Autonomous mobile steam cleaning device

Abstract

An autonomous mobile steam cleaning device includes a mobile robot being formed with a hot steam/vapor generator and a first water tank with hot water during autonomous steam cleaning; a base station providing either hot water or water and power to pre-heat water to the first water tank before autonomous steam cleaning commences; and a steam dispersing apparatus provided with at least one steam port in communication with the hot steam./vapor generator.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An autonomous steam cleaning device, comprising:
 a mobile robot being formed with a hot steam/vapor generator and a first water tank with hot water during autonomous steam cleaning;   a base station providing either hot water or water and power to pre-heat water to the first water tank before autonomous steam cleaning commences; and   a steam dispersing apparatus provided with at least one steam port in communication with the hot steam/vapor generator.   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 1 , wherein the first water tank is an onboard thermal water tank to preserve temperature of pre-heated water. 
     
     
         3 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 1 , wherein the base station is formed with a second water tank to reduce a frequency needed for a user to fill water, a pump to fill the first water tank with hot water, a power source and a heater to heat water while filling the first water tank. 
     
     
         4 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 3 , wherein the base station comprises a heater capable of providing energy to heat water, and the mobile robot is provided with a heating chamber formed with a miniature heating element. 
     
     
         5 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 3 , wherein the mobile robot comprises an onboard heater capable of providing energy to pre-heat the water in the first water tank, and the hot steam/vapor generator is a heating chamber formed with a miniature heating element. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 3 , wherein the base station comprises an energy source to pre-heat the water in the first water tank when the autonomous steam cleaning device is docked in the base station. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 3 , wherein the hot steam/vapor generator of the mobile robot comprises an atomization device and an onboard heater to heat vapor before dispensing the vapor. 
     
     
         8 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 3 , further comprising an external pump to pump unused water in the first water tank back to the second water tank after a cleaning task for reheat. 
     
     
         9 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 8 , wherein the first water tank defines a first through port to fill water from the second water tank and a second through port to pump the unused water in the first water tank to the second water tank for reheat. 
     
     
         10 . The autonomous steam cleaning device of  claim 1 , wherein during the autonomous steam cleaning process, the hot water in the first water tank having a temperature close to the boiling point of water. 
     
     
         11 . A method for generating hot steam/vapor for an autonomous steam cleaning device, the autonomous steam cleaning device provided with a mobile robot having a first water tank and a hot steam/vapor generator, and a base station providing with a second water tank integrated with a docking/charging station, the method comprising the steps of:
 S 1 : adding water to the second water tank integrated with the docking/charging station;   S 2 : heating the water from the second water tank while pumping water to the first water tank while the mobile robot is docked   S 3 : maintaining temperature of pre-heated water during autonomous steam cleaning; and   S 4 : heating hot water from the first water tank t© generate hot steam/vapor or atomizing the water from the first water tank to generate hot steam/vapor.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first water tank is an onboard thermal water tank to preserve the temperature of the pre-heated water. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base station comprises an onboard heater, and the mobile robot comprises a heating chamber provided with a miniature heating element to heat or vaporize the pre-heated water from the first water tank. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the mobile robot comprises an onboard heater providing energy to pre-heat the water from the second water tank, and a heating chamber provided with a miniature heating element to heat or vaporize the pre-heated water from the first water tank. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base station comprises an onboard heater providing energy to pre-heat the water from the second water tank, and the mobile robot comprises an ultra-sound based device to heat or vaporize the pre-heated water fr©m the first water tank. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the mobile robot comprises an onboard heater providing energy to pre-heat the water from the second water tank and an ultra-sound based device to vaporize the pre-heated water from the first water tank and a heater to heat the vapor if needed. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising the step of pumping unused water in the first water tank back to the second water tank for reheat via an external pump. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first water tank defines a first through port to fill water from the second water tank and a second through port to pump the unused water in the first water tank to the second water tank for reheat. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein during autonomous steam cleaning process, the water in the first water tank having a temperature close to the boiling point of water. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein during autonomous steam cleaning process, the water in the first water tank having a temperature of 90-98° C.