Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-31
2002-04-09
Cuchlinksi, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S024000, C701S025000, C701S026000, C015S339000, C015S319000, C015S347000, C015S331000, C015S315000, C015S323000, C096S403000, C096S404000, C096S417000, C096S418000, C096S423000, C134S018000, C134S021000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370453
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Today commercial household vacuum cleaners resemble in function and handling basically the models from the beginning of the twentieth century, even if improvements to the suction power, noise emission and air-filters have been achieved during the years. The various models available on the market differ apart from their design mainly in the power of their engines, which in some cases can be controlled electronically, the noise damping and the quality of their filters.
The classical floor vacuum cleaner consists of an engine block on wheels connected with a tube and various nozzles. For the suction of floor surfaces, usually a rigid nozzle mounted on a telescope handle, which renders possible to clean an area of about 20 cm width, is used. As an alternative, the engine block can be integrated in the telescope handle. For smooth floor surfaces, most models have a short brush, which can be pushed out of the nozzle by means of a switch operated by hand or foot. Additionally, with some models, a nozzle with an horizontally rotating brush can be used to enhance the cleaning effect. The drive of this brush is realised electrically or indirect by the air stream.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
To enhance the cleaning effect, especially for the use with cleaning machines, an arrangement of several circular brushes, which by a planetary gear are put into multiple rotation, is described in the German patent application 1057154. Other known cleaning machines use two stationary circular brushes at the two front ends which the automatic vacuum cleaner in DE 43 07 125 A1 possesses to move dirt from the direct lateral area of the vacuum cleaner to a stationary suction nozzle.
In the German patent application DE-OS 21 01 659, a vacuum cleaner with a telescope suction arm with a circular profile is described, with a suction nozzle mounted at the end of the arm. The vacuum cleaner is not mobile, but can only turn within a certain angle by means of a rectangular positioned steering wheel. There are no sensors, only the lateral parts of the suction nozzle are seated rotatory by a spring to be able to avoid obstacles.
In the British patent application GE 20 38 615 A, a vacuum cleaner with remote control and a circular base on three wheels, two of which are driven wheels, is described. This vacuum cleaner has a stationary suction nozzle beneath the base. A method of steering the device or sensors are not contained in the patent application.
The patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,577 describes a self moving vacuum cleaner, whose suction nozzle is mounted at the end of a suction tube which is rolled up on a cylinder and thus can be extended. The device is enabled by mechanical sensors and steering elements to follow the contour of a wall while extending the suction nozzle or rolling it up.
The same mechanism, but able to extend one or two suction nozzles rectangular to the moving direction of the device, is described in the patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,996, though the vacuum cleaner is only moved in parallel courses respectively in courses rectangular to the prior courses.
A further method of controlling an automatic vacuum cleaner is contained in the patent application DE 43 40 771 A1. In this arrangement, the vacuum cleaner is guided along the inner contour of the surface to be cleaned, thus detecting the contours of the surface to be cleaned. Then, a micro processor compares the form of the surface to be cleaned with the previously stored contours to select the most appropriate cleaning program. For orientation, apart from optical and ultrasonic sensors on the surface of the vacuum cleaner, a magnetic field sensor is used to determine the direction.
In EP 01 42 594 B1 and DE 43 07 125 A1, a similar method of controlling is described, but with the additional capability of the vacuum cleaner to plan and perform independently parallel cleaning courses after one cycle to determine the contours of the surface to be cleaned, without the previous storing of a cleaning program for a certain room.
The patent application DE 196 14 916 A1 describes an automatically working moving robot, whose orientation is based mainly on the stereoscopic evaluation of the data of two video cameras. A concrete controlling method though is not described.
In the patent application EP-A-38 26 93, a method of controlling on the basis of a recursive algorithm is described for a suction robot, wherein the respective closer area around the suction robot is cleaned and the suction robot then by moving ahead and back, followed by a turn with a certain angle of turning, is moved to a new place until a given area is covered. To determine the respective new position, a systematic algorithm is utilised.
In the patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,675, a moving robot with a lateral displaceable arm is described, which possesses a special construction with supporting wheels to support the suction arm and whose sensors are able to detect an obstacle for the arm and for the vacuum cleaner.
In the patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,836, a device is described, comprising the transmission of the co-ordinates from one map to another map.
In addition to the deterministic controlling methods mentioned above, on the fair “DOMOTECHNICA 99”, a self working vacuum cleaner was presented, which according to the patent application EP 0 769 923 B1 mainly is controlled stochastically. Here, the vacuum cleaner moves in a certain direction until an obstacle, which is detected by sensors, blocks its way. The vacuum cleaner turns away from the obstacle and continues its way in another direction, until a new obstacle forces it to change its course, and so on.
Despite the improvements in certain fields during the years, vacuum cleaning remains a time consuming and exhausting housework . Today's manual devices require frequent bending, sometimes the moving of objects as well as the strong rubbing of the suction nozzle. Apart from that, because of the inflexible suction nozzles, damage of delicate furniture may occur. When changing from smooth surfaces to carpet-covered surfaces, each time the suction nozzle has to be switched manually to achieve the best cleaning effect. If narrow places have to be vacuumed, a troublesome change of the suction nozzle is required.
The known methods of controlling autonomously working vacuum cleaners show the following disadvantages:
Methods of controlling, which require a manual route planning, are to complicated and very inflexible, because especially in a household, the floor surface which is to be cleaned changes continuously because of the moving of objects.
Methods of controlling, which before starting the actual vacuum cleaning process detect the border lines of the floor surface which is to be cleaned and determine their cleaning courses with this information, are overstrained, if many obstacles, e. g. furniture, force them to frequent evading movements. Apart from that, because of the detection of the border lines, it takes a comparatively long time until the actual suction process starts and the method only works in closed room areas. Moreover, it is not possible to define a certain starting point for the vacuum cleaner, from where the cleaning process is to be started.
Exclusively stochastic methods of controlling work unsatisfactorily as well, because certain areas are covered very often whereas other areas are covered rarely or not at all, so that a non-uniform cleaning effect is achieved. The cleaning process also lasts very long and there is no criterion of ending the process.
In the recursive method of controlling, described in the patent application EP-A-38 26 93, the vacuum cleaner has to cover very far distances because of the continuous moving ahead and moving back, which leads to long vacuuming times and to a non-uniform covering of the area. A starting point can be indeed determined, but the vacuum cleaner moves away from this point in a certain direction without completely cleaning the direct environment before.
The self moving vacuum cleaners controlled by
Cuchlinksi, Jr. William A.
Mancho Ronnie
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