Autonomous travel-type cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017100007-A1
Application number	US-201615386864-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 13, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Self-travelling vacuum cleaner ( 10 ) has body ( 20 ) having suction port ( 101 ), drive unit ( 30 ), and an electric fan. Since suction port ( 101 ) is disposed in a maximum width part of body ( 20 ) closer than drive unit ( 30 ), self-travelling vacuum cleaner ( 10 ) can suck a trash on a corner in a target region to be cleaned easily and can move from the corner to another area quickly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A self-travelling vacuum cleaner comprising:
a body having a suction port; a drive unit which, in operation, moves the body; and an electric fan configured to suck air inside of the body, and a caster provided on a bottom side of body, wherein the body has two apex parts which define a maximum width of the body, the suction port is disposed at a part having the maximum width of the body on a bottom side of the body, the suction port is disposed at a part closer to the part having the maximum width of body than the drive unit, and the caster is disposed at a part farther from the part having the maximum width of body than the drive unit.

2 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 ,
wherein the caster is disposed at a rear side of the body farther than the drive unit with respect to the part having the maximum width of the body.

3 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising a side brush disposed on the bottom side of the body,
wherein a part of a rotation track of the side brush overlaps the part having the maximum width of the body.

4 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of angles formed between a first tangent and a second tangent and between a first tangent and a third tangent is an acute angle, wherein the first tangent is a tangent of an outer periphery of the body in a plane view and is parallel to a line connecting apexes of the two apex parts of the body, and the second tangent is another tangent of the outer periphery of the body in the plane view and makes contact with the outer periphery at a point on the rear side of the body relative to the line connecting the apexes of the two apex parts of the body, and the third tangent is still another tangent of the outer periphery of the body in the plane view and makes contact with the outer periphery at another point at the rear side of the body relative to the line connecting the apexes of the two apex parts of the body.

5 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer peripheral surface has a curved surface with which the first tangent makes contact, the curved surface being protruded outwardly in the plane view of the body, each of the two apex parts of the body has a round shape, and a curvature of the curved surface of the outer peripheral surface of the body is smaller than curvatures of the round shapes of two apex parts.

6 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising a charge terminal disposed at a part closer to the part having the maximum width of the body than the drive unit.

7 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising a power source unit disposed at a part farther from the part having the maximum width of the body than the drive unit.

8 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit has a first drive unit and a second drive unit, each of the first drive unit and the second drive unit has a suspension spring, and elastic modulus of one of the suspension springs is set to be larger than elastic modulus of the other suspension spring.

9 . The self-travelling vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , further comprising a main brush disposed in the suction port and a brush driving motor configured to apply torque to the main brush,
wherein the body has a plurality of suspension springs, the drive unit has a first wheel and a second wheel, the second wheel is disposed at a part farther from the brush driving motor than the first wheel, and elastic modulus of one of the plurality of suspension springs which is configured to apply reaction force to the first wheel is larger than elastic modulus of another of the plurality of suspension springs which is configured to apply reaction force to the second wheel.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumoto Chizuyo
• Kikkawa Tatsuo
• Onda Masakazu
• Miyahara Toshifumi

Classifications

• A47L9/0488

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

• A47L9/2826

  the condition of the floor · CPC title

• A47L9/2873

  Docking units or charging stations (for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02) · 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

• A47L9/2894

  Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners · CPC title