Compact autonomous coverage robot

• US 9,480,381 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Schnittman, Mark Steven, Dubrovsky, Zivthan A., Mammen, Jeffrey W., Solochek, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
• Application Number:
  US14/456,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20150020326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 15/411, 15/521, 153/19, 153/404, 15/23, 152/58
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/125 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/145 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/161 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/201 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/292 having rotary tools A47L11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/34 Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
• 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 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• 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 11/408 Means for supplying cleaning or surface treating agents
• 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 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• 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 9/2805 : Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2036 : Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 : Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 : Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 : Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 : Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 : Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 : by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 : Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 : Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 : characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 : Conductive energy transfer
• 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 1/0227 : using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 : using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 : using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An autonomous coverage robot includes a chassis having forward and rearward portions and a drive system carried by the chassis. The forward portion of the chassis defines a substantially rectangular shape. The robot includes a cleaning assembly mounted on the forward portion of the chassis and a bin disposed adjacent the cleaning assembly and configured to receive debris agitated by the cleaning assembly. A bin cover is pivotally attached to a lower portion of the chassis and configured to rotate between a first, closed position providing closure of an opening defined by the bin and a second, open position providing access to the bin opening. The robot includes a body attached to the chassis and a handle disposed on an upper portion of the body. A bin cover release is actuatable from substantially near the handle.

Claims

1. An autonomous robot comprising:

a chassis having a substantially rectangular forward portion and a substantially arcuate rearward portion when viewed from above, the forward portion having a forward edge and side edges connected to the forward edge at corners, the side edges positioned on lateral sides of the robot;

a cleaning assembly carried by the chassis and positioned forward of two drive wheels;

a proximity sensor carried by the chassis and responsive to object proximity with respect to one or more of the lateral sides of the robot;

a bumper extending along the forward edge of the chassis and along at least a portion of the side edges of the chassis, the bumper comprising a plurality of capacitive sensors, including a respective pair of capacitive sensors disposed adjacent each of the corners, each of the pairs of capacitive sensors including a forward corner capacitive sensor and a lateral corner capacitive sensor, such that signals from the pair of capacitive sensors adjacent a respective corner are indicative of both direction and location of a contact with an obstacle at or near the respective corner; and

a drive system carried by the chassis and configured to change a direction of travel of the robot in response to a determined direction and location of the contact between the bumper and the obstacle,

wherein the drive system is configured to cause the robot to back up, turn in place and perform an obstacle following routine based on the proximity sensor detecting an obstacle on one of the lateral sides of the robot.

2. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the drive system is configured to perform a first obstacle following maneuver in response to the detection of the obstacle proximate one of the lateral sides of the robot and a second obstacle following maneuver in response to detection of the obstacle by the bumper, in which second obstacle following maneuver the robot backs up, turns in place to deactivate the bumper and position the robot to perform an obstacle-following arc, and then maneuvers about the obstacle in an arc while one of the lateral sides of the robot continues to face the obstacle.

3. The autonomous robot of claim 1, further comprising two cliff sensors configured to detect a cliff and disposed along the forward portion of the chassis.

4. The autonomous robot of claim 3, wherein the cliff sensors are located at respective right and left edges of the bumper.

5. The autonomous robot of claim 1, further comprising a battery carried by the chassis rearward of the cleaning assembly, the battery powering the drive system and the cleaning assembly, the cleaning assembly further comprising a roller brush motor to rotate a roller brush.

6. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the bumper is configured to detect contact with the obstacle in one of the direction of travel and a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel without detecting contact with the obstacle in a remaining direction.

7. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the robot is configured to turn to follow a wall in response to contact with the wall by the bumper.

8. The autonomous robot of claim 7, wherein the bumper has flat vertical surfaces directed toward respective lateral sides of the robot, the flat vertical surfaces positioned to skim along the followed wall.

9. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the robot is configured to semi-passively wall follow by:

detecting a proximate wall,

turning to align a dominant side of the robot with the proximate wall, and

driving along the wall while turning slightly into the wall so as to skim along the wall, while repeatedly sensing contact with the wall via the bumper or the proximity sensor.

10. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the robot comprises a navigational sensor system in communication with a controller that controls the drive system to maneuver the robot in response to signals from the navigational sensor system and as a function of sensed surroundings about the robot, the sensed surrounding detected by one or more of the proximity sensor and the plurality of capacitive sensors of the bumper.

11. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the robot comprises a stasis detector responsive to whether the robot is moving or stationary.

12. The autonomous robot of claim 11, wherein the stasis detector comprises a stasis wheel configured to roll along a surface as the robot is maneuvered.

13. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly comprises a roller brush rotatably mounted adjacent a front edge of the chassis.

14. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly comprises a side brush mounted so as to extend beyond the chassis.

15. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the autonomous robot further comprises:

a controller in communication with the drive system, the controller configured to maneuver the robot to pivot in place; and

an accelerometer in communication with the controller, the controller configured to control the drive system in response to a signal received from the accelerometer.

16. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the bumper comprises bump sensors responsive to contact between the bumper and an obstacle.

17. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the bumper further comprises bump sensors responsive to relative motion between the bumper and the chassis.

18. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the autonomous robot performs a second obstacle following routine based on detections of the obstacle by the plurality of capacitive sensors, in which the robot backs up and turns in place to deactivate the plurality of capacitive sensors and to place the robot in position to perform an obstacle following arc about the obstacle.