Robot vacuum cleaner with air agitation

• US 20030192144A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shin, Dong-Lyoul, Valeri, Krasnoslobodtsev, Ko, Jang-Youn, Song, Jeong-Gon, Song, Hwa-Gyu
• Granted Patent: US 7,059,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/346
• 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 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/04 with driven brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/08 with means adapted for blowing

Abstract

A robot vacuum cleaner comprises a cleaner body having a wheel disposed at a lower portion and a suction port through which contaminants are drawn in from a cleaning surface; and an air circulating mechanism for filtering out contaminants from the contaminant-laden air drawn in through the suction port and then jetting the contaminant-free air to an air jet opening to help dislodge contaminants from the cleaning surface. The air jet opening is adjacent to the suction port; and the two elements are surrounded by a sealing member for sealing off a portion between the cleaning surface and the cleaner body to prevent dislodged contaminants from being dispersed outwardly.

Claims

1. A robot vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body having a wheel disposed at a lower portion and a suction port through which contaminants can be drawn in from a cleaning surface;

an air circulating mechanism for filtering contaminants from contaminant-laden air drawn in through said suction port and then jetting the contaminant-free air to an air jet opening, to scatter contaminant off the cleaning surface, said air jet opening formed adjacent to said suction port; and

a sealing member for sealing off an area between the cleaning surface and said cleaner body to prevent contaminants scattered by the pressure of air jet from the air jet opening from being dispersed outwardly.

2. The robots vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the air circulating mechanism comprises:

a circulating pump disposed inside said cleaner body;

an air suction pipe connecting said circulating pump to said suction port;

a filter disposed in said air suction pipe; and

an air jet pipe connecting said circulating pump to said air jet opening.

3. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein said air jet opening is disposed foreward of said suction port on said cleaner body.

4. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein said sealing member protrudes from a lower surface of said cleaner body to contact the cleaning surface, surrounding said suction port and said air jet opening, said sealing member being made of resiliently deformable material.

5. A robot vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body having a suction port through which contaminants can be drawn in from a cleaning surface; and

an air agitation device mounted in said cleaner body to provide an air jet to the cleaning surface to dislodge contaminants.

6. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein said air agitation device comprises:

an air inlet equipped with a filter for filtering contaminant-laden air drawn in through said suction port;

an air jet exit opening proximate said suction port; and

a circulating path to jet filtered air through said air jet exit opening.

7. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 6, further comprising a circulating pump in said circulating path operatively coupling said air inlet and said air jet exit opening.

8. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 7, further comprising a sealing member surrounding said suction port and said air jet exit opening for containing dislodged contaminants.

9. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein said sealing member is resiliently deformable and protrudes from a lower surface of said cleaner body to contact the cleaning surface.

10. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 9, further comprising an agitation brush operatively coupled to said suction port to providing additional agitation to the cleaning surface.

11. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 5, further comprising a sealing member surrounding said suction port and the air jet of said air agitation device for containing dislodged contaminants.

12. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein said sealing member is resiliently deformable and protrudes from a lower surface of said cleaner body to contact the cleaning surface.

13. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 5, further comprising an agitation brush operatively coupled to said suction port to providing additional agitation to the cleaning surface.