Self-traveling cleaner

• US 20060021168A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/49.100
• 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

In a self-traveling cleaner of the present invention, a cleaning mechanism includes a brush mechanism rotatable along a floor surface and a driving mechanism for rotatingly driving the brush mechanism. The brush mechanism includes a rotation axis extending perpendicular to the floor surface, one arm projecting laterally from a lower end of the rotation axis, and a brush planted on the arm. The rotation axis is provided within a reverse side of the main body, and the arm has a rotation angle range in which the arm projects outwardly from an outer periphery of the main body and a rotation angle range in which the arm is contained within the outer periphery of the main body.

Claims

1. A self-traveling cleaner comprising a main body having a self-traveling mechanism and a cleaning mechanism, the self-traveling cleaner moving on a floor surface with the self-traveling mechanism and cleaning the floor surface with the cleaning mechanism, the cleaning mechanism comprising a brush mechanism rotatable along the floor surface and a driving mechanism for rotatingly driving the brush mechanism, the brush mechanism comprising a rotation axis having a base end connected to the driving mechanism and extending perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the floor surface, an arm projecting in one direction from a lower end of the rotation axis, and a brush planted on the arm.

2. The self-traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis of the brush mechanism is provided within a reverse side of the main body, and the arm of the brush mechanism has a rotation angle range in which the arm projects outwardly from an outer periphery of the main body and a rotation angle range in which the arm is contained within the outer periphery of the main body, the reverse side of the main body having an inlet of a dust collector.

3. The self-traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the arm of the brush mechanism is formed from an elastic material.

4. The self-traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism has interposed on a power transmission path to the brush mechanism a slip mechanism for interrupting the power transmission path when an overload acts exceeding a load acting on the brush by the floor surface.

5. The self-traveling cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis of the brush mechanism has the lower end having an opposed face to the floor surface formed with a curved surface convex toward the floor surface.