Robot Administrator Mode for Obstacle-Aware Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a technology that allows robots, such as cart-robots and delivery robots, to be easily moved and aligned in specific spaces without requiring additional physical force, especially in large environments like malls, airports, and logistics centers, where they often wait idle for user intervention.
Innovation Solution
A method where robots can automatically detect and avoid obstacles, adjust their speed and direction based on the identification of peripheral obstacles, and align themselves with a transmitter signal using positioning and obstacle sensors, allowing them to move efficiently and safely in an administrator mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If robots are moved manually by administrators, then the robots can be repositioned to specific spaces, but additional physical force is required and the process is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical pushing with an automated control system. The administrator mode enables robots to move autonomously by receiving control signals from a transmitter, substituting the mechanical force that would otherwise be applied by human administrators with an automated signal-based control mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot enables self-service movement by autonomously navigating to specified locations when in administrator mode. The robot uses its obstacle sensor and positioning sensor to self-navigate without requiring external physical assistance, making the system serve itself during repositioning operations.
2Productivity
If robots move autonomously in normal mode, then they can assist users, but they cannot efficiently be moved to specific spaces for alignment or storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic mode switching capability. The robot can transition between normal mode (for user assistance operations) and administrator mode (for efficient repositioning and alignment). This dynamic adaptability allows the same robot to perform different functions optimally depending on the operational context.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot achieves multi-functionality by incorporating both normal mode for user assistance and administrator mode for administrative repositioning. A single robot system can perform both user service tasks and administrative tasks such as alignment and storage movement, eliminating the need for separate systems.
3Speed
If robots move without obstacle detection, then they can move faster, but they risk colliding with other robots and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control through the obstacle sensor. The sensor continuously monitors the environment and provides real-time feedback to the control unit, which adjusts the robot's movement accordingly. This feedback mechanism enables the robot to maintain higher speeds while reliably detecting and avoiding obstacles and other robots.
4Productivity
If multiple robots are moved simultaneously without coordination, then they can be repositioned quickly, but they may collide with each other
Solution Approach 1:
Each robot is equipped with obstacle sensors that detect other robots in the environment. When multiple robots operate simultaneously in administrator mode, each robot receives feedback about the presence of others and adjusts its path accordingly, enabling coordinated movement without collisions while maintaining repositioning efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot for moving in an administrator mode, can include a positioning sensor configured to sense a transmitter for calculating a position of the transmitter; an obstacle sensor configured to sense an obstacle around the robot; a driver configured to move the robot; and a controller configured to in response to receiving a signal from the transmitter, align the robot toward the position of a transmitter, move the robot toward the transmitter while avoiding one or more obstacles sensed by the obstacle sensor, and in response to no longer receiving the signal from the transmitter or a distance between the transmitter and the robot being equal to or less than a preset distance, stop the robot.