Robot cleaner

• US 10,986,973 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2018
• Issued: 04/27/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jang, Jaewon, Lee, Minwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US16/057,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20190038102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/283 the tools being disc brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4025 Means for emptying
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a main body which forms an external shape; two or more spin mops which rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when viewed from above and mop a floor with a damp cloth, and move the main body; and a cleaning module which is positioned in front of the spin mops and collects foreign substance existing on a cleaning target surface, wherein the cleaning module includes: a housing which is coupled to the main body and opened at a lower side; a dust container which forms a space for accommodating foreign substance and is positioned to be detachable in a lower side direction of the housing; and an agitator which is positioned inside the housing, and sends foreign substance existing on the cleaning target surface to the dust container by a rotation operation.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of spin mops coupled to the main body, each of the spin mops rotating in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when viewed from above the robot cleaner and contacting a cleaning surface when rotating; and

a cleaning head which is positioned in front of the spin mops and collects an object from the cleaning surface,

wherein the cleaning head includes;

a housing which is coupled to the main body and includes a lower surface having an opening;

a dust container which includes an interior space to receive the object and is detachably coupled to the housing; and

an agitator which is positioned inside the housing, and rotates to collect the object through the opening and to send the object toward the dust container, and

wherein the dust container includes;

a case that has a front surface with an opening and is inserted into the housing; and

an upper cover which moves to open and close an upper opening of the case.

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

a fixing extension;

an elastic member which selectively applies an elastic force to the fixing extension, the elastic force causing the fixing extension to engage the dust container; and

a push button which, when activated, releases the elastic force of the elastic member applied to the fixing member.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein a movement direction of the push button is perpendicular to a movement direction of the fixing extension, and

the push button includes an inclined surface contacting the fixing extension.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein a portion of the front surface of the case has a shape corresponding to an outer circumference of the agitator.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the agitator includes:

a rotation bar which rotates on a rotation axis that extends parallel to the cleaning surface; and

a plurality of blades which are positioned spirally in an outer circumferential surface of the rotation bar.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a guide extension coupled to the housing and that guides the object to the agitator.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein:

the agitator is included in two or more agitators in the cleaning head, the agitators being spaced apart by a certain interval on a common rotation axis, and

the guide extension is positioned in front of and between a pair of the agitators.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a driving motor which drives the rotation of the agitator.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein:

the agitator is included in two or more agitators in the cleaning head, the agitators being spaced apart by a certain interval on a common rotation axis, and

the driving motor is positioned between a pair of the agitators.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, further comprising a transmission gear which transmits a rotational force of the driving motor to the pair of the agitators, the rotation axis of the agitators being perpendicular to a rotation axis of a drive shaft of the driving motor.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a roller which separates a lower surface of the housing from the cleaning surface by a certain distance.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the roller is positioned on a lower surface of the dust container.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a guide wall which partitions an interior space in the housing which accommodates the agitator and the dust container, and

wherein a surface of the guide wall has a shape corresponding to an outer circumference of the agitator.

16. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a water tank which stores water, and

a connection channel through which the water flows from the water tank and to the spin mops.

14. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of spin mops coupled to the main body, each of the spin mops rotating in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when viewed from above the robot cleaner and contacting a cleaning surface when rotating; and

a cleaning head which is positioned in front of the spin mops and collects an object from the cleaning surface;

wherein the cleaning head includes;

a housing which is coupled to the main body and includes a lower surface having an opening;

a dust container which includes an interior space to receive the object and is detachably coupled to the housing; and

an agitator which is positioned inside the housing, and rotates to collect the object through the opening and to send the object toward the dust container,

wherein the housing further includes a guide wall which partitions an interior space in the housing which accommodates the agitator and the dust container,

wherein a surface of the guide wall has a shape corresponding to an outer circumference of the agitator, and

wherein a portion of the guide wall protrudes to contact a lower side surface of the housing.

15. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of spin mops coupled to the main body, each of the spin mops rotating in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when viewed from above the robot cleaner and contacting a cleaning surface when rotating; and

a cleaning head which is positioned in front of the spin mops and collects an object from the cleaning surface,

wherein the cleaning head includes;

a housing which is coupled to the main body and includes a lower surface having an opening;

a dust container which includes an interior space to receive the object and is detachably coupled to the housing; and

an agitator which is positioned inside the housing, and rotates to collect the object through the opening and to send the object toward the dust container,

wherein the housing further includes a guide wall which partitions an interior space in the housing which accommodates an agitator and the dust container,

wherein a surface of the guide wall has a shaped corresponding to an outer circumference of the agitator, and

wherein the guide wall is fixed to a front lower side of the dust container.