Robot Parallel Stopping Near Installed Objects in Crowded Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robots, such as carts, face inefficiencies in movement and collision avoidance when stopping in crowded spaces, as they often stop obliquely, interfering with other devices and pedestrians, necessitating a solution for efficient parallel stopping to enhance movement efficiency and reduce in-space complexity.
Innovation Solution
A robot equipped with obstacle sensors and a controller that determines a pause state and moves to stop parallel and close to adjacent installed objects, using distance calculations to select the optimal position and avoid collisions, thereby allowing efficient movement and stopping near installed objects like walls or stands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot stops obliquely in a crowded space, then the robot can stop quickly without complex navigation, but it interferes with the movement of other devices and reduces movement efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the stopping behavior context-dependent: the robot stops parallel to installed objects (walls, shelves) when in crowded spaces, but can stop obliquely in open areas. This localized adaptation of stopping orientation resolves the contradiction by optimizing for movement efficiency in crowded spaces without requiring complex navigation algorithms in all situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the stopping orientation parameter from a fixed oblique angle to a dynamic parameter that adapts based on the surrounding environment. By detecting installed objects and adjusting the stopping angle to be parallel to them, the system improves movement efficiency in crowded spaces while maintaining simple control logic.
2Reliability
If the robot stops obliquely, then the stopping action is simple, but it increases in-space complexity and causes collisions with other robots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the stopping orientation locally adapted to the environment by detecting installed objects and positioning the robot parallel to them. This local adaptation ensures reliable collision avoidance in crowded spaces near walls or shelves, while keeping the control mechanism relatively simple by using the existing installed objects as reference points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses installed objects (walls, shelves) as intermediary reference points for stopping. Instead of directly calculating complex collision avoidance paths, the robot uses these fixed objects as mediators to determine its stopping orientation, simplifying the control while improving reliability.
3Productivity
If the robot stops parallel to installed objects, then movement efficiency increases and collision likelihood decreases, but the robot requires distance calculation and object detection capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using the robot's own movement and sensor data to automatically determine stopping positions parallel to installed objects. The obstacle sensors and controller work together to calculate distances and adjust positioning without external intervention, improving movement efficiency while keeping the detection system relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical navigation systems with sensor-based detection and calculation. By using obstacle sensors to detect installed objects and calculate distances, the system achieves parallel stopping with simpler electronic components rather than complex mechanical guidance mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a robot stopping parallel to an installed object and a method of stopping the same. In the robot stopping parallel to an installed object, a pause state of the robot is determined, and when an obstacle sensor calculates distances from obstacles, the robot moves such that the robot is placed parallel and close to an adjacent one of installed objects disposed around the robot.