US 11,934,199 B2
Method for operating a system with two automatically moving floor processing devices as well as system for implementing such a method
Andrej Mosebach, Unna (DE); Marc Papenheim, Wuppertal (DE); and Henning Hayn, Hilden (DE)
Assigned to Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH, Wuppertal (DE)
Filed by Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH, Wuppertal (DE)
Filed on Jan. 8, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/144,404.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 100 447.8 (DE), filed on Jan. 10, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0216080 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0287 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0231 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0203 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a system with a first automatically moving floor processing device and a second automatically moving floor processing device, comprising the steps of:
detecting with the first floor processing device environmental features in an environment of the first floor processing device, the first floor processing device and the second floor processing device communicating with each other by data communication means,
generating a first area map by the first floor processing device or a shared computing device allocated to both the first floor processing device and the second floor processing device, the first area map being based on the detected environmental features, and
detecting with the first floor processing device the second floor processing device,
storing a position of the second floor processing device within the generated first area map of the first floor processing device,
transmitting, by the first floor processing device, the first area map created during the step of generating to the second floor processing device,
receiving with the second floor processing device the first area map and information about a current position of the second floor processing device within the first area map already during a first floor processing activity performed by the first floor processing device, and
controlling, by a control device of the second floor processing device, a second floor processing activity independently based on the first area map and the received information about the current position of the second floor processing device with in the first area map as soon as the first floor processing device has detected the second floor processing device, wherein the second floor processing device does not generate an area map, and receives information required for navigation during second floor processing activity based on information received from only the first area map already generated by the first floor processing device,
wherein the first floor processing device and the second floor processing device each have individual identification codes in the form of optical codes or electronic codes that are recognized by other floor processing devices, wherein the first floor processing device and the second floor processing device have corresponding detection devices, with which the identification codes are read out, and wherein the identification codes of the floor processing devices are stored in a database that is accessible by all floor processing devices of the system.