SELF-PROPELLED CLEANER

• Main Authors: OKADA YUKO, KAWABE TAKUYA, NIKI TORU, TADA KENICHI, TANAKA KO, TAJIMA TAIJI, HATTORI MAKOTO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.05.2009
• Subjects: COFFEE MILLS; CONTROLLING; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; FURNITURE; HUMAN NECESSITIES; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently execute cleaning in a range of time in which the cleaner is able to drive with a charge of a battery. SOLUTION: A self-propelled cleaner includes a movable-body main-body, a main-body shifting means, a detecting means for detecting a position and a direction of the main body, a cleaning means including fan suction and a control means for controlling shifts of the shifting means. The control means includes the function (c1) of drawing a virtual circle, the function (1) of making the body run on a straight line inside the circle in any direction, the function (2) of making the body run on a circular-arc locus outside the circle to shift it to return inside the circle, and the function (8) of making the body shift to a next circle. The control means controls running modes for shifting the body in order of a straightline-run-inside-a-virtual-circle mode (1), a circular-arc-locus-run-to-return-to-the-circle mode (2), and shift-to-a-next-circle mode (8). A run-along-an-obstacle mode prevents the body from plunging into a space between obstacles. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT