AUTONOMOUS FLOOR CLEANING SYSTEM

• US 20180344114A1
• Filed: 05/31/2018
• Published: 12/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Scholten, Jeffrey A., Krebs, Alan J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,602,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• 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 7/0004 Suction cleaners adapted to take up liquids, e.g. wet or dry vacuum cleaners floor-scrubbing machines taking-up dirty liquid by suction A47L11/30
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• 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 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/03 using near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive-loop type G05D1/021 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A floor cleaning system includes multiple autonomous floor cleaners or robots. The robots are configured to share a mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system. A first robot carries the mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system, and a second robot receives information from the mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system of the first robot. The system can include at least one dry vacuuming robot and at least one deep cleaning robot.

Claims

1. An autonomous floor cleaning system, comprising:

a dry vacuuming robot for generating a working airflow for removing dirt from a surface to be cleaned and storing the dirt in a collection space, the dry vacuuming robot further comprising;

a drive system for autonomously moving the dry vacuuming robot over the surface to be cleaned;

a stain sensing system for detecting a stain; and

a beacon deployment system for selectively deploying a beacon at the location of the stain;

a deep cleaning robot for storing a cleaning fluid and delivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned, and for removing the cleaning fluid and debris from the surface to be cleaned and storing the recovered cleaning fluid and debris, the deep cleaning robot further comprising;

a controller for controlling the operation of the deep cleaning robot; and

a drive system for autonomously moving the deep cleaning robot over the surface to be cleaned based on inputs from the controller; and

wherein the dry vacuuming robot is configured to detect the stain via the stain sensing system and deploy the beacon at the location of the detected stain and the beacon is operably coupled to the controller such that the beacon guides the deep cleaning robot to the location.

2. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the stain sensing system includes a stain sensor that is any one of a color spectrum image sensor, a light reader, and IR dirt sensor, an odor sensor, or a wet mess sensor to detect a size, shape, or type of stain.

3. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the beacon comprises a radio-frequency identification tag.

4. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 3 wherein the deep cleaning robot comprises a radio-frequency identification reader for reading and interpreting a signal from the radio-frequency identification tag on the beacon to guide the deep cleaning robot to the location of the stain.

5. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 3 wherein the dry vacuuming robot comprises a radio-frequency identification reader for reading and interpreting signal from the radio-frequency identification tag on the beacon and the dry vacuuming robot guides the deep cleaning robot to the location of the stain.

6. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the beacon deployment system stores one or more beacons on the dry vacuuming robot.

7. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 6 wherein the beacon deployment system comprises a beacon retainer to secure and selectively release a beacon.

8. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 7 wherein the beacon retainer further comprises a hook configured to catch a slot on the beacon and an actuator configured to selectively push the beacon off the hook.

11. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the dry vacuuming robot instructs the deep cleaning robot to perform a cycle of operation to clean the stain.

12. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 11 wherein the dry vacuuming robot and the deep cleaning robot each include a wireless radio and the dry vacuuming robot communicates instructions to the deep cleaning robot to perform the cycle of operation to clean the stain via the wireless radios.

13. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 11 wherein the dry vacuuming robot uses information from the stain sensing system to determine a type of stain and a floor surface type to determine a cleaning cycle appropriate for the stain.

14. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the dry vacuuming robot is configured to detect, locate and deploy a set of beacons for multiple stains.

15. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 14 wherein the deep cleaning robot treats each stain in sequential order when the dry vacuuming robot is not in operation.

16. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot further comprises a beacon retainer configured to retrieve the beacon from the surface.

9. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 9 wherein the beacon retainer further comprises a clamp configured to selectively retain the beacon.

10. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 9 wherein the beacon retainer further comprises electromagnets configured to selectively reverse polarity of magnets on the beacon to repel the beacon.

17. An autonomous floor cleaning system, comprising:

a dry vacuuming robot for generating a working airflow for removing dirt from a surface to be cleaned and storing the dirt in a collection space on the dry vacuuming robot and having a drive system for autonomously moving the dry vacuuming robot over the surface to be cleaned; and

a deep cleaning robot for storing a cleaning fluid and delivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned, and for removing the cleaning fluid and debris from the surface to be cleaned and storing the recovered cleaning fluid and debris and having a drive system for autonomously moving the deep cleaning robot over the surface to be cleaned; and

wherein at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot is configured for traveling along a first path and wherein the at least one dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot includes a stain sensing system for detecting a stain while traveling along the first path and a navigation system configured for guiding movement of the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot to the stain along a path that is distinct from the first path.

18. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot further comprises a wireless radio and the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot further comprises a wireless radio and the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot communicates the guiding movement to the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot via the wireless radios.

19. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein both of the dry vacuuming robot and the deep cleaning robot comprises a navigation system and one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot sends a map of one or more stain locations to the other of the one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot and the other of the one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot guides itself to the stain.

20. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot is in communication with a personal communication device that contains a map of the surface to be cleaned that is generated by the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot and includes the location of the stain.

21. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 20 wherein the personal communication device sends instructions the other of the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot for guiding movement of the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot to the stain.

22. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein the guiding movement includes the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot marking the location of the stain by the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot remaining at the stain and the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot emitting a signal that the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot can receive from a docking station.

23. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein the guiding movement includes the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot emitting directions that the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot can receive from a docking station.

24. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17 wherein the at least one of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot is further configured to map the stain and relay the map to the other of the dry vacuuming robot or the deep cleaning robot.