A robotic system comprising a mobile robot including a body housing a rechargeable power source and first electrical contact means disposed on the body and a docking station including second electrical contact means, wherein the mobile robot is dockable on the docking station in order to charge the rechargeable power source. The first electrical contact means includes at least one electrical contact aligned on a first contact axis and the second electrical contact means includes at least one elongate contact, wherein when the robot is docked on the docking station such that electrical contact is established between the first electrical contact means and the electrical contact means. The at least one elongate contact extends in a direction that is transverse to the first contact axis which permits electrical contact to be established between the robot and the docking station while accommodating a degree of lateral and angular misalignment therebetween.

A product that includes a compressor, a housing and a vibration isolation mount located between the compressor and the housing. The compressor includes an impeller, a first inlet located upstream of the impeller, a first outlet located downstream of the impeller, a second inlet located downstream of the first outlet, and a second outlet located downstream of the second inlet. During operation, fluid enters the compressor via the first inlet and exits the compressor via the first outlet. The mount creates a restriction between the compressor and the housing that causes fluid exiting the first outlet to re-enter the compressor via the second inlet.

Disclosed herein is a method of controlling a cleaner including a movable body for suctioning and a following body for collecting the dust suctioned by the movable body, the method including: (a) acquiring an image for a view around the following body; (b) acquiring position information of the movable body in an real space, based on the image; (c) acquiring position information of an obstacle in the real space, based on the image; (d) setting a travel direction such that the following body avoids the obstacle to follow the movable body, based on the position information of the movable body and the position information of the obstacle; and (e) controlling the following body to travel in the set travel direction.

A debris bin includes a box body, a debris suction opening, and a debris outlet opening. The box body has an inner cavity. The debris suction opening is defined on the box body and communicates with the inner cavity of the box body. The debris outlet opening is defined on the box body and communicates with the inner cavity of the box body. The inner cavity is provided with a supporting surface for supporting debris. The supporting surface is inclined, and a top edge of the supporting surface and a bottom edge of the supporting surface are arranged parallel to each other and horizontally. The debris outlet opening is located at a side of the bottom edge of the supporting surface.

A motor cover includes a lattice structure defining a plurality of vent openings that provide ventilation of the motor cover. Each vent opening of the plurality of vent openings is defined by a first cross member, a second cross member, a first side member, and a second side member of the lattice structure. The second cross member is spaced vertically below the first cross member and the first side member is spaced horizontally forward from the second side member. Each of the first and second side members extend from the first cross member to the second cross member. The second cross member extends further outward from a central vertical axis of the motor cover than the first cross member, and the first side member extends further outward from the central longitudinal axis than the second side member.

Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide a mobile robot including a motor to drive a drive system to move the mobile robot in an area, a light source to output ultraviolet (UV) light, at least one sensor, a communications interface to receive at least one signal via a communications network, and a first controller to control the drive system, the light source, the at least one sensor, and the communications interface. Operations of the mobile robot may be controlled based in part on the at least one signal received via the communications network from a second controller that is in a location that is remote from the area where the mobile robot is operating.

Provided is a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor effectuate operations including: obtaining, with one or more rangefinder sensors positioned on a mobile automated device, distances from the one or more rangefinder sensors to a surface; monitoring, with the processor, the distances sensed by each of the one or more rangefinder sensors; detecting, with the processor, an edge when a change in the distances is greater than a predetermined amount; and actuating, with the processor, the mobile automated device to execute one or more movement patterns upon detecting the edge, wherein the one or more movement patterns initiates movement of the mobile automated device away from the area where the edge was detected.

A portable surface cleaning apparatus has a main body and air treatment member assembly is removably mounted to the main body. The air treatment member assembly air outlet and/or the suction motor inlet end is provided at the lower end of the air treatment member assembly when the surface cleaning apparatus is located on a floor and a pre-motor filter underlies the air treatment member assembly and/or the suction motor.

A robotic device comprising: an energy storage device; and a controller configured to determine whether a quantity of energy stored in the energy storage device is below a predetermined energy level, wherein: the robotic device is configured to perform a cleaning task if the determined quantity of energy is not below the predetermined energy level; if the determined quantity of energy is below the predetermined energy level: the controller is configured to estimate a likelihood of the robotic device being capable of locating a recharging base station; and in dependence on the estimated likelihood, the robotic device is configured to seek the recharging base station or perform the cleaning task.

The present invention is directed to a vacuum including a dust extraction system. The system includes a filter assembly, an airflow generation assembly, and valve assembly. The airflow generation assembly is configured to draw contaminated air toward the filter assembly and exhaust filtered air as a discharge stream. The filter assembly is configured to remove contaminants from the contaminated airflow by capturing particulate material suspended within the airflow. The valve assembly is configured to selectively direct filtered airflow into the filter assembly such that the filtered air stream cleans the filter.