Self-propelled cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9414731-B2
Application number	US-201414767081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2014
Priority date	Jun 7, 2013
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A self-propelled cleaner including: a movement unit configured to move a housing; a blower unit configured to generate an air current for sucking dust on a floor surface into the housing; a dust detection unit configured to detect dust contained in the air current; and a control unit configured to control the movement unit and/or the blower unit to select a cleaning mode according to a detection result of the dust detection unit, wherein the control unit is capable of changing a threshold value for selecting the cleaning mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-propelled cleaner for executing a cleaning operation comprising:
a movement unit configured to move a housing;
a blower unit configured to generate an air current for sucking dust on a floor surface into the housing;
a dust detection unit configured to detect dust contained in the air current;
a floor surface detection unit configured to detect an aspect of a floor surface; and
a control unit configured to control the movement unit and/or the blower unit to select a cleaning mode between a first cleaning mode and a second cleaning mode, the second cleaning mode being for cleaning more carefully than the first cleaning mode, according to a detection result of the dust detection unit, wherein
the control unit is capable of changing a threshold value for selecting the cleaning mode according to the detected aspect of the floor surface, and wherein
a type of the cleaning operation in the second cleaning mode varies according to the detected aspect of the floor surface.

2. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a drive unit; and a brush unit configured to be driven by the drive unit to clean a floor surface, wherein
the control unit controls a rotation of the brush unit in the second cleaning mode according to the detected aspect of the floor surface.

3. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 2 , wherein the floor surface detection unit detects the aspect of the floor surface by detecting a load to the drive unit caused by the drive of the brush unit.

4. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit selects the cleaning mode according to a number of detection times of dust during a first period set beforehand.

5. The self-propelled cleaner according to claim 4 , wherein
the control unit counts the number of detection times of dust by excluding a second period set beforehand during the first period.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk
• Sharp Kabushiki Kabushiki

Inventors

• Soejima Ryohichi

Classifications

• A47L9/2847

  Surface treating elements · CPC title

• A47L2201/06

  Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning · CPC title

• A47L9/2852

  Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles · CPC title

• A47L9/2831

  Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed · CPC title

• A47L9/2815

  using optical detectors · CPC title