JPH03173518A - Mobile cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable cleaning without leaving any dust by applying the constitution wherein a cleaner upon contact with an obstacle temporarily stops moving according to contact information from an obstacle sensor and a suction nozzle automatically rises concurrently. CONSTITUTION:A rack 20 is provided for the suction pipe 8 of a mobile cleaner 1, and a pinion 21 is so installed as to be geared with the aforesaid rack 20 and driven with a motor 22. When obstacle sensors 10a and 10b come in contact with an obstacle, the motor 22 is operated, according to contact information from the aforesaid sensors 10a and 10b and a suction nozzle 9 is thereby raised. When moving for a cleaning work, the cleaner 1 upon contact with an obstacle such as a wall 23 temporarily stops moving, according to contact information from the obstacle sensors 10a and 10b. The motor 22 concurrently drives the pinion 21 and causes the rise of the rack 20 geared with the pinion 21. Consequently, the suction nozzle 9 rises and a gap T between the lower surface 9a of the suction nozzle 9 and a floor 17 becomes large, thereby enabling the suction of even a large dust 18 through the suction nozzle 9.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to improvements in self-propelled vacuum cleaners.

[Conventional technology] With the recent spread of home automation (HA),
Automation of various household appliances is progressing one after another. Vacuum cleaners used at home are one such type, and self-propelled vacuum cleaners that are equipped with various sensors and CPUs and are driven by motors to clean floors by themselves are being actively developed.

Figure 2 shows patent application No. 1-7098, which was invented earlier by the present inventors.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing this type of self-propelled vacuum cleaner disclosed in Publication No. 4, and a side view of the suction nozzle. In the figure, 1 is the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, 2 is a blower, 3 is its motor, 4 is a battery for power supply, 5
is a housing, 6 is a paper pack, 7 is a hose, 8 is a suction pipe, 9 is a suction nozzle, 10a, 10b are right and left obstacle sensors, 11 is a rear obstacle sensor, 12 is a trolley, 13
are wheels, 14 is a control device, 15 is a roller, 16 is a brush, 17 is a floor surface, and 18 is large garbage.

As shown in the figure, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 suctions dust from a floor surface 17 using a suction nozzle 9 while being self-propelled by a power supply battery 4 mounted thereon. When the cleaner comes into contact with a wall or the like while running, the obstacle sensor 10a'bb is activated and the cleaner temporarily stops, moves backward, turns, changes direction, and starts running straight ahead. In this way, each time it comes into contact with an obstacle, it changes directions and eventually cleans the entire area.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, while the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is cleaning, as shown in FIG. There is. For this reason, the dirt 18 with a size larger than t is not sucked in but is pushed in the direction of travel by the suction nozzle 9, and when the vacuum cleaner 1 contacts an obstacle and changes direction, the dirt will be left on the spot. This was a drawback of conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaners.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of conventional vacuum cleaners, and aims to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can clean without leaving any dirt behind.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is provided with a device for raising and lowering a suction nozzle, and when the vacuum cleaner comes into contact with an obstacle, an obstacle sensor is activated. In response to the contact information, the vacuum cleaner temporarily stops running and the suction nozzle automatically rises.

[Function] Since the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is configured as described above, when the vacuum cleaner comes into contact with an obstacle, the vacuum cleaner stops running and the suction nozzle rises to close the gap between the bottom surface of the suction nozzle and the floor. becomes larger, and large dirt is also sucked into the suction nozzle through this gap, so that large dirt no longer remains on the floor.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of its suction nozzle. Same or equivalent parts, 20 is rack, 2
1 is a pinion, 22 is a motor, and 23 is a wall surface.

In the figure, a rack 2 is attached to the suction pipe 8 of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1.
0 is disposed, and a pinion 21 that meshes with the rack 20 and is driven by a motor 22 is disposed. When the obstacle sensor flOaSb comes into contact with an obstacle, the motor 22 is operated in response to the information, and the suction nozzle 9 is activated. Configure it to rise.

When the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 comes into contact with an obstacle such as a wall surface 23 while cleaning, the obstacle sensor 10 a s
Based on the contact information b, the cleaner 1 temporarily stops running, and at the same time, the motor 22 is activated to drive the pinion 21 and raise the rack 20 that meshes with the pinion 21. Therefore, the suction nozzle 9 rises, the distance T between the lower surface 9a of the suction nozzle and the floor surface 17 becomes larger, and the large dirt 18 is also sucked up by the suction nozzle. As a result, even if the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 is used for cleaning, no dirt will be left on the floor surface 17, and the cleaning effort will be more effective.

Note that the means for raising and lowering the suction nozzle 9 is not limited to the method using the pinion and rack shown in this embodiment.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention provides a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that is equipped with a suction nozzle lifting device and configured to raise the suction nozzle by a predetermined amount in response to a contact signal with an obstacle from an obstacle sensor. Every time the running vacuum cleaner comes into contact with an obstacle, the suction nozzle rises, increasing the distance between the bottom surface of the nozzle and the floor, making it possible to suction even large pieces of dirt.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of a suction nozzle, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the suction nozzle. In the figure, 1 is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, 8 is a suction pipe, 9 is a suction nozzle, 1OA, b are obstacle sensors, 17 is a floor surface, 18 is a large garbage, 20 is a rack, 21 is a pinion, 22 is its The motor 23 is a wall surface. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A self-propelled vacuum cleaner equipped with an obstacle sensor is provided with means for raising and lowering a suction nozzle, and the traveling of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is temporarily stopped based on contact information with an obstacle from the obstacle sensor. 1. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner characterized in that the suction nozzle is raised by a predetermined amount.