WO2022043856A1

WO2022043856A1 - 3-in-1 cleaning robot

Info

Publication number: WO2022043856A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/057715
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johnny Yat Ming Chan; Jim HUNG; Hing-Keung CHAN; Kar Yun LEE; Shirley TSE; Wai Hong HO; Johnson Yiu-Nam Lau
Original assignee: Mainnovation Company Limited
Priority date: 2020-08-23
Filing date: 2021-08-23
Publication date: 2022-03-03
Also published as: TW202214361A

Abstract

Aspects of the invention separate the drive mechanism and the cleaning elements of a cleaning robot in an arrangement so that the drive mechanism may maneuver freely while enable the cleaning elements to perform the cleaning operations. In another embodiment, the system may further include a cleaning robot that include a bore, an opening, or a cavity for a drive train to be positioned or enclosed therein. Such drive train is a separate unit and may be removed. In yet another embodiment, a cleaning robot configured to clean an air-conditioning conduit comprising two rotatable brushes disposed at the front of the frame, two side wheels disposed on each side of the back of the frame, a vacuum system installed within the frame, a mopping system installed within the frame, a liquid tank configured to hold cleaning liquid and supplying such cleaning liquid to the mopping system.

Description

3-in-l CLEANING ROBOT

Field of the invention

[0001] Aspect of the invention generally relate to the field of a hard surface cleaning device. In particular, this invention relates to a cleaning and disinfection system. More particularly, aspects of the invention relate to a system and method for controlling autonomous or remote-controlled mobile robots in cleaning the interior of conduit.

[0002]

Background

[0003] Hard interior ground floor or surface has been used in various settings, such as building lobbies, household living spaces, etc. To facilitate cleaning and mopping of the floor surface, vacuum cleaners have used to facilitate this tasks. Advances in motion detections, fast processing, and portable batteries enable automated or robotic cleaning devices. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a couple examples of a bottom view of a typical motorized cleaning and mopping robot. In one example, the robot may include front side brushes and front brushes. The robot may also include a sensor for sensing obstacles. Furthermore, the robot may further include a portable battery, a motor to drive the robot, a set of center brushes, and a vacuum. In some embodiment, the robot may include a mop or a dustbin to collect the dirt from the vacuum.

[0004] FIGS. 2 and 3 similar provide examples of existing mobile cleaning robots. They demonstrate the mobile cleaning robots all have the driving mechanism being part of the cleaning robot. In other words, the driving mechanism is in the same housing as the cleaning robot.

[0005] These designs accomplish their goals but fail to cover industrial settings, including hard floor surface in confined spaces such as trains, subway cars, cabins of an airplane, etc. Particularly, the gangway connections between trains or subway cars create uneven surfaces that make it difficult for existing floor cleaning robots. Because of the drive mechanism or the wheels are housed together with the cleaning elements, so the uneven surface could disable the robot as it would not be able to advance.

[0006] Further, it is difficult to clean the interior of air conditioning conduit. It has to be done manually and difficult for human to clean properly. In addition, the tight and limited space inside the conduit makes it difficult and uncomfortable for the individuals. There may be carcasses in the air conditioning conduit. Therefore, disinfecting using non-contact cleaning/disinfecting method (e.g. UV light) may not be effective. [0007] As a result of these conditions, air conditioning conduit is not clean often. As such, it creates conditions for the growth and spread of bacteria, virus, mole, etc., whose particulates may be airborne easily. In addition, the trash or other objects, while they may be crushable, may be difficult to be crushed due to the tight space. But without crushing, they occupy large volume.

Summary

[0008] In light of the foregoing background, a better solution is desirable to overcome the shortcoming of the prior art.

[0009] Aspects of the invention separate the drive mechanism and the cleaning elements in an arrangement so that the drive mechanism may maneuver freely while enable the cleaning elements to perform the cleaning operations.

[0010] In another embodiment, the system may further include a cleaning robot that include a bore, an opening, or a cavity for a drive train to be positioned or enclosed therein. Such drive train is a separate unit and may be removed.

[0011] Yet another aspect of this invention provides a mobile robotic system to automate the air conditioning conduit cleaning. In one aspect, the cleaning robot may sweep and vacuum a surface. In another aspect, the cleaning robot may mop the surface before next spreading disinfection solutions on the surface.

Brief description of the drawings

[0012] Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity so not all connections and options have been shown. For example, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may often not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure. It may be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art may understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It may also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein may be defined with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

[0013] FIGS. 1-3 are illustrations of prior art.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating of a cleaning and sanitizing robot according to one embodiment. [0015] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating of a drive mechanism of a cleaning and sanitizing robot according to one embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 6 is another diagram illustrating of a drive mechanism of a cleaning and sanitizing robot according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating of a cleaning and sanitizing robot according to another embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a cleaning and sanitizing robot with a drive mechanism according to one embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a schematic side view from a lower angle of a mobile robot according to some embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view from an upper angle of a mobile robot according to some embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a mobile robot according to some embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a schematic back view from an upper angle of a mobile robot according to some embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a mobile robot at is upright position according to some embodiments.

[0024] FIG. 14 is a schematic bottom view a mobile robot at its upright position according to some embodiments.

[0025] FIG. 15 is a schematic view a mobile robot according to one embodiment showing its size against a train according to some embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a portable computing device according to one embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a computing device according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

[0028] Embodiments may now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments which may be practiced. These illustrations and exemplary embodiments may be presented with the understanding that the present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of one or more embodiments and may not be intended to limit any one of the embodiments illustrated. Embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure may be thorough and complete, and may fully convey the scope of embodiments to those skilled in the art. Among other things, the present invention may be embodied as methods, systems, computer readable media, apparatuses, or devices. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description may, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0029] In one aspect, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes that sterilization describes a process that destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial life and is carried out in health-care facilities by physical or chemical methods. Steam under pressure, dry heat, EtO gas, hydrogen peroxide gas plasma, and liquid chemicals are the principal sterilizing agents used in health-care facilities. Sterilization is intended to convey an absolute meaning; unfortunately, however, some health professionals and the technical and commercial literature refer to “disinfection” as “sterilization” and items as “partially sterile.” When chemicals are used to destroy all forms of microbiologic life, they can be called chemical sterilants. These same germicides used for shorter exposure periods also can be part of the disinfection process (i.e., high-level disinfection).

[0030] Disinfection, on the other hand, describes a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores, on inanimate objects. In health-care settings, objects usually are disinfected by liquid chemicals or wet pasteurization. Each of the various factors that affect the efficacy of disinfection can nullify or limit the efficacy of the process.

[0031] Factors that affect the efficacy of both disinfection and sterilization include prior cleaning of the object; organic and inorganic load present; type and level of microbial contamination; concentration of and exposure time to the germicide; physical nature of the object (e.g., crevices, hinges, and lumens); presence of biofilms; temperature and pH of the disinfection process; and in some cases, relative humidity of the sterilization process (e.g., ethylene oxide).

[0032] Unlike sterilization, disinfection is not sporicidal. A few disinfectants will kill spores with prolonged exposure times (3-12 hours); these are called chemical sterilants. At similar concentrations but with shorter exposure periods (e.g., 20 minutes for 2% glutaraldehyde), these same disinfectants will kill all microorganisms except large numbers of bacterial spores; they are called high-level disinfectants. Low-level disinfectants can kill most vegetative bacteria, some fungi, and some viruses in a practical period of time (<10 minutes). [0033] Cleaning, furthermore, is the removal of visible soil (e.g., organic and inorganic material) from objects and surfaces and normally is accomplished manually or mechanically using water with detergents or enzymatic products. Thorough cleaning is essential before high- level disinfection and sterilization because inorganic and organic materials that remain on the surfaces of instruments interfere with the effectiveness of these processes. Decontamination removes pathogenic microorganisms from objects so they are safe to handle, use, or discard.

[0034] Given the above backdrop, referring now to FIG. 4, a diagram illustrates a cleaning and sanitizing robot 400 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the robot 400 may include a house 402 may include a set of side brushes 404 for cleaning, sweeping, and brushing the floor surface. In addition, the housing 402 may further include a vacuum cleaner 406 and a mopping pad 408. In one embodiment, the set of side brushes 404, the vacuum cleaner 406, and the mopping pad 408 may be collectively referred to as “cleaning elements.” In another embodiment, the arrangements of the set of side brushes 404, the vacuum cleaner 406, and the mopping pad 408 as shown in FIG. 4 may be one example and other arrangements may be implemented without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In one embodiment, the set of brushes 404 may include a set of motors to energize the brushes 404. In another embodiment, the motor (not shown) may be energized by a battery that is associated with the robot 400. The mopping pad 408 may further include a separate motor to vibrate as to enable the mopping pad 408 to wipe the surface.

[0035] In one example, the housing 402 that may provide an interior opening 410. In one embodiment, the opening 410 may provide sufficient void, bore, or opening to fit a drive train 412. As such, without the drive train 412, the robot 400 may be positioned on the floor and may not be movable unless a force is exerted thereto.

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, a drive train 502 may be implemented to drive the robot 400. The drive train 502 may include a housing 504 that may include a motor and chassis to drive the drive train 502. In another embodiment, the drive train 502 may further include four wheels 506. In one example, the drive train 502 may be comprise 4x4 capability so that it may move uneven terrains easily.

[0037] In another embodiment, the drive train 502 may further include a front fender 508 and a back fender 510. In one embodiment, the front fender 508 and the back fender 510 engage the opening 410. In yet another embodiment, the drive train 502 may engage with the housing 402 with a hook and chain combination. For example, the opening 410 may include a hook to attach or engage the front fender 508. In yet another embodiment, the housing 402 may include a hook at the front of the housing 402 and that the drive train 502 may be positioned in front of the robot 400 so that the back fender 510 may be connected with the hook with a chain so that the drive train 502 may drag or tow the robot 400 as it moves along the confined space, such as the gangway.

[0038] It is to be understood that other hook and chain replacements may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, a tether may be used instead of a chain.

[0039] In another embodiment, the referring now to FIG. 7, a diagram illustrates a bottom view of another embodiment of a robot 700 that may include two openings 702 and 704 to enable two drive trains 712 and 714 to drive the robot 700. In this embodiment, the robot 700 may further include the side brushes 706, a vacuum cleaner 708 and a mopping pad 710.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 8, a side view of another embodiment of a robot 800. In such an embodiment, the robot 800 may include a housing 802, a set of side brushes 804, a bed brush or a vacuum cleaner 806, and a mopper or mopping pad 810. The housing 802 may further include a tank 822 for including solutions for spreading cleaning or disinfecting solutions on the floor through a nozzle (not shown). For example, the cleaning solution may include detergents or other water-based solutions. In one embodiment, the solution may include a mixture of Benzalkonium chloride (0.1 - 0.7% wt/wt) + Poly hexamethylene biguanide (0.01% - 0.1% wt/wt). In another example, the solution may include a mixture of Hydrogen peroxide (0.1% - 0.5% wt/wt) + metal salt of silver and/or zinc (0.000075% - 0.0001% wt/wt). It is to be understood that the cleaning solution may be of various water-based solutions without specific examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. In one aspect, the cleaning solution is configured to remove physical soil or other solid items from the surface of the handrail.

[0041] In another embodiment, the housing 802 may further include a bore or cavity 816 for encasing or covering a drive train 812. In such an embodiment, the drive train 812 may further include a set of suspension system 820 to engage an end 818 of the housing 802. In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5-6, the drive train 812 may also engage the housing 802 with fenders. In yet another embodiment, the drive train 812 may include a set of wheels 814.

[0042] In operation, the housing 802 may include a battery 824 to drive the cleaning elements (e.g., the side brushes, the bed brush or vacuum, the mopping pad and the nozzle spread). The drive train 812, which may have a separate power source or receive the power from the battery 824 through engagements between the drive train 812 and the housing 802, may drive the housing 802 on the floor. If the housing 802 experiences an obstacle such as an elevation from the floor, such as the gangway connection between train cars, the housing 802 may tilt as the drive train 812 pushes the housing 802 in one direction. The suspension system 820 may provide some cushion for the housing 802 as the drive train 812 moves over the uneven surface.

[0043] In another embodiment, the housing 802 may include a handle for a human to push or direct the housing 802 in a certain direction.

[0044] As discussed above, the housing 802, without the drive train 812, may be a stationary cleaning device. As such, the housing 802 may also include supporting elements 826 that may be a set of wheels or wheels with stoppers so that the robot 800 may be stowed away when not used.

[0045] In another embodiment, when the drive train 812 is used inside the cavity 816, the wheels 814 provide a clearance between the supporting elements 826 and the floor. In another embodiment, the wheels 814 may not provide a clearance between the supporting elements 826 and the floor.

[0046] In yet another embodiment, the housing 802 may provide a charging port for charging the battery 824. In an alternative embodiment, the housing 802 may include a microprocessor, a display, and a network connectivity element to transmit and receive data. For example, the housing 802 may provide a portable computing device, such as the one shown in FIG. 16. As such, with the portable computing device, the robot 800 may communicate with another computing device, such as the computing device in FIG. 17, by transmitting and receiving data between the two devices. In another embodiment, the computing device of the robot 800 may further communicate with another portable computing device, such as a cell phone of an administrator so that he may configure cleaning schedules, etc.

[0047] It is to be understood that features of the robot 800 may be applicable to robot 400 or 700 without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0048] For example, the network connectivity of the robot 800 may have WI-FI, BLUETOOTH, NFC, or other wireless connectivity to communicate with the display or other devices to better manage the first station’s operations.

[0049] Referring to FIG 9, another embodiment of a mobile robot 900 of the present invention comprises a frame or a housing 902, a navigation system (not shown), two rotatable brushes 904 disposed at the front of the frame. In one embodiment, the brushes 904 may be positioned in an angle (e.g., other than 0 degree) so that one end is indirect contact with a cleaning surface. In another embodiment, the brushes 904 may be circular bushes. The two rotatable brushes 904 may be inclined such that the one end of the brushes may contact the surface to be cleaned. In this embodiment, the contact area may be at the front of the mobile robot 900. In one embodiment, the left rotatable brush is configured to rotate clockwise and the right rotatable brush is configured to rotate counter-clockwise such that the brushes on those two rotatable brushes may sweep, push and/or direct an object on the surface in front of the mobile robot 900 toward the mobile robot 900.

[0050] In another embodiment, the brushes 904 are attached to ends of rotors and motors that drive the rotors may be inside the housing 902. In one embodiment, the motor may be positioned above the brushes 904 at the head compartment 910.

[0051] In yet another further embodiment, the brushes 904 may be positioned side by side with a gap 1202 between the brushes 904. In one embodiment, there may not be the gap 1202, as shown in FIG. 14. In one aspect, the gap 1202 may enable the brushes 904 to collect larger debris. For example, the debris may include bottles such as 500 ml water bottles or soda cans. In one embodiment, the bottles may be empty or may not be empty.

[0052] In yet another embodiment, the brushes 104 may be part of a vacuum as housed at the head compartment 910 in the housing 902.

[0053] The vacuum may include a vacuum mouth near the gap 1202. In one embodiment, the suction of the vacuum is aided by the brushes 904 where debris is pushed or urged into the vacuum mouth and through a conduit 1204 into a vacuum storage for storing the debris. In one embodiment, the vacuum may include a filter to capture and store objects entering the vacuum mouth. In one embodiment, the vacuum mouth is configured to capture objects in different size. In some embodiment, the objects range from dust to a typical plastic water bottle. The compartment further may include a lid 1002 disposed on the surface of the housing 902. In one embodiment, the lid may be opened by a user or an operator and to allow such user easy access or removal of captured objects from the compartment. In one embodiment, the robot 900 may further include a compressor to crush the captured debris or objects. In some embodiment, the compartment further comprises a filter bag such that all the object are captured and stored within such bag for easy removal and clean up by the user.

[0054] The robot 900 may further include a mopping system further include a fabric mat 908 installed at the bottom of the mobile robot 100. In one embodiment, the fabric mat 908 is installed onto a retractable platform and facing the surface under the mobile robot 900. Such retractable platform comprises a flat surface which is movable towards the surface underneath the mobile robot 900 and retractable toward the mobile robot 900. The mopping system further comprises a spraying system configured to dispense liquid from a liquid tank 1006 onto the fabric mat 908 and/or the surface under the mobile robot 900. In one embodiment, the retractable platform is installed at the back of the mobile robot 900 away from the brushes 904. In one embodiment, the spraying system may dispense disinfectants to disinfect or sterilize the surface.

[0055] In another embodiment, the robot 900 may include a navigation system having a sensor 1008 that may connect and control a driving system disposed within the housing 902. In one embodiment, the driving system (not shown) may include 4 wheels 906. In one embodiment, the driving system may be all-wheel drive to move in desired path while avoiding any obstacles. In another embodiment, the robot may move along a surface within a predetermined area while sweeping, vacuuming and mopping the surface. The navigation system is configured to guide the mobile robot 900 to move in a conduit. In one embodiment, the conduit is an air conditioning conduit.

[0056] In one embodiment, the robot 900 may include a computerized system to assist the navigation system for the navigation of the robot 900. In another embodiment, the computerized system may further control or operate the sprayer, the motor, and other electric elements thereof. In yet another embodiment, the robot 900 may include wireless connectivity to communicate with external devices. For example, the computerized system may be a portable computing device 1301 as in FIG. 16 and the computerized system may communicate with a remote computing device 1341 in FIG. 17. In another embodiment, the robot 900 further may include a power source or a battery that provides electrical energy to the motor, the computerized system and other elements. It is further to be understood that there may be a switch to turn on and off the robot 900. In yet another embodiment, the switch may be controlled remote through software means. For example, the operator may use a mobile device through wireless means, such as infrared, BLUETOOTH, WI-FI, etc. In another embodiment, the operation on a mobile device may also be conducted via an application installed on the mobile device where the application may trigger or use the wireless elements of the mobile device to operate the robot 900.

[0057] In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, which show an underside of the robot according to some embodiments. In one aspect, the robot 900 may be disposed vertically. For example, the robot 900 may a retractable and telescopic handle 1102 installed at the top front portion of the mobile robot 900. The mobile robot 900 may be turned in upright position. In such configuration, the robot 900 may include stands 1104 and wheels 1106 installed at the back of the mobile robot 900 to support the robot 900 in an upright position. [0058] In one embodiment, the height or length of the mobile robot 900 may be about 1 meter long. In one embodiment, the width of the robot 900 may be about 44 cm. In yet another embodiment, the thickness of the robot 900 with the housing 902 may be about 32 cm. With such size, the robot 900 may be carried by the operator by pulling the handle, aided by the wheels 1106, as the robot 900 is moved from one location to another before the robot 900 is deployed. As the user pulls such handle 1102, the mobile robot 900 may be inclined such that the stands will move away from the surface leaving the wheels 1106 disposed at the back to contact the surface. As such, the mobile robot 900 may be pulled like a luggage for easy relocation and deployment.

[0059] According to another aspect of the present invention, the mobile robot 900 of this present invention may be deployed at the air conditioning conduit. The mobile robot 900 of the present invention then sweep, vacuum and mop the surface of the air-conditioning conduit.

[0060] In another embodiment, the robot 900 may also be used on open spaces as well such as public transit stations, public transit cars, or the like. With the wheels 906, the robot 900 may move on uneven surfaces or between surfaces where here are gaps. In another embodiment, if the gap is too great, the robot 900 may be carried or pulled by the operator in the upright position.

[0061] FIG. 16 may be a high level illustration of a portable computing device 1301 communicating with a remote computing device 1341 in FIG. 17 but the application may be stored and accessed in a variety of ways. In addition, the application may be obtained in a variety of ways such as from an app store, from a web site, from a store Wi-Fi system, etc. There may be various versions of the application to take advantage of the benefits of different computing devices, different languages and different API platforms.

[0062] In one embodiment, a portable computing device 1301 may be a mobile device of the robot 800 or 900 that operates using a portable power source 1355 such as a battery. The portable computing device 1301 may also have a display 1302 which may or may not be a touch sensitive display. More specifically, the display 1302 may have a capacitance sensor, for example, that may be used to provide input data to the portable computing device 1301. In other embodiments, an input pad 1304 such as arrows, scroll wheels, keyboards, etc., may be used to provide inputs to the portable computing device 1301. In addition, the portable computing device 1301 may have a microphone 1306 which may accept and store verbal data, a camera 908 to accept images and a speaker 1310 to communicate sounds. [0063] The portable computing device 1301 may be able to communicate with a computing device 1341 or a plurality of computing devices 1341 that make up a cloud of computing devices 1311. The portable computing device 1301 may be able to communicate in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the communication may be wired such as through an Ethernet cable, a USB cable or RJ6 cable. In other embodiments, the communication may be wireless such as through Wi-Fi® (802.11 standard), BLUETOOTH, cellular communication or near field communication devices. The communication may be direct to the computing device 1341 or may be through a communication network such as cellular service, through the Internet, through a private network, through BLUETOOTH, etc., via a network or communication module 1380.

[0064] FIG. 16 may be a sample portable computing device 1301 that is physically configured according to be part of the system. The portable computing device 1301 may have a processor 1350 that is physically configured according to computer executable instructions. It may have a portable power supply 1355 such as a battery which may be rechargeable. It may also have a sound and video module 1360 which assists in displaying video and sound and may turn off when not in use to conserve power and battery life. The portable computing device 1301 may also have non-volatile memory 1370 and volatile memory 1365. The network or communication module 1380 may have GPS, BLUETOOTH, NFC, cellular or other communication capabilities. In one embodiment, some or all of the network or communication capabilities may be separate circuits or may be part of the processor 1350. There also may be an input/output bus 1375 that shuttles data to and from the various user input devices such as the microphone 1306, the camera 1308 and other inputs, such as the input pad 1304, the display 1302, and the speakers 1310, etc. It also may control communicating with the networks, either through wireless or wired devices. Of course, this is just one embodiment of the portable computing device 1301 and the number and types of portable computing devices 1301 is limited only by the imagination.

[0065] As a result of the system, better information may be provided to a user at a point of sale. The information may be user specific and may be required to be over a threshold of relevance. As a result, users may make better informed decisions. The system is more than just speeding a process but uses a computing system to achieve a better outcome.

[0066] The physical elements that make up the remote computing device 1341 may be further illustrated in FIG. 17. At a high level, the computing device 1341 may include a digital storage such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, flash storage, non-volatile storage, etc. Structured data may be stored in the digital storage such as in a database. The server 1341 may have a processor 1400 that is physically configured according to computer executable instructions. It may also have a sound and video module 1405 which assists in displaying video and sound and may turn off when not in use to conserve power and battery life. The server 1341 may also have volatile memory 1410 and non-volatile memory 1415.

[0067] The database 1425 may be stored in the memory 1410 or 1415 or may be separate. The database 1425 may also be part of a cloud of computing device 1341 and may be stored in a distributed manner across a plurality of computing devices 1341. There also may be an input/output bus 1420 that shuttles data to and from the various user input devices such as the microphone 1306, the camera 1308, the inputs such as the input pad 1304, the display 1302, and the speakers 1310, etc. The input/output bus 1420 may also connect to similar devices of the microphone 1306, the camera 1308, the inputs such as the input pad 1304, the display 1302, and the speakers 1310, or other peripheral devices, etc. The input/output bus 1420 also may interface with a network or communication module 1430 to control communicating with other devices or computer networks, either through wireless or wired devices. In some embodiments, the application may be on the local computing device 1301 and in other embodiments, the application may be remote 1341. Of course, this is just one embodiment of the server 1341 and the number and types of portable computing devices 1341 is limited only by the imagination.

[0068] The user devices, computers and servers described herein (e.g., 1301 or 1341) may be computers that may have, among other elements, a microprocessor (such as from the Intel® Corporation, AMD®, ARM®, Qualcomm®, or MediaTek®); volatile and non- volatile memory; one or more mass storage devices (e.g., a hard drive); various user input devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a microphone; and a video display system. The user devices, computers and servers described herein may be running on any one of many operating systems including, but not limited to WINDOWS®, UNIX®, LINUX®, MAC® OS®, iOS®, or Android®. It is contemplated, however, that any suitable operating system may be used for the present invention. The servers may be a cluster of web servers, which may each be LINUX® based and supported by a load balancer that decides which of the cluster of web servers should process a request based upon the current request-load of the available server(s).

[0069] The user devices, computers and servers described herein may communicate via networks, including the Internet, wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi®, other computer networks (now known or invented in the future), and/or any combination of the foregoing. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art having the present specification, drawings, and claims before them that networks may connect the various components over any combination of wired and wireless conduits, including copper, fiber optic, microwaves, and other forms of radio frequency, electrical and/or optical communication techniques. It should also be understood that any network may be connected to any other network in a different manner. The interconnections between computers and servers in system are examples. Any device described herein may communicate with any other device via one or more networks.

[0070] The example embodiments may include additional devices and networks beyond those shown. Further, the functionality described as being performed by one device may be distributed and performed by two or more devices. Multiple devices may also be combined into a single device, which may perform the functionality of the combined devices.

[0071] The various participants and elements described herein may operate one or more computer apparatuses to facilitate the functions described herein. Any of the elements in the above-described Figures, including any servers, user devices, or databases, may use any suitable number of subsystems to facilitate the functions described herein.

[0072] Any of the software components or functions described in this application, may be implemented as software code or computer readable instructions that may be executed by at least one processor using any suitable computer language such as, for example, Java, C++, or Perl using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques.

[0073] The software code may be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Any such computer readable medium may reside on or within a single computational apparatus and may be present on or within different computational apparatuses within a system or network.

[0074] It may be understood that the present invention as described above may be implemented in the form of control logic using computer software in a modular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art may know and appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the present invention using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0075] The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Many variations of embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure. The scope embodiments should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claims along with their full scope or equivalents. [0076] One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing from the scope embodiments. A recitation of "a", "an" or "the" is intended to mean "one or more" unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Recitation of "and/or" is intended to represent the most inclusive sense of the term unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

[0077] One or more of the elements of the present system may be claimed as means for accomplishing a particular function. Where such means-plus-function elements are used to describe certain elements of a claimed system it may be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art having the present specification, figures and claims before them, that the corresponding structure includes a computer, processor, or microprocessor (as the case may be) programmed to perform the particularly recited function using functionality found in a computer after special programming and/or by implementing one or more algorithms to achieve the recited functionality as recited in the claims or steps described above. As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that algorithm may be expressed within this disclosure as a mathematical formula, a flow chart, a narrative, and/or in any other manner that provides sufficient structure for those of ordinary skill in the art to implement the recited process and its equivalents.

[0078] While the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms, the drawings and discussion are presented with the understanding that the present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of one or more inventions and is not intended to limit any one embodiments to the embodiments illustrated.

[0079] Further advantages and modifications of the above described system and method may readily occur to those skilled in the art.

[0080] The disclosure, in its broader aspects, is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative system and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described above. Various modifications and variations may be made to the above specification without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure, and it is intended that the present disclosure covers all such modifications and variations provided they come within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning robot comprising: a housing supporting a plurality of cleaning elements; wherein the housing further comprises a cavity for receiving a drive train, wherein the drive train is detachably engaged with the cavity of the housing, wherein the drive train comprises a motor, a set of wheels, and a chassis for providing a four-wheel drive with the set of wheels.

2. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cleaning elements comprises at least one of the following: a vacuum cleaner, a set of brushes, and a mopping pad.

3. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a set of supporting elements.

4. The cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a retractable handle installed at a top front portion thereof.

5. The cleaning robot of claim 4, further comprising stands and wheels disposed at a back portion thereof.

6. The cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein the retractable handle, the stands, and the wheels support the housing being stand vertically.

7. The cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein the housing is carried by a user by pulling the retractable handle so that the housing is movable via the wheels.

8. A mobile robot configured to clean an air-conditioning conduit comprising a frame, a navigation system, two rotatable brushes disposed at the front of the frame, two side wheels disposed on each side of the back of the frame, a vacuum system installed within the frame, a mopping system installed within the frame, a liquid tank configured to hold cleaning liquid and supplying such cleaning liquid to the mopping system.

9. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the plurality of cleaning elements comprises at least one of the following: a vacuum cleaner, a set of brushes, and a mopping pad.

10. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the housing further comprises a set of supporting elements.

11. The mobile robot of claim 8, further comprising a retractable handle installed at a top front portion thereof.

12. The mobile robot of claim 11, further comprising stands and wheels disposed at a back portion thereof.

13. The mobile robot of claim 12, wherein the retractable handle, the stands, and the wheels support the frame being stand vertically.

14. The mobile robot of claim 12, wherein the frame is carried by a user by pulling the retractable handle so that the frame is movable via the wheels.