KR102374606B1 - Robot cleaner with sterilizing device and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a robot cleaner having a sterilizing device capable of sterilizing bacteria or viruses present in the air in a space by using plasma and ultraviolet rays as well as cleaning the inside of the space. The robot cleaner according to the present invention is configured such that a sterilizing unit and a cleaning unit are disposed inside a main body, respectively, and thus is operated in a cleaning mode, a sterilization mode, and a combined mode according to the selected operation mode. Accordingly, the robot cleaner can clean a floor surface inside a space, and at the same time, can sterilize the air in the space so as to discharge the same to the outside.

Description

Robot cleaner with sterilizing device and operating method thereof

The present invention relates to a robot vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizing device capable of sterilizing bacteria or viruses contained in air in a space using plasma and ultraviolet rays along with cleaning the inside of a space, and to a method of operating the same. .

In a general vacuum cleaner, a user grips a rod-shaped handle part and moves in a predetermined direction in a space in a state in which a suction part provided at an end of the handle part is in close contact with the floor surface, while suctioning foreign substances on the floor to perform cleaning. Recently, a robot cleaner has been developed and widely used to clean the floor by sucking foreign substances, such as dust, from the floor while driving inside the space by itself without the need of a user to follow and manipulate them one by one.

The robot vacuum cleaner is composed of a circular body, a suction means and a moving means disposed on the bottom surface of the body. The suction means is provided with a fan motor and a filter to suck in foreign substances on the floor. The moving means consists of a motor and a plurality of wheels driven by the motor, and these wheels are provided to be rotatable. And, the moving means is connected to the control means, and the control means includes a sensor that detects when it encounters an obstacle such as furniture or a wall.

Recently, as acute respiratory diseases caused by bacteria or viruses such as Coronavirus Infectious Disease-19 (COVID-19) are prevalent, not only personal hygiene such as wearing a mask or hand washing, but also cleaning or sterilization of spaces where a large number of people are gathered Space sanitation, such as etc., is an important requirement.

However, the function of the existing robot vacuum cleaner is limited to cleaning the inside of the space, and therefore, separately from this, sterilization and disinfection of the inside of the space by spraying the existing disinfectant is performed for the space where there is a person.

Sterilization and disinfection through such disinfectant spraying is carried out in a manual form in which a person directly sprays the disinfectant into the space, and thus the efficiency of disinfection of viruses or bacteria is lowered. Moreover, viruses or bacteria existing in the space are spread in the form of an aerosol in the air by the pressure at which the disinfectant is sprayed, which causes a problem that viruses or bacteria can penetrate through the noses and mouths of people existing in the space. there is.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizing device capable of sterilizing bacteria or viruses contained in the air in the space using plasma and ultraviolet rays along with cleaning the inside of the space, and an operating method thereof. is to provide.

A robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body in which an upper housing having an upper surface opening and at least three side openings is formed, and a lower housing having a rear opening and at least one rear opening formed therein; a sterilization unit disposed inside the main body and sterilizing and discharging external air sucked through the upper surface opening; and a cleaning unit disposed under the sterilization unit in the main body and collecting foreign substances contained in the external air sucked through the rear opening.

An operating method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention is an operating method of a robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizing device that performs floor cleaning and air sterilization while freely moving inside a space, and is performed in one of a cleaning mode, a sterilization mode and a complex mode. selecting an operation mode of the robot cleaner; controlling the operation of the robot cleaner according to the selected operation mode to perform cleaning of the floor inside the space or operating the robot cleaner to sterilize the air in the space; and terminating the operation of the robot cleaner according to a preset operation time and operation range or a sensing result by one or more sensors.

The robot cleaner of the present invention is provided with a sterilization unit using plasma and ultraviolet rays together with a cleaning unit for cleaning the floor of the space, so as to sterilize bacteria, viruses and harmful substances contained in the air along with cleaning foreign substances on the floor if necessary. By doing so, it is possible to increase the sterilization efficiency and convenience compared to the sterilization method using the existing disinfectant.

In addition, the robot cleaner is operated in at least one of a cleaning mode and a sterilization mode for a space according to the selected operation mode, thereby increasing the convenience of cleaning and sterilization.

The robot vacuum cleaner controls the operation of the sterilization unit according to the ozone concentration detection of the sensor, thereby increasing the human body stability of the sterilized air discharged from the robot cleaner.

In addition, the robot vacuum cleaner can perform cleaning and air sterilization while moving freely inside the space, and the user can control the operation with a simple operation using an external device such as a remote controller, thereby increasing the convenience of cleaning and air sterilization. can

1 is a view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a side cross-section of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .
3 is an exploded perspective view of the sterilization unit of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a plan view of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a view showing the control unit of FIG. 2 .
6 is a view showing an operating method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Terms used in this specification and claims have been selected in consideration of functions in various embodiments of the present invention. However, these terms may vary depending on the intention of a person skilled in the art, legal or technical interpretation, and emergence of new technology. Also, some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant. These terms may be interpreted in the meanings defined herein, and in the absence of specific definitions, they may be interpreted based on the general content of the present specification and common technical common sense in the art.

Also, the same reference numerals or reference numerals in each drawing appended hereto indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same functions. For convenience of description and understanding, the same reference numbers or reference numerals are used in different embodiments to be described. That is, even though all the components having the same reference number are shown in the plurality of drawings, the plurality of drawings do not mean one embodiment.

Also, in this specification and claims, terms including ordinal numbers such as 'first' and 'second' may be used to distinguish between elements. This ordinal number is used to distinguish the same or similar components from each other, and the meaning of the term should not be limitedly interpreted due to the use of the ordinal number. As an example, for components combined with such an ordinal number, the order of use or arrangement of the elements should not be construed as being limited by the number. If necessary, each ordinal number may be used interchangeably.

In this specification, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as 'comprise' or 'comprise' are intended to designate the existence of a characteristic, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other It should be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of addition or existence of features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Also, in an embodiment of the present invention, when it is said that a part is connected to another part, this includes not only direct connection but also indirect connection through another medium. In addition, the meaning that a certain part includes a certain component means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a side cross-section of the robot cleaner of FIG. 1 .

1 and 2, the robot cleaner 10 of this embodiment includes a main body 100, and a cleaning unit 300 disposed inside the main body 100 to perform cleaning and air sterilization of the interior space, respectively; It may include a sterilization unit 200 and a control unit 400 for controlling their operations.

The robot cleaner 10 can perform at least one of floor cleaning and air sterilization while freely moving inside the space using the moving means 130 configured in the lower part, for example, wheels, etc. under the control of the control unit 400. .

The main body 100 of the robot cleaner 10 includes an upper housing 110 and a lower housing 120 coupled to each other, and is configured in a circular shape to form the exterior of the robot cleaner 10 .

One or more openings corresponding to the sterilization unit 200 disposed inside the upper housing 110 of the main body 100 may be formed. For example, the upper housing 110 has an upper surface opening 111 of the upper surface, and a first side opening 112 , a second side opening 113 and a third side opening 114 are formed in at least three portions of the side surface. can be

Each opening of the upper housing 110 may suck in the air inside the space according to the operation of the sterilization unit 200 and discharge the air sterilized by the sterilization unit 200 . That is, when the sterilization unit 200 is operated, external air is sucked through the upper surface opening 111 of the upper housing 110, and when the sucked air is sterilized by the sterilization unit 200, the sterilized air is removed. It may be discharged through the first side opening 112 to the third side opening 114 .

A mesh-shaped cover 111a may be coupled to one end of each opening of the upper housing 110 . In addition, the ultraviolet lamps 251 , 252 , and 253 of the sterilization unit 200 may be disposed to correspond to one end of each of the three side openings.

In addition, a plurality of sensors capable of controlling the operation of the robot cleaner 10 may be disposed in the upper housing 110 .

One or more first sensors 510 for detecting the concentration of ozone contained in the air inside the space, for example, an ozone sensor, may be disposed on the upper surface of the upper housing 110 .

In addition, one or more second sensors 520 , such as a distance measuring sensor, for detecting an obstacle or a surrounding environment while the robot cleaner 10 moves inside the space, may be disposed on the side of the upper housing 110 . Here, the second sensor 520 may be at least one of a laser distance sensor (LDS), a gyro sensor, and a camera sensor.

The first sensor 510 and the second sensor 520 provide the detection result to the control unit 400, so that the sterilization unit 200 and the cleaning unit ( 300) may be controlled.

Meanwhile, the upper housing 110 may be formed such that a portion thereof is rotated upward to be opened. For example, the upper housing 110 may be composed of two parts connected by a connecting member 115 such as a hinge. And, one part of the two parts may be opened by rotating upward around their bonding surface, that is, the connection member 115 .

By opening the upper housing 110 , the dust collector 340 of the cleaning unit 300 disposed below the upper housing 110 may be separated to the outside. That is, in the robot cleaner 10 of this embodiment, after the cleaning of the floor in the space by the cleaning unit 300 is completed, one side of the upper housing 110 is opened to separate the dust collector 340, and the dust collected therefrom It is possible to easily handle foreign substances such as

One or more openings corresponding to the cleaning unit 300 disposed inside the lower housing 120 of the main body 100, for example, a rear opening 121 and a rear opening 125 may be formed.

The rear opening 121 may be adjacent to the bottom surface inside the space. The rear opening 125 may be formed in a portion where the first side opening 112 to the third side opening 114 of the above-described upper housing 110 are not formed, for example, at the rear side.

The rear opening 121 of the lower housing 120 may suck in foreign substances, such as dust, together with air from the bottom surface inside the space according to the operation of the cleaning unit 300 . The rear opening 125 of the lower housing 120 may discharge the air removed by collecting foreign substances through the dust collector 340 according to the operation of the cleaning unit 300 to the outside, that is, to the inside of the space.

One or more wheels for stable movement of the robot cleaner 10, for example, a first wheel 131 and a second wheel 133 may be formed on the rear surface of the lower housing 120 .

The first wheel 131 is formed to have a larger diameter than the second wheel 133 , and may be formed to correspond to each other on both sides of the rear surface of the lower housing 120 . One second wheel 133 may be formed on one side of the rear surface of the lower housing 120 to assist the first wheel 131 . The operation of the first wheel 131 and the second wheel 133 may be controlled by the control unit 400 .

The sterilization unit 200 may be disposed to correspond to the opening formed in the upper housing 110 inside the body 100 . The sterilization unit 200 generates a plasma discharge with external air sucked in through the upper surface opening 111 of the upper housing 110, and irradiates ultraviolet rays to the plasma discharged air to sterilize bacteria or viruses contained in the air. . In addition, the sterilized air may be discharged to the outside through the first side opening 112 to the third side opening 114 of the upper housing 110 .

3 is an exploded perspective view of the sterilization unit of FIG. 2 , and FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 .

3 and 4 , the sterilization unit 200 of this embodiment may include a first air flow path 210 , a suction fan 220 , a plasma unit 240 , and a lamp unit 250 . The operation of the sterilization unit 200 is controlled by the control unit 400 to sterilize the air inside the space.

The first air flow path 210 may be formed in a hollow shape with an empty interior. A suction port 211 corresponding to the upper surface opening 111 of the upper housing 110 may be formed on the upper surface of the first air flow path 210 . In addition, at the side end of the first air flow path 210, three outlets corresponding to each of the first side openings 112 to the third side openings 114 of the upper housing 110, for example, the first outlet 212 to A third outlet 214 may be formed.

The suction fan 220 may be disposed to correspond to the suction port 211 inside the first air flow path 210 . The suction fan 220 may suck in external air through the suction port 211 and deliver it to the inside of the first air flow path 210 .

One or more filters may be disposed between the suction fan 220 and the suction port 211 . For example, a first filter 231 may be disposed between the front surface of the suction fan 220 and the suction port 211 , and a second filter 233 may be disposed on the rear surface of the suction fan 220 . The first filter 231 and the second filter 233 may filter and collect foreign substances contained in the air sucked into the suction port 211 .

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, one end of each of the first outlets 212 to 214 has a blowing fan (not shown) for discharging the air in the first air flow path 210 , for example, plasma-discharged air. ) can be placed.

The plasma unit 240 may be disposed between the inlet 211 and each outlet. For example, the plasma unit 240 may be disposed between the inlet 211 and the first outlet 212 , between the inlet 211 and the second outlet 213 , and between the inlet 211 and the third outlet 214 , respectively. can

The plasma unit 240 includes a plasma source (not shown) that generates plasma discharge from external air sucked in through the suction port 211, and generates a plurality of active species such as ozone, OH radicals, and negative ions through the plasma discharge of the plasma source. can cause Viruses and bacteria contained in the outside air are sterilized and removed by these active species, and various harmful substances can be decomposed.

Here, the plasma source may be composed of first and second electrodes (not shown) respectively formed on both surfaces of a dielectric substrate (not shown) such as glass, and a dielectric (not shown) covering and sealing the electrodes. In this case, two first electrodes may be formed on one surface of the substrate to be spaced apart from each other, and a second electrode may be formed on the other surface opposite to the one surface to cover a space between the two first electrodes on one surface. Such a plasma source may generate a plasma discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode or between the two first electrodes by using external air as a discharge gas according to a discharge voltage applied from the control unit 400 to be described later.

The lamp unit 250 may include a plurality of ultraviolet lamps emitting ultraviolet rays of a specific wavelength. The plurality of UV lamps may be disposed to correspond to the outside of each outlet of the first air flow path 210 .

For example, the lamp unit 250 includes a first UV lamp 251 disposed corresponding to the outside of the first outlet 212 , a second UV lamp 252 disposed corresponding to the outside of the second outlet 213 , and a third It may include a third UV lamp 253 disposed corresponding to the outside of the outlet 214 .

Each of the first UV lamp 251 to the third UV lamp 253 is plasma discharged air discharged through each outlet of the first air flow path 210, that is, air containing active species such as ozone, OH radicals, and negative ions. It can be irradiated by emitting ultraviolet rays.

Accordingly, the plasma-discharged air can be generated as low-temperature oxygen plasma in which ozone is photodecomposed by ultraviolet rays, active oxygen molecules, oxygen radicals, free radicals, photoelectrons, anions and cation air molecules, and the like. Oxygen particles are made in nano size by this low-temperature oxygen plasma, so that bacteria or viruses contained in the air can be sterilized and harmful substances can be decomposed.

The first UV lamps 251 to the third UV lamps 253 of the lamp unit 250 are lamps emitting ultraviolet rays of a specific wavelength band, for example, a VUV lamp emitting ultraviolet rays in a range of 10 to 200 nm, 200 to 280 nm in a band. It may be at least one of a UVC lamp that emits ultraviolet rays and a UVB lamp that emits ultraviolet rays in a band of 280 to 315 nm.

In addition, although it is described that the lamp unit 250 of this embodiment is configured in the form of a lamp, a plurality of UV light emitting diodes (not shown) may be mounted on a substrate (not shown) to emit UV rays.

On the other hand, the first outlet 212 to the third outlet 214 of the first air flow path 210 have an inner end thereof, that is, to have a relatively larger width than the inner passage width of the first air flow path 210 . can be formed. In addition, the first side opening 112 to the third side opening 113 of the upper housing 110 corresponding to the first outlet 212 to the third outlet 214, respectively, also have a relatively larger width than the inner side. can be formed with

According to this structure, a plurality of UV lamps disposed to correspond to the outside of the first outlet 212 to the third outlet 214, that is, the first UV lamp 251 to the third UV lamp 253 UV emitted from each Silver may be emitted to the outside of the body 100 in a radial form. At this time, the horizontal UV emission angle to the outside of the body 100 may be 80 to 90 degrees, and the vertical UV emission angle may be 90 to 110 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

As described above, the sterilization unit 200 of this embodiment generates a plasma discharge from the external air introduced through the suction port 211 of the first air flow path 210, and irradiates the plasma-discharged air with ultraviolet rays to achieve low-temperature plasma By generating , it is possible to discharge sterilized air harmless to the human body to the outside while removing bacteria, viruses and harmful substances contained in the outside air.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cleaning unit 300 may be disposed under the sterilization unit 200 inside the main body 100 . The cleaning unit 300 may be disposed to correspond to the rear opening 121 and the rear opening 125 of the lower housing 120 described above.

The operation of the cleaning unit 300 is controlled by the control unit 400, and through the rear opening 121 of the lower housing 120, the cleaning unit 300 sucks foreign substances such as dust together with air from the floor inside the space, and the suctioned Foreign substances can be collected and stored. In addition, the cleaning unit 300 may discharge the air separated by dust collection to the outside through the rear opening 125 .

The cleaning unit 300 is a suction means composed of a suction motor 310 and a brush 320, and a second air flow path 330 that communicates between the rear opening 121 of the lower housing 120 and the dust collector 340. , is disposed between the air outlet 341 and the rear opening 125 of the dust collector 340 and the dust collector 340 for collecting and storing foreign substances in the air delivered through the second air passage 330 and discharging them. It may include an ultraviolet lamp that emits ultraviolet rays to the air, for example, the fourth ultraviolet lamp 350 .

The suction motor 310 may generate a suction force that allows the air and foreign substances on the floor inside the space in which the robot cleaner 10 is located to be sucked through the rear opening 121 . Air and foreign substances sucked by the suction motor 310 may be introduced into the dust collector 340 through the second air flow path 330 .

The brush 320 may be disposed to correspond to the rear opening 121 and may be rotated in one direction by a brush driving motor (not shown) to sweep away foreign substances on the floor. Air and foreign substances on the bottom surface may be sucked into the rear opening 121 by the brush 320 and the suction motor 310 .

The dust collector 340 may communicate with the rear opening 121 through the second air passage 330 . The dust collector 340 may receive air and foreign substances through the second air flow path 330 , and collect and store the foreign substances among them. The dust collector 340 may have a form of a cyclone chamber capable of separating air and foreign substances by generating centrifugal force, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, a third sensor 530 capable of detecting the amount of foreign substances such as dust stored inside the dust collector 340 may be disposed inside the dust collector 340 . The third sensor 530 may control the operation of the cleaning unit 300 by providing the detection result to the control unit 400 .

Meanwhile, as described above, the dust collector 340 may be separated from the cleaning unit 300 to the outside through an open side of the upper housing 110 . Accordingly, after the operation of the cleaning unit 300 is finished, the dust collector 340 is separated to easily handle the foreign matter collected therein.

An air outlet 341 may be formed on one side of the dust collector 340 , for example, on one side opposite to the portion communicating with the second air flow path 330 . The air outlet 341 may communicate with the rear opening 125 of the lower housing 120 .

A dust filter 360 may be disposed at one end of the air outlet 341 . The dust filter 360 may collect the air discharged through the air outlet 341 , that is, foreign substances such as dust in the air separated from the foreign substances.

A fourth UV lamp 350 may be disposed between the air outlet 341 and the rear opening 125 . The fourth ultraviolet lamp 350 may sterilize bacteria or viruses contained therein by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the air discharged to the rear opening 125 through the air outlet 341 .

On the other hand, the rear opening 125 may be formed to have a width of its end relatively larger than a portion communicating with the inside, for example, the air outlet 341 . Accordingly, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the fourth ultraviolet lamp 350 may be emitted to the outside of the body 100 through the rear opening 125 in the form of a radiation. At this time, the horizontal UV emission angle to the outside of the body 100 may be 80 to 90 degrees, and the vertical UV emission angle may be 90 to 110 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the cleaning unit 300 may include one or more cleaning cloths 370 arranged to be adjacent to the brochure 320 on the rear surface of the lower housing 120 . The cleaning cloth 370 may be a wet mop that can clean the floor surface inside the space using water.

The control unit 400 may perform at least one of a cleaning operation and a sterilization operation of the robot cleaner 10 for the inside of the space. The control unit 400 may selectively control the operations of the cleaning unit 300 and the sterilization unit 200 according to a user's selection or a detection result of a sensor.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the control unit of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the control unit 400 may include a mode selection unit 410 , an operation control unit 420 , a memory 430 , a communication unit 440 , and a display unit 450 .

The mode selection unit 410 may select an operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 based on a selection signal input from the user. For example, the mode selection unit 410 selects the robot cleaner 10 to operate in a cleaning mode for performing a cleaning operation on the inside of the space, or selects to operate in a sterilization mode for performing a sterilization operation on the inside of the space, or It can be selected to operate in a complex mode that simultaneously performs cleaning and sterilization of the interior.

The mode selection unit 410 is configured in the form of a button exposed to the outside of the upper housing 110 to receive a selection signal from the user. Also, the mode selection unit 410 may receive a selection signal transmitted through the communication unit 440 from a user terminal (not shown).

The operation control unit 420 may control the robot cleaner 10 to operate in an operation mode according to the selection result of the mode selection unit 410 . The operation control unit 420 may include a cleaning mode control unit 421 , a sterilization mode control unit 422 , and a complex mode control unit 423 .

The cleaning mode control unit 421 may control the operation of the cleaning unit 300 of the robot cleaner 10 to clean the floor in the space. That is, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may drive the suction motor 310 and the brush 320 of the cleaning unit 300 to perform cleaning through suction of air and foreign substances on the floor.

Also, the cleaning mode control unit 421 rotates the first wheel 131 and the second wheel 133 based on the detection result provided from one or more second sensors 520 disposed on the side of the main body 100 . control, and accordingly, the robot cleaner 10 can be controlled to clean the floor while freely moving inside the space.

For example, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may include the first wheel 131 and the second wheel 133 so that the robot cleaner 10 can move while avoiding obstacles located in the space according to the detection result of the second sensor 520 . can control the rotation angle.

In addition, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may control the operation of the cleaning unit 300 based on the detection result provided from the third sensor 530 disposed inside the dust collector 340 .

For example, the cleaning mode control unit 421 determines that foreign substances are stored in the dust collecting bin 340 or more according to the detection result of the third sensor 530 and performs the cleaning operation of the cleaning unit 300 accordingly. can be stopped Then, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may generate an alarm or display to the user through the display unit 450 to discharge the foreign substances stored in the dust collector 340 by the user.

The sterilization mode control unit 422 may control the operation of the sterilization unit 200 of the robot cleaner 10 to sterilize the air in the space. The sterilization mode control unit 422 may control the operations of the suction fan 220 , the plasma unit 240 , and the lamp unit 250 of the sterilization unit 200 to sterilize the air by these.

In addition, the sterilization mode control unit 422 may control the operation of the sterilization unit 200 based on the detection result provided from the one or more first sensors 510 disposed on the upper portion of the main body 100 .

For example, the sterilization mode control unit 422 determines that the concentration of ozone in the space is greater than or equal to the set concentration according to the detection result of the second sensor 520, and accordingly, the sterilization unit 200 excluding the plasma unit 240, That is, it is possible to control the suction fan 220 and the lamp unit 250 to operate.

The complex mode control unit 423 may control the cleaning unit 300 and the sterilization unit 200 of the robot cleaner 10 to operate together so that the floor surface in the space is cleaned and the air is sterilized. The complex mode control unit 423 may perform all the control operations by the cleaning mode control unit 421 and the sterilization mode control unit 422 described above together.

The memory 430 may store set values such as an operation time and an operation range of the robot cleaner 10 . Accordingly, the operation control unit 420 may control the cleaning mode, the sterilization mode, and the complex mode operation of the robot cleaner 10 based on the setting value stored in the memory 430 . In addition, the set value may be adjusted by the user and re-stored in the memory 430 in the form of an update.

The communication unit 440 may communicate with a user's terminal (not shown) or a remote controller. The communication unit 440 may transmit operation state information of the robot cleaner 10 to the user's terminal. The communication unit 440 may receive a user's control signal or the like from the user's terminal or remote controller, and transmit it to the mode selection unit 410 or the operation control unit 420 .

The display unit 450 may externally display the operating state of the robo cleaner 10 . The display unit 450 may be disposed to be exposed to the outside of the upper housing 110 . An operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 may be displayed on the display unit 450 , and a state inside a space or an internal state of the cleaner may be displayed in the operation mode.

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, the control unit 400 may be provided with a power supply unit (not shown) for supplying operating power to each of the sterilization unit 200 , the cleaning unit 300 , and the plurality of sensors. The power supply unit may supply operating power to each of the sterilization unit 200 and the cleaning unit 300 under the control of the operation control unit 420 .

The sterilization unit 200 may be supplied with a fan driving voltage, a discharge voltage, and a lamp driving voltage from a power supply. The cleaning unit 300 may be supplied with a motor driving voltage, a brush driving voltage, and a lamp driving voltage from a power supply. A sensor driving voltage may be supplied from a power supply to each of the plurality of sensors, that is, the first sensor 510 to the third sensor 530 .

As described above, the robot cleaner 10 of this embodiment operates in one of a cleaning mode for cleaning the interior of the space by the control unit 400, a sterilization mode for sterilizing the interior of the space, and a complex mode for cleaning and sterilizing the interior of the space together can be Accordingly, an operation method of the robot cleaner 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 .

6 is a view showing an operating method of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, first, an operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 may be selected (S10). The operation mode may be selected from one of a cleaning mode, a sterilization mode, and a complex mode.

When the operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 is selected as the cleaning mode, the operation control unit 420 operates the cleaning unit 300 of the robot cleaner 10 through the cleaning mode control unit 421, and the robot cleaner 10 operates It can be controlled to clean the floor surface inside the space.

Accordingly, the robot cleaner 10 can suck in air and foreign substances on the floor through the rear opening 121 while freely moving inside the space (S20). Then, the suctioned foreign substances may be collected and stored in the dust collector 340 (S30).

In this case, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may control the rotation of the wheels of the robot cleaner 10 according to the detection result provided from the second sensor 520 of the main body 100 to enable movement such as obstacle avoidance. .

Then, the air from which foreign substances are removed is discharged through the rear opening 125 , but by emitting ultraviolet rays to the air discharged through the fourth UV lamp 350, it can be sterilized (S50). That is, the cleaning unit 300 can clean the foreign substances on the floor in the space and sterilize and discharge the air from which the foreign substances are removed.

Meanwhile, during the operation of the cleaning unit 300 , the cleaning mode control unit 421 may control the operation of the cleaning unit 300 according to the detection result provided from the third sensor 530 inside the dust collector 340 . There is (S40).

For example, when the amount of foreign substances stored in the dust collector 340 is detected by the third sensor 530 as more than a set capacity, the cleaning mode control unit 421 cleans according to the detection result of the third sensor 530 . The suction operation of the unit 300 may be stopped. Then, the cleaning mode control unit 421 generates an alarm, etc. to the user through the display unit 450, and accordingly, the user opens one side of the upper housing 110 to separate the dust collector 340, and then the inside It is possible to discharge foreign substances stored in the

The cleaning mode control unit 421 may end the operation of the cleaning unit 300 according to the set values stored in the memory 430 , for example, set values for the operating time and operating range of the robot cleaner 10 . Also, the cleaning mode control unit 421 may end the operation of the cleaning unit 300 according to the sensing result of the sensor, that is, the sensing result of the third sensor 530 (S90).

When the operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 is selected as the sterilization mode, the operation control unit 420 operates the sterilization unit 200 of the robot cleaner 10 through the sterilization mode control unit 422, and the robot cleaner 10 operates It can be controlled to sterilize the air inside the space.

Accordingly, the robot cleaner 10 may suck the outside air from the inside of the space through the upper surface opening 111 and the suction port 211 of the sterilization unit 200 . In addition, a plasma discharge may be generated in the plasma unit 240 by using the sucked external air as a discharge gas (S60).

Then, the plasma-discharged air moves in the direction of the first outlet 212 to the third outlet 214 in the first air flow path 210 of the sterilization unit 200, and in the ultraviolet lamp disposed adjacent to each outlet. By emitting ultraviolet rays, the air can be sterilized (S80).

For example, the sterilization unit 200 generates a plasma discharge from the inhaled external air to generate a large number of active species such as ozone, OH radicals, and anions, and emits and irradiates ultraviolet rays of a specific wavelength to the plasma discharge air, thereby irradiating ozone into light. In addition to decomposition, it is possible to generate a low-temperature oxygen plasma containing active oxygen molecules, oxygen radicals, free radicals, photoelectrons, anions and cations, and air molecules. And, it is possible to perform sterilization by sterilizing bacteria or viruses contained in the air and decomposing harmful substances by the low-temperature oxygen plasma.

Meanwhile, while the sterilization unit 200 is being operated, the sterilization mode control unit 422 may control the operation of the sterilization unit 200 according to the detection result provided from the first sensor 510 of the main body 100 ( S70).

For example, when the ozone concentration in the air in the space is detected by the first sensor 510 as a predetermined value or more, the sterilization mode control unit 422 controls the plasma unit 240 according to the detection result of the first sensor 510 . operation can be stopped. Accordingly, the sterilization unit 200 decomposes ozone in the external air sucked through the suction port 211 through a plurality of ultraviolet lamps 251, 252, 253, and generates low-temperature plasma therefrom to sterilize the air. can be done

The sterilization mode control unit 422 may end the operation of the sterilization unit 200 according to the set values stored in the memory 430 , for example, set values for the operating time and operating range of the robot cleaner 10 . In addition, the sterilization mode control unit 422 may terminate the operation of the sterilization unit 200 according to the sensing result of the sensor, that is, the sensing result of the first sensor 510 (S90).

In addition, when the operation mode of the robot cleaner 10 is selected as the complex mode, the operation control unit 420 operates the cleaning unit 300 and the sterilization unit 200 of the robot cleaner 10 through the complex mode control unit 423 together. can make it work

Accordingly, the robot cleaner 10 may perform sterilization of air in the space through the sterilization unit 200 together with cleaning of foreign substances on the floor surface in the space through the previously described cleaning unit 300 .

As described above, an embodiment of the present invention has been described, but those of ordinary skill in the art can add, change, delete or add components within the scope that does not depart from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It will be possible to variously modify and change the present invention by, etc., which will also be included within the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the above-mentioned terms are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

10: robot vacuum cleaner 100: body
110: upper housing 120: lower housing
200: sterilization unit 210: first air flow path
220: suction fan 240: plasma unit
250: lamp unit 300: cleaning unit
310: suction motor 320: brush
330: second air flow path 340: dust collector
400: control unit

Claims (14)

In the robot cleaner (10) equipped with a sterilization device,
The upper housing 110 in which the upper surface opening 111 and at least three side openings 112, 113, and 114 are formed, and the lower housing 120 in which the rear opening 121 and at least one rear opening 125 are formed are coupled to each other the main body 100;
an ozone sensor 510 disposed adjacent to the upper surface opening 111 to detect ozone concentration in the air in the space;
It is disposed inside the main body 100, the suction port 211 corresponding to the upper surface opening 111 and the outlet port 212, 213, 214 corresponding to each of the side openings 112, 113, 114 are provided. One air flow path 210, one or more plasma units 240 disposed between the inlet 211 and the outlet ports 212, 213, and 214 to generate a plasma discharge with external air sucked through the inlet 211, respectively; and A sterilization unit 200 including one or more UV lamps 250 disposed between the outlets 212, 213, 214 and the side openings 112, 113, and 114, respectively, for sterilizing the plasma-discharged air by irradiating UV rays ;
a cleaning unit 300 disposed under the sterilization unit 200 inside the main body 100 and collecting foreign substances contained in external air sucked through the rear opening 121; and
and a control unit 400 for controlling the robot cleaner to operate in one of a sterilization mode, a cleaning mode, and a complex mode,
If the concentration of ozone in the space detected by the ozone sensor 510 in the sterilization mode operation of the robot cleaner is greater than or equal to the set concentration,
The control unit 400 stops the operation of the plasma unit 240 , and the external air sucked in through the inlet 211 is sterilized by the ultraviolet rays and discharged to the outlets 212 , 213 and 214 . A robot cleaner equipped with a sterilization device, characterized in that the lamp (250) is operated. delete According to claim 1,
The sterilization unit is
a suction fan disposed to correspond to the suction port inside the first air flow path to suck outside air;
a first filter disposed on at least one of a front surface and a rear surface of the suction fan; and
A robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizing device, characterized in that it further comprises at least one second filter disposed at the outlet. According to claim 1,
The UV lamp is
A robot cleaner equipped with a sterilization device, characterized in that it emits at least one ultraviolet light of UVB, UVC and VUV. According to claim 1,
The cleaning unit is
suction means for sucking air and foreign substances through the rear opening;
a dust collector connected to the rear opening through a second air passage to collect foreign substances sucked by the suction means; and
A sterilization apparatus comprising at least one ultraviolet lamp disposed between the air outlet of the dust collector and the rear opening, and sterilizing by emitting ultraviolet rays to the air from which foreign substances discharged through the air outlet are separated. Equipped with a robot vacuum cleaner. delete delete According to claim 1,
Further comprising one or more distance measuring sensors disposed on the side of the upper housing,
The control unit is
A robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizing device, characterized in that the cleaning mode operation of the robot cleaner is controlled based on the detection result of the distance measuring sensor. According to claim 1,
The robot cleaner with a sterilizing device, characterized in that it further comprises a wet mop disposed adjacent to the suction port on the rear surface of the lower housing, the wet mop for cleaning the floor in the space while rotating in one direction. An operating method of a robot cleaner equipped with a sterilizer that cleans floors and sterilizes air while moving freely inside a space,
selecting an operation mode of the robot cleaner as one of a cleaning mode, a sterilization mode, and a complex mode;
controlling the operation of the robot cleaner according to the selected operation mode to operate the robot cleaner to perform at least one of cleaning the floor surface of the space and sterilizing the air in the space; and
Comprising the step of terminating the operation of the robot cleaner according to a preset operation time and operation range or a sensing result by one or more sensors,
When the operation mode of the robot cleaner is selected as the sterilization mode,
The step of operating the robot vacuum cleaner,
generating plasma discharge with external air sucked through the upper surface opening; and
Discharging ultraviolet rays to plasma-discharged air, sterilizing the air with low-temperature oxygen plasma generated by photodecomposition of ozone by the ultraviolet rays, and discharging the sterilized air to the outside through a side opening,
In the sterilization mode, if the ozone concentration in the space sensed by the sensor is greater than or equal to a set concentration, the operation method of the robot cleaner, characterized in that the step of generating the plasma discharge to the outside air is stopped. delete delete 11. The method of claim 10,
When the operation mode is selected as the cleaning mode,
The step of operating the robot vacuum cleaner,
sucking air and foreign substances through the rear opening;
collecting and storing foreign substances; and
A method of operating a robot cleaner, comprising the step of sterilizing by emitting ultraviolet rays to the air from which foreign substances have been removed, and discharging the sterilized air to the outside through a rear opening. 11. The method of claim 10,
When the operation mode is selected as the complex mode,
The step of operating the robot vacuum cleaner,
sterilizing the external air sucked through the upper surface opening through plasma discharge and ultraviolet ray emission, and discharging the sterilized air to the outside through the side opening;
A method of operating a robot cleaner, comprising the steps of filtering and collecting foreign substances in the air sucked in through the rear opening, sterilizing by emitting ultraviolet rays to the air from which the foreign substances are removed, and then discharging to the outside through the rear opening.

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