FLOOR CLEANING DEVICE FOR DRY AND WET CLEANING AS WELL AS METHOD FOR OPERATING A SELF-PROPELLED FLOOR CLEANING DEVICE

• US 20160037983A1
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: HILLEN, Lorenz, MEGGLE, Martin, SCHEFFEL, Jenny, HOFFMANN, Sabrina, VON DER HEYDEN, Jan, EIDMOHAMMADI, Nazil
• Granted Patent: US 10,398,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/145 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/201 with supply of cleaning agents
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0004 Suction cleaners adapted to take up liquids, e.g. wet or dry vacuum cleaners floor-scrubbing machines taking-up dirty liquid by suction A47L11/30
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A method for operating a self-propelled floor cleaning device, in a first operating step, drives the floor cleaning device across a first treatment path across the floor to be cleaned according to a predetermined driving strategy, or according to a predetermined algorithm, which is calculated on the basis of data, which are detected by sensors and thereby carries out a first cleaning step by a first cleaning device. In the first operating step, areas of the floor surfaces to be cleaned, which are cleaned in at least a second operating step by a second cleaning device, or which are excluded from the cleaning by the second cleaning device, are determined. A floor cleaning device, which is suitable for carrying out the method, has a chassis, a first cleaning device for dry cleaning a floor surface, and a second cleaning device for wet cleaning areas of the floor surface.

Claims

1. A method for operating a self-propelled floor cleaning device (20), wherein, in a first operating step, the floor cleaning device (20) drives across the floor (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), which is to be cleaned, according to a predetermined driving strategy, or according to a predetermined algorithm, which is calculated on the basis of data, which are detected by means of sensors (29) and thereby carries out a first cleaning step by means of a first cleaning device (22, 26), wherein, in the first operating step, areas of the floor surfaces (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), which are to be cleaned, which are cleaned in at least a second operating step by means of a second cleaning device (21, 23, 24), or which are excluded from the cleaning by means of the second cleaning device (21, 23, 24).

5. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the floor cleaning device (20) encompasses a control device (28), which cooperates with sensor elements (29), so as to drive across a treatment path (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16′

, 17) on the floor surface (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), which is to be cleaned, according to a predetermined driving strategy, or according to a predetermined algorithm, which is calculated on the basis of data, which are detected by means of sensors (29).

6. The floor cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein, based on the second driving direction (B), the suction mouth (21) is arranged at the end of the floor cleaning device (20).

7. The floor cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the suction channel (22) and a wetting device (23) are arranged between a drive wheel (27), which is formed by the chassis, and a brush (26), which is in particular rotatably driven.

8. The floor cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the floor cleaning device (20) encompasses a fresh water tank (24), a collection container (25) for dust and dirty water.

9. The floor cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the first cleaning device (22, 26) and/or the second cleaning device (21, 23, 24) can be displaced in vertical direction from an active position into a passive position.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a dry cleaning is carried out in the first operating step and a wet cleaning is carried out in the second operating step, wherein only the areas (2, 3, 6, 7), which are determined during the first operating step, are cleaned in the second operating step.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dust collection container (25) is used as dust collection container during the dry cleaning and as dirty water container during the wet cleaning.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second operating step takes place at a base station (9) after the dust container (25) is emptied and after the fresh water tank (24) is filled.

2. A floor cleaning device comprising a chassis (27) and a first cleaning device (22, 26) for dry cleaning a floor surface (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), comprising a second cleaning device (21, 23, 24) for wet cleaning areas (2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) of the floor surface (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7).

3. The floor cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the two cleaning devices (21, 22, 23, 24, 26) become active in different, in particular in opposite directions of movement, of the floor cleaning device.

4. The floor cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the first cleaning device encompasses a mechanical cleaning member, in particular a brush (26), and a suction channel (22), which is arranged downstream from the mechanical cleaning member in a first driving direction (A) of the cleaning device (20), and wherein the second cleaning device encompasses a suction mouth (21) for extracting a moisture, which is applied to the floor surface, which is to be cleaned, wherein the suction mouth (21) is arranged in a second driving direction (B), which is oriented opposite to the first driving direction (A), of the cleaning device (20) downstream from the mechanical cleaning member and downstream from the chassis (27).

10. A self-propelled floor cleaning device comprising a control device (28), which is equipped such that, in a first operating step, the floor cleaning device (20) drives across a first treatment path (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16′

, 17) across the floor (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), which is to be cleaned, according to a predetermined driving strategy, or according to a predetermined algorithm, which is calculated on the basis of data, which are detected by means of sensors (29) and thereby carries out a first cleaning step by means of a first cleaning device (22, 26), wherein, in the first operating step, areas of the floor surfaces (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′

, 7), which are to be cleaned, which are cleaned in at least a second operating step by means of a second cleaning device (21, 23, 24), or which are excluded from the cleaning by means of the second cleaning device (21, 23, 24), are determined.