Self-moving vacuum cleaner

• US 20050076466A1
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunan Grand-Pro Robot Technology Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jason Yan
• Inventors: Yan, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/06 with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0666 with tilting, floating or similarly arranged brushes, combs, lips or pads
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0686 Nozzles with cleaning cloths, e.g. using disposal fabrics for covering the nozzle

Abstract

A self-moving vacuum cleaner includes a duct disposed in a casing and having a vacuum inlet which extends downwardly of a bottom wall of the casing, and an impeller disposed to draw dust from the floor surface through the vacuum inlet into the duct. An intake nozzle includes a tubular nozzle body which has an upper end communicated with and retainingly slidable relative to the vacuum inlet so as to enable a lower end of the nozzle body to be movable between upper and lower positions, and an anchoring member which is hinged to the bottom wall such that the nozzle body is swingable between the upper and lower positions in response to unevenness of the floor surface, thereby enabling the lower end to keep trailing on the floor surface when the casing moves.

Claims

1. A self-moving vacuum cleaner comprising:

a casing having a bottom wall which has leading and trailing ends opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction;

a duct disposed in said casing and having a vacuum inlet which extends downwardly of said bottom wall;

an impeller disposed in said casing and downstream of said vacuum inlet so as to draw dust from a floor surface through said vacuum inlet into said duct; and

an intake nozzle including

a tubular nozzle body which is disposed upstream of said vacuum inlet, and which has a lower end that is adapted to trail on the floor surface, and an upper end that extends upwardly from said lower end, that is communicated with and that is retainingly slidable relative to said vacuum inlet, said upper end being configured such that said lower end is movable relative to said vacuum inlet between upper and lower positions so as to be close to and away from said vacuum inlet, respectively, and

an anchoring member which is disposed opposite to said tubular nozzle body in the longitudinal direction and proximate to said leading end, and which is hinged to said bottom wall about a hinge axis transverse to the longitudinal direction such that said tubular nozzle body is swingable about the hinge axis between the upper and lower positions in response to unevenness of the floor surface, thereby enabling said lower end to keep trailing on the floor surface when said casing advances with said leading end.

2. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein said upper end of said tubular nozzle body is sleeved slidably on said vacuum inlet so as to render said lower end movable relative thereto.

3. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein said bottom wall has a through hole extending therethrough and formed between said leading and trailing ends, said intake nozzle further including an intermediate member which is interposed between and which interconnects said tubular nozzle body and said anchoring member, and an upright hook portion which extends towards and which is slidably insertable into said through hole, and which is configured such that in the lower position, said upright hook portion is retained in said through hole so as to prevent said tubular nozzle body from further downward movement.

4. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 3, further comprising a biasing member disposed between said bottom wall and said intermediate member to bias said tubular nozzle body towards the floor surface.

5. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a wiping device that includes a wiping body having a lower wall surface adapted to trail on the floor surface, and a ball joint jointed to said bottom wall so as to enable said lower wall surface to keep trailing on the floor surface, and a dusting fabric which is removably attached to said lower wall surface of said wiping body for wiping the floor surface.

6. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein said ball joint of said wiping body is loosely connected to said bottom wall so as to enable said wiping body to be movable toward said bottom wall.

7. The self-moving vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein said dusting fabric is a cloth with static electricity and is resiliently retained on said wiping body.

8. A self-moving vacuum cleaner comprising:

a casing having a bottom wall;

a duct disposed in said casing and having a vacuum inlet which extends downwardly of said bottom wall;

an impeller disposed in said casing and downstream of said vacuum inlet so as to draw dust on a floor surface through said vacuum inlet into said duct; and

an intake nozzle disposed upstream of said vacuum inlet, and having a lower end which is adapted to trail on the floor surface, and an upper end which extends upwardly from said lower end and which is coupled with and which is retainingly movable relative to said vacuum inlet such that said lower end is movable relative to said vacuum inlet between upper and lower positions to be close to and away from said vacuum inlet, respectively, in response to an unevenness of the floor surface, thereby enabling said lower end to keep trailing on the floor surface.