CONFIGURATION OF A CLEANING HEAD FOR AN AUTONOMOUS VACUUM
An autonomous cleaning robot (e.g., an autonomous vacuum) may employ a cleaning head for cleaning messes in an environment. The cleaning head may comprise an enclosure with a brush opening at a first side, a mop opening at a second side, and an outlet connected to a vacuum pump. The outlet may open to a cavity within the enclosure. The cleaning head may further comprise a brush roller configured at a front of the enclosure, a mop roller configured behind the brush roller in the enclosure, an actuator connecting the mop roller and brush roller to the enclosure, and a selection flap hinged at a top portion of the cavity. Each of the brush roller and mop roller may be externally exposed at the brush opening and mop opening, respectively, and the actuator may be configured to move the enclosure vertically.
1 . A self-actuated cleaning head of an autonomous vacuum, the self-actuated cleaning head comprising:
an enclosure having a first interior opposite and a second interior, a front interior opposite a back interior, and a top interior opposite a ground plane, the enclosure having a brush opening adjacent to the front interior, a mop opening opposite the top interior, and an outlet in the back interior, the outlet connected to a vacuum pump opening to a cavity within the enclosure;
a brush roller having an elongated cylindrical structure, a first end, and a second end, the brush roller structured toward a front of the enclosure with the first end secured along the first interior and the second end secured along the second interior, a first portion of the elongated cylindrical structure exposed to the cavity and a second portion of the elongated cylindrical structure externally exposed at the brush opening, the first end including a rotation assembly;
a mop roller having a first end and a second end, the mop roller structured behind the brush roller in the enclosure and with the first end of the mop roller secured along the first interior of the enclosure and the second end of the mop roller secured along the second interior of the enclosure, the first end including a rotation assembly, a lower portion of the mop roller externally exposed at the mop opening;
an actuator connected to one or more four-bar linkages that secure the back interior of the enclosure to a body of the autonomous vacuum, the actuator configured to move the enclosure vertically; and
a controller connecting the rotational assembly of the first end of the brush roller and the rotational assembly of the first end of the mop roller to the enclosure, the controller configured to control the rotational assembly to rotate the brush roller and the mop roller.
2 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 1 , wherein the mop roller is a cylindrical structure having a predefined length and an outer surface of the mop roller along the predefined length having of diagonal strips of microfiber cloth alternating with abrasive material.
3 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 2 , wherein the abrasive material is nylon bristles.
4 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 2 , wherein the abrasive material is scouring pads.
5 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 1 , further comprising:
a selection flap located within the enclosure, wherein the selection flap is an elongated piece of material with a hinge at a top portion of the cavity.
6 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 5 , wherein the selection flap extends over the first portion of the elongated cylindrical structure of the brush roller when the brush roller rotates clockwise and extends over the top portion of the cavity when the brush roller rotates counterclockwise.
7 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 1 , further comprising a mop cover rotatably positioned against an outer surface of the mop roller, wherein the mop cover is a partial cylindrical shell.
8 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 7 , wherein the mop cover rotates to extend over the lower portion of the mop roller when the mop roller rotates counterclockwise.
9 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure has a height of less than 3 inches.
10 . A self-actuated cleaning head of an autonomous vacuum, the self-actuated cleaning head comprising:
a cleaning head comprising an enclosure, a brush roller, and a mop roller, wherein:
the enclosure comprises a plurality of interiors that connect to form a cavity, a subset of the one or more interiors including one or more openings;
the brush roller is configured inside the enclosure at a front interior of the enclosure, the brush roller having an elongated cylindrical structure, a first end, and a second end, a portion of elongated cylindrical structure externally exposed at an opening in the enclosure; and
the mop roller is configured behind the brush roller in the enclosure, the mop roller comprising an elongated cylindrical structure that is externally exposed at an opening in the enclosure; and
an actuator assembly comprising an actuator and a controller, wherein:
the actuator is connected to one or more four-bar linkages that connect a back interior of the enclosure to a body of the autonomous vacuum, the actuator configured to move the enclosure vertically; and
the controller connects a first end of the brush roller and a first end of the mop roller to a first interior of enclosure, the controller configured to control rotational movement of the brush roller and the mop roller.
11 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 10 , wherein the elongated cylindrical structure of the mop roller has a predefined length and an outer surface of the mop roller along the predefined length has of diagonal strips of microfiber cloth alternating with abrasive material.
12 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 11 , wherein the abrasive material is nylon bristles.
13 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 11 , wherein the abrasive material is scouring pads.
14 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 10 , wherein the cleaning head further comprises a selection flap located within the enclosure, wherein the selection flap is an elongated piece of material hinged at a top portion of the cavity.
15 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 14 , wherein the selection flap extends over a portion of elongated cylindrical structure of the brush roller when the brush roller rotates clockwise and extends over the top portion of the cavity when the brush roller rotates counterclockwise.
16 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 10 , wherein the cleaning head further comprises a mop cover rotatably positioned against an outer surface of the mop roller, the mop roller comprising a partial cylindrical shell.
17 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 16 , wherein the mop cover rotates to extend over a portion of the elongated cylindrical structure of the mop roller that is externally exposed when the mop roller rotates counterclockwise.
18 . The self-actuated cleaning head of claim 10 , wherein the cleaning head has a height of less than 3 inches.