Autonomous floor cleaning robot

• US 7,448,113 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Sandin, Paul E., Nugent, David M., Jones, Joseph L., Mack, Newton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding; David A
• Application Number:
  US11/834,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20080000041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 153/19, 153/401, 15354-362, 700/245
• US Class Current: 15/319
• 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, a powered wheel drive, a command and control subsystem; and a cleaning head including a deck mounted to pivot with respect to the housing, a brush assembly mounted in the deck and powered to sweep, a vacuum assembly mounted in the deck separate from the brush assembly and behind the brush assembly in a cleaning direction of the robot and powered to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting assembly mounted in combination with the deck and the housing that provides lift to the deck, the lift balanced to respond to an increase in brush torque to lift the deck with respect to the housing or floor. The robot also includes a side brush assembly mounted with the housing to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing and to direct such particulates towards the cleaning head.

Claims

1. A floor-cleaning robot, comprising:

a housing;

a powered wheel drive operative to propel the housing for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot; and

a cleaning head including;

a deck mounted to pivot with respect to the housing;

a brush assembly mounted in the deck and powered to sweep;

a deck adjusting assembly mounted in combination with the deck and the housing and balanced to respond to an increase in torque in the brush to lift the deck with respect to the housing.

2. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the brush assembly is a dual-stage brush assembly comprising first and second counter-rotating brushes.

3. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the first and second brushes are asymmetric, the second brush having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the first brush.

4. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the first brush is a flapper brush configured for mounting in rotatable combination with the deck.

5. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 4, wherein the flapper brush includes a plurality of space-apart cleaning strips.

6. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 5 further comprising a bail that forms a shield over the dual-stage brush assembly;

and the bail segments the spaced-apart cleaning strips.

7. The, autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 2 wherein the second brush is a main brush having end caps configured for mounting the main brush in rotatable combination with the deck.

8. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of bristles set in combination with the main brush to extend beyond an outer diameter defined by the end caps.

9. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the brush assembly is a dual-stage brush assembly comprising a flapper brush and a main brush having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the flapper brush;

and wherein the flapper brush and the main brush are, counter-rotating with respect to one another.

10. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the deck adjusting assembly pivots the deck with respect to the housing as well as with respect to a floor, and comprises:

a motor cage mounted in rotatable combination with the deck, a motor for the brush assembly being non-rotatably secured within the motor cage;

a pulley fixedly secured to the motor cage;

an anchor member fixedly secured to the housing in alignment with the pulley; and

a pulley cord secured to the anchor member and the pulley in tension therebetween with the deck in the non-pivoted position with respect to the housing;

wherein, in response to a change in torque in the brush assembly, a motor cage rotates to climb a pulley up a pulley cord, causing the deck to pivot with respect to the housing.

11. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot as in claim 1, further comprising a side brush mounted in combination with the housing and powered to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing and to direct such particulates towards the cleaning head.

12. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 11 wherein the side brush assembly comprises:

a motor;

a hub rotatable with the motor; and

a brush connected to the hub such that rotation of the hub causes the brush to direct such that rotation of the hub causes the brush to direct particulates entrained outside the periphery of the housing towards the cleaning head when the robot moves in a forward direction, wherein the brush comprises;

opposed brush arms extending outwardly from the hub;

terminating in a set of bristles forming a distal end of each the brush arm.

13. A floor-cleaning robot comprising:

a housing;

a powered differential wheel drive operative to propel the housing for cleaning operations on a floor;

a control module operative to control the floor-cleaning robot;

a cleaning head including;

a deck mounted to pivot with respect to the floor;

a brush assembly mounted in the deck and powered to sweep;

a vacuum assembly mounted in the deck separate from, adjacent to, and behind the brush assembly in a cleaning direction of the robot and powered to ingest particulates;

a dust collection bin coupled to the vacuum assembly for collecting particulates swept up by the brush assembly and ingested by the vacuum assembly;

a deck adjusting assembly mounted in combination with the deck and the housing that pivots the deck with respect to the floor.

14. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the vacuum assembly comprises:

a first blade having a generally rectangular configuration and a lateral dimension that defines a predetermined width of one lateral edge of the first blade being attached to a lower surface of the deck and extending into and sealed in combination with a wall of the dust collection bin so that the first blade is angled forwardly with respect to the deck; and

a second blade having a generally rectangular configuration that is substantially parallel to the first blade along the predetermined width and separated from the first blade by a predetermined gap; and

a vacuum inlet defined by the predetermined width and gap.

15. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 14, wherein a free lateral edge of the first blade has a plurality of castellated segments along the free lateral edge to mitigate pushing of particulates by the vacuum inlet during cleaning operations.

16. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of protrusions having a predetermined height and extending from one of the first blade or the second blade that abuts the remaining one of the first blade and the second blade to form the predetermined gap that defines the vacuum inlet.

17. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the dust collection bin comprises a removable dust cartridge that collects debris from both the brush assembly and the vacuum assembly.

18. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the dust collection bin comprises a floor member having a free end including a plurality of projections to interact with the brush assembly to remove entrained debris therefrom.

19. The floor-cleaning robot of claim 13, the dust collection bin further comprising:

a first storage chamber that is positioned to receive particulates from the brush assembly; and

a second storage chamber that is coupled to the vacuum assembly for receiving particulates therefrom.