Autonomous mobile cleaning robot
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical and ultrasonic sensors in autonomous mobile cleaning robots are unreliable due to sensitivity to noise, dust, color, ambient light, and stray reflections, which affects their ability to accurately scan and analyze floor surfaces.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a radar sensor and radar signal processor that transmits radar signals to scan the floor surface, extracts features such as amplitude, phase, spectral content, and delay from radar responses, and uses these features to control the robot's movement and cleaning mode, allowing for reliable surface analysis and detection of liquids and obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If optical or ultrasonic sensors are used to scan the floor surface, then the robot can detect surface features, but the detection reliability deteriorates due to sensitivity to noise, dust, color, ambient light, and stray reflections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical and ultrasonic sensing systems with a radar-based detection system. The radar sensor transmits electromagnetic signals and receives reflections to detect surface features, replacing the problematic optical/ultrasonic mechanisms. This substitution eliminates sensitivity to dust, color, and ambient light while maintaining surface scanning capability through electromagnetic wave reflection analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental detection parameter from optical/ultrasonic frequencies to radar frequencies (electromagnetic waves). By operating at different frequency ranges and utilizing radar signal characteristics (amplitude, phase, time delay), the system achieves reliable surface detection that is immune to the harmful factors affecting optical and ultrasonic sensors.
2Measurement precision
If the radar sensor is positioned outside the robot body for better surface detection, then detection accuracy improves, but the robot becomes more vulnerable to ambient conditions and collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the radar sensor within the robot's body structure, nesting the detection component inside the protective housing. This nesting arrangement protects the radar sensor from ambient conditions and physical collisions while maintaining its detection functionality through the robot's body, eliminating the need for external positioning.
3Measurement precision
If multiple features of radar responses are extracted and analyzed, then surface analysis accuracy improves, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the radar signal processing into distinct feature extraction components: amplitude analysis, phase analysis, spectral content analysis, and time delay measurement. Each feature is processed separately through dedicated signal processing pathways, allowing comprehensive surface analysis while organizing the complexity into manageable, modular processing stages.
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
The radar-based system provides consistent performance in various conditions, enabling accurate detection of liquids and obstacles, improving the robot's navigation and reducing the risk of accidents by allowing for adaptive movement and cleaning mode changes.
Implementation Method 1
a radar sensor configured to scan a surface, during a movement of the robot along the surface, by transmitting radar signals towards the surface and acquiring, at different positions along said movement, radar responses from the surface
Data Source
AI summary
According to a first aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided an autonomous mobile cleaning robot, comprising: a radar sensor configured to scan a surface, during a movement of the robot along the surface, by transmitting radar signals towards the surface and acquiring, at different positions along said movement, radar responses from the surface, a radar signal processor configured to extract one or more features of each acquired radar response from the surface, and a controller configured to control an operation of the robot based on the extracted one or more features.