JP6681360B2 - System and method for cleaning a floor with a cleaning robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to systems and methods for cleaning floors with at least one cleaning robot.

  Cleaning robots are known as self-driving and manipulating robot units in the form of suction robots, sweeping robots and wiping robots. For this purpose, such a cleaning robot is equipped with an electrically driven suction blower unit and / or an electrically driven brush and / or brush roller and / or wiping member and a dust and dirt collection box (German: Staub- und Schmutzauffangfach, United Kingdom: dust and dirt collect compartment).

  Cleaning robots use hard floors such as parquet floors, surface floors, tiled floors or stone floors as well as woven flooring materials, automatically inhaling dust and grit and using mechanical brushes. You can clean it by removing it. Sweeping robots, on the other hand, simply mechanically clean the floor with brushes and collection vessels, without the use of inspiratory flow. Wiping robots are additionally provided with a wiping member, which is usually driven at high frequencies, which removes debris from the floor by means of a normally aqueous cleaning means.

  At least one electrically powered means is provided for driving at least one of the at least three wheels for the cleaning robot to move on the floor. Usually two electric motors are provided, which drive two drive wheels independently of each other, in which case a third follower wheel is provided to stabilize the cleaning robot.

  Further known cleaning robots have at least one sensor, in particular a plurality of sensors, for monitoring the space surrounding the cleaning robot. These sensors allow the cleaning robot to detect the surroundings and allow the cleaning robot to maneuver over a wide area without touching a wall or an object.

  The power supply of the cleaning robot for driving the electrical components, in particular the electric motor, the sensors and the control device, takes place via the battery. A base fixed to the cleaning robot to charge the battery and, in some cases, to discharge dirt (German: Schmutzes, UK: dirt) or dust (German: Abfalls, UK: waste) collected in the container inside the device. A station is allocated and this base station is connected to the domestic power grid.

  The cleaning robot automatically finds the base station, for example using wireless and / or optical signal guidance, or also wireless communication between the base station and the cleaning robot. The arrival request to the base station can thus be made automatically, for example by wireless communication between the base station and the cleaning robot. Similarly, the cleaning robot itself can arrive at the base station according to the filling degree of the waste container on the device side and / or the charge state of the battery. Further, the cleaning robot can automatically reach the base station after the work to be performed, for example, the cleaning of the set floor area is completed.

  The cleaning robot has a control means, which controls the behavior of the cleaning robot described above. The control means is formed as a computer means with a data processing unit, which controls the behavior of the cleaning robot based on the input signals and / or the stored data.

  The cleaning robot described above is programmable, so that the cleaning robot cleans at a given time. Similarly, the cleaning robot can be manually started. Furthermore, it is possible to set a specific indoor space in which cleaning should be carried out. This indoor space may be the entire indoor space in which the vehicle can run or only a part thereof. The use of this cleaning robot can be controlled independently based on the data input by the user.

  The present invention is therefore based on the technical problem of providing a system and method for cleaning a floor with a cleaning robot which is more adaptable and produces improved cleaning results.

  The technical problem mentioned above is provided by the floor cleaning system mentioned at the outset according to the invention by means of at least one cleaning robot, a control means for controlling this cleaning robot and a communication means for detecting at least one environmental event. A cleaning robot for providing an environmental event determined from a databank, in particular a weather event or an event determined by a sensor, the control means for cleaning at least part of the floor in response to the environmental event. Solved by adjusting the intensity of use.

  In this way, a system is provided which is capable of reacting not only to a single action or manual input by a person for temporal programming, but also automatically by the occurrence of at least one set external or internal environmental event. . When a set environmental event occurs, the system automatically responds to the set instruction, and operates the cleaning robot so that at least a part of the floor area is cleaned.

  There are various ways in which the system can determine environmental events. Environmental events may be of different types, internal or external, or via electronic networks or by sensors in-situ.

  The first embodiment of the system consists in that the communication means determines an environmental event as a weather event from an external weather data bank. For that purpose, the communication means establishes a connection with a local network or the Internet and collects actual weather data or forecast weather data as environmental data. These data apply in particular to outdoor temperatures, precipitation events such as rain or snow or dry events such as sunshine, atmospheric pressure and / or air humidity. All these data, alone or in combination with each other, produce environmental data that the system evaluates to determine if additional cleaning by the cleaning robot is required.

  The communication means can then detect the number, time and / or intensity of precipitation events as the intensity of the weather event. This is because, among other things, precipitation events lead to more severe fouling of the interior space and in some cases require more frequent cleaning of the floor.

  Alternatively or additionally, the communication means may determine the environmental event by at least one external sensor. Therefore, the corresponding sensor is arranged outside the indoor space, and generates measurement data in the form of weather data for determining an environmental event. Among other things, the sensor can survey local weather data such as outdoor temperature and / or precipitation in outdoor areas, and the surveyed data is transferred to the system by data communication.

  Furthermore, at least one internal sensor can also be arranged in the indoor area, for example for detecting the indoor temperature or the state of floor heating. Depending on whether the underfloor heating is on or off, or depending on the adjusted temperature, it can be deduced, for example, how intensively the interior space is used or how intensively it is used.

  A further possibility of environmental data detection consists in detecting the number of persons in the interior space to be cleaned, and from that establishing the need for additional cleaning steps. Humans and other living things (pets), among others, can also be detected by using motion sensors and / or at least one camera, or by analyzing activity in a local data network, or by home automation device information. it can. The animal can additionally be detected by the identification chip. In addition, moving elements can be detected and furniture, pets or people can be deduced from their movement contours.

  A robot that cleans movable elements uses, for example, its sensor body to change the position of a member that was previously determined as a wall or an obstacle based on continuously detected ambient sensor data, while considering its own movement in a room. It is detected in the same way as it is detected. This repositioning can be an indication of a movement of an organism that has been moved by itself or by another person, or an inanimate object such as furniture, for example, automatically or by another person. Interpretation of other sensor data by the cleaning robot allows deduction to particular creatures, objects and / or furniture by evaluating characteristic motion contours, from which the environmental data thus obtained can be , To be able to adjust the cleaning behavior of the cleaning robot adapted to the situation in front of you.

  Another embodiment of the invention consists in the communication means detecting the environmental event as a calendar entry from an external electronic calendar. Environmental events can then be detected and identified by searching for particular concepts such as "party", "visitor", and the like. Such environmental events represent events in which at least a portion of the interior space being cleaned is more heavily polluted and thus requires additional cleaning.

  After the detection of the environmental event, the control means determine whether the cleaning robot should be used additionally and in what range. As such, it is contemplated that the control means preferably adjusts the intensity of cleaning robot use by varying the frequency and / or intensity of cleaning. Parameters to be adjusted include the number of cleaning cycles, including increasing frequency within a particular residential area, such as a corridor area, cleaning method, ie sweeping, suction and / or wiping, and / or area of use, ie Single room cleaning or multiple room cleaning or one-way or multiple passes may be used.

  In addition, if the detected environmental event is representative of the presence of a person or animal in the room to be cleaned, then this room should not be cleaned or adjusted only to be cleaned in the reduced eco mode. You can

  Further, the operation mode of the cleaning robot is adjusted according to the determined environmental event, for example, the rotation speed of the brush, the traveling speed, the weight pressed against the cleaning roller, the drying or the additional drying, the side brush drive or the side cleaning unit method , The selection of the amount of water in the case of wet or water-filled cleaning and / or the type and amount of cleaning agent.

  The system may be configured such that a communication means including data detection is located in the cleaning robot and is connected to the control means, and the communication means is connected to the network by a wireless communication section. As such, the cleaning robot has all data transmission and control within its own device. Therefore, such systems can be used voluntarily at high frequency.

  Alternatively, the communication means including the data detection means may be arranged outside the cleaning robot and connected to the network, and the communication means may be connected to the control means by wireless communication connection. In this case, the system can have a plurality of cleaning robots, all of which are supplied with important information to the control means via the same communication means. The control means can thus be implemented in the base station or in an external device or server, including the data processing unit integrated therein. The data processing unit can control the cleaning device accordingly via a wireless data connection. A distributed realization to different components is also possible.

  The technical problem indicated above is also solved by a method of cleaning a floor by means of a cleaning robot, wherein at least one environmental event is detected and the strength of the use of the cleaning robot for cleaning at least part of the floor. Are adjusted according to the intensity of at least one environmental event.

  This method and its embodiments described below have the same properties and advantages as previously described for the system. Therefore, please refer to the explanation above.

The method described can be further developed by implementation, in which case
At least one environmental event is determined from a databank or by a sensor, and / or a weather event is determined as the environmental event, and / or-the number, time and / or intensity of precipitation events is determined as the intensity of the weather event. Detected and / or-the intensity of use of the cleaning robot is adjusted by the frequency of cleaning and / or changes in intensity.

  A system can be provided for cleaning the floor with a cleaning robot that is more adaptable and produces improved cleaning results.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view from above of an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning robot according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view from below of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 1. 1 illustrates a floor cleaning system according to the present invention.

  The invention is explained below in connection with the drawings on the basis of exemplary embodiments.

  1 and 2 show a cleaning robot according to the invention in the form of a suction robot 2. The suction robot 2 has a housing 4, a vehicle body 6 arranged below the housing 4, a sensor body 8 for detecting the periphery of the housing 4, and a control device for automatically driving the vehicle body 6.

  The vehicle body 6 is arranged below the housing 4 and is directed to the floor surface to be cleaned. The vehicle body 6 has two electrically driven traveling wheels 10 and one driven wheel 11, which achieves three-point support of the floor cleaning robot 2 on the floor surface to be cleaned. By applying different motions to the two traveling wheels 10, the suction robot 2 can travel in any direction, and forward traveling in the direction of arrow r in FIG. 1 is performed. Similarly, rotation at this position and backward traveling in the direction opposite to the arrow r are possible.

  As is especially apparent from FIG. 2, an electrically driven brush 12 projecting from the lower edge on the underside of the housing 4 is arranged in the suction opening 14. Further provided is a suction blower motor (not shown), which is likewise electrically driven. In addition to this, a dustpan-shaped inclined plate 16 is provided, through which dust particles brushed off are conveyed to a container-shaped accommodating portion (not shown).

  The rechargeable battery (not shown) supplies electric power to the individual components of the suction cleaning robot 2, that is, the electric motor of the traveling wheel 10, the electric drive of the brush 12, the suction blower and other control electronics. Done.

  In order to be able to recognize the surroundings, the boundaries of the room and possibly obstacles, in particular the previously mentioned sensor body 8 is provided in order to prevent the suction robot 2 from becoming stuck, which is formed as a sensor obstacle recognition body. R. It consists of an optical transmitter unit and an optical receiver unit, both units being integrated in the sensor body 8 shown in FIG. In this exemplary embodiment, the sensor body 8 is arranged rotatably around a vertical axis x of the housing 4, as indicated by the arrow c in FIG. There are other sensors 20, 22 and 24 formed as ultrasonic sensors and / or infrared sensors. Further provided is a display 26, which displays information for the user and possibly serves as an input aid for operating instructions.

  FIG. 3 shows a floor in an exemplary environment of a dwelling 30 having two rooms 32 and 34, with at least one cleaning robot 2 which can be formed as a suction robot, for example as shown in FIGS. 1 shows a system according to the invention for cleaning. FIG. 3 shows a sketch of a dwelling with the addition of walls 36, entrance doors 38 and room doors 39 and windows 40.

  A suction robot 2 is arranged in the room 32, which is connected to a base station 42 for charging at least one battery 44 provided in the suction robot 2. For that reason, the base station 42 is arranged here in the room 32 and is connected to an outlet 46 for power supply.

    The suction robot 2 has a control means 50 for controlling the suction robot 2 and a communication means 52 for detecting at least one event including an increase in the generation of dirt on at least a part of the floor. The communication unit 52 has a transmission / reception device that wirelessly communicates with a transmission / reception device serving as the communication unit 54 arranged in the room 32. Wireless communication takes place here preferably by standardized methods such as WLAN or Bluetooth®.

  Furthermore, the communication means 52 can also comprise mobile radio devices, so that in this case the communication means 54 is not necessary.

  The communication means 52 and optionally the communication means 54 can be connected by cable or wirelessly to a local or external network, in particular the internet, to detect information about environmental events.

  The control means 50 is connected to the communication means 52 and determines via this connection environmental events, in particular weather events, from the databank, the control means 50 being responsible for cleaning at least part of the floor for cleaning. Adjust the intensity of use of the robot 2.

  Preferably, the communication means 52, 54 determine an environmental event as a weather event from an external weather data bank, in particular the weather event in the form of outdoor temperature, weather forecast, rain or snow or sunshine and pressure and / or air humidity. To be done. The communication means 52, 54 can then detect the number, time and / or intensity of precipitation events as the intensity of the weather event.

  In another embodiment, the environmental event is a sensor-determined event where the external sensor 60 or internal sensor 62 establishes the environmental event as measurement data. The external sensor 60 is arranged, for example, in a climate observatory 64 outside the residence, and the climate observatory 64 has a communication means 66 for wireless data transmission. The internal sensor 62 is integrated in the housing of the communication means 54, for example.

  Environmental data can be measured as outdoor temperature and / or precipitation by an external sensor 60 within the climate station 64. With an internal sensor it is possible, for example, to determine the room temperature (temperature sensor) or the number of people in the cleaning area (motion sensor).

  The communication means 52, 54 are also suitable for detecting environmental events as calendar entries from an external electronic calendar. In this case, the type of environmental event is derived from a set concept such as "party" or "visitor".

The control means 50 adjusts the intensity of use of the cleaning robot 2 by changing the frequency and / or intensity of cleaning. In that case the following are used as appropriate parameters: In other words,
The number of cleaning cycles due to changes in frequency within a particular residential area, for example in the corridor area,
-Cleaning methods, including the difference between dry cleaning or wet cleaning,
-Drive for single or multiple room cleaning,
-Control of the cleaning depending on whether there are people or animals in the room, in some cases the room is not cleaned or is only operated in reduced volume eco mode,
-Adjustment of the operating mode by changing the rotational speed of the brush, the running speed, the weight pressed against the cleaning roller, the drying or additional drying, the drive of the side brush or the selection of the side cleaning unit system,
-Adjusting the amount of water in wet or water-filled cleaning, and / or-selecting the type and / or amount of cleaning agent,
Is.

2 suction robot 4 housing 6 vehicle body 8 sensor body 10 running wheel 11 follower wheel 12 brush 14 suction port 16 inclined plate 20 sensor 22 sensor 24 sensor 26 indicator 30 residence 32 room 34 room 36 wall 38 entrance door 39 room door 40 window 42 Base station 44 Battery 46 Outlet 50 Control means 52 Communication means 54 Communication means 60 External sensor 62 Internal sensor 64 Climate observatory 66 Communication means r Arrow indicating forward direction c Arrow indicating rotation direction x Vertical axis

Claims (9)

-At least one cleaning robot (2),
A control means (50) for controlling the cleaning robot (2),
-Communication means (52, 54) for detecting at least one environmental event;
Equipped with
-The environmental event is an event defined from a databank or an event defined by a sensor,
The control means (50) is arranged to adjust the intensity of use of the cleaning robot (2) for cleaning at least part of the floor in response to the environmental event, and the communication means (52, 54) defines the environmental event as a weather event from an external weather data bank, and detects the number, time and / or intensity of precipitation events as the intensity of the weather event, and the control means (50). Adjusts the operation mode of the cleaning robot (2) according to the environmental event, and rotates the brush, the traveling speed, the weight of the cleaning roller pressed, the drying or additional drying, the side brush drive or the side cleaning unit method. , Selection of the amount of water in the case of wet or water-filled cleaning and / or the type and amount of cleaning agent, and
Floor cleaning system.   System according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication means (52, 54) determine the environmental event by at least one external or internal sensor (60, 62).   System according to claim 1, characterized in that said communication means (52, 54) detect said environmental event as an entry in a calendar from an external electronic calendar. Wherein said control means (50) and adjusting by the cleaning robot (2) Strength of frequency and / or intensity variation of the cleaning of the use of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . Said communication means (52) is arranged in said cleaning robot (2) and is connected to said control means (50),
The communication means (52) connects to a network through a wireless communication section,
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that The communication means (54) is arranged outside the cleaning robot (2) and is connected to a network,
The communication means (54) is connected to the control means (50) by a wireless communication section,
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that -At least one environmental event is detected,
The intensity of the use of the cleaning robot for cleaning at least a part of the floor is to be adjusted according to the intensity of the at least one environmental event , and the weather event is defined as the environmental event and the weather event The number, time and / or intensity of precipitation events as the intensity of
How to clean the floor by the system according to any one of claims 1-6. 8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one environmental event is defined by a databank or sensor. The intensity of use of the cleaning robot is adjusted by changing the frequency and / or intensity of the cleaning method according to any one of claims 7-8.

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