Method for operating a surface treatment device

• US 10,366,585 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Inventors: Meyer, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US15/744,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 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: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1672 using sonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating in the audio frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system

Abstract

A method for operating an automatically movable surface treatment device that can move in a room and possibly carries out surface treatment. An ultrasonic sensor detects ultrasound, in particular ultrasonic waves reflected at obstacles. The ultrasonic sensor detects glass breakage noises, wherein frequencies of sound detected by means of the ultrasonic sensor are compared with reference frequencies typically occurring in the event of a glass breakage, and wherein, in the event of a match, a glass breakage, in particular a break-in through a pane of glass of a window or of a door, is determined. A system comprising an automatically movable surface treatment device having an ultrasonic sensor and a house alarm system in which the surface treatment device is integrated in terms of communication.

Claims

1. A method for operating an automatically movable surface treatment device in the form of a cleaning device, comprising:

moving the surface treatment device in a room,

detecting ultrasonic waves reflected at obstacles with an ultrasonic sensor on the surface treatment device to determine obstacles of the cleaning device,

detecting sounds with the ultrasonic sensor,

comparing frequencies of the sounds detected by the ultrasonic sensor with reference frequencies typically occurring in an event of a glass breakage, and

determining an actual glass breakage in an event of a match between the detected frequencies and the reference frequencies, and

comparing with a measuring device that detects features of the room, a current state of the room with a state of the room according to a stored room map when the glass breakage is determined, wherein the surface treatment device is moved in the room in an area of a window or a door.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein frequencies of between 1 kHz and 1 MHz are used as reference frequencies.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detected sound is evaluated with regard to a time change of frequency-dependent amplitudes.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the glass breakage is determined based on a frequency spectrum of the detected sound in an event of a sudden amplitude increase at a first frequency and of a subsequent amplitude increase at a second frequency, which is larger than the first frequency.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising outputting an alarm signal when the glass breakage is determined.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sound received by the ultrasonic sensor (5) is evaluated by means of a home alarm system (10), in which the surface treatment device (1) is integrated in terms of communication, and/or wherein an alarm signal is output and/or prompted by the home alarm system (10) in the event the glass breakage is determined.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sound received by the ultrasonic sensor (5) is evaluated with regard to glass breakage noises, only when the ultrasonic sensor (5) is in an exclusive receive mode.

8. An automatically movable surface treatment device (1) in the form of a cleaning robot that is configured for cleaning the surface, comprising:

an ultrasonic sensor (5) that is configured to detect ultrasonic waves reflected at obstacles as well as sound,

an evaluation device (12), which is embodied to compare frequencies of the sound detected by means of the ultrasonic sensor (5) with reference frequencies typically occurring in an event of a glass breakage, and, in an event of a match, to determine the glass breakage, and

a measuring device that is configured for detecting features of a room in order to orient the surface treatment device in the room and to create a room map.

9. A system of an automatically movable surface treatment device (1) in the form of a cleaning robot that is configured for cleaning a surface and having an ultrasonic sensor that is configured to detect ultrasonic waves reflected at obstacles as well as sound, and a house alarm system (10), in which the surface treatment device (1) is integrated in terms of communication, wherein the house alarm system (10) has an evaluation device, which is embodied to compare frequencies of the sound detected by means of the ultrasonic sensor (5) with reference frequencies typically occurring in an event of a glass breakage, and, in an event of a match, to determine the glass breakage, and wherein the surface treatment device has a measuring device that is configured for detecting features of a room in order to orient the surface treatment device in the room and to create a room map.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein evaluation device is configured to evaluate the detected sound with regard to a time change of frequency-dependent amplitudes.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein evaluation device is configured to determine the glass breakage based on a frequency spectrum of the detected sound in an event of a sudden amplitude increase at a first frequency and of a subsequent amplitude increase at a second frequency, which is larger than the first frequency.