Evacuation station

• US 9,462,920 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Jonas, Jude Royston, Morin, Russell Walter, Boeschenstein, Harold, Swett, David Orrin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US14/750,563
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/4025 Means for emptying
• 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 2201/024 Emptying dust or waste liquid containers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/149 Emptying means; Reusable bags
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/19 Means for monitoring filtering operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2821 Pressure, vacuum level or airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers

Abstract

A mobile robot includes a body configured to traverse a surface and to receive debris from the surface, and a debris bin within the body. The debris bin includes a chamber to hold the debris received by the mobile robot, an exhaust port through which the debris exits the debris bin; and a door unit over the exhaust port. The door unit includes a flap configured to move, in response to air pressure at the exhaust port, between a closed position to cover the exhaust port and an open position to open a path between the chamber and the exhaust port. The door unit, including the flap in the open position and in the closed position, is within an exterior surface of the mobile robot.

Claims

1. An evacuation station comprising:

a control system comprising one or more processing devices programmed to control evacuation of a debris bin of a mobile robot;

a base to receive the mobile robot, the base comprising an intake port to align to an exhaust port of the debris bin;

a canister to hold a bag to store debris from the debris bin;

one or more conduits extending from the intake port to the bag, through which debris is transported between the intake port and the bag;

a motor that is responsive to commands from the control system to remove air from the canister and thereby generate negative air pressure in the canister to evacuate the debris bin by suctioning the debris from the debris bin; and

a pressure sensor to monitor the air pressure;

wherein the control system is programmed to control an amount of time to evacuate the debris bin based on the air pressure monitored by the pressure sensor.

2. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein, to control the amount of time to evacuate the debris bin based on the air pressure, the control system is programmed to:

detect a steady state air pressure following a start of evacuation;

continue to apply the negative pressure for a predefined period of time during which the steady state air pressure is maintained; and

send a command to stop operation of the motor.

3. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the base comprises electrical contacts that mate to corresponding electrical contacts on the mobile robot to enable communication between the control system and the mobile robot;

and

wherein the control system is programmed to receive a command from the mobile robot to initiate evacuation of the debris bin.

4. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) pressure sensor.

5. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the intake port comprises:

a rim that defines a perimeter of the intake port, the rim having a height that is less than a clearance of an underside of the mobile robot, thereby allowing the mobile robot to pass over the rim; and

a seal inside of the rim, the seal comprising a deformable material that is movable relative to the rim in response to the air pressure.

6. The evacuation station of claim 5, wherein, in response to the air pressure, the seal is movable to contact, and conform to, a shape of the exhaust port of the debris bin, the seal comprising one or more slits therein.

7. The evacuation station of claim 5, wherein the seal has a height that is less than a height of the rim and, absent the air pressure, is below an upper surface of the rim.

8. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the one or more conduits comprises a removable conduit extending at least partly along a bottom of the base between the intake port and the canister, the removable conduit having a cross-sectional shape that transitions from at least partly rectangular adjacent to the intake port to at least partly curved adjacent to the canister.

9. The evacuation station of claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the removable conduit is at least partly circular adjacent to the canister.

10. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising:

foam insulation within the canister, the motor being arranged to draw air from the canister along split paths adjacent to the foam insulation leading to an exit port on the canister.

11. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a ramp that increases in height relative to a surface on which the evacuation station rests, the ramp comprising one or more robot stabilization protrusions between a surface of the ramp and an underside of the mobile robot.

12. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the canister comprises a top that is movable between an open position and a closed position, the top comprising a plunger that is actuated as the top is closed;

and

wherein the one or more conduits comprise a first pipe and a second pipe within the canister, the first pipe being stationary and the second pipe being movable into contact with the bag in response to movement of the plunger, thereby creating a path for debris to pass between the debris bin and the bag.

15. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to control the amount of time to evacuate the debris bin based on the air pressure exceeding a threshold pressure of the canister, the threshold pressure indicating that the bag has become full of the debris.

13. The evacuation station 12, wherein the second pipe, when in contact with the bag, make a substantially airtight seal to a latex membrane of the bag;

and

wherein the first pipe and the second pipe are interfaced via flexible grommets, a cam mechanism controlling movement of the second pipe based on movement of the plunger.

14. The evacuation station of claim 13, wherein the second pipe is movable out of contact with the bag to in response to moving the top into the open position.