Robotic Cleaner Navigation Sensor Protection from Liquid and Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic cleaners face challenges in protecting navigation sensors, such as LIDAR, from damage due to liquid ingress and obstacle impacts, which can impair their functionality and longevity.
Innovation Solution
The robotic cleaner incorporates a protective cover with a cover liquid diverter and body liquid diverters that redirect liquid away from the navigation sensor, combined with a movable protective cover that acts as an obstacle sensor to prevent damage and enhance obstacle avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the navigation sensor is exposed to detect obstacles, then obstacle detection capability is improved, but the sensor becomes vulnerable to liquid ingress and impact damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into a stationary portion attached to the body and a movable portion that can independently move in response to obstacles. This segmentation allows the movable portion to act as both a physical barrier protecting the sensor and an obstacle detection mechanism, resolving the contradiction between sensor exposure and protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover serves as an intermediary element between the navigation sensor and the external environment. It provides physical protection while allowing the sensor to function through the cover structure, and the movable portion translates obstacle contact into sensor-protective action, mediating between detection needs and protection requirements.
2Reliability
If a protective cover is added to protect the navigation sensor, then sensor protection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is designed to perform multiple functions: it protects the navigation sensor from liquid ingress and impact damage, acts as an obstacle sensor through its movable portion, and guides liquid away from the sensor. By combining these functions into a single component, the design avoids adding separate protective structures, motors, and sensors that would increase complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable portion of the protective cover is designed to automatically move in response to obstacle contact without requiring external actuators or motors. The cover itself serves as the sensing and actuating mechanism, eliminating the need for additional complex components while maintaining reliable protection.
3Reliability
If the protective cover is made stationary to provide stable protection, then protection reliability is improved, but obstacle detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into stationary and movable portions, each serving distinct functions. The stationary portion provides stable structural support and protection, while the movable portion detects obstacles through its displacement. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning different properties to different parts of the same component.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover merges the functions of physical protection and obstacle detection into a single integrated structure. The movable portion's displacement in response to obstacles is directly translated into protective action by pushing against the stationary portion, combining detection and protection functions without requiring separate systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic cleaner may include a body having a top surface, a navigation sensor extending from the top surface of the body, a protective cover defining a sensor cavity, the navigation sensor being at least partially received within the sensor cavity, and a cover liquid diverter extending from an upper portion of the protective cover, the cover liquid diverter being flared in a direction of the body.