SELF-TRAVELING ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

Provided is a self-traveling electronic apparatus including a housing whose lower part is uniquely shaped so that the self-traveling electronic apparatus can climb over level differences smoothly. The self-traveling electronic apparatus includes a housing, a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface, a follower wheel disposed on the bottom of the housing and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing, and a sloped plate disposed so as to lay smoothly from a front lower end of the housing to the bottom in a travel direction, wherein the housing has a bumper slidable in the travel direction; and a front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

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Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a self-traveling electronic apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

A self-traveling vacuum cleaner that is an example of a self-traveling electronic apparatus is known, for example, as the one described in Patent Document 1. A self-traveling air cleaner that is another example of the self-traveling electronic apparatus is known, for example, as the one described in Patent Document 2.

Patent Document 1 describes the self-traveling vacuum cleaner including a sensor for sensing an object on a floor surface in front of a body of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner, and lifting means for lifting a front part of the body from the floor surface on the basis of a sensing result, the front part of the body being determined based on a travel direction of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner and raised from the floor surface on the basis of traveling means; and the self-traveling vacuum cleaner is capable of climbing over the object. The self-traveling vacuum cleaner is, therefore, capable of climbing over the object such as an electric cord or newspaper to clean. This self-traveling vacuum cleaner has a lower end surface that is sloped with respect to the travel direction so that the self-traveling vacuum cleaner self-travels even if the floor surface has a level difference. This slope allows the self-traveling vacuum cleaner to climb over the level difference easily.

Patent Document 2 describes the self-traveling air cleaner including an intake opening open toward a travel direction of the self-traveling air cleaner, an exhaust opening open upward, and a brush disposed between a drive wheel and a front wheel to rake up dust. This self-traveling air cleaner supplies a clean air to a room while traveling in the room and simultaneously cleans a floor surface with use of the brush. FIG. 2 illustrates the self-traveling air cleaner of Patent Document 2 provided with a bumper that is disposed at a front surface of a body and across a full width of the body, and the bumper is curved from its lower end toward its bottom.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-155274

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-331128

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems that the Invention is to Solve

The self-traveling vacuum cleaner of Patent Document 1 is capable of traveling forward while lifting its front end with use of the lifting means to stride over an unfixed object such as an electric cord without jamming with the unfixed object. The self-traveling vacuum cleaner, however, requires a complicated structure in order to actualize the lifting means. The self-traveling vacuum cleaner is provided with the slope at its lower end surface of the body to allow the self-traveling vacuum cleaner to climb over the level difference easily. This slope, however, comes in contact with level differences in the course of traveling repeatedly, possibly resulting in damage to corners of the level differences. The self-traveling vacuum clear also has a slight stair disposed between the front end of the body and a front end of the slope. The self-traveling vacuum clear may, therefore, be incapable of self-traveling smoothly on an uneven surface.

The self-traveling air cleaner of Patent Document 2 senses a collision with an object with use of the bumper disposed at a front part of the body and protects a housing. The self-traveling air cleaner is configured to sense the object in front of the self-traveling air cleaner with use of a pressing force of the bumper and/or a non-contact sensor so that the self-traveling air cleaner stops, travels backward, and rotates to avoid the object before traveling again.

In the case where the self-traveling air cleaner avoids the object by sensing the object with use of the bumper, the self-traveling air cleaner cannot clean the room unless the self-traveling air cleaner can climb over some degree of the level difference such as an edge of a carpet and travels. The lower end of the bumper is, therefore, configured to be raised apart from the floor surface at a predetermined height. The self-traveling air clear climbs over a level difference lower than a height between the lower end of the bumper and the floor surface.

If a bottom of a self-traveling apparatus is set apart from the floor surface, the bottom of the self-traveling apparatus does not collide with a level difference or climbs over the level difference. Its simple example should have a structure where the bottom of the bumper is higher than its lower end. The self-traveling vacuum cleaner needs, for example, to suck in the dust on the floor surface through the intake opening disposed on the bottom of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner; therefore, the self-traveling vacuum cleaner does not suck in the dust efficiently if the intake opening is too far from the floor surface. The self-traveling apparatus generally needs to keep its height low in order to travel under, for example, a bed to sterilize, deodorize, and to inhibit allergic substances. It may, therefore, be difficult to set the bottom high. In this case, the slope described in Patent Document 1 may be necessary so that the self-traveling apparatus may climb over the level difference easily.

This invention is contrived in view of the above-described circumstances and is to provide a self-traveling electronic apparatus including a housing whose lower part is uniquely shaped so that the self-traveling electronic apparatus can climb over level differences smoothly.

Means of Solving the Problems

To solve the above-described problems, this invention is to provide the self-traveling electronic apparatus characterized by including a housing, a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface, a follower wheel disposed on the bottom of the housing and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing, and a sloped plate disposed so as to lay smoothly from a front lower end of the housing to the bottom in a travel direction, wherein the housing has a bumper slidable in the travel direction; and a front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

Effect of the Invention

The self-traveling electronic apparatus of this invention is capable of climbing over the level difference smoothly because the self-traveling electronic apparatus includes the sloped plate disposed so as to smoothly link the front lower end of the housing with the bottom of the housing, the housing has the bumper slidable in the travel direction, and the front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind the front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of an explanatory drawing of a sloped plate used for a self-traveling electronic apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory drawing of a conventional self-traveling electronic apparatus without having a sloped plate, which is a comparative example to this invention.

FIG. 3 is a prospective view of a self-traveling ion generator exemplifying an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a prospective view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3 without a top cover.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates explanatory drawings of various sloped plates to be placed on the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows A-A in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows B-B in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows C-C in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a corresponding drawing of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 4 that returns to a charging station.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram indicating a contexture of a controller for controlling the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory drawing of a brief structure of an ion-generating device to be installed in the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 13 is a prospective view of a self-traveling vacuum cleaner exemplifying another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13, viewed along arrows A-A in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 illustrates explanatory drawings of various sloped plates to be placed on the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 illustrates a corresponding drawing of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 14 whose cover is open and also illustrates a dust collection member pulled out from the self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 18 is a prospective view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13 in a state of disassembly where a top board of a housing, a control circuit board, etc. are pulled out.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram indicating an electrical contexture of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13.

 MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Some of preferred aspects of this invention will be described below before embodiments of this invention will be explained.

A self-traveling electronic apparatus of this invention is characterized by including a housing, a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface, a follower wheel disposed on the bottom and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing, a sloped plate disposed so as to smoothly link a front lower end of the housing with the bottom in a travel direction, and a front support wheel disposed at a rear part of the sloped plate but disposed in front of the drive wheel and the follower wheel, wherein the front support wheel is disposed in such a way that its lower end is positioned lower than the bottom but higher than the floor surface; and the sloped plate is disposed in such a way that its front part is higher from the floor surface than its rear part in a smooth fashion.

The housing has a bumper disposed at its front part that is slidable in the travel direction, and a front end of the sloped plate may be positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward. Because the front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind the bumper—even if the bumper slides backward, the bumper can avoid damage to an object or the sloped plate in case the sloped plate collides with the object.

The bumper has a curved part formed by folding its lower end backward, and the curved part may function as the front lower end. In this case, the front lower end of the bumper is configured to be linked smoothly with the front end of the sloped plate; therefore, the self-traveling electronic apparatus can climb over a level difference—even if the level difference is slightly lower than the lower end of the bumper—since the front support wheel climbs over the level difference while a slope of the sloped plate guides the front support wheel smoothly.

The sloped plate is designed to have a predetermined width extending from a front center of the housing to right and left, and the sloped plate may be lower in height from the floor surface than the bottom on both sides of the sloped plate, in its width direction. In this case, the sloped plate does not have to be formed throughout its width; and in case the level difference collides with the sloped plate, the bottom on the both sides of the sloped plate would not collide with the level difference; and the front support wheel climbs over the level difference along the slope of the sloped plate smoothly.

Furthermore, the housing is in the form of an approximate circle from a planar view; a pair of opposed drive wheels is disposed evenly apart from an approximate center of the housing in the travel direction; and the follower wheel may be disposed behind the drive wheels.

The sloped plate may be formed by integrating with the bottom of the housing or may be formed individually.

Moreover, the self-traveling electronic apparatus may be manufactured to function as a self-traveling ion generator blowing an airflow upward or as a self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

The preferred aspects of this invention include combinations of any of the above-described aspects.

In the following, this invention will be described in detail through the use of drawings. Note that the following explanations are exemplifications in all respects and should not be comprehended to limit this invention only to these explanations.

According to the above-described embodiments, the self-traveling electronic apparatus includes the housing in the form of an approximate circle from a planar view; an air blow valve disposed on a top surface of the housing; the pair of opposed drive wheels disposed evenly apart from a center line along the travel direction of the housing and projecting from the bottom of the housing; a rear wheel disposed at a rear end of the housing along the travel direction; and the front support wheel disposed at a front end of the housing along the travel direction. The self-traveling electronic apparatus also includes a drive controller and a controller inside the housing. The drive controller controls the drive wheels, and the controller controls an air blow from the air blow valve. The self-traveling electronic apparatus further includes the sloped plate whose front end is disposed at the front lower end of the housing and whose rear end links smoothly with the bottom of the housing in the vicinity of the front support wheel.

One example of the self-traveling electronic apparatus is a vacuum cleaner including a suction vent disposed at its bottom, a passage disposed inside a housing and extending from the suction vent on the bottom to an air blow valve at a top surface of the vacuum cleaner, and a filter disposed at some midpoint of the passage. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an exterior appearance of the vacuum cleaner. Another example of the self-traveling electronic apparatus is an ion generator including a suction vent disposed at its bottom or top surface, a passage disposed inside a housing and extending from the suction vent on the bottom to an air blow valve at a top surface of the ion generator, and an ion-generating unit disposed at some midpoint of the passage. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an exterior appearance of the ion generator. The self-traveling electronic apparatus of this invention means an electronic apparatus capable of autonomously traveling independent from user attention, and of carrying out a cleaning function and/or an air-cleaning function or of carrying out other operations.

The housing of this invention indicates a housing in a round shape from a planar view, but the round shape does not mean only a perfectly round shape; namely, the round shape includes an approximately round shape that is somewhat uneven and an oval shape having a long axis and a short axis. The top surface of the housing where the air blow valve is disposed may not be a vertex. The top surface of the housing means an upper surface that is distinguished simply from a side surface and a bottom surface of the housing.

The air blow valve may function as an exhaust vent of the vacuum cleaner or as an air blow valve of the ion generator blowing clean air. The drive wheels allow the self-traveling electronic apparatus to travel forward and backward and to rotate. The drive controller controls the drive wheels to allow the self-traveling electronic apparatus to travel thoroughly inside a room by using the cleaning function or the air-cleaning function and also to allow the self-traveling electronic apparatus to travel forward and backward and to rotate in order to avoid an object. The drive wheels are installed on the housing together with a suspension mechanism so that the drive wheels are adaptable to an uneven floor surface. The housing has a three-point support consisting of the pair of opposed drive wheels and the rear wheel functioning as the follower wheel to allow the self-traveling electronic apparatus to travel stably. Because the housing is supported on the drive wheels and the rear wheel, the housing can have a heavy article such as a battery disposed at a rear part of the housing so that a front part of the housing is reduced in weight. The front part of the housing can, therefore, be lifted easily to climb over an object.

FIG. 1 illustrates an explanatory drawing as an example of the sloped plate used for the self-traveling electronic apparatus of this invention. In the following, the sloped plate will be explained. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a sloped plate 104 of a self-traveling electronic apparatus 100 is disposed at a front part of a round shape housing 101 from a planar view in a travel direction. A front end of the sloped plate 104 is positioned at a front bottom portion 102, and a rear end of the sloped plate 104 links smoothly with a bottom of the housing 101 in the vicinity of a front part of an outer periphery of a front support wheel 103. The front support wheel 103 is raised apart from a floor surface F so that the front support wheel 103 does not come in contact with the floor surface F while the self-traveling electronic apparatus 100 travels on the floor surface F. The bottom of the housing 101 is configured higher than a lower end of the front support wheel 103. In this case, the bottom of the housing 101 does not come in contact with an object in case the front support wheel 103 climbs over the object. FIG. 1 also illustrates a cover 105, an inflow vent 106, an exhaust vent 107, a drive wheel 108, a rear wheel 109, and a bumper 111. In FIG. 1, the side where the front support wheel 103 is disposed indicates the forward side; and the side where the rear wheel 109 is disposed indicates the backward side.

The sloped plate 104 is designed to have a predetermined width extending from a center line of the housing to right and left, the center line extending along the travel direction. The sloped plate 104 is desired to have a fan shape spreading to the both sides at an angle of 30° or 60° from a position directly underneath the front support wheel 103 toward the front of the travel direction. Alternatively, the sloped plate is an area disposed in front of a rear end of a line extending between both ends of the housing from a position directly underneath the front support wheel 103 in a width direction perpendicular to the travel direction. Alternatively, the sloped plate includes a position directly underneath the front support wheel 103 and is an area disposed in front of a rear end of a line that is two or three times longer than a width of the front support wheel in the width direction.

The housing 101 is configured to have the front bottom portion 102 as a position of a front end of the travel direction and includes the sloped plate 104 disposed along a sloped surface linking smoothly with the bottom in the vicinity of the front support wheel 103. The self-traveling electronic apparatus can, therefore, climb over an object Z and keep traveling even though the object Z is present right on the travel direction.

FIG. 2 illustrates, as a comparative example, an explanatory drawing of a self-traveling electronic apparatus that does not include a sloped plate characterizing this invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a housing 101 has an obtuse stair X disposed between a front bottom portion 102 and a front support wheel 103 along a travel direction of the housing 101, unlike the housing 101 in FIG. 1, resulting in a considerable stress on a drive wheel 108 in case the stair X collides with an object Z; therefore, it is difficult for a self-traveling electronic apparatus 100 to climb over the object Z.

As indicated by a solid line, a bumper 111 is actuated forward by a spring (not illustrated) and projects slightly from the housing 101. As indicated in FIG. 2 by a dotted line, the bumper 111 slides backward upon colliding with an object. The sloped plate 104 is configured in such a way that a front lower end of the bumper 111 aligns with the front end of the sloped plate 104 at a position (indicated by a reference numeral 111a) where the bumper 111 slides backward (see FIG. 1). The sloped plate 104 links smoothly with the bottom of the housing 101 at its rear end and is equipped with the front support wheel 103 at its rear end. The bumper 111 curves or is folded toward the bottom side of the housing 101. The front end of the sloped plate 104 is configured to align with a position where the front lower end of the curved or folded bumper 111 slides backward.

The sloped plate 104 has an edge that extends to the front end of the bottom of the housing; therefore, a slope angle of the sloped plate 104 of FIG. 1 is more moderate than a slope angle of the stair X of FIG. 2, with the result that an impact is reduced in case the sloped plate collides with a level difference and that the self-traveling electronic apparatus can climb over the level difference easily and smoothly. The edge of the sloped plate 104 extends to a position where the bumper 111 slides backward but does not project farther than this position; therefore, the impact occurred between the object and the edge of the sloped plate 104 is minimized by the bumper 111; and the edge is protected from damage, tear, etc.

<<General Structure of a Self-Traveling Ion Generator>>

A self-traveling ion generator of this invention will be explained.

FIG. 3 illustrates a prospective view of a self-traveling ion generator exemplifying an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a prospective view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3 without a top cover.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom plan view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates explanatory drawings of various sloped plates to be placed on a self-traveling electronic apparatus.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows A-A in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows B-B in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section view of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3, viewed along arrows C-C in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 illustrates a corresponding drawing of the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 7 that returns to a charging station.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram indicating a contexture of a controller for controlling the self-traveling ion generator illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 illustrates an explanatory drawing of a brief structure of an ion-generating device to be installed in an ion-generating member.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 9, a self-traveling ion generator 1 as the self-traveling electronic apparatus in the embodiments of this invention sucks in an ambient air through an inflow vent 3 while self-traveling on a floor surface F of an installation location. The sucked air is, for example, subjected partially to an ionization treatment with use of an ion-generating unit 4; and the treated ion-containing air is blown through an exhaust vent 5.

The self-traveling ion generator 1 includes a disk-like housing 2. As illustrated in FIG. 7, provided in the housing 2 are a rechargeable battery 6 for storing electric power; an electric fan 7 for supplying air into the housing 2 and for blowing the air through the exhaust vent 5; and a filter 8 for separating dust or foreign objects from the air supplied into the housing 2. The self-traveling ion generator is also provided with the ion-generating unit 4 for generating ions by subjecting the air sucked into the housing 2 to the ionization treatment; a cover 9 used for sucking in the air and for opening and closing the inflow vent 3 (which may be referred to as “the inflow vent 3-covering cover 9” hereinafter); and a drive member 10 for driving the cover 9 (which may be referred to as “the cover 9-driving drive member 10” hereinafter) (see FIG. 4). Also provided in the housing 2 are a cover 11 used for opening and closing the exhaust vent 5 (which may be referred to as “the exhaust vent 5-covering cover 11” hereinafter); a drive member 12 for driving the cover 11 (which may be referred to as “the cover 11-driving drive member 12” hereinafter) (see FIG. 4); and a controller 13 for comprehensively controlling functions of each component. The controller 13 is equipped with a control circuit board 14 mounted with various electronic components.

The housing 2 is provided outside with the cover 9 used for opening and closing the inflow vent 3; a pair of drive wheels 15 functioning as traveling members to allow the housing 2 to travel on the floor surface F; and a front support wheel 16 and a rear wheel 17 disposed to stabilize balance of the housing 2. The side where the front support wheel 16 is disposed indicates the forward side, and the side where the rear wheel 17 is disposed indicates the backward side.

The housing 2 mainly includes a bottom plate 2a in a round shape from a planar view and a rear side-plate 2b, a front side-plate 2c functioning as a slidable bumper, and a top cover 2d in a round shape from a planar view for covering upper parts of the rear side-plate 2b and of the front side-plate 2c. Provide at a front end of the bottom plate 2a or the front side-plate 2c, or a border between the bottom plate 2a and the front side-plate 2c as a front end is a sloped plate U. A rear end of the sloped plate U is disposed in the vicinity of the front support wheel 16 and links with the bottom plate 2a smoothly. The front side-plate 2c functioning as the slidable bumper is actuated by a spring (not illustrated) and projects toward a travel direction. Once the self-traveling ion generator collides with an object, the front side-plate 2c slides backward to absorb impact. The sloped plate U is configured in such a way that the front end of the front side-plate 2c comes to be positioned at a front lower end of the front side-plate 2c as the front side-plate 2c slides backward. A lower end of the front side-plate 2c curves or is folded toward the bottom side of the housing to form the front lower end of the front side-plate 2c. The inflow vent 3 is disposed slightly behind a center of the top cover 2d, and the exhaust vent 5 is disposed in front of the center of the top cover 2d.

While the ion generator 1 is being charged and is not operating, the inflow vent 3 and the exhaust vent 5 are closed with the movable cover 9 and the movable cover 11, respectively. The cover 9 and the cover 11 are closed to prevent dust or foreign objects from entering through the inflow vent 3 or the exhaust vent 5. The inflow vent 3-covering cover 9 and the exhaust vent 5-covering cover 11 are driven by the cover 9-driving drive member 10 and the cover 11-driving drive member 12, respectively, both of the drive members are provided in the housing 2.

The filter 8 is to separate dust from air sucked through the inflow vent and to allow the air without the dust to pass therethrough. This filter 8 is removably mounted so that maintenance, etc. can be performed. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the bottom plate 2a is provided with a detachable bottom cover 2e. By detaching the bottom cover 2e, part of a passage of the sucked air is exposed; and the filter 8 mounted under the bottom cover can be removed.

The ion-generating unit 4 is to ionize, for example, water molecules in air by electric discharge and to generate H+(H2O)m (m is any number of non-negative integers) as positive ions and O2−(H2O)n (n is any number of non-negative integers) as negative ions. This ion-generating unit 4 may generate negative ions other than the above-described ions.

The pair of drive wheels 15 is fastened to a pair of rotation shafts 15a (see FIG. 5) intersecting orthogonally with a center line C extending along a center of the housing 2 in a round shape from a planar view and along the travel direction. The housing 2 travels forward or backward as the pair of drive wheels 15 rotates in a same direction, and the housing 2 rotates on the center line C as the pair of drive wheels 15 rotates in opposite directions.

The pair of rotation shafts 15a obtains driving forces from a pair of traveling motors (not illustrated), respectively. The traveling motors are connected to the rotation shafts, respectively, through a power transmission mechanism (not illustrated). Each traveling motor is fastened directly with the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 or through a suspension mechanism.

The front support wheel 16 includes a roller; and the front support wheel is disposed in front of the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 and is raised slightly apart from the floor surface F so that the self-traveling ion generator 1 can easily climb over a level difference on its way as the front support wheel rotates.

The rear wheel 17 includes a swivel wheel; and the rear wheel is disposed behind the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2 and supports the housing 2 while the rear wheel and the drive wheels come in contact with the floor surface F. The front support wheel 16 and the rear wheel 17 are not connected to a drive source such as the traveling motor and thereby function as follower wheels.

As described above, the self-traveling ion generator 1 has the pair of drive wheels 15 disposed in the middle of a forward-backward direction of the housing 2; and the front support wheel 16 is raised apart from the floor surface F, in such a way that a weight of the self-traveling ion generator 1 is supported on the pair of drive wheels and the rear wheel, with the result that the weight in the forward-backward direction is distributed.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, disposed on the bottom of the housing 2 are a floor-sensing sensor 18 and a pair of floor-sensing sensors 19, the floor-sensing sensor 18 being disposed in front of the front support wheel 16 to sense the floor surface F; and the floor-sensing sensors 19 being disposed in front of the drive wheels 15, respectively, to sense the floor surface F. When the floor-sensing sensor 18 senses a downward staircase or the like, the floor-sensing sensor 18 sends a sensing signal to the controller 13; and the controller 13 controls the pair of drive wheels 15 to stop. Even when the floor-sensing sensor 18 malfunctions, the floor-sensing sensors 19 sense a downward staircase or the like and stop the pair of drive wheels 15. The self-traveling ion generator 1, therefore, is prevented from falling down to the downward staircase. When the floor-sensing sensors 19 sense a downward staircase or the like, the floor-sensing sensors 19 send a sensing signal to the controller. The controller may control the self-traveling ion generator 1 to avoid the downward staircase—namely, the controller controls the self-traveling ion generator 1 to travel backward—or to rotate.

The weight in the forward-backward direction is distributed in such a way that the self-traveling ion generator 1 does not lift the rear wheel 17 upon sudden stop during forward traveling. In case the self-traveling ion generator suddenly stops just before a downward staircase during forward traveling, the self-traveling ion generator is prevented from falling down to the downward staircase as leaning forward.

Each drive wheel 15 has a rubber tire fitted onto a groove of a wheel bearer so that the drive wheels do not skid upon sudden stop.

Provided on the bottom of the housing 2 is the sloped plate U disposed between a front lower end T and the front support wheel 16. The sloped plate U is formed by tilting the front side-plate 2c or the bottom plate 2a of the housing 2. The sloped plate U is configured to link smoothly with the bottom in the vicinity of the front support wheel 16 as the front lower end T of the housing 2 is positioned as a front end. The sloped plate U is designed to have a predetermined width extending from the center line of the housing to right and left, the center line extending along the travel direction.

The sloped plate may be configured such as a fan-shaped plate U1 spreading to the both sides at an angle of 30° from the neighborhood of the front support wheel 16 toward the front (see FIG. 6(a)), a fan-shaped plate U2 spreading to the both sides at an angle of 60° toward the front (see FIG. 6(b)), or a semicircle-shaped plate U3 bordered by the following two lines: a straight line parallel to a rotation shaft of the front support wheel 16 and a curved line of the front lower end of the housing in front of this straight line (see FIG. 6(c)). Alternatively, the sloped plate may be configured such as an area U4 encompassing the front support wheel 16 and bordered by the following four lines: a straight line parallel to the rotation shaft of the front support wheel 16 whose length is longer than a width of the front support wheel 16—for example, three times as long as the width of the front support wheel; two straight lines extending from both ends of the above-described straight line toward the front; and a curved line of the front lower end of the housing lengthened between these two straight lines (see FIG. 6(d)).

Provided at a rear end of the rear side-plate 2b of the housing 2 is a charging terminal 20 for charging the battery 6. The self-traveling ion generator 1 blowing ions while self-traveling inside a room returns to a charging station 21 placed in the room when a prescribed condition arises—for example, a charging level in the battery 6 becomes lower than a threshold level (see FIG. 10). In this case, the charging terminal 20 comes in contact with a terminal 22 installed on the charging station 21; therefore, the battery 6 starts being charged. The charging station 21 is usually connected with a commercial power supply (e.g., a wall outlet) installed on a side wall S of the room.

The battery 6 is charged by the charging station 21 through the charging terminal 20 and supplies an electric power to components such as the controller 13, the pair of traveling motors for driving the pair of drive wheels 15, the ion-generating unit 4, the electric fan 7, and the various sensors.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram indicating a contexture of the controller 13 for controlling the self-traveling ion generator 1 exemplifying an embodiment of this invention. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the controller 13 is a microcomputer. The microcomputer includes a CPU 23 for carrying out an arithmetic processing, an ROM 24 for storing a control program carried out by the CPU 23, and an RAM 25 for supplying a memory area to the CPU 23. The microcomputer also includes an I/O port 26 for inputting a control signal from any of the sensors installed on the self-traveling ion generator 1 and outputting a control signal under the control of the CPU 23, a driver circuit 27 for driving any of the drive members installed in the self-traveling ion generator 1 under the control of the CPU 23, and a memory 28 for storing a variety of information under the control of the CPU 23. The controller 13 comprehensively controls the self-traveling ion generator 1 and carries out a series of a self-traveling operation and an ion-blowing operation.

The controller 13 receives condition settings for functions of the self-traveling ion generator 1 programmed by a user from an operating panel (not illustrated) and controls the memory 28 to store the condition settings. The memory 28 is capable of storing a traveling route of an area where the self-traveling ion generator 1 is placed. The traveling route indicates the information about a traveling record of the self-traveling ion generator 1 such as a traveling pathway or a traveling speed, and the traveling route can be stored in the memory 28 in two different ways: a user stores a traveling route in the memory 28 in advance, and the memory 28 records a traveling route in an automated way while the self-traveling ion generator 1 travels and blows ions. The controller 13 can be also controlled by a user by remote control (not illustrated) so that the self-traveling ion generator travels to any given location.

An odor sensor 29 senses odor around the housing 2. Usable as the odor sensor 29 are, for example, a semiconductor-type odor sensor and a contact combustion-type odor sensor. The odor sensor 29 is disposed on the housing 2 in such a way as to project outward from the housing 2 in order to sense the odor around the self-traveling ion generator 1. The controller 13 is connected to the odor sensor 29 through the I/O port 26 and receives the information about the odor around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the odor sensor 29.

A humidity sensor 30 senses humidity around the housing 2. Usable as the humidity sensor 30 are, for example, a capacitance humidity sensor made of a moisture-sensitive polymer material and an electric-resistive humidity sensor. The humidity sensor 30 is disposed on the housing 2 in such a way as to project outward from the housing 2 in order to sense relative humidity around the self-traveling ion generator 1. The controller 13 is connected to the humidity sensor 30 through the I/O port 26 and receives the information about the humidity around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the humidity sensor 30.

The traveling route stored in the memory 28 may store in advance, as a specific location where the self-traveling ion generator 1 is placed, a location where has odor with a level higher than a threshold level or a location where has humidity with a level higher than a threshold level. This allows the controller 13 to detect the specific location as the stored location based on an ambient environment of the housing 2. Namely, the traveling route plays a part as an environment sensor that senses the ambient environment of the housing 2 in a similar way to the odor sensor 29 and the humidity sensor 30.

A human sensor 31 is to sense the presence of a human with use of, for example, infrared light, ultrasound wave, or visible light. The human sensor 31 is disposed on the housing 2 in such a way as to project outward from the housing 2 in order to sense the human around the self-traveling ion generator 1. The controller 13 is connected to the human sensor 31 through the I/O port 26 and receives the existence information about the human around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the human sensor 31.

A collision sensor 32 is to sense a collision of the self-traveling ion generator 1 with an object with use of, for example, a microswitch while the self-traveling ion generator self-travels. The collision sensor exemplifying an embodiment of this invention is disposed near the front side-plate 2c of the housing 2 in order to sense a motion of the slidable front side-plate 2c (which may function as the bumper) that slides as a result of the collision with the object. The controller 13 is connected to the collision sensor 32 through the I/O port 26 and receives the existence information about the object around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the collision sensor 32.

In the case where the self-traveling ion generator 1, for example, arrives at a rim of a traveling region or collides with an object on its way, the pair of drive wheels 15 stops; and the drive wheels 15 rotate in directions opposite from each other, with the result that the self-traveling ion generator 1 redirects its travel direction. This allows the self-traveling ion generator 1 to self-travel as avoiding the object.

While the ion-generating unit 4 operates, the controller 13 controls the cover 9-driving drive member 10 and the cover 11-driving drive member 12 to open the inflow vent 3 and the exhaust vent 5, respectively. While the ion-generating unit 4 is at rest, the controller 13 controls the cover 9-driving drive member 10 and the cover 11-driving drive member 12 to close the inflow vent 3 and the exhaust vent 5, respectively. This prevents dust or foreign objects from entering through the inflow vent 3 or the exhaust vent 5 while the ion-generating unit is at rest—for example, the ion-generating unit is being charged—and prevents malfunction of the self-traveling ion generator 1.

The electric fan 7, the ion-generating unit 4, and the pair of drive wheels 15 are actuated by a directive of the ion-blowing operation. The self-traveling ion generator 1 sucks in the ambient air through the inflow vent 3 while self-traveling in a predetermined area and blows the ion-containing air generated by the ion-generating unit 4 from the exhaust vent 5. Because of its mobility, the self-traveling ion generator 1 is capable of sufficiently spreading the ions to areas where a standing-type or desktop ion generator cannot spread ions and is capable of efficiently decomposing and eliminating mold or floating fungi in the air, or sterilizing the air.

The self-traveling ion generator 1 is also capable of carrying out a particular ion-blowing operation based on the information from the environment sensors such as the odor sensor 29, the humidity sensor 30, the traveling route, and the human sensor 31. For example, the self-traveling ion generator 1 is capable of staying in a specified location for a certain period of time based on an ambient environment sensed by the environment sensors and intensively blowing the ion-containing air through the exhaust vent 5.

Another example of the ion-generating unit 4 used for this invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 illustrates a prospective view of the ion-generating unit 4. The ion-generating unit 4 has ion-dischargers 41a and 41b engaged with an exhaust passage. These ion-dischargers 41a and 41b are openings formed by, for example, circularly perforating a part of a resin housing of the ion-generating unit 4; and these openings are provided with the below-described electrodes for generating ions.

More specifically, the ion-dischargers 41a and 41b are provided with opposite electrodes 42 in common, respectively, and are also provided with needle-like discharge electrodes 43a and 43b, respectively. The discharge electrodes 43a and 43b each are a needle electrode that sharpens at its tip, and the opposite electrodes 42 are openings perforated in such a way as to encompass the discharge electrodes 43a and 43b, respectively.

The ion-generating unit 4 has a high-voltage circuit installed in its body part 45 and is provided with two terminals 46 disposed on its side surface (or on its bottom in FIG. 7) so that electric power supplied from the battery 6 through the terminals 46 actuates the ion-generating unit.

The high-voltage circuit in the body part 45 applies a positive or negative high voltage having an alternating-current or impulse waveform to the discharge electrodes 43a and 43b. As described above, the ion-generating unit 4 has the plurality of discharge electrodes; and the high voltage having the positive impulse waveform is applied, for example, to the discharge electrode 43a. In this case, ions generated by ionization bind with water in the air; and positive cluster ions mainly including H+(H2O)m are generated.

The high voltage having the negative impulse waveform is applied to the discharge electrode 43b, and ions generated by ionization bind with water in the air, with the result that negative cluster ions mainly including O2−(H2O)n are generated. m and n each represent any number of non-negative integers.

The ionized H+(H2O)m and O2−(H2O)n blown into the air attach to an outer surface of fungi and are changed to active species by chemical reactions such as H2O2 and —OH. H2O2 and —OH have a greatly strong activity; therefore, they enclose the floating fungi in the air to eliminate or sterilize the fungi. In this case, —OH is one of the active species and indicates a radical —OH.

The above-described ion-generating unit 4 is one example of its contexture for generating the positive ions and the negative ions simultaneously, and the ion-generating unit provided with only one discharge electrode is capable of generating the positive ions and the negative ions alternately while the alternating-current high voltage is applied to the discharge electrode. Instead of generating the positive and negative ions, the ion-generating unit may have a contexture for generating only the negative ions.

<<General Structure of a Self-Traveling Vacuum Cleaner>>

FIG. 13 illustrates a prospective view of a self-traveling vacuum cleaner exemplifying an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-section view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13, viewed along arrows A-A in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 illustrates a bottom plan view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 illustrates explanatory drawings of various sloped plates to be placed on the self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 17 illustrates a corresponding drawing of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 14 whose cover is open and also illustrates a dust collection member pulled out from the self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 18 illustrates a prospective view of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13 from where a top board of a housing, a control circuit board, etc. are pulled out.

FIG. 19 illustrates a block diagram indicating an electrical contexture of the self-traveling vacuum cleaner illustrated in FIG. 13.

A self-traveling vacuum cleaner 201 (hereinafter referred to as “the cleaning robot”) of this invention is a cleaning robot that cleans a floor surface by sucking in air containing dust on the floor surface and by blowing air without the dust while self-traveling on the floor surface of a location where the self-traveling vacuum cleaner is placed.

The cleaning robot 201 includes a disk-like housing 202; and this housing 202 is provided inside or outside with components such as a rotary brush 209, a side broom 210, a dust collection box 230, a blower having an electric fan 222, a pair of drive wheels 229, a rear wheel 226, front support wheels 227, and a controller including various sensors.

The side of the cleaning robot 201 where the front support wheels 227 are disposed indicates the forward side, the side where the rear wheel 226 is disposed indicates the backward side, and a region where the dust collection box 230 is disposed indicates a middle part of the cleaning robot.

The housing 202 includes a bottom plate 202a in a round shape from a planar view having a suction vent 206 disposed at the forward side near a border between the forward side and the middle part; and a top board 202b having a cover 203 disposed at the middle part, the cover being configured to open and close so that the dust collection box 230 can be pulled out of or inserted into the housing 202. The housing also includes a side plate 202c in the form of a ring from a planar view disposed along outer peripheries of the bottom plate 202a and of the top board 202b. The bottom plate 202a is provided with openings for allowing lower parts of the front support wheels 227, of the pair of drive wheels 229, and of the rear wheel 226 to project from the housing 2. The top board 202b is provided with an exhaust vent 207 near the border between the forward side and the middle part. The side plate 202b is divided into two portions in front and in the rear, and the front portion of the side plate functions as a bumper.

The housing 202 is provided with a sloped plate U (see FIG. 14) disposed at a border between the bottom plate 202a and the front portion of the side plate 202c and linking smoothly with a bottom of the housing in the vicinity of the front support wheels 227 as a front lower end of the housing 202 is positioned as a front end. The front side-plate 202c functions as the bumper and is installed together with a spring (not illustrated) so as to project from the housing 202. Once the cleaning robot 201 collides with an object while self-traveling, the front side-plate 202c slides backward to absorb impact. The sloped plate U is configured to link smoothly with the bottom in the vicinity of the front support wheels 227 at the front end of the front lower end of the housing 202 as the front side-plate 202c slides backward. A lower end of the front side-plate 202c curves or is folded toward the bottom side of the housing to form the front lower end. The sloped plate U is configured to tilt smoothly in such a way that a distance between the sloped plate U and a floor surface F becomes closer as heading from its front part toward its rear part; therefore, the cleaning robot 201 lifts its front part when the sloped plate U comes in contact with a corner of a level difference. The cleaning robot 201 can, therefore, climb over the level difference smoothly.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the housing 202 has a front chamber R1 disposed therein at the forward side; a middle chamber R2 disposed therein at the middle part; and a rear chamber R3 disposed therein at the backward side. The housing also has a suction passage 211 and an exhaust passage 212, both of the passages are disposed near the border between the forward side and the middle part.

The front chamber R1 accommodates a motor unit 220 (blower) having the electric fan 222, an inner housing 221 encompassing the exhaust passages 212 and 224, an ion-generating unit 225 disposed at the exhaust passages, etc. (see FIG. 18). The middle chamber R2 accommodates the dust collection box 230. The rear chamber R3 accommodates a control plate 215 functioning as a controller, a battery 214, charging terminals 204, etc. The suction passage 211 connects the suction vent 206 (see FIG. 14) to the middle chamber R2, and the exhaust passage 212 connects the middle chamber R2 to the front chamber R1. The chambers R1, R2, and R3, the suction passage 211, and the exhaust passage 212 are walled with a divider 239 in the housing 202 (see FIG. 17).

The drive wheels 229 are fastened to rotation shafts, respectively, intersecting perpendicular to a center line C extending along a center of the housing 202 in a round shape from a planar view and along a travel direction. The housing 202 travels forward or backward when the pair of drive wheels 229 rotates in a same direction, and the housing 202 rotates on the center line C when the pair of drive wheels 229 rotates in opposite directions.

The pair of drive wheels 229 is connected with a pair of traveling motors (not illustrated), respectively, to obtain driving forces from the traveling motors, respectively; and each traveling motor is fastened directly with the bottom plate 202a of the housing or through a suspension mechanism.

Each front support wheel 227 includes a roller and is installed rotatably on a part of the bottom plate 202a of the housing 202 in such a way as to be raised slightly apart from the floor surface F where comes in contact with the drive wheels 229 so that the housing 202 can climb over a level difference on its way upon collision.

The rear wheel 226 includes a swivel wheel and is installed rotatably on a part of the bottom plate 202a of the housing 202 in such a way as to come in contact with the floor surface F where comes in contact with the drive wheels 229.

As described above, the cleaning robot is provided with the pair of drive wheels 229 disposed in the middle of a forward-backward direction with respect to the housing 202; and the front support wheels 227 are raised apart from the floor surface F, in such a way that a weight of the cleaning robot 201 is supported on the pair of drive wheels 229 and the rear wheel 226, with the result that the weight is distributed in the forward-backward direction with respect to the housing 202. This allows the cleaning robot to suck in the dust laying in the travel direction through the suction vent 206 while the front support wheels 227 do not block a sucking operation.

The suction vent 206 is an open region at a concave 208 formed on the bottom of the housing 202 (a lower surface of the bottom plate 202a) and facing to the floor surface F. Provided in this concave 208 is the rotary brush 209 rotating on a first shaft center parallel to the bottom of the housing 202. The concave 208 is provided at its both sides with the side brooms 210 rotating on second shaft centers perpendicular to the bottom of the housing 202. The rotary brush 209 has brushes implanted in an outer periphery of a rotation shaft as a roller in a spiral manner. The side brooms 210 each have brush bundles disposed at a lower end of a rotation shaft and extending in a radial pattern. The rotation shaft of the rotary brush 209 and the rotation shafts of the pair of side brooms 210 are supported rotatably by a part of the bottom plate 202a of the housing 202 and are connected to each other through a power transmission mechanism including a drive motor M (see FIG. 18), a pulley, a belt, etc., all of these components are provided in the vicinity of the rotary brush and the side brooms.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the housing 202 is provided at its bottom with a floor-sensing sensor 213 and floor-sensing sensors 219, the floor-sensing sensor 213 being disposed between the bottom of the housing 202 and the front support wheels 227 to sense the floor surface F; and the floor-sensing sensors 219 being disposed in front and by the side of the drive wheels 229, respectively, to sense the floor surface F. When the floor-sensing sensor 213 senses a downward staircase, the floor-sensing sensor 213 sends a sensing signal to the controller; and the controller controls the pair of drive wheels 229 to stop. Even when the floor-sensing sensor 213 malfunctions, the floor-sensing sensors 219 sense a downward staircase and stop the pair of drive wheels 229; therefore, the cleaning robot 201 is prevented from falling down to the downward staircase. When the floor-sensing sensors 219 sense a downward staircase, the floor-sensing sensors 219 send a sensing signal to the controller; and the controller may control the drive wheels 229 to travel backward or to rotate in order to avoid the downward staircase.

FIG. 16 illustrates schematic views of the cleaning robot illustrated in FIG. 15. The housing 202 is provided at its bottom with the sloped plate U disposed between a front lower end T and the front support wheels 227. The sloped plate U is formed by tilting the bottom plate 202a of the housing 202. The sloped plate U is configured to link smoothly with the bottom in the vicinity of the front support wheels 227 as the front lower end T is positioned as a front end. The sloped plate U is designed to have a predetermined width extending from a center line of the housing to right and left, the center line extending along the travel direction.

The sloped plate may be configured such as a fan-shaped plate U1 spreading to the both sides at an angle of 30° from the neighborhood of the front support wheels 227 toward the front (see FIG. 16(a)), a fan-shaped plate U2 spreading to the both sides at an angle of 60° toward the front (see FIG. 16(b)), or a semicircle-shaped plate U3 bordered by a straight line parallel to a rotation shaft of each front support wheel 227 and by the curved front lower end of the housing in front of this straight line (see FIG. 16(c)). Alternatively, an area U4 encompassing the front support wheels 227 and bordered by the following four lines: a straight line parallel to the rotation shaft of each front support wheel 227 whose length is longer than a width of the front support wheel 227—for example, three times as long as the width of the front support wheel; two straight lines extending from both ends of the above-described straight line toward the front; and the curved front lower end of the housing lengthened between these two straight lines (see FIG. 16(d)).

The control plate 215 of the cleaning robot 201 is equipped with a control circuit for controlling components such as the drive wheels 229, the rotary brush 209, the side brooms 210, and the electric fan 222.

The side plate 202c of the housing 202 is provided at its rear end with the charging terminals 204 for charging the battery 214. The cleaning robot 201 cleaning while self-traveling inside a room returns to a charging station 240 placed in the room. The battery 214, therefore, starts being charged once the charging terminals 204 come in contact with terminals 241, respectively, installed on the charging station 240. The charging station 240 is usually connected with a commercial power supply (e.g., a wall outlet) installed on a side wall S of the room.

The battery 214 is charged by the charging station 240 through the charging terminals 204 and supplies an electric power to components such as the control panel 215, the traveling motors for driving the drive wheels 229, the drive motor for driving the rotary brush 209 and the side brooms 210, the electric fan 222, and the various sensors.

The dust collection box 230 is usually accommodated in the middle chamber R2 in the housing 202 and can be pulled out of or inserted into the middle chamber (see FIG. 17) by opening the cover 203 of the housing 202 to discard the dust collected in the dust collection box 230.

The dust collection box 230 includes a dust collection cup 231 having an opening, a filter 233 for covering the opening of the dust collection cup 231, and a cover 232 for covering the filter 233 and the opening of the dust collection cup 231. The cover 232 and the filter 233 are axially fastened rotatably to a front edge of the opening of the dust collection cup 231.

The dust collection cup 231 is provided at its side front part with an inflow passage 234 and a discharge passage 235. The inflow passage 234 connects with the suction passage 211 in the housing 202 in the case where the dust collection box 230 is accommodated in the middle chamber R2 in the housing 202. The discharge passage 235 connects with the exhaust passage 212 in the housing 202 in the case where the dust collection box 230 is accommodated in the middle chamber R2 in the housing 202.

The controller controls all functions of the cleaning robot 201. The controller is equipped with the control plate 215 having the control circuit including a CPU 215a (see FIG. 19) and other electronic components (not illustrated). The controller also includes a memory 218 for storing a traveling route 218a, a motor driver 222a for driving the electric fan 222, and motor drivers 251a for driving traveling motors 251 of the drive wheels 229. The controller further includes a louver 217 and a control unit 217a for driving the louver, the louver 217 being provided rotatably in the vicinity of the exhaust vent 207 in the housing 202. Furthermore, the controller includes an odor sensor 252 and its control unit 252a; a humidity sensor 253 and its control unit 253a; a human sensor 254 and its control unit 254a; a collision sensor 255 and its control unit 255a; and the like.

The CPU 215a is a central processing unit and sends control signals individually to the motor drivers 222a and 251a and the control unit 217a on the basis of program data previously stored in the memory 218. The CPU 215a also controls the electric fan 222, the traveling motors 251, and the louver 217 and carries out a series of a cleaning operation and an ion-blowing operation.

The CPU 215a controls the memory 218 to receive condition settings of functions of the cleaning robot 201 programmed by a user from an operating panel (not illustrated) and to store the condition settings. This memory 218 is capable of storing the traveling route 218a of an area where the cleaning robot 201 is placed. The traveling route 218a indicates the information about a traveling record of the cleaning robot 201 such as a traveling pathway or a traveling speed, and the traveling route can be stored in the memory 218 in two different ways: a user stores a traveling route in the memory 218 in advance, and the memory 218 records a traveling route in an automated way while the cleaning robot 201 cleans.

The odor sensor 252 senses odor around the housing 202. Usable as the odor sensor 252 are, for example, a semiconductor-type odor sensor and a contact combustion-type odor sensor. The odor sensor 252 is disposed on the cleaning robot 201 in such a way as to project outward, for example, from the side plate 202c or the top board 202b of the housing 202 in order to sense the odor around the cleaning robot 201. The CPU 215a is connected to the odor sensor 252 through the control unit 252a and receives the information about the odor around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the odor sensor 252.

The humidity sensor 253 senses humidity around the housing 202. Usable as the humidity sensor 253 are, for example, a capacitance humidity sensor made of a moisture-sensitive polymer material and an electric-resistive humidity sensor. The humidity sensor 253 is disposed on the housing 202 in such a way as to project outward, for example, from the side plate 202c or the top board 202b of the housing 2 in order to sense relative humidity around the cleaning robot 201. The CPU 215a is connected to the humidity sensor 253 through the control unit 253a and receives the information about the humidity around the housing 202 based on an output signal from the humidity sensor 253.

The traveling route 218a may store in advance, as a specific location where the cleaning robot 201 is placed, a location where has odor with a level higher than a threshold level or a location where has humidity with a level higher than a threshold level. This allows the CPU 215a to detect the specific location as the stored location based on an ambient environment of the housing 202. Namely, the traveling route 218a plays a part as an environment sensor that senses the ambient environment of the housing 202 in a similar way to the odor sensor 252 and the humidity sensor 253.

The human sensor 254 is to sense the presence of a human with use of, for example, infrared light, ultrasound wave, or visible light. The human sensor 254 is disposed in such a way as to project outward, for example, from the side plate 202c or the top board 202b of the housing 202 in order to sense the human around the cleaning robot 201. The CPU 215a is connected to the human sensor 254 through the control unit 254a and receives the existence information about the human around the housing 2 based on an output signal from the human sensor 254.

The collision sensor 255 is disposed, for example, at a front part of the side plate 202c of the housing 202 to sense a collision of the cleaning robot 201 with an object while the cleaning robot travels. The CPU 215a is connected to the collision sensor 255 through the control unit 255a and receives the existence information about the object around the housing 202 based on an output signal from the collision sensor 255.

The cleaning robot 201 as structured above drives the electric fan 222, the ion-generating unit 225, the drive wheels 229, the rotary brush 209, and the side brooms 210 at a directive of the cleaning operation. The housing 202, therefore, sucks in air containing dust on the floor surface F through the suction vent 206 while self-traveling in a predetermined area as the rotary brush 209, the side brooms 210, the drive wheels 229, and the rear wheel 226 come in contact with the floor surface F. This allows the rotary brush 209 to rake up the dust on the floor surface F and to bring the dust to the suction vent 206. This also allows the rotating side brooms 210 to bring the dust around the suction vent 206 to the suction vent 206.

The dust-containing air sucked into the housing 202 through the suction vent 206 passes through the suction passage 211 in the housing 202 (as illustrated in FIG. 14, along an arrow A1) and through the inflow passage 234 of the dust collection box 230 and flows into the dust collection cup 231. The airflow flown into the dust collection cup 231 flows into a space between the filter 233 and the cover 232 through the filter 233 and is blown into the exhaust passage 212 in the housing 202 through the discharge passage 235. In this case, the dust contained in the airflow in the dust collection cup 231 is filtered through the filter 233 and is collected in the dust collection cup 231.

The airflow flown into the exhaust passage 212 in the housing 202 from the dust collection box 230 flows into the front chamber R1 (as illustrated in FIG. 14, along an arrow A2) and passes through a first exhaust passage 224a and a second exhaust passage 224b (see FIG. 18). The airflow passing through the second exhaust passage 224b contains ions generated by the ion-generating unit 225. The ion-containing airflow is blown out obliquely upward toward the back of the housing through the exhaust vent 207 disposed on the top surface of the housing 2 (as illustrated in FIG. 14, along an arrow A3). The floor surface F is, therefore, cleaned; and the ions contained in the airflow blown out of the cleaning robot 201 sterilize and deodorize the air in the room. Because the ions are blown out obliquely upward toward the back of the housing through the exhaust vent 207, the dust on the floor surface F is prevented from being blown up, with the result that the air in the room improves cleanness. The ions blown out of the ion-generating unit 225 may be either negative ions or positive ions, or the both. In the case where the both negative ions and positive ions are blown out, it brings about a particularly excellent effect such as cleanness, sterilization, or deodorization of the air.

The airflow passing through the second exhaust passage 224b may flow partially into the concave 208. Because the airflow flown into the suction passage 211 from the suction vent 206 contains the ions, the inside of the dust collection cup 231 in the dust collection box 230 and the filter 233 can be sterilized and deodorized. The ion-containing airflow is also capable of electrically neutralizing the dust and the like and inhibiting the dust from electrostatically adsorbing to the dust collection cup 231 and the like.

The cleaning robot 201 travels forward as the both drive wheels 229 rotate forward in a same direction and travels backward as the both drive wheels rotate backward in a same direction, and the cleaning robot rotates on the center line C as the drive wheels rotate in directions opposite from each other. For example, in the case where the cleaning robot 201 arrives at a rim of a traveling region or collides with an object on its way, the drive wheels 229 stop; and then both the drive wheels 229 rotate in directions opposite from each other, with the result that the cleaning robot redirects its travel direction. This allows the cleaning robot 201 to self-travel in all around an area where the cleaning robot 201 is placed or in all around a desired area as avoiding the object.

The three components of the cleaning robot 201—the both drive wheels 229 and the rear wheel 226—are configured to come in contact with the ground so that the weight of the cleaning robot is distributed in a balanced manner in such a way that the rear wheel 226 is not lifted from the floor surface F upon sudden stop during forward traveling. In case the cleaning robot 201 suddenly stops just before a downward staircase during forward traveling, the cleaning robot 201 is prevented from falling down to the downward staircase as leaning forward. Each drive wheel 229 includes a rubber tire fitted onto a groove of a wheel bearer so that the drive wheels do not skid upon sudden stop.

Since the dust collection box 230 is disposed above the rotation shafts of the drive wheels 229, the cleaning robot 201 increased in weight because of the collected dust can still maintain its weight balance.

The cleaning robot 201 is capable of carrying out particular functions based on the information from the environment sensors such as the odor sensor 252, the humidity sensor 253, the traveling route 218a, and the human sensor 254. For example, the cleaning robot 201 is capable of staying in a specified location for a certain period of time based on an ambient environment sensed by the environment sensors and blowing the ion-containing airflow through the exhaust vent 207.

The cleaning robot 201 returns to the charging station 240 after cleaning. The battery 214, therefore, starts being charged once the charging terminals 204 come in contact with the terminals 241, respectively.

The cleaning robot 201 is also capable of driving the electric fan 222 and the ion-generating unit 225 after returning to the charging station 240. In this case, the ion-containing airflow is blown out obliquely upward toward the back of the housing through the exhaust vent 207; and the ion-containing airflow ascends along the side wall S and flows along a ceiling and a wall opposite from the side wall S of the room. The ions, therefore, are spread throughout the room and can improve the effect such as the sterilization or the deodorization of the air. The cleaning robot 201 is, therefore, capable of carrying out the ion-blowing operation only.

The cleaning robot 201 is provided with an operating member on its top surface and is capable of carrying out the cleaning operation and the ion-blowing operation with use of the operating member. The cleaning robot is also provided with a receiving member in the housing 202, and the receiving member may be provided with a transmitter for sending a directive signal to the receiving member so that the cleaning robot can be remotely controlled. The cleaning robot 201 may also be remotely controlled by sending a directive signal from a cellular phone known as a smartphone via the Internet connection and a router placed in a room.

This invention may have a variety of varied examples besides the above-described embodiments. These varied examples should not be excluded from the scope of this invention. This invention should include the scope of claims and all varied examples comparable to those in claims and within the claims.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

  • 1: self-traveling ion generator; 2: housing; 2a: bottom plate; 2b: rear side-plate; 2c: front side-plate; 2d: top cover; 2e: bottom cover; 3: inflow vent; 4: ion-generating unit; 41a, 41b: ion-discharger; 42: opposite electrode; 43a, 43b: discharge electrode; 45: main body; 46: terminal; 5: exhaust vent; 6: battery; 7: electric fan; 8: filter; 9: cover for an inflow vent 3; 10: drive member for driving a cover 9 for an inflow vent 3; 11: cover for an exhaust vent 5; 12: drive member for driving a cover 11 for an exhaust vent 5; 13: controller; 14: control circuit board; 15: drive wheel; 15a: rotation shaft; 16: front support wheel; 17: rear wheel; 18, 19: floor-sensing sensor; 20: charging terminal; 21: charging station; 22: terminal; 23: CPU; 24: ROM; 25: RAM; 26: I/O port; 27: driver circuit; 28: memory; 29: odor sensor; 30: humidity sensor; 31: human sensor; 32: collision sensor; 100: self-traveling electronic apparatus; 101: housing; 102: front bottom portion; 103: front support wheel; 104: sloped plate; 105: cover; 106: inflow vent; 107: exhaust vent; 108: drive wheel; 109: rear wheel; 111: bumper; 201: cleaning robot; 202: housing; 202a: bottom plate; 202b: top board; 202c: front side-plate; 203: cover; 204: charging terminal; 206: suction vent; 207: exhaust vent; 208: concave; 209: rotary brush; 210: side broom; 211: suction passage; 212: exhaust passage; 213: floor-sensing sensor; 214: battery; 215: control circuit board; 215a: CPU; 217: louver; 217a: control unit; 218: memory; 218a: traveling route; 219: floor-sensing sensor; 220: motor unit (blower); 221: inner housing; 222: electric fan; 222a: motor driver; 224a: first exhaust passage; 224b: second exhaust passage; 225: ion-generating unit; 226: rear wheel; 227: front support wheel; 229: drive wheel; 230: dust collection box; 231: dust collection cup; 232: cover; 233: filter; 234: inflow passage; 235: discharge passage; 239: divider; 240: charging station; 241: terminal; 251: traveling motor; 251a: motor driver; 252: odor sensor; 252a: control unit; 253: humidity sensor; 253a: control unit; 254: human sensor; 254a: control unit; 255: collision sensor; 255a: control unit; R1: front chamber; R2: middle chamber; R3: rear chamber

Claims

1. A self-traveling electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing;
a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface;
a follower wheel disposed on the bottom of the housing and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing; and
a sloped plate disposed so as to lay smoothly from a front lower end of the housing to the bottom in a travel direction, wherein
the housing has a bumper slidable in the travel direction; and a front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

2. The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a front support wheel disposed at a rear part of the sloped plate but disposed in front of the drive wheel and the follower wheel, wherein the front support wheel is disposed in such a way that its lower end is positioned lower than the bottom but higher than the floor surface.

3. The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the bumper has a curved part formed by folding its lower end backward, and the curved part may function as the front lower end.

4. The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sloped plate is designed to have a predetermined width extending from a front center of the housing to right and left, and the sloped plate may be lower in height from the floor surface than the bottom on both sides of the sloped plate, in its width direction.

5. The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sloped plate may be formed by integrating with the bottom of the housing or may be formed individually.

6. The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the self-traveling electronic apparatus may be manufactured to function as a self-traveling ion generator blowing an ion flow or as a self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

Patent History
Publication number: 20150134179
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 11, 2013
Publication Date: May 14, 2015
Inventors: Koji Murakami (Osaka-shi), Choji Yoshida (Osaka-shi)
Application Number: 14/394,847
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Automatic Route Guidance Vehicle (701/23)
International Classification: A47L 9/00 (20060101);