Robot Map Control for Reliable Virtual No-Go Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for autonomous mobile robots to navigate safely around restricted areas are inflexible, energy-dependent, and prone to user errors, limiting their operational reliability and freedom of design in domestic environments.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using sensors and electronic maps to detect and avoid virtual restricted areas, which are defined by the user or automatically recognized by the robot, allowing the robot to navigate independently while treating these areas as real obstacles to prevent entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical markers (lighthouse, magnetic strip) are used to define no-go zones, then the robot can reliably detect and avoid restricted areas, but the user's freedom in designing their living space is restricted and additional physical aids are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical environment in the form of a map data structure. Instead of requiring physical markers in the real world, the system represents the operating area and no-go zones as virtual boundaries in digital map data, allowing the robot to navigate using this virtual representation without physical interference in the user's living space
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical mechanical markers (lighthouses, magnetic strips) with a virtual information-based system. The no-go zones are defined through software in the map data rather than physical objects, substituting a mechanical detection system with an information-processing approach that uses sensor data and virtual boundary representation
2Adaptability or versatility
If virtual exclusion zones are defined directly on the map, then no additional physical markers are required and user freedom is maintained, but user error or measurement errors can lead to the robot entering restricted areas causing unintentional damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by projecting the virtual boundaries onto the real-world floor surface before the robot executes navigation tasks. This projection creates a visual warning system that alerts users to potential errors in virtual boundary definition, allowing correction before the robot autonomously navigates and potentially causes damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by visually displaying the projected virtual boundaries on the floor surface. This provides immediate visual feedback to users about where the robot will perceive no-go zones, allowing users to verify the accuracy of their defined boundaries and correct any errors before autonomous operation begins
3Use of energy by stationary object
If virtual boundaries are used without physical markers, then the system becomes more flexible and requires no additional power supply for markers, but the method for entering and defining exclusion zones must be simple yet transparent to prevent user errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a virtual copy of the physical environment represented in map data structures. No-go zones are defined as virtual boundaries within this digital representation, eliminating the need for physical markers that would require power supplies, while maintaining the ability to define and communicate exclusion zones through the mapping system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a projection mechanism as an intermediary between the virtual map data and the physical environment. The projection device displays virtual boundaries on the floor surface, serving as a mediator that translates abstract digital boundary definitions into visible physical indicators, simplifying the process of defining and verifying no-go zones
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~3B
Figure 4~5D
AI summary
A method for entering a virtual exclusion zone into an electronic map of the operating area of an autonomous mobile robot is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises: receiving user input from the human-machine interface to define the virtual exclusion zone; evaluating the user input, checking whether it meets at least one predefined criterion; and deciding, based on the evaluation of the user input, whether and/or in what geometric form the virtual exclusion zone is stored in the map.