Robotic cleaning device with retractable side brush
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic vacuum cleaners with circular-shaped main bodies struggle to clean corners and edges due to their shape, and their side brushes often entangle with carpet fibers, wear down quickly, and hinder the robot's ability to climb over objects, leading to inefficient cleaning and potential lifting issues.
Innovation Solution
A robotic cleaning device equipped with a retractable side brush mechanism that can be controlled to move in and out of contact with the surface, using a threaded rod and annular member system to prevent entanglement and improve navigation over thresholds and carpet edges, allowing the side brush to retract into the main body when not needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If side brushes are permanently extended to clean corners and edges, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the brushes entangle with carpet fibers and wear down quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The side brush is made dynamically adjustable through a retractable mechanism that allows it to extend when corner cleaning is needed and retract when moving across open surfaces. This dynamic configuration optimizes both cleaning coverage and brush durability by preventing unnecessary contact with carpet fibers during traversal
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the side brush is changed from fixed to variable, allowing it to be retracted into the main body or extended outward based on the cleaning situation. This parameter change enables the brush to adapt to different surface conditions, reducing entanglement with carpet while maintaining corner cleaning capability
2Productivity
If side brushes are permanently extended to sweep debris from corners, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the brushes hamper the robot's ability to climb over objects
Solution Approach 1:
The side brush position is made dynamic through a retractable mechanism controlled by the controller. When approaching obstacles or thresholds, the brush can be retracted to prevent interference with climbing actions, while extending during corner cleaning operations to maintain cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The controller proactively retracts the side brush before the robot encounters obstacles or thresholds, preventing potential interference with obstacle climbing. This preliminary action ensures the robot can navigate terrain variations smoothly while the brush is retracted, and extends it afterward when corner cleaning becomes the priority
3Productivity
If side brushes are permanently extended to reach further into corners, then corner cleaning capability is improved, but the robot may experience unintentional lift and fail to sink into carpet
Solution Approach 1:
The side brush is dynamically positioned based on surface type detection. When the robot encounters carpet, the brush can be retracted to prevent it from acting as a lever that could cause the robot to lift. On hard surfaces, the brush extends to provide effective corner cleaning, optimizing both capability and stability
Data Source
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AI summary
Robotic cleaning device (100) comprising a main body (111), a propulsion system (112, 113, 115a, 115b) configured to move the robotic cleaning device (100) over a surface (129) to be cleaned, a controller (116) configured to control the propulsion system to move the robotic cleaning device (100) over the surface (129) to be cleaned, and at least one rotatable side brush (114) arranged to sweep debris from the surface to be cleaned. The robotic cleaning device (100) further comprises a mechanism configured to at least partly retract said at least one rotatable side brush (114) into a space (119) arranged inside the main body (111) upon receiving a control signal from the controller (116), such that the rotatable side brush is moved out of contact with the surface (129) to be cleaned.