is, the rotating brush 5 rotates from the front side to the rear side in contact with the floor surface. Dust on the floor or the like is scraped by the side brush 40, passes between the left and right drive wheels 61, and is scraped by the rotating brush 5. The dust scraped by the rotating brush 5 is sucked through the suction port 17 (suction unit 10) and is taken into the dust collection case K. The air from which dust has been removed by the dust collecting filter F is discharged to the outside of the main body 50 via the exhaust port 53 (see FIG. 3).

  In this case, since the scraping brush 1 is in contact with the rotating brush 5, the rotation of the rotating brush 5 causes a rotation corresponding to the rotating brush 5, that is, a rotational force in a direction opposite to the rotating brush 5 (W10 direction). Given. Here, when the main body 50 moves forward with the scraping brush 1 in contact with the cleaning surface (floor surface), the scraping brush 1 cancels the rotational force given by the rotating brush 5 due to friction with the cleaning surface in the W20 direction. A rotational force is given.

  The flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is reverse to the cleaning surface of the main body 50 when the main body 50 advances, and is positive to rotation of the rotating brush 5. For this reason, when the main body 50 advances, the rotating force from the cleaning surface exceeds the rotating force from the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 is driven to rotate in the W20 direction. However, since a rotating force in the W10 direction is applied from the rotating brush 5, resistance against the floor surface of the scraping brush 1 is generated. For this reason, the scraping brush 1 can collect the dust so as to scrape the dust from the floor surface.

  In addition, the rib 3a of the scraping brush 1 that has started rotating in the direction W20 in FIG. 11 rotates from the rear end to the front end of the scraping brush housing 11, contacts the locking portion 11a, and rotates. Is regulated. After the rotation of the scraping brush 1 is stopped, the scraping brush 1 is cleaned so as to slip and scrape on a cleaning surface (floor surface, carpet).

  At this time, each of the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 extends in a reverse direction from the surface of the scraping brush 1 toward the front side (the traveling direction) of the main body 50. Therefore, each of the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is continuous from the cleaning surface (for example, a carpet) using only a portion that comes into contact with the cleaning surface in the width direction of the scraping brush 1 while slipping during forward movement. To remove dust.

  On the other hand, when the main body 50 hits a wall, for example, when avoiding an obstacle, the main body 50 moves backward with the scraping brush 1 in contact with the cleaning surface. Then, the scraping brush 1 starts to rotate in the W10 direction from the front of the main body 50 via the scraping brush housing 11 due to friction with the cleaning surface as the main body 50 moves backward.

  The scraping brush 1 that continues to be driven and rotated in the W10 direction in FIG. 11 stops being driven and rotated by the internal restricting means (not shown) when the rib 3a is positioned at the rear end of the scraping brush housing portion 11. At this time, the portion of the scraping brush 1 that has scraped off the dust during the forward movement comes into contact with the rotating brush 5, and the dust attached to the scraping brush 1 is collected.

  The flocking of the scraping brush 1 is smooth with respect to the cleaning surface (for example, a carpet) when moving backward. Since the rotation of the rotating brush 5 in the W10 direction is applied to the scraping brush 1, only the portion in contact with the cleaning surface in the width direction is used to continuously scrape off the dust from the cleaning surface. That is, the scraping brush 1 can scrape off the dust both when the main body 50 advances and when it moves backward.

  As described above, since the rib 3a reciprocates at the position facing the scraping brush accommodating section 11, the portion of the rib 3a where the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 does not contact the cleaning surface does not contact the cleaning surface. Does not hurt.

  When the main body 50 moves forward, the dust scraped out by the scraping brush 1 (until the rotation is restricted by the rib 3a) follows the flocking of the scraping brush 1 and passes through the scraping brush accommodating section 11 through the suction port 17. From the dust collecting case K.

  When the main body 50 moves backward, the dust scraped out by the scraping brush 1 is collected by the rotating brush 5 that comes into contact with the scraping brush 1. In addition, since the direction of the flocking of the scraping brush 1 and the rotating direction of the rotating brush 5 are opposite, the flocking of the rotating brush 5 easily and reliably removes dust from the flocking of the scraping brush 1 (sweeping). Take) is possible.

[Environment that autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner cleans]
By the way, in a pet breeding environment where there are dogs and cats with a lot of hair, for example, relatively solid solids such as long hairs and feathers are found. A rotary brush or the like is relatively suitable for cleaning these. However, long-sized solids are likely to be entangled with brushes such as rotating brushes, and the required maintenance frequency is expected to increase.In some cases, maintenance may be performed once or several times by any method during one automatic cleaning. It will be preferable. In addition, it is assumed that the pet hair has a low density with respect to the volume, so that the time required for the dust collecting case K to become full is shortened. It is preferable that the maintenance for increasing the free space is performed once or a plurality of times.

  Such pet hair is easily entangled with the rotating brush 5 and has a low density with respect to volume. Therefore, the number of times that the rotary brush 5 needs to be maintained (the number of times of maintenance) increases because the pet's hair is entangled with the rotary brush 5 as described above. In addition, since the pet hair has a low density with respect to the volume, the dust collecting case K is immediately filled with the pet hair, and the number of times of cleaning the dust collecting case K (the number of times of maintenance) increases. Here, the maintenance refers to a process that a user desires to perform with use of the autonomous traveling cleaner C, for example, removal of dust adhering to the autonomous traveling cleaner C (for example, dust entangled with a brush). Removal), recovery of the amount of dust that can be collected (for example, compression or disposal of dust in the dust collection case K), and the like.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, means for reducing the number of times of maintenance of the rotating brush 5 and the dust collecting case K will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

  In the pet mode of the present embodiment, predetermined control (operation or arithmetic processing) is executed during a part of the execution time of one pet mode. As long as it is a part of one execution time, the predetermined control may be executed only once or may be executed intermittently a plurality of times. Thus, maintenance can be performed during automatic cleaning while suppressing power consumption.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in step S10, the control device 95 determines whether or not the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C is in the pet mode ON. Whether or not the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C is in the pet mode ON can be determined based on whether or not the user operates the operation button 97 to set the pet mode. When determining that the pet mode is ON (S10, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to step S20, and when determining that the pet mode is not ON (S10, No), proceeds to step S80. .

  In the first embodiment, a configuration in which the mode can be switched between the pet mode and the normal mode has been described. However, a configuration in which the pet mode is always operated may be employed. In the pet mode as in the present embodiment, the control for increasing the input to the blower 81 and the rotating brush 5 is executed during a part of the execution time of one time in the pet mode. The power increases compared to the normal mode. However, since it may be assumed that the household does not need to execute the pet mode, it is possible to switch the non-execution of the pet mode, that is, to switch between the pet mode and the normal mode. Power consumption can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the same mode is executed from the start to the end of a certain autonomous drive (automatic cleaning). However, the mode may be changed on the way by a user's instruction.

In step S20, the control device 95 measures the lapse of time by a timer unit capable of performing a time counting process, and determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of cleaning. When it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (S20, No), the process of step S20 is repeated, and when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (S20, Yes), the process proceeds to step S30. The predetermined time can be appropriately set, and is set to, for example, 10 minutes. Note that the predetermined time may be changed as appropriate according to the state of accumulation of the pet's hair (hair loss) of the dust collection case K and the degree of entanglement of the pet's hair of the rotating brush 5. The predetermined time may be switched according to the setting of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C. In addition, the predetermined time does not necessarily need to be always a constant value even during one cleaning, and may be set to regular or irregular. In the present embodiment, instead of or in addition to a trigger for performing some sensor value or some other operation, maintenance control or the like suitable for the pet breeding environment can be performed using the passage of time by the timer unit as a trigger.
The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 focuses on a cycle from the end of a certain automatic cleaning to the start of the next automatic cleaning, but does not disclose any control cycle during one automatic cleaning.

  In step S30, the control device 95 stops the drive wheels 61 and stops the movement of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C (controls the main body 50).

  In step S40, the control device 95 executes automatic brush cleaning as an example of autonomous maintenance control. The automatic brush cleaning is a process of removing pet hair and the like entangled with the rotating brush 5. That is, in cleaning the rotating brush 5, the control device 95 controls the rotating brush motor 21 to rotate the rotating brush 5 in the reverse direction (rotate in the W2 direction in FIG. 11). In this case, since the scraping brush 1 is in a reverse state with respect to the rotating operation of the rotating brush 5, dust (pet hair) attached to the rotating brush 5 is scraped off by the scraping brush 1. In addition, even if the scraping brush 1 is driven to rotate in the W20 direction by the reverse rotation of the rotating brush 5, the rib 3a of the scraping brush 1 comes into contact with the locking portion 11a, and the rotating operation of the scraping brush 1 is performed. Is regulated. When the rotation of the scraping brush 1 is restricted, dust attached to the rotating brush 5 is scraped off by the scraping brush 1. At this time, the dust is accumulated in a region indicated by a region P in FIG.

  In step S40, the control device 95 increases the rotation speed of the rotating brush motor 21 during automatic brush cleaning. Thus, the efficiency of scraping the dust adhered to the rotating brush 5 with the scraping brush 1 is increased, and the cleaning property for the rotating brush 5 is improved.

  In step S50, the control device 95 executes a dust press process (dust volume compression process, dust compression process) as an example of an autonomous maintenance process. That is, in the dust press processing, the rotation speed of the motor of the blower 81 is increased from that in the normal operation (normal mode). As a result, the dust scraped off by the scraping brush 1 passes through the suction port 17 and the dust collecting case K and is collected on the dust collecting filter F. In addition, since the dust is sucked more strongly than the dust collected in the normal operation, the amount of dust compression is higher than in the normal operation (the bulk of the dust can be effectively reduced). This can delay the dust collecting case K being filled with dust, and reduce the number of times of maintenance.

  In step S60, the control device 95 determines whether or not cleaning has been completed. The end of cleaning is determined based on whether or not all of the preset cleaning routes (room maps) have been moved or whether the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery has fallen below a threshold. If it is determined that the cleaning is not completed (S60, No), the control device 95 proceeds to step S70. If it is determined that the cleaning is completed (S60, Yes), the control device 95 goes to the charging stand (or the base station). Return to end the cleaning mode (automatic cleaning).

  In step S70, the control device 95 resets the timer. By resetting the timer, after a predetermined time has elapsed (S20, Yes), the processing of steps S30 to S50 is repeated. Steps S30 to S50 may be performed entirely or only partially.

  On the other hand, when the pet mode is not ON in step S10 and proceeds to the normal operation (step S80), the control device 95 collects dust in the dust collection case K while rotating the rotating brush 5.

  Then, in step S90, the control device 95 determines whether or not the cleaning has been completed, and if not completed, returns to step S80. If determined to be completed, returns to the charging stand. To end the cleaning mode. In the normal operation, the operations in steps S40 and S50 may not be performed at all, or may be performed less frequently than in the pet mode.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, in the pet mode in which the rotating brush 5 is reversely rotated one or more times or intermittently to perform the automatic brush cleaning during a part of the pet mode execution time (step S40 in FIG. 12). ), In a pet breeding environment such as a dog or a cat, the number of times of maintenance of the rotating brush 5 generated by hair loss (dust) of the pet can be reduced.

  Also, by performing the dust press process by increasing the rotation speed (motor rotation speed, operating speed) of the blower 81 once or intermittently as part of the pet mode execution time (step S50 in FIG. 12). ), The number of times of cleaning the dust collecting case K (the number of times of dust disposal) can be reduced.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the maintenance control such as the reverse rotation of the rotary brush 5 and the dust press control is performed autonomously during the cleaning, and a large amount of dust is collected during one cleaning. The occurrence of a situation where the cleaning must be interrupted can be suppressed. That is, the time during which autonomous driving can be continued without maintenance can be increased, and the number of maintenance operations of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C can be reduced (control can be performed in a direction to reduce the failure of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C).

  In the pet mode of the present embodiment, control for the purpose of reducing the frequency of maintenance required by the user and increasing the dust collection rate is performed once, twice or more, or every predetermined time, as part of the mode execution time. A plurality of times are executed intermittently at intervals of time as shown in FIG. Thereby, the power consumption can be reduced as compared with the case where such control is always performed. The execution of such control may be regular or irregular unless it is performed constantly.

  The determination of the pet breeding environment may be made based on, for example, whether the camera (imaging unit) of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C has recognized the pet, or may be determined based on an input from the user. Is also good.

  Further, in the first embodiment, during the operation of the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press, the rotation speed of the rotary brush 5 is increased as compared with the normal operation, so that the dust collection performance can be improved as compared with the normal operation. Further, the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 is increased to make the operation sound louder than in the normal operation. This makes it possible to generate a noise that is louder than the operation sound during normal operation, and it is possible to give an impression to the user that cleaning is being performed firmly.

  In addition, a sensor (floor type detection means) for detecting the type of floor and dust (dust) on the floor surface is provided, and when the floor surface is a carpet or dust is detected, the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 is set to be higher than that in normal operation. May also be raised. As a result, the dust collection performance can be improved as compared with the normal operation.

  Note that the name of the normal operation in the present embodiment is an example, and can refer to a mode other than the pet mode. Further, an autonomous vacuum cleaner that can execute only the pet mode may be used. In this case, the autonomous maintenance processing can be performed once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the cleaning mode.

(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is configured by including an imaging unit (a monocular camera, a stereo camera, or the like) as a recognition unit in the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C of the first embodiment. The imaging unit (not shown) is attached to the front (front) of the lower case shown in FIG. By mounting such an imaging unit, the type of floor surface and the number of dust (dust) can be detected. Hereinafter, only processing different from the first embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in step S21, after starting the cleaning, the control device 95 determines dust (pet hair, obstacles) on the floor by the imaging unit, and determines the number (number of pet hairs) of the dust (pet hair, etc.). Count). Specifically, the image pattern of the dust is stored in the ROM in advance, and by comparing the image with the image captured by the imaging unit, it can be determined whether the captured object is dust.

  Then, in step S22, the control device 95 determines whether or not the number of dust (dust) (predetermined numerical value of the obstacle) exceeds a predetermined number (predetermined value). If the control device 95 determines that the number of detected dusts does not exceed the predetermined number (S22, No), the process returns to step S21, and if it determines that the number of detected dusts exceeds the predetermined number, (S22, Yes), the process proceeds to step S30.

  As described above, in the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, by using a sensor (imaging unit) that detects dust (dust), automatic brush cleaning (step S40) and dust press (step S50) are executed according to the number of detected dust. In addition, it is possible to prevent the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press from being wastefully executed, and the cleaning of the rotating brush 5 and the dust collecting case K can be efficiently performed.

  In the second embodiment, the case where dust is detected by the imaging unit has been described as an example. However, a sensor that detects passage of dust may be provided in the suction port 17. Automatic brush cleaning and dust press can be executed according to the number of times the sensor has passed.

  In addition, although the case where the recognition unit is a camera that can recognize the type and number of dust has been described as an example, an optical sensor (numerical value recognition unit) that can recognize the number of dust may be used.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the third embodiment. Note that also in the third embodiment, only processes different from those in the first embodiment will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 14, when the control device 95 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed (S20, No), the process proceeds to step S25.

  In step S25, the control device 95 determines whether or not to start corner cleaning. Corner cleaning means cleaning an area (a corner of a room) close to both of two walls extending in different directions, for example, such that the side distance measurement sensor 96A continues to detect an obstacle. While the vehicle is traveling along one wall by controlling, it can be found by detecting the obstacle by the forward distance measuring sensor 96A. In the case where an image pickup unit such as a camera is provided, a corner may be found by this image recognition. If the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is located at such a corner, if the head is swung right and left in the vicinity of the corner by performing a swivel turn (rotation in place), dust in the corner can be effectively collected. .

  When corner cleaning is started, dust is scraped by the side brushes 40 and 40 and collected in the dust collecting case K using the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1. When it is determined that corner cleaning is to be started (S25, Yes), control device 95 proceeds to step S26, and when it is determined that corner cleaning is not in progress, returns to step S20.

  In step S26, the control device 95 reversely rotates the rotating brush 5 before the main body 50 moves. Further, the control device 95 increases the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 from that during the normal operation. In this case, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the dust attached to the rotating brush 5 is scraped off by the scraping brush 1 by the rotating operation of the rotating brush 5, and the dust is accumulated in an area indicated by an area P (see FIG. 11). Is done. When the dust accumulates in the area P, the dust is collected from the suction port 17 into the dust collection case K by the suction force of the blower 81. During the turning of the swivel, the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is reduced or stopped, so that the floor surface has less interference with the rotating brush 5. Therefore, it is effective to interrupt the automatic maintenance control of the rotating brush 5 among the automatic maintenance controls as described above.

  The cleaning of the rotating brush 5 in step S26 is executed in a process separate from the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press described above. That is, even if the process of step S26 is executed before the predetermined time elapses (No in S20), the timer is not reset, and when the predetermined time elapses (every predetermined time), a series of operations is performed. The processing (steps S30 to S50) is executed. Accordingly, the automatic brush cleaning in step S40 and the dust press processing in step S50 are performed periodically (fixed frequency), and it is possible to prevent the number of times of cleaning the dust collection case K from being insufficiently performed.

  On the other hand, even when the pet mode is not ON (Step S10, No) and the normal operation is started, the cleaning of the rotating brush 5 is executed during the corner cleaning (Step S81, Yes) (see Step S82). That is, in step S81, the control device 95 determines whether or not corner cleaning is being performed. When it is determined that corner cleaning is being performed (S81, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to step S82 and rotates the rotating brush 5 in the reverse direction. When the control device 95 determines that the corner is not being cleaned (S81, No), the process proceeds to step S90. The drive wheels may be stopped before the reverse rotation during corner cleaning.

(Fourth embodiment)
In a pet breeding environment, various objects related to pets, such as solids and liquids such as excrement and pet food, may fall on the floor. It is also assumed that the amount of garbage is relatively large as compared with the pet non-breeding environment.
The rotating brush 5 (including other brushes such as side brushes) is not suitable for cleaning liquid or very soft objects such as excrement. On the contrary, it is assumed that they are soiled, malfunction of the vacuum cleaner and increase of maintenance frequency. In relation to the present embodiment, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-515191 always recognizes the type of dust, and it is considered that the power consumption required for the arithmetic processing is relatively large.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, in step S101, the control device 95 determines whether an obstacle has been detected. Note that the obstacle is configured by an imaging unit (a monocular camera, a stereo camera, or the like) as a detection unit. Since the camera has a wide angle of view, it is easy to detect an object falling on the floor. When an obstacle is detected (S101, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to the process of step S102, and when no obstacle is detected (S101, No), the control device 95 repeats the process of step S101.

  At least in step S102 as control performed during the pet mode, the control device 95 determines whether the detected and recognized obstacle is to cause a failure if the obstacle is cleaned. I do. For example, if the obstacle is excrement of pet droppings or urine, excrement of pet, liquid or viscous food, etc., cleaning these may cause a failure of the vacuum cleaner main body, the rotating brush 5 or the floor surface. Cause stains. In addition, when the obstacle is dust, dry pet food, or the like, the probability that the main body of the cleaner will be broken is low even if these are cleaned.

  When the control device 95 determines that a failure is to be generated (S102, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to the process of step S103 and executes control for avoiding an obstacle. If the control device 95 determines that a failure does not occur (S102, No), the control device 95 proceeds to the process of step S104 and continues cleaning.

  Further, when avoiding an obstacle, the driving wheels 61 are controlled to turn the main body 50 to make a detour so as not to contact the obstacle. In addition, when an obstacle such as excrement is detected, the user may be notified by a notification unit such as a lamp provided in the cleaner body. In addition, when an obstacle such as excrement is detected, it may be notified to a user terminal (smartphone) or the like.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the operation of the main body 50 (the cleaner main body) is switched based on the type of the obstacle detected by the imaging unit. This makes it possible to suppress or prevent the occurrence of a failure that causes the main body 50 to fail when the cleaning is continued.

  In addition, the arithmetic processing of the recognition of the type of dust by the imaging unit during the execution of the pet mode (that is, a course change based on the type of dust) is performed more frequently than during normal operation. In particular, since the amount of calculation required for type recognition is relatively large, it is preferable not to perform the operation during normal operation because power consumption can be reduced. In addition, in consideration of a situation in which the image capturing unit can capture an image at a relatively long distance, the image capturing may be performed intermittently during a part of one automatic cleaning time.

  Although not shown, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C in each of the above-described embodiments returns to the charging stand in response to a command from the control device 95 when cleaning is completed or when the electric capacity of the rechargeable battery B decreases. To charge. The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C that has returned to the charging stand rotates the rotating brush 5 in the W2 direction while the rotation of the driving wheel 61 is stopped (see FIG. 11), so that the dust on the rotating brush 5 is removed by the scraping brush 1. Is scraped off. Further, by driving the blower 81 at a normal rotation speed, the dust scraped off by the scraping brush 1 is collected in the dust collecting case K.

  One time of the automatic cleaning in the normal mode, the pet mode, and the like means that the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C starts the autonomous cleaning according to a timer function or a command from the user, and then performs the autonomous cleaning. The term “stop” means, in particular, the term from the start of autonomous cleaning to the completion of cleaning without abnormal stop. In this embodiment, when cleaning is completed without abnormal stop, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C autonomously returns to the charging stand.

  The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments. It is needless to say that the contents of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified / changed without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the main body 50 (the vacuum cleaner main body) is controlled in a direction to reduce the trouble that occurs in the pet breeding environment. For example, when the pet itself is on the cleaning route, the main body 50 (the cleaner main body) may be controlled so as to separate the pet from the cleaning route by sound or light.

  In addition, in step S30 of the first to third embodiments, it has been described that the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press are executed in a state where the driving wheel 61 is stopped, but the automatic driving is performed without stopping the driving wheel 61. Brush cleaning and dust pressing may be performed. Thereby, the cleaning time can be reduced.

Reference Signs List 1 scraping brush 2 flocking 3a rib 5 rotating brush (brush)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Suction part 17 Suction mouth 19 Lock part 21 Rotary brush motor (electric motor)
40 side brush 50 body (vacuum cleaner body)
51 Lower case 61 Drive wheel (drive unit)
81 blower 91 upper case 92 bumper 95 control device (control unit)
96A Distance measuring sensor 96B Floor distance measuring sensor C Autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner K Dust collecting case F Dust collecting filter B Rechargeable battery

Claims (10)

A brush, a dust collecting case, a blower that generates an airflow to the dust collecting case, and a rechargeable battery, including a self-propelled cleaner body,
As a mode for performing automatic cleaning, a normal mode and a pet mode that is executed when it is determined that the cleaner body is present in the pet breeding environment can be selected and executed,
During the execution of the pet mode, the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner executes a predetermined control at least once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning.   The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined control includes maintenance performed autonomously during the execution of the automatic cleaning.   The predetermined control includes removing the dust attached to the brush or recovering the amount of dust that can be collected by the dust collection case, which is performed once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning. The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein:   The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined control is performed more frequently than in the normal mode. Equipped with a recognition unit that recognizes dust,
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined control includes a calculation process for recognizing a type of dust, which is performed once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning. 6. Autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the paragraph. The vacuum cleaner body,
An electric motor for driving the brush;
When the brush is rotated in a direction opposite to the normal operation, a scraping brush capable of collecting dust attached to the brush,
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined control includes rotating the brush in a reverse direction at least once or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning. An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1.   The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the predetermined control is performed at least at each time interval measured using a timer unit. A numerical value recognition unit that recognizes a numerical value related to dust collected in the dust collection case,
The autonomous traveling type according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the brush is rotated in reverse each time a predetermined numerical value of the dust recognized by the numerical value recognition unit increases by a predetermined value or more. Vacuum cleaner.   The said maintenance is performed autonomously after the drive part which drives the said cleaner main body is stopped during a swivel or turning, and the maintenance is performed autonomously, The Claim 2 or any one of Claim 3 to 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1. A brush, a dust collecting case, a blower that generates an airflow to the dust collecting case, and a rechargeable battery, including a self-propelled cleaner body,
An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner that performs autonomous maintenance at least once or intermittently as part of the execution time of automatic cleaning.

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