System of robotic cleaning devices

• US 10,874,274 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 12/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Original Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Inventors: Haegermarck, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Horton, Andrew A
• Application Number:
  US15/755,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20180242806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/28 Floor-scrubbing machines, motor-driven A47L11/29 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A system of robotic cleaning devices and a method of a master robotic cleaning device of controlling at least one slave robotic cleaning device. The method performed by a master robotic cleaning device of controlling at least one slave robotic cleaning device includes detecting obstacles, deriving positional data from the detection of obstacles, positioning the master robotic cleaning device with respect to the detected obstacles from the derived positional data, controlling movement of the master robotic cleaning device based on the positional data, and submitting commands to the at least one slave robotic cleaning device to control a cleaning operation of said at least one slave robotic cleaning device, the commands being based on the derived positional data, wherein the cleaning operation of the slave robotic cleaning device is controlled as indicated by the submitted commands.

Claims

1. A system of robotic cleaning devices, the system comprising:

a master robotic cleaning device; and

at least one slave robotic cleaning device;

the master robotic cleaning device comprising;

a master propulsion system arranged to move the master robotic cleaning device;

a master cleaning member arranged to remove debris from a surface to be cleaned;

an obstacle detection device arranged to detect obstacles;

a master controller arranged to position the robotic cleaning device with respect to the detected obstacles from positional data derived from the obstacle detection device, and further to control the master propulsion system to move the master robotic cleaning device based on the positional data; and

a master wireless communication interface via which the master robotic cleaning device is arranged to submit commands the at least one slave robotic cleaning device to control a cleaning operation of the at least one slave robotic cleaning device, the commands being based on the derived positional data;

the at least one slave robotic cleaning device comprising;

a slave propulsion system arranged to move the slave robotic cleaning device;

a slave cleaning member arranged to remove debris from a surface to be cleaned;

a slave wireless communication interface via which the slave robotic cleaning device is arranged to receive commands submitted by the master robotic cleaning device; and

a slave controller arranged to control the cleaning operation of the slave robotic cleaning device as indicated by the received commands.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the commands submitted by the master robotic cleaning device comprise data indicating a surface over which the at least one slave robotic cleaning device is instructed to move; and

the slave controller further is arranged to control the slave propulsion system to move the slave robotic cleaning device over the surface as indicated by the commands communicated by the master robotic cleaning device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the commands submitted by the master robotic cleaning device comprise data indicating a time at which the at least one slave robotic cleaning device is instructed to perform the cleaning operation; and

the slave controller further is arranged to control the slave robotic cleaning device to perform the cleaning operation at the time indicated by the commands communicated by the master robotic cleaning device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the commands submitted by the master robotic cleaning device comprise an instruction to the at least one slave robotic cleaning device to return to its charger after the cleaning operation has been performed; and

the slave controller further is arranged to control the propulsion system to move the slave robotic cleaning device to the charger after the cleaning operation has been performed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one slave robotic cleaning device is arranged to remove debris from a surface to be cleaned and gather the debris for subsequent pick-up by the master robotic cleaning device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the master robotic cleaning device and the at least one slave robotic cleaning device are selected from a group comprising of devices consisting of a robotic vacuum cleaner, a robotic sweeper, and a robotic washer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the master robotic cleaning device and the at least one slave robotic cleaning device are different types of devices in the group.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the master wireless communication is configured to communicate with the slave wireless communication interface via a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the master wireless communication interface is configured to wirelessly receive instructions from a mobile terminal, wherein the commands submitted to the at least one slave robotic cleaning device to control a cleaning operation of the at least one slave robotic cleaning device are based on the instructions received from the mobile terminal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one slave robotic cleaning device comprises one or more light sources or luminous reflectors arranged to be detectable by the obstacle detection device of the master robotic cleaning device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one slave robotic cleaning device comprises at least one optical detector arranged to detect light emitted by the obstacle detection device of the master robotic cleaning device; and

the at least one slave robotic cleaning device is configured to communicate to the master robotic cleaning device, via the slave wireless communication interface, an indication that the light emitted is detected by the optical detector.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the master controller is configured to synchronize an operational clock of the master robotic cleaning device with an operational clock of the at least one slave robotic cleaning device based on the indication that the light emitted is detected by the optical detector.