Pad cleaning system for robotic vacuum cleaners
AssigneeiRobot Corporation
InventorsRick Hoobler, Jason Jeffrey Suchman, Peter J. Lydon, Guo hui Pan, Gary Cui
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot can include a base portion configured to receive the mobile cleaning robot. The docking station can include a housing connected to the base portion and a pad cleaning system. The pad cleaning system can be connected to the housing and can include a cleaning head engageable with a cleaning pad of the mobile cleaning robot to remove debris from the cleaning pad, the cleaning head can include a nozzle configured to discharge a fluid onto the cleaning pad.
Claims19
A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot, the docking station comprising:
- a base portion comprising a front portion and a rear portion opposite the front portion, the base portion configured to receive the mobile cleaning robot;
- a housing connected to the base portion located proximate to the rear portion away from the front portion;
- and
- a pad cleaning system connected to the housing, the pad cleaning system comprising:
- a cleaning head to engage a cleaning pad of the mobile cleaning robot to remove debris from the cleaning pad, the cleaning head including a nozzle configured to discharge a fluid onto the cleaning pad;
- charging contacts connected to the base portion and engageable with contacts of the mobile cleaning robot to deliver a charge thereto;
- a contact sled connected to the charging contacts and translatable along the base portion in a path comprising forward displacement and backward displacement between the front portion and the rear portion of the base portion, wherein the charging contacts are adapted to translate relative to the contact sled in a path including an upward displacement and downward displacement between an extended position where the charging contacts extend upward through the base portion and a retracted position where the charging contacts are recessed below the base portion, respectively;
- and
- a pair of biasing elements located at least partially within the contact sled, the pair of biasing elements engageable with the charging contacts, respectively, to bias the charging contacts to extend upward through the base portion.
A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot, the docking station comprising:
- a base configured to receive the mobile cleaning robot, the base comprising a front portion and a rear portion opposite the front portion;
- a housing connected to the base located proximate to the rear portion away from the front portion;
- a pad cleaning system connected to the housing, the pad cleaning system comprising:
- a cleaning head to engage a cleaning pad of the mobile cleaning robot to remove debris from the cleaning pad, the cleaning head including a nozzle configured to discharge a fluid onto the cleaning pad;
- a sled coupled to the base and movable relative to the base in a path comprising forward displacement and backward displacement to move between an extended position proximate to the front portion of the base and a retracted position proximate to the rear portion of the base;
- charging contacts connected to the sled and engageable with contacts of the mobile cleaning robot to deliver a charge thereto, the charging contacts adapted to translate relative to the sled in a path including an upward displacement and a downward displacement;
- and
- a pair of biasing elements located at least partially within the sled, the pair of biasing elements engageable with the charging contacts, respectively, to bias the charging contacts to extend upward through the base in the extended position of the sled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.