How does a robot vacuum cleaner work?
Not all people like to spend time cleaning the house. When a busy work schedule doesn’t even allow you to rest and get a good night’s sleep, it’s hard to think about setting aside an hour for proper cleaning. In such cases, robotic vacuum cleaners, which are also called home assistants or smart vacuum cleaners, are very helpful in keeping the floor in acceptable condition.
The content of the article
Principle of operation
Like any other household appliance, robot vacuum cleaners improve their functionality with each new model, and there is a considerable evolutionary path between the old devices of this type and the newest devices. The first smart home assistants were practically blind and moved literally by touch, and their cleaning ability was far from ideal. They could not compete with manual cleaning at all. Current models produced by companies like iRobot, Yujin Robot, Panda Robotics and Xiaomi are capable of efficiently cleaning almost any relatively smooth surface. They also have scanners and sensors to create a map of the room, know how not to fall on the stairs, clean a corner or carefully walk around an obstacle without colliding with it.
Garbage collection device
The main purpose of the robot vacuum cleaner is accomplished through the collaboration of several devices.In advanced models, cleaning can even occur in several modes, automatically selected depending on the surface being cleaned. A combined surface cleaning device may consist of the following systems:
- Brushes for collecting large and light particles.
- Side brushes for “sweeping” debris under the vacuum cleaner.
- Rubber brushes for picking up small, heavy particles such as sand.
- Air suction system.
- Spray bottle for spraying water in wet cleaning mode.
- A device for removing moisture from a surface.
The number of brushes used in this technique varies on average from 4 to 10. Rotating towards the suction device, they collect debris under the entire bottom of the robot, after which it and the air flow are drawn into the filtration module, where debris and dust are collected. The purified air is released again outside.
Important! It is necessary to keep the condition of the filters in the vacuum cleaner under control. Old and worn filters release air along with large amounts of fine dust, which reduces cleaning efficiency and negatively affects the health of people and animals. Filters in any cleaning household appliances should be changed as they wear out.
The garbage collection module, depending on the specific model, may include different filters. In budget models, these can be simple filter cloths, as in conventional vacuum cleaners; in more advanced models, these can be complex multi-layer HEPA filters that can retain the smallest dust.
The volume of the waste collection container in different robotic home assistants ranges from a quarter to a whole liter. They need to be systematically cleared of dust and other collected particles in order for cleaning to remain effective and the device to last longer.Since the power in these household appliances ranges from 40-65 watts, they consume relatively little energy. They are autonomous, operating not directly from the network, but from a storage device. To charge, current models need 3-5 hours, and with a full battery charge they can work for 2-3 hours, which is enough to clean 2-3 large rooms.
Navigation system
There are many technologies, thanks to which the device understands the size and shape of the room, and they can be present in different combinations in specific models. We are talking about the following systems:
- Cameras.
- Laser sensors.
- Infrared sensors.
- Bumpers with touch sensors.
- Infrared beacons and virtual walls.
The technologies that allow a robotic cleaner to fulfill its purpose are constantly being developed and expanded. The most expensive and high-quality devices use more accurate and intelligent systems, can operate with virtually no human intervention, and also receive commands from a remote control or even voice.
Orientation using cameras
Capturing visual images using cameras gives the robot the ability to assemble them into something like a map, which is used to navigate more accurately around the house. By comparing the pictures it takes, the processor understands what a doorway, an obstacle, or its own charging base looks like.
Laser scanning
Using laser sensors, a smart vacuum cleaner is able to independently assess the size of the space in which it is located. This technology allows you to obtain data about the shape of furniture and other obstacles more accurately.Using the information obtained during scanning, the computer inside the device builds a three-dimensional model of the room, something like a 3D map of the space. Such an accurate understanding of its surroundings gives the robot the ability to build the fastest and most convenient route, which saves cleaning time, and therefore the operating time of the device and its wear, thus extending its service life.
Infrared light sensors
The infrared radiation and light research system located in the front part of the vacuum cleaner performs an important function - assessing the surfaces located directly “under its nose”. This is necessary to understand places such as the beginning of a staircase, a cliff, or any step. So far, this smart technology cannot navigate stairs, but infrared light sensors help to accurately determine where the horizontal surface is broken in order to clean it to the very edge without falling.
Collision sensors
The bumper, located in the front of the vacuum cleaner, when it collides with an obstacle, sends information to the “on-board computer”. This information contains data about the specific point of collision in relation to the axis of the robot's body, thanks to which it understands which direction it needs to turn in order to continue moving.
Communication using beacons and magnetic tapes
When it is necessary to clarify the area in which a given smart robotic cleaner should move, their owners use various additional devices. Such devices include special infrared beacons and magnetic tapes. A beacon can look like a small cube that needs to be placed in the right place to point the robot to some control point, such as the entrance to another room. The magnetic tape is placed on the floor, cutting off some part of the floor if necessary so that the smart vacuum cleaner does not go into this part. For example, small children may play in such a “cut off” area, so it is better that no equipment maneuvers among them.
End of cleaning
When the robot decides that cleaning is complete, the instructions tell it to return to its base to recharge. Modern devices store a map of the room in memory and know where their “garage” is located, which is a small parking space with a charging connector. If the charge level drops to a low threshold, a smart vacuum cleaner is able to decide to return, recharge, and then continue cleaning. In plotting the route to the “garage”, the computer uses the collected data about the premises, also focusing on the infrared beacon available at the base as a beacon.
A small robot on wheels, which, after being turned on, travels around the entire room and cleans the floor, saves a lot of time. It is often used as a means to maintain order between full house cleanings.
Important! You must always remember that any of the existing automated vacuum cleaners can only clean the floor, but it will not wipe dust from furniture or move it to get into hard-to-reach places. By the way, he can still clean the floor under the bed better than a person crawling on all fours with a regular vacuum cleaner.
Maintaining cleanliness in living spaces is very important, since pollution can have a significant impact on health, and this effect can only be noticed over time, when allergies and other manifestations of respiratory tract irritation begin.Automated devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners help save time and take care of the health of all inhabitants of the house.
