JPS62292561A - Automatic travelling car on bottom of water tank, etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] 3. Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vehicle that is designed to run fully automatically, such as at the bottom of a water tank such as a swimming pool, and in particular, It is suitable for use in cleaning all traces of gold.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Self-propelled cleaning devices that automatically move over the entire surface of the pool bottom are known for the purpose of cleaning aquariums, especially swimming pools.

Conventional cleaning devices such as those described above are installed on the opposite side of the pool (front wall). (to the rear wall), while moving backwards.
By gradually moving the vehicle body in a fixed horizontal direction,
It was designed to run evenly across the bottom of the pool.

In addition, the conventional device described above has a side wall detector on the side of the vehicle body, and when the side wall detector detects that the vehicle body approaches or contacts the wall, the upper body fully stops automatically. was.

Therefore, the cleaning work was completed after the vehicle body moved back and forth across the bottom of the pool and laterally seven times.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional device described above, when moving from one wall (front wall) of the pool to the opposite wall (rear wall), the straightness of the device (vehicle body) is Because there is no way to confirm this, for safety reasons, even if you intend to travel straight, disturbances such as the difference in the coefficient of friction between the left and right driving wheels may impede your ability to travel straight. If this is obstructed, the planned course will be enlarged afterwards, resulting in problems such as the cleaning work may end with some parts of the bottom of the pool remaining that will not be cleaned.

The present invention provides a method for detecting side walls as they move in the lateral direction.
The technical challenge is to be able to repeat the same type of movement without stopping the vehicle.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the problems and technical problems of the prior art described above, the present invention provides a control vJ section that tilts the running of the vehicle body to the side, which is attached to the side surface of the vehicle body. The side wall detector that detects the proximity of the leg j to the wall is configured to completely reverse the lateral movement direction of the vehicle body when it detects proximity or contact with the side wall.

The above-mentioned reversal of the lateral movement direction of the car body can be performed when the side wall detector detects proximity or contact with the side wall, or when the car body moves forward and backward and comes into contact with the mil wall. It is also possible to use a combination of the above two methods, such that as soon as the sidewall detector detects proximity or contact with the sidewall, it moves backwards and laterally away from the sidewall and continues. It is also possible to move it forward and backward, and when it reaches the front and rear walls, it can be completely reversed in the lateral movement direction.

(Function) Since the present invention is configured as described above, the LH body, which can move freely on its own at the bottom of the aquarium, gradually moves laterally while reciprocating between the front and back walls in the front and back direction. When the vehicle body moves and eventually approaches the side wall and the side wall detector attached to the side wall of the vehicle body comes close to or comes into contact with the side wall, a signal is transmitted to the control unit to reverse the lateral movement direction of the vehicle body.

The reversal of the direction of lateral movement of the vehicle body includes two aspects, one of which is to immediately move against the side wall when the side wall detector detects proximity or strong contact with the side wall; It is designed to move in the opposite horizontal movement direction. In this case, in response to the signal from the side wall detector, after 7,611 cycles, only the driving wheels on the side wall of the silkworm body are driven for a predetermined period of time, the upper body is rotated in a direction away from the side wall, and the upper body is allowed to move straight for a predetermined period of time. Next, only the MJ wheel on the opposite side to the side wall is moved for the same amount of time as in the above-mentioned ・, so as to rotate so as to be parallel to the side wall again, and then the vehicle is controlled so as to travel straight parallel to the normal course.

Another aspect is that when the vehicle body moves in the longitudinal direction and contacts the front and rear walls, the direction of lateral movement of the vehicle body is reversed. In this case, the side wall detector detects the side wall and the vehicle body! When the vehicle moves forward and approaches or contacts the front and rear walls, the direction of lateral movement of the vehicle body is reversed.
In other words, the control unit stores the subsequent course so that the vehicle body is shifted in the opposite direction from the previous course.

In addition, when both of the above are combined, as soon as the side wall detector detects the side wall, the main body moves in a reverse lateral movement direction to leave the side wall, and then continues to move in the front and back direction, approaching or approaching the front and rear walls. When touching and moving laterally, the direction of movement is reversed.

(Example) Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic driving vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the same. Figure ↓C2, dish body ii
There are crawlers (tracks) on both the left and right sides. a, /2b are provided, and the crawler /-2a.

/21) are driven by driving wheels /3a and /3b, respectively.

On the other hand, the front part (left side in the figure) 1) and the rear part (right side in the figure) of the vehicle body in the direction of travel are equipped with a first sensor on the right side in the direction of travel that detects contact with the front and rear walls of the water tank. The detector /lAa and the second detector l≠b on the left side are respectively provided so as to protrude in the shape of antennas (note that only the front part is shown in the figure, and the illustration of both detectors at the rear is omitted). ), and the ratio signals detected by these two detectors (front and rear wall detectors) /4Ca, /Qb are sent to the control unit l! and the control unit l
! From there, the signals are transmitted separately to the running section which drives the left and right wheels separately.

Additionally, side wall detectors 20a and 20b are installed on both sides of the vehicle body/I to detect when the vehicle body approaches the side walls, and the signals detected by these side wall detectors KOa and KOBLc are Similarly to the front and rear wall detectors lμs and /4Ab attached to the front and rear of the vehicle body, the signal is transmitted to the control unit /j, and the running unit 16 is controlled based on it.

In addition, in the figure, 17 is a cleaning device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating state of the vehicle body at the time when the vehicle body contacts the front and rear walls. In the figure, the vehicle body // approaches the wall l in the direction of the arrow, and the second detector 1 on the left
Due to the contact of 4Ab, the first detector 1ga on the right side
The vehicle body 1/ is rotated counterclockwise by driving only the right driving wheel /J until it comes into contact with the wall surface l, and takes a position l/a facing the wall surface l at right angles.

Next, stay in the same position for a distance of only 7) h! After moving backward (for example, for 2 seconds) (go straight ahead), drive only the left driving wheel 13b for a predetermined period of time (for example, for 3 seconds) to move the vehicle! Rotate the direction of / counterclockwise to the position indicated by the dashed line! / / b, and then retreat for a predetermined distance (for example, 2 seconds) in posture 1 (
Go straight ahead), then turn the right driving wheel 13. When the body 1 is rotated clockwise for the same time as above (for example, 3 seconds) to the position //c shown by the broken line, the body I/1 returns to its original position ii, which is perpendicular to the wall 1. It then returns to a position 11c shifted to the right by a predetermined interval.

Therefore, if the vehicle body // is moved backward (straight) from this position iic along the course I/c indicated by the arrow B to the position tii/ / d indicated by the solid line, it will move a predetermined distance to the right from the point where it first contacted the wall surface l. The driver will move backwards along a course B that is perpendicular to the wall l. In addition, in the figure, ■～
■ are respectively from the position at the time of approach of the vehicle body////b-
//(Arrows indicate how 1 changes to each position.

In the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle body ii enters the wall l in an oblique direction as indicated by the arrow is explained, but the same applies to the case where the vehicle body enters the wall l at right angles. In this case, the vehicle body positions may be displaced as shown in //a and //d. Furthermore, the temporary backward distance of the vehicle body 11, the rotation angle of the vehicle body, etc. when the vehicle body is moved without shifting to the side at a fixed interval can be controlled using a timer.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the vehicle body runs on the bottom of the water tank, and the vehicle body runs between the front wall l and the rear wall λ of the water tank in contact with the front and rear walls like a course person or C. Transformation (reverse)
The figure shows how the car body reciprocates along a course perpendicular to the wall while slightly shifting the car body to the side (to the right in the figure). In this case, the car body contacts the front and rear walls and changes direction, at the same time moving backwards slightly and moving to the side. In order to avoid leaving any untraveled parts, the car body returns to the wall and then proceeds on a new course. controlled to do so.

Then, the vehicle body reciprocates in parallel on the bottom of the water tank from the left side of the figure to the right side while slightly shifting the course, and eventually moves forward/towards the course D near the right side wall 3. 3, among the side wall detectors 20a and 20b attached to the sides of the vehicle body 11, a signal from the detector 20a on the side wall 3 side causes the vehicle body 11 to proceed as it is and touch the front and rear walls/, The control unit i is designed to reverse the direction of lateral movement of the vehicle when it contacts J, that is, to shift the subsequent course in the opposite direction (toward the left in the figure).
It is a trap to make S memorize it.

In the above embodiment, when the car body contacts the side wall, the car body moves straight and when it contacts the front and rear walls, the direction of lateral movement of the car body is reversed. As soon as the distorted body hits the side wall, immediately remove the vehicle body.
It is also possible to move it away from the A wall.

That is, in FIG. 5, when the vehicle body // comes into contact with 11+1+wall 3/ (position marked ■ in the same figure), the side wall detector 20a
Immediately, by the signal from Move straight for a predetermined period of time (e.g. 2 seconds) (fit
), then move only the driving wheel on the opposite side to the side wall for the same time as above (for example, 3 seconds) and rotate it again so that it is parallel to #I wall 3 (position ■), then parallel to the normal approach course D. It is designed to make the vehicle go straight (position marked ■). In addition, the course that is shifted when reaching and touching the front wall has been controlled so that it can be cut in the opposite direction from before. This is the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 described above.

In this way, if the direction of the vehicle body is controlled so that it immediately shifts to the side when it touches the side wall, there is no risk of splashing the side wall as the vehicle moves forward.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an explanation has been given of an example in which a crawler is used to move the vehicle body, but it is of course not limited to this. It is also possible to have a good hand.

In the above embodiment, the structure in which the detector comes into contact with the wall surface has been described, but if a detector that uses ultrasonic waves or the like to notify proximity is used, it is not necessarily necessary to make contact with the wall surface.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, a vehicle body capable of self-propelling at the bottom of a water tank, etc., is provided with a control unit and a side wall sensor for detecting when the vehicle body approaches the side wall. In an automatic traveling system in which a strainer is attached and the body is moved in the front and rear directions while gradually moving laterally, the controller is configured to reverse the lateral movement direction of the distorted body when the sidewall detector detects the sidewall. As a result of reaching r4, the vehicle body moves back and forth in the front and back directions between the front and rear walls such as the bottom of the water tank, and moves laterally little by little, and even stops when it detects that the vehicle body approaches or contacts the wall. The same type of movement can be repeated by reversing the direction of lateral movement. Therefore, since the bottom surface of the water tank or the like can be moved laterally many times, cleaning can be carried out more completely.

Further, when the control unit causes the vehicle body to move away from the side wall when the side wall detector detects proximity or contact with the side wall, there is no risk of damaging the side wall when the vehicle body moves forward.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic driving vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are action diagrams showing different operating states. /...Wall surface (front wall), K...rear wall, 3...side wall,
l/, ... body, /ua, /ub ... crawler, /j
a. 13b...Driving wheel, l≠3. /μb...front and rear wall detector, is...control @ section, /A...travel section, 20a, λO
b...Side wall detector. Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A vehicle body that can freely run on the bottom of a water tank, etc., a control unit that controls the running of the vehicle body, and a control unit that is attached to the side of the vehicle body to detect when the vehicle body approaches the side wall. In an automatic driving vehicle that has a side wall detector for detecting and moves the vehicle body little by little in the lateral direction while moving the vehicle body in the front and rear directions, the control unit detects that the side wall detector detects proximity or contact with the side wall. An automatic driving vehicle, such as a water tank bottom, characterized in that the vehicle body is configured to reverse the direction of lateral movement when the vehicle body is moved horizontally. 2. The automatic driving vehicle at the bottom of a water tank, etc. according to claim 1, wherein the reversal of the lateral movement direction of the vehicle body is performed immediately when the side wall detector detects proximity or contact with the side wall. . 3. The automatic driving vehicle such as a water tank bottom according to claim 1, wherein the reversal of the lateral movement direction of the vehicle body is performed when the vehicle body moves in the front-back direction and approaches or contacts the front and rear walls. .