Self-propelled floor processing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-propelled floor processing devices are unable to overcome obstacles like stairs, limiting their ability to process multiple floors within a building and requiring user intervention to ensure uniform floor coverage across different levels.
Innovation Solution
The device identifies transition obstacles in its area map and notifies the user via a communication interface when it cannot independently traverse them, allowing the user to manually transport the device to another location, with features like kidnap sensors and position detection to confirm transport, and the ability to plan movement and activities across multiple levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the floor processing device autonomously navigates using obstacle detection and area mapping, then navigation autonomy and floor processing efficiency are improved, but the device cannot overcome transition obstacles like stairs requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary communication interface that mediates between the autonomous navigation system and the user. When the obstacle detection unit identifies a transition obstacle (stairs) that cannot be autonomously overcome, the system communicates this to the user via the communication interface, which provides transport instructions. This intermediary mechanism allows the autonomous device to effectively handle multi-floor environments by coordinating with human operators for vertical transitions.
2Productivity
If the device operates autonomously without user intervention, then operational efficiency is improved, but uniform floor processing across multiple levels cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the obstacle detection unit continuously monitors the environment and identifies transition obstacles. When such obstacles are detected, the system provides feedback to the user through the communication interface with specific transport instructions. This feedback loop ensures that the autonomous operation does not compromise processing uniformity, as users are prompted to transport the device between floors to maintain consistent floor processing results across all levels.
3Ease of operation
If the device is designed to be fully self-propelled, then ease of operation is improved, but the device cannot independently traverse vertical transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the navigation task into two distinct parts: horizontal navigation (autonomous) and vertical transitions (user-assisted). The obstacle detection unit identifies transition obstacles and the communication interface segments the operational flow by providing specific transport instructions to users. This segmentation allows the device to maintain ease of self-propelled operation on each floor while achieving multi-floor capability through coordinated user intervention for vertical transitions.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-propelled floor processing device has a drive unit for moving the floor processing device within an environment, a communication interface for outputting information to a user of the floor processing device, an obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles within the environment and a computing device, which is set up to generate an area map based upon the obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit, localize the floor processing device using the area map, and transmit control commands to the drive unit and the communication interface. The computing device defines at least one obstacle within the area map that cannot be independently overcome by the floor processing device as a transition obstacle, identifies the transition obstacle based upon a comparison of currently detected obstacles with the transition obstacle stored in the area map, and reports a manual transport requirement to the user upon reaching the transition obstacle.