System and method for an autonomous cleaning apparatus

• US 10,335,003 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Digital Broadcast SA (Advanced Digital Broadcast Holdings SA)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Digital Broadcast SA (Advanced Digital Broadcast Holdings SA)
• Inventors: Dabrowski, Bartosz
• Primary Examiner(s): Mott, Adam R
• Application Number:
  US15/464,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20170273530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots

Abstract

Method for an autonomous cleaning apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: scanning a vicinity of an autonomous cleaning apparatus by means of at least one sensor; detecting an unreachable area, being unreachable by the autonomous cleaning apparatus; detecting a door in proximity to the unreachable area; detecting that the unreachable area is unreachable due to the positioning of the door wing; automatically moving the door wing, by the autonomous cleaning apparatus, in order to obtain access to and clean the unreachable area.

Claims

1. Method for an autonomous cleaning apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

scanning (401) a vicinity of an autonomous cleaning apparatus by means of at least one sensor;

the method being characterized in that it further comprises the steps of;

detecting an unreachable area (402), being unreachable by the autonomous cleaning apparatus;

detecting a door (403) in proximity to the unreachable area (107);

determining a thickness of the detected door (403);

detecting (404) that the unreachable area is unreachable due to the positioning of the door wing;

automatically moving (405) the door wing, by the autonomous cleaning apparatus, in order to obtain access to and clean the unreachable area.

2. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the unreachable area (107) is a corner of 90 or less degrees measure.

3. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the step of detecting a door (403) in proximity to the unreachable area (107) comprises measuring a length (D1, D2, 217) of either side of the door wing.

4. The method according to claim 3 characterized in that it further comprises determining presence of a door gap under the detected door.

5. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the step of automatically moving (405) the door wing is effected by a door wing position changing means.

6. The method according to claim 5 characterized in that the door wing position changing means allow to push or pull the door wing.

7. The method according to claim 6 characterized in that the door wing position changing means is an electromagnet or a suction element or a neodymium magnet or a retractable hook.

8. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the step of detecting a door (403) in proximity to the unreachable area (107) comprises detecting, with the at least one sensor, a tag attached to the door.

9. The method according to claim 8 characterized in that the tag is an RFID tag or an optical tag or a magnetic tag.

10. The method according to claim 9 characterized in that the tag has an enabled state and a disabled state wherein the enabled state allows the tag to be detected by the at least one sensor and the disabled state disallows the tag from being detected by the at least one sensor.

11. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises the steps of remembering the initial positioning of the door;

moving the door as required to achieve best cleaning of the surface and lastly bringing back the door to the initial position.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer-executable instructions performing all the steps of the computer-implemented method according to claim 1 when executed on a computer.

13. System for an autonomous cleaning apparatus the system being characterized in that it comprises a controller configured to execute all steps of the method according to claim 1;

and a door wing position changing means.