System comprising at least two ground processing devices

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing autonomous soil processing systems lack coordination and support between multiple tillage devices, leading to inefficient operation and incomplete cleaning tasks.

Innovation Solution

A system with a centralized database that coordinates operational activities of multiple soil processing devices, allowing for time-dependent and event-dependent planning, and enabling dependent activities between devices, with detection devices creating environmental maps and triggering follow-up actions based on defined rules.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple autonomous soil cultivation devices operate independently, then each device can perform its basic functions, but coordination and support between devices are lacking leading to inefficient operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoidsystem coordination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple autonomous soil cultivation devices into a coordinated system through a centralized database that shares operational information between devices. This allows the devices to function independently while maintaining system-wide coordination, resolving the contradiction by combining individual autonomy with collective efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The centralized database acts as an intermediary between multiple autonomous devices, enabling them to exchange information about operational status, environmental conditions, and task completion. This mediator facilitates coordination without requiring direct device-to-device communication, maintaining simplicity while improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If a centralized database is introduced to coordinate multiple devices, then operational coordination is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoordination capabilityVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The centralized database serves multiple functions simultaneously: storing environmental maps, tracking device positions, recording operational status, and coordinating tasks between devices. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems for each function, improving coordination capability while limiting the increase in overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If devices operate without coordinated planning, then individual device autonomy is maintained, but cleaning tasks may remain incomplete

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask completion reliabilityVSAvoidcentralized control level
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where devices report their operational status and environmental observations to the centralized database. The database uses this feedback to update environmental maps and coordinate follow-up actions, ensuring tasks are completed reliably while maintaining a high degree of device autonomy through event-driven coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3415070B1System comprising at least two ground processing devices
Publication Date: 2022.09.21 VORWERK & CO INTERHOLDING GMBH
  • EP3415070B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a system with at least two soil processing devices (1, 2) of one or more automatically moving soil processing devices (3, 4) for the automatically controlled processing of an area. In order to further develop such a system, in particular so that the soil processing devices (1, 2) work together advantageously and support each other, it is proposed that the system have a database (6) that is jointly assigned to the soil processing devices (1, 2) and which is stored in one for the soil processing device (3, 4) is stored in a separately designed external memory (7) and in which operational activities for the tillage devices (1, 2) are planned according to defined rules, as well as a central computing device assigned to the database (6) which plans operational activities according to defined rules