METHOD OF CLEANING A SURFACE USING AN AUTOMATIC CLEANING DEVICE

• US 20100114372A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intellibot Robotics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Intellibot Robotics, LLC
• Inventors: Knuth, David M. JR., Hillman, Henry L. JR.
• Application Number:
  US12/261,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/257
• 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: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

A method of cleaning a surface using an automatic cleaning device may include learning, by an automatic cleaning device, one or more cleaning methods. Each cleaning method may be associated with a code corresponding to a radio frequency identification tag positioned in a vicinity of a surface to be cleaned. The method may also include receiving, by the automatic cleaning device, a target code from a target radio frequency identification tag positioned in a vicinity of a target surface to be cleaned, determining the cleaning method associated with the target code and applying the associated cleaning method to the target surface when the target radio frequency identification tag is detected.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning a surface using an automatic cleaning device, the method comprising:

learning, by an automatic cleaning device, one or more cleaning methods, wherein each cleaning method is associated with a code corresponding to a radio frequency identification tag positioned in a vicinity of a surface to be cleaned;

receiving, by the automatic cleaning device, a target code from a target radio frequency identification tag positioned in a vicinity of a target surface to be cleaned;

determining the cleaning method associated with the target code; and

applying the associated cleaning method to the target surface when the target radio frequency identification tag is detected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein learning one or more cleaning methods comprises:

receiving, by the automatic cleaning device, one or more instructions from a user, wherein the instructions instruct the automatic cleaning device to perform the one or more cleaning methods;

storing one or more of the received instructions, the one or more cleaning methods and the associated codes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein learning one or more cleaning method comprises:

navigating one or more surfaces having one or more radio frequency identification tags; and

for each encountered radio frequency identification tag;

receiving a code from the radio frequency identification tag,

mapping the received code to one or more instructions for performing a cleaning method, and

storing one or more of the received code, the one or more instructions and the associated cleaning method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the associated cleaning method comprises:

applying the associated cleaning method for a defined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the associated cleaning method comprises:

applying the associated cleaning method until a different code is received.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the associated cleaning method comprises:

applying the associated cleaning method a defined number of times.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report when the applying is completed, wherein the report comprises one or more of the following;

one or more surfaces that were cleaned;

one or more surfaces that were not cleaned;

a time associated with cleaning one or more surfaces, and

a total cleaning time.

8. A method of learning, by an automatic cleaning device, how to clean a surface, the method comprising:

receiving one or more instructions for cleaning a surface, wherein the instructions instruct the automatic cleaning device to apply a cleaning method to the surface, wherein the cleaning method is associated with a code; and

storing one or more of the received instructions, the cleaning method and the associated code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving one or more instructions comprises receiving one or more instructions from a user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving one or more instructions comprises:

navigating one or more surfaces having one or more radio frequency identification tags; and

for each encountered radio frequency identification tag;

determining whether the radio frequency identification tag is new;

receiving a code from the radio frequency identification tag;

mapping the received code to one or more instructions for performing a cleaning method, and

for each encountered radio frequency identification tag that is new, storing one or more of the received code, the one or more instructions and the associated cleaning method.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

for one or more encountered radio frequency identification tags, storing one or more of the following;

a date that the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag, and

a time that the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

for one or more encountered radio frequency identification tags, storing one or more of the following on the encountered radio frequency identification tag;

a date that the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag, and

a time that the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the storing comprises storing one or more of the received instructions, the cleaning method and the associated code on a computer-readable storage medium associated with the automatic cleaning device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying the cleaning method to a surface when the associated code is received.

15. A method of learning, by an automatic cleaning device, how to clean a surface, the method comprising:

navigating a surface having one or more radio frequency identification tags; and

for each encountered radio frequency identification tag;

receiving a code from the radio frequency identification tag;

mapping the received code to one or more instructions for performing a cleaning method, and

storing one or more of the received code, the one or more instructions and the associated cleaning method.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a code comprises:

determining whether the encountered radio frequency identification tag is new based on the received code;

adding the encountered radio frequency identification tag to a computer-readable storage medium associated with the automatic cleaning device; and

updating the computer-readable storage medium with one or more of the following;

a date the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag, and

a time the automatic cleaning device encountered the encountered radio frequency identification tag.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the storing comprises storing one or more of the received instructions, the cleaning method and the associated code on a computer-readable storage medium associated with the automatic cleaning device.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the storing comprises storing one or more of the received instructions, the cleaning method and the associated code on the encountered radio frequency identification tag.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying the cleaning method to the surface when the associated code is received.