Automated floor cleaner

• US 10,555,656 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alon Gendel, Timothy Peter Mitchell
• Original Assignee: Alon Gendel, Timothy Peter Mitchell
• Inventors: Mitchell, Timothy Peter, Gendel, Alon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jennings, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US15/580,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20180140155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 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 11/4022 with means for recycling the dirty liquid treatment of waste water C02F
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4047 Wound-up or endless cleaning belts
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/405 Machines using UV-lamps, IR-lamps, ultrasound or plasma cleaning
• 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 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals

Abstract

An automated floor cleaner (1) has a cleaner body (2); a cleaning means (3, 45, 6) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured to in use contact a floor surface to clean the surface; a movement means (7, 19, 8) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured so that in use the floor cleaner (1) can move across a surface, and; a sensing means 16a, 16b configured to sense the position of the floor cleaner within a location and to transmit data relating to the position to a memory module (20) configured to map and record the position of the floor cleaner (1) during use.

Claims

1. An automated floor cleaner, comprising:

a cleaner body;

an endless belt, connected to and extending from the cleaner body so that in use a section of a surface area of the belt is in contact with a floor;

a motor, connected to the belt to drive the belt independently of movement of the cleaner body across the floor;

at least one drive wheel and at least one drive motor connected to the cleaner body and configured to move the cleaner body across the floor;

a memory module configured to map and record the position of the cleaner body during use;

at least one short range sensor configured to sense the proximity of a front of the cleaner body relative to an obstacle and to transmit data relating to the proximity to the memory module.

2. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the belt comprises a plurality of bristles that extend outwards from a main body of the belt.

3. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bristles are spaced across a width of the belt.

4. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 3 wherein the bristles are substantially regularly spaced across the width of the belt in rows, a number of bristles in each row are substantially between 50 and 60.

5. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 4 wherein the rows are formed in groups of six rows with a discrete gap between each group.

6. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 4 wherein the rows in each group are spaced substantially 10 mm apart.

7. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 5 wherein the discrete gap between each group is substantially 15 mm.

8. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein each bristle is substantially circular in cross-section with a diameter of substantially 2 mm.

9. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 8 wherein substantially an outer half of each bristle is angled rearward at an angle.

10. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 9 wherein the angle is substantially 45 degrees.

11. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the belt has a width substantially between 250 mm and 450 mm.

12. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein a main body of the belt has a thickness of substantially between 5 mm and 12 mm.

13. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the belt is arranged to in use extend from the cleaner body so that the section of the surface area of the belt in contact with the floor comprises substantially between ⅓

and ½

of a total outer surface area of the belt.

14. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least two rollers, the rollers and belt arranged so that the belt passes over the rollers and is held in tension.

15. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 14 wherein the rollers are arranged so that the belt passes over the rollers so as to have substantially parallel upper and lower sides, the lower sides forming the section of the surface area of the belt in contact with the floor, the upper sides substantially equivalently sized to the lower sides.

16. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 further comprising three rollers, the rollers and belt arranged so that the belt passes over the rollers and is held in tension, the rollers arranged so that the belt passes over the rollers in a triangular pattern.

17. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 16 wherein the triangular pattern is a substantially equilateral triangle.

18. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one fluid jet connected to the cleaner body and configured to direct a spray of fluid onto a raised external surface of the belt.

19. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 18 wherein the at least one fluid jet is arranged so that the fluid therefrom will be directed onto the raised external surface of the belt just prior to that section of the surface area of the belt moving into contact with the floor.

20. The automated floor cleaner as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a tank configured to hold a volume of fluid and a pump, the tank and the at least one fluid jet fluidically connected, the pump configured to drive a flow of fluid from the tank to the at least one fluid jet.