Robot Cleaner Auxiliary Unit Control to Prevent Charger Collision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot cleaners lack the ability to distinguish between obstacles and additional devices within their system, leading to potential collisions and damage when the auxiliary cleaning tool extends towards these devices, such as chargers or virtual obstacle zones.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner equipped with an obstacle sensing unit, a control unit, and a cleaning region map that prevents the auxiliary cleaning unit from extending when an obstacle is recognized as a charger or virtual obstacle zone, thereby avoiding collisions and maintaining device integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the auxiliary cleaning unit is made extendable to improve cleaning performance in wall-adjacent regions, then cleaning effectiveness is enhanced, but the risk of striking walls and additional devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary recognition of the charger zone based on the cleaning region map before the auxiliary cleaning unit extends. This advance knowledge allows the system to prevent extension in areas where additional devices are located, thereby avoiding collisions while maintaining cleaning effectiveness in safe zones
Solution Approach 2:
The obstacle sensing unit provides real-time feedback about detected obstacles, and the control unit uses this information to dynamically control the extension state of the auxiliary cleaning unit. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adjust its behavior based on the current environment, preventing collisions while maintaining cleaning performance
2Ease of operation
If the robot cleaner approaches the charger for docking, then charging function is enabled, but the auxiliary cleaning unit may strike the charger causing position shifts or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit recognizes the charger zone in advance using the cleaning region map before the robot cleaner approaches the charger for docking. This preliminary recognition allows the system to proactively control the auxiliary cleaning unit to remain retracted during the approach, preventing any potential strikes or damage to the charger while still enabling smooth docking
3Measurement precision
If the obstacle sensing unit detects all objects as obstacles, then collision detection is comprehensive, but the robot cleaner cannot distinguish between actual obstacles and system additional devices
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit segments the detected objects into different categories: actual obstacles and additional devices (charger, virtual obstacle zone). By using the cleaning region map to identify the charger zone and the obstacle sensing unit to detect objects, the system divides the detection space into safe zones and obstacle zones, allowing differentiated responses while maintaining comprehensive detection coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning region map serves as an intermediary data structure that contains positional information about the charger and virtual obstacle zones. This map acts as a reference that helps the control unit distinguish between additional devices and actual obstacles by comparing real-time sensor data with pre-stored zone information, thereby recovering device discrimination capability
Data Source
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AI summary
A robot cleaner (1) includes a body (10) to travel on a floor, an obstacle sensing unit (61,62) to sense an obstacle approaching the body (10), an auxiliary cleaning unit (21,22) mounted to a bottom of the body (10), to be extendable and retractable, and a control unit to control extension or retraction of the auxiliary cleaning unit (21,22) when the obstacle is sensed. The control unit recognizes a zone of a charger and performs a control operation to prevent the auxiliary cleaning unit (21,22) from extending in the charger zone.