Moving robot and controlling method

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing moving robots for cleaning areas tend to perform redundant cleaning in highly contaminated regions while neglecting less contaminated areas, leading to inefficient cleaning and uneven coverage due to reliance solely on contamination degree without considering the number of cleanings and dust density per region.

Innovation Solution

A moving robot equipped with a dust sensor and controller that calculates cleaning data based on dust information and the number of cleanings per region, distinguishing regions into cells to set cleaning and non-cleaning areas dynamically, ensuring thorough and efficient cleaning by adjusting cleaning frequencies based on actual dust levels and cleaning history.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cleaning is performed based solely on contamination degree, then highly contaminated regions are cleaned, but redundant cleaning occurs in highly contaminated regions and less contaminated regions are neglected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidcleaning efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter basis for cleaning decisions from solely contamination degree to a composite parameter that includes contamination degree, number of cleanings, and dust density. This allows the system to dynamically adjust cleaning frequency and target selection, preventing redundant cleaning of already-cleaned areas while ensuring thorough cleaning of neglected regions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring cleaning history and dust density changes after cleaning operations. This feedback loop enables the robot to identify regions that have been cleaned repeatedly versus regions that were skipped, allowing it to optimize future cleaning paths and avoid redundant operations while maintaining comprehensive coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If cleaning is performed repeatedly in highly contaminated regions, then those regions are cleaned thoroughly, but cleaning time increases and less contaminated regions are excluded from cleaning

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning thoroughnessVSAvoidcleaning time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a multi-parameter decision framework that considers contamination degree, cleaning frequency, and dust density together. This prevents the system from fixating on highly contaminated regions indefinitely, as the cleaning frequency parameter naturally limits repeated cleaning of the same area while the dust density parameter ensures that regions are cleaned when actually needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs partial cleaning actions by selectively targeting regions based on the composite parameter analysis. Instead of repeatedly cleaning entire highly contaminated areas, it applies cleaning only to specific cells or sub-regions that meet the cleaning criteria, reducing overall cleaning time while maintaining thoroughness where needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Measurement precision

If regions are divided into cells for dust detection, then dust density per region is accurately determined, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust density measurement accuracyVSAvoidregion segmentation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the cleaning area into discrete cells or grid segments, allowing independent dust detection and cleaning decisions for each cell. This segmentation approach enables accurate dust density measurement at a fine granularity level while using simple grid-based logic to manage the complexity, avoiding the need for complex region boundary detection algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 ensures uniform cleaning coverage across the entire area, preventing unnecessary repetitive cleaning and maintaining a consistent clean state by accurately determining dust density on a per-cell basis and adjusting cleaning operations accordingly.

Implementation Method 1

a dust sensor configured to detect dust in air suctioned during cleaning

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP3687745B1Moving robot and controlling method
Publication Date: 2023.07.26 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3687745B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~1(b)
  • EP3687745B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(b)
  • EP3687745B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

Disclosed are a moving robot and a controlling method thereof, the moving robot including: a dust sensor configured to detect dust in air suctioned during cleaning; and a controller configured to perform control so as to perform cleaning while traveling a traveling area distinguished into a plurality of regions, wherein the controller is further configured to: stores, in the data unit, dust information detected by the dust sensor and a number of times of cleaning in each region; and set a cleaning region and a non-cleaning region based on cleaning data, which is calculated based on the dust information and the number of times of cleaning, so as to prevent cleaning from being repeated unnecessarily and perform leaning depending in the number of times of cleaning, despite a small amount of dust, and accordingly, an entire indoor area may be maintained in a constant clean state and cleaning efficiency may be enhanced.