Docking station for floor cleaner

Abstract

A docking station for removing wet and dry debris from a floor cleaner. The docking station includes a dry debris conduit for evacuating a debris from the floor cleaner and a wet debris conduit for evacuating liquid and wet debris from the floor cleaner. The liquid and wet debris may be collected from a pad cleaning cycle performed at the docking station. Methods for servicing or performing maintenance on a floor cleaner by a docking station are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A docking station for a floor cleaner, the docking station comprising:
 at least one scrubber configured to engage a mopping pad on the floor cleaner to clean the mopping pad;   a reservoir configured to collect liquid and debris from the mopping pad on the floor cleaner;   a dry debris conduit including a dry debris inlet and a dry debris outlet, the dry debris conduit configured to be fluidly connected to a collection bin on the floor cleaner;   a wet debris conduit including a wet debris inlet and a wet debris outlet, the wet debris conduit fluidly connected to the reservoir;   a suction source fluidly connected to the dry debris outlet and the wet debris outlet, the suction source having an on mode and an off mode; and   at least one collection tank fluidly connected to the suction source;   wherein, in the on mode, the suction source is configured to put the dry debris conduit and the wet debris conduit under negative pressure, and to generate a debris-laden working air stream through the dry debris conduit and a liquid-laden working air stream through the wet debris conduit contemporaneously.   
     
     
         2 . The docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one collection tank comprises a single collection tank fluidly connected to the dry debris outlet and the wet debris outlet, wherein the suction source is configured to put the collection tank under negative pressure. 
     
     
         3 . The docking station of  claim 2 , comprising a filter in the collection tank, wherein the filter is disposed fluidly downstream of the dry debris outlet and the wet debris outlet, and upstream of the suction source. 
     
     
         4 . The docking station of  claim 3 , wherein the filter is one of:
 a filter bag configured to receive the debris-laden working air stream from the dry debris outlet; and   a pre-motor filter.   
     
     
         5 . The docking station of  claim 2 , wherein the collection tank comprises a cyclonic separator in fluid communication with the dry debris outlet. 
     
     
         6 . The docking station of  claim 5 , wherein the wet debris outlet comprises an opening in a side wall of the collection tank, the side wall surrounding the cyclonic separator. 
     
     
         7 . The docking station of  claim 5 , wherein the cyclone separator comprises:
 a debris outlet opening to a collection region within the collection tank; and   a cyclone air outlet in fluid communication with the suction source;   wherein the wet debris outlet is in fluid communication with the cyclone air outlet via the debris outlet.   
     
     
         8 . The docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one collection tank comprises a first collection tank fluidly coupled with the dry debris outlet and a second collection tank fluidly coupled with the wet debris outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The docking station of  claim 8 , wherein the first collection tank comprises an air outlet in fluid communication with the suction source and the second collection tank comprises an air outlet in fluid communication with the first collection tank, whereby the second collection tank is in fluid communication with the suction source via the first collection tank. 
     
     
         10 . The docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one collection tank comprises an openable tank cover selectively covering an opening of the at least one collection tank. 
     
     
         11 . The docking station of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one collection tank comprises a debris strainer at the opening, wherein the debris strainer is configured to collect at least some debris and permit liquid to flow through the debris strainer as the at least one collection tank is emptied. 
     
     
         12 . The docking station of  claim 1 , comprising charging contacts configured to contact corresponding charging contacts of the floor cleaner to charge a battery of the floor cleaner. 
     
     
         13 . A method of servicing an autonomous floor cleaner using a docking station, the method comprising:
 docking the autonomous floor cleaner at the docking station, the docking station having a suction source and a collection tank;   coupling a collection bin on the autonomous floor cleaner to a dry debris conduit of the docking station that is in fluid communication with the suction source;   activating the suction source to generate a debris-laden working air stream through the dry debris conduit and a liquid-laden working air stream through a wet debris conduit of the docking station;   moving debris from the collection bin through the dry debris conduit in the debris-laden working air stream;   depositing debris separated from the debris-laden working air stream in the collection tank;   moving liquid and wet debris through the wet debris conduit in the liquid-laden working air stream; and   depositing liquid and wet debris separated from the liquid-laden working air stream in the collection tank.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , comprising:
 initiating a pad cleaning cycle after docking the autonomous floor cleaner at the docking station; and   collecting liquid and wet debris from the pad cleaning cycle in a reservoir on the docking station.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pad cleaning cycle comprises scrubbing a mopping pad of the autonomous floor cleaner with a scrubber on the docking station. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the pad cleaning cycle comprises at least one of:
 dispensing cleaning fluid toward the mopping pad of the autonomous floor cleaner; and   rotating the mopping pad of the autonomous floor cleaner.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the wet debris conduit is in fluid communication with the reservoir, and moving liquid and wet debris through the wet debris conduit in the liquid-laden working air stream comprises removing liquid and wet debris from the reservoir. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , comprising cyclonically separating the debris from the debris-laden working air stream. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , comprising separating the debris from the debris-laden working air stream using a filter. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , comprising recharging a battery of the autonomous floor cleaner after docking the autonomous floor cleaner at the docking station.