JP2023049323A - Self-travelling floor cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a self-travelling floor cleaning device capable of cleaning a floor surface by walls, etc. by making a turning radius of the device small, and inhibiting a cleaning width per cleaning run from being narrowed.SOLUTION: A self-travelling floor cleaning device including a travelling part 2 for self-travelling on a floor surface and a cleaning pad 33 executes cleaning of the floor surface by lowering the cleaning pad 33 from a stand-by position to a cleaning position, and causing it to come in contact with the floor surface and rotate; causes the travelling part 2 to float from the floor surface by driving the cleaning pard 33 so as to further lower it from the cleaning position; and changes a travelling direction by driving the cleaning pard 33 so as to rotate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled floor cleaning device that cleans a floor while self-propelled.

As an example of a self-propelled floor cleaning device, Patent Document 1 discloses a device for cleaning a floor surface, etc., which has wheels with power and is capable of turning 360 degrees as a whole. is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-212467

Most of the self-propelled floor cleaning devices have drive wheels for self-propelled movement and cleaning tools such as pads and brushes that come into contact with the floor surface. Further, among self-propelled floor cleaning apparatuses, there is one that turns by reversing the left and right drive wheels, that is, performs so-called super-pivot turning to change direction. This is because the pivot turning reduces the turning radius of the device, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the range that the device cannot clean (the cleaning tool cannot reach), such as the floor surface near the wall.

Here, in a self-propelled floor cleaning device capable of changing direction by pivot turning, in order to maintain a state in which the turning radius of the device is small, it is necessary to In addition, the left and right drive wheels are arranged so that the center position between the left and right drive wheels (that is, the center of the super-pivot turn) is located near the center of the device body, and the cleaning tool is placed between the left and right drive wheels ( In other words, it must be placed at the center of the super-pivot turn or in the vicinity thereof. However, such arrangement of left and right drive wheels and cleaning tools tends to destabilize the entire apparatus. In addition, the size of the cleaning tool is limited, and the size of the cleaning tool is inevitably small relative to the size of the entire apparatus. In other words, in a self-propelled floor cleaning device that can change direction by pivoting, the entire device tends to become unstable, and the cleaning width per run of the device is narrow relative to the size of the device. , there was a problem that the cleaning efficiency was poor.

Therefore, the present invention provides a self-propelled cleaning machine that can reduce the turning radius of the machine to enable cleaning of the floor surface such as the side of the wall, while suppressing the narrowing of the cleaning width per run and the destabilization of the whole machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a type floor cleaning device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus has a cleaning pad and a traveling portion for self-propelled on a floor surface, and lowers the cleaning pad from a standby position to a cleaning position to clean the floor surface. The floor surface is cleaned by contacting and rotating the cleaning pad, driving the cleaning pad further downward from the cleaning position to float the traveling part from the floor surface, and then rotating the cleaning pad. It is configured to change the running direction by driving so as to move.

According to the present invention, the turning radius of the device is reduced to allow cleaning of the floor surface such as the side of the wall, while the self-propelled device is capable of suppressing narrowing of the cleaning width per run and destabilization of the entire device. A floor cleaning device can be provided.

1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled floor cleaning device according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a typical bottom view of the said self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to the AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 1, and is a view showing the essential parts inside the self-propelled cleaning device. It is a block diagram showing a control system configuration of the self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning unit; FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation|movement of a cleaning unit. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation|movement of the said self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus in automatic cleaning mode. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation|movement of the said self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus in automatic cleaning mode. It is a figure for demonstrating one of the effects of the said self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the subject of a prior art.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled floor cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the self-propelled floor cleaning device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to AA in FIG. 1, showing the essential parts inside the self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG. It is a block diagram showing a control system configuration of the traveling floor cleaning device. Although the self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus in the embodiment incorporates a power source such as a battery, illustration and description of the power source are omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a self-propelled floor cleaning device (hereinafter simply referred to as "floor cleaning device") 1 according to the embodiment has a traveling section 2 for self-propelled on the floor surface. The traveling part 2 is arranged in the lower part of the floor cleaning device 1 . In this embodiment, the traveling portion 2 includes traveling motors 21, 21, a pair of left and right driving wheels 22, 22 driven by the traveling motors 21, 21, and a pair of left and right driven wheels 23, 23. A pair of left and right driving wheels 22 , 22 are arranged on the lower rear side of the floor cleaning device 1 , and a pair of left and right driven wheels 23 , 23 are arranged on the lower front side of the floor cleaning device 1 . Then, the driving motors 21, 21 drive (rotate) the pair of drive wheels 22, 22 based on the control of the control section 10, so that the floor cleaning apparatus 1 runs on the floor surface. Although a pair of left and right driven wheels 23, 23 are provided here, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of driven wheels may be one.

Further, the floor cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment has therein a cleaning unit 3 for cleaning the floor surface. The cleaning unit 3 is arranged inside the floor cleaning device 1 between a pair of left and right drive wheels 22 and 22 and a pair of left and right driven wheels 23 in the front-rear direction. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cleaning unit 3. FIG.

3 and 5, the cleaning unit 3 has a vertically extending drive shaft 31, a shaft drive section 32 for driving the drive shaft 31, and a cleaning pad 33 attached to the drive shaft 31. .

The shaft drive portion 32 accommodates the upper end side of the drive shaft 31 . The shaft drive unit 32 is configured to allow the drive shaft 31 to move up and down and rotate (including rotation; the same applies hereinafter). Specifically, in the present embodiment, the shaft drive unit 32 advances the drive shaft 31 downward, retracts the advanced drive shaft 31 upward, and moves the drive shaft 31 forward at an arbitrary advanced position. It is configured such that it can be rotated in both the rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. The shaft drive unit 32 includes, for example, a drive motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, a rotation transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the drive shaft 31 , and a linear transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor in the axial direction of the drive shaft 31 . It may include a conversion mechanism that converts to motion, and a connection mechanism that connects the drive motor and the rotation transmission mechanism or the conversion mechanism. However, it is not limited to this, and the shaft drive section 32 may have a first drive section that advances and retreats the drive shaft 31 and a second drive section that rotates the drive shaft 31 separately.

The cleaning pad 33 is formed in a circular shape in plan view, and its central portion is attached to the lower end portion of the drive shaft 31 . The cleaning pad 33 is composed of a pad holding portion 331 fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft 31 and a pad member 332 detachably attached to the lower surface of the pad holding portion 331 . The pad holding portion 331 is formed as a rigid body. The pad member 332 is a member that contacts the floor surface and is made of an elastic material.

Here, in this embodiment, the cleaning unit 3 is used not only for cleaning the floor surface, but also for changing the running direction of the floor cleaning device 1 . The operation of the cleaning unit 3 will be described below.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit 3, and corresponds to FIG.

FIG. 6(a) shows the cleaning unit 3 when the floor cleaning apparatus 1 does not clean the floor surface. In this case, the drive shaft 31 is in a non-advanced state (hereinafter referred to as "initial position"). At this time, the cleaning pad 33 is located at the standby position above the floor surface, and the cleaning pad 33 (pad member 332) is not in contact with the floor surface.

When the floor cleaning apparatus 1 cleans the floor surface, the shaft drive unit 32 advances the drive shaft 31 downward from the initial position to the first advance position under the control of the control unit 10, thereby cleaning the cleaning pad 33. is lowered from the standby position to the cleaning position and brought into contact with the floor surface (Fig. 6(a) → Fig. 6(b)). That is, the cleaning unit 3 rotates with the cleaning pad 33 (pad member 332) in contact with the floor surface, or more specifically, with the cleaning pad 33 (pad member 332) pressed against the floor surface.

When the floor cleaning device 1 changes the traveling direction, the cleaning unit 3 operates as follows under the control of the control section 10 . First, the shaft driving section 32 advances the drive shaft 31 toward the second advanced position which is lower than the first advanced position. As a result, the cleaning pad 33 descends as the driving shaft 31 advances to the cleaning position where it contacts the floor surface, and after contacting the floor surface, as the driving shaft 31 advances, the pad member of the cleaning pad 33 moves downward. 332 is compressed between the pad holder 331 and the floor. When the pad member 332 reaches its compression limit, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 is pushed up by the cleaning unit 3 as the drive shaft 31 advances. That is, the cleaning unit 3 lifts the floor cleaning device 1 from the floor surface by driving the cleaning pad 33 further downward from the cleaning position. The device 1 is supported (Fig. 6(c)).

Then, the shaft driving section 32 rotates the drive shaft 31 by a predetermined angle in a predetermined rotational direction. In other words, the cleaning unit 3 drives to rotate the cleaning pad 33 while the traveling section 2 is lifted from the floor surface. As a result, the floor cleaning device 1 rotates around the drive shaft 31 to change the running direction of the floor cleaning device 1 . For example, the shaft driving section 32 rotates the driving shaft 31 in the first direction by 90 degrees, so that the traveling direction of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 can be changed to the left, and the shaft driving section 32 rotates the driving shaft 31 in the first direction. By rotating 90 degrees in the opposite second direction, the running direction of the floor cleaning device 1 can be changed rightward.

Then, the shaft drive unit 32 retracts the drive shaft 31 to return it to the non-advanced state or the first advanced position. That is, the cleaning unit 3 drives so as to raise the cleaning pad 33 (FIG. 6(c)→FIG. 6(a), FIG. 6(b)). As a result, the floating traveling part 2 lands on the floor surface, the floor cleaning device 1 becomes ready to travel, and the operation of the cleaning unit 3 for changing the traveling direction of the floor cleaning device 1 ends.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, an operation panel 4 is provided on the upper portion of the floor cleaning device 1 . In the present embodiment, the operation panel 4 has a touch panel section 41 that can display various information while inputting various information. The operation panel 4 is also provided with various operation units including a mode selection switch 42 for selecting an operation mode of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 and an emergency stop button 43 for emergency stopping the floor cleaning apparatus 1 .

An information display unit 51, a 3D distance image sensor 52, a drive recorder 53, an ultrasonic sensor 54, a range sensor 55, and a bumper switch 56 are arranged in this order from top to bottom on the front surface of the floor cleaning apparatus 1. It is

The information display unit 51 is configured to be able to display the state of the floor cleaning device 1, for example, that the floor cleaning device 1 is cleaning, that an abnormality has occurred in the floor cleaning device 1, and the like. The 3D distance image sensor 52 and range sensor 55 are mainly used to acquire shape data and the like of a predetermined range on the front side of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 . The 3D distance image sensor 52 and range sensor 55 are also used to detect obstacles in front of the floor cleaning device 1 . The drive recorder 53 is configured to be able to record (video record) the state of operation of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 . The ultrasonic sensor 54 is mainly used to detect obstacles in front of the floor cleaning device 1 . The bumper switch 56 is configured to detect when the floor cleaning apparatus 1 contacts (collides) with an obstacle or the like and output an emergency stop signal.

The operation of the floor cleaning device 1 is centrally controlled by the controller 10 . For example, when the manual cleaning mode is selected by the mode selection switch 42, the controller 10 operates the floor cleaning apparatus 1 in the manual cleaning mode. In this case, a pair of left and right handles 5, 5 provided on the rear upper side of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 are gripped by the operator, and the control unit 10 controls the floor based on the operator's input via the operation panel 4 or the like. The cleaning device 1 is operated. In the manual cleaning mode, for example, when an operator inputs a cleaning start command, the control section 10 controls the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 to start cleaning the floor surface by the cleaning unit 3, and the traveling section 2 running motors 21, 21 are controlled to start running the floor cleaning apparatus 1. Further, when the operator inputs a command to change the running direction, the control section 10 controls the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 to change the running direction of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 to the direction corresponding to the command to change. When the operator inputs a cleaning end command, the control section 10 controls the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 to end the cleaning of the floor surface by the cleaning unit 3, and the traveling motors 21 and 21 of the traveling section 2 21 is controlled to stop the running of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 .

On the other hand, when the automatic cleaning mode is selected by the mode selection switch 42, the controller 10 operates the floor cleaning apparatus 1 in the automatic cleaning mode. In this case, the control unit 10 determines the position of the floor cleaning device 1 (that is, the self-position ) is estimated, and the floor surface is cleaned by the cleaning unit 3 while the floor cleaning apparatus 1 is caused to travel along the previously created cleaning route in the cleaning area. Further, when an obstacle is detected in front of the floor cleaning device 1, the control unit 10 stops the floor cleaning device 1 from traveling to put the floor cleaning device 1 in a standby state, and then moves forward in front of the floor cleaning device 1. When the obstacle is no longer detected, the running of the floor cleaning device 1 is restarted. Further, when the emergency stop button 43 is operated or the emergency stop signal is input from the bumper switch 56, the control section 10 causes the floor cleaning apparatus 1 to be stopped urgently.

7 and 8 are flow charts showing an example of the operation of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 in the automatic cleaning mode. This flowchart is started, for example, when a cleaning start command is input or when the cleaning start time comes after the cleaning route in the target cleaning area is created.

In step S1, the drive shaft 31 is advanced downward from the initial position to the first advanced position by the shaft driving portion 32 of the cleaning unit 3, thereby lowering the cleaning pad 33 from the standby position to the cleaning position. That is, the cleaning pad 33 (pad member 332) is brought into contact with the floor surface.

In step S<b>2 , the cleaning pad 33 is rotated by rotating the driving shaft 31 with the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 .

In step S3, by driving the pair of driving wheels 22, 22 by the driving motors 21, 21 of the driving section 2, the vehicle starts to run.

Through steps S1 to S3, the floor cleaning device 1 starts cleaning the floor surface while moving along the travel route.

In step S4, self-position estimation is started. The estimation of the self-position is basically performed based on the map information of the cleaning area and the information acquired by the 3D range image sensor 52 and/or the range sensor 55, as described above. You may estimate a self-position by the method of.

In step S5, based on the cleaning route and the estimated self-position, it is determined whether or not the self (floor cleaning device 1) has reached a point where the traveling direction should be changed (hereinafter referred to as "traveling direction change point"). do. Then, when the traveling direction change point is reached, the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if the vehicle has not reached the traveling direction change point, the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S6, driving of the pair of driving wheels 22, 22 by the driving motors 21, 21 of the driving section 2 is stopped to stop driving. In step S7, the rotation of the driving shaft 31 by the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 is stopped, and the rotation of the cleaning pad 33 is stopped. As a result, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 stops cleaning the floor surface while moving along the traveling route.

In step S8, the shaft driving portion 32 of the cleaning unit 3 advances the drive shaft 31 toward the second advanced position below the first advanced position. That is, the cleaning pad 33 is driven to be further lowered from the cleaning position. As a result, the floor cleaning device 1 is lifted by the cleaning unit 3, and the traveling portion 2 (the pair of driving wheels 22, 22 and the pair of driven wheels 23, 23) is lifted from the floor surface.

In step S9, a target rotation angle (rotation direction and rotation angle) of the drive shaft 31 of the cleaning unit 3 is set based on the current running direction and the changed running direction.

In step S10, the drive shaft 31 is rotated by the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 based on the target rotation angle set in step S9. That is, the cleaning pad 33 is driven to rotate based on the set target rotation angle. As a result, the running direction of the floor cleaning device 1 is changed.

In step S<b>11 , the drive shaft 31 is retracted to the first advanced position by the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 . That is, the cleaning pad 33 is driven to move upward, and returns to the state of step S1 (the state when the cleaning pad 33 is lowered from the standby position to the cleaning position). As a result, the traveling portion 2 (the pair of driving wheels 22, 22 and the pair of driven wheels 23, 23) which has floated from the floor surface in step S8 lands (contacts) on the floor surface.

In step S<b>12 , the cleaning pad 33 is rotated by rotating the drive shaft 31 by the shaft driving section 32 of the cleaning unit 3 as in step S<b>2 . Further, in step S13, the pair of drive wheels 22, 22 are driven by the traveling motors 21, 21 of the traveling section 2, thereby restarting the traveling. As a result, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 resumes cleaning the floor surface while moving along the travel route.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not the self (floor cleaning device 1) has reached the cleaning end point based on the cleaning route and the estimated self position. If the cleaning end point has not been reached, the process returns to step S5. As a result, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 continues cleaning the floor surface while moving along the travel route. When the cleaning end point is reached, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, cleaning of the floor surface ends. That is, the drive shaft 31 of the cleaning unit 3 is retracted upward from the first advanced position to the initial position, and the cleaning pad 33 is raised from the cleaning position to the standby position. Further, the driving of the pair of driving wheels 22, 22 by the driving motors 21, 21 of the driving portion 2 is stopped.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining one of the effects of the floor cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. FIG. 9(a) shows the turning trajectory (outermost contour) of the floor cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment, and FIG. The figure shows the turning trajectory (outermost contour) when the vehicle is rotated and a super pivot turn is performed. 9(a) and 9(b), the turning radius of the floor cleaning apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is the turning radius when the pair of drive wheels 22, 22 are reversed to perform a super pivot turn. clearly smaller than the Therefore, according to the floor cleaning apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, it is possible to clean a floor surface nearer to a wall or the like than the conventional apparatus in which a pair of left and right driving wheels are reversed to perform super-pivot turning.

As described above, the floor cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment has the traveling unit 2 for self-propelling on the floor surface and the cleaning unit 3 for cleaning the floor surface. The traveling portion 2 includes a pair of drive wheels 22 , 22 driven by traveling motors 21 , 21 , and the cleaning unit 3 includes a drive shaft 31 , a shaft drive portion 32 and a cleaning pad 33 .

The floor cleaning apparatus 1 lowers the cleaning pad 33 from the standby position to the cleaning position to bring the cleaning pad 33 into contact with the floor surface, and rotates the cleaning pad 33 to clean the floor surface. It is configured. Specifically, the shaft drive unit 32 advances the drive shaft 31 to the lower first advance position, thereby lowering the cleaning pad 33 from the standby position to the cleaning position and bringing it into contact with the floor surface. , the shaft drive unit 32 rotates the drive shaft 31 to rotate the cleaning pad 33, thereby cleaning the floor surface.

In addition, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 further lowers the cleaning pad 33 from the cleaning position so that the traveling part 2 is lifted from the floor surface, and then rotates the cleaning pad 33 so as to move in the traveling direction. is configured to change Specifically, the shaft drive unit 32 advances the drive shaft 31 further downward from the first advance position to further lower the cleaning pad 33 from the cleaning position, thereby moving the traveling unit 2 to the floor surface. In this state, the shaft drive unit 32 rotates the drive shaft 31 to rotate the cleaning pad 33, thereby changing the traveling direction.

Therefore, according to the floor cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment, the turning radius of the device can be made smaller than that of the conventional device, and it is possible to clean the floor surface closer to the wall or the like. In addition, since the floor cleaning device 1 turns around the drive shaft 31, that is, the center of the circular cleaning pad 33, the turning radius of the device is prevented from increasing, and the driving wheels 22, 22 and the cleaning pad 33 are rotated. can be staggered. Therefore, the entire apparatus can be stabilized, the cleaning pad 33 can be made larger than the conventional one, and the narrowing of the cleaning width per run can be suppressed.

Although not described above, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 according to the embodiment has a cleaning water spraying unit that sprays cleaning water onto the floor surface when cleaning the floor surface, and a dirty water collection unit that collects the dirty water after cleaning. You may In this case, the floor cleaning apparatus 1 may be configured to operate the washing water spraying unit and the dirty water collection unit while cleaning the floor surface while moving along the travel route.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical idea of the present invention. Of course there is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus 2... Traveling part 3... Cleaning unit 10... Control part 21... Traveling motor 22... Drive wheel 23... Driven wheel 31... Drive shaft 32... Shaft drive part , 33... Cleaning pad, 331... Pad holder, 332... Pad member

Claims (4)

It has a cleaning pad and a running part for self-propelled on a floor surface, and cleans the floor surface by lowering the cleaning pad from a standby position to a cleaning position, contacting the floor surface, and rotating the cleaning pad, By driving the cleaning pad further downward from the cleaning position, the traveling part is lifted from the floor surface, and then the cleaning pad is driven to rotate to change the traveling direction. self-propelled floor cleaning equipment. 2. The self-propelled floor cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning of the floor surface is performed while self-propelled, and the traveling direction is changed after stopping the self-propelled travel. After changing the traveling direction, the cleaning pad is driven to move upward, returning the cleaning pad to the state in which it was lowered from the standby position to the cleaning position, and rotated to resume cleaning the floor surface. The self-propelled floor cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2. a drive shaft extending vertically and having the cleaning pad attached to its lower end;
a shaft drive unit capable of vertically advancing and retreating and rotating the drive shaft;
including
The shaft driving section advances the driving shaft downward to a first advancing position, thereby lowering the cleaning pad from the standby position to the cleaning position and contacting the floor surface. cleaning the floor surface by rotating the drive shaft to rotate the cleaning pad;
The shaft drive unit advances the drive shaft further downward from the first advance position to further lower the cleaning pad from the cleaning position, thereby floating the traveling unit from the floor surface. and changing the running direction by driving the shaft driving unit to rotate the driving shaft to rotate the cleaning pad.
The self-propelled floor cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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