Robotic vacuum cleaner and docking station for a robotic vacuum cleaner
AssigneeOmachron Intellectual Property Inc.
InventorWayne Ernest Conrad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A docking station for a robotic vacuum cleaner has a pneumatic transfer mechanism that is used to direct air to the robotic vacuum cleaner to thereby transfer dirt from the robotic vacuum cleaner to a docking station.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising a docking station having a dirt receptacle and an autonomous surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus comprises:
- (a) a primary air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet:
- (b) a primary suction motor positioned in the primary air flow path;
- and
- (c) an air treatment unit positioned in the primary air flow path, the air treatment unit comprising a dirt collection region;
- wherein the apparatus comprises a pneumatic dirt transfer mechanism comprising a secondary air flow path and a secondary suction motor provided in the secondary air flow path, and
- wherein the secondary air flow path extends between a downstream end of the secondary suction motor and the dirt collection region of the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus whereby in a dirt emptying mode the secondary suction motor directs air into the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus so as to transfer dirt that has collected in the dirt collection region from the dirt collection region to the dirt receptacle, and
- wherein a portion of the pneumatic dirt transfer mechanism is provided in the docking station.
An apparatus comprising a docking station having a dirt receptacle and an autonomous surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus comprises:
- (a) a primary air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet:
- (b) a primary suction motor positioned in the primary air flow path;
- and
- (c) an air treatment unit positioned in the primary air flow path, the air treatment unit comprising a dirt collection region wherein, when the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus is positioned on a floor, the dirt collection region has an upper side, a lower side, a first end having a first side positioned between the upper and lower sides and a second end having a second side positioned between the upper and lower sides, the second side is spaced apart from the first side in a first direction, the first side has a dirt collection region air inlet port and the second side has a dirt outlet, and
- wherein the apparatus comprises a pneumatic dirt transfer mechanism comprising a secondary air flow path, and the secondary air flow path comprises a portion that extends in a downstream direction from the docking station to the dirt collection region, and
- wherein, in the dirt emptying mode, air travels through the secondary air flow path and enters the dirt collection region through the dirt collection region air inlet port and exits through the dirt outlet.
An apparatus comprising a docking station having a dirt receptacle and an autonomous surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus comprises:
- (a) a primary air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet:
- (b) a suction motor positioned in the primary air flow path;
- and
- (c) an air treatment unit positioned in the primary air flow path, the air treatment unit comprising a dirt collection region,
- wherein the apparatus comprises a pneumatic dirt transfer mechanism comprising a secondary air flow path that comprises a first portion that extends between the dirt receptacle and the suction motor and a second portion that extends between the suction motor and the dirt collection region of the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus whereby in a dirt emptying mode the suction motor draws air from the dirt receptacle to the suction motor and directs air into the dirt collection region of the autonomous surface cleaning apparatus whereby dirt that has collected in the dirt collection region is transferred from the dirt collection region to the dirt receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.