Cleaning Robot State Switching to Reduce Mop Secondary Pollution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mopping robots face issues with prolonged cleaning times leading to poor cleaning effectiveness, frequent manual intervention for battery charging, and potential damage to carpets due to friction and pollution from dirty wiping units.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning robot system that includes a housing with a moving module and control module, capable of switching between work execution and maintenance states, featuring a lifting or rotating mechanism to manage contact with the surface, automatic battery charging, and a base station for replenishment and dirt removal, allowing for autonomous operation and reduced pollution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the mopping robot continues to clean for a long time, then the cleaning coverage increases, but the cleaning effectiveness deteriorates due to stains accumulating on the mop
Solution Approach 1:
The robot automatically returns to the base station for mop cleaning before the mop becomes too dirty, preventing cleaning effectiveness deterioration. The system performs maintenance action in advance based on preset conditions (cleaning area, time, or manual instruction) rather than waiting for the mop to become saturated with stains
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors (cleaning area detection, time tracking, manual user input) to determine when the mop needs cleaning, and automatically controls the robot to return to the base station. This closed-loop control ensures cleaning effectiveness is maintained by responding to actual cleaning state conditions
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the robot frequently returns to the base station for battery charging, then the robot can maintain continuous operation, but user experience deteriorates due to increased intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The robot autonomously monitors its own battery level and cleaning needs, then automatically returns to the base station for recharging and mop cleaning without requiring user intervention. The system manages its own maintenance needs independently, improving ease of operation while maintaining continuous operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
By automatically managing battery recharging and mop cleaning at the base station, the system ensures continuous operational readiness without interrupting the user's experience. The robot maintains continuous useful action through automated self-maintenance cycles
3Productivity
If the mopping robot uses a dirty mop to clean, then the cleaning process continues, but secondary pollution occurs and cleaning quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robot automatically returns to the base station to clean the mop before stains accumulate to problematic levels. By performing maintenance action in advance based on cleaning area, time, or manual input, the system prevents secondary pollution while maintaining cleaning continuity
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful effect of continued cleaning with a dirty mop into a beneficial automated maintenance cycle. The robot detects when the mop needs cleaning and automatically returns to the base station, transforming what could be a source of secondary pollution into a structured self-maintenance process that actually improves overall cleaning quality
4Extent of automation
If the robot operates fully autonomously, then user intervention is minimized, but system complexity increases due to automated control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous system is divided into separate functional modules: navigation control, cleaning state detection, battery monitoring, and automated base station interaction. Each module handles a specific aspect of autonomy, making the overall complex system manageable through functional segmentation while maintaining high extent of automation
Solution Approach 2:
The base station serves multiple functions: battery recharging, mop cleaning, and data communication. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems on the robot itself, managing device complexity while maintaining full autonomous operation capability through the universal base station platform
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning robot, including: a housing; a moving module, and a control module, for controlling the moving module to drive the cleaning robot to move. When the cleaning robot moves on a working surface, a wiping unit is capable of directly or indirectly contacting the working surface to wipe the same. The cleaning robot includes a work execution state and a maintenance state. While the cleaning robot is switching from the work execution state to the maintenance state, the control module controls the cleaning robot to move from a work execution position corresponding to the work execution state to a maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance state. During at least a part of the process of the cleaning robot moving from the work execution position to the maintenance position, where the at least a part of the wiping unit is in a state of not contacting the working surface.