JP6685751B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention provide an electric vehicle that includes a drive wheel that forms a gap between the lower surface of the main body case and the surface to be cleaned by contact with the surface to be cleaned and that allows the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned. Regarding the vacuum cleaner.

  Conventionally, for example, an obstacle sensor such as a camera, an infrared sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor is used to grasp the surroundings, and autonomously travels on the floor surface to be cleaned while collecting dust or dirt on the floor surface. There is known a so-called autonomous traveling type electric vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot) that cleans a room.

  If such a vacuum cleaner does not detect obstacles such as power cords, accessories, accessories, toys, books, etc. on the floor surface, it will try to get over the obstacles and get stuck or stuck. There is a possibility that obstacles may be caught in the drive wheels, rotating brushes, or side brushes located in the lower part of the case, resulting in entanglement, which makes traveling impossible and subsequent cleaning impossible. Therefore, it is possible to detect obstacles on these floors and avoid them when they reach a certain distance so that the detected obstacles do not get entangled in the drive wheel, rotating brush, side brush, etc. Control. However, by running so as to avoid the obstacle when it is detected, the above problem can be avoided, but the place where the obstacle is present and the floor surface around it cannot be cleaned. Further, for example, even when detecting a contact with an obstacle by a sensor and avoiding this obstacle, a detection unit such as a bumper that comes into contact with the obstacle and a portion that actually collects dust or polishes the floor surface Since and are separated from each other, the position where the obstacle is present and the vicinity thereof cannot be substantially cleaned. Therefore, in order to clean such a place, it is necessary for the owner to support the cleaning effect by the electric vacuum cleaner, such as that the owner must remove the obstacle from the floor surface in advance and put it away. Burdens the person.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-19126

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner which can reduce the trouble of the owner, can enlarge the area where it can be cleaned, and can improve the usability.

The vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment includes a main body case, a drive unit, a cleaning unit, a movable member, a control unit, an obstacle detection unit, and a movement detection unit . The drive unit allows the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning unit cleans the surface to be cleaned. The movable member moves back and forth toward the surface to be cleaned with respect to the lower portion of the main body case. The control unit controls the drive of the drive unit to cause the main body case to travel autonomously and to control the movement of the movable member. The obstacle detecting means detects an obstacle. The movement detecting means detects movement of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means. The control means is provided with a push traveling mode in which the movable member is moved toward the surface to be cleaned with respect to the lower portion of the main body case and the main body case is caused to travel with the movable member as the traveling direction side . The control means enters the push traveling mode when the obstacle detecting means detects an obstacle. The control means enters a traveling mode other than the push traveling mode when the movement detecting means detects that the obstacle is moving .

(a) is a side view schematically showing a state of the electric vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment in a normal traveling mode, and (b) is a side view schematically showing a state of the electric vacuum cleaner in a pushing traveling mode. Is. It is a top view which shows an electric vacuum cleaner from the same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows an electric vacuum cleaner same as the above. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing an example of an obstacle that is pushed and moved by the electric vacuum cleaner and an obstacle that is not pushed and moved by the electric vacuum cleaner. (a) is an explanatory view schematically showing an example of an obstacle that is not pushed and moved by the electric vacuum cleaner, and (b) is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows another example of an obstacle that is not pushed and moved by the electric vacuum cleaner. is there. (a) thru | or (e) is an explanatory top view which shows the cleaning operation of an electric vacuum cleaner same as the above in order of (a) to (e). It is a top view which shows the vacuum cleaner of 2nd Embodiment from a lower part. It is a block diagram which shows an electric vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a top view which shows the vacuum cleaner of 3rd Embodiment from a lower part. It is a block diagram which shows an electric vacuum cleaner same as the above. (a) is a side view schematically showing a state of the vacuum cleaner of the fourth embodiment in a normal traveling mode, and (b) is a side view schematically showing a state of the same vacuum cleaner in a pushing traveling mode. Is. It is a top view which shows an electric vacuum cleaner from the same as the above. (a) is a side view schematically showing a state of the vacuum cleaner of the fifth embodiment in a normal traveling mode, and (b) is a side view schematically showing a state of the same vacuum cleaner in a pushing traveling mode. Is. It is a top view which shows an electric vacuum cleaner from the same as the above.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, 11 is an electric vacuum cleaner, and the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is a charging device (not shown) as a base device that serves as a base unit for charging the electric vacuum cleaner 11 ( It constitutes an electric cleaning device (electric cleaning system) together with a charging stand and the like. In the present embodiment, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is a so-called self-propelled robot cleaner that cleans the floor surface F while autonomously traveling (self-propelling) on the floor surface F that is a surface to be cleaned as a traveling surface. (Cleaning robot).

  Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 includes a hollow main body case 20, a traveling portion 21 for traveling the main body case 20 on a floor surface F, and a cleaning portion 22 for cleaning dust on the floor surface F and the like shown in FIG. A communication unit 23 that communicates with an external device including a charging device, an image capturing unit 25 that captures an image, a sensor unit 26, a traveling unit 21, a cleaning unit 22, a communication unit 23, an image capturing unit 25, and the like. And a secondary battery 28 that supplies power to the traveling unit 21, the cleaning unit 22, the communication unit 23, the imaging unit 25, the sensor unit 26, the control unit 27, and the like. . In addition, hereinafter, the direction along the traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)) is referred to as the front-back direction (arrow FR, RR direction shown in FIG. 2), and intersects with this front-back direction (orthogonal). The left-right direction (two-sided direction) will be described as the width direction.

  The body case 20 shown in FIG. 2 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin into a flat columnar shape (disc shape). Further, the main body case 20 is provided with a suction port 31 which is a dust collecting port. Further, the main body case 20 is provided with a bumper 32 as a movable member.

  The suction port 31 is opened in a lower portion of the body case 20 that faces the floor surface F (FIG. 1A). The suction port 31 is formed, for example, in a longitudinal shape along the width direction.

  The bumper 32 elastically absorbs an impact at the time of contact (collision) with an obstacle or the like, and is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin (rigid body) having rigidity or a synthetic resin having flexibility, and the main body case It is formed so as to be curved in a cylindrical surface shape (semi-arcuate shape) that covers a portion extending from both sides of 20 to the front side, that is, an outer peripheral surface (outer shell) of a substantially front half of the main body case 20. Although not shown, the bumper 32 is attached to the main body case 20 via a link mechanism and is capable of reciprocating along the radial direction of the main body case 20, and the center line between the bumper 32 and the main body case 20 is The bumpers 32 are centered so as to substantially coincide with each other and are constantly urged in the direction in which the bumper 32 is maintained at the normal position. Further, the bumper 32 is radially separated from the outer edge portion extending from both sides of the main body case 20 to the front side through a predetermined gap, and this gap becomes the maximum stroke in which the bumper 32 can reciprocate. ing. Further, the bumper 32 is attached to the main body case 20 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, that is, vertically movable. It should be noted that the vertical movement includes, for example, a configuration in which the vertical movement is caused by rotation. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the bumper 32 has its lower portion substantially flush with the lower portion of the main body case 20 (retracted state) in a state in which it is located at the uppermost position (see FIG. 1 (b)). As shown in, the stroke and position in the vertical direction are set so that the lower portion of the main body case 20 projects downward with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20 (extended state) in the state of being moved to the maximum. Therefore, the bumper 32 is configured to move back and forth with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20 toward the floor surface F side by the vertical movement. Here, the bumper 32 can be moved downward to a position where the bumper 32 has a predetermined height with respect to the floor surface F. If this height (the distance between the floor surface F and the lower end of the bumper 32) is too large, the obstacle O cannot be pushed, and if it is too small, the dust on the floor surface F is also pushed. It is preferable to be able to move downward to a position where the lower end is about 5 mm above the floor surface F, for example. The bumper 32 is configured to be moved up and down by an actuator 33 (FIG. 3) serving as an up-and-down driving unit (up-and-down driving unit). A contact member that comes into contact with the floor surface F may be provided at the lower end of the bumper 32. As this contact member, one having a contact resistance with the floor surface F smaller than that of the bumper 32 is suitable. For example, a brushed cloth or brush bristles may be used, or a roller rotating along the floor surface F may be used. Alternatively, a comb-shaped member may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the traveling unit 21 includes drive wheels 34, 34 as a plurality (a pair) of drive units, motors 35, 35 as drive means as an operating unit for driving the drive wheels 34, 34, and A turning wheel 36 for turning is provided.

  Each drive wheel 34 is for traveling (autonomous traveling) on the floor surface F (Fig. 1 (a)) of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20), that is, for traveling, and is shown along the left-right width direction. It has a non-rotating shaft and is symmetrically arranged in the width direction. These drive wheels 34 are located at both sides of the suction port 31 at the bottom of the main body case 20. The drive wheels 34 are urged downward by a suspension means (suspension) not shown. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the drive wheels 34 contact the floor surface F while the vacuum cleaner 11 is placed on the floor surface F and resist the urging of the suspension means to prevent the main body case. The upper side enters the inside of the main body 20, and only the lower side projects downward from the lower part of the main body case 20, and the main body case 20 is supported so that the lower part of the main body case 20 is located at a position spaced apart from the floor surface F upward. As a result, a predetermined gap G is formed between the lower portion of the main body case 20 and the floor surface F. The gap G is set in advance so as to allow the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) to travel over relatively small undulations and irregularities on the floor F, such as steps on a sill or steps on a mat. . Instead of these drive wheels 34, an endless track or the like as a drive unit can be used.

  Returning to FIG. 2, each motor 35 is arranged corresponding to, for example, each drive wheel 34, and each drive wheel 34 can be driven independently.

  The slewing wheel 36 is a driven wheel that is located in the lower portion of the main body case 20 in a substantially central portion in the width direction and at the front portion, and is capable of slewing along the floor surface F (FIG. 1A). As shown in FIG. 1A, the slewing wheel 36 forms a predetermined gap G between the lower portion of the main body case 20 and the floor surface F by contact with the floor surface F together with the drive wheel 34. It is configured.

  The cleaning unit 22 shown in FIG. 2 is, for example, located inside the main body case 20 and is rotatably attached to the electric blower 41 and the suction port 31 for sucking dust together with air from the suction port 31 and exhausting it from the discharge port to scrape up dust. A rotary brush 42 as a rotary cleaning body, a brush motor 43 (FIG. 3) for rotationally driving the rotary brush 42, and a dust collecting portion 46 that communicates with the suction port 31 and collects dust are provided. The electric blower 41, the rotary brush 42, and the brush motor 43 (FIG. 3) may be provided with at least one of them.

  The communication unit 23 shown in FIG. 3 serves as a wireless communication unit (wireless communication unit) and a cleaner signal receiving unit (vacuum cleaner signal receiving unit) for wirelessly communicating with an external device via an (external) network such as the Internet. From a wireless LAN device 47, which is a notification unit of the device, a wireless device (infrared signal) that transmits a wireless signal (infrared signal) to a charging device, and a charging device and a remote controller (not shown). It is provided with a receiving unit (reception unit) (not shown) such as a phototransistor for receiving a wireless signal (infrared signal).

  The image pickup unit 25 includes cameras 51, 51 as (one and the other) image pickup means (image pickup unit main body), and a lamp 53 such as an LED as illumination means (illumination unit) for applying illumination to the cameras 51, 51. Is equipped with.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cameras 51, 51 are arranged on both sides of the front portion of the main body case 20 so as to sandwich the center portion of the bumper 32 in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the cameras 51, 51 are arranged in the bumper 32 at positions that are inclined by a predetermined angle (acute angle) in the left-right direction with respect to the center line of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) in the width direction. Has been done. In addition, these cameras 51, 51 are capable of displaying a digital image at a predetermined horizontal angle of view (for example, 105 °) at a predetermined horizontal angle (for example, every tens of milliseconds) in front of the main body case 20. It is a digital camera that takes an image every hour or every few seconds. Further, these cameras 51, 51 have mutually overlapping fields of view, and the (one and the other) images captured by these cameras 51, 51 have an image capturing area in the width of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20). It wraps in the left-right direction in the area including the front position that extends the center line of the direction. In the present embodiment, these cameras 51, 51 are supposed to capture images in the visible light region, for example. The images captured by the cameras 51, 51 can be compressed into a predetermined data format by an image processing circuit (not shown) or the like.

  The lamp 53 outputs light for illumination when the camera 51, 51 captures an image, and is arranged at an intermediate position between the cameras 51, 51, that is, a position on the center line in the width direction of the bumper 32. That is, the lamps 53 have substantially equal distances from the cameras 51, 51. Further, the lamp 53 is arranged at a position substantially equal to that of the cameras 51, 51 in the vertical direction, that is, at a substantially equal height position. Therefore, the lamp 53 is arranged at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the cameras 51, 51. In this embodiment, the lamp 53 is adapted to illuminate light including a visible light region.

  The sensor unit 26 shown in FIG. 3 includes a contact sensor 55 that detects an obstacle by a repulsive force caused by contact, a temperature sensor 56 that serves as a temperature detection unit (temperature detection unit) that detects the temperature of the obstacle, and the like. . In addition, the sensor unit 26 includes a light for detecting the turning angle and the traveling distance of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)) by detecting the rotation speed of each drive wheel 34 (each motor 35), for example. A rotation speed sensor such as an encoder may be further provided.

  The contact sensor 55 detects the impact generated by this contact, that is, the repulsive force (stress) due to the movement of the bumper 32 shown in FIG. 2 in the retreat direction due to the contact with the obstacle, thereby detecting the repulsive force (stress). The obstacle is detected based on the size. Therefore, the bumper 32 is a contactor of the contact sensor 55.

  The temperature sensor 56 shown in FIG. 3 is, for example, a non-contact infrared temperature sensor, and can detect the temperature of an object located in a predetermined range such as in front of the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)). There is.

  The control means 27 is, for example, a CPU which is a control means main body (control unit main body), a ROM which is a storage portion which stores fixed data such as a program read by the CPU, and a work area which is a work area for data processing by the program. Is a microcomputer including an RAM (not shown) that is an area storage unit that dynamically forms various memory areas such as. The control unit 27 further includes, for example, a memory 61 as a storage unit (storage unit) for storing data of images captured by the cameras 51, 51, and the cameras 51, 51 based on the images captured by the cameras 51, 51. Depth calculation unit 62 as a calculation unit (calculation unit) for calculating the depth of the object, determination as an obstacle determination unit (obstacle determination unit) for determining an obstacle based on the depth calculated by the depth calculation unit 62 A part 63, a height detection part 64 which is a height detecting means for detecting the height of the obstacle determined by the determination part 63, and an aspect ratio for detecting the aspect ratio of the obstacle determined by the determination part 63. An aspect ratio detection unit 65 that is a detection unit, a movement detection unit 66 that is a movement detection unit that detects the movement of the obstacle determined by the determination unit 63, and a mode determination unit 67 that determines the switching of a traveling mode described later. And so on. Further, the control means 27 controls the operation of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) of the traveling unit 21, the traveling control unit 71, the electric blower 41 of the cleaning unit 22, and the cleaning control of the brush motor 43. A control unit 72, a movable control unit 73 that controls the vertical movement of the bumper 32 by controlling the operation of the actuator 33, an imaging control unit 74 that controls the cameras 51 of the imaging unit 25, and a lamp 53 of the imaging unit 25. The lighting control unit 75 for controlling the Then, the control means 27 drives, for example, the drive wheels 34, 34 (motors 35, 35) to drive the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)) autonomously, and a charging device. It has a charging mode for charging the secondary battery 28 and a standby mode in standby for operation. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the traveling mode of the control means 27 includes, for example, a straight line when the bumper 32 is retracted from the lower portion of the main body case 20 (a state in which the bumper 32 is moved up to the maximum). Or, in a normal traveling mode in which the vehicle moves forward in a curved shape, etc., the main body case 20 travels so as to avoid obstacles in a state where the bumper 32 is retracted from the lower portion of the main body case 20 (a state in which the bumper 32 is moved up to the maximum). The avoidance driving mode, and the state in which the bumper 32 is advanced to the lower side, which is the floor surface F side with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20 as shown in FIG. 1B (the state in which the bumper 32 is moved downward to the maximum). ), The main body case 20 is caused to travel with the bumper 32 on the traveling direction side (front side), that is, in the present embodiment, at least the push travel mode for moving the main body case 20 forward is set. As for the push traveling mode, it is preferable that the owner can select whether to use the push traveling mode, for example, by using a remote controller or direct input.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the memory 61 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that holds various stored data regardless of whether the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is powered on or off.

  The depth calculation unit 62 uses a known method for calculating the depth of the object imaged by the cameras 51, 51 based on the images taken by the cameras 51, 51 and the distance between the cameras 51, 51. That is, the depth calculation unit 62 applies triangulation to detect a pixel dot indicating the same position in each image captured by the cameras 51 and 51, and calculates the vertical and horizontal angles of this pixel dot. , The depth from the camera 51, 51 at that position is calculated from these angles and the distance between the cameras 51, 51. Therefore, it is preferable that the images captured by the cameras 51 and 51 overlap (wrap) as far as possible.

  The determination unit 63 determines whether the object is an obstacle based on the depth of the object calculated by the depth calculation unit 62. That is, the determination unit 63, from the depth calculated by the depth calculation unit 62, to extract a predetermined range, the depth of the object in this range, a preset distance, or a set distance that is a variably set threshold value. By comparison, an object located at a depth (distance from the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2))) equal to or less than the set distance is determined to be an obstacle. Therefore, the determination unit 63 and the cameras 51, 51 constitute an obstacle sensor 77 as an obstacle detection unit (obstacle detection unit) that is a non-contact sensor that detects an obstacle in a non-contact manner.

  The height detection unit 64 detects the height of the obstacle determined by the determination unit 63 from the floor surface F (FIG. 1A).

  The aspect ratio detection unit 65 is a ratio of the height of the obstacle determined by the determination unit 63 from the floor surface F (FIG. 1A) and the maximum width dimension of the obstacle ((height) / (maximum width) )) Is calculated.

  The movement detection unit 66 detects the movement of the target obstacle by detecting the time change of the position of the obstacle determined by the determination unit 63. That is, the movement detection unit 66 subtracts the movement amount of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)) from the change in the distance to the target obstacle within the predetermined time (predetermined short time). A change in the relative distance of the obstacle to the vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)) is detected.

  The mode determination unit 67 is based on detection of obstacles by the contact sensor 55 and the obstacle sensor 77, detection of temperature by the temperature sensor 56, and detection by the height detection unit 64, the aspect ratio detection unit 65, and the movement detection unit 66. Then, which of the traveling modes is to be set is determined.

  The traveling control unit 71 controls the magnitudes and directions of the currents flowing through the motors 35, 35 in accordance with the traveling mode determined by the mode determination unit 67, thereby rotating the motors 35, 35 forward or backward. , The drive of the motors 35, 35 is controlled, and the drive of the drive wheels 34, 34 is controlled by controlling the drive of these motors 35, 35.

  The cleaning control unit 72 controls the drive of the electric blower 41 and the brush motor 43 (rotating brush 42) by individually controlling the conduction angles of the electric blower 41 and the brush motor 43. A control unit may be separately provided for each of the electric blower 41 and the brush motor 43.

  The movable controller 73 controls the drive of the actuator 33 to control the vertical movement of the bumper 32.

  The imaging control unit 74 includes a control circuit that controls the operation of the shutters of the cameras 51 and 51, and controls the cameras 51 and 51 to capture an image at predetermined time intervals by operating this shutter at predetermined time intervals. To do.

  The illumination control unit 75 controls on / off of the lamp 53 via a switch or the like. This illumination control unit 75, in the present embodiment, is provided with a sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings of the electric vacuum cleaner 11, and turns on the lamp 53 when the brightness detected by this sensor is below a predetermined level, At the time of, the lamp 53 is not turned on.

  Further, the secondary battery 28 is electrically connected to a charging terminal as a connecting portion (not shown) provided in a lower portion or a rear portion of the main body case 20 (FIG. 2), for example, and these charging terminals are electrically connected to the charging device side. It is configured to be electrically and mechanically connected to be charged via the charging device.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  Generally, the electric cleaning device is roughly classified into a cleaning work for cleaning the electric vacuum cleaner 11 and a charging work for charging the secondary battery 28 by the charging device. Since a known method using a charging circuit such as a constant current circuit built in the charging device is used for the charging work, only the cleaning work will be described. In addition, an image pickup operation for picking up an image of a predetermined object by at least one of the cameras 51, 51 may be separately provided in response to a command from an external device or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), when the electric vacuum cleaner 11 is placed on the floor surface F, the drive wheels 34, 34 come into contact with the floor surface F and the drive wheels 34, 34 due to the weight of the electric vacuum cleaner 11. Against the urging force of the suspension means, sinks into the main body case 20 to a position where the slewing wheel 36 contacts the floor surface F, and a predetermined gap G is formed between the lower portion of the main body case 20 and the floor surface F. It is formed. The electric vacuum cleaner 11 performs the control shown in FIG. 3 at a timing such as when a preset cleaning start time is reached or when a cleaning start command signal transmitted from a remote controller or an external device is received. The means 27 is switched from the standby mode to the running mode, and the control means 27 (running control section 71) drives the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34 (FIG. 2)) to disengage from the charging device, and the cleaning area Cleaning is performed while autonomously traveling on the inner floor surface F (Fig. 1 (a)).

  During this autonomous traveling, as a general rule, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 travels in the normal traveling mode, and when the obstacle sensor 77 detects an obstacle ahead in the traveling direction, the contact sensor 55, the temperature sensor 56, Based on the detection of at least one of the height detection unit 64, the aspect ratio detection unit 65, and the movement detection unit 66, it is determined whether the obstacle is a pushable one or a pushable one. . Then, when it is determined that the obstacle is not preferable to push, or when it is determined that the obstacle cannot be pushed, the control means 27 is set to a traveling mode other than the push traveling mode, for example, the avoidance traveling mode. Switch to avoid obstacles. When it is determined that the obstacle can be pushed, or when the obstacle can be pushed, the control means 27 switches to the push traveling mode, as shown in FIG. 1 (b). In this manner, the obstacle O is pushed and moved (pushed away) by the bumper 32 that has moved downward with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, and the position on the floor surface F where the obstacle O was located is cleaned. When this obstacle is pushed and moved, it is moved, for example, by a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time. Then, after avoiding the obstacle or after moving by pushing the obstacle, the control means 27 is switched to the normal traveling mode.

  Specifically, when an obstacle sensor 77 shown in FIG. 3 detects an obstacle ahead in the traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)), the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67) If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or if the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the aspect ratio detection unit 65 is If the dimension of is a predetermined ratio or more with respect to the lateral dimension, or at least one of the case where the movement detecting unit 66 detects that the obstacle is moving, it is preferable to push the obstacle. 1A, the bumper 32 is evacuated to the lower part of the main body case 20, and the motors 35, 35 (shown in FIG. Drive wheels 34 and 34 (Fig. 2) are controlled to avoid obstacles. Run the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20 (FIG. 2)). Then, after avoiding the obstacle, the control means 27 is switched to the normal traveling mode by the determination of the mode determination unit 67.

  On the other hand, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67) detects the aspect ratio when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is lower than the predetermined value, when the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is lower than the predetermined value. In the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the unit 65, when the vertical dimension is less than a predetermined ratio to the horizontal dimension, or when the movement detection unit 66 does not detect that the obstacle is moving. In at least one of the cases, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed, the mode is switched to the push traveling mode, and as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the bumper 32 is attached to the bottom of the main body case 20 on the floor surface. The gap G (FIG. 1 (a)) between the main body case 20 and the floor F is filled by advancing downward to the F side, and the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34 (FIG. 2)) shown in FIG. By controlling the drive of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) in the direction of the bumper 32 shown in FIG. Pressing the harm product O. Further, in the pushing traveling mode, when the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor 55 due to the bumper 32 coming into contact with the obstacle O is less than the predetermined value, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67 (FIG. 3)) , It is determined that the obstacle O can be pushed, the detection of the contact sensor 55 is ignored, and the pushing traveling mode is continued. In the pushing traveling mode, when the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor 55 due to the bumper 32 coming into contact with the obstacle O is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67 (FIG. 3)) , It is determined that the obstacle O cannot be pushed, and the mode is switched to the avoidance traveling mode. When the obstacle O is pushed and moved for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, the control means 27 is switched to the normal traveling mode by the judgment of the mode judgment unit 67 shown in FIG. The upper part is retracted to the lower part (Fig. 1 (a)). The predetermined distance or the predetermined time may be a preset fixed distance or a fixed time, may be random, or may be set based on predetermined table data.

  These operations and determinations will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b), 2 and 3, in the vacuum cleaner 11, the control means 27 normally operates during autonomous traveling. In the traveling mode, first, the cameras 51, 51 driven by the control means 27 (imaging control unit 74) capture an image of the front in the traveling direction. At least one of these captured images can be stored in the memory 61. Next, the depth calculation unit 62 detects the depth of an object or the like based on the distance between the images captured by the cameras 51 and 51 and the cameras 51 and 51, and the determination unit 63 that constitutes the obstacle sensor 77. Compares the depth of this object with a predetermined threshold to determine whether there is an object below the threshold. Then, when it is determined that the depth is not less than or equal to the predetermined set distance, that is, the depth is large, the normal traveling mode is continued as it is, and it is determined that it is not far from the predetermined set distance, in other words, it is less than or equal to the predetermined set distance. In this case, the control unit 27 (mode determination unit 67) determines that the object is an obstacle that obstructs traveling, and the control unit 27 switches to the push traveling mode or the avoidance traveling mode.

  At this time, the control unit 27 (mode determination unit 67) compares the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 with a predetermined threshold value, and an object having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined value is detected by the obstacle sensor 77 (determination unit 63). If it is a detected obstacle, it is determined that it is not preferable to push the obstacle, and the object whose temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value is not the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 (determination unit 63). Alternatively, if the object whose temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is lower than the predetermined value is the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 (determination unit 63), it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed. Specifically, the object whose temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value is, for example, a flame of a candle installed in a stove or a candlestick, a heat source such as an incense stick placed in a censer, or a person or a pet. As they are assumed, if these are detected by the obstacle sensor 77 as obstacles, these are obstacles that it is not desirable to push. Then, if it is determined that the temperature is an obstacle that may be pushed below a predetermined value, the control means 27 is switched to the push traveling mode, and if the temperature is determined to be an obstacle which is not preferable to push above the predetermined value. Then, the control means 27 switches to the avoidance traveling mode.

  Further, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67), the height detection unit 64, by comparing the height of the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 and a predetermined threshold, the height is less than the predetermined height. In this case, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed, and when the height is equal to or higher than the predetermined height, it is determined that the obstacle is not desirable to push. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the obstacles O1, O2, O3 having a height less than the predetermined height H from the floor surface F are assumed to be small articles such as a book, a power cord, or an accessory. Is an obstacle which can be pushed (it can be pushed) even if the gap between the lower part of the main body case 20 and the floor surface F is normal (the gap G (Fig. 1 (a)) cannot be overcome). The obstacles O4 and O5 having a height of H or more are assumed to be, for example, desk lamps, legs or wall surfaces of desks and chairs, and these are obstacles that are not preferable to push (cannot be pushed). Then, if it is determined that the height is less than the predetermined height and the obstacle may be pushed, the control means 27 is switched to the push traveling mode, and the height is equal to or more than the predetermined height. If it is determined that the It switched to the mode.

  Further, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67), the aspect ratio detection unit 65, the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 is compared with a predetermined threshold, the aspect ratio of the horizontal dimension of the vertical dimension. If the ratio to the dimension is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed, and if the ratio is more than the predetermined value, it is determined that the obstacle is not preferable to push. . Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the horizontal (maximum width) dimensions WI1 and WI2 are vertically (height) dimension HI1 and HI2 at a predetermined ratio or more. Obstacles O6 and O7 are, for example, cups, vases, and figurines, which are slender in the vertical direction and have a poor sense of stability, and are assumed to be prone to fall when pushed, so these are obstacles that are not desirable to push. On the other hand, obstacles that have a ratio of the vertical (height) dimension to the horizontal (maximum width) dimension that is less than the predetermined value are assumed not to be vertically long and have a relatively stable feeling, so even if they are pressed, It is a good obstacle. Then, if it is determined that the vertical ratio of the aspect ratio to the horizontal is an obstacle that may be pushed less than the predetermined, the control means 27 is switched to the push traveling mode, the vertical ratio of the aspect ratio to the horizontal is more than the predetermined. When it is determined that the obstacle is not desirable to be pushed, the control means 27 switches to the avoidance traveling mode.

  Further, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67), when the movement detection unit 66 detects movement of the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 with respect to the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) within a predetermined time, It is determined that pushing the obstacle is not preferable, and when the movement is not detected, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed. Specifically, the obstacles whose movement is detected by the movement detecting unit 66 are assumed to be, for example, a person or a pet in the cleaning area, and therefore, these obstacles are not preferable to push. Then, if it is determined that the obstacle does not autonomously move, and that it is an obstacle that may be pushed, the control means 27 switches to the push traveling mode, and if it is determined that the obstacle that autonomously moves and is not desirable to push is The control means 27 switches to the avoidance traveling mode.

  In the push traveling mode, the control means 27 (movable control portion 73) controls the drive of the actuator 33 to move the bumper 32 downward and to the lower side of the main body case 20 which is the floor surface F side. Let Then, the control means 27 (travel control section 71) controls the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) to drive the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) toward the obstacle, and The obstacle is pushed by 32 and moved on the floor surface F. At this time, when the obstacle is pushed and moved for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, the control means 27 (travel control section 71) controls the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) to control the main body case 20 (electrical case 20). The cleaner 11) is stopped, and the cleaner is turned at that position or at a position retracted by a predetermined distance so as to change the traveling direction. When the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor 55 when the bumper 32 comes into contact with the obstacle O in the pushing traveling mode is equal to or more than a predetermined value, for example, when pushing a wall surface or a heavy object, or when a small object is obstructed. Since it is assumed that the object has been pushed all the way to the wall surface, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67 determines that the obstacle cannot be pushed, and switches to the avoidance traveling mode.

  In the avoidance traveling mode, the control means 27 controls the drive of the actuator 33 to move the bumper 32 upward and retract it to the lower portion of the main body case 20 so that the bumper 32 is substantially flush with the lower portion. There are various control methods for this avoidance traveling mode. For example, the control means 27 (traveling control section 71) controls the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) to cause the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body). The case 20) is stopped, and the case 20 is turned so as to change the traveling direction at the position or a position retracted by a predetermined distance.

  Then, after the push traveling mode or the avoidance traveling mode, the control means 27 switches to the normal traveling mode, and the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) continues traveling.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (e), the electric vacuum cleaner 11 pushes the obstacle O for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time in the push traveling mode (see FIG. 6 (a) and 6 (b)), the position is cleaned and switched to the normal traveling mode (FIG. 6 (c)), and while continuing the cleaning, when the obstacle O is detected again from a different angle, the pushing traveling mode is resumed. The obstacle O is pushed for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time (FIGS. 6 (d) and 6 (e)). Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 11 pushes the obstacle O from various angles for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, and moves it without pushing and moving the obstacle O in a certain direction. It is hard to press.

  In this way, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) autonomously travels to every corner on the floor surface F in the cleaning area while pushing or avoiding obstacles and controls the cleaning unit 22 (control means 27 ( The cleaning control unit 72) is operated to clean the dust on the floor surface F. That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 performs the next continuous operation such as continuing the cleaning work even if an obstacle is detected.

  In the cleaning unit 22, the dust on the floor surface F is transferred to the dust collecting unit 46 via the suction port 31 by the electric blower 41 driven by the control means 27 (cleaning control unit 72) or the rotating brush 42 (brush motor 43). And collect.

  Then, when the cleaning of the cleaning area is completed, or during the cleaning work, the capacity of the secondary battery 28 is reduced to a predetermined amount and is insufficient to complete cleaning or imaging (the voltage of the secondary battery 28 is discharged. In a predetermined condition, such as when the voltage is close to the final voltage, the vacuum cleaner 11 controls the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) by the control means 27 (travel control unit 71) so as to return to the charging device. Control movements. After that, when the charging terminal and the charging terminal of the charging device are connected, the cleaning work is ended, and the control means 27 shifts to the standby mode or the charging mode.

  In addition, when the obstacle is pushed and moved in the push traveling mode, for example, when the electric vacuum cleaner 11 returns to the charging device (when cleaning is completed), during the push traveling mode, or from the push traveling mode to another traveling. When the mode is switched to, etc., the fact that the obstacle is pushed and moved is notified by an electronic mail or the like to the external device directly via the wireless LAN device 47 or via an external network such as the Internet. At this time, the owner can be notified of which obstacle has been moved by attaching an image of the obstacle captured by the cameras 51, 51 and stored in the memory 61 to the e-mail. The data that has been transmitted can be efficiently used by erasing the data from the memory 61 or overwriting the data when storing new data.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment described above, the existing movable bumper 32 is provided by using the movable member as the bumper 32 located on the side portion of the main body case 20 to reduce the impact caused by the contact with the obstacle. The structure can be simplified by using and using a common mechanism. In particular, since the bumper 32 is a contactor of the contact sensor 55 that detects an obstacle by the repulsive force caused by the contact with the obstacle, a common stress detection mechanism at the time of collision can be used. Even when the case 20 is extended downward relative to the lower part of the case 20, the contact detection mechanism of the contact sensor 55 by the normal bumper 32 can be used as it is to detect the repulsive force due to the contact with the obstacle on the floor surface F. The contact sensor 55 can also be simplified.

  In the first embodiment described above, a separate movable member that moves up and down by expanding and contracting toward the floor surface F may be provided at the bottom of the bumper 32.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The same components and operations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The second embodiment is provided with the side brush 81 which is the auxiliary cleaning means (auxiliary cleaning part) as the swivel cleaning part in the first embodiment.

  The side brush 81 is rotatably attached to both sides such as the front side of the lower portion of the main body case 20 and scrapes dust, and is driven by the side brush motor 82. The side brush 81 and the side brush motor 82 are provided in the cleaning unit 22.

  The drive of the side brush motor 82 is controlled, for example, by controlling the conduction angle by the cleaning control unit 72 of the control means 27. The controller dedicated to the side brush motor 82 may be separately provided.

  In the cleaning unit 22, the control unit 27 (cleaning control unit 72) drives the electric blower 41, the rotating brush 42 (brush motor 43), or the side brush 81 (side brush motor) driven in the normal traveling mode and the avoidance traveling mode. By 82), the dust on the floor is collected in the dust collecting portion 46 through the suction port 31. Further, the cleaning unit 22 causes the control unit 27 (cleaning control unit 72) to stop the side brush 81 (side brush motor 82) in the push traveling mode. As a result, obstacles such as the power cord are not easily entangled with the side brush 81.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The same components and operations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the side brush 81 in the second embodiment is located on the rear side in the traveling direction with respect to the bumper 32 together with the side brush motor 82 in the push traveling mode.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, in the normal traveling mode and the avoidance traveling mode, the side brush 81 is arranged at a position where the dust on the front side of the bumper 32 is collected, and the side traveling brush 81 is in the pushing traveling mode and becomes the bumper 32. In a state in which the side brush 81 extends downward with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, the side brush 81 moves together with the side brush motor 82 and is positioned rearward of the bumper 32 in the traveling direction. The side brush 81 and the side brush motor 82 are movably provided in the front-rear direction, and are configured to be moved by, for example, an actuator 83 as a side brush moving unit. This actuator 83 can control the movement of the side brush 81 and the side brush motor 82 by being controlled in operation in conjunction with the actuator 33 by the movable control unit 73 of the control means 27, for example. The drive may be controlled by the control unit.

  In the cleaning unit 22, the control unit 27 (cleaning control unit 72) drives the electric blower 41, the rotating brush 42 (brush motor 43), or the side brush 81 (side brush motor) driven in the normal traveling mode and the avoidance traveling mode. By 82), the dust on the floor is collected in the dust collecting portion 46 through the suction port 31. In addition, the cleaning unit 22 controls the drive of the actuator 83 in the push traveling mode by the control unit 27 (movable control unit 73) to move the side brush 81 (side brush motor 82) with respect to the bumper 32, and the traveling direction. Position it on the rear side. As a result, an obstacle such as a power cord is less likely to be entangled with the side brush 81, and the turning of the side brush 81 is not stopped, so that dust collection by the side brush 81 can be continued.

  In addition, in the third embodiment, even if the side brush 81 is arranged on the rear side of the bumper 32 in advance, the same effect can be obtained.

  Further, the side brush 81 (side brush motor 82) may be stopped in the push traveling mode. In this case, an obstacle such as a power cord is less likely to be entangled with the side brush 81.

  Then, according to at least one embodiment described above, when the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor 55 is less than a predetermined value, the detection is ignored to enter the push traveling mode, and when the repulsive force is the predetermined value or more, The avoidance driving mode is set. That is, in the push traveling mode, the bump sensor cannot push the obstacle by switching to the avoiding traveling mode so as to avoid the obstacle each time the repulsive force is detected by the contact sensor 55. If the repulsive force detected by 55 is less than a predetermined value, or if an obstacle can be pushed, it can be pushed and moved according to the push drive mode.For example, if the obstacle is pushed all the way to the wall or electric cleaning is performed. For obstacles such as heavy objects that are difficult to push and move with the driving force of the machine 11 and the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor 55 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the avoidance running mode is switched to avoid the obstacles, and You can avoid moving obstacles that do not move (difficult to move).

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 (a), 11 (b) and 12. The same components and operations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, the bumper 32 of the first embodiment does not move up and down with respect to the body case 20, and the movable member 84 that moves up and down with respect to the body case 20 is provided at the lower portion of the body case 20, that is, the bumper. It is provided at a position different from 32.

  The movable member 84 is configured to move forward and backward with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20 toward the floor surface F by the vertical movement. It should be noted that the vertical movement includes, for example, a configuration in which the vertical movement is caused by rotation. The movable member 84 is located in the lower portion of the main body case 20, for example, in front of the drive wheels 34, 34 and the turning wheel 36, and extends in the longitudinal direction in the width direction. Further, the movable member 84 is configured to be moved up and down by the actuator 33.

  When the obstacle sensor 77 detects an obstacle in the forward direction, which is the traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20), the control unit 27 (mode determination unit 67) causes the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 to be equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, in the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the aspect ratio detection unit 65, the vertical dimension is predetermined with respect to the horizontal dimension. , Or at least one of the cases where the movement detecting unit 66 detects that the obstacle is moving, it is determined that pushing the obstacle is not preferable, and avoidance traveling is performed. Switching to the mode, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the movable member 84 is retracted with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, and the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) is controlled. Vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 2 to avoid obstacles Drive 0). Then, after avoiding the obstacle, the control means 27 is switched to the normal traveling mode by the determination of the mode determination unit 67.

  On the other hand, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67) detects the aspect ratio when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is lower than the predetermined value, when the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is lower than the predetermined value. In the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the unit 65, when the vertical dimension is less than a predetermined ratio to the horizontal dimension, or when the movement detection unit 66 does not detect that the obstacle is moving. In at least one of the cases, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed, the mode is changed to the push traveling mode, and the movable member 84 is placed on the floor of the lower portion of the main body case 20 as shown in FIG. 11 (b). The gap G (FIG. 11 (a)) between the main body case 20 and the floor surface F is filled by advancing downward to the surface F side, and the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) is controlled, The electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is moved forward in the direction of the movable member 84 shown in FIG. Press O.

  As described above, the movable member 84 needs a structural space for forming the movable portion to be lowered, while in the case of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 11, on the front side surface where the bumper 32 is arranged. Since the structures such as the sensor unit 26 (contact sensor 55, temperature sensor 56) for detecting obstacles and contacts in the traveling direction, the cameras 51 and 51, and the lamp 53 are gathered together, the structures are concentrated. , There are cases where the space that constitutes a new mechanism is scarce. Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, by disposing the movable member 84 in the lower portion of the main body case 20 which is a position different from the bumper 32 located on the front side portion of the main body case 20, the movable member 84 is disposed in the forward direction. Since it is possible to avoid the various structures described above, the movable member 84 can be arranged at a position where there is a comparatively large space in the construction space, and the construction becomes easy.

  Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (a), 13 (b) and 14. The same components and operations as those of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  In the fifth embodiment, the bumper 32 of the first embodiment does not move up and down with respect to the body case 20, and the movable member 84 that moves up and down with respect to the body case 20 is provided at the rear portion of the body case 20, that is, the bumper. It is provided separately in a position different from 32.

  The movable member 84 is located in the lower portion of the main body case 20, for example, behind the drive wheels 34, 34, and extends longitudinally in the width direction. Further, the movable member 84 is configured to be moved up and down by the actuator 33, for example.

  When the obstacle sensor 77 detects an obstacle in the forward direction, which is the traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20), the control unit 27 (mode determination unit 67) causes the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 to be equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, in the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the aspect ratio detection unit 65, the vertical dimension is predetermined with respect to the horizontal dimension. , Or at least one of the cases where the movement detecting unit 66 detects that the obstacle is moving, it is determined that pushing the obstacle is not preferable, and avoidance traveling is performed. Switching to the mode, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the movable member 84 is retracted with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, and the drive of the motors 35, 35 (drive wheels 34, 34) is controlled. Vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 2 to avoid obstacles Drive 0). Then, after avoiding the obstacle, the control means 27 is switched to the normal traveling mode by the determination of the mode determination unit 67.

  On the other hand, the control means 27 (mode determination unit 67) detects the aspect ratio when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is lower than the predetermined value, when the height of the obstacle detected by the height detection unit 64 is lower than the predetermined value. In the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the unit 65, when the vertical dimension is less than a predetermined ratio to the horizontal dimension, or when the movement detection unit 66 does not detect that the obstacle is moving. In at least one of the cases, it is determined that the obstacle may be pushed, the mode is switched to the push traveling mode, and as shown in FIG. The gap G (FIG. 13 (a)) between the main body case 20 and the floor surface F is filled by advancing downward to the surface F side, and the drive of the motors 35, 35 (driving wheels 34, 34) is controlled to generate electricity. The vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is turned 180 ° to change its direction, and the movable part shown in FIG. The electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20) is run in the direction of the material 84, and the obstacle O is pushed.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, by disposing the movable member 84 at the rear portion of the main body case 20 which is a position different from the bumper 32 located at the front side portion of the main body case 20, the movable member 84 is moved forward in the traveling direction. Since the various structures arranged can be avoided, the movable member 84 can be arranged at a position where there is a comparatively large space in the construction space, and the construction becomes easy. In particular, since the rear part of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 11 has more room in the configuration space than the front part, by arranging the movable member 84 at the rear part of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 (main body case 20), The arrangement space for the movable member 84, the actuator 33 and the like can be made larger.

  In the fifth embodiment, the movable member 84 covers a portion extending from both sides of the body case 20 to the rear side, that is, an outer peripheral surface (outer shell) of approximately the latter half of the body case 20, similar to the bumper 32, for example. It may be formed by curving into a cylindrical surface shape (semi-arcuate shape).

  Further, the side brush 81 of the second and third embodiments may be applied to the fourth and fifth embodiments, respectively. That is, the side brush 81 may be configured to be stopped in the push traveling mode, or the side brush 81 may be moved to the rear side in the traveling direction of the movable member 84, or the side brush 81 may be moved relative to the movable member 84 in the traveling direction in the pushing traveling mode. It may be arranged in advance on the side.

  In each of the above embodiments, the depth calculation unit 62, the determination unit 63, the height detection unit 64, the aspect ratio detection unit 65, the movement detection unit 66, the cleaning control unit 72, the imaging control unit 74, and the illumination control unit 75 are respectively. Although provided in the control means 27, they may be configured separately from each other, or any two or more of them may be arbitrarily combined.

  Further, the temperature sensor 56, the height detection unit 64, the aspect ratio detection unit 65, and the movement detection unit 66 are not indispensable configurations, respectively, and are configured to include at least one or a plurality of them. It can also be configured.

  Further, although the obstacle sensor (obstacle detecting means) 77 uses the image processing imaged by the cameras 51, 51, it may be a sensor using ultrasonic waves or infrared rays. In this case, for example, by arranging a plurality of obstacle sensors vertically, or arranging a plurality of obstacle sensors horizontally, it is possible to detect the height and the aspect ratio of the obstacle.

  Further, the bumper 32 is the contactor of the contact sensor 55 that detects an obstacle by the repulsive force due to the collision with the obstacle, but other than the repulsive force, the bumper 32 is obstructed by the movement or deformation of the bumper 32 due to the collision with the obstacle. It may be a contact of a contact sensor that detects an object, or may be a mere bumper that absorbs an impact caused by a collision with an obstacle.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, the bumper 32 or the movable member 84 is provided in the main body case 20 so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, and the control means 27 controls the bumper 32 or the movable member 84 to the main body case. By providing a push traveling mode in which the main body case 20 is caused to travel with the bumper 32 or the movable member 84 as the traveling direction side in a state where the lower part of 20 is advanced to the floor surface F side, the bumper 32 or the bumper 32 or The movable member 84 pushes an obstacle to move it, and the floor surface F at that position can be cleaned. Therefore, the owner can clean the electric vacuum cleaner 11 without moving obstacles such as small objects on the floor F without moving the cleaner in advance, so that the owner can move the electric vacuum cleaner 11 to clean the obstacle. The time and effort can be reduced and the area that can be cleaned can be expanded, improving usability. In addition, it is possible to avoid the problem of accidentally sucking small items, and it is also possible to avoid the problem of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 getting stuck due to being entangled in a power cord or the like.

  Further, in the normal traveling mode, since the bumper 32 or the movable member 84 does not project to the floor surface F side with respect to the lower portion of the main body case 20, normal traveling such as overcoming a step on the floor surface F becomes possible.

  Further, when the obstacle is detected by the obstacle sensor 77 which is a non-contact sensor, the control means 27 enters the pushing traveling mode, so that when the obstacle is on the floor F, the pushing means is surely switched to the pushing traveling mode. In other words, it is possible to more reliably suppress the entanglement with the obstacle and the involvement of the obstacle.

  Further, the obstacle sensor 77 detects the obstacle by processing the image captured by the camera 51, and the obstacle can be easily detected by appropriately processing the captured image, and the shape of the obstacle can be detected. Can be detected in detail.

  Further, since the obstacle sensor 77 that detects an obstacle based on the image captured by the camera 51 is used, the movement detecting unit 66 can easily detect the movement of the obstacle, and the movement detecting unit detects the movement of the obstacle. When detected by 66, the control means 27 enters a traveling mode other than the push traveling mode (e.g., avoidance traveling mode), so that, for example, a person or pet (cat, etc.) moving by themselves is determined to be an obstacle and the electric vacuum cleaner is detected. It is possible to avoid the problem that 11 is pushed forward by the bumper 32 or the movable member 84. That is, it is not necessary to perform the pushing operation by the vacuum cleaner 11 on a moving object such as a person or pet, or other self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and it may cause discomfort when pushing the person or pet. However, it is effective not to push things that move by themselves.

  Further, when the control means 27 detects by the aspect ratio detection unit 65 that the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a traveling mode other than the push traveling mode (e.g. avoidance traveling mode) and As a result, a cup, a vase, or a figurine placed on the floor surface F, such as a cup that tends to fall long in the height direction, may be pushed down by not performing the pushing operation. It can be avoided.

  Further, when pushing and moving an obstacle having a high height, it is assumed that there is a problem such as tilting or shaking and dropping an object placed on the obstacle. Therefore, when the control means 27 is in the push traveling mode when the height detection unit 64 detects that the height of the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 77 is less than the predetermined value, the obstacle less than the predetermined height is detected. The bumper 32 or the movable member 84 only pushes against an object to move forward, such as a pole of a desk lamp or a leg of a desk, which can be pushed down to knock down or rock an object on the desk and drop it. In addition to avoiding, it is possible to avoid the operation of pushing the wall unnecessarily.

  Further, for example, it is not preferable to push a heat source such as a stove, so the control means 27 enters a traveling mode other than the pushing traveling mode when an object whose temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value is an obstacle. As a result, it is possible to avoid the problem of pushing an obstacle that is a heat source, and also to avoid the action of pushing an object having a body temperature such as a person or a pet.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric vacuum cleaner 11 from moving forward by pushing an object that easily falls, a high temperature object, an object that does not need to be pressed, or an object that cannot be pressed, and reliability can be ensured.

  In addition, when pushing an obstacle, it may be pushed all the way to the wall surface, but after cleaning, all obstacles are pushed near the wall surface, and depending on the order of cleaning, it is uncleaned. When an obstacle is pushed and moved to the wall surface portion of, the portion may not be cleaned unless the obstacle is pushed further along the wall surface. Further, the obstacle may be pushed for a long distance, and the obstacle may be dragged on the floor surface F to cause a problem, or the obstacle may be pushed and moved to a narrow place such as under the bed. In the case of the electric vacuum cleaner 11 described above, it is only necessary to be able to move the obstacle in order to clean the floor surface at the position where the obstacle is present, so it is not necessary to move the obstacle over a long distance. Therefore, the control means 27 achieves the purpose of cleaning the floor surface F at the position where the obstacle exists by switching to the avoidance traveling mode after pushing the obstacle for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time in the push traveling mode. At the same time, it is possible to suppress a particular problem caused by excessive movement of the obstacle. Furthermore, since the range of movement from the place where the obstacle was originally located can be kept to a minimum, the location of the obstacle will change significantly after cleaning and the owner will be confused and trouble searching for the obstacle will occur. It can be avoided.

  Further, by notifying that the bumper 32 or the movable member 84 has pushed the obstacle in the push traveling mode by e-mail or the like via the wireless LAN device 47, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 pushes the obstacle to move forward. Since the owner can recognize that the damage has occurred, the owner does not feel suspicious even if the obstacle is moving from the place where it was originally. In addition, by attaching the image captured by the camera 51 to the e-mail for notification, it is possible to recognize which obstacle was pushed where, and even if the obstacle is pushed under the bed, etc. The person can easily recognize the location of the obstacle by referring to the image attached to the e-mail, and can obtain a further sense of security.

  By selecting whether or not to use the push travel mode, the push travel mode is selected when cleaning a cleaning area having an obstacle that is not preferable to push, such as a fragile object on the floor surface F. By not doing so, damage to obstacles can be prevented.

  Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

11 vacuum cleaner
20 Body case
22 Cleaning department
27 Control means
32 Bumper that is a contactor as a movable member
34 Drive wheels as drive unit
47 Wireless LAN device as notification means
51 camera
55 Touch sensor
56 Temperature sensor as temperature detecting means
65 Aspect ratio detector, which is the aspect ratio detector
66 Movement detection unit that is movement detection means
77 Obstacle sensor as an obstacle detection means
81 side brush
84 Movable member F Floor surface to be cleaned O Obstacle

Claims (15)

Main body case,
A drive unit that allows the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned,
A cleaning unit that cleans the surface to be cleaned,
A movable member that moves forward and backward toward the surface to be cleaned with respect to the lower portion of the main body case;
Control means for controlling the drive of the drive unit to autonomously move the main body case, and to control the advance and retreat of the movable member ,
An obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle,
A movement detecting means for detecting movement of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means ,
Wherein said control means comprises a push drive mode for running the main body case of said movable member with the movable member as a traveling direction in a state of being advanced to the cleaning surface side of the lower portion of the main body case, the obstacle When the obstacle is detected by the detecting means, the pushing traveling mode is set, and when the movement detecting means detects that the obstacle is moving, the electric traveling mode other than the pushing traveling mode is set. Vacuum cleaner. Main body case,
A drive unit that allows the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned,
A cleaning unit that cleans the surface to be cleaned,
A movable member that moves forward and backward toward the surface to be cleaned with respect to the lower portion of the main body case;
Control means for controlling the drive of the drive unit to autonomously move the main body case, and to control the advance and retreat of the movable member,
An obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle,
The control means is provided with a push traveling mode in which the movable member is caused to travel with the movable member in the traveling direction side while the movable member is advanced toward the surface to be cleaned with respect to the lower portion of the main body case, When the height of the obstacle detected by the detecting means is less than a predetermined value, the pushing traveling mode is set.
An electric vacuum cleaner characterized by that. The control means enters the push traveling mode when the height of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means is less than a predetermined value.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein: The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the movable member is a bumper that is located on a side portion of the main body case and that absorbs an impact caused by contact with an obstacle. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4 , wherein the bumper is a contactor of a contact sensor that detects an obstacle by a repulsive force generated by contact with the obstacle. Located on the side of the main body case, equipped with a bumper that alleviates the impact caused by contact with obstacles,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the movable member is provided in the main body case at a position different from the bumper. The bumper is a contactor of a contact sensor that detects an obstacle by the repulsive force caused by contact with the obstacle,
The control means has an avoidance drive mode in which the main body case is driven so as to avoid an obstacle with the movable member retracted, and the detection is ignored when the repulsive force detected by the contact sensor is less than a predetermined value. Pushes into the drive mode, and if it exceeds a certain level, the avoidance drive mode is entered.
The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein Obstacle detecting means, the electric vacuum cleaner of any one claim 1 to 7 characterized in that Ru non-contact sensor der. 9. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 8 , wherein the obstacle detecting means includes a camera for picking up an image, and detects the obstacle by processing the image picked up by the camera . Aspect ratio detecting means for detecting the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means,
The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the control means is in a traveling mode other than the push traveling mode when the aspect ratio of the obstacle detected by the aspect ratio detecting means is equal to or larger than a predetermined value. . Equipped with temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the object,
The electric cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the control unit is in a traveling mode other than the pushing traveling mode when an object whose temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit is a predetermined value or more is an obstacle. Machine . The control means has an avoidance traveling mode in which the main body case travels so as to avoid the obstacle with the movable member retracted, and after the obstacle is pushed by the pushing traveling mode for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, the avoidance traveling mode is set. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the vacuum cleaner is switched to. The cleaning unit is rotatably arranged in the lower part of the main body case, and is equipped with a side brush that scrapes dust on the surface to be cleaned by the rotation.
The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control means stops the side brush in the push traveling mode. The cleaning unit is provided at the lower part of the main body case so as to be rotatable, is located on the rear side in the traveling direction with respect to the movable member in the push traveling mode, and has a side brush that scrapes dust on the surface to be cleaned by the rotation. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which is characterized. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising an informing unit for informing that an obstacle is pushed by the movable member in the push traveling mode.

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