Autonomous floor-cleaning robot

• US 10,517,454 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Joseph L., Mack, Newton E., Nugent, David M., Sandin, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scruggs, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/451,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20170188772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• 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 2201/04 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 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/02 with driven tools for special purposes with floor-polishing tools A47L11/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• 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 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brush assembly to pivot the deck with respect to said chassis. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot also includes a side brush assembly mounted in combination with the chassis and powered by the motive subsystem to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing infrastructure and to direct such particulates towards the self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem.

Claims

1. An autonomous floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

at least two independently driven drive wheels, each of the independently driven drive wheels being independently moveable in a downward direction;

a brush assembly operable to sweep particulate debris from the floor surface as the autonomous floor-cleaning robot moves across the floor surface; and

a dual chambered dust cartridge comprising a first storage chamber for receiving macroscopic particulates swept through a first inlet into the cartridge by the brush assembly, a second storage chamber positioned rearward of the first storage chamber along a forward drive direction of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, the second storage chamber for receiving microscopic particulates drawn through a second inlet by a vacuum assembly,

a floor member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and

a wall positioned between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber,

wherein the first and second storage chambers are configured to allow the microscopic particulates drawn by the vacuum assembly to enter the second storage chamber without passing through the first storage chamber.

2. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a vacuum assembly positioned rearward of the brush assembly along the drive direction of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, the vacuum assembly operable to generate an airflow to draw the microscopic particulates into the second storage chamber through the second inlet.

3. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the dual chambered dust cartridge is removably coupled to the autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

4. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the dual chambered dust cartridge defines a portion of an external sidewall of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

5. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein the dual chambered dust cartridge includes a curved arcuate portion defining the portion of the external sidewall of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

6. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a side brush to entrain debris outside a periphery of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to direct the debris towards the brush assembly.

7. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the brush assembly comprises a dual brush assembly comprising at least one flapper brush.

8. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 7, wherein the dual brush assembly includes counter rotating brushes.

9. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cliff sensors disposed forward of the at least two independently driven drive wheels, adjacent a forward edge of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, and spaced from each other, each cliff sensor comprising an emitter positioned to direct emissions toward the floor surface and a detector configured to receive emitter emissions reflected off of the floor surface, each cliff sensor responsive to a cliff in the floor surface and configured to send a signal when the cliff in the floor surface is detected;

and

a controller in communication with the plurality of cliff sensors, the controller configured to redirect movement of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot in response to detection of the cliff by one or more of the plurality of cliff sensors.

10. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detection sensor including an emitter and detector configured to detect the proximity of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to an obstacle and transmit a detection signal to a controller in communication with the obstacle detection sensor, the controller configured to redirect movement of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot in response to detection of the obstacle.

11. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 1, further comprising a bumper extending along a portion of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, the bumper having a bumper sensor responsive to movement of the bumper relative to a portion of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

12. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a ceiling member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber.

13. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a sidewall member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber.

14. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a filter positioned between the second storage chamber and the floor member.

15. A method of operating an autonomous floor-cleaning robot, the method comprising:

driving the autonomous floor-cleaning robot across a floor surface via actuation of a motor drive configured to independently drive at least two drive wheels, the at least two drive wheels biased toward the floor surface and independently moveable downwardly;

sweeping debris comprising macroscopic particulates from the floor surface through a first inlet into a first storage chamber of a dual chambered dust cartridge by the brush assembly; and

operating a vacuum assembly to generate an airflow to draw debris comprising microscopic particulates from the floor surface through a second inlet into a second storage chamber of the dual chambered dust cartridge, wherein the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a floor member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, a wall is positioined between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and the first and second storage chambers are configured to allow the debris drawn by the vacuum assembly to enter the second storage chamber without passing through the first storage chamber.

16. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, further comprising entraining debris outside a periphery of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot with a side brush to direct the debris towards the brush assembly.

17. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, wherein the brush assembly comprises a dual stage brush assembly and wherein sweeping comprises counter-rotating brushes of the dual stage brush assembly.

18. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, wherein the brush assembly comprises at least one flapper brush.

19. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, further detecting a cliff with one or more of a plurality of cliff sensors, the plurality of cliff sensors disposed forward of the at least two drive wheels, adjacent a forward edge of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, and spaced from each other, each cliff sensor comprising an emitter positioned to direct emissions toward the floor surface and a detector configured to receive emitter emissions reflected off of the floor surface, each cliff sensor responsive to the cliff in the floor surface and configured to send a signal to a controller when the cliff in the floor surface is detected by one or more of the plurality of cliff sensors.

20. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 19, further comprising redirecting movement of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot in response to detection of the cliff by one or more of the plurality of cliff sensors via a controller communicably coupled to the motor drive and configured to receive a signal from one or more of the plurality of cliff sensors.

21. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, further comprising detecting an obstacle via an obstacle detection sensor including an emitter and detector configured to detect the proximity of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to the obstacle and transmit a detection signal to a controller communicably coupled to the motor drive.

22. The method of operating the autonomous floor-cleaning robot according to claim 15, further comprising detecting an obstacle via a bumper sensor of a bumper extending along a portion of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, the bumper sensor responsive to movement of the bumper relative to the portion of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

23. The method of claim 15 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a ceiling member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber.

24. The method of claim 15 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a sidewall member that extends across both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber.

25. The method of claim 15 in which the dual chambered dust cartridge comprises a filter positioned between the second storage chamber and the floor member.