Method for operating a cleaning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11576544-B2
Application number	US-202117166206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2021
Priority date	Feb 4, 2020
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

A method for operating a cleaning system that comprises at least one self-traveling cleaning device that travels in an environment based on an environment map and carries out cleaning activities. The cleaning device accesses a database, in which multiple cleaning activities are stored. A user accesses the database and defines in advance at least one randomly occurring event, depending on the occurrence of which at least one certain cleaning activity is carried out. The user defines an event-dependent activity scenario and the activity scenario is carried out upon the subsequent occurrence of the defined event. At least one cleaning activity is also scheduled time-dependently, and predefined rules determine whether only the event-dependent activity scenario or only the time-dependently scheduled cleaning activity is carried out if the time of an occurrence of a defined event falls short of a predefined minimum time interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a cleaning system that comprises at least one self-traveling cleaning device, comprising:
traveling with the at least one cleaning device in an environment based on an environment map; and
carrying out cleaning activities said environment with the at least one cleaning device, the step of carrying out including accessing a database, in which multiple cleaning activities to be carried out in at least one environment section of the environment are stored,
wherein a user accesses the database and defines in advance at least one randomly occurring event, which changes a cleaning status of at least one environment section and depending on the occurrence of said at least one randomly occurring event at least one certain cleaning activity is determined to be carried out in at least one certain environment section, wherein the user defines an event-dependent activity scenario for the defined event in advance, before the occurrence of the event, wherein said activity scenario contains a defined allocation of a certain cleaning activity to be carried out to a certain environment section, in which the cleaning activity should be carried out, and wherein the activity scenario is carried out by the at least one cleaning device upon the subsequent occurrence of the defined event, wherein at least one additional cleaning activity is also scheduled time-dependently in addition to the defined event-dependent activity scenario, wherein it is decided in accordance with predefined rules whether only the event-dependent activity scenario or only the time-dependently scheduled cleaning activity is carried out in case a time of an occurrence of a defined event falls short of a predefined minimum time interval from a defined time for carrying out the time-dependently scheduled cleaning activity for the same environment section.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the activity scenario contains information on the at least one cleaning device, by means of which the cleaning activity is determined to be carried out.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user informs the cleaning system of the occurrence of a defined event manually or the occurrence of the defined event is detected by means of a detection device in order to inform the system automatically, wherein a control unit of the system retrieves a defined activity scenario for the event, of which the control unit has been informed, from the database and controls the implementation of the at least one cleaning activity contained in said activity scenario.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein multiple event-dependent activity scenarios are weighted relative to one another with a defined ranking, wherein the activity scenario with the highest rank is carried out first in case multiple defined events occur simultaneously, and wherein the highest rank is assigned to an activity scenario that is defined for an event involving a person and/or an animal.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein multiple environment sections, which should be cleaned in the course of the same event-dependent activity scenario, are weighted relative to one another with a defined ranking, wherein the environment section with the highest rank is cleaned first, wherein the highest rank is assigned to the environment section, which in addition to the event-dependent activity scenario is also a location for carrying out a time-dependently scheduled cleaning activity, and wherein the highest rank is assigned to an environment section that is scheduled for a time-dependent cleaning activity at an earlier time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an environment section, which is scheduled for multiple event-dependent activity scenarios and/or for an event-dependent activity scenario as well as a time-dependent cleaning activity, is given priority over other environment sections.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the occurrence of a defined event is detected by means of a detection device of the cleaning device or by means of a detection device arranged externally of the cleaning device, wherein the event is selected from the following group: presence of persons and/or animals in at least one environment section, occurrence of a dirt accumulation in at least one environment section, start of an activity of a person that causes a dirt accumulation, occurrence of an environmental and/or weather event, occurrence of an air pollution and/or pollen count above a defined limiting value, occurrence of an acoustic signal in at least one environment section and activity of an electrical consumer and/or an electrical switching element in at least one environment section.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein information on a floor type to be cleaned in the environment section and/or information on a cleaning device to be used is stored for each environment section in the environment map and/or in the database.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more additional parameters is or are taken into account in the decision as to which cleaning activity is carried out in the each environment section, wherein said parameter or parameters is or are selected from the following group: a time and/or type of a cleaning activity carried out most recently in the respective environment section, a number of persons and/or animals present in the environment, a usual dirt quantity occurring in the environment section and cleaning of the environment section by means of a manually operated cleaning device.

Assignees

• Vorwerk Co Interholding

Inventors

• Papenheim Marc
• Mosebach Andrej

Classifications

• A47L9/2852 Primary

  Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles · CPC title

• A47L9/2805

  Parameters or conditions being sensed · CPC title

• A47L9/281

  the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust · CPC title

• G06Q10/06316 Primary

  Sequencing of tasks or work · CPC title

• A47L11/4011

  Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor · CPC title