An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.

A cleaning robot includes a housing, a camera rotationally connected to the housing, and power component mounted on the housing. The power component includes a motor and a gear set, and is connected to the camera via the gear set, and the motor is configured to drive the camera to rotate around a rotation axis via the gear set. The present disclosure also provides a cleaning robot system.

A surface maintenance machine comprising a body having a forward section, a middle section and a rearward section, wherein the forward section is positioned to the front of a transverse centerline of the machine, the middle section is generally centered on the transverse centerline and a rearward section positioned to the rear of the transverse centerline. A storage chamber can be defined in the middle section and enclosed by a front wall, a rear wall, lateral walls, a generally planar top surface, and a generally planar lower surface, such that the storage chamber is generally isolated from components of the surface maintenance machine. The storage chamber can have a storage chamber bottom surface with or below a top surface of at least one battery positioned in the forward section.

Provided is a method for operating a robot, including: capturing images of a workspace; capturing movement data indicative of movement of the robot; capturing LIDAR data as the robot performs work within the workspace; comparing at least one object from the captured images to objects in an object dictionary; identifying a class to which the at least one object belongs; generating a first iteration of a map of the workspace based on the LIDAR data; generating additional iterations of the map based on newly captured LIDAR data and newly captured movement data; actuating the robot to drive along a trajectory that follows along a planned path by providing pulses to one or more electric motors of wheels of the robot; and localizing the robot within an iteration of the map by estimating a position of the robot based on the movement data, slippage, and sensor errors.

A robot includes: a communication interface; a sensor configured to obtain distance data; a driver configured to control a movement of the robot; a memory storing with map data corresponding to a space in which the robot travels; and a processor configured to: control the sensor to output a sensing signal for sensing a distance with an external robot, obtain position information of the external robot based on a time at which at least one echo signal is received from the external robot, control at least one of the driver or an operation state of the external robot based on the position information, transmit a control signal for controlling the operation state of the external robot through the communication interface, identify, based on an error occurring in communication with the external robot through the communication interface, a pose of the external robot based on a type of the at least one echo signal received from the external robot, identify a target position of the robot based on the pose of the external robot and the stored map data, and control the driver to move to the target position.

A speed reducer includes a helical gear body including helical gears, a rotating shaft, a shaft holder, and a first washer disposed around the rotating shaft between the helical gear body and the shaft holder. The helical gears are disposed coaxially, are capable of rotating around the center axis, and have the same torsion angle. The shaft holder is opposed to an axial-direction end portion of the helical gear body in an axial direction via the first washer. At least one of a radially inner end portion and a radially outer end portion of the first washer includes a washer contact surface. One of the axial-direction end portion of the helical gear body and the shaft holder includes an opposed surface opposed to the washer contact surface at least in a circumferential direction.

A system and/or method can be provided for detecting the status of one or more components and/or systems of, for example, a manual, semi-autonomous, or fully autonomous cleaning device or the like. For example, systems and methods can be used for detecting degradation of back squeegee performance. In some embodiments, a system and/or method for detecting the status of one or more components is provided for detecting vacuum performance degradation by monitoring the current (amperage) being drawn by a vacuum motor. In addition, one or more other components can be monitored by inspecting images captured by a camera mounted on a back door of the cleaning device to determine, for example, one or more other problems associated with a squeegee mount, water pick up, and/or the like.

An automatic cleaning device includes a mobile platform, a lifting station, a cleaning module, a liquid supplying module, and a collecting module. The mobile platform is configured to automatically move in a target direction on a surface to be cleaned. The lifting station is connected to the mobile platform and configured to move upwards or downwards with respect to the mobile platform. The cleaning module is connected to the lifting station and configured to clean the surface to be cleaned; the liquid supplying module is configured to provide cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned; and the collecting module is configured to collect the cleaning liquid. A height of the cleaning module of the automatic cleaning device is adjustable, and the automatic cleaning device has a great cleaning strength and is capable of collecting dirty cleaning liquid, thus, the automatic cleaning device can be applied broadly.

A cleaning system, a cleaning device and a control method therefor, are associated with a floor brush assembly that includes a roller brush housing, a roller brush, a roller brush cover. The roller brush cover and the floor brush housing enclose a roller brush cavity for fitting with the roller brush. The roller brush cover is configured to be operable in a first or second position relative to the floor brush housing. In the first position, there is a first contact area between the roller brush cover and the roller brush. In the second position, there is a second contact area between the roller brush cover and the roller brush. The first contact area is greater than or equal to zero, but less than the second contact area. The inner wall of the roller brush cover can be cleaned by the roller brush.

A robotic cleaning device having a main body, at least one drive wheel, at least one linking member rotationally coupled to the main body about a suspension axis and rotationally supporting the at least one drive wheel about a drive wheel axis such that at least a section of the main body can be raised from a lowered position, closer to the ground surface, to a raised position, further away from the ground surface. First and second spring members are arranged to provide a moment on the linking member about the suspension axis in the first direction to press the at least one drive wheel towards the ground surface. The moment provided by the first spring member is higher in the lowered position than in the raised position and the moment provided by the second spring member is higher in the raised position than in the lowered position.