Escalator Robot Exit Control for Obstacle-Aware Disembarkment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots frequently collide with passengers or objects when disembarking from escalators due to the unpredictable movement of escalator stairs, leading to accidents.
Innovation Solution
A robot equipped with sensors, a driver, and a processor to identify the height difference between escalator stairs, determine proximity to the disembarkment area, and adjust its movement direction and speed to avoid collisions by moving opposite to the escalator's direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot disembarks from the escalator at the normal exit position, then the disembarkation process is simple and fast, but the robot may collide with passengers or objects in the disembarkment area
Solution Approach 1:
The robot inverts the normal disembarkation logic by not exiting at the conventional exit position, but rather at an alternative position determined by real-time detection of the disembarkment area status. When obstacles are detected, the robot remains on the escalator and exits at a different location, reversing the typical exit behavior to avoid collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously detecting the status of the disembarkment area (presence of passengers or objects) and adjusting the robot's disembarkation position accordingly. The processor receives real-time information from sensors and modifies the exit position to ensure safe disembarkation, creating a closed-loop control system.
2Reliability
If the robot changes its disembarkation position dynamically to avoid collisions, then collision avoidance improves, but the complexity of the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs self-service by autonomously detecting obstacles and determining its own alternative disembarkation position without requiring external intervention or complex centralized control. The onboard processor and sensors enable the robot to independently adjust its exit position, reducing the need for additional control infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of the disembarkment area status before the robot reaches the exit position. By detecting obstacles in advance and pre-calculating an alternative exit position, the system avoids last-minute complex maneuvers and simplifies the control requirements during actual disembarkation.
3Measurement precision
If the robot uses sensors to detect objects in the disembarkment area, then collision detection accuracy improves, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is designed to serve multiple functions: detecting objects in the disembarkment area, determining the robot's position on the escalator, and identifying the escalator's movement characteristics. By making the sensor system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate specialized sensors, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a robot and method of controlling same, where the robot includes: a sensor; a driver; a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction to: identify, through the sensor, a height difference between a first stair and a second stair of an escalator, identify whether the robot is adjacent to a disembarkment area of the escalator based on the identified height difference, based on identifying that the robot is adjacent to the disembarkment area, identify, through the sensor, whether an object is located within a first distance of the robot in a movement direction of the escalator, and based on identifying the object located within the first distance of the robot in the movement direction of the escalator, control the driver to cause the robot to move on the escalator in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the escalator.