Vorwerk & Co Interholding Gmbh

Miele & Cie. Kg

Universitat Bielefeld

Lorenz Hillen

Gerhard Isenberg

Roman Ortmann

Andrej Mosebach

Christian Holz

Martin Helmich

Georg Hackert

Robert Frielinghaus

Niklas Van Teeffelen

Kevin Schmitz

Fabian Vitz

Benjamin Fleczok

Hendrik Koetz

Thomas Buening

Robin Dulinski

Hans-Peter Arnold

Uwe Kemker

Martin Meggle

Harald Windorfer

Pia Hahn

Benjamin Strang

Andreas Schmidt

Jenny Scheffel

Sabrina Hoffmann

Nazli Eidmohammadi

Maike Brede

Jan Von Der Heyden

Ralf Möller

Stefan Petzold

Nazil Eidmohammadi

Michael Horst

Thomas Büning

Mara Brandt

Ralf MÖLLER

Martin Krzykawski

Carsten Hausberg

Janina De Jong

David Fleer

The invention pertains to a system consisting of a first floor treatment apparatus that is exclusively guided manually within an environment by a user and a second floor treatment apparatus that is exclusively operated automatically, wherein the second floor treatment apparatus is designed for orienting and localizing itself within an environment. The first floor treatment apparatus is designed for detecting a movement path of the first floor treatment apparatus during a movement of the first floor treatment apparatus that is manually guided by a user, as well as for transmitting information on the detected movement path to the second floor treatment apparatus by means of wireless communication. The second floor treatment apparatus is designed for receiving the information and for autonomously traveling along the movement path within the environment based on the received information.

System consisting of floor treatment apparatus that is exclusively guided manually and a floor treatment apparatus that is exclusively operated automatically, as well as method for operating a system of this type

A system has a first floor processing device guided manually by a user within an environment, a second, exclusively automatically operated floor processing device, and a computing device. The first floor processing device has a detection device for detecting a parameter of the environment and/or a surface to be processed, and the second floor processing device has a navigation device for navigating and self-localizing in the environment. In order to enable an optimal floor processing of the environment with as little assistance by the user as possible, the computing device is set up, based on the parameter detected by the detection device of the first floor processing device, to determine whether a specific partial surface area of the surface to be processed is suitable for floor processing by the second floor processing device.

System comprised of a floor processing device guided manually, an exclusively automatically operated floor processing device and a computing device

A system with a first floor processing device and a second floor processing device that is designed to orient and localize itself within an environment based on an area map. The first floor processing device is set up to detect a movement path during a movement by the first floor processing device and transmit information about the detected movement path to the second floor processing device. The second floor processing device has a control and evaluation unit that is set up to analyze the received information and, based upon the movement path detected by the first floor processing device and/or a partial area of the environment not traversed by the movement path, enter a no-go area into the area map which the second floor processing device is not allowed to traverse.

System with a first floor processing device and a second floor processing device as well as a method for operating such a system

A suction material collecting station for regenerating a filter chamber of a suction cleaner has an interface for connecting to the suction cleaner, a suction material collection container, a fan for generating a negative pressure in the suction material collection container, and an electric motor for driving the fan so that suction material contained in the filter chamber may be conveyed into the suction material collection container. The suction material collecting station has a control and evaluation unit that calculates a surroundings disturbance parameter and controls the operation of the electric motor automatically, depending on the surroundings disturbance parameter and a device parameter of the suction cleaner. The suction material collecting station has a detection device for detecting a presence parameter in the surroundings of the suction material collecting station and/or a device parameter, and/or a communication device for receiving information about the presence parameter and/or device parameter.

Suction material collecting station, system made from a suction material collecting station and a suction cleaner, and a method for the same

A vacuumed material collection station for receiving vacuumed material from a vacuum cleaning apparatus includes a vacuumed material collection container and an interface for connecting the vacuum cleaning apparatus to the vacuumed material collection station. The vacuumed material collection station comprises a receptacle space for receiving a filter chamber of a vacuum cleaning apparatus connected to the vacuumed material collection station and a feed device for feeding the filter chamber into the receptacle space. The receptacle space is designed for completely encompassing the filter chamber and/or at the most not encompassing a chamber side facing the interface with the vacuum cleaning apparatus. The receptacle space forms a partial volume within the housing of the vacuumed material collection station, and the feed device is designed for removing the filter chamber from the vacuum cleaning apparatus and displacing the filter chamber into the receptacle space.

Vacuumed material collection station, vacuum cleaning apparatus and system consisting of a vacuumed material collection station and a vacuum cleaning apparatus

The present disclosure relates to a system with a household appliance, a charging station and a plurality of battery units. A control of the system is configured so that a battery unit connected to the charging station can be charged in dependence on a discharge of a battery unit which is connected to the household appliance for operating the household appliance to perform a use operation. The present disclosure further concerns a household appliance and a charging station. It is thereby made possible to perform particularly long use operations with only two battery units or at least a reduced number of battery units without an interruption for charging a battery, and at the same time to achieve the longest possible service life of the battery units.

Battery-powered household appliance and battery charging station

A floor processing device automatically moves within an environment, with a driving attachment, a floor processing unit, an obstacle detection unit, a control unit and a detection unit for detecting device parameters and/or environment parameters control unit is set up to determine an error of the floor processing device based upon the detected parameters that prevents the floor processing device from moving and/or the floor processing device from processing a surface to be processed in such a way that the floor processing device is unable to automatically extricate itself from the error situation. The control unite is set up to analyze the parameters detected by the detection unit with respect to recurring patterns that have a repeatedly encountered combination of an error and at least one chronologically preceding environment and/or device parameter.

Floor processing device that automatically moves within an environment

A method for creating an environment map for a processing unit, which moves independently within an environment, wherein a detection device detects environmental features and/or objects within the environment, and wherein position data of the environmental features and/or objects are processed by an evaluation device into an environment map. In order to achieve intuitive user-processing unit interaction, the detected environmental features and/or objects are processed via 3D reconstruction into a photo-realistic, three-dimensional environment card.

Method for creating an environment map for a processing unit

A method for operating an automatically moving service device includes detecting obstacles within an environment with a detection device. The detection results are used to generate an environment map of the environment, and the service device moves within the environment based on the environment map. A control device of the service device receives information about a spatial position of a base station in the environment, and a maneuvering area for the service device to approach, turn toward and/or dock with the base station is determined. The spatial position and maneuvering area are stored in the environment map and a turning point for a directional change is prescribed within the maneuvering area. The service device can execute a last directional change at this turning point at the latest and independently of the remaining progression of movement, before it moves along a straight line toward the base station.

Method for operating an automatically moving service device

A system consisting of a vehicle which is autarchically mobile in the outdoor area on a property and a surveillance module which can be attached to the vehicle, wherein the surveillance module has surveillance sensors for carrying out surveillance of the property. The surveillance module can be replaced with a work module. Plant care activities can be performed with the work module.

Autonomously mobile outdoor device with a surveillance module

A sensor module is assigned to a vehicle that can be displaced in a terrain or designed for being positioned in the terrain. The sensor module has a sensor system with sensors that acquire sensor data in a contactless fashion. The sensors are designed for detecting the spatial extent of the plant at a location in the terrain. The sensor data makes it possible to determine whether the plant should be pruned. To this end, the sensor data is evaluated by utilizing a knowledge database.

System for measuring three-dimensional environment data, particularly for plant care, as well as sensor module

A method for operating a self-traveling robot, wherein an environment map of an environment of the robot is generated based on measuring data recorded within the environment, wherein a position of the robot within the environment is estimated, and wherein the robot travels within the environment based on the environment map and its known position. In order to extend the maximum range of the robot within the environment, an environment map, which is currently not needed for the navigation of the robot, is detected and transmitted to an external memory unit.

Method for operating a self-traveling robot

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

The invention pertains to a method for operating an unmanned vehicle () that travels by itself within an environment, particularly a cleaning robot, wherein the vehicle () detects obstacles and/or persons located within the environment, and wherein information () is displayed for a user () on a screen () of the vehicle (), which with respect to a displaying plane is usually aligned horizontally during the operation of the vehicle (). In order to enable a user () of the vehicle () to always optimally read the information () regardless of his position, it is proposed that, when the presence of a user () is detected, a spatial position of the user () relative to the vehicle () is determined and an orientation of the displayed information () is varied in dependence on the determined spatial position of the user ().

Method for operating a self-traveling vehicle

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.

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Wuppertal, Germany

Lorenz Hillen