Abstract:
The movable air purification robot system is disclosed, which makes it possible to automatically eliminate dust, bacteria and smell from air while freely moving along a polluted area irrespective of a space dimension. The movable air purification robot system comprises an air purification robot including an air pollution detection unit for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air, an air purification unit for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same, a robot moving unit formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating, an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely, a robot operating unit for allowing a user to operate the robot, a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element, and a power unit for supplying electric power to operating elements.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a movable air purification robot system, and in particular to a movable air purification robot system which makes it possible to automatically eliminate dust, bacteria and smell from air while freely moving along a polluted area irrespective of a space dimension. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Air has a very close relationship with a living environment of a human being. The human being inhales and exhales air at every moment and air always keeps contacting with a human being&#39;s skin while affecting the health. In recent years, an air purification system attracts a big attention from many people, by which air is cleaned and purified. The air is not easy to recognize, so it is needed to automatically judge the level of pollution of the particles contained in air. 
         [0005]    A conventional air purifier consists of an air suction part for sucking air, a filter part for purifying air and a blowing part for discharging the purified air. The range of air that an air purifier can suck is limited to a space formed around an air purifier. 
         [0006]    The conventional air purifier generally used at home and an office is basically designed to purify air only at a fixed position. When the size of an air purifier is small, it is preferably fixed at a rack or a desk, and when the size of an air purifier is large, it is preferably positioned on a wall surface or on a ceiling. 
         [0007]    However, the conventional air purifier operating at a fixed position has a problem that only the air residing in a limited space formed around an air purifier can be purified. In addition, an air purifier basically designed to purify only the air in a limited space operates by using an air convention phenomenon. In this case, lots of time and electric power are needed until all indoor air is purified with the help of convention. 
         [0008]    In case of a conventional air purifier, it is selected depending on the output or capacity in accordance with an area in which air is to be purified. As an area in which air is to be purified is larger, the price of an air purifier and the capacity of electric power to be consumed disadvantageously increase. 
         [0009]    Since a space divided by means of a building or something else, not an open space, is not well air-circulated, air can be purified in only a limited space. In this case, a plurality of air purifiers are disadvantageously needed in multiple places, which might lead to increasing cost. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a movable air purification robot system which overcomes the problems that an air purification area is limited since a conventional air purifier is installed at a fixed position. 
         [0011]    To achieve the above object, there is provided a movable air purification robot system which comprises an air purification robot including an air pollution detection unit for detecting pollution and humidity of floating substance contained in air, an air purification unit for circulating the air containing pollutants by means of the air pollution detection unit and filtering, absorbing and purifying the same, a robot moving unit formed of two driving wheels disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently operating, an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle so that the robot moving unit can move freely, a robot operating unit for allowing a user to operate the robot, a robot control unit for controlling the operations of each element, and a power unit for supplying electric power to operating elements. 
       EFFECTS 
       [0012]    Since the movable air purification robot system according to the present invention automatically analyzes components contained in air while freely moving and purifies the air, so it is possible to obtain an excellent air purification effect by using one air purification system with a certain capacity irrespective of an area dimension which is to be air-purified. 
         [0013]    Even in a complicated space in which air circulation is bad, it is possible to obtain an excellent air purification effect by using only one air purification system, as compared to a conventional art in which a plurality of air purification systems are needed, unless a plurality of air purification systems are used if a robot running passage or a robot passing space is obtained because a movable robot automatically avoids a certain obstacle. 
         [0014]    When a movable robot and an external detection device operate cooperatively, the area in which air is to be analyzed might be extended, and when needed, the movable air purification robot might be called in real time to an area where needs an air purification for thereby efficiently performing an air purification work and maximizing the same. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a view illustrating the major elements according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a disassembled example view of an air purification robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a disassembled example view of an air purification unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side cross sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is an example view illustrating a state that an air suction unit is disposed in a front side as another embodiment of an air purification robot according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is an example perspective view of a robot moving unit according to the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is an example view illustrating a moving procedure of a protruded obstacle by means of a robot moving unit according to the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is an example perspective view of a protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure in a front driven wheel as another embodiment of a robot moving unit according to the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 11  is a side example view of an operation procedure of  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 12  is an example view of major elements of a control unit of an air purification robot according to the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 13   a  is an example view of major elements of a power unit; 
           [0029]      FIG. 13   b  is another example view of major elements of a power unit; 
           [0030]      FIG. 14  is an example view of major elements of a control unit of an external detection device according to the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 15  is an example view of another embodiment of an external detection device according to the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 16  is an example view of major elements of a control unit of a charging unit according to the present invention; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 17  is a view illustrating major elements of an external detection device and a control unit equipped with a power communication unit in a charging unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0034]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0035]    The present invention is basically directed to a movable air purification robot which can reliably purify air while automatically moving a wider area. 
         [0036]    The movable air purification robot comprises an air pollution detection unit, an air purification unit, a robot moving unit, an obstacle detection unit, a robot operation unit, a robot control unit and a power unit. 
         [0037]    The present invention might further include a charging unit  300  for communicating with the air purification robot through a certain communication unit for thereby charging the air purification robot. 
         [0038]    The present invention might further include at least one external detection device  200  for calling the air purification robot  100  to an area where needs an air purification, which device  200  is installed in an air purification place for setting an air purification region by means of the air purification robot  100  which has moved to the region in which air is to be purified. 
         [0039]    Here the air pollution detection unit consists of an air pollution detection sensor  131  for detecting a dust and harmful gas (VOC: Volatile Organic Components) concentration in air, and a humidity detection sensor  132  for detecting the humidity of air. 
         [0040]    The air pollution detection sensor  131  is formed of a dust detection sensor for detecting dusts in the air which has been sucked and a harmful gas sensor for detecting the concentration of VOC in the air which has been sucked. The dust detection sensor might be implemented based on a method for counting the number of dust particles and an optical measurement method for detecting the pollution level of floating particles such as dusts contained in air depending on the intensity of light which has been received after light is emitted from a LED (Light Emitting Diode). 
         [0041]    The floating particles include relatively large size home dusts related with allergy, blanket dusts, sand dusts or smoke particles, pollen or yellow dusts. 
         [0042]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the air purification unit is preferably installed at a center portion of a robot body and forms a purification pipe passage  122  for sucking air from a lateral side and discharging the same upward and consists of a purification filter unit  124  engaged to an air inlet part  121  formed in the purification pipe passage  122 , and a circulation fan  125  for circulating air through the purification pipe passage  122 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 , the air inlet part  121  might be formed either in a backside of a robot body which corresponds to the direction opposite to a running direction of the robot body or as shown in  FIG. 7  in a front side of a robot body which corresponds to the running direction of the robot body. 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the purification filter unit  124  consists of a filtering filter  124   a  for filtering the dusts from air, and an absorption filter  124   b  for absorbing harmful gas from air. 
         [0044]    It is preferred that the air pollution detection sensor  131  of the air pollution detection unit is disposed in the air inlet part  121  of the air purification unit. When the air inlet part  121  is disposed in a backside of the robot body, it is preferred that the air pollution detection sensor  131  is provided in a front side of the robot body. 
         [0045]    The air pollution detection sensor  131  might be installed at both sides of a robot body so that the air purification robot can move to a polluted area for an air purification work by recognizing the polluted area with the help of a pollution detection difference between two sensors installed at both sides of the robot body. 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  6  and  8 , the robot moving unit consists of a couple of driving wheels  141  which are disposed at both lower sides of a robot body and independently drive from each other, a rear side driven wheel  143  disposed at a rear lower side of the robot body, a front side driven wheel  142  disposed at a front lower side of the robot body, and a seesaw engaging plate  144  of which center portion can rotate about a seesaw shaft  144   a  at a lower side of the robot body by engaging the front side driven wheel  142  and the two driving wheels  141  so that the driving wheel  141  can seesaw with respect to a lifting-up motion of the front side driven wheel  142  for thereby preventing the driving wheel  141  from being escaped from the ground when the front side driven wheel  142  roll-contacts with a protruded obstacle. 
         [0047]    The seesaw shaft  144   a  which is a seesaw axis of the seesaw engaging plate  144  might be installed at a portion deviated toward the driving wheel  141  so that the robot body can smoothly avoid the protruded obstacle without falling down by means of an up and down displacement of the front side driven wheel  142  by preventing an over up and down displacement of the driving wheel  141  with respect to an up and down displacement of the front side driven wheel. It is preferred that the ratio between the distance from the front side driven wheel  142  to the seesaw shaft  144   a  and the distance from the seesaw shaft  144   a  to the driving wheel  141  is 2˜3:1. 
         [0048]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , a protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure might be provided for cushioning a collision impact when the front side driven wheel  142  collides with a protruded obstacle. Here the protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure consists of a driven wheel cushioning plate  142   a  for limiting the front side driven wheel  142 , a cushioning plate driving part  144   b  which forms a driving space so that the driven wheel cushioning plate  142   a  can be backwardly cushioned in the seesaw plate  144  for thereby allowing the driven wheel cushioning plate  142   a  to slide, and a damper  142   b  for elastically supporting the driven wheel cushioning plate  142   a  in the cushioning plate driving part  144   b.    
         [0049]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  12 , the obstacle detection unit consists of a robot local area sensor  161  disposed at a front side of a robot body for detecting a certain obstacle so that the air purification robot  100  can move in a relatively narrow space by detecting a local area obstacle, a robot remote area sensor  162  disposed at a front side of the robot body by which the air purification robot  100  can avoid the obstacle by detecting a remote area obstacle, and a robot driving wheel sensor  163  for preventing the driving wheel  141  from getting stuck or the robot body from fall down by detecting a groove or a cliff in front of the driving wheels  141  disposed at both lower sides of the robot body. 
         [0050]    The robot local area sensor  161  is preferably formed of an infrared ray sensor disposed at a front side and a lateral lower side of the robot body for thereby efficiently detecting a local area. 
         [0051]    The robot remote area sensor  162  is formed of an ultrasonic wave sensor in which an ultrasonic wave transmitter is disposed at a front center portion and a lateral side center portion, respectively, and an ultrasonic wave receiver is disposed at a peripheral portion of the ultrasonic wave transmitter for thereby enhancing a detection efficiency of an obstacle. 
         [0052]    The robot driving wheel sensor  163  is formed of an infrared ray sensor and is preferably disposed at a position moved by a 1/10˜⅛ rotation that the driving wheel can move in the course of control procedure. 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the robot operation unit includes a display unit  171  disposed on an upper side of the robot body for displaying air pollution, temperature and humidity, and an operation switch  172  disposed in the display unit  171  for operating the same. A wireless remote controller  173  might be further provided in the air purification robot  100  for transmitting a wireless operation signal. 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  5 , the air purification robot  100  includes a lower body  111  in which a robot moving unit is installed, four body poles  112  installed in an upper side of the lower body  111  for thereby forming a purification pipe passage  122 , a front side body  113  engaged to the body pole  112 , a couple of side surface bodies  114  engaged to the body pole  112 , a backside body  115  which forms an air inlet part  121  for opening and closing the air purification unit, a backside fixing body  116  disposed at a lower side of the backside body  115  and engaged to the lower body  111 , a display unit  171  engaged to an upper side of the body pole  112 , and an upper body  117  which forms an air outlet part  123  along a rim portion of the display unit  171 . 
         [0055]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , the robot control unit includes a pollution detection control unit  181  disposed in an upper body of the robot body for detecting an air pollution inputted into the air pollution detection unit and controlling an operation of the air purification unit, a movement control unit  182  for detecting an obstacle using the obstacle detection unit and controlling an operation of the robot moving unit, a charging control unit  183  for detecting the remaining power of the power unit and controlling the air purification robot to move toward the charging unit  300  for charging itself, a communication control unit  184  for controlling a transmission and receiving signal of the external detection device  200  and the charging unit  300  and a receiving wireless signal inputted into the wireless remote controller  173 , and a main control unit  185  for integrally controlling the operation of each control unit and controlling each control unit in accordance with an input signal of the operation switch  172  and a display operation on the display unit  171 . 
         [0056]    As shown in  FIGS. 13   a  and  13   b , the power unit includes a secondary battery  151  accommodated in a lower side of the robot body, and a power supply unit disposed in the backside fixing body  116  for receiving electric power from the charging unit  300 . 
         [0057]    As shown in  FIG. 13   a , the power supply unit might include either a connection terminal  152   a  directly connected with the charging unit  300  or as shown in  FIG. 13   b  an induction coil connection part  152   b  for receiving electric power from the charging unit based on magnetic induction. 
         [0058]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 14 , the external detection device  200  detects an air pollution in an air purification region set by a user and calls the air purification robot  100  when air is polluted for thereby performing an air purification work or prevents the air purification robot from approaching by setting an approach prohibition region of the air purification robot  100 . The external detection device  200  includes an external device pollution detection unit  210  for detecting air pollution, an external device communication unit  220  for communicating with the air purification robot  100 , an external device approach detection sensor for detecting an approach of the air purification robot  100 , an external device control unit  240  for controlling an operation between the external device pollution detection unit  210  and the external device communication unit  220 , an external device operation unit  250  for allowing the external detection device  200  to selectively operate the operation between a purification region monitoring function and an air purification robot approach prohibition function, and an external device power unit for supplying electric power for the operations of the above elements. 
         [0059]    The external device power unit might include a battery  261  in the interior of the external monitoring device  200  or as shown in  FIG. 15  a power plug  262  which is to be inserted into a power outlet disposed on the wall. 
         [0060]    As shown in  FIG. 16 , the charging unit  300  includes a charging power unit  310  connected with a power outlet for thereby supplying charging power to the air purification robot, a charging communication unit  320  for guiding the air purification robot through a communication with the air purification robot, a charging approach detection unit for detecting the approach of the air purification robot, and a charging unit control unit  310  for controlling the operations of the charging power unit  310  and the air purification robot, respectively. 
         [0061]    The charging approach detection unit includes a charging local area sensor  341  and a charging remote area sensor  342 . 
         [0062]    The charging unit control unit  310  checks a charging connection state when the air purification robot is connected for charging through a communication with the air purification robot charging control unit  183  and controls a power supply to the air purification robot  100 . 
         [0063]    As shown in  FIG. 17 , the external detection device  200  includes an external device power communication unit  260  for communicating with the external detection device  200 , the charging unit  300  and the power outlet through a power cable, and the charging unit  300  includes a charging power communication unit  350 . 
         [0064]    In the present invention, the communication between the movable air purification robot, the external detection device  200  and the charging unit  300  can be performed based on a wireless communication method by using a RF (Radio Frequency) signal or an IrDA (Infrared Data Association). 
         [0065]    The wireless communication method using radio frequency includes a Bluetooth™, Zigbee™, UWB (Ultra Wideband), CDMA (Binary Code Division Multiple Access), etc. 
         [0066]    In the air purification robot according to the present invention which includes the air pollution detection unit, the air purification unit, the robot moving unit, the obstacle detection unit, the robot operation unit, the robot control unit and the power unit, an air purification procedure will be described. 
         [0067]    When an air pollution is detected by means of the air pollution detection unit disposed in the air purification robot, the robot control unit operates the blowing fan  125  of the air purification unit for blowing surrounding air into the purification pipe passage  122 . 
         [0068]    The pollutants contained in the inputted air is filtered and absorbed by means of the purification filter unit  124  for thereby performing an air purification operation. 
         [0069]    The moving operation of the air purification robot depending on a call from the external detection device  200  will be described. 
         [0070]    In the air pollution monitoring mode, the external detection device calls the air purification robot  100  as the external device control unit  240  controls an external device communication unit when the external device pollution detection unit  210  detects the pollution of air. 
         [0071]    The air purification robot  100 , which has received a call of the external detection device  200 , moves toward a calling region of the external detection device  200  while avoiding a certain obstacle or a certain falling-down portion such as a cliff or something else with the help of the robot remote area sensor  162 , the robot local area sensor  161  and the driving wheel sensor  163 . 
         [0072]    The air purification robot  100 , which has moved to the calling region of the external detection device  200 , performs an air purification work around the external detection device  200 . 
         [0073]    In a state that the air purification robot  100  is set as an approach prohibition function by means of a call of the external detection device  200 , when the air purification robot  100  approaches, the external device control unit  240  detects an approach of the air purification robot  100  with the help of the external device approach detection sensor  230  and transmits an approach prohibition signal to the air purification robot  100  by controlling the external device communication unit  220 . 
         [0074]    The air purification robot  100 , which has received an approach prohibition signal from the external detection device  200 , moves to other place without approaching the external detection device  200  for thereby performing air purification work. 
         [0075]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , the moving procedure of the air purification robot according to the present invention will be described when it meets a protruded obstacle in the course of moving. 
         [0076]    When the air purification robot, which is moving with the help of the robot moving unit formed of the front side driven wheel  142  and two driving wheels connected by means of the seesaw engaging plate  144 , meets a protruded obstacle of the floor, the front side driven wheel  142  engaged to a front side of the seesaw engaging plate  144  contacts with the protruded obstacle. At this time, the front side driven wheel  142  contacting with the protruded obstacle climbs the protruded obstacle and receives an upward moving force. The upward moving force is transferred to the driving wheel  141  through the seesaw engaging plate  144  which rotates about the seesaw shaft  144   a , so the driving wheel  141  move downward, and the front side driven wheel  142  maintains a ground-contacting force with respect to an upper displacement of the robot body which climbs the protruded obstacle for thereby obtaining a stable ground driving state. 
         [0077]    When the front side driven wheel  142  passes through the protruded obstacle, and the driving wheel  141  contacts with the protruded obstacle, the driving wheel  141  receives an upward moving force while passing through the protruded obstacle, and the upward moving force allows the front side driven wheel  142  to move downward through the seesaw engaging plate  14  which rotates the seesaw shaft  144   a  and to contact with the ground, so that it is possible to prevent the driving wheel  141  from falling down when it climbs over the protruded obstacle. 
         [0078]    When the rear side driven wheel  143  climbs over the protruded obstacle, the front side driven wheel  142  and the driving wheel  141  maintain ground-contact states by means of the rotation of the seesaw engaging plate  144  about the seesaw shaft  144   a , so that it can stably climb over the protruded obstacle without falling down. 
         [0079]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , a protruded obstacle collision cushioning structure might be installed in the front side driven wheel  142 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , the front side driven wheel  142  is cushioned backward with respect to the impact occurring when the protruded obstacle contacts with the front side driven wheel  142  for thereby reliably cushioning the impact due to the collision with the protruded obstacle. 
         [0080]    The charging procedure by means of the charging unit  300  will be described. 
         [0081]    The charging control unit  183  of the robot control unit detects the remaining power of the electric power unit and judges the consumption power based on the distance from the charging unit  300  and its movement. As a result of the judgment, when a charging is needed, a communication is made through the charging control unit  183  and the communication control unit  184 . 
         [0082]    After receiving a position signal of the charging unit  300  from the charging communication unit  320  of the charging unit  300 , the air purification robot  100  moves to the charging unit  300 . When the air purification robot  100  gets close to the charging unit  300 , it approaches based on the detections of the charging local area sensor  341  and the charging remote area sensor  342  for thereby performing a charging operation. 
         [0083]    As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described examples are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.