Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-10
2001-12-11
El-Arini, Zeinab (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Combined
C134S006000, C134S0570DL, C134S172000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328813
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a cleaning head of an automatic cleaning device over window surfaces of a building, the cleaning head being connected to a frame which is movable in the horizontal direction (X-direction) and in the vertical direction (Z-direction) along the facade and is adapted to be positioned in front of a window surface, and the cleaning head being movable relative to the frame towards and away from the window surface to be cleaned (Y-direction) and in the two other directions (X-direction, Z-direction) perpendicular thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic cleaning devices have already been suggested that comprise a frame which is suspended on ropes and which the cleaning head is secured to. The frame accommodates the associated units, such as water tanks, power generators, lines, etc.
The frame is suspended with ropes from a crane or a trolley which is movable along rails that are mounted on the roof of the building. The crane moves the frame from window row to window row for carrying out the cleaning operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method for automatically controlling or driving the cleaning head over the window surfaces to be cleaned.
The control system according to the invention is subdivided into a plurality of control subassemblies which regard the frame, the manipulator holding the cleaning head and the cleaning head itself.
First of all, the basic data of the building to be cleaned are compiled in a table on the basis of the constructional drawing, a division being made into columns and rows. The horizontal rows represent the window position and geometry while the columns indicate the vertical window rows.
These basic data are expediently created with a table calculation program or a data base system.
As described above, the frame of the automatic cleaning device is preferably suspended via ropes from a crane or a trolley and is preferably guided in vertical rails of the building facade, i.e. the frame is positioned in the Z-direction in the respective facade column in front of the individual windows, so that the cleaning operation can be performed there. After the windows of a facade column have been cleaned, the frame is threaded out of the associated vertical guide rails and is displaced in the X-direction in such a manner that the frame can be threaded into the vertical guide rails of the next facade column.
According to the present invention the frame is positioned—on the basis of the facade data which are preferably gathered in a table—in front of a window in such a manner that, when being advanced in the Y-direction, i.e. in the feed movement towards the building, the cleaning head is preferably positioned approximately in the center of the window. This means that the facade data are not critical.
In detail, this is accomplished in that the cleaning head is located in the retracted position whenever the frame is positioned in front of the window in such a manner that the cleaning head can approach approximately the center of the window. The cleaning head is positioned on the surface of the window by activating the Y-axis.
The cleaning head is movable in three directions vertically extending relative to each other. This is accomplished in a preferred embodiment of the invention in that the cleaning head is preferably secured to two adjacently arranged pneumatic piston/cylinder assemblies, with the piston stroke performing the feed movement towards the surface of the window.
The piston/cylinder assemblies, which may be replaced by other suitable drives, are, in turn, secured in a preferred embodiment of the invention to a carriage which is movably arranged on a guide rail extending in the Z-direction.
To be more specific, the configuration may be chosen such that deflection pulleys are respectively positioned at the ends of the guide rails with toothed belts, for example, running over the pulleys and being secured at both sides to the carriage. Said toothed belts are driven by an associated motor.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the guide rail which is designated as the Z-axis in the following and extends in the Z-direction is secured to two carriages that, in turn, are seated on two guide rails extending in the horizontal X-direction, which are hereinafter designated as X-axes. In this case, too, the driving operation is preferably performed via toothed belts which are secured to the carriages and which are running over deflection pulleys and are driven by a separate drive motor for the X-axis.
The drive of the Y-axis is preferably force-controlled. This means that the cleaning head is pressed forwards with a small force after activation of the Y-axis and stops by itself when reaching the window pane.
The return movement into the initial position can e.g. be performed by an elastic force. However, it is preferred that the cleaning head is able to slide back by its own weight into the retracted initial position, to which end the pistons holding the cleaning head extend approximately obliquely upwards.
The Y-position is monitored via a displacement measuring system arranged for said purpose.
After the frame has been moved into approximately the position of the center of the window, the X- and Z-axes travel towards the center of the window in the edge-searching mode, which will be described in more detail further below, and are stopped there. The cleaning head is mounted on the window pane by activation of the Y-axis.
The suction pressure and the rinsing water, which at this time is not used for cleaning the window pane yet, but only serves as a lubricant, are now activated.
According to the invention the cleaning head is now moved preferably in a straight line in the edge-searching mode either in the X-direction or in the Z-direction over the window surface until it reaches an edge of the window, preferably impinging on a window edge. On the assumption that the first motional direction has been in the Z-direction, the cleaning head will now be moved in a window edge-following mode assigned to the Z-direction, preferably an edge-following mode, along the window edge in an edge-searching mode which is operative in the X-direction until the cleaning head impinges on the second window edge, whereby it has reached a corner position of the window. In particular for frameless windows, there may additionally be provided a sensor which senses the arrival at the window edge and supplies a signal to the control means which controls the cleaning head over the window surface.
Preferably, the control means in the edge-searching mode presets a desired speed for the motor assigned to the associated axis, the specific displacement speed depending on the conditions required for the respective window pane and on the distance from the window edge to be expected. In the edge-searching mode only one axis, the X-axis or the Z-axis, is driven at the preset desired speed, whereas the other axis is kept at a fixed position. This may either be done in the edge-following mode, which will be described further below, or in position-controlled fashion.
Furthermore, upon impingement of the cleaning head on a window edge, an element of the cleaning head which comes into contact with the window edge, preferably the frame thereof, is displaced according to the invention relative to the internal rigid structure of the cleaning head, e.g. a brush assembly, the magnitude of said displacement being sensed by a measuring or sensor system, and the measured value which is hereinafter designated as “sensor stroke”
0
is supplied to the control means. The frame is here preferably elastically supported relative to the internal rigid structure, e.g. by suitable spring means which are operative between the rectangular frame and the internal rigid structure towards all of the four sides.
It is thereby possible to determine with the sensor stroke assigned to the respective axis whether the cleaning head moves on a free surface, whether it h
Dornier Technologie GmbH & Co. KG
El-Arini Zeinab
Pyle & Piontek
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