JP6481079B1 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled cleaner capable of cooling a rotary brush drive motor without enlarging a housing and providing a new cooling air passage inside.
A self-propelled housing having a suction port and an exhaust port, a rotating brush rotatably provided at the suction port, a drive motor for rotating the rotating brush, and air on the floor surface together with dust A blower for sucking air from the suction port into the housing and removing dust from the exhaust port, and the drive motor and the blower are disposed inside the housing. Self-propelled cleaner configured to cool the drive motor with a portion of the air from which the air has been removed.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner. More specifically, the present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner provided with a rotating brush on the bottom surface of the housing.

  As a self-propelled cleaner for cleaning a floor surface, Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled type that includes a cleaner body and an attachment that is rotatably connected to a lower portion of the cleaner body about a horizontal axis. A vacuum cleaner has been proposed. In this self-propelled cleaner, the air passage leading from the suction port to the space in the suction part, the duct, the dust collecting chamber provided in the cleaner body, and the blower to the exhaust port provided in the front of the cleaner body Is provided. In addition, the self-running unit is disposed in the cover case of the attachment, and a suction portion having a suction port provided with a rotating brush is provided in front of the self-running unit.

  The self-propelled unit includes a case having a vent on the upper surface, a pair of left and right wheels disposed at the lower portion of the case, and two motors that drive each wheel in the forward direction and the reverse direction via a reduction gear. It is provided and is connected to the suction part by a cooling air passage (see FIG. 3). According to this first configuration, the internal space of the suction portion becomes a negative pressure during the cleaning operation of sucking air containing dust on the floor surface from the suction port and collecting the dust in the dust collection chamber. Air in the free-running unit warmed by heat is drawn into the suction portion through the cooling air passage, and outside air is sucked into the free-running unit from the vent. As a result, heat is prevented from being trapped in the self-running unit, and the motor, the speed reducer, and the wheels are cooled to enhance their durability.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a second configuration in which the exhaust port of the cleaner body and the internal space of the self-propelled unit are connected by a cooling air passage as a modified example of the self-propelled cleaner. (See FIG. 5). According to this configuration, the airflow discharged from the exhaust port during the cleaning operation flows into the self-running unit through the cooling air passage, and is then discharged from the vent port. Therefore, it is supposed that heat is prevented from being trapped in the self-running unit, as in the first configuration.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-308269

  The self-propelled cleaner of Patent Document 1 is a vacuum cleaner that cleans the floor surface by running the self-propelled unit while the user holds the handle and supports the main body of the cleaner. A self-propelled cleaner, that is, a self-propelled cleaner that performs self-running on the floor surface, that is, a rechargeable cleaning robot, is commercially available.

  In general, a cleaning robot is a self-propelled disk-shaped housing having a suction port on the bottom surface, a rotating brush rotatably provided at the suction port, a drive motor that rotates the rotating brush, and air sucked from the suction port. It has a dust collector that collects dust on the floor and an electric blower that makes the dust collector negative pressure, and the rotating brush rotates at high speed to scrape dust on the floor to the suction port. It is comprised so that it may suck in For this reason, there is a problem that the drive motor of the rotary brush is likely to generate heat, and the drive motor breaks down due to heat or the life of the drive motor is shortened.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, a drive motor that rotates the rotary brush of the self-propelled cleaner at high speed is provided in the suction portion, and the drive motor of the rotary brush generates heat, resulting in a failure or short life. The problem of becoming is not shown. Moreover, in the self-propelled cleaner of patent document 1, the cooling air path was provided in the housing | casing, and there existed a problem that an apparatus enlarged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a self-propelled type that can cool a rotary brush drive motor without enlarging the casing and providing a new cooling air passage inside. A vacuum cleaner is provided.

  According to the present invention, a self-propelled housing having a suction port and an exhaust port, a self-propelled housing having a suction port and an exhaust port, a rotating brush provided in the suction port, and a housing A pair of drive wheels provided in the middle of the body in the front-rear direction for self-propelled on the floor, a side brush provided at the bottom of the case, and a built-in case, the rotating brush, A drive motor that rotates the side brush through a power transmission mechanism, and air on the floor surface is sucked into the housing from the suction port together with dust, and the air from which dust is removed is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside. An air blower opening for opening an air flow generated by the electric blower that is opened in the housing. The air blower has a housing and an electric blower housed in the housing. A part of the outflowed airflow After exhausting from the upper surface of the housing and partly hitting a member disposed in the vicinity of the air vent, the drive motor is cooled and then discharged to the outside of the housing through a gap or a through hole of the housing. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner is provided.

  According to the self-propelled cleaner (cleaning robot) of the present invention, the drive motor of the rotating brush is cooled by a part of the air from which dust is removed, so that the drive motor is prevented from being damaged by heat. In addition, the durability period (life) of the drive motor can be extended.

It is a perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state where the lid of the housing is opened and the dust collecting unit is taken out. It is a perspective view which shows the decomposition | disassembly state which removed the top plate, the control board, etc. of the housing | casing of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a disassembled state in which a rotary brush drive motor is further removed. It is a perspective view which shows the motor unit with which the duct for exhaust paths in the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. 1 was attached. It is a perspective view which shows the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. It is a top view which shows the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. It is a front view which shows the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. It is a right view which shows the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown by FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change with time of a surface temperature of a drive motor of a rotary brush in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled cleaner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state where the lid of the housing is opened and the dust collecting part is taken out,
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the top plate and control board of the casing of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1 are removed, and FIG. 6 is an electrical diagram of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows a structure. Hereinafter, the “self-propelled cleaner” may be referred to as a “cleaning robot”.

The cleaning robot (self-propelled cleaner) 1 according to the present invention sucks air containing dust on the floor and exhausts the air from which the dust is removed while self-propelled on the floor where it is installed. It is a cleaning robot that cleans the floor surface.
The cleaning robot 1 includes a disk-shaped housing 2, and inside and outside the housing 2, a rotating brush 9, a side brush 10, a dust collection box 30, a blower unit having an electric blower 22, and a pair of drive wheels 29. Components such as a control unit including rear wheels 26 and front wheels 27 and various sensors are provided.
In this cleaning robot 1, the portion where the front wheel 27 is disposed is the front portion, the portion where the rear wheel 26 is disposed is the rear portion, and the portion where the dust collection box 30 is disposed is the intermediate portion.

  The housing 2 opens and closes when the dust collection box 30 is taken in and out of the housing 2 and the bottom plate 2a having a suction port 6 formed at a position near the boundary with the intermediate portion in the front portion. A top plate 2b having a lid portion 3 at an intermediate portion, and a bottom plate 2a and a side plate 2c having an annular shape in plan view provided along the outer periphery of the top plate 2b are provided. The bottom plate 2a is formed with a plurality of holes for projecting the lower portions of the front wheel 27, the pair of drive wheels 29 and the rear wheel 26 from the inside of the housing 2 to the outside, and the boundary between the front portion and the middle portion of the top plate 2b. An exhaust port 7 is formed in the vicinity. In addition, the side plate 2c is divided into two in the front and rear directions, and the front side portion of the side plate functions as a bumper.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the inside of the housing 2, a front storage chamber R <b> 1 that stores a motor unit (air blower) 20 having an electric blower 22 in the front part, an ion generator 25 (see FIG. 5), and the like. And has an intermediate storage chamber R2 for storing the dust collection box 30 in the intermediate portion, and a rear storage chamber R3 for storing the control board 15, the battery 14, the charging terminal 4 and the like of the control portion in the rear portion, A suction passage 11 and an exhaust passage 12 are provided near the boundary between the front portion and the intermediate portion. The suction path 11 communicates the suction port 6 and the intermediate storage chamber R2, and the exhaust path 12 communicates the intermediate storage chamber R2 and the front storage chamber R1. Each of the storage chambers R1, R2, R3, the suction path 11 and the exhaust path 12 is partitioned by a partition wall 39 provided inside the housing 2 and constituting these spaces.

The pair of drive wheels 29 are fixed to a pair of rotation shafts that intersect at right angles with the center line C passing through the center of the case 2 that is circular in plan view. When the pair of drive wheels 29 rotate in the same direction, the case 2 As the drive wheel 29 advances and retreats and the drive wheels 29 rotate in the opposite direction, the housing 2 rotates around the center line C.
The pair of rotating shafts are coupled so that rotational force can be obtained individually from a pair of motors (not shown), and each motor is fixed to the bottom plate 2a of the housing directly or via a suspension mechanism.

The front wheel 27 is made of a roller, contacts the step appearing on the path, and the bottom of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 so that the drive wheel 29 is slightly lifted from the floor F where the driving wheel 29 contacts the ground so that the housing 2 can easily get over the step. The part is rotatably provided.
The rear wheel 26 is a free wheel, and is rotatably provided on a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 so as to be in contact with the floor surface F to which the driving wheel 29 is grounded.
In this way, the pair of driving wheels 29 is arranged in the middle in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 2, the front wheels 27 are lifted from the floor surface F, and the weight of the cleaning robot 1 can be supported by the pair of driving wheels 29 and the rear wheels 26. Thus, the weight is distributed to the housing 2 in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the dust in front of the course can be guided to the suction port 6 without being blocked by the front wheel 27.

The suction port 6 is an open surface of the concave portion 8 formed on the bottom surface of the housing 2 (the lower surface of the bottom plate 2a) so as to face the floor surface F. A rotating brush 9 that rotates about a first axis parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 2 is provided in the recessed portion 8, and a second rotation perpendicular to the bottom surface of the housing 2 is provided on the left and right sides of the recessed portion 8. A side brush 10 that rotates about an axis is provided. The rotating brush 9 is formed by implanting a brush spirally on the outer peripheral surface of a roller that is a rotating shaft. The side brush 10 is formed by providing a brush bundle radially at the lower end of the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the rotating brush 9 and the rotating shaft of the pair of side brushes 10 are pivotally attached to a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2, and a drive motor M (see FIG. 5), pulley, It is connected via a power transmission mechanism including a belt and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a floor surface detection sensor 13 for detecting the floor surface F is disposed between the bottom surface of the housing 2 and the front wheel 27, and a similar floor is disposed in front of the side portions of the left and right drive wheels 29. A surface detection sensor 19 is arranged. When the downstairs are detected by the floor surface detection sensor 13, the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit controls the drive wheels 29 to stop. Further, when the floor detection sensor 13 breaks down, the floor detection sensor 19 can detect the descending stair and stop both driving wheels 29, so that the cleaning robot 1 is prevented from falling to the descending stair. . Further, when the floor surface detection sensor 19 detects the descending staircase, the detection signal may be transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit may control the drive wheel 29 to travel avoiding the descending staircase.

The control board 15 is provided with a control circuit that controls each element of the cleaning robot 1 such as the driving wheel 29, the rotating brush 9, the side brush 10, and the electric blower 22.
A charging terminal 4 for charging the battery 14 is provided at the rear end of the side plate 2 c of the housing 2. The cleaning robot 1 that cleans the room while traveling by itself returns to the charging stand 40 installed in the room. Thereby, the charging terminal 4 contacts the terminal part 41 provided in the charging stand 40, and the battery 14 is charged. The charging stand 40 connected to a commercial power source (outlet) is usually installed along the side wall S in the room.
The battery 14 is charged from the charging stand 40 via the charging terminal 4 and supplies power to each element such as the control board 15, the drive wheel 29, the rotating brush 9, the side brush 10, the electric blower 22, and various sensors.

The dust collection box 30 is usually stored in the intermediate storage chamber R2 above the axis of the rotation shaft of the drive wheels 29 in the housing 2, and the dust collected in the dust collection box 30 is collected. When discarding, as shown in FIG. 4, the lid 3 of the housing 2 can be opened and the dust collection box 30 can be taken in and out.
The dust collection box 30 includes a dust collection container 31 having an opening, a filter unit 33 that covers the opening of the dust collection container 31, and a cover unit 32 that covers the filter 33 and the opening of the dust collection container 31. ing. The cover part 32 and the filter part 33 are pivotally supported by the opening edge of the front side of the dust collecting container 31 so that rotation is possible.
In the state where the dust collection box 30 is stored in the intermediate storage chamber R <b> 2 of the casing 2, the inflow path 34 that communicates with the suction path 11 of the casing 2 and the casing 2 are disposed at the front portion of the side wall of the dust collection container 31. An exhaust passage 35 communicating with the exhaust passage 12 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit for controlling the operation of the entire cleaning robot 1 includes a control board 15 having a control circuit composed of a CPU 15a and other electronic parts (not shown), and a storage unit for storing a travel map 18a. 18, a motor driver 22a for driving the electric blower 22, a motor driver 51a for driving the traveling motor 51 of the drive wheel 29, a louver 17 rotatably provided near the exhaust port 7 in the housing 2, and A control unit 17a for driving it, an odor sensor 52 and its control unit 52a, a humidity sensor 53 and its control unit 53a, a human sensor 54 and its control unit 54a, a contact sensor 55 and its control unit 55a, etc. Composed.

The CPU 15a is a central processing unit and transmits control signals individually to the motor drivers 22a and 51a and the control unit 17a based on the program data stored in advance in the storage unit 18, and the electric blower 22, the traveling motor 51, and the louver. 17 is driven and controlled, and a series of cleaning operation and ion emission operation are performed.
Further, the CPU 15a accepts a condition setting related to the operation of the cleaning robot 1 by the user from an operation panel (not shown) and stores it in the storage unit 18. The storage unit 18 can store a travel map 18 a around the installation location of the cleaning robot 1. The travel map 18a is information related to travel such as the travel route and travel speed of the cleaning robot 1, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 18 by the user or automatically recorded during the cleaning operation by the cleaning robot 1 itself. Can do.

  The odor sensor 52 detects odor around the outside of the housing 2. As the odor sensor 52, for example, a semiconductor type or catalytic combustion type odor sensor can be used. In order to detect the odor around the outside of the cleaning robot 1, for example, the odor sensor 52 is arranged in a state of being exposed to the outside from the side plate 2c or the top plate 2b of the housing 2. The CPU 15a is connected to the odor sensor 52 via the control unit 52a, and obtains odor information around the outside of the housing 2 based on an output signal from the odor sensor 52.

  The humidity sensor 53 detects the humidity around the outside of the housing 2. As the humidity sensor 53, for example, a capacitance type or electric resistance type humidity sensor using a polymer moisture sensitive material can be used. In order to detect the relative humidity around the outside of the cleaning robot 1, for example, the humidity sensor 53 is arranged in a state of being exposed to the outside from the side plate 2c or the top plate 2b of the housing 2. The CPU 15a is connected to the humidity sensor 53 via the control unit 53a, and obtains humidity information around the outside of the housing 2 based on an output signal from the humidity sensor 53.

  In the travel map 18a, a location where an odor above a predetermined threshold at a location where the cleaning robot 1 is installed and a location where the humidity is higher than the predetermined threshold may be stored in advance as specific locations. In this way, the CPU 15a can determine that this specific location is a location determined based on the surrounding environment of the housing 2. That is, like the odor sensor 52 and the humidity sensor 53, the travel map 18a serves as an environment detection device that detects the surrounding environment of the housing 2.

  As the human sensor 54, for example, a human sensor that detects the presence of a person using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, visible light, or the like can be used. In order to detect the presence of a person around the outside of the cleaning robot 1, for example, the human sensor 54 is disposed in a state of being exposed to the outside from the side plate 2c or the top plate 2b of the housing 2. The CPU 15a is connected to the human sensor 54 through the control unit 54a, and obtains presence information of people around the outside of the housing 2 based on an output signal from the human sensor 54.

  The contact sensor 55 is disposed, for example, at the front portion of the side plate 2c of the housing 2 in order to detect that the cleaning robot 1 has come into contact with an obstacle during traveling. The CPU 15a is connected to the contact sensor 55 via the control unit 55a, and obtains presence information of obstacles around the outside of the housing 2 based on an output signal from the contact sensor 55.

In the cleaning robot 1 configured as described above, the electric blower 22, the ion generator 25, the drive wheel 29, the rotating brush 9, and the side brush 10 are driven by a cleaning operation command. As a result, in a state where the rotary brush 9, the side brush 10, the drive wheel 29 and the rear wheel 26 are in contact with the floor surface F, the casing 2 self-propells within a predetermined range and removes dust on the floor surface F from the suction port 6. Inhale air containing. At this time, the dust on the floor surface F is scraped up by the rotation of the rotating brush 9 and guided to the suction port 6. Further, the dust on the side of the suction port 6 is guided to the suction port 6 by the rotation of the side brush 10.

  Air containing dust sucked into the housing 2 from the suction port 6 passes through the suction passage 11 of the housing 2 and the inflow passage 34 of the dust collection box 30 as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. It flows into the dust collecting container 31. The airflow that has flowed into the dust collecting container 31 passes through the filter portion 33, flows into the space 50 between the filter portion 33 and the cover portion 32, and is discharged to the exhaust passage 12 of the housing 2 through the discharge passage 35. Is done. At this time, the dust contained in the airflow in the dust collecting container 31 is captured by the filter unit 33, so that the dust accumulates in the dust collecting container 31.

The airflow flowing into the exhaust passage 12 of the housing 2 from the dust collection box 30 flows into the front storage chamber R1 as shown by the arrow A2 in FIG. 2, and flows through the first exhaust passage 24a and the second exhaust passage 24b. (See FIG. 9). As will be described later, ions released from the ion generator 25 are included in the airflow flowing through the second exhaust path 24b. Then, as shown by an arrow A3 in FIG. 2, an airflow containing ions is exhausted obliquely upward at the rear from the exhaust port 7 provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. Thereby, cleaning on the floor surface F is performed, and indoor sterilization and deodorization are performed by ions contained in the exhaust of the cleaning robot 1. At this time, exhaust is performed obliquely upward from the exhaust port 7 to the rear, so that the dust on the floor surface F is prevented from being rolled up, and the cleanliness of the room can be improved. The ions emitted from the ion generator 25 may be either negative ions or positive ions, or both. When both negative ions and positive ions are released, there is a particularly excellent air purification, sterilization or deodorization effect.
Further, as will be described later, a part of the airflow flowing through the second exhaust path 24b may be guided to the recess 8. In this way, since ions are included in the airflow guided from the suction port 6 to the suction path 11, the inside of the dust collection container 31 of the dust collection box 30 and the filter unit 33 can be sterilized and deodorized.

  Further, the cleaning robot 1 turns around the center line C by rotating the left and right drive wheels 29 forward in the same direction, moving forward, moving backward in the same direction, moving backward, and rotating in opposite directions. For example, when the cleaning robot 1 reaches the periphery of the cleaning area and collides with an obstacle on the course, the driving wheel 29 stops and the left and right driving wheels 29 rotate in opposite directions to change their directions. Thereby, the cleaning robot 1 can be self-propelled while avoiding obstacles in the entire installation place or the entire desired range.

In addition, the cleaning robot 1 is grounded at three points of the left and right drive wheels 29 and the rear wheel 26, and the weight is distributed in such a balance that the rear wheel 26 does not lift from the floor F even if it stops suddenly during forward movement. Yes. Therefore, it is prevented that the cleaning robot 1 suddenly stops in front of the descending stairs while moving forward, and thereby the cleaning robot 1 is tilted forward and falls to the descending stairs. The drive wheels 29 are formed by fitting rubber tires having grooves into the wheels so that they do not slip even when suddenly stopped.
Further, since the dust collection box 30 is disposed above the rotation shaft of the drive wheel 29, the weight balance of the cleaning robot 1 is maintained even if the weight increases due to dust collection.

The cleaning robot 1 can execute a unique operation based on information obtained from the odor sensor 52, the humidity sensor 53, the travel map 18a, and the human sensor 54, which are environment detection devices. For example, the cleaning robot 1 can stay for a certain period of time at a specific location determined based on the surrounding environment detected by the environment detection device, and can release an airflow including ions from the exhaust port 7.
The cleaning robot 1 returns to the charging stand 40 when cleaning is completed. Thereby, the charging terminal 4 contacts the terminal part 41 and the battery 14 is charged.

Moreover, the cleaning robot 1 can drive the electric blower 22 and the ion generator 25 in a state of returning to the charging stand 40. As a result, an airflow containing ions is released obliquely upward from the exhaust port 7, and the airflow containing ions rises along the side wall S and circulates along the indoor ceiling wall and the opposite side wall. As a result, ions spread throughout the room, and the sterilization effect and deodorization effect can be improved. Thus, the cleaning robot 1 can also perform the ion emission operation alone.

  An operation unit is provided on the upper surface of the cleaning robot 1, and a cleaning operation and an ion emission operation can be executed by the operation unit. In addition, a receiving unit may be provided in the housing 2 and a transmitter that transmits a command signal to the receiving unit may be provided so that the remote controller can be operated. In addition, a command signal may be transmitted to the cleaning robot 1 from a mobile phone called a smartphone via an Internet line and a router provided in the room so that it can be remotely operated.

<Cooling structure of the drive motor of the rotating brush>
Inside the housing 2, the intermediate storage chamber R <b> 2 in which the dust collection box 30 is stored is an isolation chamber in which the circumferential surface and the bottom surface of the four sides are covered by the partition wall 39, and each wall surface except the front wall is closed. Yes. A suction path 11 that communicates with the recess 8 and an exhaust path 12 that is disposed above the recess 8 and communicates with a motor unit 20 described later are provided on the front wall of the intermediate storage chamber R2.

  8 is a perspective view showing a motor unit to which an exhaust duct is attached in the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 11 is a front view showing the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a right side view showing the motor unit of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG.

The motor unit 20 that is a blower includes a housing 21 that is a resin molded product, and an electric blower 22 that is housed in the housing 21.
The electric blower 22 includes a turbo fan (not shown) and a motor case 22a that covers the turbo fan. The motor case 22b of the electric blower 22 has an intake port (not shown) on the front surface and exhaust ports (not shown) on the left and right sides of the peripheral surface. In addition, since the front of the motor unit 20 faces the back of the housing 2 in a state where the motor unit 20 is assembled in the housing 2, the front of the motor unit 20 is a rear surface in the assembled state. . Therefore, the “front” in the description of the motor unit 20 using FIGS. 9 to 12 means the “rear surface” of the motor unit 2 in FIGS.

  The housing 21 has an opening 23 facing the air inlet of the motor case 22b at the front center position thereof, and a first exhaust path 24a and a second exhaust path 24b communicating with the exhaust ports of the motor case 22b on the left and right sides, respectively. Furthermore, it has the ventilation opening 24c beside the opening part 23 of the front (in this case, the left side). The first and second exhaust passages 24 a and 24 b communicate with an exhaust port 7 (see FIG. 2) provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. That is, the housing 21 has a wall surface facing the front, rear, left, right, up and down directions in which the direction in which the housing 2 moves forward is forward, the opening 23 is disposed at the center position of the rear surface, and ventilation is provided on the left side of the opening 23 on the rear surface. A port 24c is disposed, and first and second exhaust passages 24a and 24b are disposed on both the left and right sides of the upper surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, an exhaust path duct 12 </ b> A constituting the exhaust path 12 is attached to the opening 23 of the housing 21. In the motor unit 20 to which the exhaust passage duct 12A is attached, the ventilation port 24c is not covered with the exhaust passage duct 12A.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the drive motor M for rotating the rotary brush 9 is disposed beside the exhaust duct 12A (in this case, the left side) so that the shaft rotates around the horizontal axis. ing. As a result, the ventilation opening 24 c of the motor unit 20 faces the drive motor M.

  As described above, the air flow path including the electric blower 22 is arranged in the front storage chamber R <b> 1 in the housing 2. For this reason, the control board 15 and the battery 14 can be concentrated and arranged in the rear storage chamber R3. As a result, wiring and the like can be reduced, and the housing 2 can be downsized. Moreover, since the flow path of the air flow is separated from the control board 15, it is possible to reduce a failure caused by the dust included in the air flow leaking from the flow path being attached to the control board 15.

  An ion generator 28 having a pair of electrodes 28a is disposed in the second exhaust path 24b. A voltage having an AC waveform or an impulse waveform is applied to the electrode 28a, and ions generated by corona discharge of the electrode 28a are discharged to the second exhaust path 24b.

  A return port 25 having an open front is provided at the lower part of the second exhaust path 24b. The return port 25 is covered upward by a protruding portion 25a protruding to the front of the housing 21, and the opening surface is formed into a curved surface along the wall surface of the recess 8 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the return port 25 faces into the recess 8 through a hole (not shown) provided in the wall surface of the recess 8, and a part of the air flow including ions flowing through the second exhaust path 24 b is guided to the intake side. .

  In the cleaning robot 1 having the above configuration, when a cleaning operation is instructed, the electric blower 22, the ion generator 28, the drive wheel 29, the rotating brush 9, and the side brush 10 are driven. As a result, the rotating brush 9, the drive wheel 29, and the rear wheel 26 are grounded on the floor surface F in the housing 2 and self-propelled within a predetermined range, and airflow including dust on the floor surface F is sucked from the suction port 6. At this time, the dust on the floor surface F is scraped up by the rotation of the rotating brush 9 and guided into the recess 8. Further, the dust on the side of the suction port 6 is guided to the suction port 6 by the rotation of the side brush 10.

  The airflow sucked from the suction port 6 flows into the dust collection box 30 through the rear suction path 11 as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. The airflow flowing into the dust collection box 30 is collected by the filter 33 and then flows out of the dust collection box 30. Thereby, dust is collected and accumulated in the dust collecting container 31. The airflow flowing out of the dust collection box 30 flows into the electric blower 22 of the motor unit 20 from the opening 23 through the front exhaust path 12 as indicated by an arrow A2 in FIG.

  The airflow that has passed through the electric blower 22 flows through the first exhaust path 24a and the second exhaust path 24b, and the airflow that flows through the second exhaust path 24b contains ions. Then, as indicated by an arrow A3 in FIG. 2, an airflow containing ions is exhausted from the exhaust port 7 on the upper surface of the housing 2 obliquely upward to the rear. As a result, the room is cleaned, and ions contained in the exhaust of the self-propelled casing 2 are distributed into the room to be sterilized and deodorized in the room. At this time, since the air is exhausted upward from the exhaust port 7, it is possible to prevent the dust on the floor surface F from being rolled up and improve the cleanliness of the room.

  A part of the airflow flowing through the second exhaust path 24b is guided to the recess 8 (see FIG. 2) via the return port 25 as indicated by an arrow A4 in FIG. For this reason, ions are included in the airflow guided from the suction port 6 to the suction path 11. Thereby, sterilization and deodorization of the dust collection container 31 and the filter 33 of the dust collection box 30 can be performed.

  Further, a part of the airflow flowing through the first exhaust passage 24a hits the drive motor M immediately after flowing out of the housing 21 from the vent 24c, thereby cooling the drive motor M (see FIGS. 5 and 7). ). The airflow that has cooled the drive motor M passes between the components in the housing 2, and the bottom plate 2 a is used to project the front wheel 27, the pair of drive wheels 29, and the rear wheel 26 from the housing 2 to the outside. It is discharged to the outside through a through-hole formed in the gap, a gap between the casings 2 and the like.

As described above, since the heat of the drive motor generated when the rotary brush rotates can be removed by using a part of the exhausted airflow as cooling air, it is possible to prevent a failure due to the heat of the drive motor and to improve the durability of the drive motor. The period (lifetime) can be extended. Such a cooling effect of the drive motor is particularly effective when the rotating brush is rotated at a high speed. In addition, since the cooling air prevents heat from being trapped in the housing 2, it can positively affect other motors and electronic components, and a dedicated fan or ventilation for generating the cooling air can be used. Since there is no need to provide a path, an increase in the size and cost of the housing can be avoided.

  In the present embodiment, the ion generating device includes the ventilation port 24c and the driving motor M for the rotating brush 9 on the front left side of the housing 21 of the motor unit 20, and the pair of electrodes 28a on the right side of the front of the motor unit 20. Although the case where 28, the return port 25, and the protrusion part 25a were arrange | positioned was illustrated, these may be arrange | positioned in the left-right reverse position. The ventilation openings 24 c may be provided on both the left and right sides of the opening 23 on the front surface of the housing 21. In this case, one of the ventilation openings can be used for cooling the drive motor M, and airflow can be actively flowed from the other ventilation opening into the casing 2 so that hot air does not accumulate in the casing 2.

  The cleaning robot of the present invention described in FIGS. 1 to 12 (Embodiment 1) and the air outlet 24c (see FIG. 7) is not formed in the housing 21 of the motor unit 20. The cleaning robot (Comparative Example 1) was cleaned in a 1.25m x 1.25m flooring area (room temperature 22 ° C), and the change in the surface temperature of the driving motor of the rotating brush at that time was measured. It was shown in FIG. The rotational speed of the rotating brush at this time was 2000 rpm, and other conditions such as the air volume hitting the drive motor were the same in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. In addition, a change in the surface temperature of the drive motor over time was measured using a data logger temperature recorder.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the cleaning robot of Example 1, the surface temperature of the drive motor could be suppressed to 50 ° C. or less even after the cleaning operation for 85 minutes. On the other hand, in the cleaning robot of Comparative Example 1, the surface temperature of the drive motor reached 50 ° C. 5 minutes after the start of the cleaning operation, and increased to 80 ° C. after 25 minutes. From these results, it was confirmed that the cooling structure for the drive motor of the rotary brush in the present invention is effective.

[Additional Notes]
According to the invention of one aspect of the present invention, a self-propelled housing having a suction port and an exhaust port,
A rotating brush provided rotatably at the suction port;
A drive motor for rotating the rotating brush;
A blower for sucking air on the floor surface together with dust from the suction port into the housing and discharging the air from which dust is removed to the outside from the exhaust port;
The drive motor and the air blowing unit are arranged inside the housing,
A self-propelled cleaner is provided that is configured to cool the drive motor with a portion of the air from which dust has been removed.
In the present invention, the term “self-propelled cleaner” refers to a housing having a suction port on the bottom and a dust collecting portion inside, a drive wheel for running the housing, rotation, stop and rotation direction of the drive wheel, etc. This means a vacuum cleaner that includes a control unit for controlling the operation and performs a cleaning operation independently from the user's hand, and an example is shown by an embodiment using the drawings described later.

The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention may be configured as follows.
(1) The air blower includes a housing and an electric blower housed in the housing.
The housing has an opening for sucking air from which dust has been removed, an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust port of the housing, and a ventilation port provided in the middle of the exhaust passage and opening in the housing.
The drive motor of the rotating brush is arranged in the vicinity of the housing facing the ventilation opening,
A part of the air from which dust has been removed may flow out from the ventilation port toward the drive motor.

(2) The housing has a wall surface facing the front, rear, left, right, up and down directions with the direction in which the housing advances forward, and an opening is disposed at the center position of the rear surface, and at least of the left side and the right side of the opening portion on the rear surface A ventilation opening may be arranged on one side.

(3) The housing may have a first exhaust path and a second exhaust path communicating with the exhaust port of the housing on the left and right sides of the upper surface.

(4) An ion generator may be arranged in one of the first exhaust path and the second exhaust path.

  According to the self-propelled cleaner (cleaning robot) of the present invention, the drive motor of the rotating brush is cooled by a part of the air from which dust is removed, so that the drive motor is prevented from being damaged by heat. In addition, the durability period (life) of the drive motor can be extended.

  Further, according to the configuration (1), by providing a ventilation opening that opens in the housing in the middle of the exhaust path inside the housing of the blower unit, the exhaust path is used as a cooling air path to the drive motor. Part of the air from which dust has been removed can flow out, so there is no need to provide a new cooling air passage in the housing. As a result, the structure of the air blower is not complicated and the cost is not increased, and the casing is not enlarged.

  Moreover, according to the said structure (2), since a ventilation port is arrange | positioned in the position near at least one of the left side of the housing of a ventilation part, and a right side, it becomes convenient. That is, in order to rotate the rotating brush, the driving motor is preferably disposed in the vicinity of one of the left and right ends of the rotating brush, so the driving motor is disposed on the left and right sides in the housing, According to the configuration (2), the ventilation port is arranged in the vicinity of the position of the drive motor, which is convenient.

  Moreover, according to the said structure (3), a long exhaust port can be formed from the left side of a housing | casing to the right side so that it may connect with the 1st exhaust path and 2nd exhaust path of the housing of a ventilation part, The air from which the dust has been removed from the exhaust port that is long in the left-right direction can be discharged to the outside, so that the exhaust resistance can be reduced, and as a result, the suction force for sucking dust from the suction port by the blower is increased. be able to.

  Moreover, according to the said structure (4), the air containing an ion can be discharge | released outside via an exhaust port from one side which is not connected with a ventilation port among a 1st exhaust path and a 2nd exhaust path. That is, the air containing ions can be effectively used for deodorization and sterilization in the room without wastefully releasing the air into the housing.

1 Self-propelled vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot)
2 Housing 6 Suction port 7 Exhaust port 9 Rotating brush 20 Blower (motor unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Housing 22 Electric blower 22b Motor case 23 Opening part 24a 1st exhaust path 24b 2nd exhaust path 24c Ventilation hole 28 Ion generator F Floor surface M Drive motor

Claims (3)

A self-propelled housing having a suction port and an exhaust port;
A rotating brush provided in the suction port;
A pair of drive wheels provided in the middle of the casing in the front-rear direction for the casing to self-propel on the floor;
A side brush provided at the bottom of the housing;
A drive motor built in the housing and configured to rotate the rotating brush and the side brush via a power transmission mechanism;
An air blower for sucking the air on the floor surface together with dust from the suction port into the housing, and discharging the air from which the dust has been removed from the exhaust port;
The blower unit has a housing and an electric blower housed in the housing,
The housing has a ventilation opening that opens into the housing and allows the airflow generated by the electric blower to flow out.
A part of the airflow that has flowed out is exhausted from the upper surface of the casing, and a part of the airflow hits a member disposed in the vicinity of the ventilation opening, and after cooling the drive motor, A self-propelled cleaner that is discharged from the through hole to the outside of the housing.   The said drive motor is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of one of the right-and-left both ends of the said rotating brush, The said ventilation port is provided in the side by which the said drive motor is arrange | positioned in the said housing. Traveling vacuum cleaner.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the side brush is provided on both the left and right sides of the front bottom of the housing.