DE102019204625B3 - Cleaning robot with distance sensors - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning robot with a self-navigating undercarriage, with a housing (9) and at least one distance sensor (8) located on the outside of the housing, as well as contamination detection for the distance sensor (8). In order to achieve a permanently good function of the distance sensor (8) in such a cleaning robot, it is proposed that it cooperate with a mapping agent in which at least one cleaning surface for the distance sensor (8) is noted and that the cleaning robot automatically uses soft pile fibers ( 10) provided cleaning surface drives.

Description

The invention relates to a cleaning robot with a self-navigating undercarriage, with a housing and at least one distance sensor located on the outside of the housing, as well as contamination detection for the distance sensor.

Cleaning robots are cleaning devices that are able to move automatically relative to a surface to be cleaned or to an object to be cleaned and to completely or partially clean the surface or the object. For this purpose, the cleaning robot is usually equipped with one or more cleaning devices, for example a floor cleaning roller or brush. It is also known to equip such cleaning robots with further floor cleaning rollers, further brushes and / or rollers or wipers, cloths or other cleaning devices. In principle, such a cleaning robot can also comprise a vacuum cleaner, for example a wet vacuum cleaner or a dry vacuum cleaner or a combined wet / dry vacuum cleaner.

A cleaning robot is usually equipped with a chassis that interacts with a controller that can be provided in the cleaning robot itself or outside. This control uses data to control the undercarriage, which are largely provided by one or more sensors that can be found on or in the cleaning robot. Such sensors also serve as distance meters, which act in the form of cameras, ultrasound or infrared sensors. However, acceleration sensors or a compass can also be used in principle.

The distance sensors mentioned must work effectively so that a cleaning robot can safely navigate in a wide variety of work environments. It is essential that the sensors are clean and undamaged. In this regard, a device as specified above is for example from the US 2013/0 030 750 A1 known. Here, a distance sensor is checked for its functionality in a self-test and, if a fault is detected, the previously known device issues an error message and / or stops its cleaning operation.

At this point, a user must become active so that the cleaning robot can continue its cleaning process.

For devices in which the sensors are deep in the housing of the cleaning robot, z. B. the sensor shaft correspondingly expensive to clean, for example by means of a brush or a cotton swab or a comparable tool.

In the case of sensors located on the outside of the housing, in which the fault, for. B. results from dust that adheres due to electrostatic charge, the sensor surfaces closing the sensor surfaces are cleaned, for example with a damp cloth.

Alternatively, there are also cleaning elements integrated into the cleaning robot in the area of the sensors, with which the corresponding sensor surfaces can either be manually (cf. KR 10 2006 0 024 207 A ) or automatically (cf. WO 2011/082 606 A1 ) can be wiped and cleaned. However, the wipers integrated into the cleaning robot can get dirty themselves. The dirt that adheres to a wiper causes subsequent cleaning processes to scratch the sensor surfaces, which then results in a permanent signal deterioration.

The invention is based on the object of developing a device of the type mentioned above in such a way that, in particular, the disadvantages of the above-mentioned contamination of sensors can be overcome, it being particularly desired that the cleaning of the sensors is effected automatically by the cleaning robot.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a cleaning robot with the features of claim 1.

The cleaning robot according to the invention with a self-navigating undercarriage, with a housing and at least one distance sensor located on the outside of the housing as well as contamination detection for the distance sensor is characterized in that it interacts with a mapping agent in which at least one cleaning surface is noted for the sensor.

The invention has the advantage that it enables the sensors to be cleaned automatically. The user gives a command to clean the sensors, whereupon the cleaning robot drives to a cleaning surface and guides the distance sensor past the cleaning surface and thereby cleans it. Alternatively, it is possible that the above-mentioned command is generated automatically by the cleaning robot.

Advantageous training and further developments, which can be used individually or in combination with one another, are the subject of the appended claims.

The reference symbols in the claims have no restrictive effects, but are only intended to increase the legibility of the claims.

In a preferred embodiment, it is possible for the sensor with its sensor surface to be arranged on the side of the housing and for this, like the cleaning surface provided for cleaning the sensor surface, to be oriented essentially vertically.

In this case, in which the sensors are used for the detection of a distance, for example to furniture that is on the surface to be cleaned, or to walls that limit the surface to be cleaned, the cleaning surfaces can, for example, as special cleaning pads in the lower one Area from the walls delimiting the cleaning surfaces. It is also possible to design these cleaning surfaces as baseboards or to use them as cleaning surfaces with corresponding carpeted baseboards.

However, it is particularly advantageous if the sensor surface of the sensor is oriented essentially downwards, the sensor serving in particular as fall protection and the sensor surface interacting with an essentially horizontally oriented cleaning surface. In this case, e.g. B. deep-pile carpets such as bath mats or similar templates can be used as cleaning surfaces.

It can be assumed that the cleaning robot will sink into this deep-pile carpet and thereby sweep the sensor surface over carpet pile, the sensor surface then being cleaned by the pile fibers.

This embodiment has the particular advantage that the cleaning surface can be cleaned by the cleaning robot itself before and / or after the cleaning of the sensor surface, for example by the cleaning robot brushing and / or suctioning off the cleaning surface used for cleaning the sensor surface in one embodiment.

In a related development of the invention, a dirt sensor can be provided in the suction channel, with which the vacuum robot is able to recognize a clean area of the cleaning surface via a dust particle concentration in the extracted air and to define it as suitable for cleaning the sensor surface.

Basically, it is proposed that the sensor surface be offset inwards relative to the outer surface of the housing surrounding it. This has the advantage that then only elastically flexible and therefore soft material can touch the sensor surfaces. This effectively prevents the sensor surface from being scratched.

It is assumed that an inward offset in the order of magnitude between 1.5 and 0.5 mm, and further advantageously between 1 and 0.75 mm, is sufficient for a sensor. Sensor surfaces offset inwards in this way can only be achieved with really soft pile fibers, which are used to clean the sensor surfaces without scratching them.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cleaning robot changes its driving behavior on the cleaning surface. The cleaning of the sensor surfaces can be optimized by, for example, changing the speed of the cleaning robot or switching to reversing operation or by performing jerky movements. The cleaning effects can also be improved by correspondingly exerting force or pressure on the sensor and / or on the cleaning surfaces.

In a further preferred embodiment, for. B. the speed of brushes or bristle rollers provided on the cleaning robot is changed so that vibrations are generated on the cleaning robot. These vibrations lead to a relative movement between the sensor surface and the cleaning surface and thus improve the cleaning effect.

For further automation of the cleaning robot, it is proposed that it automatically identify and map suitable cleaning surfaces in the area to be cleaned by it and then move to these cleaning surfaces at fixed intervals or for cleaning if necessary. Suitable cleaning surfaces can e.g. B. on the pile heights dependent power consumption of a brush or bristle roller.

However, it is also within the scope of the invention to manually design special cleaning pads as the cleaning surface and, if necessary, also to impregnate them with a suitable cleaning liquid.

• 1 eine Aufsicht auf einen Reinigungsroboter;
• 2 eine Unteransicht eines Reinigungsroboters gemäß 1; und
• 3 einen Schnitt durch das Gehäuse eines Reinigungsroboters mit einem Abstandssensor beim Überfahren einer Reinigungsfläche.

Further advantages and features of the invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment. It shows:

• 1 a supervision of a cleaning robot;
• 2nd a bottom view of a cleaning robot according to 1 ; and
• 3rd a section through the housing of a cleaning robot with a distance sensor when driving over a cleaning surface.

In the 1 you can see a cleaning robot in the form of an autonomous vacuum cleaner 1 in a perspective view from above.

This cleaning robot, which in the 2nd is shown in a bottom view, has one in the 2nd Floor cleaning roller to be recognized 2nd on as well as one in the 1 side brush to be recognized 3rd .

The cleaning robot has a self-navigating undercarriage, which in the example shown here consists of two drive wheels 4th , 5 distinguished, as well as several barrel-shaped support rollers 6 . The drive wheels 4th , 5 can be driven independently of one another via a controller (not shown here), the cleaning robot being steered when driving by means of different speeds and possibly directions of rotation of the two drive wheels. Over the barrel-shaped support rollers 6 there is an essentially constant distance between the underside 7 of the cleaning robot to the area to be cleaned.

This surface to be cleaned is cleaned by rotating the floor cleaning roller 2nd and the side brush 3rd with simultaneous suction of the dirt picked up by the floor cleaning roller by means of a suction device integrated in the cleaning robot.

The above-mentioned controller, not shown, contains a mapping of the area to be cleaned by the cleaning robot, the controller either being programmed in this mapping externally or, for example, when cleaning the area. B. automatically detected by distance sensors.

The data supplied by the distance sensors are also used by the control to safely navigate the cleaning robot.

In the example shown here, the in the 2nd shown subpage 7 of the cleaning robot several distance sensors pointing downwards 8th shown. If these detect a sudden increase in the distance between the sensor and the floor surface opposite them when moving the cleaning robot, the control closes to a step at this point and stops the linear movement of the cleaning robot. The controller then turns the cleaning robot by specifically controlling the drive wheels so that the cleaning robot then moves in a different direction. This prevents the cleaning robot from accidentally falling at the appropriate level.

It is important in this context that a distance sensor functions reliably, which in particular also includes first recognizing its contamination and then cleaning it if necessary. It is also possible to clean an appropriate distance sensor at regular intervals, regardless of contamination.

In the cleaning robot described here, the controller has noted in the mapping of the area to be cleaned one or more cleaning surfaces specially provided for cleaning the sensors, to which it drives the cleaning robot as required or at regular intervals in order to clean the sensor surface there.

For this purpose, the cleaning robot, controlled by the control, moves to the cleaning area noted in the mapping agent with its self-navigating undercarriage and, if necessary, first cleans it with the floor cleaning roller 2nd . Via a dirt sensor, not shown, connected to the control, which is in one of the floor cleaning rollers 2nd downstream suction duct, not shown, it is determined whether the corresponding cleaning surface is clean by determining the dust particle concentration in the air extracted through the suction duct. If it is very small, the cleaning area is considered clean.

As soon as this is recognized accordingly by the control, at least one distance sensor is activated by means of the self-navigating undercarriage 8th over the horizontal cleaning surface here.

It is essential that this cleaning surface is characterized by a particularly high pile with long and soft pile fibers 10th distinguished. Bath mats or other long-pile carpets, runners, etc., are thus suitable as such a cleaning surface. Such long-pile cleaning surfaces are relatively soft. The cleaning robot sinks into this pile and the individual pile fibers come at least with their tips in direct contact with the actual sensor surface 11 , which closes the sensor to the outside. By a corresponding relative movement of this sensor surface 11 towards the pile fibers 10th becomes the sensor area 11 then cleaned.

• Man erkennt in der 3 das Gehäuse 9 des Saugroboters 1 in einer Schnittdarstellung.

In the 3rd this is shown in more detail:

• You can see in the 3rd the housing 9 of the robot vacuum 1 in a sectional view.

In this case 9 is a distance sensor pointing downwards 8th installed, the electrical connection for its operation and for the forwarding of the data determined by it via a connection line to an evaluation unit is not shown within the control, not shown.

It can be seen that the sensor surface facing downwards 11 of the distance sensor 8th towards the bottom 7 of the cleaning robot is set back a little. This offset measured in the vertical direction is of the order of magnitude between approximately 0.5 and 1 mm.

For stiff and therefore hard pile fibers 10th the cleaning robot sits with the underside on the tips of the pile fibers 10th on. Due to the offset of the sensor surface 11 towards the bottom 7 of the housing can the tips of the pile fibers 10th the sensor area 11 but do not achieve.

Only with flexible and therefore soft pile fibers 10th the cleaning robot will sink into the pile in such a way that the tips of the pile fibers 10th the sensor area 11 can reach and scrape off adhering dust, so the sensor surface 11 to clean.

In order to support such cleaning, the cleaning robot causes a relative movement with respect to the fibers.

The relative movement mentioned can be effected either by simply moving the cleaning robot back and forth or by special shaking or vibrating movements which the cleaning robot executes as required, for example by a special control of the drive wheels and / or the floor cleaning roller.

It is essential for the invention that the cleaning robot with its control in the area to be cleaned by it that it has mapped knows precisely the places in which corresponding cleaning surfaces with long and thus soft pile fibers can be found and that it automatically cleans these cleaning surfaces Approaching or at regular intervals.

Suitable cleaning surfaces can be entered in the mapping means of the control either externally or by the control automatically noting them in the mapping means if it recognizes them when processing the area to be cleaned by the cleaning robot. This detection can take place, for example, via the power consumption for driving the bristle roller: carpets etc. with long pile fibers require an increased drive power of the bristle roller. In this way, a long-pile carpet, etc. can be recognized.

It should also be mentioned that in alternative embodiments of the invention, not shown here, the sensor surfaces and the cleaning surfaces can each be arranged vertically.

In addition, suitable cleaning surfaces can also be specially manufactured and designed, it then also being possible to provide these cleaning surfaces with suitable impregnations.

Devices of the type described here therefore have the advantage that they operate reliably over longer periods of time.

Reference list

1

Cleaning robot

2nd

Floor cleaning roller

3rd

Side brush

4th

drive wheel

5

drive wheel

6

Support rollers

7

bottom

8th

Distance sensor

9

casing

10th

Pile fibers

11

Sensor surface

Claims (8)

Cleaning robot with a self-navigating undercarriage, with a housing (9) and at least one distance sensor (8) located on the outside of the housing, as well as contamination detection for the distance sensor (8), characterized in that it interacts with a mapping agent in which at least one cleaning surface for the distance sensor (8) is noted and that the cleaning robot automatically drives to the cleaning surface. Cleaning robot according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the distance sensor laterally is aligned and the cleaning surface is substantially vertical. Cleaning robot according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the distance sensor (8) is oriented downwards, in particular as a fall arrest device, and the cleaning surface is oriented essentially horizontally. Cleaning robot according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor surface (11) of the distance sensor (8) is offset inwards relative to the outer surface of the housing (9) surrounding it. Cleaning robot according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it changes its driving behavior on the cleaning surface. Cleaning robot according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning surface is formed by a deep-pile carpet. Cleaning robot according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning surface are cleaning pads. Cleaning robot according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning surface is impregnated with a cleaning liquid.

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