阅读说明：本技术 用于清洁机器人的具有不同长度和/或角度的刷毛的侧刷和侧刷偏转器 (Side brush and side brush deflector with bristles of different lengths and/or angles for a cleaning robot ) 是由 弗雷德里克·卡尔·霍普克 奥尔登·凯尔西 戴维·徐 戴维·托马斯·巴克 丹尼尔·R·德马德罗 于 2018-05-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种清洁机器人,包括：主体、从动轮和联接到该主体的侧刷。侧刷包括多个刷毛和被构造成围绕枢转轴线旋转的毂部。一些刷毛可以与枢转轴线形成第一角度,而另一些刷毛可以与枢转轴线形成第二角度,该第二角度大于第一角度。一些刷毛可具有第一刷毛长度,而另一些刷毛具有第二刷毛长度,该第二刷毛长度大于第一刷毛长度。清洁机器人可以包括侧刷偏转器,以将由侧刷推动的碎屑朝向真空入口偏转。侧刷偏转器包括多个偏转器刷毛,该多个偏转器刷毛从清洁机器人的面向地板的表面朝向地板向下延伸,使得一些刷毛穿过偏转器刷毛的一部分或在偏转器刷毛的一部分的下方通过。(A cleaning robot, comprising: a main body, a driven wheel, and a side brush coupled to the main body. The side brush includes a plurality of bristles and a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis. Some of the bristles may form a first angle with the pivot axis and other bristles may form a second angle with the pivot axis, the second angle being greater than the first angle. Some bristles may have a first bristle length while other bristles have a second bristle length that is greater than the first bristle length. The cleaning robot may include a side brush deflector to deflect debris propelled by the side brush toward the vacuum inlet. The side brush deflector includes a plurality of deflector bristles extending downwardly from a floor-facing surface of the cleaning robot toward the floor such that some of the bristles pass through or under a portion of the deflector bristles.)

1. A cleaning robot, comprising:

a main body;

at least one driven wheel; and

a side brush coupled to the body, the side brush comprising:

a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis; the hub has an outer circumferential surface; and

a plurality of bristles extending from the hub, at least one of the plurality of bristles forming a first angle with the pivot axis and at least another of the plurality of bristles forming a second angle with the pivot axis, wherein the first angle is less than the second angle.

2. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub.

3. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the first angle is less than or equal to 90 degrees and the second angle is greater than 90 degrees.

4. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles has a first bristle length and at least one of the plurality of bristles has a second bristle length, the first bristle length being measured less than the second bristle length.

5. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein at least a first plurality of adjacent bristles form the first angle and at least a second plurality of adjacent bristles form the second angle.

6. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the bristles extend continuously around the hub to form at least one wave-shaped pattern.

7. A cleaning robot, comprising:

a main body;

at least one driven wheel; and

a side brush coupled to the body, the side brush comprising:

a hub configured to rotate about a pivot axis, the hub having an outer circumferential surface; and

a plurality of bristles extending from the hub, wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles has a first bristle length and at least another of the plurality of bristles has a second bristle length, wherein the first bristle length is less than the second bristle length.

8. The cleaning robot of claim 7, wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub.

9. The cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein the plurality of bristles extend continuously around the hub to form at least one wave-shaped pattern.

10. The cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein at least a first plurality of adjacent bristles has the first bristle length and at least a second plurality of adjacent bristles has the second bristle length.

11. The cleaning robot of claim 10, the first plurality of adjacent bristles extending a first circumferential distance around the hub and the second plurality of adjacent bristles extending a second circumferential distance around the hub, wherein a ratio is 8:1 to 1: 2.

12. The cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein the plurality of bristles occupy at least 40% of a swept area defined by the plurality of bristles.

13. The cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of bristles forms a first angle with an outer peripheral surface of the hub and at least another of the plurality of bristles forms a second angle with the outer peripheral surface of the hub, the first angle being less than the second angle as measured.

14. The cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the first angle is measured to be about 90 degrees and the second angle is measured to be greater than 90 degrees.

15. The cleaning robot of claim 7, wherein the cleaning robot further comprises at least one cliff sensor, and wherein a first bristle length and a second bristle length are selected such that bristles having the second bristle length pass between the cliff sensor and a floor surface and such that bristles having the first bristle length cannot pass between the cliff sensor and the floor surface.

16. A cleaning robot, comprising:

a main body; the body defines a vacuum inlet;

at least one driven wheel;

at least one side brush including a hub portion and a plurality of side brush bristles, the hub portion configured to rotate about a pivot axis and the plurality of side brush bristles extending from the hub portion; and

at least one side brush deflector configured to deflect debris pushed by the at least one side brush toward the vacuum inlet, the at least one side brush deflector comprising a plurality of deflector bristles extending generally downward toward a floor from a floor-facing surface of the cleaning robot such that at least some of the plurality of side brush bristles pass through or under at least a portion of the plurality of deflector bristles.

17. The cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the plurality of deflector bristles extend downwardly from the floor-facing surface and contact the floor.

18. The cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the at least one side brush comprises first and second side brushes, and wherein the at least one side brush deflector comprises first and second side brush deflectors extending generally downwardly from the floor-facing surface of the cleaning robot toward a floor such that at least some of the plurality of bristles of the first and second side brushes pass through or under at least a portion of the plurality of deflector bristles of the first and second side brushes, respectively, the first and second side brushes being arranged to form a chute, the debris chute is configured to deflect debris pushed by the at least one side brush toward the vacuum inlet.

19. The cleaning robot of claim 18, wherein the debris chute is tapered in a direction moving from a front of the cleaning robot toward the vacuum inlet.

20. The cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the at least one side brush deflector is at least partially disposed between the driven wheel and the vacuum inlet.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to cleaning robots, and more particularly to side brushes for cleaning robots.

Background

A cleaning robot (e.g., a robotic vacuum cleaner, a robotic mop, a robotic duster, etc.) may clean a surface (e.g., a floor) based on one or more programmed cleaning modes (e.g., a wall following mode, a random pattern mode, a pointing mode, etc.). The cleaning mode causes the cleaning robot to traverse the floor in accordance with one or more pre-programmed instructions. In traversing the floor, the cleaning robot may use a cleaning tool (e.g., a vacuum system, a mop, a dust pad, etc.) to remove debris from the floor.

For example, a robotic vacuum cleaner may include one or more driven wheels, a vacuum system, and a side brush. One example of a side brush may have bristle tufts extending from the hub and spaced around the periphery of the hub. Another example of a side brush may have individual bristles extending individually from and continuously around the hub. The bristles may extend beyond the outer circumference of the robotic vacuum cleaner such that rotation of the side brush pushes debris in the direction of the robotic vacuum cleaner beyond the outer circumference of the robotic vacuum cleaner. For example, the side brush may push debris from the corner of the room into the suction inlet of the vacuum system.

Drawings

Features and advantages of the claimed subject matter will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments in accordance with the claimed subject matter, which description should be considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of a cleaning robot including a side brush according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view of an example of a side brush having bristles of different lengths extending separately from a hub, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2B is a schematic side view of an example of a side brush having bristles extending from a hub at different angles relative to the hub, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2C is a schematic perspective view of an example of a bristle bar that can be used to form the side brushes shown in fig. 2A and 2B, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a side brush including bristles extending individually from a hub at different lengths and angles.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the side brush of fig. 3 coupled with the cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of another embodiment of a cleaning robot including side brushes and side brush deflectors.

Detailed Description

A side brush for a cleaning robot according to embodiments disclosed herein includes bristles extending from a hub at different lengths and/or angles relative to the hub. The hub may be configured to be rotatably coupled to the cleaning robot. In some embodiments, the plurality of bristles extends individually and continuously around at least a portion of the hub. The side brush may include, for example, groups of bristles of different lengths and/or at different angles relative to the hub.

By varying one or more of the bristle length and/or bristle angle, the performance of the cleaning robot may be improved. Longer bristles enable greater reach and swept area, while shorter bristles may reduce interference with items on the surface being cleaned. For example, the side brushes, when rotated, may engage one or more surface treatments (e.g., area carpet) present on the floor. Side brushes having bristles of the same length and extending at the same angle may have a tendency to entangle with, for example, area carpets present on the floor. By adjusting the length and/or angle of one or more bristles, the likelihood that the side brush will become entangled can be made less.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic plan view of an example of a cleaning robot 100, the cleaning robot 100 having a main body 102, a plurality of driven wheels 104, and at least one side brush 106. The driven wheels 104 are coupled to at least one drive motor 108 such that actuation of the drive motor 108 causes the driven wheels 104 to propel the cleaning robot 100 across a surface 110 (e.g., a floor). Side brushes 106 are rotatably coupled to body 102 such that brush motors 116 coupled to side brushes 106 cause side brushes 106 to rotate. Alternatively, the side brushes 106 may be coupled to the drive motor 108 such that the drive motor 108 may cause the side brushes 106 to rotate.

Rotation of the side brushes 106 may push debris on the surface 110 in the direction of the vacuum inlet 118. In one example, at least a portion of the side brush 106 extends beyond the outer perimeter of the body 102 such that debris adjacent to the body 102 can be pushed into the vacuum inlet 118. The vacuum inlet 118 is fluidly coupled to a vacuum motor 120 such that air is drawn from the vacuum inlet 118 through a debris collector 122 and into a vacuum outlet 124. At least a portion of the debris entrained in the air drawn through the vacuum inlet 118 is deposited within the debris collector 122. In some cases, one or more filters are disposed within the airflow path extending between the debris collector 122 and the vacuum outlet 124 to collect any debris that is not deposited in the debris collector 122.

Fig. 2A shows a schematic plan view of a side brush 200 having bristles of different lengths, which may be an example of side brush 106 of fig. 1. As shown, the side brush 200 includes a hub 202 and a plurality of bristles 204, the plurality of bristles 204 individually extending away from an outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202. The bristles 204 may be coupled to the hub 202 such that the bristles 204 extend continuously around the hub 202, forming an overall circular or partially circular brush configuration. As used herein, the bristles 204 are defined as extending continuously around the hub 202 if the plurality of bristles 304 collectively extend from and around at least 80% of a perimeter (e.g., circumference) of the hub 302 and the separation distance 210 between each bristle 204 and at least one adjacent bristle 204 is less than or equal to twice the width of the widest bristle 204 of the plurality of bristles 204. For example, the separation distance 210 may be less than or equal to a width of the widest bristle 204 of the plurality of bristles 204 in a range from half to twice the width of the widest bristle 204 of the plurality of bristles 204, and/or at least a portion of each bristle 204 may be directly adjacent (e.g., in contact with) at least one other bristle 204. The separation distance 210 can be measured between the ends of adjacent bristles 204 and/or between the bases of adjacent bristles 204.

Each bristle 204 may be coupled to and extend from a common carrier or base plate (e.g., bristle bars) that is at least partially circumscribed by the outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202. In some cases, the bristles 204 are completely circumscribed on the hub 202. In the example shown, the bristles 204 extend from the hub 202 as individual bristles, rather than as bristle tufts.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first plurality of bristles 212 has a first bristle length 214 and the second plurality of bristles 216 has a second bristle length 218. As used herein, the length of the bristles 204 is measured between the outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202 and the distal-most end of the bristles 204. In the illustrated embodiment, the first bristle length 214 is measured to be less than the second bristle length 218. The ratio of the first bristle length 214 to the second bristle length 218 may be, for example, in the range of 5:6 to 1: 3. As a further example, the ratio of the first bristle length 214 to the second bristle length 218 may be in the range of 2:3 to 1: 2. As a further example, the ratio of the first bristle length 214 to the second bristle length 218 may be 1: 1.

Although the illustrated embodiment includes groups of bristles having two different lengths, in other embodiments, each bristle and/or group of bristles may have more than two different lengths. In some cases, each bristle of the plurality of bristles 204 may have a bristle length measured to be different from the bristle length of an adjacent bristle of the plurality of bristles 204. In other words, the length of the bristles 204 varies as the bristles 204 extend along the outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202. In these cases, the bristles 204 may be arranged according to their length such that the distal ends 220 of the bristles 204 collectively define a wave-shaped pattern. Example waveform shape patterns may include sinusoidal waveform patterns, square waveform patterns, trapezoidal waveform patterns, and/or any other waveform pattern.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first plurality of bristles 212 extends a first circumferential distance 221 around the hub 202, and the second plurality of bristles 216 extends a second circumferential distance 223 around the hub 202. The ratio of the first circumferential distance 221 to the second circumferential distance 223 may be measured to be in the range of 8:1 to 1: 2. As a further example, the ratio of the first circumferential distance 221 to the second circumferential distance 223 may be measured to be in the range of 4:1 to 1: 1. As a further example, the ratio of the first circumferential distance 221 to the second circumferential distance 223 may be measured to be in the range of 3:1 to 1: 1.

The swept area 222 of the side brush 200 may be defined as the area through which at least one bristle 204 passes when the side brush 200 makes one revolution. The proportion of the swept area 222 occupied by the bristles 204 may affect the cleaning effectiveness of the side brush 200. For example, the bristles 204 may occupy at least 40% of the swept area, at least 50% of the swept area, at least 60% of the swept area, at least 70% of the swept area, at least 80% of the swept area, at least 90% of the scan area, or any other suitable proportion.

Fig. 2B shows a schematic plan view of an example of a side brush 201, the side brush 201 having bristles angled at different angles relative to the hub 202. As described above, the side brush 201 may have bristles that are all the same length or different lengths. As shown, the side brush 201 is rotatably connected to the cleaning robot 100 within the well 224 such that the side brush 201 rotates about an axis of rotation 226 that extends generally perpendicular to the floor 228. The well 224 defines a recessed area within the cleaning robot 100 that extends from a floor-facing surface 230 of the cleaning robot 100 in a direction away from the floor 228.

The side brush 201 includes a plurality of bristles 204, the plurality of bristles 204 extending away from the outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202, as shown, one or more of the bristles 204 form a first angle θ with the outer peripheral surface 206 of the hub 202, an axis of rotation 226, and/or an axis perpendicular to the floor 228, and at least one other of the bristles 204 form a second angle α with the outer peripheral surface 206, the axis of rotation 226, and/or an axis perpendicular to the floor 228 as generally shown, the first angle θ and the second angle α are each measured vertically between the bristles 204 and the outer peripheral surface 206 and/or the axis of rotation 226.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first angle θ is measured to be less than the second angle α. for example, the first angle θ may be measured to be less than 90 ° and the second angle α may be measured to be greater than 90 °. As a more specific example, the first angle θ may be measured in the range of 40 ° to 90 ° and the second angle α may be measured in the range of 90 ° to 140 °.

Fig. 2C shows a schematic perspective view of an example of a bristle bar that can be used to form a side brush. The bristle bar includes a plurality of bristles 204, the plurality of bristles 204 extending from a carrier or base plate 208 that may be coupled around the hub 202. In some cases, the baseplate 208 is coupled to the outer circumferential surface 206 of the hub 202 such that the bristles 204 extend from the hub 202. For example, the substrate 208 may be adhesively coupled to the peripheral surface 206. In some cases, at least a portion of the substrate 208 is received within a groove within the hub 202 such that the bristles 204 extend along the outer peripheral edge of the hub 202. In other embodiments, each bristle 204 may be coupled directly to the hub 202. In some cases, the hub 202 may include a plurality of openings configured to receive at least a portion of the respective bristles 204. Additionally or alternatively, one or more bristles 204 may be formed from the hub 202 or molded into the hub 202.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a side brush 300 with bristles having different lengths and different angles, which may be an example of the side brush 106 of fig. 1. The side brush 300 includes a hub 302, a plurality of bristles 304, and a connector 306. The connector 306 is configured to rotatably couple the side brush 300 to a cleaning robot (e.g., the cleaning robot 100 of fig. 1). As shown, the connector 306 extends from the hub 302 such that the connector 306 may be received within a corresponding receptacle of the cleaning robot. Alternatively, the connector 306 may be a receptacle extending at least partially through the hub 302 such that the connector 306 may receive a corresponding protrusion extending from the cleaning robot.

As shown, when coupled to the hub 302, the first plurality of bristles 308 extends in a direction of the cleaning robot, while the second plurality of bristles 310 extends in a direction away from the cleaning robot. In other words, the first and second pluralities of bristles 308, 310 extend in generally opposite directions (e.g., upward and downward) along the rotational axis 312 of the hub 302. The different angles of the bristles 308, 310 may be formed, for example, by bending or permanently deforming the bristles, by extending the bristles at different angles from the hub 302 or from a carrier (e.g., the base plate 208 in fig. 2C), and/or by having structures (e.g., protrusions) extending from the hub 302.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a side brush 300 coupled to a cleaning robot 400, which cleaning robot 400 may be an example of the cleaning robot 100 of fig. 1. The side brush 300 may be rotatably coupled to the cleaning robot 400 proximate the bumper 402 such that at least a portion of the bristles 308 and/or bristles 310 extend beyond the cleaning robot 400. In other embodiments, the bristles 308 and/or bristles 310 may not extend beyond the outer perimeter of the cleaning robot 400.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first plurality of bristles 308 extends in the direction of the cleaning robot 400. In some cases, at least a portion of the first plurality of bristles 308 engages (e.g., contacts) the bottom surface 404 of the cleaning robot 400. As such, as the side brush 300 rotates, the first plurality of bristles 308 slide along the bottom surface 404 of the cleaning robot 400. The second plurality of bristles 310 may extend in a direction away from the cleaning robot 400 such that at least a portion of the second plurality of bristles 310 engage a surface (e.g., a floor). As such, when the side brush 300 rotates, the second plurality of bristles 310 may push debris remaining on the surface in the direction of the cleaning robot 400 (e.g., in the direction of the vacuum inlet).

In some embodiments, the cleaning robot 400 includes one or more sensors. The sensors may include, for example, cliff sensors 406, where cliff sensors 406 are capable of detecting changes in the height of the surface over which cleaning robot 400 travels. Cliff sensor 406 may be used to prevent cleaning robot 400 from traversing areas where sudden changes in height are greater than a predetermined value. For example, when the cleaning robot 400 is near the edge of a staircase, the cleaning robot 400 may stop and/or turn away from the staircase so that the cleaning robot 400 does not fall off one or more steps.

In the illustrated embodiment, as side brush 300 rotates, longer bristles 310 pass between cliff sensor 406 and the surface instead of shorter bristles 308. Thus, the rotation of side brush 300 does not interfere with the operation of the cliff sensor. In other embodiments where the side brush includes bristles of equal length, the bristles may extend individually from the hub and have a spacing between each bristle that allows the cliff sensor to operate as the bristles pass between the cliff sensor 406 and the surface.

As also shown in fig. 4, in some cases, the bristles 304 extend continuously around the hub 302 but do not completely encircle the hub 302. For example, the bristles 304 may extend around at least 80% of the hub 302, at least 90% of the hub 302, at least 95% of the hub 302, at least 99% of the hub 302, or any other suitable circumferential distance. Further, although the hub 302 has been generally illustrated herein as having a circular cross-section, such a configuration is non-limiting. For example, the hub 302 may have a square cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, a triangular cross-section, an octagonal cross-section, a pentagonal cross-section, or any other suitable cross-section.

Although the illustrated embodiment shows multiple sets of bristles having different lengths and/or angles, the side brush may include only one set of bristles having one length and/or angle and one set of bristles having another length and/or angle. While the exemplary embodiments show bristles extending individually and continuously around the hub, side brushes including bristles having different lengths and/or different angles relative to the hub may also be formed from tufts of bristles extending from the hub.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of one embodiment of a cleaning robot 100, the cleaning robot 100 including one or more side brush debris deflectors 500. The cleaning robot 100 may include a body 102, a plurality of driven wheels 104, and at least one side brush 106. The driven wheels 104 are coupled to at least one drive motor 108 (not shown for clarity) such that actuation of the drive motor 108 causes the driven wheels 104 to propel the cleaning robot 100 across a surface 110 (e.g., a floor). The side brushes 106 are rotatably coupled to the body 102 such that a brush motor 116 (not shown for clarity) and/or a drive motor 108 coupled to the side brushes 106 causes rotation of the side brushes 106.

Side brushes 106 may comprise any side brush design known to those skilled in the art. In at least one embodiment, as generally shown in fig. 5, one or more side brushes 106 can include one or more tufts of bristles 204 505 extending from the hub 202, in the illustrated embodiment, the side brush 106 includes a plurality of tufts of bristles 204 505 having the same length; however, it should be understood that one or more of the bristles 204 in a tuft 505 can have different lengths and/or one or more of the plurality of tufts 505 can have bristles 204 that have a length that is different from the length of the bristles 204 of another tuft of the plurality of tufts 505. Alternatively, the one or more side brushes 106 can include any of the side brushes 106 described herein. For example, one or more side brushes 106 may include a plurality of bristles 204 extending continuously around the hub 202. At least one of the plurality of bristles 204 may form a first angle with the outer peripheral surface of the hub 202 and at least one of the plurality of bristles 204 may form a second angle with the outer peripheral surface of the hub 202 that is greater than the first angle, and/or at least one of the plurality of bristles 204 may have a first bristle length and at least one of the plurality of bristles 204 has a second bristle length, the first bristle length being less than the second bristle length.

In any event, the rotation of the side brushes 106 is intended to push debris on the surface 110 in the direction of the vacuum inlet 118. In one example, at least a portion of the side brush 106 extends beyond the outer periphery of the body 102 such that debris adjacent to the body 102 can be pushed toward the vacuum inlet 118. However, as can be appreciated, the side brushes 106 may contact the debris and inadvertently cause the debris to rotate around the side brushes 106 (e.g., between the side brushes 106 and the driven wheel 104, and/or between the driven wheel 104 and the vacuum inlet 118) and be ejected out of the cleaning robot 100. As a result, debris may not be pushed toward the vacuum inlet 118 and thus may not be picked up by the cleaning robot 100.

To address this issue, the cleaning robot 100 may include one or more side brush deflectors 510, the side brush deflectors 510 configured to reduce and/or eliminate debris from inadvertently rotating around the side brushes 106 and being ejected out of the cleaning robot 100. Accordingly, the side brush deflector 510 may be configured to capture and/or collect debris in front of the vacuum inlet 118 and in an area 512 below the cleaning robot 100. As a result, debris propelled by the side brushes 160 will be directed toward the vacuum inlet 118 and eventually drawn through the vacuum inlet 118 and deposited within the debris collector 122.

The side brush deflector 510 can include a strip of flexible material and/or a plurality of bristles 512 (also referred to as deflector bristles) that extend generally downward toward the floor from the floor-facing surface 230 of the cleaning robot 100. Side brush deflector 510 may be sufficiently flexible to cause side brush deflector 510 to generally conform to a varying surface profile. Side brush deflector 510 may extend partially and/or all the way down toward the floor from floor-facing surface 230. Some or all of the bristles 204 of the side brushes 106 can pass through at least a portion of the side brush deflector 510. Alternatively (or in addition), some or all of the bristles 204 of the side brushes 106 may pass under at least a portion of the side brush deflector 510.

In the illustrated embodiment, the side brush deflector 510 is shown as a substantially continuous strip of flexible material and/or a plurality of bristles 512; however, it should be understood that the side brush deflector 510 may not be continuous. For example, side brush deflector 510 may be formed from a plurality of discrete and/or discontinuous portions. Side brush deflector 510 may have a linear or non-linear configuration. Side brush deflector 510 may extend within all or a portion of the area between side brush 106 and vacuum inlet 118 and/or agitator 514; however, a portion of side brush deflector 510 may also extend in an area forward of side brush 106 (i.e., closer to the front of cleaning robot 100 than side brush 106) and/or in an area rearward of vacuum inlet 118 and/or agitator 514 (i.e., closer to the rear of cleaning robot 100 than vacuum inlet 118 and/or agitator 514).

The one or more side brush deflectors 510 may be arranged along a longitudinal axis Ld that is parallel or non-parallel to the longitudinal axis Lr and/or the forward direction F of the cleaning robot 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning robot 100 is shown having two side brush deflectors 510 arranged along a longitudinal axis Ld that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis Lr and/or the forward direction F of the cleaning robot 100. For example, the side brush deflectors 510 may be arranged to form a debris chute or channel 512. A debris chute or channel 512 is defined as an area that extends laterally between the side brush deflectors 510 and vertically between the floor-facing surface 230 of the cleaning robot 100 and the floor. The debris chute or channel 512 may be configured to generally direct debris toward the vacuum inlet 118 and/or the agitator 514 (the agitator 514 may be disposed at least partially within the vacuum inlet 118 and/or separately from the vacuum inlet 118). According to one embodiment, the debris chute or channel 512 may have a generally tapered configuration wherein the lateral dimension (i.e., the left-to-right dimension) of the debris chute or channel 512 becomes smaller as it moves closer to the vacuum inlet 118 and/or the agitator 514. The tapered configuration of the debris chute or channel 512 may help direct debris toward the vacuum inlet 118 and/or the agitator 514, while also enabling the side brushes 106 to be disposed further laterally apart from one another (thereby increasing the swept area 222 (fig. 2A) of the side brushes 106). The tapering of the debris chute or channel 512 may be linear or non-linear. Although the illustrated embodiment of the cleaning robot 100 is shown with two side brush deflectors 510, it should be understood that the cleaning robot 100 may have only one side brush deflector 510 or more than two side brush deflectors 510.

While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein, other embodiments are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the vacuum attachment may embody any one or more of the features contained herein, and that these features may be used in any particular combination or sub-combination. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the following claims.