Method of operating a base station for a cleaning device

Abstract

A method for operating a base station for a cleaning device is proposed, wherein exclusively by means of a pressure sensor and/or by means of a differential pressure the filling level of the container is determined as state of the base station and additionally at least one further state of the base station is determined and/or wherein on reaching a predefined filling level the maximum number of still possible extraction processes with-out emptying a container is limited.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Method of operating a base station for a cleaning device,
 wherein the base station is adapted to suck vacuumed material from the cleaning device into a container of the base station during an extraction process,   the method comprising:   determining the differential pressure to the surroundings downstream to the container by means of a pressure sensor of the base station to determine the filling level of the container, and   determining the filling level of the container as a state of the base station and additionally a further state of the base station exclusively by means of the differential pressure.   
     
     
         2 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the absolute pressure downstream to the container is measured by means of the pressure sensor before and during the extraction process to determine the differential pressure to the surroundings. 
     
     
         3 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the differential pressure to the surroundings is measured directly by means of the pressure sensor. 
     
     
         4 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the differential pressure is compared with a limit value to determine the filling level of the container and/or the further state of the base station. 
     
     
         5 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein exclusively by means of the pressure sensor and/or the differential pressure it is determined as a further state of the base station whether an intake tract of the base station is clogged. 
     
     
         6 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein during an extraction process and/or with connected cleaning device and additionally before or after an extraction process and/or without connected cleaning device, the differential pressure is determined by means of the pressure sensor in order to locate a blockage. 
     
     
         7 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein exclusively by means of the pressure sensor and/or the differential pressure it is determined as a further state of the base station whether an outlet filter ( 50 K) downstream of the pressure sensor is not or not correctly inserted. 
     
     
         8 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein exclusively by means of the pressure sensor and/or the differential pressure it is determined as a further state of the base station whether a collection filter ( 50 H) is not or not correctly inserted in the container and/or whether the container is not closed. 
     
     
         9 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein exclusively by means of the pressure sensor and/or the differential pressure it is determined as a further state of the base station whether the cleaning device is not or not correctly connected to the base station. 
     
     
         10 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the extraction process is automatically interrupted and/or the operation of the base station is automatically blocked depending on the determined state. 
     
     
         11 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein a user is notified of the identified state. 
     
     
         12 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein, depending on the determined state, a new extraction process is performed only by a user input. 
     
     
         13 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein, when a predefined filling level is reached, the maximum number of extraction processes still possible without emptying the container is limited. 
     
     
         14 . Method of operating a base station for a cleaning device,
 wherein the base station is adapted to suck vacuumed material from the cleaning device into a container of the base station during an extraction process,   the method comprising:   determining the differential pressure to the surroundings downstream to the container by means of a pressure sensor of the base station to determine the filling level of the container, and   when a predefined filling level is reached, limiting the maximum number of extraction processes still possible without emptying the container.   
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein the absolute pressure downstream to the container is measured by means of the pressure sensor before and during the extraction process to determine the differential pressure to the surroundings. 
     
     
         16 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein the differential pressure to the surroundings is measured directly by means of the pressure sensor. 
     
     
         17 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein the differential pressure is compared with a limit value to determine the filling level of the container and/or the further state of the base station. 
     
     
         18 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein the operation of the base station is automatically blocked when the maximum number of extraction processes with the container in the predefined filling level without emptying the container is reached. 
     
     
         19 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein a user is notified of the reaching of the predefined filling level. 
     
     
         20 . Method according to  claim 14 , wherein, upon reaching the maximum number of extraction processes with the container in the predefined filling level, a new extraction process is performed only by a user input. 
     
     
         21 . Method according to  claim 20 , wherein after the user input it is checked by means of the pressure sensor whether the container has been emptied. 
     
     
         22 . Method according to  claim 21 , wherein the operation of the base station is automatically blocked again if the container has not been emptied. 
     
     
         23 . Method according to  claim 21  wherein, the extraction process is carried out completely when the container has been emptied.