Robot cleaner

• US 9,314,141 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong Hun, Kim, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, Joseph J
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, JON S
• Application Number:
  US13/722,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20130160226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 15/211, 15/411, 15/42, 151/79, 151/80, 151/85, 153/19, 153/39, 153/404, 153/65, 153/73, 403/112, 403/113
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• 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 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools

Abstract

A robot cleaner capable of improving the external esthetic quality thereof while enhancing the cleaning performance, the robot cleaner including a body configured to remove dust while navigating on a floor and to form an external appearance of the robot cleaner, and a side brush assembly installed at the body to clean corners of the floor, wherein the side brush assembly includes a motor configured to supply a power while being installed at the body, a rotation shaft coupled to the motor, and a plurality of side brushes rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft, and wherein the plurality of side brushes have respective intervals changed with respect to one another such that the plurality of side brushes are prevented from being exposed to outside the body.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a body to form an external appearance of the robot cleaner; and

a side brush assembly installed at the body,

wherein the side brush assembly comprises;

a motor installed at the body;

a rotation shaft coupled to the motor;

a plurality of side brushes coupled to the rotation shaft, the plurality of side brushes including a first side brush fixed to the rotation shaft so as to be rotated and at least one second side brush rotatably coupled with respect to the rotation shaft so as to operate according to rotation of the first side brush; and

a variable member installed between the plurality of side brushes and configured to allow intervals of the first side brush and the at least one second side brush to be changed,

wherein the plurality of side brushes interoperate with each other by the variable member such that respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are increased or decreased according to a rotation direction of the plurality of side brushes.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are increased according to a rotation of the plurality of side brushes in a rotational direction of an operation mode.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are decreased according to a rotation of the plurality of side brushes in a rotational direction of a non-operation mode, such that when rotation of the plurality of side brushes is stopped the respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are decreased and the plurality of side brushes are not exposed outside the body.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the variable member comprises:

a variable part provided to link the first side brush with the at least one second side brush.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the variable part comprises:

a first support part protruding at an end portion of the variable part and contacting the first side brush when the first side brush rotates in an operation mode;

a second support part protruding at another end portion of the variable part in an opposite direction to the first support part; and

a connection part connecting the first support part to the second support part and guiding a rotation of the at least one second side brush.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the variable member comprises:

a first variable part having a first support part to protrude at an end portion of the first variable part and to contact the first side brush when the first side brush rotates in an operation mode and a second support part to protrude at another end portion of the first variable part in an opposite direction to the first support part, and

a second variable part having a third support part to protrude at an end portion of the second variable part and to contact the second support part of the first variable part when the first variable part rotates by the rotation of the first side brush.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein each side brush of the plurality of side brushes comprises:

a side brush arm coupled to the rotation shaft; and

a brush provided at the side brush arm.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 7, wherein each side brush of the plurality of side brushes further comprises:

a linking protrusion configured to allow the plurality of side brushes to be linked to one another according to the rotation of the plurality of side brushes in the rotational direction of the non-operation mode.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein each linking protrusion of the plurality of side brushes is formed on a side brush arm of each side brush of the plurality of side brushes.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the motor is a step motor to locate the plurality of side brushes with changeable intervals.

11. A robot cleaner comprising:

a body to form an external appearance of the robot cleaner; and

a side brush assembly installed at the body,

wherein the side brush assembly comprises;

a motor installed at the body;

a rotation shaft coupled to the motor;

a plurality of side brushes coupled to the rotation shaft,

a plurality of side brushes coupled to the rotation shaft, the plurality of side brushes including a first side brush fixed to the rotation shaft so as to be rotated and at least one second side brush rotatably coupled with respect to the rotation shaft so as to operate according to rotation of the first side brush; and

a variable member installed between the plurality of side brushes and configured to allow intervals of the first side brush and the at least one second side brush to be changed,

wherein the plurality of side brushes interoperate with each other by rotation of the first side brush fixed to the rotation shaft so as to be rotated according to rotation of the motor and by rotation of the variable member.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are increased according to a rotation of the plurality of side brushes in a rotational direction of an operation mode, and

the respective intervals between the plurality of side brushes are decreased according to a rotation of the plurality of side brushes in a rotational direction of a non-operation mode, such that the plurality of side brushes are not exposed to an outside of the body when rotation of the plurality of side brushes is stopped.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein each side brush of the plurality of side brushes further comprises:

a linking protrusion configured to allow the side brushes to be linked to one another according to a rotation of the side brushes in a rotational direction of a non-operation mode.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the plurality of side brushes comprises:

a first side brush fixed to the rotation shaft so as to rotate according to a rotation of the motor; and

at least one second side brush rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft so as to operate according to a rotation of the first side brush and the variable member.

15. The robot cleaner of claim 14, wherein the variable member comprises:

a connection part fixedly supporting the at least one second side brush and guiding a rotation of the at least one second side brush

a support part extending from the connection part in a protruding manner and configured to rotate by making contact with the first side brush that rotates.

16. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein

the motor is a step motor to locate the plurality of side brushes with changed intervals.