Self-propelled vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having right and left side brushes for directing dust on a floor surface toward the inside of the bottom of the cleaner body. The right side brush rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from top on a rotary shaft, which is tilted so that the lower end is located toward the right of and the rear of the cleaner body as compared with the upper end. The left side brush rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from top on a rotary shaft, which is tilted so that the lower end is located toward the left of and the rear of the cleaner body as compared with the upper end. The tilted rotary shafts can prevent the outer portions of the side brushes at their rear portions from contacting a floor surface, thereby preventing dust collected by the front portions of the side brushes from being scattered to the outside of the cleaner body by the rear portions of the brushes.

1 . A self-propelled vacuum cleaner, comprising: 
 a pair of side brushes for directing dust on a floor surface toward an inside of a bottom of a main body of the cleaner, the side brushes including a right side brush that rotates in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from top, on a rotary shaft and a left side brush that rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed from top, on a rotary shaft,    wherein the rotary shaft of the right side brush is angled with respect to a vertical axis of the main body so that a lower end of the rotary shaft is located toward the right of and the rear of the main body as compared with an upper end of the rotary shaft, and    wherein the rotary shaft of the left side brush is angled with respect to the vertical axis of the main body so that a lower end of the rotary shaft is located toward the left of and the rear of the main body as compared with an upper end of the rotary shaft.    
   
   
       2 . The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein each of the side brushes includes the rotary shaft to be rotated, a brush holder mounted on a lower end of the rotary shaft, and a mop-like brush body that spreads out like a truncated cone with an upper end fixed to the brush holder and a lower end free, and    wherein an inner portion of each of the side brushes comes in contact with a floor surface under pressure higher than that at an outer portion of each of the side brushes.    
   
   
       3 . The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to  claim 2 , further comprising a dust collection unit, 
 the dust collection unit including:    a main brush that is located behind the side brushes and rotates on a shaft extending in a width direction of the main body so as to bring up dust collected at the inside of the bottom of the main body by the side brushes;    a dust suction fan for sucking the dust brought up by the main brush; and    a dust box for collecting the dust sucked by the dust suction fan.    
   
   
       4 . The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle while the cleaner moves; and    position identifying means for identifying a position of the cleaner while the cleaner moves,    wherein the cleaner moves on and clean a surface while automatically determining an area to be cleaned based on outputs of the obstacle detection means and the position identifying means.