Side Brush With Bristles at Different Lengths and/or Angles for Use in a Robot Cleaner and Side Brush Deflectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018325252-A1
Application number	US-201815978811-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 14, 2018
Priority date	May 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A robot cleaner including a body, a driven wheel, and a side brush coupled to the body. The side brush includes a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis and a plurality of bristles. Some bristles may form a first angle with the pivot axis and others form a second angle with the pivot axis which is larger than the first angle. Some bristles may have a first bristle length and others have a second bristle length which is larger than the first bristle length. The robot cleaner may include a side brush deflector to deflect debris propelled by the side brush towards the vacuum inlet. The side brush deflector includes a plurality of deflector bristles extending downwardly from a floor facing surface of the robot cleaner towards a floor such that some of the bristles pass through or underneath a portion of the deflector bristles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A robot cleaner comprising:
a body; at least one driven wheel; and a side brush coupled to the body, the side brush comprising:
a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis, the hub having a peripheral surface; and
a plurality of bristles extending from the hub, at least one of the plurality of bristles forms a first angle with the pivot axis and at least another one of the plurality of bristles forms a second angle with the pivot axis, wherein the first angle is less than the second angle.

2 . The robot cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub.

3 . The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the first angle is less than or equal to 90 degrees and the second angle is greater than 90 degrees.

4 . The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles has a first bristle length and at least one of the plurality of bristles has a second bristle length, the first bristle length measuring less than the second bristle length.

5 . The robot cleaner of claim 2 wherein at least a first plurality of adjacent bristles forms the first angle and at least a second plurality of adjacent bristles forms the second angle.

6 . The robot cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the bristles extend continuously around the hub to form at least one waveform-shaped pattern.

7 . A robot cleaner comprising:
a body; at least one driven wheel; and a side brush coupled to the body, the side brush comprising:
a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis, the hub having a peripheral surface; and
a plurality of bristles extending from the hub, wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles has a first bristle length and at least another one of the plurality of bristles has a second bristle length, wherein the first bristle length is less than the second bristle length.

8 . The robot cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub.

9 . The robot cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub to form at least one waveform-shaped pattern.

10 . The robot cleaner of claim 8 , wherein at least a first plurality of adjacent bristles has the first bristle length and at least a second plurality of adjacent bristles has the second bristle length.

11 . The robot cleaner of claim 10 , the first plurality of adjacent bristles extends around the hub for a first circumferential distance and the second plurality of adjacent bristles extends around the hub for a second circumferential distance, wherein 8:1 to 1:2.

12 . The robot cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of bristles occupies at least 40% of a sweep area defined by the plurality of bristles.

13 . The robot cleaner of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles forms a first angle with a peripheral surface of the hub and at least another one of the plurality of bristles forms a second angle with the peripheral surface of the hub, the first angle measuring less than the second angle.

14 . The robot cleaner of claim 13 , wherein the first angle measures about 90 degrees and the second angle measures greater than 90 degrees.

15 . The robot cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the robot cleaner further includes at least one cliff sensor, and wherein first and second bristle lengths are selected such that bristles having the second bristle length pass between the cliff sensor and a floor surface and bristles having the first bristle length do not pass between the cliff sensor and the floor surface.

16 . A robot cleaner comprising:
a body defining a vacuum inlet; at least one driven wheel; at least one side brush comprising hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis and a plurality of side brush bristles extending from the hub; and at least one side brush deflector configured to deflect debris propelled by the at least one side brush towards the vacuum inlet, the at least one side brush deflector comprising a plurality of deflector bristles extending downwardly from a floor facing surface of the robot cleaner generally towards a floor such that at least some of the plurality of side brush bristles pass through or underneath at least a portion of the plurality of deflector bristles.

17 . The robot cleaner of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of deflector bristles extend downwardly from the floor facing surface and contact the floor.

18 . The robot cleaner of claim 16 , wherein the at least one side brush includes a first and a second side brush, and wherein the at least one side brush deflector includes a first and a second side brush deflector extending downwardly from the floor facing surface of the robot cleaner generally towards a floor such that at least some of the plurality of bristles of the first and second side brushes pass through or underneath at least a portion of the plurality of deflector bristles of the first and the second side brush, respectively, the first and the second side brushes arranged to form a debris chute configured to deflect debris propelled by the at least one side brush towards the vacuum inlet.

19 . The robot cleaner of claim 18 , wherein the debris chute tapers in a direction moving from a front of the robot cleaner towards the vacuum inlet.

20 . The robot cleaner of claim 16 , wherein the at least one side brush deflector is disposed at least partially between the driven wheel and the vacuum inlet.

Assignees

• Sharkninja Operating Llc

Inventors

• Hopke Frederick Karl
• Kelsey Alden
• Xu David
• Barker David Thomas
• Der Marderosian Daniel R
• Wang Sandy

Classifications

• A47L7/02

  with driven tools for special purposes (with floor-polishing tools A47L11/20) · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

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

• A47L9/0472

  Discs · CPC title

• A47L2201/00

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

• A47L9/009

  Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles · CPC title