KR20060020768A - Robot vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner provided with a shock absorber and a sensing means on one side of the main body and the suction nozzle. According to the present invention, the main body 100 is mounted with a motor for generating a suction force; A moving wheel 110 including a left moving wheel 110a and a right moving wheel 110b rotatably mounted independently from the bottom of the main body 100; In the robot cleaner comprising a suction nozzle 300 is mounted so as to protrude to the outside of the main body 100 and rotatable by a predetermined angle; Between the main body 100 and the suction nozzle 300, the shock absorber 500 for absorbing the shock when the suction nozzle 300 is shocked from the outside, and the presence or absence of rotation of the suction nozzle 300 It is characterized in that the sensing means 600 is further provided. According to the present invention configured as described above, there is an advantage that the shock applied to the main body is absorbed to prevent component damage and the cleaning performance is improved.

Robot cleaner, suction nozzle, shock absorber, sensing means. obstacle

Description

Robot vacuum cleaner

1 is a side view showing a side of a conventional robot cleaner.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the appearance of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a side view showing the side of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the shock absorber and the sensing means of the main component of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing the action of the robot cleaner in the collision with the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100 ..... Main Unit 110 ..... Wheel

112 ..... Turning 110a .... Left Turn

110b .... right wheel 200 ..... obstacle sensor

300 ..... suction nozzle 300a .... left suction nozzle

300b .... right suction nozzle 310 ..... suction hole

400 ..... suspension 410 ..... spring

420 ..... Spring support shaft 422 ..... Fixed part

424 ..... Rotating part 500 ..... Shock absorber                 

510 ..... elastomer 520 ..... elastomer support groove

530 ..... elastomer compression groove 600 ..... sensing means

610 ..... switch 610a .... left switch

610b .... right switch 620 ..... sensing device

620a .... Left detection device 620b .... Right detection device

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner having a shock absorber and sensing means on one side of the main body to prevent component damage and improve cleaning performance.

The robot cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that performs cleaning by itself while moving the floor according to the input program using a charged battery as a power source. According to such a robot cleaner, unlike the conventional cleaning method in which the user carries out the cleaning by directly dragging the cleaner, the cleaning can be performed by the operation of the remote controller, thereby reducing the effort of cleaning and saving the cleaning time. You can do it.

Figure 1 is a side view showing the side of a conventional robot cleaner.

As shown in the figure, the robot cleaner is a main body (10) with a built-in motor (not shown) for generating a suction force, through-molded from the bottom of the main body 10 into the main body 10, close to the bottom surface The suction nozzle 20 protrudes downward from the bottom of the main body 10 so as to suck foreign substances on the bottom surface with suction power generated by the motor (not shown).

In addition, the lower part of the main body 10 is provided with a plurality of moving wheels 30 to rotate in contact with the bottom surface so that the main body 10 runs the cleaning area. The movable wheel 30 has a protrusion 32 protruding in the longitudinal direction on the outer circumferential surface serves to prevent the movable wheel 30 from sliding when in contact with the bottom surface.

The front upper portion of the main body 10 is provided with an obstacle detecting sensor 40 for detecting the presence of walls or obstacles by using ultrasonic waves during driving for cleaning. The obstacle detecting sensor 40 is provided so that the main body 10 does not protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the main body 10 so that the main body 10 does not break due to an impact with an obstacle while driving the cleaning area.

In addition, the obstacle detection sensor 40 determines the area to be cleaned by driving the outside of the cleaning area surrounded by a wall or an obstacle, and plans a cleaning path for cleaning the determined cleaning area. Then, the obstacle detecting sensor 40 receives a signal from a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotational speed and the rotation angle of the moving wheel 30 to calculate a driving distance and a current position while driving the planned cleaning path. To drive the wheel (30).

The obstacle sensor 40 is a sound wave sensor using an echo phenomenon of sound waves, and transmits sound waves, and analyzes the time difference at which the transmitted sound waves are received to measure the presence or absence of an object and a distance to the object. .

However, the above conventional configuration has the following problems.                         

In the case of the obstacle detecting sensor 40, a flat object can be easily detected, but when the reflecting surface of the object has a curvature or the surface is inclined at a predetermined angle, there is a problem that it is not easy to detect.

And, if the width of the obstacle is less than 3cm can hardly detect. That is, an obstacle such as a leg of a chair or a narrow pillar may collide with the obstacle because the obstacle detecting sensor 40 does not detect it. When the main body 10 hits an obstacle in this way, the external appearance of the main body 10 is damaged by an impact, and various sensors installed inside the main body 10 are damaged and malfunction.

In addition, damage to the main body 10 or malfunction of the cleaner causes the user to lower the reliability of the product, which is not preferable.

In addition, since the suction nozzle perforated to a predetermined length in the lower part of the main body is not easy to remove foreign matter accumulated in the corner cleaning area, there is a problem that the cleaning blind spot is widened and the cleaning performance is reduced.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems, by having a sensing means for detecting the object in front of the main body by contact on one side, the robot to detect the obstacle not detected by the obstacle sensor Is to provide a cleaner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a robot cleaner to prevent damage to various types of sensors installed inside the main body as well as the main body by providing a shock absorber to alleviate obstacles and generated shocks on one side of the main body.

The present invention for achieving the above object, the main body is mounted with a motor for generating a suction force; A moving wheel including a left moving wheel and a right moving wheel rotatably mounted independently from the bottom of the main body; In the robot cleaner comprising a suction nozzle which is mounted to protrude one side to the outside of the main body is rotatable by a predetermined angle;

Between the main body and the suction nozzle is characterized in that it further comprises a shock absorber for absorbing the shock when the suction nozzle is impacted from the outside, and the sensing means for detecting the rotation of the suction nozzle.

The interior of the main body is characterized in that the suspension device is further provided to elastically support the upper portion of the suction nozzle so that the suction nozzle is sliding with respect to the bottom surface.

The suspension device includes a spring for elastically supporting the suction nozzle downward; A spring support shaft formed in an approximately cylindrical shape to support compression and restoration of the spring in the spring; A fixing part which is stepped from the end of the spring support shaft to a section slightly larger than the cross section of the spring support shaft; It is provided on the other end of the fixing portion is characterized in that it comprises a rotating part for supporting the suction nozzle to be rotatable.

The outer peripheral surface of the suction nozzle is characterized in that a plurality of suction holes are formed by drilling.                     

The shock absorber includes an elastic body molded from a material including a predetermined elastic force; An elastic support groove recessed and molded to prevent the elastic body from being separated out of the main body; It is recessed and molded on one side of the suction nozzle, the suction nozzle is characterized in that it comprises an elastic compression groove for simultaneously receiving the role of compressing the elastic body and the role of preventing the departure of the elastic body at the same time.

The sensing means is in contact with one side of the suction nozzle, the suction nozzle is pressed downward when rotated and at the same time the elastic restoring force is generated, the left switch and the left provided on the left and right sides of the main body, respectively A switch comprising a position; It is installed on one side of the switch detects the operation of the switch, characterized in that it comprises a sensing device to rotate the wheel when the switch is operating.

The moving wheels are characterized in that the switch rotates in opposite directions to each other during operation.

According to the present invention, it has the advantage that the protection part is broken, increase the cleaning performance.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the appearance of the robot cleaner according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a side view showing the side of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

As shown in these figures, the robot cleaner cleans the main body 100 by rotating in contact with a bottom surface of the main body 100 in which a motor (not shown) generating a suction force and a lower part of the main body 100 are rotated. It is largely composed of a moving wheel 110 that travels the area and includes a left wheel 110a and a right wheel 110b. In addition, a plurality of protrusions 112 protruding in the longitudinal direction are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the moving wheel 110 so as not to slip when in contact with the bottom surface.

The front upper portion of the main body 100 is provided with an obstacle detecting sensor 200 for detecting the presence of walls or obstacles by using ultrasonic waves during driving for cleaning. The obstacle detecting sensor 200 is provided so that the main body 100 does not protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the main body 100 so that the main body 100 is not damaged due to an impact with an obstacle while driving the cleaning area.

In addition, the obstacle detection sensor 200 determines the area to be cleaned by driving the outside of the cleaning area surrounded by a wall or an obstacle, and plans a cleaning path for cleaning the determined cleaning area. Then, the obstacle detecting sensor 200 receives a signal from a sensor (not shown) that detects the number of revolutions and the angle of rotation of the moving wheel 110 to drive the planned cleaning path while calculating the travel distance and the current position. Drive the wheel 110 so that it can be.

That is, the obstacle detection sensor 200 is a sound wave sensor using an echo phenomenon of sound waves, and transmits sound waves, and analyzes the time difference at which the transmitted sound waves are received to measure the presence or absence of an object and a distance to the object. Done.

On the other hand, the front lower portion of the main body 100 is formed in a substantially bow shape is provided with a suction nozzle 300 protruding outward of the main body 100. The suction nozzle 300 is largely composed of a left suction nozzle 300a and a right suction nozzle 300b, and serves to suck air containing foreign matter from the bottom surface. Therefore, a plurality of suction holes 310 are formed through the outer circumferential surface of each suction nozzle 300.

That is, the suction nozzle has a plurality of suction holes and the one side protrudes to the outside of the main body, it is possible to easily remove the foreign matter accumulated in the corners of the cleaning area.

In addition, a suspension device 400 is provided on the suction nozzle. The suspension device 400 has one end fixed to the inside of the main body 100 and the other end is fastened to the upper surface of the suction nozzle 300, the curved surface when the suction nozzle 300 slides the curved bottom surface Therefore, it serves to elastically support to flow up and down.

The suspension device 400 is a spring 410 for allowing the suction nozzle 300 to be elastically supported downward, and inserted into the spring 410 to prevent the spring 410 from being separated, and the spring 410. It is configured to include a spring support shaft 420 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to support the compression and recovery of the).

At one end of the spring support shaft 420, the spring support shaft 420 is bent and shaped to have a cross section slightly larger than that of the spring support shaft 420 so that the spring support shaft 420 is not separated from the body 100. Rotating part for performing the role of the rotating shaft so that the suction nozzle 300 is rotatable with a predetermined angle by being coupled to one side of the suction nozzle 300 at the other end of the fixing portion 422 and the fixing portion 422 424 is further provided.

Therefore, when the bottom surface of the suction nozzle 300 is in contact with the bottom surface such as irregularities, the suction nozzle 300 is pushed upward and the spring 410 is elastically supported by the fixing part 422 While being compressed, the impact applied to the suction nozzle 300 is alleviated.

In addition, between the main body 100 and the suction nozzle 300, the shock absorber 500 for absorbing the shock when the suction nozzle 300 is impacted from the outside and the presence or absence of rotation of the suction nozzle 300 The sensing means 600 for sensing is further provided. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the shock absorber and the sensing means of the main components of the robot cleaner according to the present invention.

As shown, the shock absorber 500, the elastic body 510 formed of a material containing a predetermined elastic force, and the elastic support groove formed by recessed molding so that the elastic body 510 is not separated out of the main body 100 520 and an elastic body recessed and molded on one side of the suction nozzle 300 to simultaneously accommodate the role of compressing the elastic body 510 and the preventing the separation of the elastic body 510 when the suction nozzle 300 rotates. Compression groove 530 is configured to include.

That is, when the suction nozzle 300 collides with an obstacle, the shock absorber 500 plays a role of alleviating an impact so that damage to the suction unit 300 and the electrical equipment mounted inside the main body 100 is prevented. It is. Therefore, when the suction nozzle 300 collides with an obstacle, the suction nozzle 300 is rotated clockwise (in FIG. 4) about the spring support shaft 420.

When the suction nozzle 300 is rotated, the elastic compression groove 530 integrally formed with the suction nozzle 300 compresses the elastic body 510, so that an elastic restoring force is generated in the elastic body 510. When the obstacle collided with the outer surface of the suction nozzle 300 is removed, the elastic body 510 is restored to its original shape by an elastic restoring force, and the suction nozzle 300 is rotated counterclockwise (in FIG. 4). Return to the original position.

On the other hand, the sensing means 600, in contact with one side of the suction nozzle 300, the suction nozzle 300 is pressed down and pressed (in Fig. 4) at the time of rotation and at the same time generates an elastic restoring force The switch 610 is installed on one side of the switch 610 to sense the operation of the switch 610, and comprises a sensing device 620 interlocked with the switch 610.

The switch 610 is largely composed of a left switch 610a and a right switch 610b, and the sensing device 620 also has a left sensing device 620a and a right sensing device 620b on the left and right sides of the main body 100. It is composed of Therefore, when the left switch 610a is pressed downward by the rotation of the suction nozzle 300, the left switch 610a sends a signal to the left sensing device 620a, and at the same time the left sensing device ( 620a rotates the moving wheel 110.

Hereinafter, the operation of the robot cleaner having the above configuration will be described.

First, when the robot cleaner is cleaned by an operation of a remote controller (not shown), the motor (not shown) generates suction power using the charged battery as a power source. At this time, a suction force is transmitted to the suction nozzle 300 mounted close to the bottom surface to suck foreign substances on the bottom surface through a plurality of suction holes 310 perforated on the outer circumferential surface.

In addition, the movable wheel 110 mounted to be rotatable in the lower portion of the main body 100 to allow the main body 100 to run the cleaning area is rotated to guide the main body 100 in a desired direction. At this time, the protrusion 112 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the moving wheel 110 helps to run the cleaning area without slipping by linear contact with the bottom surface of the cleaning area.

On the other hand, the obstacle detection sensor 200 detects the presence of walls or obstacles using ultrasonic waves while driving for cleaning, determines the area to be cleaned by driving the outer edge of the cleaning area surrounded by the walls or obstacles, and the determined cleaning area. Plan a cleaning path to clean the floor.

Then, the obstacle detecting sensor 200 receives a signal from a sensor (not shown) that detects the number of revolutions and the angle of rotation of the moving wheel 110 to drive the planned cleaning path while calculating the travel distance and the current position. To control the movement wheel 110.

However, as described above, the obstacle detecting sensor 200 can easily detect a flat object, but an object having a curved reflection surface or an inclined surface at a predetermined angle is not easy to detect. If the width is less than 3cm, almost no detection. That is, an obstacle such as a leg of a chair or a narrow pillar may collide with the obstacle because the obstacle detecting sensor 200 does not detect it.

 Hereinafter, the robot cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 when the robot cleaner collides with an obstacle. 5 is a plan view showing the action of the robot cleaner according to the present invention when colliding with an obstacle.

As shown in the figure, when the robot cleaner runs the cleaning area and the right suction nozzle 300b collides with a narrow obstacle, the right suction nozzle 300b is rotated clockwise with respect to the spring support shaft 420. At the same time, the elastic compression groove 530 also rotates to compress the elastic body 510. At this time, the elastic restoring force is generated in the elastic body 510 to mitigate an impact with an obstacle.

In addition, the right switch 610b is slid with one side of the right suction nozzle 300b is pressed downward to send a signal to the right detection device 620b. At the same time, the right detecting device 620b temporarily stops the rotation of the left moving wheel 110a and the right moving wheel 110b, and the main body 100 rotates in the arrow direction of FIG. 5. The moving wheel 110a and the right moving wheel 110b are rotated in different directions.

That is, when the left moving wheel 110a and the right moving wheel 110b rotate in the same direction, the main body 100 proceeds back and forth, and the left moving wheel 110a and the right moving wheel 110b. When rotated in the opposite direction is the main body 100 is in accordance with the principle to rotate in place without going forward and backward.

Thus, the right suction nozzle 300b in contact with the obstacle is released from the interference of the obstacle, and the right suction nozzle 300b is returned to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the elastic body 510 and the right switch 610b. As the operation of the) is released, the moving wheel 110, which rotates in the opposite direction, can travel while rotating in the same direction.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-exemplified embodiments, and many other modifications based on the present invention will be possible to those skilled in the art within the above technical scope.

According to the robot cleaner according to the present invention as described above will be able to expect the following effects.

In other words, the shock applied to the main body is absorbed by the shock absorber provided on one side of the main body and the suction nozzle, thereby protecting the electrical components and the sensor from the impact, thereby preventing the damage of parts.

In addition, the sensing means for detecting the impact with the obstacle is further provided, even if the robot cleaner is caught on the obstacle to perform the cleaning operation by controlling the direction of rotation of the moving wheel to quickly escape, the cleaning execution time is shortened the advantage There is this.

In addition, by allowing the suction nozzle to smoothly contact even on the curved bottom surface without large impact or jamming by the suspension provided on the suction nozzle, the cleaning performance of the robot cleaner is improved.

In addition, the suction nozzle mounted to protrude one side to the outside of the main body is provided with a plurality of suction holes in the entire outer circumferential surface is easy to remove the foreign matter accumulated in the corner portion has the advantage that the blind spot area is reduced.

In addition, it is apparent that the product satisfaction of the robot cleaner is increased by the consumers due to the various advantages as described above.

Claims (7)

A main body 100 on which a motor generating a suction force is mounted; A moving wheel 110 including a left moving wheel 110a and a right moving wheel 110b rotatably mounted independently from the bottom of the main body 100; In the robot cleaner comprising a suction nozzle 300 is mounted so as to protrude to the outside of the main body 100 and rotatable by a predetermined angle; Between the main body 100 and the suction nozzle 300, the shock absorber 500 for absorbing the shock when the suction nozzle 300 is shocked from the outside; The vacuum cleaner 500 is spaced apart at predetermined intervals, the robot cleaner characterized in that it further comprises a sensing means 600 for detecting the presence or absence of the rotation of the suction nozzle (300) The method of claim 1, wherein the interior of the main body 100 is further provided with a suspension device 400 for elastically supporting the upper portion of the suction nozzle 300 so that the suction nozzle 300 is sliding with respect to the bottom surface. Robot cleaner. The method of claim 2, wherein the suspension device 400, A spring 410 for elastically supporting the suction nozzle 300 downward; A spring support shaft 420 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to support compression and restoration of the spring 410 in the spring 410; A fixing part 422 stepped at an end of the spring support shaft 420 into a cross section slightly larger than a cross section of the spring support shaft 420; The vacuum cleaner is provided on the other end of the fixing part 422, comprising a rotating part 424 for supporting the suction nozzle 300 to be rotatable. The robot cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of suction holes (310) are perforated on the outer circumferential surface of the suction nozzle (300). The method of claim 1, wherein the shock absorber 500, An elastic body 510 molded of a material including a predetermined elastic force; An elastic support groove 520 recessed and molded to prevent the elastic body 510 from being separated out of the main body 100; Elastomeric compression groove 530 that is recessed and molded on one side of the suction nozzle 300, the suction nozzle 300 at the same time to compress the elastic body 510 and to prevent the separation of the elastic body 510 at the time of rotation. Robot cleaner, characterized in that configured to include. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing means 600, In contact with one side of the suction nozzle 100, the suction nozzle 300 is pushed downward and pressed at the time of rotation, and at the same time elastic restoring force is generated, respectively provided on the left and right sides of the main body 100 A switch 610 including a left switch 610a and a right switch 610b; It is installed on one side of the switch 610 to detect the operation of the switch 610, the switch 610 is configured to include a sensing device 620 to rotate the wheel 110 during operation Robot cleaner. The robot cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable wheel (110) rotates in opposite directions when the switch (610) operates.

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