U.S. patent application number 13/395923 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-13 for exhaust air feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant anion generator.
This patent application is currently assigned to HANOOL ROBOTICS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Byung-Soo Kim, Byung-Soo Lee, Nam-Su Lee.
Application Number | 20120227210 13/395923 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43732919 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120227210 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Byung-Soo ; et
al. |
September 13, 2012 |
EXHAUST AIR FEEDBACK ROBOT CLEANER EQUIPPED WITH A DISINFECTANT
ANION GENERATOR
Abstract
Disclosed is an exhaust air feedback robot cleaner equipped with
a disinfectant anion generator, including a suction motor to intake
not only air but also dust from a to-be-cleaned surface through a
suction unit installed at the bottom surface and a dust collector
to trap dust so as to allow dust-free air to be discharged via the
suction motor. In the robot cleaner, the disinfectant anion
generator emits disinfectant anions to disinfect the air having
been discharged via the suction motor, a spray nozzle installed at
the front end of an intake port of the robot cleaner sprays the
disinfected air toward the cleaning surface through an exhaust air
feedback unit so that the dust on the to-be-cleaned surface may be
scattered and disinfected, and finally the air, together with the
dust, is sucked in by the suction motor and circulated again to the
exhaust air feedback unit.
Inventors: |
Kim; Byung-Soo;
(Yongin-City, KR) ; Lee; Byung-Soo; (Yeonsu-Gu,
KR) ; Lee; Nam-Su; ( Wonmi-Gu Bucheon-City,
KR) |
Assignee: |
HANOOL ROBOTICS CORPORATION
Bucheon-City
KR
|
Family ID: |
43732919 |
Appl. No.: |
13/395923 |
Filed: |
September 2, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
September 2, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR10/05937 |
371 Date: |
May 2, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/347 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/08 20130101; A47L
5/14 20130101; A47L 2201/00 20130101; A47L 7/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/347 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/10 20060101
A47L009/10; A47L 9/02 20060101 A47L009/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 14, 2009 |
KR |
10-2009-0086654 |
Claims
1. An exhaust air feedback robot cleaner configured such that
foreign matter on a to-be-cleaned surface are sucked along with air
through a suction unit installed on a bottom surface by a suction
motor, the sucked foreign matter is collected by a dust collector,
and air free from the foreign matter is discharged through a drive
motor, wherein the air discharged through the suction motor is
disinfected by disinfectant anions discharged from a disinfectant
anion generator, is then sprayed through an exhaust air circulating
unit toward the to-be-cleaned surface by a spray nozzle installed
at a front end of a suction port of the robot cleaner to cause the
foreign matter on the to-be-cleaned surface to escape and be
disinfected, and is finally sucked along with the foreign matter by
the suction motor so as to be circulated into the exhaust air
circulating unit.
2. The exhaust air feedback robot cleaner according to claim 1,
wherein the anions sprayed onto the to-be-cleaned surface through
the spray nozzle are sucked through the suction unit, and are then
re-sprayed onto the to-be-cleaned surface along with the anions
discharged from the disinfectant anion generator, so that a
disinfection capacity is increased.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an exhaust air feedback
robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant anion generator, and
more particularly to an exhaust air feedback robot cleaner equipped
with a disinfectant anion generator which supplies anions emitted
from an anion generator to exhaust air emitted from a suction motor
or an impeller installed in a robot cleaner and circulates and
sprays the anion-containing exhaust air to a surface to be cleaned
with a spray nozzle unit, so that it can disinfect dust in the
robot cleaner as well as the surface to be cleaned.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Robot cleaners generally travel under their own propulsion
all around a section to be cleaned and suck foreign matter such as
dust from the floor without the intervention of a user,
automatically cleaning the section to be cleaned. Moreover, when
the power of the robot cleaner has almost run out, it moves to a
charging position by itself so that the power can be charged. After
that, when the power has been charged, it returns to the position
where the cleaning was stopped and continues to perform
cleaning.
[0003] Such a robot cleaner is designed to remove foreign matter
from a surface to be cleaned while traveling around in a
predetermined traveling pattern on the section to be cleaned by
itself. However, when the foreign matter adheres to the surface to
be cleaned or to the surface of a carpet, it is usually found that
the robot cleaner just travels along the traveling pattern without
perfectly removing the foreign matter.
[0004] Moreover, the size and weight of the robot cleaner are
limited due to the places where the robot cleaner will be used.
That is, the robot cleaner should be manufactured to be small and
lightweight so as to move easily. Accordingly, it cannot be
equipped with a suction motor of a large capacity, so that it is
difficult to increase the suction force. Therefore, foreign matter
is not likely to be perfectly removed by the robot cleaner.
[0005] Such a problem is especially serious in vacuum suction robot
cleaners. Such a robot cleaner drags around the foreign matter
rather than remove it by suction. This results in an increase in
the area to be cleaned.
[0006] In order to resolve the problem caused by the insufficient
suction force due to the use of a small motor, a suction and brush
type cleaner has been put into use that combines a vacuum sucking
system and a brush system. In the suction and brush type, a brush
first pushes up foreign matter inside a robot cleaner and then the
pushed-up foreign matter is sucked up by the vacuum sucking system.
Accordingly, the foreign matter on the to-be-cleaned surface, which
can be brought into contact with the brush, can be removed.
However, it is difficult to remove the foreign matter sticking to
the other areas because the foreign matter in the other areas is
removed only by the vacuum sucking system. Moreover, in the suction
and brush type, a suction port is located at the top of the brush.
This is also one of the reasons for the suction force being weak.
Accordingly, the foreign matter that could not be removed by the
brush may still be left behind.
[0007] As described above, the suction and brush type is designed
to complement for the drawback of the vacuum sucking system by
using the brush but this is not a fundamental solution to the
remaining foreign matter. Moreover, due to the addition of the
brush system, an additional part is necessary, which results in an
increase in cost and causes maintenance problems.
[0008] In conventional robot cleaners, dust is sucked up through a
suction port along with air and collected up by a dust collector,
and after which, the dust-free air cools a suction motor and is
then discharged out of the robot cleaner through an exhaust air
port. Due to the flow of exhaust air, a problem arises in that the
foreign matter that has accumulated near the robot cleaner is
scattered around.
[0009] Conventional robot cleaners remove the foreign matter by
sucking the dust or dirt off the floor (the surface to be cleaned)
while traveling around. However, since the scattering dust remains
in the air after the removal of the foreign matter, there are
various problems such as having a negative impact on a user's
respiration.
DISCLOSURE
Technical Problem
[0010] In order to resolve the problems described above, one object
of the invention is to provide an exhaust air feedback robot
cleaner equipped with an disinfectant anion generator that is
installed in the exhaust air feedback robot cleaner, so that a
surface to be cleaned or exhaust air which is to be sprayed onto
the surface to be cleaned can both be disinfected.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide an exhaust air
feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant anion generator
which increases the anion content in the circulating air to be
sprayed to a surface to be cleaned by discharging anions to the
circulating air by an exhaust air circulation mechanism, thereby
enhancing the effect of disinfecting the surface to be cleaned.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide an exhaust
air feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant anion
generator in which the disinfectant anion generator is installed
between a suction motor and left and right passages so that anions
can be sprayed onto the surface, which is to be cleaned, by suction
force generated by a drive motor.
[0013] Yet another object of the invention is to provide an exhaust
air feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant anion
generator in which circulating exhaust air contains anion and air
is uniformly sprayed onto a surface to be cleaned, so that foreign
matter on the surface to be cleaned to be uniformly dispersed and
the effect of disinfecting both the surface to be cleaned and the
foreign matter can be enhanced.
[0014] Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an
exhaust air feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant
anion generator which makes foreign matter on a surface to be
cleaned to escape from the surface by the action of circulating
exhaust air and prevents the escaping foreign matter from being
scattered, thereby being capable of effectively removing the
foreign matter and enhancing the efficiency of disinfection.
[0015] Yet still further object of the invention is to provide an
exhaust air feedback robot cleaner equipped with a disinfectant
anion generator in which when circulation of exhaust air is applied
to a robot cleaner, a circulation path of a suction air is modified
so that the exhaust air can contain anions, which results in an
enhanced disinfecting effect and an improved circulation path for
the exhaust air.
Technical Solution
[0016] The present invention relates to a robot cleaner in which
foreign matter on a surface to be cleaned is sucked along with air
through a suction unit provided at the bottom surface of the robot
cleaner by a suction motor, the sucked foreign matter is collected
by a dust collector, and the dust-free air is discharged through a
drive motor, in which
[0017] the air having been discharged through the suction motor is
disinfected by disinfectant anions discharged from the disinfectant
anion generator, the anion-containing air is sprayed, toward the
surface to be cleaned by a spray nozzle installed at a front end of
a suction port of the robot cleaner, through an exhaust air
circulating unit so that foreign matter on the to-be-cleaned
surface can escape from the to-be-cleaned surface and can be
disinfected, and finally the air is sucked along with the foreign
matter by the drive motor so as to be circulated into the exhaust
air circulating unit.
[0018] According to the invention, the disinfectant anion generator
is connected with the exhaust air circulating unit of the exhaust
air circulation type robot cleaner so that the air sucked by the
exhaust air circulating unit may contain anions. After that, the
anion-containing air is sprayed toward the surface to be cleaned
and is returned to be circulated. In this way, the anion content in
the circulating air is continuously increased, and as a result the
disinfection efficiency inside and outside of the robot cleaner is
improved.
[0019] According to the invention, since the disinfectant anions
are discharged by strong air circulation force of the circulating
exhaust air, the effect of disinfecting the surface to be cleaned
is enhanced. Therefore, floating substances such as dust mites
which have been hidden in a carpet or the like can be removed,
improving the residential environment.
[0020] Moreover, the invention can achieve both the efficient
removal of foreign matter by the circulation of exhaust air and the
disinfection and removal of viruses, germs, and bacteria at the
same time by performing a cleaning operation once.
[0021] According to the invention, foreign matter is sucked and
removed by two kinds of removal mechanisms, that is, the spraying
force of circulating air and the suction force of a suction motor.
Accordingly, a suction motor with a small capacity can be applied
to a robot cleaner, which results in a small and lightweight robot
cleaner being realized.
[0022] According to the invention, when the anion-containing
circulating air is sprayed from the front end of the suction port
by the spray nozzle, an air curtain may be formed. Thanks to this
mechanism, the robot cleaner has many effects, for example, it is
possible to prevent foreign matter from being scattered outside the
robot cleaner.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration
of the present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration
of a bottom surface according to the present invention.
TABLE-US-00001 [0025] * Explanation of letters and numerals in
relevant portions of drawings. (10): Suction motor (20): Dust
collector (30): Exhaust air circulating unit (31): Left air passage
(32): Right air passage (33): Housing (40): Disinfectant anion
generator (50): Spray nozzle (60): Suction port (70): Wheel (80):
Scattering prevention bar (90): Suction unit (100): Robot cleaner
(200): To-be-cleaned Surface
MODE FOR INVENTION
[0026] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration
according to the present invention and FIG. 2 is an exemplary
diagram illustrating a configuration of the bottom surface
according to the present invention. The present invention relates
to an exhaust air feedback robot cleaner 100 in which foreign
matter on a surface to be cleaned are sucked through a suction port
when a suction motor 10 is in operation, the sucked foreign matter
is collected by a dust collector 20, and the foreign matter-free
air is sprayed onto the surface to be cleaned by an exhaust air
circulating unit 30.
[0027] The air discharged through the suction motor 10 is
disinfected by disinfectant anions discharged from a disinfectant
anion generator 40, is sprayed toward a to-be-cleaned surface 200
from a spray nozzle 50 installed at a front end of the suction port
of the robot cleaner through the exhaust air circulating unit 30 so
that foreign matter on the to-be-cleaned surface can be disinfected
and can escape, and is then sucked along with the foreign matter by
the suction motor 10 to be circulated to the exhaust air
circulating unit 30.
[0028] That is, according to the present invention, the foreign
matter on the to-be-cleaned surface are sucked through the suction
port 60 formed at the bottom surface of the robot cleaner 100 by
the suction motor 10, the sucked foreign matter is collected by the
dust collector 20, and the foreign matter-free air is exhausted
through the suction motor 10.
[0029] The robot cleaner 100 is configured to include the exhaust
air circulating unit 30, which includes left and right air passages
31 and 32 so that the exhaust air exhausted through the suction
motor 10 is introduced into the exhaust air circulating unit 30,
the disinfectant anion generator 40 which is connected with and
located between the left and right air passages 31 and 32 of the
exhaust air circulating unit, the spray nozzle 50 connected with
ends of the left and right passages 31 and 32 of the exhaust air
circulating unit and installed in the robot cleaner in a manner of
facing the to-be-cleaned surface 200, and the suction port 60
installed in the robot cleaner 100 so as to be located at a rear
end of the spray nozzle 50.
[0030] The exhaust air circulating unit 30 is installed inside the
robot cleaner 100 to send the exhaust air, from which the foreign
matter has been removed by the dust collector, to the spray nozzle
50. The exhaust air circulating unit 30 includes a housing 33 which
is connected with the dust collector 20 and encloses the suction
motor 10 therein. The exhaust air circulating unit 30 further
includes the left and right air passages 31 and 32 having
respective one ends connected with both sides of the housing 30 so
that the air passages 31 and 32 can communicate with the housing,
and having the respective other ends connected with the spray
nozzle 50.
[0031] The exhaust air circulating unit 30 mentioned above is
disclosed in detail in Korean Patent Registration No. 0869822 which
was applied for and registered by the inventor of the present
application. Accordingly, the description thereon will not be
redundantly given herein.
[0032] The disinfectant anion generator 40 is installed between the
housing of the exhaust air circulating unit and the left and right
air passages so that the disinfectant anions can be discharged into
the left and right air passages 31 and 32.
[0033] That is, the disinfectant anions, which have been discharged
from the disinfectant anion generator, disinfect the exhaust air,
which has been free from the foreign matter by the action of the
dust collector 20 and which has been exhausted and moved through
the left and right air passages by the action of the circulation of
the exhaust air, and are then discharged to the to-be-cleaned
surface from the spray nozzle 50.
[0034] The spray nozzle 50 uniformly sprays the exhaust air and the
anions transported through the exhaust air circulating unit 30 to
the to-be-cleaned surface, and it is installed at the ends of the
left and right air passages 31 and 32 of the exhaust air
circulating unit in a manner to face the to-be-cleaned surface.
[0035] The spray nozzle 50 is installed in the suction unit 90 and
located at the front end of the suction port 60. That is, in the
suction unit 90, the spray nozzle 50 is located on the front side
in an advancing direction F of the robot cleaner and the suction
port 60 is installed on the rear side.
[0036] In the suction unit 90, a scattering prevention bar 80 which
prevents the exhaust air and the disinfectant anions from
scattering is provided behind the suction port 60. The suction unit
90 is further provided with wheels 70 that enable the suction unit
90 to move.
[0037] According to the present invention configured in the manner
described above, when the robot cleaner performs a cleaning
operation while traveling around along a cleaning pattern, dust,
foreign matter, and air sucked through the suction unit are sent to
the dust collector, the foreign matter and the dust are collected
by the dust collector, and the air free from the dust and foreign
matter is discharged to the exhaust air circulating unit in which a
drive motor is installed. The air discharged into the exhaust air
circulating unit is disinfected by anions discharged from the
disinfectant anion generator, and the disinfected exhaust air and
the discharged anions are sprayed together to the to-be-cleaned
surface by the spray nozzle.
[0038] In this way, when the exhaust air and the disinfectant
anions are sprayed onto the to-be-cleaned surface, the foreign
matter attached to the to-be-cleaned surface can escape due to the
strong spraying force of the exhaust air and at the same time the
to-be-cleaned surface and the dust are disinfected by the
discharged disinfectant anion. The foreign matter and the dust
which have been dispersed and disinfected are sent back to the dust
collector through the suction port by the drive force of the
suction motor, that is, they are recirculated.
[0039] The anions sprayed to the to-be-cleaned surface through the
spray nozzle are sucked through the suction unit and are then
resprayed onto the to-be-cleaned surface along with the anions
discharged from the disinfectant anion generator. Accordingly, the
disinfection capacity is increased.
[0040] The present invention is not limited to specific preferred
embodiments but can be embodied in various forms by people
ordinarily skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of
the invention and such modifications may fall within the scope of
the claims.
* * * * *