Autonomous cleaner

• US 10,524,628 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• 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): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/599,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• 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 wheel unit for autonomous traveling and a suction unit sucking air containing dust; a sensing unit disposed at one side of the cleaner body; a dust container accommodated in a dust container accommodation part formed at the other side of the cleaner body, the dust container collecting dust filtered from sucked air; and a dust container cover disposed to cover a top surface of the dust container, wherein an upper end of the sensing unit is formed at a position protruding upward from a top surface of the cleaner body and a top surface of the dust container cover.

Claims

1. An autonomous cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body having a controller and a plurality of wheels for autonomous movement;

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

a sensor module provided at a front of the cleaner body;

a dust container accommodated in a dust container dock provided at a rear of the cleaner body, the dust container collecting foreign substances filtered from air sucked through the cleaner head; and

a cover provided to cover a top surface of the dust container,

wherein an upper end of the sensing module protrudes above at least one of a top surface of the cleaner body or a top surface of the cover, and wherein the sensor module overlaps the cleaner head in a vertical direction of the cleaner body.

2. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sensing module includes a sensor housing, which is attached to front and top surfaces at the front of the cleaner body.

3. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the upper end of the sensor module is provided by a sensor housing, and the upper end is an edge where the two inclined surfaces of the sensor housing meet above the top surface of the cleaner body.

4. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust container dock is formed by a wall extending vertically in the cleaner body and a bottom area of the cleaner body, the wall partially surrounding the bottom area such that the dust container dock is opened at the rear of the cleaner body.

5. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sensor module includes:

a first sensor oriented at an inclined angle relative to side and top surfaces at an upper corner of the cleaner body to capture at least one image corresponding to a front area and/or upper area in front of the cleaner body, the first sensor being proximate to the upper end of the sensor module; and

a second sensor provided at the side surface of the cleaner body, the second sensor allowing detection of an obstacle in front of the cleaner body.

6. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner head protrudes toward the front and both left and right sides of the cleaner body.

7. The autonomous cleaner of claim 6, wherein a width of the cleaner head is greater than a width of the cleaner body in a right and left direction.

8. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover is rotatably coupled to the cleaner body by a hinge, and is held in place by the dust container to cover the top surface of the dust container.

9. The autonomous cleaner of claim 8, wherein a side surface of the cover is inserted into the dust container dock such that the side surface faces a wall of the dust container dock when the cover is held in place by the dust container.

10. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein an infrared sensor for detecting an infrared signal is provided in the cover, a top surface of the cover is disposed to protrude further than the top surface of the cleaner body when the cover is held in place by the dust container to allow the infrared sensor to receive an infrared signal from a lateral direction of the cover.

11. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein a length of the cover is greater than a length of the dust container in a front to rear direction.

12. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, further including a bumper switch provided on the cleaner head that senses a physical collision and transmits a contact signal to the controller.

13. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner head includes an inclined surface that is inclined upward with respect to a floor surface.

14. The autonomous cleaner of claim 13, wherein at least one wheel is provided on the inclined surface of the cleaner head.

15. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner head further includes a cliff sensor that faces toward a floor surface.

16. An autonomous cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body having a plurality of wheels and a controller to control rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels;

a dust cleaner dock formed by a wall extending vertically in the cleaner body and a bottom in the cleaner body, the wall ending at first and second sides such that the wall partially surrounds the bottom, the dust cleaner dock being open at the rear of the cleaner body by the first and second sides of the wall and the bottom;

a cleaner head at the front of the cleaner body;

a sensor module provided at the front of the cleaner body; and

a dust container detachably coupled to the dust container dock,

wherein the cleaner head protrudes beyond a front end of the cleaner body, and the dust container protrudes beyond a rear end of the cleaner body, the rear end being defined by at least one of the first side, the second side or a edge of the bottom of the dust container dock exposed at the rear of the cleaner body, and wherein the sensor module overlaps the cleaner head in a vertical direction of the cleaner body.

17. The autonomous cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a dust container cover rotatably coupled to the cleaner body to cover a top surface of the dust container, and the dust container cover protrudes beyond the rear end of the cleaner body when the dust container cover is covering the dust container.

18. The autonomous cleaner of claim 17, wherein a side surface of the dust container cover extends into the dust container dock when the dust container cover is covering the dust container.

19. The autonomous cleaner of claim 17, wherein an infrared sensor for detecting an infrared signal is provided in the dust container cover, a top surface of the dust container cover is disposed to protrude further than the top surface of the cleaner body when the dust container cover is held in place by the dust container to allow the infrared sensor to receive an infrared signal from a lateral direction of the dust container cover.

20. The autonomous cleaner of claim 17, further comprising a sensor module disposed at the front of the cleaner body, and an upper end of the sensor module protrudes beyond the top surface of at least one of the cleaner body or the top surface of the dust container cover.