KR20110039638A

KR20110039638A - Robot cleaner with absorption guide

Info

Publication number: KR20110039638A
Application number: KR1020090096573A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 장승락
Original assignee: (주)마미로봇
Priority date: 2009-10-12
Filing date: 2009-10-12
Publication date: 2011-04-20

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner having a suction guide, the main configuration of the case forming an outer body; A suction unit for sucking various foreign substances on the bottom surface through a suction hole formed in the bottom of the case; A drive unit mounted in the case to move the case; And an adsorption guide mounted around the inlet so as to be elastically in close contact with the bottom surface and surrounding the inlet so that the vacuum trapped by the inlet is prevented from being dissipated between the case bottom and the bottom. In the robot cleaner provided, the suction guide extends along the suction port so that at least one wall surface may be elastically bent when foreign matter is caught to the extent that the at least one wall surface cannot pass through the gap between the bottom surface and the bottom surface of the body. According to the above configuration, the membrane of the elastic membrane is easily bent when a large foreign object is caught while the vacuum inside the adsorption guide is maintained by the elastic membrane, so that even large foreign substances can easily enter the inside of the adsorption guide. Small particles as well as particles Foreign objects are also able to be removed by suction without exception, and therefore it is possible to greatly improve the cleaning efficiency of the base.

Robot, cleaner, adsorption guide, elastic membrane

Description

Robot cleaner with absorption guide

The present invention relates to a robot cleaner, and more particularly, by improving the performance of the suction guide disposed between the suction port and the bottom surface by sucking and removing foreign substances such as dust or garbage on the bottom surface while driving by itself along a set path. It relates to a robot cleaner having a suction guide to improve the cleaning efficiency of the floor.

Generally, a device for suctioning and removing various cleaning objects such as dust or rubbish on the bottom of the cleaning zone by vacuum pressure while moving the cleaning zone by itself without a user's direct manipulation, which is indicated by reference numeral 101 in FIG. 1. Robot cleaners.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot cleaner 101 prevents the vacuum pressure applied to the suction port 105 from being dissipated and disappears between the bottom surface to be cleaned and the vacuum suction port 105 to improve vacuum suction performance of the vacuum cleaner 101. The suction guide 113 is mounted around the suction port 105.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, since the lower surface 121 of the body 115 of the suction guide 113 is in close contact with the bottom surface F while being in dynamic contact with the bottom surface F, the inside of the suction guide 113. The vacuum is applied to the space, so that the foreign matter S on the bottom surface F can be sucked and removed.

However, as shown in the right side of FIG. 2, the conventional robot cleaner 101 as described above is relatively large enough to pass through the gap between the bottom surface 121 and the bottom surface F of the suction guide 113. When the foreign substance (L) is placed on the bottom surface (F), the foreign body (L) is driven only by the body 115 of the rigid suction member guide 113, and the foreign substance against the movement of the suction guide 113 ( The resistance degree of L) does not cause deformation of the body 115, so that it is not possible to attract foreign substances (L) to the inside of the suction guide 113 subjected to vacuum, and the suction guide 113 is made of a material having elasticity. Even though the deformation of the body 115 is structurally limited, similarly, the large foreign matter L cannot be drawn into the suction guide 113. Therefore, the robot cleaner 101 using the suction guide 113 has a problem of giving up the removal of the foreign matter (L) of a predetermined size or more.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the conventional robot cleaner as described above, the suction guide around the suction port so as to be located between the vacuum suction port and the bottom surface of the robot cleaner to increase the suction efficiency of foreign matters placed on the floor. In order to maintain the vacuum in the adsorption guide, the bottom of the adsorption guide should be as close as possible to the bottom surface, while relatively large foreign matter of size that cannot pass through the gap between the adsorption guide and the bottom surface can be easily introduced into the adsorption guide. Thus, the purpose is to further improve the cleaning efficiency of the robot cleaner by allowing the small size of the foreign matter, as well as the large size of the foreign matter to be smoothly sucked, removed.

Therefore, the present invention to achieve the above object, the case forming the outer body; A suction part mounted in the case to generate a vacuum so as to suck various foreign substances on the bottom surface through a suction hole formed in the bottom of the case; A driving unit mounted in the case to move the case by rotating a pair of driving wheels mounted on the left and right sides of the case; And an adsorption guide mounted around the inlet so as to be elastically in close contact with the bottom and surrounding the inlet so that the vacuum trapped by the inlet is prevented from being dissipated between the case bottom and the bottom. In the robot cleaner having a suction guide to remove foreign substances on the bottom surface, the suction guide extends along the suction port so that at least one side wall can pass through the gap between the bottom surface of the body and the bottom surface. The present invention provides a robot cleaner having an adsorption guide that can be flexibly bent when foreign matter is caught.

In addition, the suction guide, the body is extended along the suction port so as to be detachably mounted around the suction port, the bottom surface is elastically in close contact with the bottom surface during cleaning; And a plurality of elastic membranes formed at a lower portion of at least one side wall of the body and having a bottom edge elastically contacting the bottom surface, and bent elastically when the foreign matter is caught to allow the foreign material to be introduced into the body. It is preferable that it consists of;

In addition, the adsorption guide is preferably such that the plurality of elastic membranes are spaced apart from each other to form a vacuum gap.

In addition, each of the elastic membrane, the base portion of the T-shaped cross-section that is fitted to the mounting groove inside the upper end surface of the opening of the body; And a membrane portion that is positioned on the opening portion and continues to the bottom of the base portion.

Therefore, according to the robot cleaner of the present invention, a gap between the bottom surface of the elastic membrane and the bottom surface is provided in a plurality of elastic membranes having a suction guide mounted around the suction port so as to be positioned between the vacuum suction port and the bottom surface. Even if a much larger foreign material is caught, the membrane portion of the elastic membrane is easily bent by this large foreign material, so that the foreign material can be easily drawn into the suction guide and sucked and removed through the inlet like a small foreign material, thus cleaning the floor surface. The efficiency can be greatly improved.

In addition, by forming a vacuum gap between adjacent elastic membranes to act as the outermost suction port, foreign matters of the size of the vacuum gap can be easily sucked and removed into the adsorption guide even when the membrane portion of the elastic membrane is not bent. All.

Hereinafter, a robot cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that sucks and removes foreign substances such as dust or garbage on the floor running while traveling by itself along a set path, as shown by reference numeral 1 in FIG. (3), the suction part, the drive part, and the suction guide 13 are included.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, first, the case 3 is a part constituting the outer body of the robot cleaner 1, and typically includes a lower case shown in FIG. 3 and an upper case not shown. The suction port 5 penetrates through the bottom surface of the bottom part 3, that is, the central part of the wall of the lower case shown in FIG. 3, and a pair of driving wheels right and left behind the bottom surface of the case 3 behind the suction port 5 7) is installed. A mop 8 for detaching water is detachably mounted between the paired drive wheels 7, and an auxiliary wheel 9 is attached to the inlet 5.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, the suction unit is mounted inside the case 3 to generate a vacuum, and includes a vacuum pump and a connection pipe. The vacuum pump is connected to the bottom surface of the case 3 through the connection pipe. By connecting to the formed suction port 5, a vacuum is applied to the suction port 5 to suck and remove most foreign substances such as dust or dirt present on the bottom surface F as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the driving unit is a driving source of the robot cleaner 1, and includes a drive motor mounted in the case 3, a transmission member, and the like, and a pair mounted left and right on the bottom surface of the case 3. The case 3 of the robot cleaner 1 is moved forward and backward by rotationally driving the driving wheel 7.

Meanwhile, reference numeral 9 denotes an auxiliary wheel, and 11 denotes an obstacle detecting means, and the auxiliary wheel 9 is disposed on the bottom surface of the case 3 so as to support the case 3 to be moved back and forth together with the driving wheel 7. The obstacle detecting means 11 is a means for detecting an obstacle such as a wall or a step that hinders the movement of the robot cleaner 1, and may be manufactured in various forms. In the embodiment, a bumper mounted on the front of the case is employed as shown.

In addition, the suction guide 13 is a means for preventing the vacuum trapped by the suction port 5 from being scattered and disappeared between the bottom surface and the bottom surface F of the case 3, and as shown in FIG. It is mounted around the inlet 5 so as to enclose it, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, it is elastically in close contact with the bottom surface F during cleaning, and extends to contact the bottom surface F at the inlet 5. As a result, the vacuum suction force applied to the suction port 5 is propagated to the floor surface F, thereby increasing the suction efficiency of the foreign matter present on the floor surface F.

To this end, the suction guide 13 is attached to the body 15 and at least one side wall 28 of the body 15, ie, the front wall and / or the rear wall, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and 5. Consists of a plurality of formed elastic membrane 17, wherein the body 15 is in the form of an annular band long to the left and right along the suction port 5, as shown in Figs. It is curved convex down in the shape of a chair, and thus the lower surface 21 is elastically in contact with the bottom surface (F) during cleaning. In addition, one or more locking projections 35 are protruded at a predetermined interval upward to surround the suction port 5 and detachably snap to the bottom surface of the case 3 as illustrated in FIG. 3, and guide bars protruding from both ends ( The attachment and detachment of the adsorption guide 13 is made stable by 37). In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the adsorption guide 13 has an opening 23 formed at a lower portion adjacent to the bottom surface F of the front wall, and thus the plurality of elastic films 17 may be formed. Mounting grooves 29 for coupling to the top surface 26 of the opening 23, and for fitting the elastic membrane 17 into the top surface 26 of the opening 23 of the body 15 for this purpose. Is formed.

Meanwhile, the plurality of elastic membranes 17 are coupled to the body 15 in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5 in a hidden line, and as shown in FIG. 6 alone, the bottom surface 21 of the body 15. It can be elastically bent when a relatively large foreign matter (L) of the degree that can not pass through the gap between the bottom surface (F), bar 23 in the upper surface 26 of the opening (23) of the body (15) The lower edge 25 is in a coupled state to close the opening 23 by elastically contacting the bottom surface (F), so that when the large foreign object (L) is caught, it is elastically bent to the body (L) (15) It is to be introduced into the inside, as shown in Figure 6, the base 31 of the T-shaped cross-sectional shape that is forcibly fitted in the mounting groove 29, and the opening 23 is connected to the bottom of the base (31) It consists of a membrane portion 33 which is positioned to close.

At this time, the adsorption guide 13 is not separately shown, but the base 31 and the membrane portion 33 can be composed of a pair of one by one separately, as shown in Figure 6 one base 31 Two membranes 33 may be formed in a pair in a form connected to each other, and of course, may be paired with other combinations.

In particular, each of the separate bases 31 and the membrane portion 33, which are separate, can be closely arranged without spacing with the adjacent base 31 and the membrane portion 33, as well as each adjacent base 31 as shown in FIG. 6. ) Or the membrane portion 33 may be spaced apart from each other to form a vacuum gap 27 therebetween.

Now, the operation of the robot cleaner 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction guide 13 is mounted and prepared around the inlet 5 of the bottom of the case 3, and the prepared robot cleaner 1 is then cleaned as shown in FIG. 7. Put it down.

Then, when the robot cleaner 1 is operated, the suction unit and the driving unit are operated, and the suction motor of the suction unit starts operation to generate a strong negative pressure to the suction port 5 through the vacuum pump, and at the same time, the driving motor of the driving unit is operated. By moving the driving wheel 7 to rotate the robot cleaner (1) according to the predetermined pattern on the floor (F) while the foreign matter (S) on the floor (F) through the inlet (5) as shown in FIG. ) By suction.

At this time, even if a relatively large foreign material (L) such as rice grains or soybeans is placed on the bottom surface (F) on the traveling path of the robot cleaner 1 as shown in Figure 7 elasticity due to the resistance of this foreign material (L) Since the membrane portion 33 of the membrane 17 is bent inward as shown in FIG. 8, the large foreign matter L can also be easily sucked and removed through the suction port 5.

In addition, since the lower edge 25 of the elastic membrane 17 is in close contact with the bottom surface F during cleaning, the sealing is maintained in a dynamic state, so that the vacuum gap 27 formed between the membrane portions 33 of the elastic membrane 17 is It becomes another small suction port branched from the suction port 5, and at the same time serves as a single vacuum tube having a small suction port such as the membrane part 33 vacuum gap 27, as the membrane part 33 is shown in FIG. The foreign matter on the outside of the suction guide 13 can be sucked and removed through the vacuum gap 27 without being bent.

1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembled adsorption guide in a robot cleaner having a conventional adsorption guide.

Figure 2 is a schematic side view schematically showing the operating state of the robot cleaner shown in FIG.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the robot cleaner having a suction guide according to the present invention.

4 is a perspective view of the adsorption guide shown in FIG.

5 is a side view of the suction guide body shown in FIG.

6 is a perspective view of the elastic membrane shown in FIG.

7 and 8 are schematic side views schematically showing an operating state of the robot cleaner shown in FIG.

1: robot cleaner 3: case

5 suction port 7 driving wheel

9: auxiliary wheel 11: obstacle detection means

13: adsorption guide 15: body

17: elastic membrane 21: bottom surface

23: opening 25: bottom corner

27: vacuum gap 31: base

33: Shogunate

Claims

A case 3 forming an outer body;

A suction part mounted in the case 3 to generate a vacuum so as to suck various foreign substances on the bottom surface F through the suction port 5 formed in the bottom of the case 3;

A drive unit mounted in the case 3 to move the case 3 by rotationally driving a pair of drive wheels 7 mounted on the left and right sides of the bottom of the case 3; And

The bottom surface F and the bottom surface F of the case 3 are mounted around the suction port 5 so as to elastically adhere to the bottom surface F and surround the suction port 5 so as to trap the suction port 5. In the robot cleaner (1) provided with a suction guide for removing foreign matter on the bottom surface (F), including the suction guide 13, which is configured to suppress the disappearance between

The suction guide 13 extends along the suction port 5 so that at least one side wall 28 cannot pass through the gap between the bottom surface 21 and the bottom surface F of the body 15. Robotic cleaner with a suction guide, characterized in that it is able to bend elastically when the foreign matter (L) of the degree.

According to claim 1,

The adsorption guide 13,

A body 15 extending along the suction port 5 so as to be detachably mounted around the suction port 5, such that a lower surface 21 is elastically adhered to the bottom surface F during cleaning; And

Is formed in the lower portion of the at least one side wall 28 of the body 15 and the lower edge 25 is in contact with the bottom surface (F) elastically, when the foreign matter (L) is bent elastically bent the foreign matter A robot cleaner having a suction guide, comprising: a plurality of elastic membranes (17) adapted to let (L) into the body (15).

The method according to claim 1 or 2,

The suction guide (13) is a robot cleaner with a suction guide, characterized in that the plurality of elastic membranes 17 are spaced apart from each other to form a vacuum gap (27).

The method of claim 3,

Each of the elastic membranes 17,

A base 31 having a T-shaped cross section forcibly fitted into the mounting groove 29 inside the upper surface of the opening 23 of the body 15; And

And a membrane portion (33) positioned on the opening portion (23) after the base portion (31).