CN111317408A

CN111317408A - Autonomous robot cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN111317408A
Application number: CN201911281584.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伊曼纽尔·德弗林
Original assignee: SEB SA
Current assignee: SEB SA
Priority date: 2018-12-14
Filing date: 2019-12-13
Publication date: 2020-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-13
Also published as: EP3666145B1; CN111317408B; FR3089778B1; FR3089778A1; EP3666145A1

Abstract

The autonomous robot cleaner of the present invention includes: a main body (10); a handheld vacuum cleaner (20), the handheld vacuum cleaner (20) being arranged to be coupled with the main body (10): -so as to form an autonomous robotic cleaner in a coupled position; and-so as to form an autonomous handheld vacuum cleaner (20) in a decoupled position, wherein the handheld vacuum cleaner (20) comprises a grip handle (21), the grip handle (21) being arranged to be movable between: -a retracted position, or-a deployed position, for locking a locking mechanism of the grip handle (21), the locking mechanism being arranged to lock the grip handle (21) in the retracted position on the body (10).

Description

Autonomous robot cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to robotic cleaners.

The present invention particularly relates to an autonomous robotic cleaner formed of a main body and a hand-held cleaner that can be coupled to the main body.

Background

Autonomous suction devices, also known as robotic cleaners, are known in the art, which comprise a movable base (or body) that can be coupled with a hand-held cleaner, as disclosed for example in document KR 20080028219A. On the other hand, the hand-held cleaner in the system of this document has, inter alia, the disadvantage that the handling is not very practical and the handle is not easy to grip.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described above and in particular to propose, firstly, a robotic vacuum cleaner formed by a main body and a hand-held vacuum cleaner that can be coupled to the main body, which has good ergonomic use, in particular in the coupling and decoupling phases.

To this end, a first aspect of the present invention relates to an autonomous robot cleaner including:

a robot cleaner main body including at least one driving wheel;

a handheld vacuum cleaner comprising an autonomous suction mechanism and arranged to reversibly couple with the main body:

-so as to form the autonomous robotic cleaner in cooperation with the main body when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body; and

-so as to form an autonomous handheld cleaner when the handheld cleaner is decoupled from the main body,

wherein the hand-held cleaner comprises a grip handle arranged to be movable to occupy:

-a retracted position, at least when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body, or

A deployed position, at least when the handheld cleaner is decoupled from the main body, to allow a user to manoeuvre the autonomous handheld cleaner,

a locking mechanism for locking the grip handle, the locking mechanism being arranged to lock the grip handle in a retracted position,

characterised in that the locking mechanism for locking the grip handle is arranged to lock the hand-held cleaner on the main body when the grip handle is in a retracted position.

According to this embodiment, locking the grip handle to the main body has the effect that the hand-held cleaner is also locked to the main body by the grip handle. A single locking device ensures locking of the gripping handle and the hand-held cleaner. This allows for savings in mechanics to be achieved, and this also provides improved ergonomics, which can be achieved by a user performing a single operation.

Advantageously, the locking mechanism for locking the grip handle is arranged to lock the grip handle in the deployed position on the hand-held cleaner.

Advantageously, the robotic cleaner comprises a single unlocking control arranged in the grip handle for controlling unlocking the grip handle in the retracted position from the body and decoupling the hand-held cleaner. Ergonomics is simplified, and a single control allows unlocking the grip handle (which can be moved from the retracted position to the extended position) and the hand-held cleaner, which can be decoupled from the main body.

Advantageously, the locking mechanism comprises:

a first locking unit for locking the grip handle in an unfolded position on the hand-held cleaner, the first locking unit comprising:

-a first protrusion arranged on one of the grip handle or the hand-held cleaner; and

a first mating die arranged on the other of the grip handle or the hand-held cleaner,

wherein the first protrusion engaged with the first mating die locks the grip handle on the hand-held cleaner,

and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

a second locking unit for locking the grip handle in a retracted position on the main body, the second locking unit including:

-a second protrusion arranged on one of the main body or the grip handle; and

-a second mating die arranged on the other of the main body or the grip handle,

wherein the second protrusion engaging the second mating die locks the grip handle and the hand-held cleaner on the main body.

Advantageously, the second projection or the second counter-form arranged on the body is permanently fixed on the body and/or is formed integrally with the housing or frame of the body.

Advantageously:

the second protrusion is a mark, and

the second mating pair is a hole or a notch.

Advantageously, the second projection or the second counter die arranged on the grip handle is connected to the unlocking controller.

Advantageously:

the first projection is a latch, and

the first mating pair of pins is a latch hook.

Advantageously, the robotic vacuum cleaner comprises a cam track arranged to automatically disengage the first protrusion that has engaged the first counter-mould from the first counter-mould upon, and preferably at the end of, the movement of the hand-held vacuum cleaner to be coupled to the main body.

Advantageously, the robotic cleaner comprises a resilient mechanism arranged to automatically move the gripping handle from the retracted position to the extended position.

Advantageously, the grip handle is arranged to be operated with one hand, and in particular the grip handle and the unlocking control are arranged to be operated with one hand simultaneously.

Advantageously, the robot cleaner comprises at least one resilient urging unit comprising a movable element and a resilient return element, the resilient urging unit being arranged to retain the hand-held cleaner coupled to the main body by resilient urging. In particular, the movable element is pushed into the cavity to hold the hand-held cleaner on the main body in a stable coupling position.

Advantageously, the gripping handle is arranged to be translationally movable relative to the hand-held cleaner.

Advantageously, the gripping handle is arranged to be rotationally movable relative to the hand-held cleaner.

Advantageously, the autonomous suction mechanism of the hand-held cleaner forms a separate suction mechanism of the robotic cleaner.

Advantageously, the robotic vacuum cleaner comprises an electrical energy storage mechanism, which is carried in the main body and/or in the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

Advantageously, the main body of the robotic cleaner comprises a receptacle for receiving a hand-held cleaner, and wherein the receptacle is open to at least a side wall of the robotic cleaner.

Advantageously, the robotic cleaner has a preferably substantially circular peripheral wall defining an enclosure side surface when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body, and the grip handle is tangent to or retracted from the enclosure side surface when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body and the grip handle is in a retracted position.

Advantageously, when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body and the grip handle is in a retracted position, the grip handle does not protrude relative to the peripheral wall of the main body.

When the hand-held robot is coupled to the main body, the robot cleaner has a peripheral wall or an enclosure side surface that allows the robot cleaner to pivot or rotate on itself without interfering with nearby obstacles. The gripping handle is tangent to or set back from the side wall or envelope side surface when it is in the retracted position, so that the operating capability is not affected, while still being accessible from one side of the robot cleaner and not only from the vertical.

Advantageously, the robotic vacuum cleaner comprises a preferably substantially circular peripheral wall, wherein the grip handle in the deployed position is arranged at a distance from the peripheral wall towards the exterior of the robotic vacuum cleaner.

Advantageously, the grip handle in the retracted position forms at least partially the peripheral wall.

Advantageously, the main body comprises at least one housing portion forming a funnel for guiding the hand-held cleaner when coupled to movement of the main body.

Advantageously, the main body comprises at least one guide rail portion for guiding the hand-held cleaner when coupled to movement of the main body. In other words, the main body comprises a guide mechanism arranged to lock the handheld cleaner in five degrees of freedom.

Advantageously, the gripping handle is integral and/or monolithic.

Advantageously, the peripheral wall is arranged to allow the robot cleaner to rotate on itself.

Advantageously, the body comprises a continuous peripheral body wall comprising at least one complete periphery common to the envelope side surface.

Advantageously, the body comprises a discontinuous perimeter body wall comprising at least one recess at the receptacle. Very advantageously, the handheld robot is arranged to fill the recess when it is coupled to the body.

Advantageously, said peripheral wall comprises at least one continuous peripheral edge, which serves as a base generatrix for constituting the lateral surface of the cladding in the form of a cylinder with a preferably circular section. A cylinder is a surface parallel to its generatrix formed on a base curve. In a circular cylinder, the base curve is a circle. In the present invention, the base curve is an intersection of a plane parallel to the floor and an outer wall of the robot cleaner. Preferably, the plane parallel to the ground is located at an intersection with the outer wall giving a continuous base curve and preferably the height of a circle. Of course, there may be discontinuities where the outer wall has a recess (e.g. gaps between walls or between the body and the hand-held cleaner), but the side surface of the enclosure is continuous and cylindrical, forming a surface that is tangential or continuous from the outer wall.

Advantageously, the peripheral wall comprises at least one recess at the grip handle, the grip handle being set back from the envelope side surface. Such a recess allows the grip handle to be gripped even when the grip handle is in the retracted position.

Advantageously, the hand-held cleaner comprises a cleaner side wall arranged to be tangent to or set back from the enclosure side surface when the hand-held cleaner is coupled to the main body.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following detailed description of two embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a robot cleaner including a main body with wheels and a hand-held cleaner according to the present invention;

fig. 2 shows another exploded perspective view of the robot cleaner of fig. 1;

fig. 3 shows a top view of the robotic cleaner of fig. 1, with the hand-held cleaner coupled to the main body;

fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the robot cleaner of fig. 1, in which a hand-held cleaner is coupled to a main body;

fig. 5 illustrates, in perspective view, a side surface of an enclosure of the robot cleaner of fig. 1, wherein a hand-held cleaner is coupled to a main body;

fig. 6 illustrates the robot cleaner of fig. 4, wherein the hand-held cleaner is in the process of being coupled and decoupled with the main body;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the robotic cleaner of FIG. 1, including an alternative embodiment of the main body with wheels and an alternative embodiment of the hand-held cleaner;

figure 8 shows a perspective view of a hand-held cleaner of the robotic cleaner of figure 7;

figure 9 shows another perspective view of the hand-held cleaner of the robotic cleaner of figure 7;

figure 10 shows a detail of the gripping handle of the hand-held cleaner of figure 8;

figure 11 shows a further detail of the gripping handle of the hand-held cleaner of figure 8;

figure 12 shows a further detail of the gripping handle of the hand-held cleaner of figure 8;

figure 13 shows further details of the gripping handle of the hand-held cleaner of figure 8.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show exploded perspective views of a robot cleaner according to the present invention, which includes a main body 10 with wheels 12 and a hand-held cleaner 20.

In these fig. 1 and 2, the body 10 is a movable base with wheels 12, at least one of these wheels 12 being a drive wheel. The side walls 13 of the body 10 comprise, in particular, anti-collision means 14, smooth walls 15 and a rear peripheral edge 16.

The hand-held cleaner 20 comprises in particular a gripping handle 21, a suction end piece 22, a rear wall 24 visible in fig. 1 and 2, and an autonomous suction structure, not visible in these figures, that is to say an electric ventilator and an electric energy storage means, in other words a battery.

The hand-held cleaner 20 may be reversibly coupled to the main body 10 to form a robot cleaner. In practice, the hand-held cleaner 20 then allows a suction mechanism to be provided, and the main body provides the ability to move over the floor surface to be cleaned.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view, and fig. 2 illustrates a receiving portion 19 provided in the main body 10, in which receiving portion 19a hand-held cleaner 20 may be received. More specifically, a docking surface 17 having a flat rear portion terminating in a funnel is provided to allow a user to place the hand-held cleaner 20 in the receptacle 19 and to easily push the hand-held cleaner 20 to a docked position.

As will be explained in more detail below, the main body 10 includes a protrusion 18 on the docking surface 17 for allowing engagement with a mating pair 23 of hand-held cleaners 20 to allow locking once the hand-held cleaners 20 are coupled to the main body 10.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the robot cleaner, in which the hand-held cleaner 20 is coupled to the main body 10. The figure shows in chain line the enclosure side surface 100 formed by the side walls of the robot cleaner. The side walls of the robot cleaner include, inter alia, the side wall 13 of the main body and the rear wall 24 of the hand-held cleaner 20. Fig. 3 shows the space between the outer sidewall of the robot cleaner and the enclosure side surface 100 for understanding, but in this top view, the outer sidewall of the robot cleaner and the enclosure side surface coincide.

As best shown in fig. 3, the side walls of the robot cleaner, and thus the enclosure side surface 100, are all circular in cross-section to allow the robot cleaner to easily navigate and turn or make a half turn in the event that the robot cleaner encounters an obstacle, especially as detected by the collision avoidance device 14. Indeed, such a circular cross-section, and thus a generally cylindrical shape, allows the robot cleaner to rotate or pivot without interfering with any obstacles that abut or are very close to the side wall. Thus, the can side surface 100 has a circular cross section.

Fig. 4 illustrates the robot cleaner in a perspective view in which the hand-held cleaner 20 is coupled to the main body 10, and fig. 5 illustrates an enclosure side surface 100 constituted by a side wall of the robot cleaner.

According to one aspect of the invention, the gripping handle 21 is movable between:

a deployed position (see fig. 1 and 2) for allowing a user to manipulate the hand-held cleaner 20,

a retracted position (see fig. 3 and 4) when the hand-held cleaner 20 is coupled to the main body.

According to the example shown, the gripping handle is rotatably movable along an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the floor to be cleaned when the wheels 12 of the main body rest on the floor.

An important aspect provides that the grip handle 21 is tangent to the envelope side surface 100 or is set back from the envelope side surface 100 when the grip handle 21 is in the retracted position. Therefore, the operation capability of the robot cleaner is not affected (because the grip handle 21 does not protrude with respect to the enclosure side surface or the side wall in the retracted position), and the ergonomic use is good (the grip handle 21 is easy to grasp when in the deployed position).

Fig. 5 clearly shows that the grip handle 21, shown in broken lines and in the retracted position, is completely accommodated in the envelope side surface 100 and does not protrude therefrom. Therefore, the robot cleaner can freely rotate by itself.

Fig. 6 shows the gripping handle 21 in a deployed position, in which the hand-held cleaner 20 is engaged in the receptacle 19 of the main body 10. This figure 6 thus shows the end of the coupling and only the start of pivoting the gripping handle 21 to the retracted position, or decoupling, and the pulling back of the hand-held cleaner to fully disengage it from the main body 10. Provision may be made for the grip handle 21 in the extended position to be locked on the hand-held cleaner 20, with the first projection engaging in a first mating pair (not shown).

In the operation of coupling the hand-held cleaner 20 to the main body 10, there is also provided to lock the hand-held cleaner 20 to the main body 10 to ensure the use of the robot cleaner.

For this purpose, the protrusion 18 visible in fig. 2 is arranged to engage in a counter-mould 23 configured in the gripping handle 21 when the hand-held cleaner 20 is engaged in the receptacle 19 of the main body 10. At the end of the engagement movement, the protrusion 18 (e.g. including a shoulder) is fully engaged in the counter mould 23 (which may be a T-shaped slot).

When the grip handle 21 is rotated from its deployed position (fig. 1 and 2) to its retracted position (fig. 3 and 4), the rotation of the grip handle 21 causes the grip handle to lock on the protrusion 18, which protrusion 18 is constrained in the counter-die 23. Thus, the locking simultaneously causes the handheld cleaner 20 to be locked to the main body 10. At the end of the rotation of the grip handle, provision may be made for the ball knob to be held in the retracted position, which ball knob engages, for example, in a hollow shape.

When the hand-held cleaner 20 is uncoupled, the user first moves the gripping handle 21 from the retracted position to the extended position, which automatically disengages the protrusion 18 from the counter-pair 23, and the user can remove the hand-held cleaner 20 from the receptacle 19.

Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

According to this embodiment, the hand-held cleaner 20A includes the grip handle 21A that is translationally movable, and the rear wall 24A includes a recess. However, according to this embodiment, the envelope side surface 100 is always a cylinder of circular section (since the main body 10A comprises a circular periphery which serves as a base for constructing the envelope side surface 100), and in the retracted position, the grip handle 21A is tangent to or retracted from the envelope side surface.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the main body 10A includes the accommodating portion 19A, the protrusion portion 18A, and the cam rail 18B on the abutting surface 17A. In fact, as can be seen in fig. 13, the grip handle 21A in the deployed position is locked on the hand-held cleaner 20A by a latch 221 (first projection), which latch 221 engages in a catch (first mating pair, not shown) of the hand-held cleaner 20A. At the beginning of the movement of the hand-held cleaner 20A coupled to the main body 10A, the control portion of the latch 221 is pushed upwards by the cam track 18B through the opening 23A of the housing of the hand-held cleaner 20A, visible in fig. 9. Therefore, the latch 221 no longer locks the grip handle 21A to the hand-held cleaner 20A, and the grip handle 21A can be pushed to the retracted position by the user.

The grip handle 21A further comprises a trigger 211, a transmission 212, a marking 214 (second protrusion) and a spring 213 visible in fig. 11 and 12 for allowing locking of the grip handle in the retracted position on the body 10 with the protrusion 18A, the protrusion 18A comprising an inner recess (second mating pair), as shown in fig. 12.

In detail, at the end of coupling of the hand-held cleaner 20A to the main body 10A, once the grip handle 21A is unlocked from the deployed position, the grip handle 21A is horizontally moved as indicated by an arrow PH shown in fig. 12. At the end of the stroke, the mark 214 meets the projection 18A and is lifted by the push of the user and the presence of the chamfer, so that at the complete end of the stroke of gripping the handle 21A, the mark 214 faces the notch of the projection 18A and is pushed into it by the action of the spring 213.

Thus, the grip handle 21A is locked to the main body 10A, but this also locks the hand-held cleaner 20A to the main body 10A. Thus, the coupling is ensured. In fact, only the action applied by the user to the trigger 211 lifts the flag 214 and unlocks the grip handle 21A and the hand-held cleaner 20A from the main body 10A.

Further, the projection 18A has a T-shaped cross section (visible in fig. 7) and is engaged in a mating die 23B (inverted T-shaped groove) of the hand-held cleaner 20A, as shown in fig. 9, so as to latch the hand-held cleaner 20A on the main body completely.

Finally, a spring may be provided to always automatically urge the grip handle 21A from the retracted position to the deployed position once the trigger 211 is actuated to facilitate use of the device.

It will be appreciated that various modifications and/or improvements obvious to a person skilled in the art may be made to different embodiments of the invention described in the present description without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a robot cleaner main body (10; 10A), the main body (10; 10A) including at least one driving wheel;

a hand-held vacuum cleaner (20; 20A), the hand-held vacuum cleaner (20; 20A) comprising an autonomous suction mechanism and being arranged to be reversibly coupled with the main body (10; 10A):

-so as to form, in cooperation with the main body (10; 10A), the autonomous robotic cleaner when the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) is coupled to the main body (10; 10A); and

so as to form an autonomous handheld cleaner (20; 20A) when the handheld cleaner (20; 20A) is decoupled from the main body (10; 10A),

wherein the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) comprises a grip handle (21; 21A), the grip handle (21; 21A) being arranged to be movable to occupy:

-a retracted position, at least when the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) is coupled to the main body (10; 10A), or

A deployed position to allow a user to manoeuvre the autonomous handheld cleaner (20; 20A), at least when the handheld cleaner (20; 20A) is uncoupled from the main body (10; 10A),

a locking mechanism for locking the grip handle (21; 21A), the locking mechanism being arranged to lock the grip handle (21; 21A) in a retracted position,

characterized in that the locking mechanism for locking the grip handle (21; 21A) is arranged to lock the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) on the main body (10; 10A) when the grip handle (21; 21A) is in a retracted position.

2. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, comprising a single unlocking control arranged in the grip handle for controlling unlocking the grip handle (21; 21A) in a retracted position from the main body (10; 10A) and decoupling the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A).

3. The robot cleaner of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the locking mechanism comprises:

a first locking unit for locking the grip handle (21; 21A) in the extended position on the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A), the first locking unit comprising:

-a first protrusion arranged on one of the grip handle or the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A); and

a first counter-die arranged on the other of the grip handle or the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A),

and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

a second locking unit for locking the grip handle (21; 21A) in a retracted position on the main body (10; 10A), the second locking unit comprising:

-a second protrusion arranged on one of the main body (10; 10A) or the grip handle; and

-a second counter-die arranged on the other of said main body (10; 10A) or said grip handle.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, characterized in that the second protrusion or the second counter mould arranged on the main body (10; 10A) is permanently fixed on the main body (10; 10A) and/or is formed integrally with a housing or frame of the main body (10; 10A).

5. A robot cleaner according to any of claims 3 or 4,

the second protrusion is a mark, and

the second mating pair is a hole or a notch.

6. A robot cleaner according to any of claims 3-5 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the second protrusion or the second counter mould arranged on the grip handle is connected to the unlocking control.

7. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a cam track (18B), said cam track (18B) being arranged to automatically disengage the first protrusion that has engaged the first counter-mould from the first counter-mould upon coupling of the hand-held vacuum cleaner (20; 20A) to the movement of the main body (10; 10A).

8. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a cam track (18B), said cam track (18B) being arranged to automatically disengage the first protrusion, which has been engaged with the first counter-mould, from the first counter-mould at the end of the movement of the hand-held vacuum cleaner (20; 20A) coupled to the main body (10; 10A).

9. Robot cleaner according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that it comprises a resilient mechanism arranged to automatically move the gripping handle (21; 21A) from a retracted position to an extended position.

10. The robot cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, when the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) is coupled to the main body (10; 10A), the robot cleaner has a peripheral wall defining an envelope side surface (100), and wherein, when the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) is coupled to the main body (10; 10A) and the grip handle (21; 21A) is in a retracted position, the grip handle (21; 21A) is tangent to the envelope side surface (100) or is retracted from the envelope side surface (100).

11. The robotic vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the enclosure side surface (100) is substantially circular.

12. The robot cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the main body (10; 10A) includes at least one guide rail portion for guiding the hand-held cleaner (20; 20A) when coupled to the movement of the main body (10; 10A).