Navigation of autonomous mobile robots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous cleaning robots face challenges in navigating and cleaning floor surfaces adjacent to obstacles, particularly in areas with complex geometries and narrow widths, often getting stuck or failing to effectively cover these areas.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous cleaning robot is designed with a forward portion, side surfaces, and a drive system that allows it to move along obstacles, turn, and adjust its path to clean adjacent areas, using sensors to detect obstacles and navigate complex geometries, and a rotatable cleaning member to collect debris from narrow spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot uses a fixed cleaning path, then the cleaning path covers most floor surfaces, but the robot cannot effectively clean areas adjacent to obstacles with complex geometries
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses sensors to detect obstacles and their geometries in real-time, feeds this information back to the controller, which then dynamically adjusts the cleaning path. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the robot to adapt to complex geometries while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning path is transformed from a static predetermined route to a dynamic adaptive trajectory. The controller continuously modifies the robot's movement path based on real-time obstacle detection, allowing the cleaning path to dynamically conform to the environmental geometry while keeping control logic systematic.
2Productivity
If the robot enters narrow portions of floor surface to clean them, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the robot may get stuck in those narrow areas
Solution Approach 1:
Before the robot enters a narrow passage, the controller preliminarily detects the geometry and width of the passage using sensors. If the passage is determined to be navigable, the robot proceeds; if not, the robot avoids entry. This preliminary assessment prevents the robot from getting stuck while ensuring thorough cleaning of accessible narrow areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preemptively identifies potential trapping situations by detecting narrow geometries and implements preventive navigation adjustments. By anticipating problematic areas before entry, the robot avoids the harmful effect of getting stuck while still maintaining high cleaning coverage in safe narrow regions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot moves along obstacle surfaces to clean adjacent areas, then cleaning of complex geometries is improved, but the robot requires complex navigation maneuvers
Solution Approach 1:
The robot autonomously performs complex navigation maneuvers along obstacle surfaces without human intervention. The controller automatically generates and executes the sequence of movements required to clean adjacent areas, making the complex operation appear simple from the user perspective while maintaining high adaptability to various geometries.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous cleaning robot includes a controller configured to execute instructions to perform one or more operations. The one or more operations includes operating a drive system to move the cleaning robot in a forward drive direction along a first obstacle surface with a side surface of the cleaning robot facing the first obstacle surface, then operating the drive system to turn the cleaning robot such that the side surface of the cleaning robot faces a second obstacle surface, then operating the drive system to move the cleaning robot in a rearward drive direction along the second obstacle surface, and then operating the drive system to move the cleaning robot in the forward drive direction along the second obstacle surface.