Cleaning device

Abstract

To provide a cleaning device which cleans a cleaned surface by brushes to be rotated while moving on the cleaned surface and where unevenness in cleaning is reduced compared with a conventional technique.SOLUTION: A cleaning device 1 removes dust or the like from a cleaned surface by rotating brushes 105R and 105L while moving on the cleaned surface by the rotation of a rear wheel 102R and a rear wheel 102L being the drive wheels, so as to suck the removed dust or the like by a suction mechanism and to collect the dust or the like. Areas to be cleaned by the brush 105R and the brush 105L are arranged to be only partially overlapped in a width direction in parallel with the cleaned surface and vertical to a movement direction. Thus, cleaning is performed without omission and with less unevenness in cleaning to be generated by a deflection of the brushes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is a cleaning device that moves over a surface to be cleaned, such as a road or a floor, and removes dirt adhering to the surface by using a cylindrical brush that is driven to rotate and pressed against the surface to be cleaned.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a cleaning device that can switch between a wet cleaning mode in which a cleaning solution is sprayed onto a floor, a rotating brush is pressed against the floor where the cleaning solution has been sprayed to remove dirt adhering to the floor, the removed dirt is collected in a hopper, and the solution remaining on the floor is collected with a squeegee and sent to a cleaning solution collection tank, and a dry cleaning mode in which a rotating brush is pressed against a floor where the cleaning solution has not been sprayed to remove dust adhering to the floor, the air containing the removed dust is collected with a squeegee, water particles are sprayed into the collected air, and the water particles with dust in the air adhering to them are collected in a collection tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-99512 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a cleaning device such as that described in Patent Document 1, which moves over a surface to be cleaned (hereinafter referred to as surface to be cleaned S) while cleaning the surface to be cleaned with a cylindrical brush (hereinafter referred to as brush B) rotating around an axis parallel to the surface to be cleaned, brush B is rotatably supported at fulcrums FL and FR near both ends of central axis A, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 13, and is pressed against the surface to be cleaned S by a downward load applied to fulcrums FL and FR. Therefore, the brush, which receives an upward resistance from the surface to be cleaned S, bends upward more the further it moves from fulcrums FL and FR near both ends of central axis A toward the center.

[0006] 14, cleaning spots E are generated on the surface S to be cleaned by the cleaning device in a direction (hereinafter referred to as width direction W) parallel to the surface S to be cleaned and perpendicular to the moving direction (hereinafter referred to as moving direction M) of the cleaning device. That is, a state occurs in which dirt is sufficiently removed near both ends in the width direction W of the cleaned area of ​​the surface S to be cleaned, but not sufficiently removed near the center.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a cleaning device that cleans a surface to be cleaned by using a brush that rotates while moving over the surface to be cleaned, which is less likely to produce cleaning spots compared to conventional techniques. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a cleaning device that moves over a surface to be cleaned while cleaning the surface with a plurality of cylindrical brushes that rotate around an axis parallel to the surface to be cleaned, and the plurality of brushes are arranged so that only a portion of the cleaning areas overlap in a width direction that is parallel to the surface to be cleaned and perpendicular to the direction of movement. and for one or more of the plurality of brushes, a drive-side connecting part is provided which is connected to an end part of the brush on the center side in the width direction and applies a rotational force to the brush, and a non-drive-side connecting part is provided which is connected to an end part of the brush that is not connected to the drive-side connecting part and rotatably supports the brush without applying a rotational force to the brush. A cleaning device is proposed as a first aspect.

[0009] According to the cleaning device of the first aspect, the amount of bending of the brush is smaller compared to a cleaning device according to the conventional technology in which a single brush covers the entire width of the cleaning area, and cleaning spots are less likely to occur. Furthermore, according to the cleaning device of the first aspect, the brush to which rotational force is applied at the end portion on the central side in the width direction can be easily replaced.

[0010] In the cleaning device according to the first aspect described above, a second aspect may be adopted in which, for one or more of the plurality of brushes, an end portion on the outer edge side in the width direction of the brush is positioned rearward in the direction of movement of the end portion on the central side.

[0011] According to the cleaning device of the second aspect, cleaning liquid and air containing dirt, dust, etc. removed by the brush from the surface to be cleaned are less likely to scatter outside the cleaning area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which cleaning areas of two brushes included in a cleaning device according to one embodiment overlap only partially in the width direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the central shafts of two brushes included in the cleaning device according to one embodiment are bent upward due to resistance from a surface to be cleaned. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing cleaning spots that appear on a surface to be cleaned by two brushes included in a cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a structure in which a rotational force generated by a drive device is transmitted to two brushes in a cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a procedure for replacing a brush in the cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of a cleaning device according to a modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a structure in which a rotational force generated by a drive device is transmitted to two brushes in a cleaning device according to one modified example. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the effects of a cleaning device according to a modified example in comparison with the cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of arrangements of a plurality of brushes included in a cleaning device according to one modified example. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of arrangements of a plurality of brushes included in a cleaning device according to one modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a central shaft of a brush provided in a cleaning device according to a conventional technology is bent upward due to a resistance force from a surface to be cleaned. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing cleaning spots that appear on a surface to be cleaned by a brush provided in a cleaning device according to a conventional technique. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] [Embodiment] A cleaning device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, up and down in relation to the cleaning device 1 refer to up and down in relation to the cleaning device 1 when placed in normal use on a horizontal surface to be cleaned, front and rear in relation to the cleaning device 1 refer to front and rear when the direction in which the cleaning device 1 moves during cleaning (hereinafter referred to as the cleaning direction) is defined as the front, and left and right in relation to the cleaning device 1 refer to left and right when facing the cleaning direction.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cleaning device 1, and Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the cleaning device 1. The cleaning device 1 includes a housing 101 that houses a control unit and the like (not shown) that controls the operation of the cleaning device 1, a rear wheel 102R arranged on the rear right side on the bottom surface of the housing 101, a drive unit 103R that imparts a rotational force to the rear wheel 102R, a rear wheel 102L arranged on the rear left side on the bottom surface of the housing 101, a drive unit 103L that imparts a rotational force to the rear wheel 102L, and a front wheel 104 arranged in the front center on the bottom surface of the housing 101.

[0017] The cleaning device 1 autonomously moves on the surface to be cleaned by rear wheels 102R, which rotate with a torque provided by a drive device 103R operating under the control of a control unit, and rear wheels 102L, which rotate with a torque provided by a drive device 103L operating under the control of a control unit. Note that the front wheels 104 are not driven and rotate with the movement of the cleaning device 1.

[0018] The cleaning device 1 further includes a cylindrical brush 105R arranged between the front wheels 104 and the rear wheels 102R on the bottom surface of the housing 101, a cylindrical brush 105L arranged between the front wheels 104 and the rear wheels 102L on the bottom surface of the housing 101, and a drive device 106 that applies a rotational force to the brush 105R and the brush 105L.

[0019] Brush 105R and brush 105L are arranged so that their central axes are parallel to the width direction W. Brush 105R and brush 105L are also arranged so that only a portion of the area they clean (hereinafter referred to as the cleaning area) overlaps in the width direction W. In order to achieve such an arrangement, the central axis of brush 105R and the central axis of brush 105L are located at different positions in the front-rear direction.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the cleaning area CR of brush 105R and the cleaning area CL of brush 105L overlap only in a partial area CW in the width direction W. By the brushes 105R and 105L arranged in this manner, the surface to be cleaned S is cleaned without any gaps over the entire area in the width direction W.

[0021] In addition, cleaning spots E are less likely to occur on the surface S cleaned by the brush 105R and brush 105L arranged as described above, compared to the surface S cleaned by the brush B of the conventional technology shown in Figure 14.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the central axes of the brushes 105R and 105L are bent upward due to the resistance force received from the surface S to be cleaned. The length of the width direction W of the cleaning area of ​​the brush B shown in FIG. 13 is the same as the length of the width direction W of the cleaning area of ​​the brushes 105R and 105L shown in FIG. 4. The distance between the fulcrum FRR and the fulcrum FRL at which the central axis of the brush 105R is supported is shorter than the distance between the fulcrum FR and the fulcrum FL at which the central axis A of the brush B is supported. In addition, the distance between the fulcrum FLR and the fulcrum FLL at which the central axis of the brush 105L is supported is shorter than the distance between the fulcrum FR and the fulcrum FL at which the central axis A of the brush B is supported. Therefore, the amount of bending generated in the brushes 105R and 105L due to the resistance force received from the surface S to be cleaned is smaller than the amount of bending generated in the brush B.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of cleaning spots E generated on a surface S to be cleaned by the brush 105R and the brush 105L. As shown in Fig. 5, when cleaning is performed by the brush 105R and the brush 105L provided in the cleaning device 1, cleaning spots E generated on the surface S to be cleaned are significantly reduced compared to when cleaning is performed by the brush B according to the conventional technology shown in Fig. 14.

[0024] The description of the configuration of the cleaning device 1 will be continued with reference to Fig. 2. The cleaning device 1 further includes a drive belt 107R that transmits a rotational force generated by the drive device 106 to the brush 105R, a drive side connector 108R that is rotated by the drive belt 107R and connected to one end of the central shaft of the brush 105R, and a non-drive side connector 109R that is connected to the other end of the central shaft of the brush 105R. The cleaning device 1 also includes a drive belt 107L that transmits a rotational force generated by the drive device 106 to the brush 105L, a drive side connector 108L that is rotated by the drive belt 107L and connected to one end of the central shaft of the brush 105L, and a non-drive side connector 109L that is connected to the other end of the central shaft of the brush 105L.

[0025] The driving side connecting part 108R is rotatably attached to the housing 101, and rotates by a rotational force applied from the driving device 106 via the driving belt 107R. One end of the central shaft of the brush 105R is connected to the driving side connecting part 108R. The central shaft of the brush 105R rotates with the rotation of the driving side connecting part 108R. The non-driving side connecting part 109R is non-rotatably attached to the housing 101, and is connected to the other end of the central shaft of the brush 105R to rotatably support the central shaft of the brush 105R.

[0026] The driving side connecting part 108L is rotatably attached to the housing 101, and rotates by a rotational force applied from the driving device 106 via the driving belt 107L. One end of the central shaft of the brush 105L is connected to the driving side connecting part 108L. The central shaft of the brush 105L rotates with the rotation of the driving side connecting part 108L. The non-driving side connecting part 109L is non-rotatably attached to the housing 101, and is connected to the other end of the central shaft of the brush 105L to rotatably support the central shaft of the brush 105L.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a structure in which the rotational force generated by the driving device 106 is transmitted to the brushes 105R and 105L.

[0028] In the cleaning device 1, the driving device 106 applies a rotational force to the end portion on the central side in the width direction W of the brush 105R (the end portion on the right side in FIG. 2) via the driving belt 107R. The driving device 106 also applies a rotational force to the end portion on the central side in the width direction W of the brush 105L (the end portion on the left side in FIG. 2) via the driving belt 107L. Therefore, the brushes 105R and 105L can be easily replaced.

[0029] FIG. 7 shows the replacement procedure using the brush 105L as an example. FIG. 7(a) shows the normal state in which the brush 105L is attached. When replacing the brush 105L, a user (maintenance staff, etc.) removes the non-drive side connecting portion 109L as shown in FIG. 7(b). Next, the user removes the old brush 105L in the direction of the arrow X as shown in FIG. 7(c). The user installs a new brush 105L in the reverse order to the order in which the old brush 105L was removed.

[0030] If the driving device 106 applied a rotational force to the outer edge of the brush 105L in the width direction W, the user would be unable to reach the side of the cleaning device 1 when removing the non-drive side connecting part 109L, and would have to lift or turn the cleaning device 1 upside down. However, because the driving device 106 is configured to apply a rotational force to the center end of the brush 105L in the width direction W, the user can easily replace the non-drive side connecting part 109L from the side of the cleaning device 1. The same applies to the brush 105R.

[0031] The description of the configuration of the cleaning device 1 will continue with reference to Fig. 2. The cleaning device 1 further includes a squeegee 110 attached to the rear of the housing 101. The cleaning device 1 also includes a suction mechanism not shown in Fig. 2. The squeegee 110 plays a role in collecting the cleaning liquid containing the dirt, dust, etc. removed by the brushes 105R and 105L from the surface S to be cleaned onto which the cleaning liquid has been sprayed. The cleaning liquid collected by the squeegee 110 is sucked into the housing 101 by the suction mechanism and collected in a cleaning liquid collection tank in the housing 101.

[0032] The cleaning device 1 may include a nozzle for spraying cleaning liquid toward the surface S to be cleaned, ahead of the brushes 105R and 105L, and the pre-use cleaning liquid contained in a cleaning liquid supply tank in the housing 101 may be sprayed from the nozzle by a pump in the housing 101. In that case, when cleaning the surface S to be cleaned with the cleaning device 1, there is no need to take the trouble of spraying cleaning liquid onto the surface S to be cleaned in advance using a separate device or the like.

[0033] The above configuration is for the case where the cleaning device 1 performs cleaning using a cleaning liquid (wet cleaning), but the cleaning device 1 may be configured to perform cleaning without using a cleaning liquid (dry cleaning). In that case, instead of a cleaning liquid recovery tank, the cleaning device 1 is provided with a filter or the like that separates dirt, dust, etc. from air containing dirt, dust, etc., and a removed matter recovery tank that recovers the separated dirt, dust, etc., inside the housing 101, and separates and recovers the dirt, dust, etc. from the air sucked in by the suction mechanism.

[0034] According to the above-described cleaning device 1, cleaning spots E are unlikely to occur on the surface to be cleaned S. Furthermore, according to the above-described cleaning device 1, the brushes 105L and 105R can be easily replaced.

[0035] [Variations] The above-described embodiment may be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. The modifications are shown below. Note that two or more of the modifications shown below may be combined as appropriate.

[0036] (Variation 1) In the above-described embodiment, brush 105R and brush 105L are arranged such that their central axes extend parallel to width direction W. Alternatively, for one or more of the brushes included in cleaning device 1, the outer edge side end of the brush in width direction W may be arranged rearward in the movement direction M from the center side end.

[0037] Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the cleaning device 1 according to one example of this modification. In this modification, the brushes 105R and 105L are arranged to form a V-shape. That is, the end portion on the outer edge side in the width direction W of the brush 105R (the end portion on the left side in Fig. 8) is arranged further back in the moving direction M than the end portion on the central side (the end portion on the right side in Fig. 8). And the end portion on the outer edge side in the width direction W of the brush 105L (the end portion on the right side in Fig. 8) is arranged further back in the moving direction M than the end portion on the central side (the end portion on the left side in Fig. 8).

[0038] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a structure in which the rotational force generated by the driving device 106 is transmitted to the brushes 105R and 105L in the cleaning device 1 having the configuration shown in Fig. 8. The driving device 106 provided in this cleaning device 1 is composed of a driving device 106R for rotating the brush 105R and a driving device 106L for rotating the brush 105L.

[0039] 10 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the cleaning device 1 according to this modification in comparison with the above-mentioned cleaning device 1. Dirt and the like removed from the surface S to be cleaned by the brushes 105R and 105L scatters toward the rear and spreads out somewhat.

[0040] Therefore, in the case of the cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment described above, some of the dirt and the like removed from the surface S to be cleaned by the brushes 105R and 105L scatters to the left and right outside the cleaning area, as shown in Fig. 10(a). Therefore, in order to collect the dirt and the like scattered to the left and right outside, it becomes necessary to widen the width of the squeegee 110 or increase the suction force of the suction mechanism.

[0041] On the other hand, with the cleaning device 1 according to this modification, there is a low risk that some of the dirt and the like removed from the surface S to be cleaned by the brushes 105R and 105L will scatter to the left and right outside the cleaning area, as shown in Fig. 10(b). Therefore, compared with the cleaning device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the width of the squeegee 110 can be narrowed, and the suction force required for the suction mechanism can be reduced.

[0042] (Variation 2) In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning device 1 is provided with two brushes. The cleaning device 1 may be provided with three or more brushes. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of three brushes when the cleaning device 1 is provided with these brushes. In this way, by increasing the number of brushes arranged in the direction along the width direction W, the length of the central axis of each brush can be shortened. As a result, the amount of bending occurring in each brush is reduced, and cleaning spots E occurring on the surface S to be cleaned can be further reduced.

[0043] 12 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of four brushes when the cleaning device 1 is equipped with these brushes. In this way, by increasing the number of brushes arranged in the direction along the movement direction M, the same position on the surface to be cleaned S can be scrubbed multiple times with the brushes. As a result, the dirt removal ability of the cleaning device 1 can be improved.

[0044] (Variation 3) The cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment described above is designed to travel autonomously under the control of the control unit, but the cleaning device 1 may move while the direction of movement is adjusted by a user such as an operator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1...cleaning device, 101...housing, 102L·102R...rear wheels, 103L·103R...drive mechanism, 104...front wheels, 105L·105R...brush, 106...drive mechanism, 107L·107R...drive belt, 108L·108R...drive side connection portion, 109L·109R...non-drive side connection portion, 110...squeegee.

Claims

1. A cleaning device that moves over a surface to be cleaned while cleaning the surface with a plurality of cylindrical brushes that rotate around an axis parallel to the surface, The plurality of brushes are arranged such that only a portion of the cleaning area overlaps with another in a width direction parallel to the surface to be cleaned and perpendicular to the moving direction, For one or more of the plurality of brushes, a drive side connecting part is provided which is connected to an end part of the brush on the center side in the width direction and applies a rotational force to the brush, and a non-drive side connecting part is provided which is connected to an end part of the brush which is not connected to the drive side connecting part and rotatably supports the brush without applying a rotational force to the brush. Cleaning equipment.

2. With respect to one or more of the plurality of brushes, an end portion on an outer edge side in the width direction of the brush is disposed rearward in the moving direction relative to an end portion on a center side.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1.

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