AUTONOMOUS ROBOT AUTO-DOCKING AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20180014709A1
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: O'Brien, John P., Karapetyan, Vazgen, Morris, William
• Granted Patent: US 10,575,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal

Abstract

A method for docking an autonomous mobile floor cleaning robot with a charging dock, the robot including a receiver coil and a structured light sensor, the charging dock including a docking bay and a transmitter coil, includes: positioning the robot in a prescribed docked position in the docking bay using the structured light sensor and by sensing a magnetic field emanating from the transmitter coil; and thereafter induction charging the robot using the receiver coil and the transmitter coil with the robot in the docked position.

Claims

1. A method for docking an autonomous mobile floor cleaning robot with a charging dock, the robot including a receiver coil and a structured light sensor, the charging dock including a docking bay and a transmitter coil, the method comprising:

positioning the robot in a prescribed docked position in the docking bay using the structured light sensor and by sensing a magnetic field emanating from the transmitter coil; and

thereafter

induction charging the robot using the receiver coil and the transmitter coil with the robot in the docked position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the dock includes an upstanding backstop; and

further comprising aligning the mobile floor cleaning robot with the charging dock using the structured light sensor by detecting the backstop using the structured light sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the robot is in the docked position, the receiver coil is located in a prescribed alignment with the transmitter coil.

4. The method of claim 1 including:

executing a cleaning mission using the robot; and

using the structured light sensor to detect obstacles and/or voids proximate the robot during the cleaning mission.

5. An autonomous mobile floor cleaning robot for cleaning a surface, the robot comprising:

a housing having a bottom;

a motive system operative to propel the robot across the surface;

an induction charging system including a receiver coil in the housing proximate the bottom of the housing, the receiver coil being configured to be inductively coupled to a transmitter coil in a charging dock during a charging operation; and

a cleaning system operative to clean the surface as the robot traverses the surface, the cleaning system including an evacuation port located in the bottom of the housing to release debris from the robot.

6. The robot of claim 5 wherein the receiver coil is offset from the center of the robot.

7. An autonomous mobile robot, comprising:

a housing having a bottom;

a motive system operative to propel the robot across a surface; and

an induction charging system including a receiver coil in the housing proximate the bottom of the housing;

wherein the housing includes a bottom wall separating the receiver coil from the surface.

8. The robot of claim 7 further including a cleaning system operative to clean the surface as the robot traverses the surface.

9. The robot of claim 8 wherein the receiver coil is sealed from the environment and the cleaning system by the housing.

10. The robot of claim 7 further including a cutting element suspended from the bottom of the housing.

11. The robot of claim 7 wherein:

the housing defines a coil chamber configured to receive the receiver coil, the coil chamber positioned at the bottom of the housing; and

the receiver coil is disposed in the coil chamber.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the receiver coil is substantially planar and the coil chamber holds the receiver coil horizontal above the surface.

13. The robot of claim 11, wherein:

a nominal thickness of the portion of the bottom wall defining the coil chamber is at least 2 mm; and

a nominal thickness of a top wall defining the coil chamber is at least 2 mm.

14. The robot of claim 7 wherein:

the housing includes a chassis and a bottom cover;

the chassis includes a chassis bottom wall covering the receiver coil and separating the receiver coil from a compartment of the robot; and

the bottom cover separates the receiver coil from the surface.

15. The robot of claim 7, wherein a center axis of the receiver coil is horizontally offset from a lateral centerline extending between front and rear edges of the robot by an offset distance.

16. The robot of claim 15, wherein the offset distance is in the range of from about 2 cm to 8 cm.

17. The robot of claim 7, further comprising a debris bin disposed at least partially above the receiver coil.

18. The robot of claim 7, further comprising an evacuation port located in the bottom of the housing at a position horizontally offset from a lateral centerline extending between the front and rear edges of the robot and located adjacent the coil.

19. The robot of claim 7, wherein the front of the robot defines a square profile.

20. The robot of claim 7, wherein the receiver coil is located a vertical distance from a lower outer surface of the bottom wall in the range of from about 1 mm to 5 mm.

21. The robot of claim 20, wherein the receiver coil is located a vertical distance from a lower outer surface of the bottom wall of less than about 3 mm.

22. The robot of claim 7, wherein windings of the receiver coil are mechanically fixed to an inside of a top surface of the bottom wall.

23. The robot of claim 7, wherein the receiver coil is affixed to an inside top surface of the bottom wall by adhesive or fasteners.

24. The robot of claim 7, wherein the receiver coil is molded into the bottom wall or a top wall of the housing overlying the receiver coil.

25. The robot of claim 7, wherein the receiver coil is encased by plastic on both its top and bottom sides.