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EP-4740821-A1 - STATION FOR ROBOT CLEANER

EP4740821A1EP 4740821 A1EP4740821 A1EP 4740821A1EP-4740821-A1

Abstract

There is disclosed a robot cleaner station including a housing; a washing tank disposed within the housing, the washing tank in which water used to wash a mop of a robot cleaner is collected; a wastewater tank configured to store water used to wash the mop; a wastewater suction path configured to move water within the washing tank to the wastewater tank; a wastewater discharge path configured to discharge water within the wastewater tank to a drain pipe of a kitchen cabinet; and a wastewater discharge pump configured to discharge water within the wastewater tank, and the wastewater discharge pump may apply air pressure to the wastewater tank.

Inventors

  • HAN, Seungwoo
  • RYU, JUNGWAN
  • LEE, DONGJAE

Assignees

  • LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251106

Claims (12)

  1. A robot cleaner station (100) comprising: a housing (110); a washing tank (128) disposed within the housing (110) and configured to collect water used to wash a mop of a robot cleaner (200); a wastewater tank (166) configured to store water used to wash the mop; a wastewater suction path (166b) configured to move water within the washing tank (128) to the wastewater tank (166); a wastewater discharge path (167) configured to discharge water within the wastewater tank (166) to a drain pipe (25) of a kitchen cabinet (2); and a wastewater discharge pump (167b) configured to discharge water within the wastewater tank (166), characterized in that the wastewater discharge pump (167b) applies air pressure to the wastewater tank (166).
  2. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 1, further comprising: a wastewater suction pump (166e) configured to create negative pressure in the wastewater tank (166).
  3. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 2, wherein the wastewater tank (166) comprises: a wastewater inlet (166c) through which the water of the washing tank (128) flows in; and a check valve (166d) configured to open and close the wastewater inlet (166c), and the check valve (166d) is configured to open only when the wastewater suction pump (166e) is in operation.
  4. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 3, wherein the wastewater tank (166) comprises a wastewater outlet (167a) in communication with the wastewater discharge path (167), and the wastewater outlet (167a) is located lower than the wastewater inlet (166c).
  5. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 4, wherein the wastewater inlet (166c) and the wastewater outlet (167a) are arranged on the rear side of the wastewater tank (166), and the wastewater tank (166) has a wider width in the left-right direction at the rear than at the front.
  6. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 3, wherein the wastewater suction pump (166e) is disposed in the same direction as the direction where the wastewater inlet (166c) is formed in the wastewater tank (166).
  7. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 4, wherein the wastewater discharge pump (167b) is disposed in the opposite direction from the direction where the wastewater outlet (167a) is formed in the wastewater tank (166).
  8. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 4, further comprising: a water level detection sensor (168) configured to measure the water level of the wastewater tank (166).
  9. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 8, wherein the wastewater discharge pump (167b) operates based on the water level detected by the water level detection sensor (168).
  10. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 8, wherein the water level detection sensor (168) comprises: a first sensor (168a); and a second sensor (168b) located higher than the first sensor (168a) relative to the ground.
  11. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 10, wherein the first sensor (168a) is disposed higher than the lowest point of the wastewater outlet (167a) based on the ground.
  12. The robot cleaner station (100) of claim 10, wherein the second sensor (168b) is disposed equal to or lower than the lowest point of the wastewater inlet (166c) with respect to the ground.

Description

BACKGROUND [Technical Field] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a station for a robot cleaner, more particularly, a built-in robot cleaner station that may collect dust from a robot cleaner's dustbin, wash a robot cleaner's mop, and dry the mop, when coupled to the robot cleaner. [Background of the Disclosure] With recent advancement of industrial technology, robot cleaners (or robot cleaners) are being developed that can move around and clean areas required to be cleaned without user intervention. Such a robot cleaner includes a sensor configured to recognize the space to be cleaned, an agitator configured to sweep and clean the floor, and a mop configured to wipe the floor, and may move while sucking up dust on the floor in the space recognized by the sensor and wiping it with the mop, etc. Robot cleaners are classified into dry robot cleaners that can suck up and remove foreign substances scattered on the floor, and wet robot cleaner that can wipe out the floor with a moist mop to effectively remove foreign substances attached to the floor. Such a dry robot cleaner is provided with a dust bin and configured to suck up foreign substances on the floor by using the suction power of a suction motor. Such a wet robot cleaner is provided with a water tank and the water contained in the water tank is supplied to a mop so that the mop can wipe out the floor while containing moisture, effectively removing foreign substances attached to the floor. Charging stands of robot cleaner stations are devices where a robot cleaner having finished cleaning is docked and power is supplied to a battery installed in the robot cleaner to charge the battery. The charging stand may include a power supply module inside. The charging stand includes a charging terminal connected to the power supply module, and the robot cleaner includes a corresponding terminal. When the charging terminal and the corresponding terminal make contact, power is supplied to the battery and it is charged. Meanwhile, if the robot cleaner station is placed inside a building, it will occupy a certain area of the indoor space. In this case, the indoor space efficiency might be deteriorated. In addition, there is a risk that a user or pet might collide with the robot cleaner while passing by, resulting in injury to the user or pet as well as damage to the robot cleaner. In the case of a station with an added dust collection function for a robot cleaner, there is a limit to how much damage it can do to the interior of a room due to the increased volume it occupies. Meanwhile, Chinese utility model registration CN 218922468 U discloses a cleaner station in which a robot cleaner is connected with the lower part of a washing machine to charge the robot cleaner, collect dust, and wash the mop of the robot cleaner. However, the above-mentioned cleaner station has an open space formed at the bottom of the washing machine into which a robot cleaner can enter, a detergent and water supply mechanism for washing a mop is provided at a vertical upper side of the space into which the robot cleaner enters. A dust bag is placed on the side of the space into which the robot cleaner enters. In this arrangement, the overall height of the cleaner station is high so that there is a limitation in that it cannot be installed using the space underneath the furniture, including the sink. In addition, since the above-mentioned cleaner station must be installed at the bottom of the washing machine, a space for installing the washing machine must be provided. There is a limit in that an installation space with a height exceeding the heigh of the cleaner station must be provided, considering not only the height of the cleaner station but also the height of the washing machine itself. In addition, since the space for coupling the dust bag is located close to the ground, the user must kneel or crouch in front of the station to attach the dust bag, which is inconvenient. Furthermore, the space for attaching the dust bag is narrow, requiring the user to reach into the station with their hands, which is inconvenient. In addition, during the mop washing process of the robot cleaner, foreign substances attached to the mop may be included in the wastewater. In this case, some foreign substances not filtered by the filter may be sucked into the wastewater tank or may pass through the centrifugal pump when the wastewater is discharged from the wastewater tank. Over time, these foreign substances may accumulate inside the pump, potentially causing blockages. In addition, Chinese Utility Model Registration No. CN 218279511 U discloses a method for moving fluid by creating negative or positive pressure using a pump. The station is configured to control the inflow and discharge of wastewater using an air pump and a directional valve. However, the use of a switching valve poses the risk of leakage and pressure loss during the switching process, and a single pump handling both inlet and ou