Patent Description:
Robot vacuum cleaners with moping function are known from the state of the art.

The cleaning methods performed by robot vacuum cleaners are also known from the state of the art.

The patent document <CIT> discloses a robot cleaner and an automatic cleaning method capable of realizing automatic cleaning. The robot cleaner comprises a lifting mechanism and a cleaning base. The cleaning base comprises a base body, a wiper mechanism disposed on the base body, and a spraying assembly having nozzles. The nozzles are arranged along a mopping component of the robot cleaner and form a structure used to spray water or mist to the mopping component. The wiper mechanism comprises a wiper. The wiper contacts the mopping component and moves with respect thereto so as to squeeze out the water while scraping off the objects attached on the mopping component. The lifting mechanism controls the mopping component to contact or separate from the wiper such that the mopping component is moved up or down.

The patent document <CIT> discloses a self-propelled cleaning device having a cylindrical side cover has a suction body capable of moving transversely to the forward direction. The side cover is held by a base via a suspension. When cleaning corners of a room, the suction body moves by a wall and as the suction body moves to a corner, the movement amount of the suction body is changed. When an obstacle touches the cleaning device, the side cover moves, and the article touches a side cover switch, and the direction of the article is detected.

The patent application <CIT> discloses a mopping mechanism, which includes a first mopping plate and a second mopping plate. The mopping mechanism also includes a rotary member coupled with the first mopping plate and the second mopping plate and configured to provide a variable stroke for at least one of the first mopping plate or the second mopping plate. The mopping mechanism further includes a mopping assembly driving unit connected with the rotary member and configured to drive the rotary member to rotate. When rotating, the rotary member drives at least one of the first mopping plate or the second mopping plate to move reciprocally between a first position and a second position.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function of an improved efficiency by active positioning of the wiping pad.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method of wiping the floor in which the driving wheels does not leave wet track on the cleaning surface.

These objects are solved by a robot vacuum cleaner in which the wiping pad is rotatable. The wiping pad can be designed as a round wiping element which is moved sideways. The positive effect is that the cleaning performance thanks to the rotation of the wiping pad is more effective in comparison to the standard rectangular wiping pad. The wiping pad is movable sideways. The wiping pad is a rectangular shape element of the robot vacuum cleaner which is provided for wiping a cleaning surface i.e. floor. The robot vacuum cleaner can be provided with a spray unit which sprays the water with a detergent into the floor. The wiping pad is made from fabrics of a good wiping features. The width of the wiping pad may be matched to the width of the suction mouth to achieve equal areas of overlap with cleaned areas of previously traveled cleaning route. The wiping pad is actively moved laterally. The suction mouth is positioned centrally to the longitudinal axis of the robot vacuum cleaner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the wiping pad has two working positions. In a first working position and in a second working position the wiping pad is moved laterally with respect to the center of the robot vacuum cleaner. The first working position is when the robot vacuum cleaner travels along a wall of a room. The second working position is when the robot vacuum cleaner returns back i.e. goes in opposite direction. The active movement of the wiping pad provides efficient wiping of the cleaning surface.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention in each working position a side edge of the wiping pad extends beyond an outer edge of the robot vacuum cleaner. The sideways movement of the wiping pad that extends beyond the outer edge of the robot vacuum cleaner also enables the robot to bring the wiping pad right up to the walls when it travels along the boundaries of a room and thus perform borderless wet cleaning. The lateral end positions are defined in such a way that the respective outer edge of the wiping pad protrudes laterally further beyond the driving wheels than the overlap width provided between adjacent webs. Thus, if the wet-cleaned areas of two meandering webs are to overlap by <NUM>, the wiping pad in the laterally shifted distortion should protrude more than <NUM> beyond the outer edge of the driving wheel. Thus, the greater the track width of the driving wheels compared to the overall width of the robot vacuum cleaner, the more lateral movement must be allowed for the wiping pad. A sideways movement of the wiping pad that extends beyond the edge of the robot vacuum cleaner also enables the device to bring the wiping pad right up to the walls when it travels along the boundaries of a room and thus perform borderless wet cleaning.

In another embodiment of the invention the wiping pad is placed behind the driving wheels at a rear side of the robot vacuum cleaner. While the suction mouth is positioned in front of or between the driving wheels, the wiping pad is usually located at the rear part of the robot vacuum cleaner and has a greater width than the track width of the driving wheels. The wiping pad is positioned at the rear of the robot, i.e. behind a suction mouth and behind driving wheels. The positive effect is that the driving wheels moves only on a dry surface.

In another embodiment of the invention the movement of the wiping pad is provided by a linear drive. The lateral movement of the wiping pad can be actuated for example by a linear drive, a spindle drive, a rack-and-pinion gear or a belt drive.

The objects of the present invention are solved also by a method for wiping floor using robot vacuum cleaner in which the position of the wiping pad depends on the phase of the robot vacuum cleaner cleaning route. The method for wiping the floor is based on a cleaning route which includes: an initial phase when the robot vacuum cleaner goes from a docking station to the starting point, the first working phase when the robot vacuum cleaner goes along room walls and a second working phase when the robot vacuum cleaner goes through a cleaning area in a first direction and an opposite second direction.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the position of the wiping pad changes with each direction change of the robot vacuum cleaner. The driving wheels run only on a dry surface. When traveling along a single straight path, the drive wheels have no contact with previously wiped cleaning surface. However, since the robot must overlap its tracks as it travels along the meander pattern in order to safely vacuum and wipe every area of the floor, the drive wheels do eventually come into contact with surfaces that have been wet cleaned on the adjacent track. Thanks to the active positioning of the wiping pad the driving wheels has no contact with previously wiped, wet surfaces. The positive effect is that the driving wheels do not leave wet tracks on the cleaning surface which is very important for the user. The robot vacuum cleaner using a laterally displaceable wiping pad can position itself with respect to already wiped surfaces in such a way that its drive wheels do not touch the damp areas of the floor and thus always travels on dry ground.

When driving on adjacent meander tracks, the wiping pad is shifted alternately with each change of direction. In this way, the driving wheels never travel over an area that has previously been wet cleaned. The driving wheels always touch dry ground and therefore leave no marks on the freshly mopped area.

When the mop pad width and suction mouth width are suitably matched, similar overlaps of vacuumed and mopped areas result.

At the beginning of a cleaning job, the robot moves along the walls of a room. To do this, the wiping pad is moved sideways in the direction of the wall, ideally pressed up to the wall. In the next step, the robot begins to systematically sweep the room along parallel meandering paths. On each of these meandering paths, the wiping pad is displaced with alternating directions of travel also to alternating sides. Although both the areas swept by the suction mouth and the areas wiped by the wiping pad overlap in each case, the outer continues to travel on a dry area.

The present invention enables a robot vacuum cleaner with a mop function in which the cleaning is more effective thanks to active positioning of the wiping pad. The wiping method provides that the driving wheels does not leave wet tracks on the cleaning surface.

The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and corresponding advantages will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments and in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In cooperation with attached drawing, the technical contents and detailed description of the present invention are described thereinafter according to a preferable embodiment being not used to limit its executing scope. Any equivalent variation and modification made according to appended claims is all covered by the claims claimed by the present invention.

In the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, similar identical reference numbers designate identical of comparable components.

<FIG> shows a robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> in isometric view. The robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> is a device consist of combination of two features, namely vacuuming and wiping the floor.

<FIG> shows a robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> bottom side in isometric view. The robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> is equipped with a suction mouth <NUM> with a brush roller <NUM>. The brush roller <NUM> helps to pick up the dirt which is sucked by the suction mouth <NUM>. The wiping pad <NUM> is positioned in its initial position. The wiping pad <NUM> is in its initial position when the robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> is docked with the docking station (not shown on the figure) or at the beginning of the cleaning route when the robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> goes from the docking station to the cleaning starting point.

<FIG> shows the robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> with the wiping pad <NUM> in the first working position.

<FIG> shows bottom side of a robot vacuum cleaner <NUM> with a wiping pad <NUM> in a second working position.

<FIG> shows a scheme of a method for wiping floor according the invention. When driving on adjacent meander tracks, the wiping pad <NUM> is shifted alternately with each change of direction. In this way, the driving wheels <NUM> never travel over an area that has previously been wet cleaned. The driving wheels <NUM> always touch dry ground and therefore leave no marks on the freshly mopped area.

At the beginning of a cleaning process, the robot cleaner travels to a starting point of the actual cleaning process. The wiping pad is in its initial position. The initial position means that the wiping pad is in the middle of the vacuum cleaner body, in a first direction along the walls of a room. To do this, the wiping pad <NUM> is moved sideways in the direction of the wall, ideally pressed up to the wall. In the next step, the robot goes back in opposite direction and begins to systematically sweep the room along parallel meandering paths. On each of these meandering paths, the wiping pad <NUM> is displaced with alternating directions of travel also to alternating sides. Although both the areas swept by the suction mouth <NUM> and the areas wiped by the wiping pad overlap in each case, the outer continues to travel on a dry area.

Claim 1:
A robot vacuum cleaner (<NUM>) comprising: a main body configured to be driven on a surface and having a suction mouth (<NUM>) with a brush roller (<NUM>) configured to suck in debris from the surface; a driving wheels (<NUM>) and a mop module having a wiping pad (<NUM>) which is movable sideways, characterized in that the wiping pad (<NUM>) is rotatable.