Mobile floor-cleaning robot with floor-type detection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A cleaning robot, comprising:
- a drive configured to drive the robot across a floor surface;
a cleaning head assembly positioned to engage the floor surface while the robot is maneuvered by the drive;
a motion sensor responsive to changes in pitch; and
a controller circuit in communication with the cleaning head assembly and the motion sensor, the controller circuit configured to determine a flooring type associated with a cleaning characteristic of the robot and configured to alter the cleaning characteristic of the robot as a function of a signal from the motion sensor indicative of a change in pitch caused by the robot crossing a flooring discontinuity.
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Abstract
Cleaning robots may use floor-type-detection techniques as a trigger for autonomously altering various floor-cleaning characteristics. In some examples, a controller circuit of the robot is configured to determine a flooring type as a function of a signal from a motion sensor indicative of a change in pitch caused by the robot crossing a flooring discontinuity. In some examples, the controller circuit is configured to determine a flooring type based on a power draw signal corresponding to the cleaning head assembly of the robot.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A cleaning robot, comprising:
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a drive configured to drive the robot across a floor surface; a cleaning head assembly positioned to engage the floor surface while the robot is maneuvered by the drive; a motion sensor responsive to changes in pitch; and a controller circuit in communication with the cleaning head assembly and the motion sensor, the controller circuit configured to determine a flooring type associated with a cleaning characteristic of the robot and configured to alter the cleaning characteristic of the robot as a function of a signal from the motion sensor indicative of a change in pitch caused by the robot crossing a flooring discontinuity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A cleaning robot, comprising:
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a drive configured to drive the robot across a floor surface; a cleaning head assembly positioned to engage the floor surface while the robot is maneuvered by the drive; and a controller circuit in communication with the cleaning head assembly, the controller circuit configured to; determine a class of the floor surface based on a power draw signal corresponding to the cleaning head assembly; identify a change in the class of the floor surface; and in response to identifying the change in the class of the floor surface, modulating a cleaning characteristic of the robot, wherein identifying the change in the class of floor surface comprises; integrating data from a plurality of monitored inputs, the inputs including at least one of; a cleaning head state signal; a motion signal, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) signal; determining that the robot is turning along a curved path on the floor surface based on the motion signal; and in response to determining that the robot is turning, maintaining the cleaning characteristic at a current state. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A cleaning robot, comprising:
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a drive configured to drive the robot across a floor surface; a cleaning head assembly positioned to engage the floor surface while the robot is maneuvered by the drive; and a controller circuit in communication with the cleaning head assembly, the controller circuit configured to; determine a class of the floor surface based on a power draw signal corresponding to the cleaning head assembly; identify a change in the class of the floor surface; and in response to identifying the change in the class of the floor surface, modulating a cleaning characteristic of the robot, wherein identifying the change in the class of floor surface comprises; integrating data from a plurality of monitored inputs, the inputs including at least one of; a cleaning head state signal; a motion signal, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) signal; determining that the robot is rotating in place on the floor surface based on the motion signal; and in response to determining that the robot is rotating and not moving across a floor surface interface, maintaining the cleaning characteristic at a current state. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification