Robot cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11712146-B2
Application number	US-202016943288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2020
Priority date	Jul 31, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a water tank forming a space to store water, a body forming an exterior and having a housing which forms a space in which the water tank is mounted, a pair of spin mops rotatably mounted at a lower side of the body, a first nozzle provided at the housing, a second nozzle provided at the tank and configured to couple to the first nozzle, and a fixing part generating a magnetic force when the tank is mounted in the housing to fix an arrangement of the tank mounted in the housing. The fixing part includes a fixing device (e.g., a magnet or metal) provided around a circumference of the second nozzle and a response fixing device (e.g., a magnet or metal) provided around a circumference of the first nozzle and having a shape corresponding to the fixing device. The first nozzle and the second nozzle are attached to each other by the fixing device and the response fixing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:
a tank configured to store liquid;
a body having a dock to which the tank is mounted;
a spin mop provided below the body and configured to receive the liquid;
a first nozzle protruding from the dock;
a second nozzle protruding from the tank and positioned so as to couple with the first nozzle when the tank is mounted to the dock such that, when the tank is mounted, liquid from the tank flows to the spin mop via the first and second nozzles; and
a first magnetic coupler to magnetically couple the tank to the dock, comprising:
a first metal; and
a second metal configured to be magnetically attracted to the first metal,

wherein the second nozzle is formed to protrude in a direction in which the tank is inserted into the dock,
wherein the first metal has a ring shape provided around a circumference of the first nozzle, and the second metal has a ring shape corresponding to the ring shape of the first metal and provided around a circumference of the second nozzle,
wherein the dock is provided at a rear of the body, and the second nozzle includes:
an insertion protrusion having an opening extending in a front-rear direction, the insertion protrusion protruding from a front of the tank;
a valve provided at a rear of the insertion protrusion and configured to open or close the opening; and
a nozzle housing mounted on an inside of the tank and having a space in which the valve is provided,

wherein the robot cleaner further comprises:
an inner seal provided around a portion where the opening s formed; and
an outer seal provided between an inner surface of the tank and the nozzle housing to surround an outer circumference of the nozzle housing, and

wherein the second metal is provided between the inner seal and the outer seal.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the second nozzle is spaced apart from a left-right center of the tank in a first direction, and the first nozzle is provided at a position corresponding to the second nozzle so as to align with the second nozzle when the tank is mounted in the dock.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2 , further comprising a second magnetic coupler, comprising:
a third metal coupled to the tank and spaced apart from the left-right center of the tank in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and
a fourth metal coupled to the dock at a position corresponding to the third metal such that the third and fourth metals are aligned when the tank is mounted in the dock, wherein the third and fourth metals are configured to be magnetically coupled to each other.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second magnetic coupler having a third metal coupled to the tank and a fourth metal coupled to the dock and configured to be magnetically attracted to the third metal; and
a coupler housing provided inside of the tank to house the third metal, wherein the first magnetic coupler is spaced apart from a center of the tank in a first direction when the tank is mounted, and the second magnetic coupler is spaced apart from the center of the tank in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4 , further comprising a coupler sealer to prevent liquid from flowing into the coupler housing, wherein the first and second metals are magnets having opposite polarities, and the second and third metals are magnets having opposite polarities.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the first nozzle comprises:
an insertion protrusion formed at a front of the dock and forming an insertion space into which the second nozzle is inserted;
a press protrusion protruding rearward such that, when the tank is mounted to the dock, the press protrusion presses the valve to open the opening; and
a nozzle seal provided in the insertion space and attached to an outer surface of the press protrusion.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the nozzle seal comprises:
a front end portion provided around a front of the press protrusion and configured to contact an end portion of the second nozzle when the second nozzle is fully inserted into the insertion space;
a circumferential surface extending along a circumferential surface of the press protrusion; and
at least one fin projecting outward from the circumferential surface of the nozzle seal into the insertion space.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the at least one fin comprises a first fin provided at a rear end portion of the circumferential surface of the nozzle seal and a second fin provided between the first fin and the front end portion.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 1 , wherein a handle having a groove is provided at a lower surface of the tank, and the dock has a lower opening such that the groove of the handle is exposed when the tank is mounted to the dock to allow the tank to be withdrawn from the dock via the groove the handle.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ko Moohyun
• Kim Sungjun
• Lee Donggeun

Classifications

• A47L11/4083 Primary

  Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices · CPC title

• A47L11/282

  having rotary tools · CPC title

• A47L11/4038

  Disk shaped surface treating tools · CPC title

• A47L11/4066

  Propulsion of the whole machine · CPC title

• A47L11/4088

  Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits · CPC title