JP6940461B2 - Autonomous vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner.

Assuming that the "pet breeding environment" where pets are bred in the home is to be cleaned, an autonomous driving vacuum cleaner that performs special control compared to the "pet non-breeding environment" where pets are not bred is known. Has been done. Although it depends on the type of pets raised, one of the differences between the two environments is that dust tends to accumulate quickly in the pet breeding environment.

In Patent Document 1, the cycle for starting automatic cleaning (the time from the end of the previous automatic cleaning to the start of the next automatic cleaning) is changed depending on the presence or absence of small animals such as pets (claim 1). Is disclosed. Further, it is described that when the notification of the presence of a small animal is obtained, the rotation speed of the suction motor 3 is increased more than usual, and automatic cleaning in the cleaning area is started (0031).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-29489

During automatic cleaning, the noise caused by cleaning and the movement of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner tend to cause inconvenience to the user. Therefore, when it is essential to change the cleaning cycle as in Patent Document 1, it is easy to lead to the user's lifestyle being forced to match the automatic cleaning cycle of the vacuum cleaner. However, when the amount of dust accumulated is large, if a large amount of dust is to be collected by one automatic cleaning, for example, dust adheres to the brush during the automatic cleaning and the cleaning performance deteriorates, or the dust collection case is full. This may make it difficult or impossible to continue cleaning.

Further, if the input is increased by increasing the rotation speed of the suction motor as in Patent Document 1, the power consumption speed of the rechargeable battery may increase and the cleaning efficiency may decrease.

The present invention made in view of the above circumstances includes a brush, a dust collecting case, a blower for generating an air flow to the dust collecting case, an imaging unit for detecting obstacles, and a rechargeable battery, and a vacuum cleaner main body that travels autonomously. As a mode for executing automatic cleaning, a normal mode and a pet mode that is executed when it is determined that the vacuum cleaner body is present in the pet breeding environment can be selected and executed. During the execution of the mode, when the obstacle detected by the imaging unit is a pet, the pet is a cleaning route once or more or intermittently as a predetermined control during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning. An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner that controls the vacuum cleaner body to move the pet away from the cleaning route with sound and / or light when in .

It is a perspective view which shows the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper case of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which looked up from the bottom of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side sectional view cut along the line AA of FIG. It is the figure which looked up from the lower surface of the suction part of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and is the figure of the state which the rotary brush and the scraping brush were removed. It is a perspective view which looked down at the suction part of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment from the left front. It is a perspective view of the rotary brush of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the scraping brush of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side sectional view of the suction part of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the control device of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the device connected to the control device. It is explanatory drawing of the cleaning operation of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The present embodiment is not limited to the following contents, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
Of the directions in which the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C (see FIG. 1) advances, the side provided with the side brush 40 (see FIG. 1) is forward, the vertically upward direction is upward, and the drive wheels 61 (see FIG. 3) face each other. The direction to do is left and right. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, front and back, top and bottom, and left and right are defined.

(First Embodiment)
[Autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner C]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is an electric device that automatically cleans a predetermined cleaning area (for example, indoors) while autonomously moving. The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C includes an upper case 91 which is an upper wall, a lower case 51 (see FIG. 2) which is a bottom wall (and a part of side walls), and a bumper 92 installed at the front portion. Consists of the outer shell (housing) of the main body 50 (vacuum cleaner main body).

The upper case 91 is provided with a lid 93 for taking in and out the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) described later.

Further, the upper case 91 is provided with an operation button 97. The operation button 97 is a button that outputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's operation to the control device 95 (see FIG. 2). For example, it has a power button, a cleaning start / end button, and a cleaning mode selection button for changing the cleaning mode.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the upper case 91 is removed, looking down from the front left.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower case 51 is a housing on which a traveling motor 57, a rotary brush motor 21 (motor), a blower 81, a control device (control unit) 95, etc. are placed, and the outer shape thereof is a thin circle. It has a plate shape.

When the blower 81 is driven, the air in the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) is discharged to the outside to generate a negative pressure, and the dust is sucked from the floor surface through the suction port 17 (see FIG. 5) described later. It has a function.

FIG. 3 is a view looking up at the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner from below.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lower case 51 includes a drive wheel 61, a drive mechanism accommodating portion 54 for accommodating a drive mechanism including a traveling motor 57 (see FIG. 2), and a reduction mechanism, and a side surface. A brush mounting portion 82, a hole portion 52 for fixing the suction portion 10, an exhaust port 53, and a battery accommodating portion 55 (see FIG. 4) for accommodating the rechargeable battery B (see FIG. 4) are formed.

The drive mechanism accommodating portion 54 is formed on both the left and right sides of the central portion of the lower case 51 which has a disk shape in a plan view. A plurality of exhaust ports 53 are formed near the center of the lower case 51, which has a circular shape in a plan view, at a position sandwiched between the drive mechanism accommodating portions 54.

The battery accommodating portion 55 is formed on the front side of the center of the lower case 51. Further, side brush mounting portions 82 for mounting the side brush 40 are formed on the left and right sides of the battery accommodating portion 55.

The side brush 40 is a brush that guides dust in a place where it is not easy to reach the rotating brush 5 such as a corner of a room to a suction portion 10 (suction port 17), and a part of the side brush 40 is exposed from the main body 50 in a plan view. There is. Further, the side brush 40 has three bundles of brushes extending radially at intervals of 120 ° in a plan view, and is arranged on the left and right in front of the suction portion 10.

The root of the right side brush 40 is fixed to the side brush holder 41. The flocking of the side brush 40 is inclined so as to approach the floor surface toward the tip (see FIG. 4), and the vicinity of the tip is in contact with the floor surface.

A hole 52 for fixing the suction portion 10 is formed on the rear side of the center of the lower case 51, that is, on the rear side of the exhaust port 53 and the drive mechanism accommodating portion 54. The suction portion 10 fixed to the hole portion 52 is a member in which the suction port 17 (see FIG. 5) is formed and the scraping brush 1 and the rotary brush 5 are housed.

The drive wheel 61 is a wheel for moving the main body 50 forward, backward, and turning by rotating the drive wheel 61 itself. Further, the drive wheels 61 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the central portion of the lower case 51.

The support mechanism accommodated in the drive mechanism accommodating portion 54 is a mechanism for supporting the drive mechanism on the main body 50 (see FIG. 1). The support mechanism includes an arm 71 that supports the drive mechanism.

The front lid 56 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member that closes the opening of the battery accommodating portion 55 (see FIG. 4) formed in the lower case 51 from the lower surface of the lower case 51. Further, the front lid 56 includes a circular training wheel mounting portion 84 for mounting the training wheels 83 near the center side of the lower case 51.

The training wheels 83 are auxiliary wheels for smoothly moving the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C while keeping the main body 50 (see FIG. 1) at a predetermined height. Further, the training wheels 83 are pivotally supported so as to be driven and rotated by the frictional force generated with the floor surface as the main body 50 moves. Further, the training wheels 83 are configured to be rotatable 360 ° in the horizontal direction. Further, the training wheels 83 are provided at the center in the left-right direction in front of the main body 50, and are attached to the training wheels mounting portion 84 described above.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the dust collecting case K is a container for collecting dust sucked from the floor surface through the suction port 17 (suction portion 10). Further, the dust collecting case K includes a dust collecting case main body for accommodating the collected dust, a lid for taking out the collected dust, and a foldable handle. The dust collecting case body has a shape in which the lower surface is mainly composed of a cylindrical curved surface corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the suction portion 10 (see FIG. 3), and the position facing the suction port 17 corresponds to the suction port 17. It is provided with an inflow port K1 having a shape, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The lid faces the suction port of the blower and includes a dust collecting filter F.

The bumper 92 is installed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in response to a pressing force acting from the outside. The bumper 92 is urged outward by a pair of left and right bumper springs (not shown). The tip of the bumper spring is curved in a J shape, and this curved portion is in contact with the inner wall surface of the bumper 92.

When a drag force from an obstacle acts on the bumper spring via the bumper 92, the bumper spring is deformed so as to fall inward in a plan view, and the bumper 92 is urged outward while allowing the bumper 92 to move backward. When the bumper 92 separates from the obstacle and the drag force described above disappears, the bumper 92 returns to its original position due to the urging force of the bumper spring. By the way, the retreat of the bumper 92 (that is, contact with an obstacle) is detected by the distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B (photocoupler) described later (see FIG. 2), and the detection result is the control device 95 (see FIG. 2). Is entered in.

The battery accommodating portion 55 accommodates the rechargeable battery B and is composed of a space surrounded by a wall surface and having a downward opening. Further, the battery accommodating portion 55 is located on the front side of the blower 81.

FIG. 5 is a view looking up from below the suction portion 10 according to the present embodiment in a state where the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are removed.
As shown in FIG. 5, the suction portion 10 is attached to the hole portion 52 of the lower case 51 (see FIG. 3). Further, the suction unit 10 forms a flow path through which air connected to the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) can flow. The dust collecting case K is connected to the dust collecting filter F (see FIG. 4), the blower 81 (see FIG. 4), and the exhaust port 53 (see FIG. 3) in this order toward the downstream side.

Further, the suction portion 10 is a member in which a suction port 17 connected to the dust collecting case K (see FIG. 4) is formed, and also accommodates the rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 4) and the scraping brush 1 (see FIG. 4). It is also a member for fixing the rotary brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6).

Further, a rotating brush accommodating portion 15 for accommodating the rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 4) is formed in the front portion of the suction portion 10. Further, a scraping brush accommodating portion 11 for accommodating the scraping brush 1 (see FIG. 4) is formed at the rear portion of the suction portion 10. A rotating brush 5 (see FIG. 3) is arranged in the rotating brush accommodating portion 15. A scraping brush 1 is arranged in the scraping brush accommodating portion 11. That is, the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are arranged in this order from the front portion of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C. The rotary brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are detachably attached to the suction portion 10.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the suction portion 10 as viewed from the front left.
As shown in FIG. 6, the suction unit 10 includes a rotary brush motor 21 that rotates the rotary brush 5 (see FIG. 4), a power transmission mechanism 22 that transmits the power of the rotary brush motor 21 to the rotary brush 5, and a power transmission mechanism 22. Is provided.

The rotary brush motor 21 is attached to one end side of the suction portion 10 in the left-right direction, that is, on the opposite side (right end side) of the suction port 17 in the left-right direction. Further, in the rotary brush motor 21, the rotary shaft is arranged in parallel with the rotary shaft 5b (see FIG. 7) of the rotary brush 5. Further, the rotating shaft (not shown) of the rotating brush motor 21 extends toward one end side in the left-right direction, and is connected to the rotating shaft 5b of the rotating brush 5 at one end of the suction portion 10 via a power transmission mechanism 22. There is.

Further, on the right side of the rotating brush accommodating portion 15, a bearing 18 (see FIG. 5) that pivotally supports one rotating shaft 5b (see FIG. 7) of the rotating brush 5 is provided. The bearing 18 corresponds to the outer shape of the fitting portion 6 (see FIG. 7) provided at one end of the rotary brush 5, and includes a fitting recess (not shown) into which the fitting portion 6 is fitted.

Further, on the left side of the rotating brush accommodating portion 15, a locking portion 19 (see FIG. 5) for locking the bearing 7 provided on the other rotating shaft 5b (see FIG. 7) of the rotating brush 5, and a rotating brush 5 A recess 19a (see FIG. 5) is formed in which the rotating shaft 5b is rotatably housed in a non-contact manner.

As shown in FIG. 6, the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 is a recess having an arcuate curved cross section extending in the left-right direction. Further, by providing the curved surface of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 so as to approach the scraping brush 1 (flocking), the airtightness of the suction portion 10 is enhanced and the flow velocity of the air sucked by the rotating brush accommodating portion 15 is kept high. And the dynamic pressure can be secured. Therefore, the performance of sucking dust of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rotating brush 5.
As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating brush (brush) 5 is arranged so as to be parallel to the axis (left-right direction) passing through the rotation center of the drive wheel 61 (see FIG. 3). Further, the rotary brush 5 is continuously provided from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the rotary brush accommodating portion 15 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Further, the rotary brush 5 has a rotary shaft 5b and is rotatably supported by the suction portion 10.

The rotary brush 5 is rotationally driven in both forward and reverse directions by a rotary brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6). The rotary brush 5 rotates in the same direction as the drive wheels 61 rotate when the main body 50 moves forward. During normal operation, it rotates in the forward direction, and during automatic brush cleaning, which will be described later, it rotates in the opposite direction to that during normal operation.

The rotary brush 5 includes a flocked 5c that protrudes in the normal direction from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 5a. Further, the rotary brush 5 is formed in which each of the flocked 5c is extended in a direction substantially orthogonal to the tangent line on the surface of the shaft portion 5a.

Further, the flocking 5c of the rotating brush 5 includes a plurality of types of flocking such as flocking having different lengths and flocking having different hardness, so that each flocking is spirally arranged with respect to the rotation axis 5b (see the figure). It is arranged.

In the present embodiment, the case where two types of flocking are arranged has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be one type or three or more types. .. Further, a configuration in which a blade member made of an elastic material such as rubber is spirally arranged between the flocked hairs arranged in a spiral shape may be added, and can be appropriately changed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a scraping brush. The configuration of the scraping brush 1 is an example, and is not limited to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the scraping brush (lint brush) 1 is arranged so as to be parallel to the axis (left-right direction) passing through the rotation center of the drive wheel 61 (see FIG. 3). Further, the scraping brush 1 is continuously provided from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Further, the scraping brush 1 has a cylindrical shape having a rotating shaft 4, and is rotatably supported by a suction portion 10. Further, the scraping brush 1 is formed to have a shorter axial length (left-right direction) than the rotating brush 5.

The scraping brush 1 is provided with flocking 2 on substantially the entire surface of the shaft portion surface. Specifically, the scraping brush 1 has ribs 3a protruding in the radial direction along the rotation axis direction, and has flocking 2 on the entire surface excluding the ribs 3a. The rib 3a is formed linearly from one end to the other end in the axial direction of the scraping brush 1. Further, in the scraping brush 1, each of the flocked hairs 2 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion with an angle within a certain range (for example, 0 to 45 °) with respect to the tangent line on the surface of the shaft portion. ing.

The flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is preferably long and preferably hard in order to improve the scraping force. The flocking of the scraping brush 1 is preferably soft in order to reduce power consumption. If the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is long, the flocking reaches the back of the carpet or the like, and dust can be scraped from the back. If the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is hard, it is possible to scrape dust from the back against the resistance of the hair of the carpet or the like. When the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is soft, the contact resistance of the bristles of the carpet and the like is reduced, and the scraping brush 1 is easily rotated, so that the power consumption of the traveling motor and the rotating brush motor 21 (see FIG. 6) is small. Become.

The position of the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is preferably about 0.5 mm above the floor surface when cleaning the flooring (between the boards). Further, the position of the flocking of the scraping brush 1 is preferably overlapped with the bristles of the carpet when cleaning the carpet.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of a suction portion of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner.
As shown in FIG. 9, a locking portion 11a to which the rib 3a is locked is formed on the inner wall surface of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11. The locking portion 11a is formed at the front end of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11.

When the scraping brush 1 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction shown in the drawing, the rib 3a abuts on the locking portion 11a to regulate the rotational operation of the scraping brush 1. Further, when the scraping brush 1 is rotated in the clockwise direction shown in the drawing, the rotation operation of the scraping brush 1 is regulated by an internal mechanism (not shown) of the scraping brush 1. That is, the scraping brush 1 is configured not to rotate 360 degrees, but to rotate in both directions within a range of about 120 degrees in the scraping brush accommodating portion 11.

Further, during normal operation, the scraping brush 1 starts driven rotation due to friction with the cleaning surface as the main body 50 (rotating brush 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow) moves, and then rotation is restricted by the rib 3a. Therefore, the driven rotation does not continue, and the rotation is stopped. That is, the main body 50 advances while slipping the scraping brush 1 that has stopped rotating.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a control device 95 of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner and a device connected to the control device 95.
As shown in FIG. 10, the bumper sensor (obstacle detecting means) is a photocoupler that detects the retreat (that is, contact with an obstacle) of the bumper 92 (see FIG. 1). For example, when an obstacle comes into contact with the bumper 92, the light receiving time of the sensor light (reflected light) is shortened. A detection signal corresponding to the change in the light receiving time is output to the control device 95.

The distance measuring sensor (obstacle detecting means) 96A is an infrared sensor that detects the distance to an obstacle. In this embodiment, distance measuring sensors are provided at three locations on the front surface and two locations on the side surface, for a total of five locations (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

Further, the distance measuring sensor 96A has a light emitting unit (not shown) that emits infrared rays and a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives reflected light that is reflected by an obstacle and returned. There is. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the intensity of the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. Of the bumper 92, at least the vicinity of the distance measuring sensor is made of resin or glass that transmits infrared rays.

Incidentally, other types of sensors (for example, ultrasonic sensors, visible light sensors) may be used as the distance measuring sensor 96A.

The floor surface measuring sensor (obstacle detecting means) 96B is an infrared sensor that measures the distance to the floor surface, and is installed at four locations on the lower surface of the lower case 51, front, back, front, back, left, and right (see FIG. 3). By detecting a large step such as a staircase with the floor distance measuring sensor 96B, it is possible to prevent the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C from falling (from the staircase). For example, when the floor surface distance measuring sensor 96B detects a step of about 30 mm in front, the control device 95 controls the traveling motor 57 (see FIG. 2) to move the main body 50 backward and change the traveling direction.

The rotation speed and rotation angle of the traveling motor 57 are detected by the pulse output of the traveling motor encoder shown in FIG. The control device 95 of the main body 50 (autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C) is based on the rotation speed and the rotation angle detected by the encoder for the traveling motor, the gear ratio of the reduction mechanism, and the diameter of the drive wheel 61. Calculate the movement speed and movement distance.

The traveling motor current measuring instrument is a measuring instrument that measures the current flowing through the armature winding of the traveling motor 57. Similarly, the blower current measuring instrument measures the current value of the blower 81, and the rotary brush motor current measuring instrument measures the current value of the rotary brush motor 21. The two side brush motor current measuring instruments measure the current value of the side brush motor 42. Each current measuring instrument outputs the measured current value to the control device 95.

The operation button 97 is a button that outputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's operation to the control device 95 (see FIG. 2).

The display panel drive device is a device that applies a voltage to the electrodes of the display panel in response to a command from the control device 95. The display panel (not shown) has a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diode: not shown) and a 7-segment display (not shown), and displays the operating status of the autonomous driving vacuum cleaner C and the like. ..

The rechargeable battery B is, for example, a secondary battery that can be reused by charging, and is housed in a battery housing portion 55 (see FIG. 4). The electric power from the rechargeable battery B is supplied to the distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B (see FIG. 2), each motor, each driving device, and the control device 95.

The traveling motor drive device (left) (right) is an inverter that drives the traveling motors on the left and right sides, or a pulse waveform generator by PWM control, and operates in response to a command from the control device 95. The same applies to the blower drive device, the rotary brush motor drive device, and the side brush motor drive device (left) (right). Each of these drive devices is installed in a control device 95 (see FIG. 2) in the main body 50.

The control device 95 is, for example, a microcomputer (not shown), reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands it into a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs various processes. It is supposed to run. Further, the control device 95 executes arithmetic processing according to the signals input from the operation buttons 97 and the distance measuring sensors 96A and 96B described above, and outputs a command signal to each of the drive devices described above.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning operation of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
In the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C, the blower 81, the rotary brush motor 21, and the side brush 40 are driven during normal operation. In this case, the rotating brush 5 rotates in the W1 direction (counterclockwise direction). That is, the side of the rotary brush 5 in contact with the floor surface rotates from the front to the rear. Dust on the floor surface and the like is scraped by the side brush 40, passes between the left and right drive wheels 61, and is scraped by the rotating brush 5. The dust sucked by the rotating brush 5 is sucked through the suction port 17 (suction portion 10) and is taken into the dust collecting case K. The air from which the dust has been removed by the dust collection filter F is discharged to the outside of the main body 50 through the exhaust port 53 (see FIG. 3).

In this case, since the scraping brush 1 is in contact with the rotating brush 5, the rotation of the rotating brush 5 causes the rotation corresponding to the rotating brush 5, that is, the rotational force in the direction opposite to that of the rotating brush 5 (W10 direction). Given. Here, when the main body 50 advances while the scraping brush 1 is in contact with the cleaning surface (floor surface), the scraping brush 1 cancels the rotational force given by the rotating brush 5 due to friction with the cleaning surface in the W20 direction. Rotational force is given.

The flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 is opposite to the cleaning surface of the main body 50 when advancing, and is forward to the rotation of the rotating brush 5. Therefore, when the main body 50 is advanced, the scraping brush 1 has a rotational force from the cleaning surface that is superior to the rotational force from the rotary brush 5, and is driven to rotate in the W20 direction. However, since the rotational force from the rotary brush 5 in the W10 direction is applied, resistance to the floor surface of the scraping brush 1 is generated. Therefore, the scraping brush 1 can be collected so as to scrape out dust from the floor surface.

Further, the rib 3a of the scraping brush 1 that has started to rotate in the W20 direction of FIG. 11 rotates from the rear end to the front end of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 and comes into contact with the locking portion 11a to rotate. Is regulated. After the rotation of the scraping brush 1 is stopped, the scraping brush 1 slips and cleans the cleaning surface (floor surface, carpet) so as to scrape the surface.

At this time, each of the flocked hairs 2 of the scraping brush 1 extends in the opposite direction from the surface of the scraping brush 1 toward the front side (traveling direction) of the main body 50. Therefore, each of the flocked 2 of the scraping brush 1 is continuous from the cleaning surface (for example, a carpet) by using only the portion that comes into contact with the cleaning surface in the width direction of the scraping brush 1 while slipping when moving forward. And scrape off the dust.

On the other hand, when the main body 50 hits a wall, the main body 50 moves backward with the scraping brush 1 in contact with the cleaning surface when avoiding an obstacle or the like. Then, the scraping brush 1 starts driven rotation in the W10 direction from the front of the main body 50 through the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 due to friction with the cleaning surface as the main body 50 moves backward.

When the rib 3a is located at the rear end of the scraping brush accommodating portion 11, the scraping brush 1 that continues the driven rotation in the W10 direction of FIG. 11 is stopped by the internal regulating means (not shown). At this time, the portion of the scraping brush 1 that scrapes out the dust during advancing comes into contact with the rotating brush 5, and the dust adhering to the scraping brush 1 is collected.

The flocking of the scraping brush 1 is in order with respect to the cleaning surface (for example, the carpet) when moving backward. Since the scraping brush 1 is rotated in the W10 direction by the rotating brush 5, only the portion in contact with the cleaning surface in the width direction is used to continuously scrape dust from the cleaning surface. That is, the scraping brush 1 can scrape dust both when the main body 50 moves forward and when it moves backward.

In this way, since the rib 3a reciprocates at a position facing the scraping brush accommodating portion 11, the portion of the rib 3a without the flocking 2 of the scraping brush 1 does not come into contact with the cleaning surface, and the cleaning surface is not contacted. Does not hurt.

When the main body 50 moves forward, the dust scraped by the scraping brush 1 (until the rotation is regulated by the rib 3a) follows the flocking of the scraping brush 1 and passes through the scraping brush accommodating portion 11 and the suction port 17 Is sucked into the dust collecting case K.

When the main body 50 moves backward, the dust scraped by the scraping brush 1 is collected by the rotating brush 5 in contact with the scraping brush 1. Further, since the direction of flocking of the scraping brush 1 and the direction of rotation of the rotating brush 5 are opposite, the flocking of the rotating brush 5 easily and surely removes dust from the flocking of the scraping brush 1 (sweeping). It is possible to take).

[Environment cleaned by autonomous vacuum cleaner]
By the way, for example, in a pet breeding environment where there are dogs and cats with a lot of hair, a relatively large amount of hard solids such as long hair and feathers are found. A rotating brush or the like is relatively suitable for cleaning these. However, long-sized solids tend to get entangled with brushes such as rotating brushes, and it is expected that the required maintenance frequency will increase. In some cases, maintenance may be performed once or multiple times by some method during one automatic cleaning. It becomes preferable. In addition, since the density of pet hair is low relative to the volume, it is assumed that the time until the dust collecting case K is full is shortened, and in some cases, the dust collecting case K is substantially reduced by some method during one automatic cleaning. It is preferable that maintenance for increasing the free space is performed once or multiple times.

Such pet hair is easily entangled with the rotating brush 5 and has a low density with respect to the volume. Therefore, the pet hair is entangled with the rotating brush 5 in this way, and the number of times the rotating brush 5 should be cleaned (maintenance number) increases. Further, since the pet hair has a low density with respect to the volume, the dust collecting case K is immediately filled with the pet hair, and the number of times of cleaning the dust collecting case K (the number of maintenances) increases. Here, the maintenance refers to a process that is desired to be performed by the user in connection with the use of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C, for example, removing dust adhering to the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C (for example, dust entwined with a brush). (Removal of dust), recovery of the amount of dust that can be recovered (for example, compression or disposal of dust in the dust collection case K), and the like.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, a means for reducing the number of times of maintenance of the rotating brush 5 and the dust collecting case K will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

In the pet mode of the present embodiment, a predetermined control (operation or arithmetic processing) is executed for a part of one execution time of the pet mode. As long as it is a part of one execution time, the predetermined control may be executed only once or intermittently and may be executed a plurality of times. As a result, maintenance can be performed during automatic cleaning while suppressing power consumption.

As shown in FIG. 12, in step S10, the control device 95 determines whether or not the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is in the pet mode ON. Whether or not the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C is in the pet mode can be determined by whether or not the user operates the operation button 97 to set the pet mode. The control device 95 proceeds to step S20 when it is determined that the pet mode is ON (S10, Yes), and proceeds to step S80 when it is determined that the pet mode is not ON (S10, No). ..

In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the pet mode and the normal mode can be switched has been described, but the configuration may always operate in the pet mode. In the pet mode as in the present embodiment, the control for increasing the input to the blower 81 and the rotating brush 5 is executed in a part of one execution time of the pet mode, so that the consumption from the start to the end of cleaning is performed. Power increases compared to normal mode. However, since it is assumed that some households do not need to execute the pet mode, the non-execution of the pet mode can be switched, that is, the pet mode and the normal mode can be switched, so that the total cleaning operation can be performed according to the user's request. Power consumption can be suppressed. In the present embodiment, the same mode is executed from the start to the end of a certain autonomous drive (automatic cleaning), but the mode may be changed in the middle according to the instruction of the user.

In step S20, the control device 95 measures the passage of time by the timing unit capable of timing processing, and determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the cleaning was started. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (S20, No), the process of step S20 is repeated, and if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (S20, Yes), the process proceeds to step S30. The predetermined time can be set as appropriate, for example, 10 minutes. The predetermined time may be appropriately changed according to the accumulation of pet hair (hair loss) in the dust collecting case K and the entanglement of pet hair in the rotating brush 5. Further, the predetermined time may be switched by the setting of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C. Further, the predetermined time does not necessarily have to be a constant value even during one cleaning, and can be regular or irregular. In the present embodiment, maintenance control suitable for the pet breeding environment can be performed by using the passage of time by the timekeeping unit as a trigger in place of or in addition to the trigger of performing some sensor value or some other operation.
The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 pays attention to the cycle from the end of one automatic cleaning to the start of the next automatic cleaning, but does not disclose any control cycle during one automatic cleaning.

In step S30, the control device 95 stops the drive wheels 61 and stops the movement of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C (controls the main body 50).

In step S40, the control device 95 performs automatic brush cleaning as an example of autonomous maintenance control. This automatic brush cleaning is a process of removing pet hair and the like entwined with the rotating brush 5. That is, in cleaning the rotary brush 5, the control device 95 controls the rotary brush motor 21 to rotate the rotary brush 5 in the reverse direction (rotate in the W2 direction in FIG. 11). In this case, since the scraping brush 1 is in a reverse state with respect to the rotating operation of the rotating brush 5, dust (pet hair) adhering to the rotating brush 5 is scraped by the scraping brush 1. Further, since the rotating brush 5 rotates in the reverse direction, even if the scraping brush 1 is driven to rotate in the W20 direction, the rib 3a of the scraping brush 1 comes into contact with the locking portion 11a, and the scraping brush 1 rotates. Is regulated. When the rotational movement of the scraping brush 1 is restricted, the dust adhering to the rotary brush 5 is scraped off by the scraping brush 1. At this time, the dust is accumulated in the region shown by the region P in FIG.

Further, in step S40, the control device 95 increases the rotation speed of the rotary brush motor 21 during automatic brush cleaning. As a result, the efficiency of having the scraping brush 1 scrape the dust adhering to the rotary brush 5 is enhanced, and the cleanability of the rotary brush 5 is improved.

In step S50, the control device 95 executes a dust pressing process (dust volume compression process, dust compression process) as an example of the autonomous maintenance process. That is, in the dust pressing process, the rotation speed of the motor of the blower 81 is increased as compared with the normal operation (normal mode). As a result, the dust scraped by the scraping brush 1 is collected in the dust collecting filter F through the suction port 17 and the dust collecting case K. Further, since the dust is sucked more strongly than the dust collected by the normal operation, the amount of dust compressed is increased as compared with the normal operation (the volume of the dust can be effectively reduced). As a result, it is possible to delay the dust collection case K from being filled with dust, and it is possible to reduce the number of maintenances.

In step S60, the control device 95 determines whether or not the cleaning is completed. The end of cleaning is determined by whether or not all the preset cleaning routes (room maps) have been moved, or whether or not the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery has fallen below the threshold value. When the control device 95 determines that the cleaning is not completed (S60, No), the process proceeds to step S70, and when it is determined that the cleaning is completed (S60, Yes), the control device 95 goes to the charging stand (or base station). Return and end the cleaning mode (automatic cleaning).

In step S70, the control device 95 resets the timer. By resetting the timer, the processes of steps S30 to S50 are repeated after the elapse of a predetermined time (S20, Yes). In steps S30 to S50, all may be executed or only a part may be executed.

On the other hand, when the pet mode is not turned on in step S10 and the normal operation (step S80) is performed, the control device 95 collects the dust in the dust collecting case K while rotating the rotating brush 5.

Then, in step S90, the control device 95 determines whether or not the cleaning is completed, returns to step S80 if the cleaning is not completed, and returns to the charging stand if it is determined that the cleaning is completed. And exit the cleaning mode. In the normal operation, the operations of steps S40 and S50 may not be performed at all, or may be performed less frequently than in the pet mode.

As described above, in the first embodiment, in the pet mode in which the rotating brush 5 is rotated in the reverse direction to execute the automatic brush cleaning once or more or intermittently in a part of the pet mode execution time (step S40 in FIG. 12). ), In a pet breeding environment such as a dog or a cat, the number of times of care for the rotating brush 5 generated by the hair loss (dust) of the pet can be reduced.

Further, the dust pressing process is executed by increasing the rotation speed (motor rotation speed, operating speed) of the blower 81 once or more or intermittently in a part of the pet mode execution time (step S50 in FIG. 12). ), The number of times the dust collection case K is cleaned (the number of times the dust is discarded) can be reduced.

As described above, in the first embodiment, maintenance control such as reverse rotation of the rotating brush 5 and dust press control is autonomously performed during cleaning, and a large amount of dust is collected during one cleaning. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which cleaning must be interrupted. That is, it is possible to increase the time during which the autonomous driving can be continued without maintenance, and it is possible to reduce the number of maintenances of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner C (controlling in the direction of reducing the obstacles of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C).

Further, in the pet mode of the present embodiment, control for the purpose of reducing the frequency of maintenance required by the user and increasing the dust collection rate is a part of the mode execution time, and is once, twice or more, or every predetermined time. A total of multiple times are executed intermittently with a time interval. As a result, the power consumption can be reduced as compared with the case where such control is always executed. Execution of such control may be periodic or irregular as long as it is not performed all the time.

The determination of the pet breeding environment may be made based on, for example, whether or not the camera (imaging unit) of the autonomous driving vacuum cleaner C recognizes the pet, or the determination is made by receiving input from the user. Is also good.

Further, in the first embodiment, the dust collecting performance can be improved as compared with the normal operation by increasing the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 as compared with the normal operation during the operation of the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press. In addition, the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 is increased to make the operating noise louder than in normal operation. As a result, the noise can be made louder than the operating noise during normal operation, and the user can be impressed that the cleaning is done properly.

In addition, a sensor (floor surface type detecting means) for detecting the type of floor and dust on the floor surface is provided, and when the floor surface is a carpet or when dust is detected, the rotation speed of the rotating brush 5 is set to be higher than that during normal operation. You may also raise it. As a result, the dust collection performance can be improved as compared with the normal operation.

The name of normal operation in this embodiment is an example, and can refer to a mode other than the pet mode. Further, it may be an autonomous vacuum cleaner capable of executing only the pet mode. In this case, the autonomous maintenance process can be performed once or more or intermittently as part of the execution time of the cleaning mode.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is configured by providing the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C of the first embodiment with an imaging unit (monocular camera, stereo camera, etc.) as a recognition unit. An imaging unit (not shown) is attached to the front surface (front surface) of the lower case shown in FIG. By mounting such an imaging unit, it is possible to detect the type of floor surface and the number of dust (dust). Hereinafter, only the processing different from that of the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13, in step S21, after the cleaning is started, the control device 95 determines the dust (pet hair, obstacles) on the floor surface by the imaging unit, and the number (number of) dust (pet hair, etc.) is determined. ) Is counted. Specifically, by storing the image pattern of dust in the ROM in advance and comparing it with the image captured by the imaging unit, it is possible to determine whether the captured object is dust.

Then, in step S22, the control device 95 determines whether or not the number of dusts (dust) (predetermined numerical value for obstacles) exceeds the predetermined number (predetermined value). When the control device 95 determines that the number of detected dust does not exceed the predetermined number (S22, No), the control device 95 returns to step S21, and when it determines that the number of detected dust exceeds the predetermined number, the control device 95 returns to the step S21. (S22, Yes), the process proceeds to step S30.

As described above, in the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition to this, by using a sensor (imaging unit) that detects dust (dust), automatic brush cleaning (step S40) and dust pressing (step S50) are performed according to the number of detected dust. , It is possible to prevent unnecessary execution of automatic brush cleaning and dust pressing, and it is possible to efficiently clean the rotating brush 5 and the dust collecting case K.

In the second embodiment, the case where the dust is detected by the imaging unit has been described as an example, but the suction port 17 may be provided with a sensor for detecting the passage of dust. Depending on the number of times this sensor has passed, automatic brush cleaning and dust pressing can be performed.

Although the case of a camera capable of recognizing the type and number of dust as a recognition unit has been described as an example, an optical sensor (numerical value recognition unit) capable of recognizing the number of dust may be used.

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the autonomous driving type vacuum cleaner according to the third embodiment. The third embodiment will also be described only with respect to the processing different from that of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the control device 95 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed (S20, No), the control device 95 proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, the control device 95 determines whether or not to start cleaning the corner. Corner cleaning means cleaning an area (a corner of a room) close to both walls with different extension directions, for example, so that the lateral ranging sensor 96A continues to detect obstacles. It can be detected by detecting an obstacle by the distance measuring sensor 96A in front while advancing along one wall by controlling. If you have an imaging unit such as a camera, you may find a corner by this image recognition. If the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner C is located in such a corner, dust in the corner can be effectively collected by swinging left and right near the corner, such as by performing a super-credit turn (in-situ rotation). ..

When starting the corner cleaning, the side brushes 40 and 40 are used to scrape the dust, and the rotating brush 5 and the scraping brush 1 are used to collect the dust in the dust collecting case K. When it is determined that the corner cleaning is started (S25, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to step S26, and when it is determined that the corner cleaning is not in progress, the control device 95 returns to step S20.

In step S26, the control device 95 reversely rotates the rotating brush 5 before the main body 50 moves. Further, the control device 95 increases the rotation speed of the rotation brush 5 as compared with the normal operation. In this case, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the rotating operation of the rotating brush 5 causes the dust adhering to the rotating brush 5 to be scraped off by the scraping brush 1, and the dust accumulates in the region shown in the region P (see FIG. 11). Will be done. When the dust accumulates in the area P, it is collected from the suction port 17 into the dust collecting case K by the suction force of the blower 81. During the super-credit turning, the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C decreases or stops, so that the floor surface interferes with the rotating brush 5 less. Therefore, among the above-mentioned automatic maintenance controls, it is particularly effective to interrupt the automatic maintenance control of the rotating brush 5.

The cleaning of the rotary brush 5 in step S26 is performed by a process separate from the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press described above. That is, even if the process of step S26 is executed before the predetermined time elapses (S20, No), the timer is not reset, and when the predetermined time elapses (every predetermined time), a series of series is performed. The processes (steps S30 to S50) are executed. As a result, the automatic brush cleaning in step S40 and the dust pressing process in step S50 are executed regularly (fixed frequency), and it is possible to prevent the dust collecting case K from being sufficiently cleaned.

On the other hand, even when the pet mode is not ON (step S10, No) and the normal operation is started, the rotary brush 5 is cleaned during the corner cleaning (step S81, Yes) (see step S82). That is, in step S81, the control device 95 determines whether or not the corner is being cleaned. When the control device 95 determines that the corner is being cleaned (S81, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to step S82 to rotate the rotary brush 5 in the reverse direction. If the control device 95 determines that the corner is not being cleaned (S81, No), the control device 95 proceeds to step S90. The drive wheels may be stopped even before the reverse rotation during corner cleaning.

(Fourth Embodiment)
In a pet-rearing environment, various pet-related items such as excrement, solids such as pet food, and liquids may fall on the floor. In addition, it is assumed that the amount of garbage is relatively large compared to the pet-free environment.
For cleaning liquid or very soft objects such as excrement, the rotating brush 5 (including other brushes such as side brushes) is not suitable, and if such an object is cleaned, the cleaning area will be cleaned. On the contrary, it is expected that it will be soiled, the cleaning machine will break down, and the frequency of maintenance will increase. In relation to the present embodiment, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-515191 always recognizes the type of dust, and it is considered that the power consumption required for the arithmetic processing is relatively large.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner according to the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, in step S101, the control device 95 determines whether or not an obstacle has been detected. The obstacle is composed of an imaging unit (monocular camera, stereo camera, etc.) as a detection unit. Since the camera has a wide angle of view, it is easy to detect an object falling on the floor. When the control device 95 detects an obstacle (S101, Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S102, and when no obstacle is detected (S101, No), the process of step S101 is repeated.

At least in step S102 as a control executed during the pet mode, the control device 95 determines whether or not the detected and recognized obstacle causes an obstacle if the obstacle is cleaned. do. For example, if the obstacles are pet feces and urine excrement, pet excrement, liquid or viscous food, etc., cleaning them may cause the vacuum cleaner body to malfunction, the rotating brush 5 or the floor surface. It causes the stain. Further, when the obstacles are dust, dry pet food, etc., the probability that the vacuum cleaner main body will break down is low even if these are cleaned.

When the control device 95 determines that the obstacle is to be generated (S102, Yes), the control device 95 proceeds to the process of step S103 and executes the control for avoiding the obstacle. If the control device 95 determines that it does not cause a failure (S102, No), the control device 95 proceeds to the process of step S104 and continues cleaning.

Further, when avoiding an obstacle, the drive wheel 61 is controlled to turn the main body 50 or the like to make a detour so as not to come into contact with the obstacle. Further, when an obstacle such as excrement is detected, the user may be notified by a notification means such as a lamp provided on the vacuum cleaner body. Further, when an obstacle such as excrement is detected, it may be notified to the user's terminal (smartphone) or the like.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the operation of the main body 50 (vacuum cleaner main body) is switched based on the type of obstacle detected by the imaging unit. This makes it possible to suppress or prevent the occurrence of a failure such as a failure of the main body 50 when cleaning is continued.

Further, the arithmetic processing for recognizing the type of dust by the imaging unit during the execution of the pet mode (that is, the course change depending on the type of dust, etc.) is performed more frequently than during the normal operation. In particular, since the amount of calculation required for recognizing the type is relatively large, it is preferable not to perform the operation during normal operation because the power consumption can be reduced. Further, in view of the situation that the imaging unit can image a relatively long distance, it may be performed intermittently for a part of one automatic cleaning time.

Although not shown, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C in each of the above-described embodiments returns to the charging stand according to the command of the control device 95 when the cleaning is completed or the electric capacity of the rechargeable battery B is low. And charge. The autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C that has returned to the charging stand rotates the rotating brush 5 in the W2 direction while the rotation of the drive wheels 61 is stopped (see FIG. 11), so that the dust of the rotating brush 5 is scraped off by the brush 1. Is scraped off by. Further, by driving the blower 81 at a normal rotation speed, the dust scraped by the scraping brush 1 is collected in the dust collecting case K.

It should be noted that the time for one automatic cleaning in the normal mode, the pet mode, etc. is the autonomous cleaning after the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C starts the autonomous cleaning by the timer function or the command from the user. It refers to the period from the start of autonomous cleaning to the completion of cleaning without abnormal stop. In the present embodiment, when the cleaning is completed without abnormal stop, the autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner C autonomously returns to the charging stand.

The autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has been described in detail by showing an embodiment. Needless to say, the content of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified or changed within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. Further, as long as the main body 50 (vacuum cleaner main body) is controlled in a direction of reducing obstacles that occur in the pet breeding environment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when the pet itself is on the cleaning route, the main body 50 (vacuum cleaner main body) may be controlled so that the pet is separated from the cleaning route by sound or light.

Further, in step S30 of the first to third embodiments, it has been described that the automatic brush cleaning and the dust press are executed with the drive wheels 61 stopped, but the drive wheels 61 are not stopped and the automatic brush cleaning and dust pressing are performed. Brush cleaning and dust pressing may be performed. As a result, the cleaning time can be shortened.

1 Scraping brush 2 Flocking 3a Rib 5 Rotating brush (brush)
10 Suction part 17 Suction port 19 Locking part 21 Rotating brush motor (motor)
40 Side brush 50 body (vacuum cleaner body)
51 Lower case 61 Drive wheels (drive unit)
81 Blower 91 Upper case 92 Bumper 95 Control device (control unit)
96A Distance measurement sensor 96B Floor distance measurement sensor C Autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner K Dust collection case F Dust collection filter B Rechargeable battery

Claims (1)

It has a brush, a dust collecting case, a blower that generates an air flow to the dust collecting case, an imaging unit that detects obstacles, a rechargeable battery, and a vacuum cleaner that runs autonomously.
As a mode for executing automatic cleaning, a normal mode and a pet mode that is executed when it is determined that the vacuum cleaner body is present in the pet breeding environment can be selected and executed.
During the execution of the pet mode, when the obstacle detected by the imaging unit is a pet as a predetermined control once or more or intermittently during a part of the execution time of the automatic cleaning, the pet An autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner that controls the vacuum cleaner body to move the pet away from the cleaning route with sound and / or light when in the cleaning route.

Images