Moving robot and controlling method for the moving robot
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing docking systems for moving robots often experience failures due to dead angles, leading to increased frequency and duration of docking attempts, resulting in a low success rate and inefficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A moving robot equipped with a sensing unit, including a light irradiation unit and a 3D camera, determines whether preset conditions are met to align with the docking device, allowing controlled movement to achieve successful docking by calculating and adjusting angles to satisfy these conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a docking device uses a docking induction signal to search for docking position, then the robot can be guided to the docking device, but dead angles cause docking failures and increase the frequency and duration of docking attempts
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the docking device emit signals for the robot to detect, the patent inverts the approach by having the robot emit ultrasonic signals for the docking device to detect. This inversion allows the docking device to actively search for the robot using signal reflection from the robot's body, eliminating dead angles and improving docking reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical docking induction signal system with an ultrasonic wave-based detection system. The ultrasonic signals can penetrate and reflect off the robot's body effectively, providing reliable detection without the dead angle problems associated with optical or mechanical signal systems
2Ease of operation
If the docking device emits signals in multiple ranges to divide surrounding area, then the robot can sense signals to perform docking, but the dead angle problem causes frequent docking failures
Solution Approach 1:
The robot serves itself by emitting ultrasonic signals that reflect off its own body back to the docking device. This self-service approach eliminates the need for the docking device to complexly divide the surrounding area into multiple signal ranges, simplifying the operation while improving reliability through consistent signal detection
3Reliability
If the robot attempts docking frequently to overcome dead angle issues, then docking may eventually succeed, but the overall docking time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
Replacing the signal emission approach with ultrasonic detection allows the docking device to actively locate the robot regardless of angular position. This substitution eliminates the need for multiple repeated docking attempts, significantly improving docking efficiency while maintaining high success rate
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
This approach significantly enhances the docking success rate and operational efficiency by ensuring precise alignment and reducing the likelihood of dead angles, thereby improving the reliability of the docking process.
Implementation Method 1
The sensing unit includes a light irradiation unit and a 3D camera
Data Source
AI summary
A moving robot includes: a main body; a traveling unit configured to rotate and move the main body; a sensing unit configured to sense position information of a specific point of a front portion of a docking device; and a controller configured to, based on sensing result of the sensing unit, determine i) whether a first condition, which is preset to be satisfied when the docking device is disposed in a front of the moving robot, is satisfied, and ii) whether a second condition, which is preset to be satisfied when the moving robot is disposed in a front of the moving robot, is satisfied, to control an operation of the traveling unit so as to satisfy the first condition and the second condition, and to move to the front so as to attempt to dock in a state where the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.