Autonomous floor cleaning robot

• US 7,636,982 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Sandin, Paul E., Nugent, David M., Jones, Joseph L., Mack, Newton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding; David A
• Application Number:
  US11/834,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 152/30, 153/19, 153/404, 153/48, 154151-4221, 153/72, 153/83, 153/84
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• 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 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/02 with driven tools for special purposes with floor-polishing tools A47L11/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• 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 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

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.

Claims

1. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a housing including a chassis, wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect the cleaning operations;

a cleaning head including a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a cleaning motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the first brush positioned to contact a hard floor surface and to direct debris forward towards the first brush, and

a dust collection bin for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly;

wherein the first brush is positioned to not contact the hard floor surface but to redirect debris from the second brush into the dust collection bin; and

wherein the first and second asymmetric brushes are counter-rotating.

2. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the bin is configured to trail behind the first and second brushes and to receive the redirected debris from the first brush.

3. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the first brush is a flapper brush defining a plurality of spaced-apart cleaning strips.

4. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 3, further comprising a bail that forms a shield over the dual-stage brush assembly;

and the bail segments the spaced-apart cleaning strips.

5. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a deck adjusting assembly mounted in combination with the deck and the housing to pivot the deck with respect to at least one of the floor and the housing.

6. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 5, further comprising:

a motor cage mounted in rotatable combination with the deck, a motor for the brush assembly being non-rotatably secured within the motor cage;

a pulley fixedly secured to the motor cage;

an anchor member fixedly secured to the chassis in alignment with the pulley; and

a pulley cord secured to the anchor member and the pulley in tension therebetween with the deck in the non-pivoted position with respect to the chassis;

wherein, in response to a change in torque in the brush assembly, the motor cage rotates to climb the pulley up the pulley cord, causing the deck to pivot with respect to the chassis.

8. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the dust collection bin comprises a floor member having a free end including a plurality of projections to interact with the brush assembly to remove entrained debris therefrom.

19. The floor cleaning robot of claim 3, wherein the plurality of spaced-apart cleaning strips are configured to direct debris towards the middle of the brush assembly.

20. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the floor surface is a hard floor surface.

7. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a housing including a chassis, wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect the cleaning operations;

a cleaning head including a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a cleaning motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the first brush positioned to contact a hard floor surface and to direct debris forward towards the first brush,

a dust collection bin for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly;

wherein the first brush is positioned to not contact the hard floor surface but to redirect debris from the second brush into the dust collection bin; and

a side brush mounted in combination with the housing, the side brush comprising;

a motor;

a hub rotatable with the motor; and

a brush connected to the hub such that rotation of the hub causes the brush to direct particulates entrained outside the periphery of the housing towards the cleaning head when the robot moves in a forward direction, wherein the brush comprises;

opposed brush arms extending outwardly from the hub;

terminating in a set of bristles forming a distal end of each the brush arm.

9. A floor-cleaning robot comprising:

a housing including a chassis wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations; and

a cleaning head including;

a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a brush motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush being positioned to contact a floor surface and the first brush being positioned to not contact the floor surface having an outer diameter greater than the first brush; and

a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck aft of and immediately adjacent to the dual-stage brush assembly and powered by a vacuum motor and impeller to ingest particulates during cleaning operations; and

a dust collection bin coupled to the brush assembly and the vacuum assembly and configured to trail behind the brush assembly for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly and ingested by the vacuum assembly.

10. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein the vacuum assembly comprises:

a first blade having a generally rectangular configuration and a lateral dimension that defines a predetermined width of one lateral edge of the first blade being attached to a lower surface of the deck and extending into and sealed in combination with a wall of the dust collection bin so that the first blade is angled forwardly with respect to the deck; and

a second blade having a generally rectangular configuration that is substantially parallel to the first blade along the predetermined width and separated from the first blade by a predetermined gap; and

a vacuum inlet defined by the predetermined width and gap.

11. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 10, wherein a free lateral edge of the first blade has a plurality of castellated segments along the free lateral edge to mitigate pushing of particulates by the vacuum inlet during cleaning operations.

12. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of protrusions having a predetermined height and extending from one of the first blade or the second blade that abuts the remaining one of the first blade and the second blade to form the predetermined gap that defines the vacuum inlet.

13. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein the dust collection bin comprises a floor member having a free end including a plurality of projections to interact with the brush assembly to remove entrained debris therefrom.

14. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 9

A floor-cleaning robot comprising:

a housing including a chassis wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations;

a cleaning head including;

a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a brush motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than the first brush; and

a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck aft of and immediately adjacent to the dual-stage brush assembly and powered by a vacuum motor and impeller to ingest particulates during cleaning operations; and

a dust collection bin coupled to the brush assembly and the vacuum assembly for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly and ingested by the vacuum assembly and, the dust collection bin further comprising;

a first storage chamber that is positioned to receive particulates from the brush assembly; and

a second storage chamber that is coupled to the vacuum assembly for receiving particulates therefrom.

15. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a housing including a chassis, wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect the cleaning operations; and

a cleaning head including a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a cleaning motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the first brush, and

a dust collection bin for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly;

a side brush mounted in combination with the housing, and comprising;

a motor;

a hub rotatable with the motor; and

a brush connected to the hub such that rotation of the hub causes the brush to direct such that rotation of the hub causes the brush to direct particulates entrained outside the periphery of the housing towards the cleaning head when the robot moves in a forward direction, wherein the brush comprises;

opposed brush arms extending outwardly from the hub;

terminating in a set of bristles forming a distal end of each the brush arm.

16. A floor-cleaning robot comprising:

a housing including a chassis wherein part of the chassis is configured as a deck;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations;

a cleaning head including;

a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second asymmetric brushes mounted in combination with the deck and powered by a brush motor to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than the first brush; and

a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck aft of and immediately adjacent to the dual-stage brush assembly and powered by a vacuum motor and impeller to ingest particulates during cleaning operations;

a dust collection bin coupled to the brush assembly and the vacuum assembly for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly and ingested by the vacuum assembly, wherein the dust collection bin comprises a floor member having an angled free end configured to interact with the brush assembly to remove entrained debris therefrom.

17. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the free end includes a projection.

18. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the free end includes a plurality of baffled projections.