Cleaning device and method for operating a cleaning device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-propelled cleaning devices struggle with objects on the cleaning surface, leading to incomplete cleaning, potential damage, or reduced efficiency due to faulty detection and navigation around or over objects.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning device with a movable opening and a sliding part that adjusts to objects, allowing it to move objects instead of navigating around them, using sensors and orientation changes to identify and handle movable objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning device navigates around objects on the cleaning surface, then the device avoids potential damage and faulty detection issues, but the area beneath and immediately surrounding the object remains uncleaned
Solution Approach 1:
The opening is made dynamically adjustable in size. When an object is detected, the opening automatically reduces its size to a predetermined dimension that prevents the object from passing through. This dynamic adjustment allows the cleaning device to reliably detect and respond to objects while maintaining the ability to clean around them effectively, resolving the contradiction between detection reliability and cleaning coverage.
2Reliability
If the opening size is reduced to prevent objects from passing through, then object detection reliability improves, but cleaning performance and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The opening size is dynamically adjusted based on the presence of objects. During normal cleaning operation, the opening maintains a larger size for optimal cleaning performance. When an object is detected, the opening automatically reduces to a smaller predetermined size to prevent objects from passing through unretrieved. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by optimizing the opening size for each specific operational condition.
3Productivity
If the cleaning device drives over objects to maintain cleaning coverage, then cleaning efficiency is maintained, but the risk of damage and faulty detection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The opening dynamically adapts its size in response to detected objects. When an object is detected on the cleaning surface, the opening reduces to a predetermined smaller size that prevents the object from passing through the cleaning device. This ensures that objects are reliably detected and handled appropriately, preventing damage while maintaining cleaning efficiency by allowing the device to continue operation without interruption.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A self-propelled cleaning device and a method for operating a self-propelled cleaning device for cleaning a surface are proposed. An opening is formed between the cleaning device and the surface, directed in the direction of travel. This opening can be reduced in size to move a movable object on the surface. To reduce the size of the opening, the cleaning device can have a sliding section that can be automatically lowered to move the movable object. Alternatively, the cleaning device can change its orientation so that, instead of the opening, a lower sliding section of the cleaning device points in the direction of travel to move the movable object.