Robot Vacuum Corner Cleaning Using Dynamic Wall-Contact Driving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot vacuum cleaners struggle to effectively clean corner areas during wall-following driving, leading to unsatisfactory cleaning performance due to their design and driving patterns.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner with a suction unit on the front and sensors on the front and side surfaces that detect obstacles and control the driving unit to perform specific corner driving patterns, including first and second corner driving, to ensure thorough cleaning of corner areas by adjusting wheel rotation and posture changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a robot vacuum cleaner performs wall-following driving or zigzag driving with a suction unit only on the front side, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the cleaning coverage in corner areas deteriorates and uncleaned zones remain
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner dynamically adjusts its driving pattern based on real-time sensor feedback. When corner detection is performed and a corner area is identified, the control unit switches from standard wall-following or zigzag driving to a specific corner cleaning pattern, where the vacuum cleaner makes repeated contact with the wall through controlled side surface impacts to clean the corner area thoroughly, then transitions back to the original driving pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect obstacles and determine when the vacuum cleaner is approaching or in a corner area. This feedback information is processed by the control unit to trigger appropriate corner cleaning maneuvers, allowing the system to adapt its behavior based on environmental conditions and achieve complete cleaning coverage.
2Device complexity
If the vacuum cleaner uses simple wall-following driving pattern, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cleaning success rate in corner areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning process is segmented into different driving patterns: standard wall-following driving for general areas, zigzag driving for other regions, and a specific corner cleaning pattern triggered when corner areas are detected. This segmentation allows the system to use simple patterns most of the time while switching to a specialized pattern only when needed for corner cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum cleaner autonomously detects corner areas using its sensors and automatically switches to the appropriate corner cleaning driving pattern without user intervention. The control unit processes sensor data and independently determines when and how to perform corner cleaning maneuvers, making the system self-sufficient in adapting to different cleaning scenarios.
3Ease of operation
If the suction unit is positioned only on the front surface of the main body, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the cleaning performance in corner areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner compensates for the fixed front-side suction unit position by dynamically adjusting its driving behavior in corner areas. The control unit commands the driving unit to perform repeated contact maneuvers with the wall, allowing the front suction unit to effectively clean corner regions through controlled positioning rather than through mechanical reconfiguration of the suction unit itself.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise cleaning of corner areas, minimizing uncleaned zones and improving user satisfaction by ensuring thorough coverage and efficient navigation in corner regions.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor provided on the first side surface may be composed of an impact sensor that senses a physical force applied from the outside
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum cleaner for performing autonomous driving may include: a main body; a driving unit; a suctioning unit; a plurality of sensors for sensing obstacles present in each direction; and a control unit for controlling the driving unit to move the main body on the basis of a preset driving pattern. The control unit uses sensors provided at the front side of the main body and a first side of the both sides of the main body so as to detect whether entry into a corner area among cleaning areas is made while driving along the preset driving pattern, and controls the driving unit such that the first side of the main body comes into contact with a first wall forming the corner area at least one time when the main body enters the corner area.