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Patent application title:

Robotic floor cleaning device

Publication number:

-

Publication date:
Application number:

15/432,722

Filed date:

2017-02-14

✅ Patent granted

Patent number:

US 10,231,592 B1

Grant date:

2019-03-19

PCT filing:

-

PCT publication:

-

Examiner:

David Redding

Agent:

STLG ip Law Firm | Soody Tronson

Adjusted expiration:

2037-02-14

Smart Summary: A robotic floor cleaning device is designed to clean floors using steam instead of just liquid. It has a tank that holds cleaning fluid, which is turned into vapor by ultrasonic oscillators. This vapor is then sprayed onto the floor through nozzles to help remove dirt and debris. The heat from the steam makes it easier to clean surfaces effectively. Overall, this device aims to improve floor cleaning by using steam technology in a robotic format. 🚀 TL;DR

Abstract:

A robotic floor cleaning device that contains a cleaning fluid reservoir to store cleaning fluid and uses ultrasonic oscillators to vaporize the cleaning fluid. Vapor is delivered via nozzles to a work surface to remove debris therefrom.

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Assignee:

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Classification:

  1. Human necessities
  2. Furniture ; domestic articles or appliances; coffee mills; spice mills; suction cleaners in general

A47L11/4086 »  CPC main

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers; Means for supplying cleaning or surface treating agents Arrangements for steam generation

A47L11/28 »  CPC further

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings Floor-scrubbing machines, motor-driven

A47L11/4011 »  CPC further

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor

A47L11/4066 »  CPC further

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers; Driving means; Transmission means therefor Propulsion of the whole machine

A47L11/4072 »  CPC further

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers Arrangement of castors or wheels

A47L11/4083 »  CPC further

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers; Means for supplying cleaning or surface treating agents Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices

A47L13/225 »  CPC further

Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing; Mops with liquid-feeding devices Steam mops

A47L2201/00 »  CPC further

Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation

A47L13/22 IPC

Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings; Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing; Mops with liquid-feeding devices

A47L11/40 IPC

Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings Parts or details of machines not groups  - , , e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/302,244 filed Mar. 2, 2016 by the present inventor.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to robotic floor cleaning devices.

BACKGROUND

Mobile robotic devices are being used with increasing frequency to maintain clean floors in residential and commercial settings. For some flooring types, it may be beneficial to clean the floors with liquid. Robotic mopping devices have been used in prior art to carry out this task. Robotic mopping devices usually store water or cleaning fluid in a tank and disperse this fluid onto the work surface during work and use a tool to wipe or scrub the work surface thereafter. However, it may be more effective to clean a surface with steam. Heat from steam can help loosen debris particles from flooring surfaces. A need exists for a method to employ steam cleaning in robotic floor cleaning systems.

SUMMARY

It is a goal of the present invention to provide a robotic floor cleaning device that disperses steam onto work surfaces to facilitate cleaning.

The aforementioned goal is achieved through a robotic floor cleaning device with a fluid reservoir in which cleaning fluid is stored. Ultrasonic oscillators or other like means are used to vaporize some of the fluid from the fluid reservoir and nozzles or other like means deliver the vaporized fluid to an area for receiving fluid, which may be a work surface or a cleaning pad or cloth that will be rubbed on a work surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overhead view of the underside of a mobile robotic floor cleaning device embodying features of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention proposes a robotic floor cleaning device with a steam cleaning system.

Referring to FIG. 1, an overhead view of the underside of a robotic floor cleaning device 100 is illustrated. A reservoir 101 is positioned within the robotic floor cleaning device. Ultrasonic oscillators 102 are connected to the reservoir and vaporize the water to produce steam. (Other means for vaporizing water, such as heating systems, are well known and may be used in place of ultrasonic oscillators without departing from the scope of the invention.) Nozzles 103 deliver the steam to an area to receive steam. In some embodiments, an area to receive steam might be the surface or floor that the robotic floor cleaning device is driving and working on. In some embodiments, a mopping cloth 104 disposed under the nozzles to facilitate mopping or wiping of a work surface.

In some embodiments, a mopping cloth is removably attached, for example by Velcro, to the main body of the robotic floor cleaning device so that it may be removed and washed by a user after it has become soiled.

In some embodiments, the nozzles continuously deliver a substantially constant flow of steam to the mopping cloth.

In some embodiments, the nozzles periodically deliver predetermined quantities of steam to the cloth.

Claims

I claim:

1. A robotic floor cleaning device comprising:

a chassis including a set of wheels;

a motor to drive the wheels, the motor electrically coupled to a battery disposed in the chassis;

a control unit to provide at least one movement path to the robotic floor cleaning device;

a fluid reservoir to store a cleaning fluid;

one or more ultrasonic oscillators electrically coupled to the battery to vaporize fluid in the fluid reservoir; and,

a plurality of nozzle sets dispersed across an underside of the robotic floor cleaning device and a mopping cloth positioned below the plurality of nozzle sets to receive the vaporized fluid across a top surface of the mopping cloth wherein a bottom surface of the mopping cloth wipes the work surface.

2. The robotic floor cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said mopping cloth is removably attached to the chassis.

3. The robotic floor cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic oscillators operate continuously at a constant rate.

4. The robotic floor cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic oscillators turn on at intervals.

5. A robotic floor cleaning device comprising:

a chassis including a set of wheels;

a motor to drive the wheels;

a control unit to provide at least one movement path to the robotic floor cleaning device;

a fluid reservoir to store a cleaning fluid;

one or more ultrasonic oscillators for vaporizing cleaning fluid from the fluid reservoir;

a plurality of nozzle sets dispersed across an underside of the robotic floor cleaning device that direct vaporized fluid to a work surface; and

a mopping cloth positioned under the plurality of nozzle sets to receive the vaporized fluid across a top surface of the mopping cloth wherein a bottom surface of the mopping cloth wipes the work surface.

6. The robotic floor cleaning device of claim 5 wherein said oscillators for vaporizing the cleaning fluid from the fluid reservoir is activated continuously at a constant rate.

7. The robotic floor cleaning device of claim 5 wherein said oscillators for vaporizing the cleaning fluid from the fluid reservoir is activated at predetermined intervals.

Resources

Images & Drawings included:

Fig. 01 - Robotic floor cleaning device
Fig. 01
Fig. 02 - Robotic floor cleaning device
Fig. 02

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