Robotic cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11219347-B2
Application number	US-201916438552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2019
Priority date	Dec 22, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

An autonomous floor cleaner or floor cleaning robot can include an autonomously moveable housing and a drive system for autonomously moving the autonomously moveable housing over a surface to be cleaned based on inputs from a controller. A brush chamber, a debris receptacle, and a supply tank can be formed as a unitary assembly removable from the autonomously moveable housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A floor cleaning robot, comprising:
an autonomously moveable housing;
a drive system for autonomously moving the autonomously moveable housing over a surface to be cleaned based on inputs from a controller;
a unitary assembly removably mounted to the autonomously moveable housing, wherein the unitary assembly is configured to be selectively detached from the autonomously moveable housing, the unitary assembly comprising:
a brush chamber;
a debris receptacle fluidly coupled to the brush chamber, and
a supply tank configured to store a supply of cleaning fluid;

a brushroll located in the brush chamber;
at least one fluid distributor in fluid communication with the supply tank and configured to dispense cleaning fluid; and
a fluid delivery pump configured to control a flow of cleaning fluid from the supply tank to the at least one fluid distributor.

2. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the brush chamber is pivotally coupled with the autonomously moveable housing by a pivotal coupling, and the unitary assembly is configured to be selectively detached from the autonomously moveable housing by rotating the unitary assembly about a pivot axis defined by the pivotal coupling, and then lifting the unitary assembly to decouple the brush chamber from the autonomously moveable housing.

3. The floor cleaning robot of claim 2 , wherein the pivotal coupling comprises:
a catch on one of the unitary assembly and the autonomously moveable housing; and
a hook on the other of the unitary assembly and the autonomously moveable housing, the hook configured to engage the catch to pivotally couple the unitary assembly to the autonomously moveable housing.

4. The floor cleaning robot of claim 2 , further comprising a latch securing the unitary assembly to the autonomously moveable housing, wherein the unitary assembly is configured to be selectively detached from the autonomously moveable housing by actuating the latch, rotating the unitary assembly about a pivot axis defined by the pivotal coupling, and then lifting the unitary assembly to decouple the brush chamber from the autonomously moveable housing.

5. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a latch securing the unitary assembly to the autonomously moveable housing.

6. The floor cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein the latch comprises a latch actuator provided on the autonomously moveable housing, wherein the unitary assembly is configured to be selectively detached from the autonomously moveable housing by pressing downwardly on the latch actuator and then lifting the unitary assembly upwardly.

7. The floor cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein the unitary assembly comprises a handle proximate to the latch so that a user can grip the handle to lift the unitary assembly upwardly and actuate the latch with one hand.

8. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the brush chamber is defined by a cover that extends over the autonomously moveable housing so that the autonomously moveable housing is not exposed to the brushroll.

9. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a suction conduit extending from the brush chamber to fluidly communicate with the debris receptacle and a suction source in fluid communication with the suction conduit for generating a working airstream through the debris receptacle.

10. The floor cleaning robot of claim 9 , wherein the brush chamber includes lateral ends, a middle portion between the lateral ends, the suction conduit joins the brush chamber at the middle portion, and the brush chamber tapers to become smaller at the lateral ends.

11. The floor cleaning robot of claim 9 , further comprising a scraper configured to remove liquid and debris from the brushroll, wherein the scraper is provided within the brush chamber and engages the brushroll.

12. The floor cleaning robot of claim 9 , wherein the debris receptacle includes a separator configured to separate liquid and debris from the working airstream, and wherein the suction conduit and the separator form portions of the unitary assembly.

13. The floor cleaning robot of claim 12 , wherein the suction source comprises a vacuum motor carried on the autonomously moveable housing, the vacuum motor having a motor air inlet port, and the debris receptacle comprises an air outlet port that is coupled with the motor air inlet port when the unitary assembly is mounted to the autonomously moveable housing to fluidly couple the debris receptacle with the suction source.

14. The floor cleaning robot of claim 9 , wherein:
the autonomously moveable housing comprises an air inlet port receiver in fluid communication with the suction source and the debris receptacle comprises an air outlet port that is coupled with the air inlet port when the unitary assembly is mounted to the autonomously moveable housing to fluidly couple the debris receptacle with the suction source; and
the autonomously moveable housing comprises a valve receiver in fluid communication with the fluid delivery pump and the supply tank comprises a valve that is coupled with the valve receiver when the unitary assembly is mounted to the autonomously moveable housing to fluidly couple the supply tank with the fluid delivery pump.

15. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the unitary assembly comprises an openable lid selectively secured to a lower portion of the unitary assembly and moveable between a closed position and an open position, the lower portion including at least a receptacle reservoir of the debris receptacle.

16. The floor cleaning robot of claim 15 , wherein the openable lid includes the supply tank.

17. The floor cleaning robot of claim 15 , wherein the openable lid is fully separable from the lower portion.

18. The floor cleaning robot of claim 15 , wherein the debris receptacle includes a pour spout, wherein the pour spout is covered by the lid when the lid is in the closed position and is exposed to view when the lid is in the open position.

19. The floor cleaning robot of claim 1 wherein the at least one fluid distributor and the fluid delivery pump are carried on the autonomously moveable housing, and the at least one fluid distributor is positioned to deposit cleaning fluid onto the surface to be cleaned over which the autonomously moveable housing moves.

20. The floor cleaning robot of claim 19 , further comprising a squeegee carried on the unitary assembly and provided proximate to the brushroll on a first side thereof, and wherein the at least one fluid distributor is provided proximate to the brushroll, on a second side thereof, opposite the first side.

Assignees

• Bissell Homecare Inc
• Bissell Inc

Inventors

• Johnson Steve M
• Vantongeren Todd

Classifications

• A47L2201/02

  Docking stations; Docking operations · CPC title

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• A47L11/305 Primary

  the tools being disc brushes · CPC title

• A47L11/4083 Primary

  Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices · CPC title