Outdoor home cleaning robot

• US 8,437,875 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eusebio Guillermo Hernandez, Michael Christopher Colucci
• Original Assignee: Eusebio Guillermo Hernandez, Michael Christopher Colucci
• Inventors: Colucci, Michael Christopher, Hernandez, Eusebio Guillermo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holwerda, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/289,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 15/531, 153/19, 153/20, 153/21, 118/305, 118/323, 134/172, 134/184, 134/198, 134/56.R, 134/18, 244/134.C, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.1, 700/17, 700/23, 700/245, 700/248
• US Class Current: 700/245
• 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: B60S 3/00 Vehicle cleaning apparatus not integral with vehicles cleaning in general B08B; cleaning peculiar to waterborne vessels B63B57/00, B63B59/00; ground equipment for cleaning aircraft B64F5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process

Abstract

An autonomous all weather outdoor cleaning robot that identifies and cleans various outdoor household objects including but not limited to personal automobiles and other vehicles. The robot autonomously navigates to a designated area and scans a vehicle or object to determine the optimum cleaning routine. The robot learns its working environment by comparing scanned vehicles and outdoor objects with its existing database for future reference. The robot compares and stores navigation data regarding areas previously visited to increase efficiency for future work by reducing travel and scanning times. The robot can perform many different functions. Specifically, the robot incorporates micro-processors to control cleaning, navigation and perception. The robot uses multi-segmented arms to perform chores. The robot adapts and learns from its environment while performing useful tasks.

Claims

1. An autonomous robot for cleaning and maintaining a variety of objects that are located either indoors or outdoors, said robot including components that further comprise:

a) an independently moving plurality of segmented mechanical arms further comprising a plurality of spray nozzles that provide soap, water, or solvents to a targeted cleaning area;

b) an all weather exterior housing above which the plurality of segmented arms are mounted, wherein said housing is resistant to heat, cold, humidity, electromagnetic disturbances, dust and corrosion;

c) a plurality of wheels or tracks that rotate, thereby permitting the robot to move within a prescribed area;

d) a containment section that contains the soap, water, or solvents, wherein said containment section is located within the exterior housing;

e) a plurality of sensing devices;

f) electronics and computer processors and memory located within the exterior housing, wherein;

i) said electronics further comprise;

a power section that provides electricity to all components that require electricity, wherein said power section comprises AC and DC sources of electricity;

a control section that uses wireless, digital, and analog processing for robotic navigation, obstacle avoidance, sending and receiving data, and cleaning and maintaining objects;

a docking section that mates with an external docking station, wherein said docking station replenishes said DC sources of energy when they are depleted electrically; and

ii) said computer processors and memory further comprise;

an object database in memory and object database management system, wherein said object database comprises data regarding various objects to be cleaned or maintained, such that the robot can recognize the objects the data for which is contained within said database;

a navigational database in memory and navigational database management system, wherein said navigational database comprises data regarding the prescribed area where the various objects to be cleaned or maintained are located;

a processing module programmed to cause the plurality of sensing devices to scan the prescribed area automatically and to store data from said scan in memory;

a processing module programmed to process data retrieved from memory that was obtained from the plurality of sensing devices and to compare that sensing data with data from the object database management system, such that the robot is configured to automatically recognize and identify the variety of objects to be cleaned or maintained;

a processing module programmed to clean or maintain each of the variety of objects selected by user input, according to a pre-loaded series of steps, and once said user input is received, to clean or maintain said variety of objects without further human intervention;

a processing module programmed to locate each of the variety of selected objects within the prescribed space;

a processing module programmed to navigate the robot to said at least one of the variety of selected objects without further human intervention;

a processing module programmed to avoid obstacles during navigation of the robot;

a processing module programmed to store in memory in the navigational database, data for the prescribed area, and to compare scan data obtained from the plurality of sensing devices with the previously stored navigation data regarding the prescribed area for future work by reducing travel and scanning times;

a processing module programmed to autonomously manipulate the plurality of segmented arms;

a processing module to regulate the temperature and pressure of the soap, water, or solvents in the containment module;

a processing module to control the spray nozzles during cleaning or maintenance of the variety of objects; and

a processing module to control the cleaning or maintenance processing steps for each of the variety of objects to be cleaned or maintained;

whereby the robot receives specifications from the user regarding what objects to clean or maintain, and without further human input, recognizes and locates the user specified objects, navigates to each of the user specified objects, cleans or maintains all of the user specified objects, and returns to the external docking station to be recharged when finished.

2. The robot of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensing devices are each selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, electronic optical image sensors, electronic infrared sensors, electronic ultrasonic sensors, global positioning devices that use signals from geosynchronous orbital satellites, wheel encoders, and mechanical actuators.

3. The robot of claim 1 further comprising:

a) a first microprocessor operationally connected to;

i) a navigation firmware or software module;

ii) a clock; and

iii) one or more sensors, each selected from the group consisting of electronic ultrasonic sensors, electronic infrared sensors, and electronic drive sensors;

b) a second microprocessor operationally connected to;

i) an EPROM device;

ii) a motor control module;

iii) a mechanical obstacle avoidance module;

iv) one or more sensors, each selected from the group consisting of obstacle sensors, docking sensors, tilt sensors, liquid sensors, and pressure sensors; and

c) a third microprocessor operationally connected to;

i) an EPROM device;

ii) a keypad;

iii) a segmented arm control module;

iv) a power control module;

v) a receiver and processor of data from global positioning devices that use signals from geosynchronous orbital satellites;

vi) one or more sensors, each selected from the group consisting of timing sensors, power sensors, arm sensors, and optical sensors;

wherein the first microprocessor, the second microprocessor, and the third microprocessor are all operationally interconnected to each other.

4. The robot of claim 1 wherein each of the independently moving plurality of segmented mechanical arms comprises:

a) an arm assembly further comprising plurality of arm segments connected to each other by cylindrical motor housings and to a metal plate mount by a cylindrical motor housing;

b) an arm sensor housing which further comprises one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of electronic infrared sensors, electronic ultrasonic sensors, and optical digital cameras;

c) a high pressure spraying system;

d) a stepper motor; and

e) a base upon which the arm assembly and the metal plate mount are attached.

5. The robot of claim 1 further comprising a drive section that comprises:

a) at least one solvent or detergent reservoir;

b) a tilt control sensor;

c) at least one DC powered motor;

d) an air compressor;

e) an electric pressure washer pump assembly;

f) at least one battery;

g) a plurality of wheels and wheel encoders; and

h) a plurality of wheel casters.

6. The robot of claim 1 further comprising a control section, atop which the arm assembly is mounted, wherein said control section comprises:

a) a global positioning device that uses data received from geosynchronous satellites to determine location of the robot;

b) a navigation module that processes data from the navigational data base management system;

c) at least one communication device;

d) at least one power sensor; and

e) a stepper motor.

7. The robot of claim 1 wherein said obstacle avoidance utilizes a plurality of sensors that create a superimposed environmental matrix that detects and verifies obstacles using sensor redundancy, and wherein said obstacle avoidance can start and end motion to preserve a path of efficiency and safely maneuver the robot to a destination.

8. The robot of claim 7 wherein the plurality of sensors are situated within the arm assembly.

9. The robot of claim 7 wherein the prescribed area is mapped and stored in memory.

10. The robot of claim 5, wherein said power section is driven by dual deep cycling gel batteries to provide said drive section with enough charge to complete one duty cycle before recharging, wherein a duty cycle is a complete cleaning or maintaining task and said power section also utilizes a plurality of lead acid, nickel cadmium, or ion batteries to power microprocessors, sensors, display, and various other low power operations.

11. The robot of claim 5, wherein said docking station contains infrared sensors which guide and align the robot onto the external docking station, allowing for recharging and replenishing soap, water, and solvents.