Patent Description:
A robot cleaner is a home appliance that self-runs without user's operation and cleans any area. The robot cleaner includes a driving unit including wheels, a sensor for sensing the surrounding environment, a fan for generating a suction force, and a dust collecting apparatus for removing dust from the air sucked into a main body. The robot cleaner travels along a floor surface and it sucks air on the floor surface to perform cleaning.

Generally, a suction port of the robot cleaner is formed on the bottom surface of the main body, and the suction port is provided with a rotating brush. The brush rotates to scatter dust, trash and the like accumulated on a floor surface while rotating the brush. The scattered dust, trash and the like are sucked into the main body by the suction force of the fan.

However, such robot cleaner can only perform cleaning on the floor surface, thus limiting the cleaning range. In other words, it is difficult to clean areas adjacent to side walls of a facility such as a compartment, a corner area, an area located higher than the floor surface such as a washboard, and the like. In addition, it is difficult to clean dirt, human hair, and pet hair attached to the side walls of compartments or furniture, or floating in the air.

<CIT> relates to a vacuum cleaner provided with a left cover and a right cover, which cover a suction port body, so as to be movable in the right and left direction to facilitate cleaning by expanding the suction port body when cleaning along the side of a wall or a corner of a room. <CIT> relates to a vacuum cleaner with an air blow function for collecting floor dust. The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the invention No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the invention.

Aspects of the invention are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the invention is to provide a robot cleaner capable of enlarging a cleaning area to side walls or corners of a facility.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a robot cleaner having a simple structure with improved cleaning efficiency at the time of cleaning a side wall or a corner of a facility.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a robot cleaner provided with a cleaning tool capable of manual operation to clean pet hair or the like or efficiently clean furniture and the like.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a robot cleaner according to claim <NUM>.

The side surface of the main body may include a left surface and a right surface, the side suction port may be formed on at least one of the left surface or the right surface, and the side discharge port may be formed on the side surface on which the side suction port is formed.

The side suction port and the side discharge port are arranged to face each other.

The robot cleaner may further include a bottom suction port formed on a bottom surface of the main body to suck dust below the main body, a main suction passage to guide the air sucked through the bottom suction port to the dust collecting apparatus, and an auxiliary suction passage to guide the air sucked through the side suction port to the dust collecting apparatus.

The main suction passage and the auxiliary suction passage may join together in front of the dust collecting apparatus.

The robot cleaner may further include a switching valve provided at a point where the main suction passage and the auxiliary suction passage join together such that the suction force of the fan is transmitted to either the main suction passage or the auxiliary suction passage.

The switching valve may include a cylindrical valve housing and a valve body rotatably provided in the cylindrical valve housing.

The valve body may be configured to be rotatable between a first position to open the main suction passage and close the auxiliary suction passage, and a second position to close the main suction passage and open the auxiliary suction passage.

The valve body may include a valve passage connected to one of the main suction passage and the auxiliary suction passage, and the valve passage may be connected to the main suction passage when the valve body is in the first position and the valve passage is connected to the auxiliary suction passage when the valve body is in the second position.

The dust collecting apparatus may include an inlet through which the air sucked through the main suction passage or the auxiliary suction passage flows, a cyclone chamber to centrifugally separate the dust by turning the air introduced through the inlet, a dust collecting chamber to collect the dust that has been removed from the cyclone chamber, and an outlet to discharge the dust-removed air from the cyclone chamber.

The robot cleaner may further include an electrostatic adsorption plate provided on the side surface of the main body to adsorb dust from the outside of the main body through static electricity.

The electrostatic adsorption plate may be disposed between the side suction port and the side discharge port.

In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the invention a robot cleaner includes a main body, a fan provided inside the main body and configured to generate a suction force, a dust collecting apparatus provided to remove dust from the air sucked into the main body, and an electrostatic adsorption plate provided on at least one of a top surface or a side surface of the main body to adsorb dust outside the main body through static electricity.

The electrostatic adsorption plate may be provided on the side surface of the main body, and the robot cleaner may further include a side suction port formed on the side surface of the main body to suck dust adhering to the electrostatic adsorption plate.

The electrostatic adsorption plate may be provided on the top surface of the main body, and the robot cleaner may further include a top suction port formed on the top surface of the main body to suck dust adhering to the electrostatic adsorption plate.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the disclosure, a robot cleaner is provided. The robot cleaner includes a main body, a fan provided inside the main body and configured to generate a suction force, a dust collecting apparatus provided to remove dust from the air sucked into the main body, a suction port formed on a bottom surface of the main body to suck dust below the main body, a main suction passage to guide the air sucked through the suction port to the dust collecting apparatus, a cleaning tool for hand-held and manual cleaning, a tool mounting part provided on the main body to detachably mount the cleaning tool, and an auxiliary suction passage to suck dust from the tool mounting part to remove dust attached to the cleaning tool mounted on the tool mounting part and guide the dust to the dust collecting apparatus.

The tool mounting part may include a scraper configured to scrape dust adhering to the cleaning tool when the cleaning tool is mounted on the tool mounting part.

The scraper may be configured to move in a process of mounting the cleaning tool, and the tool mounting part may include an elastic member to elastically support the scraper.

The robot cleaner may further include a switching valve provided at a position where the main suction passage and the auxiliary suction passage join together such that the suction force of the fan is transmitted to either the main suction passage or the auxiliary suction passage.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the invention.

The robot cleaner can efficiently clean dust, garbage, pet hair, and the like in the vicinity of side walls or corners of a facility.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understood but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a bottom perspective view of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a plan view of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a side cross sectional view of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a plan sectional view of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a view showing a state in which a valve body of the robot cleaner of <FIG> is in a first position according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a view showing a state in which the valve body of the robot cleaner of <FIG> is in a second position according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to <FIG>, a robot cleaner <NUM> includes a main body <NUM>, a fan <NUM> provided inside the main body <NUM> to generate a suction force, and a dust collecting apparatus <NUM> provided to remove foreign matter such as dust from the air sucked into the main body <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> forms an outer appearance of the robot cleaner <NUM> and includes a top surface <NUM>, a bottom surface <NUM>, a front surface <NUM>, a rear surface <NUM>, a left surface <NUM>, and a right surface <NUM>. The front surface <NUM>, the rear surface <NUM>, the left surface <NUM> and the right surface <NUM> connect the top surface <NUM> and the bottom surface <NUM>. The front surface <NUM>, the rear surface <NUM>, the left surface <NUM>, and the right surface <NUM> may be formed as planes or curved surfaces, respectively.

That is, in the embodiment, the front surface <NUM> is substantially linear when viewed from above the robot cleaner <NUM>, and the rear surface <NUM>, the left surface <NUM>, and the right surface <NUM> are formed in a substantially curved shape. However, it is not limited thereto. That is, the front surface <NUM>, the rear surface <NUM>, the left surface <NUM>, and the right surface <NUM> are all formed in an arc shape, and the robot cleaner <NUM> may be formed to have a circular shape as a whole when viewed from above.

A sensor unit <NUM> may be provided on the top surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> to sense the surrounding environment for autonomously running the robot cleaner <NUM> or to receive signals from a remote controller (not shown).

A wheel <NUM> to run the robot cleaner <NUM> and a caster <NUM> to assist the wheels <NUM> and allow the main body <NUM> to travel stably can be provided on the bottom surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. A pair of the wheels <NUM> is provided on the rear portion of the bottom surface <NUM> of the main body, and the caster <NUM> may be provided in front of the wheel <NUM>. A wheel drive unit <NUM> for driving the wheel <NUM> may be provided inside the main body <NUM>. The wheel drive unit <NUM> may include a drive motor for generating a rotational force, a gear assembly for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the wheel <NUM>, and the like.

A bottom suction port <NUM> is formed in the bottom surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> so as to suck the dust of an indoor or outdoor floor G into the main body <NUM>, and the bottom suction port <NUM> may be provided with a brush <NUM> to scatter dust adhering to the floor G so as to be sucked smoothly. The brush <NUM> is rotatably provided and the main body <NUM> may be provided with a brush drive motor <NUM> to drive the brush <NUM>.

The dust collecting apparatus <NUM> may be provided at the center of the main body <NUM>. The dust collecting apparatus <NUM> can be mounted on the main body <NUM> so as to be detachable upward. In an embodiment, the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> is a cyclone type in which dust is separated using a centrifugal force. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> using a dust bag or a filter may be employed.

As shown in <FIG>, the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> includes an outer wall <NUM>, a cyclone chamber <NUM> to form a swirling airflow to separate dust by the centrifugal force, a dust collecting chamber <NUM> to collect the dust separated through the cyclone chamber <NUM>, an inner wall <NUM> to partition the cyclone chamber <NUM> and the dust collecting chamber <NUM>, an opening <NUM> formed in the inner wall <NUM> so that the dust of the cyclone chamber <NUM> moves to the dust collecting chamber <NUM>, an inlet <NUM> through which the air outside the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> flows into the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>, and an outlet <NUM> through which air with the dust removed through the cyclone chamber <NUM> flows out of the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>.

A guide wall <NUM> is formed inside of the cyclone chamber <NUM> so as to guide the swirling airflow. A spiral wall <NUM> formed to be inclined in a helical shape may be provided around the guide wall <NUM> so as to form a swirl flow. The inner space of the guide wall <NUM> communicates with the outlet <NUM> and the upper portion of the guide wall <NUM> is provided with a grill <NUM> formed to prevent foreign matter such as dust from flowing to the outlet <NUM> and to guide air to flow to the outlet <NUM>.

With this configuration, the air outside the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> flows into the cyclone chamber <NUM> through the inlet <NUM> and is circulated around the guide wall <NUM> along the spiral wall <NUM> in the cyclone chamber <NUM>. In the course of turning, the dust is separated from the air by the centrifugal force, and the separated dust is collected through the opening <NUM> into the dust collecting chamber <NUM>. The dust-removed air may pass through the grill <NUM> over the guide wall <NUM> and be discharged to the outside of the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> through the outlet <NUM>. When cleaning is completed, the user can remove the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> from the main body <NUM>, remove the dust collected in the dust collecting chamber <NUM>, and mount the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> in the main body <NUM> again.

The fan <NUM> is connected to a motor <NUM> and can generate a suction force. The fan <NUM> and the motor <NUM> may be disposed in a fan motor chamber <NUM> at the rear of the main body <NUM>. The fan motor chamber <NUM> can be connected to the outlet <NUM> of the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may include side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> formed in the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body <NUM> so as to suck dust beside the main body <NUM> into the main body <NUM>. The side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed on both the left surface <NUM> and the right surface <NUM> of the main body. But the invention is not limited thereto and the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed on only one of the left surface <NUM> and the right surface <NUM> of the main body.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may include a top suction port <NUM> formed on the top surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> so as to suck dust above the main body <NUM> into the main body <NUM>.

That is, the robot cleaner <NUM> includes the bottom suction port <NUM> formed on the bottom surface <NUM> of the main body, the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> formed on the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body, and the top suction port <NUM> formed on the top surface <NUM> of the main body.

The robot cleaner <NUM> includes a main suction passage <NUM> to transmit the suction force of the fan <NUM> to the bottom suction port <NUM> to suck air through the bottom suction port <NUM>, and an auxiliary suction passage <NUM> to transmit the suction force of the fan <NUM> to the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the top suction port <NUM> to suck air through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the top suction port <NUM>.

That is, the main suction passage <NUM> connects the bottom suction port <NUM> to the inlet <NUM> of the dust collecting apparatus, and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> can connect the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the inlet <NUM> of the dust collecting apparatus.

The main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> may be arranged to join together in front of the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>. That is, the main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> can be joined to the inlet <NUM> of the dust collecting apparatus <NUM> by one passage.

A switching valve <NUM> may be provided to select whether to transmit the suction force of the fan <NUM> to the main suction passage <NUM> or to the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> at a point where the main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> join. The switching valve <NUM> includes a cylindrical valve housing <NUM>, a valve body <NUM> rotatably provided in the cylindrical valve housing <NUM>, and a valve motor <NUM> to drive the valve body <NUM>.

The valve body <NUM> may be configured to be rotatable between a first position (<FIG>) in which the main suction passage <NUM> is opened and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> is closed and a second position (<FIG>) in which the main suction passage <NUM> is closed and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> is opened. For this purpose, the valve body <NUM> may include a valve passage <NUM> formed therein to be connected to either the main suction passage <NUM> or the auxiliary suction passage <NUM>, depending on the position of the valve body <NUM>.

The valve passage <NUM> is connected to the main suction passage <NUM> when the valve body <NUM> is in the first position and is connected to the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> when the valve body <NUM> is in the second position.

With this configuration, the robot cleaner <NUM> can have a first cleaning mode in which the valve body <NUM> is in the first position and a second cleaning mode in which the valve body <NUM> is in the second position. In the first cleaning mode, the main suction passage <NUM> is opened and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> is closed so that the air on the floor can be cleaned through the bottom suction port <NUM>. In the second cleaning mode, the main suction passage <NUM> is closed and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> is opened so that the air in the lateral side and upper side of the main body can be sucked and cleaned through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the top suction port <NUM>.

As described above, the robot cleaner <NUM> of the invention has a structure in which the main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> can receive the suction force from the fan <NUM>. Thus, there is no need to add a fan and a motor and a cost increase and space reduction can both be avoided.

The main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> are joined to each other to select one of the main suction passage <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> through the switching valve <NUM>. Therefore, since the suction force of the fan <NUM> is not dispersed in the plurality of passages, the suction force may not decrease.

The robot cleaner <NUM> includes side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> formed on the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body <NUM> and top discharge port <NUM> formed on the top surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> in addition to a rear discharge port <NUM>.

The exhaust air discharged through the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> can scatter the dust on the side of the main body <NUM> so that the dust on the side of the main body <NUM> can be sucked smoothly through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM>. The side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> according to the embodiment of the invention can increase the suction efficiency through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> by scattering the dust on the sides by guiding the air stream laterally rather than rearward.

The side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed in at least one of the left surface <NUM> or the right surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> in which the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> are formed.

The side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed so that the direction of the suction air sucked through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> is not perpendicular to the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body. In other words, the direction of the suction air sucked through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> can be aligned or oblique to the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body. For this purpose, the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> can be opened toward the rear of the main body <NUM> rather than toward the side of the main body <NUM>.

The side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> may also be formed such that the direction of the exhaust wind discharged through the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> is not perpendicular to the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body. That is, the direction of the exhaust wind that is discharged through the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> can be parallel or oblique to the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body. For this purpose, the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> can be opened toward the front of the main body <NUM>, rather than toward the side of the main body <NUM>. Therefore, the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed so as to substantially face each other.

The robot cleaner <NUM> includes a side discharge passage <NUM> to discharge dust-removed air to the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> and a top discharge passage <NUM> to discharge the air to the side discharge passage <NUM>. The side discharge passage <NUM> connects the fan motor chamber <NUM> and the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the top discharge passage <NUM> connects the fan motor chamber <NUM> and the top discharge passage <NUM>.

With this structure, the dust on the side of the main body <NUM> is affected by both the exhaust air discharged from the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the suction air sucked through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM>, so that the suction efficiency can be increased.

<FIG> is a front view showing a cleaning operation of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a plan view showing the cleaning operation of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention.

A cleaning operation of the robot cleaner <NUM> according to the embodiment of the invention will be briefly described with reference to <FIG>.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may have the first cleaning mode for cleaning the indoor and outdoor floor G and the second cleaning mode for cleaning the side and the top of the robot cleaner <NUM> according to the position of the valve body <NUM>.

In the second cleaning mode, as shown in <FIG>, the robot cleaner <NUM> sucks the air on the side of the robot cleaner <NUM> through the side suction port <NUM>. Therefore, the robot cleaner <NUM> can clean dust, garbage, pet hair and the like that is adjacent to a side wall W of the facility such as a compartment or on a surface H higher than the floor G.

As shown in <FIG>, since the dust on the sides of the robot cleaner can be scattered by the exhaust air discharged through the top discharge port <NUM> formed on the side surface of the main body <NUM> when cleaning the sides, the cleaning efficiency can be increased.

<FIG> is a view showing a state in which a cleaning tool of the robot cleaner of <FIG> is separated according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a view showing a process of mounting the cleaning tool of the robot cleaner on a tool mounting part according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a view showing a state in which the cleaning tool of the robot cleaner of <FIG> is mounted on the tool mounting part according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to <FIG>, a cleaning tool <NUM> of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment of the invention will be described.

The robot cleaner <NUM> may include the cleaning tool <NUM>. The user can manually clean the tool by holding the cleaning tool <NUM> by hand. The cleaning tool <NUM> may be detachably mounted to the main body <NUM>. To this end, the main body <NUM> may be provided with a tool mounting part <NUM> to which the cleaning tool <NUM> is detachably mounted. The tool mounting part <NUM> may be formed on the upper portion of the main body <NUM>.

The cleaning tool <NUM> may include a handle <NUM> that can be held by hand and a cleaning member <NUM> provided under the handle <NUM>. The cleaning member <NUM> may include a plurality of cleaning members 82a and 82b. For example, the first cleaning member 82a of the brush type that can trim pet hair is provided on one side of the cleaning tool <NUM>, and the second cleaning member 82b that can clean cloth or leather is provided on the other side of the cleaning tool <NUM>. The cleaning tool <NUM> may be provided with a coupling groove <NUM> and the tool mounting part <NUM> may include a coupling protrusion <NUM> to be inserted into the coupling groove <NUM>.

The tool mounting part <NUM> may include a side wall <NUM>, a bottom wall <NUM>, and a mounting space <NUM> formed by the side wall <NUM> and the bottom wall <NUM>. The mounting space <NUM> is formed so that the upper surface thereof is opened and the cleaning tool <NUM> can be mounted or dismounted through the open upper surface of the mounting space <NUM>.

The side wall <NUM> may be formed with a mounting inlet <NUM> to connect the mounting space <NUM> and the auxiliary suction passage <NUM>. With this structure, when the robot cleaner <NUM> operates in the second cleaning mode, the air in the mounting space <NUM> can be sucked into the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> through the mounting inlet <NUM>.

Hair, dust, pet hair, or other foreign matter that is attached or buried in the cleaning member <NUM> after the use of the cleaning tool <NUM> can be sucked into the auxiliary suction passage <NUM> through the mounting inlet <NUM> and guided to the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>.

The tool mounting part <NUM> may include a scraper <NUM> to scrape foreign matter that adheres to the cleaning member <NUM> of the cleaning tool <NUM> in the process of mounting the cleaning tool <NUM> to the tool mounting part <NUM>. The foreign matter separated from the cleaning member <NUM> through the scraper <NUM> can be more easily sucked into the dust collecting apparatus <NUM>.

The scraper <NUM> may be provided to protrude from the side wall <NUM> to the mounting space <NUM> so as to contact the cleaning member <NUM> of the cleaning tool <NUM> in the process of mounting the cleaning tool <NUM>.

The scraper <NUM> may be provided to be movable such that the scraper <NUM> and the cleaning member <NUM> are prevented from being excessively pressed against each other to cause breakage. Also, the cleaning tool <NUM> is prevented from being caught by the scraper <NUM> so as not to be mounted on the tool mounting part <NUM>. The scraper <NUM> may be provided to be movable in an opening <NUM> formed in the side wall <NUM>.

The scraper <NUM> is projected farthest normally. The scraper moves in a direction in which the amount of protrusion decreases in the process of mounting the cleaning tool <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, and the scraper may be restored to its original position when the cleaning tool <NUM> is installed as shown in <FIG>.

To this end, the tool mounting part <NUM> may include an elastic member <NUM> to elastically support the scraper <NUM>. One end of the elastic member <NUM> is supported by the scraper <NUM> and the other end of the elastic member <NUM> can be supported by an elastic member support <NUM> of the tool mounting part <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention A robot cleaner according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those of the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

A robot cleaner <NUM> may include an electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> that is configured to adsorb dust or the like from the outside of the main body <NUM> through static electricity. The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> is charged with a negative potential in consideration of the fact that human hair, pet hair, floating dust, etc. have positive potential in a normal living environment. Therefore, the electrostatic adsorption plates can adsorb them by an electric attraction force.

The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be formed of a thin metal plate made of a metal such as aluminum having high conductivity and high electric capacity. The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be connected to a static electricity generator (not shown) that receives power from the outside and generates static electricity.

The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be attached to the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be provided between the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM>. The foreign matter adsorbed on the electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> does not remain attached to the electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> but is sucked through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> into the main body <NUM> by the suction wind of the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM> and the exhaust wind of the side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to remove the dust attached to the electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM>.

The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be attached to the top surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. The electrostatic adsorption plate <NUM> may be provided between the top suction port <NUM> and the top discharge port <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view showing a robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention <FIG> is a plan view of the robot cleaner of <FIG> according to an embodiment of the invention The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those of the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

A robot cleaner <NUM> may have an auxiliary discharge port <NUM> in addition to a bottom suction port, side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM>, a rear discharge port <NUM> and side discharge ports <NUM> and <NUM>. The auxiliary discharge port <NUM> can more effectively scatter the dust on the side and on the top of the robot cleaner <NUM>, thereby increasing the suction efficiency through the side suction ports <NUM> and <NUM>.

A main body <NUM> of the robot cleaner <NUM> has a top surface <NUM>, a bottom surface, a front surface <NUM>, a rear surface <NUM>, a left surface <NUM> and a right surface <NUM>. The auxiliary discharge port <NUM> may be provided at the upper end of the left surface <NUM>.

Specifically, the robot cleaner <NUM> includes a nozzle body <NUM> protruding laterally and upwardly from a corner <NUM> connecting the left surface <NUM> and the top surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. An auxiliary discharge passage <NUM> branched from the side discharge passage <NUM> is formed in the nozzle body <NUM> and the auxiliary discharge port <NUM> may be formed at the end of the nozzle body <NUM> to be connected to the auxiliary discharge passage <NUM>.

The auxiliary discharge port <NUM> is located behind the side suction port <NUM> and can discharge the wind slantingly with respect to a front and rear direction FR of the robot cleaner <NUM>. That is, a spray direction D of the auxiliary discharge port <NUM> may be formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle (θ, <NUM> < θ < <NUM> degrees) with respect to a front direction F of the robot cleaner <NUM>. Accordingly, the dust on the side and the top of the robot cleaner <NUM> is effectively scattered by the auxiliary discharge port <NUM>, and the scattered dust can be sucked through the side suction port <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the auxiliary discharge port <NUM> is provided at the upper end of the left surface <NUM> of the main body but may be provided at the upper end of the right surface <NUM> of the main body <NUM> or both.

Claim 1:
A robot cleaner comprising:
a main body (<NUM>);
a fan (<NUM>) provided inside the main body and configured to generate a suction force;
a dust collecting apparatus (<NUM>) provided to remove dust from air sucked into the main body;
a side suction port (<NUM>, <NUM>) formed on a side surface (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the main body and configured to suck dust in a lateral direction towards a side of the main body into the main body; and
a side discharge port (<NUM>, <NUM>) formed on the side surface (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the main body and configured to discharge air in a lateral direction from the side of the main body and scatter dust at the side of the main body to be sucked in through the side suction port.