Cleaning apparatus data management system and method

• US 10,362,913 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diversey Incorporated (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: Diversey Incorporated (Sealed Air)
• Inventors: Gatter, Heinz, Hanhart, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Shahed
• Application Number:
  US15/207,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 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 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0004 Suction cleaners adapted to take up liquids, e.g. wet or dry vacuum cleaners floor-scrubbing machines taking-up dirty liquid by suction A47L11/30
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25022 LAN local area network for controllers

Abstract

A mobile cleaning system, method, and machine is provided, wherein a chassis, a communications module configured to communicate with a device remote from the chassis, a sensor operable to sense one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine, and a controller including a processor and memory are provided. The processor is programmed to perform instructions stored in the memory, and the instructions include receiving the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine, receiving a non-mobile cleaning machine data set from the remote device, and transmitting at least one of the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine and the non-mobile machine data to a central location.

Claims

1. A mobile cleaning machine comprising:

a chassis;

a communications module configured to communicate with a device remote from the mobile cleaning machine;

a sensor operable to sense one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine; and

a controller including a processor and memory, the processor programmed to perform instructions stored in the memory, the instructions including

receiving the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine sensed by the sensor,

receiving a non-mobile cleaning machine data set from the remote device, and

transmitting, via the communications module, at least one of the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine and the non-mobile cleaning machine data set to a central location.

2. The cleaning machine of claim 1 further comprising a wireless receiver by which the non-mobile cleaning machine data set is received.

3. The cleaning machine of claim 1 wherein the mobile cleaning machine is a floor scrubbing machine.

4. The cleaning machine of claim 1 wherein the non-mobile cleaning machine data set includes at least one of employee information, non-mobile cleaning machine task information, and non-mobile cleaning machine maintenance information.

5. The cleaning machine of claim 1 wherein the non-mobile cleaning machine data set and the sensed characteristic are output to the central location via a network.

6. The cleaning machine of claim 1 wherein the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine include one or more of an x-direction, a y-direction, a mobile cleaning machine speed, a brush speed, a brush state, an acceleration, and a chemical deposition.

7. A method of communicating a characteristic of a mobile cleaning machine and a non-mobile cleaning machine data set to a central location, the method comprising:

sensing one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine;

transmitting the sensed characteristics to a controller on the mobile cleaning machine;

transmitting non-mobile cleaning machine data to the controller;

transmitting at least one of the sensed characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine and the non-mobile cleaning machine data to the central location via the controller.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the at least one of the sensed characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine and the non-mobile cleaning machine data to the central location is performed wirelessly.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the mobile cleaning machine is a floor scrubbing machine.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the non-mobile cleaning machine data set includes employee information.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the non-mobile cleaning machine data to the controller is performed at least in part wirelessly.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more sensed characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine include one or more of an x-direction, a y-direction, a mobile cleaning machine speed, a brush speed, a brush state, an acceleration, and a chemical deposition.

13. A system for communicating one or more characteristics of a mobile cleaning machine and a non-mobile cleaning machine data set to a central location, the system comprising:

a mobile cleaning machine-mounted gateway device;

a communication device configured to communicate non-mobile cleaning machine data to the gateway device; and

a mobile cleaning machine including

a chassis,

a communications module configured to communicate with the communication device,

a sensor operable to sense one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine, and

a processor and memory, the processor programmed to perform instructions stored in the memory, the instructions including

receiving the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine sensed by the sensor,

receiving the non-mobile cleaning machine data, and

transmitting at least one of the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine and the non-mobile cleaning machine data set to a central location via the gateway device.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a wireless receiver by which the non-mobile cleaning machine data is received.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the mobile cleaning machine is a floor scrubbing machine.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the non-mobile cleaning machine data includes at least one of employee information, non-mobile cleaning machine task information, and non-mobile cleaning machine maintenance information.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the non-mobile cleaning machine data and the one or more characteristics are output to a network via a wireless connection.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more characteristics of the mobile cleaning machine include one or more of an x-direction, a y-direction, a mobile cleaning machine speed, a brush speed, a brush state, an acceleration, and a chemical deposition.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the communication device is a mobile reader.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication device includes at least one of a bar code reader and a QR code reader, and an RFID reader.