METHOD FOR OPERATING AN AUTONOMOUSLY TRAVELING FLOOR TREATMENT DEVICE

• US 20190045992A1
• Filed: 08/08/2018
• Published: 02/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• 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: BREDE, Maike, HAHN, Pia, HILLEN, Lorenz, ISENBERG, Gerhard, WINDORFER, Harald
• Application Number:
  US16/058,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20190045992A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• 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 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2601/00 Washing methods characterised by the use of a particular treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/04 Cleaning by suction, with or without auxiliary action B08B9/035 takes precedence; suction cleaners A47L
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

A method for operating a floor treatment device that travels autonomously within an environment, wherein the floor treatment device performs a treatment of a defined and spatially limited partial surface region of the environment. During the treatment of the partial surface region a detection device of the floor treatment device measures a treatment status of the partial surface region, compares the treatment status is with a defined reference status and continues a treatment of the partial surface region until the defined reference status is reached. In order to improve the result of a floor treatment operation, a user defines the reference status manually and transmits it to the floor treatment device.

Claims

1. A method for operating a floor treatment device that travels autonomously within an environment, comprising:

performing with the floor treatment device a treatment of a defined and spatially delimited partial surface region of the environment,

measuring during the treatment of the partial surface region a treatment status of the partial surface region with a detection device of the floor treatment device,

comparing the treatment status with a defined reference status,

continuing a treatment of the partial surface region until such time as the defined reference status is reached, wherein a user defines the reference status manually and transmits said status to the floor treatment device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment status is a contamination level of the partial surface region, wherein the contamination level is compared with a defined reference contamination level and wherein a cleaning of the partial surface region continues until the contamination level is below the defined reference contamination level.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the defined spatially delimited partial surface region a spot cleaning mode with increased cleaning performance compared to a standard mode is implemented.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference status has a target specification for a treatment quality of the partial surface region.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference status is defined as a function of a type of the partial surface region and/or a type of contamination and/or a location and/or size of the partial surface region.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment of the partial surface region comprises a plurality of temporally consecutive treatment cycles, wherein the step of comparing is performed during or after a treatment cycle.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of comparing is performed while the floor treatment device is stationary at a defined start/stop position.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the treatment of the partial surface region the floor treatment device moves in a meandering trajectory or in trajectories oriented parallel to each other.

9. A floor treatment device which travels autonomously within an environment and is designed to perform a cleaning of a defined spatially delimited partial surface region of the environment, comprising a control device which is configured to control the floor treatment device and measure during the treatment of the partial surface region a treatment status of the partial surface region with a detection device of the floor treatment device, compare the treatment status with a defined reference status, and continue treatment of the partial surface region until such time as the defined reference status is reached, wherein a user defines the reference status manually and transmits said status to the floor treatment device.