JP2847929B2 - Moving device along wall of moving object and floor cleaner having the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an obstacle detecting device for a moving body such as an automatic guided vehicle or an automatic floor cleaner, and a moving body moving along a wall using the same. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a floor cleaner equipped with the apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, moving bodies such as automatic guided vehicles and automatic floor cleaners are provided with a so-called bumper protruding around a main body to mitigate an impact at the time of collision with an obstacle. The bumper is provided with an obstacle detection device including a contact switch, a pressure-sensitive element, and the like, and detects the presence or absence of contact with an obstacle.

Some moving objects of this type detect a wall present in a moving area with a distance measuring sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor or an optical sensor and move along the wall, and use this as a guide to determine a traveling route. is there.

In particular, in an automatic floor cleaner, such movement along a wall requires not only the determination of a traveling route but also cleaning of a wall, so that a cleaning tool such as a rotating brush is provided so as to protrude from the main body. is there.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, such a conventional moving device along a wall using a distance measuring sensor composed of an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor, or the like has a problem when moving along a wall parallel to a wide and flat wall surface. However, if the wall has irregularities or the distance measurement sensor is slanted against the wall, the wall may lose sight and the moving body may collide with the wall, making it impossible to move along the wall .

In addition, in a corner portion where a wall intersects or a so-called dead end, in addition to the above-described problem, processing of distance measurement data in each of the front, rear, left, and right directions becomes complicated, so that the user cannot approach the wall and move along the wall. Have.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a first object of the present invention to provide a wall moving apparatus that can move along a wall faithfully in a wall shape without complicated data processing even at a corner where the wall intersects.

Further, in connection with the first object, a second object of the present invention is to provide a wall moving apparatus which can move along a wall along a wall shape faithfully in a similar manner even on a blind lane where wall surfaces intersect more complicatedly. .

In addition, any of the conventional obstacle detection devices for a moving body detects whether or not a bumper has collided with an obstacle, and does not detect the contact state. In addition, there is a problem that the detection can be reliably performed only when a collision occurs with a considerably large force. of course,
Even with the conventional configuration, this problem can be ameliorated by increasing the sensitivity of the detector such as a contact switch or a pressure-sensitive element and increasing the number of detectors to be used. However, in this case, there is a problem that reliability is deteriorated due to detection of vibration during movement or malfunction, or a problem of cost increase.

Therefore, the present invention can reliably detect contact even if the contact pressure is small, and can determine whether the contact is large or small at this time. It is a third object of the present invention to provide a moving device along a wall having obstacle detection means with high reliability.

Further, in connection with the third object, a fourth object is to obtain a moving device along a wall having an obstacle detecting means capable of detecting contact stably regardless of the direction of the contact pressure.

In addition, floor cleaners equipped with a conventional moving device along the wall,
There is a problem that a cleaning tool such as a rotary brush provided to protrude from the main body is easily caught on a wall surface.

Therefore, the present invention provides that even when moving close to a wall and moving along the wall,
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a floor cleaner in which a cleaning tool such as a rotating brush provided to protrude from a main body can clean up to a wall without being caught on the wall.

Means for Solving the Problems A first means of the present invention for achieving the first object is:
The driving wheels provided on the left and right sides of the main body of the moving body, the driving motors for driving the left and right driving wheels independently of each other, and the distance to the obstacle on the side or front side along the wall of the main body of the moving body are at least large. Obstacle detecting means for classifying and detecting the three small and medium zones, and movement control means for controlling a drive motor corresponding to the obstacle detection zone detected by the obstacle detection means, wherein the movement control means When the distance to the obstacle is large, the drive wheels on the side of the wall are stopped and the drive wheels on the opposite side are simultaneously advanced.When the distance to the obstacle is medium, the drive wheels on the side of the wall are advanced and simultaneously opposed. When the distance to the obstacle is small, the driving wheels on the side along the wall are stopped, and at the same time, the driving wheels on the opposite side are retracted, so that the moving device moves along the wall of the moving body.

A second means of the present invention for achieving the second object is:
The driving wheels provided on the left and right sides of the main body of the moving body, the driving motors for driving the left and right driving wheels independently of each other, and the distance to the obstacle on the side or front side along the wall of the main body of the moving body are at least large. Obstacle detecting means for classifying and detecting the three small and medium zones, and movement control means for controlling a drive motor corresponding to the obstacle detection zone detected by the obstacle detection means, wherein the movement control means When the distance to the obstacle is large, the drive wheel along the wall is advanced and the opposite drive wheel is stopped at the same time.When the distance to the obstacle is medium, the drive wheel along the wall is stopped and When the distance to the obstacle is small, the driving wheel is moved backward, and the driving wheel on the side along the wall and the driving wheel on the opposite side are retracted together.

A third means of the present invention for achieving the third object is:
In addition to the configuration of the moving body wall moving device according to claim 1 or 2, a movable body provided so as to protrude from the main body from a side part to a front part of the main body of the movable body; A support shaft that rotatably supports one end, an urging body that urges the movable body in an outward rotation direction of the main body, a stopper that regulates a rotation range of the movable body, and an obstacle that is a movable body. And a rotation detecting means for detecting the magnitude of the rotation angle of the movable body when it comes into contact with the moving body.

A fourth means of the present invention for achieving the fourth object is:
In addition to the configuration described in claim 3, the main body of the moving body is a moving device along a wall of the moving body having a sliding portion in which the movable body moves back and forth with respect to the support shaft.

A fifth means of the present invention for achieving the fifth object is:
In addition to the configuration of the moving body wall moving device according to claim 1 or 2, a movable body provided so as to protrude from the main body from a side part to a front part of the main body of the movable body; A support shaft for rotatably supporting one end, a biasing body for biasing the movable body in a rotating direction outside the main body, a stopper for regulating a rotation range of the movable body, and a floor provided on the movable body. An agitator that rotates in parallel with a plane; and a moving device along a wall of the moving body, the device including a rotation detecting unit that detects a magnitude of a rotation angle of the movable body when an obstacle contacts the movable body. Has a floor cleaner.

The first means of the present invention is that the movement control means controls the driving of the left and right drive wheels corresponding to the detection zone of the obstacle detection means, so that the movement along the wall faithfully follows the shape of the wall. It is a moving device along the wall of the moving body that can perform.

According to a second means of the present invention, the movement control means controls left and right drive wheels corresponding to a detection zone on the side opposite to the wall of the obstacle detection means and performs a direction change while traveling along the wall. In this way, the moving device along the wall of the moving body that can move along the wall faithfully in the shape of the wall even in the blind lane where the wall intersects in a complicated manner.

The third means of the present invention is such that the rotation detecting means detects the magnitude of the rotation angle of the movable body when the obstacle comes into contact with the movable body, so that the obstacle contacts any part of the movable body. However, it is possible to determine whether the contact is large or small and to detect the contact with a small contact pressure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the sliding portion provided on the main body of the moving body slides according to the displacement amount of the moving body when the moving body comes into contact with an obstacle, and is stable regardless of the direction of the contact force. It is a moving device along the wall of the moving body that can detect contact.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, an agitator that rotates in parallel with the floor is provided on the movable body of the obstacle detection means, and the obstacle detection device detects the contact between the agitator and the obstacle, including:
The floor cleaner is designed so that the agitator can be cleaned up to the wall without getting caught on the wall.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking an automatic floor cleaner as an example.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a moving body (hereinafter, simply referred to as a main body) constituting a main body of the automatic floor cleaner, and 2 denotes driving wheels provided on the left and right rear of the main body 1, which are independently driven by a driving motor 3 on the left and right sides. You. Reference numeral 4 denotes a follower wheel rotatably attached to the front of the main body 1. Reference numeral 5 denotes two left and right movable members protruding from the main body 1 from the side portion to the front portion of the main body 1, around which a buffer 6 made of an elastic material is attached. This movable body 5
Is attached to the main body 1 via a holding portion 7, and is rotatably supported as described later. Reference numeral 8 denotes a buffer attached to the rear of the main body 1. Reference numeral 9 denotes a brush implanted around the rotary plate 10 and is driven by a motor 11 provided on the movable body 5 to rotate in a direction inward of the main body 1 in parallel with the floor surface A to sweep dust on the floor surface A. ing. Above, brush 9,
The rotating plate 10 and the motor 11 constitute an agitator. 12 is an electric blower, 13 is a dust collection chamber, and 14 and 15 are filters provided inside thereof. A floor nozzle 16 is provided at the center of the bottom of the main body 1 and is connected to the dust collecting chamber 13 via a connection pipe 17.
As described above, 12 to 17 constitute the dust suction means. 18 is the operation unit 19
An operation button 20 is a control unit for controlling the entire automatic floor cleaner, and has a movement control means. twenty one
Is a distance measuring sensor including an ultrasonic sensor and an optical sensor provided around the main body 1, and measures a distance to an obstacle during movement. Reference numeral 22 denotes a power supply including a storage battery or the like that supplies the entire power.

Next, an embodiment of the moving body obstacle detecting apparatus according to the first invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the present embodiment has two symmetrical obstacle detection devices on the left and right sides of the main body 1. Movable body 5, buffer body 6
Has already been described, but the holding parts 7, 7 '
As shown in FIG. 3, the slide plate 23 mounted on the upper part of the movable body 5 is supported by a slide bearing 26 having freely rotating balls 24 and 25 mounted on the bottom plate 1 'of the main body 1, and 5 is movably held only in the horizontal direction. One rear end of the movable body 5 is supported by a support shaft 27 provided on the bottom plate 1 ′.
Can be freely rotated in the horizontal direction with the fulcrum as a fulcrum. Numeral 28 denotes an urging body comprising a tension spring having one end attached to the fixed shaft 29 of the movable body 5 and the other end attached to the fixed shaft 30 of the bottom plate 1 ', and urges the movable body 5 in the outward rotation direction of the main body 1. ing. Also, the bottom plate 1 '
The fixed shaft 30 attached to the movable body 5 has a regulating hole 31 provided in the movable body 5.
And also serves as a stopper that regulates the rotation range of the movable body 5. As shown in FIG. 4, limit switches 32 and 33 are attached to the bottom plate 1 ', and the actuators 34 and 35 of the movable body 5 are respectively set according to the rotation angle of the movable body 5.
Abuts and operates. Thus, the limit switches 32, 3
The rotation detecting means for detecting two points of the rotation angle position of the movable body 5 by the actuator 3 and the actuators 34 and 35 is constituted.

The operation of the moving object obstacle detection device configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

For example, if an obstacle comes into contact with the buffer 6 during the movement of the main body 1, the movable body 5 pivots around the support shaft 27 in the direction of arrow a against the biasing body 28, and first the actuator 34 is moved to the limit switch. Since the limit switch 32 operates in contact with the contact 32, the presence or absence of the contact can be detected. When the contact is large, the rotating angle of the movable body 5 is further increased, and then the actuator 35 contacts the limit switch 33 and the limit switch
Since 33 is activated, it can be detected that the contact is large. At this time, the movable body 5 is supported by the support shaft 27, and the holding portion 7,
Since the friction is kept low by 7 ', the movable body 5 always rotates in the direction of arrow a even if an obstacle comes into contact with any part of the buffer body 6.

Next, an embodiment of a moving object obstacle detecting apparatus according to the second invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 5, the left and right symmetrical 2
It has two obstacle detection devices. The movable body 5, the buffer 6, the holding parts 7, 7 ', the support shaft 27, the spring 28, and the fixed shafts 29, 30 are exactly the same as those in the previous embodiment, but behind the movable body 5 supported by the support shaft 27. At one end, a support shaft 27 consisting of a long hole in the front-rear direction
The movable body 5 can slide in the front-rear direction with respect to the support shaft 27. An urging member 37 is composed of a tension spring having one end attached to the fixed shaft 28 of the movable body 5 and the other end attached to the fixed shaft 39 of the bottom plate 1 '.
Is urged forward. Further, the fixed shaft 39 attached to the bottom plate 1 ′ protrudes from a regulating hole 40 provided in the movable body 5,
It also serves as a stopper that regulates the sliding range of the movable body 5. Accordingly, the movable body 5 can freely rotate not only horizontally but also in the front-back direction with the support shaft 27 as a fulcrum with respect to the main body 1, and can move freely in the front-rear direction, so that the fixed shafts 30 and 39 hit the regulating holes 31 and 40. , Are always urged outward from the main body 1 by the springs 28 and 37. As shown in FIG. 6, limit switches 32 and 33 are attached to the bottom plate 1 'as the rotation detecting means for detecting two rotation angle positions of the movable body 5 in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. The actuators 34 and 35 of the movable body 5 are operated in contact with each other in accordance with the rotation angle of the movable body 5. In this embodiment, however, the movable body 5 is also activated when the movable body 5 slides backward with respect to the main body 1. The element 34 and the operating element 35 contact the limit switch 32 and the limit switch 33, respectively, and the limit switches 32 and 33 are operated.

The moving body obstacle detection device configured as described above basically operates in the same manner as the previous embodiment, but, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, supports the movable body 5 from the front as indicated by the arrow b. axis
27 When the contact force vector passing over
Slides backward against the biasing element 37 by the elongated hole 36 and the support shaft 27, so that the actuator 34 first contacts the limit switch 32 and operates, and if the contact force is further large, the actuator operates next. Child
35 comes into contact with the limit switch 33 and operates. Thus, even when the contact force vector passes on the support shaft 27 and the movable body 5 is difficult to rotate (affected by the friction coefficient of the buffer 6 on the surface of the movable body 5), the movable body 5 slides. Accordingly, contact of an obstacle can be detected more sensitively than in the previous embodiment.

In the above two embodiments, two limit switches are used.
Although the rotation angle position of the movable body 5 is detected by 32 and 33, other detection means using, for example, an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor may be used. Should be detected at two points.

7 and 8 show an embodiment in which a photo interrupter is used instead of the limit switches 32 and 33 as means for detecting the rotation angle position of the movable body 5. FIG. In the figure, 41 is LED
And a light-receiving element 43 such as a phototransistor. The light-receiving element 43 is a transmission type photo interrupter which is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 1 ′ of the main body 1. 44 is a shielding plate attached to the upper surface of the movable body 5, and a transmission hole is provided at the center.
45 are provided. Photo interrupter 41 and shielding plate 44
When the movable body 5 is located on the outermost side of the main body 1, that is, when the movable body 5 has no contact and the rotation angle is 0 °, the optical axis of the light emitting element 42 is transmitted through the shielding plate 44. Hole 45
It is arranged so that it passes through the center of. At this time, the light receiving element 43 is in a state of receiving light from the light emitting element 42 through the transmission hole 45.

Assuming that the movable body 5 rotates in contact with the obstacle and the shielding plate 44 moves in the direction of arrow c with respect to the photo interrupter 41 as shown in FIG. Since the light shifted from the axis is blocked and the light receiving element 43 does not receive light, the rotation of the movable body 5 can be detected. In the detection means configured as described above, the detection sensitivity is determined by the size of the transmission hole 45. For example, when this hole diameter is d, the relative displacement between the photo interrupter 41 and the shielding plate 44 is about d / 2. Sometimes, the rotation of the movable body 5 can be detected. Therefore, if two sets of the detection means are mounted at different positions from the support shaft 27, two rotation angle positions of the movable body 5 can be detected. Alternatively, two sets of transmission holes 45 having different hole diameters may be attached.

Next, an embodiment of the moving body wall moving apparatus according to the third invention will be described. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 50 denotes obstacle detecting means for detecting a distance to an obstacle on the side or front side along the wall of the main body 1 in at least three zones of large, medium and small.
For example, it comprises an obstacle detecting device 51 according to the first invention or the second invention or a distance measuring means 52 having the distance measuring sensor 21. 2L, 2R are the drive wheels (subscripts L, R
Indicates that they are provided on the left and right sides of the main body 1, respectively),
3L and 3R are drive motors for independently driving the drive wheels 2L and 2R, and 53L and 53R are speed control means for controlling the speeds of the drive motors 3L and 3R, respectively. 54 is a judgment processing means for issuing a speed command to the speed control means 53L, 53R in accordance with a detection signal from the obstacle detection means 50 input via the input means 55, and when the distance to the obstacle is large, a wall The drive wheel 2 along the side is stopped, the drive wheel 2 on the opposite side is advanced, and the drive wheel 2 along the wall is advanced when it is in the middle, the drive wheel 2 on the opposite side is stopped, and when the distance to the obstacle is small, the drive wheel along the wall 2 is stopped, and the opposite drive wheel 2 is moved backward. As described above, the movement control means 56 is constituted by the speed control means 53L and 53R, the judgment processing means 54, and the input means 55.

With respect to the moving device along the wall of the moving body configured as described above, taking the case of performing along the left wall using the obstacle detection device 51 of the obstacle detection means 50 as an example, the following FIGS.
The operation will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 10 shows the detection state of the obstacle detection device 51 and the driving wheels 2L and 2R.
3 shows a pattern corresponding to the driving state of FIG. First, pattern A
Means that the detection distance of the obstacle detection means 50 is a large zone, that is, when there is no contact with the movable body 5L on the left side of the main body 1 of the obstacle detection device 51. At this time, the left driving wheel 2L is stopped and the right driving wheel is stopped. Advance 2R. Pattern B is an obstacle detection means
When the detection distance of 50 is in the middle zone, that is, when the rotation angle of the movable body 5L is small and only the limit switch 32L is operated, the left drive wheel 2L is advanced at this time, and the right drive wheel 2R
To stop. Similarly, pattern C is an obstacle detection means.
When the detection distance of 50 is a small zone, that is, when the rotation angle of the movable body 5L is large and the limit switch 33L is operated, the left driving wheel 2L is stopped and the right driving wheel 2R is moved backward. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart when the corresponding pattern is programmed, and the above three pattern operations are repeated. When the moving device along the wall is operated near the wall, the main body 1 travels along the wall while the movable body 5L repeats contact and non-contact with the wall and alternately advances the drive wheels 2L and 2R. Even at the corner where the wall intersects as shown in the figure, it is possible to move along the wall faithfully on the wall without stopping.

Although the movement along the left wall has been described above, the movement along the right wall is also described in the obstacle detection device 51 on the right side of the main body 1.
It goes without saying that the same pattern can be obtained by inverting the corresponding pattern in FIG.

In this embodiment, the obstacle detection device 51 according to the first or second invention is used as the obstacle detection means 50. However, when the distance measurement means 52 is used, for example, the distance measurement data is 5 cm. Movement control can be performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment by dividing the detection distance into three large, medium, and small zones if the detection distance is small if it is less than 5 cm, if the detection distance is 5 cm to 10 cm, and if it is 10 cm or more, the detection distance is large and the detection distance is large.

Next, an embodiment of the moving body wall moving apparatus according to the fourth invention will be described.

The apparatus for moving along a wall according to the present invention can be used, for example, in a case where only the obstacle detecting means on the side along the wall of the main body is used, as in the embodiment of the apparatus for moving along a wall according to the third invention described above.
The present invention solves the problem that the main body hits a wall and cannot move in a dead end portion or the like where wall surfaces intersect in a complicated manner, and a description will be given on the assumption that basic functions along the wall are already provided.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the embodiment of the moving device along the wall according to the third aspect of the present invention, an obstacle detecting device 51 'on the side along the wall of the main body 1 and the opposite side is used, and the judgment processing means 54 is an obstacle detecting device 51'.
When the distance to the obstacle detected by the step is large, the drive wheel 2 along the wall advances, and the drive wheel 2 on the opposite side is stopped. When the distance to the obstacle is medium, the drive wheel 2 along the wall is stopped, and the opposite drive is performed. The wheel 2 is moved backward, and when the distance to the obstacle is small, both the drive wheel 2 along the wall and the opposite drive wheel 2 are moved backward.

The operation of the moving device along the wall configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15 in the case of performing along the left wall using the obstacle detection device 51 'of the obstacle detecting means. I do.

FIG. 13 shows the detection state of the obstacle detection device 51 'and the driving wheels 2L, 2L.
9 shows a pattern corresponding to the driving state of R. First, pattern E
Means that the detection distance on the opposite side of the obstacle detection means 50 along the wall is a large zone, that is, the main body 1 of the obstacle detection device 51 '.
When there is no contact with the right movable body 5R, at this time, the left drive wheel 2R is advanced and the right drive wheel 2R is stopped. Pattern E is a case where the detection distance on the side opposite to the wall side of the obstacle detection device 50 is the middle zone, that is, when the rotation angle of the movable body 5R is small and only the limit switch 32R is actuated. 2L is stopped, and the right driving wheel 2R is moved backward. Similarly, the pattern F is a case where the detection distance on the side opposite to the wall of the obstacle detection means 50 is a small zone, that is, the movable body
When the rotation angle of the 5R is large and the limit switch 33R is operated, at this time, both the left driving wheel 2L and the right driving wheel 2R are moved backward. FIG. 14 shows a flowchart in the case where the corresponding pattern is programmed, and the above three pattern operations are repeated. When the moving device along the wall is operated near the wall, as in the embodiment of the moving device along the wall according to the third invention, the main body 1 is such that the movable body 5L repeatedly contacts and non-contacts the wall with the driving wheels 2L, 2R. Run along the wall while moving forward alternately. Then, for example, when approaching a dead end or the like as shown in FIG. 15 and the right movable body 5R comes into contact with the wall, the operations of the above-mentioned patterns DF are repeated, and along the walls such as 60 and 61 surrounded by a dashed line. Perform direction turning. Then, when the left movable body 5L contacts the wall again, the third
As in the embodiment of the moving device along the wall by means of (1), the main body 1 has the movable body 5L repeatedly contacting and non-contacting with the wall, and the driving wheels 2L, 2R.
Run along the wall while moving forward alternately.

As described above, the moving body moving device along the wall according to the present invention performs direction turning while moving along the wall when an obstacle on the opposite side of the wall is detected during moving along the wall. It should be noted that the movement control is performed in the same manner for the movement along the right wall and also in the case where the distance measuring means is used as the obstacle detection means, as described in the embodiment of the movement apparatus along the wall according to the third invention. Can be.

Next, an embodiment of the floor cleaner according to the fifth invention will be described. The embodiment of the floor cleaner according to the present invention is the automatic floor cleaner described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the brush 9 is attached to the movable body 5 of the obstacle detecting device for a moving body according to the first invention.
It has an agitator composed of a rotating plate 10 and a motor 11. Then, while moving along the wall as shown in FIG. 12 or 15, the agitator sweeps out the dirt near the wall,
The suction is performed from the floor nozzle 16 to the dust collection chamber 13 by the electric blower 12 for cleaning. In order to clean the wall while moving along the wall in this way, it is clear that it is desirable to protrude longer than the main body 1 of the brush 9 of the agitator in terms of cleaning performance, but this is not the case with the conventional floor cleaner. There was a case where it was not possible to run along the wall because it was caught on the wall. However, in this embodiment, since the agitator is provided on the movable body 5 of the obstacle detection device, even if the brush 9 is caught on the wall surface, the movable body 5 can rotate according to the degree of the caught state and detect the state. , The moving direction of the main body 1 can be changed. In the present embodiment, the brush 9 itself serves as a sensor for detecting the wall surface, and the brush 9 can move along the wall so as to trace the wall surface.

It is needless to say that mounting the moving device along the wall according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention on a floor cleaner is very effective as a cleaner.

Effect of the Invention As described above, according to the first invention, when the distance to the obstacle along the wall of the moving body is large, the drive wheel along the wall is stopped, the drive wheel on the opposite side is advanced, and the distance to the obstacle is increased. When the vehicle is in the middle, advance the drive wheel along the wall, stop the opposite drive wheel, stop the drive wheel along the wall when the distance to the obstacle is small, and retract the opposite drive wheel to detect obstacles It is possible to move along the wall by a combination of the detection zone of the means and the simple corresponding pattern of the driving direction of the left and right driving wheels. To realize a moving device along a wall of a moving body capable of moving along a wall along the road.

Further, in the second invention, when the distance to the obstacle on the side opposite to the wall side of the moving body is large, the drive wheel along the wall is advanced, the opposite drive wheel is stopped, and the distance to the obstacle is medium. In the case of, the drive wheel along the wall is stopped, the drive wheel on the opposite side moves backward, and when the distance to the obstacle is small, both the drive wheel along the wall and the opposite drive wheel are retracted, so that the obstacle detection means wall The combination of the detection zone on the opposite side and the simple correspondence pattern of the driving direction of the left and right drive wheels enables the direction to be changed while traveling along the wall, and faithfully conforms to the wall shape even in a dead end where the wall intersects in a complicated manner. The present invention realizes a moving device along a wall of a moving body which can move along a wall along the same.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention provides a movable body protruding from the main body from a side portion to a front portion of the movable body, a support shaft rotatably supporting one end of the movable body, and a movable body outside the movable body main body. An urging body for urging in the rotation direction, a stopper for regulating the rotation direction of the movable body, and a rotation detecting means for detecting the magnitude of the rotation angle of the movable body when an obstacle comes in contact with the movable body A moving body that can determine whether contact is large or small even if an obstacle comes into contact with any part of the movable body, and that can detect contact with a small contact pressure. This realizes a moving device along the wall.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the movable body is provided with a sliding portion that moves back and forth with respect to the support shaft, and the movable body moves along a wall of the movable body that can stably detect the contact regardless of the direction of the contact force. It implements the device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a floor cleaner having a moving device along a wall of a moving body provided with an agitator rotating parallel to the floor on a movable body of the obstacle detecting means, wherein a contact state between the agitator and the obstacle is provided. Thus, a floor cleaner that can clean the wall without the agitator getting caught on the wall is realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an automatic floor cleaner equipped with an embodiment of a moving object obstacle detecting device according to the first invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the automatic floor cleaner, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a holding unit of the embodiment of the moving body obstacle detection device, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram of the moving body obstacle detection device according to the second invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the embodiment, FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view showing the operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the rotation angle detecting means of the moving object obstacle detecting device according to the second invention. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line XX ′ of FIG. 7, FIG.
FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of an embodiment of the moving device along the wall according to the third invention, FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram showing an operation pattern of the embodiment, FIG. 11 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment, FIG.
FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view showing the moving state along the wall according to the embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view showing an operation pattern of the embodiment of the wall moving apparatus according to the fourth invention, FIG. 14 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment, and FIG. 15 is an operation explanation showing a moving state along the wall of the embodiment. FIG. 1... Moving body, 2... Drive wheels, 3.
5 movable body, 9 brush, 10 rotating plate, 11 motor, 27 support shaft, 28, 37 biasing body, 30, 39 fixed shaft, 31, 40 ... Restriction holes, 32, 33 ... Limit switches, 3
4, 35: Actuator, 36: Guide hole, 41: Photo interrupter, 44: Shielding plate, 45: Transmission hole, 50: Obstacle detection means, 56: Movement control means.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-160507 (JP, A) JP-A-1-125607 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model 62-28655 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 48- 78515 (JP, U) Actually open 49-23941 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G05D 1/02 A47L 9/00 102

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A driving wheel provided on the left and right sides of a main body of a moving body, a driving motor for driving the left and right driving wheels independently of each other, and an obstacle on a side or front side along a wall of the main body of the moving body. Obstacle detection means for classifying and detecting the distance of at least three zones of large, medium and small, and movement control means for controlling a drive motor corresponding to the obstacle detection zone detected by the obstacle detection means, When the distance to the obstacle is large, the movement control means stops the drive wheel along the wall and simultaneously advances the opposite drive wheel, and advances the drive wheel along the wall when the distance to the obstacle is medium. A moving device along the wall of a moving body that simultaneously stops the driving wheel on the opposite side and stops the driving wheel on the side along the wall when the distance to the obstacle is small, and simultaneously retracts the driving wheel on the opposite side. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a drive wheel provided on the left and right sides of the main body of the moving body, a drive motor for driving the left and right drive wheels independently of each other, and a side or a front side opposite to the wall side of the moving body. Obstacle detection means for classifying and detecting a distance to an obstacle into at least three zones of large, medium and small; and movement control means for controlling a drive motor corresponding to the obstacle detection zone detected by the obstacle detection means. When the distance to the obstacle is large, the movement control means advances the drive wheel along the wall and simultaneously stops the drive wheel on the opposite side, and drives the drive along the wall when the distance to the obstacle is medium. A moving device along a wall of a moving body that stops a wheel and simultaneously retreats a driving wheel on the opposite side, and when the distance to an obstacle is small, both the driving wheel on the wall side and the driving wheel on the opposite side are retracted. A movable member protruding from the main body from a side portion to a front portion of the movable body, a support shaft rotatably supporting one end of the movable body, and a movable body moving in a direction of rotating the movable body outward. A movable body, a stopper that regulates the rotating direction of the movable body, and a rotation detecting unit that detects the magnitude of the rotating angle of the movable body when an obstacle comes into contact with the movable body. The moving device along a wall of a moving body according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an obstacle detecting means. 4. A moving device along a wall of a moving body according to claim 3, further comprising a sliding portion for moving the moving body back and forth with respect to the support shaft. 5. The floor cleaner according to claim 3, wherein an agitator rotating parallel to the floor is provided on the movable body of the obstacle detecting means.