JPH04126115A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the vacuum cleaner which can identify exactly a cleaning object by providing an ultrasonic transmitting means and a reflected wave receiving means on a hose handy part in a state that the transmitting/receiving direction is turned to the cleaning object in the vicinity of a suction part, discriminating the kind of the leaning object, based on a received signal waveform, and controlling suction force by a result of its discrimination. CONSTITUTION:A transmitting part 2 can transmit an ultrasonic wave to a detecting part 9a being in the vicinity of a suction part 5c, in such a case, to a cleaning object part being in the rear side of the suction part 5c, and also, a receiving part 3 is turned to the receiving direction so that a reflected wave from the detecting part 9a can be received. When the kind of a cleaning object 9 is identified, a main control circuit 11 outputs a prescribed signal determined at every kind to a suction motor control circuit 12 contained in a cleaner main body 6 and a rotary brush driving motor control circuit 13 contained in the suction part 5c.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner that cleans objects to be cleaned by moving a suction section at the end of a hose attached to the vacuum cleaner body, and particularly relates to a vacuum cleaner that uses ultrasonic waves. The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner that determines the type of object to be cleaned and changes control of suction amount, etc.

Conventional vacuum cleaners with the function of determining the type of objects to be cleaned using ultrasonic waves as described above include those with an ultrasonic sensor attached to the suction part (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-300732, etc.), Mounted on the machine body (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-29563.6
No.) is known.

However, in the former case, since the ultrasonic sensor is close to the point where dust is sucked, there is a drawback that it is easily affected by the adhesion of dirt and dust. On the other hand, in the latter case, the main body of the vacuum cleaner is not necessarily placed on the object to be cleaned, and there is a problem that there is a high possibility of misidentifying the object to be cleaned.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner that is less susceptible to dust and dust and can accurately identify objects to be cleaned.

The present invention is a vacuum cleaner that cleans an object by moving a suction section at the end of a hose attached to the vacuum cleaner body, and includes a transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a transmitting means for receiving reflected waves. A receiving means is provided at a hose proximal portion that grips the hose with the transmission/reception direction directed toward the object to be cleaned near the suction section, and detects the type of object to be cleaned based on the signal waveform received by the receiving means. The present invention is characterized in that the suction force in the suction section is controlled based on the identification result.

Further, the ultrasonic waves from the transmitting means are transmitted at intermittent time intervals, and within the transmission suspension period and after a certain period of time has elapsed since the transmission suspension, the ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the transmission means to the object to be cleaned based on the signal received by the reception means. It may be configured such that identification is performed.

In the present invention, a means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is provided at the proximal portion of the hose, and the transmitting and receiving direction of the means is directed toward the object to be cleaned near the suction portion. For this reason, the transmitting/receiving means is provided at a position away from the object to be cleaned. Further, during cleaning, the suction section is located above the object to be cleaned, and the detection surface by the transmitting/receiving means is located above the part of the object to be cleaned that is currently being cleaned.

In addition, since ultrasonic waves are transmitted intermittently and the object to be cleaned is identified based on the received signal from a certain period of time after the transmission period, the signals used for identification receive the transmitted waves directly. The resulting signal is eliminated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a front view showing one embodiment of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. 6 in the figure is a vacuum cleaner main body having a suction motor 7 therein, and a suction hose 5 is attached thereto.

The hose 5 has a hose proximal portion 5a in the middle to be held by hand, and the portion of the hose proximal portion 5a closer to the cleaner main body 6 is bellows-shaped and bendable. The hose proximal portion 5a is integrally formed with a cylindrical pipe 5b in the shape of a square, and a connecting vibrator whose length can be changed, for example, is provided at the distal end side of the hose proximal portion 5a. 5
d is attached, and a suction portion 5c is attached to the distal end side of the connecting vibe 5d. Note that the connecting vibrator 5d may have a constant length.

The suction portion 5c is formed to be swingable around a horizontal axis in the illustrated state, and a rotating brush 8 is provided inside.

Therefore, when cleaning the hose 5 by holding it by hand, the suction part 5c swings depending on the height of the hand holding the hose proximal portion 5a and the inclination of the surface of the object 9 to be cleaned, such as the floor.

An ultrasonic sensor 1 is provided in the pipe 5b portion of the hose proximal portion 5a. This ultrasonic sensor 1 has a second
As shown in the figure, it has a transmitting section 2 and a receiving section 3. Transmitter 2
is provided so as to be able to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the detecting section 9a located near the suction section 5c, in the case of this illustrated example, toward the part of the object to be cleaned located behind the suction section 5c, and the receiving section 3 It is provided so as to face the reception direction so that it can receive the reflected wave from the detection section 9a.

A wall 4 is provided on the outside of the transmitting section 2 and receiving section 3 described above and between them, and this wall 4 prevents signal interference between the transmitting section 2 and receiving section 3, and also prevents directivity. Improvements are being made.

A signal detected by the ultrasonic sensor 1 having such a configuration is given to a main control circuit 11 of a hand control section provided at the hose hand section 5a, as shown in FIG. This main control circuit 11 has a function of identifying the type of object to be cleaned 9 based on the signal from the ultrasonic sensor 1, and a function of controlling the transmission/reception timing of the ultrasonic sensor l. When the type 9 is identified, a predetermined signal determined for each type is output to the suction motor control circuit 12 built in the vacuum cleaner body 6 and the rotating brush drive motor control circuit 13 built in the suction part 5C. .

The signal to the suction motor control circuit 12 is transmitted through an electrical connection provided at the attachment part of the hose 5 to the vacuum cleaner body 6;
It is provided via wiring provided within the hose 5. The suction motor control circuit 12 controls the suction motor 7 when a signal is input.
Controls the rotation speed and rotation/stop of the motor. On the other hand, a signal to the rotary brush drive motor control circuit 13 is given via the wiring provided in the hose 5, and when the rotary brush drive motor control circuit 13 receives the signal, it similarly transmits the rotation built in the suction part 5C. Controls the rotation speed and rotation/stop of the brush drive motor.

Next, details of control in the vacuum cleaner configured as described above will be explained.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the processing when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. (a) shows the timing of transmission, (b) shows the transmitted wave A and received wave B, and (C) shows the received wave. It shows the timing of signal processing of B.

In other words, the main control circuit 11 controls the transmitter 2 to intermittently transmit ultrasonic waves. Then, after a period of time corresponding to the separation distance between the ultrasonic sensor 1 and the object 9 to be cleaned after transmission, the receiving unit 3 receives the reflected wave B from the object 9 to be cleaned.

At this time, in the main control circuit 11, a non-detection period T is defined as a period obtained by adding a certain period of time t2 after stopping the transmission to a transmission period t1 in which ultrasonic waves are transmitted intermittently. The type of object 9 to be cleaned is determined based on the reflected wave B during the excluded period. The reason for doing this is that if the receiving section 2 directly inputs the signal transmitted from the transmitting section 3, an error will occur in the type discrimination. The above-mentioned non-detection period T is provided.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the received signals detected in this way divided by type of object 9 to be cleaned, where (a) shows the case where the object to be cleaned is the floor, tile, or glass, and (b) ),
(C) and (d) are cases in which the objects to be cleaned are tatami mats, carpets, and carpets, respectively. In other words, there is clearly a difference in the amplitude of the received signal depending on the type of object 9 to be cleaned. The main control circuit 11 determines the type of the object to be cleaned 9 by using the different amplitudes as described above. For example, when the amplitude level of the reflected wave B is high, it is determined that it is a floor, and conversely, when it is close to the O level, it is determined that it is carpet.

By the way, when cleaning, the suction part 5c is connected to the object 9 to be cleaned.
When pushing or pulling on the object to be cleaned 9
If the suction part 5c is stuck tightly and cannot be moved, the suction part 5c may float.

Furthermore, when cleaning stairs or the like or when changing the location to be cleaned, the suction portion 5c is placed away from the object 9 to be cleaned.

When the above-mentioned type of cleaning object 9 is determined in such a usage state, a different determination is made each time the suction part 5c is separated from the cleaning object 9, and in reality, the floor, tiles, etc. are not cleaned. Even for the object 9, it is determined that the object is being cleaned, for example, a carpet, making it impossible to perform accurate determination. Also, each time you leave the object 9 to be cleaned,
The rotational control of the rotating brush 8, suction motor 7, etc. will change, and the changing motor noise will become harsh.

Therefore, the main control circuit 11 is provided with a memory circuit, and the amplitude of the received signal from the receiving section 3 is captured at fixed time intervals, for example, every 0.1 seconds, and is stored in the memory circuit. When the captured amplitude value becomes larger than the previous amplitude value, output control is performed according to that amplitude value, and conversely, when the amplitude value becomes smaller, the output control is performed continuously for the amplitude value for which output control is being performed. The number of times the amplitude decreases is counted, and if the amplitude decreases for a certain period of time or more, for example, 5 seconds (50 counts) or more, the control is switched to correspond to the amplitude.

Thereby, even if the suction part 5C is separated from the object 9 to be cleaned and the received wave becomes weak, it is possible to control the suction part 5C without responding suddenly or violently.

Further, since the transmitted waves are transmitted intermittently, the type of the object to be cleaned 9 is not determined depending on the reception status of the received waves. That is, the time t from the start of transmission to the first received wave (see FIG. 4(b)) is proportional to the distance between the ultrasonic sensor 1 and the object to be cleaned. Therefore, when the time t is detected, the detected time t is compared to the time when the suction part 5c is in contact with the object to be cleaned 9, that is, the time theoretically determined from the length of the connecting pipe 5d, etc. If it exceeds the allowable error, the type of object 9 to be cleaned is not determined.

Furthermore, find the number of times the time exceeds the above tolerance,
If the number of detections exceeds a certain value, it is assumed that the vacuum cleaner is moving, and the rotating brush 8 or both the rotating brush 8 and the suction motor 7 are stopped. In other words, it's because they haven't cleaned it.

In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention configured as described above, the ultrasonic sensor 1 for determining the type of the object to be cleaned is provided in the hose proximal portion 5a, so even if the hose 5 is tilted, the suction portion 5C Even if the angle changes and the distance from the ultrasonic sensor 1 to the object to be cleaned 9 changes, it will not change much because the center of rotation of the suction part 5c and the detection part 9a are very close.

Further, since the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor 1 is directed toward the vicinity of the suction section 5c, the object 9 to be cleaned is always determined at the location where the suction section 5C is cleaning.

Furthermore, since the ultrasonic sensor I is provided at the hose proximal portion 5a that is remote from the suction portion 5c, it is less likely to be adversely affected by dirt and dust, and the type of object 9 to be cleaned can be accurately determined. Further, the hose proximal portion 5a is provided with a main control circuit 11 that controls the rotating brush 8 built into the suction portion 5c and the suction motor 7 built into the vacuum cleaner body 6.
Since the ultrasonic sensor 1 is provided, the signal wiring can be short, and even if the connecting pipe 5d and the suction part 5c are removed, there is no need for extra consideration regarding the signal wiring.

Incidentally, a vacuum cleaner is sometimes used with the connecting pipe 5d shortened, and in consideration of this case, the main control circuit 11 is controlled as follows.

That is, as mentioned above, since the time t from the start of transmission to the first wave of the received wave is proportional to the separation distance between the ultrasonic sensor 1 and the object to be cleaned 9, this time t is the time when the connecting pipe 5d is used at a predetermined length. When the ultrasonic sensor 1 becomes 1/3 of the time when
It is determined that the separation distance between the object 9 and the object 9 to be cleaned has become 1/3. Then, when the separation distance becomes 1/3, the amplitude value detected by the receiver 3 becomes 3 times, so the amplitude actually detected by the receiver 3 is multiplied by 1/3 and this amplitude value is used. The type of object 9 to be cleaned is determined.

Note that although the above embodiment uses separate transmitting sections and receiving sections, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use an ultrasonic sensor in which the transmitting section and receiving section are integrated. Can be implemented. In this case, in the present invention, even if the transmitted ultrasonic wave directly enters the receiving section, the input signal is removed at the signal processing stage, so the transmitting section and the receiving section are integrated. Accurate discrimination is also possible using an ultrasonic sensor.

As described in detail above, in the case of the present invention, the means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is provided at the hose proximal portion, so that it is difficult to be adversely affected by dust and dust, and the transmitting and receiving direction of the means can be adjusted. Since it is oriented 4 degrees toward the object to be cleaned near the suction section, the detection surface of the transmitting/receiving means is above the part of the object to be cleaned that is currently being cleaned, making it possible to accurately determine the type of object to be cleaned. .

In addition, if ultrasonic waves are transmitted intermittently and the object to be cleaned is identified based on the received signal from a certain period of time after the transmission period, the transmitted wave This has the excellent effect of eliminating directly received signals and enabling more accurate discrimination.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view (partial cross section) showing the hose proximal portion of the vacuum cleaner, and FIG. 3 is the same as that shown in FIG. A control block diagram of the vacuum cleaner. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the signal processing of the ultrasonic sensor included in the vacuum cleaner. Figure 5 is a waveform diagram of the waves received by the ultrasonic sensor for each type of object to be cleaned. It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Ultrasonic sensor, 2... Transmission part, 3... Receiving part, 5... Hose, 5a... Hose proximal part, 5c.
... Suction part, 6... Vacuum cleaner body.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a vacuum cleaner that cleans an object by moving a suction section at the end of a hose attached to the vacuum cleaner body, a transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a receiving means for receiving reflected waves are configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. - Provided at the hose hand portion that holds the hose with the receiving direction facing the object to be cleaned near the suction section, and identifies the type of object to be cleaned based on the signal waveform received by the receiving means, and identifies the type of object to be cleaned. A vacuum cleaner characterized in that the suction force in the suction section is controlled depending on the result. (2) The ultrasonic waves from the transmitting means are transmitted at intermittent time intervals, and within the transmission suspension period and after a certain period of time has elapsed since the transmission suspension, the ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the object to be cleaned based on the signal received by the reception means. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is configured to perform identification.