Cleaning Robot Timed Detection for Temporary Obstacle Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cleaning robots often fail to effectively clean areas temporarily obstructed by movable objects like stools or garbage bins, as they bypass these obstacles, leaving unsatisfactory cleaning results due to inability to detect and clean these regions once the obstacles are removed.
Innovation Solution
A timed cleaning method and device that create a topographic map of the cleaning region, identify unclean areas occupied by obstacles, and regularly check these areas for obstacle removal, allowing for cleaning once the obstacle is cleared.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning robot bypasses obstacles during cleaning, then it can avoid collisions and continue cleaning other areas, but the regions occupied by temporary obstacles remain uncleaned
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot performs preliminary cleaning of accessible areas, identifies regions occupied by temporary obstacles, and schedules return visits to these areas later. This preliminary action allows the robot to clean what it can immediately while planning for complete coverage afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning robot implements periodic detection and cleaning cycles for regions previously occupied by temporary obstacles. It returns to these areas at scheduled intervals to check if obstacles have been removed and performs cleaning when conditions permit, ensuring eventual complete coverage.
2Reliability
If the cleaning robot continuously monitors all regions for obstacle removal, then it can ensure complete cleaning coverage, but the time and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot applies different monitoring strategies to different regions based on their characteristics. Regions with temporary obstacles receive periodic monitoring, while regions with fixed obstacles are excluded from repeated monitoring. This localized approach optimizes time consumption by focusing attention only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning robot performs partial monitoring of uncleaned regions by checking only specific high-priority areas at scheduled intervals rather than continuously monitoring all regions. This partial action approach ensures cleaning completeness for the most important areas while reducing overall time and energy consumption.
3Reliability
If the cleaning robot returns to clean uncleaned regions after obstacle removal, then cleaning completeness is improved, but the overall cleaning efficiency decreases due to repeated navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning robot performs preliminary navigation and mapping during the initial cleaning pass, recording the locations of temporary obstacles and planning return routes in advance. This preliminary action reduces navigation time during return visits by eliminating the need for complete remapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning robot creates a digital copy or map of the cleaning environment including obstacle locations and uncleaned regions. This copy is used to plan and execute return visits efficiently, allowing the robot to navigate directly to target areas without redundant sensing and mapping operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A timed cleaning method includes: obtaining a topographic map of a cleaning region, wherein the topographic map identifies an obstacle in the cleaning region; based on the topographic map, determining an unclean region in the cleaning region, wherein the unclean region is occupied by the obstacle; detecting the unclean region according to a preset time interval; and if the obstacle at the unclean region is removed, cleaning the unclean region.