Debris Sensor for Cleaning Apparatus
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A piezoelectric debris sensor and associated signal processor responsive to debris strikes enable an autonomous or non-autonomous cleaning device to detect the presence of debris and in response, to select a behavioral mode, operational condition or pattern of movement, such as spot coverage or the like. Multiple sensor channels (e.g., left and right) can be used to enable the detection or generation of differential left/right debris signals and thereby enable an autonomous device to steer in the direction of debris.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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2. An autonomous cleaning apparatus, comprising:
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a chassis; a drive system disposed on the chassis and operable to enable movement of the cleaning apparatus; a controller in communication with the drive system, the controller including a processor operable to control the drive system to steer movement of the cleaning apparatus; and a cleaning head system disposed on the chassis; a sensor system in communication with the controller, the sensor system comprising; a debris sensor for generating a debris signal; a bump sensor for generating a bump signal; and an obstacle following sensor disposed on a side of the autonomous cleaning apparatus for generating an obstacle signal; wherein the processor executes a prioritized arbitration scheme to identify and implement one or more dominant behavioral modes based upon at least one signal received from the sensor system. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification