Cleaning Robot Arm Serving as Bumper for Compact Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cleaning robots with robot arms face challenges in maintaining a compact and cost-effective configuration, which restricts their mobility and ability to navigate under objects without colliding or getting damaged.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning robot is designed with a robot arm that can be arranged in a resting position to form a bumper, allowing it to absorb collisions and detect obstacles without protruding beyond the housing, thus maintaining a compact form factor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot arm is extended to perform cleaning tasks on raised surfaces and manipulate objects, then the cleaning capability and object manipulation capability are improved, but the robot's height increases and it cannot navigate under low objects
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is designed to be movable between a retracted position (for navigating under objects) and an extended operating position (for cleaning raised surfaces and manipulating objects). The control unit automatically transitions the robot arm between these positions based on the operational context, enabling the robot to adapt its height dynamically.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot arm is arranged to be received within a receiving region of the housing when in the retracted position, allowing the arm to be nested inside the robot body. This nesting arrangement minimizes the robot's overall height when the arm is not in use, enabling passage under low obstacles.
2Length of stationary object
If the robot arm is arranged in a retracted position to maintain compact height, then the robot can navigate under objects, but the robot arm cannot perform cleaning tasks on raised surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is designed to be movable between a retracted position (for navigating under objects) and an extended operating position (for cleaning raised surfaces and manipulating objects). The control unit automatically transitions the robot arm between these positions based on the operational context, enabling the robot to adapt its height dynamically.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot arm is arranged to be received within a receiving region of the housing when in the retracted position, allowing the arm to be nested inside the robot body. This nesting arrangement minimizes the robot's overall height when the arm is not in use, enabling passage under low obstacles.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot arm is extended beyond the housing to perform tasks, then the operating range is improved, but the robot arm becomes vulnerable to collisions and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is arranged to be automatically retracted into the receiving region of the housing when not in use or when obstacles are detected. This preliminary retraction action protects the robot arm from potential collisions and damage before they can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot arm is arranged to be received within a receiving region of the housing when in the retracted position, allowing the arm to be nested inside the robot body. This nesting arrangement minimizes the robot's overall height when the arm is not in use, enabling passage under low obstacles.
4Reliability
If additional bumpers are added to protect the housing, then the collision protection is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm serves multiple functions: it acts as both the cleaning/manipulation tool when extended and as a bumper for collision detection and protection when retracted. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate bumper components, reducing structural complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot arm is combined with the bumper function, merging two separate components (robot arm and bumper) into one. The arm's resting position on the housing front creates a bumper effect, protecting the housing without requiring additional protective structures.
5Reliability
If the robot arm is used as a bumper in resting position, then the collision detection capability is improved, but the robot arm may interfere with cleaning tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is designed to be movable between a retracted position (for navigating under objects) and an extended operating position (for cleaning raised surfaces and manipulating objects). The control unit automatically transitions the robot arm between these positions based on the operational context, enabling the robot to adapt its height dynamically.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning robot cleans a cleaning region and has a housing, a drive unit for driving the cleaning robot in the cleaning region, a floor cleaning unit for cleaning a floor surface of the cleaning region, and a robot arm for moving objects and/or for cleaning a surface that is raised with respect to the floor surface. The robot arm is arranged on a housing front of the housing in a resting position. The clean robot further has a control unit for controlling the drive unit, the floor cleaning unit and the robot arm. The robot arm forms a bumper in the resting position.