Movable air purification robot system

• US 20110271839A1
• Filed: 05/06/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Moneual Incorporated (Hong-Seok Park, MBA)
• Original Assignee: Moneual Incorporated (Hong-Seok Park, MBA)
• Inventors: LEE, Man Hee, Park, Hong Seuk, KIM, Un Ki, CHANG, Hee Nam
• Granted Patent: US 8,496,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 96/111
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/708 Volatile organic compounds V.O.C.'s
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/90 Odorous compounds not provided for in groups B01D2257/00 - B01D2257/708
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/91 Bacteria; Microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/06 Polluted air
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4508 for cleaning air in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4558 for being employed as mobile cleaners for ambient air, i.e. the earth's atmosphere
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/72 Organic compounds not provided for in groups B01D53/48 - B01D53/70, e.g. hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots

Abstract

The movable air purification robot system is disclosed, which makes it possible to automatically eliminate dust, bacteria and smell from air while freely moving along a polluted area irrespective of a space dimension. The movable air purification robot system comprises an air purification robot including an air pollution detection unit for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air, an air purification unit for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same, a robot moving unit formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating, an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely, a robot operating unit for allowing a user to operate the robot, a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element, and a power unit for supplying electric power to operating elements.

Claims

1. A movable air purification robot system, comprising:

an air purification robot including;

an air pollution detection means for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air;

an air purification means for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same;

a robot moving means formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating;

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely;

a robot operating means for allowing a user to operate the robot;

a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element; and

a power unit for supplying electric power to operating elements,

wherein said obstacle detection means includes;

a robot local area sensor disposed at a front side of a robot body for detecting a certain obstacle so that the air purification robot can move in a relatively narrow space by detecting a local area obstacle;

a robot remote area sensor disposed at a front side of the robot body by which the air purification robot can avoid the obstacle by detecting a remote area obstacle; and

a robot driving wheel sensor for preventing the driving wheel from getting stuck or the robot body from fall down by detecting a groove or a cliff in front of the driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of the robot body.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot driving wheel sensor is formed of an infrared ray sensor and is preferably disposed at a position moved by a 1/10˜

⅛

rotation that the driving wheel can move in the course of control procedure.

3. A movable air purification robot system, comprising:

an air purification robot including;

an air pollution detection means for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air;

an air purification means for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same;

a robot moving means formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating;

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely;

a robot operating means for allowing a user to operate the robot; and

a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element; and

a charging unit which communicates with the air purification robot and the communication means for thereby charging the air purification robot; and

at least one external detection device which calls the air purification robot to an air purification request region and is installed in the air purification region for setting the air purification region by means of the air purification robot which has moved to the air purification request region.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said charging unit includes:

a charging power unit connected with a power outlet for thereby supplying charging power to the air purification robot;

a charging communication unit for guiding the air purification robot through a communication with the air purification robot;

a charging approach detection unit for detecting the approach of the air purification robot; and

a charging unit control unit for controlling the operations of the charging power unit and the air purification robot, respectively, and

said external detection device including;

an external device pollution detection unit for detecting air pollution;

an external device communication unit for communicating with the air purification robot;

an external device approach detection sensor for detecting an approach of the air purification robot;

an external device control unit for controlling an operation between the external device pollution detection unit and the external device communication unit;

an external device operation unit for allowing the external detection device to selectively operate the operation between a purification region monitoring fiction and an air purification robot approach prohibition function; and

an external device power unit for supplying electric power for the operations of the above elements.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said external device power unit is formed of either a battery disposed in the interior of the same or a power plug which can be connected to a power outlet disposed on the wall.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said external device power unit includes a power plug which can be connected to a power outlet, and said external detection device includes an external device power communication unit for communicating with an electric cable connected through a power outlet, and said charging unit includes a charging electric power communication unit.

7. A movable air purification robot system, comprising:

an air purification robot including;

an air pollution detection means for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air;

an air purification means for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same;

a robot moving means formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating;

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely;

a robot operating means for allowing a user to operate the robot; and

a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element, and

wherein said robot moving means includes;

a couple of driving wheels which are disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently drive from each other;

a rear side driven wheel disposed at a rear lower side of the robot body;

a front side driven wheel disposed at a front lower side of the robot body; and

a seesaw engaging plate of which center portion can rotate about a seesaw shaft at a lower side of the robot body by engaging the front side driven wheel and the two driving wheels so that the driving wheel can seesaw with respect to a lifting-up motion of the front side driven wheel for thereby preventing the driving wheel from being escaped from the ground when the front side driven wheel roll-contacts with a protruded obstacle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said seesaw shaft, which is a seesaw axis of the seesaw engaging plate, is installed at a portion deviated toward the driving wheel for thereby preventing the robot body from fall down by means of an up and down displacement of the front driven wheel by preventing an over up and down displacement of the driving wheel with respect to the up and down displacement of the front side driven wheel, and the ratio between the distance from the front side driven wheel to the seesaw shaft and the distance from the seesaw shaft to the driving wheel is 2˜

3;

1.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure is installed for cushioning a collision impact when the front side driven wheel collides with a protruded obstacle, and said protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure consists of a driven wheel cushioning plate for limiting the front side driven wheel, a cushioning plate driving part which forms a driving space so that the driven wheel cushioning plate can be backwardly cushioned in the seesaw plate for thereby allowing the driven wheel cushioning plate to slide, and a damper for elastically supporting the driven wheel cushioning plate in the cushioning plate driving part.

10. A movable air purification robot system, comprising:

an air purification robot including;

an air pollution detection means for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air;

an air purification means for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same;

a robot moving means formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating;

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely;

a robot operating means for allowing a user to operate the robot; and

a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element,

wherein said air pollution detection means includes;

an air pollution detection sensor for detecting a dust and harmful gas (VOC;

Volatile Organic Components) concentration in air; and

a humidity detection sensor for detecting the humidity of air, and

wherein said air purification means is installed at a center portion of a robot body and forms a purification pipe passage for sucking air from a lateral side and discharging the same upward and includes;

a purification filter unit engaged to an air inlet part formed in the purification pipe passage; and

a circulation fan for circulating air through the purification pipe passage, and

wherein said air inlet part is formed either in a backside of a robot body which corresponds to the direction opposite to a running direction of the robot body or in a front side of a robot body which corresponds to the running direction of the robot body, and

wherein said robot operation means includes;

a display unit disposed on an upper side of the robot body for displaying air pollution, temperature and humidity;

an operation switch disposed in the display unit for operating the same; and

a wireless remote controller disposed in the air purification robot for transmitting a wireless operation signal, and

wherein said power unit includes a secondary battery accommodated in a lower side of the robot body; and

a power supply unit disposed in the backside fixing body for receiving electric power from the charging unit, and

wherein said power supply unit includes either a connection terminal directly connected with the charging unit or an induction coil connection part for receiving electric power from the charging unit based on magnetic induction.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said robot control unit includes:

a pollution detection control unit disposed in an upper body of the robot body for detecting an air pollution inputted into the air pollution detection means and controlling an operation of the air purification means;

a movement control unit for detecting an obstacle using the obstacle detection means and controlling an operation of the robot moving means;

a charging control unit for detecting the remaining power of the power unit and controlling the air purification robot to move toward the charging unit for charging itself;

a communication control unit for controlling a transmission and receiving signal of the external detection device and the charging unit and a receiving wireless signal inputted into the wireless remote controller; and

a main control unit for integrally controlling the operation of each control unit and controlling each control unit in accordance with an input signal of the operation switch and a display operation on the display unit.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said robot body of the air purification robot includes:

a lower body in which a robot moving unit is installed;

four body poles installed in an upper side of the lower body for thereby forming a purification pipe passage;

a front side body engaged to the body pole;

a couple of side surface bodies engaged to the body pole;

a backside body which forms an air inlet part for opening and closing the air purification unit;

a backside fixing body disposed at a lower side of the backside body and engaged to the lower body;

a display unit engaged to an upper side of the body pole; and

an upper body which forms an air outlet part along a rim portion of the display unit.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said air pollution detection sensor is installed at both sides of a robot body so that the air purification robot can move to a polluted area for an air purification work by recognizing the polluted area with the help of a pollution detection difference between two sensors installed at both sides of the robot body.