Vorwerk & Co Interholding Gmbh

Harald Windorfer

Gerhard Isenberg

Lorenz Hillen

Hans-Peter Arnold

Pia Hahn

Michael Blum

Jochen Jentsch

Frank Meyer

Matthias Pfeiffer

Maike Brede

Daniel Zuber

Sabine Schweppe

Dirk Schmidt

Iris Zabback

Helmut SCHÖNHOFF

Raphael Liß

Mikel Blum

Dirk Gräfingholt

A self-propelled floor processing device has a drive unit for moving the floor processing device within an environment, a communication interface for outputting information to a user of the floor processing device, an obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles within the environment and a computing device, which is set up to generate an area map based upon the obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit, localize the floor processing device using the area map, and transmit control commands to the drive unit and the communication interface. The computing device defines at least one obstacle within the area map that cannot be independently overcome by the floor processing device as a transition obstacle, identifies the transition obstacle based upon a comparison of currently detected obstacles with the transition obstacle stored in the area map, and reports a manual transport requirement to the user upon reaching the transition obstacle.

Self-propelled floor processing device

A base station performs a service treatment on a floor processing device, wherein the base station has a basic housing with an interface for docking the floor processing device. In order to support docking in a purely mechanical way, the base station has a guide extension arm allocated to the interface and facing away from the basic housing with a predominant longitudinal extension for exclusively mechanically guiding a docking movement of the floor processing device to the interface, wherein an outer contour of the guide extension arm as observed in a vertical top view tapers proceeding from the basic housing up to a free end area of the guide extension arm facing away from the basic housing.

Base station for a floor processing device, drive wheel for a floor processing device as well as system comprised of a base station and a floor processing device

A method for operating a cleaning appliance, which moves automatically inside a surrounding area, wherein the cleaning appliance performs a cleaning of a defined spatially defined partial surface area of the surrounding area. To optimize the cleaning operation as a function of a measured soiling, it is proposed that a detection device of the cleaning appliance measures a level of soiling of the partial surface area during the cleaning of the partial surface area, wherein the level of soiling is compared to a defined reference level of soiling and wherein the partial surface area is enlarged automatically by adding a defined additional partial area, which adjoins the partial surface area, if a level of soiling above the reference level of soiling is determined inside the partial surface area.

Method for operating an automatically moving cleaning appliance

An automatically traveling floor cleaning appliance during travel is capable of traveling over low obstacles extending lengthwise, typically represented by a carpet border, having an upwardly inclined obstructing surface, with a direction of travel at a right or acute angle with respect to a longitudinal extent of the obstacle. The appliance also has an obstacle detector. The appliance is formed so that the obstacle or an area adjoining same may be cleaned using a procedure in which the appliance assumes a direction of travel based on the extent of the obstacle, and with regard to the obstructing surface includes traveling on a floor area in front of the obstacle, and at a lateral distance of an associated boundary edge of the appliance in the direction of travel from the obstructing surface which is smaller than that corresponding to a width of the appliance perpendicular to the direction of travel.

Automatically traveling floor cleaning appliance and method for operating a floor cleaning appliance

The invention pertains to a method for connecting a household appliance () to a wireless home network (), wherein network access information is transmitted from a user terminal () to the household appliance () by means of an optical code () displayed on the user terminal (), and wherein the household appliance () logs on to the wireless home network () by utilizing the received network access information. In order to ensure that the optical code () is suitable for the household appliance (), it is proposed that an application identification of an application, which generates the optical code () and is installed on the user terminal (), is transmitted in the optical code ().

Method for connecting a household appliance to a wireless home network

A method for the operation of a cleaning appliance automatically moving within an environment, wherein the cleaning appliance cleans a surface in accordance with a predetermined work schedule, wherein at least one level of contamination of the surface is determined, and a cleaning task is controlled as a function of the level of contamination. In order to make the cleaning operation more flexible and individual, the level of contamination is entered on a map associated with positional information of the environment, wherein a user undertakes editing of the map, that is to say, defines on the map surface zones of the surface and manually assigns a cleaning task of the cleaning appliance to at least one surface zone.

Method for the operation of an automatically moving cleaning appliance

A method for operating a cleaning device that automatically moves within an environment, wherein the cleaning device cleans a surface according to a prescribed work plan, wherein a detection device of the cleaning device detects contamination levels of several partial surface areas of the surface, wherein a cleaning operation of the cleaning device is varied as a function of the detection result, wherein an overall contamination level is determined for the surface from the contamination levels of several partial surface areas, and the cleaning operation is performed with cleaning parameters identical to the overall contamination level for the entire surface. In order to create an alternative to conventional operating methods, the determined overall contamination level is compared with at least one reference contamination level, specifically with an overall contamination level determined during a chronologically preceding cleaning activity.

Method for operating an automatically moving cleaning device

A method for connecting a household appliance to a wireless home network, wherein a user terminal connects to a temporary communication network of the household appliance and transmits network access information for the home network to the household appliance, wherein the temporary communication network is ended subsequently and the household appliance logs into the wireless home network by using the received network access information, and wherein the user terminal obtains information from the household appliance about the fact that the log-in of the household appliance into the home network has failed. The household appliance opens a temporary communication network again if the log-in fails, wherein the user terminal recognizes the renewed opening of the temporary communication network and classifies it as information about the failure of the household appliance to log into the home network.

A self-propelled surface treating device, in particular a cleaning robot, with a device housing and a collision detection device for detecting a collision between the surface treating device and an obstacle, wherein the collision detection device has at least one touch-sensitive contact sensor. In order to protect the surface treating device against impacts in the vertical direction, it is proposed that the touch-sensitive contact sensor be a vertical contact sensor, which is arranged on the device housing in such a way that its detection area is vertically aligned during a movement with the surface treating device conventionally oriented, so that the vertical contact sensor is configured to detect a force acting vertically on the surface treating device.

Self-propelled surface treating device

A cleaning robot has an optical measuring device for determining the type of surface to be cleaned. The optical measuring device has a light source and at least two light sensors. Light emitted by the light source hits a reflection point of the surface at an angle of incidence (&#x3b1;), and is reflected to the first light sensor at a corresponding angle of reflection (&#x3b2;). The light source, reflection point and first light sensor span a plane of incidence. A secondary plane that intersects the reflection point and has a second light sensor spans perpendicular to the surface, and exhibits an angle (&#x3b4;) of between 80&#xb0; and 100&#xb0; relative to the plane of incidence. A straight line running through the reflection point and second light sensor has an angle (&#x3b3;) relative to the surface that is essentially as large as the angle of incidence (&#x3b1;) or angle of reflection (&#x3b2;).

Device for processing a surface

An automatically traveling floor dust collecting appliance has at least one running wheel having an axis of rotation, a hub, and a tire forming a tire contact area merging radially inwardly into two oppositely situated side faces. The tire, which includes elastic material, has profile blocks, each forming a part of the tire contact area and provided one after the other in the peripheral direction. A running wheel is also provided, in particular for a floor dust collecting appliance. The part of the tire contact area formed by a profile block has a profile which in its cross-section slopes downwardly toward the center. This profile block at the same time forms a part of an associated side face. The profile block, at this transition, radially and in the direction of the axis of rotation, forms a farthest protruding portion of the tire contact area of the tire.

Automatically traveling floor dust collecting appliance, and running wheel, in particular for a floor dust collecting appliance

The invention relates to an arrangement () for overcoming an obstruction () to traveling movement, preferably on an automatically traveling floor cleaning appliance () having a driven travel wheel (). To configure an arrangement of the kind in question in an improved manner, it is proposed that on the travel wheel (), a lifting part () is mounted in an eccentrically pivotable manner, the lifting part protruding with a front end surface () beyond a running surface () of the travel wheel () in the direction of travel (r), a counter mounting being provided which is fixed to the housing.

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Mettmann, Germany

Harald Windorfer