Robotic vacuum cleaning system

摘要

An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.

主权项

1. An autonomous coverage robot comprising:
a chassis having forward and rearward portions; a drive system supported by the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot over a cleaning surface; and a cleaning assembly supported by the chassis, the cleaning assembly comprising:
a roller housing;a first roller rotatably mounted to the roller housing and defining a first longitudinal axis, the first roller being rotatable about the first longitudinal axis in a first direction; anda second roller rotatably mounted to the roller housing rearward of and substantially parallel to the first roller, the second roller defining a second longitudinal axis and being rotatable about the second longitudinal axis in a second direction opposite of the first direction;wherein the second roller is spaced from the first roller to form an air gap therebetween; andwherein the first and second rollers are each resiliently compressible to allow passage of an object having a dimension larger than the air gap between the first and second rollers when the first and second rollers are counter-rotating in the respective first and second directions.