JP4888204B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a self-propelled function, and more particularly to control for keeping the self-propelled distance constant regardless of the state of the floor surface.

  One of the problems related to a vacuum cleaner having a self-propelling function is how to perform self-propelling as intended by the user. As a means for solving this problem, several inventions have been proposed so far. For example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 is connected to a vacuum cleaner body, detects the tensile force of a hose operated by a user, and changes the driving force of the vacuum cleaner body according to the tensile force. The invention described in Patent Document 2 detects the traveling speed of the main body and changes the driving time according to the traveling speed immediately before the start of self-running.

  According to these inventions, basically, if the user pulls the main body of the vacuum cleaner strongly, it will self-propelled fast / long, and if it is weakly pulled, it will self-propelled slowly / shortly. Since the load applied to the wheel is different between the case where it is performed on the floor and the case where it is performed on the flooring, there is a problem that the behavior of the self-running is changed even if the same force is applied.

As an invention for solving this problem, there is one that performs feedback control for making the rotation speed of a self-running drive motor constant (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP-A-4-92634 JP-A-4-105623 JP-A-7-319

  As a result of investigating how self-propelled control is as close as possible to the user's intention as a result of self-propelled control of the vacuum cleaner, if the user always runs the same distance regardless of the floor surface condition, the user Concludes that the user feels better, and that the user feels better when he / she runs at the same speed.

  When such control is to be performed, a method of performing feedback control according to the rotational speed of the wheel as described in Patent Document 3 can be easily considered. However, with simple feedback control, the target control cannot be performed. Absent. This is because a brake mechanism is indispensable to perform distance and speed only by feedback control. However, when a brake mechanism is installed, the operability at the time of de-energization is sacrificed or a complicated clutch mechanism is required, and the cost is reduced. Because it becomes expensive. On the other hand, when the brake mechanism is not provided, the coasting distance on the carpet and the flooring is more than doubled. Therefore, the target control cannot be performed unless the feedback control for estimating the coasting distance is performed. there were.

  In order to solve these problems, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner that self-propels for a predetermined distance regardless of the state of the floor surface.

  In order to solve the conventional problem, a vacuum cleaner of the present invention includes a plurality of wheels provided in a vacuum cleaner body, a driving unit that rotationally drives at least one of the plurality of wheels, A rotation detecting means for detecting rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels; and a control means for controlling energization of the driving means based on an output signal of the rotation detecting means. When it is detected that the vacuum cleaner body is moved by an external force based on the output signal of the rotation detection means, the drive means is energized to self-run the vacuum cleaner body, and the self-running The distance obtained by subtracting the inertial travel distance at the detected rotational speed from the total travel distance so that the total travel distance from the start of self-running to the stoppage of inertial travel is substantially constant. ShimegiToshi, characterized by stopping the energization to said driving means reaching distance of the target.

  The electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention can make the total travel distance from the start to the stop of the self-running control by the driving means almost constant regardless of the state of the floor, and the total travel distance to a predetermined value. This is convenient for the user who performs the cleaning work, and can perform self-propelled control suitable for the user's intention.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of wheels provided in a vacuum cleaner body, driving means for rotationally driving at least one of the plurality of wheels, and rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels. A rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation and a control means for controlling energization of the driving means based on an output signal of the rotation detecting means, wherein the control means is configured to control the electric power based on an output signal of the rotation detecting means. When it is detected that the main body of the vacuum cleaner has been moved by an external force, the driving means is energized to perform self-running of the electric vacuum cleaner main body, and continues to detect the rotational speed and travel distance of the wheel during self-running, The target is a distance obtained by subtracting the inertial travel distance at the detected rotational speed from the total travel distance so that the total travel distance from the start of self-running to the inertial travel stop is substantially constant. It is a vacuum cleaner characterized by stopping energization of the means, and keeps the total travel distance including the self-run distance and inertia travel distance of the main body of the vacuum cleaner almost constant regardless of the state of the floor surface Therefore, a user-friendly vacuum cleaner can be provided.

  In the second invention, the control means performs self-running control by energizing the driving means until the running distance from the start of self-running of the wheel having the driving means reaches a predetermined value. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is set to be large when the traveling speed of the vacuum cleaner is low and small when the traveling speed is high. Even if the travel speed of the vacuum cleaner body changes due to the difference between the two, and the inertia travel distance decreases as the travel speed decreases, the distance traveled by self-propelled control can be lengthened and the total travel distance can be kept almost constant. Therefore, more accurate self-running control can be performed.

  In a third aspect of the invention, the control means continues to detect the rotational speed of the wheel having the driving means during the inertia traveling period, and estimates the inertia traveling distance from the amount of change in the rotational speed during the inertia traveling period. In addition, when it is determined that the total traveling distance obtained by adding the estimated inertial traveling distance and the self-traveling distance is smaller than a predetermined value, the total travel distance from the self-running start to the inertial travel stop approaches the predetermined distance. 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the self-running by the driving means is performed again, the detection of the rotational speed and the running distance is continued even during the inertia running period, and the floor surface during the inertia running. Even when the state changes and the floor changes from a light load to a heavy load, the self-propelled control by the driving means functions again, and the total travel distance including the self-travel distance and the inertia travel distance is almost constant. Can be.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of wheels provided in a vacuum cleaner body, driving means for rotationally driving at least one of the plurality of wheels, and rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels. A rotation detecting means for detecting a number, and a control means for controlling an energization amount of the driving means based on an output signal of the rotation detecting means, wherein the control means is based on an output signal of the rotation detecting means. When it is detected that the main body of the vacuum cleaner has been moved by an external force, energization of the drive means is started, and the rotation speed of the wheel having the rotation detection means is supplied to the drive means so as to be substantially constant. The self-propelled distance from the self-propelled start to the self-propelled stop of the wheel having the rotation detecting means that controls the energization amount is subtracted from the target value of the total travel distance from the self-propelled start to the inertial travel stop. Reach the distance determined in advance Then, the electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the power supply to the driving means is stopped and the inertial running is started, and when running by self-running, the driving means runs at a constant speed by controlling the energization amount to the driving means. Then, when the self-travel distance reaches the target value, it shifts to inertia travel, and the total travel distance including the self-travel distance and the inertia travel distance can be made substantially constant.

  5. The electric cleaning according to claim 4, wherein the self-travel distance target value is set large when the energization amount to the driving means is large and small when the energization amount is small. Even if the floor surface changes during cleaning, the state of the floor surface is judged by the difference in the amount of electricity applied.For example, if the load increases and the inertial mileage shortens, the distance traveled by self-propelled control is increased. Therefore, the total travel distance can be kept almost constant, and self-running control can be performed according to changes in the floor surface condition.

  In a sixth aspect of the invention, the control means continues to detect the rotational speed of the wheel having the rotation detection means and the amount of change in the rotational speed even during the inertia traveling period, and estimates the inertia traveling distance from the amount of change in the rotational speed after the self-running stop. In addition, when it is determined that the estimated inertial traveling distance is less than the predetermined traveling distance, the driving means supplies the supply power of a predetermined energization amount so as to maintain the rotational speed at the time of determining that the inertial traveling distance is insufficient. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the self-propelled control is resumed until the predetermined travel distance, and travels at a constant speed during the self-propelled period. Even if the load on the floor becomes heavy in the middle, the decrease in speed change is detected and self-running control is resumed, so the running speed does not drop sharply and the floor surface is heavy during coasting. A vacuum cleaner that can travel up to a predetermined distance It is those that can be.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
A vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, each component will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is an overview of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an electric vacuum cleaner main body to which a hose 2 is connected. Reference numeral 3 denotes a hand operating part provided at the tip of the hose 2, and the user can switch the suction force of the vacuum cleaner by operating the hand operating part 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes an extension pipe connecting the hose 2 and the floor suction tool 5. Four casters 6 serving as auxiliary wheels are arranged at the bottom of the vacuum cleaner body 1.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the main body 1 of the vacuum cleaner as viewed from the substantially bottom direction. Four casters 6 are arranged on the outer periphery of the bottom of the main body 1 of the vacuum cleaner. A traveling unit 11 includes a traveling roller 10 and the like, and the traveling roller 10 is fixed at a substantially center of gravity position 7 at the bottom of the vacuum cleaner body 1 in the same direction as the main body drawing direction of the hose 2.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration block diagram of the vacuum cleaner. The travel unit 11 includes a drive motor 14 driven by a drive circuit 19, a speed reduction unit 13 that rotates the drive shaft 15 by reducing the rotational output of the drive motor 14, and rotates according to the rotation of the drive shaft 15. A traveling roller 10 that causes the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 to self-run and an encoder 12 that similarly detects the rotation of the drive shaft 15 are provided. The encoder 12 then outputs two signals 16 (encoder output signals) A-phase and B-phase corresponding to the rotation speed and rotation direction to the control means 20.

  The decelerating means 13 is provided with a clutch mechanism (not shown) so that the drive shaft 15 is freely rotatable (idle) when the drive motor 14 is stopped, and travels when the drive motor 14 is stopped. The roller 10 can be easily rotated by hand. This prevents, for example, when the user moves the vacuum cleaner main body 1 when the drive motor 14 is stopped, the free rotation of the traveling roller 10 is obstructed by the speed reducing means 13 and hinders the movement. Is to do.

  The control means 20 outputs a phase control timing signal to the electric blower driving means 31 in accordance with a signal from the hand operation unit 3. Reference numeral 32 denotes an electric blower which operates the commercial power supply 30 supplied from the electric blower driving means 31 with phase-controlled electric power. Reference numeral 18 denotes a DC power source that rectifies and smoothes the commercial power source 30 and outputs DC power to the drive circuit 19.

  The drive circuit 19 receives the PWM timing signal from the control means 20, performs PWM control on the DC power supplied from the DC power supply 18 in accordance with the PWM timing signal, and adjusts the energization amount in accordance with the pulse width. Ws is output to the drive motor 14.

  The control means 20 includes a travel speed calculation means 22 and a travel characteristic storage means 21. The travel speed calculation means 22 accumulates the number of pulses of the encoder output signal 16 composed of the A phase and the B phase from the encoder 12 from the start of travel. The travel distance of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is calculated to calculate the travel speed of the vacuum cleaner body 1 by calculating the number of pulses per unit time of the encoder output signal 16 that is proportional to the number of rotations of the travel roller 10. The calculation of determining the traveling direction (forward or reverse) from the phase of each phase AB is possible, and data necessary for these arithmetic processes is called from the travel characteristic storage means 21 to perform the arithmetic process. The travel characteristic storage means 21 includes the calculation information calculated by the travel speed calculation means 22, the supply information of the supply power Ws supplied to the drive motor 14, the travel speed of the vacuum cleaner body 1, the speed change amount, and the self-travel distance. Data such as correlation data indicating the correlation is stored.

  The operation of each component described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the user pulls the hose 2 to move the cleaning place, the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 receives the pulling force and starts moving. By the movement, the traveling roller 10 disposed at the bottom of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 rotates. The rotation of the traveling roller 10 is transmitted to the encoder 12 by the drive shaft 15, and the encoder 12 outputs two signals of A phase and B phase shown in FIG. The two signals of the A phase and the B phase have different signal phase shifts depending on the rotation direction of the traveling roller 10, that is, the moving direction of the front and rear of the vacuum cleaner body 1, and when the vacuum cleaner body 1 moves forward, When the roller 10 rotates forward, a B phase (1) signal is output in which the B phase signal is delayed by Δθ = 90 ° with respect to the A phase signal, and when the traveling roller 10 reverses, the B phase is Δθ relative to the A phase. Since the B phase (2) which advances = 90 ° is output, the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the traveling roller 10 can be determined depending on whether the level of the B phase signal at the time of the fall of the A phase signal is high level or low level. .

  The control means 20 recognizes from the encoder output signal 16 whether the moving direction of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 is forward or reverse, does nothing in the reverse direction, and outputs a PWM timing signal to the drive circuit 19 in the forward direction. Assuming that the user pushes the electric vacuum cleaner body 1 backward using his / her feet while cleaning the electric vacuum cleaner body 1, making the electric vacuum cleaner body 1 self-propelled backwards impairs the feeling of use. It is needless to say that the control is based on the result of the research that is, and can be realized by detecting the signals in the two encoders 12.

  The drive circuit 19 outputs, to the drive motor 14, supply power Ws in which the amount of power supplied from the DC power supply 18 is controlled in accordance with the PWM timing signal. Once the drive motor 14 starts to rotate, a clutch mechanism (not shown) of the speed reduction means 13 is connected to transmit the rotational force of the drive motor 14 to the travel roller 10 so that the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 runs on its own. . Thus, after the vacuum cleaner main body 1 starts self-propelled, a user's pulling force is reduced.

  By the way, the state of the running of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 once started to self-run differs depending on the floor surface on which the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 is placed. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the running speed of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 on each floor surface and the DUTY of the PWM signal output from the drive circuit 19, and FIG. 6 shows the relationship of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 on each floor surface. It is a figure which shows the relationship between travel speed and the inertial travel distance when the electric power supply from the drive circuit 19 is stopped with the travel speed.

  Based on these characteristics, control for keeping the total travel distance of the vacuum cleaner body 1 constant regardless of the floor surface will be described later.

  First, as a result of usability confirmation using a prototype of a real machine, it was concluded that the total distance traveled by the vacuum cleaner main body 1 in one self-run was about 60 cm, and the aim of the total distance traveled to 60 cm. Set. Next, the self-propelled distance by the drive motor 14 for realizing the target total travel distance (60 cm) is determined. In order to increase the self-propelled speed as much as possible, during the self-run by the drive motor 14, the drive motor DUTY of the output PWM to 14 is always set to 100%. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the self-running speed of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 at this time is 50 cm / sec on the wooden floor, whereas it is 35 cm / sec on the carpet having a long bristle. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 6, the coasting distance after the power supply from the drive circuit 19 is stopped is 50 cm on the wooden floor, whereas it is 12 cm on the carpet having a long bristle. In other words, in order to move the same distance on the wooden floor and on the carpet with long hairs, the target value of the self-propelled distance is set to 10 cm on the wooden floor, and if the target value is exceeded, 50 cm of inertial running may be performed. . Similarly, on a carpet with a long bristle, the target value may be set to 48 cm and the inertia running of 12 cm may be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the encoder output signal 16 is used to detect the state of the floor surface. That is, the traveling speed of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 is detected from the encoder output signal 16, and the timing for stopping the power supply from the drive circuit 19 is determined according to the detected traveling speed. Although this timing determination can also be derived from a mathematical expression, in the present embodiment, the power supply stop timing from the drive circuit 19 is determined based on the moving speed-self-traveling distance table shown in Table 1 below. . This table 1 is a table in which the number of cm of self-running by the drive motor 14 at each running speed is calculated in advance for stopping at 60 cm. The travel distance is detected based on an encoder output signal 16 that is proportional to the number of rotations of the travel roller 10.

  Specifically, detection of the traveling speed V and the self-traveling distance S is started 0.2 seconds after the start of self-running, and then the travel speed V and the self-running distance S are detected every 0.1 second. If the traveling speed V is greater than or equal to the values in Table 1 with respect to the self-traveling distance S, the power supply is stopped. The reason why the detection is started 0.2 seconds after the start of self-running is that 0.2 seconds from the start of self-running is the acceleration period, and therefore accurate speed detection cannot be performed. For numerical values that do not appear in the above table, a judgment value can be obtained by proportional calculation. For example, when the self-traveling distance is 16.5 cm, the power supply is stopped if the traveling speed V is 48.5 cm / second or more.

  Even during inertial running after the power supply from the drive circuit 19 is stopped, the detection of the running speed and the running distance by the encoder output signal 16 is continuously performed, and the change in the floor surface state is estimated from the amount of change in the running speed, It is determined whether or not re-energization from the drive circuit 19 is performed according to the change in the floor surface state.

  Although the speed change amount (deceleration acceleration) with respect to the floor surface can also be derived by a calculation formula, in the present embodiment, as in the above-described control, a traveling speed-self-traveling distance table (table) created by numerical values derived in advance by calculation. 1) is used to detect the floor surface during inertial running. When the floor surface state changes during inertial traveling, the inertial traveling distance from that point is recalculated, and power is supplied again from the drive circuit 19 so that the total traveling distance becomes 60 cm. The inertial mileage and the repower supply time when the floor condition changes are set by the inertial mileage table (Table 2) derived from the characteristics shown in FIG. Hereinafter, a specific example of this control will be described.

  For example, the operation in the case where the running speed 0.2 seconds after the start of self-running is 46 cm / sec and the self-running distance is 9 cm will be described below. From Table 1, the target self-run distance at a running speed of 46 cm / sec is 26 cm, and the self-run distance at that time is less than the target value, so the self-run is continued. Furthermore, when the self-run distance after 0.1 second is 9.5 cm, the self-run is continued in the same manner. This is repeated every 0.1 seconds. For example, after 0.4 seconds, the traveling speed becomes 46 cm / second and the self-running distance becomes 27 cm. When the self-running distance exceeds the target value, the power supply to the drive motor 14 is stopped. Then, shift to coasting. And if a floor surface state is uniform, the vacuum cleaner main body 1 will drive | work the predetermined inertial travel distance, and will stop.

Next, an operation when the floor surface state is changed while the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is coasting will be described. It is assumed that the speed change amount (deceleration acceleration) detected 0.1 seconds after the transition to inertial running is 34 cm / second ² and the distance traveled so far is approximately 32 cm (the distance is a value detected by the encoder 12). . If the speed at this time is 42.5 cm / sec, the values of speed change amounts “37.5” and “32.5” in the rows of speed “45” and “40” in Table 2 are used. Proportional calculation shows that the inertial mileage at a speed of 42.5 cm / sec is 24 cm. At this time, the estimated value of the total travel distance is 32 + 24 = 56 cm, which is understood to be shorter than 60 cm, which is the target of the total travel distance. In this case, power is again supplied to the drive motor 14 for 0.1 seconds to accelerate, and the speed change amount 0.1 seconds after the power supply is stopped is measured again. If the estimated value of the total travel distance exceeds the target 60 cm, the coasting state is maintained. By repeating this, the total traveling distance is brought closer to the target 60 cm.

  It is possible to adjust the total mileage by re-energizing during inertial traveling only when the floor surface condition changes from “wood floor” to “long carpet”. In the case of direction (change in the direction in which inertial mileage extends), it is added that it is impossible.

  In addition, the speed or the amount of speed change cannot exceed the table range shown in Table 1 or 2 above. However, if it exceeds the table range, the numerical value inside the upper and lower limits of the table is used for the proportional calculation of the judgment value. It goes without saying that the same proportional calculation can be performed by using.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the basic configuration of the circuit is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted, and a control method different from that of the first embodiment will be described.

  After starting the self-running, the control means 20 monitors the encoder output signal 16 to detect the running speed, and adjusts the electric power supplied to the drive motor 14 so that the running speed becomes a predetermined value, 35 cm / second here. . In the present embodiment, PWM DUTY control is used for power adjustment, and as shown in FIG. 5, the DUTY (energization rate) for achieving 35 cm / second is 50 for a lightly loaded floor such as a wooden floor, for example. %, And 100% (full energization) on a heavily loaded floor such as a carpet with a long bristle. That is, in other words, it can be said that the state of the floor surface (the weight of the load) can be estimated from the DUTY when self-running at 35 cm / second. However, in fact, immediately after the start of self-running, in order to quickly reach the target speed, power supply is started at 100% DUTY, and a predetermined speed (a speed lower than 35 cm is set to prevent overshoot). ), The DUTY adjustment is started in accordance with the traveling speed detected by the encoder output signal 16. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the floor condition during this acceleration period, and immediately after the start of the DUTY adjustment. However, in order to prevent overshoot / undershoot, control based on information other than speed is performed (this is a very general control, and detailed description is omitted), so it is difficult to estimate the floor condition. is there. In consideration of the circumstances described above, in the present embodiment, the time from the start of self-running until the self-running speed stabilizes at the target speed (the time during which it is difficult to estimate the floor condition from DUTY) is 0.5 seconds. The explanation will be advanced as it is.

  In the first embodiment, the floor surface state is detected based on the traveling speed at 100% DUTY. In the present embodiment, as described above, the energization amount is controlled so that the traveling speed becomes 35 cm / second. The floor state is detected by the DUTY when That is, using the PWMDUTY-self-propelled distance table shown in Table 3 below, the target value of the self-propelled distance to be self-propelled is obtained, and both the self-propelled speed and the travel distance are always constant regardless of the floor surface. It is trying to become.

  The re-power supply control during inertial running, which was performed in the first embodiment, is also performed based on the same determination, but the re-supply of power is 100% DUTY in the first embodiment. In contrast to this, in the present embodiment, power is re-supplied while adjusting the DUTY of the output PWM to the drive motor 14 so that the traveling speed is not increased by power re-supply. Depending on the state of the floor, how much power is supplied with DUTY for each speed change amount and speed (how much should DUTY be set to maintain the current speed)? Although different, in the present embodiment, the state of the floor surface during inertial running is determined by the speed change amount (deceleration acceleration). That is, when the load on the floor, such as a wooden floor, is light, the speed change is small, and when the load on the floor, such as a carpet, is heavy, the speed change is large. DUTY is determined according to the state of the surface. Actually, however, a PWM setting table (Table 4) showing correlation data between the speed change amount and the speed during inertial running is created in advance by experiment, To determine the DUTY.

  Hereinafter, control during inertial running will be described with a specific example.

For example, the control means 20 detects the traveling speed after 0.5 seconds after the start of self-running when the detection operation is stabilized. Thereafter, when the PWMDUTY when the self-running speed is stable at 35 cm / sec is 65%, the self-running distance obtained by subtracting the inertia running distance from the target total running distance is the target value of the self-running distance. Is obtained as follows. In the PWMDUTY-free running distance table shown in Table 3, PWMDUTY = 65% is proportionally calculated from the data of the free running distances S “39” and “43” corresponding to “60” and “70” located in the middle, It asks that it is 41cm. This 41 cm is set as a target value of the self-travel distance, and when the self-travel distance reaches the target value (41 cm), the power supply to the drive motor 14 is stopped to stop the self-travel by the drive motor 14, and the travel inertia travel is performed. Transition. (The reason why the detection starts 0.5 seconds after the start of self-run is because 0.5 seconds after the start of self-run cannot accurately determine the floor condition as described above.) 0.1 Assume that the speed change detected after ² seconds is 34 cm / second ² and the distance traveled so far is approximately 35 cm (the distance is a value detected by the encoder 12). If the speed at this time is 31.5 cm / sec, it is possible to run inertially from the speed change amounts “37.5” and “32.5” in the rows of speed “35” and “30” in Table 2. The distance is estimated to be 13 cm. The total travel distance at this time can be estimated as 35 + 13 = 48 cm, and is shorter than the target 60 cm, so the drive motor 14 is energized again. On the other hand, in the rows of speeds “35” and “30” in Table 4, the running speed of 31.5 cm / sec is maintained from the numerical values where the speed variation is “37.5” and “32.5”. In order to achieve this, it is understood that power supply should be performed at 69.5% DUTY. Therefore, the drive motor 14 is re-energized at 69.5% DUTY. Further, the same determination as 0.1 second, 0.2 second later,... Is repeated, and the power supply to the drive motor 14 is stopped when the estimated total travel distance exceeds the target 60 cm. By repeating this, it becomes possible to gradually reduce the speed during inertial traveling and bring the total traveling distance closer to the target 60 cm.

  In the first and second embodiments, the encoder 12 detects the rotation of the drive shaft 15 and outputs two signals 16 (encoder output signals) of the A phase and the B phase according to the rotation speed and the rotation direction. Further, it may be configured to detect any rotation of the caster 6 or a special wheel or the like may be provided in addition to the caster 6. Furthermore, the self-propelled function can be controlled by the control means 20 so that it is effective only when the electric blower 32 is in operation. For example, when the user has stored it with the outlet plugged in, the electric cleaner It would be useful to prevent the machine body 1 from moving unintentionally due to slight movement.

  By the way, the traveling characteristic diagram described in the present embodiment varies greatly depending on the detailed design conditions of the portion related to traveling. Since the grip characteristics with the floor surface of the traveling roller 10, the torque and rotational speed characteristics of the drive motor, the rolling friction coefficient of the auxiliary wheel, the weight of the vacuum cleaner body 1, and the like affect the traveling characteristics, each of FIGS. Travel characteristics are not determined uniformly for any type of vacuum cleaner body, but require detailed design (confirmation of travel characteristics data through experiments, etc.) for each model. I understand that. However, when designing the self-propelled function, the speed of the driving system should be such that good driving performance can be obtained on the floor surface with the greatest resistance among the floor surfaces of ordinary households, such as carpets with long fur feet. By designing the torque and torque to ensure a comfortable follow-up performance, for example, when traveling on a wooden floor with low running resistance, the running speed will be too high or the running distance will be long and comfortable self-running performance Is difficult to obtain. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and has a drive system that can start traveling (securing start dash force) as quickly as possible with respect to a user's movement, while also achieving traveling speed and traveling. It is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner having an excellent self-propelled function in which the distance can always be controlled to be substantially the same.

  In this embodiment, power is supplied to the drive motor from a DC power source. However, if a drive motor that can be AC driven by using a diode bridge in the drive motor is used, the drive motor can be driven. The means may be composed of a triac or the like capable of controlling the phase of the commercial power source.

  Also, the encoder can be easily configured by using two photo interrupters, a rotating disk with slits, and two Hall ICs and a plurality of magnets. Needless to say.

  As described above, the present invention is a technique useful for a high-value-added and high-function vacuum cleaner that reduces fatigue during cleaning, and also for a device that follows the movement of the user.

The external appearance perspective view of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on one embodiment of this invention The perspective view seen from the bottom part of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on one embodiment of this invention The circuit block diagram of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on one embodiment of this invention Waveform explanatory diagram of encoder output signal of one embodiment Traveling characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the energization amount and travel speed of an embodiment Travel characteristic diagram showing the relationship between travel speed and inertia travel distance in one embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 Electric vacuum cleaner body 6 Casters (wheels)
10 Traveling roller (wheel)
11 traveling unit 12 encoder (rotation detecting means)
13 Deceleration means 14 Drive motor (drive means)
15 Drive shaft 16 Encoder output signal 18 DC power supply 19 Drive circuit (motor driver IC)
20 Control means 21 Travel characteristic storage means 22 Travel speed calculation means

Claims (6)

A plurality of wheels provided in the main body of the vacuum cleaner, a driving unit that rotationally drives at least one of the plurality of wheels, and a rotation detection unit that detects rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels. And control means for controlling energization of the drive means based on the output signal of the rotation detection means, and the control means is configured such that the main body of the vacuum cleaner is driven by an external force based on the output signal of the rotation detection means. When it is detected that it has been moved, the drive means is energized to self-run the main body of the vacuum cleaner, and the rotation speed and travel distance of the wheel during self-running are continuously detected. A target is obtained by subtracting the inertial travel distance at the detected rotational speed from the total travel distance so that the total travel distance until the stop is substantially constant, and when the target distance is reached, the drive means is energized. Vacuum cleaner, characterized in that the stop. The control means conducts self-running control by energizing the drive means until the self-running distance from the start of self-running of the wheel having the rotation detecting means reaches a target value. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the target value is set to be large when the traveling speed of the vacuum cleaner is low and small when the traveling speed is fast. The control means continues to detect the rotational speed of the wheel having the rotation detecting means during the inertia traveling period, and estimates the inertia traveling distance from the amount of change in the rotational speed during the inertia traveling period. When the total traveling distance obtained by adding the inertial traveling distance and the self-traveling distance is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value, the driving means is configured so that the total traveling distance from the self-running start to the inertial traveling stop approaches the predetermined distance. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein self-running is performed again. A plurality of wheels provided in the main body of the vacuum cleaner, drive means for rotationally driving at least one of the plurality of wheels, and rotation detection for detecting a rotational speed of at least one of the plurality of wheels. And a control means for controlling the energization amount of the drive means based on the output signal of the rotation detection means, and the control means is configured such that the main body of the electric vacuum cleaner is based on the output signal of the rotation detection means. When it is detected that it has been moved by an external force, it starts energization to the drive means, and controls the energization amount to the drive means so that the rotation speed of the wheel having the rotation detection means becomes substantially constant, The self-running distance from the self-running start of the wheel having the rotation detecting means to the self-running stop is a distance obtained in advance by subtracting the free running distance from the target value of the total running distance from the self-running start to the free running stop. When you reach Vacuum cleaner, characterized in that to stop the power supply to the unit moves to coasting. 5. The electricity according to claim 4, wherein the control means sets the target value of the self-travel distance to be large when the energization amount to the drive means is large and small when the energization amount is small. Vacuum cleaner. The control means continues to detect the rotational speed and the rotational speed change amount of the wheel having the rotation detection means even during the inertia traveling period, and estimates the inertia traveling distance from the rotational speed change amount after the self-running stop. If it is determined that the inertial travel distance is less than the predetermined travel distance, supply power of a predetermined energization amount is supplied to the driving means so as to maintain the rotational speed at the time of determining the shortage of the inertia travel distance, 6. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein self-running control is resumed up to the predetermined travel distance.

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