Nursing Robot Water Bucket Docking Without Long Pipelines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated nursing robots require manual intervention for wastewater disposal and clean water replenishment, leading to increased labor burden and potential environmental pollution due to long pipelines, which can be damaged and messy, limiting the robot's movement and requiring frequent supervision.
Innovation Solution
An automated nursing robot design that eliminates the need for long pipelines by using a magnetic attraction assembly to connect and disconnect wastewater and clean water buckets with a separate water injection and wastewater discharge unit, allowing for autonomous operation and reducing manual labor through a mobile base and sensors for obstacle detection and liquid level monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If long pipelines are used to connect wastewater bucket and clean water bucket to sewer and tap water source, then the burden on caregiver is reduced, but the pipeline becomes messy and prone to damage and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wastewater discharge and water supply functions from the main robot body into separate mobile units. The wastewater bucket and clean water bucket are independently movable and can be connected to the robot body via short detachable pipelines, eliminating the need for long fixed pipelines running through the room.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile bases with wheels that enable dynamic movement of the wastewater bucket and clean water bucket. These units can be moved to different positions as needed, replacing static long pipelines with dynamic short connections that can be adjusted and stored when not in use.
2Extent of automation
If long pipelines are used for wastewater discharge and water addition, then automated operation is achieved, but the robot's movement space is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the water supply and wastewater discharge systems into separate mobile modules that can operate independently. Each module (wastewater bucket and clean water bucket) has its own mobile base, allowing them to move freely within the room and connect to the robot body when needed, thus expanding the robot's operational space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile bases as intermediary carriers between the buckets and the robot body. These mobile bases enable the buckets to be transported to different locations and connected via short pipelines, serving as flexible intermediaries that resolve the conflict between automation and movement freedom.
3Reliability
If manual monitoring is used for bucket replacement, then timely replacement can be ensured, but labor burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors that detect the liquid levels in the wastewater and clean water buckets and provide feedback to the control system. When the wastewater bucket is full or the clean water bucket is empty, the system automatically generates replacement instructions, eliminating the need for manual monitoring while ensuring timely replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the system to monitor and manage its own water supply needs through automatic detection and control. The sensors and control unit work together to automatically determine when bucket replacement is needed, allowing the system to serve itself without human intervention for monitoring.
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 design reduces the labor burden on caregivers, minimizes environmental pollution, and allows for unattended long-term operation by eliminating the need for manual wastewater disposal and clean water injection, while preventing tripping hazards and space constraints caused by extensive pipelines.
Implementation Method 1
the pipe joint A and the pipe joint B are mutually attracted and connected by a magnetic attraction assembly
Data Source
AI summary
An automated nursing robot is disclosed, including a main body unit, a wastewater bucket, a clean water bucket, a water injection and wastewater discharge unit for discharging and flushing the wastewater bucket and adding water into the clean water bucket, a mobile base disposed under the wastewater bucket and clean water bucket for carrying both to move between the main body unit and the water injection and wastewater discharge unit, and a connecting side plate arranged on one side of the mobile base. The main body unit and the water injection and wastewater discharge unit are each equipped with a positioning and fixing plate. Each positioning and fixing plate is provided with a pipe joint A, and the connecting side plate is correspondingly provided with a pipe joint B, and the pipe joint A and the pipe joint B are mutually attracted and connected by a magnetic attraction assembly.