Bissell Inc.

Bissell Homecare, Inc.

David VanKampen

Eric Daniel Buehler

Andrew James Brouwers

Derek Everett Smith

Jeffrey A Scholten

Jake Andrew Mohan

Jeffery Swan

James Joseph Minnema, Jr

Jared Thomas

Adam R Brown

Patryk Donald Akhurst

Sherman Rolf Couch

An autonomous vacuum cleaner includes an autonomously moveable housing carrying a vacuum collection system for generating a working air flow for removing dirt from the surface to be cleaned and storing the dirt in a collection space. Distance sensors for position sensing are mounted to the housing. The distance sensors can be staggered and/or positioned on one or more sides or above a brush chamber for a brushroll.

Autonomous vacuum cleaner

An autonomous floor cleaner includes multiple occupiable space sensors for position and/or proximity sensing. Data from the occupiable space sensors can be used determine areas of occupiable space in proximity to the autonomous floor cleaner. Methods for exiting a trapped condition, obstacle avoidance, and path planning are disclosed.

Autonomous floor cleaner and method for autonomous floor cleaning

A docking station for charging an autonomous floor cleaner includes a transmitter that can transmit a signal for detection by the robot. The docking station can include an opaque shroud for the transmitter and/or spring-loaded charging contacts. The autonomous floor cleaner can comprise a passive receiver that detects signals emitted from the docking station and a time-of-flight sensor for position/proximity sensing. The robot can selectively turn off the time-of-flight sensor when docking with or avoiding the docking station. Methods for docking, re-docking, low power charging, docking station avoidance, obstacle response during docking, and close-proximity docking are disclosed.

Docking station for autonomous floor cleaner

A system and method for selectively manually controlling an autonomous floor cleaner includes an autonomous floor cleaner and a remote control device, such as a smartphone. The smartphone can have a downloaded application for controlling one or more functions of the cleaning robot, including manually directing the movement of the cleaning robot.

Method and system for manual control of autonomous floor cleaner

An autonomous vacuum cleaner includes an autonomously moveable housing carrying a vacuum collection system for generating a working air flow for removing dirt from the surface to be cleaned and storing the dirt in a collection space. Distance sensors for position sensing are mounted to the housing, behind a sensor cover. The distance sensors can be staggered and/or positioned above a brush chamber for a brushroll.

A system providing a barrier for an autonomous floor cleaner includes an artificial barrier generator that radiates one or more infrared signals. An autonomous floor cleaner can be configured to detect the infrared signals, and can react by altering course. Methods for containing an autonomous floor cleaner within a user-determined boundary are disclosed.

Artificial barrier for autonomous floor cleaner

A system providing a barrier for an autonomous floor cleaner includes an artificial barrier generator that radiates one or more infrared emission patterns. An autonomous floor cleaner can be configured to detect an overlapping emission pattern made of partially overlapping encoded infrared emissions. Methods for containing an autonomous floor cleaner within a user-determined boundary are disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

David VanKampen