Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISINFECTION MODULE FOR A SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CLEANING AND DISINFECTION DEVICE
Cross Reference to Related Applications
11001] The application claims priority to and the benefit of US Provisional
Patent Application Serial No.
63/055919, entitled "DISINFECTION MODULE FOR A SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CLEANING AND
DISINFECTION
DEVICE", filed on July 24, 2020, and US Provisional Patent Application Serial
No. 63/030053, entitled
"SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CLEANING OF SURFACES", filed on May 26,
2020, and
International Application Serial No. PCT/CA2020/051100, entitled "SYSTEM AND
METHOD OF SEMI-
AUTONOMOUS CLEANING OF SURFACES", filed on August 12, 2020, the disclosures of
which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Background
[1002] The embodiments described herein relate to semi-autonomous cleaning and
disinfection devices
and more particularly, to a system and method for a disinfection module for a
semi-autonomous cleaning
device for cleaning of surfaces.
[1003] There is a problem in the janitorial industry where business facilities
must quickly adopt a quality
disinfection solution while easing the risk and burden of their human cleaning
staff. This problem is
particularly notable where surfaces may become contaminated during an opening
period, and need to be
disinfected when a facility re-opens. Facilities managers are currently
spending substantial additional
effort having cleaning staff manually disinfect more frequently. Manual
cleaning efforts are prone to error,
and often miss sections of surfaces where disinfection is required.
11004] Due to the COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, certain locations
will be required to
consistently disinfect common areas in order to control the spread and then
avoid a disease transmission.
Facilities such as hospitals and airports are looking at traditional solutions
such as manual scrubbing or
spraying walls, objects, artifacts, and facilities managers expect audits that
demonstrate that their
facilities are cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.
[1005] The most common pattern identified now is related to the need to
disinfect touch surfaces. This
can take up to 70% of a cleaning staff's time during COVI D-19. Some of those
steps are done by personnel
by scrubbing or spraying manually, some are done with larger sprayers with
larger effective coverage
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areas. Spraying seems the most practical solution long term: it does not
require confining the space, it
does not require personal protective equipment (like fogging), and it remains
fast (compared to solutions
like ultraviolet (UV) that require 5-10 minutes exposure) and is compliant
with the safety regulations for
the use of disinfecting chemicals.
[1006] Cleaners of public spaces have a mandate to clean more stringently in
the wake of the COVID-19
virus (i.e., increase frequency of clean) and have a daily depleting workforce
(i.e., labor shortage) to do
that job. An autonomous or semi-autonomous cleaning robotic device that can
also assist in cleaning and
disinfection of surfaces is described herein.
Summary
11007] An autonomous or semi-autonomous cleaning device having a disinfection
module mounted for
disinfecting walls and objects in the areas it operates. The disinfection
module consists of a fan, atomizer
nozzle, an electrostatic module and a disinfection tank to store disinfection
solution. The nozzle of the
disinfection module sprays a stream of disinfection solution towards walls and
objects to disinfect these
surfaces. The system activates an electrostatically charged disinfection
misting system which is designed
to disinfect vertical surfaces and select horizontal surfaces.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[1008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
[1009] FIG. 2 is a front view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
11010] FIG. 3 is a back view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
11011] FIG. 4 is a left side view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
[1012] FIG. 5 is a right side view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
[1013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device with
an external disinfection
module.
[1014] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
discharging a disinfection
solution.
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[1015] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
displaying an internal
disinfection module tank.
[1016] FIG. 8B is a right side view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
displaying an internal
disinfection module tank.
[1017] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
displaying an external disinfection
module tank.
[1018] FIG. 10 is a further perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning
device with another external
disinfection module design.
[1019] FIGURES 11A to 11E are line drawing illustrating a semi-autonomous
cleaning device with another
external disinfection module design.
[1020] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating key components of a disinfection
module.
[1021] FIGURES 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the control system.
[1022] FIGURES 14A ¨ 14C are diagrams illustrating the sprayer module.
[1023] FIGURES 15A and 15B are diagrams illustrating the sprayer head of the
sprayer module.
[1024] FIGURES 16A and 16B are diagrams illustrating the tank and pump module.
11025] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating operation of the disinfection module.
11026] FIG. 17 is a line drawing illustrating a perspective view of components
of a disinfection module.
11027] FIGURES 18A to 18E are diagram illustrating graphical user interfaces
(GUI) for the disinfection
module.
Detailed Description
11028] This disclosure focuses on providing an extra spraying system to
provide autonomous and semi-
autonomous cleaning devices to disinfect walls and objects in the areas it
operates. The goal is to
automate and scale disinfection in public spaces in order to gain consistency
at a fraction of the current
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cost.
[1029] That ideal solution should quickly and effectively disinfect
facilities, ease the burden of manual
disinfection by human labor, and meet any existing or anticipated disinfection
requirements in the wake
of businesses reopening. It should also be innovative yet competitive, cost
effective and flexible enough
to allow for a level of adaptation to the moment so that the facility manager
can manage risks associated
with pandemic uncertainty. Data should also be collected on which surfaces
have been disinfected.
[1030] An exemplary embodiment of a semi-autonomous cleaning device is shown
in Figures 1 ¨ 5. FIG.
1 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device. FIG. 2 is a
front view of a semi-autonomous
cleaning device. FIG. 3 is a back view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device.
FIG. 4 is a left side view of a
semi-autonomous cleaning device, and FIG. 5 is a right side view of a semi-
autonomous cleaning device.
11031] Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a semi-autonomous cleaning device 100. The
device 100 (also referred to
herein as "cleaning robot" or "robot") includes at least a frame 102, a drive
system 104, an electronics
system 106, and a cleaning assembly 108. The cleaning robot 100 can be used to
clean (e.g., vacuum,
scrub, disinfect, etc.) any suitable surface area such as, for example, a
floor of a home, commercial
building, warehouse, etc. The robot 100 can be any suitable shape, size, or
configuration and can include
one or more systems, mechanisms, assemblies, or subassemblies that can perform
any suitable function
associated with, for example, traveling along a surface, mapping a surface,
cleaning a surface, and/or the
like.
[1032] The frame 102 of cleaning device 100 can be any suitable shape, size,
and/or configuration. For
example, in some embodiments, the frame 102 can include a set of components or
the like, which are
coupled to form a support structure configured to support the drive system
104, the cleaning assembly
108, and the electronic system 106. Cleaning assembly 108 may be connected
directly to frame 102 or an
alternate suitable support structure or sub-frame (not shown). The frame 102
of cleaning device 100
further comprises strobe light 110, front lights 112, a front sensing module
114 and a rear sensing module
128, rear wheels 116, rear skirt 118, handle 120 and cleaning hose 122. The
frame 102 also includes one
or more internal storage tanks or storing volumes for storing water,
disinfecting solutions (i.e., bleach,
soap, cleaning liquid, etc.), debris (dirt), and dirty water. More information
on the cleaning device 100 is
further disclosed in PCT publication W02016/168944, entitled "APPARATUS AND
METHODS FOR SEMI-
AUTONOMOUS CLEANING OF SURFACES" filed on April 25, 2016 and International
Application Serial No.
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PCT/CA2020/051100, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CLEANING OF
SURFACES", these disclosures which are incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[1033] More particularly, in this embodiment, the front sensing module 114
further includes structured
light sensors in a vertical and horizontal mounting position, an active stereo
sensor and a RGB camera.
The rear sensing module 128, as seen in FIG. 3, consists of a rear optical
camera. In further embodiments,
front and rear sensing modules 114 and 128 may also include other sensors
including one or more optical
camera, thermal cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), structured light
sensors, active stereo
sensors (for 3D) and RGB cameras.
[1034] The back view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device 100, as seen in FIG.
3, further shows frame
102, cleaning hose 122, clean water tank 130, clean water fill port 132, rear
skirt 118, strobe light 110 and
electronic system 106. Electronic system 106 further comprises display 134
which can be either a static
display or touchscreen display. Rear skirt 118 consists of a squeegee head or
rubber blade that engages
the floor surface along which the cleaning device 100 travels and channels
debris towards the cleaning
assembly 108.
[1035] FIG. 3 further includes emergency stop button 124 which consists of a
big red button, a device
power switch button 126 and a rear sensing module 128. Rear sensing module 128
further comprises an
optical camera that is positioned to sense the rear of device 100. This
complements with the front sensing
module 114 which provides view and direction of the front of device 100, which
work together to sense
obstacles and obstructions.
[1036] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device with
an external disinfection
module 602. As seen in FIG. 6, components of the disinfection module comprise
of:
= High powered fan (DC voltage) 604
= Atomizer nozzle 606
= Electrostatic module cathode
= Electrostatic module 608
[1037] According to FIG. 6, the disinfection module consists of a spraying,
misting and! or fogging system
that will distribute a disinfectant solution 610 onto touch areas such as
handles, doors, handrails,
touchscreens, tables, countertops, shelves, and other areas that need regular
disinfecting. The
disinfection module mounts to a semi-autonomous cleaning device and is able to
automatically navigate
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to any location of the facility and disinfect it as needed using the
automation and infrastructure of the
existing product.
[1038] The disinfection module 602 may contain a solution tank, an atomizing
system, a dispersion
system, and an electrostatic system. The system will be mounted so the
disinfectant solution 610 can
spread at an appropriate height and within a 1.5m distance from the cleaning
device. By utilizing an
electrostatic system the module can maximize total coverage and disinfectant
despite spray angle. Further
info on the disinfection module can be found in the US provisional application
No. 63/055,919, entitled
"DISINFECTION MODULE FOR A SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CLEANING AND DISINFECTION DEVICE",
filed on July
24, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
11039] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
discharging a disinfection
solution. As seen in FIG.7, the function of the disinfection module is to
spray an electrostatically charged
disinfection solution into an airstream that then travels to vertical /
horizontal surfaces. These surfaces
may include washroom doors, handles, doorknobs, walls and entry ways.
[1040] According to this disclosure, the disinfection solution would be any
chemical that can be sprayed,
commonly but not limited to quaternary ammonium, hydrogen peroxide, iso-
propyl, and any other
chemical or liquid that can be sprayed and recognized for having disinfecting
properties. Furthermore, the
disinfection solution may contain perfume, room fresheners and odor killing
solutions (i.e., Febreze9.
[1041] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning device
displaying an internal
disinfection module tank. FIG. 88 is a right side view of a semi-autonomous
cleaning device displaying an
internal disinfection module tank. FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a semi-
autonomous cleaning device
displaying an external disinfection module tank.
[1042] FIG. 10 is a further perspective view of a semi-autonomous cleaning
device with a revised external
disinfection module. According to FIG. 10, semi-autonomous cleaning device
1000 includes a sprayer
1002, display 1004, tank 1006, clean water level indicator hose 1008,
emergency stop button 1010 and
pump 1012. Pump 1012 may be housed behind or enclosed inside tank 1006.
[1043] FIGURES 11A to 11E are line drawing illustrating a semi-autonomous
cleaning device with another
external disinfection module design. FIG. 11A is a front perspective view of a
line drawing of a semi-
autonomous cleaning device with an external disinfection module.
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[1044] FIG. 11B is a front plan view of a line drawing of a semi-autonomous
cleaning device with an
external disinfection module. FIG. 11C is a back plan view of a line drawing
of a semi-autonomous cleaning
device with an external disinfection module.
[1045] FIG. 11D is a right side view of a line drawing of a semi-autonomous
cleaning device with an
external disinfection module. FIG. 11E is a left side view of a line drawing
of a semi-autonomous cleaning
device with an external disinfection module.
[1046] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating key components of the disinfection
module. According to FIG. 12,
key components of the disinfection module include:
Autonomy Integration
= Point to point navigation & disinfection
o Average disinfecting speed 0.6 m/s. This speed may be adjusted as
required per location.
o Disinfection On / Off based on disinfection plan
o Obstacle avoidance and slow-downs / stop the spray
= Seamless integration with robotic cleaning platform
Control System
= Input from autonomy system
= Interfaces with Estop safety System
= Custom printed circuit board assembly (PCBA)
= Issues command to solution pump
o Powers electrostatic module
o Solution tank level detection
Sprayer
= Solution input from solution tank & pump
= Houses replaceable atomization nozzle
= Adjustable atomization nozzle (different apertures available)
= LEDs mounted to spray nozzle illuminate target for safety
= Adjustable spray angle
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Pump and Tank
= Solution Tank
o Custom mounting bracket
o Wide fill cap w/ breather vent
o Digital level sensor
o Visual level check
= Brushless motor pump
= Clean out & shut off valve
= Custom brackets and formed dust cover
= Houses control system
[1047] According to FIG. 12, a semi-autonomous cleaning device is equipped
with a disinfection module.
This disinfection module will output a disinfectant spray with an illuminated
target area (i.e., lighting
showing spray pattern). The nozzle on the disinfection module can be
customized to output a "fan" type
spray pattern. This pattern can be configured to be a narrow to wide spray
pattern (i.e., narrow or wide
aperture selection).
[1048] FIGURES 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the control system.
According to FIG. 13A, control
system 1300 is designed to integrate the solution tank (i.e., 3 gallon tank),
pump system, control system
and safety system with a vacuum formed dust cover enclosure 1302. Control
system 1300 further consists
of custom printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 1304, inputs from autonomy
system 1306 and outputs
to pump and spray 1306, water resistant gasket 1308, emergency stop button
1310 and semi-autonomous
device main power button 1312.
11049] As seen in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13B, control system 1300 is mounted
vertically to fit snuggly with tank
1106. FIG 13B is a right side view of the control system. According to FIG
13B, control system 1300
includes vacuum formed dust cover enclosure 1302, input / output connections
1312 and emergency stop
button 1310. Emergency stop button 1310 may include a large red and yellow
button that is easily visible.
[1050] FIGURES 14A ¨ 14C are diagrams illustrating the sprayer module.
According to FIG. 14A, sprayer
module 1400 consists of a custom enclosure 1402 houses an electrostatic charge
generation module 1404
where a nozzle 1406 atomizes electrostatically charged liquid disinfectant.
The nozzle 1406 may be a
replaceable nozzle with 3 positions. A LED spotlight 1408 and lens 1410
illuminates spray and target for
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safety and visual confirmation that the spray is operational. Sprayer module
1400 further includes a power
distribution module 1412, a solution hose 1414 and an electrode module 1416.
The electrode in the
electrode module 1416 passes the electrostatic charge generated by 1404 to the
fluid at the entry of the
nozzle
[1051] FIG. 14B illustrates sprayer module mounted on mounting bracket 1420
with user configurable
variable spraying angle. FIG. 14C illustrates that the sprayer module may be
manually adjusted to a user
selectable spray angle.
[1052] FIGURES 15A and 15B are diagrams illustrating the sprayer head of the
sprayer module. FIG. 15A
is a perspective view of the sprayer head of the sprayer module. FIG. 15B is a
front plan view of the sprayer
head of the sprayer module. According to FIGURES 15A and 15B sprayer head
assembly 1500 includes
spray head cover 1512, a plurality of spray illumination light emitting diodes
(LEDs) 1502.
11053] Sprayer head assembly 1500 also includes spray housing nozzle housing
1504 that contains 3
nozzle head selections (1506, 1508, 1510). Nozzle head selections include a
wide cone spray nozzle 1506,
a narrow cone spray nozzle 1508 and a fan spray nozzle 1510. According to FIG.
15B, sprayer head
assembly 1500 further includes adjustment knobs 1514 enabling the sprayer
module to be adjusted to
different spray angles.
[1054] FIGURES 16A and 16B are diagrams illustrating the tank and pump module.
According to FIG. 11
and FIGURES 16A and 16B, a semi-autonomous cleaning device 1100 is designed to
integrate a tank and
pump module 1600, including a plastic solution tank 1602, a pump system 1612,
a control system 1616
and safety system 1010 (i.e., emergency stop button) with a vacuum formed dust
cover 1620. Solution
tank 1620 may include a 3 gallon tank, but other volume tank sizes can also be
contemplated. Pump
system 1612 includes a brushless pump, but may include other pump types.
[1055] According to FIG. 16A, tank and pump module 1600, further includes a
wide mouth breather cap
1604, custom mounting bracket 1606, level sensors 1614 and DC pump 1612 (i.e.,
brushless pump). DC
pump 1612 is connected to clean out and shut off valve 1610. Tank and pump
module 1600 also includes
an output hose 1608 that connects to a sprayer (not shown).
11056] According to FIG. 16B, custom dust cover 1620 is shown as a cover
protecting all the components
of tank and pump module 1600. Custom dust cover 1620 also has a visual level
indicator 1622.
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[1057] FIG. 17 is a line drawing illustrating a perspective view of components
of a disinfection module.
According to FIG. 17, disinfection module 1700, consists of fluid reservoir
module 1702 connected to
sprayer module 1716 by hose and wiring bundle 1712. Fluid reservoir module
1702 further comprises of
power button 1706, e-stop (or emergency stop) button 1704, fill cap 1708,
custom rear electrical
enclosure panel 1710 and reservoir tank 1724. The capacity of reservoir tank
1724 has a fluid capacity of
3 gallons (11.4 liters).
[1058] According to FIG. 17, fluid reservoir module 1702 has a weight of 40
pounds (lbs) or 18 kilograms
(kg) without fluid. In one embodiment, fluid reservoir module 1702 has maximum
power of 1 Amp at 36
Volts DC nominal. Fluid reservoir module 1702 also encompasses components of
electrical enclosure
panel 1710 including networking components such as 10/ 100 Ethernet and
wireless connectivity options
(i.e., WiFi and Bluetoothfl.
11059] According to FIG. 17, sprayer module 1716, further comprises spray
angle adjustment
thumbscrews 1714, spray nozzle 1720 and indicator LED 1718. Sprayer module
1716 also includes mount
1722 configured to mount to the housing or frame of an autonomous or semi-
autonomous cleaning
device. Sensors may be placed to encode the spray angle. The spray angle data
may be used in
combination with route data, flow rate data, and site feature data to generate
an effective mapping of
the parts of surfaces that have been sanitized.
[1060] FIGURES 18A to 18E are diagrams illustrating graphical user interfaces
(GUI) of the disinfection
module. FIG. 18A is a block diagram illustrating the various GUI screens of
the disinfection module.
According to FIG. 18A, the first GUI screen is the Login screen 1802. Once
logged in, the system goes to
the Home screen 1804. The user has a choice of Manual operation 1806 or a Plan
List 1808 operation.
[1061] If the user selects the Plan List 1808 is selected, the GUI moves onto
Plan Checklist 1810 and then
a Plan screen 1812. A notification 1814 will provide "Disinfection started"
announcement. The GUI then
moves to DA screen 1816, indicating that the system is "Disinfecting
Autonomously". Once the
disinfection is completed, a further announcement 1818 of "Disinfection ended"
is provided. Finally, the
system will move to the TBT screen 1820 which represents "Travel between
targets" which the system
will travel to another target and allows the system to reinitiate another plan
1808.
11062] FIG. 1813 illustrates a further GUI for "Cleaning only", "Disinfecting
only" and "Cleaning and
disinfecting" user interfaces. According to FIG. 1813, touchscreen controls
are provided for water level
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1830, cleaning head pressure 1832, and direction and speed icon 1834 of the
device. The direction and
speed icon 1834 includes such selections as "reverse", "park", "speed 1",
"speed 2" and "speed 3".
Furthermore, button selections Vacuum 1836 and / or Disinfection 1838 icons
are also provided.
[1063] FIG. 18C illustrates a further GUI for "Basic hardware" and "Lights"
user interfaces. The "Basic
hardware" user interface provides menu and options for basic hardware
diagnostics. The "Lights" user
interface provides options for light diagnostics.
[1064] FIG. 18D illustrates a further GUI for a "Plan Checklist". According to
FIG. 18D, the "Plan Checklist"
user interface provides different selection options for a plan checklist.
[1065] FIG. 18E illustrates a further GUI for a "Logout Checklist". According
to FIG. 18E, the "Logout
Checklist" user interface provides different selection options for a logout
checklist.
[1066] According to this disclosure, once a semi-autonomous cleaning device is
equipped with a
disinfection module, it provides facilities and operation executives with a
solution that provides the
following benefits: it cleans and sanitizes floors, disinfects high-touch
areas and reports on cleaning and
disinfection operations.
11067] The solution reduces human uncertainty and cost, while remaining
flexible and quick to deploy. It
allows for using preferred chemicals and fine-tuning your processes and
provides reports ensuring your
service meets the expected level of quality and regulations.
11068] The short term impact is to enable operations of large public spaces
(hospitals, airports, schools,
train stations, office building, shopping centers, etc.,) while controlling
the spread of COVID-19. The longer
term impact is to ensure those places are safer against future viral or
bacteriological outbreaks. We see
this project as a long-term risk mitigation for the global economy.
[1069] According to this disclosure, the system has different use cases,
including the following scenarios.
Scenario 1 - Continuous Spraying:
[1070] A cleaner or a cleaning supervisor would need to be able to use semi-
autonomous cleaning device
to spray disinfecting chemicals on objects in large spaces (i.e., canteens,
cafeterias, food courts, etc.,).
The space is expected to be emptied of people, prepared, and would need to be
cleaned manually
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separately of food and garbage items. The cleaning device could spray in areas
with carpet or hard-floor.
[1071] The cleaning device should spray disinfectant continuously on objects
all along its path, without
distinction of objects! ON-OFF controls. The expectation is that objects at
hand reach to be covered with
disinfecting chemicals. A spraying coverage of 20 cm to 1.5 m from the robot,
at tables height, would be
appropriate in one embodiment. It needs to be done in a similar time-frame as
what a regular cleaner
would spend for a similar task.
[1072] In further embodiments, there is the ability to combine floor cleaning
and spraying in the same
run. The cleaning device can carry 2 different missions (i.e., cleaning plan
and disinfection plan).
Scenario 2 - Continuous Spraying Up ¨ Down:
[1073] A cleaner or a cleaning supervisor would need to be able to use the
semi-autonomous cleaning
device to spray disinfecting chemicals in open spaces from 8 ft. height to the
ground. The space is expected
to be emptied of people and prepared, access forbidden during spraying and for
5 minutes after spraying
for the solution to evaporate or settle. The robot could spray in areas with
carpet or hard-floor.
[1074] The robot should spray disinfectant continuously on walls and objects
along its path, without
distinction or ON-OFF controls. A spraying coverage of 20 cm to 1.5 m from the
cleaning device, at tables
height, would be appropriate. The walls need to be fully covered from 8 ft.
high down to the ground. It
needs to be done in a similar time-frame as what a regular cleaner would spend
for a similar task. In one
embodiment, the robot can carry solution for a runtime of 1 hour under those
conditions.
[1075] If there is no intent to combine floor cleaning and spraying in the
same run; the cleaning device
can carry 2 different missions (cleaning plan and disinfection plan). The two
mission strategy may be
advantageous if it is undesirable to leave traces of disinfectant on the
floor.
Scenario 3- Disinfecting Touch Points:
[1076] A cleaner or a cleaning supervisor would need to be able to use the
semi-autonomous cleaning
device to spray disinfecting chemicals on touch areas, once a week to several
times a day depending on
the traffic in the area. Those touch surfaces include door knobs, handles,
touch screens, elevator buttons,
tables, desks, ramps, vending machines. Some of those surfaces are not
vertical, which could mean a
need to change the angle of the spray if the divergence is not wide enough,
but most are at the same
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height.
[1077] In addition, spraying people or sensitive surfaces can bring extra
danger as disinfecting chemicals
may be dangerous to inhale; consequently there is a need to control where the
spraying happens, an
"always-on" spraying bringing way too many risks in this case. It is
acceptable to have to isolate the area
temporarily for the robot to operate, although people may still be present at
1 meter from the robot in
areas it should not spray (example: spraying touch-screens in airports, in an
area temporarily closed with
stanchions). The robot could spray in areas with carpet or hard-floor.
[1078] Touch areas to disinfect should be completely covered with disinfectant
after the pass. A separate
manual cleaning may still be required in cases where the disinfected surfaces
get dirty after being touched.
A cleaner may be expected to prepare some of the areas, for example
orientation of furniture and removal
of debris. As such, in many environments, the spraying is preferably to be
done at the same time as a
person carrying complementary tasks in the same location as the robot.
[1079] Furthermore, the cleaning device must be able to spray door knobs while
remaining at least 1 m
away for fire safety reasons. Some doors open out and can trigger the side
safety stop, block the robot
and block the people in the rooms, including during emergency evacuation. A
spray of doors from 1 meter
- 1.5 meter will be appropriate in some embodiments.
[1080] According to this disclosure, a semi-autonomous cleaning device with a
disinfection module
would provide:
= Targeted electrostatic disinfectant spraying or misting
= The proposed solution targets common touch points and high transmission
points
= Use of existing semi-autonomous device and cleaning platform. Developing
an add-on module
which uses proven mapping technology to target high traffic areas. The system
activates an
electrostatically charged disinfection misting system which is designed to
disinfect vertical
surfaces (doorknobs, light switches, etc.) and select horizontal surfaces
(backs of chairs, high set
counters, etc.).
11081] According to this disclosure, some difference with the proposed
disclosure and other solutions
include:
= Other cleaning devices / robots do not combine both cleaning (scrubbers)
and disinfection
systems
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= Other solutions only disinfect and bring little to no long term return on
investment (ROI); they
provide no flexibility in the planning of using the product (scrubbing vs
disinfection)
= Other solution may fog the site blindly; although not its only use case,
our solution will be
programmable to autonomously disinfect only certain surfaces in the location,
on a map
= This solution differentiates itself from others in that it is designed
specifically to target high viral
transmission points. This is archived by hardware design and integration with
an autonomous
robotic platform.
= In one embodiment, a targeted disinfection misting solution (hardware
solution) is married to an
autonomous robotic platform (robotic solution).
[1082] In further embodiments, the semi-autonomous cleaning device may include
the following
additional features:
= A top mounted disinfection misting system
= A pump to push disinfectant solution through a misting nozzle
= A small fan creates a powerful air current that the mist is deposited
into
= The solution is electrostatically charged allowing it to cling to
surfaces, reach hidden surfaces, and
improving overall coverage
= The pump, power controls and solution tank to reside internally inside
the dirty water tank of the
semi-autonomous cleaning device platform
= The logic control to reside inside the device nose cone
11083] According to other embodiments, the proposed solution consists of an
autonomous and! or semi-
autonomous cleaning device that focuses on the combination of spraying,
spraying under autonomous
control, and use of an autonomous robotic platform that provides a targeted
disinfection of touchpoints.
11084] In further embodiments, the autonomous software of the semi-autonomous
cleaning device is
updated to include "disinfection zones" so the device can trigger the
disinfectant module when the robot
is close to an area of interest. The device will also require a planning
"route" to navigate through a series
of points as required for disinfection.
[1085] The functions described herein may be stored as one or more
instructions on a processor-
readable or computer-readable medium. The term "computer-readable medium"
refers to any available
medium that can be accessed by a computer or processor. By way of example, and
not limitation, such a
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medium may comprise RAM, ROM, [[PROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical
disk storage,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium
that can be used to store
desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that
can be accessed by a
computer. It should be noted that a computer-readable medium may be tangible
and non-transitory. As
used herein, the term "code" may refer to software, instructions, code or data
that is/are executable by
a computing device or processor. A "module" can be considered as a processor
executing computer-
readable code.
11086] A processor as described herein can be a general purpose processor, a
digital signal processor
(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable
gate array (FPGA) or other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware components, or any
combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A
general purpose processor
can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be a
controller, or microcontroller,
combinations of the same, or the like. A processor can also be implemented as
a combination of
computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a
plurality of microprocessors, one
or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such
configuration. Although
described herein primarily with respect to digital technology, a processor may
also include primarily
analog components. For example, any of the signal processing algorithms
described herein may be
implemented in analog circuitry. In some embodiments, a processor can be a
graphics processing unit
(GPU). The parallel processing capabilities of GPUs can reduce the amount of
time for training and using
neural networks (and other machine learning models) compared to central
processing units (CPUs). In
some embodiments, a processor can be an ASIC including dedicated machine
learning circuitry custom-
build for one or both of model training and model inference.
[1087] The disclosed or illustrated tasks can be distributed across multiple
processors or computing
devices of a computer system, including computing devices that are
geographically distributed.
[1088] The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for
achieving the described
method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another
without departing from
the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or
actions is required for proper
operation of the method that is being described, the order and/or use of
specific steps and/or actions
may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.
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[1089] As used herein, the term "plurality" denotes two or more. For example,
a plurality of components
indicates two or more components. The term "determining" encompasses a wide
variety of actions and,
therefore, "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing,
deriving, investigating, looking
up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure),
ascertaining and the like. Also,
"determining" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing
(e.g., accessing data in a
memory) and the like. Also, "determining" can include resolving, selecting,
choosing, establishing and the
like.
[1090] The phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly
specified otherwise. In
other words, the phrase "based on" describes both "based only on" and "based
at least on."
[1091] While the foregoing written description of the system enables one of
ordinary skill to make and
use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of
ordinary skill will understand and
appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the
specific embodiment,
method, and examples herein. The system should therefore not be limited by the
above described
embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within
the scope and spirit of
the system. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the
implementations shown
herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles
and novel features disclosed
herein.
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