Cleaning robot having improved driving and cleaning ability

• US 9,872,594 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yujin Robot Co., Ltd. (The Miele Group)
• Original Assignee: Yujin Robot Co., Ltd. (The Miele Group)
• Inventors: Shin, Kyung Chul, Park, Seong Ju, Chang, Min, Kim, Wan Geun, Kim, Sang Hyun, Lee, No Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
• Application Number:
  US15/363,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20170071437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 15319, 15339, 153403
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/40 Parts or details of machines not provided for in groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, or not restricted to one of these groups, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means

Abstract

Disclosed is a cleaning robot having an improved driving and cleaning ability. The cleaning robot includes a dust collecting blade. A lower end of the dust collecting blade is bent in a direction opposite to the driving direction of the cleaning robot during operation of the cleaning robot, so that wobbling is not generated even though the ground surface on which the cleaning robot operates has bumps and gaps.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a frame;

a rotary brush;

a dust box;

a dust collecting blade positioned to guide debris collected by the rotary brush to the dust box, the dust collecting blade extending from the dust box toward the rotary brush and including a lower portion that is bent away from the rotary brush and in a direction opposite to a driving direction of the cleaning robot at least when the cleaning robot is moving in the driving direction;

a bracket supporting a rear surface of the dust collecting blade at a portion of the dust collecting blade at which the lower portion of the dust collecting blade is bent; and

a coupler securing the dust collecting blade and the bracket to at least one of the frame and the dust box.

2. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the bracket restricts an angular movement of the lower portion of the blade about the portion of the dust collecting blade at which the lower portion of the dust collecting blade is bent.

3. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the bracket maintains an orientation of an upper portion of the dust collecting blade in the driving direction of the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot is moving in the driving direction.

4. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the dust collecting blade comprises an elastic material.

5. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the dust collecting blade is bent away from the rotary brush and in the direction opposite to the driving direction of the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot is moving in the driving direction and when the cleaning robot is stationary.

6. The cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising one or more bars provided on a rear surface of the dust cleaning blade to increase a restoring force of the dust cleaning blade.

7. The cleaning robot of claim 6, wherein each of the at least one bars has a semicircular shape.

8. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the coupler comprises an elastic material that cooperates with the bracket to urge the dust collecting blade towards a ground surface.

9. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush includes a plurality of fibers of differing lengths.

10. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush includes a plurality of brushes arranged in rows, each of the plurality of brushes including a plurality of fibers of differing lengths.

11. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush comprises a plurality of brushes arranged in V shaped rows, each of the plurality of brushes including a plurality of fibers of differing lengths.

12. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush comprises a plurality of brushes, each of the plurality of brushes including fibers having a first length which extends from a surface of the rotary brush to a ground surface and fibers having a second length which extends from the surface of the rotary brush to a bottom edge of the dust collecting blade.

13. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush comprises a plurality of fibers formed of a first material and a plurality of fibers formed of a second material, wherein the first material is more wear resistant and less elastic than the second material.

14. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the rotary brush includes fibers of different lengths and wherein the cleaning robot further comprises an elastic rib sized and positioned to interfere with each of the fibers as the rotary brush rotates.

15. The cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bars provided on a rear surface of the dust cleaning blade to increase a restoring force of the dust cleaning blade, wherein sizes of the plurality of bars decrease toward the lower portion of the dust cleaning blade.