Method for generating an area map for an automatically moving floor processing device, and system comprised of two automatically moving floor processing devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for generating combined area maps for automatically moving floor processing devices face difficulties when there is a small overlapping area of partial maps, as they require a sufficient number of characteristic features to align and combine the maps effectively.
Innovation Solution
The method involves identifying unique anchor points within the environment using optical, electronic, magnetic, or shape coding, and storing relative positional information to align and combine the area maps of multiple floor processing devices into a global area map, even with minimal overlapping features, by recognizing and matching these anchor points across different devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional feature-based methods are used to combine area maps, then the combination works well when sufficient characteristic features are available, but the method fails or becomes difficult when only very few characteristic features are available in the overlapping area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces artificial anchor points with unique identifiers as intermediary objects in the environment. These anchor points serve as mediators between multiple floor processing devices, providing a reliable reference for coordinate system transformation and area map combination. The anchor points are specifically designed to be detectable by the devices' sensors, enabling accurate spatial relationship establishment even in environments with few natural features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter basis for map combination from natural environmental features to artificial anchor points with encoded unique identifiers. This parameter change allows the system to transition from relying on variable environmental features to using controlled, detectable anchor points, thereby improving reliability and adaptability to environments with limited overlapping features.
2Productivity
If multiple floor processing devices operate independently with separate area maps, then each device can navigate autonomously, but the system cannot achieve efficient task distribution and coordination without a common global area map
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple local area maps from different floor processing devices into a single common global area map. This is achieved by using anchor points with unique identifiers to establish coordinate transformations between local and global reference frames. The merging process integrates spatial information from multiple devices while maintaining a unified representation of the environment, enabling efficient task distribution and coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses anchor points as copied reference objects that appear in the environment with detectable unique identifiers. Each floor processing device detects and records the positions of these anchor point copies in its local coordinate system, then the system combines these observations to build the global area map. This copying approach simplifies the coordination complexity by providing consistent reference points across all devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for generating an area map for a floor processing device, wherein first and second floor processing devices detect feature data of an environment and process them into first and second area maps. The first floor processing device identifies an object based on a unique identifier of the object as an anchor point and stores relative positional information of the anchor point in a coordinate system of the first area map. The second floor processing device recognizes the same object as an anchor point known to the second floor processing device, and stores relative positional information of the anchor point in a coordinate system of the second area map. The first and second area maps are combined into a common global area map based on the relative positional information of the anchor point contained therein, and the unique identifier is a code that clearly identifies the object.