AUTONOMOUS SURFACE CLEANING ROBOT FOR WET CLEANING
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.
145 Citations
42 Claims
-
1-23. -23. (canceled)
-
24. An autonomous cleaning robot comprising:
-
a chassis comprising a fore-aft axis and a perpendicular transverse axis; a cleaning apparatus, attached to the chassis and defining a cleaning zone, comprising at least one liquid applicator disposed substantially parallel with the transverse axis; and an intermittent pump in communication with the at least one liquid applicator to intermittently pump a liquid onto a surface to be cleaned; a smearing element that smears the liquid along the transverse axis; a squeegee extending substantially along the transverse axis; a vacuum chamber partially formed by the squeegee and preceding the squeegee along the fore-aft axis; and at least one suction port in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber for generating a negative air pressure within the vacuum chamber. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A method for cleaning a surface with a cleaning apparatus, comprising:
-
transporting a chassis over the surface in a forward transport direction defined by a fore-aft axis, said chassis including cleaning elements supported thereon, wherein the cleaning elements have a cleaning width disposed generally perpendicular to the fore-aft axis; and
,ejecting a volume of cleaning fluid from at least one liquid applicator disposed substantially perpendicular to the fore-aft axis, wherein the cleaning fluid is ejected with sufficient volume and pressure to distribute cleaning fluid across the cleaning width. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
-
Specification