Robot Cleaner Obstacle Pushing for Complete Floor Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners face challenges in effectively cleaning spaces occupied by obstacles, leading to reduced coverage rates and incomplete cleaning operations.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner equipped with sensors, a driving unit, and a processor that identifies obstacles as target obstacles based on shape and location, allowing it to move and push obstacles out of the way to complete cleaning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the robot cleaner avoids obstacles during cleaning operation, then the robot cleaner can prevent collisions and damage, but the cleaning coverage is reduced due to inability to clean spaces occupied by obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner dynamically changes its behavior based on obstacle characteristics. For pushable obstacles, the system transitions from avoidance mode to pushing mode, enabling the robot to move obstacles out of the way and clean previously inaccessible areas. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the cleaning path flexible rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot cleaner performs dual functions: cleaning and obstacle relocation. By equipping itself with pushing capability, the system can clear its own cleaning path without external intervention, thereby maintaining both collision prevention and comprehensive cleaning coverage.
2Productivity
If the robot cleaner pushes obstacles to clean occupied spaces, then the cleaning coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional pushing mechanisms and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner's driving unit serves multiple functions: both navigation/movement and obstacle pushing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate pushing mechanisms, thereby improving cleaning coverage without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (speed, force, direction) based on detected obstacle properties. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the robot can effectively push various types of obstacles using the same basic mechanism, reducing the need for specialized components for different obstacle types.
3Productivity
If the robot cleaner identifies and pushes only target obstacles, then the cleaning efficiency is improved by focusing on removable obstacles, but the time required to determine obstacle pushability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner applies partial pushing force initially to test obstacle pushability rather than making full commitment to push or avoid. This allows quick assessment of whether an obstacle is pushable without requiring extensive analysis time, thereby maintaining cleaning efficiency while reducing identification time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time feedback from sensors during movement to determine obstacle pushability. By continuously monitoring resistance and movement response, the robot can quickly classify obstacles as pushable or non-pushable without requiring complete pre-analysis, thus reducing identification time while maintaining efficient cleaning.
Data Source
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AI summary
A robot cleaner is disclosed. The robot cleaner comprises: a sensor; a driving unit; an input interface; a memory in which a map of the space in which the robot cleaner is located is stored; and one or more processors for controlling the driving unit such that the robot cleaner cleans on the basis of the map if a user input for setting the mode of the robot cleaner to a first mode is received through the input interface, identifying a travel path for moving an obstacle located at a first position to a second position on the basis of the shape of the obstacle and the position of a cleaned area on the map if it is identified that the obstacle sensed by the sensor while the robot cleaner cleans is a target obstacle, and controlling the driving unit such that the robot cleaner cleans at the first position after moving the obstacle to the second position along the travel path.