JPH0484924A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect the physical state on the floor surface with high accuracy by providing a displacing means consisting of a contact protruded by being energized with a spring from the lower face of a suction part, and light emitting and light receiving elements arranged while holding it therebetween. CONSTITUTION:A contact 28 is pressed downward in a housing 32 by a spring 31 through a holding material 30, and the lower end of the contact 28 is constituted so that the lower face of a suction part 1 is protruded further downward than rear wheels 21 and front wheels 22. On the upper face of a housing 32, a displacement detecting element 33 provided with a light emitting element 33a and a light receiving element 33b by holding a light shielding shaft 29 therebetween is arranged and by the vertical motion of the contact 28, the light shielding shaft 29 executes a vertical motion, and the radiant ray of the light emitting element 33a is shielded or allowed to transmit. In the case of a soft object such as a carpet, energizing force to the lower part by the spring 31 is strong, the displacement quantity to the upper part against the wheels of the contact 28 is small and the radiant ray is not shielded. In the case the floor surface is hard such as a bare board floor, the wheels and the contact 28 become the same plane, the contact 28 ascends against the wheels, and the radiant ray is shielded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an operation control means for a vacuum cleaner.

[Prior Art] FIGS. 9 and 10 are a side sectional view and a perspective view of a suction portion of a conventional vacuum cleaner disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-198519. In the figure, (1) is the suction part, (2) is the motor built into the suction part, (3) is the rotating brush driven by the motor (2), (4) is the belt, and (5) is the suction part (2). ) Pipe to connect to (6) is the hose, (7
) is the vacuum cleaner body, (8) is the intake port, (9) is the motor, (
1o) is a dust collection chamber, (11) is an exhaust port, (12) is a hand control unit, (13) is a light emitting element (13a) and a light receiving element (13).
(b) A floor surface detection device consisting of: (14) a floor contact switch that detects landing on the floor; and (15) a control circuit that controls the detection device.

When cleaning using the above vacuum cleaner, the hand control section (1)
When the switch 2) is set to "auto" mode and the vacuum cleaner is started, the floor surface detection device (13) first functions. That is, the light beam emitted from the light emitting element (13a) is reflected on the floor surface as shown by the broken line in the figure, and is received by the light receiving element (13b). Since the reflectance of light rays differs depending on the type of floor surface, the amount of light received by the light receiving element (13b) differs, and the light receiving element (13b) receives different amounts of light.
13b) differs in the strength of the generated signals. In other words, in the case of a carpet, the reflectance is lower than between tatami mats and boards, and there is a tendency for diffuse reflection, so the amount of light received by the light receiving element (13b) is small, and therefore it is possible to distinguish between the carpet and the tatami mats or boards. .

The control circuit (15) discriminates this identification signal, and if the floor surface is carpeted, the rotary brush (3) is driven by the motor (2), and the blower motor (
9) is controlled to be in strong operation. Furthermore, in the case of a tatami mat or board room, the motor (2) is stopped and the blower motor (9) is controlled to operate at low speed.

Furthermore, when the suction part (1) leaves the floor surface, the rotary brush motor (2) and the blower motor (9) are configured to stop operating by the floor surface contact switch (14) and the control circuit (15). has been done.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, since the conventional vacuum cleaner is configured as described above, it has several problems.

First of all, floor detection devices using the reflection method are easily affected not only by the type of floor but also by the surface condition and color of the floor, which changes the amount of reflected light significantly. Accuracy is very low.

In addition, the floor contact switch is a 0N10FF switch with a simple structure that protrudes from the bottom of the suction section, so a vacuum cleaner user may accidentally touch the contact switch while the input position switch of the operation switch section is turned on. If you touch it, the rotating brush may suddenly start rotating and cause an unexpected accident.

As a result of further analysis of the cleaning operation, the input position was turned ON.
However, it was found that vacuum cleaner users spend nearly 20% of their time away from the vacuum cleaner to clean up or move things.

During this time, the suction part is left in contact with the floor surface, so the contact switch is turned on, the rotating brush rotates, and the blower motor is in strong operation. As a result, power is wasted and noise continues.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems of conventional devices, and aims to provide a vacuum cleaner that is highly safe, has improved floor detection accuracy, and achieves energy savings and low noise. It is something to do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes: a light shielding plate having a slit that is pivoted to a wheel of a suction section; Rotation detection means using a light-shielding plate detection sensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element; a contact protruding from the lower surface of the suction portion by being biased by a spring; and a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element arranged to sandwich the contact. and an output signal converting means for converting each output signal of the rotation detecting means and the displacement detecting means into one output signal. and configured to control the output of the motor of the rotating brush.

[Operation] The output of the output signal converting means is output as an HL or HM pulse depending on whether the light emitted from the light emitting elements of the rotation detecting means and the displacement detecting means is blocked or transmitted.

Depending on the presence or absence of this output, whether it is pulsed or not, and the shape of the pulse, ie, H-L or H-M, the suction unit can be attached to and removed from the vacuum cleaner body, and the operation of the vacuum cleaner may be disabled or The machine determines whether the floor is carpeted, between boards, or on tatami mats, and controls the output of the vacuum cleaner blower and drives or stops the rotating brush accordingly.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a vacuum cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of the suction section of the vacuum cleaner.
- (11) are the same or equivalent parts as the conventional device, (20)
is the hand control unit, (21) is the rear wheel, (22) is the front wheel,
(23> is a rotation detector, (24) is a contact displacement detector, (
25) is a suction section control device.

FIG. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of a light-shielding plate sensor as rotation detection means. The rear wheel (21) of the suction part (1) partially protrudes from the lower surface of the suction part (1) and is rotatably attached to the shaft (21a), and a light shielding plate sensor (23) is attached to one end of the shaft (21a). ) is attached to the light shielding plate (26).

In the light shielding plate sensor (23) consisting of a light shielding plate (26) and a rotation detection element (27), the light shielding plate (26) is shown in FIG.
As shown in b), it is a disk with a plurality of slits (2'6a), and the rotation detection element (27) sandwiches the light shielding plate (2B) to connect the light emitting element (27a) and the light receiving element (27b). It is something that is arranged. As the rear wheel (21) rotates, the light shielding plate (26) rotates and blocks/transmits the emitted light from the light emitting element (27a), so the light receiving element (27b) receives this and emits a pulsed signal. .

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the contact displacement detector, in which (28) is the contact, (29) is the light shielding shaft, (30) is its holding material, (3
1) is a spring, (32) is a housing, (33) is a displacement detection element, (33a) is a light emitting element, and (33b) is a light receiving element. The contactor (28) is attached to the spring (
31) is pressed downward within the housing (32), and the lower end of the contact (28) pushes the lower surface of the suction part (1) further downward by 12 points from the rear wheel (21) and front wheel (22). It is designed to stand out. Housing (3
2) has a light emitting element (3) on the top surface with the light shielding shaft (29) in between.
3a) and a light receiving element (33b).
33) is arranged, and the light-shielding shaft (29) moves up and down as the contactor (28) moves up and down, and the light emitting element (33a) shown by the dotted line
to block or transmit radiation. The vertical movement of the contactor (28) differs depending on the condition of the floor. For example, if the floor surface is soft like a carpet, the downward force exerted by the spring (31) is strong, so the wheels (21) of the contactor (28), (2
The amount of upward displacement relative to 2) is small and the light shielding axis (29) does not reach the emitted light, so it does not shield it. However, if the floor surface is hard, such as between boards, the contact surface of the wheel (21) and the contact surface of the contact (28) will be on the same plane and 12 will be zero, so the contact (28) will be connected to the wheel (21). , (22), and the light shielding shaft (29) shields the emitted light from the light emitting element (33a).

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the functions of the rotation detector and the contact displacement detector, in which (35) is the control circuit of the suction section, (3
5a) is a current limiting resistor for driving the light emitting element (27a), (33a), and the light emitting element (27a), (33a) is connected from the power supply VCC to the light emitting element (27a), (33a).
(33a) and the resistor (35a) are connected in series.

The output generation section by the light receiving element (27b) (33b) is constituted by a parallel circuit with three paths from VCC to the output signal section (35d). The first is a connection circuit to the light receiving element (33b) of the displacement detection element (33>) via the resistor RB (35b), and the second is the connection circuit to the light receiving element (2) of the rotation detection element (27).
7b), and the third path is connected via a resistor Re. Since the output signal section (35d), which is the connection point of the three paths, is grounded via the voltage dividing resistor RA (35e), the potential of the resistor RA (35e) becomes the output voltage.

For example, let the values of resistances Ra, Rb, and RC be Ra −RB
(In the case of Re, the rotation detection element (27
) and the combination of blocking and transmitting the emitted light of the displacement detecting element (33), the output voltage differs.

As shown in Fig. 6, when the emitted light from the rotation detection element (27) is transmitted, the light receiving element (27b) is turned on, and since there is no resistance in this path, the output voltage (35d) is different from other paths. Regardless, it becomes a high output (H) close to the power supply Vcc. Further, in a state in which the emitted light from the rotation detecting element (27) is blocked, the output voltage corresponding to the resistors RB and RC is obtained by releasing/transmitting the emitted light from the displacement detecting element (33). That is, the light receiving element (27b) is OFF and the light receiving element (33
When b) is ON, the current flowing through resistor RB is equal to resistor RC.
is larger than the current flowing through RB (35b) and RA (
The output (M) is obtained by the partial pressure ratio of 35e). Also, the light receiving element (27b) is OFF, and the light receiving element (33b) is OFF.
When F, the output is (L) due to the partial pressure ratio of RC and RA.
becomes.

In addition, the suction part (1) runs on the floor, that is, the wheels (
21) rotates, the light shielding plate detection sensor (23) is driven, and the rotation detection element (27) continuously repeats 0N10FF, and together with the displacement detection element blocking/transmitting, as shown in Figure 6. , the output is in the form of an HM or HL pulse. The running of the suction section (1) is detected by the generation of this pulse, and depending on whether the low level of the pulse is M or L, the physical characteristics of the floor surface, that is, the difference between the carpet and the board or the tatami mat can be detected.

In FIG. 5, the output signal (35d) is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter (20c) of the hand-held operation unit (20), and is input to the hand-held control device (20b).

The hand control device (20b) determines the above detection state based on this signal, generates input control signals for the rotating brush motor (2) and the blower motor (9) in accordance with the detected state, and controls the output control circuit (20c). The motors (2) and (9) are controlled via the motors (2) and (9).

In this way, the vacuum cleaner is equipped with the rotation detector (23) and the contact displacement detector (24), and each signal of the detector is
The present invention is characterized in that the output of each motor of the blower and the rotary brush is controlled in accordance with the converted signals.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the hand-held operation unit (20), in which (3B) shows the key switch and (37) shows the display unit. The key switch (36) is ON/OFF (38a) and ON/OFF (38a).
b), O) (38c), Turbo (3Bd)
, curtain (38e), off<36f'), and the display section (37) has five switches corresponding to the switches from auto (38a) to curtain (86e). ~(37e). Of the above, auto (36a) and on/off (3
6b) The switch and the LEDs (37a) and (37b) are related to the rotating brush motor (2), and the switches AUTO (36e) to OFF (36f) and L E D
(37c) to (37e) belong to the blower motor (9).

The auto switch (Ha) automatically switches the rotating brush (3) to 0N10 according to the information from the rotation detection means and the floor surface detection means.
The on/off switch (36b) is for starting the FF function, and the on/off switch (36b) is for manually controlling the rotating brush (3).

Further, the auto switch (36c) has a function of automatically setting the input of the blower motor (9) according to the information of the rotation detection means and the floor surface detection means, and has the function of automatically setting the input of the blower motor (9).
7d) and the curtain switch (37e) are for manually controlling the motor regardless of the information from the detection means. Further, the off switch (36r) is for stopping the motor (9).

By pressing each of the above switches, motors (2), (9)
) performs respective operations, but each LE of the display section (37)
D lights up in response to each of the above operations to display each operation.

Next, the operation will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the plug of the vacuum cleaner is connected to the power source and the auto switch (37a) of the hand-held control unit (20) is pressed, the hand-held control unit (20b) turns each detector of the suction unit <1) into a functional state, and the vacuum cleaner is activated. Driving starts. The output signal (35d) of each detector in the suction section is sent to the A/D converter (20a).
The value is digitized by the hand control device (20
b) reads (Sl). Next, the hand control device (20b
) should judge whether the read value is 0 or not S2
), if the value is 0, it means that the suction part is not attached to the vacuum cleaner body, so the blower motor should be strong.
The rotating brush motor (2) stops. If the value is not 0, the suction part (1) is attached to the vacuum cleaner body, so
Furthermore, it is determined whether the value is a pulse or not (S4),
If it is not a pulse, the suction unit (1) is not running, that is, it is not being cleaned, so the process is performed without cleaning operation (S5). At this time, the blower motor is operated at low speed, and the rotating brush motor is stopped. When there is a pulse, that is, when the suction section is running, the pulse (L
) level is read (S6), and if the level is (L), the displacement detection element (38) cuts off the radiation light, that is, the floor surface is between boards or tatami mats, so it is processed (S8), that is, the blower motor is set to medium operation, The rotating brush motor stops. If the pulse level is not at the (L) level in (S8), it is determined whether the pulse level is at the (M) level or not.
) level, the floor surface is a carpet, so as a process (S10), the blower is set to strong operation and the rotating brush is driven.

If the level is not (M), it is assumed that it is an error and the processing (S11) is to operate the blower at low speed and stop the rotating brush.

In this way, the vacuum cleaner control circuit (25) outputs the output signal (3
5d), it is determined whether the suction section (1) is connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner, whether a cleaning operation is being performed, the condition of the floor surface, etc., and appropriate processing operations are performed accordingly. In the above procedure, the comparison and determination of the output signals (35d) are performed after a predetermined time has elapsed using a timer or the like.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention provides a vacuum cleaner that is equipped with a rotation detector and a displacement detector of the suction section, and detects whether or not the suction section is attached to the vacuum cleaner body, whether or not there is a cleaning operation, and the physical condition of the floor surface. Since the system is configured to detect this and automatically control the rotation of the rotating brush or the operating status of the blower accordingly, the following superior effects have been achieved.

(1) When the suction part of the vacuum cleaner is not running, that is, when cleaning is not being performed, the blower motor is automatically operated at low speed and the rotating brush is stopped, which reduces power wastage.
The generation of noise can be prevented.

(2) Since a light-shielding plate detection sensor is used in the floor detection mechanism, the floor detection accuracy is high and safety is high.

(3) Since it is equipped with an output signal conversion means that converts each output signal of the detection means such as whether the suction part is attached to the main body, the running of the suction part, the condition of the floor surface, etc. into one output signal, the signal line By making the product more affordable, we are now able to provide a vacuum cleaner that is simple and easy to use.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of the suction section, and Fig. 3 (a).
is a side view of the rotation detector, (b) is a plan view of the light shielding plate, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the contact displacement detector, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functions of the rotation detector and contact displacement detector. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the output signal, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the hand-held operation unit, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation, FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of a conventional vacuum cleaner, and FIG. The figure is a perspective view of the suction section. In the figure, (20) is the hand control unit, (20a) is the A/D converter, (20b) is the hand control device, (20c) is the output control circuit, (21) is the rear wheel, and (22) is the front wheel. , (23)
is a rotation detector, (24) is a contact displacement detector, (25)
is a suction unit control device, (26) is a light shielding plate, (27) is a light shielding plate detection sensor, (27a) is a light emitting element, (27b) is a light receiving element, (28) is a contact, (29) is a light shielding shaft, (3
0) is a holding material, (31) is a spring, (32) is a housing, (33) is a displacement detection element, (33a) is a light emitting element, (
33b) is a light receiving element, (35) is a suction section control circuit, (
35a) is a resistor, (35b) is an RB. (35c) is RC, (35d) is output, (35e) is R
e. (36) is a key switch, (36a) is an auto switch, (36b) is an on/off switch, (36c) is an auto switch, (36d) is a turbo switch 1, (36e) is a curtain switch, (36f) is an off switch. switch, (37)
is the display section. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A main body, a blower built into the main body, a suction section equipped with a rotating brush that runs on the floor and suctions dust together with air, a hose connecting the suction section and the main body, etc. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a light-shielding plate having a slit pivoted to a wheel of a suction section; a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element disposed between the light-shielding plate; the light-emitting element is activated by rotation of the wheel; rotation detection means for the wheels of the suction section configured to block/transmit radiation; a contactor protruding from the lower surface of the suction section under pressure from a spring and moving up and down according to the state of the floor surface; contact displacement detection means, comprising a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element arranged to sandwich a contact, and configured to block/transmit light emitted from the light-emitting element by vertical movement of the contact; the rotation detection means; output signal conversion means for converting each output signal of the contact displacement detection means into one output signal, and the output of the blower motor and the rotary brush motor is controlled according to the output of the output signal conversion means. A vacuum cleaner characterized by comprising: