JPS63222726A - Electric cleaner - 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] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an automatically running vacuum cleaner that has a built-in microcomputer and the like and performs cleaning unattended according to a program. .

Conventional technology Conventionally, this type of electric vacuum cleaner has wheels for automatic running, a built-in microcomputer for running control and suction control, various sensors for running, a motor for running, and a motor for suction. , built-in fan, suction nozzle, and dust box,
Cleaning was carried out unattended by moving the main body using pre-programmed program modes, reflective tape, markers, etc., or automatically controlling the running direction.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such conventional vacuum cleaners, regardless of the amount of dust on the surface to be cleaned, it was normal for the vacuum cleaner to travel over the same place only once and suck it up. For this reason, areas with a small amount of dust can be cleaned thoroughly, but areas with a large amount of dust cannot be cleaned sufficiently, resulting in the problem of dust remaining.

In addition, if the suction force is set to be large or the traveling speed is made slow to prevent this, there is a problem in that unnecessary suction power is lost in areas with little dust.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that solves the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention includes a vacuum cleaner body having a built-in electric blower for suction, a running motor also built into the vacuum cleaner body, It has a travel control unit that controls this motor input, a dust box, a suction port provided facing the floor surface, and a passage connecting the dust box and the suction port. A dust detection unit is installed to detect the amount of dust sucked into the vehicle, and the output of this dust detection unit is connected to a memory unit that stores the control contents of the traveling control unit. A central control section is provided.

Function According to the above configuration, the amount of dust sucked into the dust box is detected by the dust detection part, and when the amount of dust is greater than a certain specified value, the traveling pattern of that part is stored in the memory part, and the After the whole part has been cleaned, it can be re-cleaned.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, in which a vacuum cleaner main body 1 has a built-in electric blower 2 for suction. The electric blower 2 is composed of a motor section 2a and a fan section 2b, and a dust box 4 containing a filter 3 is provided in front of the fan section 2b. Traveling wheels 5 are provided on the lower right side of the cleaner body 1 and are driven by a motor 6. Similarly, wheels 7 and a motor 8 are installed on the left side, and driven wheels 9 and 10 are installed at the rear. A suction port 11 is provided at the front of the main body 1 at the upper part of the floor surface, the suction port 11 and the dust box 4 are connected by a pipe 12, and a dust detection section 13 is provided at the connection part between the pipe 12 and the dust box 4. There is. At the lower center of the main body 1, a battery 14 for power supply and a control circuit 15 containing a microcomputer are provided.

FIG. 3 is a control circuit block diagram illustrating the flow of control signals. The travel motor 6 has a drive control section 16, the travel motor 8 has a drive control section 1, and the suction motor 2 has a drive control section 16.
A suction control section 18 is connected to the central control section 19, and a microcomputer (not shown) is built in the central control section 19. 2
o is a memory section, and a travel control section 1θ is activated by a signal from the dust detection section 13.

17 contents are stored. These control sections constitute a control circuit 15, which is connected to the dust detection section 13.

The dust detection section 13 is provided with a photodiode 22 facing an infrared light emitting diode 21.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the dust detection section, in which infrared light emitting diodes 21 are arranged in a row on the side of the air passage 23 in the center, and photodiodes 22 are arranged on the opposite side of the air passage 23. It is a provision.

The signal from the photodiode 22 is transmitted to the central control section 19.

In the above configuration, when you move the vacuum cleaner to clean,
The battery 14 powers the motor 2,6°8 and the control circuit 1.
6. The dust detection section 13 is powered and operated, and the drive control sections 16 and 17 respectively control the motors 8 and 8 under the control of the central control section 19 built in the microcomputer. 5. To rotate 7, main body 1
moves.

The driven wheels 9 and 1o simply rotate by themselves as the main body 1 moves, and the direction of movement can be changed to the right or left depending on the difference in the rotation speed of the wheels 5.7 driven by the motor 6.8. Slurp. A travel pattern is preprogrammed in the microcomputer, and the motor 6.8 is controlled according to the instructions. (Alternatively, you can paste reflective tape on the floor and trace the tape while detecting it with a sensor.Alternatively, you can use an ultrasonic radar or the like to create a travel map while moving and cleaning. ) Also, the fan 2b is rotated by the suction motor 2,
Dust is sucked in through the suction port 11, passes through the pipe 12, passes through the dust detection section 13, and is sucked into the dust box 4.

The dust detection unit 13 detects infrared light from the infrared light emitting diode 21 when the dust passes through the air passage 23.
2 is prevented, and the output signal of the photodiode 22 is reduced. When this signal decreases below a certain specified value, the central control section 19 that receives this signal memorizes the traveling part and the contents of the drive control sections 16 and 17, distinguishing it from the previous traveling contents! Store it in J-20. After cleaning all the parts that need to be cleaned in this way, memory 2
0 stores all the travel contents that have been cleaned so far and the travel portions that have been distinguished by a decrease in the signal from the dust detection section 13. The microcomputer-built-in central control section 19 compares these travel patterns, moves to a travel section that is distinguished by a decrease in the signal from the dust detection section 13, and re-cleans only that section. Furthermore, these two
The cleaning for the second time is processed in the same manner as described above, and this program is repeated until the signal from the dust detection section 13 no longer decreases.

In other words, if there is a lot of trash, the robot will come back and clean it repeatedly until it is clean.

In this embodiment, the memory section 2o is connected to the central control section 19.
Although it is provided separately from the microcomputer, when the memory of the microcomputer is large, the memory section 2o
may use the memory of the microcomputer as is. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the dust detection section 13
Using ultrasonic waves instead of infrared, an ultrasonic oscillation element 24 and an ultrasonic microphone 26 are provided facing the air passage 23, and the signal from the ultrasonic microphone 25 is sent to the central control unit 19.
The same effect as above can be obtained by inputting to . Further, when moving the vacuum cleaner to the re-cleaning area, the first running pattern may be such that the vacuum cleaner moves at high speed without suction, or alternatively, a map of the cleaning area may be created in the memory section 20 and the vacuum cleaner may be moved directly to the re-cleaning area. You may move.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, there is a detection part for dirt passing through the passage in the suction passage, and when a certain amount of dirt exceeds a certain amount, a signal from the dirt detection part is used to detect the traveling pattern of that part. By memorizing the conventional travel pattern and cleaning that area a second time after the cleaning is completed, it prevents power loss during self-driving cleaning, prevents dirt from being left behind, and performs efficient cleaning. It is something that can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same side, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the same, FIG. The figure is an explanatory view showing an example of a running pattern, and FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of another embodiment of the same dust detection section. 1...Vacuum cleaner body, 2...Electric blower, 4...Dust box, 6, 8...Travel motor, 11...・Suction port, 12...Pipe, 13...Dust detection section, 15...
・Control circuit, 20...Memory section. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person1-
Vacuum cleaner body 4--Dust i 5.7-Wheel 6.8-Motor Fig. 1 9.10-Encouragement wheel 11--Spring opening 12-Pipe 13--Garbage Moxibustion 93 6.5 1 cow y? , 6.8-Mo9 1S-vl#E)jl? I-Infrared light emitting diode 22- Photo Y diode Figure 3 2I- Extra edge diode Figure 5? 3- Mokiren. U-Kumako pursuing super 25- Super + Ren microphone Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] The main body of the vacuum cleaner includes an electric blower, an automatic travel mechanism, a drive control unit that controls the automatic travel mechanism, a memory unit that stores travel patterns, and a central control unit that controls all of these control units. A suction port facing the floor surface on which the cleaner moves, a dust box provided in front of the fan of an electric blower inside the vacuum cleaner body, an air passage connecting the suction port and the dust box, and a dust detection unit provided in the air passage. and when the amount of dirt passing through the air passage exceeds a set value,
The central control unit controls the drive pattern to be stored in the memory unit separately from the conventional drive pattern according to the signal from the dust detection unit, and after the cleaning is completed, to perform the cleaning run again in the differentiated drive pattern area. A vacuum cleaner that can be set up.