Self-traveling electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015134179-A1
Application number	US-201314394847-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 11, 2013
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	May 14, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a self-traveling electronic apparatus including a housing whose lower part is uniquely shaped so that the self-traveling electronic apparatus can climb over level differences smoothly.
The self-traveling electronic apparatus includes a housing, a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface, a follower wheel disposed on the bottom of the housing and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing, and a sloped plate disposed so as to lay smoothly from a front lower end of the housing to the bottom in a travel direction, wherein the housing has a bumper slidable in the travel direction; and a front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

First claim

1 . A self-traveling electronic apparatus comprising:
a housing; a drive wheel disposed at a bottom of the housing and coming in contact with a floor surface so that the housing travels on the floor surface; a follower wheel disposed on the bottom of the housing and coming in contact with the floor surface to support the housing; and a sloped plate disposed so as to lay smoothly from a front lower end of the housing to the bottom in a travel direction, wherein the housing has a bumper slidable in the travel direction; and a front end of the sloped plate is positioned behind a front lower end of the bumper in case the bumper slides backward.

2 . The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a front support wheel disposed at a rear part of the sloped plate but disposed in front of the drive wheel and the follower wheel, wherein the front support wheel is disposed in such a way that its lower end is positioned lower than the bottom but higher than the floor surface.

3 . The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the bumper has a curved part formed by folding its lower end backward, and the curved part may function as the front lower end.

4 . The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sloped plate is designed to have a predetermined width extending from a front center of the housing to right and left, and the sloped plate may be lower in height from the floor surface than the bottom on both sides of the sloped plate, in its width direction.

5 . The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sloped plate may be formed by integrating with the bottom of the housing or may be formed individually.

6 . The self-traveling electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the self-traveling electronic apparatus may be manufactured to function as a self-traveling ion generator blowing an ion flow or as a self-traveling vacuum cleaner.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Murakami Koji
• Yoshida Choji

Classifications

• A47L9/009 Primary

  Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• A47L9/28 Primary

  Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means · CPC title

• A47L9/04

  with driven brushes or agitators · CPC title

• A47L9/00

  Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners · CPC title