System having first and second ground processing devices and method of operating the system

Abstract

The invention relates to a system having a first ground processing device (1) and a second ground processing device (2), wherein the second ground processing device is designed to be oriented and positioned in an environment with the aid of an environment map (9). In order to advantageously improve such a system, it is proposed that the first ground processing device is configured to detect a travel path (3) of the first ground processing device during its movement and transmit information about the detected travel path to the second ground processing device, the second ground processing device having a control and evaluation device (8) configured to analyze the received information and enter a prohibited area (15) in the environment map based on the travel path detected by the first ground processing device and / or a partial area (11, 12) of the environment not passed by the travel path, the second ground processing device not being allowed to move in the prohibited area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a system having a first floor processing device and a second floor processing device, wherein the second floor processing device is designed to be oriented and positioned in an environment with the aid of an environment map.

[0002] The invention also relates to a method for operating such a system, in which a second floor processing device is oriented and positioned within the environment with the aid of a map of the environment. Background Art

[0003] Ground treatment equipment is known in the prior art as equipment manually guided or autonomously moved by a user. It is also known that, for example, a system consisting of a plurality of ground treatment equipment is operated in a house and the advantages of manually guided ground treatment and the advantages of automatic ground treatment are supplemented.

[0004] Floor treatment devices within the meaning of the present invention may be, for example, cleaning devices such as vacuum cleaners and / or wet mopping devices, polishing devices, floor waxing devices, grinding devices, lawn mowers, etc. Floor treatment devices that are manually guided by the user usually have a handle and / or a handle, at which the user can guide the floor treatment device on the surface to be treated, such as the floor or a floor surface. Automatically operated floor treatment devices are characterized by having a navigation device, which is used for automatic orientation and positioning in the environment, preferably with the help of an environment map, wherein the automatic floor treatment device can move autonomously in the environment, navigate with the help of the environment map and, if necessary, carry out floor treatment work.

[0005] For example, patent document EP 2 294 960 B1 discloses a cleaning robot which is configured to detect rooms for mapping and to move on the floor of one or more rooms, wherein the cleaning robot is provided with sensor devices for determining the positions of obstacles in the detected rooms. In this case, an environmental map or environmental data can be collected during the reconnaissance drive. The reconnaissance drive is either controlled by the floor processing device itself or manually controlled by the user within the scope of so-called "teaching", wherein the user manually controls the cleaning device to move through the environment, for example by means of a remote control. It is also known that, for example, by inputting surface boundaries for guided movement within the environment and / or defining so-called no-go areas, the cleaning robot is not allowed to move within no-go areas.

[0006] It is also known from the publication WO 2015 / 178855 A1 that a manually guided ground handling device is equipped with a device that can implement a learning mode and an automatic mode, wherein the device records the movements and work of the manually guided ground handling device during the learning mode and controls the same ground handling device or another ground handling device during the automatic mode, so that the previously recorded movements and work are re-implemented by the corresponding ground handling device. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on the above prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the aforementioned system having a first ground processing device and a second ground processing device so that the two ground processing devices complement each other advantageously and provide value-added services for users.

[0008] In order to solve this technical problem, it is first suggested that the first ground processing device is configured to detect the movement path of the first ground processing device during its movement and transmit information about the detected movement path to the second ground processing device, wherein the second ground processing device has a control and evaluation device, which is configured to analyze the received information and input a prohibited area into the environment map based on the movement path detected by the first ground processing device and / or a local area of ​​the environment not passed by the movement path, and the second ground processing device is not allowed to move on the prohibited area.

[0009] According to the invention, a first ground processing device and a second ground processing device of a system work together in such a way that a control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device uses the information about the travel path collected by the first ground processing device in order to define so-called no-go zones in an environment map of the second ground processing device, into which the second ground processing device should not enter. The term "no-go zone" means a local area in the environment that is blocked for the movement of the second ground processing device and into which the second ground processing device is not allowed to enter. No-go zones are usually defined by virtual area boundaries that the ground processing device is not allowed to cross. In the environment map, these area boundaries are preferably displayed or stored as lines. The first ground processing device has a computing device, which is configured to generate a report on the travel path traveled by the first ground processing device or on the local areas of the environment that are located outside the travel path and are not entered, which report contains corresponding information for the second ground processing device. The travel path is preferably recorded during the ground processing operation by a detection device of the first ground processing device, such as a camera, a laser scanner and / or an inertial sensor, wherein the evaluation of the collected information can either already be carried out at least partially in the first ground processing device or can be carried out subsequently in the second ground processing device, which receives information about the detected travel path from the first ground processing device. The control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device can process the received information fully automatically, so that the user does not need to carry out additional work steps to enter one or more no-go zones into the environment map of the second ground processing device. Instead, the analysis and creation, processing and / or extension of the environment map are carried out fully automatically by the second ground processing device.

[0010] The first ground processing device and the second ground processing device preferably have adapted communication modules for wireless communication of information about the travel path and / or the ground processing work. The ground processing devices may in particular have adapted WLAN modules, Bluetooth modules or other radio modules, which are suitable for transmitting information about the travel path and / or the ground processing work. Therefore, local areas of the first ground processing device or the second ground processing device do not need to be physically connected to each other, or it is not necessary at all to transfer the memory containing the information from the first ground processing device to the second ground processing device. Instead, it is sufficient to transmit at least the information about the travel path, i.e. at least the sensor signals of the corresponding detection device of the first ground processing device to the second ground processing device. This can be achieved, for example, in the sense that the first ground processing device sends a message, or by the second ground processing device accessing the information about the travel path or the ground processing work stored in the first ground processing device.

[0011] According to one embodiment, it is suggested that the first floor treatment device is a floor treatment device that is guided only manually by a user in an environment, and / or the second floor treatment device is a floor treatment device that is only automatically operated. Therefore, the first floor treatment device can be a manually guided floor treatment device that usually has a handle and / or a handle, which the user can grasp and move the floor treatment device on the surface to be treated. Manually guided devices can be, for example, cleaning devices, such as hand-held vacuum cleaners, hand-held mopping devices, polishing devices, floor waxing devices, lawn mowers, etc. Floor treatment devices that are only manually guided usually do not have navigation devices for orienting and positioning the floor treatment device in the environment. Instead, such floor treatment devices are only guided by the user through the environment, such as rooms and houses, and there they perform their floor treatment work, such as vacuuming, mopping, polishing, waxing, grinding, mowing, etc., along the movement path selected by the user. The second floor treatment device can advantageously be a floor treatment device that is only automatically operated, that is, a floor treatment robot that moves autonomously in the environment. Such autonomous ground treatment devices are known, for example, as vacuum robots, mopping robots, lawn mowing robots, etc. Such autonomous ground treatment devices usually have a navigation device, by which the second ground treatment device can be oriented and positioned in the environment. The navigation system includes, for example, a distance sensor for measuring the distance to obstacles in the environment, such as a 3D laser scanner, etc. The automatically operated ground treatment device can use the measured distance to create an environment map, which contains a floor plan of the environment, such as a floor plan of a house or a floor plan of at least one room or multiple rooms, and the boundaries of objects, such as furniture, decorative objects, etc. The environment map can be created, for example, by a so-called SLAM algorithm (Simultaneous Localization And Measurement-Algorithmus). By combining a ground treatment device that can only be manually guided by a user with a ground treatment device that can only be automatically operated, the knowledge, information and intentions used by the user when manually guiding the first ground treatment device can also be used for the operation of the second automatically operated ground treatment device. The floor treatment process performed by the manually guided floor treatment device can be recorded in terms of the movement process and transmitted to the autonomous floor treatment device, which then sets one or more prohibited areas based on the received data, which the autonomous floor treatment device would otherwise enter and process under certain circumstances. Thus, the knowledge that the user always does not clean certain local areas of the environment for whatever reason is used. The control and evaluation device of the second floor treatment device draws the conclusion that these local areas are also prohibited for the second floor treatment device to enter and process.Thus, the second floor processing device displays a reaction to the automatic triggering of the user's intention, which is indicated by the user through manual use of the first floor processing device. Information can also be transmitted in the opposite direction, that is, from the second floor processing device to the first floor processing device, preferably from the automatically operated floor processing device to the manually guided floor processing device. For example, the environment map created by the automatically operated floor processing device can be transmitted to the manually guided floor processing device, so that the manually guided floor processing device can be positioned in the environment map with the help of its own sensors. In this case, the manually guided floor processing device can use sensors such as these, which can achieve rough positioning in the environment map but cannot achieve substantial map creation. The joint action of the manually guided floor processing device and the automatically operated floor processing device then enables the manually guided floor processing device to have the ability of self-positioning in a collaborative manner. The manually guided floor processing device can also advantageously update, supplement and / or change the environment map of the second floor processing device. It can be considered to supplement three-dimensional, for example, room information about the floor surface, which can only be obtained by the manually guided floor processing device and cannot be obtained by the automatically operated floor processing device. Furthermore, the manually guided ground handling device can also supplement the environment map with information about other local areas of the environment that cannot be reached by the automatically operated ground handling device. Other local areas can be, for example, local areas of the environment in which objects that can be moved and / or at least moved by the user are stationary on the surface or obstacles are at a distance from each other, which local areas cannot be reached by the automatically operated ground handling device but can be reached by the manually guided ground handling device.

[0012] It is further suggested that the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device is configured to control the movement of the second ground processing device while avoiding the forbidden zone. The second ground processing device is not forced to move or work in the same manner as the first ground processing device, but can use a movement path different from the movement path of the first ground processing device. By defining the forbidden zone according to the movement path of the first ground processing device, although the local areas of the environment that have not been entered by the first ground processing device are vacated, the remaining local areas crossed by the first ground processing device can be crossed or processed in a different order, with different extension directions of the movement path or different parameters. Therefore, the second ground processing device can use a movement strategy that is different from the movement direction and order manually guided by the user. In particular, the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device can, for example, calculate the movement path of the local areas of the environment that are rarely crossed. Therefore, if necessary, the shorter ground processing time and / or the energy consumption required for ground processing can also be reduced by the second ground processing device.

[0013] It can also be provided that the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device is set up to analyze the travel paths of multiple previous travels of the first ground processing device in time, i.e., to identify local areas of the environment that are rarely or rarely traveled by the first ground processing device, wherein the frequency of traveling through the local area is compared with a defined frequency threshold, and wherein, if the frequency threshold is below, the local area is defined as a no-go zone. Thus, the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device identifies, based on the extension of multiple travel paths of past ground processing operations, which local areas of the environment are rarely entered by the user with a manually guided ground processing device. Therefore, the second ground processing device ignores those local areas of the environment that are rarely processed by the user with the help of the first ground processing device. The second ground processing device is preferably an autonomous ground processing device, but can also be a manually guided ground processing device, which then displays the results of the corresponding analysis to the user, for example on a display. Such local areas can be displayed on the display, which are defined as no-go zones and / or contain information about the previous frequency of the relevant local areas being traveled through in previous ground processing.

[0014] It is further proposed that the first floor processing device is also configured to transmit floor processing information to the second floor processing device, wherein the control and evaluation device of the second floor processing device is configured to analyze the floor processing information and the corresponding movement path of at least one temporally preceding floor processing of the first floor processing device, i.e., to identify a local area of ​​the environment that is processed with device parameters, floor processing parameters and / or device accessories that differ from the standard parameters defined for the first and / or second floor processing device, and wherein, if it differs from the standard parameters, the local area is defined as a prohibited area. For example, the control and evaluation device can determine that the user moves on the local area of ​​the environment with a specific frequency or speed or a specific movement pattern. Alternatively and / or additionally, in addition to the movement path, the first floor processing device can also transmit information about the used accessories, device settings during floor processing or certain movement parameters during floor processing to the second floor processing device. The second floor processing device can then evaluate this information in order to determine whether the acquired parameters differ from the standard parameters defined for the first floor processing device and / or the second floor processing device, in particular whether they are parameters that cannot be used or provided by the second floor processing device. In this case, the relevant local area is blocked from entry by the second floor treatment device, so that it can only be reached by the first floor treatment device, for example by means of a floor treatment device that is manually guided by a user, which is able to carry out the special treatment desired there, for example special settings such as an extremely low suction power level, a particularly low travel speed or floor cleaning with the aid of special additional equipment.

[0015] It can also be provided that the control and evaluation device of the second floor processing device is set up to analyze the travel paths of multiple previous travels of the first floor processing device in time, in particular also analyze the floor processing information, i.e., to identify local areas of the environment with obstacles moved and / or crossed by the first floor processing device, wherein the frequency of detecting such obstacles in a determined local area is compared with a defined frequency threshold, and wherein, if the frequency threshold is exceeded, the local area is defined as a no-travel zone. According to this design, the information transmitted by the first floor processing device to the second floor processing device not only contains the travel path traversed by the first floor processing device, but also contains, for example, information about interfering objects that were on the travel path. Such interfering objects can be, for example, movable obstacles such as cables, lighter decorations, etc. and / or obstacles that can be crossed by the first floor processing device, such as cables but also carpet edges, door sills, etc. Since the second ground processing device, especially automatically operated, cannot in some cases move away or overcome obstacles of the type moved and / or overcome by the first ground processing device, local areas of the environment that used to frequently contain such interfering objects are defined as no-go zones, so that such local areas of the environment are blocked from movement by the second ground processing device or are avoided by the second ground processing device.

[0016] According to a particular embodiment, it is proposed that the first floor treatment device has an operating element that can be operated by a user, by which the user can mark the position of the travel path during the movement of the first floor treatment device, wherein the control and evaluation device of the second floor treatment device is configured to analyze the travel path of at least one previous movement of the first floor treatment device in time, i.e., to identify a partial area of ​​the environment that has been previously marked by the user of the first floor treatment device, wherein the marked partial area is defined as a no-go zone. According to this design, the first floor treatment device, in particular a floor treatment device that is only manually guided, has an operating element that the user can operate in order to mark a certain position or section of the travel path that is assigned to a certain partial area of ​​the environment as a no-go zone that the second floor treatment device is not allowed to enter. The marked partial area is thus defined as a no-go zone that the second floor treatment device is not allowed to enter. In addition, the user can transmit information about the reason for the marking, for example manually via an input device of the first floor treatment device or via an external terminal that preferably communicates wirelessly with the first floor treatment device, in particular by means of a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, etc., the reason being that, for example, a certain accessory of the floor treatment device, a certain device setting, etc. is required in order to process the marked partial area. This information can then also be recorded, for example, in the environment map of the second floor processing device. The marking of the position of the partial area or the path of travel by means of the operating element can advantageously be compared with the no-go zone automatically identified by the control and evaluation device of the second floor processing device in order to verify the correctness of the automatically created no-go zone. The second floor processing device thus identifies the partial areas that are not entered by the first floor processing device and adjusts these partial areas by comparing them with the information about the inaccessible partial areas of the environment manually transmitted by the user, so that the environment map of the second floor processing device preferably only marks the partial areas that are located outside the no-go zone as accessible.

[0017] It can also be provided that the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device is configured to request a confirmation from the user of the second ground processing device before defining the local area of ​​the environment as a no-go zone. Thus, in all the above-mentioned cases, the user can also additionally confirm that the determined local area is to be defined as a no-go zone. This can, for example, include a query to the user and an approval by the user in an application, which is installed on the ground processing device or an external terminal device, such as a mobile phone, tablet or the like.

[0018] It is further suggested that the first ground processing device has at least one detection device from the following group: a camera, a laser scanner, a ground sensor for detecting the type of surface to be processed, a dirt sensor for detecting the type or degree of contamination of the surface to be processed, a sensor for determining the power of a drive motor, a distance sensor, an inertial sensor, a time sensor, a contact sensor. One or more of the above devices are designed to collect detection signals, which can be processed into information for the second ground processing device. In this sense, the first ground processing device and / or the second ground processing device can have an evaluation device, which is configured to determine at least one of the following information from the detection signals of the detection device: a travel path of the first ground processing device in the environment, an environment map, a processing state of a local area of ​​the environment, a position of a processed, unprocessed and / or local area that the first ground processing device is not allowed to enter, a ground type, a contamination type, a contamination degree, accessories used by the first ground processing device for ground processing, 3D environment information and / or obstacle information. The camera and / or the laser scanner are used, for example, to determine the position of the first ground processing device in the environment and to determine the position of obstacles. For this purpose, the so-called SLAM algorithm (Synchronous Localization and Measurement) can usually be used. The movement path of the manually guided ground treatment device in the environment can be detected by the sensor data of the camera or laser scanner. With the help of the sensor data, an environmental map for the manually guided ground treatment device and / or the second automatically operated ground treatment device can also be created, which shows the local areas of the environment that are processed, not processed, that is, ignored and / or cannot be reached in the ground treatment work, and if necessary, also includes information about the number of repetitions implemented or attempted by the manually guided ground treatment device to complete the ground treatment work. The manually guided ground treatment device can also have a ground sensor for identifying the type of ground. Such a ground sensor can include, for example, a camera or a sensor for determining the power of the drive motor. For example, it can be detected what current consumption the motor for driving the fan motor, the drive wheel of the rotating cleaning roller, the swinging mopping element, etc. has. For example, the current consumption of the drive motor required by the rotating brush roller of the manually guided ground treatment device on the carpet floor or carpet is higher than that of the hard floor, such as tiles or wooden floors. In this way, the type of ground can be inferred. The dirt sensor of the ground treatment device for detecting the type of pollution and / or pollution degree of the surface to be processed can, for example, also include a camera. If the manually guided floor treatment devices are equipped with distance sensors, for example infrared sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors, these sensors are used to detect the distance to obstacles present in the environment. On the one hand, this can prevent the first floor treatment device or subsequently the second floor treatment device from colliding with room boundaries and / or objects in the environment. The device can preferably maintain a certain safety distance from the obstacle or approach it particularly slowly.On the other hand, the information about obstacles can also be used to detect movable interfering objects or interfering objects in the environment, such as cables, socks, vases, flowers, children's toys, etc., and, for example, request the user to remove these interfering objects or interfering objects from the local area to be processed in the environment. If necessary, a camera can be used in addition to implement object recognition by digital image processing. The manually guided ground processing device can also have a specific attachment, especially an additional device, for identifying the ground processing device. Such an attachment can be, for example, a specific ground processing element or a removable additional device. The ground processing element is, for example, a cleaning element such as a brush roller, a mopping element, etc. The attachment can have a code that clearly identifies the attachment, wherein the manually guided ground processing device correspondingly has a detection device, which is set to identify the code and thus distinguish the detected attachment from other attachments. Therefore, the information transmitted from the manually guided ground processing device to the automatically moving ground processing device can also contain data about which attachment is used for the ground processing work, so that the automatically running ground processing device can also work with the corresponding attachment or be equipped with the corresponding attachment. It is particularly advantageous here to consider whether the floor treatment device is configured for treating hard floors or carpeted floors or carpets. If the manually guided floor treatment device also has, for example, an inertial sensor, the three-dimensional movement path of the floor treatment device in the environment can also be tracked. The inertial sensor can be, for example, a gyroscope. 3D information can be obtained from this, which, for example, contains the treated floors of a building, the steps of a staircase and / or the floor surface of a room, such as a window sill, the surface of furniture, etc. The time sensor of the manually guided floor treatment device can also provide information about the time period in which the user has performed one or more floor treatment tasks with the help of the manually guided floor treatment device. Therefore, the time process and / or speed of the floor treatment can be detected. Different time points can also correspond to corresponding sensor data. The time process of the floor treatment can thus be matched and synchronized with the sensor data detected by the detection device of the floor treatment device. This time course of the ground treatment can then be reproduced accordingly by the automatically operated ground treatment device, so that, for example, a certain time period is used for a certain ground treatment task, and / or the automatically operated ground treatment device moves in the environment at the same speed or just as fast as the ground treatment device manually guided by the user. The contact sensor provided on the manually guided ground treatment device can also be used, for example, for the user to mark a certain time and / or location in the environment during the ground treatment by means of an operation. The contact sensor can be operated, for example, by means of an operating element. In particular, such an operation can record a variety of different features, such as a short press, a long press or multiple operations, which characterize different events. The operating element can be a button or the like.

[0019] Finally, the invention also relates to a method for operating a system of the aforementioned type having a first ground processing device and a second ground processing device, wherein the second ground processing device is oriented and positioned in the environment by means of an environment map, wherein the first ground processing device detects the travel path of the first ground processing device during its movement and transmits information about the detected travel path, in particular also ground processing information, to the second ground processing device, wherein the control and evaluation device of the second ground processing device analyzes the received information and enters no-travel zones in the environment map based on the travel path detected by the first ground processing device and / or partial areas of the environment not traversed by the travel path, on which the second ground processing device is not allowed to move. The method according to the invention comprises transmitting information about the travel path of the first ground processing device to the second ground processing device, whereupon the second ground processing device defines no-travel zones, which, for example, contain partial areas of the environment that are located outside the travel path. The second ground processing device is not allowed to enter these defined no-travel zones during ground processing operations. The features and advantages of the method according to the invention are as described in detail above with respect to the system according to the invention. To avoid repetition, reference is made here to the above embodiments of the system according to the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 An environment is shown having a system consisting of a first ground processing device and a second ground processing device;

[0022] Figure 2 showing an enlarged view of a first ground processing device;

[0023] Figure 3 showing an enlarged view of a second surface processing device;

[0024] Figure 4 The first ground processing equipment is shown by Figure 1 Migration paths of local areas of the environment shown in FIG.

[0025] Figure 5 A second ground processing device is shown having a map of the surroundings in which a no-go zone is defined. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Figure 1The floor plan of a house with multiple rooms is schematically shown. In the house, there is a system according to the invention consisting of a first floor treatment device 1 and a second floor treatment device 2, wherein the first floor treatment device 1 is only manually guided by a user and the second floor treatment device 2 is only operated automatically. Here, the first floor treatment device 1 is, for example, a handheld vacuum cleaner, which is referred to as Figure 2 The automatically operated floor treatment device 2 is, for example, a vacuum robot, which is referred to as Figure 3 Shown in detail. The environment of the floor treatment devices 1, 2 includes the usual room boundaries, such as walls, and includes obstacles 14, which can be obstacles that can be moved by the user or obstacles that cannot be moved by the user. Obstacles 14 that can be easily removed by the user are, for example, flower pots, vases, small furniture, etc. Examples of obstacles 14 that cannot be easily moved or removed include heavy furniture, pianos, large speakers, etc. Here, a base station 16 for the automatically operated second floor treatment device 2 is present in the environment. The base station 16 has devices and components for performing service work on the automatically operated second floor treatment device 2 or, in some cases, on other floor treatment devices 1, 2. Service work includes, for example, charging the batteries of the floor treatment devices 1, 2, emptying the dust collection chambers of the floor treatment devices 1, 2, cleaning the floor treatment elements 17 of the floor treatment devices 1, 2, etc.

[0027] The ground handling equipment 1, 2 will now be described in more detail. Figure 1 and Figure 2, the floor treatment device 1 manually guided by the user has a basic device 21 and a floor suction nozzle 20 detachably connected to the basic device 21. Here, the floor suction nozzle 20 is, for example, a suction nozzle with a cleaning brush not shown in detail, which constitutes the floor treatment element 17. The floor suction nozzle 20 has wheels 18 so that the floor treatment device 1 can be moved on the floor to be cleaned with less resistance as a whole. For this purpose, the wheels 18 or the floor treatment element 17 can be driven electrically to assist the movement of the floor treatment device 1 and make it easier for the user to operate the floor treatment device 1. The basic device 21 has a handle 22 with a handle 23. A switch not shown in detail here can be provided on the handle 23, by which the user can turn on and off the floor treatment device 1 and set different power levels, etc. if necessary. The handle 23 also has an operating element 13 here, which is in operative connection with the detection device 7, that is, the contact sensor. The operating element 13 can be pressed by the user, so that the contact sensor records a corresponding contact signal. The function of the operating element 13 or the contact sensor will be described in detail later. The floor treatment device 1 has further detection devices 5, 6, which include a camera (reference numeral 5) arranged on the floor suction nozzle 20. Likewise, the wheels 18 of the floor suction nozzle 20 are equipped with inertial sensors as further detection devices 6. The camera takes pictures of the environment, which contain, for example, obstacles 14 on the one hand and the floor to be cleaned on the other hand. The inertial sensors detect the wheel rotation of the wheels 18, so that the distance or distance covered by the floor treatment device 1 and the change of direction of the floor treatment device 1 when moving through the environment can be inferred. The base device 21 of the floor treatment device 1 also has a computing device 24, which is set up to at least partially process the signals of the detection devices 5, 6, 7 in such a way that information about the detection signals of the detection devices 5, 6, 7 can be compiled and then transmitted to the second floor treatment device 2 of the system by means of the communication module 4 of the floor treatment device 1. The communication module 4 is here, for example, a WLAN module, which enables wireless communication between the floor treatment devices 1, 2 of the system.

[0028] exist Figure 3The automatically operated second floor treatment device 2 shown in detail in the figure has electrically driven wheels 18 and a floor treatment element 17, which is designed here, for example, as a rotating bristle roller, the longitudinal extension of which is oriented approximately horizontally with respect to the floor to be cleaned. The second floor treatment device 2 also has a communication module 4 designed as a WLAN module so that it can receive information from the first floor treatment device 1. The second floor treatment device 2 also has an evaluation device 8, which is configured to evaluate the information obtained from the first floor treatment device 1 and use this information for floor treatment. In order for the second floor treatment device 2 to be able to move autonomously in the environment, the second floor treatment device 2 is equipped with a navigation device with a laser scanner 19, which can preferably detect the distance to obstacles 14 and the boundaries of the rooms of the house within a 360° angle range. The evaluation device 8 of the floor treatment device 2 processes these distance data into, for example, Figure 5 The environment map 9 shown in FIG. 1 contains a plan view of the environment, locations of obstacles 14, positions of base stations 16, etc. The environment map 9 is used for navigation and self-positioning of the second ground processing device 2 in the environment. To create the environment map 9, the ground processing device 2 can, for example, use a so-called SLAM algorithm (Synchronous Localization and Measurement Algorithm).

[0029] Now refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The invention will be described in detail. The following embodiments are merely exemplary for the use of the system according to the invention. It is obvious that the floor treatment devices 1, 2 can also be designed differently, that is, for example, the floor treatment devices 1, 2 are not only vacuum cleaners, but can also be, for example, mopping devices, polishing devices or the like. In addition, in addition to the floor treatment devices 1, 2 shown, the system can also include a plurality of further floor treatment devices 1, 2 or different devices, such as service robots, monitoring robots, etc., which do not perform floor treatment work.

[0030] According to a possible embodiment, the invention functions in such a way that the user moves the first floor treatment device 1, which is here exemplarily guided manually, through the Figure 1 and Figure 4 Here, the user Figure 4As shown, the movement is carried out along the travel path 3, which is at a sufficient distance from the obstacle 14, here, for example, four loudspeakers arranged in the corner of the room, which is determined visually by the user. However, the user passes over the cables extending between the loudspeakers, which are also obstacles 14, with the manually guided first floor processing device 1. It can be seen that the travel path 3 thus clears the corner of the room but crosses the cables lying on the floor. After the floor processing process is completed, the first floor processing device 1 transmits a message to the second floor processing device 2, which is automatically operated here, by means of its communication module 4. The second floor processing device 2 receives the message by means of its communication module 4 and analyzes the information contained therein, which includes the extension of the travel path 3 of the first floor processing device 1. In addition, it can also contain other information, such as floor processing information related to the device parameters used by the first floor processing device 1 when performing floor processing, floor processing parameters and / or certain device accessories connected to the first floor processing device 1. The device parameters can, for example, relate to the model of the first floor processing device 1, the motor installed in the first floor processing device 1, etc. The transmitted floor processing parameters may be, for example, fan power, travel speed, etc. set when the first floor processing device 1 performs floor processing. The equipment accessory may be a certain additional equipment, such as a floor suction nozzle 20 or a certain floor processing element 17, etc.

[0031] like Figure 5As shown, the automatically operated second ground processing device 2 has an environment map 9 previously created during a reconnaissance drive or during ground processing work. In this case, the environment map 9 is supplemented with a prohibited area 15, which the control and evaluation device 8 of the second ground processing device 2 determines as an area that the second ground processing device 2 cannot enter. For this purpose, the control and evaluation device 8 analyzes the information received from the first ground processing device 1, that is, in particular the travel path 3 followed by the first ground processing device 1, and recognizes which partial areas 11, 12 of the environment have not been traveled by the first ground processing device 1. These partial areas 11, 12 are marked by the control and evaluation device 8 as blocked areas, and the second ground processing device 2 does not travel over these blocked areas during the subsequent automatically controlled ground processing process. In addition, the control and evaluation device 8 of the second ground processing device 2 recognizes that the environment also contains obstacles 14, that is, cables located here between the loudspeakers, which the user once crossed with the first ground processing device 1. The message from the first ground processing device 1 to the second ground processing device 2 can accordingly contain further information about the obstacle 14 being crossed. For this purpose, the detection device 6 of the first floor handling device 1 can, for example, provide information about the lifting of the first floor handling device 1 from the ground. The control and evaluation device 8 of the second floor handling device 2 recognizes with the aid of this height information that the cables are obstacles 14 that the second floor handling device 2 cannot cross, and the control and evaluation device 8 also marks the corresponding local area 11 as a no-go zone 15 for the second floor handling device 2, although the second floor handling device 2 can even cross or push these cables away if necessary, but there is a certain risk that the second floor handling device 2 gets stuck at these obstacles 14.

[0032] According to a special embodiment, the control and evaluation device 8 analyzes information about a plurality of previously performed floor processing operations of the first floor processing device 1 in a defined part of the environment in order to determine which partial areas 11, 12 of the environment are relatively rarely processed by the first floor processing device 1. In order to precisely define the rare floor processing, the control and evaluation device 8 compares the frequency of the partial areas 11, 12 being passed by the first floor processing device 1 with a frequency threshold value defined for these partial areas 11, 12. If it is determined that the first floor processing device 1 rarely enters the partial area 11, 12 in this sense, the control and evaluation device 8 of the second floor processing device 2 concludes that there is a reason why the user of the manually guided first floor processing device 1 does not frequently process this partial area 11, 12, for example because the distance between obstacles present in this partial area 11, 12 is too narrow for the first floor processing device 1 to pass through, or because an obstacle 14 needs to be overcome because sensitive objects are arranged in this partial area 11, 12 or the like. The control and evaluation device 8 then defines the partial area 11 , 12 itself as a no-go zone 15 in the surroundings map 9 .

[0033] Furthermore, the control and evaluation device 8 can also evaluate the information of the first floor processing device 1 about a plurality of floor processing operations preceding in time as follows: whether the first floor processing device 1 has frequently moved and / or crossed obstacles 14 in a certain subarea 11, 12. If this has occurred relatively frequently in the past and the frequency exceeds a defined frequency threshold, the control and evaluation device 8 also defines this subarea 11, 12 as a no-go zone 15.

[0034] Furthermore, the control and evaluation device 8 can also evaluate a signal manually issued by the user of the first floor treatment device 1 by pressing an operating element 13 arranged on the first floor treatment device 1. The detection device 7 designed as a contact sensor detects the pressing of the operating element 13 and transmits those spatial positions in the travel path 3 that were present when the user pressed the operating element 13 together with information about the travel path 3 to the second floor treatment device 2. The control and evaluation device 8 of the second floor treatment device 2 can then identify such a local area 11, 12 of the environment in which the user marked a position of the travel path 3 when the first floor treatment device 1 was moved. The local area 11, 12 in which the marked position is located is then defined as a no-go zone 15, wherein the user can preferably determine how large the no-go zone 15 around the marked position of the travel path 3 should be. The marked position can be, for example, a position where a cable lies on the floor to be treated, which cable can be crossed by the first floor treatment device 1 but should not be approached by the second floor treatment device 2.

[0035] In all the above examples, it can also be provided that user confirmation is required before the partial areas 11, 12 are automatically defined as no-go areas 15. For this purpose, the control and evaluation device 8 of the second ground processing device 2 can first send a message to the user that a no-go area 15 is to be defined in the determined partial areas 11, 12, and then the user needs to confirm, reject or, for example, change the position of the no-go area 15. Confirmation can be requested, for example, by the second ground processing device 2, for example, on a display of the ground processing device 2. Alternatively and particularly preferably, however, the user receives the corresponding request on an external terminal device, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc., via an application installed on the external terminal device.

[0036] After the prohibited areas 15 have been entered into the environment map 9, the second ground processing device 2 moves in the ground processing of the environment while observing the prohibited areas 15 marked in the environment map 9. In this case, the second ground processing device 2 can plan a travel path 3 in the environment according to any travel strategy, as long as the travel path 3 does not pass through the prohibited areas 15 or at least does not touch the prohibited areas 15. In this case, the second ground processing device 2 does not have to move along the same travel path 3 as the user follows with the help of the first ground processing device 1, although this may of course also be possible in certain cases. It is expedient for the control and evaluation device 8 of the second ground processing device 2 to move along a particularly time-saving and / or energy-saving travel path 3.

[0037] Reference numerals list

[0038] 1. First Ground Handling Equipment

[0039] 2 Second ground handling equipment

[0040] 3 Migration path

[0041] 4 Communication Module

[0042] 5. Detection device

[0043] 6 Detection device

[0044] 7 Detection device

[0045] 8 Control and evaluation equipment

[0046] 9 Environmental Map

[0047] 10 Processing Status

[0048] 11 Local Area

[0049] 12 Local Area

[0050] 13 Operating elements

[0051] 14 Obstacles

[0052] 15 No-go zones

[0053] 16 Base Station

[0054] 17 Ground handling elements

[0055] 18 wheels

[0056] 19. Laser Scanner

[0057] 20 Floor nozzle

[0058] 21 Basic Equipment

[0059] 22 handle

[0060] 23 Handle

[0061] 24 Computing Devices

Claims

1. A system comprising a first ground processing device (1) and a second ground processing device (2), wherein: The second ground handling device (2) is designed to be oriented and positioned in the environment with the aid of an environment map (9), characterized in that the first ground handling device (1) is configured to detect a travel path (3) of the first ground handling device (1) during movement and to transmit information about the detected travel path (3) to the second ground handling device (2), wherein the second ground handling device (2) has a control and evaluation device (8) configured to analyze the received information and to determine, based on the travel path (3) detected by the first ground handling device (1) and / or partial areas (11, 12) of the environment not passed by the travel path (3), A prohibited zone (15) is input into an environment map (9), a second ground processing device (2) is not allowed to move in the prohibited zone (15), and a control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground processing device (2) is configured to analyze the travel paths (3) of multiple previous travels of the first ground processing device (1) in time, thereby identifying local areas (11, 12) of the environment that are rarely traveled by the first ground processing device (1), wherein the frequency of traveling through the local areas (11, 12) is compared with a defined frequency threshold, and wherein, if the frequency threshold is below, the local areas (11, 12) are defined as prohibited zones (15).

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The first floor processing device (1) has an operating element (13) operable by a user, and the user can mark the position of a travel path (3) by means of the operating element (13) during the movement of the first floor processing device (1), wherein the control and evaluation device (8) of the second floor processing device (2) is configured to analyze the travel path (3) of at least one previous movement of the first floor processing device (1) in time, thereby identifying local areas (11, 12) of the environment that have been previously marked by the user of the first floor processing device (1), wherein the marked local areas (11, 12) are defined as no-travel zones (15).

3. A system having a first ground processing device (1) and a second ground processing device (2), wherein: The second ground processing device (2) is designed to orient and locate itself in an environment with the aid of an environment map (9), characterized in that the first ground processing device (1) is configured to detect a travel path (3) of the first ground processing device (1) during movement and to transmit information about the detected travel path (3) to the second ground processing device (2), wherein the second ground processing device (2) has a control and evaluation device (8) configured to analyze the received information and to input a prohibited area (15) into the environment map (9) based on the travel path (3) detected by the first ground processing device (1) and / or partial areas (11, 12) of the environment not passed by the travel path (3 ... The ground handling device (2) is not allowed to move on the prohibited area (15), and the first ground handling device (1) has an operating element (13) that can be operated by a user, and the user can mark the position of the travel path (3) by means of the operating element (13) during the movement of the first ground handling device (1), wherein the control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground handling device (2) is configured to analyze the travel path (3) of at least one previous movement of the first ground handling device (1) in time, so as to identify a local area (11, 12) of the environment that has been previously marked by the user of the first ground handling device (1), wherein the marked local area (11, 12) is defined as a prohibited area (15).

4. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The first floor treatment device (1) is a floor treatment device (1) that is only manually guided by a user in an environment, and / or the second floor treatment device (2) is a floor treatment device (2) that is only automatically operated.

5. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The control and evaluation device (8) of the second floor processing device (2) is configured to control the movement of the second floor processing device (2) while avoiding a restricted zone (15).

6. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The control and evaluation device (8) of the second floor treatment device (2) is configured to control the second floor treatment device (2) differently from the travel path (3) of the first floor treatment device (1).

7. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The first ground processing device (1) is further configured to transmit ground processing information to a second ground processing device (2), wherein the control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground processing device (2) is configured to analyze ground processing information and a corresponding travel path (3) of at least one temporally preceding ground processing of the first ground processing device (1), thereby identifying a local area (11, 12) of the environment processed with device parameters, ground processing parameters and / or device accessories that are different from standard parameters defined for the first and / or second ground processing device (1), and wherein, if different from the standard parameters, the local area (11, 12) is defined as a prohibited area (15).

8. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground processing device (2) is configured to analyze the movement paths (3) of multiple movements of the first ground processing device (1) preceding in time, thereby identifying local areas (11, 12) of the environment having obstacles (14) moved and / or crossed by the first ground processing device (1), wherein the frequency with which the obstacles (14) are detected in the determined local areas is compared with a defined frequency threshold, and wherein, if the frequency threshold is exceeded, the local areas (11, 12) are defined as no-travel zones (15).

9. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground processing device (2) is configured to also evaluate ground processing information.

10. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The control and evaluation device (8) of the second floor processing device (2) is configured to request confirmation from a user of the second floor processing device (2) before defining a partial area (11, 12) of the environment as a no-go zone (15).

11. The system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The first ground processing device (1) has at least one detection device (5, 6, 7) from the following group: a camera, a laser scanner, a ground sensor for detecting the type of surface to be processed, a dirt sensor for detecting the type or degree of contamination of the surface to be processed, a sensor for determining the power of a drive motor, a distance sensor, an inertial sensor, a time sensor, a contact sensor.

12. A method for operating a system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a first floor treatment device (1) and a second floor treatment device (2), wherein: The second ground processing device (2) is oriented and positioned in the environment with the aid of an environment map (9), wherein the first ground processing device (1) detects the travel path (3) of the first ground processing device (1) during movement and transmits information about the detected travel path (3) to the second ground processing device (2), wherein the control and evaluation device (8) of the second ground processing device (2) analyzes the received information and enters a prohibited area (15) in the environment map (9) based on the travel path (3) detected by the first ground processing device (1) and / or local areas (11, 12) of the environment that are not passed by the travel path (3), and the second ground processing device (2) is not allowed to move on the prohibited area (15).

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The ground processing information is also transmitted to a second ground processing device (2).

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that A prohibited area (15) is also input into the environment map (9) based on the ground processing information, and the second ground processing device (2) is not allowed to move on the prohibited area (15).

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