Automatic cleaner

• US 9,144,355 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation), Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jang, Jaewon, Shin, Dongmyung
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/352,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20120180251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 153/19, 153/25, 153/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

Provided is an automatic cleaner that absorbs and senses a shock more efficiently. In one embodiment, an automatic cleaner comprises: a casing comprising a cover that defines a top surface thereof and at least one portion of an edge thereof, and a base that defines a bottom surface thereof, the cover being coupled to the base and moved relative to the base; a sensing member installed on one of the cover and the base, and sensing a relative movement of the cover to the base; a driving part installed on the other of the cover and the base, and operating the sensing member according to the relative movement of the cover to the base; and a buffer member installed on one of the cover and the base, and absorbing a shock according to the relative movement of the cover to the base.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaner comprising:

a casing comprising a cover that defines a top surface thereof and at least one portion of an edge thereof, and a base that defines a bottom surface thereof, the cover being coupled to the base and moved relative to the base;

a sensing member installed on one of the cover and the base, and sensing a relative movement of the cover to the base;

a driving part installed on the other of the cover and the base, and operating the sensing member according to the relative movement of the cover to the base;

a buffer member installed on one of the cover and the base, and absorbing a shock according to the relative movement of the cover to the base; and

a buffer member supporter supporting a bottom surface of the buffer member.

2. The automatic cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the driving part turns the sensing member on/off according to whether the cover moves relative to the base.

3. The automatic cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the sensing member and the driving part are disposed on the same line extending from a center of the casing to the edge thereof.

4. The automatic cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the sensing member is closer to the center of the casing than the driving part is.

5. The automatic cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the sensing member is closer to the edge of the casing than the buffer member is.

6. The automatic cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a shock transmitter that is installed on the other of the cover and the base, and transmits the shock to the buffer member.

7. The automatic cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the shock transmitter selectively presses the buffer member according to whether the cover moves relative to the base.

8. The automatic cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the shock transmitter surrounds an edge of the buffer member.

9. An automatic cleaner comprising:

a cover defining a top surface thereof and one portion of an edge thereof;

a base coupled to the cover, and defining a bottom surface thereof and the other portion of the edge;

a plurality of driving parts on the cover;

a plurality of shock transmitters disposed on the cover, and farther away from an edge of the cover and the base than the driving part is;

a plurality of sensing member installation parts disposed on the base, the number of the sensing member installation parts being equal to the number of the driving parts;

a plurality of buffer member installation parts disposed on the base, the number of the buffer member installation parts being equal to the number of the shock transmitters;

a plurality of sensing members installed on the sensing member installation parts, respectively, and turned on/off by the driving parts; and

a buffer member installed on the buffer member installation part, and absorbing a shock transmitted by the shock transmitter,

wherein, when the cover is moved relative to the base by an external shock, the driving part turns the sensing member on/off, and the buffer member absorbs the shock from the shock transmitter.

10. The automatic cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the sensing member installation part is farther away from the edge of the cover and the base than the driving part is.

11. The automatic cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the buffer member installation part is farther away from the edge of the cover and the base than the shock transmitter is.

12. The automatic cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the buffer member installation part has a cylindrical shape with a preset length and a preset outer diameter,

the buffer member has a ring shape fitted on an upper end of the buffer member installation part, and

the shock transmitter has a hollow cylindrical shape surrounding the buffer member.

13. The automatic cleaner according to claim 12, wherein an outer diameter of the buffer member is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter of the shock transmitter, and

an inner diameter of the buffer member is equal to or greater than a diameter of the buffer member installation part.

14. An automatic cleaner comprising:

a cover defining a top surface thereof and one portion of an edge thereof;

a base coupled to the cover, and defining a bottom surface thereof and the other portion of the edge;

a sensing member sensing a relative movement of the cover to the base; and

a buffer member absorbing a shock generated by the relative movement,

wherein the buffer member is formed of an elastically deformable and flexible material, and

wherein the buffer member is disposed in a region in which the cover and the base are overlapped in a horizontal line.

15. The automatic cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the sensing member is installed on a sensing member installation part disposed on one of the cover and the base, and is turned on/off by a driving part disposed on the other of the cover and the base.

16. The automatic cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the sensing member installed on the sensing member installation part, and the driving part are disposed on the same virtual line, and

the sensing member is farther away along the virtual line from an edge of the cover and the base than the driving part is.

17. The automatic cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the buffer member is installed on a buffer member installation part disposed on one of the cover and the base, and absorbs a shock transmitted by a shock transmitter disposed on the other of the cover and the base.

18. The automatic cleaner according to claim 17, wherein an outer diameter of the buffer member is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter of the shock transmitter, and

an inner diameter of the buffer member is equal to or greater than a diameter of the buffer member installation part.

19. The automatic cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the buffer member installed on the buffer member installation part, and the shock transmitter are disposed on the same virtual line, and

the buffer member is farther away along the virtual line from an edge of the cover and the base than the shock transmitter is.