AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL-TYPE CLEANER

• US 20170100007A1
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Chizuyo, KIKKAWA, Tatsuo, ONDA, Masakazu, MIYAHARA, Toshifumi
• Application Number:
  US15/386,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• 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 9/0472 Discs
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• 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 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners

Abstract

Self-travelling vacuum cleaner (10) has body (20) having suction port (101), drive unit (30), and an electric fan. Since suction port (101) is disposed in a maximum width part of body (20) closer than drive unit (30), self-travelling vacuum cleaner (10) can suck a trash on a corner in a target region to be cleaned easily and can move from the corner to another area quickly.

Claims

1. A self-travelling vacuum cleaner comprising:

a body having a suction port;

a drive unit which, in operation, moves the body; and

an electric fan configured to suck air inside of the body, and

a caster provided on a bottom side of body,

wherein the body has two apex parts which define a maximum width of the body,

the suction port is disposed at a part having the maximum width of the body on a bottom side of the body,

the suction port is disposed at a part closer to the part having the maximum width of body than the drive unit, and

the caster is disposed at a part farther from the part having the maximum width of body than the drive unit.

2. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein the caster is disposed at a rear side of the body farther than the drive unit with respect to the part having the maximum width of the body.

3. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a side brush disposed on the bottom side of the body,

wherein a part of a rotation track of the side brush overlaps the part having the maximum width of the body.

4. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein each of angles formed between a first tangent and a second tangent and between a first tangent and a third tangent is an acute angle, wherein the first tangent is a tangent of an outer periphery of the body in a plane view and is parallel to a line connecting apexes of the two apex parts of the body, and the second tangent is another tangent of the outer periphery of the body in the plane view and makes contact with the outer periphery at a point on the rear side of the body relative to the line connecting the apexes of the two apex parts of the body, and the third tangent is still another tangent of the outer periphery of the body in the plane view and makes contact with the outer periphery at another point at the rear side of the body relative to the line connecting the apexes of the two apex parts of the body.

5. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein an outer peripheral surface has a curved surface with which the first tangent makes contact, the curved surface being protruded outwardly in the plane view of the body,

each of the two apex parts of the body has a round shape, and

a curvature of the curved surface of the outer peripheral surface of the body is smaller than curvatures of the round shapes of two apex parts.

6. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a charge terminal disposed at a part closer to the part having the maximum width of the body than the drive unit.

7. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a power source unit disposed at a part farther from the part having the maximum width of the body than the drive unit.

8. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit has a first drive unit and a second drive unit, each of the first drive unit and the second drive unit has a suspension spring, and elastic modulus of one of the suspension springs is set to be larger than elastic modulus of the other suspension spring.

9. The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a main brush disposed in the suction port and a brush driving motor configured to apply torque to the main brush,

wherein the body has a plurality of suspension springs,

the drive unit has a first wheel and a second wheel,

the second wheel is disposed at a part farther from the brush driving motor than the first wheel, and

elastic modulus of one of the plurality of suspension springs which is configured to apply reaction force to the first wheel is larger than elastic modulus of another of the plurality of suspension springs which is configured to apply reaction force to the second wheel.