CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20160100733A1
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Byung Chan, OH, Woo Ram, YOON, Sang Sik
• Granted Patent: US 10,427,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/00 Disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air body deodorants A61Q15/00; purifying air by respirators A62B, A62D9/00; separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours B01D45/00 - B01D51/00, B03C3/00; chemical or biological purification of waste gases B01D53/34; production of ozone C01B13/10; air-conditioning systems incorporating sterilisation F24F3/16, F24F8/20
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a cleaning robot including a body; a display unit configured to display information related to various operations of the cleaning robot; a dust collecting box separably coupled with the body to collect dust introduced through a dust suction port; an air cleaning box to replace the dust collecting box and installed at the body to purify air introduced into the body and then discharge the purified air; and a control unit configured to recognize whether a box installed at the body is the dust collecting box or the air cleaning box, and to control the cleaning robot to perform a cleaning mode or an air cleaning mode according to a recognized result.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a display unit configured to display information related to operations of the cleaning robot;

a dust suction port;

a body configured to removably receive at least one of a dust collecting box and an air cleaning box, wherein the dust collecting box is separably coupled with the body and configured to collect dust introduced through the dust suction port, and wherein the air cleaning box is configured to purify air introduced into the body and discharge the purified air; and

a control unit configured to recognize which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed in the body, and to control the cleaning robot to enter a dust collecting mode in response to recognizing that the dust collecting box has been installed, and to enter an air cleaning mode in response to recognizing that the air cleaning box has been installed.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the air cleaning box comprises a filter configured to filter the dust and odor particles from the air introduced into the body.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the air cleaning box comprises a contamination detecting sensor located at a passage, through which the air is introduced into or discharged from the body, to detect a contamination level of the air introduced into the body.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has a contact type connector for at least one of a power supply and a signal transmission provided at an area coupled to the body, and is coupled to the body via the contact type connector.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the dust collecting box has a dust introduction hole formed at a position connected with a passage through which the dust introduced through the dust suction port is transferred.

6. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes a replacement of at least one of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box through replacement information input by a user.

7. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has a switch recognizing part enabling the control unit to recognize which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed.

8. The cleaning robot according to claim 7, wherein the control unit recognizes one of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box through one of a first switch for recognizing the air cleaning box and a second switch for recognizing the dust collecting box provided at the body, contacting with the switch recognizing part.

9. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has a magnet enabling the control unit to recognize which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed.

10. The cleaning robot according to claim 9, wherein the control unit recognizes one of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box through one of a first hole sensor for recognizing the air cleaning box and a second hole sensor for recognizing the dust collecting box provided at the body, through the magnet.

11. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a suction motor configured to generate a suction force to collect dust dispersed in the dust collecting box through the dust suction port, wherein the control unit detects a load applied to the suction motor enabling the control unit to recognize which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed based on the load.

12. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed based on an output data signal of a contamination detecting sensor located in the air cleaning box.

13. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes which of the dust collecting box and the air cleaning box has been installed, and automatically switches to one of the dust collecting mode and air cleaning mode.

14. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein, in the air cleaning mode, the control unit controls the body to perform an air cleaning operation while moving in a predetermined air cleanable area unit.

15. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein, in the air cleaning mode, the control unit controls the body to perform an air cleaning operation based on position and time information set by a user.

16. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein, in the air cleaning mode, when contamination is detected while the body is traveling, the control unit controls the body to perform an air cleaning operation until a contamination level within an area becomes lower than or equal to a predetermined reference value.

17. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the body to perform an air cleaning operation while moving in a contaminated area of a contamination map.

18. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the body to return to a charging station, when at least one of a battery residual value of the cleaning robot is less than or equal to a reference value, and an air cleaning operation is completed.

19. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the cleaning robot to purify the air, while being charged at a charging station.

20. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein, when a contamination level detected by a contamination detecting sensor is greater than or equal to a reference value for more than a predetermined period of time, the control unit determines an error of the contamination detecting sensor, and controls the cleaning robot to perform an air cleaning operation with a predetermined suction force.

21. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein, when a contamination level detected by a contamination detecting sensor is greater than or equal to a reference value for more than a predetermined period of time, the control unit performs at least one of a display of an air contamination alarm of a corresponding area through the display unit, an output of the air contamination alarm as a sound source through an audio output unit, and a transfer of the air contamination alarm to a user'"'"'s mobile communication terminal through wireless communication.