Swimming Pool Robot Intermediate Wheel Obstacle Crossing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Swimming pool cleaning robots often face difficulties in overcoming obstacles on the pool bottom, particularly when one of the wheels loses contact with the surface, leading to inefficient navigation and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of an intermediate wheel articulated around a rotation axis between the front and rear wheels, which does not touch the guide plane when the robot is resting, allowing it to facilitate crossing over obstacles by bearing on them and reducing energy consumption by minimizing permanent contact with the surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the robot uses standard wheel configuration for driving and guiding, then the device structure remains simple, but the robot cannot effectively overcome obstacles when wheels lose contact with the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel system is segmented into front wheels, rear wheels, and intermediate wheels. The intermediate wheels are articulated and positioned to provide additional support when the robot encounters obstacles, allowing the main drive wheels to maintain contact with the guide plane while the intermediate wheels bridge gaps or overcome obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate wheels are articulated around rotation axes, making them dynamic rather than fixed. This allows the intermediate wheels to adapt their position and orientation based on obstacle conditions, providing reliable obstacle crossing capability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure when obstacles are absent.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the intermediate wheel is positioned to touch the guide plane when the robot is resting, then the wheel provides continuous support, but it increases energy consumption due to permanent contact friction
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate wheel's articulation allows it to dynamically adjust its contact status with the guide plane. When the robot is moving normally on flat surfaces, the intermediate wheel can be positioned away from the guide plane, minimizing friction and energy consumption. When obstacles are detected or encountered, the intermediate wheel articulates into contact to provide necessary support.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous support function is extracted from the main drive wheels and assigned to the intermediate wheels only when needed. This allows the main wheels to operate with minimal interference, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining obstacle crossing capability through the intermediate wheels' selective engagement.
3Productivity
If the intermediate wheel is articulated at a position that allows it to contact the guide plane during normal operation, then structural simplicity is maintained, but navigation over obstacles becomes less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate wheel system adds a vertical dimension to the wheel configuration. By positioning the articulation axes at specific heights and allowing rotation, the intermediate wheels can engage with obstacles in the vertical dimension without interfering with the horizontal navigation function of the main wheels, thereby improving obstacle crossing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate wheels act as intermediary elements between the robot body and obstacles. Their articulated positioning allows them to mediate the interaction between the robot and irregular surfaces, providing efficient obstacle crossing while maintaining a clear separation of functions from the main drive and guidance wheels.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a swimming pool cleaning apparatus comprising: a body (11); and means for driving and guiding the body (11), including at least two pairs of wheels, namely at the front (32) and back (33), characterised in that the means for driving the apparatus also comprise an intermediate wheel (31) mounted to pivot about a rotation axis (34) and disposed between the front wheel (32) and the back wheel (33), on at least one of the two sides of the apparatus, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis (34) of said intermediate wheel (31) being such that the wheel does not touch the guiding plane XrYr when the robot is bearing on same, said guiding plane XrYr being defined by the contact points between the front and back wheels and the ground.