JPH0824650B2 - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner having a cleaning function and a moving function.

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, the mainstream of vacuum cleaners in Japan is a so-called cylinder type vacuum cleaner in which a suction hose having a suction nozzle is led out from a cleaner body equipped with an electric blower.

This type of vacuum cleaner has the features that the suction nozzle has good operability and that it is easy to clean every corner.

On the other hand, in Europe and the United States where there is a lot of carpet cleaning, so-called upright type vacuum cleaners, in which the main body of the vacuum cleaner and the suction nozzle are integrated and the suction nozzle is equipped with a rotating brush, are often used. Some vacuum cleaners of this type have a roller provided at the bottom of the suction nozzle rotated by a motor so as to be self-propelled to improve operability.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As described above, the cylinder type vacuum cleaner has a feature that the suction nozzle has good operability, but since the suction nozzle and the main body are separated, it is difficult to arrange the main body, There have been problems such as the main body and the power cord getting caught in an obstacle, and the main body moving has a tensile force.

Regarding the problem of the power cord, with the improvement of battery performance, attempts have been made to install a battery to make it cordless, but the increase in weight is inevitable, and there is a problem that the vacuum cleaner has power to move. It is more close-up.

Therefore, the present invention provides a self-propelled cleaner that does not require a force to move and that automatically travels in the direction in which the suction hose is pulled.

Means for Solving the Problems Technical means of the present invention for solving the above problems include an electric blower, a cleaner body having a dust collecting chamber built therein, a suction hose led out from the cleaner body, and the cleaner. Driving means for driving the drive wheels of the main body to make it self-propelled, steering means for changing the traveling direction of the cleaner main body, and steering for moving the suction hose to the lead-out direction by detecting the lead-out direction of the suction hose from the cleaner main body. A direction detecting means for controlling the means, and a tension detecting means for detecting the pulling force of the suction hose to control the driving means are provided.

Action The action of this technical means is as follows. That is, when the suction hose is pulled, the tension detecting means detects this, and the cleaner body automatically runs while the tension is being detected by the driving means of the steering and driving means, and the derivation direction of the suction hose detected by the direction detecting means. In addition, since the direction control means always steers the steering means, the cleaner body automatically moves in the direction of the suction hose, and requires no force to move the cleaner body to follow the operator. be able to.

Example Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, 1 is a main body of a self-propelled cleaner, 2 is an electric blower, 3 is a dust collecting chamber, and 4 is a filter. Reference numeral 5 denotes a suction hose mount rotatably provided on the upper portion of the main body 1, the lower end of which is engaged with the dust collection chamber 3 and the upper end of which is connected to the end of the bellows-type suction hose 6.
A direction detection gear 5A is attached to the suction hose mount 5 and rotates together with the suction hose mount 5.
Next, reference numeral 8 denotes a rotary volume, and a connection gear 9 is attached to the shaft. The direction detection gear 5A and the connection gear 9 are connected to each other, and the direction in which the suction hose 6 is led out is transmitted as the rotation position of the rotary volume 8. The suction hose mount 5, the direction detection gear 5A, the rotary volume 8, and the connection gear 9 constitute a direction detection means. Further, a bellows type connection hose 5B which can be vertically expanded and contracted is attached to the upper part of the suction hose mount 5, and a tension detection base 5C which is swingably engaged with the main body 1 is attached to the upper part of the connection hose 5B. Has been. A tension transmission plate 5D is attached to the rear portion of the tension detection base 5C over 180 degrees, and when the suction hose 6 is pulled, the tension detection base 5C tilts forward and the micro switch 7 is turned on, and the tension of the suction hose is increased. It is supposed to turn off when it disappears, and these constitute the tension detecting means. A steering motor 10 is attached to the bottom of the main body 1, and a rotary volume 11 for rotation control and an L-shaped support fitting 12 are fixed to the shaft.
A drive motor 13 is attached to the support fitting 12, and steering and drive wheels 14 are fixed to the shaft. The steering motor 10, the support metal fitting 12, the drive motor 13, and the steering and driving wheels 14 constitute a steering and driving means. Here, the steering motor 10 and the drive motor 13
The steering means and the driving means may be respectively configured by controlling different wheels by. Reference numeral 15 is a pair of follower wheels rotatably attached, and 16 is a power supply for supplying electric power to the main body. Reference numeral 17 denotes a differential amplifier which is a circuit unit for controlling the steering motor 10 by detecting the rotational position of the rotary volume 8.

Next, FIG. 4 shows the tip of the suction hose 6. The end of the suction hose 6 is connected to an extension pipe 18, and a suction nozzle 19 is connected to the end. Reference numeral 20 is a hand switch for turning on and off the electric blower 2.

FIG. 5 is a control circuit diagram of the present embodiment. The power supply 16 includes an electric blower 2, a hand switch 20 for turning the electric blower 2 on and off, a drive motor 13, and an on-drive for the drive motor.
Microswitches 7 which are tension detection means for turning off are connected to each. Further, a rotary volume 8 which is a part of a direction detecting means for detecting the outgoing direction of the suction hose 6 is connected to the power source 16 via resistors 22 and 23, and an intermediate tap 24 of the rotary volume 8 changes the rotational position to a voltage. Is detected as. Similarly, the rotary volume 11 for rotation control is connected to the power source 16 via resistors 25 and 26, and the intermediate tap 27 of the rotary volume 11 detects the position of the steering motor 10 as a voltage. Further, a differential amplifier 17 is connected to the power supply 16, and when a voltage difference occurs between the intermediate taps 24 and 27, the steering motor 10 is operated to control so as to eliminate the voltage difference. By this control, the suction hose 6
The steering and driving wheels 14 are directed in the direction of. The differential amplifier 17 and the rotary volume 11 form a direction control means 28.

The operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner configured as described above will be described below.

The method of using the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment is basically the same as that of a normal cylinder type vacuum cleaner, in which dust is sucked from the suction nozzle 19 while holding the extension pipe 18 in a hand. When the hand switch 20 is turned on, the electric blower 2 operates and the dust sucked from the suction nozzle 19 is extended by the extension pipe 1
8, the suction hose 6 and the suction hose mount 5 are passed through to collect inside the dust collection chamber 3. During cleaning, when the operator moves forward and moves away from the main body 1 and pulls the suction hose 6, the tension detecting base 5C tilts forward as shown in FIG. The switch 7 is turned on, the drive motor 13 is activated, and the main body 1 runs. At this time, the steering motor 10 is moved by the rotary volumes 8, 11 and the differential amplifier 17 in accordance with the drawing direction of the suction hose 6 as described above, and the steering and driving wheel 14 is moved in the drawing direction of the suction hose 6. Since the main body 1 is oriented, the main body 1 travels in the direction in which the suction hose 6 is drawn out.

In this embodiment, when the suction hose 6 is pulled, the micro switch 7, which is a tension detecting means, operates to cause the main body 1 to travel. However, as soon as the main body 1 starts moving, the tension of the suction hose 6 disappears. For this reason, the micro switch 7 may be repeatedly turned on and off frequently. To avoid this phenomenon, as shown in FIG. 6, a timer 29 is also used to turn on the micro switch 7 for a certain period of time. It is also possible to keep the on state and allow the cleaner body to run for that time.

As described above, according to the present invention, since a heavy cleaner main body equipped with a power supply, that is, a battery is steered and driven using a motor, a direction in which a suction hose is pulled without requiring force. In addition, it is possible to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner with good operability that can automatically move the cleaner body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a partial side sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a suction hose tip of the self-propelled cleaner. FIG. 5 is a control circuit diagram of the self-propelled cleaner, and FIG. 6 is a control circuit diagram in another embodiment. 2 ... Electric blower, 3 ... Dust collection chamber, 5 ... Suction hose mount, 5A ... Direction detection gear, 6 ... Suction hose, 7
...... Micro switch, 8 …… Rotary volume,
9 ... Connection gear, 10 ... Steering motor, 11 ... Rotary volume, 12 ... Supporting metal, 13 ... Drive motor, 14 ...
… Steering and driving wheels, 16… Power supply, 17… Differential amplifier, 19…
… Suction nozzle, 28… Direction control means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cleaner main body having an electric blower and a dust collecting chamber built-in, a suction hose led out from the cleaner main body, and a drive means for driving a drive wheel of the cleaner main body to make it self-propelled.
Steering means for changing the traveling direction of the cleaner body, direction detecting means for detecting the leading direction of the suction hose from the cleaner body and controlling the steering means in the leading direction of the suction hose, and pulling force of the suction hose A self-propelled cleaner including: a tension detecting unit that detects the occurrence of a force and controls the driving unit.