Floor cleaning robot and cleaner

Abstract

To improve efficiency in cleaning a floor surface without increasing a size of a device.SOLUTION: A floor cleaning robot 1 includes: a body part 10; drive wheels 13 for movably supporting the body part 10 on a floor surface 31; a first storage part 11 arranged in the body part 10 so as to store a liquid 3; at least one of nozzles 12A arranged on an opposing surface 10A opposing to the floor surface 31 in the body part 10 so as to jet the liquid 3 as a continuous stream 3a and to allow the continuous stream 3a to be droplets 3b to collide with the floor surface 31 in a state of the droplets 3b; and a collection part 14 arranged at a position different from that of the nozzles 12a on the opposing surface 10A so as to collect the liquid 3 jetted from the nozzles 12A to the floor surface 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a floor cleaning robot and a vacuum cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various autonomous floor cleaning robots have been used as an example of a vacuum cleaner. Among them, there is a floor cleaning robot that has an applicator that applies liquid to a floor surface and a contacting part that soaks the floor surface with the liquid applied by the applicator and contacts the floor surface. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a floor cleaning robot that has a liquid applicator and a cleaning pad, ejects cleaning liquid from the liquid applicator onto the floor surface multiple times, absorbs the ejected cleaning liquid into the cleaning pad, and removes dirt by rubbing the cleaning pad against the floor multiple times while being pressed against the floor by a self-propelled mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-48130 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the floor cleaning robot of Patent Document 1 needs to be equipped with a liquid storage container that holds a large amount of cleaning liquid in order to sufficiently wet the cleaning pad. In addition, there is a limit to the force with which the cleaning pad can be rubbed against the floor surface, and in order to perform effective cleaning, the cleaning pad needs to be rubbed against the floor surface multiple times during cleaning, which tends to lengthen the cleaning time. Furthermore, in order to perform sufficient cleaning, a large-capacity battery needs to be installed, which causes problems such as an increase in the size and weight of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The floor cleaning robot of the present invention for solving the above problems is characterized by comprising a main body unit, drive wheels that support the main body unit so that it can move on a floor surface, a first storage unit provided on the main body unit for storing liquid, at least one nozzle arranged on an opposing surface of the main body unit facing the floor surface, which sprays the liquid in a continuous stream and also converts the continuous stream into droplets that collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets, and a recovery unit arranged on the opposing surface at a position different from the nozzle, which recovers the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention is characterized by comprising a head unit, a first storage unit for storing liquid, at least one nozzle arranged on an opposing surface of the head unit facing the floor surface, which sprays the liquid in a continuous stream and also converts the continuous stream into droplets which collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets, and a collection unit arranged at a position different from the nozzle on the opposing surface, which collects the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a floor cleaning robot according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a facing surface of a main body of the floor cleaning robot of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the main body unit in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a nozzle of the main body of the floor cleaning robot of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a floor cleaning robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the facing surface of the main body of the floor cleaning robot of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the main body unit in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of a main body of a floor cleaning robot according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a lifting mechanism of the floor cleaning robot of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a vacuum cleaner according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] First, the present invention will be briefly described. In order to solve the above problems, a floor cleaning robot of a first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a main body unit, drive wheels that support the main body unit so that it can move on a floor surface, a first storage unit provided on the main body unit for storing liquid, at least one nozzle arranged on an opposing surface of the main body unit facing the floor surface, which sprays the liquid in a continuous stream and also converts the continuous stream into droplets to collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets, and a collection unit arranged at a position different from the nozzle on the opposing surface, which collects the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface.

[0009] According to this aspect, the robot has at least one nozzle that sprays liquid in a continuous stream and converts the continuous stream into droplets that collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets. This configuration makes it possible to dramatically increase the collision energy when the liquid collides with the floor surface, compared to, for example, a configuration in which the liquid is simply ejected in droplets or a configuration in which the liquid collides with the floor surface in a continuous stream. This makes it possible to clean the floor by peeling off dirt from the floor surface with the droplet impact pressure, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency of the floor surface without increasing the size of the floor cleaning robot.

[0010] A second aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, and is characterized in that the collection part is positioned rearward of the nozzle in the direction of movement of the main body part by driving the drive wheels.

[0011] According to this aspect, the recovery section is disposed rearward of the nozzle in the direction of movement of the main body section, and this configuration makes it possible to efficiently recover the liquid ejected from the nozzle.

[0012] A floor cleaning robot according to a third aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the second aspect, and is characterized in that the nozzle is disposed forward of the drive wheels in the direction of movement.

[0013] According to this aspect, the nozzle is disposed forward of the drive wheels in the direction of movement of the main body, and this configuration allows the nozzle and the recovery unit to be disposed in a well-balanced manner on the main body.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and is characterized in that the collection unit is provided with a suction unit that sucks the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface into the inside of the main body unit.

[0015] According to this aspect, the recovery unit includes a suction unit that sucks the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface into the main body. With this configuration, the liquid can be efficiently recovered from the floor surface.

[0016] A fifth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the fourth aspect, and is characterized in that the main body portion has a first connecting flow path connecting the suction portion and the first storage portion.

[0017] According to this aspect, the main body has a first connection flow path that connects the suction part and the first reservoir, so that the collected liquid can be returned to the first reservoir, allowing the liquid to be reused.

[0018] A sixth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the fourth aspect, and is characterized in that the main body portion has a second storage portion that stores the liquid sucked by the suction portion.

[0019] According to this aspect, the main body has a second reservoir that stores the liquid sucked by the suction part, so that the collected liquid can be collected in the second reservoir.

[0020] A seventh aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the sixth aspect, and is characterized in that the main body portion has a second connecting flow path connecting the second storage portion and the first storage portion.

[0021] According to this aspect, the main body has a second connection flow path that connects the second storage portion and the first storage portion, and therefore the liquid collected in the second storage portion can be sent to the first storage portion via the second connection flow path, making it possible to reuse the liquid.

[0022] An eighth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and is characterized in that the main body portion has a removal portion that removes impurities contained in the liquid recovered by the recovery portion.

[0023] According to this aspect, the main body has a removal part that removes impurities contained in the liquid collected by the collection part, which makes it possible, for example, to suitably reuse the liquid collected by the collection part.

[0024] A ninth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and is characterized in that the recovery unit has an absorbent material capable of absorbing the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface.

[0025] According to this aspect, the recovery unit has an absorbent material capable of absorbing the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface, and this configuration allows the recovery unit to be constructed at low cost and with a simple structure.

[0026] A tenth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and is characterized in that it is provided with a liquid delivery unit that delivers the liquid stored in the first storage unit to the nozzle.

[0027] According to this aspect, the liquid delivery section is provided to deliver the liquid stored in the first storage section to the nozzle. With this configuration, the liquid can be suitably delivered from the first storage section to the nozzle.

[0028] An eleventh aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the tenth aspect, and is characterized in that the liquid delivery unit has a pressurized gas storage unit containing pressurized gas therein.

[0029] According to this aspect, the liquid delivery section has a pressurized gas storage section that has pressurized gas sealed therein. With this configuration, the liquid delivery section can be made low cost and simply configured.

[0030] A twelfth aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the eleventh aspect, and is characterized in that it has a retention section where the main body section is retained when not cleaning, and the retention section has a pressurized gas delivery section that delivers the gas to the pressurized gas storage section.

[0031] According to this aspect, the retention section where the main body section is retained when not cleaning has a pressurized gas delivery section that delivers gas to the pressurized gas storage section, so that gas can be automatically injected into the pressurized gas storage section when not cleaning, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which the pressurized gas is not sealed in the pressurized gas storage section during cleaning and the floor surface cannot be cleaned.

[0032] A floor cleaning robot according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, and is characterized in that it includes a detection unit that detects a condition of the floor surface.

[0033] According to this aspect, the detection unit detects the condition of the floor surface, which makes it possible to change the cleaning mode depending on the condition of the floor surface, for example.

[0034] A 14th aspect of the floor cleaning robot of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the 13th aspect, and is characterized in that it is equipped with a spray control unit that controls the spray of the liquid depending on the condition of the floor surface detected by the detection unit.

[0035] According to this aspect, the ejection control unit controls the ejection of liquid according to the condition of the floor surface detected by the detection unit, so that the ejection conditions of the liquid can be changed according to the condition of the floor surface.

[0036] The vacuum cleaner of the 15th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a head unit, a first storage unit for storing liquid, at least one nozzle arranged on an opposing surface of the head unit facing a floor surface, which sprays the liquid in a continuous stream and converts the continuous stream into droplets which collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets, and a collection unit arranged at a position different from the nozzle on the opposing surface, which collects the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface.

[0037] According to this aspect, the vacuum cleaner has at least one nozzle that sprays liquid in a continuous stream and converts the continuous stream into droplets that collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets. This configuration makes it possible to dramatically increase the collision energy when the liquid collides with the floor surface, compared to, for example, a configuration in which the liquid is simply ejected as droplets or a configuration in which the liquid collides with the floor surface in a continuous stream. Therefore, dirt on the floor surface can be peeled off and cleaned by the droplet impact pressure, and the cleaning efficiency of the floor surface can be improved without increasing the size of the vacuum cleaner.

[0038] [Example 1] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the present invention cleans a floor 30 by spraying a liquid 3 such as water in a continuous flow 3a, turning the continuous flow 3a into droplets 3b, and colliding the liquid 3 in the form of droplets 3b against a floor surface 31 of a floor 30 to be cleaned. With this configuration, after the droplets 3b collide with the floor surface 31, the droplets collide with dirt having protrusions present around the collision point due to the impact jet flow phenomenon, and the effect of peeling off the dirt having protrusions is obtained. In addition, for example, oily dirt on the floor surface 31 can be emulsified almost at the moment of collision, and the oily dirt can be peeled off from the floor surface 31 almost instantly. Furthermore, a high cleaning power can be obtained with a small amount of liquid 3 used, and the weight of the device can be reduced. First, a floor cleaning robot 1A of Example 1, which is an example of the floor cleaning robot 1 of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment includes a main body 10 that moves in a moving direction A and a rotating direction B on a floor surface 31 of a floor 30 to be cleaned during cleaning while cleaning, and a retention section 20 where the main body 10 is retained during non-cleaning. The main body 10 also includes a first storage section 11 that is provided on the main body 10 and that retains the liquid 3 used during cleaning. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 10 includes a plurality of drive wheels 13 that support the main body 10 so that the main body 10 can move on the floor surface 31. The main body 10 also includes a nozzle forming section 12 that is disposed on an opposing surface 10A of the main body 10 that faces the floor surface 31, and that has a plurality of nozzles 12A formed therein that spray the liquid 3 in a continuous flow 3a and turn the continuous flow 3a into droplets 3b that collide with the floor surface 31 in the form of droplets 3b. The main body 10 is also provided with an absorbent pad 14, which is disposed at a position on the opposing surface 10A different from the nozzle 12A and serves as a recovery section for recovering the liquid 3 sprayed onto the floor surface 31 from the nozzle 12A.

[0040] The floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment has at least one nozzle 12A that sprays the liquid 3 in a continuous flow 3a and converts the continuous flow 3a into droplets 3b that collide with the floor surface 31, thereby dramatically improving the cleaning efficiency of the floor surface 31 compared to a configuration in which a moistened cleaning pad is repeatedly rubbed against the floor. Furthermore, the collision energy when the liquid 3 is collided with the floor surface 31 can be dramatically increased compared to a configuration in which the liquid 3 is simply discharged in droplets 3b or a configuration in which the liquid 3 is collided with the floor surface 31 in a continuous flow 3a. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment can clean the floor surface 31 by peeling off dirt from the floor surface 31 with the droplet impact pressure, and can improve the cleaning efficiency of the floor surface 31 without increasing the size.

[0041] 2, in the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment, the absorbent pad 14 is disposed behind the nozzle 12A in the moving direction A of the main body 10 caused by driving the drive wheels 13. In this manner, by disposing the recovery part (absorbent pad 14) behind the nozzle 12A in the moving direction A, the liquid 3 sprayed from the nozzle 12A can be efficiently recovered.

[0042] 2, in the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment, the nozzle 12A is disposed forward of the drive wheels 13 in the moving direction A. By disposing the nozzle 12A forward of the drive wheels 13 in the moving direction A in this manner, the nozzle 12A and the collection part (absorbent pad 14) can be disposed in the main body 10 in a well-balanced manner.

[0043] As described above, in the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment, the recovery part is the absorbent pad 14. The absorbent pad 14 is an absorbent material capable of absorbing the liquid 3 sprayed from the nozzle 12A onto the floor surface 31. By configuring the recovery part in this way, it is possible to provide a recovery part with a low cost and simple configuration.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment includes a pump 16 in the main body 10 for sending the liquid 3 from the first storage section 11 to the nozzle forming section 12 via the flow path 40. In other words, the pump 16 is a liquid sending section that sends the liquid 3 stored in the first storage section 11 to the nozzle 12A. With this configuration, the liquid can be suitably sent from the first storage section 11 to the nozzle 12A. The pump 16 of this embodiment is a motor-driven pump driven by the motor 15. However, the pump 16 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the pump 16 may be a pump driven by pressurized gas or the like.

[0045] 3, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment is provided with a detection unit 51 in the main body 10, which detects the condition of the floor surface 31. With this configuration, it is possible to change the cleaning mode depending on the condition of the floor surface 31, for example.

[0046] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment includes a control unit 50, and the control unit 50, as a spray control unit, can control the driving of the motor 15 to control the spraying of the liquid 3 according to the condition of the floor surface 31 detected by the detection unit 51. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment can change the spraying conditions of the liquid 3 by changing the driving method of the motor 15 according to the condition of the floor surface 31. In detail, in the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment, the detection unit 51 is an optical imaging device for observing the condition of the floor surface 31, such as whether or not there is dirt on the floor surface 31. In the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment, the spraying conditions such as the spray pressure of the liquid 3 and the running conditions such as the drive speed of the drive wheels 13 can be changed according to the condition of the floor surface 31, which is the detection result of the detection unit 51, by the control of the control unit 50.

[0047] Here, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the floor cleaning robot 1A of this embodiment has a plurality of nozzles 12A in the nozzle forming portion 12. And, as shown in FIG. 4, the nozzles 12A are arranged at equal intervals along a direction intersecting with the moving direction A. However, there is no particular limitation on the number and arrangement of the nozzles 12A. For example, the nozzles 12A may have different hole diameters, or may have different nozzle shapes. The ejection direction of the liquid 3 is preferably perpendicular to the floor surface 31, but is not particularly limited. By arranging the nozzles 12A at equal intervals along a direction intersecting with the moving direction A, the cleaning width of the floor cleaning robot 1A in the moving direction A can be expanded, and the droplets 3b can be collided without leakage on the floor surface 31 corresponding to the spaces between the nozzles 12A, thereby reducing unevenness in cleaning.

[0048] [Example 2] The floor cleaning robot 1B of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Fig. 5 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 1 of the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 2 of the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 3 of the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment. The floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment is similar to the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment except for the configuration described below. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment has the same characteristics as the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment except for the points described below. Therefore, in Figs. 5 to 7, components common to the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0049] 6 and 7, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment is equipped with a suction unit 18 as a recovery unit that sucks the liquid 3 sprayed from the nozzle 12A onto the floor surface 31 into the main body 10. Although the suction unit 18 of this embodiment has a suction port and a suction pump, there is no particular limitation on the configuration of the suction unit 18. With this configuration, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment can efficiently recover the liquid 3 from the floor surface 31.

[0050] 7, in the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment, the main body 10 has a first connection flow path 41 that connects the suction part 18 and the first storage part 11. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment is configured to be able to return the collected liquid 3 to the first storage part 11 and to be able to reuse the liquid 3.

[0051] 7, in the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment, the main body 10 has a filter 45 provided in the first connection flow path 41. In other words, the main body 10 has the filter 45 as a removal unit that removes impurities contained in the liquid 3 collected by the suction unit 18 as a collection unit. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment can suitably reuse the liquid 3 collected by the collection unit.

[0052] Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment is provided with a pump driven by pressurized gas as the pump 16. Specifically, the pump has a liquid chamber 16A that can be filled with liquid 3, an air chamber 16B that can be filled with pressurized gas, and a piston 16C that can change the volumes of the liquid chamber 16A and the air chamber 16B. The air chamber 16B is connected to a pressurized gas storage section 19 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 and that contains pressurized gas therein, and is provided with an air release valve 16D. When the air chamber 16B is filled with gas from the pressurized gas storage section 19 through the gas flow path 43, the volume of the air chamber 16B expands and the volume of the liquid chamber 16A decreases, and the liquid 3 is sent from the liquid chamber 16A to the nozzle 12A through the flow path 40. On the other hand, when the air release valve 16D is opened to reduce the volume of the air chamber 16B and expand the volume of the liquid chamber 16A, liquid is filled from the first reservoir 11 via the flow path 40 into the liquid chamber 16A.

[0053] From another perspective, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment has a pressurized gas storage unit 19 that contains pressurized gas as a liquid delivery unit. With this configuration, the liquid delivery unit can be made low-cost and simply configured.

[0054] 5, the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment also includes a retention section 20 where the main body 10 is retained when not cleaning, as in the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment, but the retention section 20 of this embodiment has a gas delivery valve 21 as a pressurized gas delivery section that delivers gas to the pressurized gas storage section 19. When the main body 10 is retained in the retention section 20 when not cleaning, the main body 10 can fill the pressurized gas storage section 19 with gas by connecting the pressurized air contained in the retention section 20 to the gas delivery valve 21 through the valve connection port 19A shown in FIG. 7. Since the floor cleaning robot 1B of this embodiment has such a configuration, gas can be automatically injected into the pressurized gas storage section 19 when not cleaning, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which the pressurized gas is not sealed in the pressurized gas storage section 19 during cleaning and the floor surface 31 cannot be cleaned. In addition, the retention section 20 can be configured to have, for example, a replaceable cassette-type pressurized gas cylinder attached thereto so that pressurized gas can be discharged from the gas delivery valve 21.

[0055] [Example 3] A floor cleaning robot 1C of Example 3 will be described below with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 3 for the floor cleaning robot 1A of Example 1 and to FIG. 7 for the floor cleaning robot 1B of Example 2. The floor cleaning robot 1C of this example is similar to the floor cleaning robot 1B of Example 2 except for the configuration described below. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this example has similar features to the floor cleaning robot 1C of Example 2 except for the points described below. Therefore, in FIG. 8, components common to Examples 1 and 2 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0056] 8, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment has, in the main body 10, a second storage section 47 that stores the liquid 3 sucked by the suction section 18. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment can collect the liquid 3 in the second storage section 47 via the liquid flow path 48.

[0057] 8, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment has a second connection flow path 42 in the main body 10 that connects the second storage portion 47 and the first storage portion 11. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment can send the liquid 3 collected in the second storage portion 47 to the first storage portion 11 via the second connection flow path 42, and can reuse the liquid 3.

[0058] In the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment, a filter 45 is formed in the liquid flow path 48, and the liquid 3 stored in the second storage section 47 is reusable. However, in cases where the liquid 3 is contaminated even after passing through the filter 45, the liquid 3 stored in the second storage section 47 can be discarded without being sent to the first storage section 11.

[0059] 8, the floor cleaning robot 1C of this embodiment does not have the pressurized gas storage unit 19, but instead has a configuration in which a replaceable cassette-type pressurized gas cylinder 46 can be attached. The pressurized gas cylinder 46 can be easily replaced by the user, and a lightweight one can be used. The pump 16 of this embodiment has a similar configuration to the pump 16 of the floor cleaning robot 1B of the second embodiment, but pressurized gas is sent from the pressurized gas cylinder 46 to the air chamber 16B via a gas flow path 44.

[0060] [Example 4] A floor cleaning robot 1D of Example 4 will be described below with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the up-down mechanism of the floor cleaning robot 1D of this example, and is a diagram comparing a state in which the facing surface 10A of the floor cleaning robot 1D is lowered (left side) relative to the floor surface 31 with a state in which it is raised (right side). The floor cleaning robot 1D of this example is similar to the floor cleaning robot 1B of Example 2 except for the configuration described below. Therefore, the floor cleaning robot 1D of this example has the same characteristics as the floor cleaning robot 1B of Example 2 except for the points described below. Therefore, in FIG. 9, components common to Examples 1 to 3 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 9, the floor cleaning robot 1D of this embodiment has, as the main body 10, an installation part 101 on which the drive wheels 13 are provided, and a base part 105 on which the nozzle forming part 12 is provided on the opposing surface 10A. The floor cleaning robot 1D of this embodiment has a jack part consisting of a spiral shaft 103 that rotates with the rotation of the motor 102, and an arm part 104 whose end is connected to the installation part 101 and the base part 105 and whose joint part is engaged with the spiral shaft 103. The floor cleaning robot 1D of this embodiment can widen the gap between the floor surface 31 and the opposing surface 10A by rotating the motor 102 to change from the left state of FIG. 9 to the right state of FIG. 9, and can narrow the gap between the floor surface 31 and the opposing surface 10A by rotating the motor 102 to change from the right state of FIG. 9 to the left state of FIG. 9. With this configuration, the position of the opposing surface 10A relative to the floor surface 31 can be raised or lowered depending on whether the floor surface 31 is substantially flat, such as a wooden floor, or has small projections and recesses, such as a carpet.

[0062] [Example 5] Hereinafter, the vacuum cleaner 2 will be described as Example 5 with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the vacuum cleaner 2 of this example. The vacuum cleaner 2 of this example has components in common with the above-mentioned Examples 1 to 4. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 2 of this example has similar features to the floor cleaning robot 1 of Examples 1 to 4 in terms of using the common components. Therefore, in FIG. 10, the components in common with the above-mentioned Examples 1 to 4 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0063] 10, the vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment has, as a main body 10, a head part 10a having an opposing surface 10A, and a grip part 10b that is gripped when a user uses the vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment to clean. Similarly to the floor cleaning robot 1A of the first embodiment, the opposing surface 10A of the head part 10a is provided with a nozzle forming part 12 having a plurality of nozzles 12A, and an absorbent pad 14 as a collection part. The main body 10 is provided with a first storage part 11 that stores the liquid 3.

[0064] That is, the vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment includes a head portion 10a and a first storage portion 11 for storing the liquid 3. The vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment includes at least one nozzle 12A that is disposed on a facing surface 10A of the head portion 10a facing the floor surface 31, and that sprays the liquid 3 in a continuous stream 3a and converts the continuous stream 3a into droplets 3b to collide with the floor surface 31 in the form of droplets 3b. The vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment also includes an absorbent pad 14 that is disposed at a position different from the nozzle 12A on the facing surface 10A and collects the liquid 3 sprayed from the nozzle 12A onto the floor surface 31. The vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment has such a configuration, and thus the collision energy when the liquid 3 collides with the floor surface 31 can be dramatically increased compared to, for example, a configuration in which the liquid 3 is simply discharged as droplets 3b or a configuration in which the liquid 3 is collided with the floor surface 31 in the form of a continuous stream 3a. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 2 of this embodiment can clean the floor surface 31 by peeling off dirt therefrom using the droplet impact pressure, and can improve the efficiency of cleaning the floor surface 31 without increasing the size of the cleaner.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The technical features in the embodiment corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. For example, the vacuum cleaner 2 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be equipped with the technology adopted in the floor cleaning robot 1 in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the floor cleaning robot 1 in each of the above-mentioned embodiments and the vacuum cleaner 2 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be further equipped with a mechanism for sucking in foreign matter such as dust and dirt present on the floor 30. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 2 may be configured to have a head unit 10a as a part of the main body unit 10, or may be configured to have the head unit 10a separate from the main body unit 10 and to be connected to the main body unit 10 by a flexible tube (hose) or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1...Floor cleaning robot, 1A...Floor cleaning robot, 1B...Floor cleaning robot, 1C...Floor cleaning robot, 1D...Floor cleaning robot, 2...Vacuum cleaner, 3...Liquid, 3a...Continuous flow, 3b...Liquid droplet, 10...Main body, 10A...Opposite surface, 10a...Head portion, 10b...Grip portion, 11...First storage portion, 12...Nozzle forming portion, 12A...Nozzle, 13...Driving wheel, 14...Absorption pad (recovery portion), 15...Motor, 16...Pump, 16A...Liquid chamber, 16B...Air chamber, 16C...Piston, 16D...Atmospheric release valve, 1 8...suction section (recovery section), 19...pressurized gas storage section, 19A...valve connection port, 20...retention section, 21...gas delivery valve, 30...floor, 31...floor surface, 40...flow path, 41...first connection flow path, 42...second connection flow path, 43...gas flow path, 44...gas flow path, 45...filter (removal section), 46...pressurized gas cylinder, 47...second storage section, 48...liquid flow path, 50...control section (ejection control section), 51...detection section, 101...installation section, 102...motor, 103...spiral shaft, 104...arm section, 105...base section

Claims

1. A main body portion, A drive wheel that supports the main body so that the main body can move on a floor surface; A first reservoir provided in the main body and configured to store a liquid; at least one nozzle disposed on a surface of the main body facing the floor surface, the nozzle spraying the liquid in a continuous stream and converting the continuous stream into droplets that collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets; a recovery unit that is disposed at a position different from the nozzle on the facing surface and recovers the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface; A floor cleaning robot comprising:

2. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, The floor cleaning robot, wherein the collection unit is disposed rearward of the nozzle in a direction in which the main body unit moves when the drive wheels are driven.

3. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 2, The floor cleaning robot is characterized in that the nozzle is disposed forward of the drive wheels in the direction of movement.

4. The floor cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The floor cleaning robot is characterized in that the recovery unit includes a suction unit that sucks the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface into the inside of the main body.

5. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 4, The floor cleaning robot, characterized in that the main body portion has a first connection flow path that connects the suction portion and the first storage portion.

6. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 4, The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion has a second storage portion that stores the liquid sucked by the suction portion.

7. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 6, The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion has a second connecting flow path that connects the second storage portion and the first storage portion.

8. The floor cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion has a removal portion that removes impurities contained in the liquid collected by the collection portion.

9. The floor cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the recovery unit has an absorbent material capable of absorbing the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface.

10. The floor cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A floor cleaning robot comprising: a liquid delivery unit that delivers the liquid stored in the first storage unit to the nozzle.

11. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 10, The floor cleaning robot is characterized in that the liquid delivery unit has a pressurized gas storage unit containing pressurized gas therein.

12. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 11, A retaining portion is provided on which the main body portion is retained when not cleaning, The floor cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the retention portion has a pressurized gas delivery portion that delivers the gas to the pressurized gas storage portion.

13. The floor cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A floor cleaning robot comprising a detection unit for detecting the condition of the floor surface.

14. The floor cleaning robot according to claim 13, A floor cleaning robot comprising a spray control unit that controls the spraying of the liquid according to the condition of the floor surface detected by the detection unit.

15. A head portion and A first reservoir that stores liquid; at least one nozzle disposed on a surface of the head portion facing a floor surface, the nozzle spraying the liquid in a continuous stream and converting the continuous stream into droplets that collide with the floor surface in the form of droplets; a recovery unit that is disposed at a position different from the nozzle on the facing surface and recovers the liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the floor surface; A vacuum cleaner comprising:

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