WO2004054423A1

WO2004054423A1 - Unattended cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2004054423A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/013147
Authority: WO
Inventors: Toshinori SOGABE
Original assignee: Care Fresh Corporation
Priority date: 2002-12-16
Filing date: 2002-12-16
Publication date: 2004-07-01
Also published as: JPWO2004054423A1; AU2002368468A1

Abstract

Unattended cleaner capable of cleaning a floor surface during its unattended random movement, of being produced at low cost, of cleaning areas in the vicinity of a wall surface while moving therealong, of reducing fault frequency, and of escaping even when entering a secluded area. It comprises a cleaner, a casing (10) attached to the cleaner, a running section (30) attached to the interior of the casing (10) so as to be turnable in a horizontal plane, and a turning mechanism (50) for turning the casing (10) and the running section in a horizontal plane. The running section (30) comprises a shaft (34) rotatable around a horizontal axis, a driving wheel fixedly attached to one end of the shaft (34), and a running wheel (36) rotatably attached to the other end of the shaft, with a clutch mechanism (40) interposed between the running wheel (36) and the shaft (34).

Description

Description Unmanned vacuum cleaner Technical field

The present invention relates to an unmanned vacuum cleaner. Background art

Conventional unmanned vacuum cleaners detect the tape stuck on the floor with a sensor, and move along the tape to suck the floor and clean unattended.

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-222 1925

However, since the conventional unmanned vacuum cleaner uses a sensor, a control unit including a controller is incorporated. This results in higher manufacturing costs and more frequent failures.

In addition, if a sensor is used, not only the tape but also the wall surface may be detected, and it may not be possible to move along the wall surface.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention can clean the floor by moving unattended and at random, can be manufactured at low cost, can reduce the frequency of failures, and can clean the vicinity along the wall surface. The purpose is to provide an unmanned vacuum cleaner that can escape even if it enters a place. Disclosure of the invention

An unmanned vacuum cleaner according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a cleaner; a casing to which the vacuum cleaner is attached; a traveling unit rotatably mounted in a 7_Κ plane inside the casing; and the casing and the traveling unit. And a turning mechanism for turning each other in a horizontal plane. The unmanned cleaner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the unmanned cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the traveling unit is provided with a shaft rotatably provided around a Κ flat shaft, and a drive wheel fixedly attached to one end of the shaft. A traveling wheel rotatably attached to the other end of the shaft, a clutch mechanism is provided between the traveling wheel and the shaft, and a load applied to the traveling wheel is a threshold value. If it is less than, the connection between the running wheel and the shaft is made, and if the load applied to the running wheel is more than a threshold value, the connection between the running wheel and the shaft is disconnected.

The unmanned cleaner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the invention of claim 2, wherein the clutch mechanism comprises: an elastic piece attached to the shaft; and a pin attached to the traveling wheel so as to engage with the elastic piece. It is characterized by the following. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an unmanned cleaner 1 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrows II- II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the unmanned cleaner 1 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the running wheel 36.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the clutch mechanism 40.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the direction change of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the movement trajectory of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, which is schematically shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the unmanned cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment includes a casing 10, a cleaner (not shown), a connecting part 20, a traveling part 30, a clutch mechanism 40, and a turning mechanism 50. It is composed.

First, the casing 10 will be described. The casing 10 has an upper surface formed in a disk shape and a side surface formed in a cylindrical shape.

In addition, the shape of the casing 10 may be a polygon.

A protective material 11 is attached to the outer periphery of the casing 10 of the casing 10. The outer peripheral surface of the casing 10 can be protected by the protective material 11.

The attachment of the protective material 11 to the casing 10 is optional.

Next, the vacuum cleaner will be described.

A vacuum cleaner (not shown) is mounted on the upper surface of the casing 10. As the vacuum cleaner, a cleaner having a suction hole on the bottom surface or a cleaner capable of extending a suction nozzle from the suction hole to the bottom surface is preferable.

Next, the connecting portion 20 will be described.

The connecting portion 20 is for connecting between the casing 10 and a traveling portion 30 described later. A hole 12 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the casing 10, and a bearing 21 is attached to the upper surface of the periphery of the hole 12.

Inside the bearing 21, a suction cylinder 22 is vertically mounted. The suction cylinder 22 is for connecting a suction hole and a suction nozzle of the vacuum cleaner to an upper portion thereof to form a suction path for sucking dust on the floor. Since the suction cylinder 22 is supported by the casing 10 via the bearing 21, the suction cylinder 22 can be rotated in a horizontal plane.

Reference numerals 23 and 24 are fixing members for attaching the bearing 21 to the casing 10.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, a disc-shaped revolving plate 25 is attached to a lower portion of the suction tube 22. A hole 26 is formed in the center of the turning plate 25. Since the hole 26 communicates with the lower end of the suction cylinder 22, dust on the floor can be sucked by a vacuum cleaner (not shown).

A traveling portion 30 is attached to the lower surface of the revolving plate 25, which will be described later in detail.

Next, the turning mechanism 50 will be described. FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a gear box 52 is mounted on the upper surface of the revolving plate 25. The gearbox 52 incorporates a turning motor 53 and gears.

As shown in FIG. 3, a turning power supply box 54 is attached to the lower surface of the turning plate 25, and a dry battery is attached to the turning power supply box 54 as a turning power supply. ing. The turning power supply box 54 is provided with a power on / off switch so that power transmission to the turning motor 53 can be turned on / off.

As shown in FIG. 4 again, a shaft 55 is attached to the gearbox 52. A turning wheel 56 is attached to the shaft 55. An annular rail 57 is attached to the lower surface of the casing 10.

The turning wheel 56 is disposed so as to contact both the upper surface of the turning plate 25 and the lower surface of the rail 57. Therefore, by turning the turning wheel 56, the turning plate 25 can be turned in the horizontal plane together with the suction tube 22.

Therefore, the traveling unit 30 can be turned in a horizontal plane by the turning mechanism 50.

Next, the traveling section 30 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, a gear box 32 is attached to the lower surface of the revolving plate 25 of the connecting portion 20. The gear box 32 incorporates a traveling motor 33 and gears.

A traveling power supply box 34 is attached to the lower surface of the revolving plate 25, and a dry battery is attached to the traveling power supply box 34 as a traveling power supply. The traveling power supply box 34 is provided with a power on / off switch, so that power transmission to the traveling motor 33 can be turned on / off.

A shaft 34 is mounted horizontally on the gear pox 32, and is rotated by the running motor 33. A pair of drive wheels 35 and running wheels 36 are attached to both ends of the shaft 34, respectively.

A caster 37 is attached to the front of the bottom surface of the revolving plate 25. In this caster 37, a support bracket is pivotally attached to the mounting bracket. The wheel is supported rotatably. Since the revolving plate 25 can be supported at three points by the casters 37 and the pair of driving wheels 35, 36, the vehicle can run stably.

Next, the clutch mechanism 40 will be described.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the running wheel 36. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, one driving wheel 35 is fixed to one end of a shaft 34 and the other driving wheel 36 is attached to the other end of the shaft 34 so as to freely rotate. ing.

An elastic piece 41 is attached near the running wheel 36 on the shaft 34. A pin 42 is attached to the inner surface of the running wheel 36. The pin 42 is disposed so as to engage with the elastic piece 41.

The elastic piece 41 is, for example, a rubber piece. When a certain force or more is applied to the elastic piece 41 by the pin 42, the shape is deformed, and the elastic piece 41 and the pin 42 are disengaged. It has elasticity.

When a small load is applied to the traveling wheel 36, the rotation of the shaft 34 allows the elastic piece 41 to be engaged with the pin 42, thereby driving the traveling wheel 36.

When a large load is applied to the running wheel 36, even when the shaft 34 rotates, the elastic piece 4 1 does not engage with the pin 4 2 and the connection between the running wheel 36 and the shaft 34 is released, and the running wheel 3 6 can be free.

Therefore, since the clutch mechanism 40 can be constituted by simple components, it can be manufactured at low cost.

It should be noted that the clutch mechanism 40 is not limited to the above-described structure, and connects the traveling wheel 36 and the shaft 34 when the load applied to the traveling wheel 36 is less than the threshold value. If the load applied to 6 is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is only necessary to be able to disconnect the running wheel 36 and the shaft 34, and various types of machines can be adopted.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the clutch mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. 7 (A), when the unmanned sweeper 1 is traveling normally, a small load is applied to the traveling wheels 36, so that the clutch mechanism 40 connects the traveling wheels 36 to the shaft 34. It can be connected to drive the running wheels 36.

As shown in Fig. 7 (B), the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 hits an obstacle and moves in the traveling direction. When the vehicle cannot move, a load is applied to the traveling wheel 36, and if the load applied to the traveling wheel 36 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the clutch mechanism 40 disconnects the traveling wheel 36 from the shaft 34. is there.

Therefore, the traveling wheel 36 is in a free state, and the traveling mechanism 30 can be smoothly turned by the turning mechanism 50, and the direction can be easily changed.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the direction change of the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1. As shown in the figure, according to the clutch mechanism 40, even if the unmanned cleaner 1 is incident on the wall F at the same angle 0 0, the direction is not changed at the same angle, but the angles 0 1 0 2 Change direction.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the movement trajectory of the unmanned cleaner 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment travels while repeatedly turning on the wall F, so that the entire floor can be cleaned by the vacuum cleaner. Each time it hits the wall F, the angle at which it turns is different at random, so it can escape even if you enter a deep place.

According to the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects (1) to (3) are obtained.

(1) While the cleaner is moved along the floor by the traveling unit 30, dust on the floor can be suctioned by a cleaner (not shown), so the floor of the moved part is cleaned unattended. can do. In addition, during normal traveling, in which a small load is applied to the casing 10, the unmanned cleaner 1 travels in the traveling direction by the traveling section 30 while the casing 10 is pivoted by the pivot mechanism 50. Can be. When the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 hits an obstacle and applies a load to the casing 10 and cannot travel in the traveling direction, the casing 10 stops turning and the traveling mechanism 30 is moved by the turning mechanism 50 this time. Can be turned. For this reason, the traveling section 30 can be turned to such a degree that a small load is applied to the casing, and the direction of the unmanned cleaner 1 can be changed. Therefore, since the direction can be changed even when the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 hits an obstacle, the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 can be run at random everywhere along the floor. Therefore, it is possible to clean the entire floor surface, and even if you get into a deep place, you can try to escape many times and escape with high probability. In addition, since no sensor is used, it can move along the wall and clean the vicinity of the wall Can be manufactured at low cost, and the frequency of failures can be reduced.

(2) When the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 is traveling normally, a small load is applied to the traveling wheel 36, so that the traveling wheel 36 and the shaft 34 can be connected by the clutch mechanism 40, and traveling The wheels can be driven. On the other hand, when the unmanned vacuum cleaner 1 hits an obstacle and cannot move in the traveling direction, a load is applied to the traveling wheel 36, and if the load applied to the traveling wheel 36 is equal to or larger than the threshold, the clutch mechanism 40 is used. Thus, the connection between the traveling wheel 36 and the shaft 34 can be disconnected. Therefore, the traveling wheels 36 are in a free state, so that the traveling mechanism 30 can be smoothly turned by the turning mechanism 50, and the direction can be easily changed. Industrial applicability

According to the first invention, while moving the cleaner along the floor by the traveling unit, dust on the floor can be sucked by the cleaner, so that the floor of the moved portion can be cleaned unattended. it can. In addition, during normal traveling in which little load is applied to the casing, the traveling unit can cause the unmanned cleaner to travel in the traveling direction while rotating the casing by the rotating mechanism. When the unmanned vacuum cleaner hits an obstacle and places a load on the casing and cannot travel in the traveling direction, the casing stops rotating and the traveling mechanism can be rotated by the rotating mechanism. For this reason, the running portion can be turned to an angle at which no load is applied to the casing, and the direction of the unmanned vacuum cleaner can be changed. Therefore, even if the unmanned vacuum cleaner hits an obstacle, the traveling direction can be changed, and the unmanned vacuum cleaner can be run at random along the floor. Therefore, it is possible to clean the entire floor surface, and even if you get into a deep place, you can try to escape many times and you can escape with high probability. Furthermore, since no sensor is used, it can be moved along the wall surface, the vicinity of the wall surface can be cleaned, the manufacturing can be performed at low cost, and the frequency of failure can be reduced.

According to the second invention, when the unmanned cleaner is traveling normally, a load is not applied to the traveling wheels, so that the coupling between the traveling wheels and the shaft can be performed by the clutch mechanism. It can drive the running wheels. On the other hand, when the unmanned cleaner hits an obstacle and cannot move in the traveling direction, a load is applied to the traveling wheel.If the load applied to the traveling wheel is equal to or greater than the threshold, the coupling between the traveling wheel and the shaft is performed by the clutch mechanism. Can be removed. Therefore, the traveling wheels are in a free state, and the traveling mechanism can be smoothly turned by the turning mechanism.

According to the third aspect, when a load is not significantly applied to the traveling wheels, the elastic pieces can be engaged with the pins to drive the traveling wheels by rotation of the shaft. When a large load is applied to the running wheels, the elastic pieces do not engage the pins even if the shaft rotates, and the connection between the running wheels and the shaft is released, and the running wheels can be in a free state. Therefore, the clutch mechanism can be configured with simple components, and thus can be manufactured at low cost.

Claims

The scope of the claims

(1) a vacuum cleaner, a casing to which the vacuum cleaner is attached, a traveling section mounted inside the casing so as to be pivotable in a horizontal plane, and the casing and the traveling section pivoted together in a horizontal plane. An unmanned vacuum cleaner comprising: a swivel mechanism for rotating the vacuum cleaner.

(2) a shaft provided rotatably around a zK flat axis, a drive wheel fixedly attached to one end of the shaft, and a rotatably attached to the other end of the shaft. A clutch mechanism is provided between the running wheel and the shaft. When the load applied to the running wheel is less than a threshold value, the clutch mechanism is disposed between the running wheel and the shaft. 2. The unmanned sweeping device according to claim 1, wherein when the load applied to the traveling wheel is equal to or more than a threshold value, the traveling wheel and the shaft are disconnected.

3.The unmanned cleaning according to claim 2, wherein the clutch mechanism includes an elastic piece attached to the shaft, and a pin attached to the elastic piece in the traveling wheel. Machine.