JPH08182638A - Self-traveling vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a ground plane from being abraded or damaged by ensuring the proper rise of a roller supported on the lever of a carpet texture detection means at the time of cleaning a bare floor, regarding a vacuum cleaner capable of an automatic cleaning work under the repetition of a reciprocating travel. CONSTITUTION: A driving wheel 2L for causing a body 1 to travel and a driven wheel 9 are provided, and the wheel 21 is formed to be actuated with a drive motor 3L. The drive and steering of the body 1 are controlled by a travel control means 21, and a carpet texture detection means 24 to detect the direction and strength of a carpet texture has a roller in contact with a floor. Also, the roller is formed to be freely elevated with a lever.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner such as an automatic floor cleaner, an automatic floor finisher, etc., which automatically cleans while repeating reciprocating movement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various self-propelled vacuum cleaners have been developed which are automatically cleaned by adding a traveling drive device, sensors, traveling control means and the like to working equipment. As a cleaning function, various suction nozzles, brushes, etc. are provided on the bottom of the main unit according to the cleaning form such as driver vacuum, wet vacuum, washing, etc., and the floor surface of bare floor, carpet, etc. Some are free.

The moving function includes traveling and steering means, obstacle detecting means for detecting obstacles at the time of traveling, and position recognizing means for recognizing the position, and the obstacle detecting means detects walls around the cleaning place. The cleaning area is recognized by the position recognizing means while moving along, and the entire cleaning area is reciprocated for cleaning.

The carpet eye detecting means related to the present invention will be described. The carpet pattern is a hair-like property caused by the fact that the tufts of the carpet are slightly perpendicular to the base cloth. If these carpets are present laterally to the orientation of the main body (most of them are present), the main body will skid during the cleaning run and deviate from the specified running path, leaving the cleaning unfinished or repeated. There is a waste of passing through the same area,
The skid detecting means shown in FIG. 9 detects the skid.

The roller 43 is connected to the elastic body 4 via the lever 42.
The rotation detector 47 detects the relative angle (direction) of the roller 43 with respect to the main body 1 via the lever 42 and the support shaft 41 by being urged to the floor surface F by the force of 4. And roller 4
3 itself is hardly affected by the carpet mesh (the inventors have confirmed that when the ground contact surface has a small area, the surface is smooth, and the friction coefficient is small, the carpet mesh is less affected). It has the characteristic that it does not occur. With this configuration, the following operation is exhibited.

When the main body 1 travels on the carpet, the actual traveling direction of the main body 1 leans to the right or left due to skidding, but the rollers 43 follow the main body 1 in the traveling direction. That is, there is a relative angle difference between the direction of the main body 1 and the direction of the roller 43, and this angle represents the direction and the strength of the sideslip of the main body 1 during traveling by the carpet. The carpet pattern detecting means detects this angle. If the direction of the main body is changed in advance based on this detected angle, a predetermined accurate traveling locus can be obtained. The above is the outline of the carpet pattern detecting means.

However, the carpet eye detecting means is not necessary when the main body is simply moved such as when moving between rooms without cleaning (hereinafter, abbreviated as non-cleaning movement), or when cleaning the bare floor floor such as a wooden floor or a P tile. (However, when the bare floor floor is being cleaned, the carpet floor detecting means may be effective because it is affected in the same manner as the above-mentioned carpet floor on an inclined floor surface). When the roller 43 is grounded to the floor surface, the ground surface of the roller 43 is worn or scratched due to contact with a hard floor surface, collision with a step such as a threshold or collision with a projection, and the surface becomes less smooth. When traveling on a carpet, it becomes impossible to detect the angle difference due to the above-mentioned carpet eye with high sensitivity,
On the contrary, the roller 43 may damage the floor surface or the like. Not hurt, but hindering smooth non-cleaning movement.

Therefore, an elevating means as shown in FIG. 10 has been considered. FIG. 10: is the figure which looked at the raising / lowering means of the conventional self-propelled cleaner from the top. Lifting arm 35 during non-cleaning movement
The floor nozzle 18 and the sensor lift arm 36 which also hinder smooth movement by raising and holding
Roller 43 of the carpet stitch detection means (in the figure, a lifting plate 3 that is connected to the lever 42 and moves up and down in conjunction with the roller 43).
7) can be raised in conjunction. Further, when cleaning the bare floor floor surface, only the roller 43 can be raised by raising and holding only the sensor elevating arm 36. The floor nozzle 18 is detachable so that it can be appropriately replaced with a dedicated device that fits a cleaning floor surface such as a bare floor or a carpet.

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional self-propelled cleaner, there is a case where the roller 43 of the carpet eye detecting means is forgotten to be raised during the cleaning traveling of the bare floor floor surface.

In addition, in the non-cleaning movement in which the location, form, floor surface, etc. of the cleaning change, the floor nozzle is removed to replace it with a floor nozzle suitable for the next cleaning or to maintain the floor nozzle, and in this state, The lifting / lowering means sometimes moved the rollers of the carpet eye detecting means without raising them.

Further, even though the cleaning floor surface is a carpet, it is forgotten that the roller of the carpet eye detecting means is lowered and grounded, and the output while the roller is in the raised state is detected and fed back to perform a predetermined cleaning. There were times when the vehicle couldn't run, and it traveled in a direction where there was a risk of the body falling or colliding.

In addition, a floor nozzle, such as a bare floor or a carpet, which is not suitable for the floor surface may be mounted and cleaned, and the desired cleaning effect may not be obtained.

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the above-described conventional self-propelled cleaner, and automatically interlocks the rollers of the carpet eye detecting means with the installation of the bare floor floor nozzle. A first object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled cleaner that can prevent the rollers from forgetting to be raised when cleaning the bare floor floor by raising the floor.

Further, by interlocking with the installation of the carpet floor nozzle, the rollers of the carpet eye detecting means are lowered and grounded,
A second object is to provide a self-propelled cleaner that can hold the roller in a raised state even when the non-cleaning movement is performed without the floor nozzle being attached.

In addition to the first or second object,
Despite the fact that the rollers of the carpet stitch detecting means are raised, the output is mistakenly taken in and fed back to the running control, and the main body runs in a direction where there is a danger of falling, collision, etc. without being able to carry out the prescribed cleaning run. A third object is to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can prevent this.

In addition to the third object, it is determined whether the floor surface is a carpet or a bare floor, and whether a floor nozzle suitable for the floor surface is attached (whether the carpet eye detecting means roller is in a normal lifting state). A fourth object is to provide a self-propelled cleaner that can give a warning and prompt replacement when a wrong floor nozzle is installed.

[0017]

The first object of the present invention for achieving the above first object is to provide a driving means for moving the main body, a steering means for steering the main body, and the driving means. A traveling control means for controlling the traveling of the main body by controlling the steering means, and a carpet eye detecting means for detecting the direction and strength of the carpet eye of the floor surface while the main body is traveling by the roller which is grounded and rotates on the floor surface. A floor nozzle that is capable of cleaning the floor surface and detachably attached to the main body, and the carpet stitch detecting means rotatably supports the roller and pivots in the vertical direction to urge the roller toward the floor surface. And an elevating lever which is connected to the lever and pushes the lever upward, and when the floor nozzle is attached, a contact projection provided on the floor nozzle abuts on the elevating lever to raise the lever.

A second object of the present invention to achieve the second object is to provide a drive means for moving the main body, a steering means for steering the main body, and a control means for the drive means and the steering means. The running control means for controlling the running of the main body, the carpet eye detecting means for detecting the direction and the strength of the carpet eyes on the floor surface while the main body is running by the roller that is grounded on the floor surface and rotates, and the floor surface cleaning It is equipped with a floor nozzle that can be detached from the main body,
The carpet stitch detecting means includes a lever that rotatably supports the roller and that rotates in the vertical direction to urge the roller toward the floor surface,
It has an elevating lever that is connected to the lever and pushes the lever upward, and an elevating lever elastic body that urges the elevating lever upward.When the floor nozzle is attached, the contact protrusion provided on the floor nozzle contacts the elevating lever. The lever is brought into contact with and lowered.

Further, a third means for solving the problem of the present invention for achieving the third object is to have a roller rise detecting means for detecting the rise of the lever.

Further, a fourth problem solving means of the present invention for achieving the fourth object has a floor nozzle position detecting means consisting of a light emitting means provided in the floor nozzle and a light receiving means provided in the main body, The warning means compares the outputs of the lever detection means and the floor nozzle position detection means to issue a warning.

[0021]

The above first means for solving the problems of the present invention has an elevating lever which is connected to the lever of the carpet stitch detecting means and pushes the lever upward, and is provided on the floor nozzle when the floor nozzle is mounted (for bare floor). By bringing the contact projection into contact with the elevating lever and raising the lever, the roller of the carpet eye detecting means can be automatically raised in conjunction with the bare floor floor nozzle.

Further, the second means for solving the problems has an elevating lever which is connected to the lever of the carpet stitch detecting means and pushes the lever upward, and an elevating lever elastic body for urging the elevating lever upward. When the floor nozzle is attached (for carpet), the abutment provided on the floor nozzle abuts against the elevating lever and lowers the lever, so that the floor nozzle is not attached except when the floor nozzle is attached (for carpet). The roller of the carpet stitch detecting means can be held in a raised state.

Furthermore, in addition to the first or second problem-solving means, the third problem-solving means has a roller lift-up detecting means for detecting the lift-up of the lever. The output of can be cut off.

Further, the fourth problem solving means has, in addition to the third problem solving means, a floor nozzle position detecting means composed of a light emitting means provided in the floor nozzle and a light receiving means provided in the main body, and detects the lever. By having a warning means for comparing the outputs of the means and the floor nozzle position detection means to issue a warning, the difference between the sinking of the floor nozzle with a small floor contact pressure and the sink of the large body into the carpet is utilized. , The position of the floor nozzle with respect to the main body (height direction) determines whether the floor surface is a carpet or a bare floor, and whether a floor nozzle that fits the floor surface is installed (whether the carpet eye detecting means rollers are in a normal lifting state) When the wrong floor nozzle is attached, a warning is issued to prompt replacement.

[0025]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. In the figure, 1 is a main body of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner (hereinafter simply referred to as main body), 2L and 2R are drive wheels provided on the left and right sides of the main body 1, respectively, through drive motors 3L and 3R through speed reducers 4L and 4R. Left and right are driven independently.

5L and 5R are drive motors 3L and 3 respectively
A motor rotation detector such as a rotary encoder connected to R detects the rotational speed of the drive motors 3L and 3R. Reference numeral 9 is a subordinate wheel rotatably attached to the main body 1. The drive wheels 2L, 2R, drive motors 3L, 3
R, reducer 4L, 4R, motor rotation detector 5L, 5R
The driven wheel 9 constitutes a drive means and a steering means for moving the main body 1.

A storage battery 31 supplies electric power to the entire main body 1. Reference numeral 12 is a contact detection means that is attached so as to project around the main body 1. The surface of the contact detection means is made of an elastic material, and obstacles such as protrusions, steps, furniture, humans, etc. from the wall surface, pillars, or floor surface around the main body 1 It reduces the impact when it comes into contact with an object and detects the contact. Reference numeral 22 denotes a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to an obstacle around the main body 1, and is composed of an ultrasonic sensor provided around the main body 1.

Reference numeral 23 is a direction measuring means for measuring the direction of the main body 1, which is composed of a rate gyro and an integrator for integrating the output. Reference numeral 24 is a carpet stitch detecting means for detecting the direction and strength of the carpet stitch while the main body 1 is running.
It will be described later based on.

Reference numeral 21 controls the drive motors 3L and 3R,
It is a traveling control means for controlling traveling of the main body 1. Reference numeral 14 is an electric blower, 15 is a dust collecting chamber, and 16 and 17 are filters provided therein. Reference numeral 18 denotes a floor nozzle provided at the bottom of the main body 1, which is used for a bare floor, which has an excellent cleaning ability on a bare floor, and for a carpet, which is used by replacing it according to the floor surface. Since the specific difference between the bare floor and the carpet is not directly related to the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted.

The floor nozzle 18 communicates with the dust collecting chamber 15 via a flexible connecting pipe 19. As described above, the electric blower 14, the dust collection chamber 15, the filters 16, 17, the floor nozzle 18, and the connection pipe 19 constitute a cleaning means. A display unit 28 displays what is the determined floor surface, whether the mounting nozzle is on the floor surface, the remaining amount of the storage battery 31, and the like. Reference numeral 29 denotes a handle, which serves as a handle when a person operates the movement of the main body 1.

Reference numeral 37 denotes an elevating plate, the details of which will be described later with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 35 is an elevating arm, which is freely pivotable at an arm fulcrum 38 fixed to the main body 1, and the other is easily held at a floor nozzle elevating point 33 provided on the floor nozzle 18 for connection / disconnection. The floor nozzle 18 is raised (at the same time, the elevating plate 37 is also brought into contact with the floor nozzle 18 from above) and is detachable.

Next, details of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Although the basic elements of the configuration are the same as those of FIG. 11 described in the related art, a more detailed description will be given here. A mount 48 is fixed to the main body 1. A support shaft 41 is rotatably attached to the mounting base 48 via a bearing 52, and the rotation shaft is the floor surface F.
Vertical (line O).

A rotation detector 47 is fixed to the mount 48, and its detection shaft 47 'is attached to the support shaft 41 via a coupling 49 which absorbs an angular deviation center deviation between the connected shafts. Fixed coupling connection 55
And detects the rotation angle of the support shaft 41. A lever shaft 45 is provided below the support shaft 41 via a bearing 50.
Is held.

The lever 42 is fixed to the lever shaft 45, so that the lever 42 is rotatable about the lever shaft 45 with respect to the support shaft 41. A roller shaft 46 is rotatably supported at the other end of the lever 42 via a bearing 51, and the roller 43 is fixed to the roller shaft 46. The elastic body 44 composed of a torsion coil spring has one end supported by a pin 53 fixed to the lever shaft 45 and the other end supported by a pin 54 fixed to the support shaft 41, and its urging force is the torsion force of the lever shaft 45. Then, the roller 43 is biased to the floor surface F via the lever 42 and the roller shaft 46 by the twisting force of the lever shaft 45.

The operation / carpet detection method with the above configuration is the same as the conventional technique. Next, the connection between the lever and the elevating lever of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the structure for connecting the lift plate (see FIG. 10 of the related art) and the lever will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 63 is a connecting support portion, one of which is fixed to the support shaft 41. 62 is a horizontal connecting link, one of which is a horizontal connecting shaft 66
It is rotatably supported by the connecting support portion 63 via.

Reference numeral 61 is a vertical connecting link, which is rotatably supported by the lever 42 at its lower part via a lever connecting shaft 64, and one point in the middle is horizontally connected via a vertical connecting shaft 65.
It is rotatably connected to the other of the two. The lift plate 37 is
It is fixed to the upper end of the vertical connecting link 61,
There is a hole in the center so that it will not come into contact with. The vertical connecting link 61 is parallel to the line connecting the centers of the lever 42 and the horizontal connecting link 62, the lever shaft 45 and the horizontal connecting shaft 66, and the horizontal connecting shaft 66, the vertical connecting shaft 65, the lever connecting shaft 64, and the arm shaft. Four
Each center of 5 is a vertex of a parallelogram. Lift plate 3
The plate surface of 7 is the rotation axis of the support shaft 41 (see FIG. 3: line O).
And is vertical. The above is the configuration in which the elevating plate 37 and the lever 42 (lever connecting shaft 64) are connected.

With the above configuration, the operation is as follows.
When a lifting force is applied to the position of the elevating plate 37 shown in FIG. 4, for example, the arrow U1, the elevating plate 37 maintains the plate surface in a vertical relationship with the rotation axis of the support shaft 41 (see line O in FIG. 3). While rising. However, the point of application of the ascending force rises while maintaining the plate surface in a vertical relationship with the rotation axis of the support shaft 41 at any other position of the elevating plate 37.

That is, regardless of the position of the roller 43, if the elevation plate 37 is raised to a certain height, the lever connecting shaft 64 also rises to the same height, and the lever 42 moves to the lever shaft 45.
The roller shaft 46 and the roller 43 are raised about a predetermined height by rotating about. In this way, the roller 43 (lever 42)
Is linked to the lifting operation of the lifting plate 37.

Next, the relationship between the lifting plate 37 and the lifting lever 56 will be described with reference to FIG. 59 is the floor nozzle 1
8 is a contact protrusion fixed to the bare floor in this embodiment. Reference numeral 57 denotes a lift lever fulcrum, which is located between the floor nozzle 18 and the lift plate 37, and is supported by a mounting tool 58 fixed to the main body 1. 56 is a lifting lever,
It is rotatably supported by the elevating lever fulcrum 57, and when rotated, one can contact the lower surface of the elevating plate 37 and does not interfere with the roller 43, and the other can contact the contact protrusion 59, and The positional relationship and shape as shown in the figure do not hinder the operation when the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lifting arm 35.

With the above configuration, the operation is as follows.
First, when the floor nozzle 18 (for carpet, for example) without the contact protrusions 59 is mounted, the elevating lever 56 does not come into contact with the elevating plate 37, the roller 43, or the floor nozzle 18, and It becomes the state of the solid line (For the method to maintain the posture in this state,
(For example, there is a balance between the weights on both sides, or a stopper is provided by slightly urging with a spring or the like), and the roller 43 can be grounded on the floor surface F to detect the carpet.

Next, when the bare floor floor nozzle 18 having the contact protrusions 59 is mounted, the contact protrusions 59 push and lift the lifting lever 56, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure.
The elevating lever 56 abuts the elevating plate 37 from the lower surface and raises it. As a result, the roller 43 rises from the floor surface F. Then, as shown by an arrow A1 in the figure, when the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lifting arm 35, the lifting lever 56 is released from the restraint of the contact projection 59.

When the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lift arm 35, the lift plate 37 is also lifted by the lift arm 35 (see FIG. 2).

As is clear from the above description, the roller 43 automatically rises when the bare floor floor nozzle 18 is mounted. Therefore, it is possible to forget to raise the roller 43 on the bare floor by replacing the floor nozzle 18. In other words, it is possible to reliably prevent abrasion and damage of the ground contact surface, maintain the sensitivity of detecting the angle deviation when traveling on the carpet, and prevent the floor surface from being damaged by the rollers 43.

(Second Embodiment) The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The structure of the main body is basically the same as shown in FIG.
The description is omitted because it is the same as in FIG. The details of the structure of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 are also the same as in FIG. 3, and the structure of connecting the lifting plate and the lever among the connections of the lever and the lifting lever is the same as that in FIG.

Next, the relationship between the lifting plate 37 and the lifting lever 56 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 59 is an abutting protrusion fixed to the floor nozzle 18, and is provided only for the carpet in this embodiment. 57 is a lift lever fulcrum,
It is located between the floor nozzle 18 and the lift plate 37, and is supported by a fixture 58 fixed to the main body 1. Reference numeral 56 denotes an elevating lever, which is rotatably supported by an elevating lever fulcrum 57, and when rotated, one of them can contact the lower surface of the elevating plate 37 and does not interfere with the roller 43, and the other is an abutting protrusion 59. And the floor nozzle 18 does not hinder the operation when the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lifting arm 35. Then, the elevating lever 56 is moved by the elevating lever elastic body 60 composed of a tension spring to the elevating plate 37.
Is overcome to overcome the bias of the roller 43 toward the floor surface F and is raised.

With the above configuration, the operation is as follows.
First, when the carpet floor nozzle 18 having the abutting protrusions 59 is mounted, the abutting protrusions 59 push and rotate the elevating lever 56, the elevating plate 37 is released from the restraint of the elevating lever 56, and the roller 43 moves. It is possible to detect carpets by grounding on the floor surface F (solid line in the figure).

When the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lift arm 35, the lift lever 56 is released from the restraint of the abutment projection 59, as indicated by arrow A2 in the figure. next,
When the bare floor floor nozzle 18 without the abutting protrusion 59 is mounted, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the lifting lever 56
Lifts the lift plate 37 by the urging force of the lift lever elastic body 60, and holds the roller 43 in a state of being lifted from the floor surface F.

When the floor nozzle 18 is lifted by the lift arm 35, the lift plate 37 is also lifted by the floor nozzle lift arm 35 (see FIG. 2).

In the state where the floor nozzle 18 is not mounted and the lifting arm 35 is not raised, the lifting lever 5 is mounted in the same manner as when the bare floor floor nozzle 18 is mounted.
6 is lifted by the lifting lever elastic body 60.
Is raised and the roller 43 is held in a state of being raised from the floor surface F.

As is clear from the above description, only when the carpet floor nozzle 18 is mounted, the roller 43 of the carpet eye detecting means 24 is lowered / grounded to detect the carpet eye, and the bare floor floor nozzle 18 is detected. Since the roller 43 is held in a raised state when it is mounted or when the floor nozzle 18 is not mounted, it is necessary to raise the roller 43 when cleaning the bare floor without fail to surely prevent the ground surface from being worn or scratched, and prevent the carpet from being damaged. It is possible to maintain the angle deviation detection sensitivity when traveling on the top, prevent damage to the floor surface by the roller 43, and perform non-cleaning movement even when the floor nozzle 18 is not attached,
By holding the roller 43 in the raised state, it is possible to avoid collision with a step or a protrusion such as a threshold, and to prevent deterioration of detection sensitivity due to wear and damage of the roller ground surface and damage to the floor surface.

(Embodiment 3) Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The structure of the main body is similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In addition, the carpet eye detecting means 24
The details of the configuration of FIG. 3 are the same as those of FIG. 3, and the configuration of connecting the lifting plate and the lever among the connections of the lever and the lifting lever is similar to that of FIG.

Further, the relationship between the lifting plate and the lifting lever is basically the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or the second embodiment shown in FIG.
Roller rise detection means 70 is added to the configuration. The roller rise detecting means 70 is an ON / OFF switch for a micro switch or the like.
The rise of the roller 43 is detected by the rise of the lift plate 37 via the interlocking lever 42 and the lift plate 37.

Next, the control configuration of the present embodiment will be described based on the control block diagram of FIG. 7 (the basic elements of this control configuration have been omitted from the description, but the first and second embodiments described above). Is also the same). Outputs of the contact detection unit 12, the distance measurement unit 22, the direction measurement unit 23, and the carpet detection unit 24 are transmitted to the traveling control unit 21.

The traveling control means 21 judges these pieces of information and outputs a control signal to the drive motors 3L and 3R while feeding back the outputs of the motor rotation detection means 5L and 5R to drive and steer the main body 1. At the same time, the rotating brushes provided on the electric blower 14 and the floor nozzle 18 are driven.
In this embodiment, the output of the roller rise detecting means 70 is also transmitted to the traveling control means 21, and the traveling control means 21 determines the discrimination means 74.
have. The discriminating means 74 is the roller rise detecting means 70.
It is determined whether or not to use the output of the carpet pattern detecting means 24 based on the output of 1.

With the above configuration, the operation is as follows. The roller 43 moves up and the roller up detecting means 7 detects this.
When 0 is detected, the direction of the roller 43 does not follow the traveling direction of the main body 1 and remains fixed in the direction at the time of rising. Since the output of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 in this state is a value that has nothing to do with the value indicating the influence of the carpet stitch,
The determination means 74 determines not to use the output of the carpet stitch detection means 24 at this time.

That is, when the roller rise detecting means 70 detects the rise of the roller 43, the carpet stitch detecting means 24
Is not to use the output of.

As described above, since the roller 43 of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 can block the output when rising, the output which is completely unrelated to the influence of the carpet stitch when rising is fed back to the traveling control. It is possible to prevent the predetermined cleaning traveling from being stopped.
In addition, the cutoff of the output of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 is determined by the determining means 74
However, there is also a method in which the roller rise detecting means 70 is incorporated into the communication path between the carpet eye detecting means 24 and the traveling control means 21, and the communication path itself is cut off when the rise is detected.

(Fourth Embodiment) A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The structure of the main body is similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In addition, the carpet eye detecting means 24
The details of the configuration of FIG. 3 are the same as those of FIG. 3, and the configuration of connecting the lifting plate and the lever among the connections of the lever and the lifting lever is similar to that of FIG. In addition, regarding the relationship between the lifting plate and the lifting lever and the roller lift detecting means, the third embodiment is described.
Since it is the same as FIG. 5 or 6 of FIG.

Next, the floor nozzle position detecting means of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 71 denotes a light emitting means which is fixed to the floor nozzle 18 (for each floor surface) and emits light having a strong directivity at a substantially horizontal angle. Reference numerals 72 and 73 denote light receiving means, which are arranged and fixed in the vertical direction on the main body 1 and receive the light from the light emitting means. The height relationship is adjusted so that the light receiving means 72 in the lower stage receives the light of the light emitting means 71 when the floor surface is a bare floor. Above, the light emitting means 71 and the light receiving means 72 and 73
Constitutes a floor nozzle position detecting means.

Next, the control configuration of this embodiment will be described again with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. Since it is basically the same as the above-described third embodiment, the description of the common part will be omitted and only the additional part will be described.

In the present embodiment, the outputs of the light receiving means 72 and 73 are also transmitted to the traveling control means 21. Discriminating means 7 of the present embodiment
4 first determines the floor surface based on the outputs of the light receiving means 72/73, and then, based on this and the output of the roller rise detecting means 70, whether the mounting floor nozzle 18 is the correct one for the floor surface (for bare floor). Or for carpet). These results are transmitted / displayed on the display unit 28. The determination unit 74 and the display unit 28 constitute a warning unit.

With the above structure, the operation is as follows. First, when the floor surface is a bare floor, the light from the light emitting means 71 is received by the light receiving means 72 in the lower stage. As a result, the determination means 74 determines that the floor surface is a bare floor. At this time, if the roller rise detecting means 70 detects the rise of the roller 43, the floor nozzle for bare floor 18 that matches the floor surface.
Is correctly installed, and if the rise of the roller 43 is not detected, it is incorrectly determined that the carpet floor nozzle 18 is installed even though the floor surface is a bare floor.

Next, when the floor surface is a carpet, the floor nozzle 18 having a small floor contact pressure has a smaller depth of sinking into the carpet than the main body 1 having a large floor contact pressure, so The height is relatively high. Therefore, the light from the light emitting means 71 is received by the upper light receiving means 73 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 8). As a result, the determination means 74 determines that the floor surface is a carpet.

At this time, if the roller elevation detecting means 70 does not detect the elevation of the roller 43, it is determined that the carpet floor nozzle 18 that fits the floor surface is correctly mounted,
If the rise of the roller 43 is detected, it is determined that the floor nozzle 18 for bare floor is erroneously attached even though the floor surface is a carpet.

The result is displayed on the display unit 28. Particularly, when the wrong floor nozzle 18 that does not fit the floor surface is mounted, a warning is displayed with a conspicuous display, the start of the main body 1 is not accepted, and the floor nozzle 18 is urged to be replaced.

As described above, the light emitting means 71 provided on the floor nozzle 18, the plurality of light receiving means 72 and 73 provided side by side in the vertical direction on the main body 1, and the warning for warning the mounting of the wrong floor nozzle that does not match the floor surface By means of the means, it is possible to determine whether the floor surface is a carpet or a bare floor by utilizing the difference between the floor nozzle 18 having a small floor contact pressure and the large body 1 sinking into the carpet.
It is judged whether the floor nozzle 18 that fits the floor surface is mounted (whether or not the roller 43 of the carpet stitch detecting means 24 is in the normal elevating state), and a warning is issued when the wrong floor nozzle 18 is mounted. It can promote exchange.

When both the light receiving means 72 and 73 do not receive light, it can be determined that the floor nozzle 18 is not mounted, and the mounting is promoted. In addition, there are various types of carpets, and when the relative subsidence varies,
The number of light receiving means 73 may be increased. The form of the display / warning is not particularly limited, and may be any form that calls attention.

[0068]

As is apparent from the above embodiments, according to the first means for solving the problems of the present invention, it has an elevating lever for raising the roller of the carpet stitch detecting means, and when the floor nozzle (for bare floor) is attached. By operating the abutment protrusion provided on the floor nozzle against the lifting lever, the roller of the carpet eye detecting means can be automatically raised in conjunction with the bare floor floor nozzle installation. It is possible to prevent forgetting to raise the roller during cleaning, and to prevent wear and scratches on the roller ground surface, maintain the sensitivity of angle deviation detection when running on a carpet, and ensure that the roller keeps the floor surface. It can prevent damage.

Further, according to the second means for solving the problems of the present invention, it has an elevating lever for elevating the rollers of the carpet detecting means and an elevating lever elastic body for urging the elevating lever upward (for carpet). When the floor nozzle is attached, the abutment protrusion on the floor nozzle makes contact with the elevating lever to operate, so that the roller is lowered and grounded only when the floor nozzle (for carpet) is attached. Even if it is installed, the roller can be held in the raised state, so when replacing the floor nozzle or removing the floor nozzle during maintenance,
It is possible to perform non-cleaning movement without raising the rollers of the carpet stitch detecting means, and to avoid forgetting to raise the rollers when cleaning the bare floor floor surface, and reliably avoid collision with steps or protrusions such as thresholds. It is possible to prevent the detection sensitivity from being deteriorated due to wear and scratches on the roller ground surface and the scratches on the floor surface.

According to the third means for solving the problems of the present invention, in addition to the means for solving the first or the second problems, there is provided roller rise detecting means for detecting the rise of the rollers. When the roller is raised, it can cut off the output that has nothing to do with the effect of the carpet.
It is possible to prevent the main body from traveling in a direction in which there is a risk of falling, collision, etc. without performing predetermined cleaning traveling by mistakenly capturing the output and feeding it back to the traveling control.

According to the fourth problem solving means of the present invention, in addition to the third problem solving means, there is provided a floor nozzle position detecting means comprising a light emitting means provided in the floor nozzle and a light receiving means provided in the main body. It is possible to discriminate whether the floor surface is a carpet or a bare floor by comparing the output of this output with the output of the roller rise detecting means to issue a warning. It is possible to judge whether or not the raising / lowering state of the carpet eye detecting means roller is normal) and issue a warning to prompt replacement when the wrong floor nozzle is mounted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of first to fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a carpet eye detecting means of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of first to fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view for explaining connection between a lift plate and a lever of the self-propelled cleaner.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining a relationship between an elevating plate and an elevating lever of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of first, third and fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for explaining a relationship between an elevating plate and an elevating lever of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of second to fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of third and fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view illustrating a floor nozzle position detecting means of a self-propelled cleaner showing an embodiment of a fourth problem solving means of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view of a carpet eye detecting means of a conventional self-propelled cleaner.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view for explaining lifting means of the self-propelled cleaner.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 main body 2 drive wheel 3 drive motor 9 follower wheel 18 floor nozzle 21 traveling control means 24 carpet eye detecting means 37 elevating plate 42 lever 43 roller 56 elevating lever 59 contact protrusion 60 elevating lever elastic body 70 roller rising detection Means 71 Light emitting means 72 Light receiving means 73 Light receiving means 74 Discriminating means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hidetaka Yabuuchi 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Mitsuyasu Ogawa, 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiaki Fujiwara 1006, Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Osamu Eguchi, 1006, Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 1006, Kadoma, Kadoma City, Fuchu Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Takafumi Ishibashi 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsuda Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Yoshiki Kuroki 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Senoo, 1006, Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. The Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A drive means for moving a main body, a steering means for steering the main body, a travel control means for controlling the drive means and the steering means to control the travel of the main body, and a grounding surface for rotation. The carpet eye detecting means for detecting the direction and strength of the carpet eye on the floor surface while the main body is running by the roller, and the floor nozzle that cleans the floor surface and is detachable from the main body are provided. , Has a lever that rotatably supports the roller and pivots the roller in the vertical direction to urge the roller toward the floor surface, and an elevating lever that is connected to the lever and pushes the lever upwards. A self-propelled cleaner in which a contact projection provided on a nozzle abuts on the elevating lever to raise the lever. 2. A drive means for moving the main body, a steering means for steering the main body, a travel control means for controlling the travel of the main body by controlling the drive means and the steering means, and a grounding surface for rotation. The carpet eye detecting means for detecting the direction and strength of the carpet eye on the floor surface while the main body is running by the roller, and the floor nozzle that cleans the floor surface and is detachable from the main body are provided. , A lever that rotatably supports the roller and rotates vertically to urge the roller toward the floor, an elevating lever that is connected to the lever and pushes the lever upward, and an elevating lever that urges the elevator lever upward. A self-propelled cleaner having a lever elastic body, and when a floor nozzle is attached, an abutting protrusion provided on the floor nozzle abuts on the elevating lever to lower the lever. 3. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a roller lift detecting means for detecting a lift of the lever. 4. A warning which has a floor nozzle position detecting means composed of a light emitting means provided on the floor nozzle and a light receiving means provided on the main body, and outputs a warning by comparing outputs of the lever detecting means and the floor nozzle position detecting means. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising means.