Glass Cleaning Robot Emergency Descent During Power Outage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Glass cleaning robots, like Winbot, face safety risks and damage when an external power outage occurs, causing them to fall from high positions, potentially harming users and the robot itself, as they switch to built-in battery power and lack effective emergency handling mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A method that automatically switches the glass cleaning robot to built-in battery power during an external power outage, controls it to walk downward, and triggers an alarm to prevent falls, using sensors and a gravity accelerometer to ensure vertical descent and avoid collisions, allowing for safe and timely user intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the glass cleaning robot operates at a high position on glass, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but safety risk increases due to potential falls during power outage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidsafety risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The robot detects power outage conditions in advance and automatically executes a downward walking sequence before falling can occur. The control unit monitors power supply status and triggers emergency descent procedures proactively, preventing the harmful effect of falls before they happen.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The robot uses its own built-in battery and walking mechanism to autonomously descend to safety without external intervention. The system self-manages the emergency situation by detecting power failure and executing the descent sequence using its intrinsic capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If the robot uses built-in battery for emergency power, then reliability is improved, but energy duration is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemergency operation reliabilityVSAvoidbattery operation duration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The robot prioritizes completing the critical safety function of descending to ground level over extended operation. The emergency mode focuses exclusively on executing the downward walking sequence quickly and efficiently, skipping non-essential functions to conserve battery energy for the primary safety objective.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

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

Effectively prevents the robot from falling and reduces damage by ensuring a controlled descent and alerting users, enabling safe retrieval and potential repairs without risking user safety.

Implementation Method 1

determining the vertically downward walking direction via a gravity accelerometer disposed inside the glass cleaning robot

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitation: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP2907434B1Glass cleaning robot outage emergency processing method
Publication Date: 2021.09.08 ECOVACS ROBOTICS CO LTD
  • EP2907434B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2907434B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2907434B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A glass cleaning robot outage emergency processing method comprises the following steps: Step 100 in which a glass cleaning robot (1) operates in an external power supply power-on mode, and is automatically switched to a built-in battery power-on mode when the external power supply suddenly suffers outage; Step 200 in which a control unit controls the glass cleaning robot (1) to walk downward; Step 300 in which when a collision board of the glass cleaning robot (1) collides with a barrier or when the glass cleaning robot (1) walks and reaches an edge of a glass, a sensing unit transfers a signal to the control unit; and Step 400 in which the control unit controls the glass cleaning robot (1) to give an alarm. According to the glass cleaning robot outage emergency processing method, when the external power supply suddenly suffers outage, the power-on mode is switched in time, and the glass cleaning robot is controlled to walk downward and to give an alarm according to different situations, hereby effectively preventing the glass cleaning robot from falling due to the outage.