Patent ID: 9038233
Filing Date: 2015-05-26
Classification: A47L

Abstract:
1. A self-propelled floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing defining a housing perimeter; a powered primary brush assembly disposed within the housing perimeter and positioned to engage a floor surface, the primary brush assembly being configured to rotate about an axis generally parallel to the floor surface; a cliff detector carried by the housing and configured to direct a beam toward the floor surface and to respond to a falling edge of the floor surface; and a powered side brush extending beyond the housing perimeter and positioned to brush floor surface debris from beyond the housing perimeter, the side brush being configured to rotate about an axis generally perpendicular to the floor surface and to rotate in a direction to direct debris toward the robot along a projected direction of movement of the powered primary brush assembly, the side brush having bundles of bristles and being positioned such that the bundles of bristles pass between the cliff detector and the floor surface during a rotation of the side brush around the axis, the bundles of bristles being separated by a gap, the gap being configured to prevent occlusion of the cliff detector beam during at least part of the rotation of the side brush around the axis; a particulate receptacle positioned to receive and collect particulates brushed from the floor surface by the primary brush assembly and the powered side brush; an obstacle detector responsive to obstacles encountered by the robot; and a control circuit in electrical communication with a motor drive and configured to control the motor drive to maneuver the robot about detected obstacles across the floor surface during a floor-cleaning operation.