SYSTEM COMPRISED OF A FLOOR PROCESSING DEVICE, A MEMORY DEVICE AND AT LEAST ONE ACCESSORY DEVICE

Abstract

A system has a floor processing device, a memory device and at least one accessory device for detachable connection with the floor processing device. The floor processing device has an acquisition device for acquiring the type of accessory device currently connected with the floor processing device, a user interface for receiving an operating specification for an operating parameter from a user, and a controller for controlling an operating activity according to the set operating parameter. The controller stores the operating parameter used last for a first operating activity together with information about the type of accessory device in the memory device and, after the accessory device has been disconnected from the floor processing device and then reconnected with the floor processing device, to access the stored operating parameter, and reset this operating parameter for a second operating activity to be performed chronologically after the first operating activity.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a floor processing device, a memory device, and at least one accessory device for detachable connection with the floor processing device, wherein the floor processing device has an acquisition device configured for acquiring a type of accessory device currently connected with the floor processing device, a user interface configured for receiving an operating specification for an operating parameter of the floor processing device or the accessory device from a user, and a controller configured for controlling an operating activity of the floor processing device or the accessory device according to the set operating parameter, wherein the controller is set up to store the operating parameter used last for performing a first operating activity together with information about a type of accessory device used while performing the first operating activity in the memory device and, after the accessory device has been disconnected from the floor processing device and the same accessory device has been reconnected with the floor processing device, to access the operating parameter stored in the memory device, and reset this operating parameter for a second operating activity of the floor processing device with this accessory device to be performed chronologically after the first operating activity, so that the operating parameter used previously during the first operating activity is again available for the floor processing device or the accessory device, and automatically used to also perform the second operating activity.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating parameter is selected from the group consisting of: power of a blower, speed of a rotating floor processing element, vibration frequency of a vibrating floor processing element, flow cross section of an air flow channel, dispensing rate of a liquid application device, and position of a switching element.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the accessory device has at least one of the following components: suction nozzle, floor processing element, cleaning brush, upholstery cleaning device, wet cleaning device, liquid application device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is a device-specific local memory device of the floor processing device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is an external memory device relative to the floor processing device.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a basic setting for the operating parameter of the floor processing device or the accessory device is stored in the memory device, wherein the controller is set up to use the basic setting for an operating activity if the user did not yet transmit any operating specification for the operating parameter to the floor processing device beforehand.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a transition setting for the operating parameter of the floor processing device is stored in the memory device, wherein the controller is set up to make the transition setting during an ongoing operating activity given a separation of the accessory device from the floor processing device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is a nonvolatile memory device, so that the operating parameters stored therein continue to be stored therein even after the floor processing device has been deactivated and reactivated.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is set up to receive a delete command for deleting an operating parameter stored in the memory device.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the accessory device has a clear identification code, wherein the acquisition device of the floor processing device is set up to receive the identification code, and wherein the controller is set up to identify the accessory device based on the received identification code and retrieve an operating parameter allocated to the identified accessory device from the memory device.

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 is a system according to the invention with a floor processing device and an accessory device; and

[0024] FIGS. 2A to 2E show an exemplary operation of the system with varying connection situations of the floor processing device and accessory device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a possible exemplary embodiment of a system according to the invention comprised of a floor processing device 1, a memory device 2 arranged in the floor processing device 1 and an accessory device 3. The floor processing device 1 has a base unit 11 with a connection interface 12, to which the accessory device 3 can be connected. The connection interface 12 is used to detachably connect the accessory device 3. Aside from the accessory device 3 shown just as an example here, the floor processing device 1 can alternatively be connected with other identical or different accessory devices 3.

[0026] The floor processing device 1 is here exemplarily designed as a standard household vacuum cleaner. The floor processing device 1 has a conventional dust chamber 18 and blower 7, which are connected with each other in terms of flow by an air flow channel 9. In addition, the air flow channel 9 empties into the connection interface 12, where it can be connected with a corresponding air flow channel 9 of the accessory device 3. Furthermore, a handle 14 with a grip 15 is located on the base unit 11 of the floor processing device 1. The handle 14 is preferably telescoping, so that a user of the floor processing device 1 can advantageously adjust the length of the handle 14 to their body size. The grip 15 allows the user to guide the floor processing device 1 over a surface to be cleaned, wherein he or she usually moves the floor processing device 1 back and forth over the surface. The grip 15 has a user interface 5, which allows the user to transmit inputs to a controller 6 of the floor processing device. For example, the input can be an operating specification for an operating parameter of the floor processing device 1 and/or the accessory device 3. For example, an operating parameter is a power level of the blower 7. In addition, the floor processing device 1 has a communications interface 17 for communicating with a corresponding communications interface 16 of the accessory device 3. The communications interface 17 simultaneously serves as an acquisition device 4, with which the floor processing device 1 can acquire a type of accessory device 3 currently connected with the floor processing device 1. The corresponding communications interfaces 16, 17 of the floor processing device 1 and the accessory device 3 are here designed as wireless communications interfaces 16, 17 solely by way of example, e.g., as WLAN modules, Bluetooth modules, ZigBee modules or the like. Alternatively, however, the communications interface 16, 17 can also be wired, e.g., as part of a device-specific bus system.

[0027] In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the accessory device 3 has a suction nozzle 10 and a floor processing element 8 for processing a surface to be cleaned. For example, the floor processing element 8 is here a cleaning roller that rotates around an essentially horizontal axis of rotation, and can preferably be fitted with cleaning brushes, for example. The accessory device 3 has wheels 13, so that the floor processing device 1 or the accessory device 3 can be moved over the surface to be cleaned with as little friction as possible.

[0028] The user interface 5 of the floor processing device 1 has a selector, here for example with four key elements. Each of the key elements corresponds to one of four possible blower stages of the blower 7 of the floor processing device 1. A first blower stage “Suction stage 1” here has the lowest blower power, while a fourth blower stage “Suction stage 4” provides the highest possible blower power. By actuating a key element, the user can thus transmit an operating specification for a specific suction stage to the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1, which then controls the setting of the desired blower stage accordingly.

[0029] In addition, however, the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 is also designed in such a way that requires the user to make the fewest inputs possible at the user interfaces 5. For this purpose, the controller 6 is designed to store earlier operating parameters of the user, and intelligently evaluate them so that a suction stage assumed as desired by the user is automatically set under specific conditions. This will be explained in more detail below.

[0030] FIG. 2 exemplarily shows an automatic control of the blower power as a controllable operating parameter of the floor processing device 1. Alternatively, other operating parameters of the floor processing device 1 or the accessory device 3 can also be controlled. For example, it would alternatively or additionally be possible to also control a speed of the rotating floor processing element 8 of the accessory device 3, an adjustable air guide that influences a flow cross section of the air flow channel 9 of the accessory device 3 and/or the floor processing device 1, and the like.

[0031] Shown from left to right on FIGS. 2A to 2E are various connection states of the system comprised of the floor processing device 1 and accessory device 3, wherein the states are characterized by either a connected state of the floor processing device 1 and accessory device 3, or by a disconnected state. In a chronological sequence from left to right, the invention now functions in such a way that the floor processing device 1 is initially operated separately, i.e., without a connected accessory device 3 (FIG. 2A). The blower 7 of the floor processing device 1 is here operated in a “solo mode”, which provides a minimal suction power of the blower 7 that is here designated as “Suction stage 1”. This operating mode corresponds to a transitional setting for the operating parameter “Blower power”, wherein the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 controls the blower 7 in such a way that the suction power is the lowest possible. In this suction stage, the user can use the floor processing device 1 without the connected accessory device 3, for example to perform an overhead cleaning of a ceiling, vacuum up coarse material or the like. In a second step labeled as “Basic” on FIG. 2B, the user has hooked up the accessory device 3 to the connection interface 12 of the floor processing device 1. When the accessory device 3 is hooked up to the connection interface 12, the acquisition device 4 of the floor processing device 1 detects the type of accessory device 3 currently connected with the floor processing device 1, here also in particular an individual identification code of the accessory device 3. For this purpose, the corresponding communications interfaces 16, 17 of the floor processing device 1 and the accessory device 3 exchange information. Using a contact switch at the connection interface 12 of the floor processing device 1, for example, the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 can detect that the accessory device 3 has been hooked up to the connection interface 12, and start a communication with the accessory device 3. Alternatively, it is also possible for data communication to start from the accessory device 3 which detects the connection with the connection interface 12 of the floor processing device 1. An identification phase subsequently takes place via the mutual interfaces 16, 17, which identifies the accessory device 3 in relation to the controller 6 of the floor processing device. For example, this can take place in such a way that, upon detecting that an accessory device 3 has been hooked up to the connection interface 12, the controller 6 initially transmits an identification query to the accessory device 3. In response to the identification query, the accessory device 3 or a controller allocated thereto transmits its identification code to the floor processing device 1 using the communications interfaces 16, 17. For example, the identification code is here a purely electronic identification code, which can consist of numbers and/or letters, and can unambiguously distinguish the accessory device 3 from other accessory devices 3 of the system. In the situation depicted here, which is described with “Basic”, the floor processing device 1 as yet has no knowledge about the accessory device 3, and in particular about its operating parameters to be set. For this reason, the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 controls the blower 7 in such a way as to make a basic setting, which is defined for the case where a user has previously not yet transmitted any operating specification for the operating parameter “Blower power” to the floor processing device 1. For example, the basic setting is here the blower power setting “Suction stage 2”. This basic setting is also referred to colloquially as “Default”. The controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 accesses such a setting if a user has not yet made any individual operating specification.

[0032] In the situation labeled as “Manual” on FIG. 2C, the user subsequently makes a manual user input, which defines the setting of the suction stage 3 as the operating specification for the operating parameter “Blower power”. For this purpose, the use presses a key element at the user interface 5. The controller 6 detects the operating specification, and controls the blower 7 in such a way that the desired blower power “Suction stage 3” is set. At the same time, the controller 6 stores the operating specification selected by the user together with the information about the type of used accessory device 3 in the memory device 2 of the floor processing device 1. The memory device 2 of the system is here a device-specific local memory device 2 of the floor processing device 1. Alternatively, however, the memory device 2 can also be arranged in any other device of the system, for example in a mobile external computer device of the user. The memory device 2 is preferably designed as a nonvolatile memory device 2, so that the operating parameters and information about the type of used accessory device 3 stored therein, in particular the identification code of the accessory device 3, are permanently available, even when the user turns off the floor processing device 1 and later operates it again. According to an alternative embodiment, it is possible for the contents of the memory device 2 to be deleted when the user turns off the floor processing device 1.

[0033] FIG. 2D shows a later point in time at which the user has again disconnected the accessory device 3 from the floor processing device 1. The controller 6 detects that the accessory device 3 was disconnected from the connection interface 12, and controls a transitional setting for the operating parameter “Blower power” of the floor processing device 1, which here corresponds to the default setting “Suction stage 1”. The user can disconnect the accessory device 3 from the floor processing device 1 during the ongoing operation of the blower 7. The reduction in blower power then preferably takes place at the moment when the accessory device 3 is decoupled from the connection interface 12.

[0034] If the user reconnects the same accessory device 3 with the floor processing device 1 at a later point in time, the controller 6 of the floor processing device 1 reads the setting stored for the individual identification code of the accessory device 3 out of the memory device 2. This is shown on FIG. 2E. While connecting the accessory device 3 with the floor processing device 1, the identification phase described above first takes place, which gives the controller 6 knowledge about the individual identification code of the accessory device 3. The controller 6 then queries the memory device 2 for the operating parameter stored for this identification code. The user had here last set “Suction stage 3” by manually actuating the operating specification, so that it was stored in the memory device 2. The controller 6 now also controls the blower 7 accordingly, and sets “Suction stage 3”.

[0035] In specific cases, it can be advantageous that the operating parameter last used on the floor processing device 1 or accessory device 3 not be automatically set when the floor processing device 1 is reconnected with the accessory device 3. For example, this makes sense if the accessory device 3 can perform various tasks, for example a wet cleaning and a dry cleaning. For example, in order not to return to a wet cleaning in this case, but rather to be able to perform the ensuing dry cleaning step, the user can manually delete or at least suspend the application of the previously stored operating parameter via the user interface 5. According to an embodiment, the user can also completely delete the operating parameter stored in the memory device 2. The floor processing device with the accessory device 3 is then again operated in the “Basic setting” mode, i.e., the blower 7 is operated with “Suction stage 2”, which corresponds to the default setting.

[0036] 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.

REFERENCE LIST

[0037] 1 Floor processing device [0038] 2 Memory device [0039] 3 Accessory device [0040] 4 Acquisition device [0041] 5 User interface [0042] 6 Controller [0043] 7 Blower [0044] 8 Floor processing element [0045] 9 Air flow channel [0046] 10 Suction nozzle [0047] 11 Base unit [0048] 12 Connection interface [0049] 13 Wheel [0050] 14 Handle [0051] 15 Grip [0052] 16 Communications interface [0053] 17 Communications interface [0054] 18 Dust chamber