KR20070107956A - Robot cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot cleaner is provided to improve cleaning efficiency by using a brush device or a brush head sweeping dust at the corners while being projected to the outside of the robot cleaner. A robot cleaner comprises a brush device. The brush device for cleaning corners has a supporting member(51) installed with at least two rotary bodies, a belt(52) surrounding the rotary bodies, brushes(53) attached to the belt to sweep dust outside of the robot cleaner toward the robot cleaner according to the rotation of the belt, and a moving device moving the brush device to the inside of the robot cleaner. The moving device includes connection members(61), rack gears(62), pinions(63), and a motor.

Description

Robot Cleaner {ROBOT CLEANER}

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a robot cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a brush device and a moving device in FIG.

4 is a view for explaining the operation of the robot cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing a brush head and a moving device in the robot cleaner according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view for explaining the operation of the brush head and the moving device of FIG.

      * Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

      1: robot cleaner 10: robot body

      12: suction port 15: distance detection sensor

      50: brush device 51: support member

      52: belt 53, 71: brush

      60: moving device 61, 91: connecting member

      62, 92: rack gear 63, 93: pinion

      70: brush head

      The present invention relates to a robot vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a robot cleaner capable of cleaning a room corner cleanly.

      A vacuum cleaner is a device that cleans a room by removing foreign substances, and a vacuum cleaner that sucks foreign substances by using suction force of a low pressure part is generally used. Recently, a robot cleaner has been developed to remove foreign substances from the floor while moving by itself through the automatic driving function without the labor of the user. In the following, the robot cleaner removes foreign substances while moving itself is called 'automatic cleaning'.

      In general, the robot cleaner includes a main body having a suction port formed on a bottom thereof, a traveling device for automatic driving, and a suction device for suctioning dust. However, the suction device of the robot vacuum cleaner has a weak suction force compared to the suction device of the general vacuum cleaner, so when cleaning using the robot cleaner, there is a problem in that the corner of the wall or furniture contacting the indoor floor is not cleaned cleanly.

      In consideration of such a problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-109911 discloses a robot cleaner having a roll brush that protrudes laterally on a lower side of a main body of the robot cleaner and rotates the foreign matter placed in the corner of the wall side toward the suction port.

      However, in the related art robot cleaner, when the size of the roll brush is increased, the roll brush has a structural limitation that interferes with the driving wheel (wheel for driving the robot cleaner) around the roll brush. Therefore, there is a certain limit to the length of the roll brush protruding out of the side of the robot cleaner and thus the corner cleaning is incomplete, there is a problem that can not clean the floor under the furniture.

      The present invention is to solve such a problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a robot cleaner that can clean the corners of the wall surface and furniture in contact with the indoor floor.

      In addition, another object of the present invention to provide a robot cleaner that can clean the floor under the furniture that can not enter the robot cleaner.

      Robot cleaner according to the present invention for achieving this object in the robot cleaner comprising a brush device for cleaning the interior corner, the brush device is a support member is installed at least two rotors, and surrounds the rotors; It characterized in that it comprises a belt and a brush attached to the belt and writes the dust on the outer side of the robot cleaner toward the robot cleaner as the belt rotates.

In addition, the robot cleaner according to the present invention may further include a moving device for moving the brush device to the inside of the robot cleaner.

The moving device includes a connecting member for movably connecting the brush device to the main body of the robot cleaner, a rack gear provided at the connecting member, a pinion engaged with the rack gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion. It can be configured to include.

In addition, the robot cleaner according to the present invention is equipped with a brush on one side and the brush head protruding to the outside of the side of the robot cleaner to clean the room corner, and the brush head so that the brush can write dust in the room corner toward the robot cleaner And a motor for rotating in the forward and reverse directions and a moving device for linearly moving the brush head to the inside of the robot cleaner.

      The moving device may include a connecting member having one end coupled to the brush head, a rack gear formed at the connecting member, a pinion engaged with the rack gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion. .

      Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a robot cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an exploded view showing the brush device and the moving device in Figure 1 Perspective view.

      As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the robot cleaner 1 according to the present invention is installed in the robot body 10, the robot body 10 is a blower for generating a suction force for suction of dust ( 20) and a dust collecting device 30 installed inside the robot body 10 for storing the sucked dust, and a control unit 40 for controlling the operation of the robot cleaner 1. Although not shown in the drawings, the blower 20 includes a suction motor and a blowing fan rotated by the suction motor.

      The lower part of the robot body 10 is provided with a pair of drive wheels 11 for the movement of the robot cleaner 1, the pair of drive wheels 11 are driven by a drive motor (not shown) for rotating each of them. It is selectively driven to allow the robot cleaner 1 to move in the required direction.

      In addition, the robot cleaner 1 includes a suction port 12 formed in the lower part of the robot main body 10 to suck dust from the bottom B of the cleaning area, and a flow of air generated by the blower 20. It has a discharge port (not shown) for discharging to the outside of the 10. In the vicinity of the suction port 12 in the robot body 10, a suction inlet brush 13 for robbing up the dust on the bottom of the suction port 12 is rotatably installed, and between the suction port 12 and the dust collecting device 30. There is a suction pipe 14 connecting them.

      On the other hand, the side 10a of the robot main body 10 is provided with a distance sensor 15, such as an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, the distance sensor 15 and the wall surface or furniture located around the robot cleaner (1) The distance is measured and information about this is transmitted to the controller 40.

      In particular, the robot cleaner 1 has a brush device 50 for cleanly cleaning the interior corners or floors under the furniture or the wall surface or furniture in contact with the indoor floor. Brush device 50 serves to sweep the dust on the outer side 10a of the robot main body 10 toward the inner lower side of the robot main body 10 when the robot cleaner 1 is adjacent to the indoor corner.

      As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the brush device 50 includes a support member 51 on which at least two rotors are installed, a belt 52 surrounding the rotors, and an attachment to the belt 52. As the belt 52 rotates, the brush 53 includes a brush 53 for sweeping dust outside the side surface 10a of the robot cleaner toward the robot cleaner 1. If necessary, the number of the rotating bodies may be appropriately changed. Hereinafter, the case where two rotating bodies 51a and 51b are provided for convenience will be described.

      The two rotors 51a and 51b are rotatably installed at both lower ends of the support member 51, and they are connected to each other by a belt 52 that elastically surrounds the outer surfaces of the rotors 51a and 51b. One of the two rotating bodies 51a and 51b is connected to the motor 54 through the connecting belt 54a. At this time, the motor 54 may be fixed to the support member 51 adjacent to the rotating body 51a. The brush 53 extends downward from the belt 52 toward the floor so as to sweep the indoor floor.

      Brush device 50 as described above may be fixed to the robot body 10, it is preferable to be installed to be movable on the bottom (10b) of the robot body (10). As shown in FIG. 3, the robot cleaner 1 includes a moving device 60 for moving the brush device 50 to the inside of the robot cleaner 1 when the brush device 50 is caught by an obstacle while cleaning the corner. Equipped.

      The moving device 60 includes a connecting member 61 for movably connecting the brush device 50 to the robot body 10, a rack gear 62 formed on the connecting member 61, and the rack gear ( And a motor 64 for rotating the pinion 63.

One end of the connection member 61 is fixed to the upper surface of the support member 51, and the other end is coupled to the guide hole 16 formed on the bottom surface 10b of the robot body 10 to be movable.

At this time, the connection member 61 and the support member 51 may be integrally formed. The other end of the connecting member 61 is the first flange portion 61a which is located inside the robot body 10 when it is coupled to the guide hole 16, and the second portion which is located outside the robot body 10 at the time of coupling. The flange portion 61b is formed, and the first flange portion 61a and the second flange portion 61b are for supporting the connecting member 61 on the robot body 10. At this time, the rack gear 62 for linear movement of the connecting member 61 is provided on the upper surface of the first flange portion (61a).

      Hereinafter, the operation of the robot cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the robot cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

      When the cleaning starts, the robot cleaner 1 moves autonomously and removes dust of the area to be cleaned. When the robot cleaner 1 cleans a portion other than the corner, the brush device 50 is located under the robot body 10.

      As shown in FIG. 4A, when the robot cleaner 1 approaches an indoor wall or a furniture, the distance sensor 15 detects a distance to the wall or a furniture, and accordingly, the controller 40 controls the motor 64 of the mobile device 60. Rotate Then, power is transmitted through the pinion 63 and the rack gear 62 so that the brush device 50 protrudes outward from the side surface of the robot body 10 by the required distance. After the brush device 50 protrudes, the motor 54 of the brush device 50 rotates to rotate the belt 52 to which the brush 53 is attached, thereby removing dust from the corners of the room or under the furniture. Sweep to the robot cleaner (1). Then, the dust is collected by the dust collecting device 30 by the suction force acting on the suction port 12.

      Meanwhile, if the brush device 50 interferes with the obstacle C as shown in FIG. 4B during the corner cleaning, the controller 40 rotates the motor 64 of the moving device 60 to move the brush device 50 to the robot body 10. Move to the bottom of). Then, the control of the robot cleaner 1 for avoiding the obstacle C becomes easier, and when the brush device 50 interferes with the obstacle C, excessive force acts on the brush device 50 so that the brush device ( 50) can be prevented from being broken.

      FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a brush head and a moving device in the robot cleaner according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the brush head and the moving device of FIG.

      As shown in FIG. 5, the robot cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment includes a brush head 70 on which a brush 71 for cleaning a corner of a room is mounted, and a brush 71 robot dusts dust in a corner of the room. A motor 80 for rotating the brush head 70 in a forward and reverse direction so that the brush head 70 can be used toward the cleaner 1, and the brush head 70 is moved into the robot body 10 when the brush head 70 is caught by an obstacle. It comprises a moving device 90 for linear movement.

      Here, the moving device 90 has one end coupled to the brush head 70 through the rotation shaft 81 of the motor 80 to extend behind the brush head 70, that is, in the inward direction of the robot body 10. 91, a rack gear 92 provided on the connecting member 91, a pinion 93 meshing with the rack gear 92, and a motor 94 for rotating the pinion 93. As shown in FIG. It is configured by.

      The rotating shaft 81 of the motor 80 protrudes out of the robot body 10 through the guide hole 17a formed on the bottom surface of the robot body 10, and penetrates through the connecting member 91 to the brush head 70. Is coupled to one end of the. Here, the guide hole 17 is for guiding the movement of the rotation shaft 81 and the connecting member 91 of the motor 80 when the brush head 70 moves linearly.

      The connection member 91 is coupled to be movable in the guide hole 17a formed on the bottom surface of the robot body 10. The connection member 91 has a first flange portion 91b positioned inside the robot body 10 and a second flange portion 91c positioned outside the robot body 10 when engaged with the guide hole 17a. ) Is formed. At this time, a rack gear 92 for linear movement of the connecting member 91 is provided on one side of the upper surface of the first flange portion 91b, and the motor 80 is fixed to the other side.

      Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 6 will be described the operation of the robot cleaner associated with the gist of this embodiment. Since the operation until the brush head 70 protrudes is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, only the features of the present embodiment will be described below, and details common to the embodiment of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

      As shown in FIG. 6A, after the brush head 70 protrudes for cleaning the corner, the controller 40 (see FIG. 2) controls the motor 80 so that the brush head 70 rotates forward and backward within a predetermined angle. do. Then, the dust in the corner of the room or the floor under the furniture is swept out toward the robot cleaner 1, and the dust thus collected is collected by the dust collector 30 (see FIG. 2) by the suction force acting on the suction port 12.

      Meanwhile, when the brush head 70 interferes with the obstacle C as shown in FIG. 6B while cleaning the corner, the controller 40 rotates the motor 94 of the moving device 90 to move the brush head 70 to the robot body 10. Move inside).

      As described above, the present invention has an effect that can clean the corners of the room and the floor under the furniture by providing a brush device or a brush head to write the dust of the corner in a state that protrudes a considerable length to the outside of the robot cleaner when cleaning the corner. .

      In another aspect, the present invention is provided with a moving device for moving the brush device or the brush head to the inside of the robot cleaner has an effect that can be easily escaped from the obstacle when the brush device or brush head is caught by the obstacle.

Claims (5)

In the robot cleaner comprising a brush device for cleaning the interior corners, The brush device includes a support member on which at least two rotating bodies are installed, a belt surrounding the rotating bodies, and dust attached to the belt and attached to the belt and outside the side of the robot cleaner as the belt rotates to the robot cleaner. Robot cleaner comprising a writing brush. The method of claim 1, And a moving device for moving the brush device to the inside of the robot cleaner. The method of claim 2, The moving device includes a connecting member for movably connecting the brush device to the main body of the robot cleaner, a rack gear provided at the connecting member, a pinion engaged with the rack gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion. Robot cleaner comprising a. Brush head mounted on one side and a brush head protruding out of the side of the robot cleaner to clean the corners of the room, and a motor for rotating the brush head in the forward and reverse directions so that the brush can write dust in the corners of the room to the robot cleaner. And a moving device for linearly moving the brush head to the inside of the robot cleaner. The method of claim 4, wherein The moving device includes a connecting member having one end coupled to the brush head, a rack gear formed at the connecting member, a pinion engaged with the rack gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion. vacuum cleaner.

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