HK1237229B - Autonomous planar surface cleaning robot - Google Patents

Description

Autonomous surface cleaning robot

Background Art

The present disclosure relates to cleaning devices and, more particularly, to autonomous surface cleaning robots. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to autonomous cleaning robots that include a transmission drive mechanism, at least one vacuum source, and a cleaning zone, and are capable of autonomously cleaning a vertical surface, such as a window pane. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to autonomous cleaning robots that utilize negative air pressure, such as a vacuum, to adhere to a vertical surface, such as a window pane. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a transmission drive mechanism that enables the cleaning robot to autonomously move on a vertical surface while cleaning the surface.

Traditionally, home windows are cleaned by manually opening or removing them, while high-rise building windows are cleaned by cleaners working from outside the building. This is very cumbersome and dangerous. Autonomous cleaning robots can be used to clean vertical surfaces such as windows.

Despite recent developments in autonomous cleaning robots, there remains a need for an improved low-cost, lightweight, easy-to-use autonomous surface cleaning robot for home use. There is also a need for an autonomous cleaning robot that is compact and convenient to use. Furthermore, there is a need for an autonomous cleaning robot that includes a feedback control mechanism to sense hazardous situations while the robot is in motion and to react in sufficient time to avoid such hazardous situations.

Summary of the Invention

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an autonomous plane cleaning robot comprising: a main body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; a drive mechanism supported by the main body; a vacuum source supported by the main body and connected to the cavity fluid; a vacuum sensor supported by the main body and connected to the cavity fluid; and a control unit supported by the main body and electrically connected to the drive mechanism, the vacuum source and the vacuum sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot to turn when the control unit receives a signal from the vacuum sensor indicating that the degree of vacuum pressure within the cavity is below a predetermined vacuum pressure.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides an autonomous plane cleaning robot comprising: a main body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; a drive mechanism supported by the main body; a first vacuum source supported by the main body and connected to the cavity fluid; a first vacuum sensor supported by the main body and connected to the first vacuum source fluid through the cavity; a second vacuum source supported by the main body and isolated from the cavity fluid; a second vacuum sensor supported by the main body and connected to the second vacuum source fluid through a fluid channel; and a control unit supported by the main body and electrically connected to the drive mechanism, the first and second vacuum sources, and the first and second vacuum sensors, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot to turn when the control unit receives a signal from the second vacuum sensor indicating that the degree of vacuum pressure within the first fluid channel is below a predetermined vacuum pressure.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a drive mechanism for an autonomous plane cleaning robot, the robot comprising a main body, a vacuum source, a vacuum sensor and a control unit, the drive mechanism comprising: a first transmission assembly; and a second assembly spaced apart in parallel with the first transmission assembly; wherein each of the first and second transmission assemblies defines a first and second end and a first and second side, wherein the first sides face each other in a direction transverse to the direction of movement, and the second sides face away from each other, and the first and second ends are spaced apart in opposite directions along the direction of movement; and wherein each of the first and second transmission assemblies can be independently controlled by the control unit.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a flat cleaning device comprising: a body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; at least one vacuum source supported by the body and fluidically connected to the cavity; a cleaning assembly placed above the surface area defined on the exterior of the bottom of the body; and a connector rod comprising: a handle portion; and a U-shaped portion connected to the handle portion, wherein the U-shaped portion is pivotally connected to the body.

In addition to the foregoing, various other aspects of the apparatus and/or process are presented and described in the teachings of the text of this disclosure (eg, claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawings, such as those described above.

The foregoing is an overview and may contain simplifications, generalizations, inclusions, and/or omissions of details. Therefore, those skilled in the art should recognize that this overview is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the claimed subject matter in any way. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the devices and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will become apparent from the teachings presented herein.

In one or more aspects, the related systems include, but are not limited to, circuits and/or programs for effecting the method aspects mentioned herein; the circuits and/or programs can be configured to effect the method aspects mentioned herein in virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware according to the design choices of the system designer. In addition to the foregoing, various other method and/or system aspects are proposed and described in the teachings of the text (e.g., claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure.

The foregoing summary of the invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, other aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features characteristic of the embodiments described herein are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. However, the embodiments, both as to organization and method of operation, may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment.

3 is a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 2 , according to one embodiment.

4 is a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 3 with cleaning elements removed to illustrate underlying structural features, according to one embodiment.

FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional robot cleaner.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , according to one embodiment.

FIG7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the interrelationships among various subsystems of an autonomous surface cleaning robot according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a conventional robot cleaner.

9 is a bottom view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot including a single vacuum source and multiple vacuum holes, according to one embodiment.

10 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 9 , here from a perspective perspective showing the robot now operating behind a frameless surface, according to one embodiment.

11 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot shown in FIG. 10 , here viewed from a perspective perspective, showing the robot now operating partially behind a frameless surface, in accordance with one embodiment.

12 depicts a bottom view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot including multiple vacuum sources, here shown from a perspective perspective, with the robot now operating behind a frameless surface, according to one embodiment.

13 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 12 , here from a perspective perspective showing the robot now operating partially behind a frameless surface, according to one embodiment.

14 is a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot including a vacuum source, according to one embodiment.

15 is a bottom perspective view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 14 , according to one embodiment.

16 is a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot including multiple vacuum sources, according to one embodiment.

17 is a bottom perspective view of the autonomous cleaning robot shown in FIG. 16 , according to one embodiment.

18 is a top perspective view of a flat surface cleaning apparatus including multiple vacuum sources and connector wands, according to one embodiment.

19 is a bottom perspective view of the flat surface cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 18 , according to one embodiment.

20 is a top view of one component of a drive mechanism for an autonomous surface cleaning robot, according to one embodiment.

21 is a side view of a component of the drive mechanism shown in FIG. 20 , according to one embodiment.

22 is an exploded view of a portion of the drive mechanism shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 , according to one embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a drive mechanism for a conventional window cleaner.

24 is a left side view of a drive mechanism for an autonomous surface cleaning robot, according to one embodiment.

25 is a top view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot having a first drive mechanism configuration, according to one embodiment.

26 is a top view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot with a second drive mechanism configuration, according to one embodiment.

27 is a top view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot with a third drive mechanism configuration, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating the construction or composition of a control unit for an autonomous surface cleaning robot according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols and reference characters generally identify similar components throughout the several views, unless the context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein.

Before explaining the various embodiments of the autonomous surface cleaning robot in detail, it should be noted that the various embodiments disclosed herein are not limited in their application and use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings and the description. On the contrary, the disclosed embodiments may be placed or combined in other embodiments, variations and modifications thereof, and may be practiced or implemented in various ways. Therefore, the embodiments of the autonomous surface cleaning robot disclosed herein are illustrative in nature and are not meant to limit their scope or application. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions used herein have been selected for the purpose of describing the embodiments for the convenience of the reader and not to limit their scope. Furthermore, it should be understood that one or more of the disclosed embodiments, expressions of embodiments and/or instances thereof may be combined with one or more of the other disclosed embodiments, expressions of embodiments and/or instances thereof without limitation.

Likewise, in the following description, it should be understood that terms such as front, back, inside, outside, top, bottom, left, and right are words of convenience and are not to be considered as limiting terms. The terms used herein are not intended to limit the scope of the devices described herein or portions thereof and may be added or used in other contexts. Various embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Therefore, turning now to FIG. 1 , a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 according to one embodiment is shown, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous cleaning robot 100 shown in FIG. Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in one embodiment, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 is a robot configured for use with glass panels or flat glass, such as those commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windshields. However, while various embodiments of the autonomous cleaning robot 100 are primarily disclosed in the context of window cleaning applications, and particularly cleaning vertically mounted flat glass structures such as windows, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 should not be considered limited to such applications. For example, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 can be adapted and configured to clean any suitable flat surface, whether vertical, horizontal, or any suitable orientation therebetween. Suitable flat surfaces include, but are not limited to, any substantially flat plate, sheet, and/or any combination thereof, made of materials such as glass, mirrors, plastic, and/or metal, without limitation. The autonomous cleaning robot 100 is configured to attach to a vertical, substantially flat surface via suction generated by negative air pressure between the robot 100 and the surface. In any such cleaning application, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 is configured to clean a flat surface while autonomously moving along the surface.

Still referring to Figures 1 and 2, in one embodiment, the autonomous plane cleaning robot 100 includes a main body 102, a drive mechanism 104 (or unit), at least one vacuum source 106, and a control unit 148 (shown in Figures 7 and 28). The main body 102 includes a cover 108 portion and a base 110 portion. The handle 112 is positioned on the upper outer portion of the cover 108. The cavity 142 (shown in Figure 6) is defined between the cover 108 and the base 110. The vacuum source 106 and the control unit 148 are positioned and supported within the cavity 142. The drive mechanism 104 (or unit), the at least one vacuum source 106, and the control unit 148 are supported by the main body 102.

In one embodiment, the drive mechanism 104 of the autonomous plane cleaning robot 100 includes two drive mechanisms arranged beside the left and right sides of the main body 102. As shown in conjunction with Figure 20, each drive mechanism 104 includes a motor 105a, a gear reducer 152a and a transmission system 154a, as described in more detail below in conjunction with Figures 20 to 22. The transmission system 154a includes a synchronous belt 156, a synchronous drive wheel 158 and a synchronous wheel 160. The motor 105a rotatably drives the synchronous drive wheel 158 to rotate the synchronous wheel 160 via the belt 156. The movement can be forward or backward, and each drive mechanism 104 can be operated independently to guide the autonomous cleaning robot 100 in the desired direction. It should be recognized that, as used herein, the term "guide" means to guide or control the movement or turning of a vehicle such as a robot.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2, and 6, the vacuum source 106 includes a vacuum motor 138 and an impeller 140 located within the interior space of the body 102 and the handle 112. In detail, the impeller is located within the cavity 142, and the motor 138 is located within the space between the cavity 142 and the interior cavity 146 of the handle 112. The autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 also includes a removable cleaning assembly 116, which may be referred to herein as a dust collector, for example. The removable cleaning assembly 116 is located around the periphery of the base 110 and completely surrounds the base 110. The removable cleaning assembly 116 defines an outer periphery 120 and an inner periphery 122, where the outer periphery 120 is substantially aligned with the outer periphery 118 of the base 110. The central portion of the base 110 is recessed from the exterior 118 of the base 110, and a position within the inner periphery 112 of the cleaning assembly 116 defines a cavity 114 in the base 110. Thus, when the autonomous cleaning robot 100 is positioned on a substantially flat surface and the vacuum source 106 is operating, a vacuum is created between the cavity 114 and the surface. The removable cleaning assembly 116 also acts as a seal to maintain the vacuum pressure at an appropriate level. The vacuum pressure can be selected so that the autonomous cleaning robot 100 can be attached to the surface while still being able to move on the surface to perform its cleaning function, regardless of whether the surface is vertical, horizontal, or any orientation therebetween.

1 and 2 , the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 further includes a light emitting diode (LED) indicator 124 and a caster 126 at the bottom of the base 110. The caster 126 is a driven wheel and operates so that when the autonomous cleaning robot 100 encounters a frame or other obstacle along a surface, the caster 126 will be in an abnormal state, causing the control unit 148 ( FIG. 7 and FIG. 28 ) to control the drive mechanism 104 so that the autonomous cleaning robot 100 turns in different directions according to the state of the caster 126. Therefore, the caster 126 further ensures the safety of the autonomous robot 100. When the autonomous cleaning robot 100 is in a dangerous position, the LED indicator 124 will flash.

1 , which shows a second LED indicator 128 disposed on the top of the handle 112. The function of the second LED indicator 128 is the same as that of the first LED indicator 124 located at the bottom of the base 110. Both LED indicators 124, 128 inform the user of the status of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100, regardless of whether the autonomous cleaning robot 100 is operating inside or outside a transparent or translucent surface relative to the user.

1 , a power cord (not shown) is positioned within the handle 112 through an opening 130 provided through the handle 112. The power cord is configured to be plugged into a conventional electrical outlet to provide power to the drive mechanism 104, the vacuum source 106, and the control unit 148 (FIGS. 7 and 28), among other components requiring power.

Various embodiments of the surface cleaning robot described herein utilize a vacuum to attach the robot to a vertical surface. This enables the cleaning robot to attach itself to and move along a vertical wall, such as a window pane. In order for the cleaning robot to remain attached to the vertical wall, the following relationship must be met:

PSμ≥G (1)

Wherein, P is the vacuum degree; S is the vacuum sealing area; μ is the friction coefficient; and G is the gravity. For the same robot gravity G and friction coefficient μ, the sealing area S can be selected to be relatively large to reduce the required vacuum degree P. For example, when the vacuum degree P>0.5Kpa, the various embodiments of the cleaning robot described herein can be attached to a plane such as a window glass, so that the cleaning robot can use a general impeller or pump to ensure the safe operability of the cleaning robot. As shown in Figure 2, the surface area S of the cleaning component 116 is the vacuum sealing area. In one embodiment, when the vacuum degree P is between 0.5Kpa and 2.0Kpa, the cleaning robot can be attached to a plane such as a window glass. When the vacuum degree P>2.0Kp, the cleaning robot can be attached to the plane and move to clean the surface.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the autonomous plane cleaning robot 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2 according to one embodiment. The autonomous cleaning robot 100 includes a main body 102, a drive mechanism 104, a vacuum source 106, and a cleaning assembly 116. The longitudinal axis 101 defines a left half and a right half of the main body 102 along a direction parallel to the direction of the drive mechanism 104. The transverse axis 103 intersects the longitudinal axis 101 orthogonally and defines a front half and a rear half of the main body 102. The vacuum cavity 114 defined in the center of the main body 102 is the vacuum cavity 114. The cleaning assembly 116 is arranged along the outer side of the periphery of the vacuum cavity 114. The robot 100 also includes an LED indicator 124, casters 126, and a vacuum sensor 136.

The drive mechanism 104 includes two transmission assemblies 104a and 104b arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 102 in a parallel relationship with respect to the direction of forward and backward movement. Each transmission assembly 104a and 104b includes a motor 105a and 105b, a gear reducer (not shown, but an example described in Figures 20 to 22), and a transmission (not shown, but an example described in Figures 20 to 22). As shown in Figure 25, both motors 1038a and 1038b are located on the inner side of the transmission assemblies 104a and 104b and on the same end.

FIG4 is a bottom view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 shown in FIG3 according to one embodiment, wherein the cleaning elements are removed to illustrate the structural features below. As shown in FIG4 , the bottom of the base 110 includes a plurality of holes 132. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of holes 132 are arranged at the front and rear sides of the bottom 134 of the base 110. However, in other embodiments, the plurality of holes 132 can be arranged at the left and right sides of the bottom 134 of the base 110, or can be arranged along the periphery of the bottom 134 of the base 110. In one embodiment, the plurality of holes are previously arranged at one side of the base bottom according to the direction of movement of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100. The plurality of holes 132 are fluidically connected to the vacuum chamber 114 defined by the base 110. The autonomous cleaning robot 100 further includes a sensor 136 configured to sense the degree of vacuum pressure within the cavity 114 defined by the base 110.

The autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 is configured to move forward and backward when propelled by the drive mechanism 104. However, when the autonomous cleaning robot 100 moves through a gap between adjacent surfaces or over the edge of a frameless surface, the exposed holes 132 formed on the bottom of the base 110 will leak air, thereby causing the vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 114, which is in fluid communication with the exposed holes 132, to drop. If the vacuum pressure drops below a predetermined threshold, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 may fall off the vertical surface. However, to avoid this undesirable situation, the sensor 136 measures the decrease in the vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 114 and sends this information (or signal) to the control unit 148 (Figures 7 and 28), which instructs the drive mechanism 104 to change the direction of the autonomous cleaning robot 100 until the vacuum pressure in the chamber 114 returns to a level above the predetermined threshold. Therefore, this feedback control mechanism can be used to avoid dangerous situations, such as a dangerous situation in which the autonomous cleaning robot 100 falls off the vertical surface.

The vacuum sensor 136 can be implemented in many configurations. In one example, the vacuum sensor 136 is configured to measure a pressure below atmospheric pressure, indicating the difference between the low pressure and atmospheric pressure (i.e., a negative gauge pressure). In another example, the vacuum sensor 136 is configured to measure a low pressure relative to a perfect vacuum (i.e., an absolute pressure). Any suitable vacuum sensor or pressure sensor configuration can be utilized, as long as it is configured to determine when the degree of vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 114 falls below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being selected based on the relationship PSμ≥G in equation (1).

FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional robotic cleaner. FIG5 is from a conventional window cleaning robot 200 disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2013/0037050. Referring to FIG5, the cleaner 200 includes cleaning components 211 and 212, a pump module 230, a drive module 220, and a control system (not shown). The cleaning components 211 and 212 and the plate 219 define a space 213 and 214. The pump module 230 is connected to the spaces 213 and 214 to pump air out of the spaces 213 and 214, thereby forming a negative air pressure in the spaces 213 and 214 so that the cleaner 200 is sucked onto the plate 219. The drive module 220 drives the cleaning components 211 and 212. The control system (not shown) is connected to the pump module 230 and the drive module 220 and controls the drive module 220 to move the cleaning components 211 and 212 on the plate 219. However, the pump module 230 shown in FIG5 is provided with a motor portion extending beyond the upper end of the machine housing 202. Furthermore, because the robot 200 does not include a handle, in order to use it, the user must hold the cleaning robot 200 at both ends. These and other limitations and disadvantages associated with conventional window cleaning robots 200 are addressed by the various embodiments of the autonomous surface cleaning robot described herein.

Therefore, turning now to FIG. 6 , FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 , according to one embodiment. As previously discussed, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 can be utilized to clean surface areas, such as windows, for example. The specific structure and configuration of the autonomous cleaning robot 100 shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 provide substantial improvements to autonomous window cleaning robots, which are compact and conveniently usable with the aid of a handle 112.

As shown in Figure 6, the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 includes a main body 102. The main body 102 is formed by a cover 108 and a base 110. A cavity 142 is defined between the cover 108 and the base 110. The vacuum source 106 is positioned in the cavity 142 and is offset from the center of the autonomous cleaning robot 100. The vacuum source 106 includes a motor 138 that is operably connected to an impeller 140. The motor 138 is positioned in a generally perpendicular relationship to the impeller 140 located below the motor 138. The motor 138 drives the impeller 140 to rotate and generate a vacuum at the base 110 of the autonomous cleaning robot 100 so that the robot 100 can be adsorbed on a generally flat surface such as a window panel.

The autonomous cleaning robot 100 further includes a handle 112 positioned at an upper portion of the lid 108. The handle 112 can be used to lift and carry the autonomous cleaning robot 100. Two internal cavities 144, 146 are located at either end of the handle 112. The internal cavities 144, 146 can be spaced apart from each other or can be connected together. As shown in FIG6 , the internal cavity 144 on one side is suitable for accommodating a power cord cable, and the cavity 146 on the other side is suitable for accommodating at least a portion of the motor 138 and other components associated therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , FIG. 7 shows a schematic block diagram 195 of the interrelationships of the various subsystems of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 according to one embodiment. The autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 includes a drive mechanism 104, a control unit 148, a vacuum source 106, and a power supply unit 150, among other components. The power supply unit 150 is configured to supply electricity to the drive mechanism 104, the control unit 148, and the vacuum source 106. The autonomous surface cleaning robot 100 further includes a cleaning assembly 116 (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 ). In the embodiment shown herein, the cleaning assembly 116 is a dust collector. However, other cleaning assemblies may be utilized without limitation. The cleaning assembly 116 is removably connected to the bottom 134 (as shown in FIG. 4 ) of the base 110 of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100, so that the cleaning assembly 116 is easy to rinse or replace. Of course, the cleaning assembly 116 may be a sponge instead of a dust collector, as well as other suitable cleaning assemblies. The cleaning assembly 116 also serves as a seal to maintain a suitable level of vacuum pressure, thereby keeping the autonomous surface cleaning robot against the surface.

Figure 8 is a bottom view of a conventional robotic window cleaner. The robotic window cleaner shown in Figure 8 is disclosed in Chinese patent application CN202669947U. The robotic window cleaner shown in Figure 8 includes a suction device 1, a drive mechanism 2, and a cleaning assembly 3. The suction device 1 comprises a suction cup unit, an internal vacuum pump 15, an external vacuum pump 16, an internal conduit 17, and an external conduit 18. The suction cup unit includes an internal suction cup 11 and an external suction cup 12. The internal suction cup 11 is arranged inside the external suction cup 12. The internal suction cup 11 is connected to the internal vacuum pump 15. The external suction cup 12 is connected to the external vacuum pump 16. The cavity inside the internal suction cup 11 forms an internal negative pressure chamber through vacuum suction, and the cavity between the internal and external suction cups 11 and 12 forms an external negative pressure chamber through vacuum suction. The external negative pressure chamber is connected to a vacuum detection unit. If the window cleaning robot shown in Figure 8 detects air leakage in the cavity between the internal and external suction cups 11 and 12, the robot will turn to avoid danger. However, the distance S between the inner suction cup 11 and the outer suction cup 12 is too close, so that the robot does not have time to respond and avoid danger.

Therefore, the configuration of the window cleaning robot shown in FIG8 can be improved to provide a faster response time when a vacuum leak occurs during operation of the window cleaning robot, thereby avoiding a potentially dangerous and destructive situation. To address these and other limitations associated with the window cleaning robot shown in FIG8, the embodiments described below include a vacuum system to avoid a potentially dangerous and destructive situation when a vacuum leak occurs during operation of the window cleaning robot.

As disclosed in Chinese patent application CN202537389U, a window cleaning robot is capable of detecting the edges of frameless glass panels. This robot includes a detection sensor and a control unit. When the robot moves near the edge of a glass panel, the detection sensor's detector moves away from the surface of the glass panel, and the control unit then controls the robot to steer to avoid danger. However, this detection sensor cannot detect the edge when the vacuum level drops, as described in conjunction with the embodiments shown in Figures 9 to 13.

Figure 9 is a bottom view of an autonomous flat cleaning robot 300 according to one embodiment, which includes a single vacuum source 306 and a plurality of holes 332 in fluid communication with the vacuum source 306. The structural and functional operating features of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 shown in Figure 9 are substantially similar to those described for the autonomous cleaning robot 100 shown in, for example, Figures 1 to 4, 6, and 7. In order to clearly disclose and reveal the following structure, the cleaning assembly has been omitted from the embodiment of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 shown in Figure 9. The longitudinal axis 301 defines the left and right halves of the body 302 along a direction parallel to the direction of the drive mechanism 304. The transverse axis 303 intersects the longitudinal axis 301 orthogonally and defines the front and rear halves of the body 302.

The current embodiment of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 is directed to a window cleaning robot that is configured to sense a drop in vacuum within a vacuum chamber 314 and respond in sufficient time to redirect the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 300, thereby avoiding a dangerous or destructive situation. The autonomous cleaning robot 300 includes a control unit (not shown), a drive mechanism 304, and a vacuum source 306. The bottom 334 of the base 310 includes a recessed portion defining the vacuum chamber 314, which is in fluid communication with the vacuum source 306. Therefore, when the vacuum source 306 is activated, a negative pressure is generated between the flat surface and the vacuum chamber 314. A plurality of holes 332 are arranged on at least one side of the base 310 of the autonomous cleaning robot 300. The holes 332 are in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber 314 and the vacuum source 306 via a plurality of fluid channels 352. Of course, in addition to the above, the holes 332 can be located on the other side without limitation. In one embodiment, the holes are previously located on one side of the base according to the direction of movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 300.

When the autonomous cleaning robot 300 is positioned on a flat surface and the vacuum source 306 is activated, the drive assemblies 304a, 304b, which are in a parallel relationship relative to each other, propel the autonomous cleaning robot 300 along the flat surface. However, when the autonomous cleaning robot 300 moves to the edge of the flat surface without a lip or frame structure disposed around the edge, one or more of the plurality of apertures 332 extend over the edge and are exposed to atmospheric pressure, causing the vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber to decrease. This exposure of the one or more apertures 332 to atmospheric pressure reduces the negative vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 314, which keeps the autonomous cleaning robot 300 attached to the flat surface.

When the vacuum sensor 336 senses that the level of vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 314 has dropped below a predetermined threshold, the vacuum sensor 336 sends information or a signal to the control unit 148 (FIGS. 7 and 28). In response, the control unit 148 redirects the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 away from the edge of the surface until the level of vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 314 returns to a value above the predetermined threshold. Thus, a potentially dangerous and destructive situation can be avoided. The predetermined vacuum threshold is selected so that the suction force can hold the autonomous robot 300 against the surface while still being able to move across its surface.

It should be appreciated that the autonomous cleaning robot 300 can move in any direction by independently controlling the rotational speed of each of the two components of the drive assembly 304a, 304b. Thus, by moving one component 304 of the drive mechanism 304 faster than the other component 304b, the autonomous cleaning robot 300 can move in a desired direction. In one aspect, the autonomous cleaning robot 300 can rotate 360 degrees in position by moving one component 304 of the drive mechanism 304 forward and the other component 304b backward.

Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating the operating modes of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 300 described in conjunction with Figure 9. Again, for clarity of disclosure and illustration of the following structure, the cleaning components have been omitted from the embodiment of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 shown in Figures 10 and 11.

FIG10 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 300 shown in FIG9 , shown here from a perspective perspective, according to one embodiment, as the robot 300 now operates behind a frameless surface 354. It should be appreciated that the term frameless, as used herein, refers to a generally flat surface 354 having a lip or frame structure around its perimeter to prevent or interfere with the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 300. Thus, without any feedback control system, like the one described in conjunction with FIG9 , there is nothing to prevent the autonomous cleaning robot 300 from extending beyond an edge 356 of the surface 354 and falling off. As shown in FIG10 , the autonomous cleaning robot 300 adheres to the vertical surface 354, the window pane, by means of suction generated within the vacuum chamber 314 when the vacuum source 306 is activated. The autonomous cleaning robot 300 utilizes the transmission assemblies 304a, 304b to propel it across the surface 354.

FIG11 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 300 shown in FIG10 , shown from perspective, now partially operating behind the frameless surface 354 , according to one embodiment. As shown, a lower left corner 358 of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 (as viewed from the bottom) has extended beyond the bottom frameless edge 356 of the surface 354 , exposing one of the apertures 332 to atmospheric pressure. This causes the vacuum chamber 314 to be fluidly connected to atmospheric pressure via one of the fluid channels 352 that fluidly connect the aperture 332 to the vacuum chamber 314 . This causes the vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 314 to drop below a predetermined pressure. The vacuum sensor 336 senses the change in vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 314 and sends information or a signal to the control unit 148 ( FIG7 and FIG28 ). In response, the control unit 148 redirects the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 300 away from the edge 356 of the surface 354 by controlling the transmission assemblies 304a and 304b until the vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber 314 returns to a value above a predetermined threshold. Thus, when the autonomous cleaning robot 300 extends beyond the edge 356 of the surface 354 being cleaned, the feedback system quickly responds to vacuum leaks caused by exposure of one or more holes 332 to atmospheric pressure. Thus, potentially dangerous and damaging situations, such as the autonomous cleaning robot 300 losing vacuum pressure against the surface 354 and becoming disengaged, can be avoided.

12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating modes of operation of one embodiment of an autonomous surface cleaning robot 400 including multiple vacuum sources 406, 460. For clarity of disclosure and illustration of the following structure, the cleaning components have been omitted.

FIG12 depicts a bottom view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot 400 including multiple vacuum sources 406, 460, according to one embodiment, shown from perspective, with the robot 400 now operating behind the frameless surface 354. The autonomous cleaning robot 400 shown in FIG12 includes drive assemblies 404a, 404b arranged in parallel relation to one another, a first vacuum source 406, and a recessed portion that functions as a vacuum chamber 414 when the first vacuum source 406 is activated. A first sensor 436 is configured to sense the vacuum pressure generated in the vacuum chamber 414. The operational details of the drive mechanism 404 and the first vacuum source 406 have been described in conjunction with the embodiments shown in FIG1-4, FIG6, and FIG9-11; therefore, for the sake of brevity and clarity, these details will not be repeated here. As shown in FIG12, a second vacuum source 460 is fluidically connected to a plurality of apertures 432 formed around the perimeter of the base of the autonomous cleaning robot 400. The plurality of apertures 432 are fluidically connected via a first fluid channel 452. The plurality of holes 432 and the first fluid channel 452 are fluidly connected to a second vacuum source 460 via a second fluid channel 458. A second vacuum sensor 462 is fluidly connected to the plurality of holes 432, the first and second fluid channels 452, 458, and the second vacuum source 460 to determine the extent of the reduction in vacuum pressure therein.

Most importantly, in the embodiment shown in Figures 12 and 13 , the first vacuum source 406 is fluidically isolated from the second vacuum source 460, and the plurality of apertures 432 are not in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber 414. The first vacuum source 406 and the first vacuum sensor 436 are associated with the vacuum chamber 414 and are configured to maintain the autonomous cleaning robot 400 against the flat surface 354, while the second vacuum source 460, the plurality of apertures 432, and the second vacuum sensor 462 are used to sense the edge 356 of the flat surface 354. Therefore, when the second vacuum sensor 462 senses that the level of vacuum pressure has dropped below a predetermined threshold, the control unit 148 (Figures 7 and 28) controls the transmission assemblies 404a and 404b to redirect the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 400 away from the edge 356 of the flat surface 354 until the vacuum pressure in the first fluid channel 452 returns to a value above the threshold. Therefore, when air leaks from the plurality of apertures 432, this arrangement does not affect the level of vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 414 that maintains the autonomous cleaning robot 400 against the flat surface 354. Therefore, the safety of the autonomous cleaning robot 400 is ensured.

FIG13 depicts a bottom view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 400 shown in FIG12 , shown here from a perspective perspective, showing the robot 400 now partially operating behind the frameless surface 354 , according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG13 , the lower left corner 458 of the autonomous cleaning robot 400 (as viewed from the bottom) has extended beyond the bottom frameless edge 356 of the surface 354 , exposing one of the holes 432 to atmospheric pressure, resulting in a decrease in the vacuum in the second passage 452 . The second vacuum sensor 462 senses the change in the level of vacuum pressure in the second passage 452 and sends information or a signal to the control unit ( FIG7 and FIG28 ). In response, the control unit redirects the movement of the autonomous cleaning robot 400 away from the edge 356 of the surface 354 by controlling the transmission assemblies 404a, 404b until the level of vacuum pressure in the second passage 452 returns to a value above a predetermined threshold.

Thus, when the autonomous cleaning robot 400 extends beyond the edge 356 of the plane 354 being cleaned, the feedback system quickly responds to vacuum leaks caused by the exposure of one or more holes 432. Thus, potentially dangerous and damaging situations such as the autonomous cleaning robot 400 losing vacuum pressure against the plane 354 and becoming disengaged can be avoided. Furthermore, because the cavity 414 holding the autonomous cleaning robot 400 against the plane 354 is isolated from the plurality of holes 432, there is no impact on maintaining suction when one or more holes 432 begin to leak vacuum pressure.

Several embodiments of autonomous surface cleaning robots have been described. Chinese patent application CN1075246 discloses a window cleaning device comprising a vacuum housing and a dust collector. The dust collector surrounds the vacuum housing, which is connected to the outside of a vacuum source. The device is attached to the glass panel by the negative pressure generated by the vacuum housing. However, the device does not include a drive mechanism and is manually moved by a rod connected to the device. Several disadvantages of this device include manual operation and the location of the vacuum source outside the device, making it difficult to operate. The embodiments disclosed below in conjunction with Figures 14 to 17 overcome these and other disadvantages and provide an autonomous surface cleaning robot 500, 600, where the vacuum source is recessed relative to the cleaning component (e.g., the dust collector). These embodiments further include a drive mechanism, a vacuum source, and a cleaning component. The cleaning component extends outwardly beyond the drive mechanism and the vacuum source so that the cleaning component can provide a vacuum seal and effectively and automatically clean the surface.

Therefore, now turning to Figure 14, Figure 14 shows a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot 500 including a vacuum source 510 according to one embodiment. Figure 15 is a bottom perspective view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 500 shown in Figure 14. Now referring to Figures 14 and 15, the autonomous surface cleaning robot 500 includes a body 502, a drive mechanism 504, a vacuum source 510 and a cleaning assembly 506, such as a dust collector. The elements of the drive assemblies 504a, 504b, which are in a parallel relationship relative to each other, are housed within corresponding guards 518a, 518b. A vacuum chamber 508 is defined at the base 512 of the body 502. The vacuum chamber 508 is recessed relative to the cleaning assembly 506 so that the cleaning assembly 506 can provide a vacuum seal against the surface and a continuous cleaning surface to effectively clean the surface. In other words, the cleaning assembly 506 performs a dual function. The first function provides a vacuum seal against the surface, and the second function provides a continuous cleaning surface for cleaning the surface. The transmission components 504a, 504b enable the autonomous cleaning robot 500 to move about a plane. As shown in Figure 15, the surface area S of the cleaning component 506 is a vacuum sealing area.

Figure 16 is a top perspective view of an autonomous surface cleaning robot 600 including multiple vacuum sources 610, 614 according to one embodiment. Figure 17 is a bottom perspective view of the autonomous surface cleaning robot 600 shown in Figure 16. Now referring to Figures 16 and 17, the autonomous surface cleaning robot 600 includes a main body 602, a drive mechanism 610, a first vacuum source 610, a second vacuum source 614, and a cleaning assembly 606, such as a dust collector. The components of the drive assemblies 604a, 604b, which are parallel to each other, are housed within corresponding protective devices 618a, 618b. A vacuum chamber 608 is defined at the base 612 of the main body 602. The vacuum chamber 608 is recessed relative to the cleaning assembly 606 so that the cleaning assembly 606 can provide a vacuum seal against the surface and a continuous cleaning surface to effectively clean the surface. In other words, the cleaning assembly 606 performs two functions. The first function is to provide a vacuum seal against the surface, and the second function is to provide a continuous cleaning surface for cleaning the surface. The transmission components 604a, 604b enable the autonomous cleaning robot 500 to move about a plane. As shown in Figure 17, the surface area S of the cleaning component 606 is the vacuum sealing area.

Figure 18 is a top perspective view of a plane cleaning device 700 including multiple vacuum sources 710, 714 and a connector rod 716 according to one embodiment. Figure 19 is a bottom perspective view of the plane cleaning device 700 shown in Figure 18. Now referring to Figures 18 and 19, the plane cleaning device 700 includes a main body 702, a first vacuum source 710, a second vacuum source 714, a cleaning assembly 706 (e.g., a dust collector), and a connector rod 716 attached to the main body 702. A vacuum chamber 708 is defined at the base 712 of the main body 702. The vacuum chamber 708 is recessed relative to the cleaning assembly 706 so that the cleaning assembly 706 can provide a vacuum seal against the plane and a continuous cleaning surface to effectively clean the plane. In other words, the cleaning assembly 706 performs two functions. The first function provides a vacuum seal against the plane, and the second function provides a continuous cleaning surface for cleaning the plane.

As shown in FIG19 , the surface area S of the cleaning assembly 706 is the vacuum seal area. The flat surface cleaning device 700 is attached to the flat surface by the vacuum suction generated by two vacuum sources 710 and 714. The connector rod 6 includes a handle portion 718 connected to a U-shaped portion 720, which is pivotally connected to a housing member 722 at a pivot point 724. Because the device 700 does not include a drive mechanism, it is manually operated using the handle portion 718. Thus, the device 700 moves across the flat surface while the vacuum sources 710 and 714 are activated using the connector rod 716.

Figure 20 is a top view of a component of a drive assembly 104a for an autonomous flat surface cleaning robot according to one embodiment. Figure 21 is a side view of a component of the drive assembly 104a shown in Figure 20. The drive assembly 104a shown in Figures 20 and 21 is representative of the drive assembly 104a, 304a, 404a, 504a, 604a for use with the autonomous cleaning robots 100, 300, 400, 500, 600 described in conjunction with Figures 1 to 4, 6, 7, and 9 to 17. For clarity of presentation, the drive mechanism 104a will be described in conjunction with the autonomous cleaning robot 100, it being understood that the same or similar drive mechanisms may be applicable and configured for use with any other autonomous cleaning robots 100, 300, 400, 500, 600.

Referring now to Figures 2 to 4, 6, and 20 to 22, the autonomous cleaning robot 100 includes two transmission assemblies 104a, 104b disposed on the left and right sides of the main body 102 relative to the forward direction of movement. Each transmission assembly 104a, 104b includes a motor 105a, 105b, a gear reducer 152a, 152b (not shown), and a transmission system 154a, 154b (not shown). The transmission system 154a includes a timing belt 156, a synchronous drive wheel 158, and a synchronous wheel 160. In operation, the motor 105a drives the synchronous drive wheel 158 to operate the synchronous wheel 160 via the timing belt 156.

FIG22 is an exploded view of a portion of the transmission assembly 104a shown in FIG20 and FIG21 according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG22 , the gear reducer 152a includes two components. The first gearbox assembly 162 includes a cover 164, a worm gear 166, and a worm 168. The second internal gear assembly 170 includes an internal gear cover 171, a plurality of planetary gears 172, and an output drive mechanism 176. The worm 168 rotatably moves within openings 169 formed in the covers 164 and 171. A motor shaft 174 is operably connected to the worm 168, which drives the worm gear 166. The output drive mechanism 176 includes a long shaft 180 operably connected to the worm gear 166 via a hub 182, four short shafts 178, and an output drive shaft 184. The long shaft operably connects to the worm gear 166 via a hub 182, four short shafts 178 receive each of the four planetary gears, and the output drive shaft is received through the internal gear assembly 170 and operably connected to the synchronous drive wheel 158. The planetary gears 172 are received in a meshing arrangement inside the internal gear 186. The gearbox assembly 162 is disposed between the motor 105a and the synchronous pulley 160. This arrangement allows the central axis 188 of the motor 151 to be orthogonal to the central axis 190 of the synchronous drive pulley 158. This arrangement provides a compact structure that saves space along the central axis 190 of the synchronous drive pulley 158. Therefore, this arrangement reduces the required size of the internal structure of the robot 100. The configuration of the internal gear assembly 170 provides a small size, a large reduction ratio, high torque, and a compact structure.

Figure 23 is a perspective view of a drive mechanism 800 for a conventional window cleaner. Typically, the autonomous surface cleaning robot 100, 300, 400, 500, 600 described in conjunction with Figures 1 to 4, 6, 7, and 9 to 17 includes a drive unit. Figure 23 shows an embodiment of a drive mechanism 800 suitable for use with such robots 100, 300, 400, 500, 600. The drive mechanism 800 includes a motor (not shown, but see the examples of Figures 19 to 22), a drive wheel 802, and a gear reducer (not shown, but see the examples of Figures 19 to 22). The drive mechanism 800 includes a track 804 and a plurality of pads 806. However, the track 804 structure is prone to air leakage, is noisy, and can cause large vibrations.

Figure 24 is a left side view of a transmission system 900 of a drive mechanism for an autonomous plane cleaning robot according to one embodiment. The drive mechanism includes two drive assemblies arranged at the left and right sides of the robot body relative to the direction of movement. Each drive mechanism includes a motor, a gear reducer and a transmission system 900. For example, examples of motors and gear reducers are described in conjunction with Figures 20 to 22. As shown in Figure 24, the transmission system 900 includes a synchronous belt 902, a synchronous drive wheel 904 and a synchronous wheel 906. The motor drives the synchronous drive wheel 904 to operate the synchronous wheel 906 via the belt 902.

In one embodiment, belt 902 can be formed from a single material. In one embodiment, belt 902 is formed from silicone, and its stiffness can range from 40 to 60. Similarly, the same materials with both soft and hard properties can be used together. The belt includes an outer layer and an inner layer. The outer layer is soft, and its stiffness can range from 15 to 60. The inner layer is hard, and its stiffness can range from 40 to 90. However, in other embodiments, belt 902 can be made from two separate materials with different stiffnesses; for example, one material can form the outer layer, and another material can form the inner layer. The outer layer of belt 902 can be made from rubber or silicone to provide high friction, allowing the robot to move across a vertical surface, such as a window pane. The inner side of belt 902 can be made from hard rubber to provide sufficient stiffness for rotating the synchronous drive wheel 904 and the synchronous wheel 906 via belt 902. Because belt 902 is flat, the drive mechanism is smooth while the robot moves.

Figure 25 is a top view of an autonomous flat cleaning robot 1000 having a first drive mechanism configuration according to one embodiment. The autonomous cleaning robot 1000 includes a main body 1002, a drive mechanism 1004, a vacuum source 1006, and a cleaning assembly 1016. The longitudinal axis 1001 defines a left half and a right half of the main body 1002 along a direction parallel to the direction of the drive mechanism 1004. The transverse axis 1003 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 1001 and defines a front half and a rear half of the main body 1002. A vacuum chamber 1014 is defined in the center of the main body 1002. The cleaning assembly 1016 is arranged outside the vacuum chamber 1014. For the sake of simplicity and clarity of presentation, other elements of the autonomous cleaning robot 1000 have been omitted.

The drive mechanism 1004 includes two transmission assemblies 1004a and 1004b arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 1002 in a parallel relationship with respect to the direction of forward movement. Each transmission assembly 1004a and 1004b includes a motor 1038a and 1038b, a gear reducer (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22), and a transmission (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22). As shown in Figure 25, both motors 1038a and 1038b are located on the inner side of the transmission assemblies 1040a and 1004b and on the same end.

Figure 26 is a top view of an autonomous flat cleaning robot 1100 having a first drive mechanism configuration according to one embodiment. The autonomous cleaning robot 1100 includes a body 1102, a drive mechanism 1104, a vacuum source 1106, and a cleaning assembly 1116. The longitudinal axis 1101 defines a left half and a right half of the body 1102 along a direction parallel to the direction of the drive mechanism 1104. The transverse axis 1103 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 1101 and defines a front half and a rear half of the body 1102. A vacuum chamber 1114 is defined in the center of the body 1102. The cleaning assembly 1116 is arranged outside the vacuum chamber 1114. For the sake of simplicity and clarity of presentation, other elements of the autonomous cleaning robot 1100 have been omitted.

The drive mechanism 1104 includes two transmission assemblies 1104a and 1104b arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 1102 relative to the direction of forward movement and in a parallel relationship with each other. Each transmission assembly 1104a and 1104b includes a motor 1138a and 1138b, a gear reducer (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22), and a transmission (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22). As shown in Figure 26, both motors 1138a and 1138b are located on the outside of the transmission system and on the same end.

Figure 27 is a top view of an autonomous flat surface cleaning robot 1200 having a third drive mechanism configuration according to one embodiment. Figure 27 is a top view of an autonomous flat surface cleaning robot 1200 having a first drive mechanism configuration according to one embodiment. The autonomous cleaning robot 1200 includes a main body 1202, a drive mechanism 1204, a vacuum source 1206, and a cleaning assembly 1216. The longitudinal axis 1201 defines a left half and a right half of the main body 1202 along a direction parallel to the direction of the drive mechanism 1204. The transverse axis 1203 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 1201 and defines a front half and a rear half of the main body 1202. A vacuum chamber 1214 is defined in the center of the main body 1202. The cleaning assembly 1216 is arranged at the outside of the vacuum chamber 1214. For the sake of simplicity and clarity of presentation, other elements of the autonomous cleaning robot 1100 have been omitted.

The drive mechanism 1204 includes two transmission assemblies 1204a and 1204b arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 1202 in a parallel relationship relative to each other relative to the direction of forward movement. Each transmission assembly 1204a and 1204b includes a motor 1238a and 1238b, a gear reducer (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22), and a transmission (not shown, but an example is described in Figures 20 to 22). As shown in Figure 27, the two motors 1238a and 1238b are both located on the inner side of the transmission and on different ends.

FIG28 shows a configuration or component view of a control unit 148 for an autonomous surface cleaning robot according to one embodiment. In various embodiments, as shown, the control unit 148 may include one or more processors 1362 (e.g., microprocessors, microcontrollers) connected to various sensors 1374 (e.g., motion sensors, vacuum sensors, encoders, casters, image sensors, optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and others) and suitable driver 1370 circuits (e.g., DC motor driver circuits). In addition, as shown, for the processor 1362, storage 1364 (with operating logic 1366) and an optional communication interface 1368 are connected to each other.

As previously described, the sensors 1374 can be configured to detect parameters associated with the autonomous cleaning robot, such as motion, direction, position, speed, vacuum pressure, and others. The processor 1362 processes the sensor data received from the sensors 1374 to provide feedback to the autonomous robot, for example, to reorient the robot when a vacuum leak is detected indicating that the robot has exceeded the boundary of a frameless surface, such as a window pane. In this particular example, the processor 1362 sends a signal to the driver circuit 1370, which in turn causes the drive mechanism to reorient the robot.

Processor 1362 may be configured to execute operating logic 1366. Processor 1362 may be any of a number of single-core or multi-core processors known in the art. Storage 1364 may include volatile and non-volatile storage media configured to store permanent and temporary (working) copies of operating logic 1366.

In various embodiments, the operational logic 1366 can be configured to process the sensor data, as described above. In various embodiments, the operational logic 1366 can be configured to perform initial processing of the sensor data and, for example, transmit the data to the host via the communication interface 1368. For these embodiments, the operational logic 1366 can be further configured to receive relevant sensor data and provide feedback to the host. In alternative embodiments, the operational logic 1366 can be configured to take a greater role in receiving the sensor data and determining feedback (for example, but not limited to, redirecting the robot). In either case, whether by itself or in response to instructions from the host, the operational logic 1366 can be further configured to control the robot.

In various embodiments, the operation logic 1366 may be implemented in instructions supported by the instruction set architecture (ISA) of the processor 1362, or in a high-level language, and the operation logic 1366 may be compiled into the supported ISA. The operation logic 1366 may include one or more logic units or modules. The operation logic 1366 may be implemented in an object-oriented manner. The operation logic 1366 may be configured to be executed in a multi-tasking and/or multi-threaded manner. In other embodiments, the operation logic 1366 may be implemented in hardware such as a gate array, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

In various embodiments, the communication interface 1368 can be configured to facilitate communication between peripheral devices and the control unit 148. Such communication can include the transmission of collected vacuum sensor data or motion, direction, position, and/or velocity data associated with the robot. In various embodiments, the communication interface 1368 can be a wired or wireless communication interface. Examples of wired communication interfaces can include, but are not limited to, a universal serial bus (USB) interface. Examples of wireless communication interfaces can include, but are not limited to, a Bluetooth interface.

For various embodiments, the processor 1362 may be packaged together with the operating logic 1366. In various embodiments, the processor 1362 may be packaged together with the operating logic 1366 to form a system-in-package (SiP). In various embodiments, the processor 1362 may be integrated with the operating logic 1366 on the same chip. In various embodiments, the processor 1362 may be packaged together with the operating logic 1366 to form a system-on-chip (SoC).

Although the examples herein are primarily described in the context of an autonomous surface-cleaning robot, it should be understood that the teachings herein can be readily applied to variations of other types of autonomous cleaning robots.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, other adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may be accomplished by those skilled in the art through appropriate modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize several of such potential modifications that have been mentioned, and others. For example, the examples, embodiments, geometries, materials, dimensions, proportions, steps, etc. discussed above are illustrative and not required. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be considered in light of the following claims, and the scope of the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings.

Although various details have been given in the above description, it should be appreciated that various aspects of the autonomous plane cleaning robot may be practiced without these specific details. For example, for the sake of brevity and clarity, selected aspects have been shown in block diagram form rather than in detail. Some parts of the detailed description provided herein can be presented according to instructions for operating on data stored in a computer memory. Those skilled in the art use such descriptions and characterizations to describe and convey the essence of their work to other persons skilled in the art. In general, an algorithm refers to a methodical sequence of steps leading to a desired result, wherein "step" refers to the operation of a physical quantity, which can (although not necessarily) be in the form of an electrical or magnetic signal that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared, and other operations. Common usage is to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc. These and similar terms can be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are only convenient labels applied to these quantities.

Unless otherwise specifically stated, as is clear from the above discussion, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "process," "calculate using a computer," "compute," "determine," or "display," etc., refers to the actions and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that operates on and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into data also represented as physical quantities within the computer system's memories or registers or other information storage, transmission, or display devices.

It is important to note that any reference to "one aspect," "an aspect," "one embodiment," or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with at least one aspect is included. Thus, the phrases "in one aspect," "in an aspect," "in one embodiment," and "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, many modifications, variations, substitutions, alterations, and equivalents of those embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art. Similarly, while materials disclosed for certain components may be used, other materials may be used. Therefore, it should be understood that the above description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

Some or all of the embodiments described herein may generally include techniques for autonomous cleaning robots or other techniques based on the techniques described herein. In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein that may be implemented individually and/or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof may be considered to be comprised of various types of “circuits.” Thus, as used herein, “circuitry” includes, but is not limited to, circuits having at least one discrete circuit, circuits having at least one integrated circuit, circuits having at least one application-specific integrated circuit, circuits forming a general-purpose computing device comprised of a computer program (e.g., a general-purpose computer comprised of a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor comprised of a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein), circuits forming a storage device (e.g., in the form of random access memory), and/or circuits forming a communication device (e.g., a modem, a communications switch, or an optoelectronic device). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital manner, or some combination thereof.

The above detailed description has been given various embodiments of the device and/or process by using block diagrams, flow charts and/or examples. As long as these block diagrams, flow charts and/or examples include one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and/or operation within these block diagrams, flow charts or examples can be implemented individually and/or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware or almost any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several parts of the subject matter described herein can be implemented by application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs) or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the overall or partial aspects of the embodiments described herein can be implemented equivalently with integrated circuits, such as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), such as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), such as firmware, or almost any combination thereof, and will recognize that designing circuits and/or writing code for software and firmware based on the present disclosure will be well within the skill of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the illustrative embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the specific type of signal-bearing medium used to actually perform the distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable media, such as floppy disks, hard drives, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), digital tapes, computer memories, and the like; and transmission media, such as digital and/or analog communication media (e.g., optical fibers, waveguides, wired communication links, wireless communication links (e.g., transmitters, receivers, transmission logic, reception logic, etc.), and the like).

All U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications, non-patent publications, or any other public material cited in this specification and/or listed in any Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference to the extent they are inconsistent. Thus, to the extent necessary, the disclosure explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is incorporated herein by reference, which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other public material set forth herein will be incorporated only to the extent that there is no conflict between the incorporated material and the existing public material.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and discussions thereof described herein are used as examples to clarify the concepts, and modifications of various configurations are contemplated. Thus, as used herein, the specific examples given and the discussions therewith are intended to be representative of their more general classes. In general, the use of any specific example is intended to be representative of its class, and the non-included specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be limiting.

With respect to substantially any plural and/or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as appropriate to the context and/or application. For the sake of clarity, individual singular/plural arrangements are not specifically provided.

The subject matter described herein sometimes shows different components that are contained in or connected with different other components.It should be understood that the architecture described in this way is only exemplary, and in fact many other architectures can be realized, which realize the same function.In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components for realizing the same function is effectively "related" to realize the desired function.Therefore, any two components combined in this way for realizing a specific function can be regarded as "associated" to each other, to realize the desired function, without considering architecture or intermediate components.Equally, any two components so associated can also be regarded as "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other, to realize the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be regarded as "can be operably coupled" to each other to realize the desired function.The specific examples that can be operably coupled include but are not limited to physical wet and/or physical interaction components, and/or wireless interaction, and/or wireless interaction components, and/or logical interaction, and/or logical interaction components.

The expressions "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used to describe certain aspects. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonyms for each other. For example, the term "connected" may be used to describe certain aspects to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. In another example, the term "coupled" may be used to describe certain aspects to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. However, the term "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but still cooperate or interact with each other.

In some cases, one or more components may be referred to herein as being "configured to," "configurable to," "operable," "applicable," "capable of," "compliant," etc. One skilled in the art will recognize that "configured to" may generally encompass components in an active state and/or a non-active state and/or a standby state, unless the context requires otherwise.

Although specific aspects of the present subject matter have been shown and described herein, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that, based on the technology herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects, and that, therefore, the appended claims are intended to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications that are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, the terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprising" should be considered "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be considered "having at least one," the term "including" should be considered "including but not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that if it is intended to recite a specific number of claims being introduced, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such a recitation, no such intent exists. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that a claim recitation introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

Furthermore, even if a specific number of claim recitations is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the simple recitation "two recitations," without other modifications, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Additionally, in those instances where the convention "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such phrasing is generally intended to mean that one skilled in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include, but is not limited to, a system having only A, a system having only B, a system having only C, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and/or a system having A, B, and C, etc.). In those instances where the convention "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such phrasing is generally intended to mean that one skilled in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include, but is not limited to, a system having only A, a system having only B, a system having only C, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and/or a system having A, B, and C, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that transitional words or phrases indicating two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of one, either, or both terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will typically be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that the operations described therein are generally performed in any order. Similarly, although the various operational flows are presented in sequence, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in an order other than the order shown, or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of these alternating arrangements may include overlapping, interleaving, interrupting, reordering, incremental, preparatory, supplementary, simultaneous, reversed, or other various sequences, unless the context indicates otherwise. In addition, terms like "in response to," "with respect to," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to include variations therein, unless the context indicates otherwise.

In some cases, use of a system or method may occur within the territory even if components are located offshore. For example, in a distributed computing environment, use of a distributed computing system may occur within the territory even if components of the system may be located offshore (e.g., relays, servers, processors, signal-bearing media, transmitting computers, receiving computers, etc.).

Likewise, a system or method may be sold in a territory even if components of the system or method are located and/or used outside the territory. Furthermore, implementation of at least one component of a system for performing a method in one territory does not preclude use of the system in another territory.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, many modifications, variations, substitutions, alterations, and equivalents of those embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art. Similarly, while materials disclosed for certain components may be used, other materials may be used. Therefore, it should be understood that the above description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

In summary, many benefits resulting from utilizing the concepts described herein have been described. The foregoing description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. One or more embodiments have been selected and described for purposes of illustrating principles and practical application, thereby enabling one skilled in the art to utilize various embodiments, with various modifications as appropriate for a specific intended use. It is intended that the accompanying claims define the entire scope.

Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the following numbered clauses.

1. An autonomous surface cleaning robot, comprising: a main body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; a drive mechanism supported by the main body; a vacuum source supported by the main body and in fluid communication with the cavity; a vacuum sensor supported by the main body and in fluid communication with the cavity; and a control unit supported by the main body and electrically connected to the drive mechanism, the vacuum source, and the vacuum sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot to turn when the control unit receives a signal from the vacuum sensor indicating that the degree of vacuum pressure within the cavity is below a predetermined vacuum pressure.

2. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 1 further comprising a handle,

Wherein, the vacuum source further comprises a vacuum motor and a blade, and wherein at least a portion of the vacuum motor is located within the cavity of the handle.

3. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 1, further comprising at least one hole formed in an exterior of the bottom of the main body, wherein the at least one hole is in fluid communication with the cavity and the vacuum sensor.

4. The autonomous flat surface cleaning robot of clause 1, further comprising a cleaning assembly positioned above the surface area defined by the exterior of the bottom portion of the main body.

5. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 4, wherein the cleaning assembly is movably connected to the exterior of the bottom portion of the main body.

6. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 4, wherein the cleaning assembly extends outwardly beyond the drive mechanism and vacuum source to provide a vacuum seal.

7. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 6, wherein the cleaning assembly provides a vacuum seal between the surface and the cavity when the cleaning assembly is applied against the surface.

8. The autonomous flat surface cleaning robot of clause 4, further comprising at least one hole formed in an exterior of the bottom portion of the body, wherein the at least one hole is in fluid communication with the cavity and the vacuum sensor, and wherein the cleaning assembly is located above the at least one hole.

9. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism further comprises: a first transmission assembly; and a second transmission assembly spaced apart in a parallel relationship relative to the first transmission assembly; wherein the first and second transmission assemblies are located on either side of a longitudinal axis defined by the body; and wherein each of the first and second transmission assemblies can be independently controlled by a control unit.

10. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 9, wherein each transmission assembly further comprises: a motor electrically connected to the control unit; a gear reducer operably connected to the motor; and a transmission system operably connected to the gear reducer.

11. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 10, wherein the gear reducer further comprises: a first gear box assembly including a cover, a worm gear, and a worm; and a second internal gear assembly including an internal gear cover, a plurality of planetary gears, and an output drive mechanism.

12. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 10, wherein the transmission system further comprises: a timing belt; a timing drive wheel; and a timing wheel, wherein the motor is configured to rotatably drive the timing drive wheel to rotate the timing wheel via the timing belt.

13. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 12, wherein the timing belt is formed from a single material.

14. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 13, wherein the timing belt is made of a material having soft and hard properties.

15. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 12, wherein the timing belt is formed from at least two different materials having different stiffness characteristics.

16. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of claim 15, wherein the at least two different materials include: a first material forming an outer layer of the belt; and a second material forming an inner layer of the belt; wherein the first material is made of rubber or silicone to provide high friction for the robot to move across the surface, and the second material is made of hard rubber to provide sufficient hardness for the synchronous drive wheel and the synchronous wheel to rotate via the belt.

17. An autonomous plane cleaning robot, comprising: a main body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; a drive mechanism supported by the main body; a first vacuum source supported by the main body and connected to the cavity fluid; a second vacuum source supported by the main body and isolated from the cavity fluid; a vacuum sensor supported by the main body and connected to the second vacuum source fluid through a fluid channel; and a control unit supported by the main body and electrically connected to the drive mechanism, the first and second vacuum sources and the vacuum sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot to turn when the control unit receives a signal from the vacuum sensor indicating that the degree of vacuum pressure in the fluid channel is below a predetermined vacuum pressure.

18. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 17, further comprising at least one hole formed in an exterior of the bottom of the main body, wherein the at least one hole is in fluid communication with the fluid passage and the vacuum sensor and is isolated from the cavity fluid.

19. The autonomous surface-cleaning robot of clause 17, further comprising another vacuum sensor supported by the body and in fluid communication with the cavity.

20. The autonomous flat surface cleaning robot of clause 17, further comprising a cleaning assembly positioned over a surface area defined on an exterior of the main body bottom.

21. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 20, wherein the cleaning assembly is movably connected to the exterior of the bottom portion of the main body.

22. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 20, wherein the cleaning assembly extends outwardly beyond the drive mechanism and vacuum source to provide a vacuum seal.

23. The autonomous surface cleaning robot of clause 22, wherein the cleaning assembly provides a vacuum seal between the surface and the cavity when the cleaning assembly is applied against the surface.

24. A drive mechanism for an autonomous plane cleaning robot, the robot comprising a main body, a vacuum source, a vacuum sensor and a control unit, the drive mechanism comprising: a first transmission assembly; and a second assembly spaced apart in parallel with the first transmission assembly; wherein each of the first and second transmission assemblies defines a first and second end and a first and second side, wherein the first sides face each other in a direction transverse to the direction of movement, and the second sides face away from each other, and the first and second ends are spaced apart in opposite directions along the direction of movement; and wherein each of the first and second transmission assemblies can be independently controlled by the control unit.

25. The drive mechanism of clause 24, wherein the first transmission assembly comprises a first motor operably connected to the control unit, and the second transmission assembly comprises a second motor operably connected to the control unit.

26. The drive mechanism of clause 25, wherein the first and second motors are positioned at first sides of the first and second transmission assemblies and at first ends of the first and second transmission assemblies.

27. The drive mechanism of clause 25, wherein the first and second motors are positioned at the second sides of the first and second transmission assemblies and at the first ends of the first and second transmission assemblies.

28. The drive mechanism of clause 25, wherein the first and second motors are positioned at first sides of the first and second transmission assemblies, and the first motor is positioned at a first end of the first transmission assembly and the second motor is positioned at a second end of the second transmission assembly.

29. A flat cleaning device comprising: a body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; at least one vacuum source supported by the body and in fluid communication with the cavity; a cleaning assembly placed above a surface area defined on the exterior of the bottom of the body; and a connector rod comprising: a handle portion; and a U-shaped portion connected to the handle portion, wherein the U-shaped portion is pivotally connected to the body.

30. The surface cleaning device of clause 29, wherein the cleaning assembly is movably connected to the exterior of the bottom portion of the main body.

31. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 29, wherein the cleaning assembly provides a vacuum seal between the surface and the cavity when the cleaning assembly is applied against the surface.

Claims (15)

1. An autonomous planar cleaning robot, comprising: A body having a top and a bottom, the bottom defining an exterior and an interior, the exterior defining a surface area around its periphery, and the interior defining a cavity formed within the exterior; A drive mechanism supported by the main body and located within the cavity; A vacuum source supported by the main body and in fluid communication with the cavity; A vacuum sensor supported by the main body and in fluid communication with the cavity; and A control unit supported by the main body and electrically connected to the drive mechanism, the vacuum source, and the vacuum sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot to turn when the control unit receives a signal from the vacuum sensor indicating that the degree of vacuum pressure in the cavity is below a predetermined vacuum pressure. 2. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a handle, wherein the vacuum source further comprises a vacuum motor and blades, and wherein at least a portion of the vacuum motor is located within a cavity of the handle. 3. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising at least one hole formed in the exterior of the bottom of the main body, wherein the at least one hole is in fluid communication with the cavity and the vacuum sensor. 4. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning component located above a surface area defined by the exterior of the bottom of the body. 5. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 4, wherein the cleaning component is movably connected to the exterior of the bottom of the main body. 6. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 4, wherein the cleaning component extends outward beyond the drive mechanism and the vacuum source to provide a vacuum seal. 7. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 6, wherein when the cleaning component abuts against the planar surface, the cleaning component provides a vacuum seal between the planar surface and the cavity. 8. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 4, further comprising at least one hole formed in the exterior of the bottom of the body, wherein the at least one hole is in fluid communication with the cavity and the vacuum sensor, and wherein the cleaning assembly is located above the at least one hole. 9. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism further comprises: First transmission assembly; and A second transmission component spaced apart from the first transmission component in a parallel relationship; The first transmission assembly and the second transmission assembly are located on either side of the longitudinal axis defined by the main body; and Each of the first transmission assembly and the second transmission assembly is independently controlled by the control unit. 10. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein each transmission component further comprises: A motor electrically connected to the control unit; A gear reducer operably connected to the motor; and A transmission system that is operably connected to the gear reducer. 11. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 10, wherein the gear reducer further comprises: The first gearbox assembly includes a cover, a worm gear, and a worm. It includes an internal gear cover, multiple planetary gears, and a second internal gear assembly for the output drive mechanism. 12. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 10, wherein the transmission system further comprises: Synchronous belt; Synchronous drive wheels; and A timing pulley, wherein the motor is configured to rotatably drive the timing drive pulley to rotate the timing pulley via the timing belt. 13. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 12, wherein the timing belt is formed of a single material. 14. The autonomous planar cleaning robot as claimed in claim 13, wherein the timing belt is a material with both soft and hard properties. 15. The autonomous planar cleaning robot of claim 12, wherein the timing belt is formed of at least two different materials with different stiffness properties, wherein the at least two different materials include: The first material forming the outer layer of the belt; and The second material forming the inner layer of the belt; The first material is made of rubber or silicone to provide high friction so that the robot can move across a plane, and the second material is made of hard rubber to provide sufficient rigidity so that the synchronous drive wheel and the synchronous wheel can rotate via a belt.