JP6503133B2 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner.

  As a self-propelled cleaner, Patent Document 1 discloses a case having a bottom plate on which a suction port is formed, a main brush rotatably provided on the suction port, and left and right sides of the suction port on the bottom plate. There is proposed a self-propelled cleaner comprising a side brush provided in a possible manner, a drive wheel provided on the bottom plate to support and run the casing, and a dust collecting portion provided in the casing. ing.

JP 2013-230199 A

  The self-propelled cleaner is configured to scrape dust on the floor surface on the left and right sides of the case into the suction port by a pair of left and right side brushes rotating, but dust may be missed in some cases. The In particular, dust was likely to be collected at the corners and walls of the room, and dust was often dropped at such places. Furthermore, when the floor surface is a carpet, the drive wheel slightly sinks into the carpet, so the gap between the housing and the carpet becomes narrow, and a relatively large mass of dust (for example, dust) is sucked by the side brush. When scraping in the direction, a part of the dust lump might be caught and dropped off at the front of the case.

  This invention is made in view of such a subject, and it aims at providing a self-propelled cleaner which can reduce a drop of dust and can improve suction performance.

  According to the present invention, a casing having a bottom plate on which a suction port is formed, a frame provided around the suction port, and rectilinear movement in the front and rear direction while supporting the casing on a floor surface A drive wheel provided behind the suction port for turning in a direction, a side brush provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port for rotating along the bottom plate, and the floor surface And a dust collection portion provided in the housing so as to collect dust through the suction port, and the frame is protruded from the bottom plate to the floor surface side and is a front edge of the frame. A self-propelled cleaner comprising a dust guiding portion for guiding dust toward the suction port is provided on a surface facing the floor surface.

  According to the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention, dust can be efficiently passed through the dust guiding portion and guided to the suction port. Under the present circumstances, conventionally, there was a case where a part of a relatively large dust (for example, dust) lump was caught and dropped at the front of the suction port, but in the present invention, such a dust lump is Also, it can be smoothly guided to the suction port along the dust guiding portion. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of dust and to improve the suction performance.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view of the self-propelled cleaner concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a front view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is a side view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is a rear view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is a bottom view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is a plane sectional view of a self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is another plane sectional view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is a sectional side view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is another side sectional view of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing of the dust guidance part in the housing | casing of the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner shown by FIG. (A) is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 2 of this invention, (B) is III-III arrow sectional drawing of (A). (A) is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 3 of this invention, (B) is IV-IV arrow sectional drawing of (A). It is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a partial bottom view which shows the dust guidance part in the self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner of Embodiment 7 of this invention. (A) is a VV sectional view taken on the line VV of FIG. 15, (B) is a view corresponding to FIG. 18 (A) for explaining the sectional shape of the case front in the self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 8. FIG.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail using the drawings. The following description is an exemplification in all respects, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a self-propelled cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a plan view of the self-propelled cleaner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5 is a side view of the self-propelled cleaner, FIG. 5 is a rear view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is another plan sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG.

«Configuration of Self-propelled Vacuum Cleaner»
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the self-propelled cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment is provided with a housing 2 having a bottom plate 2a in which a suction port 31 is formed, and the bottom plate 2a. Drive wheels 22L and 22R for straightly advancing in the front-rear direction and turning in the left-right direction while supporting on the surface, and side brushes 10 provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port 31 to rotate along the bottom plate 2a. And the dust collecting portion 15 provided in the housing 2 to collect dust on the floor through the suction port 31, and the rotation area of the side brush 10 is provided on the lower surface facing the floor of the bottom plate 2a. A dust guiding portion 5 for guiding dust toward the suction port 31 is provided in the inside. In the case of the first embodiment, the housing 2 has a disk shape, but is not limited to this, and the shape viewed in plan may be an ellipse or a polygon such as a quadrangle, a pentagon, or a hexagon.

The housing 2 has a suction port 31 provided at the bottom, a first exhaust port 32, and a second exhaust port 33 provided at the outer peripheral portion.
In the housing 2, a second exhaust air passage 35 is formed between the second exhaust port 33 and the electric blower 115 along the inner surface of the rear half of the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2, and the first exhaust port 32 and the electric motor A first exhaust air passage 34 is formed between the blowers 115.
The second exhaust port 33 is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2 and opens forward, and blows the air flow from the second exhaust air passage 35 forward. Is configured. In addition, although "the front" said here means a direction parallel to the direction which a self-propelled (vacuum) cleaner goes straight on, it may not be strictly parallel, and includes some diagonal directions.

  Explaining in detail, the inside of the housing 2 is covered by the bottom plate 2a constituting the bottom portion, the top plate 2b constituting the top portion, the side plate 2c constituting the outer peripheral portion, the bottom plate 2a, the top plate 2b and the side plate 2c And a structural wall 2d. The internal structure wall 2d is configured by combining a plurality of structural members.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom plate 2a is formed in a circular shape, and is attached to the lower surface of the internal structural wall 2d. The bottom plate 2a has, in the front half thereof, the rectangular suction port 31 and a pair of circular holes 21a ₁ for accommodating a side brush 10, which is formed at a position obliquely to the left and right of the suction port 31, and A pair of left and right drive wheels 22L, which will be described later, formed at the left and right diagonal rear positions of the
, 22R and a pair of openings 2a ₂ are provided. Further, the recesses 2a ₃ for accommodating rotatably a rear wheel 26 is provided on the left and right middle position of the rear half of the bottom plate 2a. In FIG. 4, FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, a state in which the rear wheel 26 is rotated 180 ° forward is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 11, a dust guiding portion 5 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate 2 a in the rotation area of the left and right side brushes 10 in front of the suction port 31. In the case of the first embodiment, each dust guiding portion 5 has an arc shape along the rotation area of each side brush 10, and includes a plurality of concave grooves 5a formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 2a. In addition, a frame 6 is detachably fitted around the suction port 31, and a plurality of recessed grooves 6a that cooperate with the plurality of recessed grooves 5a of the dust guiding portion 5 on the left and right at the front edge of the frame 6 Is arranged. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the dust guiding portion in the case of the self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG.

  In the case of the first embodiment, the dust guiding portions 5 on the left and right (right and left as viewed in the plane of FIG. 6) of the self-propelled cleaner 1 each have four recessed grooves 5a. Further, three and four concave grooves 6a are provided on the left and right sides of the frame 6 (right and left sides as viewed in FIG. 6). The plurality of concave grooves 6a of the frame 6 may be omitted.

  At the time of cleaning, the side brushes 10 rotate in the directions of arrows I and II respectively from the outside to the inside, so the self-propelled cleaner 1 travels on the floor and dust on the left and right sides by the side brushes 10 Scrape inside from the outside. By this operation of each side brush 10, the dust moves along the plurality of concave grooves 5 a of each dust guiding portion 5 and is guided to the suction port 31 and sucked into the dust collection portion 15 inside from the suction port 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 2b of the housing 2 is formed in a circular shape, and is attached to the upper surface of the internal structure wall 2d. Top plate 2b has a plate portion 2b ₁ before constituting the front, and is configured to be divided by the intermediate portion and the lid portion 2b ₂ which constitutes over the rear. At the end of the boundary side of the front plate portion 2b ₁ of the lid portion 2b _2, a pair of hinge portions (not shown) for openably supporting the lid 2b ₂ are provided, each hinge portion to the top plate 2b It is pivotally attached.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the side plate 2c is attached to the internal structural wall 2d in a state of being divided into an arc-shaped front half 2c ₁ and a rear half 2c _{2 respectively,} and the front half 2c ₁ is attached to the inner structural wall 2d via a resilient member (not shown) so as to function as a bumper. The front half portion 2c _1, the collision sensor 14C for detecting a collision of the front half portion 2c ₁ is provided therein. Further, the front half portion 2c _1, with the front and to the left and right obliquely forward of three ultrasonic receiver 14A is arranged, the ultrasonic transmission part 14B are arranged at two places between the ultrasonic receiver 14A of the three It is done. The induction signal receiving unit 24 and the charging connection unit 13 are provided at positions where the front surface of the housing 2 can be viewed from the outside.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a rotary brush 9 rotatably provided at a suction port 31, the side brush 10, a circuit board 11S having a control unit 11, a rechargeable battery 12, the charging connection unit 13, and a fault detection. While being equipped with the part 14, the said dust collection part 15, the gyro sensor 20, the motive power part 21, the said left-right paired drive wheels 22L and 22R, the said induction signal receiving part 24, and the said rear wheel 26 are provided. Furthermore, an input unit 51, a storage unit 61, the electric blower 115, a brush motor 119, and an ion generator 120 are provided.

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 sucks air including dust on the floor (running surface) while self-running on the floor of the installed place, and exhausts the air from which dust is removed, thereby the floor surface is cleaned. clean. The self-propelled cleaner 1 has a function of autonomously avoiding the obstacle detected by the fault detection unit 14 and traveling, and returning to a charging station (not shown) autonomously when cleaning is completed.

A floor surface detection sensor 18 is disposed at the front center position of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 and at the axial center positions of the left and right side brushes 10.
In the self-propelled cleaner 1, the right drive wheel 22R and the left drive wheel 22L rotate forward in the same direction and travel forward, and travel forward in which the central ultrasonic wave receiver 14A is disposed. Further, the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R are reversely rotated in the same direction and retreated, and are rotated by rotating in opposite directions or at different speeds. The case where only one drive wheel stops is included. For example, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 reaches the periphery of the cleaning area by the sensors of the obstacle detection unit 14, the self-propelled cleaner 1 decelerates the left and right drive wheels and then stops the wheels. Thereafter, the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R are rotated in opposite directions to each other, turned by 90 °, advanced by a distance approximately equal to the size of the suction port 31, further turned by 90 ° and advanced in the opposite direction to the original path.

Also, when an obstacle is detected on the route, the self-propelled cleaner 1 decelerates or stops and turns to turn to avoid the obstacle, and when the obstacle is not detected, the original route is extended Make a turn to get closer to and continue traveling. In addition, when each floor surface detection sensor 18 does not detect the floor surface, it temporarily stops to move backward and / or turn so as not to drop from the stairs or the like. In this manner, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 travels while avoiding obstacles over the entire installation site or the entire desired range.
Here, the front means the forward direction of the self-propelled cleaner 1 (upward along the sheet in FIG. 2), and the rear means the backward direction of the self-propelled cleaner 1 (in FIG. 2, the sheet) Down along the line).

  Furthermore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 detects a signal emitted from the induction signal transmission unit 203 of the charging stand 201 by the induction signal receiving unit 24 and recognizes the direction in which the charging stand 201 is present. Then, when cleaning is completed, when the remaining charge amount of the rechargeable battery 12 decreases, or when a predetermined cleaning operation period has elapsed, etc., the vehicle travels autonomously along a route in the direction in which the charging stand 201 is located. Then, it returns to the charging stand 201. However, if there is an obstacle, it moves toward the charging stand 201 while avoiding it.

Hereinafter, each component shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
The control unit 11 in FIG. 1 is a part that controls the operation of each component of the self-propelled cleaner 1, and is mainly realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, an I / O controller, a timer, and the like. The control unit 11 includes the function of a travel control unit 11 a that controls the travel of the self-propelled cleaner 1.

The circuit board 11 </ b> S including the control unit 11 is installed at the front of the internal structure wall 11 d before the dust collection unit 15. Along with this, the front end portion of the front plate portion 2b ₁ of the top plate 2b of the housing 2, the circuit board 1
A plurality of air holes 2b ₁₁ for dissipating the heat of 1S are provided.

  The CPU executes processing based on a control program stored in advance in the storage unit 61 described later and expanded in the RAM, and operates each hardware organically to execute the cleaning function, the traveling function, and the like of the present invention.

The rechargeable battery 12 is a part that supplies power to each functional element of the self-propelled cleaner 1, and is a part that mainly supplies power for performing a cleaning function and travel control. For example, rechargeable batteries, such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, and a Ni-Cd battery, are used.
The charging of the rechargeable battery 12 is performed by bringing the charging connection portion 13 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 into contact with the charging terminal portion 202 of the charging stand 201 while the self-propelled cleaner 1 is docked on the charging stand 201. Do.

The obstacle detection unit 14, in particular the ultrasonic wave reception unit and the transmission units 14A and 14B, is a part that detects that the self-propelled cleaner 1 contacts or approaches an obstacle such as a room wall, desk or chair while traveling. The self-propelled cleaner 1 is used to travel along the wall surface and obstacles while detecting the wall surface and obstacles. The fault detection unit 14 detects the proximity to an obstacle using the ultrasonic wave reception unit and the transmission units 14A and 14B. Instead of the ultrasonic wave receiving unit and the transmitting units 14A and 14B, or together with the ultrasonic wave receiving unit and the transmitting units 14A and 14B, another non-contact sensor such as an infrared distance measuring sensor may be used.
The collision sensor 14C is disposed, for example, inside the side plate 2c of the housing 2 in order to detect that the self-propelled cleaner 1 has come into contact with an obstacle during traveling. The CPU knows that the side plate 2c has collided with an obstacle based on the output signal from the collision sensor 14C.

Each floor surface detection sensor 18 detects a large step such as down stairs.
The CPU recognizes the position where the obstacle or the step exists based on the signal output from the failure detection unit 14. Based on the recognized position information of the obstacle or step, the direction to be traveled next is determined without the obstacle or step. The left and right floor surface detection sensors 18 detect downward stairs when the front floor surface detection sensor 18 fails or fails to detect a step, and the self-propelled cleaner 1 falls to the downward stairs. To prevent.

The gyro sensor 20 provides the traveling control unit 11 a with information on the traveling direction when the self-propelled cleaner 1 travels.
The power unit 21 is a portion that realizes traveling by a drive motor that rotates and stops the left and right drive wheels of the self-propelled cleaner 1. In this embodiment, by configuring the drive motor so that the left and right drive wheels can be independently rotated in both forward and reverse directions, the traveling state of the self-propelled cleaner 1 such as forward, backward, turning and acceleration / deceleration It has been realized.

  The induction signal receiving unit 24 is an infrared sensor for receiving infrared light, and is disposed in the front portion of the housing 2. The induction signal reception unit 24 receives a position indicator signal (beacon) and the like emitted from the induction signal transmission unit 203 of the charging stand 201.

  The suction port 31 and the first and second exhaust ports 32 and 33 are portions that perform intake and exhaust of air for cleaning, respectively. In particular, the second exhaust port 33 is also a place where air dust is blown to the corners by blowing air forward from there, and an air brush is generated to move the dust at the corners to the walls.

The dust collection part 15 is a part that performs a cleaning function to collect indoor dust and dirt and mainly covers the dust collection container 15a, the filter part 15b, the dust collection container 15a and the filter part 15b not shown. And In addition, the dust container 15a, having an inlet 15a ₁ leading to inlet channel communicating with the suction port 31 and an exhaust port 15a ₂ leading to the duct 114 in communication with the electric blower 115.

Inside the housing 2, a rechargeable battery 12 and an electric blower 115 are disposed behind the dust collection unit 15.
The electric blower 115 has an upper opening-like intake hole connected to the duct portion 114 at its upper portion, and has a first exhaust hole 115a and a second exhaust hole 115b at the outer peripheral portion, and its axial center It is arrange | positioned rightward behind the dust collection part 15 in the state which faced the perpendicular direction. The electric blower 115 sucks in air from the suction port 31, guides the air into the dust collection container 15a through the inflow path, and collects the air after dust collection into the duct portion 114, the electric blower 115, the first and second The air flow released from the first and second exhaust ports 32 and 33 to the outside through the exhaust air passages 34 and 35 is generated.

  In the housing 2, the first exhaust hole 115a of the electric blower 115 communicates with the first exhaust port 32 through the first exhaust air passage 34, and the second exhaust hole 115b of the electric blower 115 is the second exhaust air passage It communicates with the second exhaust port 33 through 35.

The second exhaust air passage 35 is an inner surface in the second half of the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2, that is, a second half 2c _{2 of the} side plate 2c.
And a rib provided along the inner surface. The ribs are ribs 2d ₁ and 2d ₂ constituting the internal structure wall 2d of the housing 2, and ribs provided on the lower surface of the top plate 2c. Further, the second exhaust port 33 is formed in a vertically long shape by setting the right end 2c ₂₁ of the rear half 2c ₂ of the side plate 2c as an open end. On the other hand, the left end 2c ₂₂ of the rear half 2c ₂ of the side plate 2c is bent in an L shape, and is overlapped inside the left end of the front half 2c ₁ of the side plate 2c with a gap.

Thus, the second exhaust port 33 is disposed at a rear half portion 2c ₂ in the vicinity of the boundary between the front half portion 2c ₁ of the side plate 2c and the latter half portion 2c _2. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, a recess 2 c ₁₁ is provided at a position facing the second exhaust port 33 at the right end of the front half 2 c ₁ of the side plate 2 c. The second exhaust port 33 by the recess 2c ₁₁ is open forward without being blocked by the right end of the front half portion 2c _1. The recess 2c ₁₁ has a shape which becomes shallower as it goes forward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the first embodiment, since the second exhaust port 33 is disposed at the lower part in the thickness direction of the housing 2, the second exhaust port 33 is close to the floor surface. Thereby, an air flow close to the floor surface can be blown against the floor surface. As a result, it is possible to efficiently blow forward even a small amount of air while suppressing the dust rising upward from above the floor surface.

  On the other hand, the first exhaust port 32 is formed on the rear left side of the rear half 2c2 of the side plate 2c. A space between the first exhaust port 32 and the first exhaust hole 115 a of the electric blower 155 in the housing 2 is a first exhaust air passage 34. Since the ion generator 120 is disposed in the first exhaust air passage 34, the air flow emitted to the outside from the first exhaust port 32 contains the ions generated by the ion generator 120.

At the back of the suction port 31, there is provided a rotating brush 9 that rotates around an axis parallel to the bottom, and at the left and right sides of the suction port 31, a side brush 10 that rotates around a vertical axis of rotation is provided. ing. The rotating brush 9 is formed by implanting a brush or a blade in a spiral shape on the outer peripheral surface of a roller which is a rotating shaft. The side brush 10 is formed by radially providing a brush bundle at the lower end of a cylindrical member 10 x rotatably provided so as to cover the left and right floor surface detection sensors 18. The rotary shaft of the rotary brush 9 and the rotary shaft of the cylindrical member 10x of the pair of side brushes 10 are pivotally attached to a part of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2, and a brush motor 119 and pulleys provided in the vicinity And a power transmission mechanism including a belt and the like. This is an example, and a dedicated drive motor for rotating the side brush 10 may be provided.

  The dust collecting mechanism according to the present invention includes the dust collection unit 15 described above, the rotating brush 9, the side brush 10, the brush motor 119, and the electric blower 115. The dust collecting mechanism takes in dust on a traveling surface such as a floor into the suction port 31 by the rotation of the rotating brush 9, sucks air from the suction port 31 according to it, and is sucked into the dust collection container 15 a of the dust collection unit 15. Take in dust and dirt.

  As shown by arrows A and B in FIGS. 7, 8 and 10, the sucked air passes through the filter 15b disposed in the dust collection container 15a and flows into the duct portion 114. In addition, in FIG. 7, the dust collection part 15 is shown in the state from which the cover 15c and the filter 15b were removed.

  The air flowing into the duct portion 114 flows into the inside from the upper opening of the electric blower 115, and as shown by arrows C and D in FIGS. 2 and 7, the first exhaust hole 115a of the electric blower 115 The air is discharged from the first exhaust port 32 to the outside through the first exhaust air passage 34, and is discharged to the outside from the second exhaust air outlet 33 through the second exhaust air passage 35 from the second exhaust hole 115b of the electric blower 115. Be done. The ratio of the air volume of the air discharged from the first exhaust port 32 to the air volume of the air discharged from the second exhaust port 33 is arbitrary, and is set to approximately 1: 1 in the case of the first embodiment.

The input unit 51 is a portion where the user inputs an instruction of the operation of the self-propelled cleaner 1. The input unit 51 is provided on the surface of the housing 2 of the self-propelled cleaner 1 as an operation panel or an operation button.
Further, a remote control unit is provided separately from the operation panel and the operation buttons provided on the above-described cleaner body, and this remote control unit also corresponds to the input unit 51. When an operation button provided on the remote control unit is pressed, an infrared ray or a radio wave signal is transmitted from the remote control unit, and an operation instruction input is performed by wireless communication.

  The input unit 51 includes a main power switch 52M, a power switch 52S, and a start switch 53. The main power switch 52M is a switch that turns on / off the power supply from the rechargeable battery 12 to the control unit 11 and the like in a circuit manner. The power switch 52S is a switch for turning on / off the power of the self-propelled cleaner 1. The start switch 53 is a switch for starting the cleaning operation. As the input unit 51, other switches (for example, a charge request switch, an operation mode switch, a timer switch) are further provided. When the remote control as the input unit 51 receives an instruction from the user, the control unit 11 responds to the instruction, and controls the power unit 21 to make the vehicle travel in the direction instructed by the user or to stop the traveling.

  The storage unit 61 is a portion for storing information required to realize various functions of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and a control program, and a storage medium such as a flash memory or other nonvolatile semiconductor storage element or a hard disk is used. Be

The storage unit 61 includes, for example, battery information 62 indicating a state such as the remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery 12, a history of a traveling route of the self-propelled cleaner 1, position information 63 indicating a current position and direction, and a self-propelled cleaner Operation mode information 71 indicating an operation mode of 1 is stored. The operation mode information 71 is an operation mode 72.
, Standby mode 73 and sleep mode 74 are stored. The operation mode 72 is data indicating that the cleaning operation is in progress. The standby mode 73 is data indicating that the state of the self-propelled cleaner is a standby mode in which cleaning can be started in response to the activation switch 53. The sleep mode 74 is data indicating that the sleep mode is a power saving state.

  The charging stand 201 includes a charging terminal unit 202 and an induction signal transmitting unit 203. By electrically contacting the charging terminal portion 202 of the charging stand 201 and the charging connection portion 13 of the self-propelled cleaner 1, the self-propelled cleaner 1 receives the supply of power from the charging stand 201, The rechargeable battery 12 of the mobile vacuum cleaner 1 is charged. The induction signal transmission unit 203 includes a signal generation circuit that generates a beacon signal and an LED that emits the generated signal.

  According to this self-propelled cleaner 1, when the traveling mode is traveling by the wall, the self-propelled cleaner 1 continues traveling along the wall surface, and removes dust in each corner of the room with an air brush. At 10, the air is collected to the suction port 31 and collected in the dust collection unit 15. At this time, even if there is a relatively large block of dust at the corner of the room, the dust can be carried to the dust guiding portion 5 by the side brush and can be efficiently guided to the suction port 31 to suppress collection of dust. it can.

Second Embodiment
Fig. 12 (A) is a partial bottom view showing a dust guiding portion in a self-propelled cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 12 (B) is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 12 (A). is there. Figure 12 (
In A) and (B), the same elements as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Moreover, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 12A, the dotted lines indicate the rotation range of the side brush.

  In the case of the second embodiment, the dust guiding portion 105 is configured by the groove 105 b between the plurality of convex streaks 105 a formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 2 a of the housing 2. In the case of the second embodiment, the dust guiding portion 105 is constituted by three grooves 105b between the four convex streaks 105a. Further, also in the frame 106 of the suction port 31, three grooves 105b are formed between the four ridges 106a so as to cooperate with the three grooves 105b of the dust guiding portion 105. In this case, the plurality of recessed grooves 105 b and the plurality of recessed grooves 106 b are connected continuously. Also in this case, dust can be carried to the dust guiding portion 105 by the side brush and efficiently guided to the suction port 31 as in the dust guiding portion 5 of the first embodiment, and dust can be prevented from being dropped.

(Embodiment 3)
13 (A) is a partial bottom view showing a dust guiding portion in a self-propelled cleaner according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 (B) is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 13 (A). is there. Note that FIG.
And (B), the same elements as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Moreover, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 12A, the dotted lines indicate the rotation range of the side brush.
In the case of the third embodiment, the dust guiding portion 205 is configured by a step 205 a formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 2 a of the housing 2. In the case of the third embodiment, the dust guiding portion 205 is constituted by five steps 205a which become lower toward the side brush. Further, the frame 206 of the suction port 31 is also provided with five steps 206 a so as to be connected continuously with the five steps 205 a of the dust guiding portion 205.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 14 is a partial bottom view showing the dust guiding portion in the self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In FIG. 14, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 14, dotted lines indicate the rotation range of the side brush.
In the case of the fourth embodiment, the dust guiding portion 305 is configured by one wide concave groove 305a formed in the rotation direction (the arrow I direction) of the side brush. Further, also in the frame body 306 of the suction port 31, a wide concave groove 306a is formed so as to be continuously connected to the wide concave groove 305a of the dust guiding portion 305.

Embodiment 5
FIG. 15 is a partial bottom view showing the dust guiding portion in the self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 15, the same elements as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 15, the dotted line indicates the rotation range of the side brush.
In the case of the fifth embodiment, the dust guiding portion 405 is constituted by one wide concave groove 405a formed in the straight direction of the housing 2 along a part of the side brush rotation direction (arrow I direction). ing. Further, also in the frame body 406 of the suction port 31, a wide concave groove 406a is formed so as to be continuously connected to the wide concave groove 405a of the dust guiding portion 405.

Embodiment 6
FIG. 16 is a partial bottom view showing a dust guiding portion in a self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 6 of the present invention. In FIG. 16, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 15, the dotted line indicates the rotation range of the side brush.
In the case of the sixth embodiment, the dust guiding portion 505 is a single wide-width dust guiding portion 505 formed along a part of the rotation direction (arrow I direction) of the side brush and in a diagonal direction with respect to the rectilinear direction of the housing 2. It is comprised by the ditch | groove 505a. Further, the frame 506 of the suction port 31 is also formed with a wide concave groove 506a so as to be continuously connected to the wide concave groove 505a of the dust guiding portion 505.

Seventh Embodiment
FIG. 17 is a partial bottom view showing a dust guiding part in a self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 7 of the present invention. In FIG. 17, the same elements as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, although the bristles of the side brush are not shown in FIG. 17, the dotted line indicates the rotation range of the side brush.
In the case of the seventh embodiment, the dust guiding portion 605 is constituted by one wide concave groove 605a in which the concave groove 305a of the fifth embodiment and the concave groove 405a of the sixth embodiment are combined. Further, also in the frame body 606 of the suction port 31, a wide concave groove 606a is formed so as to be continuously connected to the wide concave groove 605a of the dust guiding portion 605.

(Embodiment 8)
18 (A) is a sectional view taken along the arrow VV in FIG. 15, and FIG. 18 (B) is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 18 (A) for explaining the cross-sectional shape of the case front in the self-propelled cleaner of Embodiment 8. It is.
As illustrated in FIG. 18A, in the first to seventh embodiments, the dust guiding portion 405 is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 parallel to the floor surface F. However, as illustrated in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the lower surface of the bottom plate 702a of the housing 702 provided with the concave groove 705a of the dust guiding portion 705 may be inclined toward the floor surface F from the front to the rear.

  In this way, even when the frame 706 is attached to the periphery of the suction port 31 and raised, the step between the dust guiding portion 705 and the frame 706 can be made smoother, so the dust can be sucked. It can be guided to the mouth 31 smoothly. In FIG. 18B, reference numeral 706 a denotes a recessed groove provided in the frame 706.

(Other embodiments)
1. The dust guiding portion may be configured by one wide concave groove formed by combining the arc-shaped concave groove 305 a of the fourth embodiment and the linear concave groove 405 a of the fifth embodiment.
2. One wide groove in the fifth to seventh embodiments may be a plurality of grooves 5a, a groove between a plurality of ridges, or a plurality of steps as in the first to third embodiments.

(Summary)
The self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention comprises a case having a bottom plate having a suction port formed therein, and the straight plate in the front-rear direction and in the left-right direction while being provided on the bottom plate and supporting the case on a floor surface. A drive wheel for turning, a side brush provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port so as to rotate along the bottom plate, and dust within a floor surface collected in the housing through the suction port The dust collecting unit is provided, and a dust guiding unit for guiding dust toward the suction port in the rotation area of the side brush is provided on the lower surface opposite to the floor surface of the bottom plate.

The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention may be configured as follows.
(1) The side brushes may be provided on both the left and right sides of the suction port in the bottom plate, and the dust guiding portion may be provided in front of the suction port and in the rotation area of each side brush.
In this way, dust collected by the left and right side brushes can be efficiently guided to the suction port.

(2) Of the dust guiding portion, a groove formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate, a groove between a plurality of ridges formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate, and a step formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate It may be formed by at least one.
In this way, it is possible to form a streak-like groove or step which guides dust in the rotation area of the side brush toward the suction port as a dust guiding part.

(3) The dust guiding portion is formed in the rotation direction of the side brush, the rectilinear direction of the housing along a portion of the rotation direction, or a portion along the rotation direction and in an oblique direction with respect to the rectilinear direction It may be a recessed groove.
In this way, since the directions of all and part of the dust guiding portion coincide with the rotation direction of the side brush, dust can be guided to the suction port more smoothly.

(4) The lower surface of the bottom plate provided with the dust guiding portion may be inclined downward from the front to the rear.
In this way, since a sharp step is not formed between the dust guiding portion and the suction port, dust can be smoothly guided to the suction port.

  It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[Appendix 1]
The invention according to one aspect of the present invention is a housing having a bottom plate having a suction port formed therein, and the linear movement in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction while being provided on the bottom plate and supporting the housing on a floor surface A drive wheel for turning, a side brush provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port so as to rotate along the bottom plate, and dust within a floor surface collected in the housing through the suction port And a dust collecting unit provided on the bottom surface of the bottom plate facing the floor surface of the bottom plate, a self-propelled vehicle having a dust guiding unit for guiding dust toward the suction port in the rotation area of the side brush A vacuum cleaner is provided.

[Appendix 2]
The invention according to one aspect of the present invention is a housing having a bottom plate on which a suction port is formed, and a driving wheel that allows straight movement in the front and rear direction and turning in the left and right direction while supporting the housing on a floor surface. A side brush provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port so as to rotate along the bottom plate, and a dust collection unit provided in the housing so as to collect dust on a floor through the suction port And the lower surface of the bottom plate opposite to the floor surface is located in the rotation area of the side brush and in front of the suction port, and guides dust collected by the side brush toward the suction port A self-propelled vacuum cleaner is provided, characterized in that a dust guiding unit is provided.

  According to the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the dust scraped and collected by the side brush can be passed through the dust guiding portion and efficiently guided to the suction port. At this time, conventionally, if a relatively large dust (for example, dust) lump is scraped toward the suction opening by the side brush, a part of the dust lump is caught and dropped off at the front of the housing However, in the present invention, even such dust lumps can be smoothly guided to the suction port along the dust guiding portion. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of dust and to improve the suction performance.

2, 702 Case 2a, 702a Bottom plate 5, 105, 205, 305, 405, 505, 605, 705 Dust guiding portion 5a, 305a, 405a, 505a, 605a, 705a Recess 10 Side brush 15 Dust collecting portion 22L, 22R Drive wheel 31 suction port 105a convex strip 105b groove 205a step

Claims (7)

A housing having a bottom plate on which a suction port is formed;
A frame provided around the suction port;
A driving wheel provided at the rear of the suction port to support straight movement in the front-rear direction and turn in the left-right direction while supporting the housing on a floor surface;
A side brush provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the suction port so as to rotate along the bottom plate;
A dust collection unit provided in the housing to collect dust on the floor through the suction port;
Said frame body, causes projected to the floor surface than the portion located on the leading edge in front of the frame body in the bottom plate, the floor surface which faces a front edge of the frame body, the dust A self-propelled cleaner comprising a dust guiding portion for guiding toward the suction port.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the suction port is provided with a rotating brush, and the frame is detachable from the bottom plate.   The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part of said suction opening is located in a rotation field of said side brush, when it sees from a direction perpendicular to said floor. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the side brush is provided diagonally in front of the suction port. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the side brush is provided on both the left and right sides of the suction port. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the side brush is located in front of the drive wheel. A part of said drive wheel is located in the rotation area | region of the said side brush, when it sees in the direction perpendicular | vertical from the said floor surface, The self according to any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Mobile vacuum cleaner.