Robot Cleaner Floor-Type Detection for Moisture-Damage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot cleaners with moistened mop pads risk damaging non-water-resistant floors due to residual moisture accumulation when they cannot reach a docking station, and existing solutions complicate the mechanism or reduce reliability.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner equipped with a sensor unit, processor, and camera to create and store a map of the cleaning space, detecting floor types, and adapt cleaning operations to avoid water-sensitive areas, allowing it to move to safe zones or dry the mop pad when a docking station is unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot cleaner uses a moistened mop pad for cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but floor damage risk increases when the robot cannot reach the docking station
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner creates a map of the cleaning space in advance, identifying moisture-resistant floor areas before cleaning operations begin. This preliminary mapping enables the robot to plan its cleaning path to avoid water-sensitive floors, preventing damage before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system applies different cleaning strategies to different floor zones. Moisture-resistant floors receive full wet cleaning treatment, while water-sensitive floors are either avoided or cleaned with reduced moisture application, ensuring each floor type receives appropriate treatment.
2Reliability
If the robot cleaner stops cleaning to charge before battery runs out, then operational reliability is improved, but cleaning productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot continuously monitors its battery status and compares it against charging thresholds. When the battery level reaches the predetermined threshold, the robot receives feedback to initiate navigation to the docking station for recharging, ensuring reliable operation while optimizing cleaning productivity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the robot cleaner navigates to moisture-resistant floors when docking station is unavailable, then floor damage is prevented, but cleaning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning space map is created in advance with floor type information marked, allowing the robot to quickly determine safe parking locations without time-consuming floor detection when the docking station is unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot dynamically adjusts its cleaning itinerary based on real-time conditions. When the docking station is unavailable and battery level is sufficient, the robot modifies its cleaning path to include moisture-resistant floor areas as safe parking zones, optimizing both floor protection and cleaning efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a control method thereof. The control method includes start of the robot cleaner wet cleaning a cleaning space, obtaining a map of the cleaning space by the sensor unit, detecting type of a cleaning surface by the floor detecting device, storing the map with marked types of the cleaning surface in the processor, for instance zones with tiled floor or stone floor, continuing mission of cleaning the cleaning space till the wet cleaning is finished, and then if a docking station is not available for the robot cleaner, the robot cleaner moves to the tiled floor or other water resistant surface, based on the stored in the processor information about type of the cleaned surface, alternatively, when the tiled floor or other water resistant surface is not available for the robot cleaner then, the robot cleaner stops water supply to mopping the mop pad and drives through the cleaning surface until the battery runs out or user intervention, and finally stop / waiting for user input.