Vorwerk & Co Interholding Gmbh

Martin Helmich

Roman Ortmann

Gerhard Isenberg

Lorenz Hillen

Andrej Mosebach

Christian Holz

Georg Hackert

Robert Frielinghaus

Niklas Van Teeffelen

Kevin Schmitz

Thomas Buening

Fabian Vitz

Benjamin Fleczok

Hendrik Koetz

Robin Dulinski

Hans-Peter Arnold

Uwe Kemker

Wenjie Yan

Thomas Büning

Dr Robert Frielinghaus

Dr Lorenz Hillen

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 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

An electric motor operated kitchen appliance has a base unit having an electric motor and a preparation vessel, which can be connected to the base unit and into which a rotating element protrudes, which can be rotationally driven by means of the electric motor, wherein a grinding element, which, with a grinding area of a grinding vessel held on the preparation vessel, forms a grinder, can be connected to the rotating element. To advantageously further develop the kitchen appliance, the grinding element is connected to the rotating element via a coupling element having at least one elastic partial area.

Electric motor operated kitchen appliance

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 system has at least two self-traveling floor treatment apparatuses, wherein each of the floor treatment apparatuses features a navigation and self-localization device that is designed for generating an environment map based on environment data of the environment of the floor treatment apparatus, which is recorded by means of a detection device. In order to realize an advantageous cooperation between the floor treatment apparatuses, it is proposed that a common memory unit for storing environment maps and a computing unit are assigned to the floor treatment apparatuses, wherein the computing unit is designed for comparing an environment map of a first floor treatment apparatus with an environment map of a second floor treatment apparatus and/or with an environment map stored in the common memory unit and for specifying which of the environment maps is stored in the common memory unit and/or in a local memory of a floor treatment apparatus based on a defined selection criterion.

System with at least two self-traveling floor treatment apparatuses

The invention relates to a method () for the coordinated control of at least two devices (), wherein at least a first device (), preferably a food processor (), and a second device () are provided, which are different from one another in terms of a respective functionality.

Method for the coordinated control of at least two devices

A method for creating an environment map for an automatically moveable processing device, in particular a cleaning robot, wherein a detection device of the processing device detects obstacles in the environment of the processing device and an environment map of the processing device is created based on detected obstacle data of the obstacles. At least one additional sensor detects obstacles in the environment of the processing device, wherein the distance of the additional sensor to the processing device is changed and wherein the obstacle data detected by the additional sensor is combined in the environment map with the obstacle data detected by the detection device of the processing device. In addition to the method for creating an environment map for an independently moveable processing device, the invention also relates to a system for creating an environment map for an independently moveable processing device.

Method for creating an environment map for an automatically moveable processing device

A system has at least two floor treatment apparatuses for treating a surface in an automatically controlled fashion based on defined adjustment parameters of the floor treatment apparatus, wherein each of the floor treatment apparatuses features at least one detection device for detecting at least one detection parameter of the floor treatment apparatus and/or of an environment of the floor treatment apparatus. In order to enhance a system of this type in such a way that the floor treatment apparatuses advantageously cooperate and support one another, the system features a common database that is assigned to the floor treatment apparatuses. Detection parameters of at least two floor treatment apparatuses are stored in the database in association with the adjustment parameters of the respective floor treatment apparatus.

System with at least two floor treatment apparatuses

A household appliance in the form of a food processor has a controller that controls the preparation of a meal according to a sequence of prescribed steps that includes comminuting, mixing or heating the meal or ingredients. The controller is designed and set up to output a control command for controlling an external cleaning device depending on a progress of the sequence of steps. The control command to the external device includes a cleaning instruction for the external device to effect cleaning in an area where the household appliance is located.

Growing community of inventors

Duisburg, Germany

Martin Helmich