Cooperative Pool Cleaning Robots for Continuous Multi-Robot Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large swimming pools often require extended downtime for cleaning due to the need for a single commercial pool cleaner to be serviced or repaired, leading to concerns about loss of business and efficiency, as existing technologies do not adequately address the need for reduced human intervention and improved efficiency in pool cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a set of pool cleaning robots that can work together, with features such as collision avoidance, cable entanglement prevention, and differential cleaning capabilities, allowing for simultaneous or overlapping cleaning of pool regions, and the ability to allocate tasks based on robot capabilities and pool conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single commercial pool cleaner is used, then the cleaning equipment is simple and cost-effective, but the pool cleaning operation is interrupted when the cleaner needs servicing or repair
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the pool cleaning task into multiple independent units (first pool cleaner and second pool cleaner) that can operate separately. Each cleaner is a self-contained unit with its own propulsion, cleaning mechanisms, and power supply, allowing one to be serviced while the other continues operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from single-unit sequential cleaning to multi-unit parallel cleaning. By deploying multiple cleaners simultaneously, the system maintains continuous cleaning coverage while individual units can be taken offline for maintenance without stopping overall operation.
2Productivity
If multiple pool cleaners are deployed to eliminate downtime, then continuous cleaning operation is achieved, but the system complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each pool cleaner is equipped with autonomous navigation and collision avoidance capabilities. The cleaners independently sense their environment, plan their own paths, and adjust their behavior to avoid collisions with other cleaners, eliminating the need for complex external coordination systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaners use sensors and communication systems to continuously monitor the positions and states of other cleaners in the pool. This feedback mechanism allows real-time adjustment of cleaning paths and behaviors to prevent collisions and optimize cleaning coverage, managing system complexity through decentralized feedback loops.
3Area of stationary object
If pool cleaners operate in confined spaces with multiple basins, then comprehensive cleaning coverage is achieved, but cable entanglement and collision risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaners employ dynamic path planning that continuously adapts to the positions of other cleaners and pool features. When potential collisions or cable entanglement risks are detected, the system dynamically adjusts cleaning paths in real-time, allowing comprehensive coverage of complex pool layouts while avoiding harmful interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The collision avoidance system performs preliminary detection of potential conflicts before they occur. By anticipating cable entanglement risks and collision hazards in advance, the cleaners proactively adjust their paths and behaviors to prevent these harmful effects, rather than reacting after problems arise.
Data Source
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Figure 1C
AI summary
A pool cleaning robot (21) includes a housing (251), a propulsion mechanism configured to propel the pool cleaning robot along an interior surface of a pool; brushes to clean surfaces of the pool during a cleaning cycle, a filtering system (252), a suction mechanism to draw liquid from the pool through an inlet into the housing and to discharge it from an outlet; and a detachable module (250) that is detachably coupled to the housing or to any other part of the pool cleaning robot, wherein at least one of the following is true: (a) the detachable module is a battery, (b) the detachable module comprises inductive electrical transfer connections, and (c) the detachable module comprises inductive data transfer connections.