Floor Robot Non-Contact Scanning for Access Element State Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor robots struggle to accurately recognize the state of access elements like windows or doors in households due to obstructions and varying configurations, which can impede their ability to monitor and control entry points effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving non-contact scanning, data storage, and processing to recognize the state of individual access elements by using a floor robot, which includes determining their position, capturing scans, and utilizing stored information to differentiate between different states, such as open, closed, or partially open, with the aid of artificial neural networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a floor robot uses conventional scanning methods to detect access elements, then it can identify basic open/closed states, but recognition accuracy deteriorates due to obstructions, perspective issues, and varying configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary non-contact scanning of access elements to capture their configuration, appearance, and surrounding environment before actual state detection. This preliminary data is stored and used to create reference models that improve subsequent recognition accuracy, allowing the robot to account for obstructions, perspectives, and varying configurations in advance
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies (scans) of access elements and their surrounding environments, storing these as reference models. These copies are then compared against new scans to determine state changes, enabling accurate recognition even when visual appearance varies due to obstructions or perspective
2Adaptability or versatility
If the floor robot operates close to the floor for cleaning tasks, then it can access hard-to-reach areas, but its ability to recognize access elements deteriorates due to limited field of view and obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from floor-level operation to elevated scanning positions when detecting access elements. By moving to different heights and angles, the robot gains improved field of view and perspective, allowing accurate recognition of windows and doors while maintaining its primary floor-cleaning function
Solution Approach 2:
The floor robot integrates multiple functions: floor cleaning, navigation, and access element detection. The same robot platform performs both low-level cleaning tasks and elevated scanning operations, making the system versatile while maintaining recognition accuracy through appropriate positioning
3Measurement precision
If the system stores detailed scan data for each access element, then recognition accuracy improves through learned household conditions, but data storage requirements and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores only the essential features and characteristics of access elements from comprehensive scans, rather than storing complete raw scan data. This includes configuration data, appearance features, and spatial relationships, reducing storage requirements and processing complexity while maintaining recognition accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
An individual access element to a room in a household can be brought into an open state and into a closed state. A method for recognizing an individual state of the access element includes the steps of determining a position at which an individual access element is located in the household, non-contact scanning the individual access element while it is in a predetermined state, storing information regarding the individual access element on the basis of its scan and state, capturing a further non-contact scan of the individual access element in the household, and recognizing a state of the individual access element on the basis of the further non-contact scan and the stored and predetermined information. A floor robot and a system having a floor robot, are also provided.