Method for operating a mobile self-propelled device

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile, self-propelled device, in particular a floor cleaning device such as a vacuum and / or sweeping and / or mopping robot, comprising at least one wet cleaning module (11) and a liquid tank in a housing, for cleaning a floor area is described, comprising the following method steps: starting a cleaning run with wet cleaning; simultaneously moistening the wet cleaning module (11) with liquid from the liquid tank; mopping the floor area; simultaneously locating the device in the floor area; determining a time at which the wet cleaning module (11) is fully moistened; simultaneously locating the device in the floor area; continuing to mop the floor area in a floor area yet to be cleaned;and wiping again of an initially cleaned floor area that was cleaned until the wet cleaning module was fully saturated.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a mobile, self-driving device, in particular a floor cleaning device, such as a vacuuming and / or sweeping and / or mopping robot, comprising at least one wet cleaning module and a liquid tank in a housing body, such a mobile, self-driving device, a computer program product and a computer-readable data carrier.

[0002] Floor cleaning robots are designed to relieve users of recurring tasks such as sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping, or at least make them easier. In addition to regular cleaning, users value a visibly clean result. Specifically, no dust or stains should be visible on the floors after the robot has finished cleaning.

[0003] For this type of cleaning, combination vacuum and mop robots are advantageous. These typically have a dry cleaning unit (sweeping and vacuuming) at the front of the robot and a wet cleaning module at the rear. For wet cleaning, the robots often use textile mopping pads or rollers, which are moistened with water or cleaning fluid at the start of a cleaning cycle. Modern cleaning robots automatically moisten their mopping pads at the beginning and / or during a wet cleaning process. Manual moistening by a user is not necessary, but is sometimes performed to ensure the mopping pads are evenly moistened from the start of a wet cleaning cycle. For automatic moistening of the mopping pads, the water or cleaning fluid is supplied by the robot or its base station.

[0004] For example, the mopping pad is moistened by dispensing water from a fluid reservoir in the robot, perhaps via a pump, so that water drips onto the top of the pad and spreads throughout it. The mopping pads are often multi-layered and contain layers designed, among other things, to ensure horizontal water distribution within the pad. However, these different material layers slow down the water penetration of the pad. A short time after the water dispensing begins, the underside of the pad is still dry. In particular, a noticeable waiting period should be expected before the entire underside of the mopping pad is moistened, enabling thorough and even cleaning of the floor.

[0005] To accelerate the moistening of the mop pad and reduce the delay until it is fully saturated, some robots use a boost function, in which they apply an increased amount of water or liquid to the mop pad for a defined period of time at the beginning of the cleaning cycle.

[0006] Alternatively, robots with a spray nozzle are available that distribute water or cleaning fluid in front of the robot. The robot wets the floor surface in front of it with the water or fluid from the spray jet and then moves forward to clean this area with its mopping pad. The mopping pad is thus evenly moistened across its entire width at the leading edge, leaving no dry streaks. However, complete moistening of the underside of the mopping pad still occurs after a slight delay.

[0007] Especially at the beginning of the cleaning cycle, the delayed wetting of the mop pad can lead to situations where the pad is only partially moistened and is therefore moved across the floor surface partially dry. This can reduce the quality of the cleaning results, compromise the hygienic aspects of the cleaning, and negatively impact the appearance of the results, as streaks may appear on the floor.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide an improved method for the cleaning operation of a mobile, self-propelled device in which, after fully moistening its wiping pad, the device wipes cleaning paths that were initially driven on again in order to ensure high-quality and, in particular, optimal wet cleaning of the entire floor processing area.

[0009] This problem is solved by a method for operating a mobile, self-driving device with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] According to the invention, a method for the (cleaning) operation of a mobile, self-propelled device, in particular a floor cleaning device, such as a vacuum and / or sweeping and / or mopping robot, which preferably comprises at least one wet cleaning module at a rear area and a liquid tank in a housing, for cleaning a floor area, comprises the following process steps: starting a cleaning run with wet cleaning; simultaneously moistening a mopping pad of the wet cleaning module with liquid from the liquid tank; mopping the floor area; simultaneously locating the device in the floor area; determining a point in time at which the mopping pad is completely moistened; simultaneously locating the device in the floor area; continuing to mop the floor area in a floor area yet to be cleaned;and wiping again of an initially cleaned floor area, which was cleaned until the mop pad was completely saturated with moisture.

[0011] A computer-implementable method is presented in which the device re-wipes the floor areas it cleaned at the beginning of its wet cleaning cycle to ensure these areas are cleaned with a fully and evenly moistened cleaning pad. At the end of a cleaning cycle, it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the cleaning pad is sufficiently moistened to achieve a higher-quality result than at the beginning of the cleaning cycle. The cleaning results of those areas that may have initially been cleaned with a dry or incompletely moistened cleaning pad can thus be specifically improved by this second pass.

[0012] The following advantages can be achieved as a result: Floor surfaces to be cleaned are completely wet-cleaned; all areas are covered with the fully moistened mop pad. No areas remain where a (partially) dry mop pad could leave dust or stains on the floor. The overall cleaning result can be considered extremely hygienic, as little to no dust or dirt residue remains on the floor. The device does not necessarily require sensors to assess the cleaning result on the floor, which can be affected by lighting conditions or other interfering factors and lead to inaccurate results.

[0013] A mobile, self-driving device is understood to be, in particular, a floor cleaning device that autonomously cleans floor surfaces, for example, in the home. This includes, among other things, vacuuming, sweeping, and / or mopping robots. These devices operate (during cleaning mode) preferably without or with minimal user intervention. For example, the device autonomously moves to a designated room to clean the floor according to a pre-programmed cleaning strategy. The device is a cleaning robot that has at least a wet cleaning module and may additionally include a suction nozzle (preferably with a brush roller), a suction blower, and a side brush. For environmental perception, obstacle detection, and localization against a stored map, the device is equipped with navigation sensors (e.g., LiDAR sensor, camera, and / or wall-following sensor).A control system is responsible for evaluating sensor data, planning cleaning missions, planning routes to be traveled, and controlling the actuators. A drive system enables the device to move in a controlled manner.

[0014] The wet cleaning module of the device can include, in addition to the liquid tank and the mop pad, a liquid pump for actively moistening the mop pad and an actuator for moving the mop pad (vibrating, oscillating, rotating).

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the device's localization within the soil cultivation area is based on an environmental map of the device. Specifically, the device documents which cleaning paths it has traversed and when during its cleaning run. Thus, the device creates a map of its surroundings (environmental map) using its navigation sensors (e.g., during an exploratory run). Based on this map, the device plans the paths to be traversed for a cleaning run and additionally documents when and where it was.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment, the time at which the wiping pad of the wet cleaning module is fully saturated is determined over a period of time from the start of the cleaning cycle. The device thus knows how long it will take, or what distance it must travel, until its wiping pad is completely saturated.

[0017] Preferably, the system takes into account the user-set moisture level of the mop pad when determining when it is fully saturated. Specifically, the more water pumped onto the mop pad, the faster it becomes damp, and the smaller the initial floor area cleaned before the pad is fully saturated and subsequently wiped again. If the device offers different moisture levels or stepless settings, the respective setting is logged and thus traceable in the device's software.

[0018] Furthermore, the type of mop pad is taken into account when determining the point at which the wet cleaning module's mop pad is fully saturated. In particular, different textiles can absorb varying amounts of water. The more water a textile can absorb, the longer it takes until the floor is significantly damp, thus increasing the area of ​​the floor initially cleaned before the mop pad is fully saturated and subsequently mopped again. Sensors and / or registration methods can be used to determine the type of mop pad. Alternatively, the user can select the mop pad type in a (cleaning) app on their smartphone and configure it on the device.

[0019] Furthermore, the type of flooring is taken into account when determining the point at which the mop pad of the wet cleaning module is fully saturated. The more a floor interacts with the mop pad, for example through friction or similar means, the faster or slower the water can completely saturate the pad. To determine the type of flooring, the device can, for example, use a camera to identify it and determine its influence on the saturation of the mop pad and how this affects the initially cleaned floor area, the area cleaned up to the point of full saturation, and the area that is subsequently mopped again.

[0020] Additionally or alternatively, the device includes at least one sensor that determines the moisture level of the mop pad. Preferably, the sensor is integrated into the wet cleaning module or mop pad in such a way that the moisture level of the mop pad can be determined at various points. Based on this information, the device can determine at what point in its cleaning cycle a satisfactory cleaning result can be achieved based on sufficient moisture levels of the mop pad. By mapping the floor areas cleaned by the device after this point, or covered by the device's mop pad, the device's control system can determine which areas of the floor to be cleaned were not mopped with a sufficiently moistened mop pad.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment, the device, during a second cleaning cycle, traverses the initially cleaned floor areas individually and determines the shortest paths. The areas to be cleaned again by the device are often partially fragmented, geographically separated from one another, and / or separated by other cleaning paths. The device can traverse these insufficiently cleaned floor areas individually and determine the shortest paths in each case in order to reach and clean all areas as quickly as possible.

[0022] Alternatively, when mopping again, the device groups the initially cleaned floor areas together and cleans them all at once. In this case, the device combines the floor areas to be cleaned again into a continuous area and systematically cleans it as in a standard cleaning cycle, for example, using a meandering pattern, even if this results in a longer cleaning time and / or requires re-wiping areas that were previously cleaned with a sufficiently moistened mop pad.

[0023] In another advantageous embodiment, mopping of the floor area only resumes once the entire area has been mopped before the second mopping cycle begins. In this case, after completing the standard cleaning cycle (i.e., after covering the planned area of ​​the floor to be cleaned in the cleaning job), the device targets the identified areas that have not yet been sufficiently mopped and cleans them with a second pass. Once all areas of the floor included in the cleaning job have been mopped with the sufficiently moistened mop pad, the device can end the cleaning job and return to its starting point (for example, its base station).

[0024] Alternatively, the machine can perform a second pass while continuing to clean the floor area. In this case, the machine schedules the areas that were not sufficiently cleaned initially for re-wiping before the regular end of the original cleaning cycle, for example, at a suitable point during or in the middle of the cleaning cycle, or generally after a certain period of time after cleaning has begun.

[0025] In another advantageous embodiment, the user is notified about the need for a second wipe. For example, the user can receive a message in an app or a voice prompt on the device informing them that the device is now cleaning certain areas again with improved performance. The user can also be given the option to activate or deactivate the function on the device (or in an app).

[0026] In a further advantageous embodiment for mobile, self-propelled devices that also have sweeping and / or vacuuming components, these sweeping and / or vacuuming components are switched off or operated at a reduced power when the initially cleaned floor area is wiped again (i.e., the area to be cleaned again after the mop pad is fully saturated). Since the cleaning performance of vacuuming or sweeping twice, especially on hard floors, is often only marginally better than a single cleaning, the impact on cleaning performance is minimal. The advantage is that switching off the components or reducing their power reduces energy consumption, noise emissions, and component wear.

[0027] The invention further relates to a mobile, self-propelled device equipped to carry out a method as described. It is understood that, in addition to the method and the device, a computer program product comprising commands that, upon execution of the program, cause a device to perform the method according to the invention is also included in the scope of this invention. Likewise, a computer-readable medium on which such a computer program product is stored is included in the scope of this invention.

[0028] Any features, designs, embodiments and advantages relating to the method also apply in connection with the device according to the invention, computer program product and computer-readable medium, and vice versa.

[0029] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following examples. These examples show: Figures 1A, 1B: each a schematic view of an embodiment of a mobile, self-driving device provided for the method according to the invention, Figure 2: a schematic view of the components necessary for the method according to the invention of an embodiment of a mobile, self-driving device provided for the method according to the invention, Figure 3: a flowchart of an embodiment of a method according to the invention.

[0030] In Figure 1A is a mobile, self-driving device, in particular a robot 10, shown in overhead view. Figure 1B shows robot 10 of the Figure 1Ain a bottom view. The robot 10 comprises a suction nozzle 1, in which a brush roller 2 is integrated, as well as a suction fan. The robot 10 also has a side brush 3 with side brush arms at a front lateral position on its housing. The side brush 3 is designed to transport dust and dirt, especially along walls and in corners, to the suction nozzle 1 of the robot 10.

[0031] The robot 10 is also equipped with navigation sensors that can perceive its surroundings. For example, the robot has a LIDAR sensor 4 on its housing, a camera 6, and / or a wall-following sensor. The robot 10's control system can interpret the sensor data from the navigation sensors to determine, among other things, which room or type of room the robot 10 is currently in. The robot 10 can infer the type of room from the furnishings and furniture.

[0032] In addition to its dry cleaning unit (brush roller 2, suction blower, side brush 3), the robot 10 has a wet cleaning module (water tank, pump, mopping pad 5, optional actuator for mopping pad movement).

[0033] In Figure 2 Is the robot 10 of the Figure 1AThe robot 10 is shown in a simplified representation. A controller 7 is located inside the robot 10, responsible for evaluating the navigation sensor data 9, planning cleaning missions, planning the routes to be traveled, and controlling the actuators. A drive 8 enables the robot to move in a controlled manner. The robot 10's suction fan is located downstream of a dust box with a filter (not shown). Air, including entrained dust particles, is drawn in by the suction fan and enters the robot 10 through the suction nozzle. It is then guided through air ducts to the dust box, the filter, and subsequently cleaned before being returned to the suction fan and exiting the robot 10 (not shown). The robot 10 has at least one wet cleaning module 11.The wet cleaning module 11 of the robot 10 includes, in addition to a liquid tank and the mopping pad, optionally a liquid pump for actively moistening the mopping pad and an actuator for moving the mopping pad (vibrating, oscillating, rotating).

[0034] To specifically improve the cleaning results of floor areas that may have initially been cleaned with a dry or incompletely moistened mop pad during the cleaning cycle, the robot re-cleans the areas it covered at the beginning of the cycle. By the end of a cleaning job, the mop pad is sufficiently moistened, resulting in a higher-quality finish than at the start of the cycle. This method for improved cleaning of the entire floor area is shown as a flowchart in [reference to flowchart]. Figure 3 depicted.

[0035] In step 101, the robot starts a cleaning run with wet cleaning. Beforehand, the robot uses its navigation sensors, for example during an exploratory run, to create a map of its surroundings. Based on this map, the robot plans the paths to be traveled for its cleaning task and can also document when it travels which paths.

[0036] In step 102, the robot begins to moisten its mopping pad. The robot then moves across the floor area to be cleaned, mopping it and locating itself within its environment map (step 103). When the robot reaches the point during its cleaning run where the mopping pad is completely moistened, it registers this event (step 104). The robot knows, in particular, how long it takes or how far it needs to travel until its mopping pad is completely saturated. Alternatively, the robot may have sensors integrated into the wet cleaning module or mopping pad that can detect the level of moisture at various points on the pad. Based on this information, the robot can determine at what point in its cleaning run a satisfactory cleaning result will be achieved, provided the mopping pad is sufficiently moistened.

[0037] In step 105, the robot continues to mop the floor and maps which areas the mopping pad will now cover. In step 106, the robot reaches the end of its cleaning cycle, having covered every part of the floor at least once.

[0038] By mapping the areas cleaned by the robot after the mop pad has become fully saturated, or the areas covered by the robot's mop pad, the robot's control system can determine which areas of the floor to be cleaned were not initially mopped with a sufficiently moistened mop pad (step 107). After completing the standard cleaning run (i.e., after covering the planned area of ​​the floor to be cleaned in the cleaning job), the robot navigates to the identified areas that were not yet sufficiently mopped and cleans them on a second pass with the now fully moistened mop pad (step 108). The areas to be cleaned again by the robot may be partially fragmented, geographically separated, and / or divided by other paths.The robot can navigate these areas individually and determine the shortest paths to reach and clean all areas as quickly as possible. Alternatively, the robot can group the areas requiring re-cleaning into one zone and clean them systematically, as in a standard cleaning cycle, for example, using a meandering pattern.

[0039] Once all areas of the cleaning job have been mopped with the sufficiently moistened mop pad, the robot can end the cleaning job and return to its starting point (i.e., its base station) (step 109). Alternatively, instead of re-routing the areas that were not sufficiently mopped initially after completing the standard cleaning run, the robot can schedule these areas for re-routing before the regular end of the original cleaning run, for example, at a suitable time during / midway through the cleaning run or generally after a certain period of time has elapsed since cleaning began.

[0040] The additional cleaning function at the end of a normal cleaning cycle can be communicated to the user via a message, e.g., in an app or as a voice announcement from the robot, informing them that the robot will now clean certain areas again with improved performance. The user also has the option to activate or deactivate this enhanced function on the robot (or in an app).

[0041] If the robot also has components for sweeping and / or vacuuming, these components can be operated at reduced power or switched off completely when re-routing over floor areas that were previously cleaned with a not fully moistened mop pad.

Claims

1. Method for operating a mobile, self-propelled device, in particular a floor cleaning device, such as a vacuum and / or sweeping and / or mopping robot, comprising at least one wet cleaning module (11) and a liquid tank in a housing, for cleaning a floor area, comprising the following process steps: - starting a cleaning run with wet cleaning, - simultaneously moistening a mopping pad (5) of the wet cleaning module (11) with liquid from the liquid tank, - mopping the floor area, - simultaneously locating the device in the floor area, - determining a point in time at which the mopping pad (5) of the wet cleaning module (11) is fully moistened, - simultaneously locating the device in the floor area, - continuing to mop the floor area in a floor area yet to be cleaned, and - mopping an initially cleaned floor area again.which was cleaned up to the point at which the wiper pad (5) of the wet cleaning module (11) was fully saturated with moisture.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the localization of the device in the soil cultivation area is carried out on the basis of an environment map of the device.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device documents during the cleaning run when it has driven which cleaning paths.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device comprises at least one sensor with which the moisture penetration of the wiper pad (5) of the wet cleaning module (11) is determined.

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination of the time at which the wiper pad (5) of the wet cleaning module (11) is fully moistened is carried out over a period of time from the start of the cleaning cycle.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device, when wiping again, individually traverses the initially cleaned floor areas and determines the shortest paths.

7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein the device, when wiping again, combines the initially cleaned floor areas into sections and cleans them together.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the wiping of the flooring area is continued when the entire flooring area has been wiped, before the wiping starts again.

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein the repeated wiping takes place while continuing to wipe the soil cultivation area.

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the user is given a notification regarding the need to wipe again.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sweeping and / or suction components of the device are operated at reduced power or switched off completely when the initially cleaned floor area is wiped again.

12. Mobile, self-propelled device with which a soil cultivation area can be cleaned by means of a method according to one of the preceding claims.

13. Computer program comprising commands which, upon execution of the program, cause a mobile, self-driving device to execute the method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 11.

14. Computer-readable data carrier on which the computer program according to claim 13 is stored.

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