Method for multipoint purification by robotic air purifier

• US 10,443,874 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecovacs Robotics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ecovacs Robotics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Jinju, Liao, Liangliang, Zhu, Lei, Chen, Maoyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie M
• Application Number:
  US15/515,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20170261219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 700258
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/087 for sensing other physical parameters, e.g. electrical or chemical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/64 Airborne particle content
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device

Abstract

A method for multipoint purification by a robotic air purifier, comprising the following steps: S1: establishing a coordinate map of an area to be purified; S2: the robotic air purifier moves within the area to be purified according to a preconfigured movement model, measuring air quality, remembering as level-1 pollution sources those points where a pollution value exceeds a preset threshold, and marking the coordinates of said points on the coordinate map; S3: when having completed its movement over the area to be purified, the robotic air purifier moves to each level-1 pollution source point and performs an initial purification process, while at the same time measuring air quality, continuing in this way until the air quality at all said level-1 pollution sources complies with requirements.

Claims

1. A method for multipoint purification by a robotic air purifier, the method comprising:

establishing a coordinate map of an area to be purified;

the robotic air purifier moves in the area to be purified in a preset moving mode, measures air quality, records positions where pollution values exceed a preset threshold as level-1 pollution sources, and marks coordinates of the positions on the coordinate map; and

when having completed its movement over the area to be purified, the robotic air purifier moves to the coordinates of each of the positions, and performs an initial air purification process on each of the level-1 pollution sources while measuring air quality at respective positions until the air quality at positions of all the level-1 pollution sources meet requirements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic air purifier moving in the area to be purified in the preset moving mode comprises while recording coordinates of the level-1 pollution sources, the robotic air purifier stores pollution values at corresponding coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein according to the coordinates of the level-1 pollution sources and magnitudes of the pollution values thereof, the robotic air purifier moves, based on a descending order of the pollution values, to the coordinates of the level-1 pollution sources in sequence to perform the initial air purification process and detect the air quality simultaneously, until the air quality at all the level-1 pollution sources meet the requirements.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the robotic air purifier moves to the position of one of the level-1 pollution sources once again and detects the air quality at that position;

if the pollution value is larger than a threshold value, the robotic air purifier performs a secondary air purification process; and

if the pollution value is smaller than the threshold value, the robotic air purifier moves to the position of the next level-1 pollution source, until all of the level-1 pollution sources are detected and processed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a fixed time interval is set, and when the fixed time interval elapses after performing the initial air purification process on each of the level-1 pollution sources, the secondary air purification process is performed on each level-1 pollution source at which the pollution value is larger than the threshold value.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

while the robotic air purifier moves to a position of one level-1 pollution source once again, if it detects that the pollution value at the position exceeds the threshold value, the position is marked as a level-2 pollution source, and coordinates of the level-2 pollution source is recorded and the pollution value at the position is stored simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

according to the coordinates of the level-2 pollution sources and magnitudes of the pollution values thereof, the robotic air purifier moves, based on a descending order of the pollution values, to the positions of the level-2 pollution sources in sequence to perform the secondary air purification process and detect the air quality simultaneously, until the air quality at all the level-2 pollution sources meet the requirements.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

according to the coordinates of the level-1 pollution sources and the level-2 pollution sources as well as the magnitudes of the pollution values of the level-1 pollution sources and the level-2 pollution sources, the robotic air purifier moves, based on a descending order of the pollution values, to the positions of the level-1 pollution sources and the level-2 pollution sources in sequence to perform the secondary air purification process and detect the air quality simultaneously, and determines if all of the pollution values of the level-1 and level-2 pollution sources are smaller than the threshold value;

if “

yes”

, the robotic air purifier automatically updates the threshold value; and

if “

no”

, the robotic air purifier continues to perform the secondary air purification process until all of the pollution values of the level-1 and level-2 pollution sources are smaller than the threshold value;

and

the robotic air purifier monitors the air quality in the area to be purified and performs the secondary purification process according to the updated threshold value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein there is a fixed time interval set between the robotic air purifier moving, based on a descending order of the pollution values, to the positions of the level-2 pollution sources in sequence to perform the secondary air purification process and detect the air quality simultaneously until the air quality at all the level-2 pollution sources meet the requirements, and the robotic air purifier moving, based on a descending order of the pollution values, to the coordinate positions of the level-1 pollution sources and the level-2 pollution sources in sequence to perform the secondary air purification process and detect the air quality simultaneously, and determining if all of the pollution values of the level-1 and level-2 pollution sources are smaller than the threshold value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate map of the area to be purified is established by a fuzzy memory algorithm.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate map of the area to be purified is established based on distance data obtained by measuring distances between the robotic air purifier and obstacles with a distance measuring device provided on the robotic air purifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the preset moving mode is an N-shaped moving mode.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic air purifier moves in a spiral mode in an area where the level-1 pollution sources are located and purifies the level-1 pollution sources.