JP2022127548A - Autonomous travel type cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To avoid an erroneous stop of an autonomous travel type cleaner even in a travelable area as much as possible.SOLUTION: A space being a length from an upper surface of a tact switch 30 to a bottom surface of a switch projection part 35 is required for the portion of the length of (A) in Fig. 15 in order to prevent an autonomous travel type cleaner from erroneously stopping when passing a narrow area such as a place under a table. Thus, the tact switch 30 is not depressed even when a LIDAR cover 26 is moved by a distance shorter than the distance of (A). In other words, the tact switch 30 is depressed only when the LIDAR cover 26 is reliably moved downward for the portion of the distance of (A).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

The present disclosure relates to an autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner.

In recent years, many patent applications have been filed for technologies relating to an autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner that automatically cleans the inside of a room while the user is away. For example, in Patent Document 1, an annular first component housing having a contact sensor is mounted on the upper surface of an autonomous traveling cleaner, a second component housing is mounted on the first component housing, and a second component housing is mounted on the first component housing. A technique is described for mounting the cover element on the second component housing. In this technique, when the cover element is pushed down from above, the contact sensor mounted on the first component housing detects that the cover element has been pushed down.

JP 2018-57846 A

As described in Patent Document 1, in a structure in which a cover element is arranged on the upper surface of an autonomously traveling cleaner, when the autonomously traveling cleaner moves under a table with a low height, for example, the autonomously traveling cleaner cannot be cleaned. Even though the cleaner can pass under the table, it is conceivable that the autonomous cleaner will stop when it senses that it has collided with an obstacle just by lightly touching the upper surface of the cover element.

The present invention has a housing, a bumper arranged on the upper surface of the housing and having a substantially dome-shaped upper surface, a switch projection that descends as the bumper is pressed down, and a switch that contacts the switch projection, and the switch The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner has a distance between the protrusion and the switch that is approximately equal to the height from the edge of the upper surface of the bumper to the top.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the LIDAR cover from being erroneously pushed down and stopped when the autonomous traveling cleaner travels in a travelable area as much as possible.

1 is a perspective view of an autonomously traveling cleaner of this embodiment; FIG. 1 is a plan view of an autonomously traveling cleaner of this embodiment; FIG. Fig. 2 is a left side view of the autonomously traveling cleaner of the present embodiment; 1 is a front view of an autonomously traveling cleaner of this embodiment; FIG. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous traveling cleaner of the present embodiment; It is the perspective view seen from the front lower side of the autonomous traveling type cleaner of a present Example. It is a partial enlarged side view near LIDAR6. It is a partial enlarged side view near LIDAR6. It is a partial enlarged side view near LIDAR6. It is the perspective view which decomposed|disassembled the components of LIDAR6 vicinity. It is the back view which looked at LIDAR6 vicinity from the back. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base member 32 as seen obliquely from below; It is the back view which looked at LIDAR6 vicinity from the back. 4 is a bottom view of the base member 32 as seen from below; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA' of FIG. 2;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. Moreover, the present invention is not limited by the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomously traveling cleaner, which is the device of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the front side, rear side, left side, and right side of the autonomous traveling cleaner are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 1, a housing 1 of an autonomously traveling cleaner has an upper body 2 and a lower body 3, and a bumper 4 is arranged in front of the housing 1. As shown in FIG. One or more collision detection switches (not shown) are arranged inside the bumper 4, and when the bumper 4 collides with an obstacle, the bumper 4 moves toward the inside of the housing 1 and the switch is turned on, and it is detected that the bumper 4 has collided with an obstacle.

A cover 5 is arranged on the upper surface of the housing 1 and behind the bumper 4 . A dust container (not shown) is arranged inside the cover 5 , and when the user presses down the cover 5 , the front or rear portion of the cover 5 is released and the dust container can be taken out from the housing 1 .

A LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 6 is arranged behind the cover 5 . This LIDAR 6 can detect obstacles and the like around the housing 1 by rotating the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part around the center of the LIDAR 6 . Also, by using this LIDAR 6, it is possible to create a map of the room.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an autonomously traveling cleaner, which is the device of this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the front side, rear side, left side, and right side of the autonomous traveling cleaner are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 2 , a bumper 4 having a substantially U-shaped configuration is arranged in front of the housing 1 and an upper body 2 is arranged in the rear of the housing 1 . A cover 5 is arranged between the bumper 4 and the upper body 2 , and a LIDAR 6 is arranged behind the cover 5 .

The bumper 4 is urged forward in the housing 1 by a spring (not shown) disposed inside, and a gap exists between the bumper 4 and the upper body 2 . When the bumper 4 collides with an obstacle, the bumper 4 can move backward by this gap against the force of the spring.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the autonomous traveling cleaner, which is the device of this embodiment. In FIG. 3, arrows indicate the front side, rear side, upper side, and lower side of the autonomous traveling cleaner.

A bumper 4 is arranged in front of the housing 1, and an upper body 2 is arranged behind it. Further, exhaust ports 7 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the upper body 2 , and a LIDAR 6 is arranged on the rear upper surface of the upper body 2 . A side brush 8 is arranged in front of the lower body 3, and a rear wheel 9 is arranged in the rear.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an autonomously traveling cleaner, which is the device of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, arrows indicate the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side of the autonomous traveling cleaner.

The front surface of the bumper 4 has two ultrasonic sensors 10, and an upper left sensor 11 and an upper right sensor 12 each composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The lower body 3 has a lower left sensor 13 and a lower right sensor 14 each composed of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. The side brush 8 may be arranged on either the front right side or the left side of the lower body 3 .

The upper left sensor 11 and the lower left sensor 13 are located at substantially the same position in the vertical direction of the housing 1 . Similarly, the upper right sensor 12 and the lower right sensor 14 are located at substantially the same position in the vertical direction of the housing 1 .

As is clear from FIG. 3, the front of the lower body 3 forms a slope 15 that is inclined from the front to the rear. Two recesses 16 are formed on the slope 15, and the lower left sensor 13 and the lower right sensor 14 are arranged in the recesses 16, respectively.

Each of the lower left sensor 13 and the lower right sensor 14 is formed with a window portion 17 which is a plane substantially parallel to the plane perpendicular to the floor when the housing 1 is placed on the floor. A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are arranged inside the portion 17 . As a result, even if dust rises from the floor surface due to the rotation of the side brush 8, it is possible to reduce dust accumulation in the recess 16 where the light emitting elements and light receiving elements of the lower left sensor 13 and the lower right sensor 14 are arranged. . A side brush 8 is arranged near the window 17, and when the side brush 8 rotates, the wind generated by the rotation of the side brush 8 hits the window 17, blowing dust attached to the window 17. can be removed by As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by the lower left sensor 13 and the lower right sensor 14 due to dust adhering to the window portion 17 .

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the autonomously traveling cleaner, which is the device of this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the front side, rear side, left side, and right side of the autonomous traveling cleaner are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 5, a rear wheel 9 is arranged behind the lower body 3, and a battery 18 made of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery is arranged in front of the rear wheel 9. As shown in FIG. A right driving wheel 19 and a left driving wheel 20 are arranged substantially in the center of the lower body 3, and wheel support members 21 are connected to the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20, respectively. The wheel support member 21 is movable in the vertical direction of the housing 1 about the axis A. Further, the two wheel support members 21 are provided with wheel springs (not shown) between the lower body 3 and the lower body 3 respectively. ) are arranged, and the wheel support member 21 and the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20 are urged toward the floor surface by these wheel springs.

In FIG. 5, a part of the battery 18 is positioned between the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20, but the battery 18 may be arranged behind the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20. good. However, in this embodiment, the center of gravity of the housing 1 is designed to come to the rear of the housing by arranging the battery 18 behind the housing 1 . For this reason, it is preferred that at least part of the battery 18 is located between the axes A of the two wheel support members 21 respectively.

In FIG. 5, a suction port 22 for sucking collected dust is formed in front of the battery 18 and in front of the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20. , the main brush 23 is rotatably supported.

Level difference sensors 24 are arranged on the left and right sides of the main brush 23, respectively. The level difference sensors 24 are composed of a light emitting section and a light receiving section, and detect when the housing 1 approaches a level difference.

In FIG. 5, the tip of the step sensor 24 is positioned on the axis of the rotation shaft of the main brush 23, or at substantially the same position. Alternatively, the tip of the step sensor 24 may be arranged behind the axis of the rotation shaft of the main brush 23 .

A depression 25 is provided in front of the step sensor 24, and the side brush 8 is arranged around the center of the depression 25. - 特許庁The side brush 8 rotates toward the suction port 22. - 特許庁Therefore, in FIG. 5, the left side brush 8 rotates clockwise, and the right side brush 8 rotates counterclockwise.

In this embodiment, the center of gravity G of the housing 1 is located behind the central portion of the main body as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the step sensor 24 in front of the lower body 3 . Specifically, even if the housing 1 advances in the direction of the step and the housing 1 moves forward until the step sensor 24 behind the side brush 8 detects the step, the center of gravity G of the housing 1 is Since it is located behind the right driving wheel 19 and the left driving wheel 20, it can clean up to the very edge of the step without falling on the step. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the step sensor 24 in front of the lower body 3, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the autonomous traveling cleaner, which is the device of the present embodiment, viewed from the front and lower side. In FIG. 6, the front of the lower body 3 is a slope 15, and recesses 16 are formed on the left and right sides of the slope 15, respectively. A lower left sensor 13 and a lower right sensor 14 are arranged in each recess 16 .

In FIG. 6, recesses 25 in which the side brushes 8 are arranged are formed on the left and right sides of the front of the lower body 3 , and the recesses 25 extend to the vicinity of the recess 16 . The length of the side brush 8 is such that it protrudes to the outside of the housing 1 beyond the recess 25 , and the recess 25 has a curved surface toward the vicinity of the recess 16 . Not only can the side brush 8 rotate smoothly, but also the wind generated by the rotation of the side brush 8 can be blown to the window 17 inside the recess 16.例文帳に追加For this reason, the dust attached to the window portion 17 can be blown away by the wind.

7 to 9 are partially enlarged side views enlarging the vicinity of the LIDAR 6. FIG. 7 to 9, the upper side, lower side, front side, and rear side of the housing 1 are indicated by arrows, respectively.

First, the outline of the structure of the autonomous traveling cleaner of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, a switch lever 27 is arranged below the LIDAR cover 26 of the LIDAR 6, and the LIDAR cover 26 and the switch lever 27 are integrally formed, or the LIDAR cover 26 is attached to the switch lever 27. attached to the Also, the switch lever 27 is pivotally supported on the housing 1 with the axis B as an axis.

Further, near the axis B in front of the switch lever 27, a collision detector 28 is provided for detecting that the LIDAR cover 26 has collided with an obstacle. The switch lever 27 is biased upward by a spring 29 behind the switch lever 27 .

Although not shown, a spring 29 is also arranged near the axis B, and the switch lever 27 is urged upward by this spring 29 .

As shown in FIG. 8, when an obstacle coming from the front collides with the front end of the LIDAR cover 26 while the cleaner is moving forward, the LIDAR cover 26 is pushed backward from the front. Then, with the axis B as a fulcrum, the rear of the LIDAR cover 26 and the rear of the switch lever 27 are pushed downward against the force of the spring 29 , and the collision detector 28 is pushed downward by the switch lever 27 . In this manner, collision of an obstacle with the LIDAR cover 26 can be detected.

9, when an obstacle collides with the LIDAR cover 26 from above, the rear of the switch lever 27 is pushed downward against the force of the spring 29 with the axis B as the fulcrum. , the collision detector 28 is also pushed downward. In this manner, collision of an obstacle with the LIDAR cover 26 can be detected.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the LIDAR cover 26 collides with an obstacle from above the housing 1 or in the horizontal direction, the collision with the obstacle can be easily detected.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of components in the vicinity of the LIDAR 6. FIG. In FIG. 10, upward, downward, rearward, forward, leftward, and rightward directions are indicated by arrows.

In FIG. 10, a base member 32 is arranged above a circuit board 31 on which a tact switch 30 is mounted, and a substantially horseshoe-shaped groove 33 is formed in the base member 32 . In addition, a switch lever 27 is pivotally supported at two ends on the front side of the groove 33 so as to be vertically openable and closable about a shaft B. As shown in FIG.

The switch lever 27 has a substantially horseshoe shape, a bridge portion 34 is formed in the vicinity of the two shaft portions B, and a switch protrusion 35 is formed on the back side of the bridge portion 34 . . The switch protrusion 35 passes through a switch hole 36 formed in the base member 32 and pushes down the tactile switch 30 on the circuit board 31 from above.

A spring 29 is arranged between the groove portion 33 and the switch lever 27 in the vicinity of the shaft portion B, and a spring 29 is also arranged between the groove portion 33 in the vicinity of the rear end of the switch lever 27 and the switch lever 27. there is These three springs 29 urge the switch lever 27 upward.

A rotating portion 37 of the LIDAR 6 is arranged inside the groove portion 33 of the base member 32 . The rotating portion 37 is located substantially at the center of the LIDAR 6, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion provided inside the rotating portion 37 rotate 360 degrees.

The upper body 2 is arranged so as to cover the circuit board 31, the base member 32, and the switch lever 27, and the LIDAR cover 26 and the switch lever 27 are connected through three upper body holes 38 formed in the upper body 2. , or integrally formed.

The size of the upper body hole 38 is such that the cover column 39 formed on the rear surface of the LIDAR cover 26 can move up and down. Incidentally, the cover column portion 39 is illustrated in FIG.

11 is a view of the base member 32, the switch lever 27, and the LIDAR cover 26 shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from the rear in FIG. In FIG. 11, upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions are indicated by arrows.

As shown in FIG. 11, a wall portion 40 is formed at the rear end of the groove portion 33 of the base member 32, and a substantially triangular floating hole 41 is formed in the wall portion 40. As shown in FIG. A projecting-shaped floating protrusion 42 is formed at the rear end of the switch lever 27, and this floating protrusion 42 is movably inserted into the floating hole 41. As shown in FIG.

The floating projection 42 can move up to three vertices of the approximately triangular floating hole 41 . Therefore, when force is applied from above the LIDAR cover 26, the floating protrusion 42 can move to the center of the bottom side of the floating hole 41, and when force is applied from the upper right of the LIDAR cover 26,
The floating projection 42 can move to the lower left vertex of the floating hole 41, and when force is applied from the upper left of the LIDAR cover 26, the floating projection 42 can move to the lower right vertex of the floating hole 41. .

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the base member 32 viewed obliquely from below. In FIG. 12, upward, downward, rearward, and forward directions are indicated by arrows.

As shown in FIG. 12, the shaft B at the front end of the base member 32 is formed with floating holes 41 on the left and right shafts B, respectively. A floating protrusion 42 is movably inserted. This floating hole 41 also has a substantially triangular shape like the floating hole 41 shown in FIG.

The floating projection 42 can move up to three vertices of the approximately triangular floating hole 41 . Therefore, when a force is applied from above the LIDAR cover 26 . The floating projection 42 can move to the center of the bottom side of the floating hole 41, and when force is applied from the front of the LIDAR cover 26 in FIG. When a force is applied to the LIDAR cover 26 from the rear in FIG.

13 is a view of the base member 32, the switch lever 27, and the LIDAR cover 26 shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from the rear in FIG. In FIG. 13, upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions are indicated by arrows.

As shown in FIG. 13 , a rotating portion arrangement space 43 for arranging the rotating portion 37 is formed in a substantially central portion of the base member 32 . The rotating part 37 rotates the light emitting part and the light receiving part 360 degrees in this rotating part arrangement space 43, irradiates light from the gap between the base member 32 (more specifically, the upper body 2) and the LIDAR cover 26, It can receive reflected light.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the base member 32 as seen from below. A switch hole 36 is formed in the base member 32 , and a switch protrusion 35 of the switch lever 27 protrudes from the switch hole 36 .

7 to 9 correspond to the switch protrusion 35 and the tact switch 30 shown in FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG.

In this embodiment, the switch lever 27 is supported on the base member 32 by the two shafts B of the base member 32, and the switch lever 27 is urged upward by a spring 29. As shown in FIG. A gap is formed between the wall portion formed on the base member 32 and the switch lever 27 .

Furthermore, approximately triangular floating holes 41 are formed in two locations near the axis B of the base member 32 and in the vicinity of the rear end of the base member 32 , and the switch lever 27 moves freely through these three floating holes 41 . It forms a floating projection 42 that can be inserted.

Further, the switch lever 27 is formed with a switch protrusion 35 protruding downward, and the switch protrusion 35 pushes down the tact switch 30 formed on the circuit board 31 .

With such a structure, the tact switch 30 is turned on even when an obstacle collides with the LIDAR cover 26 from above or from the horizontal direction, and is incorporated in the autonomous traveling cleaner. When the controller detects that the tact switch 30 is turned on, it can detect that the LIDAR 6 has collided with an obstacle.

When the LIDAR cover 26 collides with an obstacle, the controller detects that the tact switch 30 has been turned on, and controls the drive motors of the wheels to stop the autonomous travel cleaner. Alternatively, the cleaning operation may be stopped by controlling the driving motors for the side brushes and the main brush, or by controlling the suction motor.

Also, when the user presses down the LIDAR cover 26 from above, the control unit similarly detects that the tact switch 30 has been turned on, and the control unit controls the drive motors of the wheels to control the autonomous traveling cleaning system. The running of the machine may be stopped, or the cleaning operation may be stopped by controlling the drive motors for the side brushes and main brushes, or by controlling the suction motor.

Furthermore, when the user again presses the LIDAR cover 26 from above, the control unit detects that the tact switch 30 has been turned on again, and the control unit controls the drive motors of the wheels, etc., thereby enabling autonomous travel. A configuration may be adopted in which the running or cleaning operation of the model vacuum cleaner is restarted. With such a configuration, the user can easily stop or start the traveling or cleaning operation of the autonomous traveling cleaner.

Furthermore, when the user presses the LIDAR cover 26 from above, the control unit may detect that the tactile switch 30 has been turned on and control to turn on or off the power. By adopting such a configuration, the user can easily turn on/off the power of the autonomously traveling cleaner, and can also bring the autonomously traveling cleaner to an emergency stop.

When the control unit detects that the tact switch 30 has been turned on, the user may be notified by sound from a speaker mounted on the autonomous traveling cleaner that it has come into contact with an obstacle. Alternatively, the user may be notified by displaying on the display unit of a portable terminal connected wirelessly or by wire.

In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are mounted on the rotating body, but an imaging unit such as a camera may be mounted on the rotating body. In this case, if image analysis takes a long time, the rotational speed of the camera may be reduced. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the light emitting section, the light receiving section, and the camera are mounted on the rotating body, and any one of the elements can be used selectively or simultaneously. In this case, when the element can be used selectively, the rotation speed when using the camera may be slower than the rotation speed of the rotating body when using the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit.

15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' shown in FIG. 2. FIG. In FIG. 15, the upper surface of the LIDAR cover 26 has a substantially dome shape with gentle curves.

A height difference A is generated from the top of the LIDAR cover 26 to the end. Also, the LIDAR cover 26 is movable downward by the distance A. As shown in FIG.

When the autonomous traveling cleaner enters an obstacle with a height within the range of height difference A, for example, the back side of the table is exactly within the range of A from the floor surface, and the autonomous traveling cleaner enters can run under the table, the autonomous running cleaner stops due to an error when the tact switch 30 is pushed down, even though it can run.

In order to avoid such a problem, a length corresponding to the length A in FIG. , the tact switch 30 is not pressed. In other words, the LIDAR cover 26
The tactile switch 30 is pushed down only when the has certainly moved downward by the distance A.

In this embodiment, the upper surface of the LIDAR cover 26 is curved. This is to reduce the contact area when the autonomously traveling cleaner enters a gap approximately at the height of the main body.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The autonomously traveling vacuum cleaner of the present invention can be widely used for domestic vacuum cleaners, commercial vacuum cleaners used in offices, factories, and the like.

1 housing 2 upper body 3 lower body 4 bumper 5 cover 6 LIDAR
7 exhaust port 8 side brush 9 rear wheel 10 ultrasonic sensor 11 upper left sensor 12 upper right sensor 13 lower left sensor 14 lower right sensor 15 slope 16 concave portion 17 window 18 battery 19 right drive wheel 20 left drive wheel 21 wheel support member 22 suction port 23 Main brush 24 Level sensor 26 LIDAR cover 27 Switch lever 28 Collision detector 29 Spring 30 Tact switch 31 Circuit board 32 Base member 33 Groove 34 Bridge 35 Switch projection 36 Switch hole 37 Rotating part 38 Upper body hole 39 Cover column Part 40 Wall 41 Floating hole 42 Floating projection 43 Rotating part arrangement space

Claims (4)

a housing;
a bumper arranged on the upper surface side of the housing and having a substantially dome-shaped upper surface;
a switch protrusion that descends as the bumper is pressed;
a switch in contact with the switch projection,
An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner, wherein the distance between the switch projection and the switch is approximately equal to the height from the end of the upper surface of the bumper to the top. The autonomous traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a LIDAR is arranged inside said substantially dome-shaped bumper. a control unit that, when determining that the switch has been pressed, executes at least one of stopping the drive wheels of the autonomous cleaner, turning off the power, and stopping rotation of the brush. , The autonomous traveling cleaner according to claim 1 or 2. 3. The autonomously traveling cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller notifies the user by sound or display when determining that the switch has been pressed.

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