Bumper with viewing window for autonomous cleaner

Abstract

An autonomous cleaner includes a body, a dust collection assembly including a dust inlet disposed interior of a perimeter of the body, a brush roll mounted adjacent the dust inlet and proximate a transparent or translucent portion of the dust inlet, a drive unit configured to move the body along a cleaning surface, a controller configured to control an autonomous operation of the drive unit, and a bumper operable to sense an impact mounted to and at least partially along the perimeter of the body. The bumper has at least one viewing window configured to allow a user to view the brush roll through the at least one viewing window and the transparent or translucent portion of the dust inlet.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An autonomous cleaner comprising:
 a body having a perimeter;   a dust collection assembly including
 a dust inlet disposed interior of the perimeter and 
 a brush roll mounted adjacent the dust inlet and proximate a transparent or translucent portion of the dust inlet; 
   a drive unit configured to move the body along a cleaning surface;   a controller configured to control an autonomous operation of the drive unit; and   a bumper operable to sense an impact mounted to and at least partially along the perimeter of the body, the bumper having at least one viewing window configured to allow a user to view the brush roll through the at least one viewing window and the transparent or translucent portion of the dust inlet.   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one viewing window defines an aperture that extends through the bumper. 
     
     
         3 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one viewing window is formed from a transparent or translucent material. 
     
     
         4 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising a suction motor configured for generating an air flow through the dust inlet. 
     
     
         5 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 4 , the dust collection assembly further comprising a dust collection chamber in communication with the dust inlet and the suction motor. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , the dust collection assembly further comprising a dust collection chamber proximate the dust inlet and brush roll configured for receiving dust swept by the brush roll. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the bumper defines a chamber configured to receive the transparent or translucent portion of the dust inlet therein. 
     
     
         8 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises a chassis configured to support the dust collection assembly at a front end of the autonomous cleaner, wherein the bumper is mounted to the body at the front end and the at least one viewing window is disposed adjacent the transparent or translucent portion of the dust collection assembly relative to the cleaning surface. 
     
     
         9 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the bumper includes an opaque central portion and the at least one viewing window includes a pair of viewing windows that are formed on opposite sides of the opaque central portion. 
     
     
         10 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the bumper includes a frame member having opposing first and second side walls, a neck body located between the first and second side walls, a first rear wall extending from the neck body toward the first side wall, a second rear wall extending from the neck body toward the second side wall, a first arcuate arm extending forwardly relative to the first rear wall and outwardly from the neck body to the first side wall and a second arcuate arm extending forwardly relative to the second rear wall and outwardly from the neck body to the second side wall, and   wherein the at least one viewing window includes a first viewing window formed between the first arcuate arm and the first rear wall and a second viewing window formed between the second arcuate arm and the second rear wall.   
     
     
         11 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the bumper includes a frame member having opposing first and second side walls and a rear wall extending from the first side wall extending toward the second side wall, and   wherein the at least one viewing window includes a first viewing window provided in the frame member forwardly of the rear wall.   
     
     
         12 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 11  further comprising a sensor operable in combination with the controller to sense a surrounding environment, the sensor being mounted to the body at the front end of the autonomous cleaner, wherein the rear wall of the bumper defines a pass-through opening that extends through the rear wall and is aligned with the sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The autonomous cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the dust inlet is proximate a forward portion of the perimeter of the body.