User-Following Robot Position Switching for Safer Turning Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing assistive technologies for elderly care, such as accompanying robots, struggle with sensitivity and responsiveness when following users in front, leading to interference with walking paths and inability to handle unpredictable scenarios like sudden turns or shifts, and lack comprehensive functionality for walking, medical treatment, and shopping.
Innovation Solution
An automatic accompanying system that detects user movements and turning actions using sensors to maintain a relative position and orientation, allowing the accompanying unit to move and turn accordingly, with a control module analyzing signals to ensure accurate and immediate adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the accompanying system operates in front of the user, then the sensitivity and immediacy of accompanying is improved, but the system may block the user's walking path and interfere with user activity
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational mode between following behind and following ahead based on real-time detection of user movement state. When the user is stationary or moving slowly, the robot follows ahead to provide better protection. When the user walks normally, the robot follows behind to avoid obstruction. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction by adapting the robot's position to the specific situation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses onboard sensors (inertial sensor, distance sensor, angle sensor) to automatically detect user state and determine the appropriate accompanying mode without external intervention. The control unit autonomously processes sensor data and switches between operating modes, enabling the system to self-regulate its position relative to the user based on detected conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the accompanying system follows behind the user, then the system does not block the user's path, but the sensitivity when user turns or encounters obstacles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between following behind mode (to avoid obstruction) and following ahead mode (to improve turning sensitivity). The inertial sensor detects user acceleration and direction changes, triggering mode switching that optimizes both obstruction avoidance and turning responsiveness based on the current situation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user movement through sensors and provides real-time feedback to the control unit. When the inertial sensor detects sudden user acceleration or direction change, the system immediately responds by switching modes or adjusting position, ensuring high sensitivity to user actions while maintaining obstruction avoidance.
3Speed
If the accompanying robot re-calculates shortest route when user changes direction, then the robot can catch up with user, but the re-calculated route may intersect with user's route causing potential collision
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary route planning and maintains a buffer distance from the user's predicted path. When the user changes direction, the robot calculates the shortest route while pre-checking for intersection with the user's current and predicted trajectory, adjusting the path to avoid potential collisions before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The route calculation algorithm dynamically adapts based on real-time user position and movement direction. The system continuously updates the safest path by considering the user's current trajectory and maintaining an safety margin, ensuring that route adjustments respond quickly to user direction changes without creating collision risks.
4Device complexity
If the system uses preset operating method, then the control algorithm is simple, but it cannot handle unpredictable scenarios such as sudden side shifts, turns or turning around
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adapts its behavior based on real-time sensor input. The inertial sensor detects user acceleration patterns, and the distance sensor monitors relative position changes. When unpredictable movements like sudden turns or side shifts are detected, the system automatically adjusts its control parameters and switching logic to handle these scenarios, maintaining simple base algorithms while adding adaptive response capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensor data from inertial measurement units and distance sensors feeds back to the control unit. This feedback mechanism enables the system to detect and respond to unpredictable user actions in real-time, adjusting its accompanying behavior dynamically without requiring complex pre-programmed scenarios for every possible user movement.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an automatic accompanying system, comprising an user and a accompanying unit following the user, wherein the accompanying unit follows the user according to the user's movement and turning action. The automatic accompanying system comprises: a first pointing unit, a relative position sensing unit and a control module, wherein the first pointing unit detects a facing direction of the user. The accompanying unit collects an orientation signal of the user and a relative position signal for analyzing and generates an instruction signal to control itself to move and turn. Through the said accompanying system, the purposes of accompanying a user in multiple positions, like in the front, behind, by the side, above, increasing safety, reducing the risk of loss, and saving users from paying too much attention on operating the system can be achieved, and it facilitates user to carry out related applications.