Robot vacuum cleaner having microbe sensing function

• US 20070209143A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Jung-im, Lee, Soo-suk, Choi, Soo-hyung
• Application Number:
  US11/491,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20070209143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/34 Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4086 Arrangements for steam generation
• 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 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2836 characterised by the parts which are controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles

Abstract

A robot vacuum cleaner having a microbe sensing function is provided. The robot vacuum cleaner includes: a cleaner body which automatically travels in an area to be cleaned; a suction unit which sucks dust in the area to be cleaned into a specific space included in the cleaner body; a microbe contamination sensor which detects a microbe contamination in the area to be cleaned; and a sterilizing unit which sterilizes a corresponding portion according to a microbe contamination measuring signal generated from the microbe contamination sensor. Accordingly, a robot vacuum cleaner directly measures a level of microbe contamination to perform a sterilizing operation according to the result obtained from measurement. As a result, the sterilizing operation is performed sufficiently in a severely contaminated area, the sterilizing operation is performed in a general manner in other areas, and thus a cleaning operation can be rapidly carried out. Therefore, efficiencies in the cleaning and sterilizing operations are improved.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body which automatically travels in an area to be cleaned;

a suction unit which sucks dust in the area to be cleaned into a specific space included in the cleaner body;

a microbe contamination sensor which detects a microbe contamination in the area to be cleaned; and

a sterilizing unit which sterilizes a corresponding portion according to a microbe contamination measuring signal generated from the microbe contamination sensor.

2. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the microbe contamination sensor comprises

a gas sensor which senses a particular smell component produced by a microbe to be detected.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the particular smell component is 1-octen-3-ol.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the gas sensor comprises:

a substrate;

a sensing layer which is laminated on the substrate and reacts with a particular smell component, thereby causing a resistance variation;

an electrode which is buried on the sensing layer to measure the resistance variation;

a heater which heats the sensing layer to a temperature suitable for measuring the resistance variation;

a filter layer which filters a gas excluding the particular smell component so as not to be mixed into the sensing layer; and

a mesh cap which prevents dust from mixing into the sensing layer.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein, as a main material, the sensing layer comprises at least one main material selected from metal oxide materials of SnO2, In2O3, WO3, and SiO2.

6. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein, in the sensing material, as for an additive material, at least one component selected from ZnO, Al2O3, NiO, and TiO2 is added at a ratio of 5˜

15 wt % per unit weight of the main material, and as for a catalyst, at least one component of noble metals such as Pt, Pd, and Au is added at a ratio of 0.1˜

1 wt % per unit weight of the main material.

7. The robot vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sterilizing unit comprises an ultraviolet ray lamp and/or a steam generator.