Robot Cleaner Zigzag Travel Pattern Wall Interval Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners face challenges in maintaining a zigzag travel pattern when encountering obstacles, as existing methods fail to ensure consistent intervals and efficient cleaning coverage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an improved zigzag travel pattern for robot cleaners, which includes first and second travels maintaining designated intervals, obstacle following travel, and switching between these travels based on separation distances and angles to maintain cleaning efficiency and coverage, with a transition to random travel when designated conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the robot cleaner uses a traditional zigzag travel pattern, then it can maintain a simple travel structure, but it fails to maintain consistent intervals with the wall after collision, causing poor cleaning coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner uses sensors to detect the distance to the wall and continuously adjusts its travel direction to maintain a designated interval. After colliding with the wall, the robot detects the collision angle and calculates the appropriate rotation angle to restore the designated interval, ensuring consistent cleaning coverage throughout the cleaning process
Solution Approach 2:
The robot cleaner dynamically adjusts its travel pattern based on real-time conditions. When colliding with the wall, it calculates a rotation angle proportional to the collision angle to maintain the designated interval. The system transitions between rectilinear travel and rotated travel modes, adapting the travel pattern to maintain optimal cleaning coverage while preserving the zigzag structure
2Productivity
If the robot cleaner rotates by a fixed angle after wall collision, then the control logic is simple, but the cleaning coverage is insufficient in areas skipped during rectilinear travel
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning process is divided into two distinct phases: zigzag travel for primary cleaning coverage and random travel for finishing skipped areas. The robot performs systematic zigzag patterns to cover most of the cleaning area, then transitions to random travel mode to clean remaining areas that were missed during the structured zigzag phase, ensuring complete cleaning coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The robot cleaner alternates between systematic zigzag travel patterns and random travel phases. During zigzag travel, it maintains designated intervals with the wall through periodic adjustments. When transitioning to random travel, it performs unrestricted movements to cover skipped areas, then returns to zigzag pattern, creating a periodic cycle that ensures comprehensive cleaning
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot cleaner maintains a designated interval from the wall during travel, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the robot cannot adapt when encountering obstacles or walls at various angles
Solution Approach 1:
The robot cleaner changes its orientation parameter dynamically based on the collision angle. When colliding with the wall, it calculates a rotation angle proportional to the collision angle and rotates by that amount to realign with the designated interval. This parameter adjustment allows the robot to adapt to various collision angles while maintaining consistent cleaning coverage
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a robot cleaner having an improved travel pattern and a control method thereof. The robot cleaner performs cleaning using zigzag travel as a basic cleaning traveling manner, and then performs cleaning using random travel as a finishing cleaning traveling manner so as to clean areas skipped during the zigzag travel. The robot cleaner performs the zigzag travel while maintaining a designated interval with a travel route proceeding to a wall regardless of a direction proceeding to the wall, and employs an improved zigzag travel method to maintain a zigzag travel pattern, if the robot cleaner senses an obstacle during the zigzag travel.