Self-actuated cleaning head for an autonomous vacuum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional autonomous floor cleaning systems are limited in their ability to adapt to various messes and surface types, often requiring manual adjustments and struggling with navigation, waste management, and effective cleaning of stains and debris, especially when encountering obstacles and liquid waste.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous cleaning robot with a self-actuated, vertically adjustable cleaning head, equipped with sensors and a mop roller, that uses audiovisual sensors to map the environment, detect messes, and adjust its cleaning height and strategy based on surface and mess types, while also incorporating a waste bag with absorbent for handling liquid waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning head is set at a fixed optimal height for cleaning efficacy, then cleaning performance is improved, but mobility is sacrificed as the system cannot adapt to different obstacles and surface types
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning head height is made dynamically adjustable through an actuator system that automatically modifies the height based on sensor feedback about obstacles and surface types. This allows the system to adapt between cleaning efficacy (lower height) and mobility (higher height) in real-time, resolving the contradiction between fixed optimal height and adaptability.
2Reliability
If manual adjustment of cleaning head height is performed to optimize cleaning, then cleaning performance is improved, but user intervention is required and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-adjustment of cleaning head height through automated sensors and actuators that detect obstacles and surface conditions, eliminating the need for manual user intervention. The cleaning head automatically positions itself at the optimal height for each situation, maintaining high cleaning performance while improving ease of operation.
3Reliability
If pressure is applied to the mop roller to remove tough stains, then cleaning capability is improved, but the microfiber cloth's ability to retain water is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the pressure applied to the mop roller based on real-time detection of stain type and severity. For tough stains, increased pressure is applied to improve removal capability, while for light stains or when water retention is needed, pressure is reduced. This dynamic control resolves the contradiction between stain removal effectiveness and water retention.
4Ease of manufacture
If a conventional waste bag is used for solid waste, then storage is simple, but the bag becomes saturated and weak when liquid waste is stored
Solution Approach 1:
The waste bag system incorporates absorbent materials that change the physical parameters of liquid waste by absorbing and solidifying it. This parameter change prevents the waste bag from becoming saturated and weak, maintaining bag strength and reliability when storing liquid waste while keeping the overall system simple.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The autonomous cleaning robot enhances cleaning efficacy and mobility by automatically adjusting to different surfaces and messes, effectively cleaning a variety of debris and stains, and efficiently managing both solid and liquid waste, improving user interaction and navigation within the environment.
Implementation Method 1
a waste bag with absorbent for handling liquid waste
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous cleaning robot (e.g., an autonomous vacuum) may clean an environment using a cleaning head that is self-actuated. The cleaning head includes an actuator assembly comprising an actuator configured to control rotation and vertical movement of a cleaning roller, a controller, and a cleaning roller having an elongated cylindrical length connected to the actuator assembly. The cleaning head also includes a computer processor connected to the actuator assembly and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that causes the computer processor to map the environment based on sensor data captured by the autonomous vacuum. The computer processor may determine an optimal height for the cleaning head based on the map and instruct the actuator assembly to adjust the height of the cleaning head.