AUTONOMOUS-TRAVEL CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20150272413A1
• Filed: 12/25/2013
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Miraikikai, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Miraikikai, Inc.
• Inventors: Miyake, Tohru, Matsuuchi, Hideto, Morita, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,931,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 an 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 means(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 means (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 means (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,

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, the controller controls the activation of the moving means such that the cleaning unit passes through a place where the floating is detected 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.

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.

4. 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 where an inclination angle of the flat surface changes with respect to a horizontal direction, 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,

wherein 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 in the case that the structure includes a base that holds the self-propelled cleaning robot,

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.

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