US20050251947A1 - Robot cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot vacuum cleaner comprises a main body having a driving wheel, a suction port provided underneath the main body for drawing in contaminants on a surface to be cleaned, and a guide member disposed underneath the main body for guiding contaminants on the surface to be cleaned toward the suction port.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-33371 filed on May 12, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates generally to a robot vacuum cleaner, and more specifically to a robot vacuum cleaner that is capable of more efficient collection of dust and contaminants from hard to access corners.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Generally, a robot vacuum cleaner draws in contaminants, such as dust from a surface to be cleaned, while automatically traveling an area without being manually guided by a user.
• These types of robot vacuum cleaners may detect an obstacle, such as furniture, appliances, a wall in the area to be cleaned, or the distance to the obstacle, by a distance sensor or a photographing unit, such that the robot vacuum cleaner can clean the area to be cleaned while avoiding a crash or maneuvering to avoid any obstruction.
• The conventional robot vacuum cleaner comprises left and right driving wheels and driven wheels disposed underneath a main body. Each driving wheel is connected to a driving motor to provide a driving force to the wheels. A control part controls the driving motor such that the direction of travel of the main body can be changed by appropriate guidance of the wheels.
• A suction port is disposed also underneath the main body to draw in contaminants and dust from the surface to be cleaned. A separate suction motor, disposed within the main body, provides suction force that is applied to the suction port. The suction port is connected with a separate dust collection chamber disposed in the main body. The contaminants in the air drawn in to the suction port are collected in the dust collection chamber.
• The conventional robot vacuum cleaner having the above-described structure cleans contaminants from the surface to be cleaned while automatically traveling in a predetermined travel pattern. In corner areas, defined between the floor and obstacles, such as furniture and walls, dust or contaminants gather in greater abundance than in other places because of the lack of air circulation.
• However, conventional robot vacuum cleaners have the suction port only partially exposed underneath the main body, and therefore, the contaminants in a corner area are difficult to remove completely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention has been conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a robot vacuum cleaner having an advanced structure, that is capable of guiding contaminants found in a corner area surface to a suction port so as to collect the contaminants into the vacuum cleaner.
• In order to achieve the above aspects, there is provided a robot vacuum cleaner, comprising a main body having a driving wheel, a suction port provided underneath the main body for drawing in contaminants on a surface to be cleaned, and a guide member disposed underneath the main body for guiding contaminants on the cleaning surface to be cleaned toward the suction port.
• A pair of the guide members may be mounted on opposite ends of the suction port.
• The guide member is in contact with the surface to be cleaned and extends laterally beyond the driving wheel.
• The guide member may be made of resiliently transformable material, such as Thermoplastic Poly Urethane (TPU).
• The guide member may comprise a support connected underneath the main body, and a guiding part extending upwardly from the support, and configured to contact the cleaning surface to be cleaned.
• The upper portion of the guiding part connection with the support of the main body may be thicker than the extended portion configured for contact with the surface to be cleaned.
• The guide member may extend away from the suction port and toward that side of the main body for which the guide portion is intended to clean.
• The guide member may be shaped and configured to collect the contaminants on the surface to be cleaned toward the suction port.
• The suction port may be provided behind the driving wheels in relation to the direction of expected travel of the main body.
• The suction port extends for a predetermined length in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the driving wheel and the guide member may be extend from the opposite ends of the suction port.
• The robot vacuum cleaner may further comprise a main brush mounted to the underside of the main body extending in direction parallel to the suction port, and is shaped and configured for providing contaminants on the surface to be cleaned easy access to the suction port.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from achieving an understanding of the following detailed description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the robot vacuum cleaner shown inFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a guide member shown inFIG. 2; and
• FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the robot vacuum cleaner shown inFIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
• Certain embodiments of the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
• In the following description, identical drawing reference numerals are used for designating the same elements between the different drawings. The elements defined in the description, such as the detailed construction and structural elements, are only provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Thus, it is apparent that the present invention can be carried out without using those defined elements. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail so as to avoid obscuring the invention in unnecessary detail.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the robot vacuum cleaner shown inFIG. 1.
• Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a robot vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises amain body10, left/right driving wheels12 and13 disposed underneath themain body10 to extend downwardly therefrom, asuction port20 configured to face the floor under themain body10, and aguide member30 also disposed underneath themain body10.
• A filtering means is mounted within themain body10 for filtering or cleaning contaminants in the air drawn in through thesuction port20. The filtering means can generally include a cyclone collecting unit and a dust bag. A driving source is also mounted in themain body10 for driving the filtering means, that is, for providing thesuction port20 with suction force, thereby to draw in air in which entrained contaminants are present.
• Acamera unit11 is disposed on an outer surface of themain body10, and preferably is directed in the direction of expected travel of the vacuum cleaner. Obstacles such as furniture and walls can be detected by thecamera unit11. Themain body10 may be streamlined in a design to minimize the possibility of crash or obstruction against obstacles while driving the vacuum cleaner. As shown inFIG. 2, themain body10 may have a substantially circular-shaped bottom.
• The left/right driving wheels12 and13 are selectively driven by drivingmotors41 and42 (shown in phantom inFIG. 2), respectively, which are arranged as separate motors from the driving source motors. Driving of thedriving motors41 and42 is controlled by a control part (not shown). Idlewheels14 and15 may be associated with each of the left/right driving wheels12 and13 for providing passive rotation and balance.
• Thesuction port20 is disposed behind the left/right driving wheels12 and13 in the normal direction of travel of the robot vacuum cleaner, as shown by the arrow A. Thesuction port20 is provided to extend in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the left/right driving wheels, as shown, and the extension is for a certain predetermined length. Thesuction port20 does not extend completely to a side of themain body10, but is configured to have a certain length extending only in that portion underneath of thebody10, as shown. Arotation brush21 is rotatably provided in thesuction port20. Therotation brush21 may be rotated by the driving source, in accordance with known methods, for example, by a belt connection to the axle.
• A pair ofguide members30 are provided to correspond and be connected to opposite ends of thesuction port20. Eachguide member30 is extended to extend from the side of themain body10, and is exposed beyond the outer wall defining themain body10. When themain body10 is moved, theguide members30 guide and gather contaminants, which are found at a distance from thesuction port20, such as contaminants located in the corner area between the floor and furniture or walls. Theguide members30 are connected to the underside ofmain body10 by supportingbrackets16 which are attached by screws, or other appropriate connectors. Theguide members30 each comprise a support portion31 (FIG. 3), and aguide portion33, extended from the supportingportion31 and are bent therearound in a partial semicircle. Ascrew hole31 a is configured in the supportingportion31. Theguide portion33 is configured to have a predetermined length such that the end of theguide portion33 may come into contact with the surface to be cleaned. Theguide member30 is extended, so as to extend beyond the drivingwheels12 and13, and thus to contact with the surface to be cleaned, shown inFIG. 4, for example, afloor1. The lower part of theguide member30 is resiliently transformable, such that the lower part closest to thesurface1 may be transformed by the contact with thesurface1. Thus, contaminants located in the corner area can be effectively guided to thesuction port20, and thereby be collected by the vacuum cleaner.
• Theguide members30 on both ends of thesuction port20 are shaped and configured to extend in a forward direction, relative to the running direction shown by arrow A. The upper portion of theguide member30 is preferably thicker than the lower portion, and a section thereof is connected with the supportingportion31. Accordingly, only the lower side of theguide member30, contacting thesurface1 to be cleaned, is capable of resilient transformation without greatly changing the shape of theentire guide member30. Thermoplastic Poly Urethane (TPU) can be a preferred material for theguide member30, which is a material being capable of providing a proper strength and resilient transformation.
• Amain brush40 is preferably provided in the underside of themain body10, extending in a direction parallel to thesuction port20. Themain brush40 is disposed behind the suction-port20 in the direction of travel of themain body10, as shown by the arrow A, and resiliently contacts thesurface1 to be cleaned. Themain brush40 dislodges and collects contaminants, which then are drawn into thesuction port20. Themain brush40 may be made of the same material as theguide member30, but that is not an essential feature of the invention.
• As described above, a robot vacuum cleaner having the above-described structure according to the present invention has guide members extending from opposite ends of the suction port, such that contaminants located beyond the reach of the suction port can be gathered and guided to a nearer location adjacent to the suction port for drawing into the vacuum cleaner.
• Accordingly, cleaning efficiency is increased, in that more contaminants, even when located in a corner area, can be collected.
• The guide member extends and protrudes to the sidewall ofmain body10 such that contaminants found in corner areas between the floor and an obstacle, such as furniture or a wall, are effectively removed.
• Additional advantages, objects, and features of the embodiments of the invention are set forth in part in the above description and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the description and achieving an understanding of the invention, or may be learned from practice of the invention. Other objects and advantages of the embodiments of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Claims (12)

1. A robot vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body having a driving wheel;

a suction port provided underneath the main body, for drawing in contaminants on a surface to be cleaned; and

a guide member disposed underneath the main body for guiding contaminants on the surface to be cleaned toward a location adjacent to the suction port.

2. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein a pair of the guide members are mounted on opposite ends of the suction port.

3. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the guide member is in contact with the surface to be cleaned and extends laterally beyond the driving wheel.

4. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the guide member is made of resiliently transformable material.

5. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the guide member further comprises:

a support connected with the underside of the main body; and

a guiding part extending upwardly from the support, and configured to contact the surface to be cleaned.

6. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 5, wherein the upper portion of the guiding part connection with the support of the main body is thicker than the extended portion configured for contact with the surface to be cleaned.

7. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the guide member extends away from the suction port and toward that side of the main body for which the guide portion is intended to clean.

8. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the guide member is shaped and configured to collect the contaminants on the surface to be cleaned and to direct the contaminants toward the suction port.

9. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the suction port is located behind the driving wheel in relation to the direction of expected travel of the main body.

10. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein the suction port extends for a predetermined length in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the driving wheel; and

the guide member extends from opposite ends of the suction port.

11. The robot vacuum cleaner according toclaim 10, further comprising a main brush mounted on the underside of the main body extending in a direction parallel to the suction port, and is shaped and configured for providing contaminants on the surface to be cleaned easy access to the suction port.

12. The robot vacuum cleaner according to claim.4, wherein the guide member further comprises a Thermoplastic Poly Urethane (TPU).

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