COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES FOR CLEANING TASKS

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a communication system for cleaning tasks comprising a plurality of cleaning carts, each with a first communication device and a second communication device. Furthermore, the invention relates to such a communication method. Background of the invention

[0002] When cleaning properties, a large number of cleaning staff are often deployed, each carrying the necessary equipment for the task on a cleaning trolley. Many cleaning staff must be in direct communication with a site manager to define cleaning tasks among different cleaning staff and also to receive instructions. Until now, this communication between a site manager and various cleaning staff has taken place either face-to-face or by telephone. However, due to the variety of native languages ​​​​common among staff in the cleaning industry, such communication is difficult and, above all, prone to errors.

[0003] To solve the problem, state-of-the-art systems use language-neutral pictograms to inform cleaning staff about the daily tasks to be performed.

[0004] However, the use of pictograms reaches its limits when a cleaner has specific questions for the facility manager or when special or unscheduled tasks need to be undertaken for which more complex and detailed information must be provided.

[0005] From US 2016 / 253317 A1, a server is known through which text and voice messages can be sent from one user's smartphone to another user's smartphone, which are then translated.

[0006] DE 10 2017 010461 A1 describes a communication system for cleaning tasks with the features of the preamble of claim 1. Description of the invention

[0007] The invention is based on the object of proposing a communication system and a communication method that simplify communication between facility managers and cleaning staff and make it less prone to errors.

[0008] This object is achieved by a communication system for cleaning tasks having the features of claim 1 and a method for exchanging information having the features of claim 9. Preferred embodiments follow from the remaining claims.

[0009] The communication system for cleaning tasks according to the invention comprises a plurality of cleaning carts, each having a first communication device comprising a first transmitter and a first receiver, a second communication device comprising a second transmitter and a second receiver, and a central communication server. The central communication server is designed to perform multiple tasks. Information packets containing text messages and the desired recipient(s) from the group consisting of the first recipients and the second recipient can be received wirelessly via the central communication server from the first communication device or the second communication device. Furthermore, the central communication server is designed to have access to language translation software.Furthermore, the central communications server is configured such that it has access to an assignment list, which is preferably stored on the central communications server and which assigns a language from a predefined selection of languages ​​to each of the second communications device and the plurality of first communications devices. Finally, the communications server is configured such that messages received by the second transmitter or one of the plurality of first transmitters can be automatically translated into the stored language of the desired recipient or each of the desired recipients and can be transmitted to the desired recipient or each of the desired recipients.

[0010] To clarify the communication system using an example, the facility manager could use the second communication device, which comprises a second transmitter and a second receiver, while the cleaning staff working in a facility to be cleaned are each assigned a cleaning cart from the plurality of cleaning carts, wherein each cleaning cart is provided with a first communication device comprising a first transmitter and a first receiver. Both the first communication devices and the second communication device communicate wirelessly with a central communication server, which is preferably cloud-based. An assignment list is stored in the communication server, which assigns a language to each of the second communication devices in the form of the facility manager and to each of the plurality of first communication devices in the form of the individual cleaning staff.This is preferably the native language of the respective persons or at least a selection of languages ​​that enables all persons involved, i.e., both the facility manager and the individual cleaning staff, to communicate with each other. During communication between the second communication device and the first communication devices, an information packet is sent from a first sender or a second sender to the central communication server. Such an information packet includes text messages and the desired recipient(s) from the group consisting of the first recipients and the second recipient.The central communications server has access to language translation software and, based on the assignment list in which a language is assigned to all first and second recipients involved in the communication, translates the received message into the language or languages ​​stored in the assignment list and transmits it to the desired recipient or each desired recipient. If a message is sent, for example, from the second communications device to several first communications devices, this message can be received individually by each first communications device, which is the first recipient of this message, in the respective stored language.

[0011] This enables two-way communication between a facility manager and individual cleaning staff, which is less prone to errors and, in addition to inaccuracies in machine-assisted translation of messages, also transmits complex information in a way that the respective recipient understands. This largely reduces language barriers between a large number of people with different native languages, significantly reducing errors in information exchange.

[0012] The method according to the invention for exchanging information between a plurality of cleaning trolleys, each having a first communication device with a first transmitter and first receiver, and a second communication device with a second transmitter and second receiver, comprises the steps: wirelessly transmitting an information packet to a central communications server, the information packet comprising any electronic message entered by a user into one of the first communications devices or the second communications device in a first language, the desired recipient(s), and automatically generated information about the user; access by the central communications server to language translation software in order to transfer the message into one or more second languages ​​corresponding to the language of the desired recipient stored in a mapping file, or to the respective languages ​​of the desired recipients stored in the mapping file; and wirelessly transmitting by the central communications server the message translated into the second language to the desired recipient(s).

[0013] The electronic message can be a text message in the first language that is translated into a text message in the second language. Similarly, it is possible to receive the electronic message as a voice file and output it as a voice file in the second language, or output it as a text file in the second language. Similarly, an electronic message received by the central communications server can be a text message received in the first language and transferred into the second language either as a text message or a voice message, and then transmitted wirelessly to the desired recipient(s).

[0014] The ability to communicate with specific recipients via voice messages has the advantage of enabling communication with people who find reading and / or writing text messages challenging.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the first communication device comprises a monitor on the cleaning trolley, which is preferably designed as a touchpad.

[0016] Messages can be received via the monitor on the cleaning trolley and, for example, a list of tasks to be completed can be displayed. Since the monitor is preferably designed as a touchpad, receipt of instructions can be confirmed by clicking a suitable button, for example with the help of a touch pen that can be operated without removing gloves that are worn during cleaning, or, if desired, a voice output of the message can be activated. Communication via a monitor can also be used so that, after receiving a list of tasks to be performed, these can be clicked through on the monitor by touching confirmation fields assigned to the individual tasks in order to indicate that the tasks to be performed have been completed.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first communication device comprises a mobile electronic communication device which is designed to wirelessly exchange information with the associated cleaning cart via near-field communication when approaching the latter.

[0018] The mobile electronic communication device can be either the cleaner's mobile phone or a special handheld device, which can be splash-proof and carried by each cleaner as a personal digital assistant (PDA). It should be noted that cleaners do not take the cleaning trolley into every room and may, for example, work in washrooms while the cleaning trolley remains parked in the hallway in front of the washroom. Provided the distance is sufficient to exchange data between the first communication device and the mobile electronic communication device via near-field communication, such as Bluetooth, a cleaner can also send or receive messages while working in an adjacent area in the immediate vicinity.If the cleaning worker moves the electronic communication device away from the first communication device and thus from the cleaning trolley at a distance over which near-field communication is no longer possible, a new data exchange and data comparison will take place automatically when the mobile electronic communication device approaches the associated cleaning trolley again, as soon as the electronic communication device has entered the near-field communication range with the first communication device.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the mobile electronic communications device has an integrated loudspeaker or an interface to an external loudspeaker, as well as a microphone or another interface to an external microphone. In this way, a cleaning staff member can receive voice messages and be the first sender to send voice messages without interrupting their cleaning activity, which is advantageous in hygiene-sensitive areas because no contact with the first communication device or the electronic communications device is required. If the electronic communications device already has the loudspeaker and microphone integrated, no additional external device such as in-ear headphones is required, and communication can take place via voice output and voice input directly with the electronic communications device, which is preferably equipped with voice control software for contactless operation.

[0020] Preferably, the central communication server is further configured to have access to speech recognition software which is suitable for converting voice messages in one language from the predefined selection of languages ​​into text messages in this language.

[0021] It is further preferred that the central communication server is designed to exchange data with speech generation software that is suitable for converting text messages written in one language from the predefined selection of languages ​​into voice messages in another language from the predefined selection of languages.

[0022] The arbitrary conversion of text and voice messages between a first language and a second language from a given selection of languages ​​requires that, if the number of languages ​​within the given selection is large, there are a large number of language combinations that must be covered by the language translation software. Therefore, it makes sense to run the central communication server on a cloud-based platform, as it can easily access advanced language translation software provided by cloud providers.

[0023] Preferably, each first communication device comprises a reset device for resetting the first communication device to a predefined initial state.

[0024] Providing a reset function is advantageous because, for example, in the event of a replacement due to illness or vacation, the preset input and output modalities on the first communication device of a cleaning trolley—in the form of language selection, as well as a possible selection of whether voice or text input and output are desired—can be reset to a default setting. Furthermore, for a Spanish-speaking cleaner working in a German-speaking region, for example, it is easier to configure the system displayed in German to Spanish than it would be with a display in Polish, which may have corresponded to the language selection of the previous cleaner who last worked with the associated cleaning trolley.

[0025] According to a further preferred embodiment, one or more icons can be output to a first communication device as the recipient of a message in addition to a text or voice message. Whenever, for example, additional cleaning tasks need to be completed and these can be easily represented in the form of one or more icons, the transmitted text or voice message can be easily supplemented in this way.

[0026] Pictograms can also be stored in the first communication device with instructional videos that provide instructions on how, for example, to open a special soap dispenser or remove a ventilation grille when special cleaning tasks are required whose processes would be too complex to explain verbally. Short description of the figure

[0027] The invention is described below with reference to Fig. 1which schematically represents the communication system according to the invention. Ways to implement the invention

[0028] In the Fig. 1 A communication system 10 is shown. The communication system 10 comprises a plurality of cleaning carts 12a, 12b, 12c, each of which is carried by a cleaning worker during the cleaning of the facility. The cleaning carts 12a, 12b, 12c are each provided with a first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c, which is fixedly provided on the respective cleaning cart and is each equipped with a first transmitter 13a, 13b, 13c and a first receiver 17a, 17b, 17c. Furthermore, each cleaning cart 12a, 12b, 12c is provided with a monitor 16a, 16b, 16c. The communication system according to the invention further comprises a second communication device 20.

[0029] Each first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c also has a volatile or permanent data memory.

[0030] A first transmitter 13a, 13b, 13c is configured and suitable for transmitting information packets 22 from the first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c to a central communication server 30. The central communication server 30 can be installed in an object to be cleaned; however, the central communication server 30 is preferably a cloud-based server, and communication between the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c and the central communication server 30 takes place via a WLAN connection present in an object to be cleaned.

[0031] The information packets 22 comprise any electronic message in a first language, information regarding the desired recipient(s), and information about the sender automatically generated by each first sender 13a, 13b, 13c, which information relates to information stored in the electronic memory of the associated first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c regarding the configuration of a user who is working with the associated cleaning cart 12a, 12b, 12c and is the first sender to send a message. Information about the first sender includes, in particular, an identification of the first language in which the message sent by the first sender is written.

[0032] The central communication server 30 receives the information packet 22 and accesses an assignment file 34 in which the second language of the desired recipient or the different second languages ​​in the case of several desired recipients are stored.

[0033] On the basis of this information, the central communication server 30 sends the message contained in the received information packet 22, in the case of a received text message, to a language translation software 32, with the aid of which the text message in the first language of the first sender is translated into one or more second languages, which correspond to the language of the desired recipient stored in the assignment file 34 or to the languages ​​of the desired recipients stored in the assignment file 34.

[0034] If the message is a voice message, the central communications server 30 sends the corresponding voice file to speech recognition software 36, which is capable of converting voice messages in the first language into a text file containing a text message in the first language. The text message in the first language contained by the speech recognition software 36 is then transmitted from the central communications server 30 to the language translation software 32 to translate the text message into the second language.

[0035] In addition, it is also possible to subsequently convert the text message translated into a second language back into a voice message in the second language, for which purpose communication and data exchange between the central communication server 30 and a speech generation software 38 are used.

[0036] The file resulting from the translation and, alternatively, the conversion between voice and text messages is sent to the recipient(s) in the form of a second information packet 25. This information packet 25 contains the voice or text message as well as information about the sender of the second information packet.

[0037] The second communication device 20 of the communication system according to the invention is preferably a tablet computer 40 with a display 42, a microphone 44 and a loudspeaker 46. Specifically, the second communication device 20 is assigned to a site manager for cleaning tasks, who can also send information packets 22 to the central communication server 30 in a likewise preset first language by means of the second transmitter 48, wherein the voice or text messages contained in the information packet 22 are transferred into the respective second language of the first recipient(s) and sent to them in the same way as described above.However, suitable communication between the second communication device 20 and one or more of the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c also requires, in the same way, that the second communication device 20 is also equipped with a second receiver 50 in order to be able to receive feedback or questions from the cleaning staff who are each working with the cleaning carts 12a, 12b, 12c with the first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c in an object to be cleaned.

[0038] The first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c each comprises a mobile electronic communication device 18a, 18b, 18c, which communicates with the associated first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c via near-field communication (NFC), for example, Bluetooth, and can be provided in the form of a personal digital assistant (PDA) that can be carried on the body by each cleaning worker at all times. The mobile electronic communication devices 18a, 18b, 18c automatically exchange information with the associated cleaning cart 12a, 12b, 12c within the near-field communication range and perform a data comparison. In this way, the information received by the first communication device 14a, 14b, 14c can be automatically forwarded to the mobile electronic communication devices 18a, 18b, 18c.

[0039] The mobile electronic communication devices have a display, preferably also an integrated loudspeaker 24a, 24b, 24c or an interface to an external loudspeaker, as well as a microphone 27a, 27b, 27c or another interface 28a, 28b, 28c to an external device with a microphone. The external device with a loudspeaker and microphone can be an in-ear headset, which has the advantage that the mobile electronic communication device can be at least splash-proof, but can even be waterproof, which is technically complex when a microphone and loudspeaker are provided.

[0040] The cleaning staff working in an object to be cleaned can thus receive messages as part of an information packet 25 and send information packets 22 via the monitors 16a, 16b, 16c assigned to the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c, which are preferably designed as a touchpad, and / or via the mobile electronic communication devices 18a, 18b, 18c, wherein the communication with the central communication server 30 takes place via the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c and the forwarding of messages 25 or the sending of messages from a mobile electronic communication device 18a, 18b, 18c always takes place first via the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c.

[0041] With the communication system 10 according to the invention, voice or text messages can be exchanged in any manner and converted into the second language of the desired recipient or the second languages ​​of the desired recipients and received by the recipient.

[0042] To ensure that the communication system is always correctly configured, even during personnel changes, the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c each have reset devices 15a, 15b, 15c, with which the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c can be reset to a predefined initial state. The reset signals are not only required to reset the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c on the cleaning carts 12a, 12b, 12c, but are also sent to the central communication server 30, which then removes the stored language from the assignment list 34 for the respective first communication device from which a reset signal was sent and replaces it with a predefined language as the initial state.When a new cleaner starts working with a corresponding cleaning cart, the first communication device can first be configured for the desired language. For this purpose, the corresponding information is also sent from the respective first communication device to the central communication server 30 as part of the configuration, and the desired language set during the configuration is then stored in the assignment list 34. In this way, the desired communication in the correct language can always be ensured, even with frequent staff changes.

[0043] The monitors 16a, 16b, 16c assigned to the first communication devices 14a, 14b, 14c, or the mobile electronic communication devices 18a, 18b, 18c, can also be used to receive language-neutral pictograms that symbolize frequently recurring, standardized cleaning services or can simultaneously serve as links to instructional videos that explain tasks to be performed that are difficult to explain via voice or text message. This makes it possible to optimally inform the cleaning staff working in a facility being cleaned with information regarding the cleaning services and to minimize information loss or misunderstandings due to language barriers.

Claims

1. Communication system for cleaning tasks, with - a plurality of cleaning trolleys (12a, 12b, 12c), each with a first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) comprising a first transmitter and first receiver; and - a second communication unit (20) comprising a second transmitter and second receiver; characterised in that the communication system comprises: - a central communication server (30); wherein the central communication server (30) is designed - to receive wirelessly from the first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) or the second communication unit (20) an information packet (22) comprising electronic messages as well as the desired recipient(s) from the group consisting of the first receivers and the second receiver; - to have access to language translation software (32), - to have access to an assignment list (34) which assigns a first language from a specified selection of languages to the second communication unit (20) and to the plurality of first communication units (14a, 14b, 14c), - wherein messages received by the second transmitter or one of the plurality of first transmitters from the central communication server can be automatically translated into the stored language of the desired recipient or each desired recipient and transmitted to the desired recipient or each desired recipient.

2. Communication system according to claim 1, characterised in that the first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) comprises a monitor (16a, 16b, 16c) on the cleaning trolley (12a, 12b, 12c) which is preferably designed as a touchpad.

3. Communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each cleaning trolley (12a, 12b, 12c) further comprises a mobile electronic communication device (18a, 18b, 18c) which is designed to exchange information wirelessly with the first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) via near-field communication on approaching the associated cleaning trolley (12a, 12b, 12c).

4. Communication system according to claim 3, characterised in that the mobile electronic communication device (18a, 18b, 18c) has an integrated loudspeaker (24a, 24b, 24c) or an interface (26a, 26b, 26c) to an external loudspeaker as well as a microphone (27a, 27b, 27c) or a further interface (28a, 28b, 28c) to an external microphone.

5. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the central communication server (30) is further designed to have access to speech recognition software (36) which is capable of converting voice messages in a language from the specified selection of languages into text messages in that language.

6. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the central communication server (30) is further designed to exchange data with speech generation software (38) which is capable of converting text messages written in a language from the specified selection of languages into voice messages in that language.

7. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) has a reset device (15a, 15b, 15c) to reset the first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) to a predefined initial state.

8. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the central communication server (30) exchanges information with the second communication unit (20) and the plurality of first communication units (14a, 14b, 14c) via an internet connection.

9. Method for exchanging information between a plurality of cleaning trolleys (12a, 12b, 12c), each having a first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) with a first transmitter and first receiver, and a second communication unit (20) with a second transmitter and second receiver, comprising the steps: (a) wirelessly transmitting an information packet to a central communication server (30), wherein the information packet comprises any desired electronic message in a first language entered by a user into one of the first communication units (14a, 14b, 14c) or the second communication unit (20), the desired recipient(s) and automatically generated information about the sender; (b) the central communication server (30) accessing language translation software (32) in order to translate the message into a second language corresponding to the language of the desired recipient stored in an assignment file (34) or into the respective languages of the desired recipients stored in the assignment file (34); and (c) the central communication server (30) wirelessly transmitting the message translated into the second language to the desired recipient(s).

10. Method according to claim 9, further comprising the step: (b2) converting a text message into a voice message using a software-assisted speech generator (38).

11. Method according to claim 9 or claim 10, further comprising the step: (b3) converting a voice message into a text message using a software-assisted speech recognition system (36).

12. Method according to one of the claims 9 to 11, further comprising the additional outputting of one or more pictograms to a first communication unit (14a, 14b, 14c) as the recipient of a message.