JP4491354B2 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes a moving means that is mounted on the cleaner body and moves the cleaner body, a cleaning means that is incorporated in the cleaner body and cleans the floor, and a control means that controls the moving means and the cleaning means. It is related with the self-propelled cleaner which has.

Conventionally, as an example of a self-propelled mobile vehicle, an electric blower having an intake port communicating with a suction port opened on a floor surface, an electric drive wheel for the main body to travel, and a wall detection sensor for detecting the position of the main body with respect to the wall surface And a timer for repeating intermittent operation of driving and pausing and a battery for power supply, so that the dust is small, light weight, safe and low in power consumption, limited to movement along the wall surface. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner dedicated to a stand has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-49593 A (paragraphs [0026] to [0027], [0037] to [0040], FIGS. 8 and 12)

  According to this self-propelled vacuum cleaner dedicated to dust removal, it has a suction part communicating with a suction hole opened on the floor, an electrically driven wheel for the main body to travel, a battery, a timer, and a wall detection sensor. By running along the wall and repeating intermittent operation between running and resting, dust is automatically sucked and cleaned, such as a corridor in the absence, to maintain a comfortable environment.

  In general, when operating an air conditioner or when a person or animal is moving, air is generated in the room air, so small dust such as house dust floating inside the room Continue floating. When the air flow disappears, small dust gradually descends and accumulates on the floor. Therefore, in order to efficiently clean small dust in the room, it is desirable to clean at night when a person is sleeping or while going out.

  However, conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaners perform cleaning regardless of whether people live or not, so floating dust begins to descend and deposit immediately after cleaning, and the effect of cleaning is demonstrated. There is a problem that it is not.

  Therefore, there is a problem to be solved in that the dust can be cleaned when the floating dust falls on the floor surface, paying attention to the dust falling / depositing characteristics as described above.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can effectively clean small dust in the room and perform the cleaning effect by cleaning when floating dust falls to the floor surface. Is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention is incorporated in a cleaner body, moving means mounted on the cleaner body and moving the cleaner body, and the cleaner body. In the self-propelled cleaner having a cleaning means for cleaning the floor and a control means for controlling the moving means and the cleaning means, the main body of the cleaner detects detection of indirect information that can be related to dust fall / deposition. And the control means determines whether the dust falls or deposits based on the detection result from the detection means, and shifts to a cleaning mode in which the moving means and the cleaning means are operated in response to the determination result. Yes.

  According to this self-propelled cleaner, the detection means detects indirect information that can be associated with dust fall / deposition, and the control means determines whether dust has fallen / deposited based on the detection result from the detection means. Since the moving unit and the cleaning unit are controlled in response to the determination result, it is possible to efficiently clean after small dust accumulates on the floor surface. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency and effect of cleaning by avoiding a situation in which a large amount of floating dust starts to descend and deposit after cleaning.

In the above self-propelled cleaner, and a floating dust sensor for detecting dust detecting means, it is floating. Since the detection means is a floating dust sensor for detecting dust floating, drops from the floating dust amount of airborne dust sensor detects, reduced floating amount is estimated to have dropped-deposition, dust on the floor surface or the like - that the deposited is determined.

In the self-propelled cleaner using the floating dust sensor as the detection means, the control means shifts to the dust deposition standby mode when the floating dust sensor detects a dust amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, and the floating dust sensor is suspended during the dust deposition standby mode. sensor in response to detecting that has dropped below dust limit value, determining that dust drops-deposition, to migrate to the cleaning mode. That is, when the floating dust sensor detects an amount of dust that is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, it is assumed that dust will fall or be deposited in the future, so that the system shifts to the dust deposition standby mode and waits. If it is detected that the suspended dust sensor has fallen below the lower limit of dust during the dust deposition standby mode, it is assumed that the amount of sensor detection has decreased because the suspended dust has fallen and deposited. The means shifts to the cleaning mode and operates the moving means and the cleaning means.

The above self-propelled cleaner, in which the control means performs the dust deposition standby mode and the cleaning mode, includes a living state detection sensor that detects the living state of the person, and the control means is in the living state during the dust deposition standby mode. In response to the detection sensor detecting that a person is living, control can be performed to continue the dust deposition standby mode even if the floating dust sensor detects the amount of dust that has fallen below the dust lower limit. it can. In other words, if the living state detection sensor detects the presence of a person's life during the dust deposition standby mode, cleaning will interfere with the person's life, so the dust deposition standby mode must be forcibly continued. Even if cleaning is necessary, the execution is delayed. When the life state detection sensor no longer detects a person's life, the control means returns to the normal dust deposition standby mode, and determines whether or not the floating dust sensor detects that the dust has fallen below the dust lower limit value. Will be judged. The living state detection sensor may be a human body sensor that senses a human body or a light and dark sensor that senses light and dark.

  In the above self-propelled cleaner, the detection means is a human body sensor that can detect the human body and outputs the absence of the human body as indirect information, or the darkness of the location that can detect light and dark and should be cleaned as indirect information. It can be set as the brightness sensor which outputs.

  In this case, the control means performs a predetermined detection after the detection means detects indirect information, that is, after the human body sensor outputs the absence of the human body or outputs that the light / dark sensor becomes dark. After a lapse of time, it can be determined that dust has fallen / deposited, and the mode can be shifted to the cleaning mode. If no human activity is detected or the room falls below a certain level of brightness, the air flow will stagnate or become slight due to going out or going to bed, and the suspended dust will fall or settle. It is thought that it will begin to do. Therefore, it is possible to determine the dust fall / deposition on the floor or the like by paying attention to the detection continuation time after the absence of a person or the room becomes dark.

In the above self-propelled cleaner, it is possible to shift to the dust deposition standby mode in response to a predetermined no dust determination duration judgment is not a state has continued for a dropped-deposition of dust has elapsed. Even when the self-propelled cleaner does not detect dust, it is preferable to periodically perform cleaning at a certain cycle. Therefore, if the control means does not determine whether the dust has fallen or deposited, and if a predetermined dust absence determination duration has elapsed, even if it is not determined that the dust has fallen or deposited, the control unit shifts to the cleaning mode and performs cleaning. It is preferable to do.

As described above, the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention shifts to the dust deposition standby mode when the floating dust sensor detects the amount of dust floating above a predetermined level, and the floating dust sensor is in the dust deposition standby mode. In response to detecting that the dust has fallen below the lower limit of dust, it is determined that dust has fallen / deposited, the moving means and the cleaning means are activated, and the mode automatically shifts to the cleaning mode. In addition, since cleaning is performed when the floating dust falls or deposits on the floor surface at present or in the future, the cleaning can be efficiently performed after small dust accumulates on the floor surface. And according to this self-propelled cleaner, the situation that the dust floating before cleaning starts to descend / deposit immediately after cleaning is avoided, and the effect of cleaning can be exhibited. . In addition, if cleaning is performed at night when the person is not living or going out, it is possible to perform cleaning that does not interfere with the life of the person.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a first embodiment of a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow in 1st Example.

  According to the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, two driving units 2 for traveling are provided at the bottom of a vacuum cleaner main body (hereinafter abbreviated as “main body”) 1 of the self-propelled cleaner. Moreover, the auxiliary wheel 3 for supporting the main body 1 is provided in the position away from the drive part 2 similarly to the commercially available vacuum cleaner. The drive unit 2 is attached to the main body 1 and constitutes a moving means for moving the main body 1, and is rotated in response to a control signal from the control unit 4. In the case of forward movement, the left and right drive units 2 rotate simultaneously in the forward direction, and in the case of backward movement, they rotate simultaneously in the backward direction. When turning, the mobile vehicle rotates in place by rotating in different directions at the same speed. Further, the auxiliary wheel 3 rotates freely so that the main body 1 can smoothly travel along these movements, such as an auxiliary wheel attached to a ball caster or a commercially available vacuum cleaner. The body 1 can travel freely in the room, such as moving to an arbitrary point on the traveling floor surface, by a combination of the forward / backward movement, turning, and stopping operation.

  A distance sensor (not shown) is provided around the main body 1 to detect the distance to the surrounding obstacles. As a result, the main body 1 can safely travel indoors without colliding with surrounding obstacles or walls.

  A cleaning unit 5 is provided in front of the main body 1, and the floor surface can be cleaned by the cleaning unit 5. The cleaning unit 5 is incorporated in the main body 1 and constitutes cleaning means for cleaning dust. The cleaning unit 5 may have a structure for cleaning by suction of a cyclone method or a paper pack method as in a commercially available vacuum cleaner, or may be a method of wiping off dust on the floor surface with a mop or the like. In the case of the cleaning mechanism, it is desirable to provide an exhaust port on the upper surface and exhaust the air in the ceiling direction so that the exhaust does not lift up dust on the floor surface again. In addition, the control part 4 comprises the control means which controls a moving means and a cleaning means in this invention.

  A human body sensor 6 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1. The human body sensor 6 can detect the movement of a person within the detection range. A brightness sensor 7 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1. The light / dark sensor 7 is an optical sensor capable of detecting lighting of sunlight or indoor lighting. Further, a floating dust sensor 8 for detecting the amount of dust floating is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1. The floating dust sensor 8 can measure minute dust passing through a cylindrical opening penetrating from the top surface to the bottom surface of the main body 1, and can output the number of passages or an analog voltage corresponding thereto. The output of the floating dust sensor 8 is input to the control unit 4, and if a predetermined value or more is input, the control unit 4 can determine that cleaning is necessary (detect dust).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention. In the example of FIG. 2, the detection means 11 that gives input of indirect information indirectly indicating dust fall / deposition to the control means 10 includes a floating dust sensor 8, and includes a human body sensor 6 and a light / dark sensor 7. Is used as a living state detection sensor for detecting a living state of a person. The control means 10 receives the indirect information from the detection means 11, and the judgment results of the dust fall / deposition judgment unit 12 and the dust fall / deposition judgment part 12 that judge whether or not the dust fall / deposition is present or in the future. In response to the operation mode designation unit 13 for designating the operation mode of the self-propelled cleaner and the operation mode designation by the operation mode designation unit 13, the detection standby mode for controlling the operation mode of the self-propelled cleaner, respectively. Setting value storage for storing dust setting values and timer setting values of timers (A, B) set by the control unit 14, the dust deposition standby mode control unit 15, the cleaning mode control unit 16, and setting means 19 described later A portion 17 is provided. The dust fall / deposition determination unit 12 determines the dust fall / deposition by comparing each detection value from the detection means 11 with each set value stored in the set value storage unit 17, and the determination result is used as an operation mode. Output to the designation unit 13. The cleaning mode control unit 16 outputs a control signal to the moving unit (drive unit 2) and the cleaning unit (cleaning unit 5). The timer A in the timer means 18 is a timer that counts the dust absence determination continuation time during which the period during which it is not determined that dust has fallen or deposited has continued. Detection time of the timer A is always output to the dust drop-deposition determining section 12 of the control unit 10, dust drop-deposition determining section 12 outputs the operation mode specifying section 13 when no dust determination continuation time has elapsed dust Specify the deposition standby mode. The setting means 19 can set the time setting and activation / release of the timer A based on the user's operation, and can set a dust setting value for determining the magnitude of the dust detection value detected by the floating dust sensor 8. is there.

  In the block diagram shown in FIG. 2, instead of the floating dust sensor 8, the human body sensor 6 or the light / dark sensor 7 used as a living state detection sensor is used to input indirect information that indirectly indicates dust fall / deposition. It can be used as the giving detection means 11. In this case, it is indirect information that the human body sensor 6 senses the absence of a person, or that the light and dark sensor 7 does not detect illumination or sunlight. It is determined that the dust fall / deposition occurs when the continuous detection time has elapsed since the start of detection of indirect information. After it is determined that the person has gone out or has gone to bed, cleaning is started in anticipation of dust falling and depositing. In order to determine the continuation detection time, the timer B counts the continuation detection time in the timer means 18. The setting means 19 can set the time set value of the timer B based on a user operation.

  A control flow in the first embodiment of the self-propelled cleaner will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when the user gives an instruction to start (step S21), the control unit 4 sets a dust absence determination continuation time of the timer A (S22), and shifts to a dust detection standby mode (S23). The dust detection standby mode is a standby mode for detecting whether there is much dust floating. Even if the time when the self-propelled cleaner does not detect dust continues, such as one day, three days, or one week, for example, the dust absence determination duration set in the timer A is a certain period. It is said that it is time for cleaning. The purpose of this time setting is to keep the room clean and clean when the dust stays away for a long time and the dust gradually accumulates so that the floating dust sensor 8 does not react. The user can change or cancel the set value of the dust absence determination duration. When the dust absence determination continuation time is canceled, the dust detection standby mode is continued as long as the dust detection amount output from the floating dust sensor 8 is smaller than a predetermined set value. When the dust absence determination continuation time is set, during the dust detection standby mode, whether or not the dust absence determination continuation time for which the timer A count is set has elapsed (S24), and the detection value of the floating dust sensor 8 is predetermined. Whether or not it is equal to or greater than the set value (S25) is constantly determined. If not, the dust detection standby mode is continued. As with the timer A, the user can change the dust set value. When the dust detection value of the floating dust sensor 8 is equal to or larger than the set value or when the count of the timer A has passed the dust absence determination continuation time, the process proceeds to the dust deposition standby mode (S26).

  The dust deposition standby mode is a standby mode for detecting the fall / deposition of floating dust. The control unit 4 determines whether or not the lower limit set value of dust has been detected during the dust deposition standby mode (S27). If not, the control unit 4 continues the dust deposition standby mode. Since dust floating in the room gradually accumulates as time passes, even if the detection value of the floating dust sensor 8 once detects a value greater than or equal to the set value, the amount of dust detected decreases with time. The detection value of the floating dust sensor 8 is not more than the lower limit set value of dust. When the lower limit set value is detected (S27), the control unit 4 can efficiently clean the self-propelled cleaner by starting the cleaning with no particular time thereafter. In addition, since the amount of floating dust is small after cleaning, a large amount of dust is not dropped or deposited on the floor or the like.

  In addition, in order to prevent the self-propelled vacuum cleaner from performing the cleaning during the user's life and getting in the way, whether or not brightness such as lighting or sunlight is detected by the user's setting (S28) It is also possible to determine whether it has been detected (S29). The human body sensor 6 and the light / dark sensor 7 function as a living state detection sensor for detecting a living state of a person. When the user turns on the setting of the light / dark sensor 7, the standby mode is continued while the light / dark sensor 7 detects light such as illumination and sunlight (S28), and the human body sensor 6 is turned on. In this case, while the human body sensor 6 is detecting a person (S29), the standby mode can be set to continue. In the example of FIG. 3, when both the light / dark sensor 7 and the human body sensor 6 are set to ON, for example, after the user turns off and goes to sleep, the human body sensor 6 does not detect a person and the light / dark sensor 7 When light is not detected and the value of the floating dust sensor 8 is less than the dust lower limit, the self-propelled cleaner cleans the room (S2a). The cleaning method may be suction-type cleaning, mop-type or adhesive-type cleaning, but in the case of suction-type, the top surface of the main body 1 (or so that the exhaust does not raise the floor dust again) It is necessary to provide an exhaust port on the upper side. The traveling route may be a method of traveling indoors at random, a method of reciprocating while shifting from the side of the vehicle by the width of the vehicle, or any method as long as it can travel indoors. When the main body 1 is cleaned according to a predetermined rule, the cleaning ends (S2b). In the case where the self-propelled cleaner is a rechargeable type, it may be possible to return to the charger and charge after the cleaning is completed. When operating with an external power source using a power cable, it may be possible to move to a location that does not interfere with the user, such as a predetermined position or a corner of a room.

  Thereafter, the timer A is set again (S22), and these operations are repeated in the same manner, whereby dust deposited on the floor surface can be cleaned automatically and efficiently.

  Moreover, 2nd Example of the self-propelled cleaner of this invention is described using FIG.1 and FIG.4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the second embodiment of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, when the floating dust sensor 8 is not provided in the main body, the human body sensor 6 and the light / dark sensor 7 that functioned as the living state detection sensor are used as detection means, and a combination of timers is used to deposit dust. It is also possible to clean the deposited dust while estimating the degree. In this case, the accuracy of measuring dust is inferior to that in the case where the floating dust sensor 8 is provided, but since the floating dust sensor 8 is not provided, the main body 1 can be reduced in size and cost. If there is no need for strict dust detection and removal, there is an advantage.

  According to the control flow of the second embodiment of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 4, when the user instructs the start (step S31), the control unit 4 sets the timer B (S32) and waits (S33). To do. The set time in the timer B is an approximate time until the floating dust is deposited. For example, assuming a general house dust deposition time, it is about 2 hours. The longer this time is, the more effective dust is deposited, but if the waiting time becomes longer, for example, when cleaning while the user is out, cleaning is not completed before returning home In some cases, such as when cleaning is performed during sleep, or when cleaning is not completed during the wake-up time, it can be changed by the user.

  During standby, it is determined whether or not a person has been detected (S34), whether brightness such as illumination or sunlight has been detected (S35), and whether or not the count of the timer B has passed a set time (S36). Always judge. When a person or light is detected, the timer B is set again in anticipation that dust is raised again, and the standby is continued. The detection duration set in the timer B, that is, when the absence of a person is detected and the darkness without lighting or sunlight is detected, the flow of air is stagnated in the room due to going out or sleeping, or slightly It is thought that the suspended dust begins to descend and deposit. When this detection continuation time has elapsed, it can be determined that the dust has fallen / deposited, and, similarly to the control flow in the case shown in FIG. When the cleaning is completed (S38), the dust absence determination duration is set again in the timer A (S39). Thereafter, the dust deposited on the floor surface can be cleaned automatically and efficiently by repeating the above operation.

The external view and sectional drawing which show the outline | summary of the self-propelled cleaner of this invention. The control block diagram of the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention. The figure which shows the flow of the operation | work in the 1st Example of the self-propelled cleaner of this invention. The figure which shows the flow of the operation | work in the 2nd Example of the self-propelled cleaner of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Drive part 3 Auxiliary wheel 4 Control part 5 Cleaning part 6 Human body sensor 7 Brightness / darkness sensor 8 Dust sensor 10 Control means 11 Detection means 12 Dust fall / deposition determination part 13 Operation mode designation part 14 Detection standby mode control part 15 Dust deposition standby mode control unit 16 Cleaning mode control unit 17 Set value storage unit 18 Timer unit 19 Setting unit A Timer B Timer

Claims (4)

A main body of the cleaner, a moving means mounted on the main body of the cleaner and moving the main body of the cleaner, a cleaning means incorporated in the main body of the cleaner and cleaning the floor , the moving means and the In a self-propelled cleaner having a control means for controlling the cleaning means,
The vacuum cleaner main body has detection means for detecting indirect information that can be related to dust fall / deposition, and the control means determines dust fall / deposition based on a detection result from the detection means, and the determination Ri consists that the results in response to shift to a cleaning mode for operating said moving means and said cleaning means,
The detection means is a floating dust sensor that detects floating dust,
The control means shifts to a dust deposition standby mode when the floating dust sensor detects a dust amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, and the floating dust sensor has fallen below a dust lower limit value during the dust deposition standby mode. in response to detecting the amount formed Ru self-propelled cleaner since the determination of the dust drops-deposition shifts to the cleaning mode. Includes a living state detection sensor for detecting the living conditions of humans, the control means is responsive to the living state detection sensor has detected the in human life in the dust deposition standby mode, the 2. The self-propelled cleaning according to claim 1 , further comprising continuing the dust deposition standby mode without shifting to the cleaning mode even if the floating dust sensor detects a dust amount falling below a dust lower limit value. Machine.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the living state detection sensor is a human body sensor for sensing a human body or a light / dark sensor for sensing light and dark. Wherein, claim in response to dust elapses the determination prescribed without dust determination duration state not continues to the drops-deposition consists of transition to the dust deposition standby mode 1 The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of -3.

Images