Autonomous-travel cleaning robot

• US 9,931,009 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2013
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Miraikikai, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Miraikikai, Inc.
• Inventors: Miyake, Tohru, Matsuuchi, Hideto, Morita, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/431,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20150272413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 700258, 701 23, 15319, 15383, 15384, 3185681, 136244
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/38 Machines, specially adapted for cleaning walls, ceilings, roofs, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 40/20 Cleaning; Removing snow
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/6485 by taking into account surface type, e.g. carpeting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2105/10 for cleaning, vacuuming or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2107/75 Electric power generation plants
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2109/10 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2111/52 generated by inertial navigation means, e.g. gyroscopes or accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/10 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Provided is a self-propelled cleaning robot that can efficiently clean a flat surface even if a step is formed. The self-propelled cleaning robot that self-travels on a structure to clean a flat surface of the structure, the structure being installed in an outdoor location, the robot includes: a robot main body (2) in which a self-propelled moving mechanism (4) is provided; a cleaning unit (10) that is provided in a front portion and/or a rear portion of the robot main body (2); and a controller (30) that controls activation of the moving mechanism (4). At this point, the controller (30) includes an attitude controller (35) that detects an attitude of the robot main body (2), the attitude controller (35) includes a floating detection sensor (36) that detects floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body (2), and, when the floating detection sensor (36) detects the floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body (2), the controller (30) controls the activation of the moving mechanism (4) such that the cleaning unit (10) passes through a place where the floating is detected after the floating is eliminated.

Claims

1. A self-propelled cleaning robot that self-travels on a structure to clean a flat surface of the structure, the structure being installed in an outdoor location, the self-propelled cleaning robot, comprising:

a robot main body in which a self-propelled moving means is provided;

a cleaning unit that is provided in a front portion and/or a rear portion of the robot main body; and

a controller that controls activation of the moving means in order to move the cleaning robot in a moving direction,

wherein the controller includes an attitude controller that detects an attitude of the robot main body,

the attitude controller includes a floating detection sensor that detects floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body, and

when the floating detection sensor detects the floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body, recognizing an unsatisfied cleaning portion where the floating is detected, the controller controls the activation of the moving means in order to move the cleaning robot in a direction, which is 180 degrees opposite to the moving direction, such that the cleaning unit passes through the unsatisfied cleaning portion after the floating is eliminated.

2. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the floating detection sensor is an inclination sensor that detects an inclination of the robot main body.

3. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the cleaning unit includes a brush that is rotated by a motor, and

the floating detection sensor is a motor monitoring sensor that detects an activation state of the motor.

4. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the flat surface of the structure is installed in an inclined manner with respect to a horizontal direction, the flat surface having an inclination angle,

the floating detection sensor is an inclination sensor that detects the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure,

the controller activates the moving means such that the moving means travels on the flat surface when the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is less than a predetermined angle, and

the controller activates the moving means such that the moving means stops the travel on the flat surface when the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle.

5. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein

the structure further includes a base that accommodates the self-propelled cleaning robot therein,

the controller activates the moving means such that the moving means moves from the flat surface to the base when the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle, and the controller activates the moving means such that the moving means moves from the base to travel on the flat surface when the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is less than the predetermined angle.

6. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein

the robot main body includes a fixing unit that fixes the robot main body to the structure, and

the controller stops the travel on the flat surface to fix to the robot main body to the structure using the fixing unit when detecting that the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle, and the controller releases the robot main body fixed to the structure by the fixing unit to cause the robot main body to travel on the flat surface when detecting that the inclination angle of the flat surface of the structure is less than the predetermined angle.

7. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the structure is a solar cell array or a condensing mirror, the solar cell array or the condensing mirror being formed by arraying a plurality of solar cell modules or mirrors.

8. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

another cleaning unit that is provided in another portion from the one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body where the cleaning unit is provided, wherein

the controller controls the another cleaning unit in the same fashion as the cleaning unit is controlled.

9. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein

the structure is a solar cell array or a condensing mirror, the solar cell array or the condensing mirror being formed by arraying a plurality of solar cell modules or mirrors.

10. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the floating detection sensor is an inclination sensor that detects an inclination angle of the robot main body,

before staring moving on the flat surface, the controller detects the inclination angle of the robot main body with the inclination sensor, the inclination angle being defined as an initial reference angle and stored in the controller,

while traveling on the flat surface, the controller monitors the inclination angle of the robot main body, the inclination angle monitored being defined as a working angle stored in the controller,

the controller determines whether or not the robot main body is floating above the flat surface of the structure based on a comparison between the initial reference angle and the working angle, and storing an activation record of the moving means while a floating of the robot main body is detected.

11. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein

when the floating is no longer determined, the controller causes the moving means to move in a direction that is 180 degrees opposite to the moving direction.

12. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein

when the floating of the robot main body is determined, the controller causes

the cleaning unit to keep running and

the moving means to keep traveling in the moving direction until the working angle becomes equal to or less than the initial reference angle.

13. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein

the activation record is composed mainly with a period that is determined from a timing when the floating occurs to another timing when the floating dissolves.

14. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein

the activation record is composed mainly with a moving path that is determined from a spot where the floating occurs to another spot where the floating dissolves.

15. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein

the activation record is composed mainly with a moving linear distance that is determined from a spot where the floating occurs to another spot where the floating dissolves.

16. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein

the controller determines the floating of the robot main body when an angle difference between the initial reference angle and the working angle is at least 1 degree.

17. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 16, wherein

when the floating of the robot main body is no longer determined, the controller

determines an unsatisfied cleaning portion where the floating was determined, and

causes the cleaning unit to pass through the unsatisfied cleaning portion by referring to the activation record stored in the controller.

18. A self-propelled cleaning robot that self-travels on a structure to clean a flat surface of the structure, the structure being installed in an outdoor location, the self-propelled cleaning robot, comprising:

a robot main body in which a self-propelled moving means is provided;

a cleaning unit that is provided in either a front portion or a rear portion of the robot main body; and

a controller that controls activation of the moving means,

wherein the controller includes an attitude controller that detects an attitude of the robot main body,

the attitude controller includes a floating detection sensor that detects floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body where the cleaning unit is disposed, and

while the floating detection sensor detects the floating in the one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body, the controller continues to activate the moving means to move in a moving direction, recognizing an unsatisfied cleaning portion where the cleaning unit does not contact to the flat surface of the structure, next

the controller

activates the moving means to move in a rearward direction, which is opposite to the moving direction, when the floating is no longer detected and

keeps the moving means to move in the rearward direction until the cleaning unit completes to pass through the unsatisfied cleaning portion.

19. The self-propelled cleaning robot according to claim 18, wherein

the floating detection sensor is an inclination sensor that detects an inclination angle of the robot main body,

before staring moving on the flat surface, the controller detects the inclination angle of the robot main body, the inclination angle being defined as an initial reference angle and stored in the controller,

while traveling on the flat surface, the controller monitors the inclination angle of the robot main body, the inclination angle monitored being defined as a working angle stored in the controller,

the controller determines whether or not the floating is detected based on a comparison between the initial reference angle and the working angle, and storing an activation record of the moving means while the floating of the robot main body is detected.