How robotic vacuums navigate?
We know the origin of robot vacuum cleaners. We have all seen robot vacuum cleaners cleaning around the house, and after picking up dust and dirt, they return to their electronic nest to charge. So, do you want to know how these robot vacuum cleaners navigate your home?
The robot vacuum cleaner now uses an advanced robot vacuum navigation system, which is enabled by algorithms and sensors. Vacuum cleaners use different techniques to map houses, and most of them use the following 3 main mapping techniques.
Camera-based mapping
This technology uses a digital camera to draw a map by taking photos of landmarks around the house. Although this technology can map well, it does not work in the dark. So some manufacturers will add a light source to the device so that it can work normally in the dark.
Lidar-based mapping
Lidar is an invisible rotating laser that can detect information. It collects data about room size and obstacles, such as legs at laser level, but it first maps the house and cleans it systematically in straight lines rather than randomly.
Lidar technology is the most accurate surveying and mapping technology and has accurate navigation compared with other technologies.
Gyroscope or accelerometer mapping
Gyroscope and accelerometer sensors calculate the distance and direction of objects around the house. The collision sensor is mainly used for identification. Vacuum cleaners using this technology are affordable. But it cannot create accurate maps, nor can it navigate like vacuum robots that use lidar and camera-based technology.
Sensors play a big role in robot vacuum cleaners
The sweeping robot uses a map to form a route to clean, and while moving, it uses sensors to detect road conditions.
Cliff sensor
All robot vacuum cleaners have cliff sensors as a safety requirement. This way your robot vacuum cleaner will not fall down the stairs. The cliff sensor uses infrared light reflected from the object. The subject then sends the signal back to the receiver in vac.
If vac does not receive any signal, the receiver does not detect the object and changes the path. This will prevent your vacuum cleaner from falling off the stairs.
Obstacle sensor
When cleaning your house, the vacuum cleaner will inevitably encounter obstacles from furniture and other objects on the floor. Obstacle sensors are usually placed on the bumper of the vacuum cleaner and will guide it through the obstacle.
When the vacuum comes into contact with an object, the sensor will turn off, forcing the vacuum away from it.
Wall sensor
These sensors use infrared light to detect walls and then clean them along the border. The robot will do this efficiently and will not hit the wall.
Wheel sensor
The light sensor counts the rotation of the wheel to determine the distance it has covered. Although it is common to use these sensors when the robot vacuum cleaner is new, only low-end models use them.