Robot Cleaner Pad Moisture Sensing for Automatic Water Refill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners using dry-type cleaning methods often leave foreign substances on the floor due to their inability to suck up larger or stuck debris, and users face inconvenience when manually managing water levels in wet cleaning robots.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner equipped with a capacitance measurer to accurately measure the water level in its cleaning tool, allowing for automatic water addition and ensuring optimal cleaning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robot cleaner uses a dry-type cleaning method to suck up dust, then it can clean floors automatically, but it cannot suck up foreign substances that are larger or stuck on the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines dry-type cleaning (suction) and wet cleaning (pad wiping) functions into a single robot cleaner system. The cleaning tool assembly includes both a suction inlet for dry cleaning and a pad member for wet cleaning, allowing the robot to handle both loose dust and stuck/larger foreign substances effectively.
2Reliability
If a robot cleaner uses a wet cleaning method with a pad to wipe the floor, then it can remove stuck foreign substances, but the user must manually check and add water to the pad
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner autonomously monitors its own pad water content using a capacitance sensor and automatically refills water from the water tank when the pad becomes dry. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for users to manually check and add water to the pad.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a capacitance sensor to continuously monitor the water content of the pad and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit automatically activates the water feeding unit to refill the pad when needed, creating a closed-loop control system.
3Ease of operation
If a robot cleaner automatically adds water to the pad, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner integrates multiple functions into existing components: the water tank serves both as a water source for cleaning and as a reservoir for automatic pad refilling; the capacitance sensor monitors both pad moisture and triggers automatic water feeding. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components.
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 solution enables precise water management, enhancing cleaning efficiency and user satisfaction by ensuring the cleaning tool always has the appropriate water level, thus improving cleaning performance and reducing manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitance measurer contacting the cleaning tool assembly, and measuring capacitance of the cleaning tool assembly in order to calculate an amount of water of the cleaning tool assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A robot cleaner may include a main body; a traveling assembly moving the main body; a cleaning tool assembly installed in the lower part of the main body, and contacting a floor to clean the floor; a water-feeding unit supplying water to the cleaning tool assembly; and a capacitance measurer contacting the cleaning tool assembly, and measuring capacitance of the cleaning tool assembly in order to calculate an amount of water of the cleaning tool assembly. Accordingly, by measuring an amount of water of a cleaning tool installed in a robot cleaner based on capacitance, it is possible to accurately measure an amount of water absorbed in a cleaning tool.