JP2001258807A - Self-propelled vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (with correction) [PROBLEMS] To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can perform cleaning while autonomously traveling with a simple configuration at low cost. A box-shaped steering and driving means (18) rotatable integrally with a vertical shaft (25), an electric blower (3) for generating an air current for sucking dust, and a cleaner body (40) are provided on the traveling direction side. The bumper 23, the traveling motor 10 for rotatingly driving the drive wheel 11 via the vertical shaft 25, and one end connected to the bumper 23 and the other end being urged to the steering and driving means 18 side to the steering and driving means 18 A rotatable movable member 29 that is removably engaged, and when the bumper 23 collides with an obstacle, the movable member 29 rotates against the bias to release the engagement. The vertical axis 25 and the steering and driving means 18 are rotated integrally when a load of a predetermined amount or more is applied to the vertical axis 25, so that the direction of the cleaner main body 40 is changed and the floor surface is autonomously driven. Self-propelled electricity cleaning F Removal machine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner for cleaning while running independently.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner is disclosed in
-263822. This conventional self-propelled cleaner has, as shown in FIG. 11, steering and driving means 102, 103, 104 as moving means, and obstacle detecting means 107, 11 for detecting obstacles in front and left and right directions.
0, a movement control means 111 for controlling the steering and driving means 102, 103, 104 based on the outputs of the obstacle detection means 107, 110, a cleaning means including a fan motor 105, and the like. A self-propelled cleaner main body 101 having a battery 116 for supplying the air, and a self-propelled cleaner main body 1 connected to the self-propelled cleaner main body 101,
And a battery wagon 120 provided with an auxiliary battery 119 for supplying power to the power wagon 01. With the above configuration, it is possible to clean even an area that cannot be cleaned only by the battery 116 installed in the main body 101.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional self-propelled cleaner, the steering and driving means 102, 10 are required.
3 and 104, an obstacle detecting means 107 and 110, an auxiliary battery 119 for stably operating the fan motor 105 and the like for a long time, and a battery wagon 120 separated from the main body 101 is required. In addition to the increase in cost, there was a problem that the appearance was poor as well.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can perform cleaning while autonomously traveling with a simple configuration without significantly changing the external shape including the design at a low cost.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention comprises a vertical shaft rotatably supported, and a drive rotatably driven by rotation of the vertical shaft. A steering unit configured to rotate the driving wheel integrally with the rotation of the vertical axis to change the direction of the driving wheel when a load of a predetermined amount or more is applied to the vertical axis and the driving wheel is rotatably supported; A rotation preventing means for preventing rotation of the steering unit, and a bumper provided on the traveling direction side of the cleaner main body for releasing the prevention of the rotation of the steering unit by the rotation preventing means. And

According to this, when the bumper collides with an obstacle, the inhibition of the rotation of the steering unit by the rotation preventing means is released, and the steering unit rotates integrally with the rotation of the vertical axis. Therefore, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner changes its traveling direction and continues to run autonomously while avoiding obstacles.

Further, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention comprises:
A vertical shaft rotatably supported, a box-shaped steering and driving means having a driving wheel rotatably supported and rotatable integrally with the vertical shaft, and an electric blower for generating dust suction airflow; A bumper disposed on the traveling direction side of the cleaner body, a traveling motor for rotating the drive wheels via the vertical shaft, and one end connected or contacted with the bumper and the other end being steered. A rotatable movable member which is biased toward the dual-purpose driving means and is removably engaged with the steering and driving means, when the bumper collides with an obstacle,
The engagement is released by the movable member rotating against the bias, and the vertical axis and the steering and driving unit are integrally formed by applying a load of a predetermined amount or more to the vertical axis. It is characterized by turning.

According to this, when the bumper collides with an obstacle, the engagement between the movable member and the steering and driving means is released, and the driving and steering means rotates integrally with the rotation of the vertical axis. . Therefore, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner changes its traveling direction and continues to run autonomously while avoiding obstacles.

The bumper has a central portion located at the forefront of the cleaner body in the direction of travel, and both sides of the bumper are retracted away from the central portion to the rear, so that the bumper can be moved in the travel direction. On the other hand, no matter from which direction the obstacle comes in contact, the obstacle is smoothly avoided.

A substantially hemispherical concave portion is provided in the bumper and the movable member, and the connection is made to the concave portion via a sphere slidably held by a spherical sliding contact structure. Can be easily converted into a turning operation of the movable member.

Alternatively, a pressing member having a sharp tip is projected from the bumper, and the abutting is performed by the pressing member at one point, so that an external force received by the bumper due to a collision can be easily rotated by the movable member. Can be converted to In addition, no matter which direction you come in contact with the obstacle,
The tip of the pressing member can slide on the surface thereof while abutting on the movable member.

Further, when the bumper is urged toward the direction of travel of the cleaner body and can be moved back and forth and right and left within a certain range, the direction and strength of the external force due to collision with an obstacle are increased. Can be flexibly dealt with.

[0013] By providing a battery for supplying electric power to the electric blower and the traveling motor, an auxiliary battery separate from the cleaner main body is not required.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a side sectional view and a bottom view showing a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outer shape of the vacuum cleaner main body 40 is formed by covering a body 1 having a rear wheel 12 rotatably supported by a main body cover 2. FIG. 3 is a top view with the main body cover removed.

As shown in these figures, a concave portion 1a is formed in a front portion of the carriage 1, and the concave portion 1a has a front wheel 11 formed therein.
A steering unit (drive and steering means) 18 that rotatably supports the axle 11a of the vehicle is provided. A battery 26 is attached to the inner surface of the ceiling of the main body cover 2.

The third gear 21 meshes with the fourth gear 22. The third gear 21 is integrated with the shaft 25. The shaft 25 penetrates through holes 18b and 1b provided in the steering portion 18 and the concave portion 1a, and is rotatably supported by a support portion 1c formed integrally with the carriage 1.

A traveling motor 10 for driving a front wheel 11 is disposed behind the upper portion of the recess 1a. The second gear 20 is integrated with the shaft 25, and the second gear 20 is
0 is engaged with the first gear 19 fixed to the motor shaft 10a. The traveling motor 10 is supplied with electric power from a battery 26. 27 is the battery 2
A charging terminal 28 for charging the battery 6 is an operation switch for turning on / off the traveling motor 10.

Accordingly, the first gear 19, the second gear 20, the shaft 25, the third gear 2
The front wheel 11 (drive wheel) is rotated via the first and fourth gears 22. The third gear 21 and the fourth gear 21
The gear 22 forms a conversion unit that converts the rotation of the upright shaft 25 (vertical axis) into the rotation of the laterally mounted axle 11a (horizontal axis).

An opening 1d is formed on the rear lower surface of the carriage 1. The rotating brush 4 is provided laterally so as to protrude from the opening 1d below the carriage 1. The brush 4 a protruding from the peripheral surface of the rotating brush 4 comes into contact with the floor surface F. The shaft 4 b of the rotating brush 4 is connected to a motor shaft 13 a of the brush driving motor 13 by a belt 14.

An electric blower room 32 is provided above the rotating brush 4.
Are formed integrally with the carriage 1. The electric blower chamber 32 is provided with an electric blower 3 for generating intake air. At the end of the electric blower 3, an anti-vibration rubber 16 that fills a gap with the electric blower room 32 and dampens vibration is provided. A dust collecting chamber 9 for accommodating dust D is disposed at a rear portion of the electric blower chamber 32, and communicates with the electric blower chamber 32 via a filter 15.

The body cover 2 is open at the rear, and the dust collection chamber 9 is detachable as shown by the arrow A. Dust chamber 9
A valve 30 opened by intake air is provided on the side wall of the air blower 3, and the valve 30 is closed while the electric blower 3 is stopped. This facilitates disposal of the dust D and prevents scattering of the dust D when the dust collection chamber 9 is detached.

An intake pipe 5, which is kept confidential by packing (not shown) or the like, is adjacent to the dust collection chamber 9, and communicates via a valve 30. The intake pipe 5 protrudes downward from the opening 1 d of the carriage 1. An intake port 7 at the tip of the intake pipe 5 is arranged behind the rotary brush 4 and opens toward a contact portion between the brush 4a and the floor surface F. The inclination angle θ1 of the intake port 7 with respect to the floor F is about 45 °.

An exhaust pipe 6 through which the exhaust air from the electric blower 3 passes communicates with the electric blower room 32. The exhaust pipe 6 protrudes downward from the opening 1 d of the carriage 1. An exhaust port 8 at the tip of the exhaust pipe 6 is arranged in front of the rotary brush 4 and opens toward a contact portion between the brush 4a and the floor F.
The inclination angle θ2 of the exhaust port 8 with respect to the floor F is about 45 °.

Accordingly, by driving the electric blower 3, exhaust gas is blown from the exhaust port 8 through the exhaust pipe 6 toward the space between the brush 4a and the floor F as shown by the arrow B, so that the intake air is exhausted together with the exhaust gas. A circulation path is formed from 7 to the electric blower chamber 32 through the intake pipe 5 and the dust collection chamber 9 as shown by an arrow C. The brush drive motor 13 and the electric blower 3
Is connected to a battery 26 and is turned on / off together with the traveling motor 10 by an operation switch 28.

A bumper 23 is provided below the vacuum cleaner main body 40 on the side of the traveling direction to reduce the impact received when the straight-running vacuum cleaner collides with an obstacle.
As shown in FIG. 4, the bumper 23 is disposed so that the bogie 1 is sandwiched between U-shaped portions on the sides.

At the front of the carriage 1, a substantially convex pentagonal opening 1 is provided.
e are provided to penetrate two places on the left and right, and a hook pin 35 is fixed in front of each opening 1e. On the other hand, a hook pin 34 is also attached to the bumper 23 so as to penetrate the opening 1e.

A spring 36 is provided between the hook pins 34, 35, and the spring 36 constantly urges the bumper 23 toward the traveling direction of the vacuum cleaner. Further, as shown in the drawing, there is a gap above and below the portion of the bogie 1 sandwiched between the bumpers 23, so that the bogie 1 is designed to be able to cope with a slight movement in the vertical direction (H direction) of the bumper 23 without difficulty. I have.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a main part of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line yy of FIG. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped pressing member 23a is fixed to the rear surface of the bumper 23 near the axis of linear symmetry by bonding or the like. An angle 24 is mounted in front of the concave portion 1a of the main body 1, and a movable member 29 is provided at a lower end thereof with a rotating shaft 29a extending in the horizontal direction so as to be rotatable about the rotating shaft 29a. The pressing member 23a may be a member provided integrally with the bumper 23.

At the rear of the pressing member 23a and at the lower end of the movable member 29, recesses are formed, each having a substantially hemispherical recess. The spherical body 31 is slidably slidable in these recesses by a spherical sliding structure. It is pinched. On the other hand, the movable member 29
Is connected to the angle 24 by a spring 33 near the upper end.

An engaging piece 18 having a flat surface parallel to the traveling direction of the cleaner is provided on an upper front portion of the steering section 18.
a is provided, and a stepped portion 29b formed by cutting out the upper end of the movable member 29 can be engaged with the locking piece 18a. As described above, since the bumper 23 is urged by the spring 36 (FIG. 4) in the direction of travel of the cleaner, during straight traveling, as shown in FIG. Is maintained.

In the electric vacuum cleaner having the above configuration, when the operation switch 28 is turned on, electric power is supplied to the brush drive motor 13, the electric blower 3 and the traveling motor 10. The rotation of the motor shaft 10a of the traveling motor 10 causes the front wheel 11 via the first and second gears 19 and 20, the shaft 25 and the conversion unit.
Is driven, and the vacuum cleaner main body 40 moves forward.

When the motor shaft 13a of the brush drive motor 13 rotates, the rotary brush 4 rotates and dust on the floor F is scraped up. Further, the exhaust port 8 is driven by driving the electric blower 3.
Exhaust gas is blown onto the floor surface F, so as to blow up dust on the floor surface F, and the dust is sucked in from the intake port 7 together with the exhaust gas.

Then, the intake air is guided to the dust collection chamber 9 through the valve 30 which is opened. The dust D is filtered by the filter 15 and stored in the dust collection chamber 9, and clean air is exhausted again from the exhaust port 8 through the electric blower chamber 32 and circulates. Thus, the vacuum cleaner main body 40 cleans the floor surface F while autonomously traveling.

When the main body 40 collides with an obstacle such as a wall, the rotation of the front wheel 11 is stopped. And the third
The rotation of the gear 22 is restricted, and a load is applied to the third gear 22 by the second gear 21. At this time, as shown by an arrow P in FIG. 5, since the bumper 23 receives an external force, the pressing member 23a is also pushed in at the same time, and the pin 35 (FIG. 4) is opened against the bias of the spring 36 (FIG. 4). (FIG. 4), and the bumper 23 is pushed backward. Then, the external force acts on the movable member 29 via the sphere 31.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
The movable member 29 rotates in the direction of arrow G (FIG. 5) about the rotation shaft 29a, and the spring 33 is compressed.
The engagement between the step 29b of the movable member 29 and the locking piece 18a is released. As a result, the steering unit 18 rotates together with the shaft 25 as shown by the arrow E, and the direction of the front wheel 11 is changed.

When the direction of the front wheel 11 changes, the vacuum cleaner main body 40 rotates about one of the rear wheels 12 as a fulcrum. Bumper 2
3 moves away from the obstacle, the spring 36 biases the bumper 23 to return to a predetermined position in the traveling direction, and the compressed spring 33 restores the movable member 29 so that the movable member 29 moves about the rotation shaft 29a as indicated by an arrow G (see FIG. 5), the stepped portion 29b engages with the locking piece 18a of the steering portion 18 again, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner main body 40
Can continue to run around obstacles.

Thus, in a room where furniture and the like are not arranged, the vacuum cleaner main body 40 only circulates along the wall surface. However, in a room where many obstacles such as furniture are arranged, every time it collides with an obstacle. Since the direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 40 changes, the vacuum cleaner main body 40 travels in various directions, thereby enabling unmanned cleaning to every corner of the room.

According to the present embodiment, the dust on the floor F is raised by the exhaust air of the electric blower 3 to absorb the dust, so that the dust absorbing efficiency can be improved. Further, since the exhaust gas is recovered from the intake port 7 and circulated, dust can be absorbed even if the suction force is small. Thereby, the power consumption of the electric blower 3 can be reduced, and the battery 26 can run for a long time. Further, exhaust gas emitted to the outside can be reduced, and pollution of the surrounding environment can be reduced.

The shaft 25 of the traveling motor 10
By having a conversion unit that converts the rotation of the (vertical axis) into the rotation of the axle 11a (horizontal axis), when the vacuum cleaner main body 40 collides with an obstacle, a load is applied to the conversion unit, and the front wheel 11 is turned into a vertical It can be pivoted around.

This eliminates the need for a steering motor, a position recognizing means, and an obstacle detecting means as in the prior art, and allows the direction of the vacuum cleaner main body 40 to be varied with a simple structure to avoid obstacles. The cleaner main body 40 can be run. Therefore, the power consumption of the vacuum cleaner can be further reduced to allow the battery 26 to run for a longer time, and the vacuum cleaner can be made inexpensive.

The sphere 31 is not used for connecting the damper 23 and the movable member 29, and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the conical pressing member 2 tapered from the back of the damper 23.
The protrusion 3b may be provided so as to be in contact with the movable member 29 at one point. In this case, even if an obstacle hits the bumper 23 not only from the front of the vacuum cleaner main body 40 but also from any direction as shown by an arrow P ′ in FIG.
Since the tip of 3b slides while abutting on the movable member 29, as shown by a dotted line in the figure, a pin 34
It is possible to reliably convert the external force applied to the bumper 23 into a turning operation about the rotating shaft 29b of the movable member 29 within a range in which the movable member 29 can move.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, a bumper provided on the traveling direction side of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner,
A box-shaped drive / steering means rotatable around a vertical axis having rotatably supported drive wheels, and one end connected to or contacted with the bumper and the other end provided on the steering / drive means side. A rotatable movable member which is urged and disengageably engaged with the steering and driving means, and when the bumper collides with an obstacle, the movable member rotates against the urging. Accordingly, the engagement is released, and the rotation of the vertical axis causes the steering and driving means to rotate around the vertical axis, thereby changing the direction of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner and avoiding obstacles to stand alone. You can run.

As a result, the conventional obstacle detection means and auxiliary battery are not required, so that the power consumption can be further reduced and the battery can be used independently for a long time without significantly changing the external shape including the design. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of traveling can be provided at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner with a main body cover removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line xx in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a main part when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is traveling straight.

6 is a sectional view taken along the line y-y in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a main part when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner collides with an obstacle.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line y-y in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line y-y in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of an example of a conventional self-propelled cleaner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 cart 2 body cover 3 electric blower 4 rotating brush 5 intake pipe 6 exhaust pipe 7 intake port 8 exhaust port 9 dust collection chamber 10 traveling motor 11 front wheel (drive wheel) 11a axle (horizontal axis) 12 rear wheel 13 brush drive motor 14 Belt 15 Filter 16 Anti-vibration rubber 18 Steering unit 19 First gear 20 Second gear 21 Third gear 22 Fourth gear 23 Bumper 25 Shaft (vertical axis) 26 Battery 27 Charging terminal 28 Operation switch 29 Movable member 30 Valve 31 Ball 32 Motor room 33, 36 Spring 34, 35 Hook pin 40 Vacuum cleaner body D Dust F Floor

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) A47L 9/08 A47L 9/08

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A vertical shaft rotatably supported, a drive wheel rotatably driven by rotation of the vertical shaft, and a drive wheel rotatably supported to apply a load of a predetermined amount or more to the vertical shaft. A steering unit that rotates together with the rotation of the vertical axis to change the direction of the drive wheel, a rotation preventing unit that prevents rotation of the steering unit, and a rotation prevention unit that is provided on the traveling direction side of the cleaner body. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner, further comprising: a bumper configured to release the rotation of the steering unit from being blocked by the rotation preventing means. 2. A box-shaped steering and driving means having a rotatably supported vertical shaft, a rotatably supported drive wheel and being rotatable integrally with the vertical shaft, and a dust suction airflow. An electric blower to be generated, a bumper disposed on the traveling direction side of the cleaner main body, a traveling motor for rotating the drive wheels via the vertical shaft, and one end connected or contacted with the bumper. A rotatable movable member whose other end is urged toward the steering and driving means and is removably engaged with the steering and driving means, wherein the movable member is provided when the bumper collides with an obstacle. Is rotated against the urging force to release the engagement, and a load of a predetermined amount or more is applied to the vertical axis, whereby the vertical axis and the steering and driving unit are integrally rotated. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner characterized by the following. 3. The bumper is characterized in that a central portion thereof is located at the forefront in the direction of travel of the cleaner main body, and both side portions are shaped to retract away from the central portion to the rear. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or claim 2. 4. The bumper and the movable member are provided with substantially hemispherical concave portions, and the connection is made to these concave portions via a spherical body slidably held by a spherical sliding contact structure. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 2 or 3. 5. The self-propelled electric cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein a pressing member having a sharp tip is projected from the bumper, and the contact is performed at one point by the pressing member. Machine. 6. The bumper according to claim 1, wherein the bumper is urged toward the advancing direction of the cleaner main body and can be moved back and forth and right and left within a predetermined range. Self-propelled vacuum cleaner as described. 7. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a battery for supplying electric power to the electric blower and the traveling motor.