Mobile floor cleaning robot

• US 9,615,712 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Dooley, Michael, Romanov, Nikolai, Williams, Marcus, Johnson, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/538,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20150128364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 15319, 15320, 153401, 15 98
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/12 with reciprocating or oscillating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/125 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/284 having reciprocating tools
• 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 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/408 Means for supplying cleaning or surface treating agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/16 Cloths; Pads; Sponges metal scraping sponges A47L13/07
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/20 Mops
• 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: A61F 13/36 Surgical swabs, e.g. for absorbency or packing body cavities during surgery A61F13/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/12 on paper layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/04 Cellulosic plastic fibres, e.g. rayon
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/067 Wood fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/14 Mixture of at least two fibres made of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/7145 : Rot proof, resistant to bacteria, mildew, mould, fungi
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/718 : Weight, e.g. weight per square meter
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/726 : Permeability to liquids, absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/73 : Hydrophobic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2432/00 : Cleaning articles, e.g. mops, wipes personal care B32B2555/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 25/14 : comprising synthetic rubber copolymers B32B25/18 and B32B25/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 29/002 : as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a layer of a particular substance B32B9/06; next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/06; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/08; next to a metal layer B32B15/12; next to a glass layer B32B17/065; next to a layer formed of natural mineral fibres or particles B32B19/046; next to a wood layer B32B21/06; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/06; next to a natural or synthetic rubber layer B32B25/06; next to a synthetic resin layer B32B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/04 : characterised by at least one layer folded at the edge, e.g. over another layer ; characterised by at least one layer enveloping or enclosing a material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 : Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 : another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 : using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties

Abstract

A pad particularly adapted for surface cleaning. The pad includes an absorbent core having the ability to absorb and retain liquid material, and a liner layer in contact with and covering at least one side of the absorbent core. The liner layer has the ability to retain and wick liquid material through the liner layer. Cleaning apparatus containing such pads and methods of using such pads are also described.

Claims

1. A mobile floor cleaning robot comprising:

a robot body defining a forward drive direction;

a drive supporting the robot body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface the drive comprising right and left drive wheels disposed on corresponding right and left portions of the robot body; and

a cleaning assembly disposed on the robot body, the cleaning assembly comprising;

a pad holder disposed forward of the drive wheels and having a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion having a bottom surface to receive a cleaning pad, the bottom surface of the pad holder comprising at least 40% of a surface area of a footprint of the robot, and the bottom portion having raised protrusions extending therefrom; and

an orbital oscillator having less than 1 cm of orbital range disposed on the top portion of the pad holder;

wherein the pad holder is configured to permit more than 80 percent of the orbital range of the orbital oscillator to be transmitted from a top of the received cleaning pad to a bottom surface of the received cleaning pad and wherein the pad holder has a release mechanism configured to eject the received cleaning pad from the bottom surface of the pad holder upon actuation of the release mechanism.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly further comprises:

a reservoir to hold a volume of fluid; and

a fluid applicator in fluid communication with the reservoir, the fluid applicator configured to apply the fluid along the forward drive direction and forward of the pad holder.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein the cleaning pad is configured to absorb about 90% of the volume held in the reservoir.

4. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a backing layer on the cleaning pad for engaging with the pad holder.

5. The robot of claim 4, wherein at least one raised protrusion on the bottom portion of the pad holder is positioned for aligning to and engaging with a shaped slot cut out of the backing layer.

6. The robot of claim 2, wherein the fluid applicator comprises at least two nozzles to apply the fluid in two strips across the floor surface in the forward drive direction.

7. The robot of claim 6, wherein the at least two nozzles are vertically stacked in a recess in the fluid applicator and angled relative to a horizontal plane to spray fluid forward and downward.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein a first of the at least two nozzles is angled relative to the horizontal plane to spray fluid to cover a first area on the floor surface, a second of the at least two nozzles is angled relative to the horizontal plane to spray fluid to cover a second area of the floor surface, and the first of the at least two nozzles and the second of the at least two nozzles are spaced apart from one another such that the first area is forward of the second area.

9. The robot of claim 2, wherein the fluid applicator is configured to apply fluid in an area pattern on the floor surface, the area pattern extending at least one robot width and extending at least one robot length.

10. The robot of claim 2, wherein the fluid applicator is configured to apply fluid in an area pattern on the floor surface, the area pattern extending less than a robot width.

11. The robot of claim 4, wherein the backing layer is a stiff backing layer, and the pad holder is configured to receive longitudinal edges of the stiff backing layer that extend beyond longitudinal edges of the cleaning pad.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the release mechanism comprises a retainer to grasp a first of the longitudinal edges of the stiff backing layer, and a movable retention clip to grasp a second of the longitudinal edges of the stiff backing layer.

13. The robot of claim 1, wherein an overall weight of the robot without retaining any fluid is between about 1 kg and about 1.5 kg and with retaining fluid is between about 1.5 kg to 4.5 kg.

14. The robot of claim 1, wherein the robot applies fluid to the floor surface at an initial volumetric flow rate to moisten the cleaning pad, the initial volumetric flow rate being relatively higher than a subsequent volumetric flow rate when the cleaning pad is moistened.

15. The robot of claim 14, the initial volumetric flow rate is set by spraying 1 mL of fluid every 30 cm for a period of about 1 to 3 minutes, and the subsequent volumetric flow rate is set by spraying every 3 feet, wherein each spray of fluid is less than 1 mL of volume.

16. The robot of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the pad holder is arranged within between about ½

cm and about 1½

cm of the floor surface.

17. The robot of claim 1, wherein the drive is configured to maneuver the robot in a birdsfoot motion in which the robot moves forward and backward along a center trajectory, forward and backward along a leftward trajectory from a starting point along the center trajectory, and forward and backward along a rightward trajectory from a starting point along the center trajectory.

18. The robot of claim 1, wherein the robot body and the pad holder both define substantially rectangular foot prints.

19. The robot of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly further includes a post disposed on the top portion of the pad holder, the post sized to receive a corresponding aperture defined by the robot.

20. The robot of claim 19, wherein the post has a cross-sectional diameter that varies along a length of the post.

21. The robot of claim 19, wherein the post includes a vibration dampening material.

22. The robot of claim 1, further comprising an arm pivotally attaching the drive wheels to the robot body to enable vertical movement of the drive wheels relative to the floor surface.