Autonomous Robot Celestial Navigation Using Ceiling IR Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current navigational systems for autonomous robots are limited in their ability to navigate complex environments with multiple obstacles, as they often rely on bump sensors or infrared patterns that can be interfered with by objects, preventing the robot from accurately tracking its location and learning obstacle locations.
Innovation Solution
A navigational system that includes a stationary transmitter emitting infrared signals towards a remote surface, such as a ceiling or wall, and a receiver on the robot that detects these signals to calculate its location using azimuth and elevation, allowing the robot to determine its position and move autonomously within a cluttered environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If bump sensors or infrared detectors are used for obstacle detection, then the robot can detect nearby obstacles, but the robot cannot accurately track its location within a room or complex environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-level obstacle detection to ceiling-mounted infrared signal detection. By projecting infrared signals onto the ceiling surface and detecting their reflected patterns from above, the system adds a vertical dimension to navigation, enabling accurate location tracking throughout the entire room rather than only at ground level.
Solution Approach 2:
The ceiling acts as an intermediary surface that carries navigational information. Infrared patterns are projected onto the ceiling and serve as a medium for the robot to determine its location. The ceiling patterns mediate between the stationary infrared projector and the moving robot, providing continuous location data.
2Measurement precision
If infrared transmitters are used for navigation, then the robot can calculate its location using signal patterns, but the system is interfered with by objects blocking or scattering the infrared signals
Solution Approach 1:
By projecting infrared signals onto the ceiling rather than emitting them horizontally through the working space, the system elevates the signal path above ground-level obstacles. The ceiling-mounted projection and detection geometry ensures that infrared patterns travel through clear air space, avoiding interference from furniture, equipment, or other objects in the working area.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrared patterns are pre-projected onto the ceiling surface before the robot enters the detection zone. This preliminary establishment of the signal field on the ceiling creates a stable reference framework that the robot can use for location calculation without encountering signal interference during its movement through the working space.
3Measurement precision
If ceiling-mounted infrared projection is used for navigation, then the robot can accurately determine its location, but the system complexity increases compared to simple bump sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling structure itself serves the dual purpose of both supporting the infrared projector and acting as the signal display surface. The ceiling-mounted system uses the existing architectural feature (the ceiling) as part of the navigational infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate ground-based signal projection equipment and reducing overall system complexity.
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
Enables autonomous navigation in complex environments by accurately determining the robot's location and avoiding obstacles, improving its ability to operate independently and efficiently within a working area.
Implementation Method 1
the signals directed to the remote surface are infrared signals
Implementation Method 2
The robot detects the signal energy reflected from the ceiling
Data Source
AI summary
A navigational control system for an autonomous robot includes a transmitter subsystem having a stationary emitter for emitting at least one signal. An autonomous robot operating within a working area utilizes a receiving subsystem to detect the emitted signal. The receiver subsystem has a receiver for detecting the emitted signal emitted by the emitter and a processor for determining a relative location of the robot within the working area upon the receiver detecting the signal.