JP2782926B2 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can be moved while performing a cleaning operation without using a cord.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of self-propelled vacuum cleaners that can move while performing a cleaning operation, technical development has been progressing in order to provide a movement path with more freedom than ever. These self-propelled vacuum cleaners are equipped with various sensors necessary for movement, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-93522, and do not move on a predetermined movement path, but search for a movement path by themselves. Something moves while moving. In these self-propelled cleaners or cleaning robots that can move without a route,
It is an essential requirement that no power cord be used, that is, that a battery be mounted, so as not to restrict movement. In this case, the on-board battery must be charged periodically, but this charging is performed manually, even though it is a cleaning robot that moves automatically.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As described above, a charging method for a self-propelled cleaner that moves without a path has not been considered much in the past. For this reason, it has been a troublesome task to remove the mounted battery and charge the battery with a charger, or connect the charging terminal while the battery is mounted to charge the battery. Also, when the self-propelled cleaner is operated again after the charging is completed, labor is troublesome, and the function of the cleaning robot that automatically performs the work at the corner is reduced by half. Further, when starting the self-propelled cleaning machine, the start button must always be operated, and it cannot be automatically started at an arbitrary time without human intervention.

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of such a conventional configuration, and has as its first object to obtain a self-propelled cleaner capable of automatically starting at an arbitrary time.
In addition, the cleaning start time and the cleaning end time can be set on the self-propelled cleaner main body side, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which the self-propelled cleaner main body is left in the cleaning area and obstructed at the end of cleaning. A second object is to obtain a self-propelled vacuum cleaner. Furthermore, a third object is to obtain a self-propelled cleaner capable of automatically lowering cleaning power when the set cleaning start time is at night and suppressing noise during cleaning.

Means for Solving the Problems A first invention for achieving the first object is a steering / driving means as a moving means, and an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in the forward and left and right directions in the traveling direction. A movement control unit that controls the steering and driving unit based on a detection signal of the obstacle detection unit, a cleaning unit configured by a fan motor, a battery that supplies power to each unit, and an external voltage or signal. A self-propelled cleaner body comprising: a power receiving and signal transmitting means provided on a bottom surface or a rear surface; and a charging circuit for connecting a voltage externally received by the power receiving and signal transmitting means to the battery. Power transmission and signal transmission means connected to the means, a time keeping means for keeping time, a storage part for storing a set time, and a ratio between the time kept by the time keeping means and the time set in the storage part. Compare
A charging device separate from the self-propelled cleaner main body having a time comparing unit for transmitting a signal when the two match each other, and the movement control means receives a signal from the time comparing unit and performs an operation. This is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that starts moving by driving the snake / drive means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering and driving means as a moving means, an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in front of the traveling direction and a left and right direction, and an obstacle detecting means. Movement control means for controlling the steering and driving means based on the detection signal, cleaning means constituted by a fan motor, clocking means for measuring time, a first set time for starting cleaning, and ending cleaning. A storage unit that stores the second set time, a time comparison unit that compares the time measured by the clock unit with the time set in the storage unit, and transmits a signal when both match, and supplies power to each unit. A self-propelled cleaner body including: a battery to be supplied; a power receiving unit provided on a bottom surface or a rear surface for receiving an external voltage; and a charging circuit for connecting a voltage externally received by the power receiving unit to the battery. means A charging device separate from the self-propelled cleaner main body provided with a power transmission means to be connected; and the movement control means starts cleaning when a time comparison unit receives a signal reaching a first set time. In this case, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner drives the snake / drive means so as to end the cleaning and return to the charging device when receiving a signal reaching the second set time.

A third aspect of the present invention for achieving the third object further includes a steering and driving means as a moving means, an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in a forward direction and a left and right direction, and an obstacle detecting means. A movement control means for controlling the steering and driving means based on the detection signal, a cleaning means constituted by a fan motor, a clock means for measuring time, a first set time for starting cleaning, and a cleaning end for cleaning. A storage unit that stores the second set time, a time comparison unit that compares the time measured by the clock unit with the time set in the storage unit, and transmits a signal when the two match, and detects a surrounding environment. Environment sensor, a battery that supplies power to each unit, a power receiving unit provided on a bottom surface or a rear surface that receives an external voltage, and a charging circuit that connects a voltage received externally by the power receiving unit to the battery. A self-propelled cleaner main body, and a charging device separate from the self-propelled cleaner main body including power transmission means connected to the power receiving means, wherein the movement control means includes a first time comparison unit. To start cleaning when a signal that has reached a set time is received, and to drive the snake and driving means so as to end cleaning and return to the charging device when receiving a signal that has reached a second set time, and The self-propelled vacuum cleaner adjusts the cleaning power of the cleaning means according to a signal from an environment sensor.

The first invention described above compares the time stored in the storage unit storing the use start time set by the user with the time comparison unit provided in the charging device and the time measured by the clock unit, If they match, a signal is transmitted to the power receiving and signal transmitting means of the self-propelled cleaner body through the power transmitting and signal transmitting means. This signal is received by the movement control means of the self-propelled cleaner main body, and the start can be started, and the cleaning can be started at an arbitrary time.

Further, in the second invention, the self-propelled cleaner main body includes the clocking unit, the storage unit, and the time comparison unit, and the cleaning can be started at a time set on the self-propelled cleaner main body side. Further, the time comparing unit compares the second time stored in the storage unit with the time measured by the clock unit, and if both match, transmits a signal to the movement control unit, and transmits the transmitted signal to the movement control unit. By controlling the steering and driving means to return to the charging device, the cleaning can be completed at a set time and the self-propelled cleaner can be returned to the charging device.

Further, in the third invention, when starting the self-propelled cleaner main body, if the time stored in the storage unit is night, the start signal is transmitted to the power receiving and signal transmission means of the self-propelled cleaner main body. Send with. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner has an environment sensor and constantly detects the surrounding brightness and noise level,
The movement control means receives this information together with a signal from the charging device. In this way, the movement control means judges the start start signal sent from the charging device and the information from the environment sensor, and lowers the cleaning power as necessary to reduce the noise at the time of cleaning. The cleaning work can be performed by the user.

Embodiment An embodiment of the first invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. A self-propelled cleaner main body 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as main body 1) is provided with a steering motor 2 for turning off the steering, a driving motor 3 for traveling, and a steering and driving wheel 4 in front of a lower part. These constitute a steering and driving means. A pair of rotatable driven wheels 5 for movement are provided at a lower rear portion of the main body 1. A plurality of ultrasonic sensors 7 for recognizing an obstacle are provided in front of the main body 1, and a contact sensor 10 for detecting that the main body 1 has contacted an obstacle or the like is provided all around the lower part of the main body 1. Each is provided. Further, a movement control means 11 for controlling the steering motor 2 and the drive motor 3 in accordance with the preprogrammed contents and the information of the ultrasonic sensor 7 and the contact sensor 10 is provided at the center of the main body 1.
Is provided. In the center of the lower part of the main body 1, a floor nozzle 12 and a hose 13 for sucking dust, a dust bag 14 for storing dust, and a fan motor 15 are provided. These constitute cleaning means. Reference numeral 16 denotes a battery that supplies power to the entire main body 1. Reference numeral 17 denotes a power receiving and signal transmitting means provided on the bottom surface or the rear surface of the main body, and receives a charging voltage and a control signal from a charging device 24 separate from the main body 1.
Reference numeral 18 denotes a charging circuit for connecting the voltage received from the charging device 24 by the charging and signal transmission means 17 to the battery 16.
Reference numeral 19 denotes transmission and signal transmission means provided on the lower upper surface or the front surface of the charging device 24, which is separate from the main body 1, and sends a charging voltage and a signal to the main body 1. The charging voltage is supplied to the main body 1 and the signal is transmitted when the main body 1 is at the charging position as shown in FIG. 1, that is, when the power receiving and signal transmitting means 17 and the power transmitting and signal transmitting means 19 come into contact with each other. It is done in. Reference numeral 22 denotes a clock unit for measuring the time, and reference numeral 21 denotes a storage unit that stores a set time of the operation unit 23 in which a user sets a use start time and the like.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a time comparing unit that compares the time measured by the clock unit 22 with the time stored in the storage unit 21 and sends a signal to the main unit 1 through the power transmission and signal transmission unit 19 if the two match.

Hereinafter, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described. The user sets the use start time and the like in the operation unit 23 provided on the upper surface of the charging device 24. This set time is stored in the storage unit 21. The time comparison unit 20 always compares the current time measured by the clock unit 22 with the time stored in the storage unit 21, and the time measured by the clock unit 22 is stored in the storage unit 21. If it is, a signal is sent to the main body 1 through the power transmission and signal transmission means 19. In the main body 1, this signal is received by the power receiving and signal transmitting means 17, and this signal is transmitted to the movement control means 11. Upon receiving this signal, the movement control means 11 starts up the main body 1 in accordance with the contents programmed in advance, and automatically performs cleaning as shown in FIG. If the presence of an obstacle is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 7 or the contact sensor 10 during the cleaning, the movement control means 11 receives information from the ultrasonic sensor 7 or the contact sensor 10 and sends the information to the main body 1. Avoid obstacles and continue cleaning. When cleaning is completed, the movement control means 11 controls the steering motor 2
And the position of the main body 1 is returned to the installation position of the charging device 24. When the main body 1 returns to the charging device 24 in this way, it receives the supply of charging power from the charging device 24 via the power receiving and signal transmitting means 17, charges the battery 16 by the charging circuit 18, and prepares for the next cleaning.

Next, an embodiment of the second invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the present embodiment includes a time comparison unit 20 and a storage unit 21.
Except that the timing unit 22 and the operation unit 23 are installed on the main body 1 side, it is the same as the embodiment of the first invention.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The user sets a use start time and a use end time on the operation unit 23 provided on the upper surface of the main body 1. This information is stored in the storage unit 21 as a first time and a second time. The time comparison unit 20 is a time measuring unit.
The current time measured by 22 and the first time / second time stored in the storage unit 21 are constantly compared, and when the current time matches the first time, the movement control unit 11 is notified. Send a signal. When the movement control means 11 receives this signal, the movement control means 11 starts the main body 1 in accordance with the contents programmed in advance, and automatically performs cleaning as shown in FIG. 2 as in the embodiment of the first means. On the way, when the presence of an obstacle is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 7 or the contact sensor 10, the movement control means 11 operates to cause the main body 1 to operate to avoid this, and the cleaning is continued.
When the cleaning is completed, the main body 1 is returned to the installation position of the charging device 24 by the movement control means 11, as in the embodiment of the first invention. In addition, even during cleaning, the time comparison unit 20 is a timer.
The current time measured by 22 and the second time stored in the storage unit 21 are constantly compared. If the current time coincides with the second time and the cleaning has not been completed yet, a signal to that effect is sent to the movement control means 11. Upon receiving this signal, the movement control means 11 controls the steering motor 2 and the drive motor 3 to return the main body 1 to the installation position of the charging device 24.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cleaning start time and the cleaning end time can be set on the main body side, and the self-propelled cleaner main body 1 is installed in the cleaning area, and its existence is disturbed. It is also possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation.

Next, an embodiment of the third invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, an environment sensor 25 is provided in the main body 1. The environment sensor 25 includes an optical sensor such as Cds for detecting illuminance, a volume sensor for detecting a surrounding noise level, and the like. Other configurations are the same as those of the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The user has the charging device 24
When the use start time and the like are set in the operation unit 23 provided on the upper surface,
This information is stored in the storage unit 21. The time comparison unit 20 constantly compares the current time measured by the clock unit 22 with the use start time stored in the storage unit 21, and when the current time matches the use start time, power transmission and Signal transmission means
A signal is sent to the main unit 1 through 19. At this time, if the set time is night (for example, from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am), the fact is also transmitted at the same time. The power receiving and signal transmitting means 17 of the main body 1 receives this signal and transmits this information to the movement control means 11. Information from the environment sensor 24 is also transmitted to the movement control means 11. When a cleaning start signal is transmitted from the power receiving and signal transmitting means 17 to the movement control means 11, the main body 1 is activated according to the contents programmed in advance, and the cleaning as shown in FIG. 2 is automatically performed. At this time, in the case of a signal indicating that the cleaning start time is at night, the movement control means 11 executes an operation in which the traveling speed is reduced, the cleaning power is reduced, and the noise is reduced in combination with the signal from the environment sensor 24. Or to operate in normal conditions. In other words, when the environment detected by the environment sensor 25 is dark and the noise level is low, the movement control means 11 controls the fan motor 15 to reduce the cleaning power, and also controls the steering and driving means to perform cleaning. Reduce driving speed and perform quiet driving. If the signal from the environment sensor 25 indicates that the surroundings are bright and the noise level is not low, the operation is performed in a normal state without lowering the cleaning power and the traveling speed even when the operation start time is nighttime. Or later,
When an obstacle is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 7 or the contact sensor 10, the movement is controlled by the movement control means 11 and cleaning is continued. When the cleaning is completed, the main body 1 is charged to the charging device as in the above-described embodiments.
It will return to 24 installation positions.

In each of the above embodiments, the power receiving / signal transmitting means 17 and the power transmitting / signal transmitting means 19 are brought into contact with each other to perform power supply / receive and signal transmission. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, for example, it is also possible to perform charging by electromagnetic induction using a coil provided on the self-propelled cleaner main body 1 side and a coil provided on the charging device side. In this method, since charging is performed without contact, there is no need to expose the electrodes, and the method is safe.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, in the first invention, the time is set on the charging device side, and at that time, the self-propelled cleaner is started, so that cleaning is started at an arbitrary time. be able to. According to the second aspect, the self-propelled cleaner main body can set a cleaning start time and a cleaning end time, can start cleaning at an arbitrary time, and can end cleaning at an arbitrary time. The self-propelled cleaner main body can be prevented from being left in the cleaning area and obstructing the cleaning operation when cleaning is completed. Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, particularly, since the self-propelled cleaner main body is provided with an environment sensor, the operation can be performed under quiet operation conditions according to environmental conditions such as nighttime. Things.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the first invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an operation state of the self-propelled cleaner, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section showing an embodiment of the second invention. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the third invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Self-propelled cleaner main body, 2 ... Steering motor, 3 ... Driving motor, 4 ... Steering and driving wheel, 7 ... Ultrasonic sensor,
10 contact sensor, 11 movement control means, 12 floor nozzle, 13 hose, 14 garbage bag, 15 fan motor, 16 battery, 17 power receiving and signal transmission means, 1
8 ... Charging circuit, 19 ... Power transmission and signal transmission means, 20 ...
Time comparison unit, 21 storage unit, 22 clock unit, 23 operation unit, 24 charging device, 25 environmental sensor.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-209121 (JP, A) JP-A-62-247704 (JP, A) JP-A-4-53515 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A47L 9/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A steering and driving means as a moving means, an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in a forward direction and a left and right direction, and the steering and driving means based on a detection signal of the obstacle detecting means. Movement control means for controlling, cleaning means constituted by a fan motor, a battery for supplying power to each part, power receiving and signal transmitting means provided on a bottom surface or a rear surface for receiving an external voltage or signal, and power receiving and signal transmitting means A self-propelled cleaner main body including a charging circuit for connecting a voltage received from outside by the means to the battery; a power transmission and signal transmission means connected to the power reception and signal transmission means; A storage unit that stores a set time, and a time comparison unit that compares the time measured by the clock unit with the time set in the storage unit and transmits a signal when the two match. A charging device separate from the self-propelled cleaner main body, wherein the movement control means receives a signal from a time comparison unit, drives a snake / drive means, and starts moving. Machine. 2. A steering and driving means as a moving means, an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in a forward direction and a left and right direction in a traveling direction, and the steering and driving means based on a detection signal of the obstacle detecting means. Movement control means for controlling, cleaning means constituted by a fan motor, clocking means for measuring time, a storage unit for storing a first set time to start cleaning and a second set time to end cleaning, The time measured by the time measuring unit is compared with the time set in the storage unit, and a time comparison unit that transmits a signal when both match, a battery that supplies power to each unit, a bottom surface that receives an external voltage or A self-propelled cleaner main body including a power receiving unit provided on a rear surface, a charging circuit for connecting a voltage received from the outside by the power receiving unit to the battery, and a self-propelled cleaner including a power transmitting unit connected to the power receiving unit; A charging device separate from the main body of the type vacuum cleaner, wherein the movement control means starts the cleaning at a second set time so as to start cleaning when the time comparison unit receives a signal reaching the first set time. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner that drives a snake and driving means to end cleaning and return to the charging device when it receives the signal. 3. A steering and driving means as a moving means, an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle in a forward direction and a left and right direction, and the steering and driving means based on a detection signal of the obstacle detecting means. Movement control means for controlling, cleaning means constituted by a fan motor, clocking means for measuring time, a storage unit for storing a first set time to start cleaning and a second set time to end cleaning, A time comparing unit that compares the time measured by the time measuring unit with the time set in the storage unit, and transmits a signal when both match, an environment sensor that detects a surrounding environment, and supplies power to each unit. A self-propelled cleaner body including a battery, a power receiving unit provided on a bottom surface or a rear surface for receiving an external voltage, and a charging circuit for connecting a voltage externally received by the power receiving unit to the battery; A charging device separate from the self-propelled cleaner main body having power transmission means connected thereto, and the movement control means performs cleaning when the time comparison unit receives a signal reaching a first set time. In order to start, when receiving a signal reaching a second set time, the cleaning means is driven to drive the snake and driving means so as to end the cleaning and return to the charging device, and in accordance with a signal from the environment sensor, the cleaning means Self-propelled vacuum cleaner that adjusts the cleaning power of the car.