Cleaning Robot Voice and Gesture Control for Cleaning Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning robots face inconvenience in setting restricted and focused cleaning areas, as they require manual manipulation and the use of entry prevention tapes, which are cumbersome to manage and change.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning robot equipped with a voice input unit, image capturing unit, and controller that detects user voice and motion instructions to determine restricted and focused cleaning areas, allowing for easy setup using a portable mobile terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entry prevention tape is attached to the floor to define restricted areas, then the cleaning robot can avoid restricted areas, but the user experiences inconvenience and discomfort when needing to change restricted areas due to the need to manually attach and re-attach the tape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical entry prevention tape system with a vision-based detection system. The cleaning robot uses an image capturing unit to detect gestures and motions in the air, converting physical hand movements into digital signals that define restricted areas and focused cleaning areas, thereby eliminating the need for physical tape attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air gestures and motions as an intermediary medium between the user and the cleaning robot. Instead of directly attaching tape to the floor, the user performs gestures in the air that are captured by the image capturing unit, which then translates these gestures into restricted area definitions, serving as a non-contact interface
2Reliability
If the cleaning robot is manually manipulated to move to areas requiring intensive cleaning, then focused cleaning can be performed, but the process becomes inconvenient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual manipulation and physical area marking with gesture-based control. The image capturing unit detects hand gestures in the air that define focused cleaning areas, eliminating the need for the user to physically move the robot or mark areas, thereby saving time while maintaining focused cleaning capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables preliminary definition of focused cleaning areas through gesture recognition before the cleaning process begins. The controller identifies gestures that specify focused cleaning areas in advance, allowing the robot to automatically prioritize these areas without requiring manual intervention during the cleaning operation
3Ease of operation
If voice instructions are used to control the cleaning robot, then user convenience is improved, but the robot needs additional sensors and processing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges voice recognition and gesture recognition into a single integrated control system. The image capturing unit handles both voice input detection and gesture detection, consolidating multiple sensing functions into one component, thereby improving ease of operation while limiting the increase in device complexity
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
Enables the cleaning robot to automatically determine and adapt to user-defined cleaning areas without manual manipulation, enhancing user convenience and efficiency in setting up cleaning operations.
Implementation Method 1
an infrared sensor that obtains distance information of the user captured by the camera
Implementation Method 2
The controller may estimate a position of a user based on a difference in times at which the user's voice instructions are input to the at least three microphones
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning robot that performs cleaning while travelling a space to be cleaned, the cleaning robot including: a travelling unit that moves the cleaning robot; a cleaning unit that cleans the space to be cleaned; an image capturing unit that captures an image viewed from the cleaning robot; a voice input unit to which a user's voice instructions are input; and a controller obtaining the user's motion instructions through the image capturing unit and determining a restricted area in which entry of the cleaning robot is prohibited and/or a focused cleaning area to be intensely cleaned by the cleaning robot based on the user's motion instructions or the user's voice instructions when the user's voice instructions are input through the voice input unit. The restricted area and the focused cleaning area may be input to the cleaning robot through the user's voice and motion.