JP2005211363A - Self-propelled cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dust at the edge of a wall and at a corner from being left without being removed by gathering the dust at the edge of the wall in front of an advancing direction and the dust at the corner of a room to the bottom surface inner side of a cleaner main body in a self-propelled cleaner. <P>SOLUTION: Left and right side brushes 6L and 6R are disposed such that their lower end parts are overlapped at the center part in a horizontal width direction of a cleaner body 2, and the respective side brushes 6L and 6R are constituted of a material which can be easily deformed by pressurizing force. Thus, by pressing the side brushes 6L and 6R to the wall 51 in front, the side brushes 6L and 6R are deformed along the shape of the wall 51, and a gap present between the side brushes 6L and 6R is almost eliminated. Thus, by rotating the side brushes 6L and 6R in the state, the dust 54 at the edge of the wall in front of the cleaner body 2 is gathered to the bottom surface inner side of the cleaner body 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled cleaner that cleans a room while traveling autonomously, and more particularly to a self-propelled cleaner having a side brush for collecting dust on the floor inside a bottom surface of a vacuum cleaner body. It is.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a so-called self-propelled cleaner in which a motor for driving a wheel is mounted on a cleaner body and cleaning is performed by controlling the driving of the cleaner body by controlling the drive motor. In particular, in recent years, autonomous self-propelled cleaners that perform cleaning while automatically determining a cleaning place based on signals from a plurality of sensors have been developed.

Among the above self-propelled cleaners, one having a side brush for collecting dust on the floor surface inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body is known. The self-propelled cleaner can widen an area that can be cleaned at a time by using a side brush. In this type of vacuum cleaner, the side brush is designed to prevent the side brush protruding from the side of the main body from getting caught by the unevenness of the wall, and to smoothly change the direction at the corner of the room. There is known a configuration that can be advanced and retracted from the side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 62-292124 A

  However, in the self-propelled cleaner having the conventional side brush as described above, an area that can be cleaned at a time can be expanded, but there is a gap between the right side brush and the left side brush. Therefore, it is not possible to collect the dust at the wall in front of the traveling direction as shown in FIG. 8 inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body. In addition, the conventional side brush is generally shaped like a cylinder or a truncated cone, and the brush holder for binding and fixing the upper end side of the brush body is generally made of a material that is not easily deformed. It is difficult to collect the dust at the corner of the room as shown in FIG. 9 inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body. In addition, the brush body of the side brush and the brush holder can be made of easily deformable material, and the side brush can be pressed against the corner to scrape the dust. Since the part protruding from the machine main body is small, if the side brush is pressed against the wall or corner, the vacuum cleaner body may hit the wall or corner and damage them.

  Moreover, in the self-propelled cleaner in which the side brush shown in Patent Document 1 is configured to be able to advance and retract from the side of the main body, it is possible to reduce damage to walls and corners. Garbage and garbage in the corner of the room cannot be collected inside the bottom of the vacuum cleaner body.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is designed to collect dust on the wall in front of the traveling direction and dust in the corner of the room on the inside of the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body. To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can prevent trash from being left in the corners and corners and prevent the vacuum cleaner body from colliding with the walls and corners to prevent damage to the walls and corners. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to cleaning means for cleaning a predetermined area, moving means for moving a cleaner body including the cleaning means, and obstacles when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means. An obstacle detection means for detecting the position, a position recognition means for recognizing the position of the cleaner body when the cleaner body is moved by the movement means, an obstacle information obtained by the obstacle detection means, and a position recognition means. Control means for controlling to move the cleaner body by the moving means while automatically determining the cleaning place based on the obtained position information of the cleaner body, and the cleaning means is a cleaner A pair of left and right, which are arranged to project forward (hereinafter referred to as the front) side of the main body and rotate around a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction in order to collect dust on the floor inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner main body Side And a main brush that is disposed behind the pair of left and right side brushes and scrapes dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body with the pair of left and right side brushes, and is driven by the main brush. The self-propelled type includes a driven roller that sandwiches and conveys dust together with the main brush, a dust suction fan that sucks dust transported by the main brush and the driven roller, and a dust box that stores dust sucked by the dust suction fan. In the vacuum cleaner, the obstacle detection means can detect the distance from the cleaner body to the obstacle, and the control means detects the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the cleaning detected by the position recognition means. Based on the information on the position of the machine body, the vacuum cleaner body is controlled so that it does not hit an obstacle such as a wall. Each brush has a rotating shaft, a brush holder joined to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a bunch of mop-like thick yarns whose upper end side is bound and fixed to the brush holder and spreads in a truncated cone shape with the lower end side as a free end. The lower end of each of the right side brush and the left side brush overlaps with the central portion in the width direction of the vacuum cleaner body, and the diameter of each side brush is the size of the vacuum cleaner body. The brush holder and the brush body of each side brush are made of a material that is easily deformable by a pressing force.

  The invention of claim 2 is a cleaning means for cleaning a predetermined area, a moving means for moving the cleaner body including the cleaning means, and a position for recognizing the position of the cleaner body when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means. Recognizing means, and control means for controlling the moving of the cleaner body by the moving means while automatically determining the cleaning location based on the position information of the cleaner body obtained by the position recognizing means. The cleaning means is arranged so as to protrude forward (hereinafter referred to as the front) side of the main body of the cleaner, and has a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction in order to collect the dust on the floor surface inside the bottom surface of the main body of the cleaner. A plurality of side brushes that rotate about the center, and a main brush that is disposed behind the plurality of side brushes, and that collects dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body with the plurality of side brushes into the cleaner body. In the self-propelled cleaner including a dust suction fan that sucks dust scraped up by the main brush, and a dust box that collects dust sucked by the dust suction fan, each side brush that constitutes the plurality of side brushes, A self-propelled cleaner, comprising a rotation shaft and a brush body that is easy to deform and rotates about the rotation shaft, and the lower ends of the side brushes overlap each other.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the self-propelled cleaner according to the second aspect, the sum of the diameters of the side brushes is longer than the width of the main body of the cleaner.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the self-propelled cleaner according to the second aspect of the present invention, the self-propelled cleaner further includes an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means. The distance from the machine body to the obstacle can be detected, and the control means is based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the information on the position of the cleaner body detected by the position recognition means. The vacuum cleaner main body is controlled so as not to hit an obstacle such as a wall.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, these side brushes are arranged so that the lower end portions of the right side brush and the left side brush overlap each other at the center in the width direction of the cleaner body, and each side brush is arranged. The brush holder and the brush body of the brush are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force. Thereby, by pressing these side brushes against the wall, these side brushes can be deformed along the shape of the wall, and the gap between the right side brush and the left side brush can be almost eliminated. . Therefore, by rotating these side brushes in this state, it is possible to collect the dust near the wall in front of the cleaner body inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body. Also, by pressing either the right or left side brush against the corner of the room, the pressed side brush can be deformed along the shape of the corner. Can be collected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the left side of the wall or corner from being left behind.

  In addition, arrange these side brushes so that the lower ends of the right side brush and the left side brush overlap each other at the center of the width direction of the vacuum cleaner body, and clean the diameter of each side brush. By making it more than half the width of the machine body, each side brush can be reliably projected from the vacuum cleaner body, so even if each side brush is pressed against the corner of the room as described above, the vacuum cleaner The main body can be made difficult to collide with walls and corners. Furthermore, based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the information on the position of the cleaner body detected by the position recognition means, the vacuum cleaner body is controlled so as not to hit an obstacle such as a wall. By doing so, damage to walls and corners can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the side brushes are arranged so that their lower end portions overlap with each other, and the brush body of each side brush is made of a material that can be easily deformed. Thus, by pressing these side brushes against the wall, the brush body of each side brush can be deformed along the shape of the wall, and almost no gaps exist between the side brushes. Garbage near the wall in front of the main body can be collected inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner main body. Also, by pressing one of the side brushes against the corner of the room, the pressed side brush can be deformed along the shape of the corner. Can be collected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the left side of the wall or corner from being left behind.

  According to the invention of claim 3, by making the sum of the diameters of the side brushes longer than the width of the cleaner body, it is possible to reliably project at least one of the plurality of side brushes from the cleaner body. As a result, even when this side brush is pressed against the corner of the room, the main body of the vacuum cleaner can be prevented from colliding with the wall or corner.

  According to the invention of claim 4, based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the information on the position of the cleaner body detected by the position recognition means, the cleaner body is attached to a wall or the like. By controlling so as not to hit an obstacle, damage to walls and corners can be prevented.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is a device that cleans the floor surface while autonomously traveling on the floor surface of a room in a residence, and has a function as a remote controller (remote controller) installed corresponding to the room. Is guided into the room that is the set cleaning area, and cleaning is performed while autonomously traveling according to the set cleaning mode.

  1 to 3 show a plan configuration, a front configuration, and a side sectional configuration of the self-propelled cleaner according to the present embodiment. The self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a left wheel 3, a right wheel 4, and a rear wheel 5 that cause the cleaner body 2 to travel. In addition, the self-propelled cleaner 1 collects dust as a cleaning means, such as a right side brush 6R, a left side brush 6L, a main brush 7, a driven roller 8, a suction nozzle 9, a dust suction fan 28 (see FIG. 3). A dust box 10 is provided. The side brushes 6L and 6R each have a rotating shaft (see 52 and 53 in FIG. 5), brush holders 61L and 61R joined to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and upper ends of the brush holders 61L and 61R are bound and fixed. The brush body 62L, 62R is made of a bunch of thick mop-shaped yarns having a frustoconical shape with the lower end side as a free end, and the front dust is disposed around the main brush 7 (the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2). Inward). The suction nozzle 9 sucks dust collected by the main brush 7 and dust conveyed by the driven roller 8 from the suction port and collects the dust in the dust box 10. The suction port of the suction nozzle 9 is elongated in the width direction of the cleaner body 2 orthogonal to the direction of travel of the cleaner body 2 (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1).

  The self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a front sensor 11, a left step sensor 12, a right step sensor 13, and a ceiling sensor 14 as sensors for detecting obstacles and the like for autonomous running, and further includes a sensor illumination lamp. 15 is provided. The front sensor 11, the left step sensor 12, the right step sensor 13, and the ceiling sensor 14 are optical distance measuring sensors, respectively, and constitute obstacle detection means in claims. The front sensor 11 monitors the diagonally downward front of the cleaner body 2 and measures the distance to obstacles such as steps, walls, pillars, furniture, tables and bed legs. The left step sensor 12 monitors the slightly left front side of the cleaner body 2 obliquely downward and measures the distance to the obstacle. The right step sensor 13 monitors the right side slightly forward of the cleaner body 2 obliquely downward, and measures the distance to the obstacle. The ceiling sensor 14 monitors the front side of the cleaner body 2 obliquely upward, detects an obstacle (whether it can pass under a table or a bed) in front of the cleaner body 2, and detects the obstacle. Measure height and distance to obstacles.

  Furthermore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 includes a dust sensor 16 (see FIG. 3) that detects dust sucked from the suction nozzle 9. The dust sensor 16 is a transmissive optical sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part.

  Self-propelled cleaner 1 is provided with operation part 18 operated by a user, LCD19 and LED20 as a display part. The operation unit 18 is operated to start and stop the cleaning operation by the self-propelled cleaner 1 and to perform other various settings. The LCD 19 and the LED 20 notify the operation status of the self-propelled cleaner 1 and various messages.

  Furthermore, the self-propelled cleaner 1 has a security function for monitoring illegal intruders, a human body sensor 22 for detecting illegal intruders, a camera 23 for photographing illegal intruders, and a camera. And an illumination lamp 24. The human body sensor 22 detects the presence or absence of a human body around the cleaner body 2 by receiving infrared rays emitted from the human body. The camera 23 is arranged in a diagonally upward direction in front of the cleaner body 2 so that the face of a standing person can be photographed. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 does not perform the cleaning operation, the human body sensor 22, the camera 23, the camera illumination lamp 24, and the wireless communication module 25 (see FIG. 4) are operated to monitor illegal intruders and the like. I do.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 2, the characteristics of each of the sub brushes 6L and 6R will be described. As shown in the drawing, the lower end portions of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L overlap each other at the center in the width direction of the cleaner body 2, and the diameter DM of each side brush 6L, 6R is respectively The length is more than half the width W of the vacuum cleaner body 2. The brush holders 61L and 61R and the brush bodies 62L and 62R of the side brushes 6L and 6R are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force.

  FIG. 4 shows a block configuration of the self-propelled cleaner 1. Self-propelled cleaner 1 has control part 43 which controls the whole device. In addition to the sensors 11 to 14 described above, an acceleration sensor 36 and a geomagnetic sensor 38 are connected to the control unit 43 as so-called traveling sensors. The acceleration sensor 36 independently detects acceleration acting on the cleaner body 2 in the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. The geomagnetic sensor 38 outputs a value corresponding to the direction in which the cleaner body 2 is facing. In addition to the sensor illumination lamp 15, dust sensor 16, operation unit 18, LCDs 19 and 20, human body sensor 22, camera 23, and camera illumination lamp 24, the control unit 43 includes the wireless communication module 25 and infrared communication. The module 27 is connected. The wireless communication module 25 communicates with a main controller (not shown) having a monitoring center function provided in the house via a wireless communication LAN, and transmits various types of information. The infrared communication module 27 performs wireless communication with a signpost having a function of a remote controller installed corresponding to a room.

  The control unit 43 is connected to a left wheel motor 31, a right wheel motor 32, a side brush motor 33, a main brush motor 34, and a dust suction motor 35. The left wheel motor 31 and the right wheel motor 32 drive the left wheel 3 and the right wheel 4 shown in FIGS. These wheel motors 31 and 32 together with the left wheel 3, the right wheel 4 and the rear wheel 5 constitute a moving means in the claims. Further, the side brush motor 33, the main brush motor 34, and the dust suction motor 35 drive the left and right side brushes 6L and 6R, the main brush 7, and the dust suction fan 28 shown in FIG. Furthermore, a map information memory 41 and a battery 42 are connected to the control unit 43.

  The control unit 43 includes a position / direction determination unit 43a, a travel control unit 43b, and a cleaning mode selection unit 43c.

  The position / direction determination unit 43a creates map information about the area where the obstacle is present and the cleaned area based on the outputs from the front sensor 11, the left step sensor 12, the right step sensor 13, and the ceiling sensor 14. The map information is stored in the map information memory 41. In addition, the traveling speed of the self-propelled cleaner 1 is calculated by time-differentiating the longitudinal acceleration detection value from the acceleration sensor 36, and the traveling distance is calculated based on the traveling speed and the traveling time. Further, the direction in which the cleaner body 2 is facing is determined based on the output value corresponding to the direction of geomagnetism from the geomagnetic sensor 38. The position / direction determination unit 43a, together with the acceleration sensor 36, the geomagnetic sensor 38, and the map information memory 41, constitutes position recognition means in the claims.

  The traveling control unit 43b controls the traveling of the cleaner body 2 by driving the left wheel motor 31 and the right wheel motor 32 to control the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the left wheel 3 and the right wheel 4. The map information in the map information memory 41 is updated at any time during the cleaning operation, and the self-propelled cleaner 1 proceeds with the cleaning operation with reference to this. The travel control unit 43b corresponds to the control means in the claims.

  The cleaning mode selection unit 43c selectively controls the cleaning mode (mode), and controls the driving of the left wheel motor 31 and the right wheel motor 32 according to the selected cleaning mode, so that the travel area of the cleaner body 2 is controlled. And the driving speed of the side brush motor 33, the main brush motor 34, and the dust suction motor 35 are controlled to adjust the force for collecting and sucking dust.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, how the above self-propelled cleaner 1 cleans the dust at the wall in front of the traveling direction will be described. Arrows B and C in the figure indicate the rotation directions of the left side brush 6L and the right side brush 6R, respectively. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 approaches the front wall 51 in the traveling direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure), the travel control unit 43b mainly detects the wall detected by the front sensor 11 (see FIG. 4). The left and right side brushes 6L are controlled so as not to hit the wall against the wall based on the information on the distance to 51 and the information on the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determination unit 43a. , 6R is pressed against the wall 51. Since the brush holders 61L and 61R of the side brushes 6L and 6R and the brush main bodies 62L and 62R are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force, they are deformed along the shape of the wall when pressed against the wall. Further, as shown in the figure, the lower end portions of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L overlap each other at the center in the widthwise direction of the cleaner body 2, so that each side brush 6L, By deforming 6R along the shape of the wall 51, a gap existing between the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L can be almost eliminated. As a result, the left and right side brushes 6L, 6R can collect the dust 54 near the wall in front of the cleaner body 2 inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2, as indicated by the arrow D in the figure. The suction nozzle 9 can suck the dust 54 and collect it in the dust box 10. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the trash 54 from being left behind.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, how the above self-propelled cleaner 1 cleans the dust on the wall and the corner in the width direction of the cleaner body 2 will be described. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 cleans the side of the wall 56 in the width direction of the cleaner body 2, the travel control unit 43 b is mainly detected by the left step sensor 12 or the right step sensor 13 (see FIG. 4). Based on the information on the distance to the wall 56 and the information on the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determination unit 43a, the left side is controlled so as not to hit the wall 56 against the wall 56. The cleaner body 2 is caused to travel in a state where the brush 6L or the right side brush 6R is pressed against the wall 56. In the example shown in the figure, the traveling control unit 43b causes the cleaner body 2 to travel in a state where the left side brush 6L is pressed against the left wall 56 of the cleaner body 2. As described above, the brush holder 61L and the brush body 62L of the side brush 6L are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force, so that the left side brush 6L is disposed on the left side of the cleaner body 2 as described above. By pressing against the wall 56, the side brush 6 </ b> L can be deformed into a shape along the shape of the wall 56. By rotating the left and right side brushes 6L and 6R in this state, the side brushes 6L and 6R collect the dust on the wall 56 located on the left side of the cleaner body 2 inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2. Therefore, the suction nozzle 9 can suck the dust and collect it in the dust box 10.

  In addition, when the self-propelled cleaner 1 approaches the corner 55 of the room, the traveling control unit 43b described above includes information on the distance to the wall 51 that is forward of the traveling direction detected by the front sensor 11 (see FIG. 4), Information on the distance to the wall 56 in the horizontal width direction of the cleaner body 2 detected by the left step sensor 12 or the right step sensor 13 (see FIG. 4) and the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determination unit 43a. Based on the information, while controlling the vacuum cleaner main body 2 so as not to hit the front wall 51 and the lateral wall 56, the right side brush 6R is pressed against the front wall 51 and the left side brush 6L is brought into the corner 55. Press. Since the brush holders 61L and 61R and the brush bodies 62L and 62R of the left and right side brushes 6L and 6R are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force, the right side brush 6R pressed against the wall 51 is The left side brush 6 </ b> L deformed along the shape of the wall 51 and pressed against the corner 55 is deformed along the shape of the corner 55. By rotating the left and right side brushes 6L and 6R in this state, the side brushes 6L and 6R cause the dust 54 at the corner 55 to move inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2 as indicated by an arrow E in the drawing. Since they can be collected, the suction nozzle 9 can suck the dust 54 and collect it in the dust box 10. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dust 54 from being left in the corner 55.

Further, as described above, the side brushes 6L and 6R are arranged so that the lower end portions of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L overlap each other at the center in the width direction of the cleaner body 2, The diameter DM (see FIG. 2) of each of the side brushes 6L and 6R is set to be more than half of the width W (see FIG. 2) of the cleaner body 2, so that the side brushes 6L and 6R are made into the cleaner body 2 Therefore, even if each side brush 6L, 6R is pressed against the corner 55 of the room as described above, the cleaner body 2 can be made difficult to hit the corner 55. Furthermore, as described above, the information on the distance to the wall 51 located in front of the traveling direction detected mainly by the front sensor 11 (see FIG. 4) and the left step sensor 12 or the right step sensor 13 (see FIG. 4). Based on the detected information on the distance to the wall 56 in the width direction of the cleaner body 2 and the information on the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determining unit 43a, the cleaner body 2 is connected to the wall 51 and the wall. By controlling so as not to hit the corner 55 consisting of 56, damage to the corner can be prevented.
To do.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, how the above self-propelled cleaner 1 cleans dust on an uneven wall will be described. When the self-propelled cleaner 1 approaches the front uneven wall 51 in the traveling direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure), the traveling control unit 43b described above has the front sensor 11 and the left step illustrated in FIG. Based on the information on the distance to the wall 51 detected by the sensor 12 and the right step sensor 13 and the information on the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determination unit 43a, the cleaner body 2 is hit against the wall 51. The left and right side brushes 6 </ b> L and 6 </ b> R are pressed against the wall 51 while controlling so as not to occur. Since the brush holders 61L and 61R of the side brushes 6L and 6R and the brush bodies 62L and 62R are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force, the pressed portions are pressed against the uneven wall 51. Is deformed into an uneven shape similar to the wall 51. By rotating the left and right side brushes 6L and 6R in this state, the side brushes 6L and 6R cause the dust 54 on the uneven wall 51 to be removed as indicated by arrows F and G in the drawing. Since it can be collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2, the suction nozzle 9 can suck the dust and collect it in the dust box 10.

  As described above, according to the self-propelled cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, the lower end portions of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L are overlapped at the center in the width direction of the cleaner body 2, The side brushes 6L and 6R are arranged, and the brush holders 61L and 61R and the brush bodies 62L and 62R of the side brushes 6L and 6R are made of a material that can be easily deformed by a pressing force. Thus, by pressing these side brushes 6L, 6R against the front wall 51, the side brushes 6L, 6R are deformed along the shape of the wall 51, and between the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L. It is possible to eliminate almost all the gaps existing in the. Therefore, by rotating these side brushes 6L and 6R in this state, the dust 54 near the wall in front of the cleaner body 2 can be collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2. In addition, by pressing one of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L against the corner 55 of the room, the pressed side brushes 6L and 6R can be deformed along the shape of the corner 55. Can be collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body 2. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the left side of the wall and the corner 55 from being left behind.

  In addition, the side brushes 6L and 6R are arranged so that the lower end portions of the right side brush 6R and the left side brush 6L overlap each other at the center in the width direction of the cleaner body 2, and each side brush 6L, Since each of the side brushes 6L and 6R can be reliably protruded from the cleaner body 2 by making the diameter of 6R each more than half the width of the cleaner body 2, each side brush as described above. Even if 6L and 6R are pressed against the corner 55 of the room, the cleaner body 2 can be prevented from colliding with the front wall 51 and the corner 55. Further, based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the front sensor 11, the left step sensor 12, the right step sensor 13, and the like and the information on the position of the cleaner body 2 determined by the position / direction determination unit 43a, the cleaning is performed. By controlling the machine body 2 so as not to hit an obstacle such as a wall, damage to the walls 51 and 56 and the corner 55 can be prevented.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, Various deformation | transformation are possible. For example, in this embodiment, the number of side brushes is two, but the number of side brushes may be three or more. Even when the number of side brushes is three or more, these side brushes should be arranged in the width direction of the cleaner body so that the total diameter of these side brushes is longer than the width of the cleaner body. Is desirable. In the above embodiment, the brush body of the side brush is formed by a bundle of thick mop-like yarns. However, the material of the brush body is not limited to fibers, and may be any material that can be easily deformed.

The top view of the self-propelled cleaner concerning the embodiment of the present invention. The top view of the said self-propelled cleaner. Side sectional drawing of the said self-propelled cleaner. The block block diagram of the said self-propelled cleaner. Explanatory drawing of the cleaning method of the garbage in the front wall by the said self-propelled cleaner. Explanatory drawing of the cleaning method of the garbage in the corner by the said self-propelled cleaner. Explanatory drawing of the cleaning method of the dust in the case of the wall which has an unevenness | corrugation by the said self-propelled cleaner. Explanatory drawing of the problem at the time of cleaning the dust near the front wall with the self-propelled cleaner of a prior art example. Explanatory drawing of the problem at the time of cleaning the dust in a corner with the self-propelled cleaner of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 3 Left wheel (moving means)
4 Right wheel (moving means)
5 Rear wheels (moving means)
7 Main brush (cleaning means)
8 Followed roller (cleaning means)
9 Suction nozzle (cleaning means)
10 Dust box (cleaning means)
11 Front sensor (obstacle detection means)
12 Left step sensor (obstacle detection means)
13 Right step sensor (obstacle detection means)
14 Ceiling sensor (obstacle detection means)
28 Garbage suction fan (cleaning means)
31 Wheel motor (moving means)
32 Wheel motor (moving means)
36 Acceleration sensor (position recognition means)
38 Geomagnetic sensor (position recognition means)
41 Map information memory (position recognition means)
43a Position / direction determination unit (position recognition means)
43b Travel control unit (control means)
52 Rotating shaft 53 Rotating shaft 6L Left side brush (cleaning means)
6R Right side brush (cleaning means)
61L Brush holder 61R Brush holder 62L Brush body 62R Brush body

Claims (4)

Cleaning means for cleaning a predetermined area;
Moving means for moving a cleaner body including the cleaning means;
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle during the movement of the cleaner body by the moving means,
Position recognition means for recognizing the position of the cleaner body when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means;
Based on the obstacle information obtained by the obstacle detection means and the position information of the cleaner body obtained by the position recognition means, the cleaning means automatically determines the cleaning place and cleans it by the moving means. Control means for controlling the machine body to move,
The cleaning means includes
Left and right, which protrudes from the front (hereinafter referred to as the front) in the direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner body and rotates around a rotating shaft that extends vertically to collect dust on the floor inside the bottom surface of the vacuum cleaner body A pair of side brushes,
A main brush disposed behind the pair of left and right side brushes and scraping dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body with the pair of left and right side brushes into the cleaner body;
A driven roller that follows the main brush and sandwiches and transports dust together with the main brush;
A dust suction fan for sucking dust conveyed by the main brush and the driven roller;
In a self-propelled cleaner including a dust box that collects dust sucked by the dust suction fan,
The obstacle detection means can detect the distance from the cleaner body to the obstacle,
The control means strikes the cleaner body against an obstacle such as a wall based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the position information of the cleaner body detected by the position recognition means. Control not to
The right side brush and the left side brush are respectively a rotating shaft, a brush holder joined to the lower end portion of the rotating shaft, and an upper end side is bound and fixed to the brush holder. It consists of a mop-shaped brush body that spreads over
The lower end portions of the right side brush and the left side brush overlap each other at the center in the width direction of the vacuum cleaner body,
The diameter of each side brush is at least half the width of the vacuum cleaner body,
The self-propelled cleaner, wherein the brush holder and the brush body of each side brush are made of a material that is easily deformable by a pressing force. Cleaning means for cleaning a predetermined area;
Moving means for moving a cleaner body including the cleaning means;
Position recognition means for recognizing the position of the cleaner body when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means;
Control means for controlling to move the cleaner body by the moving means while automatically determining the cleaning place based on the information of the position of the cleaner body obtained by the position recognition means,
The cleaning means includes
Plurally arranged around the rotation axis extending in the vertical direction so as to collect the dust on the floor inside the bottom of the vacuum cleaner body. Side brush and
A main brush disposed behind the plurality of side brushes and scraping dust collected inside the bottom surface of the cleaner body with the plurality of side brushes into the cleaner body;
A dust suction fan for sucking dust scraped up by the main brush;
In a self-propelled cleaner including a dust box that collects dust sucked by the dust suction fan,
Each of the side brushes constituting the plurality of side brushes includes a rotation shaft and an easily deformable brush body that rotates around the rotation shaft,
A self-propelled cleaner, wherein lower end portions of the side brushes overlap each other.   The total of the diameter of each said side brush is longer than the horizontal width of a cleaner body, The self-propelled cleaner of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Further comprising an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle when the cleaner body is moved by the moving means;
The obstacle detection means can detect the distance from the cleaner body to the obstacle,
The control means strikes the cleaner body against an obstacle such as a wall based on the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the position information of the cleaner body detected by the position recognition means. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 2, which is controlled so as not to exist.

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