Debris monitoring

• US 10,244,913 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Schnittman, Mark Steven, Rosenstein, Michael Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/794,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20180199784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 340540
• 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 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4025 Means for emptying
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• 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 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• 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 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/19 Means for monitoring filtering operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/47 Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection G01N21/25, G01N21/41 take precedence G01N21/55 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/20 using multiple transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• 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 1/0234 : using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70

Abstract

A debris monitoring system includes a receptacle, a first and a second emitter, and a first receiver. The receptacle defines an opening to receive debris into the receptacle. The first and second emitter are each arranged to emit a signal across at least a portion of the opening. The first receiver is proximate to the first emitter to receive reflections of the signal emitted by the first emitter, and the first receiver is disposed toward the opening to receive an unreflected portion of the signal emitted by the second emitter across at least a portion of the opening.

Claims

1. An autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising:

a drive system to navigate the cleaning apparatus about a floor surface while the cleaning apparatus cleans the floor surface;

a debris sensor having a field of view beyond a perimeter of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the debris sensor is configured to detect debris or an obstacle on the floor surface; and

a controller configured to

navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the debris, toward the detected debris, and

navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the obstacle, away from the detected obstacle.

2. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor based on a size of the other debris.

3. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor if a size of the other debris is larger than a size threshold corresponding to a size of a cleaning head opening of the cleaning apparatus.

4. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor is positioned on a forward portion of the cleaning apparatus.

5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor is movable to scan an area beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus.

6. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor comprises a camera.

7. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to cause an indication to be provided in response to the detected bin-full condition.

8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to a docking station to which the cleaning apparatus is dockable in response to the detected bin-full condition.

9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an empty condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to, in response to the debris detection system detecting the empty condition, cause an indication of the empty condition to be provided.

10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an amount of debris in a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to cause a remote user device to provide an indicator indicative of the amount of debris in the debris bin.

22. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

configurations of the debris sensor to detect the debris comprise configurations to detect the debris, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a first portion of the floor surface beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus, and

configurations of the debris sensor to detect the obstacle comprise configurations to detect the obstacle, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a second portion of the floor surface beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus.

11. An autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising:

a debris bin;

a drive system to navigate the cleaning apparatus about a floor surface while the cleaning apparatus cleans the floor surface;

a debris sensor directed forward of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the debris sensor is configured to detect debris or an obstacle on the floor surface; and

a controller configured to

navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the debris, toward the detected debris to ingest the detected debris into the debris bin, and

navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the obstacle, away from the detected obstacle.

12. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor based on a size of the other detected debris.

13. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor if a size of the other detected debris is larger than a size threshold corresponding to a size of a cleaning head opening of the cleaning apparatus.

14. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor is positioned on a forward portion of the cleaning apparatus.

15. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor is movable to scan an area forward of the cleaning apparatus.

16. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor comprises a camera.

17. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of the debris bin,

wherein the controller is configured to cause an indication to be provided in response to the detected bin-full condition.

18. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of the debris bin,

wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to a docking station to which the cleaning apparatus is dockable in response to the detected bin-full condition.

19. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an empty condition of the debris bin,

wherein the controller is configured to, in response to the debris detection system detecting the empty condition, cause an indication of the empty condition to be provided.

20. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an amount of debris in the debris bin,

wherein the controller is configured to cause a remote user device to provide an indicator indicative of the amount of debris in the debris bin.

21. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

configurations of the debris sensor to detect the debris comprise configurations to detect the debris, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a first portion of the floor surface forward of the cleaning apparatus, and

configurations of the debris sensor to detect the obstacle comprise configurations to detect the obstacle, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a second portion of the floor surface forward of the cleaning apparatus.