CN107913034B - Electric vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an electric dust collector, which improves the maintenance performance of a side brush. In the electric dust collector with the side brush arranged on the lower shell, the side brush is provided with a clamp inserting hole which can be used for detaching the side brush from the lower shell by inserting the clamp and applying force.

Description

Electric vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner.

Background

As an electric vacuum cleaner for cleaning a floor surface on which dust has fallen, a vacuum cleaner having a driven wheel is known. As the electric vacuum cleaner, a so-called horizontal type vacuum cleaner in which a suction port is reciprocated by a user's operation, and a self-propelled type electric vacuum cleaner in which the electric vacuum cleaner itself is driven autonomously are known.

Patent document 1 discloses an electric vacuum cleaner having an edge brush that can be attached and detached by a screw (paragraphs 0045 and 0046).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2016-26856

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In patent document 1, the attachment and detachment of the side brush requires the removal of the screw, which is relatively complicated.

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above, the electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is characterized in that the side brush is provided in the lower housing, and the side brush has a jig insertion hole through which the side brush can be removed from the lower housing by inserting a jig and applying a force.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1 with the upper housing and the dust box removed.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1.

3 fig. 34 3 is 3 a 3 sectional 3 view 3 a 3- 3 a 3 of 3 fig. 31 3. 3

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the suction port, the dust sensor unit, and the dust box of the self-propelled electric cleaner according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the suction port, the dust sensor unit, and the dust box of the self-propelled electric cleaner according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a front view of a dust sensor unit of the self-propelled electric cleaner according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the dust sensor unit of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view C-C of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a dust box of the self-propelled electric cleaner body according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a region including the self-propelled electric cleaner main body in which the dust box is attached according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 13(a) and (b) are enlarged views of the main part of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view B-B of fig. 5.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view including the small tool housing section and the small tool of embodiment 1.

Fig. 16 is a rear perspective view of the main body to which the dust box of embodiment 1 is attached.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of embodiment 1 with the upper housing removed.

Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view E-E of fig. 1.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a rotary brush according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of an auxiliary wheel according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 21 is an exploded perspective view of embodiment 1 with the airtight member removed from the main body.

Fig. 22 is a rear perspective view of the airtight member according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 23 is a configuration diagram showing a control device of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1 and equipment connected to the control device.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of embodiment 2 with the upper housing removed.

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner with the switch piece removed from the state of fig. 24.

Fig. 26(a) is a front perspective view of the switch piece 22 according to embodiment 2, and fig. 26(b) is a rear perspective view of the switch piece 22 according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 27 is a perspective view of the side brush according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 28 is a side view of the edge brush of embodiment 3 when flexed.

Fig. 29 is a front perspective view of the lid and the filter of the dust box according to embodiment 3.

In the figure:

1-self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner, 11-main body, 111-upper housing, 112-lower housing, 1121-side brush mounting portion, 1122-auxiliary wheel mounting portion, 1123-rear projection, 1124-central front projection, 1125-central rear projection, 1126-exhaust port, 1127-bumper holder, 1128-mounting claw locking portion, 113-suction port portion, 1131-suction port, 1133-rotary brush motor, 114-drive mechanism accommodating portion, 1141-bracket (suspension), 1142-speed reduction mechanism, 115-battery accommodating portion, 116-drive wheel, 1161-travel motor, 117-front cover, 118-airtight member, 1181-mounting portion, 1182-swing shaft, 1183-frame portion, 1184-removal claw, 1185-force applying portion, 1186-driven roller, 1187-inclined portion, 119-guide step, 1101-gap, 1102-small tool accommodating portion, 12-frame, 122-light emitting portion, 1221-light emitting element, 123-light receiving part, 1232-light receiving element, 1239-transparent resin cap, 124-close contact member, 125-wiring, 126-connector, 127-substrate, 13-squeegee brush, 14-rotary brush, 141-shaft part, 142-bristle, 143-nonwoven fabric, 1431-slit, 15-side brush, 151-side brush holder, 1511-mounting claw, 1512-jig insertion hole, 152-side brush motor, 153-root elastic part, 1531-thin part, 1532-thick part, 154-bristle part, 155-mounting claw, 16-electric blower, 161-elastic body, 162-convex part, 17-auxiliary wheel, 171-ground part, 172-circular plate part, 173-fixed shaft, 174-small circular plate part, 18-buffer, 19-rechargeable battery, 2-control device, 21-control substrate, 210-sensor type (distance measuring sensor), 211-sensor type (distance measuring sensor for floor surface), 22-open-close sheet, 221-circular operation button, 222-annular operation button, 4-dust collection box, 41-main reservoir, 42-pipe, 421-upright portion, 43-handle, 431-grip portion, 432-retaining portion, 433-action point portion, 434-retaining portion, 44-check valve, 441-main surface, 442-protrusion, 443-urging portion, 45-cover, 46-filter, 47-rib, 80-support plate, 90-center line, 91-arrow, 92-dimension of main direction of dust sensor unit, 93-dimension of other end side of pipe (inclination dimension), 94-dimension of one end side of pipe (vertical dimension), 95-cleaning brush, 951-brush, 952-clamp portion as an example of small tool.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated. The various structural units of the present invention need not necessarily be constituted by one member, and for example, it is permissible that one structural unit is constituted by a plurality of members, that a plurality of structural units are constituted by one member, or that a part of a structural unit and a part of another structural unit are overlapped with each other.

In the direction in which the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 (see fig. 1) travels, the direction in which the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 normally travels is defined as the front direction, the direction opposite to the direction of gravitational force is defined as the upper direction, and the directions in which the drive wheels 116 (see fig. 3) face each other are defined as the left and right directions. That is, as shown in fig. 1, the front-back, the top-bottom, and the left-right are defined. In the present embodiment, a side brush 15 is attached to the front side of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1.

< embodiment 1 >

[ self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous electric vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment.

The autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 is a vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves and cleans a cleaning area (for example, a room). The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a main body 11, and the main body 11 includes an upper housing 111 as an upper wall (and a part of a side wall), a lower housing 112 as a bottom wall (and a part of a side wall), and a bumper 18 provided at a front portion. The switch piece 22, and the circular operation button 221 and the annular operation button 222, which are operation buttons for the user to give a command to the control unit 2 of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1, are disposed on the upper housing 111.

Further, a dust box 4 is provided on the rear upper side of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment performs cleaning by autonomously driving the driving wheels 116 through arithmetic processing by the control device 2, but may be driven by receiving a user's instruction through remote control or the like.

[ lower case 112]

3 fig. 32 3 is 3 a 3 perspective 3 view 3 of 3 the 3 self 3- 3 propelled 3 electric 3 cleaner 31 3 with 3 the 3 upper 3 housing 3 111 3 and 3 the 3 dust 3 box 34 3 removed 3, 3 fig. 33 3 is 3 a 3 bottom 3 view 3 of 3 the 3 self 3- 3 propelled 3 electric 3 cleaner 31 3, 3 fig. 34 3 is 3 a 3 cross 3- 3 sectional 3 view 3 taken 3 along 3 line 3 a 3- 3 a 3 of 3 fig. 31 3, 3 and 3 fig. 35 3 is 3 a 3 perspective 3 view 3 of 3 the 3 suction 3 port 3 113 3, 3 the 3 dust 3 sensor 3 unit 3 12 3, 3 and 3 the 3 dust 3 box 34 3. 3

The lower case 112 is a thin disk-shaped member, and is provided with a drive mechanism housing portion 114 for housing a drive mechanism including the drive wheels 116, the travel motor 1161, the rotary brush motor 1133, the electric blower 16, the rechargeable battery 19, a battery housing portion 115 (see fig. 4) for housing the rechargeable battery 19, the control device 2, and the suction port portion 113, a side brush mounting portion 1121, a travel motor 1161, a holder 1141, and a speed reduction mechanism 1142.

The lower case 112 has a bumper bracket 1127 provided on the lower end side of the side surface, preferably including the lower end, and provided around the entire or substantially the entire circumference of the side surface. The bumper holder 1127 is made of a material softer than the members forming the other portions of the side surfaces, and for example, a resin material such as an elastomer can be used. The buffer holder 1127 protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the other portion of the side surface, for example, the buffer 18. Thus, even if the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 collides with furniture or the like, damage to the furniture or the like can be suppressed.

Further, although the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 mainly moves forward, the side surface on the front side easily collides with furniture or the like, it is preferable to provide the bumper bracket 1127 on the side surface and the rear surface as in the present embodiment, in consideration of entering a narrow path, for example. Since the shock absorber 18 has an annular shape, the shock absorber holder 1127 can be positioned on the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber 18 by forming the shock absorber holder 1127 into an annular shape as in the present embodiment. This allows the shock absorber 18 to be pressed from the outer peripheral side, and thus the assembly is easy.

(balance of self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1)

Among the components provided in the main body 11, the rechargeable battery 19 and the electric blower 16 are relatively heavy. In many cases, the rechargeable battery 19 is heavier than the electric blower 16. In order to balance the weight of main body 11 in the present embodiment, electric blower 16 is first provided at the substantial center of lower case 112, and rechargeable battery 19 is provided on the front side.

Here, a suction port 113 in which the rotary brush 14 is housed and the scraper brush 13 are provided on the rear side of the center of the lower case 112. Since the electric blower 16 is located at the center (between the two drive wheels 116) and the rechargeable battery 19 is located at the front, it is preferable to provide a weight at the rear to balance the weight. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a weight (not shown) is fixed to the inner periphery of the scraper brush 13 by adhesion or the like. This makes it possible to effectively utilize a dead space in the scraper brush 13. In the present embodiment, the scraper brush 13 is located on the side farther from the center than the rotating brush 14, and therefore it is preferable to provide a counterweight here. In addition, from the viewpoint of balancing the left and right, the counterweight is preferably provided on the center side in the left-right direction of the main body 11. Although a weight may be provided in the rotating brush 14, the rotating brush 14 is driven by the rotating brush motor 1133, and thus, if a weight is provided, a load of the motor is generated. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a counterweight in the scraper brush 13 which is driven to rotate without being driven by a motor. Further, it is preferable that the center of gravity of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 is substantially centered in the front-rear direction (substantially aligned with the axis of the driving wheel 116) by a weight.

(projection of lower case 112)

At least a part of the rear protrusion 1123, which is a convex portion provided on the bottom surface of the lower case 112, is provided on each of the right and left outer sides (right outer side and right outer side) of the rotary brush 14 in the lower case 112. At least a portion of each rear protrusion 1123 is also located directly behind the drive wheel 116.

Further, a central front protrusion 1124 and a central rear protrusion 1125 are provided in a central region of the lower case 112 corresponding to a region between the two drive wheels 116. The center front side protrusion 1124 is a convex portion located on the front end side of the drive wheel 116 in the front-rear direction and located on the center side of the lower housing 112 in the left-right direction. The central rear protrusion 1125 is a convex portion extending in the front-rear direction to the rear side of the central front protrusion 1124.

The rear end of the drive wheel 116 of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 of the present embodiment is close to the outer end of the rotary brush 14. Specifically, for example, from the viewpoint of downsizing, the distance from the right and left inner portions of the rear end of the driving wheel 116 to the right and left outer portions of the front end of the rotary brush 14 is set to 20mm or less. The rotary brush 14 and/or an air-tight member 118 described later protrude from the lower case 112 so as to be close to the floor surface and easily attract dust, and the driving wheel 116 similarly protrudes so as to contact the floor surface. Therefore, if an obstacle enters a region between the two drive wheels 116 (a region on the center side where the protrusions 1124 and 1125 are provided) or a region on the rear side of the drive wheels 116 (a region on the rear side where the protrusions 1123 are provided), the obstacle may be caught between the drive wheels 116 and the rotary brush 14, which may hinder the driving of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1. In order to suppress this, a protrusion 1123, a protrusion 1124, and a protrusion 1125 are provided. Any of the protrusions 1123, 1124, and 1125 is sized to be spaced apart from the floor surface at least while the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 travels on the flat floor surface.

[ drive mechanism accommodating part 114]

The drive mechanism accommodated in the drive mechanism accommodating portion 114 shown in fig. 3 and the like is a mechanism that supports the drive wheel 116 to the main body 11. The drive mechanism includes a travel motor 1161, a bracket 1141 that supports the drive wheels 116 from the left and right inner sides, and a speed reduction mechanism 1142. The bracket 1141 is provided between the two drive wheels 116, is a member having one end connected to a rotation shaft extending in the front-rear direction and the other end connected to the drive wheels 116, and is a member capable of rotating the drive wheels 116 by rotation about the rotation shaft. The rotation shafts are respectively located between the two drive wheels 116, and particularly, in the present embodiment, between the respective drive wheels 116 and the central protrusions 1124 and 1125.

[ Battery housing part 115]

As shown in fig. 4 and the like, the battery housing section 115 is a space for housing the rechargeable battery 19 therein, and is located on the front side of the center of the lower case 112. The battery housing 115 is configured to have a downward opening for replacing the rechargeable battery 19. Further, side brush attachment portions 1121 to which the side brushes 15 are attached are formed on the left and right of the battery housing portion 115.

[ Driving wheel 116]

As shown in fig. 3 and the like, the drive wheels 116 receive the driving force of the travel motor 1161 via the speed reduction mechanism 1142. Thus, the main body 11 can be moved forward, backward, and turned by the rotation of the driving wheels 116. The driving wheels 116 are disposed on the left and right sides.

[ front cover 117]

As shown in fig. 3 and the like, the front cover 117 is a substantially rectangular member that closes the opening of the battery housing section 115 (see fig. 4) formed on the front end side of the lower case 112 from the lower surface of the lower case 112. The front cover 117 includes a circular auxiliary wheel mounting portion 1122 to which the auxiliary wheel 17 is mounted near the center of the lower case 112.

[ auxiliary wheel 17]

Fig. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the auxiliary wheel 17. As shown in fig. 3 and 20, the auxiliary wheels 17 are auxiliary wheels for separating the lower case 112 from the floor surface and smoothly moving the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1, and are provided on the lower case 112. The auxiliary wheel 17 is supported by the fixed shaft 173 so as to be driven and rotated by a frictional force generated between the main body 11 and the floor surface in accordance with the movement of the driving wheel 116.

The auxiliary wheel 17 includes a substantially circular ground wheel 171 rotatable about a fixed shaft 173 as a rotation axis, a circular plate portion 172, and a small circular plate portion 174. The ground contact wheel 171 rotates in contact with the floor surface as the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 travels. The small circular plate 174 is adjacent to the ground contact wheel 171, is configured to be smaller in diameter than the ground contact wheel 171 and larger in diameter than the fixed shaft 173, and is rotatable around the fixed shaft 173. The circular plate portion 172 is adjacent to the small circular plate portion 174, is configured to be smaller in diameter than the ground wheel 171 and larger in diameter than the small circular plate portion 174, and is configured to rotate about the fixed shaft 173.

When the ground contact wheel 171 rotates and the hair waste or the like adheres to the ground contact wheel 171, the hair waste or the like may be wound around the fixed shaft 173 and may be wound around the fixed shaft 173. At this time, since the small circular plate 174 and the circular plate 172 are adjacent to the ground contact wheel 171, the hair waste and the like are easily wound around not only the fixed shaft 173 but also the circular plate 172. Therefore, the disc portion 172 is rotated around the fixed shaft 173, so that the hair waste can be relatively easily removed. The small disk portion 174 and the circular plate portion 172 are preferably integrally formed.

The auxiliary wheel 17 is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal direction by 360 °. The auxiliary wheel 17 shown in fig. 3 is provided at the center in the left-right direction in front of the main body 11 and attached to the auxiliary wheel attachment portion 1122.

The ground engaging wheel 17 may be referred to as a driven roller 1186 to be described later, and the airtight member 118 may have a configuration similar to that of the circular plate portion 172.

[ buffer 18]

The damper 18 is provided to be movable in the front-rear direction, preferably in the left-right direction, in accordance with a pressing force applied from the outside. The damper 18 is biased forward by a pair of left and right damper springs (not shown). When resistance from an obstacle acts on the damper spring via the damper 18, the damper spring deforms, and allows the damper 18 to retreat while urging the damper 18 forward. When the bumper 18 moves away from the obstacle and the resistance disappears, the bumper 18 returns to the original position by the force of the bumper spring. That is, the backward movement of the bumper 18 (i.e., the contact with the obstacle) is detected by a bumper sensor (infrared sensor), and the detection result is input to the control device 2. Since the displacement amount of the bumper 18 differs depending on the contact position of an obstacle or the like, the position of the obstacle or the like with respect to the main body 11 can be detected.

[ scraper brush 13]

The blade brush 13 is a brush having bristles implanted in a part or substantially all of the surface thereof and having an axis in a direction substantially parallel to a rotating brush 14 described later, and is driven to rotate or pivot by contact with the floor surface in the present embodiment. In the case of rotation, the rotation range is limited by providing a stopper or the like. The height position of the bristles implanted in the blade brush 13 is preferably about 0.5mm from the surface of the floor when cleaning a wooden floor (between the boards). The position of the planted bristles of the blade brush 13 is preferably overlapped with the bristles of the carpet when the carpet is cleaned. Therefore, the blade brush 13 can scrape off and collect dust from the carpet surface.

When the squeegee brush 13 is used in a rotating manner with a stopper provided, dust can be scraped off by continuously contacting a predetermined region on the floor surface. In this case, the area of the blade brush 13 that continuously contacts the floor surface is preferably flat. That is, the shape of the blade brush 13 is preferably a shape in which a part of the cylindrical shape is replaced with a flat plane in the axial view (for example, a shape in which a part of a circle is cut off by a chord, a substantially half-moon shape).

[ rotating brush 14]

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the rotary brush 14. The rotary brush 14 is disposed substantially parallel to an axis (left-right direction) passing through the rotation center of the drive wheel 116 (see fig. 3). The rotary brush 14 is a cylindrical shape having a rotation axis in the horizontal direction (in the present embodiment, the left-right direction), and is rotatably supported by the suction port 113. The rotary brush 14 is rotationally driven by receiving a driving force from a rotary brush motor 1133 (see fig. 2). The rotary brush 14 includes a plurality of bristles 142 projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 141 in the reverse direction along the normal line. The bristles 142 of the rotating brush 14 include a plurality of types of bristles, such as bristles having different lengths and bristles having different hardness, and the bristles are arranged in a spiral shape with respect to the rotating shaft in a row (see fig. 19).

A nonwoven fabric 143 is provided adjacent to a part or all of the bristles 142. The flocks 142 and the nonwoven fabrics 143 share a foundation. This can be achieved, for example, by ultrasonically welding the flocked bristles 142 and the nonwoven fabric 143 to integrate the flocked bristles 142 and the nonwoven fabric 143. As the bristles, a certain degree of hardness is desired, and for example, nylon can be used.

In addition, the nonwoven fabric 143 adjacent to the bristles 142, for example, in the present embodiment, the bristles 142 and the nonwoven fabric 143 having the same root are arranged such that the nonwoven fabric 143 contacts the floor surface earlier than the bristles 142 when the rotary brush 14 is rotated by the rotary brush motor 1133. This prevents the hair waste or the like present on the floor surface from being caught by the nonwoven fabric 143 first, and therefore, the hair waste or the like is prevented from being caught by the flocks 142. The nonwoven fabric 143 is provided with one or more slits 1431 extending to the radial direction side. This can suppress the nonwoven fabric from twisting.

Further, a blade member made of an elastic material such as rubber may be disposed in a spiral shape between the bristles 142 disposed in a spiral shape, and may be modified as appropriate. The dust raised by the rotary brush 14 is collected in the dust box 4 through the opening 17. In order to prevent the flocked fabric 142, the nonwoven fabric 143, or the blade member from contacting the bridge portions 1181 of the airtight member 118, which will be described later, a part of these members may be shortened in length or a notch may be provided.

[ Airtight member 118]

Fig. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the airtight member 118 removed from the main body 11, and fig. 22 is a rear perspective view of the airtight member 118.

An airtight member 118 is provided in a portion below the rotary brush 14. In a bottom view of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1, the airtight member 118 includes a bridge portion 1181 provided to extend across an area below the rotating brush 14 in the front-rear direction, a swing shaft 1182 extending in the left-right direction, a frame portion 1183 surrounding the shape of the rotating brush 14, a removal claw 1184 used when removing the airtight member 118, a biasing portion 1185 biasing the bridge portion 1181 and the frame portion 1183 downward, and a driven roller 1186.

The airtight member 118 is a member that swings independently of the suction port 113 and the rotary brush 14, and is biased downward by a biasing unit 1185. Therefore, the air-tight member 118 moves up and down in accordance with the traveling of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner 1 with a difference in level. This maintains the position of the air-tight member 118 close to or in contact with the floor surface, and therefore, the air-tightness can be improved. Further, since the airtight member 118 swings independently of the suction port 113 and the rotary brush 14, it is not necessary to provide a swing space of the suction port 113 in the main body 11, which contributes to downsizing of the main body 11.

The oscillating shaft 1182 of the present embodiment is coaxial with the scraper brush 13, and the scraper brush 13 can be attached to the oscillating shaft 1182. Thus, when the air-tight member 118 and the scraper brush 13 are provided at the same time, the installation space can be reduced, which contributes to downsizing of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. The swing shaft 118 is provided on the rear end side of the airtight member 118.

The swing shaft 118 may be provided on the front end side of the airtight member 118. In this way, since the air-tight member 118 has a slope that is directed upward as it goes from the rear to the front, it is possible to reduce the load when colliding with an obstacle located in front. Further, the front end of the air-tight member 118 is formed with an inclined portion 1187 (see fig. 4 and the like) that faces downward from the front to the rear. Therefore, the load when colliding with an obstacle ahead can be further reduced.

The removal claws 1184 are attached to the left and right sides of the airtight member 118, and are movable in the left-right direction (in the present embodiment, inward in the left-right direction), so that the removal claws 1184 can be removed from the main body 11. Since the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 mainly moves in the front-rear direction, the air-tight member 118 can be prevented from coming off the main body 11 during traveling by being detached by moving in the left-right direction.

The biasing unit 1185 is provided on the back surface side of the airtight member 118, and is, for example, a spring-like member that can bias the frame unit 1183 or its vicinity downward. The air-tight member 118 is urged by the urging portion 1185 to contact the floor surface during traveling of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1. This can improve the airtightness around the rotary brush 14, and thus can improve the dust collection efficiency.

The driven rollers 1186 are provided on the left and right outer portions of the airtight member 118, respectively, and can support the airtight member 118 while making contact with the floor surface as the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 travels. As a result, even if the air-tight member 118 is biased downward, frictional resistance with the floor surface can be suppressed, and energy loss and damage to the floor surface can be suppressed. Further, the driven roller 1186 is positioned on the opposite side of the auxiliary wheel 17 in the front-rear direction with respect to the driving wheel 116, and the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 can be efficiently supported by these three components.

[ side brush 15]

The side brush 15 illustrated in fig. 3 is a brush for guiding dust, which is located outside the main body 11 and is not easily reached by the rotary brush 14, to the suction port 113 (suction port 1131), such as a corner of a room. The rotation axis of the side brush 15 is in the vertical direction, and a part of the side brush 15 is exposed from the main body 11 in a plan view. The side brushes 15 have three bundles of brushes extending radially at intervals of 120 ° in a plan view, and are provided on the front left and right sides of the lower case 112, respectively. The base of the side brush 15 is fixed to the side brush holder 151.

In each of the side brushes 15, a side brush holder 151 side (base side) is a base elastic portion 153 having flexibility such as an elastic body, and a tip side is, for example, a brush, that is, a brush portion 154. In the present embodiment, the side brush holder 151 forming the rotation shaft (hub) of the side brush 15 and the base elastic portion 153 are integrally formed. By making the base of the side brush 15 an elastic body similar to the base elastic portion 153, the durability of the side brush 15 can be improved because the brush portion 154 is less likely to bend than a structure in which the brush portion 154 traverses from the base to the tip.

The bristles of the side brush 15 are inclined so as to approach the floor surface toward the front end, and the vicinity of the front end thereof is in contact with the floor surface.

The side brush holder 151 is provided near the bottom surface of the lower case 112, and is connected to a side brush motor 152 (see fig. 2). When the side brush motor 152 is driven, the side brush 15 rotates inward (in the direction of the arrow shown in fig. 3), and the dust is swept to the suction port 1131.

[ electric blower 16]

The electric blower 16 shown in fig. 4 has a fan having a shaft in the front-rear direction, and has a function of discharging air in the dust box 4 to the outside by rotating the fan, generating negative pressure, and sucking dust from the floor surface through the suction port 1131 (suction port 113). An elastic body 161 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric blower 16. Therefore, by inserting the elastic member, the vibration of the electric blower 16 is attenuated and hardly transmitted to the main body 11, and the vibration and noise of the main body 11 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, electric blower 16 is disposed near the center of lower case 112.

[ suction port part 113]

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the mouthpiece 113, the dust sensor unit 12, and the dust box 4, fig. 7 is a front view of the dust sensor unit 12, and fig. 8 is a right side view of the dust sensor unit 12.

The suction port 113 is formed with a suction port 1131 communicating with the dust box 4, and is a member for accommodating the blade brush 13 and the rotary brush 14. The suction port 113 may be provided with a rotary brush motor 1133. The upstream side (the side of the rotary brush 14) of the suction port 1131 is a space for accommodating the rotary brush 14, and the cross-sectional area is larger than the suction port 1131.

In the present embodiment, the air sucked by the negative pressure of the electric blower 16 passes through the suction port 1131, the dust sensor unit 12, the duct 42 and the main storage chamber 41 of the dust box 4, the dust collection filter 46, the electric blower 16, and the exhaust port 1126 in this order. The air is mostly dust-containing, and is shielded by the dust collecting filter 46 and collected in the dust collecting case 4. Hereinafter, a direction substantially perpendicular to the suction port 1131 and the frame 121 of the dust sensor unit 12 (a front view direction of the frame 121) is referred to as a main direction. Further, the exhaust port 1126 is provided in the lower case 112, and six exhaust ports are provided between the two drive wheels 116 in the present embodiment.

The suction port 113 of the present embodiment does not have a portion extending in the main direction from the suction port 1131, but may have a suction port duct extending in the main direction and integrated with the suction port 113, for example, like the duct 42 of the dust box 4 described later. In this case, the suction port duct, the dust sensor unit 12, and the duct 42 surround the path from the suction port 1131 into the dust box 4. In this regard, as described later, from the viewpoint of increasing the volume of the dust box 4, the length (e.g., the length in the main direction) of the duct 42 in the path is preferably longer than the length (e.g., the length in the main direction) of the mouthpiece duct and the length (e.g., the length in the main direction) of the frame 121.

[ dust sensor Unit 12]

The dust sensor unit 12 is disposed between the suction port 113 and the dust box 4.

The dust sensor unit 12 includes a frame 121, a light emitting unit 122 and a light receiving unit 123 provided in the frame 121 and facing each other, a close contact member 124 attached to the frame 121 on the dust box 4 side, and a substrate 127. The dust sensor unit 12 is formed as a separate member from the mouthpiece portion 113 and the dust box 4, and the light emitting portion 122, the light receiving portion 123, the connector 126, and the contact member 124 can be attached at the same time by attaching the frame 121 in a state in which it is in contact with the mouthpiece portion 113. Therefore, the dust sensor unit 12 of the present embodiment is excellent in assembly.

(frame 121)

The frame 121 is a member that secures a space on the optical axis connecting the light emitting section 123 and the light receiving section 124 and can mount the light emitting section 123 and the light receiving section 124 on the frame 121 itself or in the vicinity thereof. The frame 121 of the present embodiment has a shape having a longitudinal direction and a short-side direction, and can be provided in a rectangular shape, for example. In the present embodiment, the shape is substantially rectangular. The light receiving unit 123 and the substrate 127 are mounted on one side in the longitudinal direction of the frame 121. A light emitting unit 122 is attached to the other side of the frame 121 in the longitudinal direction. The light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 may be provided in the short direction of the frame 121. In addition, the frame 121 may be square, circular, oval, egg-shaped, or the like.

(light emitting part 122 and light receiving part 123)

The light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 face each other, and light such as infrared rays emitted from the light emitting unit 122 is received by the light receiving unit 123. The light emitting unit 122 is not limited to emitting light, and may be ultrasonic waves or the like, and may be any of various known means as long as the presence or absence of dust can be detected. The light emitting section 122 and the light receiving section 123 may be provided on the same side, but from the viewpoint of downsizing, it is preferable to face them.

(Wiring 125, connector 126, substrate 127)

The substrate 127 can be provided with a drive circuit of the light emitting unit 122, an amplifier circuit of the light receiving unit 123, a comparator circuit that outputs a decrease in the amount of light received by dust as a pulse by comparing the amplified signal with a certain reference voltage, and the like. It is also possible to replace the comparison circuit or to add it so as to be able to detect that the amount of light received by the light receiving section 123 is continuing to decrease. In this case, it can be estimated whether or not the dust box 4 is full.

The light emitting unit 122 and the substrate 127 are electrically connected by a wiring 125. The wiring 125 is laid in the vicinity of the frame 121, or in the frame 121, or between the frame 121 and the adhesion member 124 along the facing direction of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123. The wiring 125 passes a driving current of the light emitting unit 122. The light receiving unit 123 is also electrically connected to the substrate 127 via wiring (not shown). These wires are electrically connected to the connector 126.

(contact member 124)

The close contact member 124 has a shape matching the peripheral shape of the frame 121, and is substantially rectangular in shape and hollow in the present embodiment. The shape of the frame 121 matches the shape of the suction port 1131. The adhesion member 124 can be a gasket or the like.

(advantages of dust sensor Unit 12)

The dust sensor unit 12 configured as described above can hold the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 integrally, and thus the optical axes can be easily aligned. Further, since the light receiving section 123 and the substrate 127 can be arranged close to each other, the distance from the light receiving section 123 to the amplifier circuit can be shortened, and the influence of electromagnetic noise on the output of the light receiving section 123 which is a weak signal can be reduced. The wiring 125 of the light emitting unit 122 is also integrated in the dust sensor unit 12, and when electrically connected to the control device 2, only wiring (not shown) is connected to the connector 126, which is excellent in assembly property.

Further, as the contact member 124 that contacts the dust box 4, a material having elasticity such as an elastic body is preferably used, but such a material deteriorates relatively faster than other members. Further, contamination, damage, and the like due to dust are likely to occur on the surfaces of the light emitting section 122 and the light receiving section 123. According to the present embodiment, since the member that is likely to be replaced due to such deterioration or damage can be replaced at the same time by replacing the dust sensor unit 12, the maintenance performance is excellent.

(dimensions of the frame 24 in the non-opposing direction, etc.)

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view C-C of fig. 7. In the dust sensor unit 12, a direction substantially perpendicular to the facing direction of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 among directions parallel to the frame 121 (directions perpendicular to the main direction) is referred to as a non-facing direction. In the frame 121, if the width in the non-opposing direction on the suction port 1131 side is defined as "a" and the width in the non-opposing direction on the dust box 4 side is defined as "b", a ≈ b and a < b. This suppresses an increase in loss due to an excessive narrowing of the cross-sectional area of the surface perpendicular to the main direction. A center line 90 of the region surrounded by the frame 121 (substantially parallel to the main direction) is a straight line passing through the midpoints of the dimensions a and b. That is, as shown in fig. 9, when a straight line in which a1 is a2 and b1 is b2 is b/2 is taken into consideration, a1 and b1 are located on the upper side of the center line, and a2 and b2 are located on the lower side of the center line. At this time, the light emitting section 122 and the light receiving section 123 are arranged below the center line 90 in the non-facing direction. Since dust is heavier than air and has a high probability of passing below the center line 90, the dust can be detected with high accuracy by providing the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 on the lower side.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of fig. 8. The light emitting unit 122 includes a light emitting element 1221 and a transparent resin cap 1239, and the light receiving unit 123 includes a light receiving element 1232 and a transparent resin cap 1239. The transparent resin cap 1239 is attached such that the region between the light-emitting element 1221 and the light-receiving element 1232 has a size smaller than the size in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 1221. Accordingly, the element can be protected by the transparent resin cap 1239, and the light of the light emitting element 32 can be guided, and the increase in the vertical size and the front-rear size of the dust sensor unit 12 can be suppressed.

(size of frame 24 in the opposing direction, etc.)

Among the directions parallel to the frame 121, a direction substantially parallel to the facing direction of the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 is referred to as a facing direction. If the width in the facing direction on the suction port 1131 side is denoted by e and the width in the facing direction on the dust box 4 side is denoted by d, e > d. That is, the width of the frame 121 in the facing direction decreases toward the dust box 4. Accordingly, when the air containing dust flows in the direction of the arrow 91, the dust flows away from the wall surface by inertia. Therefore, damage and contamination of the transparent resin cap 1239 can be suppressed.

[ dust collecting case 4]

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a state in which the dust box 4 is detached from the main body 11, fig. 12 is a perspective view of a region of the main body 11 including the dust box 4 attached to the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1, fig. 13(a) and (B) are enlarged views of a main portion of fig. 12, fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 5, fig. 15 is a perspective view including the small tool housing portion 1102 and the small tool 95, and fig. 16 is a rear perspective view of the main body 11 to which the dust box 4 is attached.

The dust box 4 is a container for storing dust sucked from the floor surface through the suction port 1131 (the suction port 113). The dust collecting box 4 includes: a duct 42 formed on the suction port 1131 side; a main reservoir 41 for storing mainly the collected dust; a cover 45 capable of taking out the accumulated dust from the filter 46 side (upper side); a check valve 44 that can open and close an opening on the lower side (duct 42 side) of the main reservoir 41 by rotation; and a foldable handle 43. The dust box 4 is installed obliquely downward from the upper side of the body 11.

(Main reservoir 41)

The main reservoir 41 is formed of, for example, a resin material, and is a region including a space therein, and leakage of dust from the space to the outside is suppressed by the lid 45 and the check valve 44. The cover 45 can close the opening on the horizontal direction side of the main reservoir 41, and the check valve 44 can close the opening on the lower side of the main reservoir 41. The cross-sectional area of the space contained inside the main reservoir 41 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the frame 121. The cross-sectional area of the space contained in the main reservoir 41 can be set to, for example, a cross-sectional area in a direction perpendicular to the filter 46.

(pipe 42)

The duct 42 has one end on the lower side of the main reservoir 41 and the other end openable and closable by a check valve 44. The duct 42 is a portion integral with the dust box 4, which forms a part, substantially all, or all of the path from the suction port 1131 to the main storage chamber 41. The duct 42 of the present embodiment has a shape in which one end side extends substantially in the vertical direction and extends obliquely downward from the middle toward the other end side, but may be configured only by the latter, that is, only by a portion extending obliquely downward toward the other end side.

Thus, the duct 42 extends obliquely downward from one end toward the other end as a whole. One end of the duct 42 can be provided, for example, on the lower surface of the main storage chamber 41, and is preferably provided at a position farther from the center of the lower surface of the main storage chamber 41 than the other end of the duct 42 in a plan view. This facilitates downsizing of the dust box 4 in a top view.

(handle 43)

The handle 43 is a member provided to be rotatable around the upper side of the main reservoir 41 as a rotation axis, and includes a grip portion 431, a retaining portion 432, an operating point portion 433, and a locking portion 434. The handle 43 can be rotated approximately 90 ° to 100 ° from the front of the rotation axis to the upper side of the rotation axis. In order to function as both the action point portion 433 and the locking portion 434, which will be described later, the rotatable range is preferably more than 90 ° and substantially 135 ° or less, and more preferably 120 ° or less. Here, the state in which the grip portion 431 is lying down (the state in which it is locked to the locking portion 434) is set to the rotation angle of 0 °. Further, the state illustrated in fig. 16 is a state in which the rotation angle is substantially 90 °.

The grip portion 431 is a portion for allowing a user to easily grip the dust box 4 and for attaching and detaching operations, and has a locking portion 434 at the front end. In a state where the dust box 4 is attached to the body 11, the engaging portion 434 engages with a non-engaging portion (not shown) provided in the upper case 111, and can engage with the handle 43.

The retaining portion 432 is a projection-shaped portion provided in the vicinity of the turning shaft and closer to the locking portion 434 than the turning shaft (closer to the turning angle of 0 °). In a state where the handle 43 is positioned on the front side, the stopper 432 enters the main body 11 and comes into contact with a portion inside the main body 11 to generate frictional resistance. This suppresses detachment of the handle 43.

The action point 433 is a portion that comes into contact with the upper surface side of the main body 11 when the user applies a force further rearward (in a direction in which the rotation angle exceeds 90 °) with the handle 43 positioned on the upper side. In this state, the operating point portion 433 serves as an operating point for lifting the dust box 4 from the main body 11, and the pivot shaft serves as a fulcrum. This can assist the user in removing the dust box 4. The upper surface side of the main body 11 is not particularly limited, and may be provided with a guide step 119, for example, which will be described later.

[ shape of dust collecting case 4 and Small tool storage part ]

The dust box 4 has a shape in which the rear upper side protrudes rearward, and the rear upper side forms a part of the side surface of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 when attached to the main body 11 (see fig. 16 and the like). Therefore, the region of the main body 11 located directly below the rear upper region in the dust box 4 also forms a part of the side surface of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. In the present embodiment, a small tool housing 1102 as shown in fig. 15 is provided near a part of the side surface of the main body 11, and a cleaning brush 95 as an example of a small tool is housed therein. The cleaning brush 95 is used for cleaning the inside of the dust box 4 by a user, and has a shape curved along the outer peripheral shape of the main body 11. The cleaning brush 95 has bristles 951 and a holder 952. The brush part 951 can be used when cleaning the dust box 4, and the jig part 952 can be used when detaching the edge brush 15.

By forming the brush body in a shape curved along the outer peripheral shape of the main body 11, a space necessary for housing the cleaning brush 95 can be provided along the inner periphery of the side surface of the main body 11. For example, if the cleaning brush 95 or the like is attached to the outer surface of the dust box 4, the capacity of the dust box 4 is reduced, which is not suggested. Further, by forming the housing space for the cleaning brush 95 and the like as the attachment/detachment region of the dust box 4, it is possible to suppress a situation such as the cleaning brush 95 and the like from being accidentally detached.

Instead of this embodiment, for example, a jig or other small tool for detaching the side brush 15 may be housed instead of or in addition to the cleaning brush 95.

The storage form of the small tool is not limited to the above, and it is sufficient that the dust box 4 is mounted on the body 11, and the region surrounded by the body 11 and the dust box 4 is provided in the body 11.

(check valve 44)

The check valve 44 has: a main surface 441 capable of closing an opening at the other end of the duct 42; a protrusion 442 integrally or separately attached to the main surface 441 and protruding outward from the duct 42 in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface 441; and a biasing portion 443 that biases the main surface 441 and the protruding portion 442 in a direction of rotating them. In the present embodiment, the protruding portions 442 are provided on the outer sides in the direction substantially parallel to the main surface 441.

The biasing portion 443 is a member that biases the check valve 44 in a direction in which the main surface 441 closes the opening, and various known members, for example, a spring, can be used. If the biasing portion 44 is formed as a coil spring, for example, it can serve as a rotation shaft.

Therefore, the check valve 44 blocks the other end of the pipe 42 in a state where no external force is applied.

When the dust box 4 is assembled to the body 11, the protruding portion 442 contacts a guide step 119, which is a counter urging portion, provided in a region where the dust box 4 is housed. The guide steps 119 are two step portions provided in the region of the main body 11 that can be seen when the dust box 4 is detached. The guide steps 119 are provided along the mounting direction of the dust box 4, and extend from the upper rear to the lower front in the present embodiment.

The protrusions 442 are brought into contact with and slide on the guide steps 119 by downward movement of the dust box 4 with the dust box 4 attached to the body 11, and receive a force in a direction in which the main surface 441 is opened. Thereby, the check valve 44 opens the other end of the pipe 42 against the biasing force of the biasing portion 443. As in the guide step 119 of the present embodiment, the main surface 441 receives a force in the direction opposite to the biasing force of the biasing portion 443 by the contact of the biasing portion and the protruding portion 442, and the opening as the other end of the duct 42 can be opened.

Specifically, the check valve 44 rotates about its longitudinal direction, and the other end of the duct 42 is opened. Since the check valve 44 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape, it is necessary to enlarge a space necessary for rotation such as rotation about the short-side direction of the check valve 44 and rotation about the direction perpendicular to the main surface 441, and thus rotation about the long-side direction is preferable. That is, the biasing portion 443 pivots the check valve 44 about the longitudinal direction of the main surface 441.

The protruding portion 442 may be configured to be able to open the check valve 44 by contacting any member (counter urging portion) of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1.

A gap 1101 is provided forward of the leading end of the guide step 119 in the present embodiment, and the check valve 44 is slid while being pressed by the guide step 119 in a state where the dust box 4 is attached to the main body 11, and is accommodated in the gap 1101. The gap 1101 is located outside the main direction projection plane of the frame 121. Therefore, in the state where the dust box 4 is attached, the other end of the duct 42 contacts the dust sensor unit 12, and in particular, is in close contact with the close contact member 124 in the present embodiment.

[ Structure provided from suction port 1131 to main storage chamber 41 ]

As particularly exemplified in fig. 14, a dimension 92 of the dust sensor unit 12 is shorter than a dimension 93 of the other end side of the duct 42 in the main direction. That is, the dimension 93 of the other end side of the duct 42 is preferably formed larger than the dimension 92 for a part of the path connecting the suction port 1131 to the main reservoir 41. Thus, a part of the dust box 4 can be provided in the region from the suction port 1131 to the main storage chamber 41, and therefore the volume of the dust box 4 can be enlarged.

Here, the duct 42 may include an upright portion 421, and the upright portion 421 forms one end side of the duct 42, has a dimension 94, and extends vertically. The rising portion 421 suppresses leakage of dust from the main reservoir 41 to the other end side of the duct 42.

Here, the dimension 93 can be considered as a distance: the lower surface of the dust box 4 is assumed to be a flat surface (the main storage chamber 41 is approximately box-shaped), and the distance from the flat surface to the dust sensor unit 12 is measured from a line substantially parallel to the dimension 92 of the dust sensor unit 12. The main reservoir 41 of the present embodiment may be formed in a box shape.

[ clogging of the pipe 42 by the check valve 44 ]

As described above, the check valve 44 is housed above the rotary brush 14 in a state where the dust box 4 is mounted on the main body 11. When the dust box 4 is detached from the main body 11, the check valve 44 is rotated by the urging force of the urging portion 443 to close the opening at the other end on the duct 42 side. This can prevent dust from scattering from the dust box 4 even if dust accumulates in the duct 42. The main surface 441 may be flat or mesh to such an extent that passage of dust can be suppressed.

[ detection of fullness of dust ]

When the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 sucks in dust, the sucked dust is first accumulated in the main storage chamber 41, and when the main storage chamber 41 is full, the dust is also accumulated in the duct 42. Since the duct 42 is oriented obliquely downward toward the horizontal direction side with respect to the gravity direction, dust can be prevented from falling from the duct 42. Further, since the dust is directed toward the gravity direction side with respect to the horizontal direction, the dust is easily accumulated in the duct 42 relatively quickly after the main reservoir 41 is filled, and the dust is easily detected by the dust sensor unit 12.

In addition, the standing part 421 can prevent dust from flowing through the duct 42 and falling down regardless of whether or not the main reservoir 41 is in a rich state. In the dust box 4 of the present embodiment, the front side of one end of the duct 42 is provided with a ratio of more than half of the space included in the main storage chamber 41, and therefore dust is easily stored in the front side. However, since the upright portion 421 is provided between the excessive half ratio of the space and the duct 42, even if the dust moves rearward as the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 accelerates forward in the main movement direction, the dust can be effectively prevented from falling down to the duct 42. That is, the ratio of the excessive half of the space included in the main reservoir 41, the upright portion 421, and one end of the duct 42 are sequentially arranged from the front to the rear.

When the duct 42 is substantially full of dust, the dust keeps shielding the light from the light emitting unit 122, and the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit 123 is kept low. By detecting this state, the user can be notified by detecting that the dust box 4 is full, or the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 can start control to return to a charging stand (not shown).

[ detection of amount of dust passing ]

When the light of the light emitting section 122 is momentarily shielded, the amount of light received by the light receiving section 123 decreases in a pulsed manner. This makes it possible to detect the passage of dust into the dust box 4. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area in the main direction increases from the suction port 1131 toward the rotary brush 14, decreases at the frame 121 and the duct 42, and increases at the main reservoir 41. That is, the cross-sectional area of the path from the storage space of the rotary brush 14 to the main storage chamber 41 is the smallest at the frame 121 and/or the duct 42. Therefore, the sucked dust is concentrated in the frame 121 having a small cross-sectional area according to the shape of the duct 42. Since the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123 are provided in the frame 121, most of dust passes between the light emitting unit 122 and the light receiving unit 123. That is, the amount of dust can be measured with high accuracy.

Further, since the dust having passed through the frame 121 passes through the duct 42 having a substantially uniform cross-sectional area, it is difficult to generate a vortex near the frame 121. That is, the dust can be detected a plurality of times while being suppressed from flowing backward due to the eddy current. Further, the sectional area after passing through the duct 42 is enlarged, so that wind damage can be suppressed.

Further, the cross-sectional area of the upstream side of the dust sensor unit 12, that is, the cross-sectional area from the suction port 113 to the dust sensor unit 12 may also be monotonically decreased. In this way, it is possible to prevent the dust from being detected by the dust sensor unit 12 a plurality of times due to the generation of an eddy current upstream of the dust sensor unit 12.

[ layout ]

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner 1 with the upper housing 111 removed, and fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in fig. 1.

In order to reduce the vertical size of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1, the vertical size of the main body 11 is substantially the same as the vertical size of the electric blower 16. As illustrated in fig. 17, a convex shape 113 covering a part of the upper surface of electric blower 16 can be seen in a state where upper case 111 is removed. This contributes to downsizing of the vertical dimension of the main body 11. The bottom surface side of the main body 11 may have a convex shape protruding downward at a position overlapping the electric blower 16 in a plan view.

The convex shape 162 is provided in the lower space of the upper case 111, so that only the upper end side portion of the electric blower 16 is projected into the space, and the projected dimension is a space where other components can be disposed. That is, other members are disposed in the height region where the convex shape 162 is located.

For example, in the present embodiment, a part of the switch sheet 22, a circuit board or a circuit element, and a light emitting element such as a 7-segment LED are disposed and can be covered with the upper case 111. This makes it easy to reduce the vertical size of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1, which is easily affected by the size of the electric blower 162. In addition, any member other than a part of the switch piece 22, the circuit board or the circuit element, and the light emitting element such as the 7-segment LED may be disposed, and only a part of these members may be disposed. The height of these disposed members is preferably not more than the height of the convex shape 162, and may be, for example, 5mm or less, 3mm or less, 2mm or less, or 1mm or less.

Electric blower 162 is installed to blow air in the horizontal direction, that is, the fan opening is substantially horizontal (e.g., shifted from the horizontal direction by ± 10 degrees or less, preferably by ± 5 degrees or less). In this way, the electric blower 162 and the dust box 4 can be easily connected by the passage formed in the horizontal direction as in the present embodiment. That is, the necessity of extending the passage in the height direction is reduced, and the height dimension can be suppressed.

Further, the upper case 111 may be removed to expose the upper end portion of the electric blower 16, and a flat plate-like member on which the other members described above are disposed may cover the upper end portion of the electric blower 16.

In general, when the cylindrical electric blower 16 is disposed in an inclined manner, the vertical dimension of the main body 11 needs to be increased, and therefore the axial direction of the electric blower 16 is set to the horizontal direction or shifted from the horizontal direction by ± 10 degrees or less, preferably ± 5 degrees or less.

In the axial view of the electric blower 16, as exemplified in fig. 18, the rotational axis side of the bracket 1141 is located inside a substantially square region circumscribed with the cylindrical electric blower 16. Although this area is likely to become a dead space, the arrangement of a part of the holder 1141 as described above makes it possible to effectively use a space and to reduce the size of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. Further, since air outlet 1126 is located directly below electric blower 16 and directly below the downstream-side opening of electric blower 16, the air outlet air passage can be shortened.

The present embodiment has various configurations for downsizing, and as a result, the vertical dimension can be made close to the vertical dimension of electric blower 16. Specifically, the vertical dimension of the electric blower 16 is configured to fall within a range of 70% or more, preferably 75% or more or 85% or more, of the vertical dimension of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 (that is, the vertical dimension of the holder 1141 in a state where the drive wheel 116 is housed while being turned upward) in a state where the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 is placed on the floor surface, even in consideration of the influence of the drive wheel 116 on the dimensions.

The vertical dimensions of the region surrounded by upper and lower cases 111 and 112 are substantially the same as the vertical dimensions of electric blower 16. Specifically, the vertical dimension of electric blower 16 is 90% or more, preferably 95% or more, of the vertical dimension of the region surrounded by upper casing 111 and lower casing 112.

As described above, the heavy components of the structure mounted on the main body 11 include the rechargeable battery 19 and the electric blower 16. Since the wiring and the like are easily obstructed if the secondary battery 19 is disposed on the center side, the electric blower 16 is disposed on the center side and the secondary battery 19 is disposed on the front side in the present embodiment.

[ rotational speed of the side brush 15]

The self-propelled electric cleaner 1 includes side brushes 15 on the left and right sides, respectively. In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the side brush 15 can be changed. Specifically, when the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1 executes the wall angle cleaning mode in which the vehicle travels with the wall on the left side, the rotation speed of the left side brush 15, which is the same side as the side where the wall is located, is controlled to be higher than the rotation speed of the other side brush 15. This enables the wall corner to be cleaned more efficiently. The wall angle cleaning mode can be executed by various known methods, and for example, can be realized by performing travel control so that the distance measuring sensor 210 provided on the left side of the main body 11 continuously detects a wall surface (obstacle).

In addition, the control can be similarly performed even in the case where the wall angle cleaning mode in which the vehicle travels with the arm positioned on the right side is executed. Further, the same effect can be obtained even if the rotation speed of the wall-side brush 15 during execution of the wall angle cleaning mode is controlled to be higher than the rotation speed during execution of the other control mode, for example, the reflection travel mode in which the wall surface or the obstacle is detected, the heading is changed to be away from the wall surface, and the obstacle is re-traveled. Similarly to the wall angle, the rotational speed and the torque described later can be controlled similarly even at the corner where the two wall surfaces intersect.

[ Torque of the side brush 15]

The side brushes 15 are driven by side brush motors 152 driven by the electric power of the rechargeable batteries 19, respectively. In the present embodiment, a DC motor is used as the side brush motor 152. Even if the average time output voltage of the DC motor is the same value, the higher duty ratio (longer voltage application time) can transmit higher torque. When the side brush 15 contacts a wall or an obstacle, the torque is reduced by the friction, and thus the cleaning efficiency is likely to be lowered.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, when a wall angle cleaning mode is performed in which the vehicle travels so that the wall is positioned on the left side, the duty ratio of the side brush motor 152 that transmits torque to the side brush 15 on the left side on the same side as the side on which the wall is positioned can be controlled so as to be higher than the duty ratio of the side brush motor 152 that transmits torque to the side brush 15 on the other side.

In addition, when the energy of the secondary battery 19 decreases and the output voltage decreases, the torque decreases at the same duty ratio, and therefore the duty ratio increases as the remaining amount of the secondary battery 19 decreases.

For the same reason, the torque to be output varies depending on the material of the floor surface, and therefore the duty ratio can be determined depending on the type of the floor surface. For example, the duty ratio in cleaning a carpet can be controlled to be higher than that in cleaning a wooden floor.

Further, the duty ratio can be reduced as the number of dust sensors of the dust sensor unit 12 increases. This can prevent dust from scattering by the side brush 15 in a region where a large amount of dust is present.

Further, the same effect can be obtained even if the duty ratio of the wall-side brush 15 during execution of the wall angle cleaning mode is controlled to be higher than the duty ratio during execution of the other control mode, for example, the reflective travel mode in which the vehicle travels again after moving away from the wall surface after detecting the wall surface or the obstacle and changing the course of the vehicle.

[ sensor type ]

Fig. 23 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the control device 2 of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner and the devices connected to the control device 2. The bumper sensor (obstacle detecting mechanism) is a sensor that detects the retreat of the bumper 18 (i.e., the contact with an obstacle).

The distance measuring sensor 210 (obstacle detecting mechanism) illustrated in fig. 2 and the like is an infrared sensor that detects a distance to an obstacle. In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensors are provided at three locations on the front surface, two locations on the side surface, and five locations in total.

The distance measuring sensor 210 includes a light emitting portion (not shown) that emits infrared rays, and a light receiving portion (not shown) that receives reflected light that is returned after the infrared rays are reflected by an obstacle. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. At least the vicinity of the distance measuring sensor in the buffer 18 is formed of resin or glass that transmits infrared rays.

The floor distance measuring sensors 211 (floor surface detecting means) illustrated in fig. 3 and the like are infrared sensors for measuring the distance to the floor surface, and are disposed at four places, i.e., front, rear, right, and left, on the lower surface of the lower case 112. More specifically, the auxiliary wheels 17 are located on the front side, the rear sides of the rotary brush 14 and the scraper brush 13, and the front sides and the left-right direction outer sides of the drive wheels 116.

By detecting a large step such as a staircase with the distance measuring sensor on the floor surface, the self-propelled electric cleaner 1 can be prevented from falling (from the staircase). For example, when a step of about 30mm is detected forward by the floor distance measuring sensor, the control device 2 controls the travel motor to move the main body 11 backward and switch the traveling direction.

Further, when the distance sensor 211 for a floor surface on the front side of the auxiliary wheel 17 (the front end side of the lower case 112) detects a state of being distant from the floor surface and the distance sensor 211 for a floor surface on the rear side of the rotary brush 14 (the rear end side of the lower case 112) detects a state of being close to the floor surface, the control device 2 may continue to move the main body 11 as it is. In the case of such a combination of detections, it is considered that the autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 is often climbing up a step. Similarly, the control device 2 may continue the forward movement of the main body 11 even when the distance sensor 211 for a floor surface in front of the auxiliary wheel 17 detects a close distance to the floor surface and the distance sensor 211 for a floor surface behind the rotary brush 14 detects a far distance to the floor surface. The term "near" used herein is, for example, equal to or less than the distance detected by the floor surface distance measuring sensor 211 when the autonomous vacuum cleaner C is traveling on a flat floor surface, and the term "far" is, for example, a distance exceeding the distance detected by the floor surface distance measuring sensor 211 when the autonomous vacuum cleaner C is traveling on a flat floor surface. One or two appropriate thresholds may be set, and "far" and "near" may be compared with the thresholds.

The rotational speed and the rotational angle of the travel motor 1161 are detected by the travel motor pulse output shown in fig. 23. Further, the control device 2 calculates the moving speed and the moving distance of the main body 11 based on the rotation speed and the rotation angle detected by the pulse output of the travel motor, the gear ratio of the reduction mechanism, and the diameter of the drive wheel 116.

The travel motor current meter is a meter that measures a current flowing through an armature winding of the travel motor 1161. Similarly, the electric blower measures the current value of the electric blower 16 with a current meter, and the rotary brush motor measures the current value of the rotary brush motor 1133 with a current meter. The current value of the side brush motor 152 is measured by a current meter for the two side brush motors. Each current meter outputs the measured current value to the control device 2. The detection result of the current value can be used to detect, for example, an abnormality that the rotating brush is stopped due to a foreign matter being wound around the rotating brush, and the user can be notified by operating a button.

Further, the state of the floor surface on which the main body 11 is traveling is detected from the current value of the rotary brush motor 1133 and the current value of the travel motor 1161, and, for example, if it is recognized as being on the carpet, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased to increase the suction force, and if it is recognized as being on the wooden floor, the input of the electric blower 16 is set to be decreased, so that control is performed to suppress the power consumption of the rechargeable battery 19.

When dust is detected by the dust sensor unit 12, the input of the electric blower 16 is increased for a fixed time. The process of determining the input increase time (e.g., lengthening) of the electric blower 16 based on the detected amount of dust is not performed. This suppresses power consumption of electric blower 16. Even if dust is detected, the main body 11 does not perform the reverse rotation or reciprocation. This can avoid a decrease in the moving speed.

[ Driving device ]

The traveling motor driving device (left) and (right) shown in fig. 23 are an inverter for driving the traveling motors 1161 on the left and right sides, or a pulse waveform generating device based on PWM control, and operate in accordance with a command from the control device 2. The same applies to the electric blower driving device, the motor driving device for the rotary brush, and the motor driving device for the side brush (left) (right). These drive devices are provided in the control device 2 (see fig. 2) in the main body 11.

[ control device 2]

The control device 2 is, for example, a Microcomputer (not shown) that reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands the program in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and causes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute various processes. The control device 2 executes arithmetic processing based on signals input from the switch pieces 22 (see fig. 1) and the sensors described above, and outputs command signals to the driving devices described above.

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and it goes without saying that changes and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention. In the present embodiment, although the self-propelled cleaner is described as an example, the same effects are obtained even when the cleaner is applied to a horizontal type cleaner, a stick type cleaner, and a portable type cleaner.

< embodiment 2 >

The configuration of embodiment 2 is the same as embodiment 1 except for the following points.

[ switch sheet 22]

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner 1 with the upper case 111 removed, fig. 25 is a perspective view of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner 1 with the switch piece 22 further removed from the state of fig. 24, fig. 26(a) is a front perspective view of the switch piece 22, and fig. 26(b) is a rear perspective view of the switch piece 22.

The switch piece 22 is provided between the upper case 111 and the control board 21. The control substrate 21 is located at the lower side of the upper case 111 in the main body 11. Further, for example, a resin support plate 80 for placing the switch piece 22 is provided between the control board 21 and the switch piece 22.

The switch piece 22 includes operation buttons 221 and 222 for outputting an operation signal corresponding to an operation by the user to the control device 2, and a soft portion 223. The operation buttons 221 and 222 include a circular operation button 221 and a ring-shaped operation button 222 surrounding the circular operation button 221. By pressing the operation buttons 221 and 222, a signal can be output to the control device 2. The operation buttons 221 and 222 and the soft portion 223 are assembled in advance to form one component.

The operation buttons 221 and 222 are exposed on the upper surface of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. The operation buttons 221 and 222 can have functions of outputting signals for turning on/off the power supply, starting/ending cleaning, and changing the cleaning mode to the control device 2, for example.

The soft portion 223 is formed as a flexible rubber member, for example, surrounding the operation buttons 221 and 222. By placing the soft portion 223 on the support plate 80 and sandwiching the soft portion 223 between the upper case 111 and the support plate 80, it is possible to prevent water droplets and the like from entering from the vicinity of the operation buttons 221 and 222 exposed on the upper surface of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1. With this configuration, since the operation buttons 221 and 222 can be exposed on the upper surface of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 1 while suppressing intrusion of water droplets and the like, the necessity of surrounding the push- type operation buttons 221 and 222 with a waterproof member can be reduced, and design can be improved.

The soft portion 223 has one or more through holes 2231. A light emitting portion (not shown) such as an LED is provided on the side opposite to the upper case 111 through the through hole 2231. The light emitting unit can be provided on the control board 21, for example. By changing the color of the light emitted from the light emitting unit according to the pressing of the operation buttons 221 and 222, the user can be notified that the operation of the operation buttons 221 and 222 is recognized by the control device 2. The through hole 2231 is separated from the operation buttons 221 and 222 in the front view of the switch piece 22. This can prevent water droplets from entering the through-holes 2231.

The display panel driving device is a device that applies a voltage to an electrode of the display panel in accordance with an instruction from the control device 2 to cause the light emitting section to emit light. The light emitting unit displays, for example, an operation state mode (automatic, manual), a state (notification of whether or not to dump dust, remaining charge value), a timer reservation time, an input mode (strong, medium, weak) of the electric blower, and the like of the self-propelled electric cleaner 1.

The support plate 80 has a through hole 801 at a position overlapping each of the operation buttons 221 and 222. The operation buttons 221 and 222 have protrusions 2211 and 2221 and a support protrusion 2232 on the back surface. The support projection 2232 prevents the projections 2211 and 2221 from coming into contact with the switch of the control board 21 when the operation buttons 221 and 222 are not pressed, and allows the projections 2211 and 2221 to enter the through-holes 801 and come into contact with the switch of the control board 21 when the operation buttons 221 and 222 are pressed. Further, a through hole 802 is provided at a position overlapping the light emitting portion and the through hole 2231.

The operation buttons 221 and 222 do not have a display unit for notifying detection of dust. When dust is detected, the input mode of the electric blower is changed and is shared with the input mode display unit of the electric blower. This reduces the cost of the display unit.

The rechargeable battery 19 is, for example, a secondary battery that can be reused by charging, and is housed in the battery housing section 115 (see fig. 4). The electric power from the rechargeable battery 19 is supplied to the sensors, the motors, the driving devices, and the control device 2.

< embodiment 3 >

The structure of this embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1 or 2 except for the following points.

[ shape of the side brush 15]

Fig. 27 is a perspective view of the side brush 15, and fig. 28 is a view showing a state in which the side brush 15 is flexed. The base elastic portion 153 of the side brush 15 has a shape in which a thin portion 1531, which is a portion on the side of the side brush holder 151 (base side), is thinner than a thick portion 1532, which is a portion on the side of the brush portion 154. Since the thin portion 1531 is connected to the side brush holder 151, the thick portion 1532 and the brush portion 154 can be relatively easily bent about the thin portion 1531. Therefore, even if the power cord or the like contacts the side brush 15, the side brush 15 is easily rotated without being entangled with the power cord by being bent around the thin portion 1531 as an axis as illustrated in fig. 28.

Further, the dimension (length dimension) of the brush part 154 along the root elastic part 153 is made as follows: when the autonomous traveling vacuum cleaner S is placed on the floor surface, the base elastic portion 153 does not reach the floor surface even if it is bent toward the floor surface. Thus, for example, even if the power cord or the like contacts the side brush 15 and the side brush 15 is bent, the base elastic portion 153 contacts the floor surface and the side brush 15 can be prevented from being folded back largely from the base. That is, the base elastic portion 153 is adjusted in size so that the tip end thereof does not contact the floor surface during traveling of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner 1.

Further, the distance in the direction perpendicular to the brush part 154 from the upper surface part of the thin part 1531 to the upper surface part of the thick part 1532 (the dimension of the step between the thin part 1531 and the thick part 1532) is 1.2mm or less.

The thin portion 1531 is formed to be thinner on both surfaces in the rotation direction than the thick portion 1532, and can be used in common for both the side brushes 15. Here, in the case where there is no tapered portion on both sides in the rotation direction, the root elastic portion 153 is easily deflected downward when contacting an obstacle. In this case, the brush part 154 is greatly bent, which causes a problem of this disadvantage. On the other hand, in the case where the tapered portion is provided in either rotational direction, the root elastic portion 153 is likely to be deflected obliquely downward when contacting an obstacle. That is, the brush portion 154 is hardly sandwiched between the floor surface, and the above-described disadvantage can be suppressed. However, in this case, since the rotation directions of the two side brushes 15 are generally opposite to each other, the direction of the tapered portions should be set to be opposite to each other in the two side brushes 15. That is, it is difficult to use the two side brushes 15 as a common member. Further, in the case where the brush has a tapered portion in both rotational directions as in the present embodiment, the two side brushes 15 can be used as a common member while suppressing the above-described disadvantage in the root elastic portion 153.

As illustrated in fig. 3, the side brush holder 151 has a jig insertion hole 1512 on a lower surface. The jig insertion hole 1512 penetrates the upper and lower sides of the side brush holder 151, and two claws forming the attachment claws 1511 are provided on both sides of the jig insertion hole 1512. The mounting claws 1511 are mounted to a mounted portion (not shown) provided in the lower case 112. The attached portion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape so as to fit the shape of the attachment claw 1511.

The user inserts the clip portion 952 of the bar-shaped small tool 95 into the clip insertion hole 1512, and applies a force by the lever principle, thereby detaching the edge brush 15. This makes it possible to fix the edge brush 15 firmly and to allow the user to replace or clean the edge brush 15. Further, the shape of the mounting claws 1511 and the mounted portion is made substantially rectangular, so that the side brush 15 can be prevented from falling off even when the side brush 15 rotates. The mounted portion may be formed in other polygonal shapes.

[ Ribs 47 of dust collecting case 4]

Fig. 29 is a front perspective view of the cover 45 and the filter 46 of the dust box 4. A rib 47 attached to the inner surface of the dust box 4 is provided above, directly above, or above the rear end of the duct 42. The rib 47 can guide dust by affecting the air flow flowing into the main reservoir 41 from one end of the duct 42. The rib 47 preferably overlaps at least a portion of one end of the tube 42 directly above. The rib 47 is a portion protruding in the front-rear direction on the inner surface of the main reservoir 41, and extends substantially in the left-right direction. Further, the inclination is upward from the left-right direction outer side toward the center side. The dust is easily guided to the center side of the main reservoir 41 by inclining upward toward the center side.

(other technical ideas)

The present application includes the following technical ideas. The technical ideas described with reference to m-n (m and n are natural numbers) can be arbitrarily combined without any problem in the context. The "electric vacuum cleaner" disclosed below is intended to include an autonomous self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner exemplified in the above-described embodiments, as well as electric vacuum cleaners of a so-called horizontal type, a stick type, and the like.

[ Note 1-1 ]

An autonomous electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a suction port portion having a suction port; and

a dust collecting box with a main storage part,

a part or all of the path from the suction port to the main reservoir is surrounded by a duct integrated with the dust box.

According to addition 1-1, a small self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner having an improved dust collection capacity can be provided.

[ Note 1-2 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 1-1, wherein the suction port portion has a suction port portion duct forming a part of a path from the suction port to the main reservoir portion, and a length of the suction port portion duct is shorter than a length of the duct.

[ notes 1-3 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to the attached note 1-1 or the attached note 1-2, characterized in that a dust sensor unit which is separate from the dust collecting case and the suction port portion is provided on a path from the suction port to the main storage portion,

the duct is formed to have a length longer than a length of a path from the suction port to the main reservoir, the path being formed by the dust sensor unit.

[ notes 1 to 4]

A dust sensor unit includes a frame, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit provided in the frame and facing each other, and a close contact member attached to the frame.

[ notes 1 to 5]

A dust collecting box integrally comprises a box-shaped main storage part and a pipeline extending obliquely downwards from the main storage part,

and a check valve capable of opening and closing the duct,

the check valve has a main surface, a protrusion, and an urging portion.

[ Note 2-1 ]

A self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is provided with:

an electric blower;

a suction part having a suction port;

a dust sensor unit having a light emitting section and a light receiving section that face each other, and detecting dust passing through the light emitting section and the light receiving section; and

a dust collecting box is arranged at the bottom of the dust collecting box,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a main direction in which air mainly flows by driving of the electric blower is smaller from an upstream side of the suction port toward the dust sensor unit, and is larger from the dust sensor unit toward the dust box.

According to note 2-1, it is possible to provide a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner having a dust sensor unit capable of effectively detecting the amount of dust passing therethrough.

[ Note 2-2 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 2-1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the suction port, the dust sensor unit, and the portion of the dust box where the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion face each other is substantially the smallest or the smallest.

[ Note 2-3 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 2-1 or supplementary note 2-2, wherein the dust collecting case has an integrally formed duct,

the duct is longer than the dust sensor unit in terms of a dimension in the main direction.

[ Note 3-1 ]

An electric vacuum cleaner comprises a dust collecting box having a main storage chamber and a handle capable of rotating around a rotating shaft,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the handle has an operating point portion that can be an operating point of a force applied to the handle by bringing the handle into rolling contact with the electric vacuum cleaner.

According to supplementary note 3-1, it is possible to provide an electric vacuum cleaner in which the dust box can be easily detached.

[ Note 3-2 ]

The vacuum cleaner of supplementary note 3-1, wherein the dust box is lifted upward by applying a force to the handle with the point of application portion as a point of application.

[ Note 4-1 ]

An electric dust collector comprises a dust collecting box which is freely assembled and disassembled on a main body,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the main body has a region surrounded by the main body and the dust collecting box in a state that the dust collecting box is mounted on the main body,

a small tool is accommodated in this area.

According to note 4-1, it is possible to provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of housing a small tool, preferably a small tool related to a dust box.

[ Note 4-2 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 4-1, wherein the small tool is a brush having a shape curved along a side surface of the main body.

[ Note 4-3 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner described in supplementary note 4-1 or supplementary note 4-2, wherein the above-mentioned small tool has a clamp part that can be used for disassembling the brush of the brush and brush of the electric vacuum cleaner.

[ Note 5-1 ]

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner has a suction port for receiving a rotary brush, and an airtight member provided below the rotary brush and the suction port,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the airtight member is urged downward and swings with respect to the rotary brush and the suction port.

According to note 5-1, a small self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner can be provided.

[ Note 5-2 ]

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner, characterized in that the airtight member has a removal claw,

when the detaching claw is moved in the left-right direction, the airtight member can be detached from the self-propelled electric cleaner.

[ Note 5-3 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 5-1 or supplementary note 5-2, wherein the airtight member has a rotating shaft on a front side or a rear side.

[ Note 5-4 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of supplementary notes 5-1 to 5-3, comprising a scraper brush which is driven to rotate,

the rotating shaft of the airtight member is coaxial with the scraper brush.

[ Note 6-1 ]

An autonomous electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a lower housing;

two driving wheels mounted on the lower shell side; and

a rotary brush provided in front of or behind the drive wheels and having a rotary shaft in a direction substantially parallel to a facing direction of the two drive wheels,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the distance between the end parts of the driving wheel and the rotating brush is less than or equal to 20mm,

the self-propelled electric cleaner has a rear protrusion provided directly in front of or directly behind the drive wheels and on an extension of the rotation axis, and/or a central protrusion provided between the two drive wheels.

Note that, according to note 6-1, it is possible to provide a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner capable of suppressing the insertion of obstacles.

[ Note 7-1 ]

A self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner comprises an electric blower provided in an upper casing and a lower casing, and a drive wheel mounted on the lower casing,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

in the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner mounted on the floor surface so that the drive wheels contact the floor surface, the axial direction of the electric blower is horizontal or inclined by 10 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal direction,

the upper case and/or the lower case has a recess in a direction away from the electric blower in the vicinity of upper and lower end surfaces of the electric blower.

According to note 7-1, a small self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner can be provided. Note 7-1 is made in view of the following.

Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-70952 discloses a layout for realizing miniaturization. As shown in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-70952, various layout improvements have been made to miniaturize a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner, but the height dimension thereof is likely to be greatly influenced by the size of an electric blower. Therefore, although it is considered that the electric blower is downsized with a view to its size, patent document 1 does not disclose any layout in consideration of the height dimension of the electric blower.

[ Note 7-2 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner described in supplementary note 7-1 is characterized in that other members are disposed in a height region where the recess is provided.

[ Note 7-3 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 7-2, wherein at least one of the switch piece, the circuit board, the circuit element, the 7-segment LED, and the light emitting element is disposed as the other member.

[ Note 7-4 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of supplementary notes 7-1 to 7-3, wherein a ratio of a vertical dimension of the electric blower attached to a region where the upper and lower cases surround the upper and lower sides to a vertical dimension of the region is 0.90 or more.

[ Note 7-5 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of supplementary notes 7-1 to 7-4, comprising a drive wheel provided on the lower housing side and a drive mechanism for rotating the drive wheel,

the upper and lower dimensions of the region surrounded by the upper and lower cases correspond to dimensions of 70% or more of the vertical dimensions of the region in which the self-propelled electric cleaner is placed on the floor surface and the drive wheels are in contact with the floor surface

[ Note 8-1 ]

A self-propelled electric cleaner having two drive wheels, an electric blower, a rechargeable battery, and a brush having a rotation axis in a horizontal direction,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the brush has a weight inside.

According to note 8-1, it is possible to provide a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner in which the electric blower is disposed on the center side while achieving a balanced center of gravity.

[ Note 8-2 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 8-1,

the brush is a driven rotating brush,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner has another brush driven by a motor.

[ Note 8-3 ]

The autonomous electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 8-2, wherein the brush is provided at a position farther from a center of the autonomous electric vacuum cleaner than the other brushes.

[ Note 8-4 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of supplementary notes 8-1 to 8-3, wherein a center of gravity substantially coincides with an axis of the driving wheel.

[ Note 9-1 ]

A self-propelled electric dust collector comprises a DC motor for transmitting power to a side brush, and a sensor for detecting wall surface,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the dc motor performs control for increasing the rotation speed of the side brush or increasing the duty ratio of the dc motor during execution of a wall angle cleaning mode in which the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is traveling at a wall angle.

According to note 9-1, the cleaning efficiency in the wall angle cleaning mode can be improved.

[ Note 9-2 ]

A self-propelled electric dust collector comprises a DC motor for transmitting power to a side brush, and a sensor for detecting the type of a floor surface by dividing the floor surface into two or more types,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the DC motor controls the rotation speed of the side brush or the duty ratio of the DC motor according to the type of the floor detected by the sensor.

According to note 9-2, cleaning can be performed more appropriately according to the type of floor surface.

[ Note 9-3 ]

A self-propelled electric cleaner has a DC motor for transmitting power to a side brush, and a sensor for detecting the amount of dust passing through a suction port,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the DC motor is controlled so that the number of dusts detected by the sensor and the duty ratio of the DC motor are in a negative correlation.

According to note 9-3, scattering of dust by the side brush can be suppressed in a region where dust is abundant.

[ Note 9-4 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of supplementary notes 9-1 to 9-3,

two side brushes are respectively arranged at the left side and the right side,

when the rotation speed of the side brush on the wall side is increased or the duty ratio is increased, the rotation speed is increased or the duty ratio is increased for the other side brush.

[ Note 10-1 ]

An electric vacuum cleaner having a rotary brush rotated by a motor about a horizontal axis,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the rotating brush has bristles and a non-woven fabric adjacent to each other, and the non-woven fabric is provided so as to contact the floor surface with the bristles in a rotation direction by the motor.

According to note 10-1, an electric vacuum cleaner having a rotary brush that suppresses entanglement of hair or the like can be provided.

[ Note 10-2 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 10-1, wherein the nonwoven fabric has a slit extending in a radial direction of the rotary brush.

[ Note 10-3 ]

The vacuum cleaner according to the item 10-1 or 10-2, wherein the bristles and the base of the nonwoven fabric are integrated.

[ Note 11-1 ]

An electric vacuum cleaner comprises an edge brush having a brush part rotating around an edge brush holder,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

an elastic body, i.e., a base elastic part, is provided between the brush part and the side brush holder as a part integral with the side brush holder.

According to note 11-1, the durability of the edge brush can be improved.

[ Note 11-2 ]

An electric dust collector is characterized in that the side brush is arranged on the lower shell of the electric dust collector,

the length of the base elastic part is shorter than the length from the floor surface to the lower housing when the electric vacuum cleaner is grounded.

According to note 11-2, the base elastic portion is prevented from contacting the floor and bending, and the side brush can be prevented from twisting.

[ Note 11-3 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 11-2, wherein the base elastic part includes a thin part provided on the side of the side brush holder and a thick part thicker than the thin part and provided on the side of the brush part.

[ Note 11-4 ]

The vacuum cleaner according to the above-mentioned item 11-2 or 11-3, wherein the thin portion has a tapered portion on each side in the rotational direction.

[ Note 12-1 ]

An electric dust collector is provided with an auxiliary wheel which is driven to rotate,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the auxiliary wheel comprises: a fixed shaft fixed to the electric vacuum cleaner; a ground wheel with the fixed shaft as a rotating shaft; a small circular plate portion adjacent to the ground wheel; and a disk portion adjacent to the small disk portion,

the small circular plate part can rotate by taking the fixed shaft as a rotating shaft,

the small circular plate part has a larger diameter than the fixed shaft and a smaller diameter than the circular plate part,

the circular plate portion is smaller in diameter than the ground engaging wheel.

According to note 12-1, it is possible to suppress hair waste or the like from being caught on the stationary shaft.

[ Note 13-1 ]

An apparatus, having: a switch sheet having an operation button and a soft portion; a housing; a control substrate; and a support plate, which is provided with a plurality of support plates,

the above-mentioned device is characterized in that,

the support plate is located on one side of the control substrate,

the soft part is clamped between the supporting plate and the shell,

the operation button is exposed from the housing.

According to note 13-1, it is possible to provide a device capable of suppressing the intrusion of water into the case while improving the design of the operation button. The device is not limited to the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner, and various known electric devices can be used.

[ Note 14-1 ]

An electric dust collector comprises a dust collecting box having a check valve arranged at an opening,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the check valve includes:

a main surface capable of closing the opening;

a biasing portion for biasing the main surface in a direction to close the opening; and

a protrusion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface and reaching outside the opening,

the urging section can urge the main surface to rotate with the longitudinal direction of the check valve as a rotation axis,

the electric vacuum cleaner has a counter-urging portion capable of abutting on the protruding portion and urging the main surface in a direction to open the opening.

Note 14-1 is made in view of the following.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-55303 discloses an opening/closing cover 24 (abstract) that openably and closably covers an opening conforming to a hose shape. Since the opening/closing cover is circular, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-55303 has a configuration in which a rotation shaft is set as in patent document 1 (fig. 9 and the like). However, when the opening/closing cover has a shape in the longitudinal direction and the short direction, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of downsizing and the like. In addition, it is necessary to match the rotation direction with another structure, and there is room for investigation from the viewpoint of designing the opening and closing mechanism.

[ Note 14-2 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 14-2,

the counter-force part is a guiding step arranged on the step of the electric dust collector,

the check valve is accommodated in a gap provided above the rotary brush in a state of being attached to the electric vacuum cleaner.

[ Note 14-3 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 14-1 or supplementary note 14-2, wherein the dust collecting case has a standing part extending in a vertical direction on a downstream side of the opening.

[ Note 15-1 ]

A self-propelled electric cleaner has a lower housing and a bumper provided on a side surface, and is driven autonomously by controlling a drive wheel,

the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the shock absorber has a resinous shock absorber frame located on the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber over the entire or substantially the entire periphery of the side surface.

[ Note 15-2 ]

The self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 15-1, wherein the bumper is annular,

the buffer is mounted on the whole periphery of the buffer,

the damper receives a force pressed inward by the damper frame.

[ Note 16-1 ]

An electric vacuum cleaner having a main storage chamber, a duct connected to the main storage chamber, or one end side of the duct,

the electric vacuum cleaner is characterized by comprising a rib which is arranged above the pipeline or one end side of the pipeline and is arranged on the inner surface of the main storage chamber.

According to the reference numeral 16-1, it is possible to provide the electric vacuum cleaner capable of guiding the dust flowing into the main storage chamber through the duct or the like.

[ Note 16-2 ]

The vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 16-1, wherein the duct or one end side of the duct is positioned below the main reservoir,

the rib has an inclination that is directed upward from the end side of the main reservoir toward the center side.

[ Note 16-3 ]

The electric vacuum cleaner according to supplementary note 16-1 or supplementary note 16-2, wherein one end side of the duct is directed in a direction different from a position where the filter is provided.

Claims (5)

1. An electric dust collector, a side brush is arranged on a lower shell,

the above-mentioned electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that,

the side brush has a clamp inserting hole which can be inserted into a clamp stored in the electric dust collector and apply force to detach the side brush from the lower shell,

the side brushes have a flexible root elastic portion at the root side and bristles at the tip side,

in the wall angle cleaning mode, the duty ratio of the side brush motor transmitting the torque to the side brush on the same side as the side where the wall is located is set to be higher than the duty ratio of the side brush motor transmitting the torque to the other side brush,

the root elastic portion is composed of a root-side thin portion and a bristle-side thick portion, and the thin portion is formed in a shape that is thinner on both sides in the rotational direction than the thick portion.

2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

the clamp insertion hole is arranged on the side brush seat which is used as the rotating shaft of the side brush,

the side brush holder has a mounting claw mounted to a mounted portion of the electric vacuum cleaner.

3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2,

the clip insertion hole is located between two portions forming the mounting jaw,

the mounting claws are polygonal.

4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

has a small tool storage part for storing the clamp.

5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4,

the clamp is attached to the upper end of the clamp,

the clamp also has a bristle portion.

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