FLOOR TREATMENT APPLIANCE WITH A REPLACEABLE CHANGE COMPONENT AND SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A FLOOR TREATMENT APPLIANCE AND AN EXTERNAL TERMINAL

Abstract

A floor treatment appliance with a replaceable change component, a detection device for detecting an actual parameter that is influenced by wear of the change component, an evaluation device for determining a degree of wear of the change component based on the actual parameter and a communication device for communicating information concerning a required replacement of the change component to an external terminal that is communicatively linked to the floor treatment appliance. The change component is a floor treatment element that mechanically acts upon a floor surface to be treated, and the evaluation device calculates an average value of the actual parameter detected by the detection device referred to a defined time period of at least one hour, compares the average value with a defined reference value and determines the degree of wear of the change component in dependence on the result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A floor treatment appliance for treating a floor surface, comprising: a replaceable change component in the form of a floor treatment element configured for mechanically acting upon the floor surface to be treated, a detection device configured for detecting an actual parameter of the floor treatment appliance or the floor surface, which is influenced by wear of the floor treatment element, a communication device configured for communicating with an external terminal that is communicatively linked to the floor treatment appliance, and an evaluation device in the form of a processor configured for determining a degree of wear of the change component based on the actual parameter detected by means of the detection device, wherein the evaluation device is configured for: determining the degree of wear of the change component by calculating an average value of the actual parameter over a defined time period of at least one hour, by comparing the average value with a defined reference value and by determining the degree of wear of the change component in dependence on the result of the comparison, and for initiating an automatic order of a new change component from a merchandise management system by means of the communication device as automatic reaction to the determined degree of wear.

2. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 1, wherein the actual parameter is selected from the following group: an appliance parameter of the floor treatment appliance, a power consumption of an electric motor or actuator driving the floor treatment element, a torque of an electric motor or actuator driving the floor treatment element, an induced voltage, a temperature rise, a sound emission, a magnetic field, a floor treatment state of the floor surface treated by the floor treatment element, a cleaning state of the floor surface treated by the floor treatment element and a degree of reflection of the floor surface treated by the floor treatment element.

3. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is configured for receiving a specification for a type of an automatic reaction of the evaluation device to the determined degree of wear or a specification for a value of the degree of wear, upon exceeding of which the automatic reaction should take place, and for taking into account said specification in carrying out the automatic reaction.

4. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor treatment element is selected from the group consisting of: a cleaning element, a cleaning cloth, a cleaning brush, a floor conditioning element, a polishing disk, a waxing disk and an incorporation tool for incorporating a cleaning medium or a conditioning medium into the floor surface to be treated.

5. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 1, wherein the time period taken into account for calculating the average value of the actual parameter amounts to one day, several days, one week, several weeks, one month, or several months.

6. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor treatment appliance comprises a memory, in which at least one reference value for the average value is stored, and wherein the evaluation device is configured for accessing the memory.

7. A floor treatment appliance comprising a replaceable change component, a detection device configured for detecting an actual parameter that is influenced by wear of the change component, an evaluation device configured for determining a degree of wear of the change component based on the actual parameter and a communication device configured for communicating information concerning a required replacement of the change component to an external terminal that is communicatively linked to the floor treatment appliance, wherein the change component comprises a floor treatment element configured for mechanically acting upon a floor surface to be treated, and wherein the evaluation device is configured for calculating an average value of the actual parameter detected by the detection device referred to a defined time period of at least one hour, for comparing the average value with a defined reference value and for determining the degree of wear of the change component in dependence on a result of the comparison.

8. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the floor treatment element is selected from the group consisting of: a cleaning element, a cleaning cloth, a cleaning brush, a floor conditioning element, a polishing disk, a waxing disk and an incorporation tool for incorporating a cleaning medium or a conditioning medium into the floor surface to be treated.

9. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the floor treatment element is driven by means of an electric motor or actuator.

10. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the detection device is configured for detecting a power consumption or a torque of an electric motor or actuator driving the floor treatment element.

11. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the actual parameter detected by the detection device is an appliance parameter of the floor treatment appliance or a floor surface parameter of the floor surface treated by the floor treatment element.

12. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the detection device is an optical measuring device that is configured for recording an image of the floor surface treated by the floor treatment element or for detecting a reflection signal of the treated floor surface.

13. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the time period, over which the average value of the actual parameter is formed, amounts to one day, several days, one week, several weeks, one month or several months.

14. The floor treatment appliance according to claim 7, wherein the detection device is configured for detecting the actual parameter continuously or in defined time intervals during the time period, over which the average value of the actual parameter is formed.

15. A system consisting of a floor treatment appliance according to claim 7 and an external terminal that is communicatively linked to the communication device of the floor treatment appliance, wherein the external terminal comprises an application that is configured for informing a user of the floor treatment appliance of the determined degree of wear of the change component and for receiving from the user a specification with respect to the type of an automatic reaction of the evaluation device of the floor treatment appliance to the determined degree of wear or a specification with respect to a degree of wear, at which the automatic reaction should take place.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the type of the automatic reaction of the evaluation device to the determined degree of wear includes at least one of the following: an automatic order of a new change component from a merchandise management system or the transmission of information on the degree of wear to the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 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.

[0021] In the drawings,

[0022] FIG. 1 shows an inventive system consisting of a floor treatment appliance and an external terminal;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the external terminal while displaying a degree of wear of a change component; and

[0024] FIG. 3 shows the external terminal while displaying user-selectable adjustments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventive floor treatment appliance 1. In this example, the floor treatment appliance 1 is realized in the form of a floor treatment appliance 1 that is manually operated by a user. In the context of the invention, however, a floor treatment appliance 1 may alternatively also be a self-propelled floor treatment appliance 1, particularly an autonomously traveling robot. In this example, the floor treatment appliance 1 is a conventional household vacuum cleaner that comprises a base unit 9 and an accessory device 10 that is separably connected to the base unit. The base unit 9 may—alternatively to the suction nozzle shown—also be connected to other types of accessory devices 10 depending on the desired application of the floor treatment appliance 1. The choice of the accessory device 10 makes it possible, for example, to convert the floor treatment appliance 1 from a mere vacuum cleaning appliance into a vacuuming-wiping appliance. This is realized, for example, by connecting an accessory device 10 in the form of a wiping plate to the base unit 9. The vacuuming function of the floor treatment appliance 1 can be preserved in this case. The base unit 9 has a shaft 13 on its side that faces away from the accessory device 10, wherein said shaft preferably is realized in a telescoping manner such that the user can adapt the length of the shaft 13 to his body size. A handle 14 with operating elements 15 is provided on the end of the shaft 13. The handle 14 enables the user to advantageously move the floor treatment appliance 1 over the floor surface to be treated during a floor treatment, particularly in the form of a conventional forward and backward motion.

[0026] The base unit 9 of the floor treatment appliance 1 furthermore has a communication device 5, e.g. a WLAN or Bluetooth interface, which is suitable for communicating with an external terminal 6 of a user. For example, the external terminal 6 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile telephone, a laptop, a tablet computer or the like, but alternatively also a local desktop computer. The base unit 9 furthermore has an evaluation device 4 that particularly forms part of appliance electronics of the floor treatment appliance 1. The evaluation device 4 is configured for reading out one or more detection devices 3 of the base unit 9 and the accessory device 10 and for analyzing measuring data recorded by these detection devices. Furthermore, the evaluation device 4 may also act as a control unit and transmit control commands to one or more controllable components of the base unit 9 and the accessory device 10. In this context, the evaluation device 4 centrally controls all components, particularly electrical consumers, of the floor treatment appliance 1.

[0027] The exemplary accessory device 10 shown has a floor treatment element 7, which in this example is realized in the form of a rotatable cleaning brush that is driven by means of an electric motor 8. In the context of the invention, the floor treatment element 7 represents a change component 2 that is subjected to wear and therefore has to be replaced in good time in order to maintain the treatment success of the floor treatment appliance 1. Floor treatment elements 7 in the context of the invention are engaged with the floor surface to be treated, i.e. in mechanical contact with this floor surface, and therefore subjected to progressive abrasion of their material over time depending on an abrasive effect of the floor surface. The abrasive effect may concern, for example, an abrasion of the bristle filaments of a cleaning brush such that a free length of the bristle filaments is reduced in the course of the period of operation of the floor treatment element 7. As soon as the bristle filaments are shortened beyond a certain length, their cleaning effect on the floor surface to be treated is reduced to an ever lesser degree such that it is necessary to replace the worn out cleaning brush, i.e. change component 2, with an unused cleaning brush in order to restore the optimal cleaning capacity of the floor treatment appliance 1.

[0028] The evaluation device 4 is configured for determining a degree of wear of the change component 2 in order to determine a point in time, at which the change component 2 is optimally replaced. For this purpose, the evaluation device 4 initially evaluates the measuring data of one or more detection devices 3, wherein the measuring data concerns in this example an energy consumption of the electric motor 8 driving the floor treatment element 7. The current energy consumption of the electric motor 8 describes an actual parameter of the floor treatment appliance 1, which serves for determining the degree of wear of the change component 2. Other actual parameters of the floor treatment appliance 1 may alternatively also be detected. However, it is also possible to measure actual parameters of the floor surface itself, which provide an indication of the current treatment quality of the floor treatment appliance 1. In this case, the floor treatment appliance 1 may comprise a detection device 3, e.g., in the form of a camera that records an image of the currently finished floor surface. For example, the detection device 3 may also be a component that is realized separately of the floor treatment appliance 1.

[0029] In this case, the evaluation device 4 reads a physical parameter, which indicates a measure for the energy consumption or power consumption of the electric motor 8, out of the detection device 3. The evaluation device 4 collects the measuring data over a predefined time period of at least one hour and calculates an average value for the power consumed by the electric motor 8 during this time period from the collected measuring data. It is particularly preferred that the floor treatment appliance 1 is during this time period moved over different types of floor surfaces within a household, e.g. over a hard floor and also over a carpeted floor. Different types of floor surfaces cause different degrees of action upon the floor treatment element 7 and therefore also upon the electric motor 8 driving the floor treatment element 7. This in turn causes the power consumption to vary. The calculation of the average value takes place over the longest time period possible in order to exclude influences of the floor type on the determined actual parameter—and therefore on the degree of wear of the change component 2 calculated from the actual parameter. For example, this time period may amount to one or several hours, days, weeks or months.

[0030] The thusly formed average value of the measured actual parameter is compared with a defined reference value that particularly can be specified by the user himself. The degree of wear of the change component 2 is quantified in dependence on the result of the comparison between the average value and the reference value.

[0031] An application is installed on the external terminal 6 of the user, which is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, and enables the external terminal 6 to exchange data with the evaluation device 4. The external terminal 6 customarily has a wireless communication device—just like the floor treatment appliance 1—for data communication purposes. The user can make entries and, in particular, also adjustments on the floor treatment appliance 1 by means of a display unit 12 of the external terminal 6. According to the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the adjustments may be specifications for defining, for example, a certain degree of wear of the change component 2 as a “critical” degree of wear, at which the change component 2 should be replaced in order to ensure an optimal floor treatment result by means of the floor treatment appliance 1. Furthermore, the user can define a desired reaction of the floor treatment appliance 1 or its evaluation device 4 upon reaching the “critical” degree of wear. Two alternatives exist for the reaction in the present example, namely mere information on a required replacement of the change component 2 on the one hand and an initiation of an automatic ordering process from a merchandise management system, to which the evaluation device 4 of the floor treatment appliance 1 is communicatively linked, on the other hand.

[0032] The thusly made preadjustments define the degree of wear of the floor treatment element 7, which is displayed on the display unit 12 of the external terminal 6 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, the user has made such a preadjustment that the evaluation device 4 should output a message to the user of the floor treatment appliance 1 upon determining a degree of wear of 80 percent of a maximally tolerable degree of wear of the change component 2. The user is accordingly informed of the fact that the critical degree of wear of the floor treatment element 7 has now been reached with a special message on the display unit 12 of the external terminal 6 illustrated in FIG. 2. It goes without saying that the status messages regarding the degree of wear may also be output in different ways, e.g. in the form of a different graphic representation, text, voice or sound.

[0033] 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

[0034] 1 Floor treatment appliance [0035] 2 Change component [0036] 3 Detection device [0037] 4 Evaluation device [0038] 5 Communication device [0039] 6 External terminal [0040] 7 Floor treatment element [0041] 8 Electric motor [0042] 9 Base unit [0043] 10 Accessory device [0044] 11 Wheel [0045] 12 Display unit [0046] 13 Shaft [0047] 14 Handle [0048] 15 Operating element