Robot cleaner and robot cleaning system having the same and method for operating a robot cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners often unintentionally spread pet waste or small toys while cleaning, leading to unwanted contamination, as they lack the ability to differentiate between cleanable and non-cleanable substances without user intervention.
Innovation Solution
Equipping the robot cleaner with sensors (optical, humidity, metal, and smell sensors) and cameras that monitor the floor before cleaning, allowing the controller to assess cleanliness information and communicate with a remote device to confirm whether to continue or stop the cleaning process, ensuring selective cleaning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot cleaner autonomously cleans the floor without user intervention, then cleaning productivity is improved, but harmful factors increase due to unintentional spreading of pet waste or small toys
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner performs preliminary detection of foreign substances using sensors and cameras before initiating cleaning operations. The controller identifies whether detected substances are cleanable (e.g., hair, dust) or non-cleanable (e.g., pet waste, toys) and adjusts cleaning operations accordingly, preventing harmful spreading before it occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The robot cleaner uses sensors and cameras to continuously monitor the cleaning environment and provides feedback to the controller. Based on this feedback, the controller adjusts cleaning operations in real-time, stopping or modifying cleaning actions when non-cleanable substances are detected, thus preventing contamination while maintaining cleaning productivity
2Measurement precision
If the robot cleaner uses multiple sensors and cameras to detect foreign substances, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into multiple specialized sensors and cameras, each optimized for detecting specific types of foreign substances. The controller processes information from each sensor separately and integrates the results, achieving high measurement precision while managing device complexity through functional segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves multiple functions: it processes data from various sensors and cameras, identifies different types of foreign substances, determines cleanability, and controls cleaning operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems, achieving high detection precision without proportionally increasing device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 2d~2e
AI summary
The invention relates to a robot cleaner and to a method for operating the robot cleaner. To provide an robot cleaner and a method for operating the robot cleaner allowing an improved cleaning process avoiding any undesired cleaning operation and preferably providing a possibility for an interaction with the user, even if the user has left the apartment or could not manually control the robot cleaner, an robot cleaner (10) is provided, comprising: a main body (210) having a suction port; a travelling device (280) to move the main body (210); a cleaning device or brush assembly (245) installed on the main body (210); a controller (270); a communication unit (222) adapted to transmit cleaning status information to a remote device (600) and to receive cleaning command information from a remote device (300); at least one sensor (180, 190, 195) sensing the floor to be cleaned and providing cleanliness information to the controller (270); wherein the controller (270) is adapted to determine whether to stop cleaning operation or whether to continue the cleaning operation based on the cleanliness information and (or) based on the cleaning command information.