Method for cleaning a floor surface and floor cleaning device

• US 10,390,674 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kaercher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Walz, Juergen, Hofner, Christian, Pfister, Barbara, Eckart, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Golightly, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US15/274,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20170007091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4008 Arrangements of switches, indicators or the like
• 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 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for cleaning a floor surface with a floor cleaning device, in which method, during the cleaning movement of the floor cleaning device over the floor surface, a first recording of a floor surface portion before the cleaning is created with an optical recording unit, the floor cleaning device is moved with at least one cleaning unit over the floor surface portion, which is cleaned, a second recording of the floor surface portion after the cleaning is created with an optical recording unit and the recordings are compared with one another in order to check the cleaning result. The invention further relates to a floor cleaning device for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a floor surface with a floor cleaning device, the floor cleaning device comprising a carriage for traveling on the floor surface, in which method, during a cleaning movement of the floor cleaning device over the floor surface, a first recording of a floor surface portion is created with an optical recording unit before the cleaning, the floor cleaning device is moved with at least one cleaning unit over the floor surface portion, which is cleaned, a second recording of the floor surface portion is created with an optical recording unit after the cleaning, and the recordings are compared with one another in order to check a cleaning result,

wherein the comparison of the recordings is undertaken by a control unit of the floor cleaning device and at an indicating unit, at least if no sufficiently good cleaning of the floor surface portion has occurred, a corresponding indication is provided and/or is stored with a position information item of the floor surface portion in a memory unit, wherein the position of the floor cleaning device on the floor surface is determined by means of a localization unit.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein as optical recording unit there is used a camera, and wherein the recordings are images of the floor surface portion.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein two optical recording units are used in order to create the first recording and the second recording, wherein the first recording unit is provided for creating the first recording and, relative to a cleaning direction, is directed toward the floor surface in front of the at least one cleaning unit, and wherein the second recording unit is provided for creating the second recording and is directed toward the floor surface behind the at least one cleaning unit.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein there is used one optical recording unit which creates the first recording and the second recording.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the optical recording unit is movably mounted on the floor cleaning device, and wherein the recording unit is moved relative to the floor cleaning device after the creation of the first recording to create the second recording.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indication is provided at at least one of an indicating unit of the floor cleaning device and an indicating unit arranged remote from where the floor cleaning device.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indication is stored in at least one of a memory unit of the floor cleaning device and a memory unit arranged remote from where the floor cleaning device is used.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a storage is also carried out if a sufficiently good cleaning has taken place.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the case that the floor cleaning device is a self-propelling and self-steering floor cleaning device and no sufficiently good cleaning of the floor surface portion has taken place, the floor surface portion is cleaned again in a renewed cleaning, a further recording of the floor surface portion is created with an optical recording unit following the renewed cleaning and the further recording is compared with at least one of the first recording and the second recording in order to check the cleaning result.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least the second recording is displayed on a display unit of the floor cleaning device or on a display unit arranged remote from the floor cleaning device.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, on the basis of the comparison, an indication is displayable on a display unit of the floor cleaning device that a sufficiently good cleaning has taken place.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a reference recording of the floor surface portion in a cleaned state is stored with a position information item in the memory unit, and wherein the second recording is compared with the reference recording in order to check whether the floor surface portion can be regarded as sufficiently clean.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the method is carried out during an entire or substantially an entire cleaning of the floor surface.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a self-propelling and self-steering floor cleaning device is used.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a manually guided floor cleaning device or a ride-on floor cleaning device is used.

16. A floor cleaning device comprising a carriage for traveling on a floor surface, at least one cleaning unit for cleaning the floor surface and at least one optical recording unit, wherein during a cleaning movement of the floor cleaning device over the floor surface, a first recording of a floor surface portion is creatable with the at least one optical recording unit before the cleaning, the floor cleaning device is movable with the at least one cleaning unit over the floor surface portion and this is cleanable, and a second recording of the floor surface portion is creatable with the at least one optical recording unit after the cleaning, wherein the recordings are comparable with one another in order to check a cleaning result,

wherein the floor cleaning device has a control unit for comparison of the recordings and wherein an indication is providable at an indicating unit at least if no sufficiently good cleaning of the floor surface portion has occurred, and/or is storable with a position information item of the floor surface portion in a memory unit, wherein the position of the floor cleaning device on the floor surface is determinable by means of a localization unit.

17. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the at least one optical recording unit is a camera, and wherein the recordings are images of the floor surface portion.

18. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device comprises two optical recording units in order to create the first recording and the second recording, wherein the first recording unit is provided for creating the first recording and, relative to a cleaning direction, is directed toward the floor surface in front of the at least one cleaning unit, and wherein the second recording unit is provided for creating the second recording and is directed toward the floor surface behind the at least one cleaning unit.

19. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the first recording and the second recording are creatable with the same optical recording unit.

20. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the at least one optical recording unit is movably mounted on the floor cleaning device, and wherein the at least one optical recording unit is movable relative to the floor cleaning device after the creation of the first recording and to create the second recording.

21. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device comprises at least one of an indicating unit on which the indication is providable and a memory unit in which the indication is storable, linked to the position information item.

22. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device comprises at least one of a communication unit by means of which the indication is transferable to an indicating unit and a memory unit arranged remote from the floor cleaning device.

23. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein a storage is also executable if a sufficiently good cleaning of the floor surface portion has taken place.

24. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device is a self-propelling and self-steering floor cleaning device and wherein, if no sufficiently good cleaning of the floor surface portion has taken place, the floor surface portion is cleanable again, a further recording of the floor surface portion is creatable with the at least one optical recording unit following the renewed cleaning and this is comparable with at least one of the first recording and the second recording in order to check the cleaning result.

25. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device comprises a display unit on which at least the second recording is displayable.

26. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device has a control unit for comparison of the recordings, wherein, on the basis of the comparison, an indication is displayable on a display unit of the floor cleaning device that a sufficiently good cleaning has taken place.

27. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the position of the floor cleaning device on the floor surface is determinable by means of a localization unit and the recordings of the floor surface portion are linkable to the position information item, wherein a reference recording of the floor surface portion in a cleaned state is storable with the position information item in a memory unit, and wherein the second recording is comparable with the reference recording in order to check whether the floor surface portion can be regarded as sufficiently clean.

28. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device is a self-propelling and self-steering floor cleaning device.

29. The floor cleaning device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the floor cleaning device is a manually guided floor cleaning device or a ride-on floor cleaning device.