CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20180184874A1
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Published: 07/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Granted Patent: US 10,918,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/07 Hall effect devices

Abstract

A cleaning robot, which performs cleaning operation while moving, includes a cover, to which external force is applied, a movement frame fastened to the cover, a fixed body provided in the cover, a traveling unit connected to the fixed body, and an elasticity setting part configured to movably support the movement frame to the fixed body, wherein the elasticity setting part includes a sensor configured to sense movement of the movement frame.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a fixed body;

a traveling part provided at a lower portion of the fixed body to enable the cleaning robot to move along a floor surface;

a suction part provided at the fixed body to suck foreign materials from the floor surface;

a cover surrounding the fixed body, the cover being configured to receive an external force;

a movement frame supporting the cover, the movement frame being movable horizontally with respect to the fixed body;

at least one elasticity setting part provided between the movement frame and the fixed body to support the movement frame relative to the fixed body, and to permit limited movement of the cover with respect to the fixed body; and

a sensor configured to sense movement of the movement frame.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the traveling part comprises a plurality of wheels.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a side brush protruding from a front lower end of the cover.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a Hall effect sensor.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 4, further comprising a magnetic material connected to the movement frame.

6. The cleaning robot according to claim 5, further comprising a magnetic-material fixing part extending from a lateral side of the movement frame to fix the magnetic material to the movement frame.

7. The cleaning robot according to claim 6, wherein the magnetic-material fixing part positions the magnetic material at a vertically upper side of the Hall effect sensor.

8. The cleaning robot according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic material moves adjacent to an upper side of the Hall effect sensor when the cover moves by the external force.

9. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to recognize that the external force is applied to the cover based on a sensed result of the sensor,

wherein the controller controls the traveling unit to change traveling properties of the cleaning robot when the external force is applied.

10. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the cover forms an external appearance of the cleaning robot.

11. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the at least one elasticity setting part comprises:

a plate provided on the fixed body;

an inner body contacting an upper surface of the plate; and

a movement shaft connecting the movement frame to the inner body,

wherein the inner body is horizontally movable with respect to the plate.

12. The cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein the inner body horizontally moves according to external force applied to the cover.

13. The cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein the at least one elasticity setting part includes:

a first elasticity setting part provided at a front side of the fixed body;

a second elasticity setting part provided at a left rear portion of the fixed body; and

a third elasticity setting part provided at a right rear portion of the fixed body,

wherein the first, second and third elasticity setting parts are arranged in a triangular shape.

14. The cleaning robot according to claim 13, wherein each of the first, second and third elasticity setting parts comprises:

a first elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a first direction; and

a second elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a second direction.

15. The cleaning robot according to claim 13, wherein the first elasticity setting part comprises:

a first plate portion provided at a front portion of the fixed body;

a first inner body contacting an upper surface of the first plate portion; and

a first movement shaft connecting the movement frame to the first inner body,

wherein the second elasticity setting part comprises;

a second plate portion provided at a left rear portion of the fixed body;

a second inner body contacting an upper surface of the second plate portion; and

a second movement shaft connecting the movement frame to the second inner body,

wherein the third elasticity setting part comprises;

a third plate portion provided at a right rear portion of the fixed body;

a third inner body contacting an upper surface of the third plate portion; and

a third movement shaft connecting the movement frame to the third inner body, and

wherein the first, second and third inner bodies are arranged in a triangular shape.

16. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the at least one elasticity setting part further comprises:

a first elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a first direction; and

a second elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a second direction.

17. The cleaning robot according to claim 16, wherein the second direction is generally orthogonal to the first direction.

18. The cleaning robot according to claim 16, wherein vector components of forces provided by the first elastic member and the second elastic member sum together in a front-to-rear direction of the cleaning robot so that the movement frame is biased toward a front of the cleaning robot, and offset each other in a side-to-side direction of the cleaning robot so that the movement frame is biased toward an intermediate positon between a right side and a left side of the cleaning robot.

19. A cleaning robot comprising:

a fixed body;

a traveling part provided at a lower portion of the fixed body to enable the cleaning robot to move along a floor surface;

a suction part provided at the fixed body to suck foreign materials from the floor surface;

a cover surrounding the fixed body, the cover being configured to receive an external force;

at least one elasticity setting part provided between the cover and the fixed body to support the cover relative to the fixed body, and to permit limited horizontal movement of the cover with respect to the fixed body, the at least one elasticity setting part comprising a sensor for sensing movement of the cover.

20. A cleaning robot comprising:

a fixed body;

a plurality of wheels provided at a lower portion of the fixed body to enable the cleaning robot to move along a floor surface;

a suction part provided at the fixed body to suck foreign materials from the floor surface;

a cover surrounding the fixed body, the cover being configured to receive an external force;

a movement frame supporting the cover, the movement frame being movable horizontally with respect to the fixed body;

at least one elasticity setting part provided between the movement frame and the fixed body to support the movement frame relative to the fixed body, and to permit limited movement of the cover with respect to the fixed body, the at least one elasticity setting part comprising;

a plate provided on the fixed body;

an inner body contacting an upper surface of the plate;

a movement shaft connecting the movement frame to the inner body;

a first elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a first direction; and

a second elastic member connected between the movement frame and the fixed body for biasing the movement frame in a second direction;

a sensor configured to sense movement of the movement frame; and

a controller configured to recognize that the external force is applied to the cover based on a sensed result of the sensor,

wherein the controller controls the plurality of wheels to change traveling properties of the cleaning robot when the external force is applied.