Control of a cleaning robot

Abstract

Method (300) for controlling a cleaning robot (105) configured to clean a predetermined floor area (110), the method (300) comprising the following steps: - Determining (305) a section (170) of the floor area (110) whose cleaning by the cleaning robot (105) is to be different from the rest of the floor area; - Deactivating (320) a cleaning device (120) of the cleaning robot (105); - Controlling (325) the cleaning robot (105) to travel along a boundary (175) of the section (170); - Capturing (330) a user-controlled confirmation of the travel along the boundary (175); and- releasing (345) the cleaning device, wherein- the cleaning robot (105) is controlled to travel at a reduced speed along the boundary (175), or- a speed of the cleaning robot (105) while traveling along the boundary (175) can be controlled by a user.

Description

The invention relates to a robot cleaner. In particular, the invention relates to the control of the cleaning robot with respect to a portion of a floor surface that is not to be cleaned.A cleaning robot is configured to clean a predetermined floor surface. For this purpose, the cleaning robot can explore the floor surface itself and provide a map which comprises obstacles or boundaries detected on the floor surface. However, certain features of its environment cannot be recognized by the cleaning robot. If, for example, a further carpet is located on a carpet floor, the cleaning robot may not distinguish the two substrates from one another.It is sometimes desirable not to let a predetermined portion of the floor surface clean by the cleaning robot. In the example mentioned, the carpet can be cleaned, for example, while the further carpet is not to be cleaned, for example because it comprises a particularly long pile in which the cleaning robot can become entangled. A user may specify, on the map provided by the robot cleaner, a portion that the robot cleaner is not to clean. The input is usually effected by the user viewing the map on the screen of a mobile device and defining the section, for example in the form of a rectangle, a circle or a polygon.In this case, it may be difficult for the user to define the section sufficiently accurately because the obstacle to be avoided, in the above example the long-pile carpet, cannot be registered on the card. In addition, a screen of a mobile device is usually very small, so that precise input is made more difficult. As a result, the portion not to be cleaned may be defined to be too small so that the cleaning robot travels around it; or too large so that an uncleaned edge may remain around it, or may be positioned incorrectly so that both of the stated problems may occur.For example, the document WO 2018 / 158 248 A2 describes, inter alia, a method for controlling a cleaning robot, in which a section of a floor surface is determined, the processing of which is intended to be different from the remaining floor surface.An object of the present invention is to provide an improved technique for defining a portion of a floor surface not to be cleaned for a floor cleaning robot. The invention achieves the object by means of the subject matters of the independent claims. Dependent claims represent preferred embodiments.A cleaning robot is configured to clean a predetermined floor surface. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling the robot cleaner includes steps of determining a portion of the floor surface whose processing by the robot cleaner is to be different from the remaining floor surface; disabling a cleaning device of the robot cleaner; controlling the robot cleaner to travel along a boundary of the portion; detecting a user-controlled confirmation of the boundary being traveled; and enabling the cleaning device, wherein the robot cleaner is controlled to travel along the boundary at a reduced speed or a speed of the robot cleaner is controllable by a user during the travel along the boundary.In one embodiment, a special cleaning method is to be applied to the section. In particular, a gentle cleaning can be controlled on the section, for example dry, without the use of a brush or a broom, with a reduced frequency or slowed down. For example, it is possible to prevent a carpet from being wet cleaned or prevent a rotating member of the cleaning robot from being caught in fringes or trudts of a carpet. In another embodiment, cleaning of the portion may be omitted altogether, such that the portion is excluded from the processing by the cleaning robot. In the following, this embodiment is mainly considered as representative.According to the invention, the robot cleaner can practically demonstrate where the boundary of the portion of the floor surface not to be cleaned is precise. A user, if they are in agreement with the boundary shown, can permit operation of the cleaning robot on a remaining floor surface by confirming it. The cleaning robot can then be controlled to automatically clean the remaining floor surface. Otherwise, if the user is not satisfied, he can redefine the section or modify an existing definition and optionally request a renewed departure from the boundary of the section by the cleaning robot. The user may also discard the entered definition. According to the invention, the section can be defined more quickly and with greater precision in this way. During the execution of the boundary, the user can immediately decide whether this is well selected or requires a repair.It is preferable that the section is determined with respect to a map that maps the predetermined section. For example, the section can be defined as a rectangle, ellipse or polygon on the map. A section or region that is not to be cleaned or not to be traveled on can also be called a no-go region. A plurality of no-go regions may be automatically collapsed when they overlap each other or are so close to each other that the robot cleaner cannot pass therebetween. Similarly, a no-go region may be combined with another region representing an obstacle on the ground surface. A no-go region can also be combined with a boundary of the floor surface.It is particularly preferred that the map is determined based on scans of the floor surface made by the robot cleaner. In normal operation, the cleaning robot is oriented on map data which it self-manufactures or accumulates with self-scanned information. By using this map for the determination of the portion of the floor surface not to be cleaned, an error in input can be reduced. The determination of the section may be more representative or realistic than known previously.According to the invention, the robot cleaner is controlled to travel along the boundary at a reduced speed. In other words, a speed at which the cleaning robot travels along the boundary may be predetermined, wherein the predetermined speed may be less than a marching speed at which the cleaning robot usually moves from one location to another, or less than a travel speed at which it moves during a cleaning operation. This allows a user more time to check the exact course of the delimiting of the section during the departure or to interrupt the departure prematurely if a collision or intersection with an object to be dispensed with is imminent.Alternatively, a speed of the robot cleaner is controllable by a user during traveling along the boundary. The speed may preferably be changed during driving, so that the user can select, for example, a low speed when he is arriving at an accurate observation and a higher speed when he is already satisfied with the limitation or he does not expect a problem.In one variant, the cleaning robot is controlled along the boundary in such a way that it does not touch the specific section. In this case, the distance of the cleaning robot from the section should be minimized as much as possible. It can thus be ensured that the section is not touched by the cleaning robot in any way. In a second variant, the cleaning robot is controlled along the boundary in such a way that only the cleaning device does not touch the specific section. The travel on the section can be permitted in this case. In particular, a section of the cleaning device which is situated in the immediate vicinity of the floor surface cannot touch the specific section in this case. Here too, it is preferred that the distance of the cleaning device from the section is minimized. As a result, an area between an object lying on the floor surface, which is not to be cleaned, and an area which is to be cleaned can be reduced in an improved manner. For example, if the cleaning device is narrower than the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot can travel on the predetermined portion of the floor surface as long as the cleaning device does not enter the portion.In yet another embodiment, the section is determined by controlling the robot cleaner along a boundary of the section based on user controlled inputs. The control can be effected in particular in the manner of a remote control which can allow for example a change of direction and / or speed of the cleaning robot. Such a process can also be called teaching.In yet another embodiment, a user-controlled change of the section is determined, wherein the cleaning robot is controlled to travel along a changed section of the boundary of the section. In particular, the cleaning robot can be controlled to travel only along the changed portion of the boundary. Detailed work in determining a portion of the floor surface that is not to be cleaned can thereby be supported. A test as to whether the specific section corresponds to the user's intentions can be carried out much more quickly by selectively driving along only the modified section of its boundary.In a further embodiment, the cleaning robot is controlled to give an indication during the travel along the boundary as to which side of the travel boundary is comprised by the section. This makes it possible to avoid an accidental reversal in which a portion of the floor surface to be cleaned and a portion not to be cleaned are interchanged with one another. This can occur, for example, when a portion of the floor surface that is not to be cleaned is complex, for example because it has been collapsed with one or more further portions, obstacles or boundaries. Also, if the section is determined based on a decision that is imperceptible on the floor surface, for example, if only an eastern part of a room is to be cleaned, the indication may help avoid misdefining.It is generally preferred that the cleaning robot is driven only along a boundary which lies between the area not to be cleaned and an area to be cleaned. In other words, only that part of the boundary which is accessible at least on one side and does not extend, for example, along a wall or an obstacle can be traversed.According to a second aspect of the present invention, a control device for a control method as described above for a cleaning robot configured to process a predetermined floor surface comprises a determination device for determining a portion of the floor surface that is not to be cleaned; a processing device configured to deactivate a cleaning device of the cleaning robot and to control the cleaning robot to travel along a boundary of the portion; and an input device for user-controlled confirmation of the boundary that is being traveled along. In this case, the processing device is preferably further configured to release the cleaning device in response to a detected user-controlled confirmation of the boundary being traveled along.The processing device can be configured to execute a method described herein in whole or in part. For this purpose, the processing device can comprise a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller and the method can be in the form of a computer program product having program code means. The computer program product can also be stored on a computer-readable data carrier. Features or advantages of the method can be transferred to the device or vice versa.According to a third aspect of the present invention, a robot cleaner includes a control device described herein. The cleaning robot can comprise a cleaning device which, in a particularly preferred embodiment, comprises a suction device, a wiping device and / or a sweeping device. In other words, the cleaning robot may include a dust suction robot or a sweeping robot. The wiping device can be configured to wet the floor surface. A combined embodiment, which is configured for example for dust suction and for sweeping, is also conceivable. The cleaning robot is preferably provided for use in a household. In a further embodiment, the cleaning robot can also be used, for example, for cleaning an industrial area or a floor area of an office.According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system includes a robot cleaner described herein and a mobile operator having an output device for outputting an environment map of the robot cleaner and an input device for inputting a portion of the floor surface that is not to be cleaned; and for inputting a user-controlled confirmation. The operating unit is preferably wirelessly connected to the control device. In particular, the operating unit can be formed by a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet computer or a laptop computer, on which a corresponding computer program is installed.The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: FIG. 1 shows a system with a cleaning robot; FIG. 2 is an exemplary map of a ground surface; and FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a methodis.FIG. 1 shows a system 100 having a cleaning robot 105, which is configured to clean a floor surface 110, and an optional, mobile operating unit 115, which is designed here as a smartphone, for example.The cleaning robot 105 is configured to travel over the floor surface 110 and to clean a portion of the floor surface 110 lying in its region by means of a cleaning device 120. The cleaning device 120 comprises, for example, a suction unit, a wiping device, in particular with a moistening device and / or a sweeping device, for example with a rotating bristle roller, or a combination of the two devices. The cleaning device 120 is usually embodied to be narrower than the cleaning robot 105. The cleaning robot 105 is preferably controlled by means of a control device 125.The control device 125 preferably comprises a processing device 130 and an optional communication device 135, which is configured to communicate with the operating unit 115. In another embodiment, elements of the operating unit 115 are surrounded by the cleaning robot 105 and the communication device 135 can be omitted. The processing device 130 is preferably further configured to control an operation of the cleaning device 120. In addition, one or more indicators 140 may be provided to display, for example, a right or left area of the floor surface 110 with respect to a travel direction of the cleaning robot 105. An indicator 140 can be designed optically, for example, and can comprise a lamp or a light-emitting diode. Further preferably, the processing device 130 is connected to a sensor 145 which is configured to sense a surroundings of the cleaning robot 105. A map of the environment may be created based on scans of the sensor 145. The card can be stored in a data memory, which can be included by the processing device 130.The operating unit 115 preferably comprises an output device 150 and an input device 155, which in the present case are embodied in combination with one another as a touchscreen. The output device 150 is configured to optically display said map. The input device 155 is configured to capture various inputs of a user, in particular with respect to the map and / or a controller of the cleaning robot 105.The bottom surface 110 may be bounded on one or more sides by a wall 160. For example, due to an object 165 on the floor surface 110, it may be desired not to have a portion 170 of the floor surface 110 covering the object 165 cleaned by the cleaning robot 105. A user may define the portion 170 with respect to the illustrated map via the input device 155. In this case, the object 165 cannot be included in the map and the defined section 170 is usually not visible in reality. It is proposed to determine a boundary 175 which exists between the section 170 and a remaining part of the floor surface 110 to be processed by the cleaning robot 105. The cleaning robot 105 can then be controlled to travel along the boundary 175 while the cleaning device 120 is deactivated. A user may be convincing that the portion 170 is properly selected. He can confirm the section 170 or the shut-down boundary 175 by means of the input device 155, with the result that the control device 125 saves the defined section 170 in a subsequent machining operation of the floor surface 110.FIG. 2 shows an example map 200 of a ground surface 110. The map 200 represents a plan view of a section of a building, in particular of a residential building. The cleaning robot 105 has traveled on the region shown and has scanned by means of its sensors 145. As a result, it has defined a drivable region 205 which is bounded by walls 160. Non-drivable regions 210 result from obstacles, for example furniture.A section 170 should not be traveled on if desired by a user. Parts of this section 170 are already encompassed by the non-drivable region 210. The definition of the section 170 defines a boundary 175 which extends in the region at which the section 170 reduces to the drivable region 205.FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method 300 for controlling a cleaning robot 105. It is assumed that before the start of the illustrated method 300 a sufficiently accurate map or environmental map 200 of a floor surface 110 is already present, which can be cleaned by the cleaning robot 105. This map 200 may have been collected, in particular, by scanning the cleaning robot 105 during systematic or erratic driving of the floor surface 110.In a step 305, a definition of a section 170 can be detected by a user. In a step 310, the boundary 175 of the section 170 may be determined. Preferably, only a section of the boundary 175 is determined which can be traveled on at least one side by the cleaning robot 105. A portion of the boundary 175 that is too close to a wall 160, a non-drivable region 210, or a known obstacle may be neglected. Optionally, the boundary 175 may be determined after the fixed portion 170 has been fused to another predetermined portion 170. A non-drivable region 210 or a boundary of the floor surface 110, for example in the form of a wall 160, can also be taken into account in the determination of the boundary 175.In an optional step 315, a portion of the boundary 175 may be determined that was changed from a previous version by the present input of the user. In this case, the boundary 175 can be temporarily reduced to the changed region.In a step 320, the processing device 120 can be deactivated. The cleaning robot 105 can then be controlled along the boundary 175 in a step 325. In this case, the indicator 140 can be used to provide an indication of that side of the boundary 175 which is not intended to be processed in the usual operation. A reverse indication of the side of the boundary 175 to be processed is also possible. To travel along the boundary 175, the cleaning robot 105 can first be moved to a first end of the boundary 175 and from there follow the boundary 175. During the travel of the boundary 175, it is preferable to choose a travel speed such that a judgment of the position and size of the section 170 on the real ground surface 110 by a user is facilitated. In one embodiment, the user may control the speed of the robot cleaner 105 itself. In another embodiment, the speed may be set to a predetermined value. This value preferably corresponds to a slow movement.In a step 330, an input of a user can be detected by means of the input device 155. The input can be detected, for example, during the travel of the boundary 175 and can cause the cleaning robot 105 to be interrupted or stopped. For example, if the user fails with the specified section 170 due to the past traversal of the boundary 175, then the user may alter the section 170, and the method 300 may return to step 305. In another embodiment, the input may include a correction of the boundary 175 as the cleaning robot 105 travels along the boundary 175. If the cleaning robot 105 has traveled along the entire boundary 175 or the previously determined section of the boundary 175, a confirmation of the user can be detected that he is in agreement with the traveled boundary 175 or the section 170 corresponding thereto. Optionally, the user may also wish to retravel the boundary 175. In yet another embodiment, user approval may be accepted if an input cannot be detected within a predetermined time.In a step 335, the cleaning robot 105 can be controlled to return to a predetermined position. This position can be located in particular at a base station at which the cleaning robot 105 can be supplied with electrical energy, for example, or can be freed from collected dirt particles.In a step 340, if this has not already taken place, the specific section 170 can be adopted. This means that the specific portion 170 is recessed over the floor surface 110 during a subsequent cleaning travel. Optionally, the determined portion 170 may also be discarded if it has not been explicitly confirmed by a user before the cleaning robot 105 has returned to the predetermined position.In a step 345, the processing device 120 can be released again. In the following, cleaning of the floor surface 110 by means of the cleaning robot 105 can be controlled.It should be noted that the illustrated steps of the method 300 are not all obligatory and do not necessarily have to be performed in the illustrated order. In particular, steps 335 to 345 can also be omitted individually or carried out in a different sequence.Reference numerals denote reference numerals100 System 105 Cleaning robot 110 Floor surface 115 Operating unit 120 Cleaning device 125 Control device 130 Processing device 135 Communication device 140 Indicator 145 Sensor 150 Output device 155 Input device 160 Wall 165 Object 170 Section 175 Boundary 200 Map 205 Drivable region 210 Non-drivable region 300 Method 305 Setting No-Go Section 310 Boundary determine 315 Modified Section of Boundary determine 320 Processing device deactivate 325 Cleaning robot along boundary control 330 Input capture 335 Return to base station 340 No-Go Section take 345 Processing device release

Claims

Method (300) for controlling a cleaning robot (105) which is configured to clean a predetermined floor surface (110), wherein the method (300) comprises the following steps: - determining (305) a section (170) of the floor surface (110), the processing of which by the cleaning robot (105) is to be different from the remaining floor surface; - deactivating (320) a cleaning device (120) of the cleaning robot (105); - controlling (325) the cleaning robot (105) to travel along a boundary (175) of the section (170); - detecting (330) a user-controlled confirmation of the boundary (175) being traveled along; and - releasing (345) the cleaning device, wherein - the cleaning robot (105) is controlled to travel along the boundary (175) at a reduced speed, or - a speed of the cleaning robot (105) is controllable by a user during the travel along the boundary (175).The method (300) of claim 1, wherein the portion (170) of the ground surface (110) is determined with respect to a map (200) mapping the portion (170) of the ground surface (110).The method (300) of claim 2, wherein the map (200) is determined based on scans of the floor surface (110) made by the cleaning robot (105).The method (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning robot (105) is controlled along the boundary (175) so as not to contact the certain portion (170).Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning robot (105) is controlled along the boundary (175) in such a way that the cleaning device (120) does not touch the specific section (170).The method (300) of any preceding claim, wherein the portion (170) is determined by controlling the cleaning robot (105) along a boundary (175) of the portion (170) based on user controlled inputs.The method (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a user-controlled change of the section (170) is determined and the cleaning robot (105) is controlled to travel along a changed section (170) of the boundary (175) of the section (170).Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning robot (105) is controlled to give an indication during the travel along the boundary (175) as to which side of the travel boundary (175) is comprised by the section (170).Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the boundary (175) lies between the region not to be cleaned and a region to be cleaned.Control device (125) for a control method according to one of the preceding claims for a cleaning robot (105) which is configured to process a predetermined floor surface (110), wherein the control device (125) comprises: - a determination device for determining a section (170) of the floor surface (110), the processing of which by the cleaning robot is intended to be different from the remaining floor surface; - a processing device (130) which is configured to deactivate a cleaning device (120) of the cleaning robot (105) and to control the cleaning robot (105) to travel along a boundary (175) of the section (170); and - an input device (155) for user-controlled confirmation of the boundary (175) that has been traveled along; wherein the processing device (130) is further configured to release the cleaning device (120) in response to a detected user-controlled confirmation of the boundary (175) being traveled along.A robot cleaner (105) comprising a control device (125) according to claim 10.The robot cleaner (105) according to claim 11, further comprising a cleaning device (120) comprising a suction device, a wiping device and / or a sweeping device.A system (100) comprising a cleaning robot (105) according to claim 11 or 12 and a mobile operating unit (115) having an output device (150) for outputting an environment map (200) of the cleaning robot (105) and an input device (155) for inputting a portion (170) of the floor surface (110) which is not to be cleaned; and for inputting a user-controlled confirmation.

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