Evacuation station
An evacuation station includes a base and a canister removably attached to the base. The base includes a ramp having an inclined surface for receiving a robotic cleaner having a debris bin. The ramp defines an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin. The base also includes a first conduit portion pneumatically connected to the evacuation intake opening, an air mover having an inlet and an exhaust, and a particle filter pneumatically the exhaust of the air mover. The canister includes a second conduit portion arranged to pneumatically interface with the first conduit portion to form a pneumatic debris intake conduit, an exhaust conduit arranged to pneumatically connect to the inlet of the air mover when the canister is attached to the base, and a separator in pneumatic communication with the second conduit portion.
1 . An evacuation station comprising:
a canister;
a debris collection bin attached to the canister, wherein the debris collection bin comprises a filter extending across an upper portion of the debris collection bin;
an intake configured to interface with an autonomous robotic cleaner docked to the evacuation station;
one or more conduits extending from the intake into the debris collection bin; an air mover configured to produce an airflow through the canister; and
a flow control device having multiple states to alter a path of the airflow through the canister,
wherein, when the flow control device is in a first state of the multiple states, the airflow carries debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner, through the intake, through the one or more conduits, into an interior of the debris collection bin, and through the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin,
wherein the debris collection bin is configured to collect at least a portion of the debris that is separated from the airflow by the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin; and
wherein, when the flow control device is in a second state of the multiple states, the debris collection bin is pneumatically isolated from the air mover.
2 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein the debris collection bin is removable from the canister.
3 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein the one or more conduits extend into the debris collection bin at a location below the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin.
4 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to activate the air mover when the autonomous robotic cleaner is docked to the evacuation station.
5 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , further comprising an air particle separator device enclosed within the canister, the air particle separator device configured to separate an additional portion of the debris from the airflow carrying the debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner.
6 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein the second state of the flow control device corresponds to an air filtration mode for environmental air.
7 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein, when the flow control device is in the second state, the filter is pneumatically isolated from the air mover.
8 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein, when the flow control device is in the first state, environmental air is blocked from entering the canister via an environmental air inlet.
9 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein, when the flow control device is in the second state, the path of the airflow through the canister is from an environmental air inlet to an exhaust and bypasses the filter.
10 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , wherein, when the flow control device is in the second state, environmental air is drawn into the canister by the air mover via an environmental air inlet.
11 . The evacuation station of claim 1 , further comprising an air particle filter positioned proximate to an environmental air inlet of the canister,
wherein, when the flow control device is in the first state, the airflow is from the autonomous robotic cleaner to an exhaust and bypasses the air particle filter.
12 . The evacuation station of claim 2 , wherein the debris collection bin comprises a debris ejection door.
13 . The evacuation station of claim 12 , wherein the debris ejection door is located on a bottom portion of the debris collection bin.
14 . A system comprising:
an autonomous robotic cleaner; and
an evacuation station comprising:
a canister;
a debris collection bin attached to the canister, wherein the debris collection bin comprises a filter extending across an upper portion of the debris collection bin;
an intake configured to interface with the autonomous robotic cleaner when the autonomous robotic cleaner is docked to the evacuation station;
one or more conduits extending from the intake into the debris collection bin;
an air mover to produce an airflow through the canister; and
a flow control device having multiple states to alter a path of the airflow through the canister,
wherein, when the flow control device is in a first state of the multiple states, the airflow carries debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner, through the intake,
through the one or more conduits, into an interior of the debris collection bin, and
through the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin,
wherein the debris collection bin is configured to collect at least a portion of the debris that is separated from the airflow by the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin; and
wherein, when the flow control device is in a second state of the multiple states,
the filter is pneumatically isolated from the air mover.
15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more conduits extend into the debris collection bin at a location below the filter extending across the upper portion of the debris collection bin.
16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the debris collection bin comprises a debris ejection door located on a bottom portion of the debris collection bin.
17 . A method of operating an evacuation station, the method comprising:
activating an air mover of the evacuation station when an autonomous robotic cleaner is docked to the evacuation station and a flow control device of the evacuation station is in a first state,
wherein activating the air mover when the flow control device is in the first state produces an airflow carrying debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner, through an intake of the evacuation station that is configured to interface with the autonomous robotic cleaner, through one or more conduits extending from the intake into a debris collection of the evacuation station, into an interior of a debris collection bin, and
through a filter extending across an upper portion of the debris collection bin, and to an exhaust; and
activating the air mover when the flow control device is in a second state,
wherein activating the air mover when the flow control device is in the second state produces an airflow from an environmental air inlet to the exhaust, the airflow bypassing the debris collection bin,
wherein when the flow control device is in the second state, the debris collection bin is pneumatically isolated from the air mover.
18 . The method of claim 17 , comprising separating a portion of the debris from the airflow carrying the debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner using an air particle separator device disposed within the evacuation station.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the airflow from the environmental air inlet passes through an air particle filter, and
wherein the airflow carrying the debris from the autonomous robotic cleaner bypasses the air particle filter.