Patent Description:
A person cleans a living space thereof for hygiene and cleanliness. There are many reasons for the cleaning. For example, the cleaning may be done to protect a body from disease or to prevent damage to a bronchus. Further, the cleaning may be done for a quality of life, such as, for using the space thereof in a clean state.

Dust or foreign substances settle on a floor by gravity. Thus, in order to perform the cleaning, people tend to bend their waists or sit down, so that it is easy to put a strain on the waists or joints.

To this end, in recent years, cleaners that help people clean have appeared. The cleaners may be roughly classified into a handy stick cleaner, a bar-type cleaner, a robot cleaner, and the like.

Among these, the robot cleaner cleans the space instead of a user in a specific space such as a home, an office, or the like. The robot cleaner generally performs the cleaning by suctioning dust in an area to be cleaned.

However, it may not be said that the cleaning is completed by just suctioning the dust. The reason is that there is dust that is not able to be removed only by a suction power of the robot cleaner. For example, a foreign substance attached to a floor surface or dust larger than a suction tube of the robot cleaner are difficult to be removed with only the suction power of the robot cleaner.

According to <CIT>, a robot cleaner in which a roller mop mops a floor surface is disclosed. However, even in the patent document, there is no specific invention about a method for increasing an area of contact with the floor The document <CIT> discloses a robot cleaner according to the preamble of independent claim <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, it is intended to provide a robot cleaner capable of performing cleaning of sucking dust on a traveling face and cleaning of mopping the traveling face.

Specifically, it is intended to provide a robot cleaner with a structure of supplying water to a mop by driving a pump by a rotational movement of a mopping unit.

Further, it is intended to provide a robot cleaner with a structure capable of storing water by utilizing an existing structure.

Further, it is intended to provide a robot cleaner that may perform mopping only when the robot cleaner is traveling to prevent a traveling face from getting unintentionally dirty.

As an example for solving the above-described example, a robot cleaner having a nozzle that automatically supplies water to a mop by driving a pump with a rotational motion without a motor is provided.

Further, provided is a robot cleaner in which a mop roller operates a gear pump or a diaphragm pump while rotating, thereby supplying water inside the roller to the outside.

Further, provided is a robot cleaner in which a mop roller is always maintained in a state of containing moisture during cleaning by automatically supplying water only when the mop roller rotates.

According to the present embodiment, the water may be supplied without the motor, so that energy required for the cleaning may be effectively used.

Further, because the water is supplied only during the cleaning, the traveling face does not get dirty unnecessarily.

Further, when a rotational speed of the mopping unit is adjusted, a water supply amount is adjusted based on the adjustment of the rotation speed of the mopping unit, so that effective cleaning is possible.

Further, a cleaning performance is excellent because the mop does not dry during the cleaning.

Further, because there is a water bottle inside a rotating roller, there is no need for a space to place the water bottle separately in the robot cleaner.

Further, when the rotation speed is adjusted, the water supply amount may also be adjusted.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A following detailed description is provided to aid in a comprehensive understanding of a method, an apparatus, and/or a system described herein. However, this is only an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary depending on intention of a user or an operator, customs, or the like. Therefore, the definition thereof should be made based on the contents throughout the present specification. The terminology used in the detailed description is for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", and "including" when used in the description, specify the presence of the certain features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, and portions or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, and portions or combinations thereof.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment. <FIG> is a bottom view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment. Further, <FIG> is a side view of a robot cleaner according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, a structure of a robot cleaner will be described with reference to <FIG>.

A robot cleaner <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a main body <NUM>, a driver <NUM>, a cleaning module housing <NUM>, and a mopping unit <NUM>. Further, the robot cleaner <NUM> may further include a battery (not shown) for providing electric power such that the above-described driver and mopping unit may be electrically driven.

The battery may be provided as a secondary battery and may be repeatedly charged and discharged. Thus, a user may use the robot cleaner by repeatedly charging the battery when a battery power level is low without having to replace or add a battery.

When the battery is provided as the secondary battery, the robot cleaner may further include a charging device (not shown) that may charge the robot cleaner.

In another example, the battery may be provided as a dry battery rather than the secondary battery. In this case, the dry battery may be required to be replaced when the dry battery is dead.

That is, there is no restriction on how the robot cleaner is provided with the electric power.

The main body <NUM> may be disposed to form an exterior of the robot cleaner <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> may include a first housing <NUM> and a second housing <NUM>.

The first housing <NUM> may form a portion of the main body <NUM> and may provide a space in which electronic components required for the robot cleaner <NUM> or parts required for the robot cleaner are mounted.

For example, a controller (not shown) that controls an operation of the robot cleaner <NUM> may be mounted in the first housing <NUM>.

The controller determines whether to operate the driver <NUM> and whether to guide water received in a water tank <NUM>, which will be described later.

Further, the first housing <NUM> may be disposed to provide a flow path (not shown) through which air containing dust is guided to the dust collector <NUM> to be described later. That is, the air sucked through the cleaning module <NUM> to be described later may be guided through an internal space of the first housing <NUM> to the dust collector <NUM>.

The second housing <NUM> may be disposed in a form of a cover that covers the first housing <NUM>. However, the second housing <NUM> is not limited thereto.

A display (not shown) may be disposed on one face of the second housing <NUM>. The display may be formed in a shape of a touch panel, so that the user may simply enter a command through the display.

It is sufficient that the second housing <NUM> is disposed to be coupled to the first housing <NUM>. For example, the second housing <NUM> may be hinged or integrally formed with the first housing <NUM>.

However, it is preferable that the second housing <NUM> is separately disposed in consideration of installation convenience of the parts mounted in the first housing <NUM>. The second housing <NUM> may prevent the parts mounted in the first housing <NUM> from being contaminated or damaged by an outside factor.

That is, the robot cleaner according to the present embodiment may be disposed such that the parts mounted in the first housing <NUM> are covered by the second housing <NUM> and not exposed to the outside. Thus, when the parts are operating, a user's body may be injured due to user's carelessness, malfunction, or the like. Thus, the main body <NUM> may cover the internal parts to prevent a safety accident. Further, because the main body <NUM> is present, a complex interior is not exposed to the outside, thereby creating a sense of beauty. Thus, the main body <NUM> may be used as a design element.

The cleaning module <NUM> may be a portion that is coupled to the main body of the robot cleaner <NUM> to perform the cleaning.

The cleaning module <NUM> may include a cleaning module housing <NUM> and the mopping unit <NUM>.

The cleaning module <NUM> may be disposed to clean a traveling face. Specifically, the cleaning module <NUM> may be disposed to suck dust present on the traveling face.

The traveling face may be a floor face. When a carpet or the like is disposed, the traveling face may be a top face of the carpet.

The dust may be sucked into a space provided by the first housing <NUM> through the cleaning module housing <NUM>. The sucked dust may be collected in the dust collector <NUM> and air from which the dust has been removed may be discharged to the outside of the main body <NUM>.

The cleaning module housing <NUM> may be disposed to be coupled to the main body <NUM> to provide a space for accommodating the mopping unit <NUM> to be described later therein.

Further, the cleaning module housing <NUM> may provide a flow path through which the air containing the dust may be sucked such that the dust present on the traveling face may be removed.

The cleaning module housing <NUM> may include a first cleaning module housing 41a and a second cleaning module housing 41b.

Specifically, the first cleaning module housing 41a may provide the space for accommodating the mopping unit <NUM> therein as described above or a space for cleaning the traveling face.

The second cleaning module housing 41b may serve to securely connect the first cleaning module housing 41a to the main body <NUM>.

Specifically, an external force may be applied to the robot cleaner <NUM> or an unexpected shock may occur on the robot cleaner <NUM> during the travel. In this connection, the first cleaning module housing 41a is firmly connected to the main body <NUM> by the second cleaning module housing 41b, so that a situation in which the first cleaning housing 41a deviates from an original position may be prevented.

In the drawing, the second cleaning module housing 41b is shown to be disposed at a lower side of the first housing <NUM>, that is, a face facing the face to be cleaned, but is not limited thereto.

That is, there is no restriction on a connection relationship between the cleaning module housing <NUM> and the main body <NUM>.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may include the driver <NUM>.

The driver <NUM> may be disposed to move the main body <NUM>.

The driver <NUM> may include a main wheel <NUM> and a driver motor <NUM>.

The main wheel <NUM> may be disposed to be rotated by receiving electric power by the driver motor <NUM>. Each main wheel <NUM> may be disposed on each of both sides of the main body <NUM>.

The main wheel <NUM> disposed on one side and the main wheel <NUM> disposed on the other side may be controlled by different driver motors <NUM>, respectively. That is, the main wheel <NUM> disposed on one side and the main wheel <NUM> disposed on the other side may be rotated at different rotational speeds.

Thus, the robot cleaner <NUM> may turn in a left or right direction. Further, the robot cleaner <NUM> may switch directions in combination with going straight or going backward.

That is, a travel speed of the robot cleaner <NUM> may be determined based on the rotational speed of the main wheel <NUM> and a travel direction may be determined by a difference in rotational speed of the main wheels <NUM>.

For example, when the main wheel <NUM> on the left remains stationary and the main wheel <NUM> on the right is rotated, the robot cleaner <NUM> may turn to the left. When the main wheels <NUM> on the both sides are rotating, but when the main wheel <NUM> on the right rotates faster than the main wheel <NUM> on the left, the robot cleaner <NUM> may switch the direction to the left and continue moving straight.

The driver <NUM> may include auxiliary wheels <NUM> and <NUM>. A first auxiliary wheel <NUM> may be disposed at or adjacent to a center of the robot cleaner <NUM>. The first auxiliary wheel <NUM> is positioned adjacent to the center of the robot cleaner <NUM>, thereby supporting a load of the robot cleaner <NUM> at the center of the robot cleaner <NUM> and simultaneously assisting the travel. Thus, shaking of the robot cleaner during the travel of the robot cleaner may be minimized.

The first auxiliary wheel <NUM> may be disposed to rotate as the travel direction of the robot cleaner <NUM> is switched.

Thus, the travel may be guided stably even when the robot cleaner <NUM> switches the direction while cleaning an area to be cleaned.

That is, the first auxiliary wheel <NUM> may assist the rotation of the main wheel <NUM> while supporting the robot cleaner <NUM>.

A second auxiliary wheel <NUM> may be disposed in the cleaning module housing <NUM>. The cleaning module housing <NUM> is coupled to the main body <NUM> to perform the cleaning. The cleaning module housing <NUM> may be supported by the main body <NUM> while being coupled to the main body <NUM>. In another example, a portion of the cleaning module housing <NUM> in contact with the traveling face (or a face to be cleaned) may receive a supporting force by the traveling face.

However, because the robot cleaner <NUM> performs the cleaning while essentially moving in a region to be cleaned, the cleaning module housing <NUM> may not move smoothly during the travel.

As the second auxiliary wheel <NUM> is disposed, the cleaning module housing <NUM> may be moved more smoothly during the travel of the robot cleaner <NUM>.

Each second auxiliary wheel <NUM> may be disposed on each of both sides of the cleaning module housing <NUM> to perform a function of assisting balancing of the robot cleaner <NUM>.

The dust collector <NUM> may be a portion where the dust is collected. The dust collector <NUM> may include a cyclone (not shown). The dust collector <NUM> may be in communication with the cleaning module <NUM>.

The air may be introduced into the robot cleaner by the dust collector <NUM>. When the air is sucked by the dust collector <NUM> and the air from which the dust has been removed is discharged to the outside, a negative pressure is generated in the robot cleaner <NUM>, so that the air containing the dust may be introduced through the cleaning module housing <NUM>.

The dust collector <NUM> may be formed in a form in which relatively large dust is primarily separated and then relatively small dust is secondarily separated. However, the dust collector <NUM> is not limited thereto and is sufficient when being able to suck the dust present on the traveling face.

The dust collector <NUM> may be disposed to be detachable from the main body <NUM>. Thus, when the robot cleaner completes the cleaning or when excessive dust is accumulated in the dust collector <NUM>, the user may easily separate the dust collector <NUM> to remove the dust, thereby ensuring convenience.

The sensor unit <NUM> may be disposed on the main body <NUM>. The sensor unit <NUM> may provide image information such that the robot cleaner <NUM> may travel in the region to be cleaned.

That is, the sensor unit <NUM> may be a camera or a photographing sensor.

Specifically, the sensor unit <NUM> may collect information necessary for autonomous travel of the robot cleaner <NUM>.

For example, the sensor unit <NUM> may include the photographing sensor that creates a travel map by photographing a periphery of the robot cleaner <NUM>, an obstacle sensor that senses an obstacle, and the like. In another example, additional sensors may be further provided in addition to the above-described sensor.

For example, the sensor unit may include a wall sensor (not shown). Thus, information about the region to be cleaned may be input to the robot cleaner <NUM> through the wall sensor, the photographing sensor, and the like. The robot cleaner <NUM> may input a shape of a space during the traveling, and divide the region to be cleaned through the wall sensor into a plurality of cleaning areas.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the above-described example is only one embodiment. The photographing sensor and the obstacle sensor may simultaneously perform wall sensing.

The photographing sensor may be disposed not only to sense the region to be cleaned, but also to specify a position of the main body <NUM> in the region to be cleaned that is previously input. Thus, a position of the space where the robot cleaner <NUM> performs the cleaning may be specified and the position of the robot cleaner <NUM> is specified, so that movement to a next cleaning area may be guided.

A type and the number of sensor units <NUM> are not limited. That is, a plurality of photographing sensors may be arranged, and when the plurality of photographing sensors are arranged, the plurality of photographing sensors may be photographing sensors of the same type or different types.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may vary a suction strength of the dust collector <NUM> based on a material of the floor. This is because when the dust collector <NUM> always sucks the dust at the same strength, it may be difficult to completely perform the cleaning on an unusual floor face such as the carpet and the like.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may include a floor sensor (not shown) to sense the material of the floor. The floor sensor may be a sensor that senses the material of the floor. The floor sensor may be disposed in the sensor unit <NUM> described above, or may be disposed at a position different from the sensor unit <NUM>.

The region to be cleaned in which the robot cleaner <NUM> is used may vary depending on a case. For example, a floor material of the region to be cleaned may be marble or a floor paper. Further, the region to be cleaned may be made of a material other than the above example.

Depending on the material of the floor, an intensity at which the dust collector <NUM> is driven to effectively suck the dust may vary.

Specifically, the dust collector <NUM> must be driven more strongly in a carpeted region than on a general floor paper to effectively perform cleaning. The controller of the robot cleaner <NUM> may adjust the driving intensity of the dust collector <NUM> based on the type of floor material.

The obstacle sensor may determine whether an obstacle exists in the region to be cleaned. The obstacle sensor may be disposed integrally with the sensor unit <NUM> described above, or may be disposed separately. That is, the photographing sensor may also serve as the obstacle sensor.

As the obstacle sensor senses the obstacle, a travel path of the robot cleaner <NUM> may be changed. As a moving line becomes complicated, battery consumption may vary. Specifically, when the obstacle is present, the robot cleaner <NUM> is moved to bypass the obstacle. At this time, the moving line may be lengthened. As the moving line lengthens, a battery consumption for cleaning the corresponding area may increase.

<FIG> is a view showing a coupling structure of a mopping unit according to an embodiment.

The mopping unit <NUM> may be accommodated in the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Specifically, a mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> may be accommodated in the cleaning module housing <NUM>, and the mopping unit <NUM> may be accommodated in the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>.

The mopping unit <NUM> may be seated on the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>. The mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> may be formed as a portion of the cleaning module housing <NUM> or may be mounted inside the cleaning module housing.

The mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> may include a mopping unit receiving portion housing <NUM> that determines an exterior of the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>. The mopping unit receiving portion housing <NUM> may provide a receiving space <NUM> therein to accommodate the mopping unit <NUM> therein.

The mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> may include a mop sensing portion <NUM> that determines whether the mop <NUM> surrounds the body <NUM>. When the mop sensing portion <NUM> determines whether the mop <NUM> is mounted, whether to supply water toward the mop <NUM> may be determined.

A climbing preventing portion <NUM> may be disposed on the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>. The climbing preventing portion <NUM> may extend forwardly of the cleaning module housing <NUM>. The climbing preventing portion <NUM> is disposed to prevent a movement to a stepped terrain.

The climbing preventing portion <NUM> may extend forwardly of the robot cleaner <NUM> at a portion where the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> and the traveling face are in contact with each other.

In other words, the climbing preventing portion <NUM> may extend in the travel direction of the robot cleaner <NUM> from a face of the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM> facing the traveling face.

The climbing preventing portion <NUM> may protrude outwardly of the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Specifically, the climbing preventing portion <NUM> may protrude forwardly of the cleaning module housing <NUM>. More specifically, the climbing preventing portion <NUM> may protrude forwardly of a portion of the cleaning module housing <NUM> adjacent to the traveling face.

The climbing preventing portion <NUM> prevents the robot cleaner <NUM> from entering an area that is not the same height as the traveling face such as a carpet and the like during the traveling.

In general, the robot cleaner is used in a space where a height of the traveling face is constant except in unusual cases in a home, a company, and the like. Even when the robot cleaner is used in the space where the height of the traveling face is constant, there may be cases where the carpet is laid or a threshold or the like is formed depending on a user's preference.

Because the robot cleaner <NUM> according to the present embodiment is capable of traveling while mopping, it is not desirable that the mop <NUM> is operated while the robot cleaner <NUM> travels on a top face of the carpet or the like.

A plurality of climbing preventing portions <NUM> may be arranged on the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>. Thus, climbing may be prevented not only when the robot cleaner <NUM> encounters a portion having a different height of the traveling face while moving straight, but also when the robot cleaner <NUM> encounters a portion having a different height of the traveling face while moving in a certain direction. Thus, the operation of the mop <NUM> may not be disturbed by the traveling face. A pump <NUM> may be coupled to the mopping unit <NUM>. The pump <NUM> may include a rotation preventing member <NUM> that prevents the pump <NUM> from rotating despite a rotation of the body <NUM>.

The robot cleaner <NUM> according to the present embodiment may guide, through the pump <NUM>, water to the mop <NUM> without a separate component such as a motor and the like. When the robot cleaner <NUM> travels, the rotation of the body <NUM> is inevitable. Thus, the water may be guided to the mop <NUM> in response to the rotation of the body <NUM> when the pump <NUM> is fixed.

Thus, the robot cleaner <NUM> may be prevented from becoming excessively large, and the mopping may be performed with only the travel of the robot cleaner without additional energy consumption.

A detailed description of the pump <NUM> will be described later.

The mopping unit <NUM> may include the body <NUM> and the mop <NUM>.

The mopping unit <NUM> is accommodated in the cleaning module housing <NUM> to clean the traveling face traveled by the robot cleaner <NUM>.

Specifically, the mopping unit <NUM> may remove the dust and foreign substances while mopping the traveling face, aside from the dust being sucked into the robot cleaner <NUM> by the dust collector <NUM>.

That is, the mopping unit <NUM> may play a role of introducing the dust into the dust collector <NUM> by scattering the dust on the traveling face when the mop <NUM> is removed. Further, the mopping unit <NUM> may remove the dust and the foreign substances by mopping the floor together with the mop <NUM> when the mop <NUM> is mounted.

The dust present on the traveling face may not be completely removed by the suction of the dust collector <NUM>. Thus, the mopping unit <NUM> is disposed to remove the dust remaining on the traveling face.

The mopping unit <NUM> may be accommodated in the space provided by the cleaning module housing <NUM> and may be combined with the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Thus, the mopping unit <NUM> may be prevented from being displaced from the original position while mopping the floor.

The mopping unit <NUM> may include the body <NUM> disposed in the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Specifically, the body <NUM> may be coupled to the cleaning module housing <NUM> to support the mopping unit <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may be formed in a circular shape. The body <NUM> may rotate naturally as the robot cleaner <NUM> travels and scatter the dust on the traveling face to assist the dust collector <NUM> to collect the dust or to perform the cleaning by mopping the traveling face.

The body <NUM> may be hollowed. As described later, this is to dispose a water tank <NUM> in the body <NUM> and accommodate water in the water tank <NUM> or to accommodate the water in the body <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may be a portion that determines an exterior of the mopping unit <NUM>. Because the mop <NUM> is disposed to surround the body <NUM>, the mop <NUM> may be combined to the body <NUM> based on a shape of the body <NUM>.

The mop <NUM> may be made of a material that may contain moisture. This is to maximize an effect of the cleaning by receiving the moisture by a water supply passage <NUM> to be described later.

The mop <NUM> may be disposed to be detachable from the body <NUM>. The user may or may not wish to mop when using the robot cleaner. Thus, it is preferable that the mop <NUM> is able to be detached from the robot cleaner <NUM> based on selection of the user.

Further, when the mop <NUM> is formed integrally with the robot cleaner <NUM>, after the cleaning, the mop <NUM> in a contaminated state has to be reused. Further, even when the mop <NUM> is cleaned, there may be difficulties in the cleaning due to a structure of the robot cleaner <NUM>. Thus, the mop <NUM> is preferably detachable.

There is no restriction on how the mop <NUM> surrounds the body <NUM>.

For example, both ends of the mop <NUM> may be repeatedly attached to or detached from each other, or a component for mounting the mop <NUM> on the body <NUM> may be additionally disposed.

<FIG> is a view showing that a pump disposed in a mopping unit of a robot cleaner is formed as a gear pump.

The pump <NUM> may be coupled to the mopping unit <NUM>. The pump <NUM> may include a pump housing <NUM> that forms an exterior of the pump <NUM> and is coupled to the body <NUM>.

Shapes and the number of covers are not limited to shapes and the number of covers shown in the drawing.

A water supply <NUM> may be disposed in the pump housing <NUM>. The water supply <NUM> may not be operated with electrical power such as a separate motor, but may be provided to guide water toward the mop <NUM> in response to the rotation of the mopping unit <NUM>.

According to an embodiment in which the pump <NUM> is formed as a gear pump, a communication hole <NUM> in communication with the body <NUM> or the water tank <NUM> may be defined in the pump housing <NUM>. That is, the communication hole <NUM> may be defined to allow water to flow into the pump <NUM>.

The communication hole <NUM> may be defined in the pump housing <NUM> closer to a circumference than a rotation center of the mopping unit <NUM>. This is because as the body <NUM> is rotated, the water accommodated in the body <NUM> or the water tank <NUM> is positioned at an inner face of the body <NUM> by a centrifugal force.

Specifically, when an amount of water accommodated is large, the position of the communication hole <NUM> is not a problem. However, when the amount of water decreases as the cleaning progresses to some extent or when a small amount of water is initially injected, the water accommodated in the water tank <NUM> or the body <NUM> is biased toward the traveling face by gravity.

However, even when the amount of water accommodated in the body <NUM> or the water tank <NUM> is small, the water is biased toward the inner face of the body <NUM> or the water tank <NUM> as the body <NUM> rotates, so that it is preferable that the communication hole <NUM> is defined adjacent to the inner face of the body <NUM>.

The water supply <NUM> may include a first gear <NUM> and a second gear <NUM>.

The first gear <NUM> is a gear that rotates as the body <NUM> rotates. The first gear may rotate about a rotation center of the body <NUM>.

The second gear <NUM> may be a gear that meshes with the first gear <NUM> and guides the water introduced into the communication hole <NUM> toward the mop.

The second gear <NUM> may be disposed such that at least some of teeth thereof overlap the communication hole <NUM>. Thus, the water introduced into the communication hole <NUM> may be guided to the mop <NUM> through the pump <NUM>.

The pump housing <NUM> may include a guide member <NUM> for assisting the flow of water.

When the water flows into the pump housing <NUM> through the communication hole <NUM>, the water is guided by the water supply <NUM>. However, in order to stably guide the water to the water supply passage <NUM> to be described later, it is advantageous to have the guide member <NUM> protruding inwardly of the pump housing <NUM>.

That is, the guide member <NUM> may guide the water introduced into the communication hole <NUM> to the water supply passage <NUM>, thereby smoothly supplying the water.

The water supply passage <NUM> may include a first water supply passage <NUM> and a second water supply passage <NUM>.

The first water supply passage <NUM> is a passage in communication with the pump housing <NUM> and through which the water guided by the first gear <NUM> and the second gear <NUM> is discharged out of the pump housing <NUM>.

The first water supply passage <NUM> may be in communication with the pump housing <NUM>.

The second water supply passage <NUM> may be a portion in communication with the first water supply passage <NUM> and in communication with the mop <NUM>.

Specifically, the second water supply passage <NUM> may branch in a longitudinal direction of the body <NUM> to guide the water discharged from the first water supply passage <NUM> to the mop <NUM>.

The number of branched passages may vary. That is, two second water supply passages <NUM> are shown in the drawing, but the number of second water supply passages is not limited thereto.

It is preferable that the second water supply passage <NUM> is branched to both sides of the body <NUM> to be in communication with the mop <NUM>. Because the body <NUM> is preferably formed in a cylindrical shape, in order to guide the water evenly over the mop <NUM>, it is advantageous that the number of branched passages is large and that the passages are evenly branched.

<FIG> is a view showing various embodiments of a mopping unit in which a pump is formed as a gear pump.

Specifically, (a) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water is accommodated in the body <NUM>, (b) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water tank <NUM> is accommodated in the body <NUM>. Further, (c) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which a water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM>, and (d) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water inlet and the water tank are respectively defined and disposed in the body <NUM>.

In (a) to (d) in <FIG>, the body is shown in an opened shape for clear understanding.

Referring to (a) in <FIG>, the pump <NUM> is formed as a gear pump and a shape in which the water is accommodated in the body <NUM> is shown. The pump <NUM> may be disposed on one side of the body <NUM> and a cap <NUM> may be disposed on the other side of the body <NUM>.

The cap <NUM> may be formed as a twist cap. Thus, the body <NUM> may be opened or closed by rotating the cap <NUM>.

Further, when the cap <NUM> is formed as the twist cap, a fastening force becomes stronger as the number of rotations of the cap <NUM> increases, and thus a shielding performance may become excellent.

Further, as the cap <NUM> is disposed, it is convenient to simply supply the water into the body <NUM> or keep the supplied water in a state of being accommodated in the body <NUM>.

Referring to (b) in <FIG>, the pump <NUM> is formed as the gear pump and a case in which the water tank <NUM> is separately formed in the body <NUM> is shown.

Hereinafter, a description of a portion overlapping with (a) in <FIG> will be omitted. However, it is clear that the portion described in (a) in <FIG> is not excluded.

Referring to (b) in <FIG>, the water tank <NUM> may be formed separately from the body <NUM>.

When the water tank <NUM> is formed separately from the body <NUM>, a size of the water tank <NUM> may be smaller than a size of the body <NUM>. However, because the water is not directly accommodated in the body <NUM>, a shape of the water tank <NUM> may be changed, so that a structure of the pump <NUM> may be designed optimally.

In another example, even when the water tank <NUM> is disposed, the cap <NUM> may be disposed.

Referring to (c) in <FIG>, it is shown that the pump <NUM> is formed as the gear pump and a water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM> instead of the cap <NUM> being disposed on the other side.

When the water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM>, the water may be easily injected into the body <NUM> even when the mopping unit <NUM> is not removed from the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Because the mopping unit <NUM> is coupled to the cleaning module housing <NUM> or the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>, when the mopping unit <NUM> is formed such that the water is injected through an end thereof, the mopping unit <NUM> must be removed from the robot cleaner <NUM> to supply the water to the mopping unit <NUM>.

However, when the water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM>, the water may be supplied without removing the mopping unit <NUM> from the robot cleaner <NUM>.

Referring to (d) in <FIG>, even when the water inlet <NUM> is defined, the water tank <NUM> may be included. In this case, the water inlet <NUM> may be defined to be in communication with the water tank <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view showing that a pump disposed in a mopping unit of a robot cleaner according to the present embodiment is provided with a diaphragm pump.

Hereinafter, a portion different from that in <FIG> will be described. A description of a portion the same as that in <FIG> will be omitted.

A diaphragm pump is a membrane pump, which may be operated as the body <NUM> rotates. The water supply <NUM> may be formed as the diaphragm pump. Thus, the water may be guided to the mop <NUM> as the body <NUM> rotates.

When the body <NUM> is rotated and the pump <NUM> is not rotated, the water supply <NUM> may be operated.

Specifically, as the body <NUM> rotates, a diaphragm of the diaphragm pump contracts and relaxes. As the contraction and the relaxation repeats, the water contained in the body <NUM> may flow into the pump <NUM> and then may be guided to the mop <NUM>.

When the pump <NUM> is formed as the diaphragm pump, the pump <NUM> may include an inlet tube <NUM> and an outlet tube <NUM>.

The inlet tube <NUM> may be a portion where the water is guided from the water tank <NUM> or the body <NUM> to the water supply <NUM>. In this case, as the body <NUM> rotates, a negative pressure is generated inside the water supply <NUM> and the water is sucked. Further, as the body <NUM> rotates, a pressure is applied to the water supply <NUM>, so that the water may be discharged to the mop <NUM>.

The inlet tube <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the inner face of the body <NUM>. That is, the inlet tube <NUM> may be positioned closer to an inner circumferential face than the rotation center of the body <NUM>.

The inlet tube <NUM> is disposed adjacent to the inner face because the water is biased toward the inner face by a centrifugal force as the body <NUM> rotates, so that even when a small amount of water is accommodated, the water may be supplied smoothly to the mop <NUM>.

When the inlet tube <NUM> is in communication with the water supply <NUM> and is in communication with the water tank <NUM> when the water tank <NUM> is disposed, and when the water is accommodated in the body <NUM>, the inlet tube <NUM> may be in communication with the body <NUM>.

The outlet tube <NUM> may be in communication with the water supply <NUM> and in communication with the mop <NUM>. The outlet tube <NUM> guides the water discharged from the water supply <NUM> to the mop <NUM>. In the drawing, the outlet tube <NUM> is illustrated as being branched in two tubes, but is not limited thereto.

In order to supply the water evenly to the mop <NUM>, it is preferable that the outlet tube <NUM> is branched into several tubes. However, in consideration of a flow resistance, the outlet tube <NUM> may be disposed to be branched in an appropriate number of tubes.

<FIG> is a view showing various embodiments of a mopping unit in which a pump is formed as a diaphragm pump.

Specifically, (a) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water is accommodated in the body <NUM>, and (b) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water tank <NUM> is accommodated in the body <NUM>. (c) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM>, and (d) in <FIG> is a view showing a shape in which the water inlet and the water tank are respectively defined and disposed in the body <NUM>.

In (a) to (d) in <FIG>, the body is shown in the opened shape for clear understanding.

Referring to (a) in <FIG>, the pump <NUM> is formed as the diaphragm pump and a shape in which the water is accommodated in the body <NUM> is shown. The pump <NUM> may be disposed on one side of the body <NUM> and the cap <NUM> may be disposed on the other side of the body <NUM>.

The cap <NUM> may be formed as the twist cap. Thus, the body <NUM> may be opened or closed by rotating the cap <NUM>.

Further, when the cap <NUM> is formed as the twist cap, the fastening force becomes stronger as the number of rotations of the cap <NUM> increases, and thus the shielding performance may become excellent.

Further, as the cap <NUM> is disposed, it is convenient to simply supply the water into the body <NUM> or keep the supplied water in the state of being accommodated in the body <NUM>.

When the water tank <NUM> is formed separately from the body <NUM>, the size of the water tank <NUM> may be smaller than the size of the body <NUM>. However, because the water is not directly accommodated in the body <NUM>, the shape of the water tank <NUM> may be changed, so that the structure of the pump <NUM> may be designed optimally.

Referring to (c) in <FIG>, it is shown that the pump <NUM> is formed as the gear pump and the water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM> instead of the cap <NUM> being disposed on the other side.

When the water inlet <NUM> is defined in the body <NUM>, the water may be easily injected into the body <NUM> even when the mopping unit <NUM> is not removed from the cleaning module housing <NUM>. Because the mopping unit <NUM> is coupled to the cleaning module housing <NUM> or the mopping unit receiving portion <NUM>, when the mopping unit <NUM> is formed such that the water is injected through the end thereof, the mopping unit <NUM> must be removed from the robot cleaner <NUM> to supply the water to the mopping unit <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A robot cleaner (<NUM>) comprising:
a main body (<NUM>) for forming an exterior of the robot cleaner (<NUM>);
a driver (<NUM>) for moving the main body (<NUM>);
a cleaning module (<NUM>) coupled to the main body to suck dust from a traveling face; and
a dust collector (<NUM>) coupled to the main body (<NUM>) to collect the dust sucked by the cleaning module (<NUM>),
wherein the cleaning module (<NUM>) includes:
a cleaning module housing (<NUM>) for determining an exterior of the cleaning module (<NUM>), wherein the cleaning module (<NUM>) is coupled to the main body (<NUM>);
a mopping unit (<NUM>) rotatably coupled in the cleaning module housing (<NUM>), wherein the mopping unit (<NUM>) is configured to accommodate water therein and clean the traveling face;
a mop (<NUM>) detachably coupled to the mopping unit (<NUM>), characterised in that the robot cleaner (<NUM>) further comprises
a pump (<NUM>) disposed in the mopping unit (<NUM>), wherein the pump (<NUM>) is configured to guide water to the mop (<NUM>) as the main body (<NUM>) moves.