Patent ID: 8515578

Claim:
A robotic cleaner, comprising: a chassis and an outer shell secured to the chassis; left and right main drive wheel assemblies and respective independent electric motors, independently mounted in pivotally-biased combination with the chassis for pivotal motion with respect thereto at opposed ends of the transverse diameter of the chassis, and movable between a retracted position under the weight of the robotic cleaner during operation and an extended position wherein their axes of rotation are below the bottom plane of the chassis; a navigational control system operative to monitor movement activity of the robotic cleaner within a defined working area, the monitored movement activity including at least one of a position history of the robotic cleaner and an instantaneous position of the robotic cleaner; and a transmitting subsystem including a mechanical sweeping transmitter laser, wherein the mechanical sweeping transmitter laser: is configured to sweep to redirect a transmitting element of the mechanical sweeping transmitter laser; is configured to transmit in the infrared range from about 750 nm to about 1.4 ×10^4 nm; is configured to cover the defined working area by transmitting a beam substantially parallel to a surface of the defined working area; is mounted in combination with the outer shell secured to the chassis to define an overall structural envelope of a height to enable movement of the robotic cleaner under furniture; and is integrated in combination with a high point of a housing infrastructure of the robotic cleaner so that none of the structural features of the robotic cleaner interfere with sweeping of the transmitting element of the mechanical sweeping transmitter laser.