Pad Changing System for Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

Abstract

A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot can include a housing. The housing can define or comprise a pad receptacle and a pad dispenser. The pad receptacle can be configured to receive a soiled pad from a pad tray of the mobile cleaning robot. The pad dispenser can be configured to provide a fresh pad to the pad tray of the mobile cleaning robot.

1 . A mobile cleaning robot comprising:
 a body;   a drive system connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot about a floor surface;   a pad tray configured to support a mopping pad engageable with the floor surface, the pad tray including:   a slot configured to receive a mounting card of the mopping pad; and   a catch located at least partially in the slot, the catch insertable at least partially into an opening of the mounting card to, together with the slot, releasably secure the mounting card and the mopping pad to the pad tray; and   a link connected to the body and movable with respect to the body to move the pad tray between a cleaning position under the body and a stored position above a top portion of the body.   
     
     
         2 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 1 , wherein the pad tray includes a magnet engageable with a magnetically-attractable first portion of the mopping pad to retain the mopping pad on the pad tray. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 2 , wherein a body of the pad tray includes a first wing magnet and a second wing magnet located at a first wing portion and a second wing portion of the pad tray, respectively, the first wing magnet engageable with a second magnetically-attractable second portion of the mopping pad and the second wing magnet engageable with a third magnetically-attractable third portion of the mopping pad to retain the mopping pad on the pad tray. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 3 , wherein the first wing magnet and the second wing magnet are together configured to support less than an entirety of a weight of the mopping pad. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 3 , wherein a wing portion of the pad tray and a corresponding wing portion of the mopping pad is upswept. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 2 , wherein a body of the pad tray includes a recess configured to receive, at least partially, therein a projection of the mopping pad to orient the mopping pad such that the magnet magnetically engages the magnetically-attractable first portion of the mopping pad. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 6 , wherein a magnetic field between the magnet and the magnetically-attractable element is strong enough to move the mopping pad at a first distance less than a height of the projection and not strong enough to move the mopping pad at a second distance greater than the height of the projection. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 7 , wherein the magnet is a multipole magnet. 
     
     
         9 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 2 , wherein the pad tray includes a pad release actuator operable to release the mopping pad from the pad tray. 
     
     
         10 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 9 , wherein the magnet is included in or connected to the pad release actuator and moveable therewith. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 10 , wherein the pad release actuator is translatable relative to the body of the pad tray. 
     
     
         12 . A mobile cleaning robot comprising:
 a body;   a drive system connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot about a floor surface;   a pad tray configured to support a mopping pad engageable with the floor surface, the pad tray including:   a slot configured to receive a mounting card of the mopping pad; and   a pair of flaps engageable with the mounting card to secure the mounting card and the mopping pad to the pad tray; and   one or more arms connected to the body and movable with respect to the body to move the pad tray between a cleaning position under the body and a stored position at least partially above a top portion of the body.   
     
     
         13 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 12 , wherein the pad tray includes a pad release actuator operable to release the mopping pad from the pad tray. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 13 , wherein the pad release actuator is operable to move the pair of flaps relative to the pad tray to release the mopping pad from the pad tray. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 13 , wherein the pad release actuator is translatable relative to the body of the pad tray. 
     
     
         16 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 14 , wherein the pad tray includes a magnet engageable with a magnetically-attractable first portion of the mopping pad to retain the mopping pad on the pad tray. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 16 , wherein the magnet is included in or connected to the pad release actuator and moveable therewith. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 12 , wherein the pad tray includes a catch located at least partially in the slot, the catch insertable at least partially into an opening of the mounting card to, together with the slot, releasably secure the mounting card and the mopping pad to the pad tray. 
     
     
         19 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 12 , wherein a body of the pad tray includes a first wing magnet and a second wing magnet located at a first wing portion and a second wing portion of the pad tray, respectively, the first wing magnet engageable with a second magnetically-attractable second portion of the mopping pad and the second wing magnet engageable with a third magnetically-attractable third portion of the mopping pad to retain the mopping pad on the pad tray. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile cleaning robot of  claim 19 , wherein the first wing magnet and the second wing magnet are together configured to support less than an entirety of a weight of the mopping pad.