Cleaner and method of controlling the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot cleaners face increased docking time at charging stations, which affects their efficiency and battery charging performance.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner system that includes a main body, driving unit, battery, communication unit, and controller, which uses signal reception from the charging station to guide the cleaner into a precise docking posture, allowing it to move along a circular path and adjust its orientation to align with the charging station, thereby reducing docking time and ensuring smooth charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the cleaner uses traditional docking methods without precise signal guidance, then the docking process is simpler, but the docking time is unnecessarily increased
Solution Approach 1:
The charging station emits multiple signals (first, second, third signals) in different directions, and the cleaner's controller receives these signals to determine its position and adjust its trajectory. This feedback mechanism enables the cleaner to automatically correct its path and achieve precise docking, significantly reducing docking time while maintaining manageable system complexity through intelligent control algorithms.
2Reliability
If the cleaner approaches the charging station without precise orientation control, then the docking process is faster, but the docking success rate decreases due to improper battery terminal alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors the received signals from multiple directions and adjusts the cleaner's orientation in real-time. When the cleaner is properly aligned with the charging station (receiving balanced signals from first, second, and third signals), the controller maintains this orientation to ensure proper battery terminal alignment, thereby achieving both high docking success rate and efficient docking time.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaner employs dynamic trajectory adjustment during the docking process. The controller modifies the cleaner's movement path and orientation based on real-time signal reception, enabling adaptive alignment with the charging station. This dynamic approach ensures proper battery terminal alignment while minimizing docking time through optimized motion control.
3Productivity
If the cleaner travels longer distances to reach the charging station, then more areas can be cleaned, but the battery capacity drops below the limit capacity more frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The controller proactively initiates the return-to-charging process when the battery capacity approaches the limit capacity threshold, before the battery is fully depleted. This preliminary action ensures the cleaner can complete its current cleaning task and return to the charging station in time, preventing operational interruptions and maintaining high productivity by minimizing idle charging wait time.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6A
AI summary
A cleaner performing autonomous traveling includes a main body, a driving unit moving the main body, a battery supplying power to the driving unit, a communication unit performing communication with a charging station to charge the battery, a sensor sensing a signal emitted from the charging station, and a controller controlling the driving unit such that the main body is docked to the charging station on the basis of the signal sensed by the sensor, wherein when the main body starts to move to dock to the charging station, the controller determines a kind of the signal sensed by the sensor and controls the driving unit such that the main body moves along a traveling path corresponding to a circle centered on a predetermined point on the basis of the determined kind of the signal.