Removing Debris From Cleaning Robots

Abstract

A cleaning robot system including a robot and a robot maintenance station. The robot includes a robot body, a drive system, a cleaning assembly, and a cleaning bin carried by the robot body and configured to receive debris agitated by the cleaning assembly. The robot maintenance station includes a station housing configured to receive the robot for maintenance. The station housing has an evacuation passageway exposed to a top portion of the received robot. The robot maintenance station also includes an air mover in pneumatic communication with the evacuation passageway and a collection bin carried by the station housing and in pneumatic communication with the evacuation passageway. The station housing and the robot body fluidly connect the evacuation passageway to the cleaning bin of the received robot. The air mover evacuates debris held in the robot cleaning bin to the collection bin through the evacuation passageway.

1 . A cleaning robot system comprising:
 a robot comprising:
 a chassis; 
 a drive system supporting the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot as directed by a controller in communication with the drive system; 
 a driven cleaning head rotatably carried by the chassis; and 
 a cleaning bin carried by the chassis and configured to receive debris from the cleaning head during cleaning, the cleaning bin defining a service opening for removing debris held in a debris holding area of the cleaning bin; 
   a robot maintenance station comprising:
 a station housing configured to receive the robot for maintenance; 
 a collection bin received by the station housing; and 
 a motorized vacuum pump housed by the station housing; 
 a hose having first and second ends, the first hose end in pneumatic communication with the vacuum pump, the second hose end receivable by the service opening of the cleaning bin; 
 wherein the vacuum pump draws air and debris through the hose received by the robot cleaning bin to deposit the debris into the debris collection bin. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 1 , wherein the collection bin, vacuum pump and hose are removable from the station housing as an assembly that also includes a graspable handle and forms a manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 2 , wherein the station housing fluidly connects the hose of the manually operable vacuum cleaner to the cleaning bin while the robot is received by the maintenance station, the motorized vacuum pump evacuating the cleaning head of the received robot into the collection bin of the manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 3 , wherein the station housing fluidly connects a vacuum cleaner cleaning head of the manually operable vacuum cleaner to the robot cleaning bin to evacuate the robot cleaning bin into the collection bin of the manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 4 , wherein the station housing defines receptacles for receiving and storing attachments for the manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 1 , wherein the robot maintenance station automatically evacuates the cleaning bin once the robot docks with the robot maintenance station. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 1 , wherein the robot maintenance station includes a locking assembly for securing and/or communicating with the robot. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 1 , wherein the service opening of the cleaning bin is defined in a top portion of the cleaning bin. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 8 , wherein the service opening is defined along a portion of the cleaning bin disposed along a top portion of the robot. 
     
     
         10 . The robot system of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning head is rotatably coupled to the chassis to rotate substantially parallel to a cleaning surface. 
     
     
         11 . The robot system of  claim 10 , wherein the robot maintenance station further comprises a comb engageable with the cleaning head to remove debris from the cleaning head as the cleaning head rotates relative to the chassis. 
     
     
         12 . The robot system of  claim 11 , wherein the comb and the collection bin are arranged relative to one another such that air moving past the comb removes debris from the comb and into the collection bin. 
     
     
         13 . The robot system of  claim 11 , wherein the comb is fixed in place relative to the chassis while the cleaning head rotates relative to the chassis. 
     
     
         14 . The robot system of  claim 11 , wherein the comb and the cleaning head each move relative to one another. 
     
     
         15 . The robot system of  claim 11 , wherein the comb is movable into engagement with the cleaning head to remove debris from the cleaning head. 
     
     
         16 . The robot system of  claim 11 , wherein the comb is engageable with the cleaning head from the bottom of the robot. 
     
     
         17 . A cleaning robot system comprising:
 a robot comprising:
 a chassis; 
 a drive system supporting the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot as directed by a controller in communication with the drive system; 
 a cleaning head carried by the chassis; and 
 a cleaning bin carried by the chassis and disposed to receive debris from the cleaning head during cleaning, the cleaning bin defining a service opening for removing debris held in a debris holding area of the cleaning bin; 
   a robot maintenance station comprising:
 a collection bin; and 
 a motorized vacuum pump; 
 a conduit having first and second ends, the first conduit end in pneumatic communication with the vacuum pump, the second conduit end receivable by the service opening of the cleaning bin, wherein the collection bin, vacuum pump and conduit are an assembly manually operable as a vacuum cleaner to remove debris from the cleaning surface. 
   
     
     
         18 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 17 , wherein the vacuum pump is configured to draw air and debris through the conduit received by the robot cleaning bin to deposit the debris into the debris collection bin. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 18 , wherein the vacuum pump is configured to substantially vertically evacuate debris from the cleaning bin through the conduit received by the robot. 
     
     
         20 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 17 , wherein the chassis has a forward end and a back end, the cleaning head carried by the chassis toward the forward end and the service opening defined toward the back end of the chassis. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 17 , further comprising a station bin separate from the assembly that is manually operable as a vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 17 , wherein the cleaning bin is removable from the robot. 
     
     
         23 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 17 , wherein the cleaning head is rotatably coupled to the robot to rotate substantially parallel to a cleaning surface.