Method and apparatus for improved use, maintenance and management of floor maintenance equipment

• US 20020152576A1
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ProTeam, Inc. (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Pro-Team, Inc.
• Inventors: Murray, Christopher W., Shideler, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/131,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152576A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• 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 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners

Abstract

A control unit for improving the use, simplifying the maintenance, and organizing the management of floor maintenance equipment. The control unit can include a processing unit, a mechanical input channel, a memory system, other input means, communication means, data output means, and sensors. The control unit is electrically interconnected with the floor maintenance equipment so that operations can be controlled and data can be stored regarding the use of the equipment. This data is also able to be exported from the memory system to a computer, such as one connected to the Internet.

Claims

1. A safety device for interrupting current flow between a power source and at least one electrical motor of a piece of floor maintenance equipment, said safety device comprising:

a control unit for controlling said safety device;

a memory system for storing an operation code; and

a mechanical input channel for allowing an operator to enter an access code into said control unit;

wherein said control unit compares said access code to said operation code;

wherein if said access code matches said operation code current flow to said electrical motor is established;

wherein if said access code does not match said operation code current flow to said electrical motor is left interrupted.

2. A safety device for blocking use of at least one electrically controlled feature of a piece of floor maintenance equipment, said safety device comprising:

a control unit for controlling said safety device;

a memory system for storing a feature code; and

a mechanical input channel for allowing an operator to enter an access code;

wherein said control unit compares said access code to said feature code;

wherein if said access code matches said feature code said operator is allowed to utilize said electrically controlled feature;

wherein if said access code does not match said feature code operator is not allowed to utilize said electrically controlled feature.

3. An data collecting device for use with a piece of floor maintenance equipment, said data collecting device comprising:

a memory system for storage of data;

a mechanical input channel for allowing an operator to enter operator data, said operator data stored in said memory system;

a data output means for output of said memory system stored data to a computer.

4. The data collection device of claim 3, wherein said operator data comprises coding information representing a particular individual operator thereby allowing for the tracking of what individual operator has operated said equipment.

5. The data collection device of claim 3, wherein said operator data comprises coding information representing a particular location thereby allowing for the tracking of what locations said equipment has been utilized.

6. A data collecting device for use with a piece of floor maintenance equipment, said data collecting device comprising:

a memory system for storage of data;

a sensor, said sensor creating sensor data, said sensor data stored in said memory system;

a data output means for output of said memory system stored data.

7. The data collecting device of claim 6, wherein said memory system stored data is outputted to a computer.

8. The data collecting device of claim 6, wherein said sensor is a temperature sensor.

9. The data collecting device of claim 6, wherein equipment is a vacuum cleaner having a vacuum cleaner bag, wherein said sensor senses when said vacuum cleaner bag is full.

10. The data collecting device of claim 6, wherein said sensor senses when the equipment is about to fail.

11. The data collecting device of claim 6, wherein said sensor is a time sensor.

12. The data-collecting device of claim 6, wherein said sensor is a global position sensor sensing the location of said equipment.

14. The reminder device of claim 13, further comprising a second predetermined use threshold stored in said memory system, wherein if said second threshold is met the control unit terminates operation of said equipment.

15. The reminder device of claim 13, wherein said equipment is a vacuum cleaner, wherein said use threshold relates to hours of use of said vacuum cleaner, and wherein said alert system is utilized to remind said operator to replace the vacuum cleaner'"'"'s filter.

16. The reminder device of claim 13, wherein said threshold relates to the temperature of said equipment.

17. The reminder device of claim 13, wherein said control unit monitors the use of said equipment by comparing said sensor data to said predetermined use threshold, wherein when said sensor data meets said use threshold said control unit transmits said sensor data to a computer.

18. The reminder device of claim 13, wherein said threshold relates to consumable components and wherein when said sensor data meets said use threshold said control unit transmits said sensor data to a computer which orders replacement components.

13. A reminder device for use with a piece of floor maintenance equipment, said data collecting device comprising:

a control unit for controlling said reminder device;

an alert system for alerting the operator of said equipment that a use threshold has been met;

a memory system for storing a predetermined use threshold; and

sensor means for sensing the use of said equipment and creating sensor data reflecting said use, said sensor data stored in said memory system;

wherein said control unit monitors the use of said equipment by comparing said sensor data to said predetermined use threshold, wherein when said sensor data meets said use threshold said control unit triggers said alert system to alert said operator that said use threshold has been met.

19. A tracking device for tracking the use of a piece of floor maintenance equipment being used to clean a building, said data collecting device comprising:

a memory system for storage of data;

a global positioning satellite receiver for receiving global position data from a global positioning satellite system, said global position data stored in said memory system;

a data output means for output of said memory system stored data to a display device attached to a computer, wherein an individual can view said display device to confirm where within a building said equipment was utilized.

20. An improved floor maintenance tool, in which the floor maintenance tool includes an electric motor and a tool head, in which the improvement comprises:

a lockout switch which shuts off electricity to the electric motor of said floor maintenance tool unless deactivated; and

a control unit, which activates or deactivates said lockout switch based on predetermined control parameters.

21. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 20 which said control unit is a mechanical input device in which a user enters an access code, which deactivates said lockout switch and allows said user to turn on said floor maintenance tool, and entry of said access code is a control parameter.

22. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 20 which said control unit is a digital input device in which a user enters an access code, which deactivates said lockout switch and allows said user to turn on said floor maintenance tool, and said access code is a control parameter.

23. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 22 which said control unit includes memory storage, a timer, and a computation unit, and one or more system sensors which sense a condition in one or more systems of said floor maintenance tool, and makes a computation based on said condition, and sends output to a display unit based on predetermined condition rules.

24. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 23 which the system to be sensed is the motor of said tool, and the condition to be sensed is a temperature of said motor, in which said computation unit compares said temperature of said motor with an acceptable range of temperatures entered as a predetermined condition rule, and is out of range, sends an alarm message to said display unit.

25. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 23 which the system to be sensed is an air conduit, and the condition to be sensed is an airflow in air conduit, in which said computation unit compares said airflow in said air conduit with an acceptable range of airflow entered as a predetermined condition rule, and if out of range, sends an alarm message to said display unit.

26. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 25, in which said computation unit activates said lockout switch and shuts off electricity to said electric motor of said floor maintenance tool until deactivated.

27. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 25 in a first acceptable range of airflow is entered, and a first range of unacceptable airflow is entered as predetermined condition rules, and if said airflow is below said first acceptable range of airflow and within said first unacceptable range of airflow, said computation unit sends a warning message to said display unit, and if said airflow is below said first unacceptable range of airflow, said computation unit activates said lockout switch and shuts off electricity to said electric motor of said floor maintenance tool until deactivated.

28. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 23 in which the system to be sensed is the motor, and the condition to be sensed is the on or off condition of the motor, in which said computation unit records in memory a total of the time said motor has been in an on condition since the time in memory has been reset, and on command, said computation sends said total time on motor to said display unit.

29. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 28 which further includes one or more sensors on system components, and maintains a record of time in use for the system components being sensed by use of the time recorded for motor use, and compares the time in use for a component against a change out time, which is entered as a predetermined condition rule, and if a change out time has been passed, sends an alarm message to said display unit.

30. The improved floor maintenance tool of claim 29 in which said control unit is configured so that stored information on motor hours and component change out time is downloadable to an external analysis device.