CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20140180525A1
• Filed: 09/03/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsuboi, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• 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 7/04 for using the exhaust air for other purposes, e.g. for distribution of chemicals in a room, for sterilisation of the air spraying or atomising in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

A cleaning robot (1) is provided with: a main body housing (2) that moves along a floor in a self-propelled manner with a suction port (6) and an exhaust port (7) open; a motor fan (22) positioned inside the main body housing (2); a dust collection part (30) driven by the motor fan (22) so as to collect airflow dust that has been suctioned from the suction port (6); an infrared remote controller (60) that specifies an arbitrarily-defined location in space for setting up the main body housing (2) by emitting infrared rays; and an infrared sensor (18) that detects the specified location specified by the infrared remote controller (60). The cleaning robot moves to the specified location detected by the infrared sensor (18) and then carries out a cleaning operation, or carries out a cleaning operation while moving to the specified location.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot, comprising:

a main body housing that has a suction port and an air exhaust port formed therethrough and travels in a self-propelled manner on a floor surface;

a motor-driven blower that is arranged in the main body housing;

a dust collection portion for collecting therein dust in airflow sucked in through the suction port by driving of the motor-driven blower;

a designation device that designates, by emitting an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave, an arbitrary location in an space in which the main body housing is installed; and

a detection device that detects the location thus designated by the designation device,

wherein

the cleaning robot moves to the designated location detected by the detection device, where it executes a cleaning operation, and/or executes a cleaning operation when moving to the designated location.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

a length of time in which the cleaning robot stays at the designated location is made to vary according to a length of designation time in which designation using the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave is performed.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein

the electromagnetic wave emitted by the designation device is infrared radiation, and as the detection device, an infrared sensor that detects infrared radiation is used.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising

an ion generation device that releases ions into airflow flowing through the air exhaust port.