Robot cleaner, maintenance station, and cleaning system having the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot cleaners face performance degradation due to dust accumulation in their dust boxes, which can lead to reduced cleaning efficiency and require manual intervention for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner system equipped with a dust sensing unit that includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving sensor, allowing for autonomous detection of dust levels in the dust box, and a maintenance station for automatic dust discharge, ensuring continuous cleaning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a dust box is provided in the robot cleaner to store dust, then the cleaning capacity is improved, but the cleaning performance degrades when the dust box becomes full
Solution Approach 1:
The dust sensing unit (light emitting unit and light receiving sensor) detects dust accumulation in advance before the dust box becomes completely full. The system performs preliminary detection and triggers dust discharge before performance degradation occurs, maintaining reliable cleaning operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The dust sensing unit provides continuous feedback about dust accumulation levels to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit automatically activates the dust discharge mechanism when the dust level reaches a threshold, ensuring the dust box is emptied before it affects cleaning performance.
2Device complexity
If manual intervention is required to empty the dust box, then the device complexity is reduced, but the loss of time increases due to manual maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner performs self-maintenance by automatically detecting when the dust box is full and autonomously discharging the dust. The system serves itself by using the light sensing unit to monitor dust levels and the motor to execute dust discharge, eliminating the need for user intervention and reducing maintenance time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical emptying with an automated system combining optical sensing (light emitting unit and light receiving sensor) and mechanical actuation (motor-driven dust discharge). This substitution of manual operation with an automated sensor-actuator system reduces maintenance time while keeping the overall device complexity manageable.
3Measurement precision
If the light emitting unit and light receiving sensor are attached to the dust box, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases when the dust box is removably mounted
Solution Approach 1:
The light emitting unit and light receiving sensor are merged with the robot cleaner body rather than being separate attachments to the dust box. This integration allows the sensors to face each other across the dust box inlet opening, maintaining measurement precision while simplifying the overall structure and avoiding complex attachment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The dust box inlet opening serves as an intermediary space through which the light signal passes. By positioning the light emitting unit and light receiving sensor on opposite sides of the inlet opening, the system achieves accurate dust detection without requiring direct attachment of sensors to the removable dust box, thus reducing 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
The system prevents performance degradation by automatically detecting full dust boxes and discharging dust, maintaining cleaning efficiency and reducing manual maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a light emitting unit attached to the body to emit light signal, and a light receiving sensor attached to the body to sense the light signal emitted by the light emitting unit
Data Source
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AI summary
In a cleaning system, dust stored in a dust box is suspended in air introduced into the dust box through a first opening formed through a robot cleaner, and is then discharged to a second opening formed through a maintenance station through the first opening of the robot cleaner.