JP2019141235A - Self-traveling vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a self-traveling vacuum cleaner capable of appropriately executing wiping only in a place where it is necessary.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner includes: a cleaner body 1; driving wheels 9 that enable the cleaner body 1 to travel on a surface to be cleaned; a wiping and dust collecting device 2 provided to the cleaner body 1; and a control device 10 for controlling the driving wheels 9, and the wiping and dust collecting device 2. The wiping and dust collecting device 2 includes a wipe cleaning member 3 for executing wipe cleaning of a floor, a rotary roller 4 for rotatably fixing the wipe cleaning member 3, a rotating and driving device 5 for rotating the rotary roller 4, and a lifting and driving device 6 for lifting and lowering the wipe cleaning member 3 between a state in which it is brought into close contact with the floor and a state in which it is floated from the floor completely. In a place which is not suitable for wipe cleaning, such as a carpet and a rug, the wipe cleaning member 3 is lifted from the floor surface by the lifting and driving device 6 and moved while in a place suitable for wipe cleaning, the wipe cleaning member 3 is brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned for executing wipe cleaning so that it is possible to execute wipe cleaning in an appropriate range of an entire room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner having a wiping cleaning member.

  A conventional self-propelled cleaner of this type has been proposed in which the entire room is cleaned by running while wiping the wiping cleaning member against the floor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  FIG. 6 is a side view of the conventional self-propelled cleaner shown in Patent Document 1. In the conventional self-propelled cleaner shown in FIG. 6, a wiping cleaning member 26 fixed to the lower portion of the main body front portion 25 and a drive wheel 28 fixed to the inside of the main body rear portion 27 are configured in the cleaner main body 29. . The main body rear portion 27 is supported by the driving wheel 28, and the main body front portion 25 is supported on the floor surface by the wiping cleaning member 26. Therefore, the wiping cleaning member 26 is always pressed against the floor surface by the weight of the cleaner body 29. It has become.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-171981

  However, in the configuration of the conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner described in Patent Document 1, when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner rides on a carpet or a rug, dust attached to the wiping cleaning member 26 is reversed to a carpet or a rug. There was a problem of adhering to. In order to solve the problem, the conventional self-propelled cleaner has been designed so as not to rise up a step.

  However, for example, if carpets or rugs are partly laid across the room, the area between the start of cleaning and the carpets and rugs can be wiped clean, but over the carpets and rugs There was a problem that the area on the opposite side of the room could not be wiped automatically.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and moves without wiping and cleaning in a place that is not suitable for wiping such as carpets and rugs, and wipes only a place suitable for wiping the whole room in any room. An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can be used.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, a self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention is provided in a cleaner body, a drive wheel that allows the cleaner body to travel on a surface to be cleaned, and the cleaner body. A wiping dust collecting device, and a control device for controlling the driving wheel and the wiping dust collecting device, wherein the wiping dust collecting device is a wiping cleaning member for wiping and cleaning the floor, and the wiping cleaning member is rotatable. A rotation roller for fixing, a rotation drive device for rotating the rotation roller, and a lift drive device for moving up and down between a state in which the wiping cleaning member is in close contact with the floor and a state in which the wiping cleaning member is completely lifted from the floor If there is a part of the room that is not suitable for wiping, such as carpets or rugs, the wiping member is automatically lifted away from the floor and moved without wiping, making it suitable for wiping. Wipe in part Since wipe against the cleaning member to the cleaning surface, it is possible to implement the wipe of the appropriate range of the entire room, it is possible to provide a self-propelled cleaner user's convenience increases.

  The self-propelled cleaner of the present invention can be moved without wiping and cleaning the surface to be cleaned which is not suitable for wiping automatically, and provides a self-propelled cleaner that increases user convenience. It becomes possible.

Sectional drawing of the self-propelled cleaner in Embodiment 1 of this invention (A), (b) Sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the self-propelled cleaner (A), (b) Sectional drawing which shows the other example of the wiping dust collector of the self-propelled cleaner (A), (b) Sectional drawing which shows the other example of the self-propelled cleaner Sectional drawing of the self-propelled cleaner in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Side view of a conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner

  A first aspect of the present invention is a vacuum cleaner body, a drive wheel that allows the cleaner body to travel on a surface to be cleaned, a wiping dust collecting device provided in the cleaner body, the drive wheel, and the wipe collection A wiping dust collecting device for wiping and cleaning the floor, a rotating roller for rotatably fixing the wiping cleaning member, and a rotational drive for rotating the rotating roller. And a lift drive device that moves up and down between a state in which the wiping cleaning member is in close contact with the floor and a state in which the wiping cleaning member is completely lifted from the floor. If it is partially present in the interior, it will automatically lift the wiping member away from the floor, move it without wiping, and wipe it with the wiping member against the surface to be cleaned. , It is possible to implement the wipe of the appropriate range of the entire room, it is possible to provide a self-propelled cleaner user's convenience increases.

  In the second invention, in particular, the self-propelled cleaner of the first invention is provided with a floor quality detection device for detecting the quality of the floor, and the control device is driven up and down based on information detected by the floor quality detection device. Self-propelled type that controls the device and makes it possible to accurately determine the surface to be cleaned that is not suitable for wiping, and to recognize the range where wiping can be performed properly. A vacuum cleaner can be provided.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, at the end of the operation of the cleaner body of the first or second aspect of the invention, the control device controls the elevating drive device so that the wiping cleaning member is lifted from the floor surface. It is possible to provide a self-propelled cleaner that can reduce the risk of moisture from the wiping cleaning member damaging the wooden floor after wiping and cleaning, and can perform wiping and cleaning while the user is out.

  In particular, the fourth invention is provided with a suction dust collecting device that sucks and cleans floor dust in the self-propelled cleaner according to any one of the first to third inventions, and behind the suction dust collecting device. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner with a wiping dust collecting device that can improve the cleaning ability and finish it on a clean floor surface by sucking large garbage that is not suitable for wiping and cleaning first. It becomes possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the self-propelled cleaner.

  1 and 2, the self-propelled cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaner body 1, a wiping dust collecting device 2 configured in the cleaner body 1, and a wiping dust collecting device 2. The wiping cleaning member 3 and the rotating roller 4, the rotation driving device 5, the lifting / lowering driving device 6 composed of the rotation roller 4 and the rotation driving device 5, the floor quality detection device 7, the obstacle detection sensor 8, and the cleaner main body 1. A drive wheel 9 for self-propelling and a control device 10 for controlling the rotary drive device 5 and the drive wheel 9 based on signals from the floor quality detection device 7 and the obstacle detection sensor 8 are provided.

  FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a self-propelled cleaner dedicated to wiping, FIG. 1 (a) shows a state where the wiping cleaning member 3 is completely lifted off the floor A and no wiping cleaning is performed, and FIG. 2 (a) shows a wiping cleaning. FIG. 2B shows a state where the member 3 is pressed against the floor A to perform wiping cleaning, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the dust attached to the wiping cleaning member 3 is lifted and difficult to remove.

  The vacuum cleaner body 1 is substantially square when viewed from above. On the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, a plurality of floor quality detection devices 7 for detecting the quality of the floor are provided substantially equally near the outer periphery. Specifically, the floor quality detection device 7 measures the distance to the surface of the floor A, and is composed of a distance measuring sensor using infrared rays or the like. It also has a function to prevent falling down the stairs.

  An obstacle detection sensor 8 is provided on the front surface of the cleaner body 1. The obstacle detection sensor 8 is a sensor for detecting whether or not there is an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction, and is configured by a single element or a combination of a plurality of optical sensors such as infrared rays and lasers and ultrasonic sensors. Yes.

  In addition, a side sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of side obstacles is provided on substantially the side of the self-propelled cleaner. A display device 11 for displaying the state of the self-propelled cleaner and an operation device 12 for operating the operation method of the self-propelled cleaner are provided on the upper portion of the cleaner body 1. A rechargeable battery 13 for supplying electric power is provided behind the traveling direction (arrow C in the figure) in the cleaner body 1. A control device 10 is provided above the rechargeable battery 13.

  The wiping dust collecting device 2 includes a rotating roller 4, a wiping cleaning member 3 wound around and fixed to the outer side of the rotating roller 4, and a rotation driving device 5 for rotating the rotating roller 4. The rotating roller 4 is composed of a rotating roller base portion 4a mainly composed of resin and the like, a rotating roller peripheral portion 4b made of an elastically deformable material such as sponge, and a central rotating shaft 4c.

  The rotating roller 4 is a bar-shaped object having a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the rotating roller 4 has a circular shape with a protruding portion 4d in part, and when the rotating roller 4 rotates and the protruding portion 4d comes down, the wiping cleaning member 3 attached to the rotating roller 4 is the floor for the first time. On the other hand, when the protrusion 4d is in the lateral direction or the upward direction, the surface of the floor A and the wiping cleaning member 3 are configured to be separated from each other.

  The wiping and cleaning member 3 can be in a state containing water, and can be made of a cloth-like object that allows the cleaner main body 1 to move forward without friction with the surface of the floor A even in a state without water. The wiping and cleaning member 3 is detachably attached to the rotating roller 4 and is fixed by fixing means (not shown) such as Velcro (registered trademark) attached to one end. The rotation drive device 5 includes a motor 5a and a belt 5b. The motor 5a is fixed in the cleaner body 1, and the rotational power of the motor 5a is transmitted to the rotating shaft 4c of the rotating roller 4 by the belt 5b.

  The operation and action of the self-propelled cleaner in the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

  Details of the operation of the self-propelled cleaner by executing the automatic cleaning program will be described below.

  First, an outline of the cleaning procedure is shown. The self-propelled cleaner starts cleaning when the user presses an inner start button (not shown) of the operation device 12. Alternatively, when the timer is set, cleaning starts at a preset time.

  The self-propelled cleaner in the present embodiment starting from a charging stand (not shown) starts autonomous movement and operates the drive wheels 9 while appropriately controlling the rotary drive device 5 and the lift drive device 6. While moving according to a predetermined program, the room is cleaned. If it judges that cleaning was completed, the control apparatus 10 will move a cleaner main body 1 toward a charging stand, will stop a driving | operation at the time of connecting the cleaner main body 1 to a charging stand and starting charge, and cleaning. Complete the action.

  First, the state of the wiping dust collector 2 during charging will be described. During charging, the control device 10 controls the rotation of the rotary drive device 5 so that the protrusion 4d of the rotary roller 4 faces the rear direction of the cleaner body 1 with respect to the rotary shaft 4c, as shown in FIG. The state is controlled so that the wiping cleaning member 3 is completely lifted from the floor A.

  For example, in the case where the wiping cleaning member 3 contains water and is cleaned with water, if the wiping cleaning member 3 containing water is always left in close contact with the flooring floor, for example, the floor may be damaged. Thus, the risk of damaging the floor can be reduced by charging with the wiping cleaning member 3 floating from the floor. As a result, in the conventional case, after the water wiping cleaning is finished, the user needs to take care so that the wiping cleaning member 3 does not contact the floor. Since wiping with water can be performed, convenience may be increased.

  Next, operation | movement of the wiping dust collecting apparatus 2 after starting wiping cleaning is demonstrated. When the control device 10 starts wiping and cleaning, the controller 10 moves forward by operating the drive wheels 9. At this time, the floor quality detector 7 moves forward while measuring the distance to the surface of the floor A. If this distance value is substantially constant, it is determined that the place is suitable for wiping cleaning such as flooring, and the distance value has a certain width. If it vibrates, it is determined that the place is not suitable for cleaning such as carpets.

  The control device 10 controls the rotation drive device 5 in accordance with the signal from the floor quality detection device 7. For example, when the floor quality detection device 7 detects that the floor is a flooring floor, the control device 10 drives the rotation drive device 5 so that the protrusion 4d of the rotation roller 4 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the protrusion 4d of the rotating roller 4 is controlled to be in a substantially downward direction.

  Thereby, wiping cleaning can be started. In the present embodiment, the rotation driving device 5 and the lifting / lowering driving device 6 are composed of the same components, and can be moved up and down by rotating.

  On the other hand, if the floor quality detection device 7 detects the floor A as a carpet floor, the control device 10 operates the drive wheel 9 without driving the rotation drive device 5 and only moves without wiping and cleaning. I will decide. In this case, when the floor quality detection device 7 starts to detect the flooring floor while moving according to the movement plan, the control device 10 operates the rotary drive device 5 in the same manner as before. Start wiping and cleaning.

When the floor quality detection device 7 detects the carpet floor after the start of wiping and cleaning, the control device 10 stops or decelerates the operation of the drive wheels 9 to operate the rotary drive device 5, and the control device 10 shown in FIG. Control is performed so that the protrusion 4d of the rotating roller 4 is directed to the front side of the cleaner body 1 as shown in FIG. To do.

  As a result, the portion of the wiping cleaning member 3 that is in contact with the floor A is completely lifted from the floor A, and even if the floor A is a carpet with long hairs, the hair of the carpet is not directly touched. By moving the garbage to a proper part, it is possible to reduce the dust from reattaching to the carpet as much as possible.

  Even if it is a flat wiping surface like in the conventional example, and it slides upward and floats off the floor surface, it will have a structure where the wiping surface with dust attached is exposed on the lower side, There was a risk that the dust would re-attach. Further, when the floor surface changes from flooring to carpet, there is usually a level difference of the carpet thickness. When the vacuum cleaner body 1 gets over the level difference, vibration is generated, and dust attached to the wiping cleaning member 26 is screened off. It also results. However, it is possible to solve these problems by causing the rotating roller 4 to completely put dust on the rotating roller 4 as in the present embodiment.

  Finally, when the control device 10 determines that the cleaning has been completed, only when the wiping dust collecting device 2 is not in a state in which the protrusion 4d of the rotating roller 4 as illustrated in FIG. The control device 10 drives the rotary drive device 5 to control it to the state shown in FIG. 1, then operates the drive wheels 9 to move the cleaner body 1 to a chargeable position on the charging stand, and then performs cleaning. Complete.

  With the above configuration, the self-propelled cleaner in the present embodiment automatically lifts the wiping cleaning member 3 away from the floor A on the surface to be cleaned that is not suitable for wiping, and moves without wiping and cleaning. Even if there is a part of the room that is not suitable for wiping such as carpets and rugs, it can be moved without wiping and cleaning, so that the entire area can be wiped and cleaned It is possible to provide a self-propelled cleaner that increases convenience.

  FIG. 3 shows another example of the wiping dust collecting device 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the wiping dust collecting device 2 includes the wiping cleaning member 3, the rotating roller 4, the rotation driving device 5, and the elevation driving device 6. The structure which consists of the auxiliary | assistant roller 14 may be sufficient. The wiping and cleaning member 3 is fixed so as to straddle the rotating roller 4 and the auxiliary roller 14. The auxiliary roller 14 is biased by a spring (not shown) in a direction away from the rotating roller 4, but is configured to be movable toward the rotating roller 4 according to the rotation of the rotating roller 4. Even if there is a protrusion 4d in a part of 4, it can rotate smoothly. By fixing the wiping cleaning member 3 across the rotating roller 4 and the auxiliary roller 14, the portion of the wiping cleaning member 3 that contacts the floor A can be shifted, and the wiping cleaning member 3 can be used more effectively. It's okay.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the rotational drive device 5 and the raising / lowering drive device 6 are implement | achieved by the same structure, as shown in FIG. 4, you may comprise separately. In FIG. 4, the rotation driving device 5 includes a rotation roller 4, an auxiliary roller 14, and a rotation driving device (not shown), and the elevating driving device 6 is fixed to the elevating motor 15 and the elevating motor 15 and rotates. The elevating lever 16 that moves up and down while the elevating lever 16 and the rotating shaft 4c of the rotating roller 4 are connected to the elevating shaft 17 that is connected to transmit the movement of the elevating lever 16 to the rotating shaft 4c. Yes.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where the cleaner body 1 is moving on the carpet or when the cleaner body 1 is connected to the charging stand, so that the lift lever 16 comes to the upper end. The elevating motor 15 is driven to move the wiping and cleaning member 3 upward together with the elevating shaft 17.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which the cleaner body 1 is moving in a place suitable for wiping such as a flooring floor. When the lifting motor 15 is driven so that the lifting lever 16 comes to the lower end, the lifting shaft is shown. 17 and the wiping cleaning member 3 is lowered by its own weight, and the wiping cleaning member 3 comes into contact with the floor A to perform wiping cleaning.

  Thus, the same effect may be exhibited even with the above configuration.

  In the above embodiment, the wiping and cleaning member 3 may be configured so that a commercially available disposable wiping and cleaning sheet can be attached, or a member that can be used repeatedly with a dedicated wiping and cleaning member may be used. .

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, it does not specifically limit about the length of the width direction of the cleaner main body 1 of the wiping cleaning member 3, It may be what protrudes from the cleaner main body 1, and conversely cleans it. It may be within the width of the machine body 1.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner in the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as the self-propelled cleaner in the said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In FIG. 5, the self-propelled cleaner in the present embodiment is provided behind the cleaner body 1, the suction dust collector 18 provided in the front of the cleaner body 1, and the suction dust collector 18. The wiping dust collecting device 2 is configured so that suction dust collection and wiping cleaning can be performed simultaneously.

  The suction dust collector 18 includes a rotary brush 19 that sweeps up dust on the floor, a rotary motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary brush 19, a dust collection box 20 that collects dust, and a rotary brush 19. A dust collection path 21 for guiding the dust floating from the dust collection box 20 and a suction fan 22 connected to the dust collection box 20 in communication.

  A dust collection filter 20 a is provided in the dust collection box 20, and dust is separated in the dust collection box 20 by the dust collection filter 20 a, and only air passes through the suction fan 22 and is outside the cleaner body 1. To be discharged.

  The cleaner body 1 has an auxiliary wheel 23 and a dust collection box cover 24 for detachably removing the dust collection box 20 from above the cleaner body 1. The wiping dust collecting device 2 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, but a part of the drawing is omitted.

  The operation and action of the self-propelled cleaner in the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. Note that the same contents as those in the first embodiment are omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  If suction cleaning is not performed before wiping and cleaning, for example, large dust such as rice grains and hard garbage such as sand grains remain on the floor. In many cases, wiping and cleaning is often continued while dust is collected on the wiping surface of the wiping dust collecting device 2, and if large trash adheres to the wiping surface, the wiping surface is pushed up and cannot be cleaned well. There is a fear.

  Further, if hard dust adheres to the wiping surface, it is cleaned while pressing the hard dust against the floor surface, which may damage the floor surface.

However, as in the present embodiment, before wiping and cleaning, first, the rotary brush 19 provided at the front portion of the cleaner main body 1 is used to scoop up large or hard dust on the floor surface and suction fan 22.
By driving and removing by suction cleaning, the performance of wiping and cleaning is not deteriorated and the floor surface is not damaged, so that the cleaning performance can be improved.

  As described above, by disposing the suction dust collecting device 18 in front of the wiping dust collecting device 2, a self-propelled cleaner with improved cleaning performance can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, it is not always necessary to detect the floor surface with the floor quality detection device 7. For example, the rotating brush 19 requires a rotational force when rotating on the carpet floor as compared with the flooring floor. Therefore, the type of the surface of the floor A is discriminated by detecting such a current change by utilizing a change such as an increase in current of a rotary motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary brush 19. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the wiping dust collecting device 2 is described as being arranged behind the suction dust collecting device 18, but the purpose is to clean the floor after removing large dust or hard dust. Therefore, it is only necessary to be behind the rotating brush 19 in the suction dust collecting device 18, and it is not necessary to arrange it behind the suction fan 22 that is another element of the suction dust collecting device 18.

  As described above, the self-propelled cleaner according to the present invention is configured so that wiping and cleaning can be performed only in a necessary place. It can be applied to general objects.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner main body 2 Wiping dust collecting device 3 Wiping cleaning member 4 Rotating roller 4a Rotating roller base part 4b Rotating roller peripheral part 4c Rotating shaft 4d Protrusion part 5 Rotating drive apparatus 5a Motor 5b Belt 6 Lifting drive apparatus 7 Floor quality detection apparatus 8 Obstacle Detection sensor 9 Driving wheel 10 Control device 11 Display device 12 Operation device 13 Rechargeable battery 14 Auxiliary roller 15 Lifting motor 16 Lifting lever 17 Lifting shaft 18 Suction dust collector 19 Rotating brush 20 Dust collection box 20a Dust collection filter 21 Dust collection path 22 Suction fan 23 Auxiliary wheel 24 Dust collection box cover A Floor

Claims (4)

A vacuum cleaner body, a drive wheel that allows the cleaner body to travel on a surface to be cleaned, a wiping dust collecting device provided in the cleaner body, and the driving wheel and the wiping dust collecting device are controlled. A wiping dust collecting device for wiping and cleaning the floor, a rotating roller for rotatably fixing the wiping cleaning member, a rotation driving device for rotating the rotating roller, and the wiping cleaning member. The self-propelled cleaner provided with the raising / lowering drive device which raises / lowers between the state which was closely_contact | adhered to the said floor, and the state which floated completely from the said floor. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a floor quality detection device for detecting the quality of the floor is provided, and the control device controls the lift drive device based on information detected by the floor quality detection device. 3. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1, wherein when the operation of the cleaner body ends, the control device controls the lifting drive device so that the wiping cleaning member is lifted from the floor surface. The self-propelled cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a suction dust collector that sucks and cleans dust on the floor, and a wiping dust collector is disposed behind the suction dust collector. .