Cleaning robot

Abstract

To provide a cleaning robot that can suppress rotation in a yawing direction with a suction nozzle as a base point.SOLUTION: A cleaning robot 1 having a suction nozzle 21, that can travel at least in a front-back direction and a right-left direction includes a support mechanism 40 for supporting the suction nozzle 21 in a state in which the vertical movement is permitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning robot capable of autonomous travel. [Background technology]

[0002] In offices, commercial facilities, accommodation facilities, etc., vacuum cleaners are used to collect dust on floors as part of hygiene management. In recent years, due to factors such as rising labor costs and labor shortages, there has been an increasing demand for cleaning robots that can autonomously move across floors while sucking up dust in order to reduce the burden on workers.

[0003] For example, the cleaning robot shown in Patent Document 1 includes a self-propelled main body and a cleaning means having a suction port extending in the left-right direction at the front bottom surface of the main body. The main body has drive wheels such as omni wheels or mecanum wheels, and by controlling the drive wheels, the main body can move freely in all horizontal directions while facing in a fixed direction.

[0004] With this, while the suction port is located at the front, the side of the main body can be brought close to the side wall of the room and travel along the side wall, eliminating the need for complex travel control such as backing up, turning, and approaching the side wall, and cleaning the side wall can be completed in a short time without leaving any spots uncleaned. Also, since the suction port is located at the front of the main body, cleaning the front wall of the room can be completed without leaving any spots uncleaned. Some of these cleaning robots are provided with a suction nozzle separate from the main body having the suction port, and the suction nozzle is located close to the floor surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-166110 A (page 15, figure 12) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a cleaning robot such as that described in Patent Document 1, the suction nozzle is positioned close to the floor surface, so when the side of the main body moves laterally to bring it closer to the side wall surface of the room, the suction nozzle comes into contact with the convex part of the uneven floor surface, and the main body rotates in the yawing direction around the point where the suction nozzle comes into contact with the convex part of the floor surface, which may make it difficult to properly position the side of the main body along the side wall surface.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to provide a cleaning robot that can be prevented from rotating in the yawing direction around the suction nozzle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the cleaning robot of the present invention comprises: A cleaning robot having a suction nozzle and capable of moving at least in a forward / backward direction and a left / right direction, The apparatus is characterized by having a support mechanism for supporting the suction nozzle in a state in which vertical movement is permitted. According to this feature, the suction nozzle comes into contact with the convex portion on the floor surface and retreats upward, thereby avoiding interference between the suction nozzle and the convex portion. This prevents the cleaning robot from rotating in the yawing direction around the suction nozzle while moving left or right or while turning, allowing the cleaning robot to be positioned appropriately along the wall.

[0009] The support mechanism is characterized in that it allows the suction nozzle to rotate in a pitching direction. According to this feature, the suction nozzle comes into contact with the convex portion of the floor surface and rotates in the pitching direction, thereby making it possible to effectively avoid interference between the suction nozzle and the convex portion.

[0010] The support mechanism is characterized in that it allows the suction nozzle to rotate in a rolling direction. According to this feature, the suction nozzle comes into contact with the convex portion of the floor surface and rotates in the rolling direction, so that interference between the suction nozzle and the convex portion can be effectively avoided.

[0011] The support mechanism is characterized in that it restricts the rotation of the suction nozzle in a yawing direction. According to this feature, when the cleaning robot moves straight ahead, the nozzle device is kept perpendicular to the moving direction, so that dust on the floor surface can be reliably sucked up.

[0012] The suction nozzle extends in the left-right direction and is characterized in that it is held from the front to the rear by a front holder and a rear holder which are stiffer than the suction nozzle. According to this feature, the rigidity of the suction nozzle can be increased by the front holding body and the rear holding body, so that deformation of the horizontally long suction nozzle can be prevented and the suction force can be kept approximately constant.

[0013] The holding member is characterized by having a connector that connects a side surface of the front holding body and a side surface of the rear holding body. According to this feature, the suction nozzle can be made even less likely to bend.

[0014] The rear support body is characterized by being provided with a ball caster. According to this feature, the movement of the suction nozzle becomes smoother and the contact area between the suction nozzle and the floor surface is reduced, thereby suppressing excessive suction and frictional resistance.

[0015] The cleaning device is characterized in that surface members extending in the left-right direction and coming into contact with the floor surface are disposed in front and behind the suction nozzle. According to this feature, the internal pressure of the suction nozzle is maintained by the front and rear panel members, the nozzle is easily movable in the left and right direction, and rotation in the yawing direction is restricted during the movement. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cleaning robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical system of the cleaning robot. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a suction nozzle and a support mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the suction nozzle and the support mechanism in a normal state. [Figure 7] 13(a) and 13(b) are schematic diagrams showing a normal cleaning operation of the cleaning robot. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing a wall-side cleaning operation of the cleaning robot. [Figure 9] 6(a) and 6(b) are schematic diagrams showing a retracting operation of the suction nozzle when the cleaning robot in the first embodiment moves laterally. [Figure 10] 4 is a side view showing the suction nozzle and the support mechanism in a retracted state. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a retraction operation of the suction nozzle in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a retraction operation of the suction nozzle in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. EXAMPLES

[0018] A cleaning robot according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 10. In the following description, the lower left side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the front side (front side) of the cleaning robot.

[0019] The cleaning robot 1 cleans in offices, commercial facilities, accommodation facilities, etc. by autonomously moving across floors without human assistance and sucking up and collecting dust that has fallen on the floor.

[0020] 1, the cleaning robot 1 is mainly composed of a traveling cart 10 to which a nozzle device 20 is attached at the front lower part, and a vacuum cleaner 100 placed on the rear upper part of the traveling cart 10. In this embodiment, the nozzle device 20 is wider in the left-right direction than the cleaning robot 1, but the left-right width of the nozzle device 20 may be the same as that of the cleaning robot 1 or narrower than that of the cleaning robot 1. The left-right position of the nozzle device 20 may be freely configured, and it may be disposed offset to one side, left or right.

[0021] First, the traveling cart 10 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the traveling cart 10 is mainly composed of a cart body 11, a nozzle device 20, a support mechanism 40 (see Fig. 3) that supports the nozzle device 20 on the cart body 11, a pair of left and right wheels 30R, 30L provided on the front side of the cart body 11 and a pair of left and right wheels 31R, 31L provided on the rear side of the cart body 11, four traveling motors 50 individually connected to these wheels 30R, 30L, 31R, 31L, a control device 60, and a lower exterior 90 that covers the outer periphery of the cart body 11, and is equipped with a plurality of traveling batteries 70 capable of supplying power to the traveling motors 50 and the like and a plurality of suction batteries 71 (only one of each is shown in Fig. 2) described later.

[0022] The wheels 30R, 30L, 31R, and 31L are so-called Mecanum wheels having a plurality of rollers.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 60 can individually control the rotational speed and rotational direction of the wheels 30R, 30L, 31R, and 31L by individually switching the magnitude and input direction of the voltage applied to the four driving motors 50 based on distance information and position information from the sensor 61 and information such as the number of rotations from a rotary encoder (not shown) connected to the four driving motors 50.

[0024] 2, the thick solid line and the dashed dotted line are power supply lines, and the dotted line is a signal supply line, and the power supply line shown by the dashed dotted line indicates that the connection is cut off by the switch 62. In this embodiment, the sensor 61 is a laser sensor, but may be another non-contact sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor.

[0025] This allows the cleaning robot 1 to move smoothly in all directions by combining the driving of the wheels 30R, 30L, 31R, and 31L by the driving motors 50, which are individually controlled by the control device 60, with the rolling of the rollers in contact with the floor surface.

[0026] Furthermore, the control device 60 controls the inverter 72 to convert DC current supplied from the multiple suction batteries 71 into AC current to drive the vacuum cleaner 100. The suction battery 71 is independent of the driving battery 70, and is a battery for supplying power to the vacuum cleaner 100. Note that the multiple driving batteries 70 and the multiple suction batteries 71 are all of the same standard, and therefore can be interchangeable and used interchangeably.

[0027] 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner 100 is a commercial vacuum cleaner that operates on a commercial power source, and includes a housing 110 that houses a paper bag as a dust collecting section, a hose 120 (see FIG. 3) for connecting the nozzle device 20 and the housing 110, a suction fan 140, a suction motor 150 for rotating the suction fan 140, and a cord with an attachment plug (not shown) that is electrically connected to an inverter 72. The vacuum cleaner 100 is placed on a cart body 11, and the lower part of the vacuum cleaner 100, the suction battery 71, etc. are covered by an upper exterior 80.

[0028] The vacuum cleaner 100 drives the built-in suction motor 150 to rotate the suction fan 140, thereby discharging the air inside the housing 110 to the outside through the exhaust port, creating a relatively negative pressure inside the housing 110, so that dust can be sucked in and collected from the nozzle device 20 through the hose 120 into a paper bag.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of the nozzle device 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the nozzle device 20 is supported on the carriage body 11 by a support mechanism 40. The support mechanism 40 will be described in detail later.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the nozzle device 20 comprises a suction nozzle 21 extending in the left-right direction, a front holding body 22 and a rear holding body 23 which sandwich the suction nozzle 21 from the front to the rear, a pair of left and right connecting bodies 24, 24 which connect the side surfaces of the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23, and a front shielding body 26 and a rear shielding body 27 as face materials.

[0031] The suction nozzle 21 includes a base member 211 and guide members 212 and 213 .

[0032] The base member 211 is configured in a downward C-shape and made of metal or resin, and has an upper plate portion 211a extending approximately horizontally in the left-right direction, a front plate portion 211b extending approximately vertically downward from the front end of the upper plate portion 211a, and a rear plate portion 211c extending approximately vertically downward from the rear end of the upper plate portion 211a.

[0033] A through hole 211d is provided in the left-right center of the upper plate portion 211a of the base member 211. A hose 120 is connected to the upper plate portion 211a so as to communicate with the through hole 211d.

[0034] The guide members 212, 213 are fixed to both the left and right sides of the through hole 211d in the base member 211. The guide members 212, 213 are upwardly U-shaped members, and their bottom surfaces form inclined surfaces 212a, 213a that incline upward toward the through hole 211d. This makes it easier for the suction flow to be guided to the through hole 211d.

[0035] The front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 are made of a material having higher rigidity than the suction nozzle 21. Specifically, the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 are made of a resin material such as polyacetal, and are fixed to the front plate portion 211b and the rear plate portion 211c by bolts 25, 25'.

[0036] In this manner, the nozzle device 20 is sandwiched from the front and rear by the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23, which have relatively high rigidity, and therefore the structural strength is increased.

[0037] The front surface of the front holding body 22 is an inclined surface 22a that slopes backward from above and downward. The rear surface of the rear holding body 23 is an inclined surface 23a that slopes forward from above and downward. The lower surface 22b of the front holding body 22 is disposed on approximately the same plane as the lower surface 23b of the rear holding body 23. In addition, the front-to-rear length of the lower surface 23b of the rear holding body 23 is longer than the front-to-rear length of the lower surface 22b of the front holding body 22.

[0038] Ball casters 28 (four in this embodiment) are embedded in the rear holding body 23 at intervals in the left-right direction. A ball portion 28a of the ball caster 28 protrudes downward from a lower surface 23b of the rear holding body 23.

[0039] The connector 24 is a metal plate, and is fixed to the side surfaces of the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 by bolts 29. In this way, the sides of the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 are connected to each other by the connectors 24, 24, so that the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 are integrated, and relative distortion and relative positional deviation of the suction nozzle 21, the front holding body 22, and the rear holding body 23 can be prevented.

[0040] The front shield 26 is a strip-shaped surface material that is made of an elastic material such as rubber and extends in the left-right direction. The front shield 26 is held between the suction nozzle 21 and the front holder 22.

[0041] The rear shield 27 is a strip-shaped surface material extending in the left-right direction and made of an elastic material such as rubber. In this embodiment, the ball portion 28a of the ball caster 28 protrudes downward from the lower surface 23b of the rear holder 23, and the amount of downward movement of the front shield 26 is greater than that of the rear shield 27, making the rear shield 27 less likely to deform than the front shield 26. The rear shield 27 is held between the suction nozzle 21 and the rear holder 23.

[0042] The lower end of the front shielding body 26 and the lower end of the rear shielding body 27 are disposed lower than the lower surface 22b of the front holding body 22 and the lower surface 23b of the rear holding body 23.

[0043] The space surrounded by the suction nozzle 21, the connectors 24, 24, the front shield 26, and the rear shield 27 functions as the suction port 20a of the nozzle device 20. The cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 20a at the left and right ends far from the through-hole 211d of the suction nozzle 21 is reduced by the guide members 212, 213, so that the suction force at the left and right ends of the suction port 20a is less likely to decrease.

[0044] Next, a description will be given of the support mechanism 40. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6, the support mechanism 40 is made up of a pair of left and right base bodies 41, 41 and a pair of left and right arms 42, 42.

[0045] The base body 41 includes a pair of left and right frame members 43, 43' and a buffer member 44. The frame member 43 has a fixed plate portion 43a fixed to the front surface of the dolly body 11 and a support plate portion 43b extending forward in an inverted L-shape from the right end of the fixed plate portion 43a. An inclined groove 43c is formed in the support plate portion 43b, extending obliquely upward from the front to the rear. Note that the frame member 43' has a shape that is the left-right inverse of the frame member 43, and therefore a description of the specific structure will be omitted.

[0046] The buffer member 44 is made of a cylindrical elastic member and is fixed to the outer periphery of a connecting shaft 45 that connects the lower parts of the support plate parts 43b to each other on the left and right. The buffer member 44 and the connecting shaft 45 are disposed below the inclined groove 43c. The buffer member 44 defines a lower limit position so that the arm 42 does not rotate downward.

[0047] The arm 42 is formed by bending a metal plate, and has a first portion 42a extending approximately horizontally to the upper surface of the nozzle device 20, a second portion 42b extending diagonally upward from the rear end of the first portion 42a, and third portions 42c, 42c each rising approximately at a right angle from the sides of the rear end of the second portion 42b.

[0048] The front end of the first portion 42a is fixed to the upper plate portion 211a of the suction nozzle 21.

[0049] The third portion 42c has through holes 42d penetrating laterally, and a shaft 46 is inserted through the through holes 42d. Both ends of the shaft 46 are inserted through the left and right inclined grooves 43c, 43c'. A spacer 47 is fixed to the shaft 46 and is disposed between the third portion 42c and the frame members 43, 43', and a retaining member 48 is fixed to the outer side of the frame members 43, 43'.

[0050] As a result, the arm 42 is supported so as to be movable along the inclined grooves 43c, 43c'. In other words, the support mechanism 40 supports the nozzle device 20 on the carriage body 11 in a state in which the nozzle device 20 is permitted to slide up and down.

[0051] In addition, the support mechanism 40 can support the nozzle device 20 in a balanced manner using a pair of left and right arms 42, 42, which can suppress tilting and distortion of the nozzle device 20 due to its own weight and regulates rotation of the nozzle device 20 in the yawing direction.

[0052] Furthermore, the arm 42 is restricted in its relative movement in the left-right direction with respect to the base body 41 by the spacer 47. That is, the support mechanism 40 restricts the rotation of the nozzle device 20 in the rolling direction.

[0053] Next, the normal cleaning operation and wall edge cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1 will be briefly described.

[0054] 7(a) and 7(b), when cleaning the center of a room, the cleaning robot 1 operates the vacuum cleaner 100 with the nozzle device 20 facing forward, and performs normal cleaning operation by moving forward. When the cleaning robot 1 reaches the edge of a wall in the traveling direction, it turns 180 degrees, faces the opposite direction (i.e., backward) at a position shifted by the width of the nozzle device 20 in the left-right direction, and moves in the opposite direction to repeat the normal cleaning operation (not shown).

[0055] On the other hand, when cleaning the wall side of a room, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the cleaning robot 1 moves sideways, i.e., to the wall W side with the nozzle device 20 facing forward, and then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the vacuum cleaner 100 is operated to perform wall-side cleaning operation by moving forward along the wall W.

[0056] Since the nozzle device 20 has a width in the left-right direction greater than that of the cleaning robot 1, the nozzle device 20 can be disposed as close as possible to the wall W, so that cleaning of the wall edge can be performed without leaving any unfinished work.

[0057] 6, while the cleaning robot 1 is moving forward, the ball portion 28a of the ball caster 28, the front shielding body 26, and the rear shielding body 27 of the nozzle device 20 are in contact with the floor surface F. This makes it possible to stabilize the movement of the nozzle device 20 by the ball portion 28a, and to reduce the contact area with the floor surface F, thereby reducing excessive suction and frictional resistance.

[0058] In addition, since the ball casters 28 support the nozzle device 20 at multiple points in the left-right direction, the inclination of the nozzle device 20 in the rolling direction is further restricted.

[0059] In addition, the ball caster 28 is positioned rearward of the front shield 26 and the rear shield 27, and due to the balance of the center of gravity, the nozzle device 20 and the arm 42 rotate slightly counterclockwise (pitching direction) around the axis 46.

[0060] Furthermore, because the front shield 26 and the rear shield 27 reduce the gap between the suction port 20a and the floor surface F, the internal pressure within the nozzle device 20 is maintained.

[0061] Furthermore, since the front shield 26 is more easily deformed than the rear shield 27, dust on the floor surface F is more easily guided into the suction port 20a, and can be reliably captured by the rear shield 27.

[0062] Incidentally, unevenness is often formed on the floor surface F. When the cleaning robot 1 moves in the left-right direction, the nozzle device 20 may come into contact with a protruding portion F1 of the floor surface F (see FIG. 9(a)).

[0063] Next, a description will be given of the movement of the nozzle device 20 when the nozzle device 20 comes into contact with a convex portion F1 of the floor surface F during left-right movement of the cleaning robot 1. For ease of explanation, the unevenness of the floor surface F and the movement of the nozzle device 20 are illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 as being larger than they actually are.

[0064] FIG. 9(a) shows a state in which the nozzle device 20 comes into contact with a protruding portion F1 of the floor surface F when the cleaning robot 1 moves rightward.

[0065] 9(b) and 10, when the cleaning robot 1 moves further to the right from the state of FIG. 9(a), the nozzle device 20 receives a reaction force from the convex portion F1, and the left and right arms 42 move upward along the inclined grooves 43c. At this time, since the rotation of the arms 42 in the rolling direction is restricted by the spacer 47, the nozzle device 20 moves upward while maintaining a substantially horizontal state.

[0066] Furthermore, when the cleaning robot 1 moves further to the right and the nozzle device 20 passes over the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F, the nozzle device 20 returns to its original position due to its own weight.

[0067] This avoids interference between the nozzle device 20 and the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F when the cleaning robot 1 moves in the left-right direction, and therefore the cleaning robot 1 can be prevented from rotating in the yawing direction with the contact portion between the nozzle device 20 and the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F as the base point. This allows the cleaning robot 1 to be appropriately positioned against a wall. The same effect can be obtained when the cleaning robot 1 is turning. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained not only when the nozzle device 20 comes into contact with dust or the like on the floor surface F when the cleaning robot 1 moves in the left-right direction or turns, but also when the nozzle device 20 comes into contact with dust or the like on the floor surface F.

[0068] Furthermore, since the support mechanism 40 restricts the rotation of the nozzle device 20 in the yawing direction, the nozzle device 20 is kept perpendicular to the traveling direction when moving straight, so that dust on the floor surface F can be reliably sucked up.

[0069] In addition, the rigidity of the suction nozzle 21 is increased by the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23, which have greater rigidity than the suction nozzle 21, so that deformation of the horizontally long suction nozzle 21 can be prevented and the suction force can be kept approximately constant.

[0070] Furthermore, since the front holding body 22 and the rear holding body 23 are connected by the connectors 24, 24, the suction nozzle 21 can be made even less likely to bend.

[0071] In addition, front and rear shields 26 and 27 that come into contact with the floor surface are arranged in front and behind the suction nozzle 21, so that the internal pressure of the suction nozzle 21 is maintained and movement in the left and right directions is not easily hindered, and when a force in the yawing direction acts on the cleaning robot 1, the front and rear shields 26 and 27 provide resistance, regulating rotation in the yawing direction.

[0072] Even if the nozzle device 20 hits a protrusion F1 on the floor surface F or an obstacle while the cleaning robot 1 is moving forward, the nozzle device 20 is guided upward by the inclined surface 22a, which is the front surface of the front holding body 22.

[0073] In addition, since the rear holding body 23 is heavier than the front holding body 22 and the nozzle device 20 has a rear center of gravity, the nozzle device 20 is easily guided upward even if the nozzle device 20 abuts against a protrusion F1 on the floor surface F or an obstacle while the cleaning robot 1 is moving forward.

[0074] Furthermore, even if the nozzle device 20 comes into contact with a protrusion F1 on the floor surface F or an obstacle while the cleaning robot 1 is moving backward, i.e., in the opposite direction to the nozzle device 20, the nozzle device 20 is guided upward by the inclined surface 23a, which is the rear surface of the rear holding body 23.

[0075] In this embodiment, the arm 42 moves obliquely upward along the inclined groove 43c, but the arm 42 may move obliquely upward along the inclined groove 43c while rotating upward about the axis 46. EXAMPLES

[0076] Next, a cleaning robot according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0077] 11(a), in the support mechanism 240 of the cleaning robot 201 of the second embodiment, an arm 242 is rotatably attached to a connecting shaft 246 that connects support plates 243, 243 (only one of which is shown) of a base body 241. The lower limit position of the arm 242 is determined by a restricting portion (not shown).

[0078] That is, the support mechanism 240 allows the nozzle device 220 to rotate in the pitching direction, while restricting its rotation in the rolling and yawing directions.

[0079] 11(b), when the cleaning robot 201 moves left and right, if the nozzle device 220 comes into contact with the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F, the arm 242 rotates in the upward direction (pitching direction), effectively preventing interference between the nozzle device 220 and the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F. When the nozzle device 220 passes over the convex portion F1 of the floor surface F, the nozzle device 220 returns to its original position due to its own weight. EXAMPLES

[0080] Next, a cleaning robot according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0081] As shown in Figure 12(a), the support mechanism 340 of this embodiment 3 includes a pair of left and right cylindrical members 341, 341 that extend in the vertical direction and are fixed to the cart body (not shown), and suspension members 342, 342 that are suspended so as to be movable relative to the cylindrical members 341, 341 in the vertical direction.

[0082] The nozzle device 320 has base portions 321, 321 that protrude upward, and shafts 343 extending in the front-rear direction are fixed to the base portions 321, 321. The lower ends of the suspension members 342 are attached so as to be rotatable about the respective shafts 343. The nozzle device 320 is suspended approximately horizontally by the support mechanism 340.

[0083] That is, the support mechanism 340 allows the nozzle device 320 to rotate in the rolling direction, while restricting its rotation in the pitching and yawing directions.

[0084] When the cleaning robot moves further rightward from a state in which the nozzle device 320 is in contact with the protrusion F1 of the floor surface F (the state in Fig. 12(a)) while moving rightward, as shown in Fig. 12(b), first the right-side suspension member 342 moves upward. Then, although not shown, when the left-side suspension member 342 moves upward and passes over the protrusion F1 of the floor surface F, the nozzle device 320 returns to its original position by its own weight.

[0085] That is, the nozzle device 320 rotates in the rolling direction, and interference between the nozzle device 320 and the protruding portion F1 of the floor surface F is effectively avoided.

[0086] In addition, while the cleaning robot is making a turn, even if the floor surface F is not uneven, a force acts on the outer side of the nozzle device 320 to cause it to sink. However, the nozzle device 320 rolls to easily maintain its levelness with the floor surface F, and can reliably suck up dust on the floor surface F.

[0087] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0088] For example, in the first to third embodiments, the wheels 30R, 30L, 31R, and 31L are Mecanum wheels, but they may be omni-wheels or wheels with one or two axes. It is sufficient that the wheels are capable of movement with at least forward / rearward and left / right components.

[0089] In the above-mentioned first to third embodiments, the suction nozzle is sandwiched between the front and rear holders, but the front and rear holders may be omitted. In this case, it is preferable to increase the strength of the suction nozzle by using a rib structure or the like to prevent the suction nozzle from bending under its own weight.

[0090] In addition, in the above-mentioned Examples 1 to 3, the ball casters were attached to the rear support body, but they may be attached to the front support body, or the ball casters may be attached to different positions on the front support body and the rear support body. Also, they are not limited to ball casters, and may be two-axis wheels or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1. Cleaning robot 10 Travelling cart 20 Nozzle device 20a Suction port 21 Suction nozzle 22 Front holder 23 Rear holding body 24 Concatenation 26 Front shield (face material) 27 Rear shield (surface material) 28 Ball Caster 30L,30R,30L,30R wheels 40 Support mechanism 41 Base body 42 Arm 43c,43c' Slant groove 100 vacuum cleaner

Claims

1. A cleaning robot having a suction nozzle and capable of moving at least in a forward / backward direction and a left / right direction, A cleaning robot comprising: a support mechanism for supporting the suction nozzle in a state in which vertical movement is permitted.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1 , wherein the support mechanism allows the suction nozzle to rotate in a pitching direction.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 1 , wherein the support mechanism allows the suction nozzle to rotate in a rolling direction.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 1 , wherein the support mechanism restricts rotation of the suction nozzle in a yawing direction.

5. 5. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the suction nozzle extends in the left-right direction and is held front-to-rear by a front holder and a rear holder having rigidity greater than that of the suction nozzle.

6. 6. The cleaning robot according to claim 5, further comprising a connector that connects a side surface of the front holding body and a side surface of the rear holding body.

7. 6. The cleaning robot according to claim 5, wherein the rear support body is provided with a ball caster.

8. 6. The cleaning robot according to claim 5, wherein surface members extending in the left-right direction and coming into contact with a floor surface are disposed in front of and behind the suction nozzle.

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