SYSTEM FOR CLEANING AN ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

A system for cleaning an environment has least one self-propelled cleaning device, which has a status detection device, at least one environmental detection device, a computing device for defining a working activity to be performed as a function of the detected environmental parameter and/or detected operating status, and a database.

Claims

1. A system for cleaning an environment, comprising: at least one self-propelled cleaning device, which has a status detection device configured for detecting an operating status of the cleaning device; at least one environmental detection device configured for detecting a currently ongoing use of at least one location of the environment; a computing device configured for defining a working activity to be performed as a function of the use of the at least one location of the environment detected by the environmental detection device and the operating status detected by means of the status detection device; a database configured for storing the working activity to be performed; an input-output interface that communicates with the computing device, and is configured to receive at least one work order relating to a working activity to be performed from a user of the system; wherein the computing device is configured to: analyze a totality of working activities defined based upon the detected use and the detected operating status and the work orders received via the input-output interface with respect to a performance time for the working activities to be performed, specifically to filter the totality of working activities and define a first activity quantity, which comprises at least one working activity that can be automatically performed by the at least one cleaning device, and a second activity quantity, which comprises at least one working activity to be performed exclusively manually by a user, completely automatically and independently determine which working activities can be performed exclusively manually by a user, because the cleaning devices integrated into the system are either not suitable for automatically performing the cleaning activity, or because the situation does not allow one of the cleaning devices to perform this working activity, and generate a work plan that defines working activities to be manually performed by a user in a specific time period, and output the work plan to the user by means of the input-output interface.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to evaluate the plurality of different working activities to be performed as to their time urgency, and based thereupon to generate the work plan, so that the user need only work according to the generated work plan, and no longer has to decide which working activity is to be performed next.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured, based upon working activities that can be automatically performed by one or several of the cleaning devices, to detect when the cleaning device has a corresponding capability or design and a corresponding current operating state.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the work plan contains working activities to be performed exclusively manually, which are to be performed manually by a user.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein, without any prior information to the user, the computing device is configured to directly convert the automatically performable working activities into a control command for a cleaning device, wherein the control command preferably only leads to the performance of the working activity once the performance time defined for this purpose has been reached.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to adjust a second working activity of the cleaning device to be automatically performed as a function of an environmental parameter that was changed based upon a first working activity performed manually by a user, so that, if the user manually intervenes in an environment and manually performs a working activity not prescribed by the defined work plan, a chronologically ensuing work activity defined in the work plan is adjusted, so as not to duplicate the performance of a work activity, wherein the computing device is configured to determine that a work activity has already been performed, and to then adjust the work plan defined beforehand in such a way as to delete the corresponding work activity from the work plan, or define another duration, work intensity or repetition frequency for this working activity.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the working activity to be performed manually is a cleaning activity for cleaning an aboveground surface or a surface not accessible to the cleaning device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured not to define any working activity in a partial environmental area that was not even used at all, and to give priority consideration in the work plan to a partial environmental area that was used long or intensively, so that a working activity in the partial environmental area is performed first in time or at a higher performance frequency.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the work order input by the user via the input-output interface contains a specific working activity to be performed at a defined location of the environment, wherein the work order is characterized by different parameters selected from the group: type of working activity, mopping or vacuuming a floor surface, emptying a garbage can, wet cleaning, dry cleaning, area at a location of the environment for performing the working activity, specifically furniture to be cleaned, floor surfaces, garbage cans, light switches, a repetition frequency, or a performance time.

10. A system for cleaning an environment, comprising: at least one self-propelled cleaning device, which has a status detection device configured for detecting an operating status of the cleaning device, at least one environmental detection device configured for detecting an environmental parameter of the environment, a computing device configured for defining a working activity to be performed as a function of the detected environmental parameter and/or the detected operating status, and a database for storing the working activity to be performed, wherein the system has an input-output interface that communicates with the computing device, and is configured to receive at least one work order relating to a working activity to be performed from a user of the system, wherein the computing device is configured to analyze a totality of working activities defined based upon the environmental parameters and/or operating status and of work orders received via the input-output interface with respect to a performance time for the working activities to be performed, and to generate a work plan that defines working activities to be manually performed by a user in a specific time period, and output it to the user by means of the input-output interface, wherein the computing device is configured to filter the totality of working activities, and define a first activity quantity, which comprises at least one working activity that can be automatically performed by the at least one cleaning device, and a second activity quantity, which comprises at least one working activity to be performed exclusively manually by a user.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the database has a file that stores reference activities for working activities to be performed manually and reference activities for automatically performable working activities, wherein the computing device is configured to compare a working activity to be performed with the stored reference activities, and given a correlation between the working activity and one of the reference activities, infer a working activity to be performed manually or an automatically performable working activity.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing device is configured to prompt the user to do a working activity to be exclusively performed manually by means of the input-output interface.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing device is configured to adjust a second working activity of the cleaning device to be automatically performed as a function of an environmental parameter that was changed based upon a first working activity performed by a user.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing device is configured to prompt a working activity to be performed manually by a user as a function of the current operating status of the cleaning device, by virtue of the computing device having the input-output interface output a prompt to perform the manual activity.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the working activity to be performed manually is a service activity for the cleaning device.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the service activity is selected from the group consisting of: providing consumables in the environment, transferring consumables to the cleaning device, receiving material collected by the cleaning device in the environment, freeing the cleaning device from a stalled position, carrying the cleaning device to a base station, and changing or cleaning a component of the cleaning device.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the working activity to be performed manually is a cleaning activity for cleaning the environment.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the cleaning activity is selected from the group consisting of: cleaning an aboveground surface, cleaning a surface not accessible to the cleaning device.

19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the environmental detection device is configured to detect a currently transpiring use of at least one location in the environment as the environmental parameter.

20. The system according to claim 10, wherein the environmental detection device has at least one sensor selected from the following group: a presence sensor, a motion sensor, a continuity sensor, a location sensor for mobile devices.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will be described in more detail below based upon exemplary embodiments. Shown on:

[0019] FIG. 1 is part of a system according to the invention for cleaning an environment;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a layout of an environment with a system for cleaning an environment;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a file with a plurality of work orders transmitted by a user to the system;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a file with information allocated to cleaning devices of the system;

[0023] FIG. 5 is a file with a maintenance table for a cleaning device;

[0024] FIG. 6 is a file with working activities to be performed as a function of a use of a specific location of the environment;

[0025] FIG. 7 is a work plan with working activities to be performed manually.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a cutout of a system for cleaning an environment. The system contains at least one cleaning device 1 (shown here strictly by way of example). The system can have a plurality of additional cleaning devices 1. The cleaning devices 1 can be similar or different in design. In addition, the system has a computing device 7 and a database 8 which the computing device 7 accesses. The computing device 7 and the database 8 are here exemplarily formed centrally in a remote server, in particular a so-called cloud server. The cleaning device 1 or the cleaning devices 1 of the system have communication devices (not shown) for establishing a communications link with the computing device 7 of the system. In particular, the respective cleaning device 1 can have a WLAN module. Other wireless communication techniques are also possible for data transmission. The system further has an external terminal 13, with which the user of the system can make inputs. In particular, the external terminal 13 can be a mobile terminal, for example a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or the like. The external terminal 13 has an input-output interface 9, for example a touchscreen, which can receive inputs from the user or initiate outputs to the user. This system further has at least one environmental detection device 2, 3, 4, 5, which is designed to detect an environmental parameter 17 of the environment. This will be explained further below.

[0027] For example, the at least one cleaning device 1 is here designed as an autonomous suction robot. The cleaning device 1 has motor-driven wheels 14, as well as one or several cleaning elements 15, which preferably can likewise be motor driven. For example, the cleaning device 1 here has a cleaning element 15 designed as a cleaning roller, which rotates around an essentially horizontal axis, and rolls onto a surface to be cleaned. In addition, the cleaning device 1 has an environmental detection device 2, which is set up to detect an environmental parameter 17 of the environment. For example, the environmental parameter 17 here involves a contamination level of a surface to be cleaned. A status detection device 6 of the cleaning device 1 is designed to detect an operating status 18 of the cleaning device 1. For example, the operating status 18 can be a blockade of the wheel 14 or the cleaning element 15, a charging status of an undepicted battery of the cleaning device 1, a stalled state of the cleaning device 1 at a location 22 of the environment, for example a stalling between tightly adjacent obstacles or the like. In order for the cleaning device 1 to automatically navigate and travel in the environment, the cleaning device 1 has a navigation device 16, which is set up to detect properties of the environment, and use the latter for navigating and self-localizing the cleaning device 1 in the environment. For example, the navigation device 16 can have a distance measurement device, e.g., an optical measurement system, in particular a triangulation system, which is suitable for measuring distances to obstacles, and a data processing device, which is set up to generate a layout of the environment based upon the measured distance values, in particular in the form of an area map.

[0028] FIG. 2 exemplarily shows a layout of an environment that is cleaned by a system according to the invention. The system contains several cleaning devices 1 and, apart from the device-specific environmental detection device 2 of the cleaning devices 1, several additional environmental detection devices 3, 4, 5, which can detect environmental parameters 17 of the environment. The environmental detection devices 3, 4, 5 are here set up to determine a user of the location 22 allocated to the respective environmental detection device 3, 4, 5 as environmental parameters 17, for example by detecting a presence of a person, a movement at the respective location 22, or a presence of a tracked mobile device at the respective location 22. Furthermore, the environmental detection device 3, 4, 5 can alternatively or additionally also have a continuity sensor, which monitors access to the respective location 22. A cleaning requirement at the respective location 22 can then be derived based upon the determined use of the respective location 22, wherein locations 22 at which no use has taken place need accordingly also not be cleaned. On the other hand, if it is determined that a location 22 was used or at least that people were present there, a cleaning of this location 22 can advantageously take place.

[0029] A plurality of different working activities 10 may be necessary in the environment, which can be performed by an autonomous cleaning device 1 and/or manually by users or cleaning specialists. In particular in the area of commercial or industrial environments, for example office complexes, it is known to commission a professional cleaning company to perform diverse working activities 10. For example, these working activities 10 include cleaning a floor surface at various locations 22 of the environment, cleaning aboveground surfaces, such as furniture surfaces, baseboards, or windowsills. Working activities 10 to be performed further include emptying wastebaskets and garbage cans, refilling consumables, for example soap or toilet paper in a WC room, or maintenance activities on one or several cleaning devices 1, provided these are due. For example, maintenance activities include cleaning or replacing a filter of the cleaning device 1, emptying a dust collection container of the cleaning device, or the like.

[0030] Depending on the configuration of the cleaning devices 1 used in the system, working activities 10 can be performed fully automatically by the cleaning devices 1, or require a manual action on the part of a user or cleaning person. The computing device 7 of the system can especially preferably be designed to check whether a working activity 10 to be performed can be performed by one or several of the cleaning devices 1, or whether a manual intervention by a human is required. To this end, the database 8 of the system that is accessed by the computing device 7 can have a plurality of reference activities, for example, which serve for comparison with working activities 10 to be performed. The computing device 7 can thus compare a working activity 10 to be performed with the plurality of defined reference activities, and given a match with a reference activity that indicates a working activity 10 to be performed exclusively manually, infer that this working activity 10 must be performed manually by a human. Accordingly, a user of the system can be informed about the requirement for a manual performance, for example with the help of the external terminal 13, the input-output interface 9 of which can be used to output this information. In particular, the input-output interface 9, provided it has a display function, can indicate a work plan 12 (see FIG. 7), which contains various working activities 10 for the user or cleaning personnel. This will be discussed in even more detail later.

[0031] In order to implement the invention, a user of the system initially inputs a plurality of work orders 11 into the external terminal 13 according to FIG. 3, for example, so as to transmit the work orders 11 to the computing device 7 of the system. Each work order 11 contains a specific working activity 10, which is to be performed at a defined location 22 of the environment. The work order 11 is characterized in more detail by various parameters, specifically by the working activity 10 to be performed, for example here specifically mopping or vacuuming a floor surface or emptying a garbage can. A specific working activity 10 can further be characterized by a subtype 24, for example by an indication like “wet” or “dry”, thereby describing in more detail whether mopping is to take place wet or dry. In addition, a separate column also indicates an area 25 at a location 22 of the environment for performing the working activity 10, for example furniture, floor surfaces, garbage cans, light switches, or other objects to be cleaned. Furthermore, a respective repetition frequency 26 and a performance time 27 are indicated. For example, a repetition frequency 26 is weekly, monthly, annually. The indicated performance time 27 can be a specific weekday, a specific week in each month, a month or also a date and/or time of day. The last column of the depicted table here indicates the respective location 22 for performing the working activity 10. For example, the work orders 11 as a whole can be part of a service agreement with a professional cleaning company, which describes precisely when which cleaning activity is to be performed at which location 22.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a table with data collected about the environmental parameters 17 of the environment or operating status 18 of the cleaning devices 1 operating in the system. For this purpose, the computing device 7 collects data from various sources, for example the environmental detection devices 2 of the cleaning devices 1 themselves, and possibly also from external environmental detection devices 3, 4, 5, which can optionally be used in the system. The table depicted on FIG. 4 is likewise filed in the database 8 of the system, and contains working activities 10 that require a manual intervention by a human, for example maintenance activities to be performed on the cleaning devices 1.

[0033] For example, the status detection device 6 of the respective cleaning device 1 monitors whether a working activity 10 has not yet, partially, or completely been performed, whether an error status of the cleaning device 1 is present, or the like. For example, the status detection device 6 can determine when an accident situation is present, i.e., the cleaning device 1 is stalled at a location 22 of the environment, for example, or whether a wheel 14 or a cleaning element 15 is blocked, whether a charge status of a battery of the cleaning device 1 is sufficient for completely performing a working activity 10, or the like. If a detected operating status 18 is an error status of the cleaning device 1, a working activity 10 can as a result once again be required, which necessitates a manual participation by a human. For example, an operating status 18 of the cleaning device 1 can require that a user bring the cleaning device 1 to another location, for example to a location 22 free of obstacles or a location 22 of a charging station for the battery of the cleaning device 1. For example, every time that an error status of a cleaning device 1 is present, a working activity 10 has ended, or an accident situation exists, an entry is made in the table depicted on FIG. 4. This in turn yields new working activities 10 to be performed. For example, the exemplarily depicted top working activity 10 on the table lists that the robot “R2C” is stalled (operating status 18), which results in the working activity 10 “bring the robot back to the base station”. It is further recorded that the cleaning device 1 had already processed a cleaned surface 19 of 50 m.sup.2 before the accident case arose. The entire overall surface 20 to be cleaned measures 300 m.sup.2, however. Additionally filed in the table are the date 21 of the table entry, the respective location 22 at which the working activity 10 is to be performed, as well as the work status 23. The work status 23 “to do” here indicates that the working activity 10 must still be completed, since 250 m.sup.2 of the 300 m.sup.2 overall surface have not yet been processed.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows an additional table, which likewise is filed in the database 8 of the system. This table has maintenance activities to be performed on one or several cleaning devices 1. For example, the usual maintenance activities on a cleaning device 1 include maintenance on components 28 such as the primary brush, side brush, filter, battery, dust container, or others. The maintenance operations are working activities 10 having to do with changing or cleaning a component 28. In order to formulate the working activities 10, the computing device 7 has corresponding information as to the service life of the components 28 or the contamination level of a component 28, e.g., such as a dust container or a filter. For example, the second line of the table indicates that the cleaning element 15 “side brush” of the “R2C” robot must be replaced after an operating period (reference value 29) of 8000 hours. However, the operating status 18 of the cleaning device 1 already indicates an operating time of “9000 hours”, so that the operating status 18 (maintenance status) is set to “active”. This means that the cleaning element 15 must be replaced as soon as possible. For example, the reference values 29 can be defined by a user of the system. To this end, for example, the user can make corresponding entries by means of an application installed on his or her external terminal 13. As soon as a user has serviced the component 28 of the cleaning device 1 to be replaced, the operating status 18 is correspondingly reset to “inactive”. The reset can likewise take place manually via the application. Alternatively, however, a detection device of the cleaning device 1 can automatically determine when the maintenance activity was successfully performed. Based upon the kept table, the working activities 10 to be performed for servicing the cleaning devices 1 are continuously updated.

[0035] FIG. 6 shows an additional table, which indicates working activities 10 that are required as a function of an environmental parameter 17 detected by an environmental detection device 2, 3, 4, 5. According to this embodiment, environmental detection devices 2, 3, 4, 5 of the system, for example dirt sensors, motion sensors, closing sensors on doors or windows, sensors that monitor an activation of a light switch or the like, can serve to monitor a contamination or use of specific locations 22 of the environment that are allocated to the sites of the environmental detection device 2, 3, 4, 5. In modern office environments, for example, use is made of a lighting controller to detect a presence of people within specific rooms. For example, the automatic lighting controller is achieved by motion sensors, which provide necessary information about what locations 22 were actually used, and should thus be cleaned, what consumables are to be replaced at a specific location 22, whether doors or windows must be closed, or the like. In further detail, an environmental detection device 2, 3, 4, 5 or a computing device 7 of the system can also draw conclusions from the above as to whether a specific usage occurs routinely. The environmental parameter 17 recorded in the table indicates whether the corresponding location 22 of the environment was used or not. Locations 22 that have the environmental parameter 17 “used” and were not yet cleaned receive the work status 23 “to do” for the corresponding working activity 10, for example vacuuming a location 22, emptying a garbage can, or others.

[0036] Working activities 10 for cleaning devices 1 as well as working activities 10 that must be performed manually by a cleaning person can then be defined based upon the tables on FIGS. 3 to 6 shown above. If an error status or accident status of a cleaning device 1 is present, the working activity 10 is preferably always set to “to do”, so that it is defined that this working activity 10 must still be performed. If working activities 10 have begun but not been fully concluded, it can be determined whether to set the status to “to do” or “done” depending on the degree to which the working activity 10 has been completed. For example, if a cleaning device 1 has ended a cleaning operation, but the actually cleaned surface 19 is smaller than an overall surface 20 to be cleaned, the status can be set to “to do”, for example, if a specific minimum percentage has not been reached, for example less than 95 percent of the overall surface 20 has been cleaned. In contrast, if more than 95 percent of the surface has been cleaned, the status is “done” (“done”). With regard to the pending maintenance activities, a user can preferably determine themselves whether they wish to be informed about pending maintenance activities or not. For example, only if a notification is actively requested can the user be informed about a corresponding working activity 10 to be performed by way of their external terminal 13.

[0037] For example, from the quantity of working activities 10 to be performed in a specific time period within the environment, the computing device 7 of the system can filter out those working activities 10 that must be performed manually by a user or cleaning personnel of the system. A work plan 12 according to FIG. 7 can then be generated for these working activities 10, which only contains the working activities 10 to be performed by a human. However, it is of course also possible to likewise list working activities 10 to be performed automatically, because a user must activate a start button on a cleaning device 1 to initialize the working activity, for example. The work plan 12 is generated from the plurality of working activities 10 that have the work status 23 “to do/to do”. The work plan 12 can further be defined as relates to people, i.e., only those working activities 10 are listed that can be performed by a specific person. Accordingly, authorizations for the users of the system can be filed in the database 8.

[0038] A working activity 10 is preferably removed from the work plan 12 as soon as the working activity 10 has been completed. The user can mark a working activity 2 as completed via the input-output interface 9 of their external terminal 13. The working activities 10 exemplarily listed on the input-output interface 9 on FIG. 7 could additionally be listed separately by type of working activity 10, for example by working activities 10 to be performed automatically and working activities 10 to be performed manually. Furthermore, additional activating elements 30 can be shown on the display of the external terminal 13, for example, which serve to retrieve specific information for the user. With regard to one or several prompts 31 that relate to a working activity 10 to be performed, for example, the user can activate an activating element 30 “play find me” or “open map”, so that information is output that provides the user an indication as to where the cleaning device 1 is currently located, for example. For example, after the corresponding activating element 30 has been pressed, the cleaning device 1 can make a sound that allows the use to find the cleaning device 1. In addition, an area map can also be opened, which displays a current location 22 of the cleaning device 1 in the environment to the user. In addition, information about how a component 28 can be cleaned or replaced within the framework of a maintenance activity can also be displayed. In addition, the prompts 31 can also be weighted in such a way as to be provided with a priority notice. For example, the prompts 31 can be indicated in a specific color according to a stoplight system, e.g., red for urgent, yellow for a somewhat urgent, and green for working activities 10 that are to be performed occasionally, but are not especially urgent. Working activities 10 to be performed based upon an error or an accident situation of the cleaning device 1 can here be indicated as urgent, routine working activities 10 for maintenance purposes can be marked as working activities 10 to be occasionally performed. Usual cleaning activities can further be defined as somewhat urgent.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0039] 1 Cleaning device [0040] 2 Environmental detection device [0041] 3 Environmental detection device [0042] 4 Environmental detection device [0043] 5 Environmental detection device [0044] 6 Status detection device [0045] 7 Computing device [0046] 8 Database [0047] 9 Input-output interface [0048] 10 Working activity [0049] 11 Work order [0050] 12 Work plan [0051] 13 External terminal [0052] 14 Wheel [0053] 15 Cleaning element [0054] 16 Navigation device [0055] 17 Environmental parameter [0056] 18 Operating status [0057] 19 Cleaned surface [0058] 20 Overall surface [0059] 21 Date [0060] 22 Location [0061] 23 Work status [0062] 24 Subtype [0063] 25 Area [0064] 26 Repetition frequency [0065] 27 Performance time [0066] 28 Component [0067] 29 Reference value [0068] 30 Activating element [0069] 31 Prompt