Traveling cleaning appliance and method for operating such an appliance
First Claim
1. A traveling cleaning appliance or floor care appliance or floor treatment appliance, the appliance comprising:
- a camera configured to create photographic pictures of a surface to be traveled on, anda microcontroller comprising software configured to evaluate a picture taken by the camera with regard to the type of a floor covering,wherein the software is configured to formulate a traveling strategy depending on the type of the floor covering,wherein the software is configured to set cleaning parameters selected from the group consisting of a floor clearance, a size of secondary air openings, and a brush speed depending on the type of the floor covering, andwherein the software is configured to perform a reflectivity evaluation of the floor covering and/or a statistical evaluation of characteristic patterns or grains of the floor covering in a color space.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A traveling cleaning appliance or floor care appliance or floor treatment appliance is provided with a device for creating photographic pictures of a surface to be traveled on. A picture is evaluated for the type of a floor covering for differentiating between a hard floor covering and a carpeted floor. An identified floor covering is used for a traveling strategy and/or for a setting of cleaning parameters. Further, a method for operating an automatically traveling floor cleaning appliance which has a device for creating photographic pictures of a floor surface to be traveled on includes evaluating pictures that have been taken with regard to the type of floor covering. In dependence on an evaluation, a traveling strategy and/or setting of cleaning parameters such as floor clearance and/or size of secondary air openings and/or brush speed is carried out.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A traveling cleaning appliance or floor care appliance or floor treatment appliance, the appliance comprising:
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a camera configured to create photographic pictures of a surface to be traveled on, and a microcontroller comprising software configured to evaluate a picture taken by the camera with regard to the type of a floor covering, wherein the software is configured to formulate a traveling strategy depending on the type of the floor covering, wherein the software is configured to set cleaning parameters selected from the group consisting of a floor clearance, a size of secondary air openings, and a brush speed depending on the type of the floor covering, and wherein the software is configured to perform a reflectivity evaluation of the floor covering and/or a statistical evaluation of characteristic patterns or grains of the floor covering in a color space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for operating a traveling cleaning appliance or a floor care appliance or floor treatment appliance, the appliance comprising a camera configured to create photographic pictures of a surface to be traveled on, the appliance also comprising a microcontroller comprising software configured to evaluate a picture taken by the camera with regard to a type of a floor covering, the method comprising steps of:
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taking a picture with the camera of a floor covering of the surface; evaluating via the software a type of the floor covering; formulating via the software a traveling strategy depending on the type of the floor covering; setting cleaning parameters for the appliance depending on the type of the floor covering, the cleaning parameters comprising a floor clearance and/or a size of secondary air openings and/or a brush speed; and performing via the software a reflectivity evaluation of the floor covering and/or a statistical evaluation of characteristic patterns or grains of the floor covering in a color space. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A cleaning system comprising:
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a traveling cleaning appliance or floor care appliance or floor treatment appliance, the appliance comprising a camera configured to create photographic pictures of a surface to be traveled on, and a microcontroller disposed externally from the appliance and comprising software configured to evaluate a picture taken by the camera with regard to a type of a floor covering, the microcontroller being configured to communicate wirelessly with the appliance, wherein the software is configured to formulate a traveling strategy for the appliance depending on the type of the floor covering, wherein the software is configured to set cleaning parameters for the appliance depending on the type of the floor covering, the cleaning parameters being selected from the group consisting of a floor clearance, a size of secondary air openings, and a brush speed, and wherein the software is configured to perform a reflectivity evaluation of the floor covering and/or a statistical evaluation of characteristic patterns or grains of the floor covering in a color space.
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Specification