This specification relates to a brush for an autonomous cleaning robot.
An autonomous cleaning robot can navigate across a floor surface and avoid obstacles while vacuuming the floor surface to ingest debris from the floor surface. The robot can include a brush to agitate debris on the floor surface and collect the debris from the floor surface. For example, the brush can direct the debris toward a vacuum airflow generated by the robot, and the vacuum airflow can direct the debris into a bin of the robot.
In one aspect, an autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive configured to move the robot across a floor surface, a brush proximate a lateral side of the robot, and a motor configured to rotate the brush about an axis of rotation. The brush includes a hub configured to engage the motor of the robot, arms each extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and each being angled relative to a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the brush, and bristle bundles. Each of the arms include a first portion extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion away from the axis of rotation. An angle between the first portion of each of the arms and the plane is larger than an angle between the second portion of the each of the arms and the plane. Each of the bristle bundles is attached to a respective one of the arms and extends outwardly from the second portion of the respective arm.
In another aspect, a brush mountable to an autonomous cleaning robot includes a hub configured to engage a motor of the autonomous cleaning robot such that the brush rotates about an axis of rotation to agitate debris on a floor surface when the motor is driven, arms each extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and each being angled relative to a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the brush, and bristle bundles. Each of the arms include a first portion extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion away from the axis of rotation. An angle between the first portion of each of the arms and the plane is larger than an angle between the second portion of the each of the arms and the plane. Each of the bristle bundles is attached to a respective one of the arms and extends outwardly from the second portion of the respective arm.
Implementations can include one or more of the features described below or herein elsewhere. In some implementations, the brush is a side brush. The robot can further include a main brush rotatable about an axis parallel to the floor surface. The side brush can be configured such that at least a portion of the bristle bundles of the side brush is positionable below the main brush during a portion of rotation.
In some implementations, the axis of rotation is substantially perpendicular to the floor surface.
In some implementations, the brush is a side brush. The robot can further include a front portion having a substantially rectangular shape, and a main brush disposed along the front portion of the robot. The main brush can extend across 60% to 90% of a width of the front portion of the robot. In some cases, the motor is configured to rotate the brush such that a distal end of each of the bristle bundles is swept through a circle defined by a diameter between 15% and 35% of the width of the front portion of the robot.
In some implementations, the brush is a side brush, and the robot further includes a cleaning head module including a main brush rotatable about an axis parallel to the floor surface. The side brush can be mounted proximate a corner portion of the cleaning head module.
In some implementations, the brush is positioned proximate a corner portion of the robot formed by a front surface of the robot and a lateral side of the robot. The motor can be configured to rotate the brush such that each of the bristle bundles is positionable beyond the front surface and the lateral side of the robot.
In some implementations, a top portion of the hub includes an inset portion to collect filament debris engaged by the brush. In some cases, the robot further includes a housing, and a bottom surface of the housing includes an inset portion configured to receive the inset portion of the hub. The hub can be configured to collect the filament debris in a region defined by the inset portion of housing and the inset portion of the hub. In some cases, the robot further includes an opening to receive the hub of the brush. The opening can be configured to collect filament debris received from the inset portion of the hub.
In some implementations, a height of the hub is between 0.25 cm and 1.5 cm.
In some implementations, the hub is formed from a rigid polymer material having an elastic modulus between 1 and 10 GPa, and the arms are formed from an elastomeric material having an elastic modulus between 0.01 and 0.1 GPa.
In some implementations, the angle between the first portion of each of the arms and the plane is between 70 and 90 degrees.
In some implementations, the angle between the second portion of each of the arms and the plane is between 15 and 60 degrees.
In some implementations, an angle between the first portion of each of the arms and the second portion of each of the arms is between 100 and 160 degrees.
In some implementations, the second portion of each of the arms is angled relative to the first portion of each of the arms away from a direction of rotation of the brush.
In some implementations, an angle between an axis along which the second portion extends and a circle defined by an outer perimeter of the hub is between 30 and 60 degrees.
Advantages of the foregoing may include, but are not limited to, those described below and herein elsewhere. For example, the relative angles of the different portions of the arms can enable the arms to extend toward the floor surface to engage the floor surface without being positioned in a manner that interferes with other components of the robot. The geometry of the arms can inhibit the rotating side brush from contacting other moving components of the robot, for example, other rotating brushes of the robot.
The brush can further include a feature that facilitates collection of filament debris engaged by the brush. Filament debris, including hair, threads, carpet fibers, etc., can be long thin strands that easily wrap around rotating members of autonomous cleaning robots, thereby impeding movement of these members. An inset portion of the brush can prevent the filament debris from wrapping around arms and bristle bundles of the brush and, instead, can facilitate collection of the filament debris within a predefined region. This predefined region can be located away from the arms and the bristles such that the filament debris does not impede the movement of the brush and does not impede sweeping operations of the brush.
In examples in which the robot includes a rotatable main brush and in which the brush is a side brush, the geometry of the arms enables the side brush to sweep a portion of the floor surface directly under the main brush without risking entanglement of the arms of the side brush with the main brush. In this regard, the main brush can extend across a larger portion of the width of the robot, thus providing the robot with a larger cleaning width compared to robots with side brushes that cannot easily sweep under main brushes.
The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other potential features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
Referring to
In the example depicted in
As shown in
Example Autonomous Cleaning Robot
The robot 100 includes a drive system to move the robot 100 across a floor surface in a forward drive direction 132 (also shown in
The controller 138 is configured to operate the robot 100 in multiple behaviors including a coverage behavior and an obstacle following behavior. For example, when the robot 100 performs an autonomous cleaning operation in a space having an interior portion and a perimeter enclosing the interior portion. The perimeter is defined by obstacles, e.g., furniture, wall surfaces, etc., in the space. During the autonomous cleaning operation, the robot 100 selects one of its behaviors to clean the floor surface of the space. In the coverage behavior, the robot 100 traverses the floor surface to clean the interior portion of the enclosed space. For example, the robot 100 moves back-and-forth across the space, turning in response to detection of the perimeter of the enclosed space, e.g., using obstacle detection sensors of the robot 100. In the obstacle following behavior, the robot 100 moves along a perimeter of an obstacle and hence the perimeter of the space to clean the perimeter.
As described herein, the robot 100 further includes the brush 120a. The robot 100 can have a single brush or can have multiple brushes as shown in
During the autonomous cleaning operation, the brushes 120a, 120b are driven to rotate in opposite directions such that each brush 120a, 120b draws debris toward an inlet 146 to a pathway to the cleaning bin 122. The inlet 146 can be a space between the brush 120a and the brush 120b. In some examples, the inlet 146 can be a space between the brush 120a or the brush 120b and a housing 188, e.g., to which the brushes 120a, 120b are mounted. For example, the robot 100 can include no more than one brush. The robot 100 includes a single brush, e.g., either the brush 120a or the brush 120b, and an inlet to the pathway to the cleaning bin 122 can be a space between the brush and the housing 188.
The robot 100 includes a vacuum system 148 operable by the controller 138 to generate an airflow from at least the inlet 146 through the pathway to the cleaning bin 122, thereby collecting debris proximate the inlet 146 in the cleaning bin 122. The vacuum system 148 generates a negative pressure to create the airflow that carries debris drawn into the pathway by the brushes 120a, 120b. The rotation of the brushes 120a, 120b directs debris on the floor surface toward the inlet 146 to enable the vacuum system 148 to carry the debris into the cleaning bin 122.
The brushes 120a, 120b are each disposed in the front portion 128 of the robot 100. This enables the widths of the brushes 120a, 120b to extend along a greater portion of a maximum width W1 of the robot and closer to the front of the robot 100, e.g., as compared to cases in which brushes are disposed in narrower portions of the semicircular rear portion 130 of the robot 100 or located near the center of the robot 100 near the wheels 134. While a diameter of the semicircular rear portion 130 of the robot 100 has the width W1, the front portion 128 has a width W1 through nearly its entire length, e.g., through at least 90% or more of the length of the front portion 128. In this regard, in some implementations, the brushes 120a, 120b are disposed only in the front portion 128 of the robot 100 so that the brushes 120a, 120b can extend across a greater portion of the width W1. In some examples, the width W1 corresponds to a width of the front portion 128. The width W1 is between, for example, 20 cm and 40 cm (e.g., between 20 cm and 30 cm, between 25 cm and 35 cm, between 30 cm and 40 cm, or about 30 cm.). The brushes 120a, 120b extend across a width W2 that is between, for example, 15 cm and 35 cm (e.g., between 15 cm and 25 cm, between 20 cm and 30 cm, between 25 cm and 35 cm, or about 25 cm). The width W2 is 60% to 90% of the width W1 of the robot 100 (e.g., between 60% and 80%, between 65% and 85%, between 70% and 90%, between 75% and 90%, between 80% and 90%, or about 75% of the width W1).
As described herein, the robot 100 further includes the side brush 106 (also referred to as a corner brush when placed in a corner), which is rotatable to sweep debris toward the brushes 120a, 120b of the robot 100. The side brush 106 thus cooperates with the brushes 120a, 120b and the vacuum system 148 to collect debris from the floor surface in the cleaning bin 122.
The side brush 106 extends outwardly away from the robot 100 and away from the bottom surface 140 of the robot 100. The side brush 106 is mounted to a motor 150 of the robot 100, the motor 150 being operatively connected to the controller 138. The controller 138 is configured to operate the motor 150 to rotate the side brush 106, which sweeps debris on a floor surface toward the brushes 120a, 120b. The side brush 106 extends across a width W3 between 2 cm and 12 cm (e.g., between 2 cm and 12 cm, between 2 cm and 4 cm, between 4 cm and 12 cm, between 6 cm and 10 cm, between 7 cm and 9 cm, about 3 cm, or about 8 cm). The width W3 is between 15% and 35% of the width W1 of the robot 100 (e.g., between 15% and 25%, between 20% and 30%, between 25% and 35%, or about 25% of the width W1). The width W3 is between 5% and 40% of the width W2 of the brushes 120a, 120b (e.g., between 5% and 15%, between 10% and 20%, between 20% and 30%, between 25% and 35%, between 30% and 40%, about 10%, or about 30% of the width W1). A width W4 corresponding to a portion of the width W2 of the brushes 120a, 120b that overlaps the width W3 of the side brush 106 is between, for example, 0.5 cm and 5 cm (e.g., between 0.5 and 1.5 cm, between 1.5 cm and 4 cm, between 2 cm and 4.5 cm, between 2.5 cm and 5 cm, about 1 cm, or about 2.5 cm).
The side brush 106 is located proximate one of the lateral sides 112a, 112b of the robot 100. In the example depicted in
The side brush 106 is also located proximate the forward surface 114 such that at least a portion the side brush 106 extends beyond the forward surface 114 of the robot 100 during rotation of the side brush 106. In some examples, the center of the side brush 106 is mounted between 1 and 5 cm from the forward surface 114 (e.g., between 1 and 3 cm, between 2 and 4 cm, between 3 and 5 cm, or about 3 from the forward surface 114). The side brush 106 extends beyond the forward surface 114 by between 0.25 cm and 2 cm (e.g., at least 0.25 cm, at least 0.5 cm, at least 0.75 cm, between 0.25 cm and 1.25 cm, between 0.5 cm and 1.5 cm, between 0.75 cm and 1.75 cm, between 1 cm and 2 cm, about 1 cm, or about 0.75 cm.).
By being proximate the lateral side 112a and the forward surface 114, the side brush 106 is thus located proximate a corner portion 152 of the robot 100, the corner portion 152 being defined by the lateral side 112a and the forward surface 114. In some cases, the corner portion 152 includes a rounded portion connected by the lateral side 112a and the forward surface 114, with a segment of the corner portion 152 defined by the lateral side 112a and a segment of the forward surface 114 forming substantially a right angle. The corner portion 152 can fit into corresponding corner geometries found in a home, e.g., defined by obstacles. For example, the corner portion 152 can fit into corresponding right-angled geometries defined by obstacles in the home.
By being positioned such that at least a portion of the side brush 106 extends beyond both the forward surface 114 and the lateral side 112a, the side brush 106 can easily access and contact debris on a floor surface outside of a region directly beneath the robot 100. For example, the side brush 106 can access debris outside of the projected path 116 (shown in
In some examples, the robot 100 includes a cleaning head module 154 that includes the brushes 120a, 120b. The cleaning head module 154 further includes the one or more motors to drive the brushes 120a, 120b. In some implementations, the cleaning head module 154 further includes the side brush 106 (shown in
The side brush 106 is mountable to a drive shaft 157 connected to the motor 150 that drives the side brush 106. As depicted in
The cleaning head module 154 is mountable, as a unit, to the rest of the robot 100 and is also dismountable, as a unit, from the rest of the robot 100. In some cases, the cleaning head module 154 is mounted at least partially within the body 131 (shown in
Referring to
As shown in
In the example of
The side brush 106 is rotatable through a cleaning area 162. Because the side brush 106 extends beyond the lateral side 112a and the forward surface 114, the cleaning area 162 extends beyond the lateral side 112a and the forward surface 114. As a result, the side brush 106 is configured to engage debris within the cleaning area 162 on the floor surface 102 so that the debris can be swept toward the projected path 116 of the cleaning width 118 of the robot 100. For example, the side brush 106 cooperates with the brushes 120a, 120b and the vacuum system 148 to collect, within the cleaning bin 122 (shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
Example Side Brush
Referring to
Referring to
The hub 168 is configured to engage a side brush motor (e.g., the motor 150) of the robot 100 (shown in
A height H1 (shown in
The hub 168, the arms 170, and the bristle bundles 172 can be formed of different materials. For example, the hub 168 is a monolithic plastic component from which the arms 170, the bristle bundles 172, or both extend. The hub 168 is formed from a rigid polymer material having an elastic modulus between 1 and 10 GPa, and the arms 170 are formed from an elastomeric material having an elastic modulus between 0.01 and 0.1. For example, the hub 168 is formed from polycarbonate or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and the arm 170 is formed from an elastomer. The arms 170 are thus more easily deformable than the hub 168. The arms 170 serve as a protective sheath for the bristle bundles 172 that keep bristles of each of the bristle bundles 172 together while also being deformable such that the bristle bundles 172 and the arms 170 can deform together in response to contact with the floor surface and obstacles on the floor surface. As a result, the arms 170 can prevent the bristle bundles 172 from being damaged.
Referring to
Each of the arms 170 is angled relative to a plane 173 normal to the axis of rotation 124 of the brush 106. The arms 170 are formed of two portions 174, 176 that are angled differently with respect to the plane 173. The differently angles portions 174, 176 allow the arm 170 both to span a vertical distance between the robot 100 and the floor surface and form a desired swept circle for the bristle bundles 172. For example, a slope of the portion 174 of the arms 170 (relative to the plane 173) closest to the hub 168 is greater than a slope of the portion 176 of the arms 170 (relative to the plane 173) further from the hub 168.
The first portion 174 and the second portion 176 each extends downwardly toward a floor surface when the side brush 106 is mounted to the drive shaft 157. In this regard, while the height H1 of the hub 168 may be small so that the hub 168 is positioned above the floor surface by a clearance height, the first portion 174 and the second portion 176 extend downwardly to enable the bristle bundles 172 to contact the floor surface.
The first portion 174 and the second portion 176 also each extends outwardly from the hub 168, e.g., in a direction along the plane 173. The first portion 174 is attached to the hub 168 at the proximal end 177a of each arm 170 and extends outwardly from the hub 168 away from the axis of rotation 124. The second portion 176 extends outwardly from the first portion 174 away from the axis of rotation 124 and terminates at the distal end 177b of each arm 170. For example, referring to
Referring back to
In some examples, an angle A1 between the first portion 174 of each of the arms 170 and the plane 173 is larger than an angle A2 between the second portion of the each of the arms and the plane 173. The angle A1 and the angle A2 correspond to angles as measured within the X-Y plane when the axis along which the second portion 176 extends parallel to the X-axis. The first portion 174 of each of the arms 170 is angled upward relative to the second portion 176 such that the first portion 174 has a shallower angle relative to the plane 173 than the steeper angle of the second portion 176 relative to the plane 173. The angle A1 is between 70 and 90 degrees (e.g., between 70 and 80 degrees, between 75 degrees and 85 degrees, between 80 degrees and 90 degrees, or about 80 degrees). The angle A2 is between 0 and 60 degrees (e.g., between 15 and 60 degrees, between 15 and 45 degrees, between 15 and 30 degrees, or about 30 degrees).
The second portion 176 of each of the arms 170 is angled relative to the first portion 174 in a direction opposite the direction of rotation 108 of the side brush 106. For example, referring to
In some implementations, referring back to
In the example depicted in
The bristle bundles 172 each includes multiple deflectable fibers assembled in a bundle. Referring to
At least the distal end 180 of each bristle bundle 172 is configured to engage the floor surface and engage debris on the floor surface to propel the debris toward the brushes of the robot 100 (shown in
Referring to
In some cases, the bristle bundles 172 are attached to the arms 170, the hub 168, or both. For example, a proximal end (not shown) of the bristle bundles 172 is attached to the arms 170 or the hub 168. Alternatively or additionally, the bristle bundles 172 extend through the arms 170 and are attached to the arms 170 along the length or a portion of the length of the arms 170.
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
To remove the filament debris collected by the side brush 106, the side brush 106 is dismounted from the drive shaft 157. The filament debris tends to collects outside of the opening 186 due to the barriers 190, thereby making the process of removing the filament debris easier. For example, the region defined by the inset portion 184 and the inset portion 187 is easily manually accessible once the side brush 106 is dismounted. The user can dismount the side brush 106 and manually remove the filament debris from the region.
Other Implementations
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made.
For example, while the side brush 106 is described as extending beyond the forward surface 114 and the lateral side 112a of the robot 100, in some implementations, the side brush 106 extends beyond only the forward surface 114 of the robot 100 or only the lateral side 112a of the robot 100.
The hub 168 of the side brush 106 is shown in
As depicted in
In some implementations, the brushes 120a, 120b include rollers having outer surfaces that engage and brush debris on the floor surface. The outer surface can be, for example, cylindrical. In some cases, the brushes 120a, 120b include bristles to engage and brush debris.
While the side brush 106 and the brushes 120a, 120b are described as being driven by multiple motors, in some implementations, the side brush 106 and the brushes 120a, 120b are driven by a single motor. The robot 100 includes a drivetrain to transfer torque from the motor to each of the brushes 106, 120a, 120b. Alternatively, the robot 100 includes three distinct motors, each configured to drive a corresponding one of the brushes 106, 120a, 120b.
While the robot 100 is depicted in
While the robot 100 is depicted in
While the side brush 106 is shown and described as a corner brush being positioned proximate the right lateral side 112a of the robot 100, in some implementations, the corner brush can be positioned instead on the left lateral side 112b of the robot 100. The dominant obstacle-following side of the robot 100 can correspond to a left side of the robot 100 rather than a right side of the robot 100.
While the side brush 106 is shown and described as a corner brush being positioned proximate the right lateral side 112a of the robot 100, in some implementations, the robot can include two corner brushes with one positioned on the right lateral side and the other on the left lateral side 112b of the robot 100.
In some additional examples, the robot 100 can be square in shape and include four corner brushes with one positioned on or near each of the corners. Having four corner brushes would allow the robot 100 to move in the forward or backward direction while still sweeping dirt into the path from beyond the perimeter of the robot 100.
While the arms 170 of
In the example depicted in
Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the claims.
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