Autonomous mobile robots integrate mechanics, sensing, control, and software. Their stable operation relies on systematic and standardized maintenance. Scientific maintenance not only reduces downtime and malfunctions but also extends equipment lifespan and ensures operational safety.
📅 Daily Maintenance: Before and After Shifts
• Environmental and Appearance Inspection: Before powering on, check that the operating area is flat, clean, and free of oil, water stains, cables, or other obstacles. Confirm that the robot's shell, emergency stop button, and protective cover are intact.
• Sensor Cleaning: Wipe the surfaces of sensors such as LiDAR, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors with a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth, ensuring they are clean and unobstructed. This is crucial for ensuring navigation and obstacle avoidance accuracy.
• Critical Component Inspection: Check the drive wheels and casters for wear or foreign objects entangled in them. Ensure the lug nuts are tight. Also, confirm that the battery is fully charged, the charging station is unobstructed, and the charging contacts are clean.
• Operational Data Recording: Record mileage, number of tasks, alarm information, etc., during the shift to provide data support for subsequent analysis and preventative maintenance.
🔧 Regular Maintenance: Weekly/Monthly Plan
• Mechanical System: Inspect and tighten all bolts on the chassis, brackets, sensor brackets, etc. Lubricate bearings, wheel systems, and other moving parts as needed, and check for oil leaks or seepage.
• Battery and Power Supply: Inspect the battery for bulging, deformation, or leakage. Measure voltage and internal resistance. For batteries eligible for maintenance, check the electrolyte level according to procedures. Clean charging contacts and verify the charging logic of the Battery Management System (BMS) is normal.
• Navigation and Positioning System: Check the installation of lidar, reflectors, etc., for secure mounting. Clean, calibrate, or optimize maps regularly according to manufacturer recommendations to ensure positioning accuracy.
• Software and Logs: Regularly back up maps, configuration files, and running programs. Export and analyze system logs to troubleshoot recurring alarms or performance degradation issues. Pay attention to firmware and software updates released by the manufacturer.
🚨 Safety and Anomaly Handling
• Safety Device Testing: Regularly test the functionality of all emergency stop buttons, safety edges, anti-collision strips, and other safety devices to ensure they can be reliably triggered and reset.
• Abnormal Shutdown Handling: If the equipment exhibits abnormal vibration, unusual noise, odor, or alarms, immediately press the emergency stop button and disconnect the power. Operation with the fault present is strictly prohibited until the cause has been identified and the fault has been eliminated.
• Fault Recording and Review: Record in detail the phenomena, causes, handling measures, and replaced spare parts for each fault, forming a maintenance file to provide a basis for subsequent optimization.
📈 Predictive Maintenance and Fleet Management
• Critical Component Life Management: Based on operating time and load, establish life ledgers for vulnerable components such as batteries, drive wheels, and reducers, and arrange replacements in advance when they approach their design life.
• Data-driven predictive maintenance: Utilize data from the robot's built-in sensors (such as motor current and torque) to build a health assessment model, predict the remaining lifespan of critical components, and achieve on-demand maintenance.
• Large-scale fleet management: For scenarios with multiple robots, a unified maintenance plan and digital ledger should be established. Analyze the overall health status of the fleet through a centralized monitoring platform to optimize task scheduling and maintenance resources.
👨🔧 Personnel, Spare Parts, and Environment
• Personnel qualifications and training: Maintenance work must be performed by trained and authorized professionals. Complex repairs are recommended to be performed by the original manufacturer or authorized service providers, using original manufacturer spare parts.
• Spare parts inventory management: Based on the criticality and failure rate of the equipment, reasonably stock up on vulnerable parts such as sensors, batteries, and drive wheels to minimize downtime.
• Working environment maintenance: Keep the ground clean, level, and dry, avoiding high temperature, high humidity, strong dust, or corrosive gas environments to provide a good foundation for stable robot operation.
