CN113273939A - Cleaning roller for cleaning robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot includes an elongated shaft extending along a rotational axis from a first end to a second end. The first and second ends are mountable to the cleaning robot for rotation about an axis of rotation. The scrub roller further includes a core attached about the shaft and having an outer end positioned along the elongated shaft and adjacent to the first and second ends. The core tapers from near the first end of the shaft toward the center of the shaft. The scrub roller further includes a sheath attached to the core and extending beyond an outer end of the core. The sheath includes a first half and a second half, each tapered toward the center of the shaft.

Description

Cleaning roller for cleaning robot

The application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application (application number: 201611265417.6, application date: 2016, 12 and 30, invention name: cleaning roller for cleaning robot).

Technical Field

This description relates to a cleaning roller, in particular for cleaning a robot.

Background

The robotic cleaning robot is capable of traveling over a floor surface and avoiding obstacles while vacuum suctioning the floor surface to suck debris from the floor surface. The cleaning robot may include a roller that picks up debris from the floor surface. As the cleaning robot moves across the floor surface, the robot rotates the rollers which direct debris toward the vacuum airflow generated by the cleaning robot. In this regard, the rollers and vacuum airflow may cooperate to allow the robot to suck in debris. During rotation of the roller, the roller may engage debris included in the hair and other filaments. Filament debris can wrap around the roller.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot includes an elongated shaft extending along a rotational axis from a first end to a second end. The first and second end portions may be mounted to the cleaning robot for rotation about a rotation axis. The scrub roller further includes a core attached about the shaft and having an outer end positioned along the elongated shaft adjacent the first and second ends. The core tapers from near the first end of the shaft toward the center of the shaft and from near the second end of the shaft toward the center of the shaft. The scrub roller further includes a sheath attached to the core and extending beyond an outer end of the core. The sheath includes a first half and a second half, each tapered toward a center of the shaft. The scrub roller further includes a collection well defined by the outer end of the core and the sheath.

In another aspect, an automated cleaning robot includes a body, a drive operable to move the body across a floor surface, and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly includes a roller. The roller is, for example, a first scrub roller mounted to the body and rotatable about a first axis, and the scrub assembly further includes a second scrub roller mounted to the body and rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis. The shell of the first scrub roller and the second scrub roller define a spacing therebetween that extends along the first axis and increases toward a center of a length of the first scrub roller.

In some embodiments, the length of the scrub roller is in a range of 20 centimeters to 30 centimeters. The sheath is attached to the elongate shaft, for example, along 75% to 90% of the length of the sheath.

In some embodiments, the elongate shaft is configured to be driven by a motor of the cleaning robot.

In some embodiments, the core comprises a plurality of discontinuous portions positioned about the shaft and within the sheath. In some cases, a sheath is secured to the core between the discontinuities. In some cases, the sheath is bonded to the shaft at locations between the discontinuities of the core.

In some embodiments, the core includes a plurality of posts extending away from the rotational axis toward the sheath. A post engages the jacket to couple the jacket to the core.

In some embodiments, the minimum diameter of the core is at the center of the shaft.

In some embodiments, each of the first and second halves of the sheath includes an outer surface. The outer surface forms an angle with the axis of rotation in the range of 5 to 20 degrees, for example.

In some embodiments, the first half of the sheath tapers from near the first end to the center of the shaft, and the second half of the sheath tapers from near the second end of the shaft toward the center of the shaft.

In some embodiments, the sheath comprises a shell surrounding and attached to the core. The shell comprises a frusto-conical half.

In some embodiments, the sheath comprises a shell surrounding and attached to the core. The jacket includes, for example, vanes (vane) extending radially outward from the shell. The height of the blades adjacent the first end of the shaft is, for example, less than the height of the blades adjacent the center of the shaft. In some cases, the blades follow a V-shaped path along the outer surface of the sheath. In some cases, the height of the blade adjacent the first end is in the range of 1 to 5 millimeters, and the height of the blade adjacent the center of the shaft is in the range of 10 to 30 millimeters.

In some embodiments, the length of one of the collection wells is 5% to 15% of the length of the scrub roller.

In some embodiments, the tubular portion of the sheath defines the collection well.

In some embodiments, the sheath further comprises a shell surrounding and attached to the core, the shell having a maximum width of 80% to 95% of the overall diameter of the sheath.

In some embodiments, the shell of the first scrub roller and the shell of the second scrub roller define the gap.

In some embodiments, the spacing is in the range of 5 to 30 millimeters at the center of the length of the first cleaning roller.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning roller has a length in the range of 20 to 30 centimeters. In some cases, the length of the first cleaning roller is greater than the length of the second cleaning roller. In some cases, the length of the first cleaning roller is equal to the length of the second cleaning roller.

In some embodiments, the forward portion of the body has a substantially rectangular shape. The first and second cleaning rollers are mounted to the underside of the forward portion of the main body, for example.

In some embodiments, the first scrub roller and the second scrub roller define an air gap therebetween at a center of a length of the first scrub roller. The air gap, for example, varies in width as the first and second scrub rollers rotate.

The foregoing advantages may include, but are not limited to, those described below and elsewhere herein. The scrub roller can improve debris pick-up from the floor surface. Torque can be more easily transferred from the drive shaft to the outer surface of the scrub roller along the entire length of the scrub roller. This improved torque transfer enables the outer surface of the scrub roller to more easily move debris when engaging the debris. The scrub roller can pick up more debris when driven at a given amount of torque than other scrub rollers that do not have the features described herein that enable improved torque transfer.

The scrub roller can have an increased length without reducing the ability of the scrub roller to pick up debris from a floor surface. In particular, the scrub roller may require a greater amount of drive torque when it is longer. However, due to the improved torque transfer of the scrub roller, a smaller amount of torque can be used to drive the scrub roller to achieve a debris pick-up capability similar to that of other scrub rollers. If the scrub roller is mounted to the cleaning robot, the scrub roller can have a length that extends close to a lateral side of the cleaning robot so that the scrub roller can get a greater range of debris.

In other examples, the scrub roller can be configured to collect filament debris in a manner that does not interfere with the cleaning characteristics of the scrub roller. The filament debris can be easily removed when collected. In particular, when the scrub roller engages filament debris from the floor surface, the scrub roller can cause the filament debris to be directed toward the outer end of the scrub roller where the collection well for the filament debris is located. The collection well is easily accessible to a user when the roller is removed from the robot so that the user can easily dispose of filament debris. In addition to preventing damage to the scrub roller, improved collection of filament debris can reduce the likelihood that the filament debris will interfere with the debris pick-up capability of the scrub roller, for example, by wrapping around the outer surface of the scrub roller.

In a further example, the scrub roller can cooperate with another scrub roller to define a spacing therebetween that improves characteristics of the air flow generated by the vacuum assembly. The interval, by becoming larger toward the center of the cleaning roller, can concentrate the air flow toward the center of the cleaning roller. While filament debris may tend to collect toward the ends of the scrub roller, other debris may be more easily drawn through the center of the scrub roller where the air velocity is highest.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other potential features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a bottom view of a cleaning head during a cleaning operation of a cleaning robot;

FIG. 1B is a side cross-sectional view of the cleaning robot and cleaning head of FIG. 1A during a cleaning operation;

fig. 2A is a bottom view of the cleaning robot of fig. 1B;

FIG. 2B is a side exploded perspective view of the cleaning robot of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a scrub roller;

FIG. 3B is a front exploded perspective view of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a front view of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a front cut-away view of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A with portions of the jacket and support structure of the scrub roller removed to show a collection well of the scrub roller;

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view of the sheath of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A taken along section 3E-3E shown in FIG. 3C;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the support structure of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4B is a front view of the support structure of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of an end of the support structure of FIG. 4B taken along section 4C-4C shown in FIG. 4B;

FIG. 4D is an enlarged perspective view of inset 4D labeled in 4A illustrating an end of the subassembly of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the inset 5A labeled in FIG. 3C illustrating the central portion of the cleaning roller of FIG. 3C;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the end of the scrub roller of FIG. 3C taken along section 5B-5B shown in FIG. 3C;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the scrub roller of FIG. 3A with a free portion of a jacket of the scrub roller removed.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, a cleaning head 100 for a cleaning robot 102 includes cleaning rollers 104a, 104B positioned to engage debris 106 on a floor surface 10. Fig. 1A illustrates the cleaning head 100 during a cleaning operation, the cleaning head 100 being isolated from the cleaning robot 102 to which the cleaning head 100 is mounted. The cleaning robot 102 moves around the floor surface 10 as debris 106 is drawn from the floor surface 10. Fig. 1B illustrates the cleaning robot 102 as the cleaning robot 102 passes over the floor surface 10 and rotates the rollers 104a, 104B to draw debris 106 from the floor surface 10 during a cleaning operation, with the cleaning head 100 mounted to the cleaning robot 102. During cleaning operations, the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b can rotate to lift debris 106 from the floor surface 10 into the cleaning robot 102. The outer surfaces of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b engage the debris 106 and agitate the debris 106. The rotation of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b facilitates movement of debris 106 toward the interior of the cleaning robot 102.

In some embodiments, the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b are elastomeric rollers, as described herein, with a pattern of armband-shaped blades 224a, 224b distributed along the outer surface of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b (shown in fig. 1A). At least one of the scrub rollers 104a, 104b, e.g., the blades 224a, 224b of the scrub roller 104a, contacts the floor surface 10 along the length of the scrub roller 104a, 104b and experiences a consistently applied frictional force during rotation, which is absent a brush having pliable bristles. Further, similar to the cleaning rollers having different bristles extending radially from the shaft, the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b have blades 224a, 224b extending radially outward. However, the blades 224a, 224b also extend continuously in the longitudinal direction along the outer surface of the scrub rollers 104a, 104 b. The blades 224a, 224b also extend circumferentially along the outer surface of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b, thereby defining a V-shaped path along the outer surface of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b as described herein. However, other suitable configurations are also conceivable. For example, in some embodiments, at least one of the rear and front rollers 104a, 104b may include bristles and/or an elongated flexible flap for agitating the floor surface in addition to or as an alternative to the blades 224a, 224 b.

As shown in fig. 1A, a gap 108 and an air gap 109 are defined between the cleaning roller 104a and the cleaning roller 104 b. Both the gap 108 and the air gap 109 extend from a first outer end 110a of the scrub roller 104a to a second outer end 112a of the scrub roller 104 a. As described herein, the spacing 108 corresponds to the distance between the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b without blades on the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b, while the air gap 109 corresponds to the distance between the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b including blades on the cleaning rollers 104a, 104 b. The air gap 109 is sized to accommodate debris 106 moved by the rollers 104a, 104b as the rollers 104a, 104b rotate and to enable an air flow to be drawn into the cleaning robot 102 and varied in width as the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b rotate. Although the air gap 109 may vary in width during rotation of the rollers 104a, 104b, the gap 108 has a constant width during rotation of the rollers 104a, 104 b. The spacing 108 facilitates movement of the debris 106 caused by the rollers 104a, 104b upwardly toward the interior of the robot 102 such that the debris is sucked by the robot 102. As described herein, the dimension of the gap 108 increases toward the center 114 of the length L1 of the scrub roller 104a, e.g., the scrub roller center 114 along the longitudinal axis 126a of the scrub roller 104 a. The width of the gap 108 decreases toward the ends 110a, 112a of the scrub roller 104 a. Such a configuration of the spacing 108 may improve the debris pick-up capability of the rollers 104a, 104b while reducing the likelihood that filament debris picked up by the rollers 104a, 104b will interfere with the operation of the rollers 104a, 104 b.

Exemplary cleaning robot

The cleaning robot 102 is an automatic cleaning robot that automatically draws debris 106 through the floor surface 10 while simultaneously suctioning from different portions of the floor surface 10. In the example illustrated in fig. 1B and 2A, the robot 102 includes a movable body 200 that traverses the floor surface 10. The main body 200 includes a plurality of connection structures to which movable parts of the cleaning robot 102 are mounted in some cases. The connection structure includes, for example, an outer case covering the internal components of the cleaning robot 102, a chassis to which the driving wheels 210a, 210b and the rollers 104a, 104b are mounted, a bumper mounted to the outer case, and the like. As shown in fig. 2A, in some embodiments, the body 200 includes a front portion 202A having a substantially rectangular shape and a rear portion 202b having a substantially semi-circular shape. The front portion 202a is, for example, the front one-third to the front one-half of the cleaning robot 102, and the rear portion 202b is the rear one-half to the two-thirds of the cleaning robot 102. The front portion 202a includes, for example, two lateral sides 204a, 204b that are substantially perpendicular to a front side 206 of the front portion 202 a.

As shown in fig. 2A, the robot 102 includes a drive system including actuators 208a, 208b, e.g., motors, operable with drive wheels 210a, 210 b. Actuators 208a, 208b are mounted in the body 200 and are operatively connected to drive wheels 210a, 210b that are rotatably mounted to the body 200. The drive wheels 210a, 210b support the main body 200 above the floor surface 10. The actuators 208a, 208b, when driven, rotate the drive wheels 210a, 210b to enable the robot 102 to automatically move across the floor surface 10.

The robot 102 includes a controller 212 that operates the actuators 208a, 208b to automatically cause the robot 102 to travel about the floor surface 10 during cleaning operations. The actuators 208a, 208B are operable to drive the robot 102 in the forward drive direction 116 (shown in fig. 1B) and steer the robot 102. In some embodiments, the robot 102 includes casters 211 that support the body 200 above the floor surface 10. The caster wheels 211, for example, support the rear portion 202b of the main body 200 above the floor surface 10, and the driving wheels 210a, 210b support the front portion 202a of the main body 200 above the floor surface 10.

As shown in fig. 1B and 2A, the vacuum assembly 118 is carried within the main body 200 of the robot 102, e.g., in the rear 202B of the main body 200. The controller 212 operates the vacuum assembly 118 to generate the air flow 120 through the air gap 109 adjacent the rollers 104a, 104b, through the body 200, and out of the body 200. The vacuum assembly 118 includes, for example, a propeller that generates an air flow 120 when rotated. The air flow 120 and the rotating rollers 104a, 104b cooperate to draw debris 106 into the robot 102. A cleaning bin 122 mounted in the main body 200 contains debris 106 that is drawn in by the robot 102, and a filter 123 in the main body 200 separates the debris 106 from the air flow 120 before the air flow 120 enters the vacuum assembly 118 and is exhausted from the main body 200. In this regard, debris 106 is captured in both the purge bin 122 and the filter 123 before the air flow 120 is exhausted from the body 200.

As shown in fig. 1A and 2A, the cleaner head 100 and rollers 104a, 104b are positioned in the front 202A of the main body 200 between the lateral sides 204a, 204 b. The rollers 104a, 104b are operatively connected to actuators 214a, 214b, e.g., motors. The cleaner head 100 and rollers 104a, 104b are located in front of a cleaning tank 122, which is located in front of the vacuum assembly 118. In the example of the robot 102 described in relation to fig. 2A, 2B, the substantially rectangular shape of the front portion 202A of the body 200 enables the rollers 104a, 104B to be longer than for a cleaning robot having a body with a circular shape, for example.

The rollers 104a, 104b are mounted to the housing 124 of the cleaning head 100 and are mounted, for example, indirectly or directly to the body 200 of the robot 102. In particular, the rollers 104a, 104b are mounted to the underside of the front portion 202a of the main body 200 such that the rollers 104a, 104b engage debris 106 on the floor surface 10 when the underside faces the floor surface 10 during a cleaning operation.

In some embodiments, the housing 124 of the cleaning head 100 is mounted to the main body 200 of the robot 102. In this regard, the rollers 104a, 104b are also mounted to the body 200 of the robot 102, e.g., indirectly to the body 200 through the housing 124. Alternatively or additionally, the cleaning head 100 is a removable component of the robot 102, wherein the housing 124 with the rollers 104a, 104b mounted therein is removably mounted to the main body 200 of the robot 102. The housing 124 and rollers 104a, 104b are removable as a unit from the main body 200 to allow the cleaner head 100 to be easily replaced with a replacement cleaner head.

In some embodiments, rather than being removably mounted to the main body 200, the housing 124 of the cleaning head 100 is not a separate component from the main body 200, but instead, corresponds to an integral part of the main body 200 of the robot 102. The rollers 104a, 104b are mounted to the body 200 of the robot 102, e.g. directly to an integral part of the body 200. The rollers 104a, 104b are each independently removable from the housing 124 of the cleaning head 100 and/or from the main body 200 of the robot 102, so that the rollers 104a, 104b can be easily cleaned or replaced with replacement rollers. As described herein, the rollers 104a, 104b may include collection wells for filament debris that are easily accessible and cleanable by a user when the rollers 104a, 104b are detached from the housing 124.

The rollers 104a, 104b are rotatable relative to the housing 124 of the cleaning head 100 and relative to the body 200 of the robot 102. As shown in fig. 1B and 2A, the rollers 104a, 104B are rotatable about longitudinal axes 126a, 126B parallel to the floor surface 10. The axes 126a, 126b are parallel to each other and correspond to the longitudinal axes of the scrub rollers 104a, 104b, respectively. In some cases, the axes 126a, 126b are perpendicular to the forward drive direction 116 of the robot 102. The center 114 of the scrub roller 104a is located along the longitudinal axis 126a and corresponds to a midpoint of a length L1 of the scrub roller 104 a. In this regard, the center 114 is located along the rotational axis of the scrub roller 104 a.

In some embodiments, referring to the exploded view of the cleaner head 100 shown in fig. 2B, the rollers 104a, 104B each include a sheath 220a, 220B that includes a shell 222a, 222B and a blade 224a, 224B. The rollers 104a, 104b each further include a support structure 226a, 226b and a shaft 228a, 228 b. Sheaths 220a, 220b are in some cases a single molded piece formed from an elastomeric material. In this regard, the shell 222a, 222b and its respective blade 224a, 224b are part of a single molded piece. Sheaths 220a, 220b extend inwardly from an outer surface thereof toward axes 228a, 228b such that the amount of material of sheaths 220a, 220b inhibits deflection of sheaths 220a, 220b in response to contacting an object, such as floor surface 10. The high surface friction of the sheaths 220a, 220b enables the sheaths 220a, 220b to engage the debris 106 and direct the debris 106 toward the interior of the cleaning robot 102, e.g., toward the air duct 128 within the cleaning robot 102.

The shafts 228a, 228b and, in some cases, the support structures 226a, 226b, are operably connected to the actuators 214a, 214b (shown schematically in fig. 2A) when the rollers 104a, 104b are mounted to the body 200 of the robot 102. When the rollers 104a, 104b are mounted to the body 200, the mounting devices 216a, 216b on the second ends 232a, 232b of the shafts 228a, 228b couple the shafts 228a, 228b to the actuators 214a, 214 b. The first ends 230a, 230b of the shafts 228a, 228b are rotatably mounted to the housing 124 of the cleaner head 100 or the mounting means 218a, 218b on the main body 200 of the robot 102. The mounting means 218a, 218b are fixed relative to the housing 124 or the body 200. In some cases, portions of the support structures 226a, 226b cooperate with the shafts 228a, 228b to rotationally couple the scrub rollers 104a, 104b to the actuators 214a, 214b and to rotationally mount the scrub rollers 104a, 104b to the mounting devices 218a, 218b, as described herein.

As shown in fig. 1A, rollers 104a and 104b are spaced apart from one another such that longitudinal axes 126a and 126b of rollers 104a and 104b define a spacing S1. The spacing S1 is, for example, in the range of 2 to 6 centimeters, for example, in the range of 2 to 4 centimeters, in the range of 4 to 6 centimeters, and so forth.

The rollers 104a and 104b are mounted such that the shells 222a and 222b of the rollers 104a and 104b define the gap 108. The space 108 extends longitudinally between the shells 222a, 222b and between the shells 222a, 222 b. In particular, the outer surface of the shell 222b of the roll 104b and the outer surface of the shell 222a of the roll are separated by the space 108, which varies in width along the longitudinal axes 126a, 126b of the rolls 104a, 104 b. The spacing 108 tapers toward the center 114 of the scrub roller 104a, e.g., toward a plane passing through the centers of both scrub rollers 104a, 104b and perpendicular to the longitudinal axes 126a, 126 b. The width of the spaces 108 decreases toward the center 114.

The spacing 108 is measured as the width between the outer surface of shell 222a and the outer surface of shell 222 b. In some cases, the width of the gap 108 is measured as the closest distance between the shells 222a and 222b at various points along the longitudinal axis 126 a. The width of the gap 108 is measured along a plane passing through both of the longitudinal axes 126a, 126 b. In this regard, the width varies such that the distance S3 between the rollers 104a, 104b at their centers is greater than the distance S2 between their ends.

Referring to inset 132a in fig. 1A, length S2 of space 108 adjacent first end 110a of roller 104a is in a range of 2 to 10 millimeters, e.g., in a range of 2 to 6 millimeters, in a range of 4 to 8 millimeters, in a range of 6 to 10 millimeters, etc. The length S2 of gap 108, for example, corresponds to the minimum length of gap 108 along length L1 of roll 104 a. Referring to inset 132b in fig. 1A, the length S3 of the space 108 adjacent the center 114 of the scrub roller 104a is, for example, in the range of 5mm to 30 mm, such as in the range of 5mm to 20 mm, in the range of 10 mm to 25 mm, in the range of 15 mm to 30 mm, and so on. Length S3, for example, is 3 to 15 times greater than length S2, such as 3 to 5 times, 5 to 10 times, 10 to 15 times, etc., greater than length S2. The length S3 of gap 108, for example, corresponds to the maximum length of gap 108 along length L1 of roller 104 a. In some cases, the spacing 108 increases linearly from the center 114 of the scrub roller 104 toward the ends 110a, 110 b.

The air gap 109 between the rollers 104a, 104b is defined as the distance between the free ends of the blades 224a, 224b on the opposing rollers 104a, 104 b. In some examples, the distance varies depending on how the blades 224a, 224b are aligned during rotation. The air gap 109 between the jackets 220a, 220b of the rollers 104a, 104b varies along the longitudinal axes 126a, 126b of the rollers 104a, 104 b. In particular, the width of the air gap 109 varies in size according to the relative position of the blades 224a, 224b of the rollers 104a, 104 b. The width of the air gap 109 is defined by the distance between the outer peripheries of the jackets 220a, 220b, e.g., by the vanes 224a, 224b when the vanes 224a, 224b face each other during rotation of the rollers 104a, 104 b. When the blades 224a, 224b of both rollers 104a, 104b do not face the other roller, the width of the air gap 109 is defined by the distance between the outer peripheries of the shells 222a, 222 b. In this regard, although the outer peripheries of the rollers 104a, 104b are uniform along the length of the rollers 104a, 104b as described herein, the width of the air gap 109 between the rollers 104a, 104b varies as the rollers 104a, 104b rotate. In particular, although the spacing 108 has a constant length during rotation of the opposing rollers 104a, 104b, the distance defining the air gap 109 varies during rotation of the rollers 104a, 104b due to the relative movement of the blades 224a, 224b of the rollers 104a, 104 b. The width of the air gap 109 will vary from a minimum width of 1 mm to 10 mm when the vanes 224a, 224b are facing each other to a maximum width of 5mm to 30 mm when the vanes 224a, 224b are not aligned. The maximum width corresponds to, for example, the length S3 of the space 108 at the center of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b, and the minimum width corresponds to the length of the space 108 at the center of the cleaning rollers 104a, 104b minus the height of the blades 224a, 224 b.

Referring to fig. 2A, in some embodiments, to sweep debris 106 toward rollers 104a, 104b, robot 102 includes a brush 233 that rotates about a non-horizontal axis, e.g., an axis that is at an angle in the range of 75 degrees to 90 degrees with respect to floor surface 10. The non-horizontal axis, for example, forms an angle in the range of 75 degrees to 90 degrees with the longitudinal axis 126a, 126b of the scrub roller 104a, 104 b. The robot 102 includes an actuator 234 operatively connected to the brush 233. The brush 233 extends beyond the periphery of the body 200 so that the brush 233 can engage debris 106 on portions of the floor surface 10 that are not normally accessible to the rollers 104a, 104 b.

During the cleaning operation shown in fig. 1B, when the controller 212 operates the actuators 208a, 208B to cause the robot 102 to travel across the floor surface 10, if the brush 233 is present, the controller 212 operates the actuator 234 to cause the brush 233 to rotate about a non-horizontal axis to engage debris 106 that is not reachable by the rollers 104a, 104B. In particular, the brush 233 can engage debris 106 near the walls of the environment and brush the debris 106 toward the rollers 104a, 104 b. The brush 233 sweeps the debris 106 toward the rollers 104a, 104b so that the debris 106 can be drawn through the gap 108 between the rollers 104a, 104 b.

The controller 212 operates the actuators 214a, 214b to rotate the rollers 104a, 104b about the axes 126a, 126 b. The rollers 104a, 104b, when rotated, engage the debris 106 on the floor surface 10 and move the debris 106 toward the air duct 128. As shown in fig. 1B, the rollers 104a, 104B, for example, counter-rotate relative to each other to cooperate as the debris 106 passes through the gap 108 and moves toward the air duct 128, e.g., the roller 104a rotates in a clockwise direction 130a and the roller 104B rotates in a counter-clockwise direction 130B.

The controller 212 also operates the vacuum assembly 118 to generate the air flow 120. The vacuum assembly 118 is operated to generate an air flow 120 through the gap 108 such that the air flow 120 is capable of moving the debris 106 that is retrieved by the rollers 104a, 104 b. The airflow 120 carries the debris 106 into a clean box 122 that collects the debris 106 conveyed by the airflow 120. In this regard, both the vacuum assembly 118 and the rollers 104a, 104b facilitate the suction of debris 106 from the floor surface 10. The air duct 128 receives the air flow 120 containing the debris 106 and directs the air flow 120 into the cleaning tank 122. Debris 106 is deposited in the cleaning tank 122. During rotation of the rollers 104a, 104b, the rollers 104a, 104b apply a force to the floor surface 10 to agitate any debris on the floor surface 10. The agitation of the debris 106 may cause the debris 106 to be removed from the floor surface 10 such that the rollers 104a, 104b may more contact the debris 106 such that the airflow 120 generated by the vacuum assembly 118 may more easily carry the debris 106 toward the interior of the robot 102. As described herein, improved torque transfer from the actuators 214a, 214b toward the outer surfaces of the rollers 104a, 104b enables the rollers 104a, 104b to apply greater forces. As a result, the rollers 104a, 104b are better able to agitate the debris 106 on the floor surface 10 than rollers and brushes with reduced torque transmission or rollers and brushes that are easily deformed in response to contact with the floor surface 10 or with the debris 106.

Exemplary cleaning roller

The example of rollers 104A, 104B described with respect to fig. 2B may include additional configurations as described with respect to fig. 3A-3E, 4A-4D, and 5A-5B. As shown in fig. 3B, an example of a roller 300 includes a jacket 302, a support structure 303, and a shaft 306. The roller 300, for example, corresponds to the rear roller 104a described with respect to fig. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B. The sheath 302, support structure 303, and shaft 306 are similar to the sheath 220a, support structure 226a, and shaft 228a described with respect to fig. 2B. In some embodiments, sheath 220a, support structure 226a, and shaft 228a are sheath 302, support structure 303, and shaft 306, respectively. As shown in fig. 3C, the overall length L2 of roller 300 is similar to the overall length L1 described with respect to rollers 104a, 104 b.

Similar to the scrub roller 104a, the scrub roller 300 can be mounted to the cleaning robot 102. Absolute and relative dimensions related to the cleaning robot 102, the cleaning roller 300, and their components are described herein. Some of these dimensions are indicated in the figures by reference numerals, e.g., W1, S1-S3, L1-L10, D1-D7, M1 and M2. Exemplary values of these dimensions in the embodiments are described herein, for example, in the section "exemplary dimensions of cleaning robot and cleaning roller".

Referring to fig. 3B and 3C, shaft 306 is an elongated member having a first outer end 308 and a second outer end 310. Shaft 306 extends from first end 308 to second end 310 along a longitudinal axis 312, e.g., axis 126a about which roller 104a rotates. The shaft 306 is a drive shaft formed of, for example, a metal material.

The first end 308 and the second end 310 of the shaft 306 are configured to be mounted to a cleaning robot, such as the robot 102. The second end 310 is configured to mount to a mounting device, such as mounting device 216 a. The mounting device couples the shaft 306 to an actuator of the cleaning robot, such as actuator 214a described with respect to fig. 2A. The first end 308 rotatably mounts the shaft 306 to a mounting device, such as the mounting device 218 a. The second end 310 is driven by an actuator of the cleaning robot.

Referring to fig. 3B, support structure 303 is positioned about shaft 306 and is rotationally coupled to shaft 306. Support structure 303 includes a core 304 attached to a shaft 306. As described herein, the core 304 and the shaft 306 are attached to one another, in some embodiments, by an insert molding process during which the core 304 is bonded to the shaft 306. Referring to fig. 3D and 3E, core 304 includes a first outer end 314 and a second outer end 316, each of which is positioned along axis 306. First end 314 of core 304 is positioned adjacent first end 308 of shaft 306. The second end 316 of the core 304 is positioned adjacent the second end 310 of the shaft 306. The core 304 extends along a longitudinal axis 312 and encloses the shaft of the shaft 306.

Referring to fig. 3D and 4A, in some cases, support structure 303 further includes an elongated portion 305a extending from a first end 314 of core 304 toward a first end 308 of shaft 306 along a longitudinal axis 312 of roller 300. The elongated portion 305a has, for example, a cylindrical shape. The elongated portion 305a of the support structure 303 and the first end 308 of the shaft 306, for example, are configured to be rotatably mounted to a mounting device, such as mounting device 218 a. The mounting means 218a, 218b, for example, act as a bearing surface to enable the elongated portion 305a, and thus the roller 300, to rotate about its longitudinal axis 312 with relatively little friction caused by contact between the elongated portion 305a and the mounting means.

In some cases, the support structure 303 includes an elongated portion 305b extending from a second end 314 of the core 304 toward a second end 310 of the shaft 306 along a longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. The elongated portion 305b of the support structure 303 and the second end 314 of the core 304, for example, are coupled to the mounting device, for example, mounting device 216 a. The mounting means 216a enables the roller 300 to be mounted to an actuator of the cleaning robot, for example, a motor shaft rotationally coupled to the actuator. The elongated portion 305b has, for example, a prismatic shape having a non-circular cross-section, such as a square, hexagon, or other polygonal shape, that rotationally couples the support structure 303 to a rotatable mounting device, such as the mounting device 216 a. The elongated portion 305b engages with the mounting device 216a to rotationally couple the support structure 303 to the mounting device 216 a.

The mounting means 216a rotationally couples both the shaft 306 and the support structure 303 to the actuators of the cleaning robot, thereby improving the torque transfer from the actuators to the shaft 306 and the support structure 303. The shaft 306 may be attached to the support structure 303 and the sheath 302 in a manner that improves torque transfer from the shaft 306 to the support structure 303 and the sheath 302. Referring to fig. 3C and 3E, a jacket 302 is attached to a core 304 of a support structure 303. As described herein, the support structure 303 and the sheath 302 are attached to one another to rotationally couple the sheath 302 to the support structure 303, in particular, to improve the manner in which torque is transferred from the support structure 303 to the sheath 302 along the overall length of the interface between the sheath 302 and the support structure 303. The jacket 302 is attached to the core 304, for example, by an over-molding or an in-mold process in which the core 304 and the jacket 302 are bonded directly to each other. Additionally, in some embodiments, sheath 302 and core 304 include interlocking geometries that ensure that rotational movement of core 304 drives rotational movement of sheath 302.

Sheath 302 includes a first half 322 and a second half 324. The first half 322 corresponds to the portion of the jacket 302 on one side of a central plane 327 that passes through the center 326 of the roll 300 and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300. The second half 324 corresponds to another portion of the sheath 302 on the other side of the central plane 327. The center plane 327 is, for example, a bisecting plane that divides the roller 300 into two symmetrical halves. In this regard, the fixed portion 331 is centered on the bisecting plane.

The sheath 302 includes a first outer end 318 on a first half 322 of the sheath 302 and a second outer end 320 on a second half 324 of the sheath 302. The jacket 302 extends along the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300 beyond the core 304 of the support structure 303, in particular beyond a first end 314 and a second end 316 of the core 304. In some cases, jacket 302 extends beyond elongated portion 305 along longitudinal axis 312 of roller 300, and elongated portion 305b extends beyond second end 320 of jacket 302 along longitudinal axis 312 of roller 300.

In some cases, fixed portion 331a of sheath 302 extending along the length of core 304 is attached to support structure 303, while free portions 331b, 331c of sheath 302 extending beyond the length of core 304 are not attached to support structure 303. The fixation portion 331a extends from the central plane 327 along both directions of the longitudinal axis 312, e.g., such that the fixation portion 331a is symmetrical about the central plane 327. The free portion 331b is fixed to one end of the fixed portion 331a, and the free portion 331c is fixed to the other end of the fixed portion 331 a.

In some embodiments, the fixed portion 331a tends to deform relatively less than the free portions 331b, 331c when the jacket 302 of the roller 300 contacts a target, such as the floor surface 10 and debris on the floor surface 10. In some cases, the free portions 331b, 331c of the jacket 302 deflect in response to contact with the floor surface 10, while the fixed portions 331b, 331c are radially compressed. The amount of radial compression of the fixed portions 331b, 331c is less than the amount of radial deflection of the free portions 331b, 331c, as the fixed portions 331b, 331c comprise material extending radially towards the axis 306. As described herein, in some cases, the material forming the fixation portions 331b, 331c contacts the shaft 306 and the core 304.

Fig. 3D illustrates a cut-away view of the roller 300 with portions of the jacket 302 removed. Referring to fig. 3A, 3D, and 3E, roller 300 includes a first collection well 328 and a second collection well 330. The collection wells 328, 330 correspond to the volume on the ends of the roll 300 in which filament debris engaged by the roll 300 tends to collect. In particular, when the roller 300 engages filament debris on the floor surface 10 during a cleaning operation, the filament debris travels over the ends 318, 320 of the sheath 302, wraps around the shaft 306, and is then collected within the collection wells 328, 330. The filament debris is wrapped around the elongated portions 305a, 305b of the support structure 303 and can be easily removed from the elongated portions 305a, 305b by a user. In this regard, the elongated portions 305a, 305b are positioned within the collection wells 328, 330. Collection wells 328, 330 are defined by jacket 302, core 304, and shaft 306. The collection wells 328, 330 are defined by the free portions of the jacket 302 that extend beyond the ends 314 and 316 of the core 304.

A first collection well 328 is located within first half 322 of jacket 302. First collection well 328, for example, is defined by first end 314 of core 304, elongated portion 305a of support structure 303, free portion 331b of sheath 302, and shaft 306. First end 314 of core 304 and self-contained portion 331b of jacket 302 define a length L5 of first collection well 328.

Second collection well 330 is located within second half 324 of sheath 302. Second collection well 330 is defined, for example, by second end 316 of core 304, free portion 331c of sheath 302, and shaft 306. Second end 316 of core 304 and free portion 331c of sheath 302 define a length L5 of second collection well 330.

Referring to fig. 3E, the jacket 302 tapers along the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300 toward the center 326, e.g., toward the center plane 327. Both the first half 322 and the second half 324 of the sheath 302 taper over at least a portion of the first half 322 and the second half 324, respectively, along the longitudinal axis 312 toward a center 326, such as toward a central plane 327. The first half 322 tapers from near the first outer end 308 of the shaft 306 to the center 326, and the second half 324 tapers from near the second outer end 310 of the shaft 306 to the center 326. In some embodiments, first half 322 tapers from the first outer end 318 to center 326, and second half 324 tapers from second outer end 320 to center 326. In some embodiments, rather than tapering toward the center 326 along the overall length of the sheath 302, the sheath 302 tapers toward the center 326 along the fixed portion 331a of the sheath 302, and the free portions 331b, 331c of the sheath 302 do not taper. The taper of the sheath 302 varies between some embodiments. Examples of dimensions defining the taper are described elsewhere herein.

Similarly, to enable the jacket 302 to taper towards the center 326 of the roll 300, the support structure 303 includes a tapered portion. The core 304 of the support structure 303 comprises, for example, a portion that tapers towards the center 326 of the roll 300. Fig. 4A-4D illustrate an exemplary configuration of the core 304. Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, the core 304 includes a first half 400 and a second half 402, the first half 400 including the first end 314, the second half 402 including the second end 316. The first half 400 and the second half 402 of the core 304 are symmetrical about the central plane 327.

The first half 400 tapers along the longitudinal axis 312 toward the center 326 of the roll 300 and the second half 402 tapers toward the center 326 of the roll 300, e.g., toward the center plane 327. In some embodiments, the first half 400 of the core 304 tapers from the first end 314 toward the center 326 and the second half 402 of the core 304 tapers from the second end 316 toward the center 326 along the longitudinal axis 312. In some cases, the core 304 tapers toward the center 326 along the overall length L3 of the core 304. In some cases, the outer diameter D1 of the core 304 near the center 326 of the roll 300 or at the center 326 of the roll 300 is less than the outer diameter D2, D3 of the core 304 near the first and second ends 314, 316 of the core 304 or at the first and second ends 314, 316 of the core 304. The outer diameter of core 304, e.g., along longitudinal axis 312 of roll 300, decreases linearly, e.g., from a location along longitudinal axis 312 at both ends 314, 316 to center 326.

In some embodiments, the core 304 of the support structure 303 tapers from the first end 314 and the second end 316 toward the center 326 of the roll 300, and the elongated portions 305a, 305b are integral to the core 304. The core 304 is attached to the shaft 306 along the total length L3 of the core 304. By being attached to the core 304 along the overall length L3 of the core 304, torque applied to the core 304 and/or the shaft 306 may be more evenly transmitted along the overall length L3 of the core 304.

In some embodiments, support structure 303 is a single monolithic component, with core 304 extending along the entire length of support structure 303 without any discontinuities. The core 304 is integral to a first end 314 and a second end 316. Alternatively, referring to fig. 4B, core 304 includes a plurality of discontinuities positioned about the shaft 306, positioned within sheath 302, and attached to sheath 302. The first half 400 of the core 304 includes, for example, a plurality of portions 402a, 402b, 402 c. The portions 402a, 402b, 402c are discontinuous with respect to each other such that the core 304 includes a gap 403 between the portions 402a, 402b and the portions 402b, 402 c. Each of the plurality of portions 402a, 402b, 402c is attached to the shaft 306 in order to improve torque transfer from the shaft 306 to the core 304 and the support structure 303. In this regard, the shaft 306 mechanically couples each of the plurality of portions 402a, 402b, 402c to one another such that the portions 402a, 402b, 402c collectively rotate with the shaft 306. Each of the plurality of portions 402a, 402b, 402c is tapered toward the center 326 of the roll 300. The plurality of portions 402a, 402b, 402c, for example, each taper away from the first end 314 of the core 304 and taper toward the center 326. The elongated portion 305a of the support structure 303 is secured to a portion 402a of the core 304, e.g., integral to the portion 402a of the core 304.

Similarly, the second half 402 of the core 304 includes a plurality of portions 404a, 404b, 404c that are, for example, discontinuous with one another such that the core 304 includes gaps 403 between the portions 404a, 404b and between the portions 404b, 404 c. Each of the plurality of portions 404a, 404b, 404c is attached to the shaft 306. In this regard, the shaft 306 mechanically couples each of the plurality of portions 404a, 404b, 404c to one another such that the portions 404a, 404b, 404c collectively rotate with the shaft 306. The second half 402 of the core 304 thus rotates in unison with the first half 400 of the core 304. Each of the plurality of portions 404a, 404b, 404c is tapered toward the center 326 of the roller 300. The plurality of portions 404a, 404b, 404c, for example, each taper away from the second end 314 of the core 304 and taper toward the center 326. The elongated portion 305b of the support structure 303 is secured to the portion 404a of the core 304, e.g., is integral to the portion 404a of the core 304.

In some cases, the portion 402c of the first half 400 closest to the center 326 and the portion 404c of the second half 402 closest to the center 326 are continuous with one another. The portion 402c of the first half 400 and the portion 404c of the second half 402 form a continuous portion 406 that extends from the center 326 outward toward both the first end 314 and the second end 316 of the core 304. In such an example, the core 304 includes five distinct, discontinuous portions 402a, 402b, 406404 a, 404 b. Similarly, support structure 303 includes five distinct, discrete portions. A first of these portions includes the elongated portion 305a and the portion 402a of the core 304. The second of these portions corresponds to portion 402b of core 304. The third of these portions corresponds to a continuous portion 406 of the core 304. The fourth of these portions corresponds to portion 404b of core 304. The fifth of these portions includes an elongated portion 305b and a portion 404a of the core 304. Although core 304 and support structure 303 are described as including five distinct and discrete portions, in some embodiments, core 304 and support structure 303 include fewer or additional discrete portions.

Referring to both fig. 4C and 4D, the first end 314 of the core 304 includes alternating ribs 408, 410. The ribs 408, 410 each extend radially outward away from the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. The ribs 408, 410 are continuous with each other and form the portion 402 a.

The transverse ribs 408 extend transversely relative to the longitudinal axis 312. The transverse rib 408 includes a ring portion 412 secured to the shaft 306 and lobes 414a-414d extending radially outward from the ring portion 412. In some embodiments, the projections 414a-414d are axisymmetric about the ring portion 412, e.g., about the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300.

The longitudinal ribs 410 extend longitudinally along the longitudinal axis 312. Rib 410 includes a ring portion 416 secured to shaft 306 and lobes 418a-418d extending radially outward from ring portion 416. The projections 418a-418d are axisymmetric about the ring portion 416, e.g., about the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300.

Ring portion 412 of rib 408 has a wall thickness greater than the wall thickness of ring portion 416 of rib 410. Protrusions 414a-414d of rib 408 have a wall thickness greater than the wall thickness of protrusions 418a-418d of rib 410.

Free ends 415a-415d of projections 414a-414d define an outer diameter of rib 408 and free ends 419a-419d of projections 418a-418d define an outer diameter of rib 410. The distance between the free ends 415a-415d, 419a-419d and the longitudinal axis 312 defines the width of the ribs 408, 410. In some cases, these widths are the outer diameters of the ribs 408, 410. The free ends 415a-415d, 419a-419d are arcs that coincide with circles centered along the longitudinal axis 312, such as portions of the circumferences of the circles. These circles are concentric with each other and with the ring portions 412, 416. In some cases, the outer diameter of the ribs 408, 410 closer to the center 326 is greater than the outer diameter of the ribs 408, 410 further from the center 326. The outer diameter of the ribs 408, 410 decreases linearly from the first end 314 to the center 326, e.g., to the central plane 327. In particular, as shown in fig. 4D, the ribs 408, 410 form a continuous longitudinal rib 411 extending along the length of the portion 402 a. The ribs extend radially outward from the longitudinal axis 312. The height of the ribs 411 relative to the longitudinal axis 312 decreases toward the center 327. The height of the ribs 411 decreases linearly, for example, toward the center 327.

In some embodiments, referring also to fig. 4B, the core 304 of the support structure 303 includes a post 420 extending away from the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. The post 420 extends, for example, from a plane that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300 and extends through the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. As described herein, the post 420 may improve torque transfer between the sheath 302 and the support structure 303. The posts 420 extend into the jacket 302 to improve torque transfer and improve the bond strength between the jacket 302 and the support structure 303. The columns 420 may stabilize and mitigate vibration in the roll 300 by balancing the mass distribution across the roll 300.

In some embodiments, the post 420 extends perpendicular to the ribs of the core 304, e.g., perpendicular to the projections 418a, 418 c. The projections 418a, 418c extend, for example, perpendicularly away from the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300, and the post 420 extends from the projections 418a, 418c and is perpendicular to the projections 418a, 418 c. The post 420 has a length L6, for example, in the range of 0.5 to 4 millimeters, for example, a length in the range of 0.5 to 2 millimeters, a length in the range of 1 millimeter to 3 millimeters, a length in the range of 1.5 millimeters to 3 millimeters, a length in the range of 2 millimeters to 4 millimeters, and the like.

In some embodiments, the core 304 includes a plurality of columns 420a, 420b at a plurality of locations along the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300. The core 304 includes a plurality of columns 420a, 420c extending, for example, from a single transverse plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300. The posts 420a, 420c are, for example, symmetrical to each other along a longitudinal plane extending parallel to the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300 and extending through the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. The longitudinal plane is different from and perpendicular to the transverse plane from which the posts 420a, 420c extend. In some embodiments, the posts 420a, 420c at the transverse plane are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300.

Although four lobes are illustrated for each of the ribs 408, 410, in some embodiments, the ribs 408, 410 include fewer or additional lobes. Although fig. 4C and 4D are described with respect to the first end 314 and the portion 402a of the core 304, the second end 316 and the other portions 402b, 402C, and 404a-404C of the core 304 may have configurations similar to those described with respect to the example in fig. 4C and 4D. The first half 400 of the core 304 is symmetrical with the second half 402, for example, about a central plane 327.

The jacket 302 positioned around the core 304 has several suitable configurations. Fig. 3A-3E illustrate one exemplary configuration. The jacket 302 includes a shell 336 that surrounds and is attached to the core 304. The shell 336 includes a first half 338 and a second half 340 that are symmetrical about a central plane 327. The first half 322 of the sheath 302 includes a first half 338 of the shell 336 and the second half 324 of the sheath 302 includes a second half 340 of the shell 336.

In some embodiments, first half 338 and second half 340 of shell 336 include frustoconical portions 341a, 341b and cylindrical portions 343a, 343 b. The central axes of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b and the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b each extend parallel to and through the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300.

The free portions 331b, 331c of the sheath 302 include cylindrical portions 343a, 343 b. In this regard, the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b extend beyond the ends 314, 316 of the core 304. The cylindrical portions 343a, 343b are tubular portions having an inner surface and an outer surface. The collection wells 328, 330 are defined by the inner surfaces of the cylindrical portions 343a, 343 b.

The fixed portion 331a of the sheath 302 includes frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336. Frustoconical portions 341a, 341b extend from the central plane 327 along the longitudinal axis 312 toward the ends 318, 320 of the jacket 302. The frustoconical portions 341a, 341b are arranged on the core 304 of the supporting structure 303 such that the outer diameter of the shell 336 decreases towards the centre 326 of the roll 300, for example towards the central plane 327. The outer diameter D4 of the shell 336 at the central plane 327 is, for example, less than the outer diameters D5, D6 of the shell 336 at the outer ends 318, 320 of the jacket 302. However, the inner surfaces of the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b are free, and the inner surfaces of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b are fixed to the core 304. In some cases, the outer diameter of the shell 336 decreases linearly toward the center 326.

Although the sheath 302 is described as having cylindrical portions 343a, 343b, in some embodiments, the portions 343a, 343b are part of frustoconical portions 341a, 341b, and are also tapered. The frustoconical portions 341a, 341b extend along the entire length of the jacket 302. In this regard, the collection wells 328, 330 are defined by the inner surfaces of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341 b.

Referring to FIG. 3D, shell 336 includes core securing portion 350 that is attached to the projections, e.g., projections 414a-414D, 418a-418D, of core 304. In particular, the core fixing portion 350 fixes the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b to the core 304. Each core fixing portion 350 extends radially inward from the outer surface of the shell 336 and is attached to a boss of the core 304. For example, the core fixing portion 350 interlocks with the core 304 to enable uniform torque transmission from the core 304 to the frustoconical portions 341a, 341 b. In particular, core securing portion 350 is located between lobes 414a-414d, 418a-418d of core 304 such that core 304 may more easily drive shell 336, and thus jacket 302, as core 304 rotates. The core securing portion 350 is, for example, a wedge-shaped portion that extends circumferentially between adjacent lobes 414a-414d, 418a-418d of the core 304 and radially inward toward the ring portions 412, 416 of the core 304.

Referring to fig. 3E, the housing 336 further includes a shaft securing portion 352 extending radially inward from an outer surface of the housing 336 toward the shaft 306. The shaft securing portion 352 secures the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b to the shaft 306. In particular, the shaft securing portion 352 extends inwardly to the shaft 306 between the discontinuities 402a, 402b, 402c, enabling the shaft securing portion 352 to secure the sheath 302 to the shaft 306. In this regard, the sheath 302 is attached to the support structure 303 by the core 304, and the sheath 302 is attached to the shaft 306 by gaps 403 (shown in fig. 4B) between the discontinuities of the core 304, the gaps 403 enabling direct contact between the sheath 302 and the shaft 306. In some cases, as described herein, the shaft securing portion 352 is bonded directly to the shaft 306 during the overmolding process to form the sheath 302.

Because shaft 306 is attached to both core 304 and shaft 306, torque transmitted to shaft 306 may be readily transferred to sheath 302. The increased torque transfer may improve the ability of the jacket 302 to pick up debris from the floor surface 10. Torque transfer may be constant along the length of the roller 300 due to the interlocking interface between the jacket 302 and the core 304. In particular, core securing portion 350 of shell 336 interlocks with core 304. The outer surface of the shell 336 may rotate along the entire length of the interface between the shell 336 and the core 304 at the same or similar rate as the shaft 306.

In some embodiments, the jacket 302 of the roller 300 is a unitary component that includes the shell 336 and cantilevered blades extending substantially radially from an outer surface of the shell 336. Each vane has one end fixed to the outer surface of the shell 336 and the other end free. The height of each blade is defined as the distance from the fixed end to the free end at the shell 336, e.g., at the point of attachment to the shell 336. The free end sweeps over the outer circumference of the jacket 302 during rotation of the roller 300. The circumference is uniform along the length of the roller 300. Because the radius from axis 312 to the outer surface of shell 336 decreases from ends 318, 320 to center 327 of jacket 302, the height of each vane increases from ends 318, 320 to center 327 of jacket 302, such that the outer circumference of roller 300 is uniform over the length of roller 300. In some embodiments, the blades are chevron-shaped such that each of the two legs of each blade begins at opposite ends 318, 320 of the jacket 302, the two legs meeting at an angle at the center 327 of the roller 300 to form a "V" shape. The end of the V is in front of the leg in the direction of rotation.

Fig. 5A and 5B illustrate one example of a shroud 302 including one or more blades on an outer surface of a shell 336. Referring to fig. 3C, although a single blade 342 is described herein, the roller 300 in some embodiments includes a plurality of blades, each of which is similar to the blade 342, but arranged at different locations along the outer surface of the shell 336. The blades 342 are deflectable portions of the sheath 302 that engage the floor surface 10 as the roller 300 rotates during cleaning operations in some cases. The vanes 342 extend along the outer surfaces of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b and the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b of the housing 336. The blades 342 extend radially outward from the jacket 302 and away from the longitudinal axis 312 of the roll 300. The blade 342 deflects as it contacts the floor surface 300 as the roller 300 rotates.

Referring to fig. 5B, the vane 342 extends from a first end 500 secured to the housing 336 to a second free end 502. The height of the blade 342 corresponds to, for example, a height H1 measured from the first end 500 to the second end 502, e.g., the height of the blade 342 measured from the outer surface of the shell 336. The height H1 of the vanes 342 adjacent the center 326 of the roller 300 is greater than the height H1 of the vanes 342 adjacent the first end 308 and the second end 310 of the shaft 306. The height H1 of the blade 342 adjacent the center of the roller 300 is in some cases the maximum height of the blade 342. In some cases, the height H1 of the vanes 342 decreases linearly from the center 326 of the roller 300 toward the first end 308 of the shaft 306. In some cases, the height H1 of the vanes 342 is uniform across the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b of the shell 336 and decreases linearly in height along the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336. In some embodiments, blades 342 are angled rearwardly relative to direction of rotation 503 of roller 300 to allow blades 342 to deflect more easily in response to contact with floor surface 10.

Referring to fig. 5A, the vanes 342 follow, for example, a V-shaped path 504 along the outer surface of the shell 336. The V-shaped path 504 includes a first leg 506 and a second leg 508, each extending from a central plane 327 toward the first end 318 and the second end 320 of the sheath 302, respectively. The first and second legs 506, 508 extend circumferentially along the outer surface of the shell 336, particularly in the direction of rotation 503 of the roll 300. Height H1 of blade 342 decreases from central plane 327 toward first end 318 along first leg 506 of path 504, and height H1 of blade 342 decreases from central plane 327 toward second end 320 along second leg 508 of path 504. In some cases, the height of the blade 342 decreases linearly from the central plane 327 toward the second end 320 and decreases linearly from the central plane 327 toward the first end 318.

In some cases, the outer diameter D7 of the jacket 302 corresponds to the distance between the free ends 502a, 502b of the blades 342a, 342b disposed on opposite sides of a plane passing through the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300. The outer diameter D7 of the sheath 302 is in some cases uniform over the entire length of the sheath 302. At this point, although the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336 are tapered, the outer diameter of the jacket 302 is uniform over the length of the jacket 302 due to the varying height of the vanes 342a, 342b of the jacket 302.

When roll 300 is aligned with another roll, e.g., roll 104b, the outer surface of shell 336 of roll 300 and the outer surface of shell 336 of the other roll define a space therebetween, such as space 108 described herein. The rollers define an air gap therebetween, such as air gap 109 described herein. Because the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b are tapered, the size of the gap increases toward the center 326 of the roll 300. The frustoconical portions 341a, 341b, by tapering inwardly toward the center 326 of the roller 300, facilitate movement of filament debris picked up by the roller 300 toward the ends 318, 320 of the jacket 302. Filament debris can thus be collected into collection wells 328, 330 so that a user can easily remove the filament debris from roller 300. In certain examples, a user unloads the roller 300 from the cleaning robot to enable filament debris collected within the collection wells 328, 330 to be removed.

In some cases, the size of the air gap varies due to the tapering of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341 b. In particular, the width of the air gap depends on whether the blades 342a, 342 of the roll 300 face the blades of the other roll. Although the width of the air gap between the jacket 302 of the roller 300 and the jacket of another roller varies along the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300, the outer circumference of the rollers is uniform. As described with respect to the roller 300, the free ends 502a, 502b of the vanes 42a, 342b define the outer circumference of the roller 300. Similarly, the free end of the blade of the other roller defines the outer circumference of the other roller. The width of the air gap corresponds to the minimum width between the roll 300 and the other roll, e.g. the distance between the outer circumference of the shell 336 of the roll 300 and the outer circumference of the shell of the other roll, if the blades 342a, 342b are facing the blades of the other roll. If the blades 342a, 342b of the roll and the blades of the other roll are positioned such that the air gap is defined by the distance between the shells of the rolls, the width of the air gap corresponds to the maximum width between the rolls, for example between the free ends 502a, 502b of the blades 342a, 342b of the roll 300 and the free ends of the blades of the other roll.

Exemplary dimensions of cleaning robot and cleaning roller

The dimensions of the cleaning robot 102, the roller 300, and their components vary between some embodiments. Referring to fig. 3E and 6, in some examples, length L2 of roller 300 corresponds to the length between outer ends 308, 310 of shaft 306. In this regard, the length of the shaft 306 corresponds to the overall length L2 of the roller 300. The length L2 is, for example, in the range of 10 cm to 50 cm, such as in the range of 10 cm to 30 cm, in the range of 20 cm to 40 cm, in the range of 30 cm to 50 cm. The length L2 of the roller 300 is, for example, in the range of 70% to 90% of the total width W1 of the robot 102 (shown in fig. 2A), for example, in the range of 70% to 80%, in the range of 75% to 85%, in the range of 80% to 90%, etc., of the total width W1 of the robot 102. The width W1 of the robot 102 is, for example, in a range of 20 to 60 centimeters, such as in a range of 20 to 40 centimeters, in a range of 30 to 50 centimeters, in a range of 40 to 60 centimeters, and so forth.

Referring to fig. 3E, the length L3 of the core 304 is in the range of 8 cm to 40 cm, such as in the range of 8 cm to 20 cm, in the range of 20 cm to 30 cm, in the range of 15 cm to 35 cm, in the range of 25 cm to 40 cm, and so forth. The length L3 of the core 304 corresponds to, for example, the combined length of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336 and the length of the fixed portion 331a of the jacket 302. The length L3 of core 304 is in the range of 70% to 90% of the length L2 of roller 300, for example, in the range of 70% to 80%, 70% to 85%, 75% to 90%, etc. of the length L2 of roller 300. The length L4 of sheath 302 is in the range of 9.5 cm to 47.5 cm, such as in the range of 9.5 cm to 30 cm, 15 cm to 30 cm, 20 cm to 40 cm, 20 cm to 47.5 cm, and so forth. The length L4 of jacket 302 is in the range of 80% to 99% of the length L2 of roller 300, for example, in the range of 85% to 99% of the length L2 of roller 300, and in the range of 90% to 99%, and so on.

Referring to fig. 4B, the length L8 of one of the elongated portions 305a, 305B of the support structure 303 is, for example, in the range of 1 cm to 5 cm, such as in the range of 1 to 3 cm, 2 to 4 cm, 3 to 5 cm, etc. The elongated portions 305a, 306b have a combined length, for example, in the range of 10% to 30% of the total length L9 of the support structure 303, for example, in the range of 10% to 20%, in the range of 15% to 25%, in the range of 20% to 30%, etc., of the total length L9. In some examples, the length of the elongated portion 305a is different than the length of the elongated portion 305 b. The length of the elongated portion 305a is, for example, 50% to 90%, 50% to 70%, 70% to 90% of the length of the elongated portion 305 b.

The length L3 of the core 304 is, for example, in the range of 70% to 90% of the total length L9, for example, in the range of 70% to 80%, in the range of 75% to 85%, in the range of 80% to 90%, etc. of the total length L9. The total length L9 is, for example, in the range of 85% to 99% of the total length L2 of the roller 300, e.g., in the range of 90% to 99%, in the range of 95% to 99%, etc., of the total length L2 of the roller 300. The shaft 306 extends beyond the elongated portion 305a by a length L10, such as a length of 0.3mm to 2 mm, for example, in a range of 0.3mm to 1 mm, 0.3mm to 1.5 mm, and so forth. As described herein, in some cases, the total length L2 of roller 300 corresponds to the total length of shaft 306, which extends beyond the length L9 of support structure 303.

Referring to fig. 3E, in some embodiments, the length L5 of one of the collection wells 328, 330 is, for example, in the range of 1.5 centimeters to 10 centimeters, for example, in the range of 1.5 centimeters to 7.5 centimeters, in the range of 5 centimeters to 10 centimeters, and so forth. The length L5 corresponds, for example, to the length of the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b of the shell 336 and the length of the free portions 331b, 331c of the sheath 302. The length L5 of one of the collection wells 328, 330 is, for example, 2.5% to 15% of the length L2 of the roll 300, for example, in the range of 2.5% to 10%, 5% to 10%, 7.5% to 12.5%, 10% to 15% of the length L2 of the roll 300. The total combined length of the collection wells 328, 330 is, for example, in the range of 3 centimeters to 15 centimeters, such as in the range of 3 to 10 centimeters, 10 to 15 centimeters, and so forth. This total combined length corresponds to the total combined length of free portions 331b, 331c of sheath 302 and cylindrical portions 343a, 343b of shell 336. The total combined length of collection wells 328, 330 is, for example, in the range of 5% to 30% of length L2 of roller 300, e.g., in the range of 5% to 15%, in the range of 5% to 20%, in the range of 10% to 25%, in the range of 15% to 30%, etc., of length L2 of roller 300. In certain examples, the combined length of the collection wells 328, 330 is in the range of 5% to 40% of the length L3 of the core 304, for example, in the range of 5% to 20%, 20% to 30%, 30% to 40%, and so forth, of the length L3 of the core 304.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the width or diameter of roller 300 between ends 318 and 320 of jacket 302 corresponds to diameter D7 of jacket 302. Diameter D7 is in some cases uniform from end 318 to end 320 of sheath 302. The diameter D7 of the roller 300 at different locations along the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300 between the location of the end 318 and the location of the end 320 is equal. The diameter D7 is, for example, in the range of 20 millimeters to 60 millimeters, in the range of 20 millimeters to 40 millimeters, in the range of 30 millimeters to 50 millimeters, in the range of 40 millimeters to 60 millimeters, and the like.

Referring to fig. 5B, the height H1 of the blade 342 is, for example, in the range of 0.5 mm to 25 mm, e.g., in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm, 5 to 15 mm, 5 to 20 mm, 5 to 25 mm, etc. The height H1 of the blade 342 at the center plane 327 is, for example, in the range of 2.5 to 25 millimeters, e.g., in the range of 2.5 to 12.5 millimeters, 7.5 to 17.5 millimeters, 12.5 to 25 millimeters, and so forth. The height H1 of the blades 342 at the ends 318, 320 of the sheath 302 is, for example, in the range of 0.5 to 5 millimeters, e.g., in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters, 0.5 to 2.5 millimeters, etc. The height H1 of the blade 342 at the central plane 327 is, for example, 1.5 to 50 times greater than the height H1 of the blade 342 at the ends 318, 320 of the sheath 302, e.g., 1.5 to 5 times, 5 to 10 times, 10 to 20 times, 10 to 50 times, etc., greater than the height H1 of the blade 342 at the ends 318, 320. The height H1 of the blades 342 at the central plane 327 corresponds, for example, to the maximum height of the blades 342, and the height H1 of the blades 342 at the ends 318, 320 of the sheath 302 corresponds to the minimum height of the blades 342. In some embodiments, the maximum height of the leaves 342 is 5% to 45% of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., 5% to 15%, 15% to 30%, 30% to 45%, etc., of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302.

Although the diameter D7 may be uniform between the ends 318, 320 of the jacket 302, the diameter of the core 304 may vary at different points along the length of the roll 300. The diameter D1 of the core 304 along the central plane 327 is, for example, in the range of 5 millimeters to 20 millimeters, such as in the range of 5 to 10 millimeters, 10 to 15 millimeters, 15 to 20 millimeters, and so forth. The diameter D2, D3 of the core 304 near or at the first and second ends 314, 316 of the core 304 is, for example, in the range of 10 mm to 50 mm, for example, in the range of 10 to 20 mm, 15 to 25 mm, 20 to 30 mm, 20 to 50 mm. The diameters D2, D3 are, for example, the maximum diameter of the core 304, while the diameter D1 is the minimum diameter of the core 304. The diameters D2, D3 are, for example, 5 to 20 millimeters smaller than the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., 5 to 10 millimeters, 5 to 15 millimeters, 10 to 20 millimeters, etc., smaller than the diameter D7. In some embodiments, the diameters D2, D3 are 10% to 90% of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., 10% to 30%, 30% to 60%, 60% to 90%, etc., of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302. The diameter D1 is, for example, 10 to 25 millimeters less than the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., 10 to 15 millimeters less, 10 to 20 millimeters, 15 to 25 millimeters less, etc. than the diameter D7 of the sheath 302. In some embodiments, diameter D1 is 5% to 80% of diameter D7 of sheath 302, e.g., 5% to 30%, 30% to 55%, 55% to 80%, etc., of diameter D7 of sheath 302.

Similarly, although the outer diameter of the sheath 302 defined by the free ends 502a, 502b of the blades 342a, 342b may be uniform, the diameter of the shell 336 of the sheath 302 may vary at different points along the length of the shell 336. The diameter D4 of the shell 336 along the central plane 327 is, for example, in the range of 7 millimeters to 22 millimeters, such as in the range of 7 to 17 millimeters, 12 to 22 millimeters, and so forth. The diameter D4 of shell 336 along center plane 327 is defined, for example, by the wall thickness of shell 336. The diameter D5, D6 of the shell 336 at the outer ends 318, 320 of the sheath 302 is, for example, in the range of 15 mm to 55 mm, e.g., in the range of 15 to 40 mm, in the range of 20 to 45 mm, in the range of 30 mm to 55 mm, etc. In some cases, diameters D4, D5, and D6 are 1 to 5 millimeters larger than diameters D1, D2, and D3 of core 304 along central plane 327, e.g., 1 to 3 millimeters larger, 2 to 4 millimeters larger, 3 to 5 millimeters larger, etc. than diameter D1. The diameter D4 of the shell 336 is, for example, in the range of 10% to 50% of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., in the range of 10% to 20% of the diameter D7, in the range of 15% to 25%, in the range of 30% to 50%, etc. The diameter D5, D6 of the shell 336 is, for example, in the range of 80% to 95% of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302, e.g., in the range of 80% to 90%, in the range of 85% to 95%, in the range of 90% to 95%, etc., of the diameter D7 of the sheath 302.

In some embodiments, diameter D4 corresponds to the minimum diameter of shell 336 along the length of shell 336, and diameters D5, D6 correspond to the maximum diameter of shell 336 along the length of shell 336. The diameters D5, D6 correspond to, for example, the diameter of the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b of the shell 336 and the maximum diameter of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336. In the example illustrated in fig. 1A, the length S2 of the gap 108 is defined by the maximum diameter of the shell of the scrub rollers 104a, 104 b. The length S3 of gap 108 is defined by the smallest diameter of the shell of cleaning rollers 104a, 104 b.

In some embodiments, the diameter of the core 304 varies linearly along the length of the core 304. From a minimum diameter to a maximum diameter over the length of the core 304, the diameter of the core 304 increases with a slope M1, for example, in the range of 0.01 to 0.4mm/mm, such as in the range of 0.01 to 0.3mm/mm, in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.35mm/mm, and so forth. In this regard, the angle between the slope M1 defined by the outer surface of the core 304 and the longitudinal axis 312 is, for example, in the range of 0.5 degrees to 20 degrees, e.g., in the range of 1 to 10 degrees, in the range of 5 to 20 degrees, in the range of 5 to 15 degrees, in the range of 10 to 20 degrees, etc.

Referring to fig. 3E, similarly, in some examples, the diameter of the shell 336 also varies linearly along the length of the shell 336. From a minimum diameter to a maximum diameter along the length of the shell 336, the diameter of the core 304 increases with a slope M2 similar to the slope described with respect to the diameter of the core 304. The slope M2 is, for example, in the range of 0.01 to 0.4mm/mm, e.g., in the range of 0.01 to 0.3mm/mm, 0.05 mm to 0.35mm/mm, etc. The angle between the ramp M2 defined by the outer surface of the shell 336 and the longitudinal axis is similar to the ramp M1 of the core 304. The angle between the slope M2 and the longitudinal axis 312 is, for example, in the range of 0.5 degrees to 20 degrees, e.g., in the range of 1 to 10 degrees, in the range of 5 to 20 degrees, in the range of 5 to 15 degrees, in the range of 10 to 20 degrees, etc. In particular, the ramp M2 corresponds to the ramp M2 of the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b of the shell 336.

Exemplary manufacturing Process for a cleaning roller

The specific configuration of the jacket 302, support structure 303, and shaft 306 of the roll 300 may be fabricated using one of several suitable processes. Shaft 306 is, for example, a one-piece component formed from a metal fabrication process, such as machining, metal injection molding, and the like. To attach the support structure 303 to the shaft 306, the support structure 303 is formed, for example, from a plastic material in an injection molding process in which a molten plastic material is injected into a mold for the support structure 303. In some embodiments, shaft 306 is inserted into the mold for support structure 303 before the molten plastic material is injected into the mold during the insert injection molding process. The molten plastic material, when cooled, bonds with the shaft 306 and forms the support structure 303 within the mold. As a result, the support structure 303 is attached to the shaft 306. If the core 304 of the support structure 303 includes discontinuities 402a, 402b, 402c, 404a, 404b, 404c, the surface of the mold engages the shaft 306 at the gaps 403 between the discontinuities 402a, 402b, 402c, 404a, 404b, 404c to inhibit the support structure 303 from forming at the gaps 403.

In some cases, the sheath 302 is formed by a buried injection molding process, wherein the shaft 306 with the support structure 303 attached to the shaft 306 is inserted into a mold for the sheath 302 before the molten plastic material forming the sheath 302 is injected into the mold. The molten plastic material, when cooled, bonds with the core 304 of the support structure 303 and forms the jacket 302 within the mold. The jacket 302 is attached to the support structure 303 by the core 304 by bonding with the core 304 during the injection molding process. In some embodiments, the mold for the jacket 302 is designed such that the frustoconical portions 341a, 341b are bonded to the core 304, while the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b are not bonded to the core 304. Conversely, the cylindrical portions 343a, 343b are unattached and extend freely beyond the ends 314, 316 of the core 304 to define the collection wells 328, 330.

In some embodiments, to improve the bond strength between jacket 302 and core 304, core 304 includes structural features that increase the bond area between jacket 302 and core 304 as the molten plastic material used for jacket 302 cools. In some embodiments, the protrusions of core 304, e.g., protrusions 414a-414d, 418a-418d, increase the bonding area between jacket 302 and core 304. The core fixing portion 350 and the convex portion of the core 304 have an increased bonding area as compared with other examples in which the core 304 has, for example, a uniform cylindrical shape or a uniform prismatic shape. In a further example, the post 420 extends into the jacket 302, thereby further increasing the bonding area between the core securing portion 350 and the jacket 302. Post 420 engages jacket 302 to rotationally couple jacket 302 to core 304. In some embodiments, the gaps 403 between the discontinuities 402a, 402b, 402c, 404a, 404b, 404c enable the plastic material forming the sheath 302 to extend radially inward toward the shaft 306 such that a portion of the sheath 302 is located between the discontinuities 402a, 402b, 402c, 404a, 404b, 404c within the gaps 403. In some cases, the shaft securing portion 352 contacts the shaft 306 and is directly bonded to the shaft 306 during the insert molding process described herein.

This example fabrication process may further facilitate uniform torque transfer from the shaft 306 to the support structure 303 and to the sheath 302. The enhanced adhesion between these structures may reduce the likelihood that torque is not transmitted from the drive axis, e.g., the longitudinal axis 312 of the roller 300, outward toward the outer surface of the jacket 302. Because torque is effectively transferred to the outer surface, debris pick-up may be enhanced because a greater amount of torque is applied by the outer surface of a greater portion of the roller 300 to move debris over the floor surface.

Further, because jacket 302 extends inwardly toward core 304 and interlocks with core 304, shell 336 of jacket 302 may maintain a circular shape in response to contact with a floor surface. Although the blades 342a, 342b may deflect in response to contact with a floor surface and/or contact with debris, the shell 336 may deflect relatively less, thereby enabling the shell 336 to apply a greater amount of force to the debris it contacts. This increased force applied to the debris may increase the amount of agitation of the debris so that the roller 300 may more easily draw in the debris. Further, the increased agitation of the debris may help the airflow 120 generated by the vacuum assembly 118 to carry the debris into the cleaning robot 102. In this regard, rather than deflecting in response to contact with the floor surface, roller 300 may retain its shape and more readily transmit force to the debris.

Alternative embodiments

Several embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made.

Although some previous examples were described with respect to a single roller 300 or roller 104a, roller 300 is similar to front roller 104b except that the arrangement of the blades 342 of roller 300 is different than the arrangement of the blades 224b of front roller 104b, as described herein. In particular, because roll 104b is a front roll and roll 104a is a rear roll, the V-shaped path of blade 224a for roll 104a is symmetrical to the V-shaped path of blade 224b for roll 104b, e.g., symmetrical about a vertical plane equidistant from longitudinal axes 126a, 126b of rolls 104a, 104 b. The legs of the V-shaped path for the blade 224b extend in the counterclockwise direction 130b along the outer surface of the shell 222b of the roller 104b, while the legs of the V-shaped path for the blade 224a extend in the clockwise direction 130a along the outer surface of the shell 222a of the roller 104 a.

In some embodiments, rollers 104a and 104b have different lengths. Roller 104b is shorter than roller 104a, for example. The length of roll 104b is, for example, 50% to 90% of the length of roll 104a, for example, 50% to 70%, 60% to 80%, 70% to 90% of the length of roll 104 a. If the lengths of the rollers 104a, 104b are different, the rollers 104a, 104b are configured in some cases such that the smallest diameters of the shells 222a, 222b of the rollers 104a, 104b lie along the same plane perpendicular to the two longitudinal axes 126a, 126b of the rollers 104a, 104 b. As a result, the spacing between the shells 222a, 222b is defined by the shells 222a, 222b at that plane.

Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (36)

1. An automatic cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a drive operable to move the body across a floor surface;

a first cleaning roller mounted to the body and rotatable about a first axis;

a second cleaning roller mounted to the body and rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis,

wherein the outer surface of the first cleaning roller and the outer surface of the second cleaning roller define a spacing between the outer surface of the first cleaning roller and the outer surface of the second cleaning roller that extends along the first axis and increases toward a center of the length of the first cleaning roller.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the spacing increases linearly toward a center of the length of the first cleaning roller.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the spacing is in the range of 5mm to 30 mm at the center of the length of the first cleaning roller.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the first cleaning roller has a length in a range of 20 cm to 30 cm.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the forward portion of the main body has a substantially rectangular shape, and the first and second cleaning rollers are mounted to an underside of the forward portion of the main body.

6. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a vacuum assembly operable to generate an air flow through the gap to promote the suction of debris from the floor surface; and

a cleaning bin that receives debris sucked from the floor surface.

7. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more actuators for driving the first cleaning roller and the second cleaning roller, and

a controller that operates the one or more actuators to rotate the first scrub roller in a first direction and the second scrub roller in a second direction opposite the first direction during a cleaning operation to facilitate the suctioning of debris from the floor surface.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein the first scrub roller includes a jacket defining an outer surface of the first scrub roller, the jacket defining a collection well that stores a portion of the debris.

9. The robot of claim 1, wherein the first cleaning roller comprises:

a blade extending radially outward from an outer surface of the first cleaning roller, wherein a height of the blade adjacent the first end of the first cleaning roller is less than a height of the blade adjacent a center of a length of the first cleaning roller.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein the height of the blade adjacent the first end of the first cleaning roller is in the range of 1 mm to 5mm and the height of the blade adjacent the center of the length of the first cleaning roller is in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

11. The robot of claim 9, wherein the height of the blade adjacent the first end of the first cleaning roller is 5% to 45% of the height of the blade adjacent the center of the length of the first cleaning roller.

12. A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot, wherein the cleaning roller comprises:

an elongate shaft extending along a rotational axis, the elongate shaft being mountable to the cleaning robot for rotation about the rotational axis;

a sheath surrounding the shaft, the sheath comprising:

a blade extending radially outward from an outer surface of the sheath, wherein a height of the blade adjacent the first end of the scrub roller is less than a height of the blade adjacent a center of the scrub roller positioned along the axis of rotation.

13. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the blades follow a V-shaped path along the outer surface of the sheath.

14. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein a height of the blade proximate the first end of the scrub roller is in a range of 1 mm to 5mm and a height of the blade proximate a center of the scrub roller is in a range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

15. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein a height of the blade adjacent the first end of the scrub roller is between 5% and 45% of a height of the blade adjacent a center of the scrub roller.

16. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the blades extend radially outward from a first end secured to the outer surface of the sheath to a second free end, the second free end of the blades defining an overall diameter of the scrub roller that is uniform over a length of the scrub roller.

17. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the height of the blade decreases linearly from proximate a center of the scrub roller to proximate the first end of the scrub roller.

18. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the sheath includes a frustoconical portion extending from a center of the scrub roller toward an outer end of the sheath, the outer end including a cylindrical portion of a collection well defined within the sheath.

19. The scrub roller of claim 18, wherein a height of the blade is uniform along the cylindrical portion.

20. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the blades are symmetrical about a vertical plane passing through a center of the scrub roller.

21. The scrub roller of claim 12, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of blades, each blade extending radially outward from an outer surface of the sheath, the plurality of blades including the blade.

22. A scrub roller mountable to a cleaning robot, the scrub roller comprising:

first and second ends mountable to a cleaning robot for rotating the cleaning roller about a longitudinal axis;

a sheath extending from a first end to a second end; and

one or more vanes extending along a path on the outer surface of the sheath and extending outwardly from the outer surface of the sheath, wherein a height of the one or more vanes relative to the outer surface of the sheath varies along the longitudinal axis.

23. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the path includes a first end adjacent the first end of the scrub roller and a second end adjacent the second end of the scrub roller, wherein a height of the one or more blades decreases from the first end adjacent the path toward a center of the scrub roller and decreases from the second end adjacent the path toward the center of the scrub roller.

24. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the one or more blades include a first blade extending along a first portion of the path and a second blade extending along a second portion of the path separate from the first portion of the path.

25. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein said path is a V-shaped path along an outer surface of said sheath.

26. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the one or more blades extend radially outward from a first end secured to the outer surface of the sheath to a second free end, the second free ends of the blades defining an overall diameter of the scrub roller, the overall diameter being uniform over a length of the scrub roller.

27. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the sheath comprises a frustoconical portion extending from a center of the scrub roller to a first end of the scrub roller.

28. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein a height of the blade varies linearly from proximate a center of the scrub roller to proximate a first end of the scrub roller.

29. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the outer end of the sheath includes a cylindrical portion defining a collection well within the sheath.

30. The scrub roller of claim 22, wherein the one or more blades are symmetrical about a vertical plane passing through a center of the scrub roller.

31. An automatic cleaning robot comprising:

a drive operable to move the robotic cleaning robot across the floor surface; and

a cleaning roller rotatable to direct debris into the robot cleaner, the cleaning roller comprising:

first and second ends mountable to the robot to enable the robot to rotate the cleaning roller about the axis of rotation,

a shell extending from the first end to the second end of the scrub roller, an

A blade extending radially outward from the housing, the blade configured to contact debris as the scrub roller rotates to direct the debris into the automatic cleaning robot, wherein a height of the blade adjacent the first end of the scrub roller is less than a height of the blade adjacent a center of the scrub roller positioned along the axis of rotation.

32. The robot of claim 31, wherein the blade follows a V-shaped path along the outer surface of the housing.

33. The robot of claim 31, wherein the height of the blade adjacent the first end of the cleaning roller is in the range of 1 mm to 5mm and the height of the blade adjacent the center of the cleaning roller is in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

34. The robot of claim 31, wherein the height of the blade adjacent the first end of the cleaning roller is 5% to 45% of the height of the blade adjacent the center of the cleaning roller.

35. The automatic cleaning robot of claim 31, wherein the blade extends radially outward from a first end secured to the housing to a second free end, the second free end of the blade defining an overall diameter of the cleaning roller that is uniform over a length of the cleaning roller.

36. The robot of claim 31, wherein the height of the blade decreases linearly from near the center of the cleaning roller to near the first end of the cleaning roller.

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