Robot Collision Avoidance Using Grid-Based Safety and Danger Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Floor mopping robots often collide with charging bases due to unstable infrared guidance signals, especially when approaching from oblique directions, leading to inefficiencies in their working process.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented where the robot detects base avoidance signals in real-time, establishes safety areas based on signal direction and orientation, and marks danger areas to avoid collisions by adjusting its path, using sensors to determine safe and danger zones within a grid map, allowing it to continue sweeping without interference from the charging base signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If infrared base avoidance signals are used to guide robots to charging bases, then robots can automatically return to charging bases, but the infrared signals are unstable and cause collisions when robots approach from oblique directions
Solution Approach 1:
The working area is divided into multiple grid cells, with each cell containing a charging base. The robot segments the navigation task by identifying target grid cells and planning paths cell by cell, rather than treating the entire area as one continuous space. This segmentation allows the robot to systematically avoid charging bases while maintaining automated navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
A grid map is introduced as an intermediary data structure between the robot and the physical environment. The grid map represents the working area, charging bases, and robot position in a discrete format, enabling the robot to plan paths and avoid collisions through computational processing rather than direct sensor-based reactive control.
2Speed
If robots use infrared signals for base avoidance, then they can navigate toward charging bases, but the limited signal distance and instability prevent effective avoidance
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary actions by pre-building a grid map of the entire working area, including the positions of all charging bases, before navigation begins. This advance preparation allows the robot to plan complete paths without relying on real-time infrared signals during movement, eliminating signal range limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the infrared optical signal-based navigation system with a computational path planning system based on grid map processing. Instead of using optical sensors to detect charging bases in real-time, the robot uses pre-acquired environmental data and algorithms to determine navigation paths, substituting physical signal transmission with digital information processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preventing a robot from colliding with a charging base, including: step 1, during a process of moving in a current working area of the robot, detecting, in real time, a reception condition of a base avoidance signal of the robot within a received signal coverage range thereof; and step 2, establishing a safety area in the current working area according to a direction feature relationship between the base avoidance signal and a preset working path of the robot, and before establishing the safety area, according to an orientation relationship between the base avoidance signal and a direction of a current moving path of the robot, marking and establishing a danger area at a position that satisfies a collision avoidance relationship with a current position of the robot, so that the robot avoids the charging base during the process of moving in the current working area.