EP2891444B1 - Robot vacuum cleaner with side brushes - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a vacuum robot for autonomous cleaning of surfaces, which has at least one side brush facing the surface to be cleaned, the at least one side brush having a rotary element, brush elements being arranged on the rotary element, the rotary element being rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation.

It is known to arrange side brushes on vacuum robots in order to improve their cleaning performance, especially in the edge and corner areas of surfaces. For this purpose, the side brushes are arranged laterally next to the suction mouth in relation to the direction of travel of the vacuum robot in the front area of the device housing. The side brushes thus capture dust and dirt particles on surface areas that are not or only insufficiently cleaned by the suction mouth of the robot vacuum cleaner. On the known side brushes, three to six brush elements are generally arranged at approximately uniform intervals, which rotate about the axis of rotation of the side brush. Due to this comparatively small number of brush elements, it is necessary to operate the side brushes at high rotational speeds in order to ensure that the side brushes cover dust lying in edge and corner areas almost completely and sweep in the direction of the suction mouth. Such high rotation speeds, on the one hand, increase the power consumption of the vacuum robot and, on the other hand, lead to dust particles being thrown out by the side brush into areas that have already been cleaned or are not accessible. Since a reduction in the rotational speed of side brushes with three to six brush elements leads to unsatisfactory cleaning performance of the robot vacuum, it is obvious to increase the number of brush elements arranged on the side brushes.

The problem here is that side brushes with a large number of brush elements quickly jam with them at narrow openings, gaps or edges of the surface to be cleaned. A suction robot that is stuck in this way cannot continue the cleaning run autonomously and must be manually released by the user. From the EP 2 561 785 A2 it is known to press side brushes arranged on vacuum cleaners via a spring element in the direction of the surface to be cleaned. In this way, an independent adjustment of the side brushes to changing height profiles or structures on the surface to be cleaned is achieved. Such side brushes are, however, only suitable to a limited extent for use in vacuum robots, since the spring loading of the side brushes in the direction of the surface to be cleaned means their pushing forces for the driving drive of the vacuum robot increased too much. In addition, such side brushes can cause the vacuum robot to jam and jam and thus lead to an interruption or malfunction of the autonomous cleaning run.

From the US 2013/0086760 A1 a vacuum robot with side brushes is known, the side brushes having rotary elements which are guided in a rail system. The rail system causes a rotary rotary movement of the rotating elements in an approximately elliptical path around the axis of rotation of the side brush. The mobility of the rotary elements generated in this way perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the side brush is, however, due to the lack of flexibility, not suitable for preventing the robot vacuum from jamming or getting stuck on its side brushes.

The invention thus presents the problem of providing a vacuum robot with side arms for improved cleaning of edge and corner areas and thereby avoiding the disadvantages mentioned. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a device with the features of claim 1. Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention result from the following subclaims.

The vacuum robot for autonomous cleaning of surfaces is characterized in that the rotating element rotating about the axis of rotation is movable perpendicular to the axis of rotation relative to the latter. In addition, the rotating element is movable in all directions of a plane that is essentially perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In other words, in addition to the rotation about the axis of rotation, the rotary element can simultaneously be displaced in all directions of a plane which is essentially perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The vertical movement of the rotary element is independent of the axis of rotation, the position of which remains constant in all positions of the rotary element. This means that the rotating element is designed to be able to move in all directions of the vertical plane, the rotating axis simultaneously maintaining a constant position. The rotation of the rotating element is in no way disturbed or influenced by the movements of the rotating element largely perpendicular to the plane. Both forms of movement of the rotating element, rotation and translation, are almost independent of each other.

The mobility of the rotating element perpendicular to the axis of rotation improves the ability of the side brushes to overcome obstacles on the surface to be cleaned and to adapt to specific surface geometries. If the brush elements arranged on the rotary element meet an obstacle, for example a carpet edge, the contact creates a compressive force which is transmitted to the rotary element via the brush elements which are in contact with the obstacle. This is displaced by the pressure force perpendicular to the axis of rotation in the direction that removes the rotating element from the obstacle causing the pressure force. This reduces the contact between the obstacle and the brush elements of the Rotary element until the contact no longer exerts a compressive force on the brush elements and thus on the rotary element or this compressive force is not large enough to cause a further deflection of the rotary element. This enables the side brush to laterally avoid obstacles that are on the surface to be cleaned and come into contact with the side brush. It does not matter from which direction the obstacles hit the brush elements of the side brush. The improved ability of the side brush to avoid obstacles laterally on surfaces reduces the risk of the brush elements getting caught or jammed at corners, edges or objects on the surface. In addition, the optimized obstacle overcoming of the side brush enables the arrangement of additional brush elements on the rotating element without significantly increasing the risk of the side brush getting caught or jamming. The additional brush elements in turn make it possible to reduce the rotational speeds of the side brushes without having to accept a deterioration in their cleaning performance. Operating the side brushes at lower rotation speeds reduces the power consumption of the side brush drives, which has a gentle effect on the battery capacity of the robot vacuum.

It is also preferred that the rotary element is mounted in a guide which is brought about by an upper joint part and a lower joint part. The sides of the upper joint part and the lower joint part facing the rotary element are matched to one another in such a way that they form a guide for the rotary element in the final assembled state. The guide, formed by the upper joint part and lower joint part, enables movement in the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation and blocks movements of the rotating element in the direction of the axis of rotation. At the same time, the combined arrangement of the upper joint part, rotating element and lower joint part fixes the rotating element with the arranged brush elements on the side brush in the final assembled state.

The bearing of the rotating element in a guide made of the upper joint part and the lower joint part represents a reliable and mechanically resilient bearing of the rotating element. In the final assembled state, both joint parts prevent unwanted movement of the rotating element in the direction of the axis of rotation. Additional components for storing the rotating element are not required. The manufacturing effort of the robotic vacuum is hereby resulting.

It is additionally preferred that the upper joint part and the lower joint part provide a ball rail for sliding guidance of the rotating element. A first half of the ball rail and is on the side of the upper joint part facing the rotating element A second half of the ball rail is arranged on the side of the lower joint part facing the rotary element.

The arrangement of a ball rail for sliding guidance of the rotating element reduces the friction between the two joint parts and the rotating element to a minimum. This ensures that the compressive forces acting on the brush elements can be converted into movements of the rotary element without large losses of friction. Due to the temperature resistance of ball rails, an almost wear-free and mechanically stable mounting of the rotating element is achieved.

In a preferred embodiment, the guide between the upper joint part and the lower joint part has an essentially concave shape. This means that the sides of the upper joint part and the lower joint part facing the rotary element each have a curvature in cross section that faces away from the surface to be cleaned. With a combined arrangement of the upper joint part and the lower joint part in the final assembled state, this results in a guide for the rotary element, which largely has the shape of a circular arc section in cross section. In alternative embodiments, however, other forms of the guide are also conceivable, in particular an approximately rectangular shape in cross section of the guide, which is formed by the upper joint part and the lower joint part.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the rotating element has an approximately concave shape. The side of the rotary element facing the surface to be cleaned and the side of the rotary element facing away from the surface to be cleaned each have a curvature in cross section that faces away from the surface to be cleaned. The curvatures of the two sides of the rotating element are almost identical. In an alternative embodiment, however, it is also conceivable to design the rotating element without curvature, for example with a rectangular cross section.

The arrangement of a guide between the two joint elements with a concave shape in combination with a rotary element, which also has a concave shape, leads to an additional improvement in the obstacle overcoming by the side brush. If a brush element encounters an obstacle, the pressure force created by the contact between the obstacle and the brush element causes the rotary element to move. This is directed approximately perpendicular to the axis of rotation in the direction of the side of the rotary element facing away from the obstacle. Since both the rotary element and the guide have a largely concave shape in cross section, the pressure-induced displacement of the rotary element on the side facing away from the obstacle causes the brush elements to be lifted off. That is, the brush elements that hit an obstacle are affected by the pressure force and the resulting movement of the Rotary element not only shifted vertically but also raised. Due to the rotating rotating element, this height adjustment is transferred to the brush elements that follow the brush elements that cause the pressure force. This makes it easier to overcome obstacles that can hit the brush elements on the entire circumference of the side brush. The risk of jamming or jamming of brush elements and a resulting disruption or interruption of the autonomous cleaning run can thus be largely excluded. Additional elements arranged on the side brushes, which are used to improve the obstacle overcoming, for example motors for lifting or tilting the side brush, are therefore not required.

It is additionally preferred that when the rotary element moves perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the effective angle at which the brush elements strike the floor covering to be cleaned changes. The effective angle spans at the point at which the brush elements hit the surface with their side facing the surface to be cleaned. The effective angle spans between the surface to be cleaned and the side of the brush elements facing the surface to be cleaned. The movement of the rotating element in the direction of a plane which is essentially perpendicular to the axis of rotation thus brings about an adjustment of the effective angle at which the brush elements hit the floor covering to be cleaned or obstacles which are located on the floor covering to be cleaned. If a pressure force arises when the brush elements hit an obstacle, which leads to a movement of the rotary element perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the effective angle at which brush elements strike the obstacle flattens out.

The flexible working angle with which the brush elements hit the floor covering to be cleaned improves the ability of the side brushes to overcome obstacles on the surface to be cleaned or to adapt to specific geometries on the surface to be cleaned. The adaptation of the effective angle to specific room geometries also leads to an improvement in the cleaning performance by the side brushes, especially in edge and corner areas.

In a preferred embodiment, when the rotary element moves perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the orientation of the axis of rotation with respect to the surface to be cleaned remains constant. This means that the axis, around which the rotating element rotates and around which both the upper joint part and the lower joint part are arranged symmetrically, does not experience any displacement when the rotating element moves perpendicularly to the axis of rotation. In other words, the inner ring of the rotating element maintains its position when the rotating element moves perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Only the outer ring together with the arranged brush elements is moved perpendicular to the axis of rotation and thus also to the inner ring of the rotating element.

The independence between the position of the axis of rotation and the movement of the rotary element perpendicular to the axis of rotation enables the obstacle to be overcome more easily without having to adjust the height of the side brush or change its angle of action. This eliminates the need to arrange additional components in the device housing of the robot vacuum that are suitable for adjusting the height of the side brush as such or for changing its inclination angle.

It is also preferred that the rotating element has an outer ring and an inner ring, which are connected to one another via at least one spring element. The spring elements are arranged between the inner and outer ring in such a way that they bring about a concentric alignment of the two rings with one another when no compressive forces act on the rotary element. In the course of an obstacle-free drive, the rotating element is held in a neutral, that is to say not deflected, position, as a result of which the side brush contributes in a definable form to the cleaning performance of the robot vacuum.

It is also preferred that a receptacle for the inner ring of the rotating element is arranged on the upper joint part and on the lower joint part. The receptacle arranged on both joint parts ensures loss-free transmission of the torque from the side brush drive to the inner ring of the rotating element.

In a preferred embodiment, 10 to 40 brush elements are arranged on the rotary element and in a particularly preferred embodiment 15 to 25 brush elements. The brush elements protrude radially outward from the rotary element and have an approximately constant length. The brush elements are arranged circumferentially in discrete groups evenly on the rotating element. In an alternative embodiment, however, it is also conceivable to arrange the brush elements in a continuous form on the rotary element.

The arrangement of a comparatively large number of brush elements significantly improves the cleaning performance of the side brushes. Dust and dirt particles on the surface to be cleaned are reliably captured by such side brushes and swept in the direction of the suction opening. In particular on deep-pile or structured floor coverings, the arrangement of additional brush elements on the side brushes leads to a significant increase in cleaning performance. The relatively high number of brush elements at the same time enables a reduction in the rotational speeds of the side brushes without significantly reducing their cleaning performance in terms of dust mobilization and dust entrainment. As a result, electricity consumption can be reduced of the side brush drives reduce, which conserves the battery capacity of the robot vacuum.

Figur 1

Querschnitt eines Saugroboters mit Seitenbürsten;

Figur 2

Querschnitt einer Seitenbürste;

Figur 3

Querschnitt der Lagerung eines Drehelements;

Figur 4

Querschnitt einer Seitenbürste in einer ersten Position und Querschnitt einer Seitenbürste in einer zweiten Position;

Figur 5

Aufsicht eines Drehelements in einer ersten Position und Aufsicht eines Drehelements in einer zweiten Position.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. Corresponding objects or elements are provided with the same reference symbols in all figures. The or each exemplary embodiment is not to be understood as a limitation of the invention. Rather, within the scope of the present disclosure, changes and modifications are possible for those skilled in the art with regard to that by combining or modifying individual features or method steps described in the general or special description part and in the claims and / or the drawings Solution of the task are removable and lead to a new object or new process steps through combinable features. Show it:

Figure 1

Cross section of a robot vacuum with side brushes;

Figure 2

Cross section of a side brush;

Figure 3

Cross section of the bearing of a rotating element;

Figure 4

Cross section of a side brush in a first position and cross section of a side brush in a second position;

Figure 5

Supervision of a rotating element in a first position and supervision of a rotating element in a second position.

Figure 1 shows the cross section of a robot vacuum cleaner 10. With respect to the direction of travel 52 of the robot vacuum cleaner 10, a side brush 12 is arranged in the front region of the device housing 36. The side brush 12 and the side brush drive 34 which is operatively connected to the side brush 12 are arranged essentially within the device housing 36. Brush elements 16 are arranged all around on the portion of the side brush 12 which protrudes below the device housing 36 in the direction of the surface to be cleaned. The brush elements 16 are in contact with the surface to be cleaned. With respect to the direction of travel 52, a suction opening 38 is arranged behind the side brush 12 on the side of the device housing 36 which faces the surface to be cleaned. A rotating brush roller 40 is arranged in this suction opening 38 and is in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

The dust or dirt particles released from the surface to be cleaned by the side brush 12 or the brush roller 40 are taken up by the suction opening 38 of the robot vacuum cleaner 10. The suction opening 38 is in fluidic communication via a suction channel 42 and a dust collecting space 44 with a blower 46 which is also arranged in the device housing 36 of the suction robot 10. In this way, the suction air flow generated by the blower 46 is suitable for use by the side brush 12 and Brush roller 40 pick up loosened dust and dirt particles through the suction opening 38. Then they are passed through the suction channel 42 into the dust collection space 44 and deposited there. With respect to the direction of travel 52 of the vacuum robot 10, a travel drive 48 is arranged behind the suction opening 38, on the side of the device housing 36 which faces the surface to be cleaned. This is suitable for autonomously moving the vacuum robot 10 over the surface to be cleaned.

Figure 2 shows the cross section of a side brush 12 for a vacuum robot 10 for autonomous cleaning of surfaces. The upper part of the side brush 12, facing away from the surface to be cleaned, is mounted in the device housing 36 of the robot vacuum cleaner 10. At the lower part of the side brush 12, an upper joint part 28 is arranged. This upper joint part 28 has a curvature which is curved in the direction of the interior of the component. The upper joint part 28 is arranged centered about the axis of rotation 18 of the side brush 12. In addition, the upper joint part 28 has an opening 54 centered about the axis of rotation 18, which is suitable for receiving a pin 56 of the lower joint part 30 and releasably binding it.

A rotary element 14 is arranged below the upper joint part 28 in a rotationally symmetrical manner about the axis of rotation 18 of the side brush 12. The rotating element 14 has a curvature both on the surface to be cleaned and on the side facing away. The curvatures on both sides of the rotating element 14 are curved opposite to the cleaning surface. The curvature of the rotating element 14 on the side facing the upper joint part 28 is largely identical to the curvature of the upper joint part 28. The curvature of the rotating element 14 on the side facing the lower joint part 30 is largely identical to the curvature of the lower joint part 30 Side brush 12 a largely gap-free reception of the rotating element 14 both by the upper joint part 28 and by the lower joint part 30. Centered around the axis of rotation 18, the rotating element 14 has an inner ring 22 (not shown in FIG Figure 2 ). All around this inner ring 22, the rotating element 14 has an outer ring 20, which is arranged concentrically around the inner ring 22 while maintaining a constant distance. Inner and outer rings 22, 20 are connected to one another via spring elements 24, which are arranged at regular intervals in the space between the two rings 20, 22. Brush elements 16 are arranged all around on the outward side of the outer ring 20, that is to say away from the axis of rotation 18. These brush elements 16 are in direct contact with the surface to be cleaned.

A lower joint part 30 is arranged below the rotating element 14 and is aligned symmetrically about the axis of rotation 18 of the side brush 12. Centered in the center, the lower joint part 30 has a pin 56 which passes through the opening of the inner ring 22 of the Rotating element 14 engages in the opening 54 arranged on the underside of the upper joint part 28. The lower joint part 30 has a curvature on the side facing away from the surface to be cleaned. This is curved in the direction of the rotating element 14, the curvature having a largely identical curvature as the side of the rotating element 14 which faces the surface to be cleaned.

Figure 3 shows the cross section of the upper joint part 28, the rotating element 14 and the lower joint part 30 of the side brush 12 in a non-final assembled state. An opening 54 is arranged in the upper joint part 28, centered around the axis of rotation 18 of the side brush 12, which opening is open in the direction of the surface to be cleaned. A pin 56 is arranged on the lower joint part 30, centered about the axis of rotation 18, which protrudes from the lower joint part 30 opposite to the cleaning surface. The pin 56 is so pronounced that it engages through the centrally centered opening of the inner ring 22 into the opening 54 of the upper joint part 30. The pin 56 thus leads to a releasable bond between the lower joint part 30 and the upper joint part 28 and also secures the rotary element 14 against vertical displacement along the axis of rotation 18. The diameter of the pin 56 and the diameter of the opening of the inner ring 22 are coordinated so that the pin 56 is suitable for transmitting a rotational movement to the rotary element 14. Both in the upper joint part 28 and in the lower joint part 30 are symmetrically centered and receiving elements 32 are arranged on the sides facing the rotating element 14. These are designed to support the inner ring 22 of the rotating element 14 in the final assembled state.

Figure 4 shows the cross section of a side brush 12 in a first position and the cross section of a side brush 12 in a second position. The cross section of a side brush 12 in a first position is on the left side of FIG Figure 4 shown. An obstacle 50 is arranged on the surface to be cleaned, which is in contact with the brush elements 16 of the side brushes 12. The contact between the obstacle 50 and the brush elements 16 causes a compressive force 58 which acts on the rotary element 14 of the side brush 12 via the brush elements 16. This compressive force 58 is directed in the direction of the side brush 12 and is transmitted via the brush elements 16 to the outer ring 20 of the rotary element 14. On the inside of the outer ring 20, a spring element 24 is arranged, which the outer ring 20 on the obstacle 50th facing side connects to the inner ring 22. A spring element 24 is also arranged on the side facing away from the obstacle 50, which connects the two rings 20, 22 of the rotary element 14 to one another. Both spring elements 24 are arranged in a neutral position in this first position of the side brush 12. Since the inner ring 22 has a constant position due to its mounting, the spring elements 24 are suitable for absorbing the compressive force 58 acting on the outer ring 20 and releasing it in the opposite direction. The caused in this way The rotary element 14 is reset to a first position when there is no contact between an obstacle 50 and the brush elements 16 or when this contact does not cause a compressive force 58 which acts on the brush elements 16 and is suitable for deflecting the rotary element 14.

To the right of Figure 4 the cross section of a side brush 12 is shown in a second position. An obstacle 50 is arranged on the surface to be cleaned and is in contact with the brush elements 16 of the side brush 12. The contact between the brush elements 16 and the obstacle 50 which causes the compressive force 58 has caused the rotary element 14 to move perpendicular to the axis of rotation 18 of the side brush 12. The rotating element 14 has shifted to the side of the side brush 12 which faces away from the obstacle 50. The spring element 24 between the outer 20 and inner ring 22, which is arranged on the side of the rotating element 14 which faces the obstacle 50, has undergone compression. The opposing spring element 24, which is arranged between the outer 20 and inner ring 22 on the side facing away from the obstacle 50, was stretched by the compressive force 58. The movement of the rotary element 14 largely perpendicular to the axis of rotation 18 results in a shortening of the brush elements 16 on the side of the side brush 12 facing the obstacle 50. That is to say that the corresponding brush elements 16 are less far ahead of the movement of the rotary element 14 Body of the side brush 12, formed by the upper joint part 28 and the lower joint part 30. In addition, the brush elements 16 on the side facing the obstacle 50 are raised by the concave shape of the guide 26 and the rotating element 14. On the side facing away from the obstacle 50, the movement of the rotary element 14 leads to a corresponding extension of the brush elements 16. That is, the brush elements 16 protrude significantly further in front of the body of the side brush 12 on this side than in the first position of the side brush. In addition, the concave shape of the guide 26 and the rotating element 14 on this side of the side brush 12 leads to a lowering of the brush elements 16 onto the surface to be cleaned. The displacement of the rotary element 14 due to the contact between the obstacle 50 and the brush element 16 additionally facilitates the obstacle overcoming for the brush elements 16.2 arranged on the side brush 12, which follow the brush elements 16.1 due to the rotation 60 of the side brush 12 and which are the first contact with the obstacle 50 had.

Figure 5 shows the top view of a rotating element 14 in a first position and the top view of a rotating element 14 in a second position. The top view of a rotating element 14 in a first position is on the left side of FIG Figure 5 shown. An obstacle 50 is shown on the surface to be cleaned, which is in contact with the brush elements 16 of the side brush 12. The brush elements 16 all around, evenly distributed on outer ring 20 of the rotating member 14 and protrude radially outward therefrom. Within the outer ring 20, which is arranged centered around the axis of rotation 18, an inner ring 22 is also arranged centered around the axis of rotation 18. The inner and outer rings 22, 20 are connected to one another via four spring elements 24, which are arranged at regular intervals between the inner and outer rings 22, 20. The inner and outer rings 22, 20 are aligned concentrically to one another in this first position of the rotary element 14.

The supervision of a rotary element 14 in a second position is on the right side of the Figure 5 shown. An obstacle 50 is arranged on the surface to be cleaned and is in contact with the brush elements 16 of the side brush 12. The contact between the obstacle 50 and the brush elements 16 creates a compressive force 58 which is transmitted to the outer ring 20 of the rotary element 14 via the brush elements 16. An inner ring 22, centered around the axis of rotation 18, is arranged within the outer ring 20. The pressure force 58 transmitted to the outer ring 20 via the brush elements 16 results in a displacement of the outer ring 20 with respect to the position of the inner ring 22. The two rings 20, 22 of the rotating element 14 are no longer arranged concentrically to one another about the axis of rotation 18 . The inner and outer rings 22, 20 are connected to one another via four spring elements 24, which are arranged at regular intervals between the inner and outer rings 22, 20. The spring element 24, which is arranged on the side facing the obstacle 50, is compressed as a result of the pressure force 58. The other spring elements 24 experience an extension due to the compressive force 58.

Reference list

10th

Robot vacuum

12th

Side brush

14

Rotating element

16

Brush elements

16.1

first brush elements

16.2

second brush elements

18th

Axis of rotation

20th

outer ring

22

inner ring

24th

Spring element

26

guide

28

Joint upper part

30th

Lower joint part

32

admission

34

Side brush drive

36

Device housing

38

Suction opening

40

Brush roller

42

Suction channel

44

Dust collector

46

fan

48

traction drive

50

obstacle

52

Driving direction vacuum robot

54

Opening joint upper part

56

Pin joint lower part

58

Pressure force

60

rotation

Claims (10)

1. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) for autonomously cleaning surfaces, comprising at least one side brush (12) which faces the surface to be cleaned, the at least one side brush (12) comprising a rotary element (14), brush elements (16) being arranged on the rotary element (14), the rotary element (14) being rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation (18), the rotary element (14) which rotates about the axis of rotation (18) being movable perpendicularly relative to the axis of rotation (18), characterised in that the rotary element (14) is movable in all directions of a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation (18).
2. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the rotary element (14) is mounted in a guide (26) that is produced by an upper joint part (28) and a lower joint part (30).
3. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to claim 2, characterised in that the upper joint part (28) and the lower joint part (30) provide a ball rail for forming a sliding guide (26) for the rotary element (14).
4. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to either claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the guide (26) is substantially concave between the upper joint part (28) and the lower joint part (30).
5. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rotary element (14) is approximately concave.
6. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to either claim 1 or claim 2, the brush elements (16) which are arranged on the rotary element (14) striking the floor surface to be cleaned at an approximately constant working angle during normal cleaning operation, characterised in that, when the rotary element (14) moves perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (18), the working angle, at which the brush elements (16) strike the floor covering to be cleaned, changes.
7. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that, when the rotary element (14) moves perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (18), the orientation of the axis of rotation (18) remains constant with respect to the surface to be cleaned.
8. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rotary element (14) comprises an outer ring (20) and an inner ring (22) which are interconnected by means of at least one spring element (24).
9. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, characterised in that a receptacle (32) for the inner ring (22) of the rotary element (14) is arranged in each case on the upper joint part (28) and on the lower joint part (30).
10. Robotic vacuum cleaner (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in a preferred form, 10 to 40 brush elements (16), and in a particularly preferred embodiment 15 to 25 brush elements (16), are arranged on the rotary element (14).

Images