Autonomous Soil Cleaning Navigation Around Bottlenecks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile, self-propelled floor cleaning devices face challenges in navigating tight spaces and identifying inaccessible areas, leading to potential getting stuck and incomplete cleaning, requiring manual intervention and a 'try and error' method to resolve bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
The method involves an exploration trip by the device to create an environmental map, detect bottlenecks, and provide users with recommendations on moving obstacles to ensure the device can access all areas, reducing the need for manual intervention and no-go zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the mobile self-propelled device is made compact to navigate tight spaces, then it can access narrow corridors and bottlenecks, but it becomes more prone to getting stuck and has limited cleaning capability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the cleaning area to identify bottlenecks before actual cleaning operations. By detecting narrow passages and analyzing device dimensions against bottleneck dimensions, the system proactively identifies potential navigation problems and adjusts cleaning plans in advance, preventing getting stuck rather than reacting after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors cleaning progress and device position, providing feedback to the control unit. When the device approaches identified bottlenecks or encounters navigation difficulties, the system receives feedback signals and automatically adjusts the cleaning route or notifies the user, enabling real-time adaptation to maintain reliable operation in tight spaces.
2Productivity
If the device autonomously cleans without user intervention, then productivity increases, but the user cannot identify and resolve bottlenecks and inaccessible areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to the user through a user interface, displaying identified bottlenecks, inaccessible areas, and cleaning progress. This allows the user to remain informed about cleaning status and potential issues without needing to manually monitor the process, maintaining productivity while preserving bottleneck detection capability through automated sensing and reporting.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the autonomous cleaning system and the user. It processes sensor data, identifies bottlenecks, and communicates findings to the user through the interface, bridging the gap between autonomous operation and user awareness. This allows the user to make informed decisions about bottleneck resolution while the system continues autonomous cleaning operations.
3Reliability
If no-go zones are created to avoid bottlenecks, then the device avoids getting stuck, but cleaning coverage is reduced and manual subsequent cleaning is necessary
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating static no-go zones that permanently exclude areas from cleaning, the system dynamically adjusts cleaning routes based on real-time position and bottleneck proximity. The control unit modifies the cleaning plan on-the-fly, allowing the device to safely navigate around bottlenecks when appropriate while still accessing previously excluded areas, thereby maintaining both navigation reliability and comprehensive cleaning coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-identifies bottlenecks and analyzes which areas are truly inaccessible versus which can be accessed with route adjustments. By performing preliminary planning that distinguishes between permanent no-go zones and temporary navigation challenges, the system minimizes the area excluded from cleaning while ensuring the device doesn't attempt to navigate impossible passages.
4Measurement precision
If the device uses complex sensors and detection devices to identify bottlenecks, then bottleneck detection accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors that serve both navigation and bottleneck detection purposes. The same sensors used for basic obstacle avoidance and position tracking are also utilized to identify bottlenecks by analyzing passage width and geometry. This eliminates the need for separate specialized bottleneck detection hardware, maintaining high detection accuracy while controlling device complexity through sensor multi-use.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A method for operating a mobile, self-propelled device, in particular a soil cleaning device for the autonomous cultivation of soil surfaces, is described, comprising the following steps: - conducting an exploratory run of the mobile, self-propelled device in a designated soil cultivation area, - detecting bottlenecks (2) using a detection device and creating an environmental map (1) of the soil cultivation area, - identifying obstacles (4) that cause the bottlenecks and displaying the bottlenecks (2) and/or obstacles (4) on the environmental map (1), - indicating measures for resolving the bottlenecks (2). A soil cleaning system for carrying out this method is also described.