Autonomous travel-type cleaner

• US 10,271,705 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shigeto, Motonobu, Watanabe, Kenji, Ogahara, Hideharu, Matsumura, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Marc
• Application Number:
  US15/329,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20180206686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0472 Discs
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles

Abstract

Once it is determined in Step S2 that a corner has been detected, a control unit causes a body to perform a reciprocating motion and initiate corner cleaning in Step S3. Then, once it is determined in Step S4 that a rubbish detection sensor detects no rubbish, the corner cleaning is terminated in Step S6. Once it is determined in Step S4 that the rubbish detection sensor detects rubbish, the corner cleaning continues to be executed by the body being caused to perform the reciprocating motion in Step S5. In other words, an autonomous travel-type cleaner is realized that can remove a large amount of the rubbish accumulating at the corner by causing the body to perform the reciprocating motion.

Claims

1. An autonomous travel-type cleaner comprising:

a body including a suction port open in a bottom surface of the body;

a suction unit mounted on the body and operable to suck air from the suction port;

a corner detection unit configured to detect a corner of household walls;

a driving unit configured to move the body on a household floor;

a dirt sensor configured to detect dirt sucked by the suction unit; and

a control unit programmed to perform a corner cleaning operation in which the control unit controls the drive unit to reciprocally move the body in a corner of household walls when the corner detection unit detects that the body is in the corner of the household walls, wherein the control unit is programmed to terminate the corner cleaning operation when the dirt sensor detects that dirt in the corner becomes less than an amount detectable by the dirt sensor.

2. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1, wherein the control unit is programmed to control the drive unit to swing the body left and right in the corner of the household walls.

3. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes:

right and left wheels;

a right traveling motor operable to drive the right wheel;

a left traveling motor operable to drive the left wheel; and

,

wherein the control unit is programmed to control the drive unit to swing the body left and right by repeatedly driving the right and left wheels forward and backward alternately in opposite directions.

4. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body is formed generally in a triangular shape in a plane view and has three rounded corners and three outwardly arcuate side surfaces.

5. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1,

wherein the suction unit includes an air-suctioning electric fan, and

wherein the control unit is programmed to increase a suction force of the electric fan during the corner cleaning operation.

6. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a side brush placed on the bottom surface of the body; and

a brush driving motor operable to drive the side brush,

wherein the control unit is programmed to control the brush driving motor to increase a rotation speed of the side brush during the corner cleaning operation.

7. The autonomous travel-type cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a main brush placed at the suction port; and

a brush driving motor operable to drive the main brush,

wherein the control unit is programmed to control the brush driving motor to increase a rotation speed of the main brush during the corner cleaning operation.