JP7231469B2 - autonomous vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to autonomous vacuum cleaners.

Autonomous vacuum cleaners are known which, in plan view, have a body which has the shape of a constant-width figure, for example the Reuleaux Triangle, whose width is always constant across the span.

WO2016/002186

Autonomous vacuum cleaners comprise a cleaning part having at least one of, for example, a suction inlet and a wiping member, such as a non-woven fabric.

Further, it is preferable that the cleaning part is provided at the front edge of the bottom surface of the main body of the autonomous cleaner in order to clean the wall of the cleaning place. It is preferable that the front edge can be closely approached to the wall with as little gap as possible. That is, the body of the autonomous vacuum cleaner preferably has a straight front edge.

By the way, in a plan view, it is difficult for an autonomous vacuum cleaner having a main body having a shape of a constant width figure such as a circle or a Reuleaux triangle to bring the cleaning part close to the wall without any gaps. , so-called super pivot turning, which turns on the spot, can be easily performed. Therefore, although the conventional autonomous vacuum cleaner is inferior in cleaning ability near the wall, it can move smartly when changing its direction on the spot and heading to the next cleaning place.

However, although an autonomous vacuum cleaner having a straight front edge is superior in cleaning ability near a wall, it is difficult to make super pivot turns in consideration of interference between the front edge of the main body and the wall.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes an autonomous vacuum cleaner that is excellent in cleaning ability near the wall of the cleaning place and that can move smoothly away from the wall near the cleaning place.

To solve the above problems, an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a main body, a cleaning part provided on the bottom surface of the main body, a moving part for moving the main body, and a moving part that controls the moving part. a control unit for autonomously moving the main body, wherein the main body protrudes to an outer region of a first circle having a radius of a first distance from the turning center to the front end when the turning is performed; Further, it has a front half portion positioned forward of the pivot turning center, and the front half portion includes a straight front edge portion and a side edge portion farther from the pivot turning center when performing a pivot turn. , wherein the cleaning unit has a suction port arranged along the front edge and extending in the width direction of the main body, and the control unit is an obstacle facing the side edge . Based on the first shortest distance between a certain wall and the side edge, the main body is turned in a super-pivot turn, pivot turn, or gentle turn to change the traveling direction , and from the pivot turn center to the front half part. If the maximum turning radius to the farthest point among the above is equal to or greater than the second shortest distance from said turning center to said wall, said front half will touch said wall when making a super turning or turning. Change the traveling direction by slowly turning in the contact turning direction .

1 is a perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. The right view of the autonomous cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The bottom view of the autonomous cleaner concerning the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view of a main body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. An example of the cleaning procedure of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the cleaning procedure of the autonomous cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

An embodiment of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same or corresponding structure in several drawings.

1 is a perspective view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment is a so-called robot cleaner. The autonomous cleaner 1 moves autonomously by consuming power of a secondary battery 3 mounted on a main body 2.例文帳に追加The autonomous cleaner 1 comprehensively moves around and cleans the surface f to be cleaned in the area A to be cleaned, that is, the floor surface. After the cleaning operation, the autonomous cleaner 1 returns to the charging base 5 and waits for the next cleaning operation. The autonomous cleaner 1 that has returned to the charging stand 5 charges the secondary battery 3 while waiting for the next cleaning operation. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 saves the user the trouble of charging, and can respond to sudden cleaning operations requested by the user.

The charging stand 5 can be installed on the surface f to be cleaned in the living room. The charging stand 5 can smoothly connect or disconnect the autonomous cleaner 1 . The charging stand 5 is provided with a power cord 6 that guides power from a commercial AC power source to the secondary battery 3 while the autonomous cleaner 1 is connected. A power cord 6 is an electric circuit for transmitting power to the secondary battery 3 .

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the invention.

3 is a bottom view of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. The operation of the autonomous cleaner 1 is controlled by controlling the cleaning unit 12 that cleans f, the detection unit 13 that detects objects to be detected around the main body 2, the detection unit 13, the moving unit 11, and the cleaning unit 12. and a secondary battery 3 that supplies electric power to each part of the autonomous cleaner 1 including the moving part 11 , the cleaning part 12 , the detection part 13 and the control part 15 .

A solid-line arrow F in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the forward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . A solid arrow B in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the backward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 .

The main body 2 includes, for example, a synthetic resin main body case 21 and a bumper 22 provided on the side surface of the main body case 21 . The main body 2 has a non-constant width figure shape in plan view. A front edge 23 of the body 2 has a linear shape.

The main body case 21 is the outer shell of the main body 2 .

The bumper 22 is provided on the side surface of the body case 21 .

The moving part 11 includes a plurality of driving wheels 26, a plurality of electric motors 27 for individually driving the driving wheels 26, and driven wheels 28 supporting the main body 2 on the surface f to be cleaned together with the driving wheels 26. there is

Each driving wheel 26 transmits the force for moving the main body 2 to the surface f to be cleaned. Each drive wheel 26 rolls around an axle extending in the width direction (horizontal width direction) of the main body 2 . The plurality of drive wheels 26 includes a pair of drive wheels 26 spaced apart at least in the width direction of the main body 2, that is, in the left-right direction. The driving wheels 26 are pressed against the surface f to be cleaned by a suspension device, a so-called suspension.

Each electric motor 27 drives each drive wheel 26 individually and independently. In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 controls each electric motor 27 individually and independently to drive each drive wheel 26 individually and independently. The autonomous cleaner 1 moves straight (forward or backward) by rotating a pair of drive wheels 26 spaced apart in the width direction of the main body 2 in the same direction, and moves forward or backward by rotating the pair of drive wheels 26 in different directions. Make a turn (turn right or turn left). In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 adjusts the forward or backward speed by increasing or decreasing the output of the left and right driving wheels 26, or adjusts the size of the turning radius by varying the output of the left and right driving wheels 26. can do.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 rotates the left and right electric motors 27 in different directions and drives the left and right electric motors 27 with the same output to turn on the spot, so-called spin turn, neutral turn. , counter-rotation turn). In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 stops one of the left and right electric motors 27 and drives the other of the left and right electric motors 27 to turn around the stopped driving wheels 26, that is, so-called pivot turning. (pivot turn, skid turn) can be performed. Furthermore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can drive the left and right electric motors 27 at different rotational speeds to perform a so-called slow turn (power turn), in which the course is changed in an arc while moving forward or backward. It should be noted that super-pivot turns, pivot turns, and gentle turns are collectively referred to simply as turns.

The moving part 11 of the autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment may have an endless track instead of the pair of left and right driving wheels 26 . Further, the moving part 11 may include a plurality of drive wheels 26 arranged on each of the left and right sides. In either case, the turning center when making a super pivot turn is called the super pivot turning center Cn1, the turning center when making a pivot turn is called the pivot turning center Cn2, and when making a gentle turn. is called a gentle turning center Cn3. It is preferable that the super pivot turning center Cn1 coincide with the center of gravity of the main body 2 .

Also, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that there are a pair of left and right drive wheels 26, and the axles of the left and right drive wheels 26 are arranged in a straight line. It is assumed that the super-pivot turning center Cn1 is located between the left and right drive wheels 26 and on the extension line of the axle. It is assumed that the pivot turning center Cn2 is positioned at the ground contact point of either the left or right drive wheel 26 and in the middle of the wheel width. The gentle turning center Cn3 is located outside the area sandwiched between the left and right drive wheels 26, that is, to the left of the left drive wheel 26 or to the right of the right drive wheel 26, and is positioned on the extension line of the axle. do.

The driven wheel 28 is arranged at the substantially central portion in the width direction of the lower portion of the main body 2 and at the rear portion. The driven wheel 28 is a circular rotating body, such as a caster. The driven wheels 28 easily follow the advance, retreat, and turning of the autonomous cleaner 1 to change direction and stabilize the movement of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The center of gravity of the autonomous cleaner 1 supported by the drive wheels 26 and the driven wheels 28 is preferably located inside the triangle formed by the pair of drive wheels 26 and driven wheels 28 . In that case, the risk of the autonomous cleaner 1 tipping over is reduced. In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 can move more stably. The driven wheel 28 may be omitted.

The cleaning part 12 is provided at the bottom of the main body 2 . The cleaning part 12 cleans dust on the surface to be cleaned f immediately below the main body 2 and its surroundings. The cleaning unit 12 includes, for example, a suction cleaning unit 31 that generates negative pressure to suck dust, and a wiping unit 32 that wipes or polishes the floor surface below the main body 2 .

The suction cleaning part 31 includes a suction port 34 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 2 , a rotating brush 35 arranged at the suction port 34 , a brush electric motor 36 for rotating the rotating brush 35 , and a rear part of the main body 2 . A dust container 37 and an electric blower 38 housed in the main body 2 and fluidly connected to the dust container 37 are provided.

The suction port 34 sucks dust together with air by the negative pressure generated by the electric blower 38 . The suction port 34 is arranged at the bottom front edge 23 of the body 2 . The suction port 34 extends in the width direction of the main body 2 . In other words, the opening width of the suction port 34 in the left-right direction is larger than the opening width of the suction port 34 in the front-rear direction. Since the bottom surface of the main body 2 faces the surface f to be cleaned during autonomous travel, the suction port 34 removes dust on the surface f to be cleaned or dust scraped up from the surface f to be cleaned by the rotating brush 35. Can be easily inhaled.

The rotation center line of the rotating brush 35 is oriented in the width direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The rotating brush 35 contacts the surface f to be cleaned when the autonomous cleaner 1 is placed on the surface f to be cleaned so as to be able to travel. Therefore, the rotating brush 35 that is rotationally driven scrapes up the dust on the surface f to be cleaned. The dust that has been scraped up is efficiently sucked into the suction port 34 .

The brush electric motor 36 rotates the rotating brush 35 forward (in a direction that assists the propulsive force of the autonomous cleaner 1 when moving forward) or reversely (in a direction that assists the propulsive force of the autonomous cleaner 1 when reversing).

The dust container 37 accumulates dust sucked from the suction port 34 by suction negative pressure generated by the electric blower 38 . The dust container 37 includes a filter that filters and collects dust, and inertial separation such as centrifugal separation (cyclone separation) and straight separation (separation method that separates dust and air by the difference in inertial force between air and dust traveling straight). It is a separation device that accumulates dust by The dust container 37 is detachable from the main body 2 and can be opened and closed. The user temporarily removes the dust container 37 from the main body 2 and opens the dust container 37 to easily discard the dust accumulated in the dust container 37, or clean or wash the dust container 37. be able to.

The electric blower 38 is driven by consuming the power of the secondary battery 3 . The electric blower 38 sucks air from the dust container 37 to create suction negative pressure. The negative pressure generated in the dust container 37 acts on the suction port 34 . The main body 2 has an exhaust port for discharging exhaust (clean air) from the electric blower 38 to the outside of the main body 2 .

The wiping part 32 is arranged at the bottom of the main body 2 and right behind the suction port 34 . The wiping part 32 includes, for example, a removable wiping sheet 39 made of a fibrous material such as a non-woven fabric on the bottom surface of the main body 2 . The wiping sheet 39 contacts the surface f to be cleaned when the autonomous cleaner 1 is placed on the surface f to be cleaned so that it can travel. It is preferable that the wiping sheet 39 is pressed against the surface f to be cleaned with a pressure that does not allow the driving wheels 26 to idle on the surface f to be cleaned. An elastic member such as foamed resin is provided between the wiping sheet 39 and the bottom surface of the main body 2 . This elastic member presses the wiping sheet 39 against the cleaning surface f with a uniform pressure.

Note that the front and back of the arrangement of the suction cleaning part 31 and the wiping cleaning part 32 may be reversed. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the suction cleaning part 31 may be arranged at the front edge part 23 of the bottom of the main body 2, and the wiping cleaning part 32 may be arranged immediately after the suction cleaning part 31, or the wiping cleaning part 32 may be arranged on the main body. 2 at the front edge 23 of the bottom, with the suction cleaning section 31 located immediately after the wiping section 32 . Either one of the suction cleaning portion 31 and the wiping cleaning portion 32 is arranged along the front edge portion 23 regardless of the arrangement relationship. In other words, the cleaning part 12 is arranged on the frontmost side in the bottom part of the main body 2 .

The detection unit 13 detects an object O to be detected that approaches the main body 2 as the main body 2 moves or an object to be detected O that contacts the main body 2 . The detection unit 13 includes a camera unit 41 provided in the main body 2 for capturing an image of the surroundings of the autonomous cleaner 1, and a camera unit 41 provided in the main unit 2 so that the main unit 2 detects an object other than the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, an object to be detected. A proximity detection unit 42 that detects that O has approached, a contact detection unit 43 that is provided in the main body 2 and detects that the main body 2 has come into contact with an object other than the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, the object to be detected O, contains.

The camera unit 41 is provided on the front surface of the main body 2 and photographs the forward direction of the autonomous cleaner 1, that is, the traveling direction when moving forward.

The autonomous cleaner 1 may be provided with a distance measuring device 45 that obtains depth information in the imaging range by a principle different from that of the stereo camera instead of or in addition to the camera section 41 .

The proximity detector 42 is, for example, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. The proximity detection unit 42 using an infrared sensor includes a light-emitting element that emits infrared light and a light-receiving element that receives light and converts it into an electric signal. The proximity detection unit 42 emits infrared light from the light emitting element, receives the infrared light reflected by the object O to be detected by the light receiving element, and converts it into electric power. Before the main body 2 comes into contact with the detected object O, it is detected that the detected object O has approached within the distance. The proximity detection unit 42 using an ultrasonic sensor detects the object O to be detected using ultrasonic waves instead of infrared rays.

The contact detection unit 43 is a so-called bumper sensor. The contact detection part 43 is interlocked with the bumper 22 that mitigates the impact on the main body 2 when the moving main body 2 contacts the object O to be detected. The bumper 22 is displaced so as to be pushed toward the inside of the main body 2 when it comes into contact with the object O to be detected. The contact detection unit 43 detects the displacement of the bumper 22 to detect that the main body 2 has come into contact with the object O to be detected. The contact detection unit 43 includes, for example, a microswitch that is turned on and off by displacement of the bumper 22, an infrared sensor that measures the amount of displacement of the bumper 22 without contact, and an ultrasonic sensor.

The secondary battery 3 stores power consumed by each part of the autonomous cleaner 1 including the moving part 11 , the cleaning part 12 , the detection part 13 and the control part 15 . The secondary battery 3 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and has a control circuit for controlling charging and discharging. This control circuit outputs information regarding charging and discharging of the secondary battery 3 to the control unit 15 .

Next, the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the main body of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention;

As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment has a radius of a first distance R1 from a pivot turning center Cn1 to a front end 51 of the main body 2 when turning. It has a front half portion 52 projecting to the outer region OR1 of the first circle Ci1 and a rear half portion 53 connected to the front half portion 52 . A front half portion 52 of the main body 2 is a portion on the front side of the pivot turning center Cn1, and a rear half portion 53 of the main body 2 is a portion on the rear side of the pivot turning center Cn1. A front end 51 of the main body 2 is a portion where an imaginary line segment extending straight ahead through the pivot turning center Cn1, that is, a center line CL extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 and the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 intersect. .

Also, the longitudinal length of the main body 2 and the maximum width of the main body 2 are substantially twice the first distance R1. In other words, the main body 2 fits into a virtual square whose side length is twice the first distance R1 and whose sides extend in the front, back, left, and right directions. The intersection of the diagonal lines of this square substantially coincides with the supercenter turning center Cn1.

Further, the pivot turning center Cn2 is arranged on a line segment that bisects the virtual square surrounding the main body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 through the super pivot turning center Cn1.

Also, the gentle turning center Cn3 is arranged on an extension line of a line segment that bisects the virtual square surrounding the main body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 through the super-stationary turning center Cn1. The gentle turning center Cn3 is arranged outside the area sandwiched between the left and right pivot turning centers Cn2. In other words, the left gentle turning center Cn3L is arranged to the left of the left pivot turning center Cn2L, and the right gentle turning center is arranged to the left of the right pivot turning center Cn2R.

The front half portion 52 is, in plan view, a rectangle having a lateral width substantially twice the first distance R1 and a longitudinal length substantially equal to the first distance R1. The front half portion 52 has a linear front edge portion 23 and a pair of left and right linear side edge portions 55 .

The leading edge 23 has a length substantially twice the first distance R1. The front edge portion 23 includes the front end 51 of the main body 2 and extends linearly substantially orthogonally to the center line CL extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 through the pivot turning center Cn1. In other words, the front edge portion 23 extends in the left-right direction or width direction of the main body 2 . When the autonomous cleaner 1 advances straight toward the boundary of the area to be cleaned A, eg, the wall Wf, the front edge 23 of the main body 2 faces, faces, and faces the wall Wf. Then, when the autonomous cleaner 1 moves forward and reaches the wall Wf, the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 follows the wall Wf with a small gap therebetween or in contact with the wall Wf. Therefore, the cleaning part 12 arranged along the bottom surface of the main body 2 and along the front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 can clean the side of the wall.

The pair of left and right side edge portions 55 includes a left side edge portion 55L farther from the pivot turning center Cn2R when performing a pivot turn with the right driving wheel 26 as the pivot turning center Cn2R, and a left side edge portion 55L farther from the pivot turning center Cn2R. is the pivot turning center Cn2L, and a right side edge portion 55R farther from the pivot turning center Cn2L when performing a pivot turn. The left and right side edges 55 have substantially the same length as the first distance R1.

In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 detects the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42 provided facing the front edge 23 of the main body 2 and the contact detection unit 43 provided on the front edge 23 for detecting displacement of the bumper. Based on the detection result, the main body 2 is brought closer to the wall. In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 is based on the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42 provided on the side edge 55 of the main body 2 and the detection result of the contact detection unit 43 that detects the displacement of the bumper provided on the side edge 55. to bring the main body 2 closer to the wall.

The front half portion 52 has a portion that protrudes into the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2 centered on the pivot turning center Cn2.

That is, the connecting portion 56 between the front edge portion 23 and the side edge portion 55 is arranged in the outer region OR2 of the second circle Ci2 centered on the pivot turning center Cn2. A left portion 23aL of the front edge portion 23, a front portion 55aL of the left side edge portion 55L, and a left front portion 52aL of the front half portion 52 including the left connecting portion 56L are formed by a second right circle Ci2R. is located in the outer region OR2 of the . The right front portion 52aR of the front half portion 52 including the right portion 23aR of the front edge portion 23, the front portion 55aR of the right side edge portion 55R, and the right connecting portion 56R is the left second It is located in the outer region OR2 of the circle Ci2L.

Preferably, the body 2 can be pivoted in the same manner when pivoting to the right as it is pivoting to the left. Therefore, it is preferable that the main body 2 has a symmetrical shape.

The rear half portion 53 is centered on the turning center Cn1 and is contained in the inner area of a third circle having a radius corresponding to the distance from the turning center Cn1 to the rear ends of the side edges 55L and 55R. The distance from the pivot turning center Cn1 to the rear ends of the side edges 55L and 55R is substantially equal to the first distance R1.

In FIG. 4, two walls W that define the area A to be cleaned and are perpendicular to each other, that is, the corners of the area A to be cleaned are indicated by two-dot chain lines. The front wall Wf is positioned directly in front of the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1, and the right wall Wr is positioned on the right side of the main body 2 of the autonomous cleaner 1 with a first shortest distance D1 therebetween. there is The autonomous cleaner 1 cleans the wall side with the linear front edge portion 23 of the main body 2 being brought close to the wall Wf with a minute gap or with the front edge portion 23 in contact with the wall Wf. Since the cleaning part 12 is arranged along the front edge part 23 of the main body 2, the autonomous cleaner 1 can reliably clean the vicinity of the wall. The state in which the front edge portion 23 is brought close to the wall Wf with a small gap or the state in which the front edge portion 23 is in contact with the wall Wf is hereinafter simply referred to as "the state in which the front edge portion 23 is along the wall". .

However, as shown in FIG. 4, it is difficult for the autonomous cleaner 1 to change its traveling direction on the spot with the front edge 23 along the wall. In other words, it is difficult for the autonomous cleaner 1 to make a pivot turn with the front edge 23 along the wall. When the front edge portion 23 is along the wall, the portion protruding to the outer region OR1 of the first circle Ci1 is in contact with the walls Wf and Wr, and hinders the autonomous cleaner 1 from turning on the pivot.

Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 rotates the main body 2 on the basis of the first shortest distance D1 between the wall Wr on the right side and the side edge 55 in the direction in which the side edge 55 faces. , pivot turn, or gentle turn to change direction. In the situation shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous cleaner 1 slowly turns clockwise around the slow turning center Cn3 farther from the right side wall Wr, that is, the left side slow turning center Cn3L, and leaves the wall. At this time, the front edge portion 23 and the left side edge portion 55L of the main body 2 including the connecting portions 56L and 56R move along a trajectory away from the front wall Wf.

Figures 5A-5D are an example of a cleaning procedure for an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The autonomous cleaner 1 according to this embodiment cleans the corners of the area to be cleaned according to the procedures shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5D.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous cleaner 1 enters a corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the front wall Wf. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, the autonomous cleaner 1 slowly turns clockwise around the center of slow turning Cn3L on the left side and leaves the wall. In other words, the autonomous cleaner 1 slowly turns so that the front half 52 faces the right wall Wr, and leaves the wall.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 gently turning near the wall changes the front direction of the main body 2 by 180 degrees. That is, the rear half portion 53 of the main body 2 faces the front wall Wf. It should be noted that the autonomous cleaner 1 does not need to continue gently turning until the rear half 53 faces the front wall Wf. In other words, it has been clarified that the right side edge 55R of the autonomous cleaner 1 moves away from the right wall Wr, and does not come into contact with any of the walls W even when performing a pivot turn or a super pivot turn. At this point, the rear part 53 may be turned toward the front wall Wf by performing a pivot turn or a super pivot turn, and then retreating to bring the rear part 53 closer to the wall of the front wall Wf.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the autonomous cleaner 1 turns counterclockwise near the front wall Wf. The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 that makes a super-pivot turn near the wall turns the front direction of the main body 2 by 90 degrees. That is, the front half portion 52 of the main body 2 faces the wall Wr on the right side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, the autonomous cleaner 1 enters the corner of the area to be cleaned A and cleans the right side wall Wr. Thus, the corner of the area to be cleaned A is cleaned. After cleaning the corner of the area A to be cleaned, the autonomous cleaner 1 retreats once, rotates clockwise, leaves the corner of the area A to be cleaned, and continues to move.

Since the main body 2 has a symmetrical shape, even if the wall W is on the front and left sides of the main body 2, the slow turning center Cn3R on the right side is slowly turned counterclockwise. By doing so, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily leave the place. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 can cover the corners of the area A to be cleaned both when the corners are viewed on the right side of the main body 2 and when the corners are viewed on the left side of the main body 2 . I can clean it. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can clean the corners of the area A to be cleaned deeper than a conventional cleaner having a constant width diagram-shaped main body.

By the way, the farthest portion of the front half 52 from the pivot turning center Cn2, specifically the maximum pivot turning radius R2max up to the connecting portion 56, is the second shortest distance from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the wall as an obstacle. When the distance is smaller than D2, the autonomous cleaner 1 can pivot and change the traveling direction without contacting the main body 2 with the wall.

In the case of FIG. 4, the second shortest distance D2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the wall as an obstacle is the shortest distance from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the side edge 55, and the shortest distance from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the side edge 55 to the wall. with the first shortest distance D1.

That is, in FIG. 4, the farthest portion of the front half portion 52 from the left pivot turning center Cn2L, specifically, the maximum pivot turning radius R2maxL up to the right connecting portion 56R is When the second shortest distance D2 to the wall Wr is smaller than the second shortest distance D2, the autonomous cleaner 1 can pivot and change the traveling direction without bringing the main body 2 into contact with the wall Wr.

However, when the maximum pivot turning radius R2max from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the connecting portion 56 is equal to or greater than the second shortest distance D2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the obstacle, the autonomous cleaner 1 is 2 can't turn and change direction without contacting a wall.

Therefore, when the maximum pivot turning radius R2max from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the connecting portion 56 is equal to or greater than the second shortest distance D2 from the pivot turning center Cn2 to the obstacle, the autonomous cleaner 1 can Make a gentle turn like 5A to change the direction of travel.

A gentle turning radius R3 for gentle turning is set based on the first shortest distance D1 from the side edge 55 to the wall. In the case of FIG. 4, the gentle turning radius R3 is set based on the first shortest distance D1 from the right side edge 55R to the right wall Wt. The gentle turning radius R3 is the distance from the gentle turning center Cn3 to the central turning center Cn1.

The gentle turning radius R3 can be determined experimentally. In other words, while changing the first shortest distance D1 between the autonomous cleaner 1 and the obstacle, the gentle turning radius R3 that does not bring the main body 2 into contact with the obstacle is experimentally obtained. From the results of this experiment, a correspondence relationship is created that determines the gentle turning radius R3 corresponding to the size of the first shortest distance D1. This correspondence relationship is summarized in a table and stored in the control unit 15 . For example, when the first shortest distance D1 is greater than 5 mm and less than 10 mm, the gentle turning radius R3 is 400 mm. Radius R3 is set to 300 millimeters. The smaller the first shortest distance D1 is, the larger the slow turning radius R3 is set. Due to the correspondence set in this way, the autonomous cleaner 1 can easily change the traveling direction near the wall.

In addition, when the main body 2 is too close to the obstacle, for example, when the first shortest distance D1 is 5 mm or less, the autonomous cleaner 1 does not make a gentle turn near the obstacle, Move 52 away from the obstacle and turn the rear half 53 toward the obstacle to make a super-pivot turn and change the traveling direction.

Also, the gentle turning radius R3 can be obtained by calculation each time. That is, the position of the gentle turning center Cn3 during gentle turning is the farthest part of the front half 52 from the gentle turning center Cn3, specifically, the maximum gentle turning radius R3max up to the connecting portion 56 is the maximum gentle turning radius R3max from the gentle turning center Cn3. It is set to be shorter than the third shortest distance D3 to the obstacle. In the case of FIG. 4, the position of the slow turning center Cn3 is such that the maximum slow turning radius R3maxL from the left slow turning center Cn3L to the right connecting portion 56R is the third shortest distance from the slow turning center Cn3L to the right wall Wr. It is set to be smaller than the distance D3.

That is, the gentle turning radius R3 is calculated from [Equation 1].
[Number 1]
D3>R3max
D3=R3+R1+D1
R3max=√((R3+R1) ² +R1 ² )
∴(R3+R1+D1)>√((R3+R1) ² +R1 ² )

A first distance R1 from the pivot turning center Cn1 to the front end 51 is known from the size of the main body 2 .

The first shortest distance D1 between the autonomous cleaner 1 and the obstacle is, for example, a measured value measured by an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor that measures the distance from the side edge 55 to the obstacle without contact. .

Note that the autonomous cleaner 1 has a gentle turning radius R3 exceeding, for example, 10 times the width of the main body 2, a crossing dimension of the area A to be cleaned, or a gap between the main body 2 and an obstacle. If the first shortest distance D1 is less than, for example, one tenth of the width of the main body 2, in order to avoid the gentle turning radius R3 from becoming too large, the gentle turning near the obstacle is not performed, and the first half Move the part 52 away from the obstacle and turn the rear part 53 toward the obstacle to make a super-pivot turn and change the traveling direction.

The autonomous cleaner 1 can easily move in the front-rear direction, but cannot easily move sideways. Therefore, when there is a wall W in front of the main body 2 that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 can turn without being hindered by the front wall Wf by retreating. However, when there is a wall W on the side of the main body 2 that hinders the pivot turn or the super pivot turn, the autonomous cleaner 1 has a wall W between the side wall W and the main body 2 for turning. You can't move to the side to separate the gap. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can be easily turned by gently turning around the slow turning center Cn3.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 6 in addition to FIGS. 2 and 3, the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment includes an electric motor 27 of the moving unit 11, a brush electric motor 36 and an electric blower 38 of the suction cleaning unit 31, and a detection unit. 13 , control unit 15 , secondary battery 3 , and communication unit 61 .

The communication unit 61 includes a transmission unit 61a including, for example, an infrared light emitting element, which transmits infrared signals to the charging base 5, and a receiving unit 61b including, for example, a phototransistor, which receives infrared signals from the charging base 5 and the remote controller. , is equipped with

A camera unit 41 of the detection unit 13 is, for example, a digital camera. That is, the camera unit 41 includes an image sensor 41a (image sensor, not shown) that converts a captured image into an electric signal, and an optical system 41b that forms (generates) an image on the image sensor 41a. The imaging element 41a is, for example, a CCD image sensor (Charge-Coupled Device image sensor) or a CMOS image sensor (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor). Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can immediately handle the digital data of the image captured by the camera section 41 . In other words, an image captured by the camera unit 41 can be compressed into a predetermined data format, converted into a binary image, or converted into a gray scale by using an image processing circuit, for example. The camera unit 41 captures an image in the visible light region, for example. An image in the visible light region has better image quality than, for example, an image in the infrared region, and can easily provide the user with visible information without performing complicated image processing.

The camera unit 41 is a so-called stereo camera. Images captured by the camera unit 41 are overlapped in a capturing range including a front position extending from the center line in the width direction of the autonomous cleaner 1 . The camera unit 41 can obtain information on the depth (separation distance seen from the autonomous cleaner 1) in the imaging range. An image containing depth information is called a "distance image".

The camera unit 41 may be provided with a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a light bulb. The illumination device illuminates part or all of the imaging range of the camera unit 41 . The lighting device enables the camera unit 41 to acquire an appropriate image even in a dark place such as a shadow of obstacles such as furniture or in a dark environment such as at night.

A large number of pixels are arranged on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 41a. Each pixel on the light-receiving surface converts the received light into an electrical signal. By integrating the information of the light received by each pixel according to the position of each pixel, an image representing the scenery captured by the camera section 41 is obtained. A general image sensor 41a captures a color image. Color images are represented by mixing three colors, red, green, and blue, for example.

The distance measuring device 45 includes a light emitting section 45a that emits light to a range for obtaining depth information, and a light receiving section 45b that receives the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting section 45a. The autonomous cleaner 1 can acquire distance information from the autonomous cleaner 1 to the detected object O based on the time difference from when the light emitting unit 45a starts emitting light until the light receiving unit 45b receives the reflected light. The light emitting unit 45a emits, for example, infrared rays or visible light.

The control unit 15 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU, not shown), various arithmetic programs executed (processed) by the central processing unit, an auxiliary storage device (for example, read only memory, ROM , not shown), and a main storage device (for example, random access memory, RAM, not shown) in which a program work area is dynamically secured. The auxiliary storage device is preferably rewritable, such as non-volatile memory.

Control unit 15 is electrically connected to electric motor 27 of moving unit 11 , brush electric motor 36 and electric blower 38 of suction cleaning unit 31 , detection unit 13 , secondary battery 3 , and communication unit 61 . The control unit 15 operates the electric motor 27 of the moving unit 11, the brush electric motor 36 and the electric blower 38 of the suction cleaning unit 31, the detection unit 13, It controls the secondary battery 3 .

The control unit 15 includes an autonomous movement control unit 71 that controls autonomous movement of the autonomous cleaner 1 and a detection control unit 72 that controls the operation of the detection unit 13 . The autonomous movement control unit 71 and the detection control unit 72 are arithmetic programs.

The autonomous movement control unit 71 includes a map information storage unit 73 that stores environmental map information (environment map, not shown) of the area to be cleaned A, and a movement control unit 78 that controls the movement unit 11 to move the main body 2 autonomously. and a cleaning control unit 79 that controls the operation of the brush electric motor 36 of the suction cleaning unit 31 and the electric blower 38 .

The map information storage unit 73 is a collection of data constructed in a storage area secured in an auxiliary storage device, and has an appropriate data structure. The map information storage unit 73 is read from the auxiliary storage device into the main storage device for use, and is overwritten in the auxiliary storage device through appropriate updating.

The environment map information is information used for the autonomous movement of the autonomous cleaner 1, and includes at least the shape of the area where the autonomous cleaner 1 can move in the location to be cleaned. The environment map information is constructed, for example, as a collection of 10-centimeter-side rectangles that are orderly arranged. The environment map information may be prepared in advance when the autonomous cleaner 1 is used, or may be created at the same time as self-position estimation by Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). The environment map information may be created and updated in the process of moving along with the cleaning operation. When creating environment map information by SLAM, the autonomous cleaner 1 preferably includes various sensors such as an encoder in addition to the detection unit 13 . The movement control unit 78 creates environment map information based on information acquired from the detection unit 13 and various sensors.

The movement control unit 78 controls the movement unit 11 based on the environment map information and the detection result of the detection control unit 72 to autonomously move the autonomous cleaner 1 . The movement control unit 78 controls the magnitude and direction of the current flowing through the electric motor 27 to rotate the electric motor 27 forward or backward. The movement control unit 78 controls driving of the driving wheels 26 by rotating the electric motor 27 forward or backward.

Further, based on the detection result of the detection control unit 72, for example, the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42, the movement control unit 78 avoids obstacles in the area to be cleaned A, moves to the boundary of the area to be cleaned A, that is, It moves along the wall side while providing a required gap between the wall side and the main body 2. - 特許庁Furthermore, based on the detection result of the detection control unit 72 , for example, the detection result of the contact detection unit 43 , the movement control unit 78 approaches the obstacle or the wall to the very limit and cleans the edge of the obstacle or the wall.

The cleaning control unit 79 individually controls the brush motor 36 and the electric blower 38 .

The detection control section 72 controls the operation of the camera section 41 . The detection control unit 72 causes the camera unit 41 to capture an image at predetermined time intervals. The detection control section 72 stores the image captured by the camera section 41 in the detection result storage section 81 . The image captured by the camera unit 41 is secured in the main storage device in the detection result storage unit 81 . The detection result storage unit 81 stores images captured by the camera unit 41 . The detection result storage unit 81 has a capacity capable of storing a plurality of images.

The detection result storage unit 81 may store the image information representing the image captured by the camera unit 41 without processing, or may store the information necessary for image analysis processing so as to reduce the data size. Image information may be stored. The image information stored in the detection result storage unit 81 is, for example, an image obtained by converting an image captured by the camera unit 41 into a grayscale (hereinafter referred to as an image, the same as the original image captured by the camera unit 41). can be For grayscale images, the pixel values of the image correspond to the luminance values. When storing an image converted to grayscale, the control unit 15 can allocate a smaller amount of memory area (resource) to the detection result storage unit 81 than when storing the original image. be. Also, when the image converted to grayscale is used for subsequent analysis processing, the control unit 15 can reduce the load on the central processing unit compared to processing the original image. Image processing including image grayscaling may be performed by the camera unit 41 . By executing the image processing in the camera section 41, the load on the central processing unit is reduced.

Further, the detection control unit 72 controls lighting and extinguishing of the lighting device. The illumination device brightens the image to facilitate the analysis process and increase accuracy.

Furthermore, the detection control unit 72 stores the detection result of the proximity detection unit 42 , that is, the fact that the object O has approached the main body 2 and the separation distance between the object O and the main body 2 at that time, in the detection result storage unit 81 . Remember.

Further, the detection control unit 72 stores the detection result of the contact detection unit 43 , that is, the contact of the detected object O with the main body 2 in the detection result storage unit 81 .

As described above, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment makes the main body 2 super stable based on the first shortest distance D1 between the side edge portion 55 and an obstacle in the direction in which the side edge portion 55 faces. Change direction by turning, pivoting, or gently turning. Therefore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 can more reliably clean the dust along the wall of the area to be cleaned A compared to a conventional autonomous vacuum cleaner having a body having a constant width diagram shape. You can easily move away from the

In the autonomous cleaner 1, the farthest portion of the front half portion 52 from the pivot turning center Cn2, which is the maximum pivot turning radius R2max up to the joint portion 56 in this embodiment, is larger than the obstacle from the pivot turning center Cn2. If it is smaller than the second shortest distance D2 to, the traveling direction is changed by gently turning. Therefore, the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 has a body with a constant width diagram shape near a wall or an obstacle that touches a wall or an obstacle when performing a super pivot turn and a pivot turn. It can be easily detached and turned without being inferior to the autonomous vacuum cleaner of

Furthermore, the autonomous cleaner 1 sets a gentle turning radius R3 for gentle turning based on the first shortest distance D1 between the obstacle and the side edge portion 55 . Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can make gentle turns with an appropriate gentle turning radius R3 without turning gently with an unnecessarily large turning radius R3, and can turn in a small radius.

In addition, the autonomous cleaner 1 stores a correspondence relationship that determines the gentle turning radius R3 corresponding to the size of the first shortest distance D1. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 can reduce the processing burden on the control unit 15 compared to the case where the gentle turning radius R3 is calculated each time.

Further, the autonomous cleaner 1 is arranged such that the maximum gentle turning radius R3max from the gentle turning center Cn3 to the furthest portion of the front half 52 is smaller than the third shortest distance D3 from the gentle turning center Cn3 to the obstacle. A gentle turning radius R3 may be calculated. Therefore, the autonomous cleaner 1 is capable of gentle turning with a suitable gentle turning radius R3 corresponding to the size of the first shortest distance D1, and is capable of small turns.

Therefore, according to the autonomous cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, it is excellent in cleaning ability near the wall of the area A to be cleaned, and can smoothly move away from the side of the wall of the area A to be cleaned.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Autonomous cleaner, 2... Main body, 3... Secondary battery, 5... Charging stand, 6... Power supply cord, 11... Moving part, 12... Cleaning part, 13... Detection part, 15... Control part, 21... Main body Case 22 Bumper 23 Front edge portion 23aL, 23aR Part of front edge portion 26 Driving wheel 27 Electric motor 28 Driven wheel 31 Suction cleaning unit 32 Wiping cleaning unit 34 Suction port 35 Rotating brush 36 Electric motor for brush 37 Dust container 38 Electric blower 39 Cleaning sheet 41 Camera unit 41a Image sensor 41b Optical system 42 Proximity detection unit 43... Contact detector, 45... Distance measuring device, 45a... Light emitting part, 45b... Light receiving part, 51... Front end, 52... Front half, 52a... Part of front half, 53... Rear half, 55, 55L, 55R... Side edges 55aL, 55aR Part of side edges 56, 56L, 56R Connection part 61 Communication part 61a Transmission part 61b Reception part 71 Autonomous movement control part 72 Detection control Section 73...Map information storage section 78...Movement control section 79...Cleaning control section 81...Detection result storage section.

Claims (4)

the main body;
a cleaning part provided on the bottom surface of the main body;
a moving part that moves the main body;
a control unit that controls the moving unit to autonomously move the main body,
The main body protrudes to an outer region of a first circle having a radius of a first distance from the center turning center to the front end at the time of turning, and is positioned forward of the center turning center. has a part
The front half has a straight front edge and a side edge far from the center of the pivot turn,
The cleaning part has a suction port arranged along the front edge and extending in the width direction of the main body,
The control unit
Based on the first shortest distance between the wall, which is an obstacle in the direction in which the side edge faces, and the side edge, the main body is turned to a super-pivot turn, a pivot turn, or a gentle turn to change the traveling direction. let and
If the maximum pivot turning radius from the pivot turning center to the furthest portion of the front half is greater than or equal to the second shortest distance from the pivot turning center to the wall, super pivot turning or pivot turning An autonomous vacuum cleaner that changes its traveling direction by slowly turning in a turning direction in which said front half contacts said wall when turned . 2. The autonomous cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein a gentle turning radius when said gentle turning is made is set based on said first shortest distance. 3. The autonomous vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the control unit stores a correspondence relationship that determines the gentle turning radius according to the size of the first shortest distance. The position of the center of gentle turning when the gentle turning is performed is such that the maximum gentle turning radius from the center of gentle turning to the farthest portion of the front half is larger than the third shortest distance from the center of gentle turning to the obstacle. 2. The autonomous vacuum cleaner of claim 1, configured to be small.

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