Mobile cleaning robot with a bin

• US 10,292,554 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, Oliver, Hickey, Stephen A., Morin, Russell Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US15/338,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20180116478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/024 Emptying dust or waste liquid containers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/102 Dust separators cyclones A47L9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1463 specially adapted for rigid filtering receptacles

Abstract

This document describes a mobile cleaning robot including a chassis having a forward portion and an aft portion; a blower affixed to the chassis; a bin supported by the chassis and configured to receive airflow from the blower, the chassis enabling evacuation of the bin through a bottom of the robot. The bin includes a top, a bottom, a sidewall, and an internal barrier. The bin includes a first volume and a second volume separated by the internal barrier and a filter unit supported by the internal barrier and removably disposed in an airflow path between the first volume that includes an intake port in the bin and the second volume that includes an exhaust port in the bin.

Claims

1. A mobile cleaning robot, comprising:

a blower;

a bin configured to receive airflow from the blower,

the bin comprising

a top, a bottom, a sidewall, and the bin defining a first volume and a second volume; and

a filter unit removably disposed in an airflow path between the first volume that includes an intake port in the bin and the second volume that includes an exhaust port in the bin;

a handle hingedly attached to the top of the bin, the handle extending above the top in an extended state and being disposed in a recess of the top of the bin during a stored state; and

a bin emptying button disposed in the recess, the handle configured to cover the button during the stored state.

2. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the bin comprises an internal barrier that separates the first volume and the second volume, the internal barrier comprises support beams configured to receive the filter unit within the second volume and to allow airflow between the first volume and the second volume, the support beams being at an angled plane allowing the debris intake port to be proximate to the top of the bin and the exhaust port included in the second volume to be proximate to the top of the bin.

3. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 2, further comprising:

a leaf spring affixed within the second volume and proximate the internal barrier and being mechanically compressible to exert a retention force on the received filter unit; and

a prescreen filter disposed beneath the received filter unit in the airflow path between the first volume and the second volume.

4. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, the filter unit comprising:

a filter material supported by a frame having integrated protrusions, the protrusions aligning the frame within slots in the internal barrier.

5. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the filter unit further comprises a rigid pull-tab protruding from the frame.

6. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, the top of the bin comprising:

a filter door hingedly attached and positioned to allow access to the filter unit disposed in the airflow path; and

a button being pressable from above the top of the bin and being configured to release a latch to open the bottom of the bin when the button is pressed.

7. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein a top of the handle extends less than 5 inches above the top of the bin in the extended state and positioned less than 5 inches from the button in the stored state.

8. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the bin is hingedly attached to the sidewall of the bin and being configured to couple with a button-actuated latch for releasing a non-hinged edge of the bottom of the bin.

9. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein the bottom of the bin further comprises a resistance mechanism configured to retard opening of the bottom of the bin, the bottom of the bin being re-attachable and configured to detach when the bottom door is opened beyond an operating angle.

10. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein the bottom of the bin comprises a movable barrier for evacuation of contents of the bin, the movable barrier being configured to open when a suction force is applied to the movable barrier from outside of the bin.

11. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 10, wherein a bottom surface of the mobile cleaning robot comprises a breakaway segment for exposing the movable barrier, the breakaway segment and the movable barrier being aligned with the movable barrier.

12. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the debris intake port is disposed in the sidewall of the bin of the first volume and the exhaust port is disposed in the sidewall of the bin of the second volume, the debris intake port and the exhaust port being offset from a centerline of the bin, the airflow path being from the debris intake port across the centerline of the bin and across the internal barrier through the filter unit to the exhaust port, the centerline extending between the forward portion and the aft portion.

13. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising

a seating for supporting the bin;

and

a bin access panel configured to cover the bin when the bin is properly seated, the bin access panel being ajar when the bin is improperly seated,

the bin being configured to provide tactile feedback when the bin is properly inserted into the seating.

14. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the sidewall of the bin comprises a shape feature configured to match a complementary shape in the seating, the sidewall being angled to match a tapered sidewall of the seating, the tapered sidewall guiding insertion of the bin into the seating to align a movable barrier of the bottom of the bin with an aperture in a chassis of the mobile cleaning robot.

15. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 14, wherein the alignment of the movable barrier of the bottom of the bin with the aperture in the chassis is within a 1 millimeter tolerance.

16. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a filter presence sensing assembly.

17. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the filter presence sensing assembly comprises a lever arm including a magnet and a hall sensor, the magnet being in a low position away from the hall sensor when the filter unit is not present in the bin and the magnet being in a lifted position when the filter unit is installed in the bin.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a bin configured to be disposed in a mobile cleaning robot to receive airflow from a blower of the mobile cleaning robot, the bin comprising;

a top, a bottom, a sidewall, and the bin defining a first volume and a second volume; and

a filter unit removably disposed in an airflow path between the first volume that includes an intake port in the bin and the second volume that includes an exhaust port in the bin;

a handle hingedly attached to the top of the bin, the handle extending above the top in an extended state and being disposed in a recess of the top of the bin during a stored state; and

a bin emptying button disposed in the recess, the handle configured to cover the button during the stored state.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bin comprises an internal barrier that separates the first volume and the second volume, the internal barrier comprises support beams configured to receive the filter unit within the second volume and to allow airflow between the first volume and the second volume, the support beams being at an angled plane allowing the debris intake port to be proximate to the top of the bin and the exhaust port included in the second volume to be proximate to the top of the bin.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a leaf spring affixed within the second volume and proximate the internal barrier and being mechanically compressible to exert a retention force on the received filter unit; and

a prescreen filter disposed beneath the received filter unit in the airflow path between the first volume and the second volume.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the filter unit comprises:

a filter material supported by a frame having integrated protrusions, the protrusions aligning the frame within slots in the internal barrier.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the top of the bin comprises:

a filter door hingedly attached and positioned to allow access to the filter unit disposed in the airflow path; and

a button being pressable from above the top of the bin and being configured to release a latch to open the bottom of the bin when the button is pressed.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a top of the handle extends less than 5 inches above the top of the bin in the extended state and positioned less than 5 inches from the button in the stored state.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bottom of the bin is hingedly attached to the sidewall of the bin and being configured to couple with a button-actuated latch for releasing a non-hinged edge of the bottom of the bin.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the debris intake port is disposed in the sidewall of the bin of the first volume and the exhaust port is disposed in the sidewall of the bin of the second volume, the debris intake port and the exhaust port being offset from a centerline of the bin, the airflow path being from the debris intake port across the centerline of the bin and across the internal barrier through the filter unit to the exhaust port, the centerline extending between the forward portion and the aft portion.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a filter presence sensing assembly.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the filter presence sensing assembly comprises a lever arm including a magnet and a hall sensor, the magnet being in a low position away from the hall sensor when the filter unit is not present in the bin and the magnet being in a lifted position when the filter unit is installed in the bin.