WO2005082223A1

WO2005082223A1 - Floor surface treatment device and method for the control thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2005082223A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/000468
Authority: WO
Inventors: Markus Dünne; Harald Mayer; Gottfried Benzler; Joachim Keppler; Martin Schmidgall
Original assignee: Alfred Kärcher Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2004-02-27
Filing date: 2005-01-19
Publication date: 2005-09-09
Also published as: DE102004010827B4; DE102004010827A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a mobile floor surface treatment device comprising a drive unit, at least one floor surface treatment unit and a control unit, wherein the locomotion of the floor surface treatment device and/or the operating mode of at least one floor surface treatment device can be controlled by said control unit. In order to improve upon said method such that the qualities of the floor surface that is to be treated can be classified in a constructively simple manner, the movement behaviour of the floor surface treatment device and the motor current of at least one drive motor of the drive unit and/or floor surface treatment unit is/are detected and the quality of the floor surface that is to be treated is classified by means of a floor surface classification member according to the movement behaviour thus detected and the detected motor current. A floor surface treatment device for carrying out said method is also disclosed.

Description

Soil cultivation device and method for its control

The method relates to a method for controlling a self-propelled and self-steering tillage device which has an electromotive drive unit, at least one electromotive tillage unit and an electronic control unit, the control unit being able to control the movement of the tillage device and / or the operation of at least one tillage unit.

The invention also relates to a self-propelled and self-controlling tillage device with an electromotive drive unit, at least one electromotive tillage unit and an electronic control unit, wherein the control unit is used to control the movement of the tillage device and / or the operation of at least one tillage unit.

Self-propelled and self-controlling soil cultivation devices enable cultivation, in particular cleaning, of a floor area without the use of an operator. By means of the control unit, the tillage device is automatically moved along the area to be worked and the latter is worked. For this purpose, the control unit can be given a locomotion pattern, that is to say a course of the direction of travel, so that the soil cultivation device automatically follows this locomotion pattern in order to cover the surface of the soil to be cultivated as far as possible. In addition, the control unit can determine an operating mode of the tillage Unit be specified so that the floor area to be processed is processed according to the predetermined mode of operation.

In many cases, the mode of operation suitable for working the floor surface depends on the nature of the floor surface. For example, when cleaning a floor surface, it is important whether it is a hard surface or a carpeted floor, because these floor surfaces generally require a different type of cleaning. In order to be able to automatically recognize the nature of the floor surface, it is known from DE 102 61 788 B3 to detect the nature of the floor surface by means of an optical sensor, and DE 102 61 787 B3 proposes the use of a dirt sensor for this purpose With the help of the processing state of the floor surface can be detected and the operation of the soil cultivation device can be controlled accordingly. Such sensors can be used to classify the floor surface, for example it can be determined whether it is a hard surface or a soft or hard, i.e. short-pile or long-pile carpet. However, the use of such sensors is associated with considerable costs.

The object of the present invention is to develop a method for controlling a mobile soil cultivation device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the nature of the soil surface to be worked can be classified in a structurally simple manner.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a method of the generic type in that the movement behavior of the tillage implement and the motor current of at least one drive motor are Drive unit and / or a tillage unit detected and classified by means of a soil classification member, the nature of the soil surface to be worked depending on the detected movement behavior and the detected motor current.

The idea flows into the invention that the nature of the soil surface to be worked can be classified in a simple manner by linking signals corresponding to the movement behavior of the soil working device and the motor current of an auxiliary motor. In order to classify the condition of the floor surface, the dependence of the motor current of a drive motor on the movement behavior of the tillage implement is evaluated, since it has been shown that this dependency enables conclusions to be drawn about the nature of the floor surface. The motor current shows a characteristic which is dependent on the condition of the ground surface in such a way that a motor current which is dependent on the ground surface characteristic is required in order to achieve a specific speed, a specific acceleration and / or to achieve a certain starting and / or braking behavior. The detection of the motor current and the movement behavior of the tillage device therefore makes it possible to classify the nature of the floor surface being traveled on.

It can be provided, for example, that the motor current of a drive motor of the drive unit and also the speed of the tillage implement are recorded. The motor current is dependent on the nature of the floor surface, since a certain torque must be provided to drive the soil tillage implement, which in turn depends on the prevailing friction between the drive wheels and is dependent on the floor area. Depending on the type of floor surface, for example depending on whether it is a hard surface or a carpeted floor, the movement of the soil cultivation device requires a different torque and therefore also a different motor current in order to achieve a certain speed. The combination of the current speed and the current motor current of the drive motor of the drive unit therefore makes it possible to classify the nature of the floor surface, for example it can be determined in this way without the use of additional sensors whether it is a hard surface, a soft carpet or one hard carpeting.

Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the motor current of at least one drive motor of a tillage unit is used to classify the nature of the floor surface. If, for example, a brush roller is used as the tillage unit, which can be rotated by means of a drive motor, the motor current of the drive motor depends on whether it is a hard surface or a soft or hard carpet. However, the motor current of a drive motor of a tillage unit alone gives only a very unreliable measure of the nature of the soil surface, because the motor current is also dependent on the movement behavior of the soil tillage implement, in particular on the speed at which the soil tillage implement is moved along the soil surface. A combination of, for example, the current speed and the current motor current of a tillage unit therefore makes it possible to reliably classify the nature of the tillage area to be worked. It is particularly advantageous if both a motor current of the drive unit and a motor current of a tillage unit in combination with the current movement behavior of the tillage device, in particular its speed, are used to classify the nature of the soil area to be worked.

In addition, it can be provided that additional motor currents are measured, for example the motor current of a suction unit, which is used to process the floor surface.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that combinations of motor current values and values characterizing the movement behavior (hereinafter referred to as movement behavior values), in particular speed values, are stored in a memory element with the assignment of a specific surface condition and a currently measured combination of motor current and movement behavior values is also stored compares the stored combinations of motor current and movement behavior values. This makes it possible, for example, to move the tillage implement over differently configured floor areas during a learning trip and to store the combination of motor current and speed values in the storage element while assigning the prevailing floor surface condition. During a subsequent machining run, the motor current and the speed can be measured again. These values can be compared with the motor current and speed values stored in the memory element. The further control of the soil tillage implement can then be taken into account adjustment of the floor surface, which corresponds to the stored combination of motor current and speed value, which has the smallest deviation from the currently measured combination of motor current and speed value. Alternatively, it can be provided that the control unit is given an algorithm for classifying the current floor surface condition on the basis of the measured motor current and movement behavior values, in particular speed values, which are linked to one another.

The classified soil surface condition can be used, for example, to control the operation of at least one tillage unit. For example, it can be provided that the drive motor of a brush roller of the tillage unit is controlled according to the classified nature of the floor surface.

Alternatively or in addition, it can be provided that the operation of a suction unit of the tillage unit is controlled according to the classified nature of the floor area. For example, the suction unit can be operated at a higher speed if the soil tillage implement runs over a carpet, while a lower speed can be used for the suction unit when driving along a hard surface.

It is advantageous if the at least one drive motor of the drive unit is controlled in accordance with the classified nature of the floor area. This makes it possible to vary the speed of the tillage device depending on the nature of the respective floor area. The floor treatment device can be moved along a hard surface, for example, at a higher speed than along a carpet, wherein a soft carpet can in turn be run over at a lower speed than a hard carpet.

The processing of the floor surface, in particular its cleaning, can thus be adapted to the nature of the floor surface in a structurally simple manner, and energy-efficient processing of the floor surface can be carried out.

As explained at the outset, the tillage device is automatically moved along the floor area to be worked by means of the control unit, and in many cases the locomotive control unit can be given a locomotion pattern so that the already processed areas of the floor area are avoided as far as possible. For this, however, it is necessary that the current location of the tillage device can be determined. In this context, US Pat. No. 5,613,261 A proposes to detect the rotation of the drive wheels of the tillage implement and to calculate the current position therefrom. DE 102 61 788 B3 describes the use of an optical sensor for this purpose, which interacts with the floor surface and determines the direction of travel and the distance traveled from chronologically successive images of the floor surface. The use of such optical sensors, however, requires a not inconsiderable computing and storage capacity of the control unit and the detection of the rotation of the drive wheels only enables an inaccurate position determination, since the drive wheels can slip, so that rotation of the wheels occurs, but not one of them Rotation corresponding position Modification of the tillage device. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is therefore proposed that the location of the soil tillage implement be determined mathematically by means of a navigation element on the basis of the length and course of the distance traveled, the classified nature of the floor area being taken into account in the mathematical determination of the location. It has been shown that taking into account the condition of the soil surface enables an improved computational determination of the location of the soil tillage implement. The arithmetical determination of the location is referred to as dead reckoning, with the current distance covered being coupled to the last known location to determine the current location. Theoretically, the dead reckoning enables an exact position determination, but in practice it has been shown that the dead reckoning is faulty, because it depends, among other things, on the nature of the floor surface over which the soil tillage implement is moved. In order to take account of the dependency of the dead reckoning on the nature of the floor surface, the floor surface texture in the preferred embodiment of the invention is included in the mathematical determination of the location.

It can be provided, for example, that at least two drive wheels of the drive unit are each assigned an encoder for detecting the revolutions of the drive wheels, the location of the tillage device being calculated from the number of revolutions, taking into account the classified nature of the floor area. This enables the drive wheels to slip in a structurally simple manner in the arithmetical determination of the location of the tillage implement take into account, because the slip depends on the nature of the floor surface. If there is a carpet surface, the drive wheels show a different slip behavior than with a hard surface. The quality of the location determination can thus be significantly improved in a structurally simple manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that correction values corresponding to a particular quality of a floor area are stored in a memory element and that the correction value corresponding to a currently classified quality of the floor area is retrieved from the memory element and the location of the Tillage equipment. For example, during a learning trip, the theoretical position of the tillage implement can be determined by calculation based on the length and course of the distance traveled and compared with the actual position of the tillage implement. From the deviation, a correction value can be determined, which is then stored in the storage element by assigning the respective floor surface condition. The condition of the soil surface can then be classified during a cultivation run and the correction value corresponding to the current soil surface condition can be called up from the storage element and used for the arithmetical determination of the location of the soil cultivation device.

Alternatively, it can be provided that the control unit is given an algorithm in order to calculate a correction value for the arithmetic determination of the location of the soil cultivation device from the respective soil surface condition. From the foregoing it is clear that the method according to the invention is particularly suitable for controlling a mobile floor cleaning device.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled and self-controlling tillage implement of the type mentioned at the outset for carrying out the method.

This object is achieved in a tillage implement of the generic type according to the invention in that the tillage implement has at least one motion sensor for detecting the movement behavior of the tillage implement and at least one current sensor for capturing the motor current of a drive motor of the drive unit and / or a tillage unit, and in that the tillage implement has a soil classification element has to classify the nature of the ground surface to be worked depending on the detected movement behavior and the detected motor current.

Such an embodiment makes it possible, in a structurally simple manner, to classify the nature of the floor surface by means of the current movement behavior of the tillage implement and the current motor current of an anti-fog motor. The information about the nature of the soil surface can then be used to control the tillage device, for example to navigate the tillage device and / or to control the operation of at least one tillage unit. The movement behavior is detected by the movement sensor. For example, in order to record a certain starting and / or braking behavior, the distance traveled when starting or braking when reaching a specific target speed or target speed of the drive wheels or until the vehicle has come to a standstill. This route then characterizes the movement behavior of the tillage implement. As an alternative or in addition, an acceleration and / or speed sensor can also be used to detect a current acceleration or speed of the tillage device. The speed can be detected, for example, by means of an encoder which interacts with a drive wheel and registers its revolutions. The speed can also be determined by optical correlation, in that the distance covered per unit of time is optically recorded. Provision can also be made to determine the speed by means of an acceleration sensor, the output signal of which is integrated over time.

It is expedient if the soil cultivation device has a storage element for storing combinations of motor current and movement behavior values, in particular speed values, with the assignment of a specific ground surface condition. As already explained, such combinations of movement behavior and motor current values can be stored in the memory element, for example, during a learning run of the soil tillage implement. Combinations of motor current and movement behavior values, in particular speed values, that are currently available can then be compared with the stored combinations to classify the surface condition of the floor. The operation of at least one tillage unit can preferably be controlled as a function of the classified nature of the tillage area to be worked. For example, it can be provided that a tillage unit has a brush roller with a drive motor, this drive motor being controllable in accordance with the classified nature of the floor surface, for example depending on whether the floor surface is a hard surface, for example a parquet floor, or around handles soft or hard carpeting.

Alternatively and / or additionally, it can be provided that a tillage unit comprises a suction unit which can be controlled in accordance with the classified nature of the floor area.

The classification of the floor surface quality can thus be used to optimize the processing parameters of the floor surface, in particular to optimize the cleaning parameters. It can be provided, for example, that the suction unit is only put into operation when there is a carpet surface, while the suction unit is taken out of operation or is operated at a lower speed when driving along a hard surface.

It is particularly advantageous if the drive unit comprises at least one drive motor which can be controlled in accordance with the classified nature of the floor area. The speed of the soil tillage implement can thus be controlled depending on the nature of the floor surface. For example, when driving along a hard surface higher speeds are used than when driving along a carpet.

It is particularly advantageous if the soil cultivation device comprises a navigation element for the arithmetical determination of the location of the soil cultivation device on the basis of the length and course of the distance covered, the arithmetical determination of the location taking into account the classified nature of the soil surface. As already explained, the method of dead reckoning navigation can be used to determine the location of the tillage device, taking into account the classified nature of the ground surface allows errors occurring in dead reckoning to be kept to a minimum.

It can be provided, for example, that at least two drive wheels are each assigned an encoder for detecting the number of revolutions of the drive wheels, the location of the tillage implement being determinable from the number of revolutions and the classified surface condition of the soil.

The use of an encoder, which is assigned to a drive wheel and detects its revolutions, makes it possible to detect the speed of the tillage implement by means of the encoder, since the speed of the tillage implement can be determined from the number of revolutions of the drive wheel per unit of time. The encoder thus forms a speed sensor. If the soil tillage implement has two drive wheels, each of which an encoder is assigned, the speed of the soil tillage implement can be determined on the one hand, and on the other hand enable the encoders to determine the distance traveled and the direction of travel covered in a structurally simple manner. Taking into account the classified

The condition of the floor surface can then be easily determined with only a small error.

In a preferred embodiment of the soil cultivation device according to the invention, it comprises a memory element for storing correction values corresponding to a particular soil surface condition, which can be called up from the memory element to determine the location of the soil cultivation device. The correction values can be determined, for example, on the basis of a learning trip, in that the soil cultivation device travels over differently configured floor areas and in each case the location is calculated and compared with the actual position of the soil cultivation device. A correction value can be determined from the comparison, which can then be stored in the memory element by assigning the respective soil surface condition and can be called up during a working run of the tillage device.

Encoder signals provided by the encoders can preferably be corrected by means of the correction values for determining the location of the soil tillage implement. The encoder data give a measure of the number of revolutions of the drive wheels, but these have a slip which depends on the nature of the floor surface and can be taken into account by means of the correction values which can be called up from the memory element. The following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention serves in conjunction with the drawing for a more detailed explanation. Show it:

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a soil tillage implement according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the tillage implement.

FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show a soil cultivation device according to the invention in the form of a floor cleaning device which is generally designated by reference number 10. The floor cleaning device 10 is designed to be self-controlling and self-propelled and enables the autonomous cleaning of a floor surface 12. It comprises a chassis 14 on which two drive wheels 16, 17 are rotatably mounted about a common axis of rotation, each of which is assigned a drive motor 18 or 19. The drive motors 18, 19 are each coupled to the associated drive wheel 16 or 17 via a motor shaft 20 or 21 and are electrically connected to an electronic control unit 26 of the floor cleaning device 10 via control lines 23 or 24. The drive wheels 16, 17, in combination with the drive motors 18, 19, form a drive unit of the floor cleaning device 10.

The motor shafts 20, 21 are each assigned an encoder 28 or 29, which detects the number of revolutions of the motor shafts 20, 21 and the respective revolutions via a sensor line 31 or 32 of the control unit 26 corresponding sensor signal provides. The number of revolutions of the motor shafts 20, 21 corresponds to the number of revolutions of the respective drive wheels 16 and 17. The speed of the floor cleaning device 10, ie the encoders 28 and 29, can be determined from the number of revolutions of the motor shafts 20, 21 per unit time each form a speed sensor for the floor cleaning device 10.

The drive motors 18, 19 are each assigned a current sensor 34 or 35, which detects the motor current of the respective drive motor 18 or 19 and provides a sensor signal corresponding to the respective motor current to the control unit 26 via a sensor line 37 or 38.

For cleaning the floor surface 12, the floor cleaning device 10 has a brush roller 39 which can be rotated about an axis of rotation oriented transversely to the main direction of movement 40 of the floor cleaning device 10 and is coupled to a drive motor in the form of a brush motor 43, with the aid of which the brush roller 39 is set in rotation can. By means of the brush roller 39, dirt can be picked up from the floor surface 12 to be cleaned and transferred into a dirt container of the floor cleaning device 10 which is known per se and is therefore not shown in the drawing. The dirt container is in flow connection with a suction unit 45, which has a suction turbine 46 and a drive motor in the form of a suction motor 47 for its rotary drive. By means of the suction unit 45, a suction flow in the direction of the dirt container can be generated starting from the brush roller 39, so that the absorption of dirt from the bottom surface 12 is supported. The brush roller 39 forms like that Suction unit 45 a tillage unit in the form of a floor cleaning unit.

The brush motor 43 is electrically connected to the control unit 26 via a control line 49, and the motor current of the brush motor 43 can be detected by means of a current sensor 50. The current sensor 50 is connected to the control unit 26 via a sensor line 52 and provides the latter with a sensor signal corresponding to the respective motor current of the brush motor 43.

The control unit 26 is connected to the naturally aspirated motor 47 via a further control line 54, the motor current of which is detected by a current sensor 55, which is connected to the control unit 26 via a sensor line 57.

The control unit 26 controls the operation of both the drive motors 18 and 19 of the drive unit and the drive motors 43 and 47 of the brush roller 39 and the suction unit 45. To control the drive motors 18 and 19, the control unit 26 has a drive control 59 which detects the direction of travel and specifies the driving speed of the floor cleaning device 10. The direction of travel is determined by the possibly different actuation of the drive motors 18 and 19, and the travel speed is determined by the speed of the drive motors 18, 19.

To control the brush motor 43, the control unit 26 has a brush control 61, and to control the drive motor 47 of the suction unit 45, the control unit 26 includes a suction control 63.

The nature of the floor surface 12 can be classified by means of a floor classification member 65 of the control unit 26. For this purpose, the sensor signals of the current sensors 34, 35, 50 and 55 are fed to the soil classification element. In addition, the encoder signals of the encoders 28 and 29 are fed to the soil classification element 65. From the encoder signals, the floor classification element calculates the current speed of the floor cleaning device 10. On the basis of a learning trip, combinations of motor current values of the drive motors 18, 19, 43 and 47 are stored in a memory element 67 of the control unit 26 together with the speed values present in each case, while assigning the respective floor surface condition during the measurement of the motor currents and speeds. If the floor surface 12 is cleaned at a later point in time, the motor current and speed values are again recorded and compared with the combinations stored in the storage element 67. The floor surface condition that corresponds to the stored combination that most closely corresponds to the current combination of motor current and speed values is then output by the floor classification element 65 as the current floor surface condition. This floor surface condition forms the basis for the control of the drive motors 18, 19, 43 and 47, i.e. Both the speed of the floor cleaning device 10 and the mode of operation of the brush motor 43 and the suction motor 47 take place in adaptation to the current floor surface condition.

To control the movement of the floor cleaning device 10 along the floor surface 12 to be cleaned, the control unit 26 comprises a navigation element 69, which is connected to the sensor lines 31 and 32 of the encoders 28 and 29 and calculates the distance traveled and the course of the travel direction from the provided encoder signals, that is to say calculates the current position of the floor cleaning device 10. The calculation is carried out taking into account the soil surface condition determined by the soil classification element 65, by calling up a correction signal corresponding to the current soil surface condition, as determined by the soil classification element 65, which was stored in the memory element during a learning trip. A correction of the encoder signals provided by the encoders 28 and 29 can thus be carried out in order to improve the mathematical determination of the location of the floor cleaning device 10. In particular, the slip behavior of the drive wheels 16, 17 can be taken into account in the arithmetic determination of the location of the floor cleaning device 10 due to the consideration of the floor surface condition.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1.Procedure for controlling a self-propelled and self-steering tillage device which has an electromotive drive unit, at least one electromotive tillage unit and an electronic control unit, with the control unit being able to control the locomotion of the tillage device and / or the operation of at least one tillage unit, characterized in that the movement behavior of the tillage device and the motor current of at least one drive motor of the drive unit and / or a tillage unit are detected and the condition of the soil surface to be worked is classified by means of a soil classification element as a function of the detected movement behavior and the detected motor current.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that combinations of motor current and movement behavior values are stored in a memory element with assignment of a certain surface condition and a currently measured combination of motor current and movement behavior values is compared with the stored combinations of motor current and movement behavior values.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one controls the operation of at least one tillage unit according to the classified soil surface condition.

4. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the drive motor of a brush roller of a tillage unit is controlled according to the classified condition of the floor surface.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one controls the operation of a suction unit of a tillage unit according to the classified soil surface condition.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one drive motor of the drive unit is controlled in accordance with the classified surface condition.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location of the soil cultivation device is determined mathematically by means of a navigation element on the basis of the length and the course of the distance traveled, the classified ground surface condition being taken into account in the mathematical determination of the location.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that at least two drive wheels of the drive unit are each assigned an encoder for detecting the revolutions of the drive wheels, the location of the tillage device being determined by calculation from the number of revolutions, taking into account the classified soil surface condition.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that in each case a specific soil surface corresponding correction values are stored in a memory element and that to determine the location of the soil cultivating device the correction value corresponding to a currently classified soil surface condition is retrieved from the memory element and used to determine the location of the soil cultivation device ,

10. Self-propelled and self-controlling tillage implement for carrying out the above-mentioned method, with an electromotive drive unit, at least one electromotive tillage unit and an electronic control unit, whereby the locomotion of the tillage device and / or the operation of at least one tillage unit can be controlled by means of the control unit, characterized in that the tillage device (10) has at least one motion sensor (28, 29) for detecting the movement behavior of the tillage device (10) and at least one current sensor (34, 35, 50, 55) for detecting the motor current of a drive motor (18, 19, 43, 47) of the drive unit and / or a tillage unit, and that the tillage device (10) has a soil classification member (65) for classifying the nature of the tillable area (12) depending on the detected movement behavior and the detected motor current.

11. Soil cultivation device according to claim 10, characterized in that the soil cultivation device (10) has a storage element (67) for storing combinations of motor current and movement behavior values with assignment of a certain surface condition.

12. Soil cultivation device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the operation of at least one tillage unit (39, 45) is controllable according to the classified soil surface condition.

13. Soil cultivation device according to claim 10, 11 or 12, characterized in that a soil cultivation unit has a brush roller (39) with a drive motor (43), this drive motor (43) being controllable in accordance with the classified soil surface condition.

14. Soil cultivation device according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that a tillage unit comprises a suction unit (45) which can be controlled according to the classified soil surface condition.

15. Soil cultivation device according to one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the drive unit comprises at least one drive motor (18, 19) which can be controlled in accordance with the classified soil surface condition.

16. Soil cultivation device according to one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the tillage device (10) comprises a navigation member (69) for arithmetically determining the location of the soil cultivation device (10) on the basis of the length and course of the distance traveled, the arithmetical determination of the location taking into account the classified soil conditions.

17. A tillage implement according to claim 16, characterized in that at least two drive wheels (16, 17) are each assigned an encoder (28, 29) for detecting the number of revolutions of the drive wheels (16, 17), the number of revolutions and the location of the soil tillage implement (10) can be determined from the classified soil surface condition.

18. Soil cultivation device according to one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that at least one drive wheel (16, 17) is assigned an encoder (28, 29) for detecting the number of revolutions of the drive wheel (16, 17), with the pro Time unit of the number of revolutions of the drive wheel (16, 17) the speed of the tillage implement (10) can be determined.

19. Soil cultivation device according to one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that the soil cultivation device (10) has a memory element (67) for storing correction values corresponding to a particular soil surface condition, which are used to determine the location of the soil cultivation device (10) from the Memory element (67) are available.

20. Tillage device according to claim 19, characterized in that encoder data provided by the encoders (28, 29) can be corrected by means of the correction values for determining the location of the tillage device (10).