Cleaning robot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning robots face challenges in navigating around obstacles and cleaning tight spaces due to their protruding design, which increases the risk of interference and limits their ability to pass through narrow areas.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning robot features a rotatable and laterally movable cleaning pad assembly that can be positioned in a pop-in or pop-out configuration, allowing it to retract when not in use and extend only when necessary to clean adjacent to obstacles, maintaining a stable circular exterior shape and enabling efficient navigation and cleaning of both wide and narrow spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning pad is designed to protrude from the main body to clean areas adjacent to obstacles, then the cleaning coverage is improved, but the outermost exterior of the robot increases, leading to more interference by obstacles during driving
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning pad assembly is designed to be movable between a protruding position (for cleaning areas adjacent to obstacles) and a retracted position (for navigating through narrow spaces). The rotation shaft and holder are configured to allow the cleaning pad to dynamically adjust its position relative to the main body, enabling the robot to adapt to different cleaning scenarios and avoid interference with obstacles.
2Productivity
If the cleaning pad protrudes from the main body, then the ability to clean areas adjacent to obstacles is improved, but the robot cannot pass through cracks narrower than the width of the outermost exterior
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning pad assembly can dynamically change its position between protruding and retracted states. When navigating through narrow spaces or cracks, the assembly is retracted to minimize the robot's outermost exterior width. When cleaning areas adjacent to obstacles, the assembly protrudes to extend the cleaning reach, thus providing adaptability to both narrow spaces and obstacle-adjacent cleaning scenarios.
3Productivity
If the cleaning pad is fixed in a protruding position, then cleaning of obstacle-adjacent areas is effective, but the robot requires backward movement to avoid obstacles, reducing cleaning efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning pad assembly can be dynamically adjusted to protrude or retract based on the cleaning situation. When approaching an obstacle, the assembly can be retracted to allow the robot to pass through narrow spaces without backward movement. When cleaning areas adjacent to obstacles, the assembly protrudes to maintain effective cleaning coverage, thereby eliminating the need for time-consuming backward movements.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning robot includes a main body having an exterior portion extending along a perimeter of the main body; wheels that are drivable to move the robot; a rotation shaft; and a holder coupled to the rotation shaft to support a cleaning pad. The rotation shaft and the holder are rotatable along a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned, and the rotation shaft is laterally movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis to: a pop-in position in which the rotation shaft and the holder are under the main body and not protruding beyond the exterior portion of the main body, and a pop-out position in which the rotation shaft is under the main body and not protruding beyond the exterior portion and the holder is partially under the main body and partially protruding beyond the exterior portion of the main body.