Apparatus and methods for semi-autonomous cleaning of surfaces

• US 10,206,550 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2018
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avidbots Corp.
• Original Assignee: Avidbots Corp.
• Inventors: Sheikh, Faizan, Cabrera, Pablo Roberto Molina, Willick, Todd, D'Alessio-Doucet, Julien, Lee, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M
• Application Number:
  US16/030,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20180317727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• 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 11/4044 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 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

An apparatus includes a frame, a drive assembly supported by the frame, an electronic system supported by the frame, and a cleaning assembly coupled to the frame. The drive assembly is configured to move the frame along a surface. The cleaning assembly is configured to engage the surface to transfer detritus from the surface to a storage volume supported by the frame. The electronic system has at least a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to define a path along which the drive assembly travels and is configured to redefined a path along which the drive assembly travels based on at least one signal received from at least one sensor.

Claims

1. A method of at least semi-autonomous cleaning of a surface using a cleaning robot having an electronics system configured to control at least a portion of the cleaning robot, the method comprising:

defining an initial data set representing a map of the surface to be cleaned based on data received at a processor of the electronics system from at least one sensor included in the cleaning robot;

decomposing, via the processor, the initial data set into a plurality of sector data sets, each sector data set from the plurality of sector data sets representing a sector of the map;

defining a plurality of intra-sector data sets, each intra-sector data set from the plurality of intra-sector data sets representing an intra-sector path along one sector from the plurality of sectors of the map based at least in part on a calculated efficiency associated with the cleaning robot cleaning a portion of the surface corresponding to that sector from the plurality of sectors; and

defining an inter-sector data set representing an inter-sector path along the map based at least in part on combining each intra-sector path to collectively define the inter-sector path and a calculated efficiency associated with the cleaning robot moving on the surface and substantially along the inter-sector path to clean the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot includes the electronics system, a frame configured to support the electronics system, a drive system coupled to the frame, and a cleaning assembly, the drive system configured to move the cleaning robot along the surface in response to a signal from the electronics system, the cleaning assembly configured to clean the surface as the drive system moves the cleaning robot along the surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the defining the initial data set representing the map includes a user moving the cleaning robot along the surface such that the at least one sensor produces data representing objects relative to the surface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the initial data set includes the data representing objects relative to the surface produced by the at least one sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot is configured to move on the surface and substantially along the inter-sector path to clean the surface at least semi-autonomously.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the processor a signal indicative of an instruction to transition the cleaning robot from a first configuration, in which a drive system and a cleaning assembly of the cleaning robot receive a flow of electric power, and a second configuration, in which electric power is withheld from the drive system and the cleaning assembly.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronics system is in electronic communication with a remote electronic device via a network, the receiving the signal indicative of the instruction to transition the cleaning robot from the first configuration to the second configuration includes receiving the signal at the processor from the remote electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronics system is in electronic communication with a remote electronic device via a network, the method further comprising:

sending, from the processor to the remote electronic device, a signal indicative of an instruction to represent data associated with the cleaning robot on a display of the remote electronic device.