JP6848798B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

In the conventional vacuum cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, when it is detected that the bumper of the suction tool comes into contact with an obstacle such as a wall when cleaning a corner of a room or the periphery of a wall, the electric blower The suction force is automatically controlled to increase for a predetermined time.

Japanese Patent No. 3345904

The vacuum cleaner of Patent Document 1 detects the edge of the wall by detecting that the rib inside the bumper blocks the light between the light emitting element and the light receiving element when the bumper of the suction tool comes into contact with the wall, and is an electric blower. Although it is controlled to increase the suction force of the suction tool, there is a problem that the wall edge cannot be detected until the bumper of the suction tool actually touches the wall.

Further, in the vacuum cleaner of Patent Document 1, since the driving power of the electric blower is controlled to be increased for a predetermined time after the wall edge detection, the user reciprocates the suction tool back and forth toward the wall near the wall edge. If the bumper of the suction tool comes into contact with the wall during operation and the driving power of the electric blower increases, the electric blower may be separated from the wall depending on the operation timing of the user. The driving power of the vehicle is still increasing, or the specified time elapses while approaching the wall again, and the driving power returns to normal, impressing the user with a poor operability. In the worst case, there is a problem that malfunction or failure is suspected.

The present invention has been made in view of the above matters, and at least one of efficiently cleaning a place where dust is likely to accumulate and mitigating the impact of a moving suction portion colliding with an obstacle such as a wall. The purpose is to provide a vacuum cleaner that enables one side.

The electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has a rotary brush that scoops up dust from the surface to be cleaned and an electric motor that drives the rotary brush, and is taken into a suction portion that is moved on the surface to be cleaned and a suction portion. A distance sensor that detects the distance between an electric blower that generates an air flow that sucks dust, an object that is an obstacle to the moving suction part, or an object above the suction part, and detection detected by the distance sensor. It is equipped with a control unit that controls the driving power of at least one of the electric motor and the electric blower according to the approach distance, which is a distance, and when the rotating brush rotates in the forward direction, a propulsive force in the direction of advancing the suction unit is generated, and the approach distance. When is smaller than the first threshold distance, the control unit increases the driving power of at least one of the electric motor and the electric blower, and when the approach distance is smaller than the second threshold distance smaller than the first threshold distance, The control unit performs either a first process of reducing or zeroing the drive power of the electric motor and a second process of rotating the rotating brush in the reverse direction .

According to the present invention, by providing a control unit that controls the driving power of at least one of the electric motor that drives the rotary brush and the electric blower according to the approaching distance detected by the distance sensor, dust is accumulated near the wall or the like. It is possible to at least one of efficiently cleaning an easy place and mitigating the impact of a moving suction part colliding with an obstacle such as a wall.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment as seen through from the side surface side. It is a top view of the hand operation part in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the suction tool according to the first embodiment as seen through from the side surface side. It is a perspective view of the distance sensor in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the output characteristic of a distance sensor. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation when a suction tool is close to a wall. It is a figure which shows an example of the output waveform when the output voltage of the distance sensor in Embodiment 1 is used for wall edge detection. It is a figure which shows another example of the output waveform when the output voltage of the distance sensor in Embodiment 1 is used for wall edge detection. It is a figure which shows the modification which changed the installation method of the distance sensor. It is a figure which shows an example of the output waveform at the time of performing wall edge detection by giving two threshold values to the output voltage of the distance sensor in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the 1st threshold value Vx, the 1st threshold value distance Dx, the 2nd threshold value Vy, and the 2nd threshold value distance Dy of a distance sensor. It is a figure for demonstrating the region Dx-Dy which is detected when the output voltage of a distance sensor has two thresholds. It is a figure which shows the other modification which changed the installation method of a distance sensor. In the modified example shown in FIG. 14, it is a figure for demonstrating an example of the operation when the suction tool approaches a wall by further inserting the suction tool under the lower surface of the furniture. It is a figure which shows another example of the output characteristic of a distance sensor. It is a top view which see through the internal structure of an example of a suction tool provided with a plurality of distance sensors. It is a control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner which has a suction tool provided with a plurality of distance sensors. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the operation when the suction tool provided in the vacuum cleaner of Embodiment 2 is close to a wall. It is a control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner in Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the elements common to each figure are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. It should be noted that when the number, quantity, quantity, range, etc. of each element is referred to in the embodiment shown below, the reference is made unless otherwise specified or clearly specified by the number in principle. It is not limited to the number of items. In addition, the structure described in the embodiments shown below is not necessarily essential unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle. The present disclosure may include any combination of configurable configurations among the configurations described in each of the following embodiments.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the first embodiment as seen through from the side surface side. In FIG. 1, the left side of the paper surface is the front side, the right side of the paper surface is the rear side, the upper side of the paper surface is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper surface is the lower side. Further, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the main body 1 of the vacuum cleaner 100 and the suction tool 8 are arranged on the floor surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment is for sucking dust on the main body 1 and the hose 5 detachably connected to the main body 1 in contact with the floor surface. It includes a suction tool 8 which is a suction portion, and a hard extension pipe 7 which detachably connects between the hose 5 and the suction tool 8. The hose 5 is composed of, for example, a flexible bellows portion containing three piano wires and a hand operation portion 6 provided at one end of the bellows portion. The suction tool 8 is provided with a rotating brush 9, an electric motor 10 for rotating the rotating brush 9, and the like. The rotating brush 9 corresponds to an agitator that scoops up dust on the surface to be cleaned. The rotary brush 9 is provided with a flocked or elastic blade for contacting the surface to be cleaned and scraping up dust. Either the extension pipe 7 or the hose 5 may be used to connect the suction tool 8 and the main body 1.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hand operation unit 6 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the hand operation unit 6 selects a switch SW1 for turning on / off the operation of the electric motor 10, a switch SW2 for switching the suction force of strong / medium / weak in manual operation, and an automatic operation mode. A switch SW3 for starting or stopping the operation and a switch SW4 for starting or stopping the operation are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 1 includes an electric blower 2 that generates an air flow that sucks dust taken in by the suction tool 8, a dust collecting unit 4 that collects dust sucked by the electric blower 2. The electric blower 2 and the control unit 3 for controlling the driving power of the electric motor 10 are built in according to the operation from the hand operation unit 6.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the suction tool 8 according to the first embodiment as seen through from the side surface side. In FIG. 3, the left side of the paper surface is the front side, the right side of the paper surface is the rear side, the upper side of the paper surface is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper surface is the lower side. The suction tool 8 includes a distance sensor 11 for detecting a distance from an object, for example, a wall, furniture, or the like that is an obstacle of the moving suction tool 8. The distance sensor 11 is arranged on the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, that is, on the outer edge on the front side of the suction tool 8. In FIG. 3, the suction tool 8 is located at a location away from the wall 12, indicating that the distance from the wall 12 to the distance sensor 11 is Da.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the distance sensor 11 according to the first embodiment. The distance sensor 11 has a light beam irradiation unit 11a which is a radiation unit and a light beam light receiving unit 11b which is a reception unit. The light beam irradiation unit 11a is for irradiating the light beam from the irradiation point 11c toward the front of the suction tool 8. The light beam emitted from the light beam irradiating unit 11a is reflected by an obstructive object such as a wall 12 located in front of the front outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction and hindering the progress of the suction tool 8. Will be done. The light beam light receiving unit 11b is for receiving the reflected reflected light.

The region where the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiating unit 11a irradiates the object that becomes an obstacle is defined as the detection region of the distance sensor 11. The light beam irradiation unit 11a and the light beam light receiving unit 11b are arranged so as to face the detection region located forward in the traveling direction from the front side outer edge of the suction tool 8. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the light beam irradiation unit 11a and the light beam light receiving unit 11b are arranged so that the optical axis is parallel to the horizontal axis. That is, the optical axis of the light beam irradiation unit 11a and the optical axis of the light beam light receiving unit 11b are parallel to the surface to be cleaned such as the floor surface. The amount of reflected light increases as the distance sensor 11 approaches the detection region. The control unit 3 detects the level of the amount of light received by the light beam light receiving unit 11b of the distance sensor 11 and recognizes the positional relationship between the suction tool 8 and the detection region. For example, infrared rays can be used for the light beam emitted from the light beam irradiation unit 11a. Since the infrared light emitting element and the light receiving element are already widely available and easily available, they can be easily adopted in the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the embodiment. Further, by using infrared rays, it is possible to detect the distance day and night and without being affected by the brightness in the room.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the first embodiment. The direction of the arrow in FIG. 5 indicates the direction of the control signal between various components. When the hand operation unit 6 issues a cleaning operation instruction, the control unit 3 drives the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 to perform a cleaning operation of sucking dust on the surface to be cleaned. The sucked dust is stored in the dust collecting unit 4.

Further, the detection signal of the distance sensor 11 is input to the control unit 3. Based on the detection signal of the distance sensor 11, the control unit 3 detects that the suction tool 8 has approached the wall, and increases the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual. To control. Here, the distance D from the irradiation point 11c of the distance sensor 11 to the detection region is also hereinafter referred to as “approach distance D”. The distance sensor 11 outputs an analog voltage V corresponding to the approach distance D, which is the detection distance detected by the distance sensor 11. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the output characteristics of the distance sensor 11. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the characteristic that the output analog voltage V changes to a smaller value as the approach distance D becomes larger is shown.

In the output characteristics shown in FIG. 6, the distance Db represents the distance to the detection region when the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12 are close to each other, and the voltage Vb represents the voltage output at this time. The control unit 3 constantly monitors the voltage V detected by the distance sensor 11. The fact that the voltage Vb is output from the distance sensor 11 means that it can be determined that the approach distance D between the irradiation point 11c of the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12 which is the detection region is maintained at the distance Db. In that case, since it can be determined that the user is cleaning the vicinity of the wall, the control unit 3 increases the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual, and the wall side where dust easily collects. Can be cleaned efficiently. On the other hand, when the voltage V output from the distance sensor 11 becomes a voltage Va smaller than the voltage Vb, it can be determined that the approach distance D becomes a distance Da larger than the distance Db. In this case, since it can be determined that the user is cleaning the position away from the wall, the control unit 3 changes the driving power of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 to a normal state. In the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment, the threshold value of the approach distance D, which is the distance for the control unit 3 to determine that the user is cleaning the wall, is defined as the threshold distance Dx. It should be noted that Da> Dx> Db. Further, the voltage Vx corresponding to the threshold distance Dx is stored in advance in the control unit 3. It should be noted that Va <Vx <Vb. Then, the control unit 3 is used when the voltage V detected by the distance sensor 11 becomes larger than the voltage Vx corresponding to the threshold distance Dx, that is, when the approach distance D becomes smaller than the threshold distance Dx. The behavior of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 is changed so that the person can efficiently clean the wall surface where a large amount of dust is likely to accumulate. Specifically, the control unit 3 increases the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual to improve the dust suction performance.

In the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment, the distance sensor 11 is arranged on the outer edge of the suction tool 8 on the front side, and the light beam is irradiated so as to face the detection region located in front of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction. It is characterized in that it detects that the suction tool 8 is close to a wall or an obstacle. Next, the specific operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment will be further described with reference to some examples.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation when the suction tool 8 is close to the wall 12. In FIG. 7, the left side of the paper is the front, the right side of the paper is the rear, the upper side of the paper is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper is the lower side. The wall 12 in the example shown in this figure is formed of a plane extending in the direction perpendicular to the floor surface, that is, the surface to be cleaned. Originally, it is assumed that the suction tool 8 is located away from the wall 12, and as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12 is Da (> Dx). Here, as the suction tool 8 approaches the wall 12, the approach distance D changes from Da (> Dx) to Db (<Dx). In response to the change in the output of the distance sensor 11 from Va (> Vx) to Vb (<Vx), the control unit 3 increases the drive power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual. By doing so, it is possible to temporarily improve the dust suction performance near the wall where dust tends to collect, and to perform more efficient cleaning.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an output waveform when the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 in the first embodiment is used for wall edge detection. The time T represents the time during cleaning, and the analog voltage V represents the analog voltage of the distance sensor 11 output at the time T. The user is cleaning using the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment, stands facing the wall 12, and moves the suction tool 8 back and forth toward the wall 12 to clean the wall. Suppose you are. At this time, according to FIG. 8, the suction tool 8 has a threshold distance D set in advance by the approach distance D to the wall 12 within each of the times T1 to T2, T3 to T4, and T5 to T6. It is Dx or less, and the analog voltage V output by the distance sensor 11 is Vx or more. The control unit 3 detects that the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 is Vx or more, and at each time of time T1 to T2, T3 to T4, and T5 to T6, which of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 is used. Or, both driving powers can be increased more than usual, and the dust suction performance can be temporarily improved near the wall where dust tends to collect, so that more efficient cleaning can be performed. Further, the control unit 3 detects that the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 is less than Vx at each time before the time T1, T2 to T3, T4 to T5, and after T6. As a result, the control unit 3 operates the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 with normal driving power.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the output waveform when the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 in the first embodiment is used for wall edge detection. The time T represents the time during cleaning, and the analog voltage V represents the analog voltage of the distance sensor 11 output at the time T. FIG. 9 shows that the analog voltage V output by the distance sensor 11 is equal to or more than the threshold value Vx for wall detection and the displacement amount is within a preset value ΔVz during the time Ta to Tb. The fact that the displacement amount of the analog voltage is within ΔVz means that there is no significant change in the approach distance D between the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12. Therefore, in FIG. 9, the user stopped moving the suction tool 8 in a state of being close to the wall 12, or moved the suction tool 8 horizontally along the plane constituting the wall 12. It is a waveform of time, and shows an example when carefully cleaning the wall where dust easily collects. Therefore, if the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 is Vx or more and the displacement amount is within the preset ΔVz during a certain arbitrary time Ta to Tb, the control unit 3 allows the user to be near the wall. By judging that cleaning is in progress and increasing the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual, the dust suction performance is temporarily improved near the wall where dust tends to collect. , It becomes possible to perform more efficient cleaning.

Next, a modified example of the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example in which the installation method of the distance sensor 11 is changed. In FIG. 10, the left side of the paper is the front, the right side of the paper is the rear, the upper side of the paper is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper is the lower side. The furniture lower surface 13 shown in FIG. 10 is formed of a downward flat surface extending in the horizontal direction, and imitates the lower surface of furniture such as a sofa, a bed, and a storage shelf, and forms a gap with the floor surface. ing. In the modified example of the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment, the suction tool 8 includes a distance sensor 11 for detecting the distance from the lower surface of furniture, which is an object above the moving suction tool 8. ing. The distance sensor 11 is attached to the upper part of the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, that is, the upper part of the outer edge on the front side of the suction tool 8 so that the light beam irradiation unit 11a irradiates the light beam vertically upward. It is assumed that the suction tool 8 has moved to the gap between the furniture lower surface 13 and the floor surface, and the user is cleaning under the furniture where dust tends to accumulate. At this time, since the distance sensor 11 detects that the approach distance D with respect to the furniture lower surface 13 is a distance Db smaller than the threshold distance Dx, the control unit 3 uses the suction tool 8 to move the suction tool 8 to the furniture lower surface 13 and the floor. By recognizing that it has entered the gap with the surface and increasing the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual, dust tends to collect on the surface to be cleaned under the furniture. , The dust suction performance can be temporarily improved, and more efficient cleaning can be performed.

In the description of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 in the first embodiment so far, the control unit 3 detects that the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 is equal to or higher than the threshold value Vx, and the user is near the wall or furniture. Recognizing that the surface to be cleaned underneath is being cleaned, by increasing the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual, efficient cleaning in a place where dust is likely to accumulate However, it is also possible for the control unit 3 to perform the following control.

A flocking or a blade is attached to the rotating brush 9 included in the suction tool 8 for the purpose of contacting the surface to be cleaned and scraping up dust. Another object of the rotary brush 9 is to generate a propulsive force in the traveling direction of the suction tool 8 so that the user can smoothly operate the suction tool 8 with a light force. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, the suction tool 8 travels in the left direction of the paper surface, and the rotating brush 9 rotates counterclockwise on the paper surface to generate a propulsive force in the left direction of the paper surface. At this time, when the suction tool 8 is close to the wall 12, the user smoothly operates the suction tool 8 with a light force by the propulsive force generated by the rotating brush 9, so that if the eye measurement is mistaken, the suction tool 8 will be on the wall 12. There is a possibility that the suction tool 8 will collide violently. Therefore, when the distance sensor 11 detects that the vehicle is close to the wall 12, the control unit 3 controls the driving power of the electric motor 10 to weaken the propulsive force of the suction tool 8 by the rotating brush 9 or rotate the motor 10. By stopping the rotation of the brush 9 and stopping the propulsive force of the suction tool 8, it is possible to prevent the suction tool 8 from colliding violently with the wall 12. That is, when the approach distance D becomes smaller than the threshold distance Dx, the control unit 3 may perform the "first process" to reduce or reduce the drive power of the electric motor 10 to zero. Further, when the approach distance D becomes smaller than the threshold distance Dx, the control unit 3 reverses the rotation direction of the rotary brush 9 clockwise in the drawing instead of the first processing, and turns to the left of the paper. A "second process" may be performed to switch the driving force to the right side of the page.

It is also possible to achieve both the wall edge detection for efficiently cleaning the wall edge and the wall edge detection for avoiding a violent wall collision of the suction tool 8 as described above.

For example, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 will be described as an example. In FIG. 8, the control unit 3 detects that the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 is Vx or more, and the times T1 to T2, T3 to T4, and T5. By increasing the drive power of the electric blower 2 more than usual at the time of T6, the dust suction performance is temporarily improved, and while more efficient cleaning is performed, the above-mentioned first treatment and second treatment are performed. Perform any of the above processes. That is, for the electric motor 10, the control unit 3 reduces the rotational speed of the rotary brush 9 to weaken the propulsive force of the suction tool 8, or stops the rotation of the rotary brush 9 to stop the propulsive force of the suction tool 8. Alternatively, the rotary brush 9 is rotated in the reverse direction clockwise to control the propulsive force to the left of the paper surface in FIG. 7 to be switched to the right side of the paper surface, and the suction tool 8 violently collides with the wall 12. Can be avoided.

Other modified examples that achieve both wall-side detection for efficient wall-side cleaning as described above and wall-side detection for preventing the suction tool 8 from colliding violently with the wall 12 are also described below. Shown.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an output waveform when wall edge detection is performed by giving two threshold values to the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 in the first embodiment. Using the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment, the user stands facing the wall 12 and moves the suction tool 8 back and forth toward the wall 12 to clean the wall. Assuming that. The time T represents the time during cleaning, and the analog voltage V represents the analog voltage of the distance sensor 11 output at the time T. Compared with FIG. 8, the difference is that the second threshold value Vy is preset so that Vy> Vx. By setting the second threshold value Vy, the control unit 3 also detects the second threshold value distance Dy, which is a distance closer than the first threshold value distance Dx corresponding to the first threshold value Vx of the output voltage of the distance sensor 11. It becomes possible. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the first threshold value Vx and the first threshold value distance Dx, and the second threshold value Vy and the second threshold value distance Dy of the distance sensor 11.

According to FIG. 11, the output V of the distance sensor 11 is Vy> V> Vx at each time of time T1 to T2, T3 to T4, T5 to T6, T7 to T8, T9 to T10, and T11 to T12, and suction is performed. It is shown that the approach distance D between the tool 8 and the wall 12 is equal to or less than the preset first threshold distance Dx, but does not reach the closer second threshold distance Dy. At each of these times, the control unit 3 increases the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual to carry out efficient cleaning in a place where dust is likely to accumulate. Control. On the other hand, at each time of time T2 to T3, T6 to T7, and T10 to T11, the output V of the distance sensor 11 is Vy or more, and the approach distance D between the suction tool 8 and the wall 12 is from the first threshold distance Dx. Is also shown to be less than or equal to the second threshold distance Dy, which is even closer. The control unit 3 that has detected a voltage equal to or higher than Vy controls the driving power of the electric motor 10 and reduces the rotation speed of the rotating brush 9 to weaken the propulsive force of the suction tool 8 or stop the rotation of the rotating brush 9. As a result, the suction tool 8 violently collides with the wall 12 by stopping the propulsive force of the suction tool 8 or rotating the rotating brush 9 in the opposite direction to generate a propulsive force on the side opposite to the traveling direction. Avoid doing. That is, the control unit 3 performs either the first process or the second process described above.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a region Dx-Dy detected when the output voltage of the distance sensor 11 has two threshold values. In FIG. 13, the left side of the paper surface is the front side, the right side of the paper surface is the rear side, the upper side of the paper surface is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper surface is the lower side. In order to perform wall edge detection to ensure that the suction tool 8 does not collide violently with the wall 12, a larger value is set as the second threshold distance Dy, that is, a smaller value is set as Vy. Is desirable. On the other hand, when the second threshold distance Dy becomes close to the first threshold distance Dx, that is, when a value close to Vx is set as Vy, the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 is applied. There is a possibility that the area to be increased more than usual, that is, the area for performing wall edge detection for efficient cleaning at the wall edge, Dx-Dy, will be reduced. In this way, the relationship between the wall detection for ensuring that the suction tool 8 does not collide violently with the wall 12 and the wall detection for performing efficient cleaning at the wall is a trade-off relationship. May become. In this case, it is desirable to determine the value of Vy after thoroughly examining whether to give priority to either one of the wall detections or to balance both wall detections. When the approach distance D becomes equal to or less than the second threshold distance Dy, the control unit 3 may continue to operate the electric blower 2 with a driving power increased more than usual. By doing so, it is possible to carry out more efficient cleaning near the wall while surely avoiding the suction tool 8 from colliding violently with the wall 12.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another modified example in which the installation method of the distance sensor 11 is changed. In FIG. 14, the left side of the paper surface is the front side, the right side of the paper surface is the rear side, the upper side of the paper surface is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper surface is the lower side. In the distance sensor 11, the light beam irradiating unit 11a irradiates the upper part of the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, that is, the upper part of the outer edge on the front side of the suction tool 8, diagonally upward in the traveling direction with respect to the horizontal. Shows an example in which the optical axis of the light beam irradiation unit 11a is attached obliquely upward. In FIG. 14, the suction tool 8 is simulated under the furniture lower surface 13, and the approach distance D between the distance sensor 11 and the furniture lower surface 13 at this time is Db smaller than the threshold distance Dx. The output V of the distance sensor 11 is Vb larger than the threshold value Vx, and the furniture lower surface 13 is detected. As a result, the control unit 3 increases the driving power of either or both of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 more than usual, so that the dust suction performance is performed on the surface to be cleaned under the furniture where dust tends to collect. It is possible to temporarily improve the cleaning and perform more efficient cleaning.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation when the suction tool 8 approaches the wall 12 by further inserting the suction tool 8 under the furniture lower surface 13 in the modified example shown in FIG. is there. In FIG. 15, the left side of the paper is the front, the right side of the paper is the rear, the upper side of the paper is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper is the lower side. At this time, the approach distance D between the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12 is Dc satisfying Dc <Dy <Db <Dx, and the output V of the distance sensor 11 is Vc satisfying Vc> Vy> Vb> Vx. When it is detected that the output of the distance sensor 11 is Vb exceeding the threshold value Vx, the control unit 3 detects the furniture lower surface 13 and drives the electric blower 2 and / or both of the electric blower 2. By increasing the amount of dust more than usual, the dust suction performance is temporarily improved on the surface to be cleaned under furniture where dust tends to collect, and more efficient cleaning is performed. Further, when it is detected that the output of the distance sensor 11 is Vc exceeding the second threshold value Vy, the control unit 3 detects the wall 12 behind the lower surface 13 of the furniture and drives the electric motor 10. The propulsive force of the suction tool 8 is weakened by reducing the rotation speed of the rotary brush 9, the propulsive force of the suction tool 8 is stopped by stopping the rotation of the rotary brush 9, or the rotary brush 9 is stopped. By rotating the rotation direction in the opposite direction, a propulsive force on the opposite side to the traveling direction is generated. This prevents the suction tool 8 from colliding violently with the wall 12. In this way, the distance sensor 11 irradiates the light beam in the diagonally upward direction, so that both the wall 12 and the furniture lower surface 13 can be detected.

The output characteristics of the distance sensor 11 are not limited to those shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of the output characteristics of the distance sensor 11. In the example shown in this figure, the characteristic that the output analog voltage V changes to a larger value is shown as the distance D from the irradiation point 11c of the distance sensor 11 to the detection region increases.

In the characteristics shown in FIG. 16, while the voltage Vb is output from the distance sensor 11, the approach distance D between the irradiation point 11c of the distance sensor 11 and the wall 12 in the detection region is maintained at the distance Db, and the wall 12 It can be determined that the suction tool 8 is near the. On the other hand, when the voltage V output from the distance sensor 11 becomes a value Va larger than the voltage Vb, it can be determined that the approach distance D becomes a Da larger than the distance Db, and the distance from the wall 12 is increased. It can be determined that the suction tool 8 is at the position. In this case, when the voltage V detected by the distance sensor 11 becomes smaller than the Vx corresponding to the threshold distance Dx, the control unit 3 detects the wall edge and either the electric blower 2 or the electric motor 10 or Both behaviors may be changed. Here, Va> Vx> Vb.

In the description of the first embodiment, one distance sensor 11 is provided on the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, but a plurality of distances are provided depending on the size of the suction tool 8 and the characteristics of the distance sensor 11. The sensor 11 may be provided at different positions of the suction tool 8. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the internal configuration of an example of the suction tool 8 provided with the distance sensors 11A and 11B as the plurality of distance sensors 11. FIG. 18 is a control block diagram of a vacuum cleaner 100 having a suction tool 8 provided with distance sensors 11A and 11B. The direction of the arrow in FIG. 18 indicates the direction of the control signal between various components. In FIG. 17, the upper side of the paper surface is the front side, the lower side of the paper surface is the rear side, the right side of the paper surface is the right side, and the left side of the paper surface is the left side. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the distance sensor 11A is arranged on the left side of the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, and the distance sensor 11B is arranged on the right side. As shown in FIG. 18, the detection signals of the distance sensors 11A and 11B are input to the control unit 3. For example, when the user brings the surface forming the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction side closer to the wall 12 in a state where the surface is not parallel to the wall 12 but at an angle to the wall 12, the distance sensors 11A installed on the left and right sides, Since the wall edge is detected based on the output of the one of 11B for which the threshold value is detected first, the possibility of erroneous detection can be reduced.

The distance sensor 11 in the present embodiment has a light beam irradiation unit 11a and a light beam light receiving unit 11b that use infrared rays as the light beam, and is configured to determine the level of the amount of light received. As a modification, the distance sensor 11 may be provided with, for example, a position sensing device (PSD) or a CMOS image sensor in the infrared light receiving unit, and may be configured to detect the distance from the incident angle of the reflected infrared light to the reflecting surface. The distance sensor 11 in the present embodiment is configured to detect the distance using an infrared light beam, but is not limited to this, and is not limited to this, for example, a radiation unit that emits an electromagnetic wave other than infrared rays or an ultrasonic wave. , The approach distance may be detected by using a distance sensor including a receiving unit that receives the reflected wave. Examples of the "electromagnetic wave other than infrared rays" include laser light and microwaves.

Embodiment 2.
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, but the differences from the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same or corresponding parts will be simplified or explained. Omit. The vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment is characterized in that it includes a light source unit 14 provided on the suction tool 8 in addition to the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an example of operation when the suction tool 8 provided in the vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment is close to the wall 12. In FIG. 19, the left side of the paper is the front, the right side of the paper is the rear, the upper side of the paper is the upper side, and the lower side of the paper is the lower side. FIG. 20 is a control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. The direction of the arrow in FIG. 20 indicates the direction of the control signal between the various components. As shown in FIG. 20, the control unit 3 controls the light source unit 14 in addition to the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 in response to the output signal of the distance sensor 11. In the example of FIG. 19, the light source unit 14 is installed on the outer edge of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction, that is, the outer edge on the front side of the suction tool 8. The light source unit 14 emits light when a voltage is applied according to the control of the control unit 3, and can irradiate white light. Since the irradiation direction of the light source unit 14 is horizontally directed to the traveling direction side, white light is irradiated to the front of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction. Normally, the light source unit 14 does not emit light, but when the suction tool 8 is close to the wall 12 and the distance between the suction tool 8 and the wall 12 becomes Db, the voltage V detected by the distance sensor 11 is greater than the threshold value Vx. Also becomes a large Vb, and the control unit 3 detects the wall edge. As described in the first embodiment, the control unit 3 that has detected the wall edge changes the behavior of the electric blower 2 and the electric motor 10 and further irradiates white light from the light source unit 14 in front of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction. Brightly illuminate the surface to be cleaned. In this way, the control unit 3 controls the lighting and extinguishing of the light source unit 14 according to the approaching distance. In the example of the second embodiment, only one light source unit 14 is provided, but a plurality of light source units 14 are provided in consideration of the characteristics of the light source unit 14, the region to be irradiated with white light, and the like. It is also possible to.

As described above, according to the vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment, since the light source unit 14 that illuminates the surface to be cleaned in front of the suction tool 8 in the traveling direction is further provided, the light of the indoor lighting does not sufficiently reach and the illuminance Improves visibility by ensuring the illuminance near the wall where there is insufficient light. That is, it is possible to easily visually recognize the boundary line between the wall 12 and the indoor space and the presence or absence of dust at the wall edge, and it is effective in improving the cleaning efficiency at the wall edge. In addition, the same effect can be obtained when cleaning the underside of furniture where the light of the interior lighting does not sufficiently reach.

Each function of the control unit 3 in the above-described first and second embodiments may be realized by a processing circuit. In the example shown in FIGS. 5, 18, and 20, the processing circuit of the control unit 3 includes at least one processor 3a and at least one memory 3b. When the processing circuit includes at least one processor 3a and at least one memory 3b, each function of the control unit 3 may be realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware may be written as a program. At least one of the software and firmware may be stored in at least one memory 3b. At least one processor 3a may realize each function of the control unit 3 by reading and executing a program stored in at least one memory 3b. At least one memory 3b may include a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The processing circuit of the control unit 3 may include at least one dedicated hardware. When the processing circuit comprises at least one dedicated hardware, the processing circuit may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-). The Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof may be used. The functions of each part of the control unit 3 may be realized by the processing circuit. Further, the functions of each part of the control unit 3 may be collectively realized by the processing circuit. For each function of the control unit 3, a part may be realized by dedicated hardware and the other part may be realized by software or firmware. The processing circuit may realize each function of the control unit 3 by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Further, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the operation is controlled by a single control device, and the operation may be controlled by the cooperation of a plurality of control devices.

In the embodiment described above, a vacuum cleaner of a type generally called a canister type has been described as an example, but a vacuum cleaner of a type generally called a vertical type, an upright type, a stick type, a one-handed carrying type, or the like, Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to other types of vacuum cleaners, such as a type of vacuum cleaner called a shoulder-mounted type.

The present invention is also applicable to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves on the surface to be cleaned, which is generally called a robot vacuum cleaner. In this case, even if both the suction part having the rotating brush and the electric motor for driving the rotating brush and the electric blower for generating the airflow for sucking the dust taken in the suction part are provided in the main body of the robot vacuum cleaner. Good.

1 Main body, 2 Electric blower, 3 Control unit, 4 Dust collector, 5 Hose, 6 Hand operation unit, 7 Extension pipe, 8 Suction tool, 9 Rotating brush, 10 Electric motor, 11, 11A, 11B Distance sensor, 11a Light beam Irradiation part, 11b light beam light receiving part, 11c irradiation point, 12 walls, 13 furniture underside, 14 light source part, 100 vacuum cleaner

Claims (9)

A suction portion that has a rotating brush that scoops up dust from the surface to be cleaned, an electric motor that drives the rotating brush, and is moved on the surface to be cleaned.
An electric blower that generates an air flow that sucks dust taken into the suction part, and
A distance sensor that detects the distance between an object that is an obstacle to the moving suction portion or an object above the suction portion.
A control unit that controls the driving power of at least one of the electric motor and the electric blower according to an approach distance which is a detection distance detected by the distance sensor.
Equipped with a,
When the rotating brush rotates in the forward direction, a propulsive force in the direction of advancing the suction portion is generated.
When the approach distance becomes smaller than the first threshold distance, the control unit increases the driving power of at least one of the electric motor and the electric blower.
When the approach distance becomes smaller than the second threshold distance smaller than the first threshold distance, the control unit reverses the first process of reducing or zeroing the driving power of the electric motor and the rotating brush. An electric vacuum cleaner that performs either processing with the second processing of rotation. The distance sensor includes a radiation unit that emits an electromagnetic wave or an ultrasonic wave, and a reception unit that receives the reflected wave.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the radiating portion emits electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves in a direction parallel to the surface to be cleaned. The distance sensor includes a radiation unit that emits an electromagnetic wave or an ultrasonic wave, and a reception unit that receives the reflected wave.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the radiating portion emits electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves in an upward or diagonally upward direction. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit can detect that the suction unit has entered under the furniture by the distance sensor. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 4 , wherein the radiating portion emits infrared rays. The suction tool that constitutes the suction part and
The main body with the built-in electric blower and
At least one of a pipe and a hose connecting the suction tool and the main body,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising at least one light source unit that illuminates the surface to be cleaned. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit controls lighting and extinguishing of the light source unit according to the approach distance. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , further comprising the plurality of distance sensors arranged at different positions of the suction portion.

Images