Driving wheel assembly and robot cleaner having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9241602-B2
Application number	US-201213590274-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2012
Priority date	Sep 1, 2011
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A driving wheel assembly and a robot cleaner having the same includes a main body and a driving wheel assembly including a driving wheel, a housing, a driving motor, a rotary member with rotation around a rotation shaft of the driving motor, where the rotary member includes a first unit and a second unit disposed at a position opposite to the driving wheel with respect to the rotation shaft of the driving motor, and a compression coil spring disposed between the housing and the second unit to apply pressure to the second unit, where a distance between a contact point where the compression coil spring and the second unit contact and the rotation shaft of the driving motor is shorter than a distance between a rotation shaft of the driving wheel and a rotation shaft of the driving motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot cleaner comprising:
a main body; and
a driving wheel assembly, comprising:
a driving wheel to drive the main body;
a housing;
a driving motor connected to one side of the housing to generate rotary force to rotate the driving wheel;
a rotary member with rotation around a rotation shaft of the driving motor, wherein the rotary member comprises a first unit to which the driving wheel is connected and a second unit disposed at a position opposite to the driving wheel with respect to the rotation shaft of the driving motor; and
a compression coil spring disposed between the housing and the second unit to apply pressure to the second unit,
wherein a distance between a contact point where the compression coil spring and the second unit contact and the rotation shaft of the driving motor is shorter than a distance between a rotation shaft of the driving wheel and the rotation shaft of the driving motor.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the compression coil spring applies pressure to the second unit in the tangential direction of a trajectory formed by the rotation shaft of the driving motor and the second unit during a process of rotating the rotary member.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 2 , wherein the compression coil spring and driving wheel are disposed at positions on opposite sides of the rotation shaft of the driving motor.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the compression coil spring is disposed at a position opposite to the driving wheel with respect to a first straight line passing through a first rotation point around which the first unit is rotated and perpendicular to a second straight line connecting the first rotation point around which the first unit is rotated and a second rotation point around which the driving wheel rotatably connected to the first unit is rotated.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein:
a pressing point is formed at a position where the compression coil spring and the second unit to which the compression coil spring applies pressures contact; and
the second unit protrudes from one side of the first unit where a third straight line connecting a first rotation point around which the first unit is rotated and the pressing point and the first unit meet, in the radial direction of a trajectory formed during a process of rotating the pressing point.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 5 , wherein a distance between the pressing point and the first rotation point is shorter than a distance between the first rotation point and a second point around which the driving wheel rotatably connected to the first unit is rotated.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the driving wheel assembly further comprises a support rib protruding from one side of the housing adjacent to the rotation shaft of the driving motor to the inside of the housing and supporting one end of the compression coil spring.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7 , wherein the first unit, the second unit, and the support rib form an accommodation part accommodating the compression coil spring.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the first unit comprises power transmission gears transmitting rotary force of the driving motor to the driving wheel.

Assignees

• Lee Byoung In
• Jang Hwi Chan
• Jung Hyun Soo
• Kim Dong Won
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Byoung In
• Jang Hwi Chan
• Jung Hyun Soo
• Kim Dong Won

Classifications

• A47L9/009 Primary

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

• A47L2201/06

  Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning · CPC title