Removable Pad Sensing for Adaptive Robot Floor Cleaning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional floor cleaning methods, such as using wet mops, can be cumbersome and exhausting, especially when cleaning large areas, as they require manual scrubbing and bending, which can be physically demanding and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous floor cleaning robot equipped with a removable cleaning pad that can navigate and scrub floors autonomously, using a cleaning fluid dispenser and varying cleaning modes based on the type of pad attached, to efficiently clean surfaces without manual effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional wet mops are used for floor cleaning, then cleaning can be performed on hard surfaces, but the process requires manual scrubbing and bending which is physically demanding and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous robot performs floor cleaning independently without human intervention. The robot navigates autonomously, dispenses cleaning fluid, and executes cleaning patterns based on sensor input and controller commands, enabling the system to serve itself and eliminate manual labor
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system of human-operated mops with an autonomous robotic system. The robot uses electronic sensors, controllers, and automated drive mechanisms to substitute for human physical actions, transforming a manually-operated tool into an autonomous machine
2Ease of operation
If an autonomous floor cleaning robot is used, then manual scrubbing effort is eliminated, but the device complexity increases with multiple components including sensors, controllers, and removable pads
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into separable components: the robot body and the removable cleaning pad. This segmentation allows the pad to be detached and replaced independently, simplifying maintenance and reducing the complexity of servicing the entire system by isolating the consumable component
Solution Approach 2:
The robot body serves multiple functions: navigation, sensing, fluid dispensing, and cleaning execution. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional platform, the patent reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate specialized devices for each function
3Productivity
If the robot adapts cleaning patterns based on pad type, then cleaning effectiveness is optimized, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller adjusts cleaning parameters such as fluid dispensing rate and robot motion patterns based on the detected pad type. By dynamically changing these operational parameters rather than the physical structure, the system achieves adaptive optimization through software control rather than hardware complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor detects which cleaning pad is attached and provides feedback to the controller, which then adjusts the cleaning operation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system enables adaptive behavior without requiring complex pre-programming for each scenario, as the system responds to real-time sensor input
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body defining a forward drive direction, a controller supported by the robot body, a drive supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot across a surface in response to commands from the controller, a pad holder disposed on an underside of the robot body and configured to retain a removable cleaning pad during operation of the cleaning robot; and a pad sensor arranged to sense a feature of a cleaning pad held by the pad holder and generate a corresponding signal. The controller is responsive to the signal generated by the pad sensor, and configured to control the robot according to a cleaning mode selected from a set of multiple robot cleaning modes as a function of the signal generated by the pad sensor.