Cleaning Robot Pad Tilt and Rotation for Omni-Directional Wiping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cleaning robots face challenges in efficiently removing impurities from floors, especially larger particles and stains, during both dry and wet cleaning processes, due to limitations in movement patterns and friction control, leading to slower cleaning times and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning robot that utilizes vector information for movement, adjusts friction using pad assemblies with tilting mechanisms, and incorporates obstacle and stain detection to change movement patterns and cleaning strength, enabling omni-directional movement and enhanced cleaning efficiency by mimicking human wiping patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning robot moves about the cleaning region in a curvilinear pattern with great angular rotation of the main body, then the cleaning efficiency is improved, but the movement speed decreases and cleaning time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot divides the main body movement from the pad assembly rotation. The pads can rotate independently about vertical axes and tilt about horizontal axes, allowing the main body to move in straight lines while the pads perform curvilinear wiping motions. This segmentation enables independent optimization of movement speed and cleaning efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad assemblies are made dynamically adjustable with tilting mechanisms that can change the contact position and angle of pads in real-time. This dynamic adjustment allows the pads to adapt to different cleaning scenarios and maintain optimal cleaning contact while the robot moves at high speed in straight lines.
2Device complexity
If the cleaning robot uses two parallel wheels to move about the cleaning region, then the structure is simple, but the ability to rotate the main body by selected angles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The pad assemblies serve as intermediary elements between the simple two-wheel drive system and the cleaning surface. By enabling the pads to rotate and tilt independently, the system achieves complex motion patterns and orientation changes without modifying the simple two-wheel main body structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds rotational and tilting degrees of freedom to the pad assemblies, introducing new dimensions of motion control. The pads can rotate about vertical axes and tilt about horizontal axes, adding orientational versatility without complicating the primary two-wheel drive structure.
3Device complexity
If the cleaning robot suction dust from the floor in a dry manner, then the structure is simple, but impurities adhered to the floor or impurities beyond a given size cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot merges dry suction cleaning with wet wiping cleaning into a single integrated system. The pad assemblies can be used for wet wiping to remove adhered impurities and larger particles that suction alone cannot handle, while the suction system continues to handle fine dust particles.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad assemblies are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as cleaning elements for wet wiping and as friction-driven propulsion elements for movement. This universal design allows the same components to perform multiple functions, reducing overall system complexity while enhancing cleaning capability.
4Ease of operation
If the cleaning robot rotates the main body for curvilinear movement, then the movement direction can be changed freely, but the cleaning time is extended due to slower movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the directional control function from the main body rotation. Instead of rotating the entire main body to change direction, the robot uses independently controlled pad assemblies that can rotate and tilt to generate friction forces in different directions, enabling the main body to move in straight lines while achieving curvilinear trajectories through differential pad control.
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 robot achieves fast and efficient cleaning by adapting movement and friction distribution based on real-time environmental data, ensuring thorough removal of impurities without the need for main body rotation, thus improving cleaning speed and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The drive power is based on an application direction and application position of friction to be applied to the pad coming into contact with a floor
Implementation Method 2
a first drive member to tilt the pad in a first direction
Implementation Method 3
a second drive member to tilt the pad in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction
Implementation Method 4
a rotation variable member to rotate the pad about a rotation axis
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A cleaning robot including a main body, a pad mounted below the main body to implement cleaning, and a drive assembly to apply drive power to the pad. The drive assembly moves the main body to a target position by adjusting the drive power. The cleaning robot may move at a high speed owing to omni-directional movement thereof without rotation of the main body. Further, the cleaning robot may imitate a human wiping pattern, thus achieving enhanced cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, various cleaning patterns including a straight pattern and a curvilinear pattern may be applied to the cleaning robot.