Robot cleaner

• US 9,687,129 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hwang, Kim, Jongsu, Park, Sungil
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US14/955,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4063 Driving means; Transmission means therefor
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/108 Dust compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes: a suction module configured to suck dust-included air; a cyclone module configured to separate dust from the dust-included air sucked through the suction module, and having a dust discharge opening; a first air flow guide and a second air flow guide spaced apart from each other, and connecting the suction unit to the cyclone unit; a dust box detachably coupled to the dust discharge opening of the cyclone module, and provided between the first and second air flow guides; a drive module provided between the first and second air flow guides; and a dust compressor provided in the dust box, and mechanically coupled to the drive module when the dust box is mounted to the cyclone module, and formed to be rotatable bi-directionally based on a driving force from the drive module such that dust collected in the dust box is pressed to have a deceased volume.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a suction module configured to suck dust-included air;

a cyclone module configured to separate dust from the dust-included air sucked through the suction module, and having a dust discharge opening;

a first air flow guide and a second air flow guide spaced apart from each other, and connecting the suction unit to the cyclone unit;

a dust box detachably coupled to the dust discharge opening of the cyclone module, and provided between the first and second air flow guides;

a drive module provided between the first and second air flow guides; and

a dust compressor provided in the dust box, and mechanically coupled to the drive module when the dust box is mounted to the cyclone module, and formed to be rotatable bi-directionally based on a driving force from the drive module such that dust collected in the dust box is pressed to have a deceased volume.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust compressor includes:

a rotational shaft disposed to pass through a bottom surface of the dust box;

a pressing plate coupled to the rotation shaft; and

a first gear installed at the rotation shaft protruding from the dust box, and configured to be driven by the drive module.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the drive module includes:

a motor provided at a cleaner body; and

a second gear connected to a rotation shaft of the motor, and configured to transmit a driving force to the dust compressor when engaged with the first gear.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the second gear and the first gear are engaged with each other when the dust box is mounted to the cyclone module.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the second gear includes a supporting plate configured to support the first gear when teeth of the first gear are engaged with teeth of the second gear.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein a housing is configured to accommodate part of the first gear such that only part of the first gear engaged with the first gear is exposed to the outside, and is formed at a lower side of the dust box.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the motor is rotated in an opposite direction, when a repulsive force is applied to the motor in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the motor.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the dust box includes:

a dust box body which forms a space for collecting dust filtered by the cyclone module, and configured to accommodate therein the pressing plate; and

a dust box cover coupled to the dust box body and configured to open and close an opening of the dust box body.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein a groove recessed toward the rotation shaft is formed at an upper end of the pressing plate, and

wherein a protrusion, configured to support rotation of the pressing plate by being inserted into the groove, protrudes from an inner side of the dust box cover.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the dust box cover is rotatably coupled to the dust box body, and

wherein the protrusion is inserted into the groove when the dust box cover is disposed to cover the opening of the dust box body.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the dust box body includes:

a first chamber communicating with the dust discharge opening; and

a second chamber formed below a lower side of the first chamber, having a smaller volume than the first chamber, and provided between the first and second air guides.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein first chamber is provided over the first and second guiding members.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the pressing plate includes:

a first pressing plate provided in the first chamber; and

a second pressing plate extending downward from the first pressing plate, and provided in the second chamber, and

wherein the second pressing plate has a smaller cross sectional area than the first pressing plate.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein an upper side of the dust box forms upper appearance of the cleaner body.

15. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust box is formed of a transmissive material such that collected dust inside of the dust box is visible.