Autonomous surface treating appliance
First Claim
1. A drive arrangement for a mobile robot comprising a transmission unit for transmitting drive from a motor unit to a drive shaft extending from the transmission unit along a drive shaft axis, a swing arm coupled to the transmission unit so as to swing angularly about the drive shaft axis throughout a rotational range between a minimum and a maximum limit, a drive sprocket mounted to the drive shaft and a driven pulley mounted on a portion of the swing arm remote from the drive shaft and being rotatable about an axis parallel to the drive shaft axis, a track constrained around the drive sprocket and the driven pulley, wherein when in use on an adjacent planar floor surface a lowest portion of the drive sprocket is raised above a lowest portion of the driven pulley such that the track always provides an inclined driving surface facing the adjacent planar floor surface throughout the rotational range of the swing arm, wherein the inclined driving surface extends between a first vertical plane extending through a rotational axis of the drive sprocket and a second vertical plane extending through a rotational axis of the driven pulley.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An autonomous surface treating appliance comprising a chassis having a drive arrangement and a control system interfaced to the drive arrangement so as enable control of the appliance across a surface to be treated, wherein the drive arrangement comprises at least one traction unit, each traction unit comprising a surface-engaging track constrained around a leading wheel and a trailing wheel, the leading wheel and the trailing wheel being arranged so that a track portion opposing the floor surface and extending between the leading and trailing wheels defines a ramped climbing surface.
69 Citations
11 Claims
- 1. A drive arrangement for a mobile robot comprising a transmission unit for transmitting drive from a motor unit to a drive shaft extending from the transmission unit along a drive shaft axis, a swing arm coupled to the transmission unit so as to swing angularly about the drive shaft axis throughout a rotational range between a minimum and a maximum limit, a drive sprocket mounted to the drive shaft and a driven pulley mounted on a portion of the swing arm remote from the drive shaft and being rotatable about an axis parallel to the drive shaft axis, a track constrained around the drive sprocket and the driven pulley, wherein when in use on an adjacent planar floor surface a lowest portion of the drive sprocket is raised above a lowest portion of the driven pulley such that the track always provides an inclined driving surface facing the adjacent planar floor surface throughout the rotational range of the swing arm, wherein the inclined driving surface extends between a first vertical plane extending through a rotational axis of the drive sprocket and a second vertical plane extending through a rotational axis of the driven pulley.
Specification