Robotic Cleaning Device Speed Adjustment for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile robotic cleaning devices face challenges in navigating areas safely and efficiently, as increased travel speeds can lead to collisions with obstacles and inadequate cleaning due to the risk of tipping over or failing to stop in time, especially when encountering unexpected obstacles or boundaries.
Innovation Solution
The method involves a processor accessing map data for an area, using sensors to collect data, and adjusting the robotic device's speed based on the confidence in the sensor data matching the map data, implementing reduced speed modes when confidence is low, and stopping or altering the path if the device is about to exceed a threshold number of visits to a location, thereby ensuring safe navigation and effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robotic device travels at increased speeds to complete cleaning tasks faster, then productivity is improved, but the risk of collision with obstacles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device dynamically adjusts its travel speed based on environmental conditions detected by sensors. When obstacles or low-confidence sensor data are detected, the device automatically reduces speed to safe levels. When the environment is clear and confidence is high, the device maintains higher speeds to maximize productivity. This dynamic speed adjustment resolves the contradiction by making speed adaptive rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors sensor data and compares it with map data to determine confidence levels. This feedback loop allows the device to real-time adjust its speed based on the reliability of its environmental perception. When sensor confidence is low or obstacles are detected, feedback triggers speed reduction to prevent collisions while maintaining higher speeds when safe.
2Productivity
If the robotic device increases travel speed to reduce cleaning time, then productivity is improved, but the risk of improper cleaning or tipping over during sudden turns increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device dynamically adjusts its speed based on upcoming maneuvers and environmental conditions. Before executing turns or when approaching areas requiring careful navigation, the system automatically reduces speed to maintain stability and cleaning quality. This dynamic adjustment allows the device to maintain high overall productivity while ensuring safety and quality during critical moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary speed reductions before executing maneuvers that could compromise stability or cleaning quality. By proactively lowering speed before turns or when approaching uncertain areas, the device prevents tipping and ensures proper cleaning without sacrificing overall productivity, as the high-speed segments between maneuvers compensate for the slower transition periods.
3Reliability
If the robotic device reduces speed to improve safety and cleaning quality, then reliability is improved, but the time required to complete cleaning tasks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device employs dynamic speed adjustment rather than maintaining a consistently low speed. The system transitions between high and low speeds based on real-time environmental assessment, allowing it to achieve high reliability during critical moments while maintaining productivity during safe, clear segments of the cleaning path.
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies different speed qualities to different spatial and temporal contexts. High speeds are applied in safe, open areas where productivity is prioritized, while low speeds are applied locally during turns, obstacle avoidance, or when sensor confidence is low. This localized quality adjustment ensures reliability where needed without sacrificing overall cleaning efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of causing a robotic device to navigate an area, including accessing a map of an area of travel, causing a transport assembly of the robotic device to move the robotic device in the area at a first speed, collecting information about the area as the robotic device moves in the area by at least one sensor, and processing the information collected. The system and method also include comparing the information collected with the information regarding the area from the map, and determining a degree of confidence that the information collected matches the information regarding the area of travel from the map. When the determined degree of confidence is at or below a first threshold degree of confidence, a first reduced speed mode of operation causes the transport assembly of the robotic device to move at a second, lower speed.