Autonomous floor cleaner with moisture warning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11617487-B2
Application number	US-202117525084-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2021
Priority date	Dec 6, 2019
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

An autonomous floor cleaner can include a housing, a drive system for autonomously moving the housing over the surface to be cleaned, a controller for controlling the operation of the autonomous floor cleaner, and warning system for issuing a warning based on the detection of moisture inside the robot. Methods for issuing a warning are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous floor cleaner, comprising:
an autonomously moveable housing;
a controller;
a drive system adapted to autonomously move the housing over a surface to be cleaned;
a tank adapted to hold liquid; and
a moisture sensor configured to detect moisture at a location inside the housing and outside the tank, and provide this information as an input to the controller;
wherein the controller is configured to:
operate the drive system to control autonomous movement of the housing over the surface to be cleaned; and
issue a warning in response to the detection of moisture at the location inside the housing and outside the tank.

2. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to stop a cleaning operation in response to the detection of moisture at the location inside the housing and outside the tank.

3. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to deactivate at least one motor in response to the detection of moisture inside the housing.

4. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , comprising a user interface to receive inputs from a user, wherein the warning is issued by the user interface.

5. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the warning is an audible warning.

6. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a mobile device, such that a warning can be issued from the mobile device in response to the detection of moisture at the location inside the housing and outside the tank.

7. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , comprising a speaker, wherein the controller is configured to issue an audible warning from the speaker in response to the detection of moisture inside the housing.

8. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 7 , comprising a speaker driver that controls the speaker and acts as an interface between the controller and the speaker, wherein the speaker and the speaker driver are on-board the autonomously moveable housing.

9. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , comprising a fluid delivery system including a fluid distributor in fluid communication with the tank, wherein the tank is a supply tank storing a supply of cleaning fluid.

10. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 9 , comprising a collection system including a recovery pathway through the housing having an inlet defined by a suction nozzle, a recovery tank, and a suction source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and the recovery tank for generating a working air stream through the recovery pathway, wherein the moisture sensor is outside the supply tank and the recovery tank.

11. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the tank is a recovery tank configured to receive liquid collected from the surface to be cleaned.

12. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , comprising at least one camera configured to detect a user gesture acknowledging the warning, wherein the controller is configured to stop issuing the warning in response to the camera detecting the user gesture.

13. The autonomous floor cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine if a user acknowledgement of the warning is received; and
stop the warning if the user acknowledgement of the warning is received.

14. A method for issuing a warning for an autonomous floor cleaner, the autonomous floor cleaner having an autonomously moveable housing, a controller, a drive system operably coupled with the controller and adapted to autonomously move the housing over the surface to be cleaned, and a tank adapted to hold liquid, the method comprising:
performing a cleaning operation on a surface while autonomously moving the housing over the surface;
detecting, with an on-board moisture sensor, moisture at a location inside the housing and outside the tank;
stopping the cleaning operation and issuing a warning in response to the detection of moisture at the location inside the housing and outside the tank.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
performing the cleaning operation comprises activating at least one motor; and
stopping the cleaning operation comprises deactivating the at least one motor.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one motor is selected from a group comprising: a brush motor, a vacuum motor, a pump motor, and a wheel motor.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
performing the cleaning operation comprises activating at least one motor; and
stopping the cleaning operation comprises activating an electrical power cut-off and cutting off a supply of power to multiple electrical components of the autonomous floor cleaner.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein issuing the warning comprises issuing an audible warning.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein issuing the warning comprises issuing the warning from a user interface of the autonomous floor cleaner.

20. The method of claim 14 , comprising;
determining if a user acknowledgement of the warning is received by the controller; and
one of:
stopping the warning if the user acknowledgement of the warning is received; and
issuing a second warning if the user acknowledgement of the warning is not received within a predetermined timeout period.

Assignees

• Bissell Inc

Inventors

• Brown Adam

Classifications

• A47L11/4011 Primary

  Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

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

• A47L11/40

  Parts or details of machines not {provided for in} groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, {or not restricted to one of these groups}, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers · CPC title

• A47L11/282 Primary

  having rotary tools · CPC title

• A47L9/2852

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