Delivery Robot Camera-Based Item Detection for Partitioned Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Delivery robots face challenges in safely transporting items over uneven terrain and navigating obstacles, particularly in environments where high manufacturing costs and limited space are concerns, requiring advanced sensors and safety features to prevent item loss and ensure safe operation.

Innovation Solution

A delivery robot equipped with a camera that determines the presence of items inside its storage compartment using image analysis, along with elastic sensors and a sliding shelf system, allows for safe operation by detecting obstacles and preventing item loss, and includes a locking mechanism to ensure safe delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a delivery robot is equipped with advanced sensors and safety features to detect obstacles and prevent item loss, then the safety and reliability of item transport is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of item transportVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The camera system serves multiple functions: it detects obstacles during navigation, verifies item presence in storage, and monitors the delivery environment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized sensors, thereby improving safety while controlling manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The robot uses its own camera system to perform safety checks and obstacle detection without requiring external monitoring equipment. The system self-verify item presence and self-navigate by detecting obstacles, reducing the need for additional safety infrastructure and lowering overall system cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If the delivery robot uses multiple sensors to make quick decisions for obstacle avoidance, then the response speed and safety are improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobstacle avoidance capabilityVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A single camera system performs multiple detection tasks including obstacle detection, item verification, and environmental monitoring. This consolidates what would traditionally require multiple specialized sensors into one multi-functional device, reducing system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines obstacle detection, item presence verification, and navigation functions into a unified camera-based system. By merging these functions into a single integrated system rather than using separate sensors for each task, the overall device complexity is reduced while maintaining quick response capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the delivery robot equips with a camera system for item detection, then the reliability of item transport is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveitem transport reliabilityVSAvoidcamera system integration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The camera system is designed to serve multiple purposes: verifying item presence in storage, detecting obstacles during transport, and monitoring the delivery environment. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing comprehensive safety and reliability improvements through a single integrated system rather than multiple separate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4524058A1Delivery robot
Publication Date: 2025.03.19 BEAR ROBOTICS INC
  • EP4524058A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4524058A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4524058A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a delivery robot including a body housing including a storage defined therein and a body opening defined in a front surface thereof, a door that operates in a closed state to cover the body opening or an open state to open the body opening, a detachable partition partitioning the inside of the storage in a left and right direction, an internal camera disposed inside the storage overlapping the partition and facing rearwards, and a controller that determines whether an item exists inside the storage based on an image collected from the internal camera. The controller determines whether the item exists by separating the image of the internal camera into a left image and a right image when the partition is mounted, and determines whether the item exists by analyzing the image of the internal camera as a whole when the partition is detached.