SELF-PROPELLED CLEANING APPLIANCE

Abstract

A self-propelled cleaning appliance has a drive unit for moving the cleaning appliance within an environment, a communication interface for outputting a message to a user of the cleaning appliance, an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacles within the environment and a computing device that generates an environment map based on the obstacles detected by the obstacle detection device and for transmitting control commands to the communication interface. The computing device is designed for determining a first environment section, in which a position of a movable obstacle changes in a recurring manner, and for determining a second environment section that could only be cleaned incompletely. The computing device compares the position of the determined first environment section with the position of the determined second environment section and outputs a message concerning the movable obstacle to a user of the cleaning appliance via the communication interface if the positions match.

Claims

1. A self-propelled cleaning appliance comprising: a drive unit configured for moving the cleaning appliance within an environment, a communication interface configured for outputting a message to a user of the cleaning appliance, an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacles within the environment, and a computing device that is designed for generating an environment map based on the obstacles detected by the obstacle detection device and for transmitting control commands to the communication interface, wherein the computing device is designed for determining a first environment section, in which a position of a movable obstacle changes in a recurring manner, and for determining a second environment section that could only be cleaned incompletely, wherein the computing device is designed for comparing the position of the determined first environment section with the position of the determined second environment section and for outputting a message concerning the movable obstacle to a user of the cleaning appliance via the communication interface if the positions match, wherein the computing device is designed for determining a recurring position change of the movable obstacle by comparing multiple successively generated environment maps, and wherein the message contains a request to manually remove the obstacle from the defined environment section, by moving the obstacle to a certain location that is defined in the message and located outside the environment section, in which the position of the movable obstacle changes in a recurring manner.

2. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning appliance has a dirt sensor, which is designed for determining a degree of dirt accumulation of an environment section.

3. The cleaning appliance according to claim 2, wherein the dirt sensor comprises a camera with an assigned image processing device or a particle sensor.

4. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the message contains an image or a graphic representation of the movable obstacle. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the movable obstacle is a piece of furniture, wherein the cleaning appliance has a memory with reference parameters of defined pieces of furniture, and wherein the computing device is designed for comparing parameters of a detected movable obstacle with the stored reference parameters.

6. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is designed for directly outputting the message to a user in the form of an optical signal or an acoustical signal or for transmitting the message to an external terminal of the user, which is communicatively linked to the cleaning appliance, via wireless data communication.

7. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle detection device is designed for detecting the removal of the movable obstacle from the environment section and for correspondingly notifying the computing device, wherein the computing device is designed for subsequently controlling a cleaning process of the environment section.

8. The cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is designed for receiving information of the user to the effect that the obstacle has been removed from the environment section via the communication interface of the cleaning appliance and for subsequently starting a cleaning process of the environment section.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention,

[0022] In the drawings,

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an inventive cleaning appliance;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows an environment map comprising multiple environment sections with movable and immovable obstacles; and

[0025] FIG. 3 shows an external terminal of a user with a display for displaying messages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] FIG. 1 shows an example of a self-propelled cleaning appliance 1. In this case, the cleaning appliance 1 is a vacuuming robot with a cleaning element 16 in the form of a cleaning brush that rotates about an essentially horizontal axis. The cleaning appliance 1 has wheels 15 and a drive unit 2 for the wheels 15 in order to realize its autonomous movement, wherein said drive unit 2 comprises a not-shown electric motor. The cleaning appliance 1 furthermore has a communication interface 3 for the wireless communication with an external terminal 14 (see FIG. 3). The cleaning appliance 1 can be incorporated, for example, into a home network or also connected to the Internet by means of communication interface 3. An obstacle detection device 5 of the cleaning appliance 1 is designed for detecting obstacles 6, 7 in the environment of the cleaning appliance 1. The obstacles 6, 7 may on the one hand be stationary obstacles 6, e.g., large pieces of furniture such as cabinets, beds and the like, and on the other hand movable obstacles 7 such as small pieces of furniture, e.g., chairs, side tables and the like. In this example, the obstacle detection device 5 is a distance measuring device that measures distances from the cleaning appliance 1 to the obstacles 6, 7. The obstacle detection device 5 particularly may be an optical measuring device such as a triangulation measuring device that measures around the obstacle detection device 5 over an angular range of 360 degrees. The cleaning appliance 1 is equipped with a computing device 8 that can generate an environment map 9 (see FIG. 2) representing a floor plan of the environment based on the distances measured by the obstacle detection device 5. In this case, the floor plan corresponds to a floor of a residence or a house with multiple rooms, which in turn are divided into environment sections 10, 11. In addition to the room boundaries, the environment map 9 also contains the detected obstacles, 6, 7, as well as a current location of the cleaning appliance 1. The computing device 8 can detect the current position of the cleaning appliance 1 based on the environment map 9 and continuously update the current position in the environment map 9. The cleaning appliance 1 furthermore can detect a state of dirt accumulation of the environment by means of a dirt sensor 12. For example, the dirt sensor 12 may comprise a camera in connection with image processing software, which based on an image comparison classifies current states of dirt accumulation as average, below average or above average. Other exemplary classifications may be low, medium, high or the like. The computing device 8 furthermore can enter these determined degrees of dirt accumulation into the environment map 9. A memory 13 of the cleaning appliance 1 may contain images of reference degrees of dirt accumulation, which can be compared with an image that is currently recorded by the dirt sensor 12 in order to determine a degree of dirt accumulation. The environment map 9 may likewise be stored in the memory 13.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary environment map 9 generated by the cleaning appliance 1. This environment map 9 may be generated, for example, in the course of a so-called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) process. In this case, the obstacle detection device 5 of the cleaning appliance 1 continuously measures distances to obstacles, 6, 7 in the environment and generates the environment map 9 based on the measured distances whereas the cleaning appliance 1 at the same time localizes itself with the aid of the already existing parts of the environment map 9 and continuously matches currently detected obstacle data with the data stored in the environment map 9. The merely exemplary environment map 9 contains a plurality of obstacles 6, 7, wherein stationary obstacles, 6 (that usually are not moved by the user) are distinguished from movable obstacles 7 (that are frequently moved by the user) in order to better illustrate the invention, Multiple environment sections 10, 11, are marked in the environment map 9, wherein the environment sections 10 represent regions of the environment that contain a movable obstacle 7 and the environment sections 11 characterize regions of the environment, in which the dirt sensor 12 of the cleaning appliance 1 has detected a degree of dirt accumulation that is higher than a reference.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows an external terminal 14 of a user of the cleaning appliance 1 in the form of a mobile telephone. The external terminal 14 conventionally has a display 17, on which messages can be displayed to the user. In this case, the display. 17 shows a request for the user to keep a certain obstacle 7 (chair) away from a defined environment section 10, 11 (surroundings of the table).

[0029] In a potential embodiment, the invention is carried out in that the cleaning appliance 1 initially generates an environment map 9 of the environment by means of its computing device 8. According to the example illustrated in FIG. 2, obstacles, 6, 7 detected by the obstacle detection device 5 of the cleaning appliance 1 during an exploratory run or a work run are registered in this environment map 9. Furthermore, the cleaning appliance 1 detects environment sections 11 of the environment, in which dirt has accumulated beyond a standard value, by means of its dirt sensor 12. Such environment sections 11 are located, for example, in the region of smaller pieces of furniture, the surroundings of which cannot be completely cleaned by the cleaning appliance 1. For example, environment sections 11 with such obstacles 7 are regions underneath chairs, between the chair legs of which the cleaning appliance 1 cannot pass through. The environment section 11, in which this obstacle 7 is located, consequently cannot be optimally cleaned. Small pieces of furniture such as chairs are movable obstacles 7, which are frequently carried or pushed back and forth by a user. This is the reason why these obstacles are identified as movable obstacles 7 in the environment map 9 whereas larger, immobile pieces of furniture are in this example identified as obstacles 6. These immobile pieces of furniture include kitchen cabinets, sideboards, beds and the like.

[0030] The cleaning appliance 1 continuously generates a new, current environment map 9 by means of the computing device 8 based on the obstacles 6, 7 detected by the obstacle detection device 5, as well as the detection signals of the dirt sensor 12, and preferably stores this environment map in the memory 13. The generated environment map 9 is compared with one or more older environment maps 9 and analyzed with respect to position changes of movable obstacles 7 after each exploratory run or cleaning run. The computing device 8 can determine that a movable object 7 was placed in a different position within the environment by comparing successively recorded environment maps 9. For example, such a movable obstacle 7 may be a chair, which previously was positioned in a dining set and subsequently was returned into a slightly different position after the user left the dining table. The successively generated environment maps 9 are furthermore analyzed with respect to environment sections 11 with degrees of dirt accumulation that deviate from a standard. For example, this may concern environment sections 11 that could not be cleaned at all or only cleaned incompletely, inhomogenously or with a great expenditure of time.

[0031] The computing device 8 subsequently compares the positions of the detected environment sections 11 with an incomplete or otherwise sub-optimal cleaning result and the environment sections 10 with movable obstacles 7. When the computing device 8 determines that an environment section 10, 11 of the invention belongs to the environment sections 10 with movable obstacles 7, as well as to the environment sections 11 with an incomplete or sub-optimal cleaning result, this environment section is marked in the environment map 9. The computing device 8 determines a solution proposal, which is output on the display 17 of the external terminal 14 of the user as illustrated in FIG. 3, by comparing the environment sections 11 that are difficult to clean with the environment sections 10, in which movable obstacles 7 are located. In this case, the message 4 “Please do not place chair back at the table” is output in order to thereby ask the user to not place the movable obstacle 7 “chair” back into the previous position, namely not into the environment section 10, after its next use. This may be realized, for example, in that the user no longer returns the chair to the dining set or moves the chair to the table, but rather places the chair slightly away from this position. Since the movable obstacles 7 are thereby purposefully moved, it is ensured that all environment sections 10, 11 of the environment are evenly, regularly and homogenously cleaned.

[0032] In contrast to the message 4 in text form illustrated in FIG. 3, a message 4 in the form of an image or an icon representing the obstacle 7 to be moved may also be displayed to the user. In addition, it would also be possible, for example, to display an image of the room containing this movable obstacle 7. The image itself may be recorded by an obstacle detection device 5 of the cleaning appliance 1, particularly a camera. As an alternative to the output of messages 4 on an external terminal 14, the cleaning appliance 1 may also be equipped with its own display 17, on which messages 4 are displayed to the user, Furthermore, the communication interface 3 of the cleaning appliance 1 may output an optical or acoustical message 4, e.g., a voice message, a signal that is projected on a wall or the like.

[0033] After the user has received the message 4 and placed the movable object 7 in a location that currently is not cleaned by the cleaning appliance 1, the user can transmit information to the effect that the movable obstacle 7 has been removed from the environment section 11 to be cleaned to the computing device 8 of the cleaning appliance 1, e.g., by means of a touch-sensitive display 17 of the external terminal 14. The computing device 8 can then start a cleaning process in the respective environment section 11. Alternatively, the cleaning appliance 1 can also determine that the movable obstacle 7 has been removed from the environment section 11 autonomously, particularly with the assistance of its obstacle detection device 5, and then accordingly control the cleaning process of the environment section 11.

[0034] Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0035] 1 Cleaning appliance [0036] 2 Drive unit [0037] 3 Communication interface [0038] 4 Message [0039] 5 Obstacle detection device [0040] 6 Obstacle [0041] 7 Obstacle [0042] 8 Computing device [0043] 9 Environment map [0044] 10 Environment section [0045] 11 Environment section [0046] 12 Dirt sensor [0047] 13 Memory [0048] 14 External terminal [0049] 15 Wheel [0050] 16 Cleaning element [0051] 17 Display