METHOD FOR BRINGING CLEANING ROBOTS INTO AND OUT OF A TROLLEY, AND CLEANING SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for bringing cleaning robots into and out of a trolley, and cleaning system, in which each cleaning robot is automatically brought into the trolley individually and the cleaning robots are automatically brought out of the trolley in an order depending on the cleaning effort assigned to them or in a sequence specified by a user of the trolley. A cleaning system comprises a trolley and a multiplicity of cleaning robots configured to carry out the method.

Claims

1. A method for bringing cleaning robots into and out of a trolley comprising the steps of: bringing each cleaning robot automatically into the trolley individually; and bringing the cleaning robots automatically out of the trolley in a sequence depending on the cleaning effort assigned to them or in an order specified by a user of the trolley.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in order to bring the cleaning robots out of the trolley in a sequence depending on the cleaning work assigned to them, respective cleaning, task, and/or map data and an identification of the individual cleaning robots are transmitted from the cleaning robots to the trolley and the trolley uses the cleaning, task, and/or map data to calculate the output sequence of the cleaning robots.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each cleaning robot is brought into the trolley as soon as each cleaning robot sends the trolley a signal for bringing in, or in that each cleaning robot is brought into the trolley in a sequence specified by a user.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the trolley comprises a plurality of storage compartments, and in that, for each of the cleaning robots, a corresponding storage compartment of the plurality of storage compartments is determined, into which a cleaning robot is automatically brought.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, when and/or after one of the cleaning robots is brought into the specific storage compartment, its cleaning, task, and/or map data and its ID are linked to the specific storage compartment.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of bringing in the cleaning robots comprises the steps of driving a cleaning robot to be brought in onto a receiving element of a lift system of the trolley, vertically moving the receiving element to the specific storage compartment, and driving the cleaning robot into the storage compartment, and wherein the step of bringing out one of the cleaning robots comprises the steps of vertically moving the receiving element of the lift system to the specific storage compartment, driving the cleaning robot stowed in the storage compartment onto the receiving element, vertically moving the receiving element until it reaches a substrate on which the trolley stands, and driving the cleaning robot from the receiving element onto the ground.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, while the cleaning robot to be brought out is moving out of or into the storage compartment, and end position of the cleaning robot is detected, and/or in that the cleaning robot to be brought in or out is in a pause mode while being moved by the lift system.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when a cleaning robot is and/or after being brought out of the trolley, the cleaning robot receives a signal to start its cleaning, and/or wherein, when leaving the lift system, the cleaning robot records its position as the start point and end point of its cleaning to be carried out in map data stored in said robot or in a map to be newly created.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after one of the cleaning robots has been deployed, the trolley detects whether the deployed cleaning robot has left the trolley.

10. A cleaning system comprising a trolley and a plurality of cleaning robots, configured to carry out the method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure is shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. In the drawings, which are schematic and not to scale:

[0036] FIGS. 1 to 9 show a partial sequence of a method according to the disclosure in a partial side/partial cross-sectional view, a partial top-down/partial cross-sectional view, and a cross-sectional view of a cleaning system according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIGS. 1 to 9 show a partial sequence of a method according to the disclosure in a partial side/partial cross-sectional view, a partial top-down/partial cross-sectional view, and a cross-sectional view of a cleaning system according to the disclosure. The method according to the disclosure is a method for bringing cleaning robots R into and out of a trolley 1, in which each cleaning robot R is automatically placed into the trolley 1 individually and the cleaning robots R are automatically brought out from the trolley 1 in a sequence depending on the cleaning effort assigned to them or in a sequence defined by a user (not shown) of the trolley 1. The automatic bringing out of one of the cleaning robots R is shown in FIGS. 1 to 9. The other cleaning robots R are brought out analogously, which is not shown here. The automatic bringing in of the cleaning robots after completing their cleaning tasks is also analogous to the bringing out, which is not shown here.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a partial side/partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning system of the present disclosure in an operative working position. The cleaning system comprises a trolley 1 and a multiplicity of cleaning robots R. The trolley 1 is designed to store the cleaning robots R outside of a cleaning phase in which they perform their cleaning tasks. In the operational working position, the trolley 1 is ready for the cleaning robots R to be brought in and out, wherein each cleaning robot R is automatically brought individually into the trolley 1 and the cleaning robots R are automatically brought out of the trolley 1 in an order depending on the cleaning effort assigned to them or in an order defined by a user (not shown) of the trolley 1. The trolley 1 has a multiplicity of storage compartments 2 which are stacked vertically one above the other and are each designed to receive one of the cleaning robots R. The storage compartments 2 are housed in a housing 17.

[0039] The trolley 1 also has a lift system 3 which can be moved vertically so that the cleaning robots R can be transported individually to or away from one of the storage compartments 2 and can be moved between a substrate U on which the trolley 1 is in the operational working position. The lift system 3 has a receiving element 4 on which a single cleaning robot R can be arranged and which can be moved vertically by the lift system 3. In order to be moved, the cleaning robots R drive onto the receiving element 4 in order to arrange themselves thereon. In order to correctly position one of the cleaning robots R on the receiving element 4, the trolley 1 comprises an IR interface IR and an end position sensor 16 which support the cleaning robot R in question in its positioning on the receiving element 4. In order to move the receiving element 4 vertically, an electric motor M, a deflection roller 10, a cable 9, a guide channel 13, and a guide rod 12 are provided. In FIG. 1, the trolley is shown ready to deploy the cleaning robots R stored therein onto a substrate U on which the trolley 1 is standing. The trolley 1 comprises a controller (not shown) that determines an assigned cleaning effort for each of the cleaning robots R and automatically controls deployment of the cleaning robots R according to their cleaning effort in a specified order.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a partial top-down/partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1 in the same operational working position as in FIG. 1. The trolley 1 also comprises two cable winches 7 and it comprises a web 6 which connects two vertically moved loading ramps which form the receiving element 4 and can be moved synchronously by means of the web 6.

[0041] The vertical movement of the loading ramps works according to a “forklift” principle using the two synchronously running cable winches 7. The cable winches 7 are coupled to one another by means of the shaft 8, to which the electric motor M is attached, which is moved on command of the controller (not shown) of the trolley 1.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a partial side/partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1 in an additional operative position. The receiving element 4 is moved vertically from the substrate to one of the storage compartments 2, so that the cleaning robot R housed in this storage compartment 2 moves independently onto the receiving element 4, as indicated by an arrow. Each storage compartment 2 has a charging contact L which is designed to supply the cleaning robot R located in the storage compartment 2 with power by means of a power supply device (not shown) of the trolley 1.

[0043] The controller (not shown) has determined that the second-highest cleaning robot R has the greatest cleaning effort and should be brought out first. Accordingly, the receiving element 4 is moved to the second-top storage compartment 2 in order to bring out this cleaning robot R. In order to move the receiving element 4, the two cables 9 are brought over the deflection rollers 10 in the desired vertical direction of travel. They are each connected to one of two carriages 11, which, in turn, have a fixed connection to the web 6. The carriages 11 are guided vertically by means of the guide rod 12 and the guide channel 13. Canting of the carriage 11 is prevented by two rollers 14 each that are attached to the carriages 11 and rest or roll on the surfaces of the guide channel 13.

[0044] The precise approach of the storage compartments 2 is carried out by end position sensors 5, 15. For this purpose, corresponding sensors and/or actuators 5, 15 are installed on the storage compartments 2 themselves and on the web 6. If the controller (not shown) gives the command to remove a cleaning robot R from its storage compartment 2, the carriages 11 together with the web 6 and receiving element 4 move to the defined end position directly in front of the corresponding storage compartment 2. When the end position is reached, the controller sends a start signal to the corresponding cleaning robot R via a communication interface. The cleaning robot R in question then drives backward out of its storage compartment 2 over the web 6 onto the receiving element 4.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a top-down view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 3 in the same additional working position as in FIG. 3, the upper outer wall being omitted. The trolley 1 comprises the controller S. The cleaning robot R drives onto the two loading ramps.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view (labeled V) of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 3. Part of the lift system 3 is shown with the carriage 11, the guide rod 12, and the rollers 14.

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1 in yet another working position. The cleaning robot R driving out of its storage compartment 2 in FIG. 3 has left its storage compartment 2 and positioned itself completely on the receiving element 4, which is then moved vertically by means of the lift system 3 in the direction of the substrate U, as indicated by an arrow.

[0048] The cleaning robot R stops reversing when leaving its storage compartment 2 and enters a pause mode as soon as the end of the receiving element 4 is reached. The detection of an end position of the cleaning robot R can be implemented via crash sensors (not shown) installed therein. The cleaning robot R itself detects its position and sends a signal to the controller (not shown) of the trolley 1 that it has completely driven out of its storage compartment 2 and the pause mode is activated.

[0049] FIG. 7 shows an additional top-down view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 6 in the same additional working position as in FIG. 6, the upper outer wall being omitted. The cleaning robot R is arranged entirely on the receiving element 4 while being moved vertically to the substrate (not shown). At the command of the controller S, the electric motor (not shown) moves the shaft 8 so that the receiving element 4 together with the cleaning robot R is moved downward in the direction of the substrate (not shown).

[0050] FIG. 8 shows an additional cross-sectional view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1 in yet another working position. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6 with the difference that the receiving element 4 rests on the substrate U, and the cleaning robot R begins to drive from the receiving element 4 onto the ground U, as indicated by an arrow.

[0051] When the receiving element 4 together with the cleaning robot R reaches the substrate U, this is again detected by the end position sensor 16 and the controller (not shown) stops the electric motor M.

[0052] FIG. 9 shows an additional top-down view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 8 in the same additional working position as in FIG. 8, the upper outer wall being omitted. The cross-sectional view of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the cleaning system shown in FIG. 7 with the difference that the receiving element 4 is arranged on the substrate U (not shown) and the cleaning robot R begins to drive from the receiving element 4 onto the ground.

[0053] When the receiving element 4 together with the cleaning robot R reach the substrate (not shown), the infrared interface IR is located directly in front of the cleaning robot R. The controller S sends a signal to the cleaning robot R to start the cleaning run. The cleaning robot R then detects the infrared interface IR directly in front of it and records said interface on its digital map as the start point and end point of its cleaning activity. The cleaning robot R then drives away from the receiving element 4 and begins cleaning the substrate. The controller S can use the infrared interface IR to determine whether the cleaning robot R has left the receiving element 4.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0054] A Suction system [0055] L Charging contact [0056] M Electric motor [0057] R Cleaning robot [0058] S Controller [0059] 1 Trolley [0060] 2 Storage compartment [0061] 3 Lift system [0062] 4 Receiving element [0063] 5 Sensor/actuator [0064] 6 Web [0065] 7 Cable winch [0066] 8 Shaft [0067] 9 Cable [0068] 10 Deflection roller [0069] 11 Carriage [0070] 12 Guide rod [0071] 13 Guide channel [0072] 14 Roller [0073] 15 Sensor/actuator [0074] 16 End position sensor [0075] 17 Housing