Floor and air cleaning systems and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11793379-B2
Application number	US-202117214406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2021
Priority date	Mar 26, 2021
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

An autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive system to move the autonomous cleaning robot about a floor surface in a space, a cleaning system to clean a floor surface in the space as the drive system moves the autonomous cleaning robot about the floor surface, and a controller configured to execute instructions to perform one or more operations. The one or more operations include initiating a cleaning mission to clean the floor surface in the space, and transmitting a signal to control an operation of an air purifier remote from the autonomous cleaning robot as the autonomous cleaning robot performs the cleaning mission

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous cleaning robot comprising:
a drive system to move the autonomous cleaning robot about a floor surface in a space;
a cleaning system to clean a floor surface in the space as the drive system moves the autonomous cleaning robot about the floor surface; and
a controller configured to execute instructions to perform one or more operations comprising:
initiating a cleaning mission to clean the floor surface in the space, wherein the cleaning system of the autonomous cleaning robot is active while the autonomous cleaning robot performs the cleaning mission,
determining a target operation of an air purifier remote from the autonomous cleaning robot, wherein the target operation comprises initiating a first mode of the air purifier, the air purifier operable in the first mode and in a second mode, wherein a fan speed of the air purifier in the first mode is greater than the fan speed of the air purifier in the second mode, and
transmitting a signal to cause the air purifier to perform the target operation as the autonomous cleaning robot performs the cleaning mission.

2. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the signal to cause the air purifier to perform the target operation comprises:
causing the air purifier to activate in response to the autonomous cleaning robot being in a room in which the air purifier is located.

3. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operations comprises:
receiving data to cause the autonomous cleaning robot to perform a cleaning operation, the cleaning operation selected based on at least data indicative of air quality measured by the air purifier.

4. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operations comprises:
receiving data to cause the autonomous cleaning robot to perform a cleaning operation at a scheduled time, the scheduled time selected based on at least data indicative of air quality measured by the air purifier.

5. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air quality sensor to measure air quality in the space as the drive system moves the autonomous cleaning robot moves about the floor surface.

6. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 5 , wherein the one or more operations comprises:
initiating a mission in which the autonomous cleaning robot moves about the floor surface while using the air quality sensor to measure the air quality while the cleaning system is inactive.

7. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises:
receiving data indicative of priorities for cleaning a plurality of rooms in the space during the cleaning mission, the plurality of rooms comprising the room, the priorities selected based on at least values of air quality in the plurality of rooms in the space.

8. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor to detect debris in the space, wherein transmitting the signal to cause the air purifier to perform the target operation comprises transmitting data indicative of the detected debris.

9. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor to detect a floor type in the space, wherein determining the target operation comprises determining the target operation based on the detected floor type.

10. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the target operation comprises the air purifier operating for a predefined duration.

11. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the target operation comprises the air purifier operating at an adjusted frequency, the adjusted frequency based on an amount of floor particulate detected by the autonomous cleaning robot.

12. A method comprising:
receiving data indicative of a location of an autonomous cleaning robot while the autonomous cleaning robot performs a cleaning mission to clean a space;
determining that the location of the autonomous cleaning robot is in a room in the space in which an air purifier is located; and
initiating an operation of the air purifier in response to determining that the location of the autonomous cleaning robot is in the room, wherein initiating the operation comprises increasing a fan speed of the air purifier from a first speed to a second speed while the autonomous cleaning robot performs the cleaning mission, wherein the first speed is greater than zero.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising synchronizing a schedule of the air purifier with a schedule of the autonomous cleaning robot.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving data indicative of an occupant schedule indicating a time period in which an occupant is absent from the room in the space; and
initiating the cleaning mission of the autonomous cleaning robot only during the time period.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, from a plurality of air quality sensors in the space, data indicative of values of air quality in a plurality of rooms in the space.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
initiating a second operation of the air purifier in response to determining that the air purifier is within a predefined distance of the autonomous cleaning robot.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein initiating the operation comprises setting the fan speed to the second speed for a predefined duration.

18. An air purifier comprising:
a base to support the air purifier above a floor surface in a space;
a fan system to draw air into the air purifier;
a filter to capture particles in the air drawn into the air purifier by the fan system; and
a controller configured to execute instructions to perform one or more operations comprising:
adjusting a setting of the fan system in response to an autonomous cleaning robot, during a cleaning mission, entering into a region in the space within which the air purifier is located, wherein adjusting the setting of the fan system comprises initiating a first mode of the air purifier while the autonomous cleaning robot performs the cleaning mission, the air purifier operable in the first mode and in a second mode, wherein a fan speed of the air purifier in the first mode is greater than a fan speed of the air purifier in the second mode, and
wherein the fan speed of the air purifier in the second mode is greater than zero.

19. The air purifier of claim 18 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises:
receiving data indicative an air quality measured by an air quality sensor of the autonomous cleaning robot; and
activating the fan system in response to the measured air quality.

20. The air purifier of claim 18 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises:
adjusting the setting of the fan system based on at least data indicative of debris detected in the space by the autonomous cleaning robot.

21. The air purifier of claim 18 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises:
adjusting the setting of the fan system based on at least data indicative of a floor type in the space by the autonomous cleaning robot.

22. The air purifier of claim 18 , further comprising a drive system to move the air purifier about the floor surface.

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Jones Christopher V
• Suomi Markku

Classifications

• A47L7/04 Primary

  for using the exhaust air for other purposes, e.g. for distribution of chemicals in a room, for sterilisation of the air (spraying or atomising in general B05) · CPC title

• A47L11/4011

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

• F24F8/80

  Self-contained air purifiers · CPC title

• A47L2201/00

  Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

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