Robotic Cleaning Device Navigation Using Pre-Stored Area Maps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic cleaning devices often make errors in navigating around obstacles, leading to inefficient cleaning paths and potential collisions, as their obstacle detection capabilities are not always reliable.
Innovation Solution
The robotic cleaning device stores a representation or map of the area to be cleaned, allowing it to localize itself and move accordingly based on this map, taking into account user instructions and sensor data from cameras, lidar, radar, or sonar to optimize cleaning routes and avoid obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If robotic cleaning devices use obstacle detection sensors to navigate, then they can avoid objects in their vicinity, but they make occasional errors such as avoiding areas where they should go or bumping into objects they should stay away from
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping of the cleaning area before actual cleaning operations. By storing representation data of the area including walls, obstacles, and no-go zones in advance, the robotic device can navigate more reliably without relying solely on real-time sensor detection, thereby reducing navigation errors and improving cleaning efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary representation layer (map data) between the sensors and the navigation system. This representation data acts as a mediator that provides reliable spatial information about the environment, allowing the device to make more accurate navigation decisions without being directly dependent on potentially erroneous real-time sensor readings
2Adaptability or versatility
If robotic cleaning devices rely on real-time obstacle detection, then they can adapt to objects in the environment, but they spend excessive time sensing and calculating rather than cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping and stores representation data of the cleaning area before actual cleaning operations. By having the area map pre-established with information about walls, obstacles, and no-go zones, the robotic device can navigate efficiently without spending excessive time on real-time sensing and calculation, thus reducing the loss of cleaning time
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation process is segmented into two phases: a preliminary mapping phase where the area is scanned and stored as representation data, and a cleaning phase where the device uses the pre-stored map for efficient navigation. This segmentation allows the time-consuming sensing and calculation to be performed once beforehand, rather than continuously during cleaning operations
3Reliability
If robotic cleaning devices use complex navigation algorithms to avoid obstacles, then they can navigate more intelligently, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a simplified copy or representation of the physical environment (a map data structure) that can be stored and processed more easily than raw sensor data. This representation copy includes essential spatial information about walls, obstacles, and no-go zones, allowing reliable navigation decisions to be made using simpler algorithms that work with the structured representation rather than complex real-time sensor processing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method of controlling movement of a robotic cleaning device (100) over an area to be cleaned, and a robotic cleaning device (100) performing the method. In an aspect of the invention, a method of controlling movement of a robotic cleaning device (100) over an area to be cleaned is provided. The method comprises storing (S101) at least one representation (10) of the area over which the robotic cleaning device (100) is to move, receiving (S102) an instruction to execute a cleaning program, localizing (S103), in response to the instruction, the robotic cleaning device (100) relative to the stored representation (10), and moving (S104) over the area to be cleaned as stipulated by the cleaning program by taking into account the stored representation (10).