AUTONOMOUS FLOOR-CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20170215671A1
• Filed: 04/14/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Mack, Newton E., Nugent, David M., Jones, Joseph L., Sandin, Paul E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,433,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary 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 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• 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: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/02 with driven tools for special purposes with floor-polishing tools A47L11/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brush assembly to pivot the deck with respect to said chassis. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot also includes a side brush assembly mounted in combination with the chassis and powered by the motive subsystem to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing infrastructure and to direct such particulates towards the self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a housing structure;

a motive system operable to generate movement of the robot across a surface during floor-cleaning, the motive system including a left wheel module and a right wheel module,

a vacuum system operable to ingest particulates;

a primary brush assembly operable to collect particulates from the surface during floor-cleaning;

a side brush assembly operable to direct particulates outside a periphery of the housing structure, which would be otherwise outside a range of the primary brush assembly, toward the primary brush assembly during floor-cleaning;

a removable dust cartridge in communication with the primary brush assembly, and operable to store particulates collected by the primary brush assembly;

a sensor system operable to generate signals representative of conditions encountered by the robot during floor-cleaning, the sensor system including one or more cliff detectors operable to generate a cliff signal upon detection of a cliff; and

a control system in communication with the motive system and responsive to signals generated by the sensor system to control movement of the robot the control system being responsive to the cliff signal to control movement of the robot upon detection of the cliff to enable the robot to escape from the cliff and to continue movement.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein the primary brush assembly includes a flapper brush comprising a plurality of segmented cleaning strips and secured to and extending along a central member.

4. The robot of claim 3, wherein the cleaning strips are arranged in a chevron pattern.

5. The robot of claim 3, wherein the cleaning strips are arranged in a linear pattern.

6. The robot of claim 3, wherein the cleaning strips are spaced circumferentially about the central member.

7. The robot of claim 2, wherein the one or more cliff detectors comprise:

a first cliff detector located on a right side of the robot forward of the right wheel module; and

a second cliff detector located on a left side of the robot forward of the left wheel module.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein the one or more cliff detectors further comprise:

a third cliff detector located on a right side of the robot forward of the right wheel module and forward of the first cliff detector; and

a fourth cliff detector located on a left side of the robot forward of the left wheel module and forward of the second cliff detector,

wherein at least one of the first and second cliff detectors is located behind the side brush assembly.

9. The robot of claim 8, further comprising a nose-wheel subassembly disposed at the forward end of a fore-aft diameter of the robot, wherein

the third cliff detector is located adjacent to the nose-wheel subassembly, and

the fourth cliff detector is adjacent to the nose-wheel subassembly.

10. The robot of claim 7, wherein the one or more cliff detectors further comprise a third cliff detector located forward of the first and second cliff detectors.

11. The robot of claim 2, wherein the side brush assembly comprises:

a hub;

brush arms laterally extending from the hub and configured to resiliently deform if an obstacle or obstruction is encountered; and

bristles extending from the brush arms.

12. The robot of claim 2, further comprising a resilient blade extending from an underside of the housing structure rearward of the primary brush assembly.

13. The robot of claim 2, wherein the primary brush assembly includes a brush configured to rotate about an axis generally parallel to the surface and wherein the side brush assembly is configured to rotate about an axis generally perpendicular to the surface.

14. The robot of claim 2, wherein the sensor system further comprises a displaceable bumper having a bumper displacement sensor responsive to displacement of the bumper with respect to the housing structure, the bumper displacement sensor comprising an infrared break beam sensor.

15. The robot of claim 2, further comprising a carrying handle hingedly coupled to the housing structure such that upon the robot being picked up by the carrying handle the aft end of the robot lies below the forward end of the robot.

16. The robot of claim 2, further comprising a sensor configured to measure the rotation of the associated wheel subassembly.

17. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a motive system operable to generate movement of the robot across a surface during floor-cleaning, the motive system including a left wheel module and a right wheel module;

a vacuum system operable to ingest particulates;

a primary brush assembly operable to collect particulates from the surface during floor-cleaning, the primary brush assembly including a flapper brush comprising a plurality of cleaning strips and secured to and extending along a central member;

a side brush assembly operable to direct particulates outside a periphery of the housing structure, which would be otherwise outside a range of the primary brush assembly, toward the primary brush assembly during floor-cleaning; and

a removable dust cartridge in communication with the primary brush assembly, and operable to store particulates collected by the primary brush assembly.

18. The robot of claim 17 further comprising:

a first cliff detector located on a right side of the robot forward of the right wheel module; and

a second cliff detector located on a left side of the robot forward of the left wheel module;

19. The robot of claim 18, further comprising:

a third cliff detector located forward of the first and second cliff detectors and forward of the side brush assembly;

wherein at least one of the first and second cliff detectors is located behind the side brush assembly.

20. The robot of claim 18, further comprising:

a third cliff detector located on the right side of the robot forward of the right wheel module and forward of the first cliff detector; and

a fourth cliff detector located on the left side of the robot forward of the left wheel module and forward of the second cliff detector.

21. The robot of claim 20, further comprising:

a nose-wheel subassembly disposed at a forward end of a fore-aft diameter of the robot, wherein

the third cliff detector is located adjacent to the nose-wheel subassembly and the fourth cliff detector is located adjacent to the nose-wheel subassembly.

22. The robot of claim 17, wherein the sensor system further comprises a displaceable bumper having a bumper displacement sensor responsive to displacement of the bumper with respect to the housing, the bumper displacement sensor comprising an infrared break beam sensor.

23. The robot of claim 17, wherein the side brush assembly comprises:

a hub;

brush arms laterally extending from the hub and configured to resiliently deform if an obstacle or obstruction is encountered, and

bristles extending from the brush arms.

24. The robot of claim 17, further comprising a carrying handle hingedly coupled to the housing structure such that upon the robot being picked up by the carrying handle, the aft end of the robot lies below the forward end of the robot.

25. The robot of claim 17, wherein the cleaning strips are arranged in a chevron pattern or a linear pattern.