Power recharger for use with robot cleaner

• US 7,417,404 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ko, Jang-youn, Jeung, Sam-jong, Lee, Ju-sang, Song, Jeong-gon, Kim, Ki-man, Hwang, Yun-sup
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akim Enayet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres Ruiz; Johali A
• Application Number:
  US11/026,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20050253555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/111, 320/115, 700/245, 700/900, 439/151, 439/152, 439/177, 439/214
• US Class Current: 320/115
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• 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: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A power recharger for use with a robot cleaner has a recharging terminal to which a battery terminal of the robot cleaner is docked and an anchor member on a rear side of the body of the recharging unit. The anchor member fills in the space defined between the wall of the room and the power recharger. The anchor member therefore securely supports the power recharger in the battery recharging process.

Claims

1. A power recharger for use with a robot cleaner, comprising:

a recharging unit, which rests on the floor of a room, against a baseboard of the room, the baseboard having a height and a thickness and being attached to a wall of the room, the recharging unit having a height dimension that is greater than the height of the baseboard such that a top of the recharging unit is above the top of the baseboard, the recharging unit further having a recharging terminal to which a battery terminal of a robot cleaner can be docked; and

a columnar anchor member comprised of a threaded rod, a portion of which is screwed into a threaded hole in the recharging unit body, rotation of the threaded changing the length of the columnar anchor, said threaded rod not penetrating the wall the wall to which the baseboard is attached, the columnar anchor member extending from a rear side of the body of the recharging unit, and located above the height of the baseboard and extending orthogonally away from the recharging unit toward a wall against which the columnar anchor member rests, the columnar anchor member having a length that is capable of being adjusted to be greater than the thickness of the baseboard and which allows the columnar anchor member to extend across the thickness of the baseboard to contact, but not penetrate or engage, the wall to which the baseboard is attached, the anchor member stabilizing the recharging unit upright against the baseboard and the wall when a robot cleaner impacts the recharging unit.

2. The power recharger of claim 1, comprising a chamfered incline surface formed on a bottom surface at the rear side of the body of the recharging unit.

3. The power recharger of claim 1, wherein the recharging terminal is above the top of the baseboard.