Autonomous Floor Cleaner Pad Sensing for Mode Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional floor cleaning methods, such as using wet mops, require manual scrubbing and bending, which can be cumbersome and exhausting, especially for large areas, and lack efficient automation for selecting appropriate cleaning modes based on the type of cleaning pad used.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous floor cleaning robot equipped with a pad sensor system that identifies the type of cleaning pad through unique features such as colored ink, spectral response, or radiofrequency tags, allowing it to autonomously select the appropriate cleaning mode, including spraying schedule and navigational behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual floor cleaning with wet mops is used, then cleaning can be performed on various floor surfaces, but it requires cumbersome bending and scrubbing movements that are exhausting for large areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system performs cleaning operations autonomously without requiring manual scrubbing or bending. The robot navigates independently, applies cleaning solutions, and activates pads automatically, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous human intervention for large-area cleaning tasks
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical scrubbing actions are replaced by an automated robotic system that uses controlled movement, spray application, and pad activation. The robot substitutes human physical effort with automated mechanisms including drive systems, spray nozzles, and electronically controlled pad engagement
2Extent of automation
If traditional floor cleaning methods are used, then no special equipment is needed, but there is no automation for selecting appropriate cleaning modes based on pad type
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to detect pad type characteristics and provides feedback to the control system. Based on this feedback, the controller automatically selects appropriate cleaning modes, adjusts spray patterns, and modifies navigation behavior, creating a closed-loop automated system that adapts to different pad types without manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic cleaning system is designed to handle multiple pad types and cleaning scenarios through a single unified platform. The system can detect different pad types (dry, damp, wet, disposable, reusable) and automatically adjust its operations accordingly, providing multi-functional capability without requiring separate specialized equipment for each pad type
3Productivity
If a person cleans the floor manually, then direct control over the cleaning process is maintained, but it requires continuous human intervention and physical effort
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic cleaning system operates continuously without interruption, moving systematically across the floor surface and maintaining cleaning actions throughout the entire process. The robot does not require pauses for refilling, pad changes, or repositioning that would occur with manual cleaning, enabling uninterrupted continuous operation that increases productivity while reducing total time required
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
The robot reduces user intervention, minimizes errors, and enables efficient cleaning by automatically adapting to different cleaning pads, ensuring effective cleaning operations without manual selection of modes and reducing physical strain.
Implementation Method 1
The radiation detector may exhibit a peak spectral response in a visible light range. The feature may be a colored ink disposed on a surface of the cleaning pad, the pad sensor senses a spectral response of the feature
Implementation Method 2
The pad sensor may include a radiation emitter configured to emit a first radiation and a second radiation, and the pad sensor may sense a reflection of the first and the second radiations off of the feature to sense the spectral response of the feature
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body defining a forward drive direction, a controller supported by the robot body, a drive supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot across a surface in response to commands from the controller, a pad holder disposed on an underside of the robot body and configured to retain a removable cleaning pad during operation of the cleaning robot; and a pad sensor arranged to sense a feature of a cleaning pad held by the pad holder and generate a corresponding signal. The controller is responsive to the signal generated by the pad sensor, and configured to control the robot according to a cleaning mode selected from a set of multiple robot cleaning modes as a function of the signal generated by the pad sensor.