Indoor Cleaning Quality Tracking Using Fixed Network Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning quality management systems are inaccurate and unreliable, as they primarily rely on GPS or physical inspections, failing to assess the quality of cleaning performed at indoor locations and are costly due to hardware requirements.
Innovation Solution
A remote cleaning quality management system using a computer-implemented method that utilizes a training dataset of plot points and signal strengths from spatially fixed network devices to assess cleaning quality based on cumulative duration at predefined signal thresholds, providing indications when thresholds are exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS or physical inspections are used to assess cleaning quality, then the system can determine staff availability, but the measurement precision of cleaning quality deteriorates because GPS fails indoors and physical inspections are subjective and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical inspection methods with an automated sensor-based system. Sensors detect cleaning agents, equipment, and staff movements in real-time, automatically determining cleaning quality without manual inspection. This substitution eliminates subjectivity and provides objective, precise measurements of cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices between cleaning staff and the quality assessment system. These sensors detect the presence of cleaning agents, equipment, and staff movements, serving as mediators that automatically capture cleaning activity data without requiring manual inspection or GPS tracking.
2Reliability
If hardware such as cameras and radiofrequency beacons are installed to monitor cleaning staff, then the system can track staff presence, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables cleaning staff to self-monitor their own presence and activities through wearable devices or mobile phones that detect their location and movements. The system utilizes existing mobile infrastructure rather than requiring dedicated tracking hardware, allowing staff to serve their own monitoring needs while providing reliable presence data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages existing multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and wearable technology for multiple purposes: location tracking, cleaning agent detection, and staff identification. This universality eliminates the need for specialized hardware, reducing system complexity while maintaining reliable staff presence tracking capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If physical inspections are conducted to assess cleaning quality, then the system can evaluate cleaning standards, but the loss of time and cost increase due to inspection staff requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous automated monitoring that operates throughout the entire cleaning process without interruption. Sensors continuously detect cleaning agent application, equipment movement, and staff activities, providing ongoing quality data without requiring periodic inspection stops. This continuity eliminates idle time between inspections and maintains constant evaluation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual inspection processes with automated sensor-based evaluation systems. Sensors continuously monitor cleaning activities and automatically assess quality standards, eliminating the need for inspection staff and their associated time and cost requirements while maintaining high evaluation accuracy.
4Ease of operation
If GPS coordinates are used to determine cleaning staff location, then the system can track staff movement, but the measurement precision deteriorates because GPS signals weaken through building structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices that detect staff presence and location through walls and building structures. These sensors can penetrate physical barriers to accurately track staff movements indoors, serving as mediators that overcome GPS signal limitations and provide precise location data through solid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces GPS-based location tracking with sensor-based detection systems that can operate effectively indoors. Sensors detect staff presence through walls and building structures using electromagnetic or other detection mechanisms that penetrate physical barriers, substituting the mechanical GPS system with an indoor-appropriate alternative that maintains ease of operation while improving measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method for remotely managing a cleaning quality for an indoor location being cleaned. The method includes accessing a training dataset including a plurality of plot points and associated signal strengths of a predefined signal received from a fixed network device, where at least one plot point is preselected based on a predefined cleaning attribute associated with a physical spot corresponding to the at least one plot point; receiving the predefined signal at a position in the indoor location from the fixed network device, where the received signal has a second signal strength and the position is determined proximate to the plot point based on the second signal strength and each of the signal strengths; and calculating a cumulative duration spent at the determined position based on a predefined cleaning schedule to assess the cleaning quality for the physical spot.