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Mulfanction test of infrared sensors

Please watch this video first.

Robot vacuum cleaners are equipped with a variety of sensors.
They include an infrared sensor that communicates between the home base and the robot vacuum cleaner (the light emitter on the home base side and the receiver on the robot vacuum cleaner side) and six of step sensors on the back of the robot vacuum cleaner.
All of the sensors listed here use infrared.

Reproducing the effect of artificially sunlight (using lamps) on infrared sensors

The video, which you saw, of the robot vacuum cleaner malfunction test shows, the light from the HELIOS XG-500EFSS artificial solar lighting was irradiated onto the top surface of the white cabinet under the table, and the reflection of the light, which was as strong as direct sunlight, was simulated to induce malfunctions in the light receiver of the step sensors.
Since we are not a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturer, the real cause of this malfunction is not clear, but we assume it is due to the infrared step sensors not sensing properly. (*)

These are the step sensors

If the robot cannot pick up the infrared reflection from the floor (in this case, from the table) in normal operation, it recognizes that there is a step, stops moving, and reverses.
However, in this test, the robot vacuum cleaner probably fell off the table because it was unable to pick up the infrared reflections and therefore could not recognize the bumps.

Actually, in addition to this experiment, we irradiated HELIOS light to the infrared emitter and receiver of the robot vacuum cleaner sensors and that home base to see if the vacuum cleaner could return to the home base without a problem, and we also shone HELIOS light directly on the table surface to see if the step sensors would still function.
The correct operation was confirmed in all cases, and the entire staff was impressed, saying, “Robot vacuum cleaners do have proper measures in place and are certainly amazing.

Artificial solar lighting is used in malfunction test of infrared sensors

This is what may be called a “mean test” because the environment simulated in the above experiment to induce malfunction of the step sensors is actually quite rare.
Each manufacturer has their own criteria for how much testing they should conduct, and we will not go into details. But we hope this example has shown you how the artificial solar lighting is used to test infrared sensors.

Many manufacturers are already using the HELIOS XG-500EFSS artificial solar lighting for testing the malfunction of infrared sensors installed in their products, such as robots.

In this experiment, I spent a long time observing robot vacuum cleaners and how they move. After witnessing their excellent functions, I now want one for myself. I’ll have to talk to my wife about it when I get home (laughs).

(*): We cannot rule out the possibility that the robot vacuum cleaner in this experiment failed to recognize the steps due to factors other than the irradiation of the artificial solar lighting.

See also: Why HELIOS artificial solar lighting is used to evaluate infrared sensor performance