Evacuation station

• US 10,463,215 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Morin, Russell Walter, Bursal, Faruk, Boeschenstein, Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/901,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20180177369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 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 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• 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 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 7/0085 adapted for special purposes not related to 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/14 Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1436 Connecting plates, e.g. collars, end closures
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1472 combined with security means, e.g. for preventing use, e.g. in case of absence of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/19 Means for monitoring filtering operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 : Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 : using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2821 : Pressure, vacuum level or airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 : Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 : User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 : Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 : Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation

Abstract

An evacuation station includes a base and a canister removably attached to the base. The base includes a ramp having an inclined surface for receiving a robotic cleaner having a debris bin. The ramp defines an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin. The base also includes a first conduit portion pneumatically connected to the evacuation intake opening, an air mover having an inlet and an exhaust, and a particle filter pneumatically the exhaust of the air mover. The canister includes a second conduit portion arranged to pneumatically interface with the first conduit portion to form a pneumatic debris intake conduit, an exhaust conduit arranged to pneumatically connect to the inlet of the air mover when the canister is attached to the base, and a separator in pneumatic communication with the second conduit portion.

Claims

1. An evacuation station comprising:

a base configured to receive a robotic cleaner having a debris bin containing debris;

a canister configured to receive a filter bag;

an air mover;

a controller configured to operate the air mover to produce a flow of air containing the debris from the debris bin, into the canister, and through the filter bag such that the filter bag separates at least a portion of the debris from the flow of air; and

a filter bag detection device configured to detect a presence of the filter bag in the canister and to prevent the controller from operating the air mover when the filter bag detection device indicates an absence of the filter bag.

2. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein:

the canister comprises an access door configured to cover the filter bag when the filter bag is within the canister, and

the filter bag detection device is configured to mechanically prevent the access door from closing when the filter bag is absent from the canister.

3. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the filter bag detection device comprises a light emitter and a light detector configured to detect the presence of the filter bag in the canister.

4. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising a charging module configured to

deliver energy to the robotic cleaner,

detect when the robotic cleaner is received at the base of the evacuation station, and

prevent the controller from operating the air mover when the charging module detects that the robotic cleaner is not received at the base of the evacuation station.

5. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to stop operation of the air mover upon receiving a signal indicating that evacuation of the debris bin is complete.

6. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to display a debris capacity of the canister.

7. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to display a remaining time for debris from the debris bin to be evacuated.

8. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein:

the canister is detachable from the base,

the evacuation station further comprises a connection sensor configured to detect when the canister is attached to the base, and

the controller is configured to operate the air mover only when the connection sensor detects that the canister is attached to the base.

9. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a ramp having a receiving surface for receiving and supporting the robotic cleaner having the debris bin, the ramp defining an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin of the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received on the receiving surface in a docked position.

10. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising:

an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with a collection opening of the debris bin of the robotic cleaner, and

a seal configured to pneumatically seal the evacuation intake opening and the collection opening when the evacuation station receives the robotic cleaner.

11. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a particle filter to filter particles of the debris, wherein particles of the debris separated by the filter bag are larger than the particles of the debris filtered by the particle filter.

12. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the canister and the base have a trapezoidal shaped cross section.

13. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the canister and the base define a height of the evacuation station, the canister defining greater than half of the height of the evacuation station.

14. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the canister defines at least two-thirds of a height of the evacuation station.

15. An evacuation station comprising:

one or more conduits configured to pneumatically connect a robotic cleaner having a debris bin containing debris to a filter bag received by the evacuation station;

an air mover;

a controller configured to operate the air mover to produce a flow of air containing the debris from the debris bin, through the one or more conduits, and through the filter bag such that the filter bag separates at least a portion of the debris from the flow of air; and

a filter bag detection device configured to detect a presence of the filter bag in the evacuation station and to prevent the controller from operating the air mover when the filter bag detection device indicates an absence of the filter bag.

16. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising an access door configured to cover the filter bag when the filter bag is within the evacuation station,

wherein the filter bag detection device is configured to mechanically prevent the access door from closing when the filter bag is absent from the evacuation station.

17. The evacuation station of claim 15, wherein the filter bag detection device comprises a light emitter and a light detector configured to detect the presence of the filter bag in the evacuation station.

18. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising a charging module configured to

deliver energy to the robotic cleaner,

detect when the robotic cleaner is received at the evacuation station, and

prevent the controller from operating the air mover when the charging module detects that the robotic cleaner is not received at the evacuation station.

19. The evacuation station of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to stop operation of the air mover upon receiving a signal indicating that evacuation of the debris bin is complete.

20. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising a user interface configured to display a remaining time for debris from the debris bin to be evacuated.

21. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising a ramp having a receiving surface for receiving and supporting the robotic cleaner having the debris bin, the ramp defining an evacuation intake opening of the one or more conduits, the evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin of the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received on the receiving surface in a docked position.

22. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising:

an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with a collection opening of the debris bin of the robotic cleaner, and

a seal configured to pneumatically seal the evacuation intake opening and the collection opening when the evacuation station receives the robotic cleaner.

23. The evacuation station of claim 15, further comprising a particle filter to filter particles of the debris, wherein particles of the debris separated by the filter bag are larger than the particles of the debris filtered by the particle filter.