Autonomous cleaner

• US 10,130,234 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jang, Hwi-Chan, Kim, Tae Soo, Jung, Hyun Soo, Choi, Sang Hwa, Yoon, Sang Sik, Kim, Shin, Kim, Jin Hee, Jeong, Yeon Kyu, Lee, Hak Bong, Ko, Young Ho, Kim, Kyoung Woung
• Primary Examiner(s): HORTON, ANDREW ALAN
• Application Number:
  US14/632,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation

Abstract

An autonomous cleaner includes a body having a first housing formed at a front and a second housing formed at a rear of the first housing; a brush unit installed at the first housing and configured to sweep and collect dust from a floor; a dust collecting unit installed at the second housing and configured to store the dust inlet into the brush unit; a driving unit to drive the body and coupled to the second housing to be positioned at a lateral side of the dust collecting unit; and a power unit installed at the second housing and coupled to be positioned at a rear of the dust collecting unit. The miniaturization of the autonomous cleaner may be provided while at the same time the capacity of a dust collecting container and the capacity of a battery are increased.

Claims

1. An autonomous cleaner, comprising:

a body having a first housing formed at a front of the body, a second housing separate from the first housing, and formed at a rear of the first housing, and a connecting member connecting the first housing to the second housing;

a brush unit installed at the first housing and configured to sweep and collect dust from a floor;

a dust collecting unit installed at the second housing and configured to store the dust collected by the brush unit;

a driving unit, to drive the body, installed at the second housing at a lateral side of the dust collecting unit and having an axis of rotation passing through the dust collecting unit; and

a power unit installed at the second housing at a rear of the dust collecting unit,

wherein the dust collecting unit comprises an inlet motor to provide a driving force to collect the dust, and a dust collecting container to store the collected dust, and

the inlet motor, the dust collecting container, and the driving unit are linearly disposed.

2. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

a front part of the first housing is provided in the shape of a rectangle to inlet dust from front and side surfaces in a driving direction.

3. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a bumper installed at the front part of the first housing to surround at least a portion of the first housing.

4. The autonomous cleaner of claim 3, wherein:

a plurality of ribs protruding toward a front of the bumper to increase an inlet force is provided at the front of the bumper.

5. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

a guide flow path to guide the dust into the brush unit to increase an inlet force of the dust is formed at a lower surface of the first housing.

6. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

a distance between a bottom surface of the first housing and a top surface of the first housing is less than a distance between a bottom surface of the second housing and a top surface of the second housing.

7. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

an obstacle detecting sensor to detect obstacles is mounted at the first housing.

8. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

a fall detecting sensor to detect the distance with respect to the floor during driving of the body is mounted at the first housing.

9. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of the dust collecting container is coupled to the second housing to be exposed as an exterior surface.

10. The autonomous cleaner of claim 1, wherein:

the driving unit comprises driving wheels coupled to both side surfaces to drive the body, and a roller provided at a rear of the body.

11. The autonomous cleaner of claim 10, wherein:

the driving wheels are provided to be positioned at both sides of the body, and the roller is coupled to a position to support the center of gravity of the body.