Moving Walkway Entry Control for Stable Robot Posture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional robots struggle to predict and maintain a stable posture on moving walkways due to unpredictable movement speeds and tilt angles, leading to potential instability during traversal.

Innovation Solution

A robot equipped with a camera, driver, and processor that identifies movement direction and speed of a moving walkway, adjusts its suspension and orientation to match these parameters, and controls its entry and exit, using image processing and sensor data to ensure stable navigation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the robot detects the movement speed and tilt angle of the moving walkway after getting on, then the robot can adjust its posture, but the robot cannot predict the movement speed and tilt angle in advance leading to instability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposture stabilityVSAvoidreaction time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The robot performs preliminary detection of the moving walkway's movement speed and tilt angle using a sensor before getting on the walkway. The processor calculates these parameters in advance and pre-adjusts the robot's posture (tilt angle and orientation) to match the detected parameters, enabling the robot to maintain stability from the moment it steps onto the moving walkway without needing to react after boarding

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the robot adjusts its posture to match the moving walkway parameters, then the robot maintains stability, but the robot requires complex sensing and control systems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposture stabilityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The robot uses a sensor to detect the movement speed and tilt angle of the moving walkway, providing real-time feedback to the processor. The processor calculates the appropriate posture adjustments based on this feedback and controls the driver and suspension to implement the adjustments, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains stability while managing complexity through systematic feedback processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If the robot enters the moving walkway without pre-adjusting posture, then the entry process is simple, but the robot experiences instability and potential damage to mounted objects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveentry simplicityVSAvoidimpact on mounted objects

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Loss of information

If the robot uses image processing to identify movement direction and speed, then the robot gains predictive capability, but the processing time and computational load increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemovement parameter predictionVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces complex image processing and computational analysis with a dedicated sensor that directly measures the movement speed and tilt angle of the moving walkway. This substitution of the detection mechanism reduces computational load and processing time while providing accurate real-time data for posture adjustment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

Enables the robot to safely and stably traverse moving walkways by anticipating and adapting to movement direction, speed, and tilt angles, minimizing impact on mounted objects and ensuring safe entry and exit.

Implementation Method 1

identifying both a movement direction of a moving walkway and a movement speed of the moving walkway based on a plurality of images of the moving walkway received from the camera

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectImage processing: Image Processing

Implementation Method 2

controlling a suspension connected to at least one of the plurality of wheels so that the robot is tilted at an angle corresponding to the identified movement speed

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSuspension: Suspension

Data Source

PatentUS12558783B2Robot using moving walk and method of controlling the same

Publication Date: 2026.02.24 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A robot, includes: a camera: a driver comprising a plurality of wheels and a suspension for connecting each of the plurality of wheels to a body of the robot; and a processor. The processor is configured to: identify both a movement direction of a moving walkway and a movement speed of the moving walkway based on a plurality of images of the moving walkway received from the camera after the processor identifies that the robot is located in an entrance area of the moving walkway, control the driver so that the robot faces an entering direction corresponding to the identified movement direction; control the suspension connected to at least one of the plurality of wheels so that the robot is tilted at an angle corresponding to the identified movement speed, and control the driver so that the tilted robot moves in the entering direction and enters the moving walkway.