Robot cleaner

• US 8,065,778 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Chang Woo, Joo, Jae Man, Hong, Jun Pyo, Kim, Dong Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Muller; Bryan R
• Application Number:
  US12/222,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 153/19, 153/49, 15 411- 482, 153401-3404
• US Class Current: 15/319
• 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 9/1463 specially adapted for rigid filtering receptacles

Abstract

A robot cleaner that is capable of preventing dust collected in a dust tank from flowing backward outside when a situation in which the dust may be discharged outside occurs includes a cleaner body, a dust tank mounted in the cleaner body to collect dust, and a backward-flow preventing device to prevent dust from flowing backward outside through a suction port of the dust tank. The backward-flow preventing device includes a shutter unit to open and close the suction port and a stopper unit to drive the shutter unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a dust tank separably engaged with the cleaner body in a horizontal direction to collect dust; and

a backward-flow preventing device to prevent dust from flowing backward outside through a suction port provided at a lower portion of a side surface of the dust tank,

wherein the backward-flow preventing device includes a shutter unit mounted at the side surface of the dust tank to open and close the suction port and a stopper unit mounted at a side surface of the cleaner body corresponding to the installation place of the shutter unit to drive the shutter unit,

wherein the shutter unit includes an opening and closing plate hingedly mounted at the suction port side, a pivotable lever to hingedly rotate the opening and closing plate, and

wherein the stopper unit is movable between first and second positions, and the stopper unit pushes the lever, such that the lever is hingedly rotated, to open the opening and closing plate in the first position, and the stopper unit releases the pushed state of the lever to close the opening and closing plate in the second position.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the shutter unit further includes an elastic member to provide an elastic force necessary to maintain the closed state of the suction port achieved by the opening and closing plate.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the stopper unit is movable between first and second positions, and

the dust tank is separably coupled to the cleaner body, and the shutter unit opens the suction port when the dust tank is coupled to the cleaner body and the stopper unit is in the first position, and closes the suction port when the dust tank is separated from the cleaner body and the stopper unit is in the second position.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the backward-flow preventing device further includes a stopper support part to allow the hinged rotation of the stopper unit when the stopper support part moves vertically downward, or restrict the hinged rotation of the stopper unit when the stopper support part moves vertically upward.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the cleaner body includes an auxiliary wheel unit, the stopper support part is constructed to move vertically according to a load applied to the auxiliary wheel unit, and the shutter unit opens the suction port when the stopper support part moves vertically upward, and closes the suction port when the stopper support part moves downward.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the shutter unit opens the suction port when the cleaner body is placed on a floor and closes the suction port when the cleaner body is lifted upward, along with the vertical movement of the cleaner body.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the backward-flow preventing device further includes a stopper support part to support a predetermined position of the stopper unit such that the stopper unit hingedly rotates the shutter unit to open the suction port when the cleaner body moves upward, or release the supported state of the stopper unit such that the stopper unit hingedly rotates the shutter unit to close the suction port when the cleaner body moves downward.

8. A robot cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a dust tank separably engaged with the cleaner body in a horizontal direction to collect dust; and

a backward-flow preventing device to prevent dust from flowing backward outside through a suction port provided at a lower portion of a side surface of the dust tank,

wherein the backward-flow preventing device includes a shutter unit mounted at the side surface of the dust tank to open and close the suction port, a stopper unit mounted at a side surface of the cleaner body corresponding to the installation place of the shutter unit to drive the shutter unit, and a stopper support part to allow the hinged rotation of the stopper unit when the stopper support part moves vertically downward, or restrict the hinged rotation of the stopper unit when the stopper support part moves vertically upward,

wherein the cleaner body includes an auxiliary wheel unit, the stopper support part is constructed to move vertically according to a load applied to the auxiliary wheel unit, and the shutter unit opens the suction port when the stopper support part moves vertically upward, and closes the suction port when the stopper support part moves downward, and

wherein the auxiliary wheel unit includes an auxiliary wheel, a guide rod to guide the vertical movement of the auxiliary wheel, and a spring fitted on the guide rod to elastically support the auxiliary wheel, and the stopper support part is provided at the guide rod.