Autonomous Floor-Cleaning Robot
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
97 Claims
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1-77. -77. (canceled)
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78. A floor cleaning robot comprising:
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a housing; wheels and at least one motor to drive the wheels disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to move the floor cleaning robot across a floor; a control module disposed within the housing and directing movement of the floor cleaning robot across the floor; at least one sensor for detecting an obstacle and communicating obstacle information to the control module so that the control module can cause the floor cleaning robot to react to the obstacle; a removable bin disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to receive particulates; a first rotating member configured to direct particulates toward the bin; and a second rotating member configured to cooperate with the first rotating member to direct particulates toward the bin; wherein the removable bin is configured to receive particulates directed thereto by the first and second rotating members and the particulates pass from the first rotating member to the removable bin without passing through a filter, and wherein, during cleaning, the weight of the floor cleaning robot overcomes a force exerted by a member biasing one or more of the wheels to an extended position. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86)
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87. A floor cleaning robot comprising:
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a housing; wheels and at least one motor disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to move the floor cleaning robot across a floor; a control module disposed within the housing and directing movement of the floor cleaning robot across the floor; at least one sensor for detecting an obstacle and communicating obstacle information to the control module so that the control module can cause the floor cleaning robot to react to the obstacle; a removable bin disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to receive particulates; a rotating brush configured to agitate particulates and direct particulates toward a rotating member having a central member and two or more blade-like members extending therefrom, the rotating member configured to cooperate with the rotating brush to direct particulates from the rotating brush toward the bin; wherein the removable bin is configured to receive particulates directed thereto by the rotating brush and the rotating member, and the particulates pass from the rotating brush to the removable bin without passing through a filter. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method for directing particulates from a floor into a bin, the method comprising:
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moving a housing across a floor; sensing obstacles; causing the housing to avoid the sensed obstacles; agitating particulates from the floor and directing the particulates toward a rotating member disposed at least partially within the housing and having a central member and two or more blade-like members extending therefrom; rotating the rotating member to direct particulates toward a removable bin disposed at least partially within the housing; generating a negative pressure to direct agitated particulates toward the removable bin; holding particulates in the removable bin; and filtering air used to direct particulates toward the rotating bin after particulates carried by the air are held by the removable bin.
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95. A floor cleaning robot comprising:
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a housing; wheels and at least one motor to drive the wheels disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to move the floor cleaning robot across a floor; a control module disposed within the housing and directing movement of the floor cleaning robot across the floor; at least one sensor for detecting an obstacle and communicating obstacle information to the control module so that the control module can cause the floor cleaning robot to react to the obstacle; a removable bin disposed at least partially within the housing and configured to receive particulates; a rotating member configured to direct particulates toward the bin; and an air moving system creating a negative pressure and including an impeller configured to cooperate with the rotating member to direct particulates toward the bin; wherein the removable bin is configured to receive particulates directed thereto and the particulates pass from the first rotating member to the removable bin without passing through a filter, and wherein, during cleaning, the weight of the floor cleaning robot overcomes a force exerted by a member biasing one or more of the wheels to an extended position. - View Dependent Claims (96, 97)
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Specification