Escalator-Boarding Robot Control for Stable Step Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots face challenges in efficiently moving between floors using escalators due to issues with boardability and stability, such as width constraints and center of gravity, which can lead to falling off the escalator.
Innovation Solution
A robot equipped with sensors and processors that identify suitable boarding positions and postures by analyzing escalator dimensions and adjusting wheel height and orientation to stabilize the robot's position on the escalator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot uses an escalator for inter-floor movement to improve driving efficiency, then travel time is reduced, but the robot may fall off the escalator due to center of gravity issues and width constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The robot dynamically adjusts its body posture and wheel orientation based on the escalator's movement direction and angle. The processor controls the wheels to rotate to a specific angle relative to the robot body, and adjusts the extension unit to change the center of gravity position, enabling stable boarding during escalator ascent or descent
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters including wheel rotation angle, wheel extension length, and robot body orientation angle based on detected escalator characteristics. The processor calculates optimal parameters by comparing robot size information with escalator step width and movement parameters
2Ease of operation
If the robot width is shorter than escalator step width to improve maneuverability, then the robot can navigate tighter spaces, but the robot is restricted from boarding the escalator
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces angular orientation as an additional dimension for boarding. Instead of relying solely on width matching, the robot rotates its wheels and body at specific angles to align with the escalator steps, enabling boarding capability without requiring width to exceed step dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The robot dynamically adjusts wheel orientation and body posture during the boarding process. The wheels can rotate to angles perpendicular to the robot body, and the extension unit adjusts the center of gravity position, allowing the robot to board escalators regardless of width constraints
3Stability of the object's composition
If the robot centers its position on the escalator to maintain balance, then stability is improved, but the robot cannot accommodate varying escalator widths and step configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different control strategies to different parts of the robot based on local conditions. The processor independently controls wheel orientation, extension unit length, and body posture angles based on detected escalator step width and movement parameters, allowing adaptation to various configurations while maintaining overall balance
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes: a plurality of wheels; a plurality of motors; at least one sensor; a memory configured to store first information on a size of the robot; and a processor. The processor is configured to: acquire image data of an escalator from the at least one sensor, acquire second information on a size of a plurality of steps included in the escalator based on the image data, based on the first information and the second information, identify both a boarding position available for the robot to board the escalator among the plurality of steps, and a posture of the robot configured to allow the robot to board at the boarding position, acquire control information for controlling the robot to board at the boarding position in the posture when the boarding position and the posture have been identified, and control the plurality of motors based on the control information.