Bissell Inc.

Patryk Donald Akhurst

Chris J Harmelink

Christopher L Hogg

Sang Hoon Chung

Mike Luyckx

Isaac Busken-Jovanovich

Churu Yun

Andrew James Brouwers

David VanKampen

Jeffery Swan

Jared Thomas

The present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus that includes an illumination system having lighting to illuminate a floor surface or other area being cleaned. The lighting for the illumination system includes a plurality of lights, light sources, and/or lighting zones disposed around a housing of the apparatus. The illumination system can output a condition, status, state, alert or error to a user by emitting visible light and varying an intensity, color, wavelength, temperature, or animation of the light. Methods for operating the illumination system are also provided.

Surface cleaning apparatus with lighting

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

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Patryk Donald Akhurst