AUTONOMOUS SURFACE CLEANING ROBOT FOR WET AND DRY CLEANING
1 Assignment
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.
366 Citations
25 Claims
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1-12. -12. (canceled)
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13. A surface treatment robot comprising:
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a robot body having forward and rear ends; a differential drive system mounted on the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot over a cleaning surface; a proximity sensor responsive to a potential obstacle forward of the robot, wherein the drive system is configured to alter a heading setting in response to a signal received from the proximity sensor indicating a potential obstacle; a cliff sensor responsive to a potential cliff forward of the robot, wherein the drive system is configured to alter the heading setting in response to a signal received from the cliff sensor indicating a potential cliff; a cleaning cartridge removably connected to a lower portion of the robot body, the cleaning cartridge comprising; a cleaning cartridge housing; a debris collector configured for collecting dry debris from the cleaning surface; a liquid applicator having a pump and configured to dispense a liquid onto the cleaning surface; and a scrubber comprising a driven circulating web trained about rollers rotatably coupled to the cleaning cartridge housing; wherein the liquid applicator is arranged rearward of the cleaning brush and forward of the scrubber, causing the liquid applicator to proceed the cleaning brush and precede the scrubber over the cleaning surface when the robot is driven in a forward direction; and a reservoir cartridge, for storing liquid, in fluid communication with the liquid applicator, the reservoir cartridge being separately and independently removable from a reservoir receptacle of the robot body. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A surface treatment robot comprising:
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a robot body having forward and rear ends; a differential drive system mounted on the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot over a cleaning surface; an omni-directional receiver carried by the chassis; a proximity sensor responsive to a potential obstacle forward of the robot, wherein the drive system is configured to alter a heading setting in response to a signal received from the proximity sensor indicating a potential obstacle; a cliff sensor responsive to a potential cliff forward of the robot, wherein the drive system is configured to alter the heading setting in response to a signal received from the cliff sensor indicating a potential cliff; and a cleaning cartridge removably connected to a lower portion of the robot body, the cleaning cartridge comprising; a cleaning cartridge housing; a debris collector comprising; a cleaning brush rotatably coupled to the cleaning cartridge housing and driven by a brush motor disposed in the robot body and automatically coupled to the cleaning brush upon connection of the cleaning cartridge to the robot body; and a waste compartment defined by the cleaning cartridge housing and configured to collect debris removed from the cleaning surface by the cleaning head; a liquid applicator having a pump and configured to dispense a liquid onto the cleaning surface, the pump being driven by a pump motor disposed in the robot body and automatically coupled to the pump upon connection of the cleaning cartridge to the robot body; and a scrubber comprising a circulating web trained about rollers rotatably coupled to the cleaning cartridge housing, at least one of the rollers being driven by a scrubber motor disposed in the robot body and automatically coupled to the driven roller upon connection of the cleaning cartridge to the robot body; wherein the liquid applicator is arranged rearward of the cleaning brush and forward of the scrubber, causing the liquid applicator to proceed the cleaning brush and precede the scrubber over the cleaning surface when the robot is driven in a forward direction. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A surface treatment robot comprising:
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a robot body having forward and rear ends; right and left drive wheels rotatably mounted on the robot body and spaced offset from a transverse axis defined perpendicular to a forward drive direction of the robot over a cleaning surface; right and left drive motors coupled to the corresponding drive wheels; a controller in communication with the drive motor and configured to differentially steer the robot and be capable of maneuvering the robot to pivot in place; a proximity sensor responsive to a potential obstacle forward of the robot, wherein the controller is configured to alter a heading setting in response to a signal received from the proximity sensor indicating a potential obstacle; a cliff sensor responsive to a potential cliff forward of the robot, wherein the controller is configured to alter the heading setting in response to a signal received from the cliff sensor indicating a potential cliff; a cleaning cartridge removably received by a lower portion of the robot body, the cleaning cartridge comprising; a cleaning cartridge housing; a cartridge engagement mechanism disposed on the cleaning cartridge housing and configured to secure the cleaning cartridge to the robot body; a debris collector comprising; a cleaning brush rotatably coupled to the cleaning cartridge housing and driven by a brush motor carried by the robot body; and a waste compartment defined by the cleaning cartridge housing and configured to collect debris removed from the cleaning surface by the cleaning head; a liquid applicator having a pump and configured to dispense a liquid onto the cleaning surface; and a scrubber comprising a circulating web trained about rollers rotatably coupled to the cleaning cartridge housing, the circulating web driven by a scrubber motor carried by the robot body; and a reservoir cartridge, for storing liquid, in fluid communication with the liquid applicator, the reservoir cartridge being separately and independently removable from a reservoir receptacle of the robot body, wherein the liquid applicator is arranged rearward of the cleaning brush and forward of the scrubber, causing the liquid applicator to proceed the cleaning brush and precede the scrubber over the cleaning surface when the robot is driven in a forward direction.
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Specification