Moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner

• US 7,934,571 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunan Grand-Pro Robot Technology Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jason Yan
• Inventors: Shieh, Cheng-Han, Wang, Ching-Kuo, Chiu, Jane-Ferng
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARCE, MARLON ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US12/554,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20110056759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 180/6.2, 180/6.54, 180/6.66, 180/168, 318/568.12, 318/567, 318/587, 153/19
• US Class Current: 180/6.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

A moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner includes a base; a motor mounted in a motor chamber on the base to alternatively drive a drive shaft thereof to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise; a primary wheel fixed to and rotating along with the drive shaft of the motor; a clutch assembly connected to the primary wheel; an axle connected at an end to the clutch assembly, so as to be driven by the primary wheel to rotate when the drive shaft of the motor rotates clockwise, or to disengage from the driving by the primary wheel when the drive shaft of the motor rotates counterclockwise: and a secondary wheel connected to another end of the axle to rotate along with the axle. Since only one motor is needed to control a moving direction thereof, the robotic vacuum cleaner can have effectively reduced manufacturing cost and overall volume.

Claims

1. A moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a base having a motor chamber, a primary wheel opening, a secondary wheel opening and an axle-holding seat having an elongated recess and a clutch chamber;

a motor being mounted in the motor chamber and alternatively driving a drive shaft thereof to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise;

a primary wheel being disposed in the primary wheel opening, being securely attached to the drive shaft of the motor and rotating with the drive shaft;

a clutch assembly being correspondingly disposed in the clutch chamber to rotate along with the primary wheel and the drive shaft of the motor;

an axle being correspondingly disposed in the elongated recess on the axle-holding seat, and a first end of the axle being connected to the clutch assembly;

whereby, through a gearing function of the clutch assembly, the axle being driven by the primary wheel to rotate when the drive shaft of the motor rotates clockwise, and the axle disengaging from the driving by the primary wheel when the drive shaft of the motor rotates counterclockwise;

a secondary wheel being disposed in the secondary wheel opening, being parallel with the primary wheel, and being securely attached to a second end of the axle to rotate along with the axle; and

at least one limiting member being mounted over the clutch assembly and the axle, and being securely mounted to wall portions on the top of the axle-holding seat for firmly holding the clutch assembly and the axle down in the clutch chamber and the elongated recess on the axle-holding seat, respectively.

2. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor chamber is located on one side of the base, the primary wheel opening is a through hole formed on the base at a radially inner side of the motor chamber, the secondary wheel opening is a through hole formed on the base near one side of the base diametrically opposite to the primary wheel opening, the axle-holding seat is located and extended between the primary and the secondary wheel opening and the clutch assembly is connected to the primary wheel.

3. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 2, wherein the primary wheel is provided on one side opposite to the motor with a centered shaft-receiving portion;

the clutch assembly includes a driving member and a driven member;

the driving member being provided on an outer side facing toward the primary wheel with a fixing shaft, which is securely engaged with the shaft-receiving portion on the primary wheel to allow the driving member to coaxially rotate along with the primary wheel, and on an inner side facing toward the secondary wheel with multiple circumferentially spaced clutch teeth;

the driven member being provided on an outer side facing toward the driving member with multiple clutch teeth corresponding to the clutch teeth on the driving member;

whereby when the primary wheel rotates clockwise, the clutch teeth on the driven member engaging with the clutch teeth on the driving member, and when the primary wheel rotates counterclockwise, the clutch teeth on the driven member disengaging from the clutch teeth on the driving member; and

a sleeve portion being axially projected from an inner side of the driven member facing toward the secondary wheel;

the first end of the axle is extended into the sleeve portion of the driven member to interfere with the sleeve portion, allows the axle and the driven member to coaxially rotate together; and

an elastic element being arranged in the sleeve portion to locate between and pressing against an inner bottom of the sleeve portion and the first end of the axle; and

a connecting section being formed at a second end of the axle opposite to the first end thereof; and

the secondary wheel is provided at a center thereof with a connecting hole being a through hole for securely engaging with the connecting section of the axle.

4. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shaft-receiving portion on the primary wheel is a non-circular receiving hole, and the fixing shaft on the driving member has a free end being configured corresponding to that of the shaft-receiving portion on the primary wheel for securely engaging with the shaft-receiving portion.

5. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sleeve portion on the driven member is provided at a free end thereof with multiple circumferentially spaced elongated slits;

and the axle is provided at the first end on an outer peripheral surface thereof with multiple engaging blocks for axially slidably engaging with the elongated slits while interfering with the elongated slits, and the axle rotates with the driven member.

6. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the elongated recess on the base is provided with a transverse stop slot;

and the axle is provided at a predetermined position with a stop collar for correspondingly engaging with the stop slot.

7. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the connecting section at the second end of the axle has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and is provided on an end face with a fixing hole;

and a fastening element being externally extended from an outer side of the secondary wheel into the fixing hole to thereby securely connect the secondary wheel to the axle.

8. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the elastic element disposed between the inner bottom of the sleeve portion and the first end of the axle is a spring.

9. The moving base for robotic vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the primary wheel has an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the secondary wheel.