Built-in Robotic Floor Cleaning System Infrastructure Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic floor cleaning systems require extensive setup time, occupy space with separate parts, and face navigation accuracy issues due to reliance on sensors and mapping technologies, which are not always accurate and efficient.
Innovation Solution
A built-in robotic floor cleaning system integrated into the workspace infrastructure, including a docking station, control panel, and pre-programmed virtual map, with confinement mechanisms like signal emitters and localization systems to enhance navigation and reduce setup complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If robotic floor cleaning systems use separate parts and confinement mechanisms installed around the workspace, then the system can be assembled from modular components, but the setup time increases and the system occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the docking station, control panel, and confinement mechanisms into a single built-in unit installed within the workspace infrastructure (e.g., baseboards, walls, or ceilings). This merging eliminates the need to separately assemble and position multiple independent components, thereby reducing setup time while maintaining system functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If robotic floor cleaning systems use separate parts and confinement mechanisms installed around the workspace, then the system can be assembled from modular components, but the system occupies more space cluttering the workspace
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the docking station, control panel, and confinement mechanisms into one integrated unit built into the workspace infrastructure, the patent eliminates the need for separate physical parts scattered around the workspace. This reduces the total space occupied by the system while maintaining modular functionality within the integrated structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If robotic cleaning systems rely on sensors to generate maps of the environment, then the system can adapt to unknown environments, but navigation accuracy decreases due to sensor errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces pre-installed physical markers or visual cues as an intermediary between the robot and the environment. These markers provide reference points that enhance the robot's ability to accurately locate itself and navigate, reducing reliance on error-prone sensors alone while maintaining adaptability to different environments.
4Adaptability or versatility
If robotic cleaning systems use mapping technology to generate virtual maps, then the system can navigate unknown environments, but the map-creation process requires large amounts of processing power and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-installs physical markers or visual cues in the environment before the robot begins operation. This preliminary action provides ready-made reference points that the robot can immediately use for navigation and localization, eliminating the need for time-consuming environmental scanning and map generation processes.
5Reliability
If confinement mechanisms such as virtual or real boundaries are installed separately, then the system can control the robot's movement areas, but the installation becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates confinement mechanisms into the built-in unit along with the docking station and control panel. This merging reduces installation complexity by consolidating multiple functions into a single integrated structure that is installed once as part of the workspace infrastructure, rather than requiring separate installation of multiple independent components.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a built-in robotic floor cleaning system installed within the infrastructure of a workspace and a method for controlling and integrating such system in a workspace. The built-in robotic floor cleaning system comprises a robotic floor cleaning device and a docking station for charging the robotic floor cleaning device wherein the docking station is built into the infrastructure of the workspace. The system may further comprise a control panel integrated into the infrastructure of the workspace to deliver inputs from users and display outputs from the system. The system may further comprise a variety of types of confinement methods built into the infrastructure of the workspace to aid the robotic floor cleaning device in navigation. The system may also be provided with a virtual map of the environment during an initial set-up phase to assist with navigation.