Method for treating a floor surface and floor treating apparatus

• US 10,338,595 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kaercher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Hoennige, Heiko, Hofner, Christian, Eckart, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd M
• Application Number:
  US15/424,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/28 Floor-scrubbing machines, motor-driven A47L11/29 takes precedence
• 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 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface

Abstract

A method for treating a floor surface is provided using a self-propelled and self-steering floor treating apparatus, wherein the treatment is based on a pattern along which the floor treating apparatus is moved, wherein the pattern has paths in side-by-side relationship to one another, and wherein when the floor treating apparatus travels a path, a respective treatment area is covered and treated. The pattern is adapted to at least one of the size and contour of the floor surface such that boundaries thereof opposite each other each have a path extending therealong with a treatment area adjacent to the boundary and intermediate paths are arranged such that full-coverage treatment of the floor surface is realized, wherein the relative position of at least two paths in side-by-side relationship is such that the treatment areas thereof at least partially overlap. A floor treatment apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for treating a floor surface using a self-propelled and self-steering floor treating apparatus, wherein the treatment of the floor surface is based on a pattern along which the floor treating apparatus is moved, wherein the pattern has paths in side-by-side relationship to one another and wherein when the floor treating apparatus travels a path, a respective treatment area is covered and treated by the floor treating apparatus, wherein a control unit of the floor cleaning apparatus adapts the pattern to at least one of the size and contour of the floor surface such that boundaries of the floor surface opposite each other have in each case a path extending therealong with a treatment area adjacent to the boundary for performing close-to-the-edge treatment and the control unit arranges intermediate paths such that full-coverage treatment of the floor surface is realized, wherein the control unit arranges the relative position of at least two paths in side-by-side relationship to one another such that the treatment areas thereof overlap at least in sections thereof.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the relative position of more than two paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is selected such that the treatment areas of paths in side-by-side relationship to one another in each case overlap in at least sections thereof.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the relative position of all of the paths is selected such that the treatment areas of paths in side-by-side relationship to one another in each case overlap at least in sections thereof.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the position of the paths is selected such that the respective overlap is made the same size.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the relative position of all paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is selected such that the paths are equidistantly or substantially equidistantly spaced from one another.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the number of the paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is selected such that the width of an overall overlap which results from the overlap of the treatment areas of paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is less than the width of a treatment area.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the paths in side-by-side relationship to one another are oriented parallel to each other.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, when boundaries of the floor surface opposite each other are oriented at an angle relative to each other, the relative position of at least two paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is selected such that these enclose an angle.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the angle is less than the angle between the boundaries.

10. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the relative position of more than two paths in side-by-side relationship to one another is selected such that these enclose a respective angle.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the relative position of all of the paths is selected such that paths in side-by-side relationship to one another in each case enclose an angle.

12. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the position of the paths is selected such that the respective angle is of the same size.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pattern is oriented within the floor surface such that the number of changes in direction of travel for full-coverage treatment of the floor surface is minimized.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a serpentine-shaped meandering pattern is used as a basis.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a spiral-shaped floor surface boundary-following pattern is used as a basis.

16. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, as the floor treatment apparatus, a floor cleaning apparatus is used by which the floor surface is cleaned.

17. A self-propelled and self-steering floor treating apparatus, comprising a chassis for travelling over the floor surface and a control unit for controlling the chassis and at least one floor treating unit defining a treatment area, wherein the chassis is controllable by the control unit such that the treatment of the floor surface can be based on a pattern along which the floor treating apparatus is moved, wherein the pattern comprises paths in side-by-side relationship to one another and wherein when the floor treating apparatus travels a path, the respective treatment area is covered and treated by the floor treating apparatus, wherein the control unit adapts the pattern to at least one of the size and contour of the floor surface such that boundaries of the floor surface opposite each other have in each case a path extending therealong with a treatment area adjacent to the boundary for performing close-to-the-edge treatment and the control unit arranges intermediate paths such that full-coverage treatment of the floor surface is realized, wherein the control unit arranges the relative position of at least two paths extending in side-by-side relationship to one another such that the treatment areas thereof overlap at least in sections thereof.

18. The floor treatment apparatus in accordance with claim 17, wherein the floor treating apparatus is a floor cleaning apparatus.