Robot cleaner and method for controlling the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners face inefficiencies in cleaning operations due to the lack of controlled extension and retraction of auxiliary cleaning tools, which hinders effective cleaning around obstacles and walls.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of extendable and retractable auxiliary cleaning units controlled by an obstacle sensor and a control unit, allowing for adaptive cleaning modes based on user commands and sensing results, ensuring thorough cleaning along walls and efficient cleaning within the cleaning region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If auxiliary cleaning tools are constantly extended to clean around obstacles, then cleaning completeness is improved, but cleaning efficiency and operation speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary cleaning tools are designed to be dynamically extendable and retractable based on real-time obstacle detection. The control unit extends the tools when obstacles are detected and retracts them when no obstacles are present, allowing the system to adapt its cleaning configuration to current environmental conditions rather than maintaining a fixed state
Solution Approach 2:
The obstacle sensor provides continuous feedback about the presence of obstacles to the control unit, which then adjusts the extension state of the auxiliary cleaning tools accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that the cleaning tools are only extended when actually needed, optimizing both cleaning completeness and operational efficiency
2Area of stationary object
If auxiliary cleaning tools are extended during wall tracing, then cleaning coverage of edge areas is improved, but device complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is programmed with predetermined control logic that automatically extends the auxiliary cleaning tools when wall tracing mode is detected. This pre-programmed response eliminates the need for complex real-time decision-making and simplifies the control architecture while ensuring consistent cleaning coverage of edge areas
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same, capable of controlling a travelling or cleaning pattern of a robot cleaner in accordance with extension and retraction operations of an auxiliary cleaning tool to perform an efficient cleaning operation. The robot cleaner includes a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner such that the auxiliary cleaning units are extendable and retractable, an obstacle sensor to sense an obstacle in a cleaning region of the robot cleaner, and a control unit to extend the auxiliary cleaning units while travelling in a wall tracing manner along the periphery of the cleaning region, and to retract the auxiliary cleaning units while the robot cleaner travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region when traveling of the periphery of the cleaning region is finished.