US5613261A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cleaner
Assignee: Moneual Inc
•
Filing: 1995-04-12
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Granted: 1997-03-25
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Expires: 2015-04-12
Abstract
Abstract A cleaner comprises a driving unit which moves the cleaner, a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned, a sensor by which a degree of dirt on the object is detected, and a driving controller which controls the driving unit on the basis of the detected degree of dirt. The cleaner unit further comprises a controller which compares the degrees of dirt detected by the sensor before and after a cleaning operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Yuichi Kawakami
- 👤 Takayuki Hamaguchi
- 👤 Nobukazu Kawagoe
- 👤 Hideaki Nakanishi
- 👤 Natsuko Waki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:07
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47L; A47L9/00; A47L9/28; A47L9/2836; A47L9/2852; A47L9/2805; A47L9/281; A47L9/2815; G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0212; G05D1/0223; G05D1/0268; G05D1/0272; A47L2201/00; A47L2201/06; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0242
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
44 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a driving controller which controls the driving unit on the basis of the detected reflectivity.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
44 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a driving controller which controls the driving unit on the basis of the detected reflectivity.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving controller controls the driving unit so that the cleaner moves at high speed when the sensor detects that the reflectivity is higher than a predetermined value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a cleaning controller which controls the cleaner unit on the basis of the reflectivity detected by the sensor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a light emitter emitting light toward the object and a light receiver receiving light reflected on the object so as to measure the reflectivity of the object.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cleaner further comprises a memory memorizing a standard reflectivity of the object, and the sensor calculates the degree of dirt by means of comparing the measured reflectivity with the standard reflectivity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the memory comprises a plurality of standard reflectivity each of which corresponds to a position of the object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object is a floor and the cleaner runs on the floor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
96 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned, said cleaner unit comprising a material rotated in order to scrub the object; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; a driving controller which controls the driving unit on the basis of the reflectivity so that the cleaner moves at a higher speed when the sensor detects that the reflectivity is higher than a predetermined value; and a cleaning controller which controls the cleaner unit on the basis of the reflectivity detected by the sensor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
96 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned, said cleaner unit comprising a material rotated in order to scrub the object; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; a driving controller which controls the driving unit on the basis of the reflectivity so that the cleaner moves at a higher speed when the sensor detects that the reflectivity is higher than a predetermined value; and a cleaning controller which controls the cleaner unit on the basis of the reflectivity detected by the sensor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein cleaning fluid drips from the material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cleaning controller reduces the amount of the cleaning fluid dripped from the material when the sensor detects that the reflectivity is higher than the predetermined value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cleaning controller reduces the rotating speed of the material when the sensor detects that the reflectivity is higher than the predetermined value.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
48 words
A cleaner comprising: a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a controller which judges cleaning effect of the cleaner unit by means of comparing the reflectivity before and after a cleaning operation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
A cleaner comprising: a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; a sensor which detects the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a controller which judges cleaning effect of the cleaner unit by means of comparing the reflectivity before and after a cleaning operation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cleaner unit repeats the cleaning operation until the reflectivity detected by the sensor is higher than a predetermined value if the controller judges the cleaning effect is high.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cleaner unit stops the cleaning operation on an area where the controller judges the cleaning effect is low.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises a light emitter emitting light toward the object and a light receiver receiving light reflected on the object so as to measure the reflectivity of the object.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
56 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; and a sensor by which a degree of dirt on the object is detected by means of measuring reflectivity of the object, said sensor being located before the cleaner unit relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
56 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit; a cleaner unit which cleans an object to be cleaned; and a sensor by which a degree of dirt on the object is detected by means of measuring reflectivity of the object, said sensor being located before the cleaner unit relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 16, wherein the sensor comprises a light emitter emitting light toward the object and a light receiver receiving light reflected on the object so as to measure the reflectivity of the object.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
77 words
A moving cleaner which cleans an object while moving comprising: a sensor by which a reflectivity of the object is detected; a memory in which a plurality of standard reflectivity, each of which corresponds to a position of the object, are memorized; a comparator which compares the detected reflectivity with the standard reflectivity corresponding to the position of the object; and a controller which controls a cleaning operation on the basis of an output of the comparator.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
77 words
A moving cleaner which cleans an object while moving comprising: a sensor by which a reflectivity of the object is detected; a memory in which a plurality of standard reflectivity, each of which corresponds to a position of the object, are memorized; a comparator which compares the detected reflectivity with the standard reflectivity corresponding to the position of the object; and a controller which controls a cleaning operation on the basis of an output of the comparator.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
36 words
A moving cleaner as claimed in claim 18, wherein the controller controls the cleaning operation on the basis of the detected reflectivity and the standard reflectivity corresponding to a position where the sensor detects the reflectivity.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
29 words
A moving cleaner as claimed in claim 19, wherein the memory memorizes the detected reflectivity as a new standard reflectivity when a cleaning effect at a position is low.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
A moving cleaner as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: a driving unit which moves the cleaner; and wherein the controller controls the driving unit so as to control the cleaning operation.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
35 words
A moving cleaner as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: a cleaner unit which cleans the object to be cleaned; and wherein the controller controls the cleaner unit so as to control the cleaning operation.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
68 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit which moves the cleaner; a sensor which is located behind the driving unit relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit, said sensor detecting the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a cleaner unit which is located behind the sensor relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit, said cleaner cleaning an object to be cleaned.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
68 words
A cleaner comprising: a driving unit which moves the cleaner; a sensor which is located behind the driving unit relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit, said sensor detecting the reflectivity of the object to be cleaned; and a cleaner unit which is located behind the sensor relative to the direction of advance of the driving unit, said cleaner cleaning an object to be cleaned.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 23, further comprising: a controller which controls a cleaning operation on the basis of detected reflectivity.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 24, wherein the controller controls the driving unit so as to control the cleaning operation.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
A cleaner as claimed in claim 24, wherein the controller controls the cleaner unit so as to control the cleaning operation.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-03-24 | 2000-09-23 | 2001-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-03-24 | 2004-09-23 | 2005-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-03-24 | 2008-09-23 | 2009-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |