Self-propelled cleaning device

Abstract

A self-propelled cleaning device has a housing, a fan and a surface cleaning system for cleaning a surface to be cleaned. In order to also be able to clean an above-floor surface, in particular a plateau of a baseboard, the cleaning device also has an above-floor cleaning system for cleaning an above-floor surface vertically offset relative to the surface to be cleaned. The above-floor cleaning system has a flow connection to a suction and/or blower unit having a fan, the flow opening of which has a difference in height of roughly 3 cm or more relative to a standing surface of the cleaning device by comparison to a usual orientation of the cleaning device for a cleaning operation.

Claims

1. A self-propelled cleaning device, comprising: a housing, a first fan, a surface cleaning system for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, and an above-floor cleaning system for cleaning an above-floor surface vertically offset relative to the surface to be cleaned, said above-floor cleaning system having a flow connection to a suction and/or blower unit having a second fan and a flow opening, said flow opening having a difference in height of at least 3 cm relative to a standing surface of the cleaning device, wherein the first fan is separate from the second fan, and wherein the above-floor cleaning system has a cleaning arm that provides a flow channel and can shift relative to the housing, said cleaning arm being at least partially arranged on the housing of the cleaning device from outside in such a way that a flow opening of the flow channel protrudes beyond an outer contour of the housing next to the housing.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the suction and/or blower unit has a flow connection to a pressure side and/or a suction side of the second fan.

3. A self-propelled cleaning device, comprising: a housing, a first fan, a surface cleaning system for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, and an above-floor cleaning system for cleaning an above-floor surface vertically offset relative to the surface to be cleaned, said above-floor cleaning system having a flow connection to a suction and/or blower unit having a second fan and a flow opening, said flow opening having a difference in height of at least 3 cm relative to a standing surface of the cleaning device, wherein the first fan is separate from the second fan, and wherein the above-floor cleaning system has a cleaning arm that provides a flow channel, which relative to a cross section through the housing and cleaning arm essentially has an L-shape turned by 180 degrees, a longer leg of which is essentially vertically aligned in relation to a usual orientation of the cleaning device during a cleaning operation, and a shorter leg of which is aligned essentially horizontally.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, A self-propelled cleaning device, comprising: a housing, a first fan, a surface cleaning system for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, and an above-floor cleaning system for cleaning an above-floor surface vertically offset relative to the surface to be cleaned, said above-floor cleaning system having a flow connection to a suction and/or blower unit having a second fan and a flow opening, said flow opening having a difference in height of at least 3 cm relative to a standing surface of the cleaning device, wherein the first fan is separate from the second fan, and wherein a valve element is arranged between the second fan and the suction and/or blower unit, said valve element being configured to block or release a flow path.

5. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the valve element is configured to be switched as a function of a detection signal of a detection system, wherein the detection system is set up to detect an above-floor surface.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the above-floor cleaning system has a mechanical cleaning element for mechanically cleaning the above-floor surface.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the suction and/or blower unit has a flow connection to a pressure side and/or a suction side of the second fan.

8. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the suction and/or blower unit has a flow connection to a pressure side and/or a suction side of the second fan.

9. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the above-floor cleaning system has a mechanical cleaning element for mechanically cleaning the above-floor surface.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the above-floor cleaning system has a mechanical cleaning element for mechanically cleaning the above-floor surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) 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.

(2) In the drawings,

(3) FIG. 1 is a cleaning device according to the invention in a first embodiment;

(4) FIG. 2 is a front view of a cleaning device according to the invention in a second embodiment;

(5) FIG. 3 is a side view of the cleaning device on FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 4 is a top view of the cleaning device on FIGS. 2 and 3; and

(7) FIG. 5 is a cleaning device according to the invention in a third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 1, which is here designed as a self-propelled robotic vacuum. The cleaning device 1 has a housing 2 with an outer contour 15, which reflects the outline of the cleaning device given a vertical projection of the housing 2. Arranged inside of the housing 2 is a fan 3, which has a flow connection with a suction nozzle 22 on a suction side 12 on the one hand, and with a suction and/or blower unit 8 on the pressure side 11 on the other. Arranged in the suction nozzle 22 of the cleaning device 1 is a surface cleaning system 4, which here is designed as a brush roller. A main flow channel 13 runs from the suction nozzle 22 to the fan 3. Located on the pressure side 11 of the fan 3 is a flow channel 13, which leads to an above-floor cleaning system 6 having the suction and/or blower unit 8. A valve element 16 is located between the fan 3 and flow channel 13, and can block or release a flow path from the fan 3 to the flow channel 13.

(9) The suction and/or blower unit 8 of the above-floor cleaning device 6 has a cleaning arm 14, which partially takes up the flow channel 13, and at a free end area has a flow opening 9 through which suction air and/or blowing air can stream. The cleaning arm 14 is here formed on the upper side of the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1, and essentially extends like an upside down U toward the end area having the flow opening 9.

(10) The cleaning device 1 further has a standing surface 10, which here has partial circumferential areas of the traversing wheels of the cleaning device 1. This standing surface 10 rests on a surface 5 to be cleaned, specifically a floor surface. Located next to the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1 is an above-floor surface 7, specifically here a plateau of a baseboard.

(11) The cleaning device 1 further has an additional brush 23 on the underside of the housing 2, which serves to clean transitions between the surface 5 and a vertical room boundary area.

(12) The cleaning device 1 has a detection system 17 with two different distance sensors 18. A first distance sensor 18 arranged perpendicular to a usual traversing direction on the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1 is here an ultrasound sensor, which can measure distances from obstacles. A second distance sensor 18 (not visible on the figures) is part of a triangulation measuring system, which simultaneously serves to navigate and self-localize the cleaning device 1 within an environment. While traversing the environment, the triangulation measuring system recognizes obstacles that block a traversing path, for example room boundaries, pieces of furniture and the like. A light source emits a light beam and receives reflections or scattered light components of the emitted light from varying distances. The distance of the reflecting obstacle can be inferred from this. The distance sensor 18 designed as an ultrasound sensor has a detection range 19 lying below a detection range 20 of the triangulation measuring system. The distance between the planes of the two detection ranges 19, 20 here relates to the depicted orientation of the cleaning device 1, in which the cleaning device 1 rests on the surface to be cleaned 5 with the standing surface 10, which corresponds to a usual orientation of the cleaning device 1 during a cleaning operation.

(13) For example, the invention in this embodiment functions in such a way that the cleaning device 1 moves within the environment during a cleaning operation, for example traverses the surface 5 to be cleaned. The detection system 17 here continuously detects obstacles within the environment of the cleaning device 1. As soon as the two distance sensors 18 of the detection system 17 detect a deviating distance from an obstacle in relation to an identical direction in space, an evaluation and control system of the cleaning device 1 infers the existence of an obstacle with a height lying between the detection range 19 of the first distance sensor 18 and the detection range 20 of the distance sensor 18 of the triangulation measuring system. The obstacle here involves a baseboard, whose above-floor surface 7, namely its plateau, lies above the detection range 19 of the distance sensor 18 designed as an ultrasound sensor, but below the detection range 20 of the distance sensor 18 of the triangulation measuring system. Given a difference in distance of 0.5 mm to 30 mm, for example, the measured difference in distance can be used to infer the existence of a baseboard as the obstacle, in particular when the two detection ranges 19, 20 lie below or above a usual height of a baseboard, for example by between 30 mm and 80 mm, as in this case. As soon as the evaluation and control system of the cleaning device 1 has inferred the existence of an above-floor surface 7, the cleaning device 1 is moved toward the above-floor surface, so that the cleaning device 1 passes by the obstacle having the above-floor surface 7 with a lateral area of the housing 2 in relation to a usual forward traveling direction. The orientation and height of the cleaning arm 14 of the suction and/or blower unit 8 are aligned in such a way that its flow opening 9 is arranged above the above-floor surface 7.

(14) In order to clean the above-floor surface 7, the valve element 16 arranged between the pressure side 11 of the fan 3 and the flow channel 13 of the suction and/or blower unit 8 is opened, so that the compressed air of the fan 3 can stream into the flow channel 13 and to the cleaning arm 14. The blowing air streams through the cleaning arm 14, and reaches the flow opening 9, which is arranged above the above-floor surface 7. The blowing air passes through the flow opening 9 and reaches the above-floor surface 7, where it blows suction material located there off the above-floor surface 7 down onto the surface 5. After a prescribed traversing path, for example after arriving at another room boundary in a forward traveling direction, the cleaning device 1 turns by 180 degrees and travels along the baseboard in the opposite direction. The suction material previously blown off the above-floor surface 7 down onto the surface 5 is here sent to the cleaning device 1 in the usual manner by means of the surface cleaning system 4 of the cleaning device 1 or via the suction nozzle 22, where it gets into a dust chamber.

(15) Another embodiment not further shown can provide that the flow channel 13 of the suction and/or blower unit 8 be connected to the suction side 12 of the fan 3, for example to a branch line of the main flow channel 24. As a consequence, the flow opening 9 of the cleaning arm 14 is exposed to suction air, so that the suction material arranged on the above-floor surface 7 is sucked into the cleaning arm 14 through the flow opening 9, and passes through the flow channel 13 to reach a suction material chamber of the cleaning device 1. In this embodiment, the suction material located on the above-floor surface 7 is sucked into the cleaning device 1 without the participation of the surface cleaning system 4.

(16) FIGS. 2 to 4 show another possible embodiment of the invention, in which the cleaning device 1 has a suction and/or blower unit 8 arranged on the housing 2 laterally in relation to a usual forward traveling direction. The suction and/or blower unit 8 has a cleaning arm 14 with an essentially L-shaped cross section, wherein the L-shape is turned opposite the usual orientation of an L by 180 degrees, so that the short leg is arranged above the long leg. The front view of the cleaning device 1 on FIG. 2 shows the cleaning arm 14 with cleaning elements 21 that are designed as bristles, and face in a direction away from the housing 2 proceeding from the cleaning arm 14, specifically in the direction of an obstacle to be cleaned. The cleaning elements 21 arranged on the short leg of the cleaning arm 14 here serve to clean an above-floor surface 7, while the cleaning elements 21 arranged on the long leg of the cleaning arm 14 serve to brush over a vertically standing lateral surface of the baseboard that has the above-floor surface 7.

(17) FIG. 3 presents a side view of the cleaning device 1 according to FIG. 2. As evident, the suction and/or blower unit 8, apart from the cleaning elements 21, has a flow opening 9 through which suction and/or blowing air can stream. The cleaning elements 21 of the cleaning arm 14 are guided around the flow opening 9 in the circumferential direction, so that they simultaneously represent a sealing element for the flow opening 9. Finally, FIG. 4 presents a top view of the cleaning device 1 with the suction and/or blower unit 8.

(18) In the embodiment shown on FIGS. 2 to 4, for example, the above-floor surface 7 is cleaned in such a way that the flow opening 9 has a flow connection with a suction side 12 of the fan 3 of the cleaning device 1. As a result, the flow opening 9 is exposed to a vacuum, which sucks suction material from the above-floor surface 7 and lateral surface of the baseboard into the flow channel 13 of the cleaning arm 14. The cleaning elements 21 abut against the above-floor surface 7 and lateral surface of the baseboard, and seal the flow channel 13 at the flow opening 9. As the cleaning elements 21 of the short leg abut against the above-floor surface 7, the L-shape of the cleaning arm 14 automatically positions the flow opening 9 in such a way that the flow opening 9 lies within the partial area of the cleaning arm 14 bordered by the cleaning elements 21. The flow opening 9 thus exposes a height range here measuring roughly 3 cm to 8 cm to a vacuum. As a consequence, suction material can be vacuumed off both on the lateral surface of the baseboard and on the above-floor surface 7 of the baseboard.

(19) The statements made above about the detection system 17 of the cleaning device 1 and/or of the valve element 16 also apply with respect to the second exemplary embodiment.

(20) In addition, it is of course also possible to design the suction and/or blower unit 8 in the second exemplary embodiment in such a way that the cleaning arm 14 blows blowing air onto the above-floor surface 7, and that the suction material thereby transferred onto the surface 5 is subsequently vacuumed by means of the surface cleaning system 4 from the surface 5, specifically the floor surface.

(21) FIG. 5 shows a cleaning device 1 according to another possible embodiment of the invention. The cleaning device 1 is mainly built like the cleaning device 1 according to FIG. 1 but has a fan 3 designed separately to the fan 3 of the surface cleaning device 1. Thus, the fan 3 that exposes the suction and/or blower unit 8 to suction and/or blowing air is an additional fan 3. A valve element 16 is located between the fan 3 and a separate flow channel 13, and can block or release a flow path from the fan 3 to the flow channel 13.

(22) It goes without saying that subcombinations of the depicted suction and/or blower units 8 are further possible. Apart from the depicted robotic vacuum, the cleaning device 1 can further be a combined vacuum-wiping device or the like.

(23) 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 REFERENCES

(24) 1 Cleaning device 2 Housing 3 Fan 4 Surface cleaning system 5 Surface 6 Above-floor cleaning system 7 Above-floor surface 8 Suction and/or blower unit 9 Flow opening 10 Standing surface 11 Pressure side 12 Suction side 13 Flow channel 14 Cleaning arm 15 Outer contour 16 Valve element 17 Detection system 18 Distance sensor 19 Detection range 20 Detection range 21 Cleaning element 22 Suction nozzle 23 Brush 24 Main flow channel