Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Mobile robot docking systems and methods
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Application No.: US16942874Application Date: 2020-07-30
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Publication No.: US11292136B2Publication Date: 2022-04-05
- Inventor: Andrew Vincent Wolff , Douglas Dell'Accio , Leo Torrente , William Morris , Flavia Pastore
- Applicant: iRobot Corporation
- Applicant Address: US MA Bedford
- Assignee: iRobot Corporation
- Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
- Current Assignee Address: US MA Bedford
- Agency: Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.
- Main IPC: B25J11/00
- IPC: B25J11/00 ; A47L9/28 ; B60L53/14 ; A47L5/22 ; A47L9/00 ; A47L9/04 ; A47L9/10 ; A47L9/14 ; B25J5/00 ; B25J9/00 ; G05D1/02 ; H02J7/00

Abstract:
A mobile robot system includes a docking station and a mobile robot. The docking station includes a platform, first and second charging contacts on the platform, and first and second ramp features on the platform. The robot includes a housing, first and second drive wheels, first and second raised charging contacts on a bottom of the housing, and a cleaning module including at least one rotatable cleaning head that extends below the bottom of the housing. The robot is movable from an approach position with the robot spaced apart from a front of the platform to a docked position with the robot on the platform and the docking station charging contacts engaged with the robot charging contacts. As the robot moves from the approach position to the docked position, the robot engages the first and second ramp features and the cleaning mechanism is lifted over the docking station charging contacts.
Information query