KR20180038514A - Electric cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An autonomous cleaning unit that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned to collect dust; and a station unit having a charging electrode of the autonomous cleaning unit. The autonomic cleaning unit includes a first main body case having a first suction port, A secondary battery for accumulating electric power supplied from the charging electrode; a first dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the first suction port; and a second dust collecting container for discharging the negative pressure of the first dust collecting container Wherein the station unit includes a second body case having a second suction port for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit.

Description

Electric cleaning equipment

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an electric cleaning apparatus.

A dust control device such as a dust mop, and a dust collecting device that sucks the dust scraped by the dust control product into a dust collecting container.

Recently, there has been known an autonomous type electric vacuum cleaner that collects dust by moving the surface to be cleaned autonomously, that is, a so-called robot cleaner. Robot cleaners require several tens of minutes to hours of operation time to clean the entire living room. For this reason, the robot cleaner has a high convenience in autonomously cleaning the living room in the absence of the user. On the other hand, for the purpose of cleaning a piece of cookie crumbs that a child has eaten, that is, Naturally, convenience is deteriorated. In applications such as cleaning the cookies that have been eaten and washed by the child, means other than an autonomous type electric vacuum cleaner, such as means for collecting dust with a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, can respond quickly.

However, even if the means other than the self-cleaning unit, for example, a means for sweeping dust with a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool can respond quickly, there is a need for a dustpan for the disposal of the scraped dust There is also a side to which it takes extra effort such as doing.

As an autonomous type electric cleaning apparatus, there is known an electric cleaning apparatus in which an autonomous type cleaning unit for autonomously moving a surface to be cleaned to collect dust and a station unit for storing dust to be disposed from the autonomous type cleaning unit are combined. This type of electric cleaning apparatus fluidically connects the autonomous cleaning unit and the station unit to transfer the dust from the autonomous cleaning unit to the station unit. The station unit includes a dust transfer pipe connected to and fluidically connected to the first dust collecting container of the autonomous cleaning unit, a second dust collecting container for accumulating dust discarded from the first dust collecting container through the dust transfer pipe, And a second electric blower for applying a suction negative pressure to the dust transfer pipe through the container.

The station unit of the conventional electric cleaning apparatus is provided with a filtration-type dust collecting container (second dust collecting container) employing a filter for filtering and separating dust from the air. In the filtration type dust collecting container, as the accumulation amount of dust increases, the filter becomes clogged and the suction negative pressure becomes weak, and the ability to transfer the dust from the self-cleaning unit gradually decreases. Further, even if the filter separation type dust collecting container sucks dirt, for example, a large amount of powder that blocks the filtering surface of the filter in a short time, even if the dust is not accumulated yet, The dust may not be transferred from the cleaning unit. On the other hand, it is demanded that the self-contained type cleaning unit is continuously used without so-called management without requiring care or care for a long period of several days to several weeks. That is, it is desired that the function of transferring the dust from the autonomous cleaning unit station to the station unit is demonstrated over an extremely long period of time regardless of the nature of the dust.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-210361 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0011677

The embodiment has a charging function of the autonomous-type cleaning unit, and autonomous cleaning by the autonomous-type cleaning unit by utilizing the station unit stowed in the living room. Provided is an electric cleaning apparatus capable of easily disposing dust collected after performing local cleaning quickly by means other than an autonomous type cleaning unit, for example, a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool.

The embodiment

An autonomous cleaning unit that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned to collect dust; and

A station unit having a charging electrode of the autonomous cleaning unit,

And,

The autonomous cleaning unit

A first main body case having a first suction port,

A secondary battery that accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode,

A first dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the first suction port,

And an electric blower driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery to apply a negative pressure to the first dust collecting container,

Wherein the station unit includes a second body case having a second suction port for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit,

Lt; / RTI >

Also by hope,

The station unit

A dust transfer pipe connected to the autonomous cleaning unit and fluidly connected to the first dust collecting container,

A second dust collection container for accumulating dust discarded from the first dust collection container through the dust transfer pipe,

And a second electric blower for applying a suction negative pressure to the dust conveying pipe through the second dust collecting container,

The second dust collecting container includes a first centrifugal separator for separating dust from the dust from the air and a second centrifugal separator for separating dust passing through the first centrifugal separator from the air, And a centrifugal separator.

1 is a block diagram of an electric cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of an electric cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the self-cleaning unit of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing a station unit of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a sectional view of a second dust collecting container of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a sectional view of a second centrifugal separator of the second dust collecting container of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connecting portion of an autonomic cleaning unit and a station unit of an electric cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connection portion of an autonomous cleaning unit and a station unit of an electric cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an electric cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]

A first embodiment of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig.

1 is a block diagram of an electric cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned to collect dust, And a station unit (5) having a stationary unit (3).

The electric cleaning device 1 autonomously moves the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 over the entire area to be cleaned in the living room to collect dust, and then places the self-contained cleaning unit 2 in the station unit 5 The self-cleaning unit 2 is allowed to wait until the next cleaning.

Further, the station unit 5 is disposed at an arbitrary position in the living room. The self-cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5 when charging is required or when the living room has been cleaned, and then shifts to the standby state or the charging state. The position where the station unit 5 and the autonomous cleaning unit 2 are electrically connected and the autonomous cleaning unit 2 is in a chargeable state is referred to as a home position of the autonomous cleaning unit 2. [ It is also referred to as a place where the self-contained cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5 and when the self-contained cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5 and shifts to the standby state or the charged state .

First, the self-cleaning unit 2 is a so-called robot cleaner. The self-cleaning unit 2 includes a first main body case 11 having a first suction port 6, a secondary battery 18 installed in the first main body case 11, An electric blower 13 driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery 18 to apply a negative pressure to the dust collecting container 12, a dust collecting container 12 (first dust collecting container) A moving unit 15 that moves the first body case 11 movably and a driving unit 16 that drives the moving unit 15 by the electric power supplied from the secondary battery 18, And a robot control unit (17) for autonomously moving the first main body case (11) of the surface to be cleaned.

The first main body case 11 is, for example, a disk-like shape made of synthetic resin, and can easily turn the surface to be cleaned. The first main body case 11 has a horizontally elongated first suction port 6 opened on the bottom surface thereof.

The first suction port 6 has a width dimension of about 2/3 of the diameter dimension of the first main body case 11. The first suction port (6) is fluidly connected to the electric blower (13) via the dust collecting container (12).

The dust collecting container (12) is installed in the first body case (11). The dust collecting container 12 accumulates the dust sucked from the first suction port 6 by the suction negative pressure generated by the electric blower 13. A separation device for separating air and dust by inertia separation such as centrifugal separation (cyclone separation) or straight-line separation, dust accumulation, and air passage is applied to the dust collecting container 12 .

The moving part 15 supports the first body case 11 with at least three wheels. The moving part 15 includes a pair of left and right drive wheels (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the first body case 11 and a follower wheel (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the first body case 11 have.

The autonomous cleaner unit 2 advances or retreats by rotating the pair of drive wheels in the same direction, and rotates the pair of drive wheels in opposite directions to turn right or left. The follower is, for example, a turn-free castor.

The driving unit 16 includes a pair of electric motors for driving each of the pair of driving wheels. The driving unit 16 independently drives the pair of driving wheels.

The robot control unit 17 includes a microprocessor (not shown) and a storage device (not shown) for storing various operation programs and parameters executed by the microprocessor. The robot control unit 17 is electrically connected to the electric blower 13 and the driving unit 16. [ The robot control unit 17 controls the electric blower 13 to apply a negative pressure to the first suction port 6 and the robot control unit 17 controls the drive unit 16 to autonomously clean the autonomic cleaning unit 2 Drive.

The secondary battery 18 is a power source for the electric blower 13, the driving unit 16, and the robot control unit 17. The secondary battery 18 is electrically connected to the charging terminal 19 provided on the bottom surface of the first main body case 11. The secondary battery 18 is charged by connecting the charging terminal 19 to the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5.

The station unit 5 is installed at an arbitrary place on the cleaning surface of the living room. The station unit 5 includes a second body case 66 having a second suction port 65 for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2, a charging electrode 3, A power supply cord 29 for guiding electric power from the AC power source E to the charging electrode 3 and a power supply cord 29 for supplying electric power to the charging unit 3 when the autonomy type cleaning unit 2 is in the station unit 5, And a suction air passage 140 connecting the suction port 6. [

The second body case 66 is a shape of a proper shape that can be placed on the cleaning surface of the living room. The second body case 66 has an appropriate shape that does not interfere with the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 even when it is moved.

The second suction port 65 is provided with means other than the autonomous type cleaning unit 2, for example, dust collected by a mop, a broom, a floor cleaning tool, or dust attached to a mop, broom, Applies to inhalation applications. Therefore, the second suction port 21 is disposed at the lower portion of the second body case 66, and has a proper width along the vertical line of the surface to be cleaned and a proper width along the surface to be cleaned, for example.

The suction air passage 140 has a configuration in which the suction port 140a directly connects the second suction port 65 and the dust collecting container 12 without passing through the first suction port 6 and a mode And a mode in which the second suction port 65 and the dust collecting container 12 are connected (suction path 140b).

The suction air passages 140 (140a, 140b) are installed in the second body case 66. One end of the suction air passage 140 (140a, 140b) is connected to the second suction port 65. [

The other end of the suction air passage 140a is disposed at an appropriate place where the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is connected to the dust collecting container 12 of the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 when the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is moved. The dust collecting container 12 is preferably provided with a lid (not shown) which is opened in conjunction with the position of the self-cleaning unit 2 and connects the dust collecting container 12 and the suction air passage 140a.

The other end of the suction air passage 140a is disposed at an appropriate place where the self-contained cleaning unit 2 is connected to the first suction port 6 of the self-cleaning unit 2 when the self-contained cleaning unit 2 is moved.

The charging electrode 3 is provided in the second body case 66. The charging electrode 3 is arranged at a suitable place where the charging electrode 3 contacts the charging terminal 19 of the self-cleaning unit 2 when the self-contained cleaning unit 2 is in place and can establish an electrical connection.

The electric cleaning device 1 is arranged so that the charging terminal 19 of the autonomic cleaning unit 2 and the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5 are brought into contact with each other when the self- The secondary battery 18 is charged by establishing an electrical connection. At this time, the electric cleaning device 1 is connected to the second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 through the first suction port 6 of the autonomous cleaning unit 2, or not through the dust collecting container 12 And is fluidically connected to the electric blower 13 of the autonomous cleaning unit 2.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for sensing a direct command to the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 or an approach of the second cleaning unit 65 to the mop, the broom, or the floor cleaning tool itself, The electric blower 13 of the autonomous cleaning unit 2 is operated. The negative pressure generated by the operation of the electric blower 13 acts on the second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 through the dust collecting container 12, the first suction port 6 and the suction air path 125, 65). The dust sucked from the second suction port 65 may be collected by a means other than the self-cleaning unit 2, for example, a dust collected by a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, or a mop, a broom, It is dust that is attached.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment having such a configuration can be provided with a second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 so that the means other than the self-contained cleaning unit 2, such as a mop or a broom Or dust collected by the floor cleaning tool, or dust attached to the cleaning tool itself, such as a mop, broom, or floor. The function of picking up the dust of the electric cleaning apparatus 1 is suitable for cleaning a part of the living room locally, for example, cleaning dust such as sweets that the child has eaten. In other words, the electric cleaning apparatus 1 requires several tens minutes to several hours for autonomous operation of the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 to clean the entire living room, while means other than the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2, When the inside of the living room is locally cleaned with a cleaning tool such as a mop, a broom, or a floor, the dust collected in tens of seconds to several minutes can be sucked from the second suction port 65 have.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is arranged so that the suction system (the electric blower 13, the dust collecting container 12, and the first suction port 6) of the autonomous cleaning unit 2 is connected to the station unit 5 So that the dust collecting function can be provided immediately without increasing the number of components.

[Second Embodiment]

A second embodiment of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig.

2 is a block diagram of an electric cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the same components as those of the electric cleaning apparatus 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

2, the electric cleaning apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment includes an autonomic-type cleaning unit 2 that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned to collect dust, And a station unit 5A having a stationary unit 3.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1A autonomously moves the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 over the entire surface to be cleaned in the living room to collect dust, and then the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 is returned to the station unit 5A The autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 is allowed to wait until the next cleaning.

Further, the station unit 5A is disposed at any place in the living room. When the autonomous cleaning unit 2 needs to be charged or has finished cleaning the living room, the autonomous cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5A and shifts to a standby state or a charged state. The position where the station unit 5A and the autonomic-type cleaning unit 2 are electrically connected and the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 is in a chargeable state is referred to as the home position of the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2. [ It is also referred to as a place where the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5A and the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 returns to the station unit 5A and shifts to the standby state or the charging state .

The station unit 5A is installed at an arbitrary place on the cleaning surface of the living room. The station unit 5A includes a second body case 66 having a second suction port 21 for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2, a charging electrode 3, A power cord 29 for guiding electric power from the AC power source E to the charging electrode 3, a second dust collecting container 68 for accumulating the dust sucked from the second suction port 65, And a station control section 133 for controlling the second electric blower 69 to apply a negative pressure to the second suction port 65. The stationary control section 133 controls the operation of the second electric blower 69,

The second dust collecting container 68 is installed in the second body case 66. The second dust collecting container 68 accumulates the dust sucked from the second suction port 65 by the suction negative pressure generated by the second electric blower 69. The second dust collecting container 68 is provided with a filter for collecting dust, a separating device for separating air and dust by inertial separation such as centrifugal separation (cyclone separation) or straight separation, accumulating dust while passing air therethrough . The second dust collecting container 68 is not moved together with the autonomous cleaning unit 2 like the dust collecting container 12 but is accommodated in the station unit 5A in the stationary state so that a larger capacity than the dust collecting container 12 is ensured It is easy.

The second electric blower 69 can directly obtain electric power from the commercial AC power source E and thus may be larger than the electric blower 13 driven by the secondary battery 18.

The station control unit 143 includes a microprocessor (not shown) and a storage device (not shown) for storing various operation programs and parameters executed by the microprocessor. The station control section 143 is electrically connected to the second electric blower 69. The station control section 143 controls the second electric blower 69 to apply a negative pressure to the second suction port 65. [

The electric cleaning apparatus 1A is operated by a direct instruction to the station unit 5A regardless of whether or not the autonomous type cleaning unit 2 is in the home position or a direct command to the station unit 5A or to the second suction opening 65 for cleaning a mop, The second electric blower 69 is operated by the action of a sensor (not shown) for sensing the approach of the tool itself. The negative pressure generated by the operation of the second electric blower 69 acts on the second suction port 65 through the second dust collecting container 68 and sucks dust from the second suction port 65. The dust sucked from the second suction port (65) may be attached to the dust collecting device by a means other than the autonomous type cleaning unit (2), for example, a dust mop, a broom or a floor cleaning tool, Dust.

The station unit 5A also has a relay wind path 145 for connecting the dust collecting container 12 and the second dust collecting container 68 when the autonomous type cleaning unit 2 is located in the station unit 5A have.

The relay air passage 145 has a configuration in which the dust collecting container 12 and the second dust collecting container 68 are directly connected to each other without passing through the first suction port 6 (relay air passage 145a) and the first suction port 6 (Relay air passage 145b) in which the dust collecting container 12 and the second dust collecting container 68 are connected to each other.

The relay air passages 145 (145a, 145b) are provided in the second body case 66. One end of the relay air passage 145 (145a, 145b) is connected to the second dust collecting container 68.

The other end of the relay air passage 145a is disposed at an appropriate place where the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is connected to the dust collecting container 12 of the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 when the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is located. The dust collecting container 12 is preferably provided with a lid (not shown) which is opened with the position of the self-cleaning unit 2 and connects the dust collecting container 12 and the relay air passage 145a.

The other end of the relay air passage 145b is disposed at an appropriate place where the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is connected to the first suction port 6 of the self-cleaning unit 2 when the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is moved.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1A contacts the charging terminal 19 of the autonomic cleaning unit 2 and the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5A when the self-contained cleaning unit 2 is in the home position, And the secondary battery 18 is charged. At this time, the electric cleaning apparatus 1A is connected to the autonomous-type cleaning unit (not shown) via the first suction port 6 of the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 or through the second dust-collecting container 68 of the station unit 5A 2 is fluidly connected to the second electric blower 69 of the station unit 5A and then the second electric blower 69 is operated. The negative pressure generated by the operation of the second electric blower 69 is transmitted to the second dust collecting container 68 through the second dust collecting container 68 and the relay air passage 145 (the relay air passage 145a or the relay air passage 145b) And acts on the dust collecting container 12 to transfer the dust from the dust collecting container 12 to the second dust collecting container 68.

When the electric cleaning apparatus 1A is provided with a dust transfer function from the dust collecting container 12 to the second dust collecting container 68, a negative pressure acting on the second dust collecting container 68 is supplied to the second suction port 65 side It is preferable to provide a switching mechanism 146 for causing the dust collecting container 12 to act on the dust collecting container 12 or to operate the dust collecting container 12 of the self-

The electric cleaning apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment having such a configuration is provided with the second suction port 65 of the station unit 5A so that it can be cleaned by means other than the autonomic cleaning unit 2 such as a mop or a broom Or dust collected by the floor cleaning tool, or dust attached to the cleaning tool itself, such as a mop, broom, or floor. The dust collecting function of the electric cleaning apparatus 1A is suitable for cleaning a part of the living room locally, for example, cleaning dust such as sweets that the child has eaten. That is, when cleaning the entire living room by autonomously operating the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2, the electric cleaning apparatus 1A requires several tens minutes to time units, while means other than the self-contained cleaning unit 2, When locally cleaning the interior of the living room with a cleaning tool such as a mop, a broom, or a floor, the dust collected in tens of seconds to several minutes can be sucked and collected from the second suction port 65 have.

In addition, the electric cleaning apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment can provide an immediate dust-collecting function alone by the station unit 5A.

In addition, the electric cleaning apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment is a system in which the dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit 2 is transferred to and stored in the station unit 5A to continuously accumulate a large amount of dust over a longer period of time And the interval of management can be prolonged.

Therefore, according to the electric cleaning apparatus (1, 1A) of the present embodiment, by utilizing the station unit (5, 5A) equipped with the charging function of the autonomous cleaning unit (2) (2) and a means other than the autonomous type cleaning unit (2), for example, a local mop cleaning is quickly performed using a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, and then the collected dust It can be easily disposed.

[Third embodiment]

Next, a third embodiment of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 9. Fig.

3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned and collects dust on the surface to be cleaned, (5) having a charging electrode (3) for the charging electrode (2). The electric cleaning device 1 autonomously moves the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 over the entire area to be cleaned in the living room to collect dust, and then places the self-contained cleaning unit 2 in the station unit 5 The dust collected by the self-cleaning unit 2 is transferred to the station unit 5 and collected.

The position at which the autonomic cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5 is the position of the self-contained cleaning unit 2 that is to be returned to the station unit 5. The autonomous-type cleaning unit (2) is returned to the home position when charging is necessary or when the living room is cleaned. The position at which the autonomous cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5 is determined by the autonomous cleaning unit 2 that autonomously moves and the station unit 5 ) In a relative positional relationship.

3, the arrow A indicates the advancing direction of the autonomic cleaning unit 2, and the arrow B indicates the retracting direction of the autonomous cleaning unit 2. The width direction of the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 is a direction orthogonal to the arrow A and the arrow B.

The autonomous cleaning unit 2 advances to depart from the station unit 5 and autonomously runs in the living room while retracting when connected to the station unit 5 and connected to the station unit 5. [

The self-cleaning unit 2 is a so-called robot cleaner. The autonomic cleaning unit 2 includes a hollow main body case 11 having a hollow disc shape, a first dust collecting container 12 detachably mounted on the rear portion of the first main body case 11, A first moving blower 13 accommodated and connected to the first dust collecting container 12, a moving unit 15 for moving the self-cleaning unit 2 of the surface to be cleaned, a driving unit 16 for driving the moving unit 15 A robot control unit 17 for controlling the drive unit 16 to autonomously move the first main body case 11 on the surface to be cleaned and a secondary battery 18 as a power source.

The station unit 5 is installed at any position on the surface to be cleaned. The station unit 5 includes a base 21 on which the autonomic cleaning unit 2 that rides to a position electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 is moved up and a dust recovery unit And a dust (22) that is hermetically connected to the first dust collecting container (12) of the autonomic type cleaning unit (2) in a positional relation (position in which the self-cleaning unit (2) is electrically connected to the charging electrode A conveying pipe 25, a lever 26 projecting from the inside of the dust conveying pipe 25, and a power cord 29 for guiding electric power from a commercial AC power source.

Next, the autonomy-type cleaning unit 2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

4 is a perspective view showing the bottom of the self-cleaning unit of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

4, the autonomic cleaning unit 2 of the electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a center brush (not shown) installed on the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11 A pair of left and right side brushes 33 provided on the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11 and a pair of left and right side brushes 33 for driving the center brush 31, And a pair of left and right side brush driving units 35 for driving the respective left and right side brush driving units.

The disk-shaped first main body case 11 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and can easily turn the surface to be cleaned. At the center in the width direction of the rear half of the bottom surface 11a, a first long suction port 36 is provided.

The first suction port 36 has a width dimension of about 2/3 of the diameter dimension of the first main body case 11. The first suction port (36) is fluidly connected to the first electric blower (13) via the first dust collecting container (12).

In addition, the first body case 11 has a dust container opening 37 on the bottom surface 11a. The dust container 37 is located behind the first suction port 36 and covers the lower portion of the first dust container 12. The dust container 37 is opened in a rectangular shape with rounded corners to partially expose the first dust collecting container 12 mounted on the first main body case 11.

The first dust collecting container 12 accumulates dust sucked from the first suction port 36 by the suction negative pressure generated by the first electric blower 13. A separator for separating and accumulating dust from the air by inertial separation such as centrifugal separation (cyclone separation) and straight separation is applied to the first dust collecting container 12. The first dust collecting container 12 is disposed behind the first suction port 36 and at the rear of the first main body case 11. The first dust collecting container 12 includes a container main body 38 which is detachably installed in the first main body case 11 and which accumulates dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit 2, A disposal port 41 provided in the connection portion 39 for disposing the dust in the container main body 38 and a disposal port 41 for opening and closing the disposal port 41 42).

The moving unit 15 includes a pair of left and right driving wheels 45 disposed on the bottom surface 11a of the first body case 11 and a pair of right and left driving wheels 45 disposed on the bottom surface 11a of the first body case 11 .

The pair of drive wheels 45 protrude from the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11 and are grounded to the surface to be cleaned while the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 is placed on the surface to be cleaned. The pair of drive wheels 45 are arranged substantially at a central portion in the front-rear direction of the first body case 11 and are disposed at the left and right sides of the first body case 11, As shown in Fig. The pivot shafts of the pair of drive wheels 45 are arranged on a straight line extending along the width direction of the first main body case 11. [ The autonomous cleaning unit 2 is advanced or retreated by rotating the left and right drive wheels 45 in the same direction with each other and is rotated in the right or left direction by rotating the left and right drive wheels 45 in opposite directions.

The turning wheel 46 is a turning-free follower. And is arranged at the substantially central portion in the width direction of the first main body case 11, as well as the entirety thereof.

The driving unit 16 is a pair of electric motors connected to each of the pair of driving wheels 45. The driving unit 16 drives the left and right drive wheels 45 independently.

The robot control unit 17 includes a microprocessor (not shown) and a storage device (not shown) for storing various operation programs and parameters executed by the microprocessor. The robot control unit 17 is electrically connected to the first electric blower 13, the center brush drive unit 32, the drive unit 16, and the side brush drive unit 35.

The secondary battery 18 is a power source for the first electric blower 13, the center brush drive unit 32, the drive unit 16, the side brush drive unit 35, and the robot control unit 17. The secondary battery 18 is disposed, for example, between the revolving wheel 46 and the first suction port 36. The secondary battery 18 is electrically connected to a pair of charging terminals 47 disposed on the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11. The secondary battery 18 is charged by connecting the charging terminal 47 to the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5.

The center brush 31 is provided in the first suction port 36. [ The center brush 31 is a brush in the form of a shaft rotatable in the direction of the rotation center line extending in the width direction of the first main body case 11. The center brush 31 has, for example, a long shaft portion (not shown) and a plurality of brushes (not shown) extending in the radial direction of the shaft portion and spirally arranged in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion. The center brush 31 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11 from the first suction port 36. The center brush 31 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 11a of the first main body case 11, .

The center brush drive portion 32 is housed in the first body case 11. [

The pair of side brushes 33 are arranged on the left and right sides of the center brush 31 in the advancing direction to scrape off the dust on the surface to be cleaned of the wall that the center brush 31 does not touch, Is a subsidiary cleaning body that leads to. Each of the side brushes 33 has a brush base 48 having a rotation center tilted slightly forward with respect to a vertical line of the surface to be cleaned and a brush base 48 projecting radially toward the radial direction of the brush base 48, And a cleaning body 49 are provided.

The left and right brush bases 48 are disposed closer to the left and right sides of the first suction port 36 than the first suction port 36 and the left and right drive wheels 45 and rearward of the revolving wheel 46 . In addition, the rotational center line of each brush base 48 is slightly inclined forward with respect to the vertical line of the surface to be cleaned. For this reason, the linear cleaning body 49 turns along a surface inclined frontward with respect to the surface to be cleaned. The linear cleaning body 49 which is swinging forward to the front side than the brush base 48 is suppressed against the cleaning surface as it is toward the tip side and the linear cleaning body 49 which rotates behind the brush base 48 as it is toward the front end, The more away from the cleaning surface.

A plurality of linear cleaning bodies 49 are arranged radially from the brush base 48, for example, at equal intervals in three directions. Further, the side brush 33 may include four or more line-shaped cleaners 49 for each brush base 48. Each of the line-shaped cleaning bodies 49 is provided with a plurality of brush bristles as a cleaning member on the tip side. Further, the brush bristles pivot in a locus extending outward beyond the outer periphery of the first main body case 11.

Each of the side brush drive portions 35 has a rotation shaft projecting downward and connected to the brush base portion 48 of the side brush 33. [ Each of the side brush drive portions 35 rotates the side brush 33 to scrape dust on the surface to be cleaned with the first suction port 36.

Next, the station unit 5 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

5 is a perspective view showing a station unit of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 5, the base 21 of the station unit 5 according to the present embodiment extends in front of the station unit 5 and is enlarged in a rectangular shape. The base 21 is provided with a solid floor portion 61 connected to the bottom of the dust collecting portion 22 and a low floor portion 62 extending from the solid state portion 61. The lower portion 62 and the solid-phase portion 61 extend in a belt-like shape in the width direction of the station unit 5. The inlet of the charging electrode 3 and the dust transfer pipe 25 is disposed in the solid-phase portion 61. [

The autonomic cleaning unit 2 reaches the position of the user in a posture in which the pair of drive wheels 45 is placed on the bottom portion 62 and the first dust collecting container 12 is placed above the solid portion 61.

The base 21 has a concave and convex shape that reduces the grounding area of each of the pair of drive wheels 45 when the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 is directed to a position (the inward position) where it is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 And a surface 63. The running surface 63 is a plurality of line-like irregularities, lattice-like irregularities, or plural hemispherical irregularities provided on a part of the base 21.

The dust collecting section 22 includes a second body case 66 having a second suction port 65 for suctioning dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit 2, A second dust collecting container 68 which accumulates dust to be discarded from the first dust collecting container 12 through the second dust collecting container 12 and a second dust collecting container 68 which is accommodated in the second main body case 66 and connected to the second dust collecting container 68 And a power cord 29 for guiding electric power from the commercial AC power source to the second electric blower 69 and the charging electrode 3.

The second body case 66 is a box body of a proper shape disposed on the rear portion of the station unit 5 and extending upward from the base 21 and can be placed on the surface to be cleaned of the living room, And a wall surface 66a. The second body case 66 has an appropriate shape that does not interfere with the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 even when it is moved.

The second body case 66 is short in the backward direction (the direction in which the self-contained cleaning unit 2 advances) and long in the width direction. The second body case 66 is provided with a second dust collecting container 68 at one half portion in the width direction, specifically at the right half portion, and the other half portion in the width direction, specifically, And the second electric blower 69 is accommodated in the second electric blower.

The front wall of the second body case 66 is provided with an arc-shaped recessed depressed portion 71 corresponding to the rear end of the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2. The inlet of the dust conveyance pipe 25 is provided so as to extend from the solid-phase portion 61 of the base 21 to the concave depression portion 71. The recessed depressed portion 71 is provided with a position confirmation detection portion 72 for detecting whether or not the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 has reached the position (the position of the return) electrically connected to the charging electrode 3.

The locus confirmation detecting unit 72 is a so-called object sensor that detects the relative distance to the self-cleaning unit 2 by using visible light or infrared rays. The positional confirmation detecting section 72 includes a first sensor section 73 for detecting the relative distance to the autonomous cleaning unit 2 in the frontal direction of the dust collecting section 22, And a second sensor unit 75 for detecting the relative distance with the self-cleaning unit 2.

The second suction port 65 is provided with means other than the self-cleaning unit 2, for example, a dust collected by a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, or a dust attached to a mop, a broom, Applies to inhalation applications. The second suction port 65 is provided below the right side wall surface of the second body case 66 as a wall surface 66a having a height with respect to the installation surface. The second suction port (65) has a proper width along the installation surface and a proper height in the normal direction of the surface to be cleaned.

The pair of charging electrodes 3 are disposed along the inlet of the dust transfer pipe 25. Each of the charging electrodes 3 is disposed in front of the left and right edges of the concave depression 71.

The second dust collecting container 68 is detachably mounted on the right side of the dust collecting portion 22 and is exposed.

The second electric blower 69 is sucked into the dust transfer pipe 25 or the second suction port 65 through the second dust collecting container 68 to apply a negative pressure.

A suction air passage 76 for fluidly connecting the second suction port 65 and the second dust collecting container 68 to the second dust collecting container 68 is provided in the second body case 66 in addition to the dust transfer pipe 25, And a downstream air passage 77 for fluidly connecting the second electric blower 69 and the second electric blower 69 are provided.

Both the dust transfer pipe 25 and the suction air passage 76 are connected to the suction side (upstream side) of the second dust collecting container 68. That is, the negative pressure generated by the second electric blower 69 acts on either the dust transfer pipe 25 or the suction air passage 76 through the second dust collecting container 68. The station unit 5 establishes fluid connection between the dust conveyance pipe 25 and the second dust collecting container 68 when the dust is conveyed from the autonomous cleaning unit 2, The fluid connection between the dust transfer pipe 25 and the second dust collecting container 68 is blocked while the fluid connection with the second dust collecting container 68 is blocked and a negative pressure is applied to the second suction port 65 And an air path switching mechanism 78 for establishing a fluid connection between the suction air passage 76 and the second dust collecting container 68.

The dust conveyance pipe 25 is connected to the connecting portion of the first dust collecting container 12 of the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 in the position (in the home position) where the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 39) and is hermetically connected to the waste port (41).

The lever 26 disposed at the entrance of the dust transfer pipe 25 has a hook 79 extending in the frontal direction and upward direction of the dust collecting portion 22.

6 is a sectional view of a second dust collecting container of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a sectional view of a second centrifugal separator of the second dust collecting container of the electric cleaning apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

6 and 7, the second dust-collecting container 68 of the electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured so that the dust introduced from the dust-conveying pipe 25 or the second suction port 65 is divided into air A multi-stage centrifugal separator 83 including a first centrifugal separator 81 for centrifugally separating dust from the air and a second centrifugal separator 82 for separating dust passing through the first centrifugal separator 81 from the air, .

The first centrifugal separator 81 centrifips the coarse dust from the air introduced into the second dust-collecting container 68. The second centrifugal separator 82 centrifips the fine dust from the air passing through the first centrifugal separator 81. Also, coarse dust is solely a fibrous dust such as fluff or cotton dust or dust having a large mass such as sand, and fine dust is dust having a small particle size or powder shape and a small mass.

The second dust collecting container 68 has an exhaust air passage 85 for sending the air passing through the second centrifugal separator 82 to the second electric blower 69 and a top cover 86 for covering the exhaust air passage 85 .

The first centrifugal separator 81 is disposed on one side of the second dust collecting container 68, specifically on the lower half side. The second centrifugal separator 82, the second separator upper cover 87, the exhaust air passage 85 and the top cover 86 are disposed on the other side of the second dust collector 68, . The first centrifugal separator 81 and the second centrifugal separator 82 are stacked adjacent to each other in the height direction of the cylindrical second dust collector 68.

The first centrifugal separator 81, the second separator upper cover 87 and the top cover 86 cooperate to form an outer appearance of the second dust collector 68 in a substantially cylindrical shape.

The first centrifugal separator 81 separates dust from the dust-containing air in the centrifugal separation (cyclonic). The first centrifugal separator 81 includes a cup-shaped dust container 92 (cup of the second dust container 68) as an outer angle of the first centrifugal separation chamber 91, And a dust catching cup 95 disposed in the dust collecting container 92 and connected to the first filter 93. The dust collecting cup 95 is provided in the dust collecting container 92,

The dust collecting container 92 serves as an outer angle of the lower half of the second dust collecting container 68 and also serves as an outer angle of the first centrifugal separating chamber 91 and the dust collecting chamber 97. On the side wall of the dust container 92, an air inlet 98 is provided. The intake port 98 is fluidly connected to the dust transfer pipe 25 and the intake air passage 76.

The dust collecting container 92 includes a large diameter portion 101 disposed at an open end portion thereof, an inclined portion 102 connected to the large diameter portion 101 and reduced to a small diameter, And a small diameter portion 103 that reaches the bottom wall with a constant diameter dimension.

The inclined portion 102 of the large diameter portion 101 and the small diameter portion 103 has a slope 105 which is reduced from the large diameter portion 101 toward the small diameter portion 103 on the inside of the dust collecting container 92 I have.

The small diameter portion 103 is connected to the bottom wall of the dust collecting container 92.

The first filter portion 93 is accommodated in the dust collecting container 92 and is arranged substantially concentrically. The annular space defining the first filter portion 93 and the dust container 92 rotates the dust-containing air flowing into the first centrifugal separator 81 from the air inlet 98 of the dust container 92, Is a first centrifugal separation chamber (91) for centrifugal separation.

The first filter unit 93 is fixed to the second centrifugal separator 82 and protrudes into the dust container 92 and extends toward the bottom wall of the dust container 92. The first filter unit 93 relays the first centrifugal separation chamber 91 and the second centrifugal separation unit 82 by fluidly connecting them. The first filter unit 93 includes a frame 107 having a plurality of skeletons 106 spaced apart from each other and arranged in a cylindrical shape and a first mesh filter 108 surrounding the frame 107 in a cylindrical shape Respectively. The first opening 109 between the skeletons 106 of the frame 107 allows air to flow from the first centrifuge chamber 91 to the second centrifuge section 82. The side face of the first filter portion 93, specifically, the first mesh filter 108 faces the air inlet 48.

The first mesh filter 108 is operated in a period in which the swirling flow in the first centrifugal separation chamber 91 is not sufficiently developed, such as immediately after starting or stopping the second electric blower 69, Naturally, coarse dust is prevented from flowing from the first centrifugal separator 81 to the second centrifugal separator 82 side.

Further, the first filter unit 43 does not necessarily require the first mesh filter 108 to such an extent that large dust can be prevented from entering the downstream side. For example, when the frame 107 of the first filter portion 93 has a fine grid shape or a hole small enough to prevent passage of coarse dust so as to prevent the coarse dust from passing therethrough The first mesh filter 108 is not necessarily required.

The dust collecting cup 95 is provided at the end of the first filter portion 93 near the bottom wall of the dust collecting container 92, that is, at the projecting end or the lower end. The bottomed cylindrical dust collecting cup 95 has a bottom wall connected to the first filter portion 43 and a side wall extending toward the bottom wall of the dust collecting container 92. That is, the dust catching cup 95 is opened toward the bottom wall of the dust collecting container 92. The side wall of the dust catching cup 95 faces the inner circumferential surface of the dust container 92 with a gap therebetween. The dust catching cup 95 has a larger diameter than the first filter portion 93 and has a second opening 111 in a bottom wall connected to the first filter portion 93.

The space separating the dust collecting cup 95 and the dust collecting container 92 is a dust collecting chamber 97 for accumulating the dust separated from the first centrifugal separator 81. The air in the dust chamber 97 is returned to the first centrifugation chamber 91 through the second opening 111.

And a second mesh filter 112 is provided in the second opening 111. [ The second mesh filter 112 may be made of a coarse mesh such that coarse dust (fibrous dust such as fluff or cotton dust) flowing into the dust collection chamber 97 does not return to the first centrifugal separation chamber 91.

The first filter portion 93 and the dust catching cup 95 are removed from the dust container 92 with the second centrifugal separator 82 when the dust container 92 is separated from the second dust container 68, It comes out.

The second centrifugal separator 82 centrifips the fine dust from the dust-containing air passing through the first centrifugal separator 81. The second centrifugal separator 82 includes a relay air passage 113 for guiding the air that has passed through the first centrifugal separation chamber 91 and a second centrifugal separation for separating fine dust from the air introduced from the relay air passage 113. [ And an exhaust air passage 85 for guiding the air flowing out of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 to the second electric blower 69 after fine dust is separated.

The second centrifugal separator 82 is detachably connected to the dust container 92 to close the open end 92a of the dust container 92. [ The second centrifugal separator 82 supports the first filter portion 93 and the dust catching cup 95 on the center line C of the dust container 92.

The second separator upper cover 87 corresponding to the outer periphery of the second centrifugal separator 82 has a cylindrical shape. On the inside of the second separator upper cover 87, a plurality of second centrifuge chambers 115 are arranged in an annular shape. An annular relay air passage 113 is disposed inside the plurality of second centrifugal separation chambers 115 arranged in an annular shape. An exhaust air passage 85 is disposed on the inner side of the annular relay air passage 113 and on the extension of the center line C of the dust container 92 or in the center portion of the cylindrical second centrifugal separator 82 . In other words, the second centrifugal separator 82 includes, in order from the second separator upper cover 87 side, a second centrifugal separator 115 arranged in an annular shape, an annular relay air passage 113, 85) are disposed.

The relay air passage 113 guides air (dust-containing air) introduced from the first filter portion 93 in a direction away from the dust container 92 and guides the air to the second centrifugal separation chamber 115.

The second centrifugal separation chamber 115 includes a plurality of second centrifugal separation chambers 115 and is arranged along the inner circumference of the cylindrical second separator upper cover 87 or around the relay passage 113 and arranged in a substantially annular shape. Each of the second centrifugal separation chambers 115 has a cylindrical wall 116 for generating a swirling flow and a truncated conical wall 117 for generating a spiral flow.

The cylindrical wall 116 and the frustum-shaped wall 117 have a center line C2 that extends substantially in the same line. The center line of the center line C2, that is, the center line of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 is arranged parallel to the center line C of the second cylindrical dust collecting container 68. The center line of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 may be radially inclined so as to gather at the first centrifugal separator 81 side and to form a conical surface expanded at the second centrifugal separation unit 82. The center line of the cylindrical wall 116 and the frustum-shaped wall 117 is arranged in a circular shape around the center line C of the second dust collecting container 68 as viewed from the entirety of the plurality of second centrifuges separation chambers 115 .

Further, the truncated conical wall 117 has an upper floor of a larger diameter and a lower floor having a smaller diameter than the upper floor. The upper bottom of the frustum-shaped wall 117 is disposed on the side far from the first centrifugal separator 81 and the lower bottom is disposed on the side nearer to the first centrifugal separator 81. The cylindrical wall 116 has substantially the same diameter as the upper floor of the truncated conical wall 117 and is connected to the upper floor of the truncated conical wall 117.

The cylindrical wall 116 is arranged farther from the first centrifugal separator 81 than the truncated conical wall 117. On the side wall of the cylindrical upper wall 66, there is provided an introduction port 118 for dust-containing air. The introduction port 118 is a side surface of the cylindrical wall 116 and is disposed on the center side of the second dust collecting container 68 and connected to the relay air passage 113.

Further, the cylindrical wall 116 has a bottom plate at a position farthest from the first centrifugal separator 81. In the bottom plate of the frustum-shaped wall 117, a tubular inner cylinder 119 extending in the cylindrical wall 116 along the center line is provided. The inside of the inner cylinder 119 is an exhaust port 121 for exhausting clean air separated from the dust-containing air in the second centrifugal separation chamber 115. The exhaust port 121 is connected to the exhaust air passage 88. The outside of the inner cylinder 119 is directed toward the inlet 118. An annular space separating the inner cylinder 119 and the cylindrical wall 116 turns the flow of the dust-containing air flowing in from the inlet 118.

The cylindrical wall 116 is open at the portion closest to the first centrifugal separator 81 and is connected to the opening of the upper bottom of the truncated conical wall 117.

The diameter of the truncated conical wall 117 decreases as it approaches the first centrifugal separator 81. The upper bottom of the truncated conical wall 117 has an opening connected to the cylindrical wall 116 and introduces a swirling flow generated between the cylindrical wall 116 and the inner cylinder 119, Thereby generating a spiral flow. The lower bottom of the frustum-shaped wall 117 has a waste port 122 that is connected to the dust container 92.

The second centrifugal separation chamber (115) introduces dust-containing air from the inlet (118). The dust-containing air flowing into the second centrifugal separator 115 from the introduction port 118 turns along the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 116 and further flows along the inner surface of the truncated- A spiral spiral flow is generated to flow fine dust from the air. The separated fine dust is discharged from the waste port 122 to the dust container 92 side. The clean air from which the dust is separated flows on the center line of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115, that is, on the center line of the cylindrical wall 116 and the frustum-shaped wall 117, passes through the inner cylinder 119, And flows into the exhaust air passage 85.

At the end of the waste port 122 of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115, a dust trapping umbrella 125 is installed. The dust catching umbrella 125 is provided at the root of the first filter unit 93 as a partition for partitioning the first centrifugal separator 81 and the second centrifugal separator 82. The outer diameter of the dust catching umbrella 125 is smaller than that of the second centrifugal separator 82 and larger than that of the first filter portion 93. The dust collecting umbrella 125 has one surface 125a for guiding the fine dust discharged from the waste port 122 of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 to the dust collecting container 92 and a dust collecting container And has an enlarged sloped surface 125b.

The dust catching umbrella 125 is in contact with the inclined portion 102 of the dust collecting container 92 to close the dust collecting container 92. The large diameter portion 101, the inclined portion 102 and the dust catching umbrella 125 of the dust collecting container 92 partition the fine dust collecting chamber 126 that accumulates the dust discharged from the second centrifugal separating chamber 115 have. The fine dust collector chamber 126 is fitted on one surface 125a of the inner surface of the large diameter portion 101, the inclined surface of the inclined portion 102 and one surface 125a of the dust trapping umbrella 125, That is, the wedge-shaped space narrows as the distance from the waste port 122 of the second centrifugation chamber 115 becomes narrower.

The other surface 125b of the dust catching umbrella 125 is larger in diameter than the first filter portion 93 and the dust catching cup 95 and has a diameter larger than that of the first filter portion 93 and the dust catching cup 95 .

The exhaust air passage 85 is formed so as to cover the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 and to extend from the outermost peripheral portion connected to the exhaust port 121 toward the center portion of the second centrifugal separation portion 86, Enters the center portion of the relay air passage 113 on the center line C of the air passage 92. The exhaust air passage 85 is formed so as to extend from a portion surrounded by the plurality of second centrifugal separation chambers 115 to the extension line of the center line C of the dust container 92 (the center line of the second dust collecting container 68) And reaches the second exhaust port 127 provided on the side wall of the second centrifugal separator 82. [ The exhaust air passage 85 is the farthest from the first centrifugal separator 81 and has a concave portion 128 recessed toward the first centrifugal separator 81 at a portion adjacent to the top cover 86 . The exhaust air passage 85 concentrates the air flowing out from the exhaust port 121 of the second centrifugal separation chamber 115 toward the center of the second dust collecting container 68 and is once connected to the first centrifugal separator 68 by the recess 128, Is directed to the separating section (81), and thereafter the direction of the flow is changed substantially at right angles to discharge it to the second exhaust port (127). The second exhaust port 127 is connected to the downstream air passage 77.

When the self-cleaning unit 2 returns to the home position of the station unit 5, the charging terminal 47 of the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 of the station unit 5 . At this time, the dust transfer pipe 25 of the station unit 5 is connected to the connecting portion 39 of the first dust collecting container 12. Thereafter, the station unit 5 drives the second electric blower 69 to suck the air and move the dust from the first dust collecting container 12 to the second dust collecting container 68. The second dust collecting container 68 separates coarse dust from the air in the first centrifugal separator 81 and accumulates it in the dust collecting chamber 97. The second dust collecting container 68 separates the fine dust from the air passed through the first centrifugal separator 81 in the second centrifugal separator 82 and accumulates the fine dust in the fine dust collecting chamber 126.

Even if the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 does not return to the home position, the station unit 5 can be directly instructed to move the second cleaning unit 65 toward the mop, the broom, or the floor cleaning tool itself The second electric blower 69 is operated by the action of a sensor (not shown) that senses the electric power. The negative pressure generated by the operation of the second electric blower 69 acts on the second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 through the second dust collecting container 68 to suck the dust from the second suction port 65. [ The dust sucked from the second suction port 65 may be collected by a means other than the self-cleaning unit 2, for example, a dust collected by a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, or a mop, a broom, It is dust that is attached.

8 and 9 are longitudinal sectional views showing connection portions of an autonomic cleaning apparatus and a station unit of an electric cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 and 9 show a state in which the autonomic-type cleaning unit 2 approaches the position where it is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3, that is, the home position. In the case where the self-cleaning unit 2 is moved away from the station unit 5, a reverse order is shown in Figs. 9 to 8. Fig.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and Fig. 4, the first dust-collecting container 12 of the autonomic-type cleaning unit 2 according to the present embodiment is detachably attached to the first main body case 11, A connecting portion 39 that is exposed from the dust container 37 in a state where it is attached to the first body case 11 and a connecting portion 39 that is provided in the connecting portion 39 A waste port 41 for disposing dust in the container body 38 and a waste lid 42 for opening and closing the waste port 41. [

The connecting portion 39 is formed integrally with the container body 38. The connecting portion 39 protrudes in a rectangular shape with rounded corners corresponding to the dust container opening 37. [ The connection portion 39 is fitted to the dust container inlet 37 when the first dust container 12 is attached to the first main body case 11. The connection portion 39 has an outer peripheral portion which is one surface on the outer surface of the first body case 11 and a concave depression on the peripheral edge portion of the waste port 41. A waste port (41) is disposed at the center of the concave depression. A waste lid 42 is disposed in the concave depression.

The connection portion 39 may be disposed at a position facing the dust container 37 in a state where the first dust container 12 is attached to the first main body case 11. In this case, the connection portion 39 is located inside the first body case 11 and at a position where it can be seen through the dust container 37. The dust transfer pipe 25 preferably has a protruding length reaching the connecting portion 39 through the dust container opening 37.

The waste port 41 is opened toward the lower side of the autonomic cleaning unit 2 in a state where the first dust collecting container 12 is attached to the first main body case 11.

The waste port 41 is connected to the side closer to the station unit 5 than the center of the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 in the position (in-situ position) where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Respectively. That is, when the autonomic cleaning unit 2 is retracted to approach the station unit 5 and the pair of drive wheels 45 is lifted to the base 21 of the station unit 5, the stationary unit 41 5 to the dust collecting portion 22.

The waste lid 42 is exposed to the outer surface of the autonomous cleaning unit 2 and is one surface on the outer surface of the first main body case 11. The waste lid 42 has a lever accommodating portion 131 for holding the lever 26 of the station unit 5. The waste lid 42 may be disposed at a position facing the dust container 37 in a state where the waste lid 42 is attached to the first body case 11 in the same manner as the connecting portion 39. In this case, the waste lid 42 is disposed inside the first body case 11 and at a position where it can be seen through the dust container 37.

On the other hand, the lever 26 of the station unit 5 according to the present embodiment is arranged so that the self-cleaning unit 2 is positioned on the way to the position (the home position) where it is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 2 and reaches the position where the autonomic cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 when the waste lid 42 is opened and the waste port 41 is opened, And the dust transfer pipe 25 (Fig. 9).

The waste lid 42 of the autonomous cleaning unit 2 and the levers 26 of the station unit 5 are arranged so that the autonomous cleaning unit 2 crosses in a direction toward a position where it is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 And oscillates around the rotation center line C3. The rotation center line C4 of the waste lid 42 and the rotation center line C3 of the lever 26 are directed toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Direction perpendicular to the direction of the substrate.

The rotation center line C3 of the lever 26 is located at the center of the opening edge portion of the dust conveyance pipe 25 in the direction toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Is disposed at the front edge of the opening edge of the dust conveyance pipe (25) at which the mold cleaning unit (2) first arrives.

The rotational center line C3 of the lever 26 is movable in the direction toward the position (the inward position) at which the autonomic cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3. That is, the hook 79 moves the rotational center line C3 of the lever 26 in the direction toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 The lever accommodating portion 131 can be hooked without being influenced by the deviation of the positional accuracy in the position control of the unit 2. [

The rotation center line C3 of the lever 26 is located at the opening edge portion of the dust conveyance pipe 25 in the direction toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Is covered by a shaft cover (132) provided at the edge portion at which the self-cleaning unit (2) first arrives, that is, at the front edge of the opening edge of the dust transfer pipe (25).

The rotational center line C4 of the waste lid 42 is disposed on the far side of the waste lid 42 in the direction toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 have. The rotation center line C4 of the waste lid 42 is located on the side farther from the lever accommodating portion 131 in the direction toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Respectively. The rotation center line C4 of the disposal lid 42 is located at a position where the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 Is located on the side farther from the lid body 133 that comes into contact with or falls off from the lid body 41.

When the waste lid 42 is opened by the lever 26 in accordance with the arrangement of the rotation center line C3 of these levers 26 and the rotation center line C4 of the waste lid 42, And becomes an inclined surface for guiding dust from the container body 38 to the dust transfer pipe 25 (Fig. 9).

Further, the waste lid 42 receives the elastic force of the coil spring 135 in the closing direction. The waste lid 42 is opened by the urging force of the urging force of the coil spring 135 toward the position where the self-cleaning unit 2 is electrically connected to the charging electrode 3 (the home position). When the waste lid 42 is opened by the lever 26, the coil spring 135 is depressed and collapsed to accumulate energy. On the other hand, the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is detached from the station unit 5, 131 to release the energy, the waste lid 42 is closed.

The lever 26 is subjected to the elastic force of a coil spring (not shown) in the standing direction (Fig. 8). The lever 26 collapses due to the urging force of the self-priming type cleaning unit 2 toward the position (in-position) at which the charging electrode 3 is electrically connected to the elastic force of the coil spring. When the waste lid 42 is opened by the lever 26, the coil spring is depressed and collapsed to accumulate energy. On the other hand, the self-contained type cleaning unit 2 is detached from the station unit 5 and removed from the lever accommodating portion 131 When the lever 26 comes out, energy is released and the lever 26 stands up.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration includes a first centrifugal separator 81 for centrifugally separating the dust introduced from the dust conveyance pipe 25 from the air, a first centrifugal separator 81, And a second centrifugal separator 82 separating the dust passing through the first centrifugal separator 82 from the air. Therefore, even if the accumulated amount of dust increases, Further, the suction negative pressure is maintained, and the ability to transfer dust from the autonomous cleaning unit 2 can be maintained. Further, since the electric cleaning apparatus 1 is provided with the multi-stage centrifugal separator 83, even if a large amount of powder is sucked in at a short time, the suction performance is suddenly maintained without being damaged and the dust is removed from the self- The ability to transport can be maintained.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be provided with a second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 so as to be provided with means other than the autonomic type cleaning unit 2 such as a mop, Dust collected by the cleaning tool, or dust attached to the cleaning tool itself, such as a mop, broom, or floor. Such a dust-collecting function of the electric cleaning device 1 is suitable for cleaning a part of the living room locally, for example, cleaning dust such as sweets that the child has eaten. In other words, the electric cleaning apparatus 1 requires several tens minutes to several hours for autonomous operation of the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2 to clean the entire living room, while means other than the autonomous-type cleaning unit 2, Dust can be collected and collected from the second suction port 65 immediately after a few seconds to several minutes when the interior of the living room is locally cleaned with a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool.

The electric cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment accumulates the dust sucked from the second suction port 65 of the station unit 5 by the multistage centrifugal separator 83 so that the attracting force of the second suction port 65 Easy to maintain.

This is because, when the object to be cleaned by the second suction port 65 is set as a cleaning tool for sweeping dust with a corresponding width dimension, such as a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool, Even if the size is set wide along the installation surface and the corresponding height dimension is set, it is possible to suck up dust collected by sweeping with a cleaning tool such as a mop, a broom, or a floor cleaning tool without reducing the suction negative pressure for a long time .

Therefore, according to the electric cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, even if the ability to transfer dust from the autonomic cleaning unit 2 to the station unit 5 is maintained for a long period of time and even a large amount of powder is sucked in at a short time It is easy to maintain the function of transferring dust.

According to the third embodiment, there is provided an electric cleaning apparatus capable of maintaining a function of transferring dust from an autonomic cleaning unit to a station unit for a long period of time and capable of transferring dust even if a large amount of powder is sucked in at a glance .

Further, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has the following features.

1. An autonomous cleaning unit for autonomously collecting dust by moving a surface to be cleaned, and

A station unit having a charging electrode of the autonomous cleaning unit,

And,

The autonomous cleaning unit

A first main body case having a first suction port,

A secondary battery that accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode,

A first dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the first suction port,

And an electric blower driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery to apply a negative pressure to the first dust collecting container,

Wherein the station unit includes a second body case having a second suction port for sucking dust different from dust collecting the autonomous cleaning unit.

2. The electric cleaning device according to 1, wherein the station unit has a suction air passage connecting the second suction port and the first suction port or the first dust collecting container when the autonomous type cleaning unit is located in the station unit .

3. The station unit

A second dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the second suction port,

And a second electric blower for applying a negative pressure to the second dust collecting container.

4. The electric cleaning device according to 3, wherein the station unit includes a relay air passage connecting the first dust collection container and the second dust collection container when the autonomous type cleaning unit is located in the station unit.

5. The station unit

A dust transfer pipe connected to the autonomous cleaning unit and fluidly connected to the first dust collecting container,

A second dust collection container for accumulating dust discarded from the first dust collection container through the dust transfer pipe,

And a second electric blower for applying a suction negative pressure to the dust conveying pipe through the second dust collecting container,

The second dust collecting container includes a first centrifugal separator for separating dust from the dust from the air and a second centrifugal separator for separating dust passing through the first centrifugal separator from the air, And the centrifugal separator of the centrifugal separator.

6. An autonomous cleaning unit for autonomously collecting dust by moving the surface to be cleaned, and

And a station unit having a charging electrode of the autonomous cleaning unit,

The autonomous cleaning unit

A first main body case having a first suction port,

A secondary battery that accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode,

A first dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the first suction port,

And a first electric blower driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery to apply a negative pressure to the first dust collecting container,

The station unit

A dust transfer pipe connected to the autonomous cleaning unit and fluidly connected to the first dust collecting container,

A second dust collection container for accumulating dust discarded from the first dust collection container through the dust transfer pipe,

And a second electric blower for applying a suction negative pressure to the dust transfer pipe through the second dust collecting container,

The second dust collecting container includes a first centrifugal separator for separating dust from the dust from the air and a second centrifugal separator for separating dust passing through the first centrifugal separator from the air, An electric cleaning device comprising a centrifugal separator.

7. The station unit

And a second main body case having a second suction port for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the self-cleaning unit.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

1,1A: Electric cleaning device 2: Self-cleaning type cleaning unit
3: charging electrode 5, 5A: station unit
6: first suction port 11: first main body case
11a: bottom surface 12: first dust collecting container
13: first electric blower 15: moving part
16: drive unit 17: robot control unit
18: secondary battery 21: base
22: dust collecting part 25: dust conveying pipe
26: Lever 29: Power cord
31: center brush 32: driving brush for center brush
33: side brush 35: driving brush for side brush
36: first suction port 37: dust container
38: container body 39:
41: disposal compartment 42: disposal lid
45: drive wheel 46:
47: Charging terminal 48: Brush base
49: Line-shaped cleaner 61:
62: lower portion 63: running surface
65: second suction port 66: second body case
66a: wall surface 68: second dust collecting container
69: second electric blower 71: concave depression
72: Identity check unit 73: First sensor unit
75: second sensor part 76: suction air passage
77: Downstream air passage 78: Air passage switching mechanism
79: hook 81: first centrifugal separator
82: second centrifugal separator 83: centrifugal separator
85: exhaust air passage 86: top cover
87: second separator upper cover 91: first centrifugal separator
92: a dust collecting container (cup of the second dust collecting container) 92a:
93: first filter portion 95: dust catching cup
97: House Truth 98: Intake air
101: Large diameter portion 102:
103: Small diameter portion 105:
106: Skeleton 107: Frame
108: first mesh filter 109: first opening
111: second opening 112: second mesh filter
113: relay air passage 115: second centrifugal separator
116: cylindrical wall 117: frustum-shaped wall
118: inlet 119: inner cylinder
121: exhaust port 122: waste port
125: Dust catching umbrella 125a: One side
125b: the other side 126: fine dust collector
127: second exhaust port 128: concave portion
131: lever accommodating portion 132: shaft cover
133: lid body 135: coil spring
140a, 140b: Suction air passage 143: Station control section
145a, 145b: relay air passage 146: switching mechanism

Claims (5)

An autonomous cleaning unit that autonomously moves a surface to be cleaned to collect dust; and
A station unit having a charging electrode of the autonomous cleaning unit,
And,
The autonomous cleaning unit
A first main body case having a first suction port,
A secondary battery that accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode,
A first dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the first suction port,
And an electric blower driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery to apply a negative pressure to the first dust collecting container,
Wherein the station unit includes a second main body case having a second suction port for sucking dust different from the dust collected by the autonomous cleaning unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the station unit includes a suction air passage connecting the second suction port and the first suction port or the first dust collecting container when the autonomous type cleaning unit is located in the station unit. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The station unit
A second dust collecting container for accumulating dust sucked from the second suction port,
And a second electric blower for applying a negative pressure to the second dust collecting container. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the station unit includes a relay wind path for connecting the first dust collecting container and the second dust collecting container when the autonomous type cleaning unit is located in the station unit. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The station unit
A dust transfer pipe connected to the autonomous cleaning unit and fluidly connected to the first dust collecting container,
A second dust collection container for accumulating dust discarded from the first dust collection container through the dust transfer pipe,
And a second electric blower for applying a suction negative pressure to the dust conveying pipe through the second dust collecting container,
The second dust collecting container includes a first centrifugal separator for separating dust from the dust from the air and a second centrifugal separator for separating dust passing through the first centrifugal separator from the air, And a centrifugal separator of the centrifugal separator.

Images