KR20070105124A - Automatic cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A robotic vacuum cleaner is provided to clean a space between a wall and a floor easily, and to clean the inside corners of the interior by installing at least one side brush at a bottom portion of its body. A robotic vacuum cleaner comprises a main body(10), a side brush(160), and a driving wheel(110). The main body has a suction port(130) for sucking air including dust particles or debris of bottom surface at its lower side. The side brush guides the dust or debris on a corner of inside to the suction port, and sucks the dust particles or debris on a periphery of a surface inclined at a predetermined angle from the bottom surface by turning toward the moving direction of the main body by rolling the driving wheel when the main body moves. The driving wheel is capable of shifting the body. The suction port is formed to the rear part of an extension line horizontally extended from the center of the side brush.

Description

Automatic cleaner

1 is a bottom view of an automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention.

2 is a front view of an automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention.

3 and 4 are views showing the operating state of the automatic cleaner.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10: main body 100: base portion

110: driving wheels 120: casters

130: inlet 140: main brush

150: creep sensor 160: side brush

The present invention relates to a cleaner, and more particularly, to an automatic cleaner capable of cleaning corners of a room.

In general, a cleaner is a device that sucks air containing foreign matters such as dust and the like by using a vacuum pressure generated by a vacuum motor mounted inside the main body, and then filters the foreign matters inside the main body.

Such cleaners are classified into manual cleaners which are directly operated by the user and automatic cleaners which perform cleaning by themselves without the user's manipulation.

On the other hand, the general automatic cleaner is a device that performs cleaning by moving the floor of the area to be cleaned according to the input program by using a charged battery as a power source, and meets the needs of modern people who seek convenience while reducing the cleaning time. It is developed and used in various forms.

The automatic cleaner determines the area to be cleaned by driving the outside of the cleaning area surrounded by a wall or an obstacle through a sensor installed in the main body, and plans a cleaning path for cleaning the determined cleaning area. Then, the wheel is driven to travel the planned cleaning path while calculating the mileage and the current position from the detected signal through the sensor for detecting the number of revolutions and the angle of rotation of the wheel.

In addition, the automatic cleaner is provided with a suction nozzle for sucking air containing foreign matter on the bottom. The suction nozzle includes a suction port through which air containing foreign matter is sucked, a brush provided inside the suction port to shake off dust on the bottom surface, and a rotation motor driving the brush. Therefore, the rotational force by the driving of the rotary motor is transmitted to the brush to shake off the dust on the floor while the brush rotates.

However, in the conventional automatic cleaner as described above, as the suction port is formed on the bottom surface of the main body, it is very difficult to clean the configuration in which the interior corners and various furnitures and the like where the floor and the wall meet each other are installed.

In addition, in order to clean the corners, there is a problem in that the user needs to perform additional cleaning using a separate cleaning tool, and a limitation occurs in the cleaning efficiency of the automatic cleaner.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to propose an automatic cleaner for easily cleaning a corner of an interior where a floor and a wall meet each other.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic vacuum cleaner comprising: a main body having an inlet through which air containing foreign substances on a bottom surface is sucked; A side brush for moving a foreign object in a corner of the room to the suction port; And a driving wheel for enabling movement of the main body, wherein the suction port is formed at a rear side of an extension line extending in a horizontal direction from the center of the side brush, and when the driving wheel is rotated and the main body proceeds, the side The brush is rotated in the same direction as the traveling direction of the main body with respect to the surface forming a predetermined angle with the bottom surface, characterized in that for cleaning the foreign material around the surface.

According to the present invention, since at least one side brush is provided on the bottom of the main body, it is possible to easily clean between the interior wall and the bottom surface, which are difficult to clean, so that the cleaning of every corner of the room can be performed. Will be.

In addition, since the holder member surrounding the cleaning member is provided, the cleaning members can be kept in a collected state without being separated from each other, even for long-term cleaning.

In addition, there is an effect that the user's aesthetics are improved as the cleaning member does not open and maintains the collected state.

In addition, as the holder member is positioned apart from the bottom surface, wear or damage of the holder member due to friction with the bottom surface is prevented.

In addition, as the entire cleaning member exposed to the outside of the holder member is configured to be in contact with the bottom surface, the cleaning area is expanded, and there is an effect of minimizing the space where the cleaning is not performed relatively.

In addition, the side brush is rotated in the same direction as the traveling direction of the main body relative to the surface at a predetermined angle with the bottom surface is configured to clean the foreign material around the surface so that the foreign material in the corner can be more effectively removed. do.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

1 is a bottom view of an automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention.

Here, in FIG. 1, an upper side is a front portion of the automatic cleaner, and a lower side is a rear portion of the automatic cleaner.

Referring to FIG. 1, an automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention includes a main body in which at least a suction motor (not shown), a driving motor (not shown), a filtering device (not shown), and a control device (not shown) are accommodated therein. 10, the base portion 100 formed on the lower side of the main body 10, and the driving wheels provided on both sides of the central portion of the main body 10 and rotated by the received driving force to move the automatic cleaner ( 110 and a suction part formed at a predetermined position of the base part 100 to suck air from the bottom surface.

In addition, the automatic cleaner is formed at a predetermined position of the base unit 100, the caster (120) for safe cleaning is performed by adjusting the center of gravity of the automatic cleaner, and the creep sensor for detecting a lower portion than the bottom surface ( cliff sensor 150, a side brush 160 provided at the bottom of the main body 10 to effectively perform side cleaning of the automatic cleaner, and a battery 170 for supplying power to the main body 10. do.

In detail, the suction motor is a device in which a vacuum pressure is formed to force external air to flow through the suction part, and the driving motor is a device for allowing the automatic cleaner to move by rotating the driving wheel 110.

In addition, the filtering device is a device for separating and collecting foreign matter contained in the air sucked by the porous filter or the cyclone member, the control device includes a microprocessor and a predetermined data storage device to operate the automatic cleaner It is a device to be performed.

On the other hand, at least one caster 120 is formed before and after the base portion 100, respectively. In addition, the installation direction of the caster 120 is formed in parallel with the running direction of the automatic cleaner, so that the cleaner is rotated by friction with the bottom surface during driving. Here, the number of the casters 120 may of course vary depending on the size or the weight of the automatic cleaner.

In addition, the caster 120 is preferably provided outside the rotation radius of the side brush 160 to enable a smooth rotation of the side brush 160.

On the other hand, the side brush 160 may be provided on one side or both sides of the front or rear of the drive wheel 110. In addition, the side brush 160 is rotated together with the operation of the automatic cleaner. To this end, a rotation motor (not shown) is further provided in the main body 10 to rotate the side brush 160.

Here, when only one side of the automatic cleaner is set to travel along the wall surface, the side brush 160 is provided only on one side of the automatic cleaner. On the other hand, when the automatic cleaner is set to allow both sides to travel along the wall surface, the side brushes 160 are provided at both sides of the automatic cleaner.

In addition, the suction unit is provided with a suction port 130 in which air containing foreign matter on the bottom surface, the main brush is provided on the inside of the suction port 130 to clean the bottom surface more completely by the operation of scratching the bottom surface 140 and a brush motor (not shown) for rotating the main brush 140.

In addition, the suction port 130 is located at the rear of the extension line extending in the horizontal direction from the center of the side brush 160 so that the foreign material shaken by the side brush 160 can be effectively sucked.

Here, in FIG. 1, for example, the side brush 160 is provided at a front side of the automatic cleaner, and the suction port 130 is formed at the rear of the center of the driving wheel 110.

However, unlike this, the suction port 130 may be formed in front of the center of the driving wheel 110 to be positioned between the side brush 160 and the driving wheel 110.

In addition, the side brush 160 may be formed at the rear of the driving wheel 110, and the suction port 130 may be formed at the rear of the side brush 160.

In more detail, the side brush 160 includes a rotating member 162 coupled to a motor shaft of a rotating motor, a cleaning member 164 disposed at predetermined intervals on the rotating member 162, and the cleaning member 164. The holder member 166 is included to maintain the collected form.

In addition, the rotating member 162 is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape, it is preferably molded of a plastic material.

In addition, the cleaning member 164 is coupled to the rotating member 162 by forming a group of a plurality of thin brushes (一群). In addition, the cleaning member 164 preferably has a thickness such that foreign matter in the corner portion can be easily moved to the suction port 130 side, for this purpose, the cleaning member 164 preferably has a nylon material Do. In addition, the length of the cleaning member 164 may preferably be in contact with the interior wall when the side brush 160 is rotated.

In addition, the holder member 166 is formed of a material having a predetermined elastic force, and surrounds the cleaning member 164 so that a plurality of brushes constituting the cleaning member 164 maintains a state in which they are collected in the cleaning process.

In addition, the holder member 166 is in close contact with the cleaning member 164 by heat fusion in a state in which the cleaning member 164 is coupled to the rotation member 162. In this case, the holder member 166 may be provided at a position contacting the rotating member 162 or may be provided at a position spaced apart from the rotating member 162 by a predetermined distance.

Accordingly, the cleaning member 164 exposes only the outer portion of the portion wrapped by the holder member 166 to the outside. At this time, the length of the holder member 166 prevents the cleaning member 164 from spreading and at the same time the cleaning member 164 in contact with the bottom surface can move the foreign material on the side of the main body to the suction port 130 side. It is preferable that it is about degree.

In this embodiment, the rotating member 162 is configured to be rotated by a rotating motor, whereas the rotating member 162 is rotated or the main brush 140 of the driving wheel 110 without a separate rotating motor. It may be configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of).

That is, the rotating member 162 may be connected to the driving motor of the driving wheel 110 or the brush motor of the main brush 140 by a plurality of gears to be rotated together when the driving motor or the brush motor rotates. have.

On the other hand, the creep sensor 150 is at least one is provided around the driving wheel 110 to detect a portion lower than the bottom surface, for example, stairs, grooves, etc. to prevent the driving wheel 110 falls into the stairs. It is preferably provided in front of the drive wheel 110.

In addition, the creep sensor 150 is provided at a position corresponding to front and rear with respect to the driving wheel 110 to prevent the driving wheel 110 from falling into a lower portion than the bottom surface when the automatic cleaner moves forward or backward. Be sure to

As the creep sensor 150, an infrared sensor whose voltage value changes according to the distance, or an ultrasonic sensor which measures the distance through the phase of the ultrasonic wave reflected and reflected by the ultrasonic wave may be used.

On the other hand, the battery 170 is detachably provided on the bottom surface of the main body 10. In addition, the charging of the battery 170 may be performed by a user connecting a charger connected to an external power source, or may be automatically returned to a charging stand (not shown).

Hereinafter, the operation of the automatic cleaner will be described.

2 is a front view of the automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are views illustrating an operating state of the automatic cleaner, and show a bottom surface of the automatic cleaner.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the operation of the automatic cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention will be described. The driving of the automatic cleaner may be performed by rotating the driving wheels 110 formed at both sides of the base part 100. Is achieved.

When the pair of driving wheels 110 are rotated at constant speed, the automatic cleaner proceeds at the same speed. On the other hand, when one of the driving wheel 110 is rotated at a different speed, the traveling direction of the automatic cleaner in the direction of the drive wheel 110 rotated at a slower speed is changed.

In addition, when the automatic cleaner is running, the caster 120 is formed at a plurality of locations of the base part 100 so that the center of gravity of the automatic cleaner fits. That is, the automatic cleaner may be stably driven by the caster 120.

In addition, an obstacle sensor is formed at the corner of the automatic cleaner, so that the obstacle and the state of the barrier placed on the automatic cleaner driving path are sensed, and the detected barrier is determined by the control of the controller so that cleaning is not hindered by the barrier. The driving direction of the cleaner is controlled by another control method.

In addition, the creep sensor 150 is formed in the base part 100 of the automatic cleaner, and a portion lower than the bottom surface is sensed, and the driving direction of the cleaner is controlled by the control device.

In the cleaning of the automatic cleaner, the air sucked in from the suction port 130 formed at the predetermined position of the base portion 100 by the vacuum pressure of the suction motor is filtered by a predetermined filtering device, It is carried out by the process of exhausting air through the exhaust port formed in any one of (10).

At this time, since the bottom surface is scratched by the rotation of the main brush 140 in the cleaning process, the indoor cleaning can be performed more completely. In addition, the side brush 160 is rotated along with the rotation of the main brush 140 during the operation of the automatic cleaner so that foreign matter on the side of the automatic cleaner flows into the suction port 130.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, the holder member 166 of the side brush 160 maintains a predetermined distance from the bottom surface. Therefore, the holder member 166 is not in contact with the bottom surface when the side brush 160 is rotated to prevent damage or wear of the holder member 166.

In addition, a predetermined portion of the cleaning member 164 is wrapped by the holder member 166 and is exposed to the outside from the holder member 166. In addition, the entire cleaning member 164 exposed to the outside is in close contact with the bottom surface.

Therefore, the length of the cleaning member 164 in contact with the bottom surface is enlarged to more effectively move the foreign material on the side of the automatic cleaner to the suction port 130 side.

In addition, as the length of the cleaning member 164 in contact with the bottom surface is enlarged, the cleaning area of the side brush 160 is enlarged, and a portion where cleaning is not relatively performed by the automatic cleaner is minimized.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, when the automatic cleaner moves in parallel with the wall surface, the automatic cleaner performs cleaning while driving at a predetermined distance from the wall surface. In addition, the cleaning member 164 is in contact with the wall surface to shake off the foreign matter between the wall surface and the automatic cleaner.

At this time, the side brush 160 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction to effectively perform the indoor corner cleaning. That is, the interior corners are cleaned in the same direction as the moving direction of the automatic cleaner so that foreign matters can be completely removed.

This can be clearly understood from the fact that the arrow indicating the driving direction of the automatic cleaner and the arrow supporting the rotation direction of the side brush 160 are the same direction with respect to the interior wall in FIG. 3.

In the above description, it is described that the foreign material existing at the portion where the interior wall and the bottom surface meet by the side brush 160 is cleaned, but the surface forming a predetermined angle with the bottom surface by the side brush 160 of the present invention, for example For example, foreign matters existing at a portion where a surface and a bottom surface of a desk, a closet, etc. meet may be cleaned.

In this case, the side brush 160 is rotated in the same direction as the moving direction of the automatic cleaner based on a surface formed at a predetermined angle with the bottom surface to remove foreign matters around the surface.

And, the foreign material is moved by the side brush 160 is moved to the suction port 130 side. At this time, the foreign material shaken by the side brush 160 is introduced into the suction port 130 in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the automatic cleaner.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, when the driving direction of the automatic cleaner is changed, the side brush 160 is rotated in a clockwise direction by changing its rotation direction. Then, the interior corners are cleaned in the same direction as the traveling direction of the automatic cleaner. This can be clearly understood from an arrow indicating the driving direction of the automatic cleaner and an arrow supporting the rotation direction of the side brush 160 in the same direction with respect to the interior wall in FIG. 4.

In this case, the moving distance of the foreign material moving to the suction port 130 is minimized so that the foreign material can be effectively introduced into the suction port.

According to the present invention, since at least one side brush is provided on the bottom of the main body, it is possible to easily clean between the interior wall and the bottom surface, which are difficult to clean, so that the cleaning of every corner of the room can be performed. Will be.

In addition, since the holder member surrounding the cleaning member is provided, the cleaning members do not open to each other in spite of long-term cleaning, and thus it is possible to maintain the collected state.

In addition, there is an effect that the user's aesthetics are improved as the cleaning member does not open and maintains the collected state.

In addition, as the holder member is positioned apart from the bottom surface, wear or damage of the holder member due to friction with the bottom surface is prevented.

In addition, as the entire cleaning member exposed to the outside of the holder member is configured to be in contact with the bottom surface, the cleaning area is expanded, and there is an effect of minimizing the space where the cleaning is not performed relatively.

In addition, the side brush is rotated in the same direction as the traveling direction of the main body relative to the surface at a predetermined angle with the bottom surface is configured to clean the foreign material around the surface so that the foreign material in the corner can be more effectively removed. do.

Claims (6)

A main body having a suction port through which air containing foreign substances on the bottom surface is sucked in a bottom surface thereof; A side brush for moving a foreign object in a corner of the room to the suction port; And It includes a drive wheel to enable the movement of the body, The suction port is formed on the rear side of the extension line extending in the horizontal direction from the center of the side brush, When the driving wheel is rotated and the main body proceeds, the side brush is rotated in the same direction as the moving direction of the main body based on a surface formed at a predetermined angle with the bottom surface to clean the foreign material around the surface. Automatic cleaner. The method of claim 1, The side brush is rotated in the forward direction during the forward driving of the main body, the automatic cleaner, characterized in that rotated in the reverse direction during the reverse travel of the main body. The method of claim 1, And the side brush is provided at the front of the driving wheel. The method of claim 3, wherein The suction hole is formed on the rear with respect to the center of the drive wheels automatic cleaner. The method of claim 3, wherein The inlet is formed in front of the center of the drive wheels, characterized in that the automatic cleaner. The method of claim 1, And a creep sensor configured to detect a portion lower than a bottom surface of the driving wheel.

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