Robot cleaner

• US 9,750,381 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jongsu, Shin, Dongmyung, Jang, Jaewon
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, Joseph J
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLER, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/900,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20130312215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/18 the tools being roll brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/20 combined with vacuum cleaning devices
• 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 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies

Abstract

Disclosed is a robot cleaner. The robot cleaner includes a case forming the external appearance of the robot cleaner, an agitator rotating and contacting a surface to be cleaned, a dust collector in which foreign substances are collected and a suction unit providing suction force to the dust collector, and the agitator is arranged between the dust collector and the suction unit. Therefore, the robot cleaner reduces loss of suction force generated from the suction unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a case forming the external appearance of the robot cleaner;

an agitator rotating and contacting a surface to be cleaned;

a dust collector in which foreign substances are collected; and

a suction unit providing suction force to the dust collector,

wherein the agitator is arranged between the dust collector and the suction unit,

wherein the suction unit includes a guide duct unit guiding sucked air,

wherein the guide duct unit has a first guide duct, a second guide duct arranged in parallel, a first air blower fan provided in the first guide duct, a second air blower fan provided in the second guide duct, and a motor provided at one side of the guide duct unit, so that the first guide duct and the second guide duct maintain separate airflow,

wherein the width of an inlet of the guide duct is larger than the height of the inlet of the guide duct,

wherein the air blower fans coaxially are connected to a rotary shaft of the motor and rotated, and

wherein the rotary shaft is arranged to be parallel with the width of the inlet.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an inlet through which foreign substances and air are sucked is provided at the dust collector and the inlet is inclined to the surface to be cleaned.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an inlet through which foreign substances and air are sucked is provided at the dust collector and the inlet is formed at one side of the dust collector opposite the suction unit across the agitator.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein air is guided to the suction unit after passing through the dust collector.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein air flowing into the dust collector is guided so as to become distant from the suction unit.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein air discharged from the dust collector is guided so as to become close to the suction unit.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a communication pipe communicating the dust collector and the suction unit with each other.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the communication pipe is provided above the agitator.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein:

an inlet through which foreign substances and air are sucked is provided at the dust collector; and

an entrance of the communication pipe is formed above the inlet.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein a filter filtering out foreign substances is provided in the communication pipe.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dust collector includes a compression member compressing foreign substances.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the compression member is reciprocally rotated about a vertical shaft to compress the foreign substances.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the compression member is reciprocally rotated about a horizontal shaft to compress the foreign substances.

14. A robot cleaner comprising:

a case forming the external appearance of the robot cleaner;

an agitator rotating and contacting a surface to be cleaned;

a dust collector in which foreign substances are collected;

a suction unit providing suction force to the dust collector; and

a communication pipe communicating the dust collector and the suction unit with each other,

wherein the communication pipe is arranged above the agitator,

wherein the suction unit includes a guide duct unit guiding sucked air through communication pipe, and

wherein the guide duct unit has a first guide duct, a second guide duct arranged in parallel, a first air blower fan provided in the first guide duct, a second air blower fan provided in the second guide duct, and a motor provided at one side of the guide duct unit, so that the first guide duct and the second guide duct maintain separate airflow,

wherein the width of an inlet of the guide duct is larger than the height of the inlet of the guide duct,

wherein the air blower fans coaxially are connected to a rotary shaft of the motor and rotated, and

wherein the rotary shaft is arranged to be parallel with the width of the inlet.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 14, wherein air is sucked into the dust collector, and is guided to the suction unit via the communication pipe.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 14, wherein air moving from the dust collector to the suction unit moves above the agitator.

17. A robot cleaner comprising:

a case forming the external appearance of the robot cleaner;

an agitator rotating and contacting a surface to be cleaned;

a dust collector in which foreign substances are collected; and

a suction unit providing suction force to the dust collector,

wherein air sucked into the dust collector moves so as to become distant from the suction unit, and air discharged from the dust collector moves so as to become close to the suction unit,

wherein the suction unit includes a guide duct unit guiding sucked air,

wherein the guide duct unit has a first guide duct, a second guide duct arranged in parallel, a first air blower fan provided in the first guide duct, a second air blower fan provided in the second guide duct, and a motor provided at one side of the guide duct unit, so that the first guide duct and the second guide duct maintain separate airflow,

wherein the width of an inlet of the guide duct is larger than the height of the inlet of the guide duct,

wherein the air blower fans coaxially are connected to a rotary shaft of the motor and rotated, and

wherein the rotary shaft is arranged to be parallel with the width of the inlet.

18. The robot cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the dust collector includes a guide guiding the air, sucked into the dust collector, to the suction unit.