Mobile cleaning robot with debris compaction function

Abstract

A mobile cleaning robot can include a main body, a debris bin connected to the main body, and one or more drive wheels connected to the main body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot in an environment. The mobile cleaning robot can include a extractor connected to the main body, the extractor operable to extract debris from the environment. The mobile cleaning robot can also include a vacuum system connected to the main body and configured to generate a flow stream through the extractor. The mobile cleaning robot can include a compaction system connected to the main body and a discharge portion of the extractor. The compaction system can include an air chamber configured to receive the debris and the flow stream from the discharge portion, and a compactor at least partially located within the air chamber and operable to compact the debris from the air chamber into the debris bin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a mobile cleaning robot with a debris compaction function. Background Technology

[0002] Autonomous mobile robots include autonomous mobile cleaning robots, which can autonomously perform cleaning tasks within environments such as a home. Many types of cleaning robots are autonomous to some extent and in different ways. Some robots can perform vacuuming operations, and some can perform mopping operations. Other robots may include components or systems for performing both vacuuming and mopping operations. Most types of mobile cleaning robots can interface with docking stations, which can perform maintenance on the robots, such as charging and debris emptying. Utility Model Content

[0003] Some mobile cleaning robots can be configured to collect and store debris within their body, such as in a debris bin. However, the bin must be emptied periodically to allow for proper operation. It might be desirable to reduce the frequency of emptying the debris bin; however, space within the robot's body is relatively limited, making it difficult to increase the size of the debris bin.

[0004] To help address these issues, this disclosure includes a solution for a chip compactor located at least partially within a robot, wherein the compactor is configured to receive chips from the robot's extractor and compact the chips into a chip bin, which significantly reduces the frequency at which the chip bin must be emptied.

[0005] For example, a mobile cleaning robot may include a body, a debris bin connected to the body, and one or more drive wheels connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot in the environment. The mobile cleaning robot may include an extractor connected to the body, operable to extract debris from the environment. The mobile cleaning robot may also include a vacuum system connected to the body and configured to generate a flow through the extractor. The mobile cleaning robot may include a compaction system connected to the body and the discharge section of the extractor. The compaction system may include a plenum and a compactor, the plenum being configured to receive debris and the flow from the discharge section, the compactor being at least partially located within the plenum and operable to compact the debris from the plenum into the debris bin.

[0006] The foregoing discussion is intended to provide an overview of the subject matter of this patent application. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive interpretation of this disclosure. The following description is included to provide further information regarding this patent application. Attached Figure Description

[0007] In accompanying drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same numbers may describe similar parts in different views. Similar numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate the various embodiments discussed in this document by way of example rather than limitation.

[0008] Figure 1 A floor plan of a mobile cleaning robot in the environment is shown.

[0009] Figure 2A A bottom view of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0010] Figure 2B A top isometric view of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 A side sectional view of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0012] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating the communication network in which the mobile cleaning robot operates and an example of data transmission within the network is shown.

[0013] Figure 5 An isometric view of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0014] Figure 6 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0015] Figure 7 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0016] Figure 8 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0017] Figure 9 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0018] Figure 10 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0019] Figure 11 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0020] Figure 12 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0021] Figure 13 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0022] Figure 14 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0023] Figure 15 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0024] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0025] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0026] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0027] Figure 19 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0028] Figure 20 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0029] Figure 21 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0030] Figure 22 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0031] Figure 23 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0032] Figure 24 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0033] Figure 25 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0034] Figure 26 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0035] Figure 27 An isometric view of a portion of the mobile cleaning robot is shown.

[0036] Figure 28 A block diagram is shown illustrating an example of a machine on which one or more embodiments can be implemented. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Robot Overview Figure 1A floor plan of a mobile cleaning robot 100 in environment 40 is shown. Environment 40 may be a residence, such as a home or apartment, and may include rooms 42a-42e. Obstacles such as bed 44, table 46, and island 48 may be located in room 42 of the environment. Each of rooms 42a-42e may have floor surfaces 50a-50e respectively. Some rooms (such as room 42d) may include small rugs, such as rug 52. Floor surfaces 50 may be one or more types, such as hardwood, ceramic, low-pile rug, medium-pile rug, long (or high) pile rug, stone, etc.

[0038] The mobile cleaning robot 100 can be operated, for example, by a user 60, to autonomously clean environment 40 room by room. In some examples, the robot 100 can clean the floor surface 50a of a room (e.g., room 42a) before moving to the next room (e.g., room 42d) to clean the surfaces of room 42d. Different rooms can have different types of floor surfaces. For example, room 42e (which may be a kitchen) can have a hard floor surface, such as wood or tile, and room 42a (which may be a bedroom) can have a carpet surface, such as a medium pile carpet. Other rooms, such as room 42d (which may be a dining room), may include multiple surfaces, with carpet 52 located within room 42d. The robot 100 can be configured to navigate on various floor types via one or more components, such as suspension. The robot's suspension can also allow the robot 100 to navigate over obstacles, such as thresholds between rooms, or on carpets, such as carpet 52.

[0039] Similarly, during cleaning or movement operations, robot 100 can use data collected from various sensors (such as optical sensors) and calculations (such as odometry and obstacle detection) to develop a map of environment 40. Once the map is created, user 60 can define rooms or areas (such as room 42) within the map. The map can be presented to user 60 on a user interface (such as a mobile device), where user 60 can, for example, guide or change cleaning preferences.

[0040] Furthermore, during operation, robot 100 can detect the surface types within each room 42, which can be stored in the robot or another device. Robot 100 can update the map (or associated data) to include or take into account the surface types of the floor surfaces 50a-50e of each corresponding room 42 in the environment. In some examples, the map can be updated to show, for example, the different surface types within each room 42.

[0041] Robot components Figure 2A A bottom view of the mobile cleaning robot 100 is shown. Figure 2BA bottom view of the mobile cleaning robot 100 is shown. Figure 3 The mobile cleaning robot 100 is shown along its edge. Figure 2A The indicator label 3-3 shows a cross-sectional view taken from the sample. Figure 3 The bottom, top, front, and rear sides of the orientation indicator are also shown.

[0042] The cleaning robot 100 can be a mobile cleaning robot that can autonomously traverse the floor surface 50 while simultaneously collecting debris 75 from different parts of the floor surface 50. For example... Figure 2A and Figure 3 As shown, robot 100 may include a body 200 movable on floor surface 50. Body 200 may include multiple connection structures to which movable parts of cleaning robot 100 may be mounted. The connected structures may include a housing for covering the internal components of cleaning robot 100, a chassis with drive wheels 210a and 210b (cleaning components or extractors 206) and cleaning rollers 205a and 205b mounted, and a buffer 138 mounted to the housing.

[0043] like Figure 2A As shown, the main body 200 may include a front portion 202a having a substantially semi-circular shape and a rear portion 202b having a substantially semi-circular shape. As... Figure 2A As shown, robot 100 may include a drive system comprising actuators 208a and 208b, such as motors, operable with drive wheels 210a and 210b. Actuators 208a and 208b may be mounted in body 200 and operably connected to drive wheels 210a and 210b, which are rotatably mounted to body 200. Drive wheels 210a and 210b can support body 200 above floor surface 50. When driven, actuators 208a and 208b can rotate drive wheels 210a and 210b, enabling robot 100 to move on floor surface 50.

[0044] The controller (or processor) 212 may be located within the housing 200 and may be a programmable controller, such as a single-board or multi-board computer, a direct digital controller (DDC), a programmable logic controller (PLC), etc. In other examples, the controller 212 may be any computing device, such as a handheld computer, like a smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, or any other computing device that includes a processor and communication capabilities. The memory 213 may be one or more types of memory, such as volatile or non-volatile memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and other storage devices and media. The memory 213 may be located within the housing 200 and may be connected to and accessed by the controller 212.

[0045] The controller 212 can operate actuators 208a and 208b to autonomously navigate the robot 100 around the floor surface 50 during cleaning operations. Actuators 208a and 208b are operable to drive the robot 100 in a forward drive direction, in a rearward drive direction, and to rotate the robot 100. The robot 100 may include casters 211 (or alternative floor slides) supporting the body 200 above the floor surface 50. The casters 211 support the front portion 202b of the body 200 above the floor surface 50, and drive wheels 210a and 210b support the middle and rear portions 202a of the body 200 above the floor surface 50.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, the vacuum assembly 118 may be located within the body 200 of the robot 100, for example, in the middle of the body 200. The controller 212 may operate the vacuum assembly 118 to generate an airflow that flows through an air gap near the cleaning rollers 205a and 205b, through the body 200, and out of the body 200. The vacuum assembly 118 may include, for example, an impeller that generates airflow when rotated. The airflow and the cleaning rollers 205a and 205b cooperate during rotation to draw debris 75 into the robot 100, for example, into the discharge section 348 of the extractor 205, where the discharge section 348 may be a pipe, tube, etc. A debris bin 322 may be mounted in the body 200 and connected to the discharge section 348. The debris bin 322 may be configured to receive and contain the debris 75 drawn in by the robot 100. The filter 145 (which may be at least partially located within the debris box 322) can separate debris 75 from the airflow 120 before it enters the vacuum assembly 118 and exits from the body 200. In this respect, debris 75 is trapped in both the debris box 322 and the filter before the airflow 120 exits from the body 200.

[0047] Cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can be operatively connected to actuators 214a and 214b, such as motors, respectively. The cleaning head 205 and cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can be positioned in front of the debris bin 322. Cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can be mounted to the housing 124 of the cleaning head 205 and, for example, indirectly or directly, to the body 200 of the robot 100. For example, cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can be mounted to the underside of the body 200 such that when the underside faces the floor surface 50, cleaning rollers 205a and 205b engage debris 75 on the floor surface 50 during cleaning operations.

[0048] The housing 124 of the cleaning head 205 can be mounted to the body 200 of the robot 100. In this way, cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can also be mounted to the body 200 of the robot 100, for example, indirectly via the housing 124. The cleaning head 205 can also be a removable component of the robot 100, wherein the housing 124, in which the cleaning rollers 205a and 205b are mounted, is removably mounted to the body 200 of the robot 100. The housing 124 and the cleaning rollers 205a and 205b can be removed from the body 200 as a unit, making the cleaning head 205 easily interchangeable with a replacement cleaning head.

[0049] The control system may also include a sensor system having one or more electrical sensors. As described herein, the sensor system may generate a signal indicating the current position of the robot 100, and may generate a signal indicating the position of the robot 100 as the robot 100 travels along the floor surface 50.

[0050] Cliff sensor 134 ( Figure 2A The cliff sensors 134 (shown in the diagram) can be positioned along the bottom portion of the housing 200. Each of the cliff sensors 134 can be an optical sensor configured to detect the presence or absence of an object (such as floor surface 50) below it. The cliff sensors 134 can be connected to the controller 212. The buffer 138 can be removably attached to the housing 200 and can move relative to the housing 200 when mounted to it. In some examples, the buffer 138 forms part of the housing 200. Collision sensors 139a and 139b (collision sensors 139) can be connected to the housing 200 and can engage or be configured to interact with the buffer 138. The collision sensors 139 can include a beam break sensor, a capacitive sensor, a switch, or other sensors that can detect contact between the robot 100 (i.e., buffer 138) and an object in the environment 40. The collision sensors 139 can communicate with the controller 212.

[0051] Image capture device 140 may be a camera attached to body 200 and may extend through buffer 138 of robot 100, for example through opening 143 of buffer 138. Image capture device 140 may be a camera, such as a front-facing camera, configured to generate signals based on images of the environment 40 of robot 100 as robot 100 moves around floor surface 50. Image capture device 140 may send signals to controller 212 for navigation and cleaning routines.

[0052] Obstacle following sensor 141 (in Figure 2B (As shown in the diagram) may include an optical sensor facing outward from buffer 138 and configured to detect the presence or absence of an object adjacent to the side of body 200. An obstacle-following sensor 141 may emit a beam of light horizontally in a direction perpendicular (or nearly perpendicular) to the forward driving direction of robot 100. The optical emitter may emit the beam of light outward from robot 100 (e.g., outward in a horizontal direction), and the optical detector detects reflections of the beam of light from objects near robot 100. Robot 100 may determine the time of flight of the beam, for example using controller 212, thereby determining the distance between the optical detector and the object, and thus the distance between robot 100 and the object.

[0053] Side brush 142 can be attached to the underside of robot 100 and can be connected to motor 144, which is operable to rotate side brush 142 relative to the body 200 of robot 100. Side brush 142 can be configured to engage debris to move debris toward or away from the edge of environment 40. Motor 144, configured to drive side brush 142, can communicate with controller 212. Brush 142 can rotate about a non-horizontal axis, for example, an axis forming an angle between 75 and 90 degrees with floor surface 50. For example, the non-horizontal axis can form an angle between 75 and 90 degrees with the longitudinal axes 126a and 126b of rollers 205a and 205b.

[0054] Brush 142 may be a side brush laterally offset from the center of robot 100, such that brush 142 may extend beyond the outer periphery of the body 200 of robot 100. Similarly, brush 142 may also be forward-offset from the center of robot 100, such that brush 142 also extends beyond buffer 138. Optionally, robot 100 may include multiple side brushes, such as one side brush located on each side of body 200, for example, aligned with drive wheels 210a and 210b respectively. Robot 100 may also include button 146 (or interface), which may be a user-operable interface configured to provide commands to the robot, such as pausing the task, powering on, powering off, or returning to the docking station.

[0055] Robot operation In some example operations, robot 100 can be propelled in either a forward or backward driving direction. Robot 100 can also be propelled to turn in place or turn while moving in either the forward or backward driving direction.

[0056] When controller 212 instructs robot 100 to perform tasks, controller 212 can operate motor 208 to drive drive wheels 210 and propel robot 100 along floor surface 50. Furthermore, controller 212 can operate motor 214 to rotate rollers 205a and 205b, operate motor 144 to rotate brush 142, and operate the motors of vacuum system 118 to generate airflow. Controller 212 can execute software stored in memory 213 to cause robot 100 to perform various navigation and cleaning actions by operating the various motors of robot 100.

[0057] Various sensors of robot 100 can be used to help the robot navigate and clean within environment 40. For example, cliff sensor 134 can detect obstacles such as steep drop-offs and cliffs below the portion of robot 100 that has cliff sensor 134. Cliff sensor 134 can transmit signals to controller 212, allowing controller 212 to redirect robot 100 based on the signals from cliff sensor 134.

[0058] In some examples, collision sensor 139a can be used to detect movement of buffer 138 along the front-rear axis of robot 100. Collision sensor 139b can also be used to detect movement of buffer 138 along one or more sides of robot 100. Collision sensor 139 can send signals to controller 212, allowing controller 212 to redirect robot 100 based on signals from collision sensor 139.

[0059] Image capture device 140 can be configured to generate signals based on images of the environment 40 of robot 100 as robot 100 moves around floor surface 50. Image capture device 140 can send such signals to controller 212. Image capture device 140 can be angled upwards, for example, at an angle between 5 and 45 degrees relative to the floor surface 50 around which robot 100 is navigating. When image capture device 140 is angled upwards, it can capture images of the wall surfaces of the environment, allowing features corresponding to objects on the wall surfaces to be used for localization.

[0060] In some examples, obstacle following sensor 141 can detect detectable objects, including obstacles such as furniture, walls, people, and other objects in the environment of robot 100. In some implementations, the sensor system may include an obstacle following sensor along a side surface, and the obstacle following sensor can detect the presence or absence of objects adjacent to the side surface. One or more obstacle following sensors 141 may also function as obstacle detection sensors, similar to the proximity sensors described herein.

[0061] The robot 100 may also include sensors for tracking the distance traveled by the robot 100. For example, the sensor system may include an encoder associated with a motor 208 for driving the wheels 210, and the encoder may track the distance the robot 100 has traveled. In some embodiments, the sensor may include an optical sensor facing downwards toward the floor surface. The optical sensor may be positioned to guide light toward the floor surface 50 through the bottom surface of the robot 100. The optical sensor may detect reflections of light and may detect the distance traveled by the robot 100 based on changes in floor features as the robot 100 travels along the floor surface 50.

[0062] The controller 212 can use data collected by the sensors of the sensor system to control the navigation behavior of the robot 100 during the mission. For example, the controller 212 can use sensor data collected by the obstacle detection sensors (cliff sensor 134, collision sensor 139, and image capture device 140) of the robot 100 to enable the robot 100 to avoid obstacles in the robot 100's environment during the mission.

[0063] Sensor data can also be used by controller 212 for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) techniques, where controller 212 extracts features of the environment represented by the sensor data and constructs a map of the floor surface 50 of the environment. Sensor data collected by image capture device 140 can be used for techniques such as vision-based SLAM (VSLAM), where controller 212 extracts visual features corresponding to objects in environment 40 and uses these visual features to construct a map. When controller 212 guides robot 100 around floor surface 50 during a task, controller 212 can use SLAM techniques to determine the position of robot 100 within the map by detecting features represented in the collected sensor data and comparing the features with previously stored features. The map formed from sensor data can indicate the location of traversable and non-traversable spaces within the environment. For example, the location of obstacles can be indicated as non-traversable space on the map, and the location of open floor spaces can be indicated as traversable space on the map.

[0064] Sensor data collected by any sensor can be stored in memory 213. Additionally, other data generated for SLAM technology, including mapping data that forms a map, can be stored in memory 213. This data generated during a task can include persistent data generated during the task and available during further tasks. Besides storing software used to enable robot 100 to perform its actions, memory 213 can also store data generated from the processing of sensor data for access by controller 212. For example, the map could be a usable and updatable map for robot 100's controller 212 to navigate robot 100 around floor surface 50 from one task to another.

[0065] Persistent data, including persistent mapping, helps enable robot 100 to effectively clean floor surface 50. For example, the map allows controller 212 to guide robot 100 toward open floor spaces and avoid impassable areas. Furthermore, for subsequent tasks, controller 212 can use the map to optimize the path taken during the task to help plan robot 100's navigation through environment 40.

[0066] Network Example Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a communication network 400 that enables networking between a mobile robot 100 and one or more other devices, docking station 300 (or any docking station discussed herein), mobile device 404 (including a controller), cloud computing system 406 (including a controller), or another autonomous robot detached from the mobile robot 100. Using the communication network 400, the robot 100, mobile device 404, docking station 300, and cloud computing system 406 can communicate with each other to send and receive data. In some examples, the robot 100, docking station 300, or both the robot 100 and docking station 300 can communicate with the mobile device 404 via the cloud computing system 406. Alternatively or additionally, the robot 100, docking station 300, or both the robot 100 and docking station 300 can communicate directly with the mobile device 404. The communication network 400 can employ various types and combinations of wireless networks (e.g., Bluetooth-based, radio frequency, optical, etc.) and network architectures (e.g., Wi-Fi or mesh networks).

[0067] In some examples, mobile device 404 may be a remote device that can be linked to cloud computing system 406 and enable a user to provide input. Mobile device 404 may include user input elements, such as one or more of a touchscreen display, buttons, microphone, mouse, keyboard, or other devices that respond to user input. Mobile device 404 may also include immersive media (e.g., virtual reality or augmented reality) that a user can interact with to provide input. In these examples, mobile device 404 may be a virtual reality headset or head-mounted display.

[0068] The user can provide input corresponding to commands for the mobile robot 100. In such a case, the mobile device 404 can transmit signals to the cloud computing system 406 so that the cloud computing system 406 can transmit command signals to the mobile robot 100. In some embodiments, the mobile device 404 can display augmented reality images. In some embodiments, the mobile device 404 can be a smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or other mobile device.

[0069] In some examples, the communication network 400 may include additional nodes. For example, a node in the communication network 400 may include an additional robot. Furthermore, nodes in the communication network 400 may include network-connected devices capable of generating information about the environment 40. Such network-connected devices may include one or more sensors, such as acoustic sensors, image capture systems, or other sensors that generate signals to detect characteristics of the environment 40 from which features can be extracted. Network-connected devices may also include home cameras, smart sensors, etc.

[0070] In communication networks 400, wireless links can utilize various communication schemes and protocols, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (also known as BLE), 802.15.4, Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX), infrared channels, satellite bands, etc. In some examples, wireless links may include any cellular network standard used for communication between mobile devices, including but not limited to standards eligible for 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. Network standards (if utilized) are eligible as, for example, first-generation or multi-generation mobile telecommunications standards by satisfying one or more specifications such as those maintained by the International Telecommunication Union. For example, the 4G standard may correspond to the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) specification. Examples of cellular network standards include AMPS, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, Mobile WiMAX, and WiMAX-Advanced. Cellular network standards can use various channel access methods, such as FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, or SDMA.

[0071] Example of debris compaction Figure 5 An isometric view of a mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. The mobile cleaning robot 500 may be consistent with the robot discussed above. Figure 5 The diagram illustrates how a mobile cleaning robot 500 (or any robot discussed above) can include a body 502 (which may resemble body 200) and a debris bin 504 (which may resemble debris bin 322), which can be attached to body 502. The mobile cleaning robot 500 may also include a compactor assembly 506, which may be at least partially located within body 502 or at least partially located within debris bin 504. Compactor assembly 506 may be driven by actuator 508, which may be at least partially located within body 502 or debris bin 504. Actuator 508 may be connected to and communicate with controller 212. Compactor assembly 506 may be configured or operable to be driven by actuator 508 to compact debris within (or travel to) debris bin 504. Compactor assembly 506 and related features will be discussed in further detail below.

[0072] Figure 6 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 7 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 8 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Let's discuss this further. Figure 6-8 . Figure 6-8 The 500 mobile cleaning robot can be used in conjunction with the methods discussed above. Figure 5 Consistent; Figure 6-8 Additional details of the mobile cleaning robot 500 are shown. For example, Figure 6 The debris box 504 may include or define an air chamber 510 and an opening 512 connected to a discharge portion of an extractor (e.g., a discharge portion 348 connected to the extractor 206). The air chamber 510 may be or include a separate conduit connected to the extractor, may be part of the debris box, may be part of a conduit connecting the extractor to the debris box, etc. The opening 512 may extend at least partially through one or more walls 514 of the debris box 504. One or more walls 514 may also at least partially define a first debris chamber 516a and a second debris chamber 516b (collectively referred to as debris chambers 516). Each of the debris chambers 516 may be configured to receive and store debris including compacted debris.

[0073] Figure 6The compactor assembly 506 is also shown to be at least partially located within the air chamber 510. The compactor assembly 506 may be at least partially located within the air chamber 510, at least partially located within an upstream air chamber or discharge duct, or at least partially located within a debris box. The compactor assembly 506 is operable to compact debris from the air chamber into a debris chamber 516. The compactor assembly 506 may include a piston 518 (which may be a piston, plunger, slide block, shuttle, rack, etc.), which may be at least partially located within a debris box 504. The piston 518 may be configured to reciprocate relative to and within the air chamber 510. The piston 518 may include a first head 520a and a second head 520b, which may be configured to engage debris within the air chamber 510 to compact the debris into debris chambers 516a and 516b, respectively. The piston 518 may also include a rack 522 (e.g., a rack with teeth) that can engage with a pinion 524. The pinion 524 may be connected to an actuator (e.g., a debris box 504) such that the pinion 524 can be driven by the actuator to rotate, causing the piston 518 to translate back and forth (e.g., reciprocate) within and relative to the air chamber 510.

[0074] The compactor assembly 506 may also include a filter screen 526, which may be connected to the air chamber 510 (or to one or more walls 514). The filter screen 526 may be located downstream of the compactor (e.g., piston 518). The filter screen 526 may contain multiple holes, perforations, or openings, such that the filter screen 526 can separate debris from the flow based on size, allowing small debris to pass through the filter screen 526 while relatively large debris is compacted by the piston 518.

[0075] The compactor assembly 506 may further include a shuttle 528, which may be at least partially located downstream of the piston 518 and the filter screen 526. The shuttle 528 may include a shuttle rack 530 (e.g., a rack with teeth) that can engage a secondary pinion 532. The secondary pinion 532 may be connected to an actuator (e.g., a debris box 504) such that the secondary pinion 532 can be driven to rotate to cause the shuttle 528 to translate back and forth (e.g., reciprocate) within and relative to the air chamber 510.

[0076] The compactor assembly 506 may further include a first roller 534a and a second roller 534b (collectively referred to as roller 534). Roller 534 may be connected to the upstream side of shuttle 528. Roller 534 may rotate independently relative to screen 526, shuttle 528, and relative to each other. Roller 534 may engage the downstream side of screen 526 such that roller 534 may translate together with shuttle 528 and roll along screen 526 to move debris upstream for engagement by piston 518.

[0077] The compactor assembly 506 may also include a first brush 536a and a second brush 536b (collectively referred to as brush 536). Brush 536 may be a brush including bristles or other flexible members configured to move items such as particles or debris. Brush 536 may be attached to shuttle 528 and configured to translate or reciprocate within air chamber 510 relative to air chamber 510. The mobile cleaning robot 500 may also include filter modules 538a and 538b (collectively referred to as filter module 538), which may include one or more filters, such as pre-filter 540 and one or more final filters (or other filter stages). In operation, brush 536 may translate together with shuttle 528 to agitate or brush the upstream surface of pre-filter 540 to help keep debris moving, help limit clogging, and help evenly load filter module 538.

[0078] In some example operations, such as Figure 7 As shown, piston 518 can be laterally translated such that first head 520a extends into first debris chamber 516a to compact or compress debris received from the extractor and entering air chamber 510 through opening 512 for storage in debris chamber 516a. When first head 520a is compressed, controller (e.g., controller 212) can maintain the positioning or location of piston 518 to allow debris to enter the opening in air chamber 510 between second head 520b and second debris chamber 516b. After a brief pause to allow debris collection, as... Figure 8 As shown, piston 518 can be moved away from the first debris chamber 516a and towards the second debris chamber 516b to compact debris into the second debris chamber 516b using the second head 520b. Piston 518 can continue to translate or reciprocate between the first debris chamber 516a and the second debris chamber 516b to compact debris into the chambers 516, thereby helping to increase the storage capacity of the debris bin 504 and thus helping to reduce the frequency at which the debris bin 504 needs to be emptied by the user.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the size and shape of the debris chamber 516 may be asymmetrical. In other examples, the size or shape of the debris chamber 516 may be symmetrical. However, in this example where the size of the debris chamber 516 is asymmetrical, it may be desirable to operate the piston 518 in a manner that loads the debris chamber 516 evenly. To achieve this, the controller 212 may control the actuator 508 to operate the piston 518, thereby moving it in a manner that allows the debris chamber 516 to be loaded relatively evenly.

[0080] For example, because the second debris chamber 516b can have a larger volume than the first debris chamber 516a, the controller 212 can pause the piston 518 for a first duration when the first head 520a is in the first debris chamber 516a, and pause the piston 518 for a second duration when the second head 520b is in the second debris chamber 516b. When the second debris chamber 516b is larger than the first debris chamber 516a, the first duration can be longer than the second duration to allow the gas chamber 510 to collect relatively more debris between the second head 520b and the debris chamber 516b before moving towards the second debris chamber 516b. This allows relatively more debris to be collected in the second debris chamber 516b than in the first debris chamber 516a.

[0081] When controller 212 determines that one or more chambers are full or blocked, controller 212 can use a similar strategy. For example, mobile cleaning robot 500 may include a current sensor connected to actuator 508 and communicating with controller 212. Controller 212 can measure or determine the current of actuator 508 to determine when piston 518 engages the blockage or debris before the end of its normal stroke. Upon making this determination, controller 212 can reverse the direction of piston 518. Controller 212 can also use similar techniques to control the normal reciprocating motion of piston 518 along its normal full range of motion.

[0082] Figure 9 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 9 The 500 mobile cleaning robot can be used in conjunction with the methods discussed above. Figure 5-8 Consistent; Figure 9 Additional details of the mobile cleaning robot 500 are shown. For example, Figure 9 The compactor assembly 506 is shown more clearly as including a carriage 542, which may be connected to the downstream side of the piston 518 and engage with the upstream side of the filter screen 526. The carriage 542 may be relatively long and thin, and may be made of one or more of metals, polymers, foams, ceramics, etc. For example, the carriage 542 may be made of a relatively low-friction material, such as nylon, polyurethane rubber, bristles, brushes, other polymers or composites thereof. The carriage 542 may be configured to translate or reciprocate along the filter screen 526 with the piston 518, such that the carriage 542 may engage debris at the inlet or upstream side of the filter screen 526 to help remove debris from or out of the filter screen 526 and move toward one or more of the first chamber 516a and the second chamber 516b.

[0083] Figure 9It is also shown more clearly that brush 536 can be connected to a corresponding bracket or retainer 544 of shuttle 528, which can extend away from the body 546 of shuttle 528, for example, towards the downstream side of debris box 504. Figure 9 It is also shown that brush 536 can engage pre-filter 540, which can be supported by a support 548 or structure connected to a corresponding filter module in filter module 538.

[0084] Figure 10 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Figure 11 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Let's discuss this further. Figure 10 and Figure 11 . Figure 10 and 11 The mobile cleaning robot 600 can be similar to those discussed above. Figure 5-9 The mobile cleaning robot 500. Features of the mobile cleaning robot 600 may include any of the embodiments discussed above or below.

[0085] The mobile cleaning robot 600 may include a compactor assembly 606, which may be similar to compactor assembly 506. Figure 10 As shown, the compactor assembly 606 may further include an actuator 608, which may be a motor or a manual actuator, and may be connected to a drive gear 650. The drive gear 650 may be connected to a pinion, such as pinion 524, such that rotation of the actuator 608 and the drive gear 650 drives rotation of pinion 524, thereby causing translation of piston 618 (which may be similar to piston 518) via engagement of rack 522 and pinion 524. The drive gear 650 may engage with a driven gear 652, such that rotation of the drive gear 650 causes rotation of the driven gear 652. The drive gear 650 and the driven gear 652 may be any gear type, such as spur gears, helical gears, etc.

[0086] Driven gear 652 can be connected to a secondary pinion (e.g., secondary pinion 532), which can engage with shuttle rack 530, allowing shuttle 628 (which can be similar to shuttle 528) to translate in response to rotation of driven gear 652. The gear ratio of drive gear 650 and driven gear 652 can be selected based on the desired relative speed of piston 618 and shuttle 628 to maintain equal movement speeds of shuttle 628 and piston 618. The gear ratio can compensate for size differences between the pinions and racks of shuttle 628 and piston 618. For example, the gear ratio of drive gear 650 to driven gear 652 can be 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, etc. The secondary pinion 532 can be connected to the driven gear 652 via a slip clutch 654 and a shaft 656. The slip clutch 654 can engage with the driven gear 652 to translate the rotation of the driven gear 652 to the shaft 656 until the maximum torque is exceeded. At this point, the slip clutch 654 can slide, and the shaft 656 can disengage from the driven gear 652, thereby allowing the driven gear 652 to rotate independently of the shaft 656, and therefore independently of the secondary pinion 532, to allow the piston 518 to translate sometimes independently of the shuttle 528, as discussed in further detail below.

[0087] Figure 10 It is also shown that the compactor assembly 606 may include an opening 658, the shape and size of which may be designed to receive the piston 618 at least partially therein, so as to allow the debris to be compacted into the debris box 604 (which may be similar to the debris box 504). Figure 10 The compactor assembly 606 is also shown to include blades 660a and 660b, which may be flexible members connected to the opening 658. Figure 11 As shown, the vane 660 can be configured to engage the piston 618 when it moves into the opening 658, and the vane 660 can be used as a check valve, for example, to help prevent or limit the re-entry of debris into the air chamber 610 (which can be similar to the air chamber 510) by engaging debris, and can limit the entry of debris into the rack and pinion of the compactor assembly 606 (or compactor assembly 506).

[0088] Figure 12 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Figure 13 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Let's discuss this further. Figure 12 and Figure 13 . Figure 12 and 13 The 600 mobile cleaning robot can be used in conjunction with the methods discussed above. Figure 5-11Consistent; Figure 12 and Figure 13 Additional details of the mobile cleaning robot 600 are shown.

[0089] Figure 12 The piston 618 is shown to include a swept edge 662, which may be curved, inclined, swept, or otherwise shaped to facilitate airflow (including debris) across the end 620a of the piston 618. The swept edge 662 may sweep in a direction away from the opening of the extractor's discharge section or air chamber. The swept edge 662 may be located between guides 664 and 666 of 618, which may ride on a slot (e.g., Figure 13 The slot 668 shown guides the translation of piston 618. End 620a may also include a flat surface that increases the area of ​​end 620a to effectively compact debris. End 620b of 618 may be configured similarly.

[0090] The piston 618 may also include undercuts or chamfers, which may be configured to promote airflow around the piston 618 and to the filter 626, thereby helping to increase the amount of airflow through the filter 626 and helping to reduce the pressure drop around the piston 618.

[0091] Figure 13 The diagram shows how end 620a can extend into and partially through opening 658 to pack debris into debris chamber 616 (which can be similar to debris chamber 516). Figure 13 It is also shown that when end 620a is in opening 658, shuttle 628 can engage wall 670 of debris box 604, which can increase the torque applied to shaft 656 and cause slip clutch 654 to be released, thereby allowing piston 618 to move relative to shuttle 628, as discussed in further detail below.

[0092] Figure 13 It is also shown that the edge 672 of the carriage 642 (which may be similar to the carriage 542) may extend at least partially into the opening 658 to remove debris from the filter 626 (which may be similar to the filter 526) and into the debris chamber 616.

[0093] Figure 14 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Figure 15 An isometric view of a portion of a mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Let's discuss this further. Figure 14 and Figure 15 . Figure 14 and 15 The 600 mobile cleaning robot can be used in conjunction with the methods discussed above. Figure 5-13 Consistent; Figure 14 and15 Additional details of the mobile cleaning robot 600 are shown.

[0094] For example, Figure 14 The compactor assembly 606 is shown to include rollers 634a and 634b (which may be similar to rollers 534a and 534b), which can be connected to a shuttle 628. Each of the rollers 634 may include protrusions 676a-676n, such as... Figure 15 As shown. Figure 14 and Figure 15 It is also shown that filter 626 may include a plurality of holes 674a to 674n extending at least partially through filter 626. Figure 14 As shown, the downstream portion of the orifice 674 may be conical in shape to at least partially receive the protrusion 676 as the roller 634 rolls across the downstream side of the filter screen 626. The conical orifice 674 also helps ensure that any debris entering the orifice 674 can escape into subsequent stages of filtration.

[0095] During operation in some examples, as the roller 634 moves along the filter screen 626, the protrusion 676 can roll into the orifice 674, allowing the protrusion 676 to engage debris trapped or stuck in the filter screen 626 to remove the debris from the orifice 674, so that it can be engaged by the piston 618 or the carriage 642 to be compacted into either of the debris chambers 616. The roller 634 can thus help keep the filter screen 626 free of debris, allowing for improved airflow through the filter screen 626 or a reduced pressure drop.

[0096] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the compactor assembly 506 of the mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 17 A schematic diagram of the compactor assembly 506 of the mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 18 A schematic diagram of the compactor assembly 506 of the mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. Figure 16-18 They are discussed together below, and it is shown how the shuttle and the piston can move relative to each other. Figure 16-18 The movement shown can be applied to any robot discussed in this article.

[0097] like Figure 16 As shown, when piston 518 moves in direction P and shuttle 528 moves in direction S (which may be parallel to direction P), roller 534a can be aligned with edge 572a of carriage 542. As shuttle 528 moves, first roller 534a can draw debris from the holes of filter screen 526, allowing first head 520a or carriage 542 to engage the debris and force it toward debris chamber 516a. Figure 17 As shown, the first roller 534a can remain aligned with the carriage 542 until, Figure 18As shown, the first head 520a extends into the first debris chamber 516a. At approximately this point, the shuttle 528 can engage the wall and cause the slip clutch to slide to stop the shuttle 528 from translating further, thereby allowing the piston 518 to continue moving in direction P while the shuttle 528 pauses or stops (or reduces) its movement.

[0098] Piston 518 can continue to move until it reaches its end point of travel, which allows the second roller 534b to align with the edge 572b of carriage 542, as... Figure 18 As shown, this allows the second roller 534b to remove debris from the filter 526 in front of the carriage 542 as the piston 518 moves in the direction opposite to direction P. In this way, the roller 534 can be used to remove debris from the filter 526 directly in front of the carriage 542 and the piston 518 to compact it into the debris chamber 516 in either direction of movement of the piston 518.

[0099] Figure 19 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 506 of the mobile cleaning robot 500 is shown. The mobile cleaning robot 500 may be consistent with the mobile cleaning robot 500 (or mobile cleaning robot 600) discussed above. Figure 19 An opening 558b, which can be connected to a second debris chamber 516b, may include a release edge 578. The size or shape of the release edge 578 may be set to match the height or dimensions of the chamber, where debris binding or compression is possible. The release edge 578 may be configured to reduce the compression of debris around the piston 518 when the second head 520b enters the opening 558b, which may help reduce friction and limit or prevent the piston 518 from getting stuck in the opening 558b. An opening 558a leading to the first debris chamber 516a may be configured similarly.

[0100] Figure 20 and Figure 21 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 606 of the mobile cleaning robot 600 is shown. Figure 20 and Figure 21 Discussed and shown below, the compactor assembly 606 may include a filter housing 680, which may be a housing, etc., connected to the downstream side of the filter screen 626. Figure 21 As shown, the filter housing 680 can contain one or more filter media 682 (e.g., a final filter), which can be arranged or configured to collect debris therein.

[0101] Figure 22 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 2206 of the mobile cleaning robot is shown. Figure 23 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 2206 of the mobile cleaning robot is shown. Figure 24 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 2206 of the mobile cleaning robot is shown. Let's discuss it together. Figure 22-24 The compactor assembly 2206 can be incorporated into any robot discussed above or below. The compactor assembly 2206 can operate similarly to the compactor described above, but can be structurally configured to include an arm 2284 and a head 2286 connected to the arm 2284. The arm 2284 can be connected to an actuator to rotate the head 2286 within the air chamber 2210 to compact debris into the debris chamber 2216.

[0102] Figure 25 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 2506 of the mobile cleaning robot is shown. Figure 26 An isometric view of the compactor assembly 2506 of a mobile cleaning robot is shown. The compactor assembly 2506 can be incorporated into any robot discussed above or below. The compactor assembly 2506 can operate similarly to the compactors discussed above, but can be structurally configured to include a screw 2588 or a cam or auger, which can be configured to rotate within the air chamber 2510, as... Figure 26 As shown. The air chamber 2510 may include a cylindrical portion 2590, which may be complementaryly shaped to cooperate with the screw 2588 to compress (or compact) the debris and remove the debris from the air chamber 2510 and into the debris chamber 2516.

[0103] Figure 26 The air chamber 2510 (e.g., cylindrical portion 2590) may include a filter screen 2592 configured to help separate debris passing through the air chamber 2510 to allow screws 2588 to compact relatively large debris while relatively small or finer debris passes through the filter screen 2592 for collection by a downstream filter.

[0104] Figure 27 An isometric view of a compactor assembly 2706 of a mobile cleaning robot is shown, which may include a single piston or plunger 2794 for compacting debris into a debris chamber 2716. Each of the compactors discussed above may include a debris chamber with no or minimal airflow, which helps prevent or limit debris from leaving the debris chamber.

[0105] Figure 28A block diagram of an example machine 2800 is shown, on which any one or more techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be performed. As described herein, the example may include, or be operated by, logic or components or mechanisms in the machine 2800. A circuit (e.g., a processing circuit) is a collection of circuits implemented in a tangible entity of the machine 2800, including hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuit members can be flexible over time. A circuit includes members that can perform a specified operation individually or in combination during operation. In the example, the hardware of the circuit may be immutably designed to perform a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In the example, the hardware of the circuit system may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) including machine-readable media that are physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, movable placement of invariant aggregated particles, etc.) to encode instructions for a specific operation. When connecting physical components, the underlying electrical characteristics of the hardware configuration change, for example, from an insulator to a conductor, and vice versa. Instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., an execution unit or loading mechanism) to create members of a circuit within the hardware via variable connections, portions of which perform specific operations during operation. Thus, in the example, a machine-readable medium element is either part of the circuit or another component communicatively coupled to the circuit during device operation. In the example, any physical component can be used in more than one member of more than one circuit. For example, during operation, an execution unit may be used at one point in time in a first circuit of a first circuit system and reused by a second circuit in the first circuit system, or reused at a different time by a third circuit in the second circuit system. The following are additional examples of these components of machine 2800.

[0106] In alternative embodiments, machine 2800 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 2800 may operate as a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In the example, machine 2800 may act as a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Machine 2800 may be a personal computer (PC), tablet PC, set-top box (STB), personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, web device, network router, switch, or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequentially or otherwise) specifying the actions to be taken by the machine. Furthermore, although only a single machine is shown, the term "machine" should also be considered to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or more) of instructions to perform any one or more methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations.

[0107] Machine (e.g., computer system) 2800 may include hardware processor 2802 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 2804, static memory (e.g., memory or storage device for firmware, microcode, basic input / output (BIOS), unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), etc.) 2806, and mass storage device 2808 (e.g., hard disk drive, tape drive, flash memory device, or other block device), some or all of which may communicate with each other via interconnect link (e.g., bus) 2830. Machine 2800 may also include display unit 2810, alphanumeric input device 2812 (e.g., keyboard), and user interface (UI) navigation device 2814 (e.g., mouse). In the example, display unit 2810, input device 2812, and UI navigation device 2814 may be a touch screen display. Machine 2800 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 2808, a signal generation device 2818 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 2820, and one or more sensors 2816 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors). Machine 2800 may include an output controller 2828, which is connected serially (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)), in parallel, or otherwise wired or wirelessly (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.).

[0108] The registers of processor 2802, main memory 2804, static memory 2806, or mass storage device 2808 may be or include machine-readable medium 2822 on which one or more sets of data structures or instructions 2824 (e.g., software) embody or be utilized by any one or more of the technologies or functions described herein. Instructions 2824 may also reside wholly or at least partially in any register of processor 2802, main memory 2804, static memory 2806, or mass storage device 2808 during their execution by machine 2800. In the example, one or any combination of hardware processor 2802, main memory 2804, static memory 2806, or mass storage device 2808 may constitute machine-readable medium 2822. Although machine-readable medium 2822 is shown as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 2824.

[0109] The term "machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 2800 and causing machine 2800 to perform any one or more of the technologies disclosed herein, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Examples of non-limiting machine-readable media can include solid-state memory, optical media, magnetic media, and signals (e.g., radio frequency signals, other photon-based signals, sound signals, etc.). In examples, non-transitory machine-readable media includes machine-readable media having a plurality of particles having invariant (e.g., rest) mass and thus being composed of matter. Therefore, a non-transitory machine-readable medium is a machine-readable medium that does not include transiently propagating signals. Specific examples of non-transitory machine-readable media can include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0110] Commands 2824 can be further sent or received over the communication network 2826 via the network interface device 2820 using a transmission medium, utilizing any of a variety of transport protocols (e.g., Frame Relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), packet data networks (e.g., the Internet), mobile phone networks (e.g., cellular networks), conventional telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, the IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), the IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc. In the example, the network interface device 2820 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas for connection to the communication network 2826. In the example, network interface device 2820 may include multiple antennas to perform wireless communication using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technologies. The term "transmission medium" should be considered to include any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 2800, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. The transmission medium is a machine-readable medium.

[0111] Notes and Examples The following non-limiting examples detail certain aspects of this topic to address challenges and provide benefits discussed herein.

[0112] Example 1 is a mobile cleaning robot comprising: a body; one or more drive wheels connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot in an environment; a debris bin connected to the body; an extractor connected to the body and operable to extract debris from the environment; a vacuum system connected to the body and configured to generate a flow through the extractor; and a compaction system connected to the body and a discharge section of the extractor, the compaction system comprising: an air chamber configured to receive debris and the flow from the discharge section; and a compactor at least partially located within the air chamber and operable to compact debris from the air chamber into the debris bin.

[0113] In Example 2, the subject of Example 1 may optionally include a motor connected to the compactor, which is operable to drive the compactor to move in order to compact the debris.

[0114] In Example 3, the subject of Example 2 may optionally include a filter connected to an air chamber downstream of the compactor, the filter being configured to separate debris from the flow stream based on size for compaction by the compactor.

[0115] In Example 4, the subject of Example 3 optionally includes a final filter located downstream of the filter screen, the final filter being configured to filter particles from the flow stream.

[0116] In Example 5, any one or more of the subjects in Examples 1-4 may optionally include a compactor comprising a piston configured to reciprocate relative to a gas chamber to compact debris into a debris box.

[0117] In Example 6, the subject matter as described in Example 5 optionally includes: wherein the debris box includes a first chamber and a second chamber, and wherein the piston is configured to compact debris into the first chamber and the second chamber.

[0118] In Example 7, the subject of Example 6 may optionally include a piston comprising a first head and a second head opposite the first head, the first head being configured to compact debris into a first chamber, and the second head being configured to compact debris into a second chamber.

[0119] In Example 8, the subject of Example 7 may optionally include: wherein the upstream edges of one or more of the first head and the second head sweep in a direction away from the discharge portion of the extractor.

[0120] In Example 9, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 7-8 may optionally include: a first opening connected to the first chamber and the air chamber, the first head being configured to translate into the first opening to compact debris into the first chamber; and a second opening connected to the second chamber and the air chamber, the second head being configured to translate into the second opening to compact debris into the second chamber.

[0121] In Example 10, the subject of Example 9 may optionally include a filter connected to an air chamber downstream of the compactor, the filter being configured to separate debris from the flow stream based on size for compaction by the compactor.

[0122] In Example 11, the subject matter described in Example 10 may optionally include a pinion that can be driven to translate a piston, thereby compacting debris into a first opening and a first chamber and into a second opening and a second chamber.

[0123] In Example 12, the subject matter described in Example 11 may optionally include a piston comprising a rack that engages with a pinion.

[0124] In Example 13, the subject matter of Example 12 may optionally include: a carriage connected to the piston and engaging the upstream side of the filter screen, the carriage being configured to engage debris at the filter screen to move the debris toward one or more of the first chamber and the second chamber.

[0125] In Example 14, the subject matter described in Example 13 may optionally include a drive gear connected to and configured to drive the pinion; a driven gear capable of engaging the drive gear; a secondary pinion capable of being driven to rotate by the driven gear; a shuttle including a shuttle rack engaging the secondary pinion, the shuttle being translatable relative to the air chamber; and one or more rollers connected to the shuttle and engaging a downstream side of the filter screen, the rollers being configured to translate together with the shuttle and roll along the filter screen to move debris upstream for use with debris moved by the carriage engagement.

[0126] In Example 15, the subject matter as described in Example 14 may optionally include: wherein each of the one or more rollers includes a plurality of protrusions configured to engage an opening in the filter to remove debris from the opening.

[0127] In Example 16, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 14-15 may optionally include: wherein the one or more rollers include a first roller and a second roller, the first roller being configured to align with a first edge of the carriage when the piston moves the first head toward the first opening, and the second roller being configured to align with a second edge of the carriage when the piston moves the second head toward the second opening.

[0128] In Example 17, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-16 may optionally include: wherein the compactor is a rotary screw, and wherein the air chamber is at least partially cylindrical to guide the compacted debris from the discharge section of the extractor to the debris box together with the rotary screw.

[0129] Example 18 is a mobile cleaning robot comprising: a body; one or more drive wheels connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot in an environment; a debris bin connected to the body; an extractor connected to the body and operable to extract debris from the environment; and a compaction system connected to the body and an exhaust portion of the extractor, the compaction system comprising: an air chamber configured to receive debris from the exhaust portion; and a compactor located at least partially within the air chamber and operable to compact debris from the air chamber into the debris bin.

[0130] In Example 19, the subject matter as described in Example 18 may optionally include a compactor comprising: a piston configured to reciprocate relative to the air chamber to compact debris into the debris box, the piston including a first head and a second head opposite the first head, the first head being configured to compact debris into a first chamber, and the second head being configured to compact debris into a second chamber.

[0131] In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 19 may optionally include: a filter screen connected to a chamber downstream of the compactor, the filter screen being configured to separate debris from a flow stream from an extractor based on size for compaction by the compactor; and a carriage connected to the piston and engaging an upstream side of the filter screen, the carriage being configured to engage debris at the filter screen to move the debris toward one or more of the first chamber and the second chamber.

[0132] In Example 21, the subject matter described in Example 20 may optionally include a drive gear connected to a pinion that engages with a rack of a piston, the drive gear being configured to drive the pinion; a driven gear capable of engaging the drive gear; a secondary pinion capable of being driven to rotate by the driven gear; a shuttle including a shuttle rack engaging the secondary pinion, the shuttle being capable of translating relative to the air chamber; and one or more rollers connected to the shuttle and engaging a downstream side of the filter screen, the one or more rollers being configured to translate together with the shuttle and roll along the filter screen to move debris upstream for use with debris moved by the carriage engagement.

[0133] In Example 22, any one or any combination of the apparatus or method in Examples 1-21 may optionally be configured such that all of the elements or options described are available or selectable.

[0134] The above detailed description includes reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples may include elements other than those shown or described. However, the present disclosure also contemplates examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Furthermore, the present disclosure also contemplates examples using any combination or arrangement of those elements (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof) or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0135] In the event of any inconsistency between the usage in this document and any other document incorporated by reference, the usage in this document shall prevail.

[0136] In this document, as is common in patent documents, the terms “a” or “an” are used to include one or more, independent of any other instances or uses of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a non-exclusive “or,” such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise stated. In this document, the terms “comprising” and “wherein” are used as concise English equivalents to the corresponding terms “including” and “wherein.” Furthermore, in the following claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended, meaning that a system, apparatus, article, composition, formulation, or process that includes elements other than those listed after such terms in the claims is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Additionally, in the appended claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

[0137] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used by those skilled in the art upon reading the above description. An abstract is provided to conform to 37C.FR §1.72(b) to allow the reader to quickly determine the nature of the technical disclosure. It should be understood that the abstract is not intended to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to simplify the disclosure. This should not be construed as meaning that unclaimed features are essential to any claim. Rather, the subject matter of the disclosure may lie in all features of fewer than the particular disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims are thus incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, wherein each claim is an independent, separate embodiment, and such embodiments are contemplated to be combined with each other in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mobile cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: main body; One or more drive wheels are connected to the body and operable to move the mobile cleaning robot in the environment; The debris box is connected to the main body; and A compaction system, connected to the body, comprising: An air chamber configured to receive debris from the environment; and A compactor, which is at least partially located within the air chamber and operable to compact debris from the air chamber into the debris bin.

2. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: A motor connected to the compactor is operable to drive the compactor to move in order to compact the debris.

3. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, include: An extractor, which is connected to the body and operable to extract debris from the environment; A filter screen, connected downstream of the compactor to the air chamber, is configured to separate debris from the flow stream of the extractor based on size for compaction by the compactor.

4. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, include: A final filter, located downstream of the filter screen, is configured to filter particles from the flow stream.

5. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, include: A carriage, combined with the filter screen, is configured to move debris toward one or more of the first and second chambers of the debris box.

6. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compactor is a rotating screw, wherein the air chamber is at least partially cylindrical to guide the compacted debris from the discharge section of the extractor to the debris box together with the rotating screw.

7. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: A vacuum system, which is connected to the body and configured to generate a flow through the debris box.

8. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: An extractor, which is connected to the body and is operable to extract debris from the environment.

9. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: An extractor, which is connected to the body and operable to extract debris from the environment; A vacuum system connected to the body and configured to generate a flow through the extractor.

10. The mobile cleaning robot according to claim 9, characterized in that, The compactor is a rotating screw, and wherein the air chamber is at least partially cylindrical to guide the compacted debris from the discharge section of the extractor to the debris box together with the rotating screw.

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