Cleaning rollers for cleaning robots

Abstract

A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot is featured. The cleaning roller includes an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, and a vane extending outward from the elongate member. The vane includes a first vane portion attached to the elongate member, and a second vane portion attached to the first vane portion. The first vane portion extends from the elongate member at a location intersecting a radial axis of the cleaning roller. The first vane portion extends along a first axis angled relative to the radial axis and away from the radial axis in a tangential direction. The second vane portion extends along a second axis angled relative to the first axis. A first angle between the first axis and the radial axis is greater than a second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cleaning robot comprising:
 a drive system to move the cleaning robot across a floor surface; and   a cleaning head comprising a cleaning roller rotatable about a longitudinal axis as the cleaning robot moves across the floor surface, the cleaning roller comprising:
 an elongate member extending along the longitudinal axis; 
 a vane attached to the elongate member and extending radially outward from the elongate member and along the longitudinal axis; 
 a nub attached to the elongate member and spaced apart from the vane, the nub extending radially outwardly from the elongate member and comprising an opening; and 
 a bristle brush received in the opening of the nub and comprising pliable brushes, the bristle brush extending along the longitudinal axis, 
   wherein the pliable bristles of the bristle brush and the vane are configured to engage debris on the floor surface as the cleaning roller rotates about the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the opening includes a first portion and a second portion having different dimensions from one another, the first portion extends inwardly from an outer surface of the nub, and the second portion extends inwardly from the first portion. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning robot of  claim 2 , wherein the first portion has a first width, the second portion has a second width, the first width is less than the second width, and the first width is between 1 and 4 millimeters. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning robot of  claim 2 , wherein the first portion of the opening is rectangular, the second portion of the opening is rectangular, and the first and second portions extend helically along the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the nub comprises a first surface facing in a first tangential direction of the cleaning roller and a second surface facing in a second tangential direction of the cleaning roller, wherein a length of the first surface is greater than a length of the second surface. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning robot of  claim 5 , wherein the vane comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the elongate member in the second tangential direction of the cleaning roller, and the opening extends radially inward from the second surface of the nub such that the opening faces in the second tangential direction of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the nub has a width that decreases in an outward radial direction from a maximum at the elongate member to a minimum at an outward-most portion of the nub, the opening is located on an inner half of the nub, and a height of the nub relative to the elongate member is less than a height of the vane relative to the elongate member. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning robot of  claim 7 , wherein the nub and the opening extend helically along the longitudinal axis from a first longitudinal end of the cleaning roller to a second longitudinal end of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the vane is a first vane, and the cleaning roller further comprises:
 a second vane attached to the elongate member and extending radially outward from the elongate member and along the longitudinal axis,   wherein the nub is positioned along an outer surface of the elongate member between the first vane and the second vane, and the second vane is configured to engage debris on the floor surface as the cleaning roller rotates about the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         10 . The cleaning robot of  claim 9 , wherein the nub is a first nub, the opening is a first opening, the bristle brush is a first bristle brush, and the cleaning roller further comprises:
 a second nub attached to the elongate member and spaced apart from the first vane and the second vane, the second nub extending radially outwardly from the elongate member and comprising a second opening; and   a second bristle brush received in the second opening of the second nub and comprising pliable brushes, the second bristle brush extending along the longitudinal axis,   wherein the pliable bristles of the second bristle brush are configured to engage debris on the floor surface as the cleaning roller rotates about the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         11 . The cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the nub is substantially rigid to support a weight of the cleaning robot when the nub contacts the floor surface without substantial deflection of the nub. 
     
     
         12 . A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot, the cleaning roller comprising:
 an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis from a first longitudinal end of the cleaning roller to a second longitudinal end of the cleaning roller, the cleaning roller rotatable about the longitudinal axis when the cleaning roller is mounted to the cleaning robot;   a vane attached to the elongate member and extending radially outward from the elongate member, the vane configured to direct debris into an interior of the cleaning robot as the cleaning robot is rotated about the longitudinal axis; and   a nub attached to the elongate member, spaced apart from the vane, extending radially outward from the elongate member, and comprising an opening to receive a bristle brush oriented along the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         13 . The cleaning roller of  claim 12 , wherein the opening includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion extends inwardly from an outer surface of the nub, and the second portion extends inwardly from the first portion. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning roller of  claim 13 , wherein the first portion of the opening is rectangular, the second portion of the opening is rectangular, and the first and second portions extend helically along the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning roller of  claim 13 , wherein the first portion has a first width, the second portion has a second width, and the first width is less than the second width. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning roller of  claim 15 , wherein the first width is between 1 and 4 millimeters, and the second width is between 1.5 and 2.5 times greater than the first width. 
     
     
         17 . The cleaning roller of  claim 12 , wherein the nub and the opening extend helically along the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller from a first longitudinal end of the cleaning roller to a second longitudinal end of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning roller of  claim 17 , wherein the vane is one of a plurality of vanes arranged circumferentially around the elongate member, and the nub is positioned between a respective pair of vanes of the plurality of vanes. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning roller of  claim 17 , comprising the bristle brush disposed in the opening of the nub, the bristle brush extending from the first longitudinal end of the cleaning roller to the second longitudinal end of the cleaning roller, wherein the bristle brush comprises pliable bristles configured to engage debris as the cleaning robot is rotated about the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         20 . The cleaning roller of  claim 12 , wherein the nub comprises a first surface facing in a first tangential direction of the cleaning roller and a second surface facing in a second tangential direction of the cleaning roller, wherein a length of the first surface is greater than a length of the second surface. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning roller of  claim 20 , wherein the vane comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the elongate member in the second tangential direction of the cleaning roller, and the opening extends radially inward from the second surface of the nub such that the opening faces in the second tangential direction of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning roller of  claim 12 , wherein the nub is substantially rigid to support a weight of the cleaning roller when the nub contacts the floor surface without substantial deflection of the nub.