U.S. patent application number 13/760770 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-15 for autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall.
This patent application is currently assigned to EGENPOWER INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is EGENPOWER INC.. Invention is credited to Sheng-Chan CHIU, Gary LI.
Application Number | 20140130294 13/760770 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50426866 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140130294 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LI; Gary ; et al. |
May 15, 2014 |
AUTONOMOUS COVERAGE VACUUM CLEANER HAVING EDGE CLEANING HEAD EASY
TO INSTALL AND UNINSTALL
Abstract
An autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner includes a transmission
element driven to rotate and disposed at the bottom of a body, and
an edge cleaning head. The transmission element has a lower
surface, a positioning recess denting upward from the lower surface
and having a non-circular inner profile, and a fixing hole disposed
in the positioning recess. The edge cleaning head includes a body,
at least a brush extending from the body, a positioning block
disposed on the body, and resilient elements extending upward from
the positioning block. An outer profile of the positioning block
corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning
recess. Under an applied force, the resilient elements deform
resiliently, get closer to each other, and engage with the fixing
holes. The positioning block engages with the positioning recess of
the transmission element, such that the transmission elements drive
the edge cleaning head to rotate.
Inventors: |
LI; Gary; (Dong Guan City,
CN) ; CHIU; Sheng-Chan; (Burnaby, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
EGENPOWER INC. |
Laguna Niguel |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
EGENPOWER INC.
Laguna Niguel
CA
|
Family ID: |
50426866 |
Appl. No.: |
13/760770 |
Filed: |
February 6, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/372 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 2201/00 20130101;
A47L 9/0488 20130101; A47L 9/0472 20130101; A47L 9/0427
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/372 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/04 20060101
A47L009/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 14, 2012 |
CN |
201210488200.7 |
Claims
1. An autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning
head easy to install and uninstall, comprising: a body; a
transmission element driven to rotate and disposed at a bottom of
the body, the transmission element having a lower surface, a
positioning recess denting upward from the lower surface, and a
fixing hole disposed in the positioning recess, wherein an inner
profile of the positioning recess is non-circular; and an edge
cleaning head comprising a body, at least a brush extending from
the body, a positioning block disposed on top of the body, and a
plurality of resilient elements extending upward from the
positioning block, wherein an outer profile of the positioning
block corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning
recess of the transmission element, wherein, under an applied
force, the resilient elements deform resiliently, get closer to
each other, and engage with fixing holes of the transmission
element, respectively, wherein the positioning block engages with
the positioning recess of the transmission element, such that the
transmission element drives the edge cleaning head to rotate.
2. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the
outer profile of the positioning block of the edge cleaning head
and the inner profile of the positioning recess of the transmission
element are rectangular.
3. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein each
of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head has a body
portion extending upward from the positioning block and a hook
portion disposed at an upper end of the body portion, wherein a
position-limiting portion is disposed in the fixing hole of the
transmission element, such that the hook portion of each of the
resilient elements is confined to above the position-limiting
portion of the transmission element when the resilient elements of
the edge cleaning head engage with the fixing holes of the
transmission element, respectively.
4. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the
hook portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning
head has a curved surface, such that the curved surface abuts
against the position-limiting portion of the transmission element
while the resilient element of the edge cleaning head is entering
and exiting the fixing hole of the transmission element.
5. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the
position-limiting portion of the transmission element has a curved
surface, such that the resilient element of the edge cleaning head
abuts against the curved surface of the position-limiting portion
while entering and exit the fixing hole of the transmission
element.
6. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the
hook portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning
head has a curved surface, such that the curved surface of the hook
portion of each of the resilient elements of the edge cleaning head
abuts against the curved surface of the position-limiting portion
of the transmission element while the resilient element of the edge
cleaning head is entering and exiting the fixing hole of the
transmission element.
7. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein a
body of the edge cleaning head has an upper surface, such that the
positioning block extends upward from the upper surface, wherein
the upper surface of the body of the edge cleaning head abuts
against the lower surface of the transmission element when the
positioning block is engaged with the positioning recess of the
transmission element.
8. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the
body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a
plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the
central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper
section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower
section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a
gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the
lower section.
9. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the
body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a
plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the
central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper
section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower
section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a
gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the
lower section.
10. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the
body of the edge cleaning head has an upper surface, wherein the
positioning block extends upward from the upper surface, wherein
the upper surface of the body of the edge cleaning head abuts
against the lower surface of the transmission element when the
positioning block is engaged with the positioning recess of the
transmission element.
11. The autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the
body of the edge cleaning head has a central portion, wherein a
plurality of pins extends downward, outward, and obliquely from the
central portion, the pins each having one said brush, an upper
section extending outward from the central portion, and a lower
section extending outward from the upper section, wherein a
gradient of the upper section is larger than a gradient of the
lower section.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaners, and more particularly, to an autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and
uninstall.
[0003] 2. Description of Related. Art
[0004] During its autonomous journey, a conventional autonomous
coverage vacuum cleaner gathers dust and debris from the floor with
a cleaning roller disposed at its bottom and rotating about an axle
mounted on the bottom and positioned parallel to the floor, wherein
the dust and debris is sucked into a vacuum cleaning apparatus and
then collected by a dust-collecting apparatus.
[0005] With the cleaning roller being positioned at the center of
the bottom of the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner, the
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner is incapable of reaching the
corners and the wall-adjoining portions of the floor. In attempt to
overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, at least an edge
cleaning head is disposed at the bottom of the conventional
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner. For example, US2010/0037418
provides an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner which has an edge
cleaning head rotating about an axle substantially perpendicular to
the floor, wherein some of the bristles of the edge cleaning head
stick out of the periphery of a body of the autonomous coverage
vacuum cleaner, such that dust and debris otherwise found at the
periphery of the body is swept into the bottom of the body and
collected by the vacuum cleaning apparatus. Therefore, the
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner can clean the corners and the
wall-adjoining portions of the floor.
[0006] However, it is usually difficult to uninstall the edge
cleaning head of the conventional autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner. For example, as regards the autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner of US2010/0037418, the edge cleaning head, a transmission
gear train, and a motor are put together and then collectively
placed on the bottom of the body of the autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner. As a result, a user cannot dismount just the edge cleaning
head; instead, the user has to dismount the edge cleaning head, the
transmission gear train, and the motor altogether and then separate
the edge cleaning head from the motor and the transmission gear
train. As a result, it is inconvenient for the user to clean the
edge cleaning head or change the edge cleaning head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is
an objective of the present invention to provide an autonomous
coverage vacuum cleaner with an edge cleaning head easy to install
and uninstall.
[0008] In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the
present invention provides an autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner
having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall. The
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner comprises: a body; a
transmission element driven to rotate and disposed at a bottom of
the body; and an edge cleaning head. The transmission element has a
lower surface, a positioning recess denting upward from the lower
surface, and a fixing hole disposed in the positioning recess,
wherein an inner profile of the positioning recess is non-circular.
The edge cleaning head comprises a body, at least a brush extending
from the body, a positioning block disposed on top of the body, and
a plurality of resilient elements extending upward from the
positioning block, wherein an outer profile of the positioning
block corresponds in shape to the inner profile of the positioning
recess of the transmission element, wherein, under an applied
force, the resilient elements deform resiliently, get closer to
each other, and engage with fixing holes of the transmission
element, respectively, wherein the positioning block engages with
the positioning recess of the transmission element, such that the
transmission element drives the edge cleaning head to rotate.
[0009] Accordingly, all a user needs to do is to push the resilient
elements of the edge cleaning head into fixing holes of the
transmission element, such that the resilient elements deform
resiliently under the thrust given by the transmission element and
engage with the fixing holes. Furthermore, the user pulls the edge
cleaning head outward to allow the resilient elements to deform
resiliently once again under the thrust given by the transmission
element and thereby exit the fixing holes. Hence, the user can
install and uninstall the edge cleaning head easily and change or
clean the edge cleaning head.
[0010] Detailed structures, features, assembly, and operation of an
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head
easy to install and uninstall, as disclosed in the present
invention, are illustrated with embodiments hereunder. However,
persons skilled in the art are able to understand that the detailed
description and specific embodiments below are illustrative of the
present invention, rather than restrictive of the claims of the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an autonomous
coverage vacuum cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to
install and uninstall according to a first preferred embodiment of
the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner having an edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall
according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention, wherein the diagram omits the two edge cleaning heads
which are otherwise essential technical features of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an edge cleaning head
and a transmission element of the autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner having the edge cleaning head easy to install and uninstall
according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a top view of an edge cleaning head of the
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having the edge cleaning head
easy to install and uninstall according to the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a top view of an edge cleaning head of an
autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner having the edge cleaning head
easy to install and uninstall according to a second preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The technical solution and features of the present invention
are hereunder illustrated with specific embodiments in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in a first preferred
embodiment of the present invention, an autonomous coverage vacuum
cleaner 10 comprises: a body 20; a dust-sucking and dust-collecting
apparatus 30 disposed at the bottom of the body 20; two cleaning
rollers 40 which flank the dust-sucking and dust-collecting
apparatus 30; two transmission elements 50 positioned proximate to
a periphery 21 of the body 20; and two edge cleaning heads 60
mountable on and demountable from the two transmission elements 50,
respectively.
[0018] The body 20 moves across the floor automatically and is
capable of detecting an obstacle and turning away from the obstacle
automatically. The cleaning rollers 40 lift dust and debris from
the floor while the body 20 is moving across the floor; meanwhile,
the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30 sucks and
collects the dust and debris. The shape and structure of the body
20, the dust-sucking and dust-collecting apparatus 30, and the
cleaning rollers 40 is similar to that of their conventional
counterparts and thus is not described in detail herein for the
sake of brevity.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the transmission
elements 50 are each connected to a driving device (not shown)
disposed inside the body 20, so as to be driven by the driving
device to rotate. The transmission elements 50 each have a lower
surface 52 substantially flush with a bottom surface 22 of the body
20, a positioning recess 54 that dents upward from the lower
surface 52, and a fixing hole 56 disposed inside the positioning
recess 54. An inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 is of
a rectangular shape. The fixing hole 56 has therein a
position-limiting portion 562 protruding inward. The
position-limiting portion 562 has a curved surface 562a facing
inward.
[0020] The edge cleaning heads 60 each comprise a body 70 (in this
embodiment, the body 70 consists of two constituent elements or is
integrally formed as a unitary structure) and four brushes 80. The
body 70 has a central portion 72 of a disc-like shape, a
positioning block 74 extending upward from an upper surface 722 of
the central portion 72 and complementing the positioning recess 54
of the transmission elements 50 in shape (for example, as shown in
FIG. 4, an outer profile 742 of the positioning block 74 is
rectangular in shape), two resilient elements 76 extending upward
from the positioning block 74, and four pins 78 extending downward,
outward, and obliquely from the central portion 72. The resilient
elements 76 each have a body portion 762 extending upward from the
positioning block 74, and a hook portion 764 disposed at the upper
end of the body portion 762. The hook portion 764 has an inclined
surface 764a and a curved surface 764b. The inclined surface 764a
is disposed outward at the hook portion 764 and slopes downward and
outward. The curved surface 764b is beneath the inclined surface
764a. The pins 78 each have an upper section 782 and a lower
section 784. The upper section 782 extends from the central portion
72. The lower section 784 extends from the upper section 782. The
gradient of the upper section 782 is larger than the gradient of
the lower section 784. The brushes 80 extend from the lower
sections 784 of the pins 78, respectively. Referring to the
diagrams, each said brush 80 is simply depicted by a rectangle. In
practice, each said brush 80 consists of a plurality of
bristles.
[0021] To install the edge cleaning heads 60, a user inserts the
resilient elements 76 into the fixing holes 56 of the transmission
elements 50, respectively, and allows the positioning blocks 74 to
engage with the positioning recesses 54, respectively. Specifically
speaking, in the course of the insertion of the two resilient
elements 76 into the fixing holes 56, respectively, the inclined
surface 764a and the curved surface 764b of the hook portion 764
abut against the curved surface 562a of the position-limiting
portion 562 in sequence, and, under the thrust given by the
position-limiting portions 562, the two resilient elements 76
deform resiliently and get closer to each other, such that the hook
portion 764 can pass the position-limiting portion 562 and thus be
confined to above the position-limiting portion 562; meanwhile, the
edge cleaning heads 60 have already been engaged with the fixing
holes 56 of the transmission elements 50, respectively, and thus
are unlikely to detach. The upper surfaces 722 of the bodies 70 of
the edge cleaning heads 60 abut against the lower surfaces 52 of
the transmission elements 50, respectively, to stop the user from
pushing and pressing the edge cleaning heads 60 inward
excessively.
[0022] Therefore, due to the engagement of the positioning block 74
and the positioning recess 54, the transmission elements 50 are
driven to rotate, such that the rotating transmission elements 50
drive the edge cleaning heads 60 to rotate synchronously therewith,
such that the dust and debris otherwise found outside the periphery
21 of the body 20 are swept into the space between the body 20 and
the floor and then sucked and collected by the dust-sucking and
dust-collecting apparatus 30.
[0023] To change or clean the edge cleaning heads 60, the user
pulls the edge cleaning heads 60 outward, such that the curved
surface 764b and the inclined surface 764a of each of the hook
portions 764 of the resilient elements 76 abut against the curved
surface 562a of the position-limiting portion 562 of each of the
transmission elements 50 in sequence, deform resiliently, get
closer to each other, and exit the fixing holes 56. Hence, it is
very easy to install and uninstall the edge cleaning heads 60 of
the autonomous coverage vacuum cleaner 10, and thus the user can
change or clean the edge cleaning heads 60 conveniently.
[0024] In the above embodiments, the outer profile 742 of the
positioning block 74 of each of the edge cleaning heads 60 and the
inner profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 of each of the
transmission elements 50 are rectangular in shape to thereby
effectuate the aforesaid synchronous rotation. However, the above
embodiments are not restrictive of the shape of the positioning
blocks 74 of the edge cleaning heads 60 and the positioning
recesses 54 of the transmission elements 50. For example, referring
to FIG. 5, in a second preferred embodiment of the present
invention, an outer profile 942 of a positioning block 94 of the
edge cleaning head 90 is not rectangular in shape, as the aforesaid
synchronous rotation can be effectuated, provided that the inner
profile 542 of the positioning recess 54 of each of the
transmission elements 50 which match the edge cleaning heads 90
corresponds in shape to the outer profile 942. In fact, the
objectives of the present invention can be achieved, provided that
the outer profile 942 of the positioning block 94 of the edge
cleaning head 90 and the inner profile 542 of the positioning
recess 54 of the transmission elements 50 correspond in shape to
each other and are non-circular.
[0025] The constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments
of the present invention are illustrative of the present invention
only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of
the present invention. Hence, replacements or variations of other
equivalent elements should be covered by the claims of the present
invention.
* * * * *