Cleaning of pet areas by autonomous cleaning robots

• US 10,463,217 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2019
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Bialek, Anders, Sinnigen, John, Angle, Colin, Halloran, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rink, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US16/264,268
• Time in Patent Office: 278 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/20 combined with vacuum cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/28 Floor-scrubbing machines, motor-driven A47L11/29 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• 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 7/0066 adapted for removing nail dust, hair or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/04 for using the exhaust air for other purposes, e.g. for distribution of chemicals in a room, for sterilisation of the air spraying or atomising in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2821 Pressure, vacuum level or airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays

Abstract

An autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; a cleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface; a receiver configured to receive an indication of cat activity in a cat box; and a controller configured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the cat box to execute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of cat activity.

Claims

1. An autonomous cleaning robot comprising:

a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface;

a cleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface;

a receiver configured to receive an indication of cat activity in a cat box; and

a controller configured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the cat box to execute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of cat activity, wherein the cleaning mission comprises (1) a first stage in which an area external to the cat box is cleaned with a side brush of the autonomous cleaning robot being inactive, and (2) a second stage following the first stage, in which in the second stage, the area external to the cat box is cleaned with the side brush being active.

2. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein one or more signals transmitted from the cat box is a source of the indication of cat activity in the cat box.

3. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein one or more sensors monitoring the cat box initiate transmission of the one or more signals.

4. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 3, wherein monitoring the cat box comprises sensing presence of a cat or sensing presence of debris scattered proximate to the cat box.

5. An autonomous cleaning robot comprising:

a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface;

a cleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface;

a receiver configured to receive an indication of pet activity in a pet area; and

a controller configured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the pet area to execute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of pet activity, wherein a parameter of the cleaning mission depends on a type of pet associated with the pet area.

6. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein one or more signals transmitted from pet equipment located in the pet area is a source of the indication of pet activity in the pet area.

7. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 6, wherein one or more sensors monitoring the pet equipment initiate transmission of the one or more signals.

8. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 7, wherein monitoring the pet equipment comprises sensing presence of a pet or sensing presence of debris scattered at pet area.

9. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein the parameter of the cleaning mission includes a vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot.

10. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein when the pet area comprises a bird cage, the vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is higher than when the pet area comprises pet equipment for a dog or cat.

11. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein the parameter of the cleaning mission includes a type of cleaning by the autonomous cleaning robot.

12. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein a vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is increased during the cleaning mission to ventilate an undesirable scent at the pet area.

13. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 12, further comprising a hookup to attach the autonomous cleaning robot to a port of pet equipment at the pet area for ventilating an undesirable scent.

14. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, further comprising a hookup to attach the autonomous cleaning robot to a port of pet equipment at the pet area for ventilating an undesirable scent.

15. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein the cleaning assembly is configured to vacuum debris from the floor surface.

16. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein an underside portion of the autonomous cleaning robot comprises a cleaning pad holder for attaching a cleaning pad configured to hold liquid.

24. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein when the pet area comprises a pet area associated with a first type of pet, the vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is higher than when the pet area is associated with a second type of pet.

17. A method of operating an autonomous cleaning robot comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, an indication of activity of a pet at a pet area;

determining a cleaning mission and one or more cleaning mission parameters for cleaning the pet area, wherein at least one of the cleaning mission parameters depends on a type of pet associated with the pet area; and

initiating, to the autonomous cleaning robot, a transmission comprising data for causing the autonomous cleaning robot to initiate the cleaning mission using the one or more cleaning mission parameters.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more cleaning parameters represent a start time for the cleaning mission, the start time being provided by a user handheld computing device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein sensor monitoring of pet equipment at the pet area provides the indication of the pet activity at the pet area.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising determining one or more of the cleaning mission parameters based on a characteristic of the pet area.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein one of the cleaning mission parameters comprises a vacuum power level, and comprising determining the vacuum power level based on the type of pet associated with the pet area.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the cleaning mission parameters comprises a vacuum power level for ventilating an undesirable scent.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the cleaning mission parameters comprises a wet or dry mopping setting.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein when the pet area comprises a pet area associated with a first type of pet, the vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is higher than when the pet area is associated with a second type of pet.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein when the pet area comprises a bird cage, the vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is higher than when the pet area comprises pet equipment for a dog or cat.