JP4277214B2 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner that cleans a floor surface while self-propelled.

  As a conventional self-propelled cleaner, for example, Patent Document 1 reports a cleaner provided with a pair of drive wheels at the bottom of a cylindrical cleaner body and provided with a swivel wheel behind the pair of drive wheels. In this vacuum cleaner, the center of gravity is arranged behind the center of the main body in the traveling direction, and an inclined surface is formed on the front end of the main body in the upward direction with respect to the front in the traveling direction. For this reason, the front end of the main body is lifted and easily climbed over the convex step on the floor surface.

  Moreover, in patent document 2, when a main body is equipped with the dust collection part which inhales the dust etc. on a floor surface, and the wiping part which wipes the floor surface, and a vacuum cleaner main body gets over the convex step on a floor surface, A self-propelled cleaner in which this is detected by a sensor and the dust collecting part and the wiping part are lifted from the floor surface is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-47779 (page 2-3, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-47413 (page 4, FIGS. 5-6)

  However, according to Patent Document 1, it is possible to get over when the convex step is fixed to the floor surface such as a sill, but the floor surface such as an electric cord standing on the floor surface or a neglected newspaper is used. If there are lightweight objects that are not fixed, they may not be able to get over them and may be dragged by the inclined surface at the front bottom of the main body. In particular, in the case of an electric cord, if the vehicle is running while being dragged, it may become entangled in the cleaner body and difficult to run. For this reason, when using a self-propelled cleaner, it is necessary to clean up the electric cord etc. which become an obstruction beforehand from the floor surface, and becomes a burden of a user.

  According to Patent Document 2, even a light and unfixed object such as an electric cord can be detected in advance by a sensor and lifted by lifting the dust collecting part or the wiping part. It is necessary to secure a clearance higher than the level of the step to be overcome between the bottom surface and the floor surface of the vacuum cleaner body. There is a problem that it ends up. In particular, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner for home use is required to reduce the height of the vacuum cleaner body because it enters a place where the height is restricted, for example, between the bed and the floor. It has been difficult to satisfy the height range.

  An object of the present invention is to realize a self-propelled cleaner that can get over even if there is an unfixed lightweight obstacle such as an electric cord on the floor surface.

  Moreover, in addition to the said subject, this invention makes it the other subject to make the height of a cleaner low.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a main body, traveling means for causing the main body to travel on the floor surface, control means for recognizing peripheral objects of the main body and commanding the traveling direction of the main body to the traveling means, In a self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with dust collecting means for sucking and storing dust on the surface, it is provided with lifting means for lifting the front of the main body in the traveling direction from the floor surface with the traveling means as a base point, and the traveling means is independent on the left and right The rotation wheel of the drive wheel is rotationally controlled, and the rotation axis of the drive wheel is movably attached to the main body in a vertical direction, and the main body has a center of gravity located behind the rotation axis of the drive wheel in the traveling direction, When the control means detects an object on the front floor surface of the main body while traveling, the control means moves the rotating shaft of the driving wheel downward with respect to the main body by operating the lifting means, and before the bottom rear end of the main body reaches the object Operate the lifting means to The rotating shaft and controls to displace upwardly relative to the body.

According to this, since the main body can lift the front of the main body before or immediately after the obstacle contacts the main body, even if there is a light obstacle that is not fixed to the floor, Can be crossed. And since the main body lifts the front of the main body starting from the traveling means, the obstacle straddling the front of the main body can be overcome by the traveling means. That is, by displacing the rotating shaft downward with respect to the main body, the main body is tilted backward with the center of gravity as the starting point, and the front is lifted. Then, before the rear end of the bottom surface of the main body reaches the obstacle, the front shaft of the main body is lowered by returning the rotational axis of the drive wheel upward with respect to the main body to return to the normal traveling state. By continuing to run, the main body can get over obstacles. Furthermore, according to the present invention, during normal operation, the bottom surface of the main body can be set to a position close to the floor surface, so that the height of the vacuum cleaner can be kept low.

  In this case, driving means are provided with driving wheels that are independently rotationally controlled on the left and right sides, and the rotation shafts of the driving wheels are movably attached to the main body in the vertical direction. According to this, even if there is unevenness on the running floor, the drive wheels can move according to the undulations, so friction between the drive wheels and the floor can be secured, and idling of the drive wheels is suppressed it can. Moreover, since the height of a cleaner can be kept low by making the fluctuation | variation of the height direction of a cleaner small, said other subject can be solved.

  In addition, when the upper object recognition means includes an upper object recognition means for recognizing an object above the main body, and the upper object recognition means recognizes the upper object, the lifting means Do not lift the front of the body or limit the height of the lift. According to this, when the cleaner enters a narrow place in the height direction and gets over an obstacle on the floor surface, it can be prevented that the cleaner is caught by an object present on the upper part of the main body and cannot normally run.

  Further, it is preferable that an inclined surface inclined upward with respect to the front is formed on the front bottom surface of the main body, and at least one contact type or optical sensor is provided on the inclined surface. By providing a sensor at this position, obstacles such as electric cords existing on the front floor surface can be efficiently recognized with high sensitivity.

  According to the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention, it is possible to get over even if there is a lightweight obstacle such as an electric cord on the floor that is not fixed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner, and FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. The direction in which the self-propelled cleaner (hereinafter abbreviated as “main body 1”) mainly travels is the left direction in FIG. 1, and this direction is the front of the main body 1. The main body 1 is provided with driving wheels for traveling on the left and right sides, and each is driven independently. Specifically, the main body 1 is provided with traveling motors 2a and 2b, speed reducers 5a and 5b, and drive wheels 4a and 4b, and the rotation of the traveling motors 2a and 2b is performed via the speed reducers 5a and 5b. These are integrally attached so as to be transmitted to the drive wheels 4a and 4b.

  Encoders 3a and 3b are attached to one ends of the rotation shafts of the left and right traveling motors 2a and 2b, respectively, and the rotational speeds of the traveling motors 2a and 2b are output to the controller 6. The controller 6 can separately control the voltages applied to the traveling motors 2a and 2b, and performs feedback control and the like based on the rotational speeds of the traveling motors 2a and 2b obtained from the encoders 3a and 3b. The rotational speed of the drive wheels 4a and 4b can be controlled. For example, when the traveling motors 2a and 2b are rotated in the same rotational speed and in the same direction, the main body 1 goes straight, and when the traveling motors 2a and 2b are rotated in the same rotational speed and in the opposite direction, the main body 1 rotates on the spot. To do.

  The speed reducers 5a and 5b are supported so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the hinge pins 8a and 8b fixed to the base 45, and are pressed from the upper part of the main body 1 via the suspensions 7a and 7b. ing. That is, when the speed reducers 5a and 5b rotate around the hinge pins 8a and 8b, the drive wheels 4a and 4b are substantially displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the main body 1. When the main body 1 is placed on a flat floor, the springs of the suspensions 7a and 7b are most contracted by the weight of the main body 1, and the drive wheels 4b and the speed reducer 5b are present at the positions indicated by the solid lines in FIG. To do. Here, the range in which the springs of the suspensions 7a and 7b can be most contracted is adjusted by cams 60a and 60b described later.

  Further, when the main body 1 is picked up from the floor, the springs of the suspensions 7a and 7b extend, and the speed reducers 5a and 5b and the drive wheels 4a and 4b are displaced up to the state indicated by the broken line in FIG. According to this structure, even when the floor surface on which the main body 1 travels is uneven, the friction between the drive wheels 4a and 4b and the floor surface is reduced by pressing the drive wheels 4a and 4b against the floor surface by the spring. It can be ensured reliably, and driving performance can be improved.

  Moreover, the front end of the lower part of the main body 1 is inclined with respect to the traveling direction, and even if the floor surface is uneven, the front end portion is not easily caught on the floor surface. Further, a total of four rollers 19 are attached to the bottom surface of the main body 1 before and after the drive wheels 4a and 4b so as to reduce the frictional resistance with the floor surface during traveling.

  Cams 60 a and 60 b are attached inside the main body 1. The cams 60a and 60b are disposed immediately above the speed reducers 5a and 5b, respectively. The upper limit of the range in which the speed reducers 5a and 5b can be displaced relative to the main body 1 in the vertical direction is the position where the speed reducers 5a and 5b hit the cams 60a and 60b, respectively. The cams 60 a and 60 b are connected to both ends of the cam shaft 61 at the same angle. Further, a gear 62 is provided in the middle of the camshaft 61 and meshes with the pinion gear 63. The pinion gear 63 is attached to the output shaft of the cam drive motor 64. That is, as the cam drive motor 64 rotates, the camshaft 61 and the cams 60a and 60b rotate, whereby the upper limit of the range in which the speed reducers 5a and 5b are relatively displaced with respect to the main body 1 changes.

  Moreover, the main body 1 is equipped with a storage battery 22 so that power is supplied to each part. In the present embodiment, the storage battery 22 is a nickel metal hydride battery. Moreover, the main body 1 has a circuit for detecting the voltage of the storage battery 22, and the output of the storage battery 22 can be observed by the controller 6 to know the remaining capacity of the storage battery 22. A charging terminal 14 is attached in front of the main body 1, and the storage battery 22 in the main body 1 can be charged by applying a specified voltage to the charging terminal 14.

  An operation panel 46 is attached to the upper surface cover 27 of the main body 1, and by pressing a switch on the operation panel 46, it is possible to input a power source and perform a predetermined operation command. The operation panel 46 has an indicator using a light emitting diode so that the power supply ON / OFF, the remaining amount of the storage battery 22 and the like are indicated. The indicator 47 may be replaced with a liquid crystal display or the like. Further, an infrared remote control receiver is attached to the top cover 27, and operations such as forward movement, backward movement, turning, starting and stopping of the dust collecting fan are performed based on a signal received from an infrared remote control transmitter external to the main body 1. In addition, the autonomous cleaning operation can be started and interrupted.

  In the main body 1, infrared sensors 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are attached. The infrared sensors 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d have a function of measuring the distance to the object in front of the sensor, and the output is monitored by the controller 6, and based on this, the rotation of the drive wheels 4a and 4b, that is, the main body The travel of 1 is controlled. The portions corresponding to the front surfaces of the infrared sensors 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d of the side cover 23 are formed of a material that transmits infrared rays. As a result, the controller 6 recognizes the distance between the main body 1 and surrounding objects. The infrared sensor 10d is attached so as to face upward of the main body 1.

  Although not shown, the main body 1 is provided with a gyro sensor, and the angular velocity around the vertical axis of the main body 1 is output to the controller 6. As a result, even if slip occurs between the drive wheels 4a and 4b and the floor surface, the angular velocity of the main body 1 can be known without being affected, and the angular velocity of the main body 1 is integrated by integrating the angular velocity with time. You can learn about changes.

  In front of the bottom surface of the main body 1, step sensors 12a and 12b are attached downward. The step sensors 12a and 12b are, for example, reflective infrared sensors, and output the presence / absence of an object within a prescribed distance from the front of the sensor. Thereby, it is possible to detect whether or not there is a step of depression on the floor surface in the traveling direction of the main body 1. For example, when the step sensor 12a or 12b detects a step while the main body 1 is traveling, the main body 1 is temporarily stopped and the main body 1 is turned in a direction where there is no step, thereby avoiding a fall from the step.

  Moreover, the suction body 30 which can contact the floor and can be displaced right and left is attached to the rear side of the main body 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship between the mouthpiece 30 and each part at the bottom of the main body 1. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the mouthpiece 30 can be substantially contained inside the main body 1 within a displaceable range. Thus, normally, the mouthpiece 30 is housed in the main body 1, and in this state, the main body 1 is cylindrical, and if it is not already in contact with an external object, it is swung on the spot, It can turn in any direction without being disturbed by its presence. However, when the mouthpiece 30 is inside the main body 1, the mouthpiece 30 does not reach the wall. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, one end of the mouthpiece 30 can be projected outward from the main body 1 within the movable range of the mouthpiece 30. Thereby, the suction body 30 is protruded, and the front-end | tip of the suction body 30 reaches the edge of a wall.

  Here, a mechanism for displacing the mouthpiece 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. The feed screw 37 is rotatably supported at both ends by two bases 45a formed integrally with the base 45. A feed screw drive motor 32 for rotating the feed screw 37 is attached to one end of the feed screw 37. Further, a frame 43 in which a female screw corresponding to the feed screw 37 is cut is attached to an intermediate portion of the feed screw 37, and the frame 43 is displaced in the vertical direction in FIG. . The top 43 is substantially rigidly connected to the suction body 30 via the arm 42. As a result, the suction body 30 is displaced in the vertical direction on the paper surface of FIG.

  An encoder 34 for detecting the amount of rotation is attached to the feed screw drive motor 32. Further, the suction port origin detection switch 35 is fixedly mounted on the base 45, and the mounting position is set so that the suction port origin detection switch 35 is pressed by the top 43 when the frame 43 moves to a predetermined position. Has been. That is, it can be determined whether or not the mouthpiece 30 is present at a predetermined position by detecting whether or not the mouthpiece origin detection switch 35 is pressed.

  The controller 6 can detect the displacement amount of the mouthpiece 30 by detecting the outputs of the encoder 34 and the mouthpiece origin detection switch 35. Further, the controller 6 controls the height and polarity of the voltage applied to the feed screw drive motor 32. As described above, the protruding length of the suction body 30 can be freely controlled by a command from the controller 6.

  Further, a contact sensor 44 is attached to the tip of the mouthpiece 30, and its output is input to the controller 6. Due to the presence of the contact sensor 44, if the contact sensor 44 unintentionally contacts a wall or the like while protruding the mouthpiece 30, the amount of protrusion of the mouthpiece 30 can be reduced to cancel the contact state.

  Next, the dust collection mechanism of the main body 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a dust collection case 21 is installed in the main body 1 adjacent to a suction body 30 that is movable in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction body 30 has a hole 70 in the surface in contact with the dust collection case 21, and the dust collection case 21 also has a hole 71 in the surface in contact with the suction body 30. ing. The holes 70 and 71 formed in the suction body 30 and the dust collecting case 21 serve as an air path including dust that the suction body 30 sucks from the suction port 40. A packing 36 is attached around the hole 71 of the dust collection case 21 so as to fill a gap between the suction body 30 and the dust collection case 21 so as to keep airtightness. Further, the surface of the portion where the packing 36 is in contact with the mouthpiece 30 is processed smoothly.

  The dust collection case 21 is connected to the upper dust collection fan 20 via the base 45. That is, in the portion where the dust collection case 21 is connected to the dust collection fan 20, a hole is formed in the base 45 to form an air passage. A non-woven filter 54 is attached to the part of the dust collecting case 21 facing the dust collecting fan 20. And with the dust collecting case 21 attached to the main body 1, the air passage is kept airtight by packing or the like (not shown). According to this, when the dust collecting fan 20 is operated, air including dust is sucked from the suction body 30 due to the pressure difference generated, and the air containing dust passes through the dust collecting case 21 from the suction body 30. Led to. Then, the dust and air are separated by the dust collection filter 54, whereby the separated dust is stored in the dust collection case 21.

  As described above, since the air passage is formed by the holes 70 and 71 in the connection portion between the suction body 30 and the dust collection case 21, the suction body 30 slides on the packing 36 on the dust collection case 21. It can be displaced left and right. According to this structure, since a hose, a pipe, etc. are unnecessary, size reduction is attained. Further, even when compared with the structure in which the dust collection case 21 and the suction body 30 are displaced integrally, the displaced portion is lightweight, so that the force for displacing the suction body 30 can be reduced, and the suction body 30 is left and right. The drive device for moving in the direction can be reduced in size. The range in which the mouthpiece 30 is movable is a range in which the hole 70 of the mouthpiece 30 is surrounded by the packing 36 in a state where the mouthpiece 30 is most protruded to one side, as shown in FIG. It does not stick out and is in a range where the other end of the suction body 30 does not exceed the packing 36 (left end).

  The dust collection case 21 is separate from the main body 1 and can be removed in the lower direction of the main body 1. The upper surface of the dust collection case 21 is a detachable lid, and if the dust collection case 21 is removed from the main body, the dust collected in the dust collection case 21 can be easily discarded.

  On the other hand, an inclined surface that is inclined upward with respect to the front is formed on the front bottom surface of the main body 1. A contact sensor 65 that detects contact of an object such as an electric cord is attached to the inclined surface. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front inclined surface of the main body 1 as viewed from below. As shown in the figure, a plurality of contact sensors 65 are mounted on the inclined surface and slightly protrude from the inclined surface. The contact sensor 65 has a structure similar to that of a push button switch, and an obstacle is detected when the protruding portion is pressed. For example, when an obstacle such as an electric cord comes into contact with the projecting part during traveling, the presence of the front obstacle can be detected because the projecting part of the contact sensor 65 is pressed by the pressure from the object with which the projecting part comes into contact. The detection result of the contact sensor 65 is sent to the controller 6, for example, where the presence of an object is recognized.

  As shown in the figure, the contact sensor 65 includes substantially triangular sensors at both left and right ends, and other than this, the contact sensor 65 includes a plurality of elongated sensors along the traveling direction of the main body 1. In this manner, by disposing a plurality of small sensors on the inclined surface, it becomes possible to detect with high sensitivity over the entire inclined surface, and it is possible to detect whether an electric cord or the like is in contact with any position. In addition, by using an elongated sensor, for example, electrical cords having various thicknesses can be detected. Furthermore, since the contact sensors 65 at both ends are substantially triangular, for example, detection is facilitated when an electric cord or the like is caught at both ends of the inclined surface.

  The side cover 23 is connected to the base 45 on the main body 1 side via an elastic body, and is displaced relative to the base 45. That is, when an obstacle comes into contact with the side cover 23, the entire side cover 23 is displaced. For example, by detecting the amount of displacement at a plurality of locations, the contact portion is specified and the traveling direction of the main body 1 is controlled. Can do.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the speed reducer during travel of the main body 1. FIG. 5A shows a case where the long diameter portions of the cams 60a and 60b face upward, and FIG. The case where the long diameters of the cams 60a and 60b are directed downward is shown. As shown in the figure, in FIG. 5A, the upper limit of the range in which the speed reducers 5a and 5b and the drive wheels 4a and 4b are displaced is lower than the case of FIG. Yes.

  Further, the center of gravity of the main body 1 is arranged behind the drive wheels 4a and 4b depending on the arrangement of the components. For this reason, when the main body 1 is placed on a flat floor and the cams 60a and 60b are rotated to depress the speed reducers 5a and 5b, the main body 1 has the front end as a starting point with respect to the drive wheels 4a and 4b. It lifts from the floor, and the rear end is lowered and touches the ground. The cams 60a and 60b are arranged before and after the drive wheels when the cam 1 is placed with the long part of the cam up and the main body 1 is placed on a flat floor as shown in FIG. Each roller 19 is set to be grounded together. According to this, when the flat floor surface is cleaned, the main body 19 is supported by the drive wheels 4a, 4b and the four rollers 19, so that traveling is stabilized.

  The main body 1 has two types of modes, an autonomous traveling mode and a manual traveling mode. The autonomous traveling mode is a mode in which autonomous traveling is performed based on information from various sensors mounted on the main body 1. The manual travel mode is a mode in which, for example, a single operation such as forward movement, backward movement, and turning is performed based on a signal from a remote control transmitter.

  When the main body 1 is activated, it is in the manual travel mode. In this mode, the user can instruct the traveling direction to the main body 1 via the remote control transmitter. That is, the user can move the main body 1 to the room to be cleaned without lifting and carrying the main body 1 in the manual travel mode, and there is an advantage that a physical burden is not imposed on the user. Of course, the user may move by means other than self-propelled, such as carrying the main body 1 and carrying it.

  Subsequently, the main body 1 shifts to the autonomous traveling mode by instructing with a switch on the remote control transmitter or the operation panel 46 during operation in the manual traveling mode. In the autonomous traveling mode, the main body 1 travels so as to clean the entire room without hesitation based on the algorithm stored in the controller and the output of sensors (for example, infrared sensors 10a to 10c). Here, a well-known method is applied to the autonomous operation algorithm of the main body 1, and the description of the detailed configuration is omitted.

  Next, the operation when the main body 1 is approaching an elongated object that is not fixed on the floor surface, such as an electric cord, will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the electric cord 69 is present in front of the main body 1 during traveling, the main body 1 detects the presence of an obstacle in front by contacting the electric cord with the contact sensor 65 (FIG. 6A). . Subsequently, when an obstacle is detected, the main body 1 drives the cam drive motor 64 to rotate the cams 60a and 60b to a position where the speed reducers 5a and 5b are most depressed. As a result, the bottom portion of the main body 1 is lifted away from the floor surface, but the center of gravity of the main body 1 is placed behind the driving wheels 4a and 4b. Is lifted and the rear end is lowered (FIG. 6B).

  Subsequently, the main body 1 moves forward with the front end raised, so that the front end of the main body 1 can move forward without being caught by the electric cord 69 (FIG. 6C). Next, when the main body 1 is moved forward by a distance of about the radius or diameter of the main body 1, the cam drive motor 64 is rotated again, and the cams 60a and 60b are rotated to return to the initial angles (FIG. 6). (D)). As a result, the front end of the main body 1 is lowered again, and it is possible to return to the normal traveling state. Then, by continuing further running, the main body 1 completely gets over the electric cord 69 (FIG. 6 (e)).

  If traveling is continued with the front end of the main body 1 being lifted up, the electric cord 69 may be caught on the rear end of the bottom surface of the main body 1. Since the front end is lowered after traveling for a distance, when the electric cord 69 reaches the rear end of the main body 1, the bottom surface of the main body 1 and the floor surface are approximately parallel to each other. The catch of the electric cord 69 can be suppressed.

  On the other hand, for example, when the obstacle is detected and the above-mentioned climbing operation is performed while the main body 1 is traveling through a narrow gap in the vertical direction, such as under the bed, the upper part of the main body 1 contacts an upper object There is. If the main body 1 is moved forward in this state, the main body 1 may be caught and may not be able to travel normally. For this reason, in this embodiment, when the infrared sensor 10d facing upward detects the presence of an object within a predetermined range, it is not possible to get over if an electrical cord or the like is detected without lifting the front of the main body 1 Change direction and avoid this. Further, when an electric cord or the like is detected, the height for lifting the front end of the main body 1 may be limited. In this case, for example, the cam height can be adjusted by controlling the rotation of the cam drive motor 64 to adjust the cam angle. When the upper part of the main body 1 is allowed to temporarily contact an upper object, a contact sensor or the like may be replaced with the infrared sensor 10d.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if there is a lightweight obstacle that is not fixed on the front floor surface of the main body 1, the obstacle in front of the main body 1 is detected by the sensor. Since the front of the main body is lifted before or immediately after touching, it is possible to get over the vehicle without dragging it. In addition, a mechanism for moving the drive wheel of the main body 1 in the vertical direction is adopted, and the drive wheel is pushed down with respect to the main body 1 as necessary to lift the front. The position close to the surface can be set low and the height of the vacuum cleaner can be kept low. For this reason, it is possible to perform cleaning by entering a narrow gap or the like in the vertical direction.

  Further, since a sensor for detecting an obstacle is provided above the main body 1 and the lifting operation in front of the main body 1 is controlled based on the detection result of the sensor, the main body 1 enters a narrow portion in the height direction. When overcoming obstacles on the floor, it is possible to prevent the upper part of the main body 1 from being caught by an object above the main body and being unable to run normally.

  Next, another embodiment of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention will be described. In the above embodiment, the contact sensor 65 is used to detect the presence of an obstacle on the floor surface. However, for example, an optical distance sensor may be used instead of the contact sensor 65.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the front inclined surface of the main body 1 as viewed from below, and shows an example of the arrangement of optical distance sensors provided on the inclined surface. As shown in the figure, a plurality of infrared sensors 76 are arranged on the inclined surface, and the distance to an object existing in front of the element is detected using infrared reflection, and the detected value is output to the controller 6. It has become. That is, when an electrical cord or the like is present on the floor surface on which the main body 1 travels, the presence of the electrical cord is detected by utilizing the fact that the distance detected by the infrared sensor 76 is shorter than that during normal traveling. Just as in the case of getting over the electric cord.

  In addition, since the optical distance sensor can output a longer distance than usual, for example, when there is a depression such as a rising wall of the entrance in front of the main body 1, the presence of a step is not required even if the step sensors 12 a and 12 b are not provided. It can be detected, and the fall from the step can be avoided in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, the reduction gears 5a and 5b to which the drive wheels 4a and 4b are attached are described as being supported with a degree of freedom in the rotational direction around the pins 8a and 8b. , 4b is a system that is supported with a degree of freedom in the vertical direction, the same function can be realized by other methods. For example, a mechanism that supports the speed reducers 5a and 5b with a linear guide or the like may be employed so that the drive wheels 4a and 4b and the speed reducers 5a and 5b are movable in the vertical direction. In the case of the mechanism using the hinge pins 8a and 8b, if the rotation centers of the hinge pins 8a and 8b and the centers of the drive wheels 4a and 4b do not have a certain distance, the drive wheels 4a and 4b can take a large relative displacement with respect to the main body 1. Absent. On the other hand, according to the mechanism using a linear guide or the like, the size in the front-rear direction can be reduced.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the egg-shaped cams 60a and 60b are applied to displace the drive wheels 4a and 4b downward relative to the main body 1 has been described. However, the first embodiment is limited to the egg shape. Instead, other shapes may be used. Moreover, you may make it displace the drive wheels 4a and 4b below using mechanisms other than a cam mechanism.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism other than the cam mechanism as a mechanism for displacing the drive wheels 4a and 4b. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, a solenoid 66 may be disposed above the speed reducers 5a and 5b so that the speed reducers 5a and 5b can be pushed down. According to this mechanism, it is not necessary to arrange elements such as the cam shaft 61 and the cam drive motor 64 at the center of the main body 1 unlike the cam mechanism, and the solenoid 66 is arranged above each of the speed reducers 5a and 5b. Therefore, the configuration becomes simple and the assemblability can be improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, an iron piece 67 is attached to the lower part of the speed reducers 5a and 5b, while an electromagnet 68 is attached on the substrate immediately below the electromagnet 68 to energize the coil of the electromagnet 68. The drive wheels 4a and 4b may be displaced so as to be attracted to each other. According to this mechanism, as in the case where a solenoid is used, the structure becomes simple and the assemblability can be improved. Moreover, since the simple component of the electromagnet 68 and the iron piece 67 is used, component cost can be lowered.

  Further, as another mechanism, for example, using an air cylinder or an actuator in which the push rod protrusion amount is changed by a screw, the drive wheels 4a and 4b are displaced relative to the main body 1 in the vertical direction. If it is possible, the same effect as the cam mechanism can be obtained.

It is a cross-sectional view of a self-propelled cleaner according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. It is a plane sectional view of the AA arrow direction of FIG. It is a top view explaining the positional relationship of a suction body and each part in the bottom part of a self-propelled cleaner, (a) shows the state where the suction body was stored in the cleaner body, and (b) shows the suction body being a vacuum cleaner. The state which protruded from the main body is shown. It is the perspective view which looked at the inclined surface ahead of a self-propelled cleaner from the lower part, and has shown the example which arranged the contact sensor. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the speed reducer etc. during driving | running | working of a self-propelled cleaner, (a) shows the state of normal driving | running | working, (b) has shown the state overcoming an obstruction. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement which a self-propelled cleaner gets over the object which is not fixed on floor surfaces, such as an electric cord. It is the perspective view which looked at the inclined surface ahead of a self-propelled cleaner from the lower part, and has shown the example which arranged the optical sensor. It is a figure explaining mechanisms other than a cam as a mechanism which displaces the driving wheel of a self-propelled cleaner in the vertical direction, (a) shows a mechanism using a solenoid, and (b) shows a mechanism using an electromagnet. ing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2a, 2b Traveling motor 4a, 4b Drive wheel 5a, 5b Reducer 6 Controller 7a, 7b Suspension 8a, 8b Hinge pin 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Infrared sensor 12a, 12b Step sensor 14 Charging terminal 19 Roller 20 Dust collection Fan 21 Dust collection case 22 Storage battery 23 Side cover 27 Top cover 30 Suction body 45 Base 46 Operation panel 60a, 60b Cam 61 Camshaft 62 Gear 64 Cam drive motor 65 Contact sensor 69 Electric cord 76 Infrared sensor

Claims (3)

A main body, traveling means for traveling the main body on the floor surface, control means for recognizing objects around the main body and instructing the traveling means of the main body to move, and sucking and storing dust on the floor surface In a self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with dust collecting means,
A lifting means for lifting the front of the main body in the traveling direction from the floor surface with the traveling means as a base point;
The travel means includes drive wheels that are independently rotationally controlled on the left and right sides, and a rotation shaft of the drive wheels is movably attached to the main body in a vertical direction.
The main body has a center of gravity located behind the rotational axis of the drive wheel in the traveling direction,
When the control means detects an object on the front floor surface of the main body while traveling, the control means operates the lifting means to displace the rotation shaft of the driving wheel downward with respect to the main body, and the bottom rear end of the main body is A self-propelled cleaner , wherein the lifting means is operated before reaching the object to control the rotational axis of the drive wheel to be displaced upward with respect to the main body . An upper object recognition means for recognizing an object above the main body, and when the upper object recognition means recognizes the upper object, even when the lifting means satisfies a condition for lifting the front of the main body, The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the lifting means does not lift the front of the main body or restricts the lifting height . An inclined surface inclined upward with respect to the front is formed on the front bottom surface of the main body, and the inclined surface is provided with at least one contact-type or optical sensor. Item 3. The self-propelled cleaner according to item 1 or 2 .

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