U.S. patent application number 12/805247 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-02 for dust collection sensing device of automatic cleaner.
Invention is credited to Jason Yan.
Application Number | 20110126375 12/805247 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43049730 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110126375 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yan; Jason |
June 2, 2011 |
Dust collection sensing device of automatic cleaner
Abstract
A dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner
comprises: a main body with a placing chamber provided inside and a
channel is provided on a side of the placing chamber, a dust
collecting box installed within the placing chamber and an extended
vacuuming pipe being provided on a side of the dust collecting box
with an end thereof extending though the channel, a sensing
assembly comprising a signal sending element and a signal receiving
element, which are installed separately on the two opposite wall
surfaces of the channel and are corresponding to the two sides of
the bottom of the vacuuming pipe, and a warning indicator installed
on the main body and connected to the signal receiving element of
the sensing assembly electrically.
Inventors: |
Yan; Jason; (Tucheng City,
TW) |
Family ID: |
43049730 |
Appl. No.: |
12/805247 |
Filed: |
July 21, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/319 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/2805 20130101;
A47L 9/2857 20130101; A47L 9/19 20130101; A47L 2201/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/319 |
International
Class: |
A47L 5/00 20060101
A47L005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 1, 2009 |
TW |
098222493 |
Claims
1. A dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner,
comprising: a main body for being as a dust-vacuuming cleaner with
a controlling logic of an autonomous mobile robot, in which a
placing chamber is provided, and a channel connected to the outside
of the main body being provided on a side of the placing chamber,
and the placing chamber being communicated with an air-extracting
chamber inside the main body, and an air-extracting device being
installed within the air-extracting chamber; a dust collecting box,
placing within the placing chamber, for being as a housing body
forming a containing space, in which an extracting port corresponds
to an opening of the air-extracting chamber being provided on the
dust collecting box, and an extended vacuuming pipe being provided
on a side of the dust collecting box to communicate with an inner
space of the dust collecting box in correspondence to the channel
of the main body with one end of the vacuuming pipe extending
through the channel; a sensing assembly, comprising a signal
sending element and a signal receiving element correspondingly, the
signal sending element and the signal receiving element being
installed separately on the two opposite wall surfaces of the
channel and being provided on two sides of the bottom of the
vacuuming pipe, in which the signal sending element and the signal
receiving element of the sensing assembly may be electronic
components that are able to transmit sensing signals by a specific
light source, and; a warning indicator installed on the main body
and electrically connected to the signal receiving element of the
sensing assembly, in which the warning indicator transmits a
warning by setting an electric logic when the sensing signal
between the signal sending element and the signal receiving element
is interrupted.
2. The dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the warning indicator utilizes a light
source to transmit the warning, and the warning indicator is
installed on an outside surface of an external shell of the main
body.
3. The dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner as
claimed in claim 2, wherein the warning indicator is a flash LED
lamp.
4. The dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the warning indicator utilizes a sound
speaker to transmit the warning, and the warning indicator is
installed within the main body or on the outside surface of the
main body.
5. The dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner as
claimed in claim 4, wherein the warning indicator is a buzzer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a dust collection sensing
device of an automatic cleaner, and more particularly to a device
which transmits a warning when a dust collecting box of the
automatic cleaner is overflowing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is a common technology to vacuuming and cleaning an
indoor environment by an automatic cleaning device. The
implementing concept is, without human operation, to facilitate the
cleaning device having a dust-vacuuming function by a controlling
logic of an autonomous robot to automatically achieve the purpose
of cleaning the floor.
[0003] The automatic cleaning device in the existing technology is
the same as a common vacuuming device, in which a dust collecting
box is provided so as to contain the collected dust and waste
during a clean period. However, the dust collecting box is
installed in the internal space of the automatic cleaning device,
so the user can't judge directly the quantity of the collected dust
and the waste in the dust collecting box timely with the unaided
eyes. The user has to disassemble the automatic cleaning device to
check the quantity of the collected dust and waste in the dust
collecting box after a period of time, so as to ensure that the
automatic cleaning device effects properly. However, it is quite
inconvenient because the user has to check the dust collecting box
constantly. It may waste time and the unnecessary power consumption
due to the invalid operation of the automatic cleaning device from
user's inattention or busy work if the user forgets to check the
dust collecting box.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In order to overcome the above drawbacks, an objective of
the present invention is to provide an improved dust collection
sensing device of an automatic cleaner.
[0005] In order to achieve above objective, the present invention
provides a dust collection sensing device of an automatic cleaner
comprising: [0006] a main body for being as a dust-vacuuming
cleaner with a controlling logic of an autonomous mobile robot, in
which a placing chamber is provided, and a channel connected to the
outside of the main body is provided on a side of the placing
chamber, and the placing chamber communicates with an
air-extracting chamber inside the main body, and an air-extracting
device is installed within the air-extracting chamber, [0007] a
dust collecting box, placed within the placing chamber, for being
as a housing body forming a containing space, in which an
extracting port corresponding to an opening of the air-extracting
chamber is provided on the dust collecting box, and an extended
vacuuming pipe is provided on a side of the dust collecting box to
communicate with an inner space of the dust collecting box in
correspondence to the channel of the main body with one end of the
vacuuming pipe extending through the channel, [0008] a sensing
assembly comprising a signal sending element and a signal receiving
element correspondingly, wherein the signal sending element and the
signal receiving element are installed separately on the two
opposite wall surfaces of the channel and are provided on two sides
of the bottom of the vacuuming pipe, in which the signal sending
element and the signal receiving element of the sensing assembly
may be electronic components that are able to transmit sensing
signals by a specific light source, and [0009] a warning indicator
installed on the main body and electrically connected to the signal
receiving element of the sensing assembly, in which the warning
indicator transmits a warning by setting an electric logic when the
sensing signal between the signal sending element and the signal
receiving element is interrupted.
[0010] The design of the present invention is to install the
sensing assembly on the two opposite wall surfaces of the channel
in a position corresponding to the bottom of the vacuuming pipe.
Thus when the inner space of the dust collecting box is almost full
of the dust, the jammed dust may stay in the vacuuming pipe and be
incapable of entering to the inner space of the dust collecting box
Thus the jammed dust blocks light transmitting between the signal
sending element and the signal receiving element, and then the
warning indicator is actuated to transmit a warning so as to remind
the user to clear the dust collecting box to avoid the automatic
cleaning device from an invalid operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the present
invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the present
invention; and
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section view of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] In order to realize the characteristics, the subject matter,
and the advantages of the present invention and the efficacy
thereof, accompanying drawings and the detailed description of the
embodiments are described as below. The purposes of the drawings
adopted by the present invention are just to exemplify and support
the specification. Those drawings are not necessarily as the real
proportion and the accurate arrangements. The real implementation
of the claims of the present invention is not limited by the
proportions and the arrangements in the drawings.
[0015] Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. The dust collection
sensing device of an automatic cleaner of the present invention in
a preferred embodiment includes a main body (10), a dust collecting
box (20), a sensing assembly (30) and a warning indicator (40).
[0016] The main body (10) is a dust-vacuuming type cleaner with a
controlling logic of an autonomous mobile robot, in which a placing
chamber (11) is installed. A channel (12) connected to the
corresponding floor surface outside the main body (10) is provided
on a side of the placing chamber (11). The placing chamber (11)
connects to an air-extracting chamber (13) inside the main body
(10). An air-extracting device may be installed within the
air-extracting chamber (13) as a vacuuming power source of the
present invention.
[0017] The dust collecting box (20) is a housing body which forms a
containing space and is installed within the placing chamber
correspondingly. An extracting port (21) corresponding to an
opening of the air-extracting chamber (13) is provided on the dust
collecting box (20) for extracting and vacuuming after actuating
the air-extracting device. An extended vacuuming pipe (22) is
provided on a side of the dust collecting box. The vacuuming pipe
(22) is communicated with an inner space of the dust collecting box
(20) and is installed within the channel (12) of the main body (10)
correspondingly and extends through the channel (12) by an end
thereof to vacuum the floor surface. A filter screen (23) is
further installed between the extracting port (21) and the
vacuuming pipe (22) so as to isolate the vacuumed dust and
waste.
[0018] The sensing assembly (30) further comprises a signal sending
element (31) and a signal receiving element (32) correspondingly.
The signal sending element (31) and the signal receiving element
(32) are installed separately on the two opposite wall surfaces of
the channel (12) and are positioned to correspond to two sides of
the bottom of the vacuuming pipe (22), wherein the signal sending
element (31) and the signal receiving element (32) of the sensing
assembly (30) may be electronic components that are able to utilize
a specific light source for sending sensing signals.
[0019] The warning indicator (40) is installed on the main body
(10) and connected to the signal receiving element (32) of the
sensing assembly (30) electrically. The warning indicator (40) may
transmit a warning to remind the user by setting an electric logic
when the sensing signal between the signal sending element (31) and
the signal receiving element (32) is interrupted. The warning
indicator (40) may utilize various warnings such as a light source
or a sound speaker for transmitting the warning. When it comes to a
light source to transmit the warning (e.g. a flash LED lamp), the
warning indicator (40) has to be installed on an outside surface of
an external shell of the main body (10) for viewing by the user
with the unaided eyes. When it comes to a sound speaker used as the
warning in an embodiment (e.g. a buzzer), the structure is not
limited to the above. The warning indicator (40) may be installed
within the inner space of the main body (10) or on the outside
surface of the main body (10). A flash lamp is used in the drawings
to be one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] The characteristic of the present invention is that the
sensing assembly (30) is provided on the two opposite wall surfaces
of the channel (12) and is corresponding to the bottom of the
vacuuming pipe (22). When the inner space of the dust collecting
box (20) is almost full of dust, the jammed dust may stay in the
vacuuming pipe (22) and be incapable of entering to the inner space
of the dust collecting box (20), and thus the dust will block light
transmitting between the signal sending element (31) and the signal
receiving element (32). Then the warning indicator (40) is actuated
to transmit a warning so as to remind the user should clear the
dust collecting box (20) to avoid the automatic cleaning device
from invalid vacuuming.
[0021] As can be appreciated from the above content, the present
invention has achieved desired effects and a person having ordinary
skill in the art can not reach the present invention easily.
Furthermore, the present invention is not published before filing,
and the inventive step and the industrial applicability thereof
accord with the requirements of patentability.
[0022] Above detailed description of the embodiments only describes
the technical concepts and the characteristics of the present
invention. The objective is to make a person having ordinary skill
in the art can realize and carry out the subject matter of the
present invention, but not to limit the claims of the present
invention. Any change or modification that is made according to the
spirit of the present invention should be included in appended
claims.
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