Autonomous cleaner

• US 10,463,221 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Nam, Bohyun, Shim, Inbo, Sung, Jihoon, Park, Sojin, Song, Seunghyun, Lee, Sangkyu, Jun, Woochan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, Joseph J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brady, Timothy Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/599,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 15319, 15339, 15347, 15352, 15353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/04 with driven brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1427 Means for mounting or attaching bags or filtering receptacles in suction cleaners; Adapters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2868 Arrangements for power supply of vacuum cleaners or the accessories thereof

Abstract

A robot cleaner comprising: a cleaner body including a dust container accommodation part formed to be recessed toward the front from the rear thereof; a suction unit mounted in the cleaner body to suck air containing dust; a dust container accommodated in the dust container accommodation part, the dust container collecting dust filtered from sucked air; and an exhaust port formed at an end portion of one rear side of the cleaner body, which surrounds the dust container accommodation part, to discharge filtered air to the outside, the exhaust port disposed along the height direction of the cleaner body.

Claims

1. An autonomous cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body having a dust container dock formed as a recess toward a rear of the cleaner body, the recess being formed by a wall extending vertically in the cleaner body and a bottom of the cleaner body;

a cleaner head protruding at a front of the cleaner body;

a dust container accommodated in the dust container dock, the dust container collecting foreign substances sucked through the cleaner head; and

an exhaust port provided at the wall, the exhaust port being provided along a vertical direction at a rear of the cleaner body and configured to discharge filtered air to an outside,

wherein an inclined portion is formed at a rear of the wall, and at least a part of the exhaust port is provided in the inclined portion.

2. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a filter assembly provided into the wall of the cleaner body to filter fine dust in air flowing toward the exhaust port, the filter assembly configured to be opened into the recess when the dust container is removed from the dust container dock.

3. The autonomous cleaner of claim 2, further comprising an exhaust flow path extending to exhaust port of the cleaner body to guide air sucked from the dust container.

4. The autonomous cleaner of claim 3, wherein the filter assembly is disposed along the exhaust flow path.

5. The autonomous cleaner of claim 2, wherein the filter assembly includes a filter case hinged to the wall of the cleaner body, and a removable filter provided in the filter case, wherein the removable filter is exposed to the outside when the filter case is opened.

6. The autonomous cleaner of claim 5, wherein the filter case is configured to be stored in the cleaner body through an opening of the wall, an outer surface of the filter case serving as part of the wall of the dust container dock when the filter case is closed into the opening of the wall.

7. The autonomous cleaner of claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the filter case is formed as a curved surface having a same curvature as the wall.

8. The autonomous cleaner of claim 6, wherein the filter case is located in the recess of the dust container dock when the filter case is rotated to an opened state.

9. The autonomous cleaner of claim 5, wherein the filter case provides a path to direct filtered air to the exhaust port.

10. The autonomous cleaner of claim 9, wherein a ventilation port is formed between the filter and an internal surface of the filter case, the internal surface being a surface opposite of an outer surface.

11. The autonomous cleaner of claim 10, wherein the filter case includes a filter receptacle having a through-hole at one side of the filter receptacle and adjacent to the ventilation port, and at least one guide rail protruding along a direction in which the filter is inserted through the through-hole.

12. The autonomous cleaner of claim 5, wherein the filter is mounted at the front of the filter case, and is fixed to the filter case through hook coupling.

13. The autonomous cleaner of claim 5, wherein the removable filter includes a frame to surround the filter and a handle provided on the frame, and in a closed position of the filter case, the handle is provided into the cleaner body such that the handle is not visible to an outside.

14. An autonomous cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body including a plurality of wheels and a controller to control rotation of at least one of the wheels, the cleaner body having a recess toward a rear of the cleaner body;

a cleaner head protruding at a front of the cleaner body;

a dust container docked in the recess of the cleaner body; and

a filter assembly having a filter case providing a filter receptacle and a removable filter provided in the filter receptacle,

wherein the recess is provided by a wall of the cleaner body facing the dust container and a bottom of the cleaner body, and the filter case is hinged at an opening of the wall, and in a closed position of the filter case into the opening, the filter case forms a part of the wall of the recess, the removable filter being accessible when the dust container is taken out of the recess, and

wherein a hinge portion is formed inside the wall, and the filter case is hinged to the hinge portion.

15. The autonomous cleaner of claim 14, wherein when the dust container is removed from the recess and the filter case is rotated to an opened position, the filter case rotates into the recess of the cleaner body to open the opening.

16. The autonomous cleaner of claim 14, wherein the removable filter includes a frame to surround the filter and a handle.

17. An autonomous cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body including a dust container dock formed as a recess toward a rear of the cleaner body, the recess being formed by a wall extending vertically in the cleaner body and a bottom of the cleaner body;

a suction intake port at a front of the cleaner body;

a dust container docked in the recess;

an exhaust port formed adjacent to dust container dock of the cleaner body to discharge filtered air to an outside, the exhaust port being located at the rear of the cleaner body;

a filter provided in one side of the cleaner body to filter fine dust in air that is suctioned from an exit of the dust container as the air flows toward the exhaust port; and

an exhaust flow path connecting the exit of the dust container to the exhaust port, the exhaust flow path having the filter provided therein prior to the exhaust port,

wherein an inclined portion is formed at a rear of the wall, and at least a part of the exhaust port is provided in the inclined portion.

18. The autonomous cleaner of claim 17, further comprising a filter case having a filter receptacle to receive the filter, the filter case being hinged-coupled to an inner wall of the recess to allow access to the filter when the filter case is rotated.

19. The autonomous cleaner of claim 18, wherein, when the dust container is docked in the recess, the dust container covers the filter case to prevent access to the filter.

20. The autonomous cleaner of claim 17, wherein:

the wall includes a bend,

the inclined portion is provided rearward of the bend, and

the filter is provided on a region of the wall positioned forward of the bend.