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EP-4355188-B1 - METHOD FOR THE AUTONOMOUS CULTIVATION OF SOIL SURFACES

EP4355188B1EP 4355188 B1EP4355188 B1EP 4355188B1EP-4355188-B1

Inventors

  • Daniel, Kristina
  • SCHMITT, KAI
  • Schnitzer, Frank

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220524

Claims (6)

  1. Method for autonomously processing floor surfaces with the aid of a mobile, self-propelled appliance, in particular a floor cleaning appliance such as a suction robot (4) and/or a sweeping and/or mopping robot, comprising the following method steps: - performing an exploratory tour by the mobile, self-propelled appliance in a designated floor processing area to create a surroundings map (10), - detecting obstacles (2, 3) by means of a detection facility, wherein the mobile, self-propelled appliance determines a position of detected obstacles (2, 3) in the surroundings map (10), - classifying the obstacles (2, 3) as passable or not passable, and - driving over an obstacle (2) classified as passable and/or driving around an obstacle (3) classified as not passable, characterised in that - obstacles near to a door are classified as door thresholds and obstacles far from a door are classified as furniture.
  2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the classification of the obstacles (2, 3) is performed with the aid of existing map data obtained by the exploratory tour.
  3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the classification is performed by comparing information from the exploratory tour and information from the detection of the obstacle (2, 3).
  4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the classification of the obstacles (2, 3) is performed before an attempt is made to drive over the obstacle (2, 3).
  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in order to perform the classification the mobile, self-propelled appliance automatically identifies rooms (1a-1i) as such on the basis of information from its exploratory tour.
  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein obstacles near to a door are driven over and obstacles far from a door are driven around before an attempt is made to drive over the obstacles far from a door.

Description

The invention relates to a method for the autonomous treatment of floor surfaces using a mobile, self-propelled device, in particular a floor cleaning device such as a vacuuming and/or sweeping and/or mopping robot. The invention also relates to a mobile, self-propelled device with which such treatment can be carried out. Mobile, self-driving devices, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, are designed to autonomously clean as much of the floor area as possible. However, obstacles like furniture, furnishings, small objects, or door thresholds prevent the robotic vacuum from reaching all areas of the floor. Well-known robotic vacuum cleaners attempt to overcome thresholds and obstacles if they lie in their path. Obstacles that are too large are usually detected by bumper sensors positioned in the direction of travel. Small obstacles can be driven over by the robotic vacuum cleaner. However, above a certain height, the robotic vacuum cleaner lacks the ability to push over the obstacle. After several attempts, the robotic vacuum cleaner registers that it cannot overcome the obstacle and subsequently tries to avoid the area, although the obstacle may already be damaged. Depending on its capabilities, the robot vacuum can overcome low thresholds by simply walking over them. For example, it can drive over door thresholds to continue cleaning. These are usually manageable with sufficient momentum. Other thresholds, such as ground-level crossbars on furniture like rocking chairs or the legs of clothes drying racks, are not accessible to the robot vacuum. It must navigate around these. Thresholds with a narrow profile pose the risk of the robot vacuum getting stuck after driving over them and being unable to free itself. Especially with furniture that has high-quality surfaces, such as chrome-plated, lacquered, or glass surfaces, the robot vacuum's attempts to free itself can negatively impact the surface. Furthermore, these attempts can produce disruptive and unpleasant noises that detract from the user's experience. Robotic vacuum cleaners that detect and classify obstacles in their environment are, for example, described in printed materials. WO 2019/004742 A1 , KR 2020 0094816 A and US 2020/125113 A1 known. The object of the invention is to provide an effective, optimized and/or non-damaging method for the autonomous treatment of floor surfaces, in which, in particular, the most complete possible cleaning of the floor surface is ensured, while at the same time damage to obstacles by the mobile, self-driving device is avoided. This problem is solved by a method for treating ground surfaces with the features of claim 1 and by a mobile, self-propelled device with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims. According to the invention, a method for the autonomous processing of floor surfaces using a mobile, self-driving device, in particular a floor cleaning device such as a vacuuming and/or sweeping and/or mopping robot, comprises the following method steps: Conducting an exploratory drive of the mobile, self-propelled device in a designated soil cultivation area to create an environmental map, Detection of obstacles using a detection device, wherein the mobile, self-driving device determines a position of detected obstacles in the environment map, Classifying the obstacles as passable or impassable, and Driving over an obstacle classified as passable and/or driving around an obstacle classified as impassable, whereby obstacles near the door are classified as door thresholds and obstacles far from the door are classified as furniture. The solution according to the invention is characterized by classifying detected obstacles based on their position in the environment map and classifying them as surmountable if they are located within a passageway. Other obstacles are The obstacles are classified as insurmountable and are bypassed by the mobile, self-driving device before it even attempts to drive over them. This effectively prevents damage to these obstacles from the outset. The mobile, self-driving device assesses whether an obstacle is surmountable before attempting to drive over it. To do this, the device classifies the obstacles based on existing map data from the surrounding area. Specifically, the device identifies an obstacle before approaching it, compares this information with known map data, classifies it as passable or impassable, and reacts accordingly by driving over obstacles classified as passable and/or bypassing those classified as impassable. The solution according to the invention advantageously reduces the risk of the mobile, self-propelled device becoming stuck on flat obstacles such as floor-level chair supports. It also reduces the risk of damaging high-quality furniture. Furthermore, the reduced contact with the furniture minimizes wear and tear on the mobile, self-propelled device. Advantageously, the cleaning process is quiet