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 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A cleaning system comprising:
 a maintenance station comprising
 a cleaner interface configured to receive a robotic cleaner, 
 a vacuum interface, and 
 one or more electrical contacts configured to cause production of a signal when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface; and 
   a handheld vacuum configured to be removably secured to the maintenance station via the vacuum interface, the handheld vacuum comprising a vacuum motor configured to
 produce an airflow through an evacuation assembly of the maintenance station to remove debris from a debris bin of the robotic cleaner when the handheld vacuum is attached to the maintenance station and when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station, and 
 draw air through an opening of the handheld vacuum when the handheld vacuum is not attached to the maintenance station. 
   
     
     
         17 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein an evacuation port assembly of the robotic cleaner is configured to mate with the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning system of  claim 17 , wherein the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station comprises one or more evacuation ports configured to mate with corresponding evacuation ports of the evacuation port assembly of the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the airflow produced by the handheld vacuum (i) removes debris from the debris bin of the robotic cleaner through a first set of evacuation ports and (ii) causes air to be drawn into the debris bin of the robotic cleaner through a second set of ports. 
     
     
         20 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station is configured to form a substantially air-tight seal between the maintenance station and the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station is configured to disengage a port cover of the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the opening of the handheld vacuum comprises a cleaning hose and/or a cleaning head. 
     
     
         23 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the handheld vacuum comprises one or more vacuum attachments, and wherein the maintenance station comprises a receptacle for receiving the vacuum attachments. 
     
     
         24 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the handheld vacuum is configured to store the debris removed from the debris bin of the robotic cleaner. 
     
     
         25 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the maintenance station is configured to charge a battery of the robotic cleaner when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         26 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the maintenance station is configured to provide a control signal to cause the robotic cleaner to initiate a cleaning operation. 
     
     
         27 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the handheld vacuum is configured to automatically produce the airflow through the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station when the robotic cleaner is received by the cleaner interface of the maintenance station. 
     
     
         28 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the handheld vacuum is configured to produce the airflow through the evacuation assembly of the maintenance station in response to manual control by an operator. 
     
     
         29 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the maintenance station comprises a station bin for storing the debris removed from the debris bin of the robotic cleaner. 
     
     
         30 . The cleaning system of  claim 29 , wherein the station bin is separate from a cleaning bin of the handheld vacuum. 
     
     
         31 . The cleaning system of  claim 16 , wherein the cleaner interface of the maintenance station is configured to mate with a first side of the robotic cleaner, and the one or more electrical contacts of the maintenance station are configured to align with corresponding electrical contacts of the robotic cleaner, the electrical contacts of the robotic cleaner located on a second side of the robotic cleaner.