Robotic vacuum cleaner with at least one fixed side cleaning member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11717121-B2
Application number	US-202217674154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2022
Priority date	Feb 18, 2021
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A robotic vacuum cleaner includes a main body having an underside configured to face a surface to be cleaned, a suction opening that opens into the underside of the main body and extending transversely to a main direction of travel of the robotic vacuum cleaner; and a first side cleaning member attached at a fixed location on a front part of the main body and located adjacent a first side edge of the main body, the first side cleaning member having a first cleaning part which is flexible and is configured to direct waste, which comes into contact with the first cleaning part when the robotic vacuum cleaner moves in the main direction of travel, toward the suction opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robotic vacuum cleaner comprising:
a main body having an underside configured to face a surface to be cleaned, a suction opening that opens into the underside of the main body and extending transversely to a main direction of travel of the robotic vacuum cleaner, and a receiving housing fluidly connected to the suction opening,
a rotating cleaning brush rotatably mounted in the receiving housing about an axis of rotation extending transversely to the main direction of travel of the robotic vacuum cleaner, and
a first side cleaning member mounted on a front part of the main body and located adjacent a first side edge of the main body, the first side cleaning member having a first cleaning part which is flexible,
wherein the first side cleaning member is attached at a fixed location with respect to the main body, and wherein the first cleaning part is configured to direct waste, which comes into contact with the first cleaning part when the robotic vacuum cleaner moves in the main direction of travel, toward the suction opening,
wherein the first cleaning part has an inclination, with respect to a horizontal direction, that varies along the first cleaning part.

2. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between a front edge of the first cleaning part and a median longitudinal plane of the main body is greater than a distance between a rear edge of the first cleaning part and the median longitudinal plane of the main body.

3. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first side cleaning member is elongated and extends generally along a first extension direction.

4. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 3 , wherein the first cleaning part is twisted along the first extension direction.

5. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first cleaning part has a substantially flat shape.

6. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first cleaning part is inclined to the horizontal direction and to a vertical direction when the robotic vacuum cleaner rests on a horizontal surface.

7. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first cleaning part comprises a first front wall portion which slopes downward and laterally outward from the main body.

8. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 7 , wherein the first front wall portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction by an angle of inclination between 30° and 60°.

9. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first cleaning part comprises a first rear wall portion that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction by an angle of inclination between 70° and 90°.

10. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first cleaning part protrudes laterally from the first side edge of the main body.

11. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first side cleaning member has a first attachment portion which is attached at a fixed location in a first receiving groove provided on the main body, the first cleaning part being supported by the first attachment portion.

12. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first side cleaning member is located in front of the axis of rotation of the rotating cleaning brush.

13. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first side cleaning member is formed by a first side cleaning brush.

14. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first cleaning part is formed by a first cleaning lamella that is elastically deformable.

15. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising a second side cleaning member mounted on the front part of the main body and located adjacent a second side edge of the main body, the second side cleaning member is attached at a fixed location with respect to the main body and having a second cleaning part which is flexible, the
first and second cleaning parts being configured to direct waste, which comes into contact with the first and second cleaning parts when the robotic vacuum cleaner is moving along the main direction of travel, toward the suction opening.

16. The robotic vacuum cleaner according to claim 15 , wherein the first and second cleaning parts converge toward each other toward a rear part of the main body.

Assignees

• Seb Sa

Inventors

• Delair Laurent
• Boillet Mickael

Classifications

• A47L9/062 Primary

  Rigidly anchored edge brushes · CPC title

• A47L9/0477

  Rolls · CPC title

• A47L9/0488

  Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools · CPC title

• A47L2201/00

  Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation · CPC title

• A47L11/24 Primary

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title