Patents Assigned to IROBOT
  • Electrical connection for robot vacuum lid
    Patent number: 11122951
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, an autonomous cleaning robot including a body, a drive operable to move the body across a floor surface, and a circuit board mounted below an upper surface of the body of the autonomous cleaning robot. The autonomous cleaning robot also includes one or more electrical contacts, a base of each electrical contact being mounted on the circuit board and a contact tip of each electrical contact being configured to protrude through a corresponding opening in the upper surface, wherein each electrical contact comprises a double curved structure to allow the electrical contact to be vertically flexible. The autonomous cleaning robot also includes a hinged lid including one or more contact pads, the one or more contact pads being configured to contact corresponding electrical contacts protruding through the upper surface as the lid is opened or closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Travis James Gschrey, Eric Burbank, Oliver Lewis, Milan Modh, Sophia Wennstedt
  • Mast systems for autonomous mobile robots
    Patent number: 11110595
    Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot includes a flexible member including a polymer layer extending along an entire length of the flexible member, and an end portion vertically movable away from a body of the robot. A first portion of a fastening mechanism extends along a first lateral edge of the polymer layer and a second portion of the fastening mechanism extends along a second lateral edge of the polymer layer. The first portion of the fastening mechanism is attached to the second portion of the fastening mechanism and forms a conduit to support the image capture device. The conduit includes an inner surface and an outer surface, and the outer surface of the conduit is at least partially defined by the polymer layer. An image capture device is mounted to an end portion of the flexible member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick Chow, Irene Lee, Kenneth Holm, Jr., Frederic D. Hook, Patrick Petrossian, Fred Alibozek
  • Cleaning rollers for cleaning robots
    Patent number: 11109727
    Abstract: A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot is featured. The cleaning roller includes an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, and a vane extending outward from the elongate member. The vane includes a first vane portion attached to the elongate member, and a second vane portion attached to the first vane portion. The first vane portion extends from the elongate member at a location intersecting a radial axis of the cleaning roller. The first vane portion extends along a first axis angled relative to the radial axis and away from the radial axis in a tangential direction. The second vane portion extends along a second axis angled relative to the first axis. A first angle between the first axis and the radial axis is greater than a second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Burbank, Timothy R. Ohm, Erik Amaral
  • Pairing a beacon with a mobile robot
    Patent number: 11115798
    Abstract: A method performed by a mobile lawn mowing robot includes pairing a beacon with the mobile lawn mowing robot. Pairing the beacon with the mobile lawn mowing robot includes determining a distance between the beacon and the mobile lawn mowing robot and confirming that the beacon is within a pairing distance from the mobile lawn mowing robot based on a comparison of the determined distance to a pairing distance. Pairing the beacon with the mobile robot lawn mowing robot further includes, subsequent to confirming that the beacon is within the pairing distance from the mobile lawn mowing robot, pairing the beacon with the mobile lawn mowing robot, and, following pairing, detecting wideband or ultra-wideband signals from the beacon, and using the wideband or ultra-wideband signals to enable navigation over an area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Beaulieu, Brian Yamauchi, Erik Steltz
  • Light indicator system for an autonomous mobile robot
    Patent number: 11104268
    Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot includes a body, a drive supporting the body above a floor surface, a light-propagating plate positioned on the body and having a periphery defining a continuous loop, light sources each being positioned to direct light through a portion of the plate to a portion of the continuous loop, and a controller to selectively operate the light sources to provide a visual indicator of a status or service condition of the autonomous mobile robot. The drive is configured to maneuver the mobile robot about the floor surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Cory White, Benjamin H. Schriesheim, Oliver Lewis, Stephen A. Hickey, Stuart R. Jang, Michael J. Dooley
  • Contact sensors for a mobile robot
    Patent number: 11104006
    Abstract: A robot includes a body and a bumper. The body is movable relative to a surface and includes a first portion of a sensor. The bumper is mounted on the body and movable relative to the body and includes a backing and a second portion of the sensor. The backing is movable relative to the body in response to a force applied to the bumper. The second portion of the sensor is attached to the backing and movable with the backing relative to the first portion of the sensor in response to a force applied to the bumper. The sensor is configured to output an electrical signal in response to a movement of the backing. The electrical signal is proportional to an amount of displacement of the second portion relative to the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Victor Fay, Seth Blitzblau, Samuel Duffley, Kyle Dumont, Justin H. Woodman
  • Brush for autonomous cleaning robot
    Patent number: 11103113
    Abstract: An autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive configured to move the robot across a floor surface, a brush proximate a lateral side of the robot, and a motor configured to rotate the brush about an axis of rotation. The brush includes a hub configured to engage the motor of the robot and arms each extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and each being angled relative to a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the brush. Each of the arms include a first portion extending outwardly from the hub away from the axis of rotation and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion away from the axis of rotation. An angle between the first portion of each of the arms and the plane is larger than an angle between the second portion of the each of the arms and the plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas P. Schregardus, Travis James Gschrey
  • Obstacle following sensor scheme for a mobile robot
    Patent number: 11084172
    Abstract: A robot obstacle detection system including a robot housing which navigates with respect to a surface and a sensor subsystem aimed at the surface for detecting the surface. The sensor subsystem includes an emitter which emits a signal having a field of emission and a photon detector having a field of view which intersects the field of emission at a region. The subsystem detects the presence of an object proximate the mobile robot and determines a value of a signal corresponding to the object. It compares the value to a predetermined value, moves the mobile robot in response to the comparison, and updates the predetermined value upon the occurrence of an event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher M. Casey, Matthew Cross, Daniel N. Ozick, Joseph L. Jones
  • Autonomous coverage robot sensing
    Patent number: 11072250
    Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot detection system includes an emitter configured to emit a directed beam, a detector configured to detect the directed beam and a controller configured to direct the robot in response to a signal detected by the detector. In some examples, the detection system detects a stasis condition of the robot. In some examples, the detection system detects a wall and can follow the wall in response to the detected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Duane L. Gilbert, Jr., Marcus Williams, Andrea M. Okerholm, Elaine H. Kristant, Sheila A. Longo, Daniel E. Kee, Marc D. Strauss
  • Vacuum brush
    Patent number: 11058271
    Abstract: A rotating cleaning element configured to be inserted in a cleaning head compartment of a robotic vacuum, the rotating cleaning element including: a drive end including a drive protrusion configured to engage a drive mechanism of the cleaning head compartment; a bearing end and a shroud configured to surround at least a portion of the bearing end to lessen an amount of hair and similar matter that reaches the bearing; and a central member extending between the bearing end and the drive end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew Blouin
  • Wet robot docking station
    Patent number: 11058276
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a base station for receiving a mobile cleaning robot including a docking structure. The docking structure includes a horizontal surface and at least two electrical charging contacts, each of the electrical charging contacts having a contact surface positioned above the horizontal surface. The base station also includes a platform that is connectable to the docking structure. The platform includes a raised rear surface having a front portion and a rear portion, two wheel wells located in the front portion of the raised rear surface of the platform, and a plurality of raised surface features forward of the raised rear surface configured to support an underside portion of the mobile cleaning robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Levi Fox, Marcus R. Williams, Yanhan Li, Jason Jeffrey Suchman, Lucile Driscoll
  • Blade guard for a robot lawnmower
    Patent number: 11058053
    Abstract: An autonomous robot lawnmower includes a blade assembly including blades, a drive system to drive the blades through a cutting area having a cutting width, and a lateral blade guard including at least four bars spaced apart from one another by no less than 1 mm and no more than 15 mm. The at least four bars are positioned between the blades and a mowable area when the robot lawnmower is supported on the mowable area. The at least four bars extend across a portion of the cutting width and extending rearward and forward of the cutting area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Shaan Patel, Brian Doughty
  • Methods and systems for complete coverage of a surface by an autonomous robot
    Patent number: 11052540
    Abstract: A robot configured to navigate a surface, the robot comprising a movement mechanism; a logical map representing data about the surface and associating locations with one or more properties observed during navigation; an initialization module configured to establish an initial pose comprising an initial location and an initial orientation; a region covering module configured to cause the robot to move so as to cover a region; an edge-following module configured to cause the robot to follow unfollowed edges; a control module configured to invoke region covering on a first region defined at least in part based at least part of the initial pose, to invoke region covering on least one additional region, to invoke edge-following, and to invoke region covering cause the mapping module to mark followed edges as followed, and cause a third region covering on regions discovered during edge-following.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Michael S. Stout, Gabriel Francis Brisson, Enrico Di Bernardo, Paolo Pirjanian, Dhiraj Goel, James Philip Case, Michael Dooley
  • Interface for robot cleaner evacuation
    Patent number: 11039725
    Abstract: A method of operating an autonomous cleaning robot is provided. The method includes receiving, at a handheld computing device, data representing a status of a debris collection bin of the autonomous cleaning robot, the status of the bin including a bin fullness reading. The method also includes receiving, at the handheld computing device, data representing a status of a filter bag of an evacuation station, the status of the filter bag including a bag fullness reading. The method also includes presenting, on a display of the handheld computing device, a first status indicator representing the bin fullness reading, and presenting, on the display of the handheld computing device, a second status indicator representing the bag fullness reading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Wesley Johnson, Benjamin H. Shriesheim, Qunxi Huang
  • Wheel for autonomous cleaning robot
    Patent number: 11027580
    Abstract: A wheel for an autonomous cleaning robot that maneuvers the robot on a floor surface includes a tire having first and second opposing outer edges and a middle portion having a tread pattern between the first and second outer edges, the tread pattern comprising a plurality of raised tread having trenches therebetween. Each of the plurality of raised tread includes a first raised tread portion extending from the first outer edge to the middle portion and substantially perpendicular to the first and second outer edges; a second raised tread portion extending at an angle away from the first raised tread portion; and a third raised tread portion extending from the second raised tread portion to the second outer edge and substantially perpendicular to the first and second outer edges, the third raised tread portion being laterally offset from the first raised tread portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Robin Grace, Lindsay Louise Wright, Timothy James Haughton, Marcus R. Williams, John Reimels, Timothy William Fleck
  • Robotic lawnmower having inwardly indented portions along a periphery thereof
    Patent number: D922444
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Russell Walter Morin, Stuart R. Jang
  • Evacuation station
    Patent number: D924522
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventor: Stuart R. Jang
  • Debris container
    Patent number: D930053
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Jason Jeffrey Suchman, Douglas Dell'Accio, Andrew Vincent Wolff, Flavia Pastore
  • Battery
    Patent number: D931797
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Burbank, Stephen A. Hickey, Milan Modh
  • Debris container
    Patent number: D934314
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Jason Jeffrey Suchman, Douglas Dell'Accio, Andrew Vincent Wolff, Flavia Pastore