Cleaning rollers for cleaning robots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11109727-B2
Application number	US-201916288699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2019
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot is featured. The cleaning roller includes an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, and a vane extending outward from the elongate member. The vane includes a first vane portion attached to the elongate member, and a second vane portion attached to the first vane portion. The first vane portion extends from the elongate member at a location intersecting a radial axis of the cleaning roller. The first vane portion extends along a first axis angled relative to the radial axis and away from the radial axis in a tangential direction. The second vane portion extends along a second axis angled relative to the first axis. A first angle between the first axis and the radial axis is greater than a second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot, the cleaning roller comprising:
an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller; and
a vane extending outward from the elongate member and extending longitudinally along an outer surface of the elongate member, the vane comprising
a first vane portion attached to the elongate member, wherein the first vane portion extends from the elongate member at a location intersecting a radial axis of the cleaning roller, the first vane portion extending along a first axis angled relative to the radial axis and away from the radial axis in a tangential direction, and
a second vane portion attached to the first vane portion, wherein the second vane portion extends along a second axis angled relative to the first axis, a first angle between the first axis and the radial axis being greater than a second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.

2. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the vane comprises a first vane, and the cleaning roller comprises a plurality of vanes extending longitudinally along the elongate member and comprising at least the first vane and a second vane, the second vane extending outward from the elongate member away from the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller and offset from the first vane in the tangential direction.

3. The cleaning roller of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning roller comprises a plurality of vanes extending longitudinally along the elongate member and comprising the first vane and the second vane, each of the plurality of vanes being symmetric about a plane, the plane located at a center of the cleaning roller and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, and
wherein the radial axis is a first radial axis, and the second vane is attached to the elongate member at a location intersecting a second radial axis of the cleaning roller, the first and second radial axes forming an angle between 30 and 90 degrees.

4. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the tangential direction is a second tangential direction, and the second vane portion comprises a first surface facing in a first tangential direction and a second surface facing in the second tangential direction, wherein the first and second surfaces are positioned between a tip of the second vane portion and the first vane portion, and the first surface is curved.

5. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the radial axis is a first radial axis, and the second vane portion extends through a second radial axis of the cleaning roller,
wherein the second axis forms an angle no more than 5 degrees with the second radial axis.

6. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein a first segment of the vane extends along a first helical path, and a second segment of the vane extends along a second helical path along the elongate member.

7. The cleaning roller of claim 6 , wherein:
the first helical path extends from a first end of the first helical path to a second end of the first helical path along the elongate member in the tangential direction of the cleaning roller, the first end of the first helical path positioned proximate a first longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller, and the second end of the first helical path positioned proximate a center of the cleaning roller, and
the second helical path extends from a first end of the second helical path to a second end of the second helical path along the elongate member in the tangential direction of the cleaning roller, the first end of the second helical path positioned proximate a second longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller, and the second end of the second helical path positioned proximate the center of the cleaning roller.

8. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , further comprising a nub extending outward from the elongate member away from the longitudinal axis, wherein a height of an outer tip of the vane relative to the elongate member is greater than a height of an outer tip of the nub relative to the elongate member.

9. The cleaning roller of claim 8 , wherein the nub has a maximum thickness between 8 and 18 millimeters, wherein the nub tapers from the elongate member to the outer tip of the nub, and wherein a height of the outer tip of the nub relative to the elongate member is between 0.25 and 2.0 centimeters.

10. The cleaning roller of claim 8 , wherein the nub is a first nub, and the cleaning roller further comprises a second nub extending outward from the elongate member away from the longitudinal axis, wherein the vane is positioned between the first nub and the second nub.

11. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the vane comprises an opening extending along a central portion of the cleaning roller, the opening extending only partially through the vane away from the elongate member toward an outer tip of the vane.

12. The cleaning roller of claim 11 , wherein:
the first vane portion comprises a first segment extending from a first longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller toward the central portion of the cleaning roller and a second segment extending from a second longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller toward the central portion of the cleaning roller, the first segment of the first vane portion being separated from the second segment of the first vane portion by the opening, and
the second vane portion extending continuously along the vane from the first longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller to the second longitudinal end portion of the cleaning roller.

13. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the vane is a first vane, and the cleaning roller further comprises a second vane extending longitudinally along the elongate member, the first vane comprising a first longitudinal end proximate a first longitudinal end of the cleaning roller and a second longitudinal end proximate a center of the cleaning roller, and the second vane comprising a first longitudinal end proximate a second longitudinal end of the cleaning roller and a second longitudinal end proximate the center of the cleaning roller,
wherein the second longitudinal end of the first vane is separated from the second longitudinal end of the second vane.

14. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the first vane portion comprises a first end attached to the elongate member and a second end attached to the second vane portion, wherein a first radial distance between the first end of the first vane portion and the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller is 50% to 90% of a second radial distance between the second end of the first vane portion and the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller.

15. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein a length from a first end of the second vane portion to a second end of the second vane portion is 25% to 75% of a length from a first end of the first vane portion to a second end of the first vane portion.

16. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein a first length from a first end of the first vane portion to a second end of the first vane portion is between 0.5 and 3 centimeters, and a second length from a first end of the second vane portion to a second end of the second vane portion is between 0.2 and 1.5 centimeters.

17. The cleaning roller of claim 1 , wherein the vane further comprises a third portion attached to the second vane portion, wherein the third portion of the vane extends along a third axis angled relative to the second axis, a third angle between the third axis and the radial axis being less than the second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Burbank Eric
• Ohm Timothy R
• Amaral Erik

Classifications

• A47L11/4041

  Roll shaped surface treating tools · CPC title

• A47L11/24 Primary

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title

• A47L9/2852

  Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles · CPC title

• A47L11/4069

  Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools · CPC title

• A47L9/0477 Primary

  Rolls · CPC title