Cleaning Element Surface Detection Using Motor Current Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current floor cleaning devices are unable to reliably detect the condition of a surface, such as excessive contamination, which is essential for optimizing the cleaning process, as they lack sufficient sensitivity to differentiate between surface types and conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device equipped with an electric motor and a control unit that records the current intensity curve after temporarily interrupting the power supply, allowing the detection of frictional resistance between the cleaning element and the surface, enabling precise identification of surface conditions, including dirty, damaged, or worn areas, by analyzing changes in frictional resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning element moves across the surface continuously, then cleaning productivity is improved, but the ability to detect surface condition is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic interruption of the power supply to the electric motor during the cleaning process. These brief interruptions occur continuously at regular intervals, allowing the control unit to measure the counter-EMF and detect surface conditions. The interruptions are timed to be brief enough not to significantly impact overall cleaning productivity while providing sufficient measurement opportunities to detect surface type and condition changes throughout the cleaning area.
2Productivity
If power supply is continuously provided to the electric motor, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but surface condition information cannot be obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs surface detection measurements during brief power interruptions that occur throughout the cleaning process. By temporarily stopping power supply at predetermined intervals, the system captures surface condition information (frictional resistance via counter-EMF) before resuming cleaning operations. This preliminary and continuous sampling approach ensures surface information is collected without significantly compromising overall cleaning efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate detection of surface types and conditions, allowing for optimized cleaning processes, including targeted cleaning of heavily soiled or damaged areas, and the creation of maps to improve future cleaning operations.
Implementation Method 1
The electric motor comprises a stator and a rotor, so that a counter-electromotive force can occur. The counter-electromotive force is the electromotive force generated by the rotation of the rotor in a magnetic field.
Implementation Method 2
The current intensity profile during cleaning depends on the frictional force between the surface to be cleaned and the cleaning element.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for cleaning a surface (2) comprising a control unit (14), a movable cleaning element (7), and an electric motor (15) for moving the cleaning element (7). The control unit (14) is configured such that during a cleaning process of the surface (2), the power supply to the electric motor (15) is temporarily interrupted, and after the interruption, the control unit (14) determines the condition of the surface to be cleaned based on a detected current profile (20) of the electric motor (15). In this way, for example, excessively soiled areas of a surface can be detected. The invention also relates to a method for cleaning a surface.