APPLICATION OF LOCALIZATION, POSITIONING & NAVIGATION SYSTEMS FOR ROBOTIC ENABLED MOBILE PRODUCTS

• US 20090281661A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: Evolution Robotics Inc. (iRobot Corporation)
• Inventors: Bernardo, Enrico Di, Stout, Michael, Brisson, Gabriel, Chiu, Lihu, Pirjanian, Paolo, Dooley, Michael, Romanov, Nikolai
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/258
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• 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 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• 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 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• 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 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/32 Driving direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/461 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/463 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/465 Slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 : by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 : Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/106 : for maintaining or recovering the adhesion of the drive wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 : characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 : Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 : Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 : having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 : ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 : using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• 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

A robotic cleaner includes a cleaning assembly for cleaning a surface and a main robot body. The main robot body houses a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner. The cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and a width of the cleaning assembly is greater than a width of the main robot body. A robotic cleaning system includes a main robot body and a plurality of cleaning assemblies for cleaning a surface. The main robot body houses a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner. The cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and each of the cleaning assemblies is detachable from the main robot body and each of the cleaning assemblies has a unique cleaning function.

Claims

1. A robotic cleaner, comprising:

a cleaning assembly for cleaning a surface; and

a main robot body, the main robot body housing a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner,

wherein the cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and a width of the cleaning assembly is greater than a width of the main robot body.

2. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, wherein a width of a front edge of the cleaning assembly is grater than the width of the main robot body.

3. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, wherein a footprint of the cleaning assembly is greater than 50% of a footprint of the entire robot cleaner.

4. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly is detachable from the main robot body and multiple cleaning assemblies may be attached to the main robot body.

5. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the cleaning assembly further having attached thereto a plurality of cleaning cloths and the main robot body including an automatic cleaning cloth changing assembly to remove used cleaning cloths.

6. The robotic cleaner of claim 5, the main robot body further including instructions, stored in a memory of the main robot body, which when executed, instruct the automatic cleaning cloth changing assembly to remove used cleaning cloths.

7. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, further including a sliding assembly, the sliding assembly allowing the cleaning assembly to moved in a direction away from the main robot body.

8. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main robot body includes a drive system, the drive system including a left wheel and a right wheel, and the microcontroller independently controls driving of the left wheel and the right wheel to result in a differential drive system.

9. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the cleaning assembly including a top and a bottom pad, the bottom pad being curved in relation to a planar surface, to allow the bottom pad of the cleaning assembly to maintain an even contact with the planar surface when the cleaning assembly is tilted.

10. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the main robot body being covered by a shell, the shell including a bottom edge that touches a rear portion of the cleaning assembly to seal open gaps between the main robot body and the cleaning assembly.

11. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, further including a shell to cover the main robot body, a pivot joint and a flexible gasket, the flexible gasket being connected between a surface of the shell and the cleaning assembly to close off gaps between the shell and the cleaning assembly.

12. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the main robot body further including an accelerometer to detect unexpected changes in velocity of the robotic cleaner due to external forces and interfaces with the microcontroller to identify the detected unexpected changes.

13. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, further including a current sensor, the current sensor detects unexpected changes in motor current and interfaces with the microcontroller to identify the changes in motor currents.

14. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the main robot body further including a gyroscope to detect changes in orientation of the robotic cleaner and to interface with the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller utilizes information corresponding to the changes in orientation to control movement of the robotic cleaner.

15. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the cleaning assembly further including a drop-off sensor, the drop-off sensor including a contact switch, and a mechanical lever mounted on one end by a pivot, a second end of the mechanical lever having a weighted object, and the weighted object'"'"'s movement causes the mechanical lever to trigger a contact switch to indicate to the microcontroller that the surface under the cleaning assembly has dropped a predetermined distance.

16. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the cleaning assembly further including drop-off sensor embedded in the cleaning assembly.

17. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, further including a docking station which together with the robotic cleaner forms a robotic cleaner system, the docking station including a ramp to allow the robotic cleaner to move up the ramp and a used cleaning cloth removing assembly, the used cleaning cloth removing assembly to remove used cleaning cloths from the cleaning assembly of robotic cleaner.

18. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the main robot body including a wedge sensor located underneath a shell of the main robot body, wherein the wedge sensor indicates that the shell has been compressed in a downward direction.

19. The robotic cleaner of claim 1, the cleaning assembly including a retractable bumper which includes a drop-off sensor, the retractable bumper and sensor extending over an edge of the cleaning assembly.

20. A robotic cleaning system, comprising:

a main robot body, the main robot body housing a drive system to cause movement of the robotic cleaner and a microcontroller to control the movement of the robotic cleaner; and

a plurality of cleaning assemblies for cleaning a surface,

wherein the cleaning assembly is located in front of the drive system and each of the cleaning assemblies is detachable from the main robot body and each of the cleaning assemblies has a unique cleaning function.

21. A cleaning robot, comprising:

a cleaning assembly to clean a surface and having a first area of contact with the surface; and

a drive assembly to drive the cleaning robot, the drive assembly having a second area of contact and a third area of contact, wherein only the first area of contact, the second area of contact and the third area of contact support the cleaning robot on the surface.

22. The cleaning robot of claim 21, wherein the second area of contact and the third area of contact are wheels that are part of the drive assembly.

23. The cleaning robot of claim 21, wherein a center of gravity of the cleaning robot is between the first area of contact and a line connecting the second and third areas of contact.

24. The cleaning robot of claim 21, further including a pivot joint, the pivot joint providing freedom of at least one degree of freedom between the first area of contact and a drive assembly which includes the second and third areas of contact.

25. The cleaning robot of claim 21, further including a shell that is rigidly connected to the cleaning and suspended on top of the drive system.

26. The cleaning robot of claim 25, wherein the drive assembly includes a drive box, a left wheel and a right wheel and the drive box is mounted rigidly to the left wheel and the right wheel, and a spring is located on a top surface of the drive box and being connected on one end to the shell, the spring allowing the shell to compress when pressed with an external force.

27. The cleaning robot of claim 26, further including a limit switch and a microcontroller, the limit switch being connected to the drive box, wherein the limit switch detects if the shell is compressed below a specified distance and provides a signal to the microcontroller to modify movement of the cleaning robot when the shell is compressed below the specified distance.

28. The cleaning robot of claim 21, wherein the cleaning assembly is in front of the drive assembly.