Automated Container Emptying with Sensor-Based Safety Zone Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing processes for emptying a cleaning robot's sweepings container are not automated, posing risks to people due to the movements required, especially during the lifting and emptying processes, which can lead to crushing, shearing, and pinch points, and existing safety measures are inadequate to prevent collisions and ensure safety.
Innovation Solution
An automated process and device that utilize sensors, such as 2D laser scanners, to create a spatially defined unloading zone with protective devices, ensuring safe distances and preventing movement when deviations are detected, and allowing for the charging of the robot's accumulators independently, reducing risks through inherently safe design and technical measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual emptying of the sweepings container is performed, then the process is simple, but it poses safety risks to operators due to crushing, shearing, and pinch points during lifting and emptying movements
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot autonomously empties its own sweepings container at a service station without human intervention. The robot positions itself, activates the lifting mechanism, and completes the emptying process automatically, eliminating operator exposure to hazardous movements while maintaining operational simplicity through automation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated control system that coordinates sensors, actuators, and control units. The control unit monitors sensor data and automatically actuates the lifting mechanism and container positioning systems, substituting human mechanical operations with an integrated electromechanical control system
2Reliability
If automated emptying is implemented, then safety risks are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to sensors, control units, and automated mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The service station integrates multiple functions including emptying operations, battery charging, and container replacement within a single system. The lifting mechanism serves both to elevate the container for emptying and to position it for charging operations, reducing overall system complexity through functional integration
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs sensors that continuously monitor the unloading zone and provide feedback to the control unit. This feedback mechanism enables automatic detection of objects or persons in the hazard zone, triggering safety responses without requiring complex manual monitoring systems, thus managing complexity through intelligent control
3Reliability
If the unloading zone is continuously monitored during lifting and emptying, then safety is improved, but the loss of time increases due to repeated sensing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs sensing operations at periodic intervals during the emptying process rather than continuously. Sensors check the unloading zone at key stages (before lifting, during lifting, during emptying), allowing the process to proceed efficiently while maintaining safety through periodic verification rather than constant monitoring
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process ensures safe and automated emptying of the sweepings container, reducing risks to people by maintaining defined safety distances and preventing collisions, while allowing for independent charging of the robot, thus enhancing the safety and efficiency of the cleaning robot's operation.
Implementation Method 1
the unloading zone is sensed by means of sensors provided on the self-driving vehicle through at least one side of the unloading station by determining its contour, in particular by means of 2D laser scanners
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention proposes a method for the automated emptying of loose transported goods from a container, which is transported by a self-driving vehicle, into a collection container, whereby the unloading takes place in a spatially defined unloading zone at an unloading station. Furthermore, an unloading station for automated emptying according to the method is proposed.