Mobile Robot Guided Travel With Dynamic Force Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous or semi-autonomous mobile robots in facilities often require human assistance due to becoming stuck or mislocalized, but manual movement is hindered by the robots' dimensions, shape, and weight.
Innovation Solution
The mobile robots are equipped with a processor that detects external forces and operational constraints, allowing them to generate dynamic force feedback to assist or resist human movement, thereby facilitating easier manual guidance and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual movement of robots is attempted without force feedback, then operators can physically move the robots, but the robots' dimensions, shape, and weight impede easy manual movement
Solution Approach 1:
The robot's motor assembly generates a feedback force that acts as a counterbalancing force to the robot's weight and resistance to movement. When an operator applies force to move the robot, the motor detects the external force through sensors and generates an opposing feedback force that can be dynamically adjusted to match the operator's input, effectively counterbalancing the robot's weight and dimensional resistance, making manual movement easier and more controlled
2Loss of information
If the robot provides no force feedback during manual movement, then the robot remains passive and easy to move, but the operator lacks tactile feedback to avoid obstacles and ensure proper alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The robot implements a closed-loop feedback system where sensors detect external forces applied by the operator, the processor analyzes this data to determine operational constraints and detect obstacles, and the motor assembly generates dynamic force feedback in response. This feedback loop provides the operator with tactile information about the environment (such as obstacles or proper alignment) while maintaining ease of movement through adaptive force generation that responds to the operator's inputs
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile robot includes: a chassis supporting a locomotive assembly; a sensor; a processor configured, in a guided travel mode, to: detect an external force applied to the chassis in a first direction; control the sensor to capture sensor data corresponding to a physical environment of the mobile robot; detect, based on the sensor data, an operational constraint in the physical environment; determine, based on the detected operational constraint, a feedback force in a second direction opposite the first direction; and controlling the locomotive assembly according to the feedback force.