Self-propelled and self-steering floor cleaning appliance

• US 9,801,512 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Janzen, Jacob, Engele, Jochen, Meisenbacher, Marc, Mack, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US14/947,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area

Abstract

A self-propelled, self-steering floor cleaning appliance is provided with at least one cleaning element for cleaning a floor surface, including a drive device having an undercarriage, a sensing part for sensing obstacles, at least one displaceable holding part for holding the sensing part on the floor cleaning appliance and at least one detection element for detecting a displacement of the at least one holding part and for providing a signal relating thereto. The floor cleaning appliance includes at least one accommodating part on which the at least one holding part is held so as to be displaceable in a first and a second direction of displacement, which is aligned at an angle to the first direction of displacement, and the at least one detection element is actuatable by the at least one holding part upon displacement of the holding part in the first and in the second directions of displacement.

Claims

1. A self-propelled and self-steering floor cleaning appliance with at least one cleaning element for cleaning a floor surface, comprising a drive device having an undercarriage, a sensing part for sensing obstacles, at least one slidingly displaceable holding part for holding the sensing part on the floor cleaning appliance and at least one detection element for detecting a displacement of the at least one holding part and for providing a signal relating thereto, wherein the floor cleaning appliance comprises at least one accommodating part on which the at least one holding part is held so as to be slidingly displaceable in a first direction of displacement and in a second direction of displacement, which is aligned at an angle to the first direction of displacement, wherein the at least one detection element is actuatable by the at least one holding part upon displacement of the holding part in the first direction of displacement and in the second direction of displacement.

2. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first direction of displacement and the second direction of displacement are aligned transversely to each other.

3. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first direction of displacement is directed opposite to a main direction of movement of the floor cleaning appliance and/or wherein the second direction of displacement is aligned transversely to the main direction of movement.

4. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one holding part is displaceable on the at least one accommodating part in the direction opposite to the second direction of displacement.

5. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4, wherein a displacement distance of the at least one holding part on the at least one accommodating part in the second direction of displacement and in the direction opposite to the second direction of displacement is of the same size or essentially the same size, starting from a basic position in which the at least one holding part is held under the action of at least one spring element.

6. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the floor cleaning appliance comprises two holding parts connected to the sensing part, and two accommodating parts, each associated with one respective holding part, and wherein the first directions of displacement of the holding parts are aligned parallel to each other and/or the second directions of displacement of the holding parts are directed opposite to each other and towards the respective other holding part.

7. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 6, wherein the sensing part connects the holding parts rigidly to each other.

8. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 6, wherein the holding parts and the accommodating parts are arranged in a front left corner region and a front right corner region of the floor cleaning appliance, in relation to the longitudinal direction or the main direction of movement of the floor cleaning appliance.

9. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least one of a drive motor and a battery of the floor cleaning appliance is arranged between the holding parts and the accommodating parts.

10. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 6, wherein an accommodating space having arranged therein a cleaning element is formed below the holding parts and the accommodating parts on the floor cleaning appliance.

11. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the floor cleaning appliance comprises a housing, and the sensing part forms a housing section arranged, in relation to a longitudinal direction or a main direction of movement of the floor cleaning appliance, at the front side of the floor cleaning appliance.

12. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 11, wherein the housing section extends along the entire front side of the floor cleaning appliance.

13. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 11, wherein the housing section forms at least one of a housing section at the top side of the floor cleaning appliance and housing sections at left and right sides of the floor cleaning appliance.

14. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sensing part comprises a lower part and an upper part covering the lower part, the lower part being connected to the at least one holding part and to the upper part, and the upper part contacting the obstacles, and electric contact elements for supplying electrical energy to the floor cleaning appliance and/or sensor elements for detecting obstacles in a non-contacting manner being arranged on the lower part.

15. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one detection element comprises or forms a switch element, and wherein the at least one holding part contacts the detection element in order to actuate the detection element or a trigger element contacting the detection element.

16. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 15, wherein the at least one holding part comprises a contact member with a bevel relative to the first direction of displacement and relative to the second direction of displacement for contacting the switch element or the trigger element.

17. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one detection element is a magnetically acting sensor element which is adapted to provide an electric signal upon displacement of the at least one holding part.

18. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one accommodating part comprises or forms a receptacle for at least one of the at least one detection element and a trigger element contacting the detection element.

19. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one accommodating part defines a guide for the at least one holding part during displacement along the first direction of displacement and along the second direction of displacement.

20. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein a shaft-shaped accommodating space, in which the at least one holding part engages and is displaceable in the first direction of displacement or the second direction of displacement, and in which the at least one holding part is displaceable in the respective other direction of displacement, is formed on the at least one accommodating part, and at least one wall of the accommodating space forms a guide for the at least one holding part.

21. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 20, wherein the at least one holding part is arranged free of play or substantially free of play transversely to the first and the second direction of displacement in the accommodating space between walls delimiting the accommodating space.

22. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one accommodating part comprises a lower part forming a support for the at least one holding part, and an upper part placed on the lower part and covering the at least one holding part.

23. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 22, wherein the lower part and the upper part are half-shells.

24. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one detection element is actuatable after a displacement of approximately 1 mm to 2 mm of the at least one holding part.

25. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one holding part, upon actuation of the at least one detection element, is further displaceable in at least one of the first direction of displacement and the second direction of displacement by an additional displacement distance.

26. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 25, wherein the additional displacement distance along the first direction of displacement is approximately 5 mm to 10 mm, along the second direction of displacement approximately 2 mm to 4 mm.

27. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one holding part and the at least one accommodating part comprise or form stops for delimiting the movement of the at least one holding part relative to the at least one accommodating part.

28. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 27, wherein the at least one holding part comprises at least one peg-shaped projection which engages in at least one recess on the at least one accommodating part, with the edges of the recess forming stops for the projection.

29. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the displacement of the at least one holding part occurs against the restoring force of at least one spring element.

30. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 29, wherein the at least one spring element is arranged and active in a plane defined by the first direction of displacement and the second direction of displacement.

31. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 29, wherein a spring element of the at least one spring element engages the at least one holding part and the at least one accommodating part and acts on the at least one holding part with a force directed at a slant to the first direction of displacement and at a slant to the second direction of displacement.

32. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 29 wherein the force of a spring element of the at least one spring element has a component in the second direction of displacement of the at least one holding part.

33. The floor cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein a spring element which acts on the at least one holding part or on a trigger element with a restoring force directed opposite to the second direction of displacement is arranged on the at least one detection element.