Spraying Robot Wheel Release and Sensor Shutter for Confined Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for operating in close proximity to surfaces and confined spaces, such as under a building floor, face challenges with sensor obstruction by sprayed materials and require complex disassembly for entry and exit, which complicates navigation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A robotic vehicle with a sensor apparatus featuring a directional shutter mechanism to protect sensors from sprayed materials and a modular design allowing wheels and sensors to be easily removed and reconfigured for efficient operation in confined spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a robotic device carries a spray nozzle to spray material onto a surface, then the operation in confined spaces is enabled, but spray material falls onto the device and obscures sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful effect of spray material accumulation is isolated to the shutter component, which is specifically designed to be cleaned, while the sensors remain protected behind the viewing window. The shutter extracts the contamination risk from the sensitive sensor areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter acts as an intermediary barrier between the spray material and the sensors. It provides a sacrificial surface that can be cleaned, protecting the sensors from direct contamination while still allowing optical signals to pass through the viewing window.
2Reliability
If a sensor apparatus is protected from spray material, then sensor reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases with shutter and actuator mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor apparatus is segmented into distinct functional components: the viewing window for optical passage, the shutter for protection, and the actuator for operation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter is designed as a dynamic component that can move between positions to provide protection when needed. The actuator enables the shutter to transition between open and closed states, providing adaptive protection without permanently blocking the sensor view.
3Ease of operation
If the shutter is driven in a plane parallel to and spaced from the viewing plane, then spray material removal is effective, but the housing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting edge is pre-positioned on the housing to interact with the shutter during its motion. This preliminary arrangement ensures that spray material is removed from the shutter surface as it moves, preventing accumulation before the shutter returns to its protective position.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter mechanism serves a dual function: it protects the sensors and simultaneously cleans itself through interaction with the cutting edge. The relative motion between shutter and cutting edge automatically removes spray material without requiring additional cleaning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a robotic vehicle (100) for operating in a confined space, such as under a floor of a building, for example a house. The robotic vehicle (100) comprises a chassis (102) having a front (F) and a rear (R) defining a longitudinal direction extending between the front (F) and the rear (R), the robotic vehicle (100) for movement in the longitudinal direction. The robotic vehicle (100) further comprises a plurality of first parts (116a, 116b, 16c, 116d) for a respective plurality of release mechanisms (166), the first parts (116a, 16b, 116c, 116d) each connected to the chassis (102) and each release mechanism (166) for securing a respective wheel (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) to the chassis (102). Each first part (116a, 116b, 116c, 116d) provides a mounting point for the respective wheel 10 (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) away from the front (F) or the rear (R) of the chassis (102). Each release mechanism (160) is operable by an operator to release the respective wheel (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) from the chassis (102) for separate removal of the wheels (160a, 60b, 160c, 160d) and the robotic vehicle (100) from the confined space.