Autonomous Cleaning Robot Navigation for Corner and Obstacle Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous cleaning robots face challenges in effectively navigating and cleaning floor surfaces adjacent to obstacles, particularly in environments with complex geometries, as they struggle to maintain contact and cover the entire area around obstacles.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous cleaning robot is designed with a forward portion, side surfaces, and a drive system that allows it to move along obstacles, perform series of movements to maintain contact, and utilize sensors to detect and adjust its position, ensuring thorough cleaning of areas adjacent to complex geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the robot moves along obstacle surfaces to clean adjacent floor portions, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the robot may fail to maintain contact with complex geometries including corner interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs dynamic movements including turning away from and back toward obstacle surfaces, and repeatedly executing series of movements to adapt to complex geometries. This dynamic behavior allows the robot to maintain contact with corner interfaces and angled surfaces that static positioning cannot achieve
Solution Approach 2:
The robot repeatedly performs series of movements multiple times to ensure complete cleaning of difficult-to-reach areas. This periodic repetition guarantees that all portions of the floor surface adjacent to obstacles, including corner geometries, are thoroughly cleaned
2Area of stationary object
If the robot navigates around complex room geometries, then cleaning of corner areas is improved, but navigation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses its own movements and sensor feedback to autonomously navigate complex geometries. By performing series of movements and detecting corner interfaces through its sensors, the robot self-adjusts its path without external intervention, making the navigation system adaptable to any room layout
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
An autonomous cleaning robot includes a controller configured to execute instructions to perform one or more operations. The one or more operations includes operating a drive system to move the cleaning robot in a forward drive direction along a first obstacle surface with a side surface of the cleaning robot facing the first obstacle surface, then operating the drive system to turn the cleaning robot such that the side surface of the cleaning robot faces a second obstacle surface, then operating the drive system to move the cleaning robot in a rearward drive direction along the second obstacle surface, and then operating the drive system to move the cleaning robot in the forward drive direction along the second obstacle surface.