# US 10,244,913 B2 · Debris monitoring > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,244,913 B2 - Document ID: US10244913B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/794,604 - Filed: 2017-10-26 - Published: 2018-07-19 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2010-12-30 - Assignees: iRobot Corporation - Applicants: iRobot Corporation - Inventors: Mark Steven Schnittman; Michael Todd Rosenstein - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10244913B2 ## CPC - A47L 11/4011: {Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor} - A47L 9/106: {Dust removal} - A47L 9/19: Means for monitoring filtering operation - A47L 9/2805: {Parameters or conditions being sensed} - A47L 9/2826: {the condition of the floor} - A47L 9/2842: {Suction motors or blowers} - A47L 9/2894: {Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners} - A47L 11/4013: {Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like} - A47L 11/4025: {Means for emptying} - A47L 11/4041: {Roll shaped surface treating tools} - B25J 11/0085: {Cleaning} - G01N 21/47: Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection (G01N21/25, G01N21/41 take precedence {G01N21/55 takes precedence}) - G01V 8/20: using multiple transmitters or receivers - G05D 1/0217: {in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria} - G05D 1/0225: {involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027)} - G05D 1/0234: {using optical markers or beacons (optical beacons per se G01S1/70)} - A47L 2201/00: Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation - A47L 2201/02: Docking stations; Docking operations - A47L 2201/024: Emptying dust or waste liquid containers - A47L 2201/04: Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection - A47L 2201/06: Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A debris monitoring system includes a receptacle, a first and a second emitter, and a first receiver. The receptacle defines an opening to receive debris into the receptacle. The first and second emitter are each arranged to emit a signal across at least a portion of the opening. The first receiver is proximate to the first emitter to receive reflections of the signal emitted by the first emitter, and the first receiver is disposed toward the opening to receive an unreflected portion of the signal emitted by the second emitter across at least a portion of the opening. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising: a drive system to navigate the cleaning apparatus about a floor surface while the cleaning apparatus cleans the floor surface; a debris sensor having a field of view beyond a perimeter of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the debris sensor is configured to detect debris or an obstacle on the floor surface; and a controller configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the debris, toward the detected debris, and navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the obstacle, away from the detected obstacle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor based on a size of the other debris. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor if a size of the other debris is larger than a size threshold corresponding to a size of a cleaning head opening of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor is positioned on a forward portion of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor is movable to scan an area beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the debris sensor comprises a camera. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to cause an indication to be provided in response to the detected bin-full condition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to a docking station to which the cleaning apparatus is dockable in response to the detected bin-full condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an empty condition of a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to the debris detection system detecting the empty condition, cause an indication of the empty condition to be provided. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an amount of debris in a debris bin of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to cause a remote user device to provide an indicator indicative of the amount of debris in the debris bin. ### Claim 11 An autonomous cleaning apparatus comprising: a debris bin; a drive system to navigate the cleaning apparatus about a floor surface while the cleaning apparatus cleans the floor surface; a debris sensor directed forward of the cleaning apparatus, wherein the debris sensor is configured to detect debris or an obstacle on the floor surface; and a controller configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the debris, toward the detected debris to ingest the detected debris into the debris bin, and navigate the cleaning apparatus, in response to the debris sensor detecting the obstacle, away from the detected obstacle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor based on a size of the other detected debris. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to avoid other debris detected by the debris sensor if a size of the other detected debris is larger than a size threshold corresponding to a size of a cleaning head opening of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor is positioned on a forward portion of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor is movable to scan an area forward of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the debris sensor comprises a camera. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of the debris bin, wherein the controller is configured to cause an indication to be provided in response to the detected bin-full condition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect a bin-full condition of the debris bin, wherein the controller is configured to navigate the cleaning apparatus to a docking station to which the cleaning apparatus is dockable in response to the detected bin-full condition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an empty condition of the debris bin, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to the debris detection system detecting the empty condition, cause an indication of the empty condition to be provided. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris detection system to detect an amount of debris in the debris bin, wherein the controller is configured to cause a remote user device to provide an indicator indicative of the amount of debris in the debris bin. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein: configurations of the debris sensor to detect the debris comprise configurations to detect the debris, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a first portion of the floor surface forward of the cleaning apparatus, and configurations of the debris sensor to detect the obstacle comprise configurations to detect the obstacle, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a second portion of the floor surface forward of the cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein: configurations of the debris sensor to detect the debris comprise configurations to detect the debris, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a first portion of the floor surface beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus, and configurations of the debris sensor to detect the obstacle comprise configurations to detect the obstacle, as the cleaning apparatus moves about the floor surface, on a second portion of the floor surface beyond the perimeter of the cleaning apparatus.