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.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A cleaning robot system comprising:
 a mobile robot comprising:
 a debris bin configured to hold debris retrieved by the mobile robot from a surface traversed by the mobile robot, wherein the mobile robot further comprises at least one roller or a brush configured to direct the debris on the surface toward the debris bin, whereby the surface being traversed is cleaned; and 
 a controller configured to wirelessly communicate with a user interface device, and 
   an evacuation station comprising:
 an intake port configured to align to an exhaust port of the debris bin; 
 a collection unit configured to store debris from the debris bin; 
 a conduit extending from the intake port through which debris is transported from the exhaust port of the debris bin to the collection unit when the intake port is aligned with the exhaust port of the debris bin; 
 a motor configured to provide suction at the debris bin to remove debris from the debris bin of the mobile robot; and 
 a graspable handle attached to the collection unit, the graspable handle configured to disengage the collection unit from the evacuation station. 
   
     
     
         17 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to receive scheduling commands from the user interface device. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to provide a debris bin full indication to the user interface device. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to provide a floor type indication to the user interface device. 
     
     
         20 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the mobile robot comprises an infrared homing system configured to position the mobile robot with respect to the evacuation station. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 20 , wherein the infrared homing system comprises an infrared receiver. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the evacuation station comprises:
 a first portion comprising a first bin connector; and   a second portion comprising a second bin connector configured to mate with the first bin connector, wherein the second portion is removable from the first portion.   
     
     
         23 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 22 , wherein the first bin connector and the second bin connector provide a flow path for debris from the debris bin of the mobile robot to the collection bin of the evacuation station. 
     
     
         24 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 23 , wherein the second portion of the evacuation station comprises the collection bin and the graspable handle. 
     
     
         25 . The cleaning robot system of  claim 16 , wherein the evacuation station comprises a controller configured to provide a bin full indicator to a user interface device. 
     
     
         26 . The evacuation station of  claim 16 , wherein a capacity of the collection unit of the evacuation station is 3 to 10 times larger than a capacity of the debris bin of the mobile robot. 
     
     
         27 . An evacuation station comprising:
 an intake port configured to align to an exhaust port of a debris bin in a mobile cleaning robot, the intake port extending in a horizontal direction, a bottom surface of the intake port being located above bottom surface of the mobile cleaning robot, a top surface of the intake port being located below a top surface of the mobile cleaning robot;   a collection unit configured to store debris from the debris bin;   a conduit extending from the intake port through which debris is transported from the exhaust port to the collection unit when the intake port is aligned with the exhaust port;   a motor configured to provide suction at the debris bin to remove debris from the debris bin of the mobile cleaning robot; and   a graspable handle attached to the collection unit, the graspable handle configured to disengage the collection unit from the evacuation station.   
     
     
         28 . The evacuation station of  claim 27 , comprising a controller configured to provide a bin full indicator to a user interface device. 
     
     
         29 . The evacuation station of  claim 27 , comprising:
 a first portion comprising a first bin connector; and   a second portion comprising a second bin connector configured to mate with the first bin connector, wherein the second portion is removable from the first portion.   
     
     
         30 . The evacuation station of  claim 29 , wherein the first bin connector and the second bin connector provide a flow path for debris from the debris bin of the mobile cleaning robot to the collection unit of the evacuation station. 
     
     
         31 . The evacuation station of  claim 30 , wherein the second portion of the evacuation station comprises the collection unit and the graspable handle. 
     
     
         32 . The evacuation station of  claim 27 , wherein a capacity of the collection unit of the evacuation station is 3 to 10 times larger than a capacity of the debris bin of the mobile cleaning robot.