Self-propelled cleaner
AssigneeFunai Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorRyo Saeki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-propelled cleaner that can travel accurately along a wall edge and preferably remove dust in the wall edge is provided. Since the self-propelled cleaner is configured in a way that direction correction in two steps is performed, that is, a direction of a body BD is corrected to be perpendicular to the from obstacle (wall W) using ultrasonic sensors 31 (31a to 31c), and the body BD is turned by 90 degrees in that condition, and then the direction of the body BD is corrected to be parallel to the obstacle (wall W) using lateral wall sensors 36 (36FR, 36FL, 36RR and 36RL), the body can be accurately parallel to the wall, can be accurately travel along the wall edge.
Claims11
A self-propelled cleaner including a driving mechanism for realizing steering and driving, a cleaner mechanism, a gyro sensor for detecting an angle of direction to which the body is coursing, front obstacle sensors that sense a front obstacle and measure a distance to the obstacle, and lateral wall sensors that sense a lateral obstacle and generate sensor output values in accordance with the distance to the obstacle, wherein
- the front obstacle sensors are disposed at least at three places of a central portion of a front face of the body, and right and left, two sides at the back of the central portion,
- front lateral-wall sensors disposed at right and left, two sides of the front side of the body, and rear lateral-wall sensors disposed at right and left, two sides of the back side of the body are included as the lateral wall sensors, and
- the cleaner includes a vertical correction and control mechanism that turns the body by a certain angle in the clockwise direction when the obstacle is sensed by the front obstacle sensor at a right side while the body is traveling toward the obstacle, and turns the body by a certain angle in the counterclockwise direction when the obstacle is sensed by the front obstacle sensor at a left side, thereby corrects a direction of the body to be perpendicular to the front obstacle, and
- a parallel correction and control mechanism that turns the body by 90 degrees using the gyro sensor after the direction of the body has been made perpendicular to the front obstacle by the vertical correction and control mechanism, and then turns the body by a certain angle in the clockwise direction when a sensor output value of the front lateral-wall sensor at the left side is larger than that of the rear lateral-wall sensor at the left side, or when a sensor output value of the rear lateral-wall sensor at the right side is larger than that of the front lateral-wall sensor at the right side, and turns the body by a certain angle in the counterclockwise direction when a sensor output value of the front lateral-wall sensor at the right side is larger than that of the rear lateral-wall sensor at the right side, or when a sensor output value of the rear lateral-wall sensor at the left side is larger than that of the front lateral-wall sensor at the left side, thereby corrects the direction of the body to be parallel to the obstacle.
A self-propelled cleaner including a driving mechanism for realizing steering and driving, a cleaner mechanism, a gyro sensor for detecting an angle of direction to which the body is coursing, front obstacle sensors that sense a front obstacle and measure a distance to the obstacle, and lateral wall sensors that sense a lateral obstacle and generate sensor output values in accordance with the distance to the obstacle, wherein
- the front obstacle sensors are disposed at least at three places of a central portion of a front face of the body, and right and left, two sides at the back of the central portion,
- front lateral-wall sensors disposed at right and left, two sides of the front side of the body, and rear lateral-wall sensors disposed at right and left, two sides of the back side of the body are included as the lateral wall sensors, and
- the cleaner includes a vertical correction and control mechanism that corrects a direction of the body to be perpendicular to the front obstacle using the front obstacle sensors disposed at the three places, and
- a parallel correction and control mechanism that turns the body by 90 degrees using the gyro sensor after the direction of the body has been made perpendicular to the front obstacle by the vertical correction and control mechanism, and then corrects the direction of the body to be parallel to the obstacle using the front lateral-wall sensors and the rear lateral-wall sensors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.