Removing debris from cleaning robots

Abstract

A cleaning robot system including a robot and a robot maintenance station. The robot includes a robot body, a drive system, a cleaning assembly, and a cleaning bin carried by the robot body and configured to receive debris agitated by the cleaning assembly. The robot maintenance station includes a station housing configured to receive the robot for maintenance. The station housing has an evacuation passageway exposed to a top portion of the received robot. The robot maintenance station also includes an air mover in pneumatic communication with the evacuation passageway and a collection bin carried by the station housing and in pneumatic communication with the evacuation passageway. The station housing and the robot body fluidly connect the evacuation passageway to the cleaning bin of the received robot. The air mover evacuates debris held in the robot cleaning bin to the collection bin through the evacuation passageway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A robot docking station comprising:
 a station housing;   a docking platform carried by the station housing and configured to support a robot when docked;   a collection bin;   a vacuum filter; and   a cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system configured to draw air and debris from the robot cleaning bin to deposit the debris into the debris bin using centripetal acceleration of debris to divert debris from an air flow or the vacuum filter,   wherein the vacuum filter is removable from the robot docking station with the debris collection bin.   
     
     
         2 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum filter is arranged so that a vacuuming system can pull air through the filter and via the debris collection bin. 
     
     
         3 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the docking station housing is configured to partly or completely enclose the robot when docked. 
     
     
         4 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , further comprising a station cover pivotally attached to the housing enclosing a bin receptacle defined in the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the docking platform further comprises a locking assembly configured to secure the received robot to the platform. 
     
     
         6 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum filter, the debris collection bin and the cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system are removable from the station housing as an assembly that forms part of a manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         7 . The robot docking station of  claim 1  wherein the collection bin and the cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system are removable from the docking station housing as an assembly that also includes a graspable handle and forms a manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         8 . The robot docking station of  claim 1  wherein the maintenance station includes a station base and a handheld vacuum removably secured to the station base. 
     
     
         9 . The robot docking station of  claim 8 , wherein the handheld vacuum is configured to either via operator control or automatically evacuate the robot bin once the robot docks with the maintenance station. 
     
     
         10 . The robot docking station of  claim 1 , wherein the maintenance station is configured as a trash container or other utility furniture. 
     
     
         11 . The robot docking station of  claim 10 , wherein the maintenance station includes a docking portion and a trash can portion including a trash can lid. 
     
     
         12 . A cleaning robot system comprising:
 a robot comprising:   a chassis;   a drive system mounted on the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot as directed by a controller in communication with the drive system;   a driven cleaning head rotatably carried by the chassis; and   a cleaning bin carried by the chassis and configured to receive debris from the cleaning head during cleaning;   a robot docking station comprising:
 a station housing; 
 a docking platform carried by the station housing and configured to support a robot when docked; 
 a collection bin; 
 a vacuum filter; and 
 a cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system configured to draw air and debris from the robot cleaning bin to deposit the debris into the debris bin using centripetal acceleration of debris to divert debris from an air flow or the vacuum filter, 
 wherein the vacuum filter is removable from the robot docking station with the debris collection bin. 
   
     
     
         13 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 12  wherein the collection bin and the cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system are removable from the docking station housing as an assembly that also includes a graspable handle and forms a manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 13  wherein the housing of the docking station fluidly connects the motorized cyclonic or other circulatory bagless vacuuming system to the robot cleaning head to evacuate the robot cleaning head into the collection bin of the manually operable vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 13  wherein the housing of the docking station fluidly connects a vacuum cleaner cleaning head of the docking station to the robot cleaning head to evacuate the robot cleaning bin into the collection bin of the manually operable vacuum cleaner.