JPH04341227A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the vacuum cleaner in which a pressure sensitive conductive body does not become resistance in the part to be cleaned at the time of cleaning, and which can move smoothly a suction implement. CONSTITUTION:A suction implement 4 is provided with a suction implement main body 5 and a rotary brush 7 provided in an opening part 5a of this suction implement main body 5. The end part 6a of a rotation axis 6 of the rotary brush 7 is put on a bearing 8 provided so as to support the rotation axis 6 in the inside of the suction implement main body 5. As for this bearing 8, the front shape is an L-shape, the side shape is a shape, and its bottom face is curved in a U-shape. On the bottom face of the bearing being an abutting part of the end part 6a of the rotation axis 6 and the bearing 8, conductive rubber 9 being a pressure sensitive conductive body is placed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a vacuum cleaner equipped with a suction device having a rotating brush.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a vacuum cleaner has a vacuum cleaner body, a suction device body connected to the vacuum cleaner body, a rotating brush provided on the suction device body and rotated by a motor, and a suction device. A device is known that is equipped with a pressure-sensitive conductor that is provided at approximately the center of the lower surface of the main body so as to come into contact with the area to be cleaned, and whose electrical resistance changes depending on the pressure received from the area to be cleaned (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-131727). Such vacuum cleaners are designed to determine the type of area to be cleaned (carpet, tatami, wooden floor, etc.) using a pressure-sensitive conductor.

0003

However, in such a vacuum cleaner, the pressure-sensitive conductor is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the suction tool body. Therefore, when cleaning, the pressure-sensitive conductor acts as a resistance at the area to be cleaned, causing a problem in that the suction tool does not move smoothly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is an electric current that allows the suction tool to move smoothly without the pressure-sensitive conductor acting as resistance at the area to be cleaned during cleaning. The purpose is to provide vacuum cleaners.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects] The vacuum cleaner of the present invention takes the following two forms. That is, the first
The configuration includes a vacuum cleaner main body, a suction tool main body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body, a rotating brush provided on the suction tool main body and rotationally driven by a motor, and further, inside the suction tool main body. , a pressure-sensitive conductor whose electrical resistance changes depending on the applied pressure, which is interposed between the rotating shaft of the rotating brush and a bearing that supports the rotating shaft, and a rotating brush whose electrical resistance changes depending on the output of the pressure-sensitive conductor. The vacuum cleaner is equipped with a control means for controlling the rotation of the vacuum cleaner.

That is, the first vacuum cleaner is provided with a pressure-sensitive conductor whose electrical resistance changes depending on the applied pressure at a specific location inside the suction tool body, and furthermore, the output of the pressure-sensitive conductor is The gist of the present invention is to provide a control means for controlling the rotation of the rotating brush in accordance with the rotation of the rotary brush. Here, the pressure-sensitive conductor is made of, for example, a thin plate of conductive rubber, and is interposed between the rotating shaft of the rotating brush and the bearing that supports the rotating shaft inside the suction device main body. Since the pressure-sensitive conductor provided in this manner does not protrude downward from the lower surface of the suction tool main body, it does not create resistance at the location to be cleaned when cleaning is performed. Further, the control means determines the degree of force exerted by the user from the output result of the pressure-sensitive conductor, and controls the rotation of the rotating brush according to the user's intention.

A second embodiment includes a vacuum cleaner body, a suction device body connected to the vacuum cleaner body, and a rotating brush provided on the suction device body and rotationally driven by a motor. Inside the tool body, there is a pressure-sensitive conductor that is interposed between the rotating shaft of the rotating brush and a bearing that supports this rotating shaft, and whose electrical resistance changes according to the applied pressure, and the output of this pressure-sensitive conductor. and a control means for controlling an electric blower built into the vacuum cleaner body in accordance with the vacuum cleaner body.

[0008] That is, the second vacuum cleaner is provided with a pressure-sensitive conductor whose electrical resistance changes depending on the applied pressure at a specific location inside the suction tool body, and furthermore, the output of this pressure-sensitive conductor is The gist of the present invention is to provide a control means for controlling an electric blower in the vacuum cleaner body according to the requirements. The position where the pressure-sensitive conductor is provided, the type of pressure-sensitive conductor, etc. are the same as in the case of the first vacuum cleaner. Further, the control means determines the degree of force exerted by the user from the output result of the pressure-sensitive conductor, and controls the electric blower according to the user's intention.

[0009]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this example.

In FIG. 1, a vacuum cleaner A includes a vacuum cleaner body 1 having a built-in drive mechanism and the like, and a suction device detachably connected to the vacuum cleaner body 1 via a connecting hose 2 and a connecting pipe 3. 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suction device 4 includes a suction device main body 5 having a rectangular opening 5a for sucking in dirt, dust, etc., and is provided in the opening 5a of the suction device main body 5,
It is equipped with a rotating brush 7 that is rotated by a motor to scrape off dirt, dust, entangled lint, etc. from the area to be cleaned such as a carpet.

Reference numeral 6 indicates a rotation axis of the rotating brush 7. The end portion 6a of the rotating shaft 6 rests on a bearing 8 provided inside the suction tool main body 5 so as to support the rotating shaft 6. The bearing 8 has an L-shape in front, a U-shape in side, and a U-shaped bottom. End 6 of rotating shaft 6
A conductive rubber 9 as a pressure-sensitive conductor is disposed on the bottom surface of the bearing 8, which is the contact portion between the bearing 8 and the bearing 8. This conductive rubber 9 has a plate shape that is curved along the bottom surface of the bearing 8. Then, the pressure received from the surface of the area to be cleaned is converted into electrical resistance and detected, and the type of area to be cleaned (carpet, tatami, wooden floor, etc.) is determined based on the magnitude of the detected electrical resistance or voltage.
Determine.

That is, as shown in FIG.
In the case of flooring), the rotating brush 7 hardly touches the area to be cleaned. Therefore, the detected voltage remains almost zero. As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of tatami mats, a signal is input for each tatami mat. Since the rotating brush 7 becomes loose due to the pressure received from the surface of the tatami mat, the level of the detected voltage is higher when the suction tool 4 is pulled (portion A) than when it is pushed (portion B). As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of short-pile carpet, it is softer than tatami, so the waveform is smoother than that in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the level of the detection voltage also becomes higher. As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of a carpet with long piles, the waveform is vibrating because the hair hits the carpet with great force. The level of the detection voltage becomes even higher.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 7, the level of the detected voltage is clearly different between the forward movement and the backward movement of the cleaning operation. The appearance of the waveform also varies depending on the length of the carpet and the stiffness of the back. For this reason, it is dangerous to determine the type of area to be cleaned based only on the voltage level at a certain time, and it is necessary to determine the type of area to be cleaned based on a waveform pattern based on a plurality of samplings. For example, it is necessary to obtain a waveform pattern from sampling at regular intervals indicated by arrows in FIG.

Further, in the detection pattern during the cleaning operation shown in FIG. 9, the time period T1 is the time when the vehicle is moving backward, and the time period T2 is the time when the vehicle is moving forward. When controlling the rotating brush 7 to rotate when the area to be cleaned is a carpet, and not to rotate the rotating brush 7 when the area to be cleaned is a tatami, at T1 in FIG. The rotating brush 7 will have to be stopped based on this judgment. In order to eliminate these inconveniences, control as shown in FIGS. 10 to 14 is performed.

That is, FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts for identifying a detection signal as a waveform pattern when detecting the type of area to be cleaned, and FIG. 12 shows a timer interrupt for sequentially capturing detection signals. . In this example, the value used to determine the type of area to be cleaned is calculated from the detection signals of 10 times, including the values acquired 9 times in the past. The coefficients used in this calculation formula are determined in advance by a neural network and stored in the ROM. To explain in detail, the timer interrupt is processed at regular intervals (for example, every 2 msec). Then, the detected voltage is taken in and stored in the I1 memory. In the next step, neural network calculations are performed using the product-sum values of the values I1 to I10 and their corresponding coefficients, and the results are stored in the memory RAM1. These values are constants and are stored in ROM in advance. Next, in preparation for the next processing, past data is
Shift one by one. As a result, the latest 10 input data will be used.

FIG. 14 shows a method in which the neural network is made to learn the relationship between the type of area to be cleaned and the input value, and the strength of the connection is summarized as a connection coefficient from the input to the output. For example, in the case of a floor, I1 to I10 are all set to 0, and the output layer at that time is set to 0 for learning. In the case of carpet (hair length), I1 to I10 are 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 0.7, 0.8, ...0, respectively.
．． 9 and the output layer at that time is 1.0. Similarly, the calculation coefficients from the input layer to the output layer are determined by learning the relationship between input and output in various cases. Although FIG. 14 only shows the connections from I1 to the output layer, the same applies to I2 to I10.

FIG. 13 is used for processing when determination is required, such as in automatic driving mode. That is, memory RAM1
The content is judged in four stages. Based on this judgment, floors, tatami,
Distinguish between carpet (short hair) and carpet (long hair). At that time, the previous determination results are compared to prevent erroneous judgments when switching due to noise or the type of area to be cleaned. Then, if it is the same as the previous time, the determination result is regarded as fact.

Based on the above detection results, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, when it is determined that the floor has been changed from carpet to tatami or wooden flooring, for example, the control is switched after checking for a certain period of time. This certain period of time is sufficiently longer than the times T1 and T2 in FIG. 9 in a normal cleaning state, and is set to 5 seconds in FIG. 10. This type of control makes it easier to react to fine details such as tatami mats.

As described above, the user's intention and the state of the area to be cleaned can be simultaneously determined by the conductive rubber 9 depending on the degree of force exerted by the user. That is,
When the user is applying force to the suction tool 4, there is a strong possibility that the user is trying to suck in dirt, dust, etc. that are difficult to remove. On the other hand, if you are not putting any effort into cleaning, there is a strong possibility that there is not much dirt or dust, or that you are trying to do a light cleaning job. Therefore, if the rotation of the rotating brush 7 and the electric blower (built in the vacuum cleaner body) are controlled based on both the determination result of the type of the area to be cleaned and the operating state of the suction tool 4, the area to be cleaned can be controlled. It is possible to realize control that is most suitable for the type of equipment and operating conditions.

Next, FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a system in which a signal from the conductive rubber 9 is received on the cleaner body 1 side and processed by a microcomputer. In this circuit, the rotary brush motor is turned on and off depending on the type of area to be cleaned detected using the above method.
In addition to controlling the rotation speed of the electric blower (suction motor in FIG. 11) built into the vacuum cleaner main body 1, it is possible to optimally clean the area to be cleaned.

In the vacuum cleaner A equipped with such a suction device 4, a conductive rubber 9 is provided on the bottom surface of the bearing 8 in the suction device main body 5, and extends downward from the bottom surface of the suction device main body 5. Not outstanding. Therefore, when cleaning, the conductive rubber 9 does not become a resistance at the area to be cleaned.
It becomes possible to move the suction tool 4 smoothly. Further, the conductive rubber 9 also functions as a vibration absorbing material that absorbs vibrations of the rotating brush 7. Therefore, according to this vacuum cleaner A, there is no need to provide a special vibration absorbing material.
The number of parts can be reduced, assembly workability can be improved, and it is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0022]

[Effects of the Invention] The vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and when cleaning, the pressure-sensitive conductor does not create resistance in non-cleaning areas, and the suction tool can be moved smoothly. Can be done. According to the vacuum cleaner of claim 1, the degree of force applied by the user can be determined by the pressure-sensitive conductor provided in the suction device main body, and the rotating brush can be controlled according to the user's intention. can. Further, according to the vacuum cleaner of claim 2, the degree of force exerted by the user can be determined by the pressure-sensitive conductor provided in the suction device main body, and the electric blower can be controlled according to the user's intention. can.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of a suction tool constituting the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1, seen from the front.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the suction tool shown in FIG. 2, seen from the side.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between detected voltage and time when cleaning a wooden floor with the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between detected voltage and time when cleaning tatami mats with the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between detected voltage and time when cleaning a short-pile carpet with the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between detected voltage and time when cleaning a long-pile carpet with the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when a waveform pattern is obtained from sampling at regular intervals by the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between detected voltage and time when the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 cleans a long-pile carpet in forward and backward motions.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a system in which a pressure-sensitive conductor is used in the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 to receive signals on the main body side and process the signals with a microcomputer.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for identifying a detection signal as a waveform pattern when detecting the type of location to be cleaned.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for identifying a detection signal as a waveform pattern when detecting the type of location to be cleaned.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a network for identifying a detection signal as a waveform pattern when detecting the type of location to be cleaned.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vacuum cleaner body 4 Suction tool 5 Suction tool body 5a Opening 6 Rotation axis 6a End 7 Rotating brush 8 Bearing

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum cleaner main body, a suction tool main body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body, and a rotating brush provided on the suction tool main body and rotationally driven by a motor,
Furthermore, inside the suction tool body, there is a pressure-sensitive conductor that is interposed between the rotating shaft of the rotating brush and a bearing that supports the rotating shaft, and whose electrical resistance changes according to the received pressure, and this pressure-sensitive conductor. A vacuum cleaner comprising a control means for controlling the rotation of a rotating brush according to the output of the body. 2. A vacuum cleaner main body, a suction tool main body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body, and a rotating brush provided on the suction tool main body and rotationally driven by a motor,
Furthermore, inside the suction tool body, there is a pressure-sensitive conductor that is interposed between the rotating shaft of the rotating brush and a bearing that supports the rotating shaft, and whose electrical resistance changes according to the received pressure, and this pressure-sensitive conductor. A vacuum cleaner comprising a control means for controlling an electric blower built into a vacuum cleaner body according to the output of the vacuum cleaner.