US20140130294A1

US20140130294A1 - Autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall

Info

Publication number: US20140130294A1
Application number: US13/760,770
Authority: US
Inventors: Gary Li; Sheng-Chan Chiu
Original assignee: Egenpower Inc
Current assignee: Egenpower Inc
Priority date: 2012-11-14
Filing date: 2013-02-06
Publication date: 2014-05-15
Also published as: JP3182828U; CN103799918A

Abstract

An autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner includes a transmission element driven to rotate and disposed at the bottom of a body, and an edge cleaning head. The transmission element has a lower surface, a positioning recess denting upward from the lower surface and having a non-circular inner profile, and a fixing hole disposed in the positioning recess. The edge cleaning head includes a body, at least a brush extending from the body, a positioning block disposed on the body, and resilient elements extending upward from the positioning block. An outer profile of the positioning block corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning recess. Under an applied force, the resilient elements deform resiliently, get closer to each other, and engage with the fixing holes. The positioning block engages with the positioning recess of the transmission element, such that the transmission elements drive the edge cleaning head to rotate.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to autonomous coverage vacuum cleaners, and more particularly, to an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall.
2. Description of Related. Art
During its autonomous journey, a conventional autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner gathers dust and debris from the floor with a cleaning roller disposed at its bottom and rotating about an axle mounted on the bottom and positioned parallel to the floor, wherein the dust and debris is sucked into a vacuum cleaning apparatus and then collected by a dust-collecting apparatus.
With the cleaning roller being positioned at the center of the bottom of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner, the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner is incapable of reaching the corners and the wall-adjoining portions of the floor. In attempt to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, at least an edge cleaning head is disposed at the bottom of the conventional autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner. For example, US2010/0037418 provides an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner which has an edge cleaning head rotating about an axle substantially perpendicular to the floor, wherein some of the bristles of the edge cleaning head stick out of the periphery of a body of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner, such that dust and debris otherwise found at the periphery of the body is swept into the bottom of the body and collected by the vacuum cleaning apparatus. Therefore, the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner can clean the corners and the wall-adjoining portions of the floor.
However, it is usually difficult to uninstall the edge cleaning head of the conventional autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner. For example, as regards the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of US2010/0037418, the edge cleaning head, a transmission gear train, and a motor are put together and then collectively placed on the bottom of the body of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner. As a result, a user cannot dismount just the edge cleaning head; instead, the user has to dismount the edge cleaning head, the transmission gear train, and the motor altogether and then separate the edge cleaning head from the motor and the transmission gear train. As a result, it is inconvenient for the user to clean the edge cleaning head or change the edge cleaning head.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner with an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner comprises: a body; a transmission element driven to rotate and disposed at a bottom of the body; and an edge cleaning head. The transmission element has a lower surface, a positioning recess denting upward from the lower surface, and a fixing hole disposed in the positioning recess, wherein an inner profile of the positioning recess is non-circular. The edge cleaning head comprises a body, at least a brush extending from the body, a positioning block disposed on top of the body, and a plurality of resilient elements extending upward from the positioning block, wherein an outer profile of the positioning block corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning recess of the transmission element, wherein, under an applied force, the resilient elements deform resiliently, get closer to each other, and engage with fixing holes of the transmission element, respectively, wherein the positioning block engages with the positioning recess of the transmission element, such that the transmission element drives the edge cleaning head to rotate.
Accordingly, all a user needs to do is to push the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head into fixing holes of the transmission element, such that the resilient elements deform resiliently under the thrust given by the transmission element and engage with the fixing holes. Furthermore, the user pulls the edge cleaning head outward to allow the resilient elements to deform resiliently once again under the thrust given by the transmission element and thereby exit the fixing holes. Hence, the user can install and uninstall the edge cleaning head easily and change or clean the edge cleaning head.
Detailed structures, features, assembly, and operation of an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall, as disclosed in the present invention, are illustrated with embodiments hereunder. However, persons skilled in the art are able to understand that the detailed description and specific embodiments below are illustrative of the present invention, rather than restrictive of the claims of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the diagram omits the two edge cleaning heads which are otherwise essential technical features of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an edge cleaning head and a transmission element of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having the edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an edge cleaning head of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having the edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of an edge cleaning head of an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having the edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The technical solution and features of the present invention are hereunder illustrated with specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner 10 comprises: a body 20; a dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30 disposed at the bottom of the body 20; two cleaning rollers 40 which flank the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30; two transmission elements 50 positioned proximate to a periphery 21 of the body 20; and two edge cleaning heads 60 mountable on and demountable from the two transmission elements 50, respectively.
The body 20 moves across the floor automatically and is capable of detecting an obstacle and turning away from the obstacle automatically. The cleaning rollers 40 lift dust and debris from the floor while the body 20 is moving across the floor; meanwhile, the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30 sucks and collects the dust and debris. The shape and structure of the body 20, the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30, and the cleaning rollers 40 is similar to that of their conventional counterparts and thus is not described in detail herein for the sake of brevity.
Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the transmission elements 50 are each connected to a driving device (not shown) disposed inside the body 20, so as to be driven by the driving device to rotate. The transmission elements 50 each have a lower surface 52 substantially flush with a bottom surface 22 of the body 20, a positioning recess 54 that dents upward from the lower surface 52, and a fixing hole 56 disposed inside the positioning recess 54. An inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 is of a rectangular shape. The fixing hole 56 has therein a position-limiting portion 562 protruding inward. The position-limiting portion 562 has a curved surface 562 a facing inward.
The edge cleaning heads 60 each comprise a body 70 (in this embodiment, the body 70 consists of two constituent elements or is integrally formed as a unitary structure) and four brushes 80. The body 70 has a central portion 72 of a disc-like shape, a positioning block 74 extending upward from an upper surface 722 of the central portion 72 and complementing the positioning recess 54 of the transmission elements 50 in shape (for example, as shown in FIG. 4, an outer profile 742 of the positioning block 74 is rectangular in shape), two resilient elements 76 extending upward from the positioning block 74, and four pins 78 extending downward, outward, and obliquely from the central portion 72. The resilient elements 76 each have a body portion 762 extending upward from the positioning block 74, and a hook portion 764 disposed at the upper end of the body portion 762. The hook portion 764 has an inclined surface 764 a and a curved surface 764 b. The inclined surface 764 a is disposed outward at the hook portion 764 and slopes downward and outward. The curved surface 764 b is beneath the inclined surface 764 a. The pins 78 each have an upper section 782 and a lower section 784. The upper section 782 extends from the central portion 72. The lower section 784 extends from the upper section 782. The gradient of the upper section 782 is larger than the gradient of the lower section 784. The brushes 80 extend from the lower sections 784 of the pins 78, respectively. Referring to the diagrams, each said brush 80 is simply depicted by a rectangle. In practice, each said brush 80 consists of a plurality of bristles.
To install the edge cleaning heads 60, a user inserts the resilient elements 76 into the fixing holes 56 of the transmission elements 50, respectively, and allows the positioning blocks 74 to engage with the positioning recesses 54, respectively. Specifically speaking, in the course of the insertion of the two resilient elements 76 into the fixing holes 56, respectively, the inclined surface 764 a and the curved surface 764 b of the hook portion 764 abut against the curved surface 562 a of the position-limiting portion 562 in sequence, and, under the thrust given by the position-limiting portions 562, the two resilient elements 76 deform resiliently and get closer to each other, such that the hook portion 764 can pass the position-limiting portion 562 and thus be confined to above the position-limiting portion 562; meanwhile, the edge cleaning heads 60 have already been engaged with the fixing holes 56 of the transmission elements 50, respectively, and thus are unlikely to detach. The upper surfaces 722 of the bodies 70 of the edge cleaning heads 60 abut against the lower surfaces 52 of the transmission elements 50, respectively, to stop the user from pushing and pressing the edge cleaning heads 60 inward excessively.
Therefore, due to the engagement of the positioning block 74 and the positioning recess 54, the transmission elements 50 are driven to rotate, such that the rotating transmission elements 50 drive the edge cleaning heads 60 to rotate synchronously therewith, such that the dust and debris otherwise found outside the periphery 21 of the body 20 are swept into the space between the body 20 and the floor and then sucked and collected by the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30.
To change or clean the edge cleaning heads 60, the user pulls the edge cleaning heads 60 outward, such that the curved surface 764 b and the inclined surface 764 a of each of the hook portions 764 of the resilient elements 76 abut against the curved surface 562 a of the position-limiting portion 562 of each of the transmission elements 50 in sequence, deform resiliently, get closer to each other, and exit the fixing holes 56. Hence, it is very easy to install and uninstall the edge cleaning heads 60 of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner 10, and thus the user can change or clean the edge cleaning heads 60 conveniently.
In the above embodiments, the outer profile 742 of the positioning block 74 of each of the edge cleaning heads 60 and the inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 of each of the transmission elements 50 are rectangular in shape to thereby effectuate the aforesaid synchronous rotation. However, the above embodiments are not restrictive of the shape of the positioning blocks 74 of the edge cleaning heads 60 and the positioning recesses 54 of the transmission elements 50. For example, referring to FIG. 5, in a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, an outer profile 942 of a positioning block 94 of the edge cleaning head 90 is not rectangular in shape, as the aforesaid synchronous rotation can be effectuated, provided that the inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 of each of the transmission elements 50 which match the edge cleaning heads 90 corresponds in shape to the outer profile 942. In fact, the objectives of the present invention can be achieved, provided that the outer profile 942 of the positioning block 94 of the edge cleaning head 90 and the inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 of the transmission elements 50 correspond in shape to each other and are non-circular.
The constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention are illustrative of the present invention only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, replacements or variations of other equivalent elements should be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall, comprising:

a body;

a transmission element driven to rotate and disposed at a bottom of the body, the transmission element having a lower surface, a positioning recess denting upward from the lower surface, and a fixing hole disposed in the positioning recess, wherein an inner profile of the positioning recess is non-circular; and

an edge cleaning head comprising a body, at least a brush extending from the body, a positioning block disposed on top of the body, and a plurality of resilient elements extending upward from the positioning block, wherein an outer profile of the positioning block corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning recess of the transmission element, wherein, under an applied force, the resilient elements deform resiliently, get closer to each other, and engage with fixing holes of the transmission element, respectively, wherein the positioning block engages with the positioning recess of the transmission element, such that the transmission element drives the edge cleaning head to rotate.

2. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the outer profile of the positioning block of the edge cleaning head and the inner profile of the positioning recess of the transmission element are rectangular.

3. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head has a body portion extending upward from the positioning block and a hook portion disposed at an upper end of the body portion, wherein a position-limiting portion is disposed in the fixing hole of the transmission element, such that the hook portion of each of the resilient elements is confined to above the position-limiting portion of the transmission element when the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head engage with the fixing holes of the transmission element, respectively.

4. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the hook portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head has a curved surface, such that the curved surface abuts against the position-limiting portion of the transmission element while the resilient element of the edge cleaning head is entering and exiting the fixing hole of the transmission element.

5. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the position-limiting portion of the transmission element has a curved surface, such that the resilient element of the edge cleaning head abuts against the curved surface of the position-limiting portion while entering and exit the fixing hole of the transmission element.

6. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the hook portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head has a curved surface, such that the curved surface of the hook portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head abuts against the curved surface of the position-limiting portion of the transmission element while the resilient element of the edge cleaning head is entering and exiting the fixing hole of the transmission element.

7. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein a body of the edge cleaning head has an upper surface, such that the positioning block extends upward from the upper surface, wherein the upper surface of the body of the edge cleaning head abuts against the lower surface of the transmission element when the positioning block is engaged with the positioning recess of the transmission element.

8. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the lower section.

9. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the lower section.

10. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body of the edge cleaning head has an upper surface, wherein the positioning block extends upward from the upper surface, wherein the upper surface of the body of the edge cleaning head abuts against the lower surface of the transmission element when the positioning block is engaged with the positioning recess of the transmission element.

11. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the lower section.