Cliff sensor and self-moving device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-moving devices, such as cleaning robots, are prone to falling off cliffs like stairs or thresholds, leading to potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A cliff sensor with a light emitter and receiver, featuring convex lenses and total reflection structures to enhance light intensity and reduce stray light, improving detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a light emitter and receiver are used to detect cliffs, then the device can identify cliffs, but the detection accuracy is insufficient leading to misjudgment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs convex lenses with curved surfaces to focus and collimate light. The first convex lens on the light emitter focuses light into a parallel beam, while the second convex lens on the light receiver converges reflected light onto the receiver. This curvature-based optical design enhances light intensity and improves detection accuracy, directly resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a partition as an intermediary element positioned between the light emitter and receiver. This partition prevents direct light from reaching the receiver, ensuring that only reflected light from external surfaces (cliffs or ground) is detected. This intermediary structure eliminates false signals and improves both detection accuracy and reliability.
2Measurement precision
If light intensity is increased to improve detection, then detection accuracy improves, but stray light increases causing misjudgment
Solution Approach 1:
The partition acts as an intermediary that blocks direct light paths between the emitter and receiver. By preventing light from traveling directly without reflection, the partition eliminates stray light interference while maintaining the enhanced light intensity needed for accurate detection, thus resolving the contradiction between detection accuracy and stray light reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes stray light from the optical system by using the partition to block direct light paths. This separation of useful reflected light from harmful direct light ensures that only valid reflection signals reach the receiver, improving detection accuracy without the negative effects of stray light.
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 cliff sensor effectively identifies cliffs, preventing the device from falling by enhancing light intensity and reducing misjudgment, thus protecting the device from damage.
Implementation Method 1
a first convex lens is provided on a light emitting path of the light emitter
Implementation Method 2
a first total reflection structure is provided on a portion of the first convex lens close to the partition, and the first total reflection structure is configured to totally reflect first light
Implementation Method 3
a second convex lens is provided on a light receiving path of the light receiver
Implementation Method 4
a second total reflection structure is provided on a portion of the second convex lens close to the partition, and the second total reflection structure is configured to totally reflect second light
Data Source
AI summary
A cliff sensor and a self-moving device. The cliff sensor comprises an optical emitter and an optical receiver, an emission light path of the optical emitter being provided with a first convex lens, a partition plate being arranged between the optical emitter and the optical receiver, a portion on the first convex lens close to the partition plate being provided with a first total-reflection structure, the first total-reflection structure being used for totally reflecting first light rays, and the first light rays being part of light rays emitted by the optical emitter and, in the first convex lens, emitted to the partition plate.