System comprised of a floor processing device guided manually, an exclusively automatically operated floor processing device and a computing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor processing systems lack an efficient method to determine which surface areas are best suited for automatic processing, leading to suboptimal use of both manually guided and automatically operated floor processing devices, resulting in unnecessary user intervention and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A system where a computing device, connected to both manually guided and automatically operated floor processing devices, evaluates detected environmental and surface parameters to determine suitable surface areas for automatic processing by the second device, optimizing the division of labor between the two types of devices and reducing manual effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all floor processing is performed manually by the first device, then complete control and adaptability are maintained, but user time and effort are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments floor processing into two distinct modes: manual processing by the first device and automatic processing by the second device. The computing device determines which areas should be processed manually versus automatically based on environmental parameters, thereby dividing the overall task to optimize both user effort and processing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The computing device acts as an intermediary that receives environmental data from sensors, analyzes suitability for automatic processing, and generates control signals to assign tasks between the manual and automatic devices. This intermediary coordination enables efficient task distribution without requiring direct user control of the automatic device
2Productivity
If all floor processing is performed automatically by the second device, then user time is reduced, but processing quality deteriorates in unsuitable areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary environmental scanning and analysis using sensors and computing devices before actual floor processing begins. This preliminary action identifies suitable areas for automatic processing and unsuitable areas requiring manual intervention, ensuring that the second device is assigned only to areas where it can maintain processing quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different locations: automatic processing is applied to suitable areas identified by environmental parameters, while manual processing is applied to unsuitable areas. This local differentiation ensures optimal processing quality in each specific area based on its characteristics
3Device complexity
If the system uses simple automatic navigation, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to optimize task allocation between devices is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The computing device serves multiple functions: it processes environmental sensor data, determines suitability for automatic processing, generates area maps, and produces control signals for task allocation. This multi-functionality enables sophisticated task allocation without requiring separate dedicated components for each function, thereby managing system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
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.