Patents Assigned to IROBOT
  • Patent number: 11930992
    Abstract: An autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; a cleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface; a receiver configured to receive an indication of cat activity in a cat box; and a controller configured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the cat box to execute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of cat activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Anders Bialek, John Sinnigen, Colin Angle, Michael J. Halloran
  • Patent number: 11930976
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body, a drive supporting the robot body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface, a pad holder attached to an underside of the robot body and configured to receive a removable cleaning pad, and a pad sensor configured to sense a pad type identifier on a central region of the cleaning pad. The pad type identifier includes a marker on the central region of the cleaning pad. The cleaning pad has a mounting card affixed thereto, and the pad type identifier includes an array of apertures that expose selected portions of the marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: John Reimels, Marcus R. Williams, Adam Goss, Isaac Fowler, Lucile Driscoll
  • Patent number: 11930991
    Abstract: A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot can include a canister and a base configured to receive the mobile cleaning robot thereon, where the base can include a front portion and a back portion opposite the front portion. The base can include a vacuum port extending at least partially through the base. The canister can be connected to the back portion of the base and can be located at least partially above the base. The canister can include a debris bin connected to the vacuum port to receive debris therefrom and a fan compartment connected to a side wall of the debris bin and including a fan system operable to draw debris through the vacuum port and the debris bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent Andrew Wolff, Brian W. Doughty, Leo Torrente, Travis Gschrey, Jack Zhang, Levi Fox, Rogelio Manfred Neumann, Celerick Stephens, James J. Mahoney, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11930989
    Abstract: A roller assembly for a mobile cleaning system for cleaning a work surface can include a drive shaft, a sheath, a bushing, and a bushing shroud. The drive shaft can be rotatable about a drive axis, and the drive shaft can include a driven end and an opposite bushing end. The sheath can be supported by the drive shaft and the sheath can be rotatable with the drive shaft. The sheath can include a shell engageable with the work surface. The bushing can be located about the bushing end of the drive shaft. The bushing shroud can be connected to the bushing. The sheath and the drive shaft can be together rotatable with respect to the bushing and the bushing shroud, the bushing shroud can include an outer portion defining a first radius of curvature and a recessed portion connected to the outer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Hao-Yun Chow, Patrick Chow, Ke Ting Gao, Fangzheng Guo, Jennifer Ann Mauger, Rogelio Manfred Neumann, Jian Yun Pi, Michael G. Sack, Rubal Verma
  • Patent number: 11926066
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for carpet drift estimation are disclosed. In certain implementations, a robotic device includes an actuator system to move the body across a surface. A first set of sensors can sense an actuation characteristic of the actuator system. For example, the first set of sensors can include odometry sensors for sensing wheel rotations of the actuator system. A second set of sensors can sense a motion characteristic of the body. The first set of sensors may be a different type of sensor than the second set of sensors. A controller can estimate carpet drift based at least on the actuation characteristic sensed by the first set of sensors and the motion characteristic sensed by the second set of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Dhiraj Goel, Ethan Eade, Philip Fong, Mario E. Munich
  • Patent number: 11918172
    Abstract: This document describes a mobile cleaning robot including a chassis having a forward portion and an aft portion; a blower affixed to the chassis; a bin supported by the chassis and configured to receive airflow from the blower, the chassis enabling evacuation of the bin through a bottom of the robot. The bin includes a top, a bottom, a sidewall, and an internal barrier. The bin includes a first volume and a second volume separated by the internal barrier and a filter unit supported by the internal barrier and removably disposed in an airflow path between the first volume that includes an intake port in the bin and the second volume that includes an exhaust port in the bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Oliver Lewis, Stephen A. Hickey, Russell Walter Morin
  • Patent number: 11914393
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for scheduling and controlling a mobile cleaning robot based on a seasonal or environmental debris accumulation event are discussed. A mobile cleaning robot receives a seasonal cleaning schedule corresponding to a seasonal or environmental debris accumulation event. The seasonal cleaning schedule includes instructions to clean a portion of the mobile robot's environment having a debris state varied seasonally. The mobile cleaning robot executes a cleaning mission in the environment in accordance with the seasonal cleaning schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Weyant, Teresa Borcuch, Jacki Holcomb, Andrew Scott Reichel, Erik Moore
  • Patent number: 11871888
    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: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Burbank, Timothy R. Ohm, Erik Amaral
  • Patent number: 11857139
    Abstract: A mobile cleaning robot can include a body, a drive wheel, and a wheel stop. The drive wheel can be connected to the body and can be operable to move the mobile cleaning robot about an environment. The wheel stop can be movable with respect to the body and the drive wheel between a stop position and a release position. The wheel stop can be engageable with the drive wheel in the stop position to limit vertical travel of the drive wheel with respect to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy R. Ohm, Erik Edward Steltz, Russell Walter Morin, Fangzheng Guo
  • Patent number: 11860638
    Abstract: A mobile cleaning robot can include a robot body, a bumper, and a bumper impact system. The bumper can be connected to and supported by the robot body. The bumper impact system can include a first sensor connected to the body in a first orientation with respect to the body and the bumper. The bumper impact system can include a second sensor connected to the body in a second orientation with respect to the body and the bumper different from the first orientation. The first sensor and the second sensor can together be configured to sense an impact region of the bumper based on a magnitude and a direction of movement of the bumper relative to the robot body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Dexter Bautista, Isaac Fowler, Andrew Graziani, Marcus R. Williams, Ping-Hong Lu, Erik Schembor
  • Patent number: 11845187
    Abstract: An integrated intelligent system includes a first intelligent electronic device, a second intelligent electronic device, a transferable intelligent control device (TICD) and a cross product bus. The first intelligent electronic device performs a first function and the second intelligent electronic device performs a second function. The cross product bus couples the first intelligent electronic device to the transferable intelligent control device. The TICD partially controls behaviors of the intelligent electronic device by sending commands over the cross product bus to the first intelligent electronic device and the TICD partially controls behaviors of the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function. The TICD is first attached to the first intelligent electronic device to partially control the behaviors of the first electronic device, then detached from the first electronic device, and then attached to the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Dooley, Nikolai Romanov, Paolo Pirjanian
  • Patent number: 11832780
    Abstract: A mobile cleaning robot can include a body and a cleaning assembly. The body can include a suction duct. The cleaning assembly can be operable to ingest debris from a surface of an environment. The cleaning assembly can include a dustpan engageable with the surface to direct debris toward the suction duct. The dust pan can be movable with respect to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Erik Amaral, Timothy R. Ohm, Andrew Deschenes
  • Patent number: 11830618
    Abstract: A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a plan view map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a plan view map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignees: Teladoc Health, Inc., iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Yulun Wang, Charles S. Jordan, Tim Wright, Michael Chan, Marco Pinter, Kevin Hanrahan, Daniel Sanchez, James Ballantyne, Cody Herzog, Blair Whitney, Fuji Lai, Kelton Temby, Eben Christopher Rauhut, Justin H. Kearns, Cheuk Wah Wong, Timothy Sturtevant Farlow
  • Patent number: 11820008
    Abstract: A method of operating a mobile cleaning robot includes receiving a privacy mode setting from a user interface, where the privacy mode setting is based on a user selection between at least two different privacy mode settings for determining whether to operate the mobile cleaning robot in an image-capture-restricted mode. An image stream of an image capture device of the mobile cleaning robot is permitted in an absence of a user-selection of a more restrictive one of the privacy settings. At least a portion of the image stream is restricted or disabled based at least in part on a user-selection of a more restrictive one of the privacy settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Gregg Duthaler, Vincent Edward Colella
  • Patent number: 11812916
    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: July 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew Blouin
  • Patent number: 11812918
    Abstract: A bag-based filtering device for collecting debris from a cleaning robot via a debris evacuation station includes a filter bag configured to separate at least the portion of the evacuated debris from a flow of air generated by the evacuation station. The filtering device includes a conduit extending inward from an opening of the filter bag into the receptacle. The conduit is configured to pneumatically connect a receptacle of the filtering device with an inlet of the filtering device to direct the flow of air generated by the evacuation station through the filter bag to separate at least the portion of the evacuated debris from the flow of air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Vincent Wolff, Ellen B. Cargill, Douglas Dell'Accio, Jason Jeffrey Suchman, Flavia Pastore
  • Patent number: D1008584
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Shaojia Chen, Insun Hong
  • Patent number: D1010959
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart R. Jang, Ryan Mercier
  • Patent number: D1017154
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan Mercier, Insun Hong, Rick Hoobler
  • Patent number: D1018455
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Calvin Jinwon Lee, Ryan Mercier, Rick Hoobler, Insun Hong