Robotic cleaning device with dynamic area coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile robotic cleaning devices face challenges in efficiently navigating through facilities with changing obstacles, as they either require constant updates of pre-loaded maps or operate at slower speeds without them, potentially cleaning undesired areas.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dynamically generating a coverage pattern by moving the robotic device through an area, identifying consecutive waypoints, and using on-board sensors to create temporary maps of the area between these waypoints, allowing the device to clean efficiently while adapting to changing obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a detailed pre-loaded map is used for navigation, then the cleaning speed is improved, but the system cannot adapt to changing obstacles without constant map updates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-loading a simplified map containing only walls and permanent obstacles, establishing a baseline navigation framework that enables high-speed operation while remaining adaptable to temporary changes through real-time sensor detection
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation system is segmented into two functional layers: a pre-loaded map layer handling permanent structures and a real-time sensor layer detecting temporary obstacles, allowing each layer to operate independently and optimally
2Adaptability or versatility
If no pre-loaded map is used and only on-board sensors are relied upon, then adaptability to changing obstacles is improved, but the cleaning speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A simplified map is pre-loaded with permanent obstacle information before cleaning operations begin, providing advance preparation that enables faster navigation while maintaining adaptability through real-time sensor supplementation
Solution Approach 2:
Different types of obstacles are treated with different quality levels: permanent obstacles (walls) are mapped with high precision in advance, while temporary obstacles are detected with lower precision in real-time, optimizing both speed and adaptability
3Adaptability or versatility
If a detailed map is constantly updated to account for changing obstacles, then adaptability is improved, but the time consumption and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential permanent features (walls and fixed obstacles) into a pre-loaded map, separating them from temporary obstacles that are detected in real-time, thereby eliminating the need to continuously update the entire map
Data Source
AI summary
A method of moving a robotic cleaning device through an area includes loading instructions for a plurality of geometric elements. Each geometric element includes a starting point, paths of travel, and waypoints. An ending waypoint of a first geometric element is connected to the starting point for a subsequent geometric element. The instructions for each geometric element do not include dimensions for the one or more paths of travel. The instructions cause the robotic cleaning device to move along a first path of travel of the first geometric element until a sensor of the robotic cleaning device detects that the robotic cleaning device has reached a first waypoint. Then, if the first waypoint is the ending waypoint of the first geometric element, the robotic cleaning device moves along to the subsequent geometric element or changes direction and moves along a second path of travel of the first geometric element.