Cleaning Robot Dock Search for Charging Post Position Drift

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cleaning robots face challenges in returning to their charging stations due to discrepancies between the actual and marked positions, often caused by movement or displacement, leading to failed charging operations and increased manual intervention.

Innovation Solution

The cleaning robot is equipped with a control unit that identifies the marked position of the charging station and generates a finding path to locate it, using various directional and arc-based travel strategies to adjust for discrepancies, ensuring successful charging station return.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the cleaning robot navigates to the marked position of the charging station, then the robot can return to charge, but the actual position of the charging station may differ from the marked position causing the robot to fail to identify and reach the charging station

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecharging station return reliabilityVSAvoidcharging station position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The robot performs preliminary actions by generating a finding path in advance when the charging station is not identified at the marked position. The path includes predetermined search directions and arc-shaped trajectories that the robot will follow to locate the charging station, ensuring it can adapt to position discrepancies without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The robot dynamically adjusts its navigation strategy by switching from direct navigation to the marked position to a search mode when the charging station is not identified. The finding path includes dynamic elements such as arc-shaped trajectories and multiple search directions that adapt to the actual position of the charging station, resolving the contradiction between reliability and position accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If the robot uses a simple direct navigation to the marked position, then the control method is simple, but the robot cannot handle position discrepancies between marked and actual charging station locations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol method simplicityVSAvoidposition discrepancy handling capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The finding path is segmented into multiple discrete steps: navigating to the marked position, checking for charging station identification, and if not identified, executing a search sequence with specific directions and arc-shaped trajectories. This segmentation maintains control simplicity while systematically handling position discrepancies through predefined search patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If the robot implements a complex search strategy to handle position discrepancies, then the robot can reliably find the charging station, but the control method becomes complex and reduces operational efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecharging station identification reliabilityVSAvoidcontrol method complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit preliminarily generates a finding path with predetermined search directions and arc-shaped trajectories before the robot executes the search. This preliminary preparation structures the complex search strategy into manageable, predefined steps, maintaining reliability while organizing the complexity in a systematic manner that improves operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The robot continuously monitors whether the charging station is identified during navigation and adjusts its behavior based on this feedback. If the charging station is identified at the marked position, the robot proceeds directly to charge. If not, the robot executes the finding path search strategy. This feedback mechanism ensures reliability while avoiding unnecessary complex searches when the charging station is at the expected position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3505037B1Cleaning robot and control method therefor
Publication Date: 2021.12.29 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD
  • EP3505037B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3505037B1 patent drawingFigure 1C~2A
  • EP3505037B1 patent drawingFigure 2B~2C

AI summary

Disclosed are a cleaning robot (10) and a control method therefor. The method comprises: acquiring a marked position of a charging post in a map, wherein the map is a map drawn by the cleaning robot (10) (501); controlling the cleaning robot (10) such that the cleaning robot moves to a front position of the marked position to identify the charging post (502); if the charging post is not identified, generating a seeking path based on the marked position (503); and controlling the cleaning robot (10) such that the cleaning robot moves in accordance with the seeking path to identify the charging post in the moving process (504). The problem that a cleaning robot (10) cannot find a charging post and can not implement an action of returning back to the post when an actual position of the charging post is different from a marked position in a map is solved, and the effects of improving the intelligent degree of the cleaning robot (10) and reducing human intervention are achieved.