Mobile robotic cleaner

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous robotic floor cleaning equipment fails to recognize its surroundings and adequately react to changes, leading to potential collisions and inefficiencies in the cleaning operation.

Innovation Solution

A robotic floor cleaning machine equipped with a control system that includes sensors such as optical sensors, distance sensors, laser scanners, and vibration sensors to detect objects and monitor the cleaning operation, allowing for autonomous navigation and efficient cleaning path management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If autonomous robotic floor cleaning equipment is deployed without comprehensive sensor systems, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to recognize surroundings and react to changes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to recognize surroundings and react to changesVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor system is divided into multiple specialized sensors (optical sensors for object detection, distance sensors for navigation, vibration sensors for cleaning monitoring, laser scanners for mapping). Each sensor handles a specific detection task, allowing the system to achieve comprehensive environmental awareness through modular segmentation rather than a single complex sensor system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control system integrates multiple sensor types into a unified autonomous navigation and cleaning management platform. The control system processes data from all sensors to perform both navigation (avoiding obstacles, following paths) and cleaning operation monitoring (detecting pad wear, solution levels), making the system multi-functional and reducing overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Measurement precision

If multiple sensors are added to detect objects and monitor cleaning operations, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple sensors (optical, distance, vibration, laser scanners) are merged into a single integrated control system that processes all sensor data. This consolidation allows the system to achieve high measurement precision for object detection and cleaning monitoring while managing complexity through unified data processing rather than separate independent systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control system acts as an intermediary that receives data from multiple specialized sensors and translates it into actionable information for navigation and cleaning operations. This intermediary layer processes sensor inputs to detect objects, determine cleaning effectiveness, and control autonomous movement, separating the complexity of sensor integration from the core cleaning functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If autonomous navigation and cleaning monitoring are implemented, then productivity improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautonomous cleaning efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system continuously receives feedback from sensors monitoring cleaning operations (pad wear, solution levels, object detection) and autonomously adjusts navigation and cleaning parameters. This feedback loop enables the system to maintain high productivity by automatically responding to environmental changes and cleaning status without human intervention, while the modular feedback architecture manages control complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The robotic cleaning system performs self-navigation, self-monitoring of cleaning operations, and self-adjustment of cleaning parameters through its integrated control system. The system autonomously detects its own cleaning effectiveness via sensors and adjusts its operation accordingly, enabling self-service functionality that improves productivity while consolidating control functions to manage complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3338151B1Mobile robotic cleaner
Publication Date: 2024.11.20 NILFISK AS
  • EP3338151B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3338151B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3338151B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A control system for a robotic floor cleaning machine configured to perform a cleaning operation along a cleaning path can comprise a controller, and a plurality of sensors. The controller can be configured to control autonomous movement of the robotic floor cleaning machine along the cleaning path and autonomous performance of the cleaning operation. The plurality of sensors can be configured to sense a location of the robotic floor cleaning machine relative to surroundings of the robotic floor cleaning machine. At least two sensors from the plurality of sensors are configured to locate the robotic floor cleaning machine in overlapping areas of the surroundings.