JPH01111210A - Self-traveling cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the cleaning efficiency with a self-traveling cleaner by selecting a corner nearest the cleaner main body via a measuring means and starting the cleaner after moving it to said corner. CONSTITUTION:When the distances between a cleaner main body 101 and its peripheral objects are measured on a prescribed plane by a measuring means 104, a deciding means 105 recognizes an area where the line connecting continuously those measured distances is defined as a wall surface. Then the position of the main body 101 is decided within said area together with the direction of the main body 101 to the area. At start of the cleaning, a corner nearest the main body 101 is selected by a selection means 107 and the main body 101 is moved to said corner by a control means 108. Then the cleaning action of the cleaner is started. As a result, the cleaning action is automatically started at said corner without instructing the traveling route of the cleaner nor moving manually the cleaner to the corner at start of the cleaning action. Thus the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that cleans flat surfaces such as floors and roads by itself.

(B) Conventional technology Self-propelled vacuum cleaners that have been proposed in the past include a method in which the vacuum cleaner is run once by human power, and the running state is stored in a memory element within the vacuum cleaner body or an external memory element. Later, in the 1970s, a vacuum cleaner was made to run automatically.
Publication No. 5-32369, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-3484,
There is one such as that shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-149724.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention However, in such conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaners, a person must operate the vacuum cleaner at least once to make the vacuum cleaner memorize the travel route. Furthermore, although cleaning is generally more efficient if you start from a corner of the cleaning area, there is a problem in that the vacuum cleaner must be manually carried to that location in order to do so.

This invention was made in consideration of such circumstances, and includes a vacuum cleaner equipped with a measuring means for measuring the distance to surrounding objects, so that when starting cleaning, the vacuum cleaner itself
Recognizes the shape of the current cleaning area, determines the position and orientation of the vacuum cleaner within that area, calculates the corner closest to the vacuum cleaner, and starts cleaning after driving to that corner. The present invention provides a self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

(d) Means to solve problems FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention.

In this figure, 101 is a traveling means 102 and a steering means 1.
03 is the main body of the vacuum cleaner that runs, 104 is the main body 101
Measuring means 105 is provided to measure the distance on a predetermined plane from the main body 101 to surrounding objects, and 105 recognizes an area whose wall is a line connecting the distances obtained by the measuring means 104 continuously, and also measures the area. 106 is a storage means for storing the determination result of the determination means 105. 107 is a storage means for storing the determination result of the determination means 105 at the time of starting cleaning. Selection means 108 selects the corner of the area closest to the area, and control means 108 causes the main body 101 to travel to that corner based on the determination result of the determination means +05, and then causes the main body 101 to travel for cleaning.

Note that the measuring means 104 may be an optical measurement device composed of a light emitting section using a light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser, and a light receiving section consisting of a light irradiation position detection element such as a COD linear image sensor. is preferable, but an ultrasonic range finder, an infrared range finder, a TV camera, etc. may also be used.

Further, the determining means 105, the storing means 106, the selecting means 10
7. The control means 108 usually includes a CPU.

A microcomputer consisting of ROM, RAM5 and I10 ports is used.

The traveling means 102 includes wheels, caterpillars, etc. driven by a traveling motor, and the steering means 1
As 03, ordinary devices for changing the direction of those wheels, caterpillars, etc. are used.

(e) When the action measuring means 104 measures the distance on a predetermined plane from the vacuum cleaner main body 101 to surrounding objects, the determining means 105 determines an area whose wall surface is a line connecting the distance continuously. recognized and furthermore, the main body 10 within that area.
1 and the orientation of the body 101 relative to that area.

When starting cleaning, the selection means 107 selects the corner closest to the main body 101, and the control means 10 selects the corner closest to the main body 101.
8, the main body 101 travels to the corner, and cleaning travel is then started.

Therefore, cleaning is automatically started from the corner without instructing the running route or manually moving the robot to the corner when starting cleaning, so that efficient cleaning can be performed.

(f) Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples shown in the drawings. Note that this invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing the back side of FIG.

In these figures, ■ is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner body, which is covered with an exterior case 4 consisting of an upper case 2 and a base skirt part 3, and the base skirt part 3 has a plurality of built-in collision sensors 5a. A bumper 5 is provided. Furthermore, a rotatable distance measuring section 6, which will be described later, is arranged in the upper part of the upper case 2.

Reference numeral 7 designates a board of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body l, on which a pair of dust suction mechanisms 8a' and 8b are disposed before and after the board.

These dust suction mechanisms 8a and 8b pass through the dust suction parts 9a and 9b, which each have a built-in dust suction fan motor and dust collection filter, the floor suction tools 11a and llb, and the base 7 to form the dust suction part 9a.
, 9b and a floor suction tool 11a.

11b, flexible hoses 10a are connected to the flexible hoses 10a and 11b, respectively.

10b, floor suction device lifting motors 12a, 12b attached to the lower surface of the base 7, and floor suction device 11a.

The suction device 11b is made up of wires 13a and 13b that are wound up by motors 12a and 12b for raising and lowering the suction device for the floor. 15
is a rechargeable battery for power supply placed on the base 7.

16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are wheel units installed at the front and rear left and right positions of the base 7, and the wheels 17
a~+7d, running motors 18a~18 connected to wheels
d (travel motor 18a.

+8b is not shown), wheel support shafts 19a to 19d (wheel support shafts 19a and 19b are not shown), wheel support shaft housings 202L to 20d (wheel support shaft housings 20a and 20
(b is not shown), and the wheel support shaft 19a=19
It is rotatable around d.

Steering pulleys 21a to 2 are attached to the wheel support shafts 192L to 19d.
1d (steering pulleys 21a and 21b are not shown) are fixed to each other, and an output pulley 21e and a steering pulley 21'a to 1d are fixed to the output shaft of the steering motor 22.
Since the steering timing belt 23 is passed over the frame 21d, it is possible to change the directions of the four wheel units 16a to 16d and steer the four wheel units 16a to 16d by rotating the steering motor. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the distance measuring section 6 with the outer cover removed.

As shown in the figure, the distance measuring section 6 includes a light source section 25 consisting of a semiconductor laser and a collimator lens, a collective lens, and a light irradiation position detection element such as a COD linear image sensor, mounted on a rotary table 24. The light receiving parts 26a to 26c are arranged based on the principle of triangulation, and these and their circuit parts (not shown) can rotate around a rotation axis 27 that coincides with the central axis of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner body 1. It is. By rotating the distance measuring section 6 with a rotation motor (not shown), it is possible to measure the distance to the object in the entire circumferential direction of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body l.

In order to increase the measurement resolution, three light receiving sections 26a to 26c are installed: a short distance light receiving section 26a, a middle distance light receiving section 26b, and a long distance light receiving section 26c, but they can be set arbitrarily depending on the required measurement range or measurement accuracy. It is possible to do so.

Note that the distance measuring unit 6 may be an ultrasonic distance measuring device, an infrared distance measuring device, a TV camera, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

As shown in this figure, a central processing circuit 28 consisting of a CPU
is connected to the collision sensor 5a via the interface circuit 30.
and the distance measurement data from the distance measurement circuit 31 of the distance measurement unit 6 are read together with the angle with respect to the self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body I, and the travel motors 1B+1L to 18d1, the dust suction motors 9a, 9b, and the floor suction tool lift/lower are read. motors 12a, 12b
, the steering motor 22 and the rotation motor 32 of the distance measuring section 6
control.

Further, these measurement data and control data are stored in a storage circuit 29 made of an RA helmet, and referenced and processed by the central processing circuit 28 as necessary.

The operation of such a configuration will be explained below using FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram based on FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, when cleaning is started at an arbitrary position, for example, position A shown in FIG. 7, the central processing circuit 28
First, the range finder rotation motor 32 is driven via the interface circuit 30 to rotate the range finder 6, and the range finder circuit 3 rotates the range finder 6 at intervals of, for example, 1 degree around the entire circumference of the cleaner body 1.
1 measurement data is read and stored in the storage circuit 29.

This measurement data is, in other words, distance data in all directions between the cleaner body 1 and an external object, such as a wall or an obstacle.

Regarding this distance data, from now on, distance measurement will be continued until the entire cleaning area has been cleaned and moved to a predetermined position (position B in Fig. 7, but it can be set arbitrarily).
The distance measurement data stored in the storage circuit 29 is updated.

From this distance measurement data, as will be described later, the shape of the cleaning area, such as a room, in which the cleaner body 1 is currently placed is recognized. Then, the position of the cleaner body 1 within the cleaning area and the direction in which the cleaner body 1 faces with respect to the cleaning area are determined (step 201).

If the position of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is not at the cleaning start position, that is, if it is not at the corner closest to the vacuum cleaner body 1 (step 202), the front and rear floor suction tool lifting motors 12a and 12b are driven. , floor suction tool 11a, ll
b away from the floor, drive the steering motor 22, and direct the running wheels 16a to 16d toward the cleaning start position B, which is the corner closest to the cleaner body 1 (see FIG. 7).
The traveling motors 18a to 18d are driven to travel to the cleaning start position B (step 203).

When the cleaning start position B is reached, the traveling motors 18a-1
8d, drive the steering motor 22, and direct the running wheels 16a to 16d in the direction shown by arrow C in FIG.
The direction of arrow C in the figure is assumed to be the front direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 1).

Next, the floor suction device lifting motors 12a, 12b are driven to ground the front and rear floor suction devices 11a, Ilb to the floor surface, and the front and rear dust suction fan motors 9a, 9b are operated.

Thereafter, the running motors 18a to 18d are driven to advance the cleaner body 1 (step 204).

The central processing circuit 28 constantly calculates the traveling distance of the vacuum cleaner main body I based on the distance signal from the distance measuring circuit 31 of the distance measuring section 6.

The running distance from the cleaning start position B is the front and rear floor suction tools 1.
When the distance L between 1a and Ilb (see Fig. 7) is exceeded, that is, when moving forward, the rear floor suction tool 11b is at the cleaning start position B and the front floor suction tool 11a is at the cleaning start position B. When the vehicle reaches the position, the rear dust suction fan motor 9a is stopped, the rear floor suction device lifting motor 12b is rotated, and the rear floor suction device 11b is moved away from the floor (7th (as shown in the figure).

In this state, it runs while cleaning up to the opposite wall.

If any abnormality occurs in the vacuum cleaner main body 1 on the way (step 205), it is determined whether it can be moved from that position (step 206), and if it is possible to move, it will move to the cleaning starting position B. Step 207), if it is impossible to move, it stops there and turns off the power to finish cleaning.

If no abnormality occurs, the robot continues cleaning while detecting obstacles, and if an obstacle is detected (step 206), an avoidance operation is performed to avoid the obstacle. (Step 207), and the cleaning run is resumed.

Further, if no obstacle is detected, but if it collides with some object (step 208), the vacuum cleaner body 1 is stopped (step 209). ), if a restart key (not shown) is pressed (step 210), the cleaning run is restarted.

If the cleaner does not collide with anything, the vacuum cleaner body 1 continues to move until it reaches the opposite wall while calculating the position of the main body 1 (step 211), and when it approaches the opposite wall (step 212), the cleaner Motors 18a-18d
(step 213), and then stops the front dust suction fan motor 9a and rotates the front floor suction device lifting motor 9a to move the front floor suction device 11a away from the floor (Fig. 7). (Denoted as Apparatus E).

If the cleaning has not been completed, that is, if there is an uncleaned area (step 214), the steering motor 22
After driving the traveling wheels 16a=16d by 90° in the direction shown by arrow F in FIG. 7, the traveling motors 18λ~
18d, the length Q of the floor suction tool 112L-11b
(see FIG. 7) and then stops (step 215) (indicated by device G in FIG. 7).

Then, the steering motor 22 is driven again to direct the running wheels 16a=16d in the direction shown by the arrow H in FIG. Rotate the front and rear floor suction tools 112.
After grounding L and 'Ilb on the floor and operating the front and rear dust suction fan motors 9a and 9b, the running motors 18a to 1
8d to move the vacuum cleaner main body 1 backward.

In this case, as well, when the cleaning rod body 1 travels the distance between the front and rear floor suction tools 11a and Ilb (as shown by device I in FIG. The dust suction fan motor 9a located on the rear side in the direction of travel is stopped, and the floor suction tool lifting motor 12a, also located on the rear side in the direction of travel, is driven to move the floor suction tool 11a away from the floor surface. Carry out a cleaning run until the end.

Thereafter, the same process is repeated, and when the entire cleaning area is cleaned (as shown by device J in FIG. 7), the traveling motors 18a to 18d
Then, the dust suction motors 9a and 9b are stopped, and the floor suction tool lifting motors 12a and 12b are driven, and the floor suction tool 11a is driven.
, llb away from the floor.

Thereafter, the steering motor 22 is moved so that the running wheels 16a to 16d are directed in the direction of the cleaning start position (indicated by device B in FIG. 7).
and drive the traveling motors 18a to 18d to move to the cleaning start position B (Step 216). After notifying the completion of cleaning using a light emitting element or a sounding element, etc., the cleaner turns off the power to the cleaner body 1 by itself. to finish cleaning.

FIGS. 8 to 10 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of recognition of the shape of a cleaning area and determination of the position and orientation of the vacuum cleaner body in the cleaning area, and FIGS. 11 to 13 are illustrations showing examples of the shape of the cleaning area 8 to 10; FIG.

Of these figures, Figures 8 and 11 show the actual shape of the room when the cleaning area is a room surrounded by walls, and the black circles in the figures indicate the shape of the vacuum cleaner body l arbitrarily placed. It's the location.

9 and 12 are graphs of the results obtained by measuring the rooms in polar coordinate data in the circumferential direction with the vacuum cleaner body 1 as the center using the distance measuring unit 6.
The room shown in the figure and FIG. 11 was measured clockwise with the upper direction in the figure as 0 degrees.

10 and 13 are graphs in which the measurement results as polar coordinate data measured by the distance measuring section 6 are converted into XY coordinate data and plotted.

The cleaning area is recognized by the central processing circuit 28 so that a line connecting the plotted points consecutively is defined as the wall surface. That is, first, the polar coordinate data measured by the distance measuring unit 6 is converted into XY coordinate data, and the shape of the cleaning area is recognized by connecting the plotted points, and then, the polar coordinate data is differentiated with respect to the angle. Then, the corners of the cleaning area are detected by setting the coordinate values at which the rate of change with respect to the angle of the polar coordinate data is maximum as corner points, and the space between the corners is recognized as a wall surface. Also, from the distance from the wall surface and the angle to the wall surface, the vacuum cleaner body 1 in that area
The position of the area and the orientation of the cleaner main body 1 with respect to that area are determined, and the determination results are stored in the storage circuit 29.

Then, at the start of cleaning, the above-described operation is first performed, and the corner closest to the cleaner body 1 is selected based on the result. That is, in the examples of FIGS. 8 to 1O, the distances to each corner are compared based on the measured distances shown in the graph of FIG. 9, and the closest corner indicated by corner M is selected. In the examples shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the closest corner indicated by corner N is selected based on the measured distance shown in the graph of FIG.

Thereafter, as described above, the direction of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is controlled, and the vacuum cleaner body 1 is directed in the direction of the selected corner M1 or corner N, and the vacuum cleaner body 1 travels around that corner. After the vehicle is stopped at a position that is a predetermined distance from corner M or corner N and where cleaning travel is possible, cleaning travel is started.

In this way, the vacuum cleaner body is equipped with a distance measuring section that measures the distance to surrounding objects, thereby recognizing the shape of the current cleaning area and determining the position of the vacuum cleaner body within that area. If you determine the direction of the vacuum cleaner body with respect to that area, select the corner closest to the vacuum cleaner body when starting cleaning, move to that corner, and then start cleaning. It is no longer necessary to operate the machine to memorize the travel route or carry the vacuum cleaner to the corner when cleaning starts, making it possible to perform efficient cleaning without unnecessary cleaning runs or leaving behind any cleaning. becomes.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to store a plurality of cleaning areas in the vacuum cleaner main body and make the cleaner run to a predetermined corner based on the areas.

That is, the shape of a plurality of cleaning areas is stored in advance in the memory circuit of the vacuum cleaner body using the XY coordinates of the corner points, and the cleaning start corner position and the return position at the end of cleaning in those cleaning areas are also stored. I'll keep it.

When the central processing circuit of the vacuum cleaner body recognizes the shape of the cleaning area, it selects a cleaning area corresponding to the recognized cleaning area from among the multiple cleaning areas stored in advance. , the position of the vacuum cleaner body within the selected cleaning area and the orientation of the vacuum cleaner body with respect to the selected area may be determined, and the cleaning may be started by traveling to a preset cleaning start corner position. It is possible.

In this way, the accuracy in determining the position and orientation of the cleaner body is improved, and the processing speed in determining the cleaning start corner position is also increased.

In addition, in order to store multiple cleaning areas in such a case, an external storage device using an external storage medium such as a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, or a card with a built-in memory element is installed in the vacuum cleaner body, and one storage area is stored in the external storage medium. A plurality of cleaning areas in a building may be stored and exchanged for each building.

Furthermore, regarding the storage of a plurality of cleaning areas, it is also possible to store travel routes instead of cleaning areas, and to automatically travel the cleaner body based on the travel routes.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to this invention, the vacuum cleaner body is provided with a measuring means for measuring the distance from the vacuum cleaner body to surrounding objects, thereby recognizing the shape of the cleaning area currently placed. , determines the position of the vacuum cleaner body within that area and the orientation of the vacuum cleaner body with respect to that area, and when starting cleaning, selects the corner closest to the vacuum cleaner body, moves to that corner, and then starts cleaning. This eliminates the need for a person to operate the vacuum cleaner and memorize the travel route, or to carry the vacuum cleaner to the corner when cleaning starts, eliminating unnecessary cleaning trips and leaving no cleaning left behind. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner that performs efficient cleaning is provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the invention, Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing the back side of Fig. 2, Figure 4 is a plan view showing the distance measuring unit with the outer cover removed, Figure 5 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner shown in Figure 2, and Figure 6 is the self-propelled cleaner. Flowchart diagram showing the operation of the machine, Figure 7 is an operation explanatory diagram based on Figure 6, Figures 8 to 10
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing an example of recognition of the shape of a cleaning area and determination of the position and orientation of the vacuum cleaner body in the cleaning area, and Figures 11 to 13 are Figures 8 to 10 of other cleaning area examples. This is a corresponding diagram. 1...Self-propelled vacuum cleaner body, 2...Upper case, 3...Base skirt, 4...
Exterior case, 5... Bumper, 5a... Collision sensor, 6... Ranging section, 7... Self-propelled vacuum cleaner main body board, 8a, 8b. ...Dust suction mechanism, 9
a, 9b...dust suction section, 10a, 10b...
... Flexible hose, +1a, llb ... Floor suction device, 12a, 12b ... Floor suction device lifting motor, 13a, 13b ... Wire, 15 ...
...Rechargeable battery, +6a=16d...Wheel unit, 17a-17d...Wheel, 18c, 18d...Travel motor, 19c, 1
9d...Wheel support shaft, 20c, 20d...
・Wheel support shaft housing, 20c, 20d... Steering pulley, 21e... Output pulley, 22.
... Steering motor, 23 ... Steering timing belt, 24 ... Turntable, 25 ...
...Light source section, 26a-26c... Light receiving section, 27
...rotation axis, A-J...position, L...distance between front and rear floor suction tools, ρ...
・・Length of floor suction device, M, N・・・・Corner. Ku Ku C Rikyaku 11- sect; -0----------------J' sect Aji 1, Indication of the incident 1986 Patent Application No. 268694 2, Name of the invention Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 3. Representative of the person making the amendment: Satoshi Iue 4. Agent address: 530 6. Subject of amendment 7. Contents of amendment (1) ■ "Dust suction motor 9' on page 9, line 7 of the specification"
a, 9bJ are corrected as "front dust suction fan motor 91a and rear dust suction fan motor 91b". ■Correct 9a.
and correct it. ■ “Step 206” on page 12, line 19 of the same book is changed to “
Step 306" is corrected. ■Page 12, line 20 to page 13, line 1 of the same book
"Step 207" is corrected to "Step 307." ■Correct "9a" in the 19th line of page 13 and the 2nd line of page 15 of the same book to r91aJ. (2) Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings will be corrected as shown in the attached sheet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum cleaner main body that travels and has a running means and a steering means, a measuring means provided on the main body for measuring a distance on a predetermined plane from the main body to a surrounding object, and a measuring means for measuring the distance obtained by the measuring means. Discrimination means for recognizing a region whose wall surface is a continuous line, and determining the position of the main body within the region and the orientation of the main body with respect to the region, storage means for storing the discrimination results, and cleaning. A selection means for selecting a corner of the area closest to the main body based on the discrimination result at the time of start, and a control means for causing the main body to travel to the corner based on the discrimination result, and then causing the main body to run for cleaning. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner.