Evacuation station

• US 10,595,692 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2019
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Morin, Russell Walter, Bursal, Faruk Halil, Boeschentein, Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US16/592,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20200029765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 173 Days
• 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 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 7/0085 adapted for special purposes not related to cleaning
• 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/14 Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1436 Connecting plates, e.g. collars, end closures
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1472 combined with security means, e.g. for preventing use, e.g. in case of absence of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• 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 9/2815 : using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2821 : Pressure, vacuum level or airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 : Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 : User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 : Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 : Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation

Abstract

An evacuation station includes a base and a canister removably attached to the base. The base includes a ramp having an inclined surface for receiving a robotic cleaner having a debris bin. The ramp defines an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin. The base also includes a first conduit portion pneumatically connected to the evacuation intake opening, an air mover having an inlet and an exhaust, and a particle filter pneumatically the exhaust of the air mover. The canister includes a second conduit portion arranged to pneumatically interface with the first conduit portion to form a pneumatic debris intake conduit, an exhaust conduit arranged to pneumatically connect to the inlet of the air mover when the canister is attached to the base, and a separator in pneumatic communication with the second conduit portion.

Claims

1. An evacuation station comprising:

an intake opening configured to pneumatically interface with a debris bin of a robotic cleaner, the debris bin containing first debris and second debris;

an air mover configured to draw an airflow containing the first debris and the second debris into the evacuation station through the intake opening;

a debris separation device to separate the second debris from the airflow, the debris separation device comprising a conical separator configured to receive at least a portion of the airflow and separate at least a portion of the second debris from the airflow; and

a receptacle to receive and store the portion of the second debris.

2. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the conical separator comprises:

an inlet to receive at least the portion of the airflow;

an outlet through which at least the portion of the airflow is directed out of the conical separator; and

a lower opening to direct the portion of the second debris toward the receptacle.

3. The evacuation station of claim 2, wherein the conical separator comprises a substantially conical wall extending between the inlet and the lower opening, the substantially conical wall configured to cause a centrifugal force to act on the portion of the airflow to separate the portion of the second debris from the portion of the airflow.

4. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein the receptacle is a second receptacle, and the evacuation station further comprises:

a filter to separate the first debris from the airflow; and

a first receptacle to receive at least a portion of the first debris.

5. The evacuation station of claim 4, further comprising an intake conduit to receive the airflow from the debris bin of the robotic cleaner,

wherein the filter comprises an annular filter wall separating the intake conduit from debris separation device.

6. The evacuation station of claim 4, wherein configurations of the air mover to draw the airflow containing the first debris and the second debris into the evacuation station comprises configurations of the air mover to draw the airflow through the filter and then through debris separation device.

7. The evacuation station of claim 4, wherein the first debris is coarser than the second debris.

8. The evacuation station of claim 1, wherein:

the portion of the second debris is a first portion of the second debris, the portion of the airflow is a first portion of the airflow, and the conical separator is a first conical separator, and

the evacuation station further comprises a plurality of conical separators comprising the first conical separator and a second conical separator, the second conical separator configured to receive a second portion of the airflow and separate a second portion of the second debris from the second portion of the airflow.

9. The evacuation station of claim 8, wherein the receptacle is configured to receive and store the second portion of the second debris.

10. The evacuation station of claim 8, wherein the plurality of conical separators are arranged around an exhaust conduit, the exhaust conduit configured to receive the airflow from the debris separation device.

11. The evacuation station of claim 10, wherein the exhaust conduit is connected to an inlet of the air mover.

12. The evacuation station of claim 8, wherein the plurality of conical separators comprises at least three conical separators comprising the first conical separator and the second conical separator.

13. The evacuation station of claim 1, further comprising a base, and a canister positioned above the base, wherein the debris separation device is located within the canister.

14. The evacuation station of claim 13, wherein:

the debris separation device is located in an upper portion of the canister, and

the evacuation station further comprises a filter to separate the first debris from the airflow, the filter being positioned below the debris separation device.

15. The evacuation station of claim 13, wherein:

the portion of the second debris is a first portion of the second debris, the portion of the airflow is a first portion of the airflow, and the conical separator is a first conical separator, and

the evacuation station further comprises a plurality of conical separators comprising the first conical separator and a second conical separator, the second conical separator configured to receive a second portion of the airflow and separate a second portion of the second debris from the second portion of the airflow,

the first conical separator has an outlet directed toward a center of the canister, the outlet of the first conical separator configured to direct the first portion of the airflow out of the first conical separator, and

the second conical separator has an outlet directed toward the center of the canister, the outlet of the second conical separator configured to direct the second portion of the airflow out of the second conical separator.

16. The evacuation station of claim 13, further comprising a separation bin within the canister, the separation bin containing the debris separation device and the receptacle.

17. The evacuation station of claim 16, wherein the separation bin comprises a cylindrical wall configured to cause the first debris to separate from the airflow.

18. The evacuation station of claim 17, wherein the receptacle is a second receptacle, and the evacuation station further comprises a first receptacle to receive the first debris separated from the airflow by the cylindrical wall of the separation bin.

19. The evacuation station of claim 18, wherein the separation bin contains the first receptacle.

20. An evacuation station comprising:

an intake opening configured to pneumatically interface with a debris bin of a robotic cleaner, the debris bin containing debris;

a charging module to charge the robotic cleaner;

an air mover to draw an airflow containing the debris into the evacuation station through the intake opening;

a first debris separation device to separate a first portion of the debris from the airflow;

a conical debris separation device to separate a second portion of the debris from the airflow; and

a receptacle to receive and store the second portion of the debris.

21. The evacuation station of claim 20, further comprising a second debris separation device to separate a third portion of the debris from the airflow.

22. The evacuation station of claim 21, wherein configurations of the air mover to draw the airflow containing the debris into the evacuation station comprises configurations of the air mover to cause the airflow to move through the first debris separation device, then through the conical debris separation device, and then through the second debris separation device.

23. The evacuation station of claim 22, wherein the second debris separation device is a second filter.

24. The evacuation station of claim 20, further comprising a base, and a bin removably attached to the base, wherein the bin comprises the receptacle.

25. The evacuation station of claim 24, wherein the bin comprises:

a handle;

a door; and

an actuator configured to be operated by a user to open the door to allow the second portion of the debris in the receptacle to be emptied from the receptacle.

26. The evacuation station of claim 24, wherein the receptacle is a second receptacle, and the bin further comprises a first receptacle to receive at least part of the first portion of the debris.