Autonomous cleaning apparatus and method of controlling the same

Abstract

An autonomous cleaning apparatus including a body, a brush unit which is rotatably installed onto the body to collect dust from a bottom of the body, and a brush cleaning member including a first brush cleaning protrusion and a second brush cleaning protrusion that protrude toward the brush unit to make contact with the brush unit to remove foreign substances wound around the brush unit.

1 . An autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a body;   a brush unit which is rotatably installed onto the body to collect dust from a bottom of the body; and   a brush cleaning member comprising a first brush cleaning protrusion and a second brush cleaning protrusion that protrude toward the brush unit to make contact with the brush unit to remove foreign substances wound around the brush unit.   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first brush cleaning protrusion and the second brush cleaning protrusion are slanted in an opposite direction to each other such that the first brush cleaning protrusion removes the foreign substances wound around the brush unit when the brush unit rotates in a first direction, while the second brush cleaning protrusion removes the foreign substances wound around the brush unit when the brush unit rotates in a second direction. 
     
     
         3 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the foreign substances wound around the brush unit are removed by the brush cleaning member while the brush unit is rotating in the first direction for a dust intake of the autonomous cleaning apparatus and rotating in the second direction for a dust exhaust of the autonomous cleaning apparatus. 
     
     
         4 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the foreign substances wound around the brush unit are removed by the brush cleaning member while the brush unit is alternately rotating in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         5 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first brush cleaning protrusion is formed with a plurality of brush cleaning protrusions disposed lengthwise along the brush unit and the second brush cleaning protrusion is formed with a plurality of brush cleaning protrusions disposed lengthwise along the brush unit, and the first and the second brush cleaning protrusion protrude within a rotation radius of the brush unit. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first brush cleaning protrusion and the second brush cleaning protrusion are integrally formed with each other on an end portion of the brush cleaning member. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first brush cleaning protrusion and the second brush cleaning protrusion are separately formed on a basal area along a rotation direction of the brush unit while being spaced apart from each other. 
     
     
         8 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a control unit configured to determine whether to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit, and to perform control such that the foreign substances wound around the brush unit are removed by the brush cleaning member while the brush unit is alternately rotating in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         9 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the control unit detects an amount of foreign substances wound around the brush unit based on energy detected by an optical sensor, which is provided on a wall surface of an opening of the body, and determines whether to remove the foreign substances based on the amount of the foreign substances detected. 
     
     
         10 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the control unit detects an amount of foreign substances wound around the brush unit based on a load on a motor which operates the brush unit, and determines whether to remove the foreign substances based on the amount of the foreign substances detected. 
     
     
         11 . The autonomous cleaning apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the control unit determines whether to remove the foreign substances based on an input by a user. 
     
     
         12 . An autonomous cleaning system apparatus, comprising:
 an autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising a body and a brush unit, which is rotatably installed onto the body to collect dust on a bottom of the body; and   a foreign substance removal tool which comprises a brush cleaning member, which protrudes toward the brush unit and makes contact with the brush unit to remove foreign substances wound around the brush unit, and is detachably coupled to the body while being disposed adjacent to a bottom portion of the brush unit.   
     
     
         13 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 12 , wherein the foreign substance removal tool comprises a coupling protrusion unit, and is coupled to the body through a coupling slot unit of the body. 
     
     
         14 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 12 , wherein the brush cleaning member is provided with a first brush cleaning protrusion and a second brush cleaning protrusion that are slanted in an opposite direction to each other. 
     
     
         15 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 14 , wherein the brush unit rotates in a first direction or a second direction, or alternately rotates in the first direction and the second direction to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit using the brush cleaning member. 
     
     
         16 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 12 , further comprising a control unit configured to recognize whether the foreign substance removal tool is coupled to the body while being adjacent to the bottom portion of the brush unit. 
     
     
         17 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the control unit recognizes, based on an output by a micro switch placed in the coupling slot unit of the body, whether the foreign substance removal tool is coupled to the body. 
     
     
         18 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the control unit recognizes, based on an output by an optical sensor placed in the coupling slot unit of the body, whether the foreign substance removal tool is coupled to the body. 
     
     
         19 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the control unit recognizes, based on an output by a magnetic sensor placed in the coupling slot unit of the body, whether the foreign substance removal tool is coupled to the body. 
     
     
         20 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein when the foreign substance removal tool is coupled to the body, the control unit performs control such that the foreign substances wound around the brush unit are removed by the brush cleaning member while alternately rotating the brush unit in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         21 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the control unit, in a case when an input by a user is present, performs control such that the foreign substances wound around the brush unit are removed by the brush cleaning member while alternately rotating the brush unit in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         22 . A method of controlling an autonomous cleaning apparatus, the method comprising:
 determining whether to remove foreign substances wound around a brush unit, which is configured to collect dust from a bottom of the body; and   removing the foreign substances wound around a brush unit, upon determination of whether to remove the foreign substances, by use of a brush cleaning member while rotating the brush unit in a first direction and a second direction alternately, the brush cleaning member comprising a first brush cleaning protrusion and a second brush cleaning protrusion that protrude toward the brush unit to make contact with the brush unit while being slanted in an opposite direction.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein in the determining of whether to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit, an amount of foreign substances wound around the brush unit is detected based on energy detected by an optical sensor, which is provided on a wall surface of an opening of the body, and whether to remove the foreign substances is determined based on the amount of the foreign substances detected. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein in the determining of whether to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit, an amount of foreign substances wound around the brush unit is detected based on a load on a motor which operates the brush unit, and whether to remove the foreign substances is determined based on the amount of the foreign substances detected. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein in the determining of whether to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit, whether to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit is determined based on an input by a user. 
     
     
         26 . A foreign substance removal tool for an autonomous cleaning apparatus, the foreign substance removal tool comprising:
 a foreign substance removal member which is coupled to an opening of the autonomous cleaning apparatus, the opening formed at a position corresponding to a brush unit, and is configured to remove foreign substances wound around the brush unit through interaction with the brush unit; and   a storage unit configured to store the foreign substances removed from the brush unit.   
     
     
         27 . The foreign substance removal tool of  claim 26 , wherein in a state that the foreign substance removal member is coupled to the opening of the autonomous cleaning apparatus, the foreign substance removal member is disposed within a radius of a rotation of the brush unit. 
     
     
         28 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 12 , further comprising a maintenance station to dock with the autonomous cleaning apparatus to charge a battery of the autonomous cleaning apparatus or to receive dust discharged from the autonomous cleaning apparatus. 
     
     
         29 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 28 , wherein the maintenance station comprises an opening provided at a position to communicate with an opening of the autonomous cleaning apparatus to receive the dust discharged from the opening of the autonomous cleaning apparatus, and a dust container to store the received dust from the autonomous cleaning apparatus. 
     
     
         30 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 29 , wherein the dust container of the maintenance station is detachably installed to the maintenance station. 
     
     
         31 . The autonomous cleaning system of  claim 28 , wherein the maintenance station further comprises a brush cleaning member, which protrudes toward the brush unit and makes contact with the brush unit to remove the foreign substances wound around the brush unit, when the autonomous cleaning apparatus is docked into the maintenance station.