Electrical connection for robot vacuum lid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11737631-B2
Application number	US-202117467649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2021
Priority date	Dec 31, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, method of controlling an autonomous cleaning robot, the method comprising: navigating the autonomous cleaning robot to a docking station; sensing that the autonomous cleaning robot is navigating to the docking station; increasing a vacuum power of a vacuum assembly of the autonomous cleaning robot to reduce an amount of debris from an airflow channel proximate to an inlet of a cleaning bin disposed in the autonomous cleaning robot; and then decreasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly of the autonomous cleaning robot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling an autonomous cleaning robot, the method comprising:
navigating the autonomous cleaning robot to a docking station;
sensing that the autonomous cleaning robot is navigating to the docking station;
increasing a vacuum power of a vacuum assembly of the autonomous cleaning robot to reduce an amount of debris from an airflow channel proximate to an inlet of a cleaning bin disposed in the autonomous cleaning robot; and
then decreasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly of the autonomous cleaning robot.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous cleaning robot moves to the docking station as the autonomous cleaning increases the vacuum power.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein decreasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly occurs when the robot is docked at the docking station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein decreasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly occurs before docking at the docking station is completed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the increased vacuum power corresponds to a motor speed between 20,000 rpm and 24,000 rpm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the increased vacuum power is corresponds to a motor speed of approximately 22,000 rpm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing the vacuum power occurs during a time interval between approximately 5 seconds and 15 seconds.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the time interval is approximately 10 seconds.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein decreasing the vacuum power is initiated before the autonomous cleaning robot contacts the docking station.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein decreasing the vacuum power is initiated after the autonomous cleaning robot contacts the docking station.

11. A method of controlling a mobile cleaning robot including a vacuum assembly and a cleaning bin, the method comprising:
determining that the mobile cleaning robot is navigating to a docking station;
then increasing a vacuum power of the vacuum assembly to increase flow through an airflow channel located near an inlet of the cleaning bin; and
then decreasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly of the mobile cleaning robot.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a location of the mobile cleaning robot;
wherein determining that the mobile cleaning robot is navigating to a docking station is based on the determined location of the mobile cleaning robot.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining the location of the mobile cleaning robot is performed using a mapping system.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining that the mobile cleaning robot has contacted the docking station; and
then decreasing the vacuum power after the mobile cleaning robot contacts the docking station after the vacuum power has been increased in response to determining that the robot is navigating to the docking station.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the mobile cleaning robot has contacted the docking station is performed using at least one of the mapping system or a signal from a camera of the mobile cleaning robot.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
extracting debris from a shelf of the airflow channel into the cleaning bin when the vacuum power is increased in response to determining that the robot is navigating to the docking station.

17. A method of controlling a mobile cleaning robot including a vacuum assembly and a cleaning bin, the method comprising:
determining that the mobile cleaning robot is navigating to a docking station;
in response, increasing a vacuum power of the vacuum assembly through an airflow channel located near an inlet of the cleaning bin; and
then extracting debris from a shelf of the airflow channel into the cleaning bin when the vacuum power is increased.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining a location of the mobile cleaning robot using a mapping system;
wherein determining that the mobile cleaning robot is navigating to a docking station is based on the determined location of the mobile cleaning robot.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, after the increasing the vacuum power of the vacuum assembly through the airflow channel located near the inlet of the cleaning bin:
determining that the mobile cleaning robot has contacted the docking station using the mapping system; and
decreasing the vacuum power in response to determining that the mobile cleaning robot has contacted the docking station.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the increased vacuum power corresponds to a motor speed between 20,000 rpm and 24,000 rpm, and wherein increasing the vacuum power occurs during a time interval between approximately 5 seconds and 15 seconds.

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Gschrey Travis James
• Burbank Eric
• Lewis Oliver
• Modh Milan
• Wennstedt Sophia

Classifications

• A47L11/4002 Primary

  Installations of electric equipment · CPC title

• A47L9/2805 Primary

  Parameters or conditions being sensed · CPC title

• A47L9/2842

  Suction motors or blowers · CPC title

• A47L9/2852

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

• A47L11/4011

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