How does a robot vacuum cleaner work?

Not all people like to spend time cleaning a house. When a busy schedule of work does not even allow you to relax and get enough sleep, it’s hard to think about taking the time to complete cleaning. In such cases, robotic vacuum cleaners, also called home assistants or smart vacuum cleaners, help to maintain the floor in an acceptable condition.

Principle of operation

Like any other household appliances, robotic vacuum cleaners improve their functionality in each new model, and a long way of evolution lies between the old devices of this type and the newest devices. The first smart home helpers were almost blind and moved literally to the touch, and their ability to clean was far from ideal. With manual cleaning, they could not compete at all. Current models manufactured by companies like iRobot, Yujin Robot, Panda Robotics and Xiaomi are able to clean almost any relatively smooth surface. They also have scanners and sensors for creating a map of the room, they know how not to fall on the stairs, clean a corner or carefully avoid an obstacle without colliding with it.

Garbage collector

The fulfillment of the main purpose of the robot vacuum cleaner is carried out through the collaboration of several devices. In advanced models, cleaning can even take place in several modes, automatically selected depending on the surface being cleaned. A combined surface cleaning device may consist of the following systems:

1. Brushes for collecting large and light particles.
2. Side brushes for “sweeping” debris under a vacuum cleaner.
3. Rubber brushes for collecting small heavy particles like sand.
4. Air intake system.
5. Sprayer for spraying water in the wet cleaning mode.
6. A device for removing moisture from the surface.

The number of brushes used in this technique, on average, varies from 4 to 10. Rotating towards the suction device, they collect garbage under the entire bottom of the robot, after which it and the air flow are drawn into the filtration module, where the trash and dust are collected. The purified air is again released outside.

Important! it is necessary to control the condition of the filters in the vacuum cleaner. Old and worn filters release air along with a lot of fine dust, which reduces cleaning performance and negatively affects the health of people and animals. Filters in any household appliance should be replaced as they wear.

The garbage collection module, depending on the specific model, may include different filters. In budget models it can be simple filter wipes, as in ordinary vacuum cleaners, in more advanced ones - complex multilayer HEPA filters that can hold the smallest dust.

The volume of the container for collecting garbage in different robotic home helpers ranges from a quarter to a whole liter. They need to be systematically cleaned of dust and other collected particles so that cleaning remains effective and the device lasts longer. Since the power in these household appliances ranges from 40-65 watts, they consume relatively little energy. They are autonomous, they do not work directly from the network, but from the storage device. To charge, current models need 3-5 hours, and with a full charge of the battery, they are able to work for 2-3 hours, which is enough to clean 2-3 large rooms.

Navigation system

There are many technologies due to which the device understands the size and shape of the room, and they can be present in different models in different combinations. These are the following systems:

1. Cameras.
2. Laser sensors
3. Infrared sensors
4. Bumpers with touch sensors.
5. Infrared beacons and virtual walls.

Technologies that allow the robotic cleaner to fulfill its purpose are constantly evolving and supplemented. The most expensive and high-quality devices use more accurate and smart systems, can work almost without human intervention, and also receive commands from the control panel or even voice.

Camera Orientation

Obtaining visual images using cameras gives the robot the ability to collect from them something like a map, which is used to more accurately move around the house. Comparing the shots taken, the processor understands what the doorway looks like, an obstacle or its own base for recharging.

Laser scanning

With the help of 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 on 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 space map. Such an accurate understanding of the surrounding environment gives the robot the ability to build the fastest and most convenient route, which saves cleaning time, and consequently, the device’s operating time and its wear, thus extending the service life.

Infrared light sensors

Located in the front of the vacuum cleaner, a system of radiation and light research in the infrared range implements an important function - the assessment of surfaces located directly under the nose. This is necessary to understand places such as the beginning of a ladder, any precipice or any step. So far, this clever technique cannot move up stairs, but infrared light sensors help determine exactly where the cliff of the horizontal surface is located, so as to clean it to the very edge and not to fall.

Collision sensors

The bumper located in front of the vacuum cleaner, in the event of a collision with an obstacle, sends information to the “on-board computer”. This information contains data on a specific point of collision with respect to the axis of the robot body, so that he understands which direction he needs to turn in order to continue moving.

Communication with beacons and magnetic tapes

When you need to clarify the area in which this smart robotic cleaner should move, their owners use various additional devices. Among such devices are special infrared beacons and magnetic tapes. The lighthouse may look like a small cube that needs to be put in the right place to point the robot at some kind of control point like the entrance to another room. The magnetic tape is placed on the floor, cutting off some part of the floor, if you want the smart vacuum cleaner not to enter this part. For example, small children can play in such a “cut off” zone, therefore it is better that no equipment maneuver among them.

End of cleaning

When the robot decides that the cleaning is completed, the instruction tells him to return to the base to recharge. Modern devices store a room map in their memory and know where their “garage” is located, which is a small parking space with a charging connector. In the event of a drop in the charge level to a low threshold, a smart vacuum cleaner can itself decide to return, recharge, and then continue cleaning. In laying the route to the "garage", the computer uses the collected data about the room, focusing also on the infrared beacon, which is available at the base as a beacon.

A small robot on wheels, which after turning on itself travels around the room and cleans the floor, saves a lot of time. Often it is used as a means to maintain order between full house cleaning.

Important! you must always remember that any of the existing automated vacuum cleaners is capable of only to clean the floor, but he will not wipe the dust from the furniture and will not move it to get into hard-to-reach places. By the way, he will still be able to clean the floor under the bed better than a person crawling on all fours with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.

Maintaining cleanliness in your living environment is very important as contamination can have a significant impact on your health and this effect can only be noticed with time, when allergies and other manifestations of respiratory irritation begin ways. Automated devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners help save time and take care of the health of all the inhabitants of the house.