U.S. patent application number 11/527548 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-12 for robot cleaning system.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jae Man Joo, Jun Hwa Lee.
Application Number | 20070157416 11/527548 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37564446 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070157416 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Jun Hwa ; et
al. |
July 12, 2007 |
Robot cleaning system
Abstract
A robot cleaning system having a general cleaning function using
a cleaner and a cleaning robot charging function using a cleaning
robot. The robot cleaning system includes a cleaner that performs
manual cleaning while being moved by a user in an area to be
cleaned and a charger to be connected to the cleaning robot that
performs automatic cleaning, so as to charge a rechargeable battery
mounted in the cleaning robot. A body of the cleaner has a space
for receiving the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot returns to
the cleaner for the sake of charging. A power terminal is provided
at a surface of the body defining the receiving space to supply
electric power to the cleaning robot.
Inventors: |
Lee; Jun Hwa; (Anyang-Si,
KR) ; Joo; Jae Man; (Suwon-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700, 1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
37564446 |
Appl. No.: |
11/527548 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/319 ;
15/328 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/2894 20130101;
A47L 9/009 20130101; A47L 5/362 20130101; A47L 9/2884 20130101;
A47L 9/2873 20130101; A47L 2201/022 20130101; A47L 9/2857 20130101;
A47L 9/2852 20130101; A47L 9/2805 20130101; A47L 2201/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/319 ;
15/328 |
International
Class: |
A47L 5/00 20060101
A47L005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 6, 2006 |
KR |
2006-0001920 |
Claims
1. A robot cleaning system, comprising: a cleaner that performs
manual cleaning while being moved by a user in an area to be
cleaned; and a charger to be connected to a cleaning robot that
performs automatic cleaning, so as to charge a rechargeable battery
mounted in the cleaning robot.
2. The robot cleaning system according to claim 1, further
comprising: a body having a space for receiving the cleaning robot
when the cleaning robot returns to the cleaner for charging,
wherein the charger includes a power terminal provided at an outer
surface of the body to be connected to the cleaning robot.
3. The robot cleaning system according to claim 2, wherein the body
has a protruding portion, which protrudes forward to define the
cleaning robot receiving space therebelow.
4. The robot cleaning system according to claim 3, wherein the
power terminal is located at a lower surface of the protruding
portion.
5. A cleaner configured to perform manual cleaning while being
moved by a user in an area to be cleaned, comprising: a body having
a receiving space receiving a cleaning robot that performs
automatic cleaning, the body including a power terminal mounted at
a surface of the body defining the receiving space to supply
electric power to the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot is
located in the receiving space.
6. The cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the body further
comprises: a protruding portion, which protrudes forward from an
upper end of the body by a predetermined length to define the
receiving space therebelow.
7. The cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the power terminal is
located at a lower surface of the protruding portion.
8. The robot cleaning system according to claim 2, wherein the body
of the cleaning robot is coupled to the cleaner to perform manual
cleaning and automatic cleaning simultaneously.
9. The cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning robot
further comprises: a battery charge level detector detecting a
charge level of a rechargeable battery and transmitting a charge
request signal; and a controller receiving the charge request
signal indicating a charge level of the rechargeable battery.
10. The cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the controller
controls a drive device to drive the cleaning robot to the
receiving space when the transmitted charge request signal
indicates that the charge level is insufficient.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2006-1920, filed on Jan. 6, 2006 in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a robot cleaning system, and, more
particularly, to a robot cleaning system having a cleaner for
manual cleaning and a cleaning robot with a charger for charging
the cleaning robot that performs automatic cleaning.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A cleaner is a device used for cleaning the room and is
typically used to remove dust, dirt, and debris in a room.
Generally used is a vacuum cleaner for collecting dust and loose
debris by a suction force generated from a low-pressure unit.
Recently, a cleaning robot, which is designed to remove dust and
loose debris from the floor while moving on the floor via
self-traveling and without manual operation, has been developed.
Hereinafter, the term "automatic cleaning" refers to a cleaning
operation performed by a cleaning robot that removes dust and loose
debris while moving by itself, whereas the term "manual cleaning"
refers to a cleaning operation performed by a person using a vacuum
cleaner.
[0006] The cleaning robot contains a rechargeable battery to supply
electric power required to drive the cleaning robot, and is
combined with a docking station to form a single cleaning system.
The docking station is located at a specific place in a room and
serves to charge the cleaning robot.
[0007] In spite of an advantage that the cleaning robot can reduce
the labor of a person required for manual cleaning, the cleaning
robot still has several problems. The automatic cleaning function
of the cleaning robot is limited to the floor The cleaning robot is
not successful in automatic cleaning in other areas, for example,
the surface of a sofa, shelf, or the like, and therefore, has a
limited cleaning area. Moreover, the cleaning robot is smaller than
a general vacuum cleaner, and is unable to generate a strong
suction force, resulting in insufficient cleaning.
[0008] Due to the above-described problems of the cleaning robot,
there still exists a need for a person to manually clean specific
places with a general vacuum cleaner rather than the cleaning
robot. A cleaning robot cannot reach all places. Additionally,
manual cleaning is preferred over a cleaning robot because a
cleaning robot lacks adequate power to sufficiently clean all
areas.
[0009] Accordingly, a cleaning operation using both automatic
cleaning and manual cleaning require the use of the cleaning robot,
the docking station, and a general vacuum cleaner. This results in
increased costs and reduces the amount of indoor space
available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by
practice of the invention.
[0011] Therefore, the invention has been made in order to solve the
above problems, and it is an aspect of the invention to provide a
robot cleaning system having both a general cleaning function using
a cleaner and a cleaning robot charging function using a cleaning
robot.
[0012] In accordance with one aspect, the invention provides a
cleaner configured to perform manual cleaning while being moved by
a user in an area to be cleaned, including: a charger to be
connected to a cleaning robot that performs automatic cleaning, so
as to charge a rechargeable battery mounted in the cleaning
robot.
[0013] The cleaner may further include a body having a space for
receiving the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot returns to the
cleaner for the sake of charging, and the charger may include a
power terminal provided at an outer surface of the body to be
connected to the cleaning robot.
[0014] The body may have a protruding portion, which protrudes
forward to define the cleaning robot receiving space
therebelow.
[0015] The power terminal may be located at a lower surface of the
protruding portion.
[0016] In accordance with another aspect, the invention provides a
cleaner configured to perform manual cleaning while being moved by
a user in an area to be cleaned, including: a body having a
receiving space for receiving a cleaning robot that performs
automatic cleaning, the body including a power terminal mounted at
a surface of the body defining the receiving space to supply
electric power to the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot is
located in the receiving space.
[0017] The body may further include a protruding portion, which
protrudes forward from an upper end of the body by a predetermined
length to define the receiving space therebelow.
[0018] The power terminal may be located at a lower surface of the
protruding portion.
[0019] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice
of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the outer
appearance of a cleaner and cleaning robot that returns to the
cleaner for charging in accordance with the invention; and
[0022] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the inner
configuration of the cleaner and cleaning robot of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiment of
the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to
like elements throughout. The embodiment is described below to
explain the invention by referring to the figures.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the outer
appearance of a cleaner and cleaning robot that returns to the
cleaner for charging in accordance with the invention. FIG. 2 is a
side sectional view showing the inner configuration of the cleaner
and cleaning robot of FIG. 1.
[0025] Prior to explaining the configuration of a cleaner in
accordance with the invention, the configuration of a cleaning
robot 10, which is designed to return to the cleaner when it needs
to be charged during automatic cleaning, will be described in
brief.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning robot 10 includes a robot
body 20, a suction device 30, a drive device 40, a controller 50, a
recognizer (not shown), a rechargeable battery 60, and a battery
charge level detector 70.
[0027] The suction device 30 is used to vacuum and collect dust and
loose debris, and includes a brush 31, a suction pipe 32, a dust
collector 33, and a blower 34. The drive device 40 enables
self-traveling of the cleaning robot 10, and includes a driving
wheel 41, a driven wheel 42, and a drive motor (not shown) to
rotate the driving wheel 41. The recognizer (not shown) includes an
obstacle detection sensor, a traveling distance detection sensor,
and a camera, and serves to allow the cleaning robot 10 to perform
efficient cleaning, traveling, and returning operations. The
rechargeable battery 60 has a charging terminal 61 protruding out
of the robot body 20, such that it is charged by a commercial
alternator when the cleaning robot 10 is connected to a cleaner 100
in accordance with the invention. The battery charge level detector
70 is used to detect a charge level of the rechargeable battery 60
when the cleaning robot 10 returns to the cleaner 100. If the
detected charge level reaches a preset lowest level, the detector
70 sends a charge request signal to the controller 50.
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaner 100 in accordance
with the invention includes a body 110 in which a variety of
elements are mounted, a suction piece 120 to vacuum dust and loose
debris from the floor B, and a connection pipe 130 to connect the
body 110 to the suction piece 120, to allow a suction force,
generated by the body 110, to be transferred to the suction piece
120.
[0029] The connection pipe 130 includes a suction hose 131 and a
suction pipe 132. A handle 133 is interposed between the suction
hose 131 and the suction pipe 132. The handle 133 is provided with
a variety of buttons to enable easy manipulation. The suction hose
131 is a flexible wrinkled hose having a first end connected to the
handle 133 and a second end connected to the body 110. The suction
pipe 132 has a first end connected to the suction piece 120 and a
second end connected to the handle 133. With this arrangement, a
user is able to perform manual cleaning to remove dust and loose
debris from the floor while moving freely in a standing
posture.
[0030] The body 110 contains a blowing device 111 to provide a
suction force required to vacuum dust and loose debris during
manual cleaning, and a dust collector 112 to store dust and debris
vacuumed. The dust collector 112 may be a dust envelope, or cyclone
dust collector that is widely used. Although not shown, the blowing
device 111 includes a suction motor, and a fan to be rotated by the
suction motor.
[0031] In particular, the cleaner 100 in accordance with the
invention is designed to serve as a docking station for charging
the rechargeable battery 60 mounted in the cleaning robot 10 that
performs automatic cleaning. Accordingly, there is no need for a
separate docking station for the cleaning robot 10 that performs
automatic cleaning. This prevents an increase in the number of
cleaning devices. The invention reduces costs and the space needed
to store and operate the cleaning devices.
[0032] To serve as a docking station, the body 110 of the robot
cleaning system 100 in accordance with the invention is configured
to have a space S, which is utilized to house the cleaning robot 10
when the cleaning robot 10 returns to the robot cleaning system 100
for the sake of charging. Also, the body 110 contains a charger 140
to charge the rechargeable battery 60 of the cleaning robot 10. The
body 110 may have an internal shape selected from among a variety
of shapes suitable to receive the cleaning robot 10. In one
embodiment, the body 110 may have a protruding portion 113 that
protrudes forward by a predetermined length to define the receiving
space S therebelow.
[0033] The charger 140 has a power terminal 141 provided at an
outer surface of the body 110. The lower terminal 41 is positioned
to be connected to the charging terminal 61 of the cleaning robot
10 when the cleaning robot 10 returns to the cleaner 100.
Specifically, the power terminal 141 may be located at a lower
surface 113a of the protruding portion 113.
[0034] The power terminal 141 is connected to a power cord 150 via
an internal transformer and power cable, such that it supplies
power to the rechargeable battery 60 as it is connected to the
charging terminal 61 of the cleaning robot 10. The power cord 150
is connected to an external commercial alternator when the cleaner
100 serves to charge the cleaning robot 10.
[0035] Hereinafter, the operation of the cleaning robot and cleaner
associated with the subject of the invention will be explained with
reference to the accompanying drawings. In an initial state, the
power cord 150 of the cleaner 100 is connected to the external
commercial alternator. Also, the cleaning robot 10 is received in
the receiving space S that is defined below the protruding portion
113 of the body 110 of the cleaner 100, such that the charging
terminal 61 is in a waiting state while being connected to the
power terminal 141 of the cleaner 100. Then, if a signal for
directing a cleaning operation is transmitted to the cleaning robot
10, the cleaning robot 10 acts to remove dust and loose debris from
the floor while moving by itself in an area to be cleaned.
[0036] During the automatic cleaning, the battery charge level
detector 70 of the cleaning robot 10 checks the rechargeable
battery 60 periodically, so as to send a charge request signal to
the controller 50 when the rechargeable battery 60 needs to be
charged. If the charge request signal is transmitted to the
controller 50, the controller 50 controls the drive device 40 to
cause the cleaning robot 10 to return to the receiving space S of
the cleaner 100. In this case, the recognizer (not shown) acts to
collect a variety of information and to send the information to the
controller 50, in order to guide the cleaning robot 10 to a
predetermined position. After the cleaning robot 10 returns to the
receiving space S, the charging terminal 61 of the cleaning robot
10 is connected to the power terminal 141 that is connected to an
external power source via the power cord 150. Thereby, the external
power source supplies electric power to charge the rechargeable
battery 60 of the cleaning robot 10.
[0037] Meanwhile, to perform manual cleaning, after the cleaning
robot 10 is separated from the cleaner 100, the cleaner 100 is
moved and steered by a user to remove dust and loose debris from
the floor through the suction piece 120.
[0038] As apparent from the above description, the invention
provides a cleaner having both a general cleaning function and a
cleaning robot charging function. Such a dual function cleaner has
the effect of improving effectiveness of both automatic and manual
cleaning devices thereof. Accordingly, as compared to the
conventional case wherein a plurality of devices required to
perform both automatic cleaning and manual cleaning must be
prepared, a reduced economic burden and improved space utility can
be accomplished.
[0039] Although an embodiment of the invention has been shown and
described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the
principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is
defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *