A robot cleaner includes a main body, a moving unit for moving the main body, a cleaning module capable of being brought into contact with a floor surface at at least part of a lower surface thereof, and a module drive unit for controlling an angle of inclination of the lower surface of the cleaning module with respect to the floor surface.

A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having a moving unit; a suction unit configured to suction dust and air; a detecting unit configured to detect movement of the suction unit; and a control part configured to determine whether movement of the cleaner body is required, based on information detected by the suction unit, and to control the moving unit when the movement of the cleaner body is required, wherein the control part determines a target location to which the cleaner body will be moved, determines a moving route to the target location based on a detected obstacle, controls the moving unit so that the cleaner body is moved along the determined moving route, stops a motor when it is determined that the cleaner body is not in contact with a floor surface, and thus prevents a user's injury.

A clutch device for an upright vacuum cleaner and an upright vacuum cleaner having the same are provided. The clutch device is disposed between an electric motor assembly and a machine body assembly of the upright vacuum cleaner, the electric motor assembly includes an electric motor housing and an electric motor, the machine body assembly includes a machine body and a bridging member rotatably connected to the electric motor housing. The clutch device includes a slide chute; and a triggering member having a first end provided with a sliding column slidaby fitted in the slide chute and a second end provided with a toggling rod configured to stir the electric motor to move. When the bridging member drives the slide chute to move, the sliding column slides along the slide chute to rotate the triggering member. When the triggering member rotates, the toggling rod stirs the electric motor to rotate.

A robot cleaner having a main body, a driving unit for moving the main body, a sensing unit for sensing information related to an obstacle, and a controller for controlling the driving unit to prevent collision of the main body with the obstacle. The controller controls the driving unit to reverse the main body with respect to the obstacle so as to prevent the main body from contacting the obstacle based on a distance between the main body and the obstacle.

A method for processing a surface of an area to be processed using an autonomous mobile robot. The method includes the steps of controlling the robot in order to process the area according to a first processing pattern, monitoring a region in the surroundings of the robot, wherein the region has a fixed position relative to the robot, and controlling the robot in order to process the area according to a second processing pattern if a reachable and unprocessed region is detected in the monitored region.

A suction head for a vacuum cleaner comprising a base plate with a base plate channel open towards a surface to be vacuumed and a suction channel in fluid communication with the base plate channel is described. Said suction channel comprises an inner tube and an outer tube, wherein the inner tube is fixed to the base plate channel and the outer tube is rotatable telescopically with respect to the inner tube.

A suction nozzle apparatus and a cleaner having the same includes a casing of which a mounting groove is formed in a bottom surface, a drum brush rotatably coupled to the mounting groove of the casing, and a cutting member configured to remove a foreign substance wound around the drum brush. The drum brush includes a drum core in which at least one foreign substance collecting groove that the foreign substance is wound is formed in an outer circumference and a blade formed in a spiral form in the outer circumference of the drum core.

A robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body including a suction motor for generating a suction force; a traveling part for moving the body; and a control part for, in response to sensing of a preconfigured input signal, recognizing a position of the body in a cleaning area and determining a start position on the basis of the recognized position. The control part sets an imaginary boundary having a predetermined size with reference to the determined start position, and when a travel route having a preconfigured pattern is set in the boundary, controls the travelling part and the suction motor to perform a cleaning operation while travelling along the travel route in a first direction and then perform a cleaning operation while travelling along the travel route in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

A robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. The robot cleaner includes a body provided with a suction portion and a slope formed to be inclined at a lower end thereof, an auxiliary front wheel disposed at a rear side of the slope, a main wheel disposed at a rear side of the auxiliary front wheel and arranged such that a height of the main wheel is variable with respect to the body, and a driving unit to lower or raise the main wheel with respect to the body, wherein the driving unit lowers the main wheel when the auxiliary front wheel enters a stepped portion. The robot cleaner is capable of climbing up a higher stepped portion than in conventional cases.

A surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the suction motor is operable using current supplied from an energy storage member when the power cord is removed and operable using current supplied from an external source when the power cord is in electrical communication with the suction motor.