Robot cleaner and method for controlling same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot cleaners are inefficient in cleaning specific partial areas as they are designed for entire area coverage, leading to increased time and battery consumption, and require user intervention to stop the cleaning process.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner with a controller that sets a virtual boundary and driving path within a predetermined area, allowing it to autonomously clean in a spiral pattern, adjust suction power, and avoid obstacles, enabling intensive cleaning of a specific area without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the robot cleaner cleans the entire cleaning area as designed, then the coverage of the entire cleaning area is improved, but the cleaning time and battery consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning area is segmented into multiple zones based on dust density detection. The controller divides the entire cleaning area into a first cleaning area (high dust density) and a second cleaning area (low dust density), allowing selective cleaning prioritization that reduces overall cleaning time while maintaining effective coverage of critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cleaning strategies are applied to different regions of the cleaning area based on local dust conditions. The robot employs intensive cleaning with repeated passes in the first cleaning area where dust density is high, while using standard cleaning in the second cleaning area, optimizing the balance between coverage and time consumption.
2Productivity
If the robot cleaner increases suction power for intensive cleaning, then the cleaning performance is improved, but the battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot applies excessive cleaning action (repeated passes, high suction power) only partially in the first cleaning area where dust density is high, rather than throughout the entire cleaning area. This selective intensive cleaning maintains high productivity where needed while conserving battery energy in areas with lower dust accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction power and driving speed are dynamically adjusted based on the detected dust density and cleaning area. The controller increases suction power when entering the first cleaning area and reduces it in the second cleaning area, optimizing the balance between cleaning performance and energy consumption in real-time.
3Productivity
If the robot cleaner drives slowly in the desired partial area, then the suction power and cleaning performance are improved, but the cleaning time for that area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning path is segmented into multiple passes, with the first pass covering the entire cleaning area at normal speed, and subsequent passes concentrated in the first cleaning area at reduced speed. This segmentation allows the robot to maintain overall productivity while achieving intensive cleaning performance in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot performs continuous cleaning action by immediately executing a second pass through the first cleaning area after completing the initial pass, without returning to the docking station. This continuous operation maximizes cleaning performance in high-dust areas while minimizing total cleaning time through efficient path planning.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body including a suction motor for generating a suction force; a traveling part for moving the body; and a control part for, in response to sensing of a preconfigured input signal, recognizing a position of the body in a cleaning area and determining a start position on the basis of the recognized position. The control part sets an imaginary boundary having a predetermined size with reference to the determined start position, and when a travel route having a preconfigured pattern is set in the boundary, controls the travelling part and the suction motor to perform a cleaning operation while travelling along the travel route in a first direction and then perform a cleaning operation while travelling along the travel route in a second direction opposite to the first direction.