US 11,940,801 B2
Automatically moving floor treatment appliance comprising a plurality of fall sensors
Andrej Mosebach, Unna (DE); and Henning Hayn, Hilden (DE)
Assigned to Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH, Wuppertal (DE)
Filed by Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH, Wuppertal (DE)
Filed on Dec. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/540,380.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 132 203.8 (DE), filed on Dec. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0179427 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); A47L 9/00 (2006.01); A47L 9/28 (2006.01); A47L 11/10 (2006.01); A47L 11/28 (2006.01); A47L 11/40 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0214 (2013.01) [A47L 9/009 (2013.01); A47L 9/2805 (2013.01); A47L 9/2852 (2013.01); A47L 11/10 (2013.01); A47L 11/28 (2013.01); A47L 11/4002 (2013.01); A47L 11/4011 (2013.01); A47L 11/4061 (2013.01); A47L 11/4066 (2013.01); A47L 2201/04 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0203 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0215 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatically moving floor treatment appliance (1) comprising:
an appliance housing (2),
a drive (3) for the movement of the floor treatment appliance (1) within a surrounding area,
a detection means (4) for detecting surrounding area features within the surrounding area, the detection means comprising a plurality of fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) arranged on an underside (7) of the appliance housing (2) facing a surface (6), which are configured to detect a distance (a) of the floor treatment appliance (1) from the surface (6),
a computing means (5) configured to transmit control commands to the drive (3), based on the surrounding area features detected by the detection means (4), and configured to control the drive (3) to change a movement of the floor treatment appliance (1) when the distance (a) detected by at least one of the fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) is greater than a threshold value defining a slope (16),
wherein the plurality of fall sensors comprise a plurality of outer fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11) arranged one behind the other in a direction of a circumferential contour (17) of the underside (7), and a plurality of inner fall sensors (12, 13, 14, 15), which, based on the arrangement of the outer fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11), are offset inwards,
wherein the fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) are interconnected in an evaluation circuit of the detection means (4) that is configured to evaluate the detection signals of the totality of inner fall sensors (12, 13, 14, 15) independently of the detection signals of the totality of outer fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11),
wherein the totality of inner fall sensors (12, 13, 14, 15) is integrated in a common first evaluation circuit (24) of the detection means (4), and wherein the totality of outer fall sensors (8, 9, 10, 11) is integrated in a common second evaluation circuit (25), which is formed separately from the first evaluation circuit.