Wet cleaning apparatus and method of operating same

Abstract

A wet cleaning device (100) is provided, comprising at least one tank (102, 104) for containing a liquid. At least one tank (e.g., each of the at least one tanks) includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (106, 108). The RFID reader (112) is arranged to read an RFID tag of at least one tank received in a tank holder (110) of the wet cleaning device and to provide an output. A controller (114) controls at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output. A method of operating such a wet cleaning device and a related computer program are also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wet cleaning device, in particular to a wet floor cleaning device, a method for operating the wet cleaning device and a related computer program. Background Art

[0002] Various different types of wet cleaning devices are known for cleaning surfaces using liquids, such as wet floor cleaning devices for cleaning floors. An example is a so-called stick wet vacuum cleaner.

[0003] In wet cleaning equipment (e.g., wet floor cleaning equipment), a cleaning liquid may be stored in a cleaning liquid storage tank. The cleaning liquid is dispensed onto a surface to be cleaned, such as a floor, to clean the surface. The cleaning liquid may include water and, in some cases, a detergent.

[0004] As an alternative to or in addition to a cleaning liquid tank, such a wet cleaning apparatus may comprise a dirty liquid collection tank in which dirty liquid from the surface being cleaned (eg a floor) is collected.

[0005] In order to ensure that wet cleaning equipment is operating properly, it is highly desirable to have detection capabilities associated with such tanks. However, challenges are encountered in achieving this in a reliable and cost-effective manner, particularly when the detection capabilities apply to more than one tank included in the wet cleaning equipment.

[0006] US2017127903A1 discloses a floor treatment device that may include a body portion including one or more pumps, one or more spray outlets, and one or more reservoir seats configured to receive one or more reservoirs. The one or more pumps are operable to be activated and direct liquid to the spray outlets. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The invention is defined by the claims.

[0008] According to an example of one aspect of the present invention, a wet cleaning device is provided, which includes: at least one tank for containing liquid, the at least one tank including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; a tank holder for receiving the at least one tank; an RFID reader arranged to read the RFID tag of the at least one tank received in the tank holder and provide an output; and a controller configured to control at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output.

[0009] Wet cleaning equipment has a tank for holding liquid, such as a dirty liquid collection tank for receiving dirty liquid removed from the surface being cleaned and / or a cleaning liquid tank for holding cleaning liquid for dispensing onto the surface being cleaned.

[0010] In order to ensure that the wet cleaning equipment is operating properly, it is highly desirable to have detection capabilities associated with such tanks. To this end, for example, each of the at least one tank includes an RFID tag, and a tank holder of the wet cleaning equipment that receives the tank includes an RFID reader that is configured to read the RFID tag of the tank. The RFID reader provides an output that is used by a controller of the wet cleaning equipment to control one or more operations of the wet cleaning equipment, such as user feedback operations of a user interface of the wet cleaning equipment, dirt transfer operations of the wet cleaning equipment for transferring dirty liquid into the tank, and / or cleaning liquid dispensing operations of the wet cleaning equipment for dispensing cleaning liquid from the tank.

[0011] It has been found that, at least in part due to not having to establish an electrical connection between the tank and the tank holder, the RFID tag-reader arrangement provides a convenient and reliable way to facilitate the operation of wet cleaning equipment, which further benefits from a relatively low cost.

[0012] It should be noted that in embodiments where the at least one storage tank comprises a plurality of storage tanks, each storage tank comprising an RFID tag, the wet cleaning apparatus may only require a single RFID reader to read each RFID tag.

[0013] Thus, RFID communication can help provide a relatively simple and low-cost solution when more than one tank is included in a wet cleaning apparatus.

[0014] Any suitable type of RFID communication protocol may be employed.In some embodiments, the RFID tag comprises (eg, is) a near field communication (NFC) tag, and the RFID reader comprises (eg, is) an NFC reader.

[0015] In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one cartridge is removably received by a cartridge holder, wherein an output from the RFID reader indicates whether one or more of the at least one cartridge is received by the cartridge holder.

[0016] Thus, the wet cleaning apparatus may operate based on whether one or more of the tanks are present (in other words, received by the tank holder).

[0017] For example, if the output indicates that the clean liquid tank and / or dirty liquid collection tank is not received in the tank holder, the controller may control the user interface to notify the user that the clean liquid tank and / or dirty liquid collection tank is not present.

[0018] In some embodiments, the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag.

[0019] Passive RFID tags can be powered by energy transmitted to them by an RFID reader.Thus, passive RFID tags may not include an internal power source.

[0020] Such passive RFID tags may be particularly suitable for use in embodiments where an RFID reader reads the RFID tag so as to provide an output indicating whether the one or more of the at least one tank is received by the tank holder.

[0021] Alternatively or additionally, the RFID tag may comprise an active RFID tag.

[0022] In some embodiments, active RFID tags are configured to harvest power from an RFID reader.

[0023] By harvesting energy from the RFID reader (in other words from the field generated by the RFID reader) by the active RFID tag, the harvested energy can be used to power electronic devices connected to the active RFID tag, such as electronic devices including sensors (such as liquid sensors) and / or microcontrollers.

[0024] In some embodiments, the RFID tag is configured to communicate data from a liquid sensor that senses an amount of liquid in a corresponding tank to an RFID reader, wherein an output from the RFID reader indicates the amount of liquid.

[0025] For example, the liquid sensor may be configured to detect the amount of liquid, eg, the liquid level, in a dirty liquid collection tank or a clean liquid tank.

[0026] In at least some embodiments, the RFID tags are disposed at fixed locations in the respective tanks.

[0027] This fixed positioning of the RFID tag can help ensure reliable reading of the RFID tag by the RFID reader.

[0028] In some embodiments, the at least one tank comprises a cleaning liquid tank for containing cleaning liquid for dispensing onto the cleaned surface, wherein the cleaning liquid tank is removably received by the tank holder. In such embodiments, the output from the RFID reader can indicate whether the cleaning liquid tank is received by the tank holder.

[0029] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the user interface based on the output of the RFID reader to communicate the status of the cleaning liquid tank, such as informing the user that the cleaning liquid tank is not received in the tank holder.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one tank may include a dirty liquid collection tank for receiving dirty liquid removed from the cleaned surface, wherein the RFID tag is configured to communicate data from a dirty liquid sensor that senses the amount of dirty liquid in the dirty liquid collection tank to the RFID reader, and the output from the RFID reader indicates the amount of dirty liquid.

[0031] In such an embodiment, the controller may control the dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning apparatus by stopping or slowing the transfer of dirty liquid to the at least one storage tank based on the output from the RFID reader indicating that the amount of dirty liquid has reached or exceeded a threshold value.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally, the controller may be configured to control the cleaning liquid dispensing operation by stopping or slowing dispensing of cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank based on an output of the RFID reader indicating that the amount of cleaning liquid has reached or dropped below a threshold value.

[0033] In some embodiments, the controller can be configured to control the cleaning liquid dispensing operation by stopping or slowing the dispensing of cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank and / or by stopping or slowing the dispensing of surface treatment agent from the cartridge based on an output from an RFID reader indicating that the amount of surface treatment agent included in (e.g., defined by) the cleaning liquid tank has reached or dropped below a threshold.

[0034] It should be reiterated that at least one operation of the wet cleaning device controlled by the controller based on the output of the RFID reader may include: a user feedback operation of the user interface, a dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning device for transferring dirty liquid to at least one storage tank, and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device for dispensing cleaning liquid from at least one storage tank.

[0035] The user feedback operations may include a tank status communication operation by which a user is informed via a user interface regarding the status of at least one tank.

[0036] In some embodiments, the status indicates the presence, absence, and / or liquid amount of one or more of the at least one cartridge received in the cartridge holder.

[0037] It should be noted that the amount of liquid in the corresponding tank as indicated by the output of the RFID reader can be used by the controller to provide information and / or alerts related to the amount of liquid in the corresponding tank to the user via the user interface, for example to notify and / or warn the user when the corresponding tank needs to be emptied or filled.

[0038] Such information and / or alerts may indicate how much volume and / or time remains before such emptying or filling is required, rather than being provided when emptying or filling is about to be required.

[0039] For example, level measurements in the clean liquid storage tank and / or the dirty liquid collection tank may provide the user with more detailed statistics and alerts, informing him / her when the respective tanks need to be emptied or filled and / or when such emptying or filling is expected to be required.

[0040] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the sewage transfer operation by stopping or slowing the delivery of the dirty liquid to the at least one storage tank based on an output from the RFID reader indicating that the amount of dirty liquid has reached or exceeded a threshold value.

[0041] More generally, wet cleaning equipment may include wet floor cleaning devices.

[0042] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning equipment includes one or more of a wet mop device, a wet vacuum cleaner, a window cleaner, and a sweeper.

[0043] Alternatively or additionally, the wet cleaning apparatus may comprise a robotic wet cleaning device configured to move autonomously over the surface to be cleaned.

[0044] Particular mention is made of wet vacuum cleaners comprised in wet cleaning appliances, such as stick wet vacuum cleaners or robotic wet vacuum cleaners.

[0045] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning equipment includes a base station comprising one or more of at least one tank (e.g., a cleaning liquid tank), and the wet cleaning equipment includes a wet floor cleaning device, such as a robotic wet cleaning device, which is provided with cleaning liquid by a tank included in the base station and / or dispenses the cleaning liquid into the tank.

[0046] The robotic wet cleaning device may, for example, be configured to autonomously return (eg, repeatedly autonomously return) to a base station to obtain more cleaning liquid for application to the surface to be cleaned.

[0047] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning equipment includes or may include tanks that each perform a different purpose, and the RFID tags are configured to distinguish the tanks according to their purpose, wherein the controller is configured to control the operation of the wet cleaning equipment based on the output of the RFID reader indicating the purpose of the tank.

[0048] For example, the tank may include a tank containing a polishing agent for polishing the surface being cleaned. In such a non-limiting example, the operation may include deactivating or maintaining deactivation of the dirty liquid delivery operation, and / or activating or maintaining activation of the clean liquid dispensing operation to enable the polishing agent to be dispensed on the surface, such as on the floor.

[0049] According to another aspect, a method of operating a wet cleaning device is provided, the wet cleaning device comprising: at least one tank for holding a liquid, the at least one tank comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; a tank holder for receiving the at least one tank; an RFID reader arranged to read the RFID tag of the at least one tank received in the tank holder and provide an output; and a controller configured to control at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output.

[0050] In some embodiments, and as described above with respect to the wet cleaning apparatus, one or more of the at least one tank is removably received by a tank holder, wherein an output from the RFID reader indicates whether one or more of the at least one tank is received by the tank holder.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, the RFID tag is configured to communicate data from a liquid sensor that senses an amount of liquid in a corresponding tank to an RFID reader, wherein an output from the RFID reader is indicative of the amount of liquid.

[0052] Also as described above with respect to the wet cleaning device, at least one operation may include: a user feedback operation of a user interface, a dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning device for transferring dirty liquid to at least one storage tank, and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device for dispensing cleaning liquid from at least one storage tank.

[0053] More generally, the wet cleaning apparatus used in the method may be the wet cleaning apparatus of any embodiment described herein.

[0054] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer program code which, when executed on one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method according to any embodiment described herein.

[0055] One or more non-transitory computer-readable media may be provided, having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program includes computer program code configured to cause the processing system to implement a method according to any embodiment described herein when the computer program code is executed on one or more processors.

[0056] The processing system may, for example, be included in a controller of the wet cleaning apparatus described herein.

[0057] More generally, embodiments described herein with respect to the wet cleaning device may apply to the method and the computer program, and embodiments described herein with respect to the method and the computer program may apply to the wet cleaning device.

[0058] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] For a better understanding of the present invention, and in order to show more clearly how it may be put into practice, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0060] Figure 1 schematically depicts a wet cleaning apparatus according to an example;

[0061] Figure 2 A block diagram of a wet cleaning apparatus according to another example is provided; and

[0062] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method according to an example is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0064] It should be understood that although the detailed description and specific examples indicate exemplary embodiments of the devices, systems, and methods, they are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods of the present invention will become better understood from the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are merely schematic and not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to represent the same or similar components.

[0065] A wet cleaning device is provided, comprising at least one storage tank for holding a liquid. At least one storage tank (e.g., each of the at least one storage tank) includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. An RFID reader is configured to read the RFID tag of at least one storage tank received in a tank holder of the wet cleaning device and provide an output. A controller controls at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output. A method for operating the wet cleaning device and a related computer program are also provided.

[0066] Figure 1 A wet cleaning apparatus 100 according to an example is schematically depicted. The wet cleaning apparatus 100 comprises at least one tank 102, 104 for containing a liquid.

[0067] In some embodiments, for example Figure 1 In the embodiment shown in FIG, the at least one tank 102, 104 comprises a cleaning liquid tank 102 for containing a cleaning liquid 103 for dispensing onto a surface to be cleaned, such as a floor in the case of a wet floor cleaning apparatus 100.

[0068] The cleaning liquid 103 may be of any suitable type, for example depending on the type of cleaning being performed on the surface. In some embodiments, the cleaning liquid 103 may include a surface treatment agent, such as a detergent and / or a surface polish, for treating a surface (eg, a floor).

[0069] In some embodiments, the cleaning liquid storage tank 102 comprises a cartridge containing a surface treatment agent (eg, a cleaning agent and / or a surface polish) that is removably mounted in the wet cleaning apparatus 100 .

[0070] In such an embodiment, the cleaning liquid storage tank 102 itself can be defined by a removable cartridge, or the cleaning liquid storage tank 102 can include a cleaning liquid container and a cartridge. In the latter case, when the cartridge is installed in the wet cleaning device 100, the cartridge can be arranged to provide the surface treatment agent to the cleaning liquid container.

[0071] In some embodiments, and again with reference to Figure 1 , at least one of the tanks 102 , 104 includes a dirty liquid collection tank 104 for receiving dirty liquid 105 removed from a surface being cleaned, such as a floor being cleaned using the wet cleaning apparatus 100 .

[0072] In some embodiments, for example Figure 1 In the embodiment shown in FIG, the wet cleaning device 100 comprises a wet floor cleaning apparatus. The wet cleaning device 100 may, for example, comprise one or more of a wet mop apparatus, a wet vacuum cleaner, a window cleaner, and a sweeper.

[0073] Alternatively or additionally, wet cleaning apparatus 100 may include a robotic wet cleaning device configured to move autonomously over the surface to be cleaned.

[0074] Particular mention is made of a wet vacuum cleaner comprised in the wet cleaning apparatus 100 , such as a stick wet vacuum cleaner or a robotic wet vacuum cleaner.

[0075] Figure 1 An example of such a stick wet vacuum cleaner is shown schematically in FIG. Figure 1Evident in FIG. 1 is the handle HA of the stick vacuum cleaner, which enables a user gripping the handle 11A to move the stick vacuum cleaner over the surface being cleaned, such as a floor.

[0076] In some embodiments, for example Figure 1 In the embodiment shown in , a wet cleaning device 100 (eg, a wet floor cleaning apparatus included in the wet cleaning device 100) has a nozzle NZ where dirty liquid 105 is removed from the cleaned surface. As previously described, the dirty liquid 105 can be conveyed to a dirty liquid collection tank 104.

[0077] The wet cleaning apparatus 100 , eg a wet floor cleaning device included in the wet cleaning apparatus 100 , may include a negative pressure generator UG, eg a suction fan, configured to transport dirty liquid from the surface to the dirty liquid collection tank 104 .

[0078] In an embodiment where the negative pressure generator UG includes a suction fan, the wet cleaning device 100 (e.g., a wet floor cleaning apparatus included in the wet cleaning device 100) may include a separation unit arranged to separate the dirty liquid 105 from the air conveyed into the wet cleaning device 100. Such a separation unit may help minimize the risk of the dirty liquid 105 damaging the motor driving the suction fan.

[0079] As an alternative or supplement to including a negative pressure generator UG in the wet cleaning device 100, the wet cleaning device 100 (e.g., a wet floor cleaning apparatus included in the wet cleaning device 100) may include a cleaning liquid dispensing device CLD, such as a cleaning liquid pump, for dispensing the cleaning liquid 103 onto the surface being cleaned.

[0080] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning equipment 100 includes a base station (not visible in the figure), which includes one or more of at least one tank 102, 104 (for example, a cleaning liquid tank 102), and the wet cleaning equipment 100 includes a wet floor cleaning device, such as a robotic wet cleaning device, which is provided with cleaning liquid 103 by the tanks 102, 104 included in the base station and / or distributes dirty liquid 105 into the tanks 102, 104.

[0081] The robotic wet cleaning device may, for example, be configured to autonomously return (eg, repeatedly autonomously return) to a base station to obtain more cleaning liquid 103 for application to the surface to be cleaned.

[0082] More generally, it should be noted that in order to ensure that the wet cleaning apparatus 100 is operating properly, it is highly desirable to have detection capabilities associated with the tanks 102, 104 included in the wet cleaning apparatus 100. To this end, at least one tank 102, 104 (e.g., each of at least one tank 102, 104) includes an RFID tag 106, 108. Furthermore, an RFID reader 112 is arranged to read the RFID tags 106, 108 of the tanks 102, 104 received in the tank holder 110 of the wet cleaning apparatus 100.

[0083] The RFID reader 112 provides outputs that are used by a controller 114 of the wet cleaning device 100 to control operations of the wet cleaning device 100, such as user feedback operations of a user interface 116 in the wet cleaning device 100, dirt transfer operations of the wet cleaning device 100 for transferring dirty liquid 105 to the tanks 102, 104, and / or cleaning liquid dispensing operations of the wet cleaning device 100 for dispensing cleaning liquid 103 from the tanks 102, 104.

[0084] It has been discovered that, at least in part due to not having to establish electrical connections between the tanks 102 , 104 and the tank holder 110 , the RFID tag-reader arrangement 106 , 108 , 112 provides a convenient and reliable way to facilitate operation of the wet cleaning apparatus 100 , which further benefits from relatively low cost.

[0085] Since no physical connection is required in the case of the RFID tag-reader arrangements 106, 108, 112, the fluid-tightness issues associated with such physical connections do not arise.

[0086] In other words, the communication provided by the RFID tag-reader arrangements 106 , 108 , 112 is wireless and, therefore, helps overcome fluid-tightness-related challenges associated with physical connections for inspection purposes of the tanks 102 , 104 .

[0087] The RFID tag-reader arrangements 106, 108, 112 also facilitate combining different types of detection capabilities associated with the tanks 102, 104, such as detecting whether the tanks 102, 104 are received in the tank holder 110, and sensing the amount of liquid in one or more of the tanks 102, 104. Such a combination may be more difficult, or even impossible, with alternative tank detection methods.

[0088] It should be noted that in embodiments where the at least one storage tank 102, 104 comprises a plurality of storage tanks 102, 104 each having an RFID tag 106, 108, for example Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the wet cleaning apparatus 100 may only require a single RFID reader 112 to read each RFID tag 106, 108. Thus, when more than one tank 102, 104 is included in the wet cleaning apparatus 100, RFID communication can help provide a relatively simple and low-cost solution, particularly when compared to alternative solutions involving multiple sensor-detector combinations for detecting each of the tanks 102, 104, such as magnets and Hall sensors required for each of the tanks 102, 104, or switches required in the tank holder 110 for each of the tanks 102, 104.

[0089] In embodiments where the at least one tank 102, 104 includes a clean liquid collection tank 102 and a dirty liquid collection tank 104, for example Figure 1 In the embodiment shown in FIG, a first RFID tag 106 may be included in the clean liquid tank 102 while a second RFID tank 108 is included in the dirty liquid collection tank 104.

[0090] In some embodiments, RFID tags 106, 108 comprise passive RFID tags.

[0091] A passive RFID tag may be powered by energy transmitted thereto by the RFID reader 112. Thus, a passive RFID tag may not include an internal power source.

[0092] Alternatively or additionally, the RFID tags 106 and 108 may include active RFID tags. Such active RFID tags may be configured to harvest energy from the RFID reader 112. By harvesting energy from the RFID reader 112, in other words, harvesting energy from the field generated by the RFID reader 112, the harvested energy may be used to power electronic devices connected to the active RFID tags, such as sensors (e.g., liquid sensors) and / or microcontrollers.

[0093] As an illustrative, non-limiting example, The NTAG 5 chipset from Intel Semiconductors can draw up to 30 mW of power from the RFID reader 112. Thus, for a 3 V system, approximately 10 mA of current can be drawn, which may be sufficient to power electronics such as a level sensor and / or a microcontroller.

[0094] In at least some embodiments, the RFID tags 106 , 108 are arranged to be located at fixed locations within the respective tanks 102 , 104 .

[0095] This fixed positioning of the RFID tags 106 , 108 may help ensure reliable reading of the RFID tags 106 , 108 by the RFID reader 112 .

[0096] The positioning of the receiving antenna of the RFID reader 112 and the location of the antennas of the RFID tags 106, 108 on the respective tanks 102, 104 can be selected to ensure that the RFID reader 112 can read the RFID tags 106, 108 when the respective tanks 102, 104 are in place (e.g., received by the tank holder 110).

[0097] The RFID tags 106 , 108 may be arranged in any suitable manner within the respective tanks 102 , 104 , such as by mounting the RFID tags 106 , 108 to a wall of the respective tanks 102 , 104 .

[0098] The RFID tags 106, 108 may be arranged inside the respective tanks 102, 104, or may be arranged outside the respective tanks 102, 104, for example by being mounted on an outer surface of the respective tanks 102, 104 facing away from the interior space of the respective tanks 102, 104 that receives the liquid.

[0099] More generally, any suitable type of RFID communication protocol may be employed.In some embodiments, the RFID tags 106, 108 comprise (eg, are) near field communication (NFC) tags, and the RFID reader 112 comprises (eg, is) an NFC reader.

[0100] It should be noted that due to the RFID (eg, NFC) communication protocol employed by the RFID tag-reader arrangements 106 , 108 , 112 , no local power source may be required in the tanks 102 , 104 .

[0101] In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one cartridge 102 , 104 is removably received by the cartridge holder 110 .

[0102] In the case of a cleaning liquid tank 102 , the ability to detach the cleaning liquid tank 102 from the tank holder 110 may facilitate receiving liquid, such as water, in the cleaning liquid tank 102 .

[0103] In other words, the user may remove / detach the cleaning liquid tank 102 from the tank holder 110 in order to fill the cleaning liquid tank 102 , for example, via a tap.

[0104] In the case of the dirty liquid collection tank 104 , the ability to remove / detach the dirty liquid collection tank 104 from the tank holder 110 may facilitate draining of the dirty liquid 105 and / or cleaning of the dirty liquid collection tank 104 .

[0105] In embodiments where one or more of the at least one tank 102 , 104 may be removed from the tank holder 110 , the output from the RFID reader 112 may indicate whether one or more of the at least one tank 102 , 104 is received by the tank holder 110 .

[0106] Thus, the wet cleaning device 100 can operate based on whether one or more of the tanks 102, 104 are present (in other words, received by the tank holder 110). For example, if the output from the RFID reader 112 indicates that the clean liquid tank 102 and / or the dirty liquid collection tank 104 are not received in the tank holder 110, for example, due to the different RFID readers 112 being unable to detect the radio frequency signals originating from the corresponding RFID tags 106, 108 of the clean liquid tank 102 and / or the dirty liquid collection tank 104, the controller 114 can control the user interface 116 to notify the user that the clean liquid tank 102 and / or the dirty liquid collection tank 104 are not present.

[0107] In an embodiment where the wet cleaning device 100 includes the above-described box, the box can be a box including an RFID tag, such as a box including a passive RFID tag, wherein the controller 114 is configured to control the operation of the wet cleaning device 100 based on an output indicating whether the box is installed in the wet cleaning device 100.

[0108] It should be noted that passive RFID tags may be particularly suitable for embodiments in which the RFID reader 112 reads the RFID tags 106, 108 so as to provide an indication of whether one or more of the at least one tank 102, 104 is received by the tank holder 110 and / or whether a cartridge is installed in the wet cleaning apparatus 100.

[0109] In some embodiments, for example Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in FIG, RFID tags 106, 108 are configured to communicate data from a liquid sensor 115, which senses the amount of liquid in the respective tank 102, 104, to an RFID reader 112, where an output from the RFID reader 112 indicates the amount of liquid.

[0110] The liquid sensor 115 may have any suitable design, as long as the liquid sensor 115 is capable of sensing the amount of liquid in the respective tanks 102, 104. In some embodiments, the liquid sensor 115 is a liquid level sensor configured to sense the liquid level (in other words, the top of the liquid 103, 105) in the respective tanks 102, 104.

[0111] In some embodiments, the RFID tag 108 of the dirty liquid collection tank 104 is configured to communicate data from a dirty liquid sensor 115 that senses the amount of dirty liquid in the dirty liquid collection tank 104 to an RFID reader 112, where the output from the RFID reader 112 indicates the amount of dirty liquid.

[0112] It should be noted that active RFID tags may be particularly suitable for embodiments in which the RFID tags 106, 108 are configured to communicate data from the liquid sensor 115 to the RFID reader 112 because (at least) the liquid sensor 115 can be powered by energy obtained from the RFID reader 112 via the active RFID tags.

[0113] In a non-limiting illustrative example, when active RFID tags 106, 108 (e.g., active NFC tags) are used, where the energy harvesting system is configured to harvest energy from the RFID reader 112, liquid quantity sensing (e.g., liquid level sensing) can be integrated into the respective tanks 102, 104, and the liquid quantity (e.g., liquid level) can be wirelessly read by the RFID reader 112.

[0114] In some embodiments, the RFID tag 106 of the cleaning liquid tank 102 is configured to communicate data from a cleaning liquid sensor that senses the amount of cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 102 to an RFID reader 112 , where the output from the RFID reader 112 indicates the cleaning liquid amount.

[0115] It should be reiterated that at least one operation of the wet cleaning device 100 controlled by the controller 114 based on the output of the RFID reader 112 may include: a user feedback operation of the user interface 116, a dirt transport operation of the wet cleaning device 100 for transporting dirty liquid 105 to at least one storage tank 102, 104, and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device 100 for dispensing cleaning liquid 103 from at least one storage tank 102, 104.

[0116] In some embodiments, controller 114 is configured to control user interface 116 to inform the user that the cartridge is not present in response to output from RFID reader 112 indicating that the cartridge is not installed in wet cleaning apparatus 100. This information may, for example, include a suggestion to the user to attach / install the cartridge.

[0117] More generally, user feedback operations may include tank status communication operations by which a user is informed via user interface 116 regarding the status of at least one of storage tanks 102 , 104 .

[0118] In some embodiments, the status indicates the presence, absence, and / or liquid amount of one or more of the at least one cartridge 102 , 104 received in the cartridge holder 110 .

[0119] It should be noted that the amount of liquid in the respective tanks 102, 104 indicated by the output of the RFID reader 112 can be used by the controller 114 to provide information and / or alerts related to the amount of liquid in the respective tanks 102, 104 to the user via the user interface 116, for example, to notify and / or warn the user when the respective tanks 102, 104 need to be emptied or filled.

[0120] Such information and / or alerts may indicate how much volume and / or time remains before such emptying or filling is required, rather than providing it only when emptying or filling is about to be required.

[0121] For example, level measurements in the clean liquid storage tank 102 and / or the dirty liquid collection tank 104 may provide the user with more detailed statistics and alerts, informing him / her when the respective tanks 102, 104 need to be emptied or filled and / or when such emptying or filling is expected to be required.

[0122] In some embodiments, the controller 114 can control the dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning apparatus 100 by stopping or slowing down the delivery of the dirty liquid 105 to the dirty liquid collection tank 104 based on the output from the RFID reader 112 indicating that the amount of dirty liquid has reached or exceeded a threshold value.

[0123] More generally, control of the waste conveying operation may be achieved, for example, by the controller 114 controlling the negative pressure generator UG (eg, a suction fan) based on the output of the RFID reader 112 .

[0124] Alternatively or additionally, the controller 114 may be configured to control the cleaning liquid dispensing operation by stopping or slowing dispensing of the cleaning liquid 103 from the cleaning liquid tank 102 based on the output of the RFID reader 112 indicating that the amount of cleaning liquid has reached or dropped below a threshold.

[0125] Control of the cleaning liquid dispensing operation may be achieved, for example, by the controller 114 controlling the cleaning liquid dispensing device CLD (eg, a cleaning liquid pump) based on the output of the RFID reader 112 .

[0126] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning device 100 includes or may include tanks 102, 104, each of which performs a different purpose, and the RFID tags 106, 108 are configured to enable the tanks 102, 104 to be distinguished from each other according to their purposes, and the controller 114 is configured to control the operation of the wet cleaning device 100 based on the output of the RFID reader 112 indicating the purpose of the tanks 102, 104.

[0127] For example, the tanks 102, 104 may include tanks containing a polishing agent for polishing the surface being cleaned. In such a non-limiting example, the operation may include deactivating or maintaining deactivation of a dirty liquid delivery operation, and / or activating or maintaining activation of a clean liquid dispensing operation to enable the polishing agent to be dispensed onto a surface (e.g., a floor).

[0128] In some embodiments, RFID tags 106 , 108 (eg, NFC tags) are used to track and trace the respective tanks 102 , 104 during production and / or distribution.

[0129] Alternatively or additionally, a software application executable on the mobile computing device may be configured to provide an ordering option for ordering one or more spare parts for the wet cleaning equipment 100 based on the output from the RFID reader 112 .

[0130] This may, for example, facilitate ordering spare parts for the wet cleaning device 100 .

[0131] The RFID tags 106 , 108 (eg, NFC tags) may be read by an RFID reader 112 included in the mobile computing device itself (eg, a smartphone or tablet computer).

[0132] In some embodiments, for example Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in , the wet cleaning device 100 comprises one or more nozzle motors NZM for moving one or more cleaning elements, such as brushes, comprised in the nozzle NZ.

[0133] In such an embodiment, the one or more nozzle motors NZM may be controlled by the controller 114 .

[0134] As an alternative to or in addition to user feedback operation, dirt transport operation, and / or cleaning liquid dispensing operation of wet cleaning device 100, operations controlled by controller 114 based on output of RFID reader 112 may include nozzle motor operation of nozzle motor NZM.

[0135] For example, the nozzle motor NZM may be controlled according to the purpose and / or contents of the tanks 102, 104 as indicated by the output of the RFID reader 112. For example, the polish indicated by the output of the RFID reader 112 may be used by the controller 114 to control the nozzle motor NZM to effect a polishing motion of the cleaning element.

[0136] It should also be noted that continued reference Figure 2 The wet cleaning apparatus 100 may be powered in any suitable manner, for example via mains electricity and / or via one or more batteries BT.

[0137] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method 200 according to an example is provided. The method 200 is a method 200 of operating a wet cleaning apparatus 100.

[0138] The wet cleaning apparatus 100 has at least one tank 102, 104 for holding a liquid, wherein at least one tank 102, 104 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 106, 108. The wet cleaning apparatus 100 also has an RFID reader 112 that is arranged to read the RFID tag 106, 108 of the at least one tank 102, 104, for example when the tank 102, 104 is received in a tank holder 110, and provide an output.

[0139] The wet cleaning apparatus 100 operated in the method 200 may be a wet cleaning apparatus 100 according to any embodiment disclosed herein.

[0140] The method 200 includes receiving 202 an output from the RFID reader 112 and controlling 204 at least one operation of the wet cleaning device 100 based on the output.

[0141] At least one operation of the wet cleaning device 100 may include: a user feedback operation of the user interface 116, a dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning device 100 for transferring dirty liquid 105 to at least one storage tank 102, 104, and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device 100 for dispensing cleaning liquid 103 from at least one storage tank 102, 104, as described above.

[0142] A computer program is also provided, comprising computer program code which, when executed on a computing device having a processing system, causes the processing system to perform the steps of the method 200 according to any embodiment described herein, in particular steps 202 and 204. The processing system may, for example, be included in the controller 114 of the wet cleaning apparatus 100.

[0143] Variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention by studying the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0144] The functions implemented by a processor may be implemented by a single processor or multiple separate processing units, which may be collectively considered to constitute a "processor" or a "processing system." Such processing units may be remote from each other in some cases and communicate with each other in a wired or wireless manner.

[0145] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0146] The computer program may be stored / distributed on appropriate media such as optical storage media or solid-state media provided together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0147] If the term "adapted to" is used in the claims or description, it should be noted that the term "adapted to" is intended to be equivalent to the term "configured to". If the term "arranged" is used in the claims or description, it should be noted that the term "arranged" is intended to be equivalent to the term "system", and vice versa.

[0148] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A wet cleaning device (100), comprising: At least one storage tank (102, 104), the at least one storage tank (102, 104) being used to hold liquid, the at least one storage tank comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (106, 108); a tank holder (110) for receiving the at least one tank; an RFID reader (112) arranged to read the RFID tag of the at least one tank received in the tank holder and capable of providing an output; as well as A controller (114) configured to control at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output; characterized in that The RFID tags (106, 108) are configured to communicate data from a liquid sensor (115) to the RFID reader (112), the liquid sensor (115) sensing the amount of liquid in the corresponding tank (102, 104), the output from the RFID reader indicating the amount of liquid.

2. The wet cleaning device (100) according to claim 1, wherein One or more of the at least one cartridge (102, 104) is removably received by the cartridge holder (110), the output from the RFID reader (112) indicating whether the one or more of the at least one cartridge is received by the cartridge holder.

3. The wet cleaning device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The RFID tags (106, 108) include passive RFID tags.

4. The wet cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The RFID tags (106, 108) comprise active RFID tags; optionally, wherein the active RFID tags are configured to harvest energy from the RFID reader (112).

5. The wet cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The at least one tank (102, 104) includes a cleaning liquid tank (102) for containing cleaning liquid (103) for dispensing onto a surface to be cleaned, the cleaning liquid tank being removably received by the tank holder (110), the output from the RFID reader (112) indicating whether the cleaning liquid tank is received by the tank holder.

6. The wet cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The at least one tank (102, 104) includes a dirty liquid collection tank (104) for receiving dirty liquid (105) removed from a surface being cleaned, wherein the RFID tag (108) is configured to communicate data from a dirty liquid sensor (115) to the RFID reader (112), the dirty liquid sensor (115) sensing an amount of dirty liquid in the dirty liquid collection tank, the output from the RFID reader indicating the amount of dirty liquid.

7. The wet cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The at least one operation comprises: a user feedback operation (116) of a user interface, a dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning device for transferring dirty liquid (105) to the at least one storage tank (102, 104), and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device for dispensing cleaning liquid from the at least one storage tank.

8. The wet cleaning device (100) according to claim 7, wherein The user feedback operation comprises a tank status communication operation by which a user is informed of a status of the at least one tank (102, 104) via the user interface (116); optionally, wherein the status indicates the presence, absence and / or liquid amount of one or more of the at least one tank received in the tank holder (110).

9. A wet cleaning device (100) according to claim 7 or claim 8 when appended thereto, wherein The controller (114) is configured to control the waste transfer operation by stopping or slowing the delivery of the dirty liquid (105) to the at least one storage tank (102, 104) based on an output from the RFID reader (112) indicating that the amount of dirty liquid has reached or exceeded a threshold value.

10. The wet cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The wet cleaning apparatus comprises one or more of a wet mop device, a wet vacuum cleaner, a window cleaner, and a sweeper; and / or wherein the wet cleaning apparatus comprises a robotic wet cleaning apparatus configured to move autonomously over the surface to be cleaned.

11. A method (200) of operating a wet cleaning apparatus (100), the wet cleaning apparatus comprising: At least one storage tank (102, 104), the at least one storage tank (102, 104) being used to hold liquid, the at least one storage tank comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (106, 108); a tank holder (110) for receiving the at least one tank; as well as an RFID reader (112) arranged to read an RFID tag of the at least one tank received in the tank holder and capable of providing an output; the method comprising: Controlling at least one operation of the wet cleaning device based on the output; characterized in that, The RFID tags (106, 108) are configured to communicate data from a liquid sensor (115) to the RFID reader (112), the liquid sensor (115) sensing the amount of liquid in the corresponding tank (102, 104), the output from the RFID reader indicating the amount of liquid.

12. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein: One or more of the at least one cartridge (102, 104) is removably received by the cartridge holder (110), the output from the RFID reader (112) indicating whether one or more of the at least one cartridge is received by the cartridge holder.

13. The method (200) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The at least one operation comprises: a user feedback operation of a user interface (116), a dirt transfer operation of the wet cleaning device for transferring dirty liquid into the at least one storage tank (102, 104), and / or a cleaning liquid dispensing operation of the wet cleaning device for dispensing cleaning liquid from the at least one storage tank.

14. A computer program comprising computer program code which, when executed on one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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