Liquid management for floor-traversing robots

• US 10,376,120 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Neumann, Rogelio Manfred, Leech, Adam Daniel, Swett, David Orrin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/701,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20170367554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4025 Means for emptying
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4075 Handles; levers
• 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 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An autonomous floor-traversing robot includes: a wheeled body including a chassis and at least one motorized wheel configured to propel the chassis across a floor, the chassis defining an interior compartment disposed beneath a chassis ceiling; a cover extending across at least a central area of the chassis ceiling; and a graspable handle connected to the chassis and located outside the cover so as to be accessible from above the robot, the handle arranged to enable lifting of the robot. The chassis ceiling defines drainage channels configured to conduct the liquid away from the central area of the chassis ceiling.

Claims

1. An autonomous floor-traversing robot, comprising:

a chassis defining an interior compartment;

a drive operable to move the chassis across a floor surface;

a cover extending across at least a portion of the interior compartment; and

a button plate coupled to an inner surface of the cover, the button plate comprising;

a substantially flat base;

a flexible seal situated within the base; and

a disk retained by the flexible seal, the disk positioned above a button in the interior compartment of the chassis.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the disk is formed from a material that is substantially more rigid than a material of the flexible seal.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the button plate is a unitary structure comprising an elastomeric polymer material.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the button plate is aligned with an opening of the chassis exposing the button, the flexible seal that retains the disk being configured to be received within the opening so as to reach the button when the disk is depressed.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the button plate is configured to prevent liquid on an outer surface of the cover from reaching the button.

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein the disk is capped with a button cover that is accessible from an outer surface of the cover.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein the chassis defines a drainage channel extending beneath the cover and configured to conduct liquid away from the button plate.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein the drainage channel extends from the mounting bay retaining the handle in a path around the button plate.

9. The robot of claim 7, wherein the drainage channel is defined by a plurality of struts extending integrally from a surface of the chassis to support the cover.

10. The robot of claim 7, wherein the drainage channel is a first drainage channel, and wherein the chassis further defines a second drainage channel located between the button plate and the first drainage channel.

11. The robot of claim 7, wherein the drainage channel leads to a downwardly sloped egress region of the chassis.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the egress region leads to an opening to the interior of a cleaning bin of the robot.

13. The robot of claim 7, wherein the drainage channel is downwardly sloped along a radial direction from a center of the chassis, so as to guide liquid away from the button plate when the robot placed substantially flat on the floor surface.

14. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a graspable handle connected to the chassis, located outside the cover, and accessible from above the robot.

15. The robot of claim 14, wherein the handle is pivotally coupled to the chassis and extends over a mounting bay defined in the chassis.

16. The robot of claim 15, wherein the mounting bay includes one or more drainage gutters to direct liquid from within the mounting bay out of the robot.

17. The robot of claim 1, wherein the button plate is coupled to the inner surface of the cover with a watertight seal.

18. The robot of claim 1, wherein the flexible seal is a grommet comprising:

an inner flange;

an outer flange; and

a flexible diaphragm that connects the inner flange to the outer flange to allow the disk to move relative to the base of the button plate.

19. The robot of claim 1, wherein the disk is positioned in an opening of the cover and wherein the disk is accessible to be depressed from an outer surface of the cover.