Robotic vacuum cleaner with protruding sidebrush

• US 10,219,665 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Original Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Inventors: Haegermarck, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Koehler, Christopher M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/784,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• 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 5/12 with power-driven air-pumps or air-compressors, e.g. driven by motor vehicle engine vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0461 Dust-loosening tools, e.g. agitators, brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0472 Discs
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools

Abstract

A robotic cleaning device having main body, at least one driving wheel to move the robotic cleaning device across a surface to be cleaned, and a brush for removing debris from the surface to be cleaned. The brush is arranged on a protrusion in a front end portion of the main body. The widest part of the main body is located between the protrusion and the opposite sidewall of the main body, and within the front end portion of the main body.

Claims

1. A robotic cleaning device comprising:

a main body having;

a wheel axis extending in a lateral direction,

a drive axis extending perpendicular to the wheel axis,

a front end portion located in front of the wheel axis,

a rear end portion located behind the wheel axis,

a first perimeter sidewall extending along and connecting the front end portion and the rear end portion on a first side of the drive axis,

a second perimeter sidewall extending along and connecting the front end portion and the rear end portion on a second side of the drive axis,

a laterally protruding member extending from the first perimeter sidewall along the lateral direction in the front end portion of the main body,

wherein the main body has a generally triangular shape defined by a width (A) and a width (B),

wherein width (A) is a greatest width of the main body as defined between an outermost point of the laterally protruding member and a point on the second perimeter sidewall located in the front end portion, and width (B) is a width of the main body as defined between the outermost point of the laterally protruding member and a point on the second perimeter sidewall located in the rear end portion, where width (A) is greater than width (B);

at least one driving wheel arranged on the main body on the wheel axis and configured to movably support the robotic cleaning device on a surface to be cleaned;

a cleaning member including an opening in the main body arranged at a bottom side in the front end portion of the main body for removing debris from the surface to be cleaned; and

a brush arranged at a bottom side of the laterally protruding member for removing debris from the surface to be cleaned.

2. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the first perimeter sidewall and the second perimeter sidewall are curved.

3. The robotic cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the first perimeter sidewall forms a first arc of a circular shape and the second perimeter sidewall forms a second arc of the circular shape.

4. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a front wall joining the first perimeter sidewall to the second perimeter sidewall in the front end portion of the main body, the front wall being generally straight.

5. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising an indentation in the first perimeter sidewall behind the laterally protruding member.

6. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detecting means arranged to detect obstacles and provide a control means with navigation information for enabling navigation of the robotic cleaning device.

7. The robotic cleaning device of claim 6, wherein the obstacle detecting means comprises a flexible bumper and at least one sensor with which the flexible bumper is arranged to cooperate in order to register the robotic cleaning device contacting an obstacle.

8. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising a bumper mounted to the main body and configured to press resiliently against the main body upon the robot cleaning device contacting an obstacle.

9. The robotic cleaning device of claim 8, wherein the bumper surrounds the front end portion of the main body.

10. The robotic cleaning device of claim 8, wherein the bumper extends from a first end located along the first perimeter sidewall proximate to the wheel axis, to a second end located along the second perimeter sidewall proximate to the wheel axis.

11. The robotic cleaning device of claim 8, further comprising one or more sensors configured to detect when the bumper presses resiliently against the main body.

12. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving wheel comprises a pair of coaxially arranged driving wheels mounted on the wheel axis, each driving wheel being located adjacent a respective one of the first perimeter sidewall and the second perimeter sidewall.

13. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the brush comprises a rotating brush.

14. The robotic cleaning device of claim 13, wherein the rotating brush comprises radially extending arms that extend beyond an outer perimeter of the main body.

15. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning member extending along the bottom side of the front end portion of the main body, the cleaning member comprising one or more of a rotatable brush roll and an opening connected to a suction fan.

16. The robotic cleaning device of claim 15, wherein the cleaning member is arranged adjacent to the front end portion and at a location on the main body adjacent the greatest width of the main body.

17. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the brush overlaps the opening of the cleaning member.

18. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the laterally protruding member has an asymmetrical shape.

19. The robotic cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the drive axis is parallel to the front wall of the generally triangular shape.