US20170311770A1 - Index of Refraction Floor Scrubber to Determine Traffic - Google Patents

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided herein useful for determining a task to perform based on a quality associated with a cleaning solution. A system for determining a task to perform comprises a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution. The system can also include a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution. The system can also include at least one of a memory device wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, and a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution. The data related to the quality of the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/329,635, filed Apr. 29, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
TECHNICAL FIELD
• This invention relates generally to traffic in a shopping facility, and more particularly, to determining traffic patterns in a shopping facility.
BACKGROUND
• Guests of a shopping facility deposit and track dirt and other contaminates throughout the shopping facility while shopping. Consequently, a relationship exists between the accumulation of dirt and other contaminates found in areas of the shopping facility and the frequency with which the areas of the shopping facility are visited. Shopping facilities utilize surface cleaning apparatuses (e.g., floor scrubbers) to clean the floor. A need exists for systems and methods to leverage this relationship to determine traffic patterns in the shopping facility and to determine tasks to perform based on the traffic patterns.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods pertaining to determining tasks to perform based on data provided by a surface cleaning apparatus. This description includes drawings, wherein:
• FIG. 1 depicts asurface cleaning apparatus100 including amemory device102 and atransmitter104, according to some embodiments.
• FIGS. 2A and 2B depict example surface cleaning apparatuses that include two reservoirs, according to some embodiments.
• FIGS. 3A and 3B depict example surface cleaning apparatuses that include a single reservoir, according to some embodiments.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting asurface cleaning apparatus400 communicating with acontrol circuit402, according to some embodiments.
• FIG. 5 is a flow diagram including example operations for determining a task to perform based on data from a surface cleaning apparatus, according to some embodiments.
• Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful for determining a task to perform based on traffic patterns in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a system comprises a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution, a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution, and one of a memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality of the cleaning solution and a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, wherein the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.
• Guests of a shopping facility deposit dirt and other contaminates throughout the shopping facility while shopping. Much of the dirt and other contaminates are deposited from the guests' shoes onto the floor of the shopping facility. Because the guests track the dirt and other contaminates throughout the shopping facility, the amount of dirt and other contaminates spread throughout different areas of the shopping facility is proportional to the frequency with which the areas of the shopping facility are visited. Embodiments include a surface cleaning apparatus that can determine the amount of dirt and other contaminates throughout the shopping facility. Additionally, some embodiments determine a task to perform based on this information. For example, if the amount of dirt and other contaminates in an area of the shopping facility, such as a particular aisle, is high, employees can be dispatched to the area to ensure that the product display units in the area are properly stocked.
• FIG. 1 depicts asurface cleaning apparatus100 including amemory device102 and atransmitter104, according to some embodiments. Although thesurface cleaning apparatus100 can be any suitable type of surface cleaning apparatus, thesurface cleaning apparatus100 depicted inFIG. 1 is afloor scrubber100. Thefloor scrubber100 can be manually operated and/or have automated functionality. The floor scrubber100 traverses the shopping facility and cleans dirt and other contaminates from the floor. Thefloor scrubber100 includes a scrubbing assembly106 (e.g., including brushes, mops, pads, etc.) Thefloor scrubber100 discharges cleaning solution and thescrubbing assembly106 cleans the floor with the cleaning solution. Thefloor scrubber100 also includes asqueegee assembly108. Thesqueegee assembly108 clears the cleaning solution from the floor and, in some embodiments, returns the cleaning solution to a reservoir in thefloor scrubber100.
• Unlike a traditional surface cleaning apparatus, thefloor scrubber100 includes one or more sensors (seeFIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-3B). The one or more sensors determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution. The quality associated with the cleaning solution indicates the amount of dirt and other contaminates in the cleaning solution. For example, the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be an index of refraction of the cleaning solution, a turbidity of the cleaning solution, an electrical impedance of the cleaning solution, or any other suitable quality. Additionally, unlike a traditional surface cleaning apparatus, thefloor scrubber100 also includes amemory device102 and atransmitter104. Although thefloor scrubber100 is depicted as having both amemory device102 and atransmitter104, in some embodiments thefloor scrubber100 may only include amemory device102 or atransmitter104.
• Thememory device102 functions to store data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. Thetransmitter104 functions to transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. Thetransmitter104 can be a wireless transmitter or wired transmitter (e.g., a bus). In the case of a wired transmitter, thememory device102 stores the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution while thefloor scrubber100 is cleaning the floor. Thefloor scrubber100 can then be connected to a control circuit via thetransmitter104. Thetransmitter104 transmits the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution to the control circuit. In the case of a wireless transmitter, thetransmitter104 can transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in real time (or near real time) to the control circuit. Alternatively, thememory device102 can store the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution and thetransmitter104 can later wirelessly transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution to the control circuit. Regardless of the transmission type, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform. For example, if the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution indicate that a particular product display is visited by many customers, but point of sale (POS) data indicate that a product presented on the product display is not often purchased, it might be prudent to undertake an investigatory action to determine why sales of the product are low (e.g., the cost of the product is too high, the product is placed in an area of the shopping facility that does not include similar products, etc.).
• WhileFIG. 1 provides a general overview of a surface cleaning apparatus according to some embodiments,FIGS. 2A and 2B provide greater detail about an embodiment of a surface cleaning apparatus that includes two reservoirs.
• FIG. 2A depicts a surface cleaning apparatus in which afirst reservoir204 includes afirst sensor206 and asecond reservoir210 includes asecond sensor208. Thefirst reservoir204 contains new cleaning solution and thesecond reservoir210 includes used cleaning solution. Thefirst reservoir204 supplies the new cleaning solution to the scrubbing assembly. The scrubbing assembly uses the new cleaning solution to clean the floor. A squeegee assembly clears and collects the used cleaning solution from the floor and deposits the used cleaning solution into thesecond reservoir210.
• The sensors measure a quality associated with the cleaning solution. For example, thefirst sensor206 measures a quality associated with the new cleaning solution and thesecond sensor208 measures a quality associated with the used cleaning solution. Thefirst sensor206 and thesecond sensor208 can be any suitable type of sensor. For example, thefirst sensor206 and thesecond sensor208 can be refractometers, turbidity sensors, impedance sensors, or any other suitable type of sensors.
• The quality associated with the new cleaning solution can be compared to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution to determine the amount of dirt and other contaminates contained in the used cleaning solution. The amount of dirt and other contaminates contained in the used cleaning solution compared to the new cleaning solution is indicative of the amount of traffic throughout the shopping facility. Because thesecond sensor208 is located in thesecond reservoir210, the measurement of the quality associated with the used cleaning solution measured by thesecond sensor208 determines the total amount of dirt and other contaminates cleaned from the floor during the total cleaning period. For example, if the cleaning period begins with thesecond reservoir210 containing no used cleaning solution (i.e., thesecond reservoir210 is empty), halfway through the cleaning period the amount of dirt and other contaminates in the used cleaning solution will be an accumulated total of all of the dirt and other contaminates collected during the first half of the cleaning period. The accumulated total of all of the dirt and other contaminates collected during the cleaning period is useful in determining total traffic in the shopping facility.
• The accumulated total of all the dirt and other contaminates collected during the cleaning period may not provide specific enough information as to the traffic in the shopping facility by section or area. That is, the accumulated total of all of the dirt and other contaminates collected during the cleaning period does not provide detail as to how much of the dirt and other contaminates were collected in a specific aisle of the shopping facility. The amount of dirt and other contaminates collected in specific areas of the shopping facility can be calculated based on known or determined locations of thefloor scrubber200 during the cleaning period (i.e., the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be correlated with a location). For example, in one embodiment, thefloor scrubber200 records values indicative of the amount of dirt and other contaminates in the used cleaning solution while thefloor scrubber200 cleans throughout the shopping facility. Thefloor scrubber200 can record the values indicative of the dirt and other contaminates in the used cleaning solution at predetermined intervals, at specific times (e.g., based on a known cleaning route), or on command.
• In addition to the values indicative of the dirt and other contaminates in the used cleaning solution, thefloor scrubber200 can record timestamps or location indicators (e.g., a geotags). In the case of timestamps, the timestamps can be used to determine a location for the values recorded by the floor scrubber based on a known cleaning route. In the case of location indictors, the locations for the values recorded by thefloor scrubber200 may be explicitly stated in the data, or determined from the data (e.g., based on relative location indications on, for example, a coordinate system). Regardless of the method by which locations are determined for the values indicative of the dirt and other contaminates in the used cleaning solution, the amount of dirt and other contaminates collected by thefloor scrubber200 can be determined for specific areas of the shopping facility. For example, if a level of “X” dirt and contaminates are in the used cleaning solution at Location′ and a level of “Y” dirt and contaminates are in the used cleaning solution at Location₂, then “Y” minus “X” dirt and contaminates were collected in an area of the shopping facility between Location′ and Location₂.
• LikeFIG. 2A,FIG. 2B depicts afloor scrubber220 including two reservoirs, afirst reservoir224 and asecond reservoir230. Thefirst reservoir224 and thesecond reservoir230 can be any suitable type of container. UnlikeFIG. 2A in which each reservoir includes a sensor, thefloor scrubber220 depicted inFIG. 2B includes afirst sensor226 located in thefirst reservoir224 and asecond sensor228 located in anintake line232 at, or connected to, the squeegee assembly. Thefirst sensor226 measures a quality associated with the new cleaning solution and thesecond sensor228 measures a quality associated with the used cleaning solution. In some embodiments, thetransmitter222 can transmit data related to the quality associated with the used and/or new cleaning solutions in real time (or near real time) to a control circuit. The transmission can also include information from which a location of thefloor scrubber220 at the time the measurement was taken can be determined. For example, the data related to the quality associated with the used and/or new cleaning solutions can include timestamps or locations indicators. In alternative embodiments, thefloor scrubber220 can store the data related to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution in a memory device. After thefloor scrubber220 is done cleaning (or at periodic intervals during cleaning), the transmitter can transmit the data related to the quality associated with the used and/or new cleaning solutions to the control circuit. Because the intake sensor measures the quality associated with the used cleaning solution at the intake (as opposed to from the second reservoir210), the measured quality associated with the used cleaning solution is not a cumulative measurement. Rather, the measured quality associated with the used cleaning solution is a measurement of the dirt and other contaminates present at the floor scrubber's220 current location.
• WhileFIGS. 2A and 2B depict example surface cleaning apparatuses including two reservoirs,FIGS. 3A and 3B depict example surface cleaning apparatuses having only one reservoir.
• FIG. 3A depicts anexample floor scrubber300 including asingle reservoir304 and asensor310 in anintake line308. Thesensor310 measures a quality associated with the used cleaning solution as it is collected by the squeegee assembly and deposited in thereservoir304 via theintake line308. In some embodiments, thetransmitter302 can transmit data related to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution in real time (or near real time) to a control circuit. The transmission can also include information from which a location of thefloor scrubber300 at the time the measurement was taken can be determined. For example, the data related to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution can include timestamps or locations indicators. In alternative embodiments, thefloor scrubber300 can store the data related to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution in a memory device. After thefloor scrubber300 is done cleaning (or at periodic intervals during cleaning), the transmitter can transmit the data related to the quality associated with the used cleaning solution to the control circuit. Because thefloor scrubber300 recirculates the cleaning solution, the measurement taken by thesensor310 at theintake line308 is a cumulative measurement of all dirt and other contaminates collected by the cleaning process thus far. Accordingly, measurements taken at different times can be used to determine an amount of dirt and other contaminates on the floor in a specific area of the shopping facility. For example, if a level of “X” dirt and contaminates are in the used cleaning solution at Location′ and a level of “Y” dirt and contaminates are in the used cleaning solution at Location₂, then “Y” minus “X” dirt and contaminates were collected in an area of the shopping facility between Location′ and Location₂.
• Although not shown, thefloor scrubber300 can include a sensor at an output line312 (i.e., to the floor) or in thereservoir304, in addition to thesensor310 in theintake line308. In such embodiments, the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be measured at theoutput line312 or thereservoir304 and compared to the quality associated with the cleaning solution at thesensor310 in theintake line308.
• LikeFIG. 3A,FIG. 3B depicts afloor scrubber320 which includes only onereservoir324. UnlikeFIG. 3A, thefloor scrubber320 ofFIG. 3B includes asensor326 in thereservoir324. The floor scrubber322 recirculates cleaning solution. Thesensor326 measures a quality associated with the cleaning solution contained in thereservoir324. Because thefloor scrubber300 recirculates the cleaning solution, the measurement taken by thesensor326 in thereservoir324 is a cumulative measurement of all dirt and other contaminates collected by the cleaning process thus far. Accordingly, measurements taken at different times can be used to determine an amount of dirt and other contaminates on the floor in a specific area of the shopping facility. The floor scrubber322 can transmit data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in real time (or near real time) to a control circuit, or can store the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in a memory device for transmission after the cleaning process is complete (or at predetermined intervals during the cleaning process).
• Unlike embodiments in which a floor scrubber includes two reservoirs (i.e., a reservoir containing new cleaning solution and a reservoir containing used cleaning solution), the floor scrubbers depicted inFIGS. 3A and 3B do not have a reservoir dedicated to containing new cleaning solution. Consequently, a quality associated with new cleaning solution cannot be obtained onboard the floor scrubber while the floor scrubber is cleaning. Rather, the quality associated with the cleaning solution that is measured by the onboard sensor is compared to a known value for new (i.e., unused) cleaning solution.
• WhileFIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-3B depict example surface cleaning apparatuses,FIG. 4 depicts a system including a surface cleaning apparatus and a control circuit.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting asurface cleaning apparatus400 communicating with acontrol circuit402, according to some embodiments. The surface cleaning apparatus400 (depicted as a floor scrubber400) includes sensors that determine a quality associated with cleaning solution used by thefloor scrubber400 to clean a floor of a shopping facility. Thefloor scrubber400 transmits data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution to thecontrol circuit402. For example, thefloor scrubber400 can include atransmitter410 that transmits the data related to a quality associated with the cleaning solution to thecontrol circuit402. Thetransmitter410 can be a wireless or wired transmitter and can either transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in real time (or near real time) while the floor scrubber is cleaning400 or after thefloor scrubber400 has finished cleaning.
• Thecontrol circuit402 includes areceiver404, atraffic determination unit406, and atask determination unit408. Thereceiver404 receives the data related to a quality associated with the cleaning solution from thetransmitter410. Thereceiver404 can receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution via a wired connection or wirelessly. Thetraffic determination unit406 determines traffic values based on the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. The traffic values can be specific to locations in the shopping facility. For example, thetraffic determination unit406 can determine a number of guests (or a proportion of total guests) that visited particular areas within the shopping facility. Thetask determination unit408 determines a task to perform based on the traffic value. For example, if the traffic value indicates high traffic in a particular aisle, thetask determination unit408 can determine that a zoning or restocking task should be performed in that aisle. In some embodiments, thetask determination unit408 can determine a task to perform based on information in addition to the traffic value. For example, thetask determination unit408 can determine a task to perform based on the traffic value and POS data.
• Thecontrol circuit402 can be local to the shopping facility. For example, the control circuit can be located in a back office or stock room. Alternatively, thecontrol circuit402 can be remote from the shopping facility. For example, thecontrol circuit402 can be located at a corporate office. Whether local to or remote from the shopping facility, thecontrol circuit402 can receive data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution from a single shopping facility (i.e., the shopping facility) or multiple shopping facilities (e.g., all shopping facilities in a region).
• WhileFIG. 4 is a block diagram of a surface cleaning apparatus and a control circuit,FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting example operations that can be performed by a surface cleaning apparatus and a control circuit to determine tasks to perform.
• FIG. 5 is a flow diagram including example operations for determining a task to perform based on data from a surface cleaning apparatus, according to some embodiments. The flow begins at block502.
• At block502, a quality associated with a cleaning solution is determined. For example, a sensor of a surface cleaning apparatus can determine a quality associated with a cleaning solution. The quality associated with the cleaning solution can be any quality that is indicative of traffic in a shopping facility. For example, the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be a turbidity of the cleaning solution, an index of refraction of the cleaning solution, an electrical impedance of the cleaning solution, etc. Accordingly, the sensor can be any type of sensor suitable for determining a quality that is indicative of traffic in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus can determine qualities associated with multiple samples of cleaning solution. For example, the surface cleaning apparatus can determine a quality associated with new cleaning solution in a first reservoir and a quality associated with used cleaning solution in a second reservoir. Additionally, in some embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus can determine multiple qualities associated with one or more samples of cleaning solution. For example, the surface cleaning apparatus can determine an index of refraction of used cleaning solution and a turbidity of the used cleaning solution. The flow continues atblock506.
• Atblock506, data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is transmitted. For example, the surface cleaning apparatus transmits the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. In some embodiments, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution includes information in addition to an indication of the quality related to the cleaning solution. For example, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution can include time and/or date information, location information (e.g., based on triangulation or trilateration), and any other information related to the surface cleaning apparatus, the shopping facility, or the cleaning activity. The surface cleaning apparatus can transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution by wired or wireless means. In some embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus transmits the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in real time (or near real time). In other embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus performs an intermediate step between determining the quality associated with the cleaning solution and transmitting data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. This optional intermediate step is depicted atblock504. Atblock504, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is stored. For example, the surface cleaning apparatus can store the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. The surface cleaning apparatus can store the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in a memory device. In embodiments including the operations performed atblock504, the flow proceeds from block502 to block504, before proceeding to block506, as indicated by the dashed arrows inFIG. 5. After the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is transmitted, the flow continues atblock508.
• Atblock508, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is received. For example, a control circuit can receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. In some embodiments, the control circuit can receive information in addition to the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. For example, the control circuit can receive an indication of a baseline value for a quality associated with a cleaning solution, POS data, traffic values associated with other shopping facilities, etc. The flow continues atblock510.
• Atblock510, traffic values are determined. For example, the control circuit can determine the traffic values. The traffic values can be an absolute number of guests (e.g., a number of guests that visited the shopping facility or a section of the shopping facility) or be a relative value (e.g., twice as many guests visited a first location within the shopping facility as a second location with the shopping facility, fewer guests visited a grocery section of the shopping facility than the sporting goods section, etc.). The traffic values are based on the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution. In some embodiments, the control circuit determines the traffic value based on experimentally or historically determined values. For example, a baseline value for new cleaning solution and one or more values for used cleaning solution (e.g., at differing concentrations of dirt and other contaminates) can be used to estimate the traffic values (e.g., using curve fitting). The flow continues atblock512.
• Atblock512, a task to perform is determined. For example, the control circuit determines a task to perform. The task to perform can be a general task management task (e.g., zoning), a modular task (detailed work on a small section of the shopping facility), a product management task, a facilities management task, a merchandising task, or any other task in the shopping facility. The control circuit can determine a task to perform based on the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution alone or in combination with other information (e.g., POS data, sales data, date or time information, data from other shopping facilities, etc.). In some embodiments, it is determined whether the task was actually needed. For example, if the task to perform was a restocking task and an employee assigned to restock an item determined that the item did not need to be restocked, it could indicate that the system needs to be adjusted. On the other hand, if the task did indeed need to be performed, it could indicate that the system is working properly.
• Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of other modifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept. For example, in some embodiments, a control circuit may be included on the surface cleaning apparatus.
• While the examples depicted inFIGS. 2A and 2B include floor scrubbers with a sensor in the reservoir containing new cleaning solution (i.e., the “first sensor” inFIGS. 2A and 2B), embodiments are not so limited. One purpose of this sensor is to provide a measurement with which to compare the quality associated with the used cleaning solution. A floor scrubbing including two reservoirs need not include a sensor in the reservoir containing new cleaning solution. Rather, the floor scrubber may only include one sensor, for example at the reservoir containing the used cleaning solution or in the intake line (i.e., the “second sensor” inFIGS. 2A and 2B). In such embodiments, instead of comparing the quality associated with the used cleaning solution to a measured quality associated with the new cleaning solution, the quality associated with the used cleaning solution is compared to a known (e.g., baseline) value for the quality associated with the new cleaning solution.
• In some embodiments, a system comprises a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution, a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution, and one of a memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality of the cleaning solution and a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, wherein the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.
• In some embodiments, a method comprises determining, via a sensor of a surface cleaning apparatus, a quality associated with a cleaning solution, and at least one of storing, via a memory device of the surface cleaning apparatus, data related to the quality of the cleaning solution and transmitting, via transmitter of the surface cleaning apparatus, the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, wherein the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.
• In some embodiments, a system comprises a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution, a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution, and at least one of a memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, and a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, and a control circuit configured to receive the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, determine based, at least in part, on the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, a traffic value, and determine based, at least in part, on the traffic value, a task to perform.

Claims (21)

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:

a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes;

a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution;

a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

at least one of;

a memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution;

wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.

2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the sensor and the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution include a refractometer and a refractive index, a turbidity sensor and a turbidity, and an impedance sensor and an electrical impedance.

3. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a control circuit configured to:

receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution;

determine, based at least in part on the data, a traffic value; and

determine, based at least in part on the traffic value, the task to perform.

4. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

correlate a location with the traffic value.

5. The system ofclaim 4, further comprising a wireless receiver configured to receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution in substantially real time, and wherein the control circuit is configured to correlate the location with the traffic value based at least in part on a known location of the surface cleaning apparatus at a time when the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution was transmitted.

6. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the control circuit is further configured to receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution over a period of time, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus followed a predetermined route during cleaning, and wherein the correlation of the location with the traffic value is based, at least in part, on the predetermined route and a time value for the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution.

7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution includes a time value.

8. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the traffic value is a number of people that passed through a location over a period of time.

9. The system ofclaim 1, wherein reservoir includes a first container and a second container, and wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is a comparison of cleaning solution in the first container to cleaning solution in the second container.

10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is one or more of a comparison of cleaning solution in the reservoir and intake cleaning solution, a known cleaning solution value and the cleaning solution in the reservoir, and the known cleaning solution value and the intake cleaning solution.

11. A method comprising:

determining, via a sensor of a surface cleaning apparatus, a quality associated with a cleaning solution; and

at least one of:

storing, via a memory device of the surface cleaning apparatus, data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

transmitting, via a transmitter of the surface cleaning apparatus, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution;

wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.

12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the sensor and the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution include a refractometer and a refractive index, a turbidity sensor and a turbidity, and an impedance sensor and an electrical impedance.

13. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising:

receiving, via a control circuit, the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution from the transmitter;

determining, based, at least in part, on the data related associated with the quality of the cleaning solution, a traffic value; and

determining, based, at least in part, on the traffic value, the task to perform.

14. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising:

correlating a location with the traffic value.

15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein control circuit includes a wireless receiver, wherein the receiving the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution occurs in substantially real time, the method further comprising:

determining a known location of the surface cleaning apparatus at a time when the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution was transmitted, wherein the correlating the location with the traffic value is based, at least in part, on the known location of the surface cleaning apparatus at the time when the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution was transmitted.

16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the receiving the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution occurs over a period of time, the method further comprising:

determining a predetermined route traveled by the surface cleaning apparatus during cleaning, and wherein the correlating the location with the traffic value is based, at least in part, on the predetermined route and a time value for the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution.

17. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution includes a time value.

18. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the traffic value is a number of people that passed through a location over a period of time.

19. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a first container and a second container, and wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is a comparison of cleaning solution in the first container and cleaning solution in the second container.

20. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, and wherein the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution is one or more of a comparison of cleaning solution in the reservoir and intake cleaning solution, a known cleaning solution value and the cleaning solution in the reservoir, and the known cleaning solution value and the intake cleaning solution.

21. A system comprising:

a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes;

a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution;

a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

at least one of;

a memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution; and

a control circuit configured to;

receive the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution;

determine, based, at least in part, on the data related to the quality associated with the cleaning solution, a traffic value; and

determine, based, at least in part, on the traffic value, a task to perform.

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