Coverage Robot Beacon Navigation Across Room Gateways
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous coverage robots face challenges in navigating between bounded areas without continuous human guidance, particularly in distinguishing between different rooms and navigating through gateways effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a navigation system that includes a directional receiver on the robot and a navigation beacon, utilizing infrared signals for navigation, where the directional receiver determines the emission direction and aligns the robot's drive direction, and the navigation beacon transmits gateway marking and vectoring emissions to guide the robot between areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a navigation system with directional receiver and navigation beacon is implemented, then the robot's autonomous navigation capability between bounded areas is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces navigation beacons as intermediary devices placed in gateways between bounded areas. These beacons emit infrared signals that act as mediators between the robot and the gateway locations, enabling the robot to autonomously navigate and identify boundaries without requiring complex onboard navigation systems. The beacons serve as external reference points that simplify the robot's navigation task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical navigation systems with an optical-based infrared signal system. Instead of using mechanical sensors, maps, or complex computational navigation algorithms, the system uses infrared emitters and receivers to create a lightweight, optically-based navigation solution that significantly reduces device complexity while maintaining autonomous capability.
2Measurement precision
If the directional receiver uses highly directional detectors to detect emission peaks, then the measurement precision of emission direction is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs highly directional detectors with specific angular characteristics (narrow field of view) that are optimized for detecting infrared emissions from specific directions. Each detector is positioned and oriented to receive signals from particular gateway beacons, creating localized detection zones. This local quality optimization allows precise direction measurement while simplifying the detection task by focusing each detector's attention on a specific angular range rather than requiring omnidirectional detection capability.
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
Enables the robot to autonomously traverse and clean within bounded areas, remain in designated spaces, and migrate between areas by aligning with directional emissions, ensuring efficient navigation and cleaning operations without human intervention.
Implementation Method 1
The navigation beacon has a gateway beacon emitter arranged to transmit a gateway marking emission
Implementation Method 2
The receivers may be configured to receive transmissions of infrared light
Implementation Method 3
The conical reflector is disposed on an upper surface of the cavity to reflect emissions incident on the upper portion of the housing down into the cavity
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous mobile robot system for bounded areas including a navigation beacon and an autonomous coverage robot. The navigation beacon has a gateway beacon emitter arranged to transmit a gateway marking emission with the navigation beacon disposed within a gateway between the first bounded area and an adjacent second bounded area. The autonomous coverage robot includes a beacon emission sensor responsive to the beacon emission, and a drive system configured to maneuver the robot about the first bounded area in a cleaning mode in which the robot is redirected in response to detecting the gateway marking emission. The drive system is also configured to maneuver the robot through the gateway into the second bounded area in a migration mode.