CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of cleaning robot technology, in particular
to an automatic cleaning device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] At present, there are mainly two types of cleaning robots, that is, a sweeping robot
and a mopping robot. The sweeping robot or the mopping robot has a single function,
and may be used for sweeping or mopping only. If it is desired to carry out the sweeping
and mopping at the same time, two devices have to be prepared, occupying double space
and affecting the arrangement of other components due to the unreasonable design of
structures.
[0004] In the prior art, a mopping module of the cleaning robot includes a lifting module,
which can lift or lower the mopping module according to needs. However, during a lifting
and lowering process of the mopping module, an offset of the lifting module would
occur sometimes due to inherent reasons of the mechanical structure. As a result,
the lifting module cannot completely arrive at a lifting position when it is lifted,
which will affect the movement after lifting, thereby affecting the service life of
the mopping module.
SUMMARY
[0005] An objective of the present disclosure is to provide an automatic cleaning device,
which can solve one of the above technical problems. The specific solutions are described
below.
[0006] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an automatic cleaning device
is provided, and the automatic cleaning device includes:
a mobile platform 100 configured to move automatically on an operating surface; and
a cleaning module 150 arranged on the mobile platform 100, and including:
a dry cleaning module 151 configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface
by means of dry cleaning; and
a wet cleaning module 400 configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface
by means of wet cleaning, wherein the wet cleaning module 400 includes:
a cleaning head 410 for cleaning the operating surface, and,
a driving unit 420 for driving the cleaning head 410 to make a reciprocating movement
along a target surface, the target surface being a part of the operating surface,
wherein the mobile platform 100 is provided with a thimble 1001, and the wet cleaning
module 400 is provided with a slot 4001 matched with the thimble 1001 for limiting
a working position of the wet cleaning module 400.
[0007] In some embodiments, the slot 4001 includes an elastic element 40011, and the elastic
element 40011 extends from the slot 4001 toward the mobile platform 100
[0008] In some embodiments, the slot 4001 further includes a thimble sheath 40012, and the
thimble sheath 40012 extends upward from a bottom of the slot 4001, allowing the thimble
1001 to make a telescopic movement within the thimble sheath 40012.
[0009] In some embodiments, the elastic element 40011 is a helical spring, and the helical
spring is arranged around the periphery of the thimble sheath 40012.
[0010] In some embodiments, the thimble 1001 includes a sliding portion 10011 and a fixed
portion 10012, the sliding portion 10011 slides along the thimble sheath 40012, and
the fixed portion 10012 is fixed to the mobile platform 100.
[0011] In some embodiments, the fixed portion 10012 includes a thread structure, and is
fixed to the mobile platform 100 through the thread structure.
[0012] In some embodiments, an inner diameter of the thimble sheath 40012 is slightly larger
than an outer diameter of the sliding portion 10011.
[0013] In some embodiments, a height of the elastic element 40011 in a natural state is
greater than a height of the thimble sheath 40012.
[0014] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning module 400 further includes a driving platform
421 connected to a bottom surface of the mobile platform 100, and the slot 4001 is
arranged on the driving platform 421.
[0015] In some embodiments, the slot 4001 is cylindrical or square.
[0016] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, an automatic cleaning
device is provided, and the automatic cleaning device includes:
a mobile platform 100 configured to move automatically on an operating surface; and
a cleaning module 150 arranged on the mobile platform 100, and including:
a dry cleaning module 151 configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface
by means of dry cleaning, and a wet cleaning module 400 configured to clean at least
a part of the operating surface by means of wet cleaning,
wherein the wet cleaning module 400 includes a cleaning head 410 for cleaning the
operating surface, a driving unit 420 for driving the cleaning head 410 to make a
reciprocating movement along a target surface, the target surface being a part of
the operating surface, and a driving platform 421 connected to a bottom surface of
the mobile platform 100 for providing a driving force, wherein the driving platform
421 includes:
a motor 4211 arranged on a side of the driving platform 421 close to the mobile platform
100, for outputting power through an output shaft 42111 of the motor; and
a connection rod 4214 arranged on a side of the driving platform 421 opposite to the
motor 4211, one end of the connection rod 4214 being connected to the output shaft
42111 of the motor, wherein a buffer clip 42112 is provided at a joint between the
connection rod 4214 and the output the shaft 42111 of the motor.
[0017] In some embodiments, an end of the output shaft 42111 of the motor includes an annular
groove 42113, and the buffer clip 42112 is snapped into the annular groove 42113.
[0018] In some embodiments, the buffer clip 42112 includes a notch 42114 for providing an
entrance when the buffer clip 42112 is snapped into the annular groove 42113.
[0019] In some embodiments, the buffer clip 42112 further includes a snapping surface 42115
for clasping the annular groove 42113 tightly when the buffer clip 42112 is snapped
into the annular groove 42113.
[0020] In some embodiments, the snapping surface 42115 is a continuous structure or an intermittent
structure.
[0021] In some embodiments, the buffer clip 42112 is a sheet structure.
[0022] In some embodiments, one end of the connection rod 4214 is provided with an opening
42116, and the output shaft 42111 of the motor protrudes from the opening 42116 and
is snapped by the buffer clip 42112.
[0023] In some embodiments, the driving platform 421 further includes a vibration member
4213 connected to the connection rod 4214, to make an approximate reciprocating movement
under the driving of the motor 4211.
[0024] In some embodiments, an extending direction of the vibration member 4213 is substantially
perpendicular to an extending direction of the connection rod 4214.
[0025] In some embodiments, the driving platform 421 further includes a vibration buffer
unit 4215 arranged on the connection rod 4214.
[0026] Compared to the prior art, embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following
technical effects.
[0027] The present disclosure provides an automatic cleaning device. A slot is provided
on the wet cleaning module, a spring is provided inside the slot, and a thimble corresponding
to the slot is provided on the mobile platform, so that the thimble can move directionally
along the slot, and during the lifting and lowering of the lifting module, the slot
and the thimble play the role of a position limit, so as to avoid deviation of the
lifting module. The spring can reduce the vibration of the pallet caused by the falling
state of the lifting module.
[0028] Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an automatic cleaning device. A buffer
clip is provided at a joint between the connection rod of the wet cleaning module
and the motor output shaft. When the mopping module encounters ground fluctuations
or obstacles during the mopping process, the vibration damage to the motor caused
by the displacement in the vertical direction can be reduced, thereby reducing the
damage to the reliability of the overall structure and improving the service life
of the mopping module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The drawings herein, which are incorporated in and constitute a portion of this specification,
illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and serve together with
the specification to explain principles of the present disclosure. It is apparent
that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present
disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings by those of ordinary
skill in the art without creative effort, in which:
FIG. 1 is an oblique view of an automatic cleaning device according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a bottom structure of an automatic cleaning device
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an oblique view of a driving wheel assembly on a side according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a front view of a driving wheel assembly on a side according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is an oblique view of a dust box according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is an oblique view of a fan according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a dust box in an open state according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a dust box and a fan in an assembled state according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an automatic cleaning device according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a supporting platform of an automatic cleaning
device according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 is a structural diagram of a vibration member of an automatic cleaning device
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning head driving mechanism based on a crank
slider mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning head driving mechanism based on a double-crank
mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning head driving mechanism based on a crank
mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 15 is a structural diagram of a vibration member according to embodiments of
the present disclosure.
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an assembled structure of a cleaning substrate according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 17 is a structural diagram of a clean water pump driven by a motor according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 18 is a structural diagram of a lifting module driven by a motor according to
embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a lifting state of an automatic cleaning device
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a lowering state of an automatic cleaning device
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a lifting state of a four-link lifting structure
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of a lowering state of a four-link lifting structure
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a dry cleaning module in a lowering state
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of a dry cleaning module in a lifting state
according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of a thimble structure according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram of an enlarged structure of a thimble structure according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a thimble structure according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of an enlarged structure at A in FIG. 10 according
to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 29 is a schematic structural diagram of a buffer clip according to embodiments
of the present disclosure.
List of Reference Numerals:
[0030] 100-mobile platform, 110-rearward portion, 111-forward portion, 120-detection system,
121-position determination unit, 122-buffer, 123-cliff sensor, 130-control system,
140-driving system, 141-driving wheel assembly, 142-steering assembly, 143-elastic
element, 146-driving motor, 150-cleaning module, 151-dry cleaning module, 152-dust
box, 153-filter screen, 154-dust suction inlet, 155-air outlet, 156-fan, 160-energy
system, 170-human-machine interaction system, 400-wet cleaning module, 410-cleaning
head, 420-driving unit, 421-driving platform, 422-supporting platform, 4211-motor,
4212-driving wheel, 4213-vibration member, 4214-connection rod, 4215-vibration buffering
unit, 4216-pawl, 4218-clean water pump pipe, 4219-clean water pump, 4221-cleaning
substrate, 4229-elastic detachable button, 4224-assembly region, 4225-engagement position,
4222-first sliding slot, 4223-second sliding slot, 525-first slider, 528-second slider,
512 (4227)-swiveling end, 514 (4226)-sliding end, 516 (624)-first pivot, 518 (626)-second
pivot, 800 (600, 700)-driving mechanism, 500-four-link lifting structure, 501-first
connection end, 502-second connection end, 5011-first bracket, 5012-first connection
rod pair, 50121-first connection rod, 50122-second connection rod, 42194-cable, 50131-cable
motor terminal, 50132-cable bracket terminal, 50111-cross beam, 50112-sliding slot,
50113-snapping hole, 50114-first longitudinal beam, 50115-second longitudinal beam,
5021-second bracket, 5022-second connection rod pair, 50221-third connection rod,
50222-fourth connection rod, 600-floating lifting structure, 601-first fixed bracket,
602-second fixed bracket, 603-connection rod pair, 6031-first connection rod pair,
6032-second connection rod pair, 60311-first connection rod, 60312-second connection
rod, 60321-third connection rod, 60322-fourth connection rod, 6011-first fixed part,
and 6012-second fixed part.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure
clearer, the present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference
to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only
some, but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments
obtained by those of ordinary skills in the art without creative efforts based on
the embodiments in the present disclosure are within the protection scope of the present
disclosure.
[0032] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of
describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.
The singular forms "a/an", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present
disclosure and the appended claims are intended to include the plural forms as well,
unless otherwise indicated clearly in the context. The term "a plurality of" generally
includes at least two.
[0033] It is to be understood that, the term "and/or" used herein only describes an association
relationship between associated objects, and indicates that there may be three kinds
of relationships. For example, A and/or B may indicate three cases: A exists alone,
A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/"
herein generally indicates an "or" relationship between the contextual objects.
[0034] It is to be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be
used to describe in the embodiments of the present disclosure, these should not be
limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish. For example, "first"
... may also be referred to as "second" without departing from the scope of the embodiments
of the present disclosure. Similarly, "second" ... may also be referred to as "first".
[0035] It is also to be noted that, the terms "including", "containing", or any other variants
are intended to cover the nonexclusive inclusion, such that a commodity or device
including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements
not listed explicitly or elements inherent to such a commodity or device. Without
more limitations, the element defined by the phrase "including a ..." does not exclude
the existence of other same elements in the commodity or device including the element.
[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following
with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1
[0037] FIGs. 1-2 are schematic structural diagrams of an automatic cleaning device according
to some embodiments. As shown in FIGs. 1-2, the automatic cleaning device may be a
vacuum suction robot, or may be a mopping/brushing robot, or may be a window climbing
robot, or the like. The automatic cleaning device may include a mobile platform 100,
a detection system 120, a control system 130, a driving system 140, a cleaning module
150, an energy system 160 and a human-machine interaction system 170.
[0038] The mobile platform 100 may be configured to move automatically along a target direction
on an operating surface. The operating surface may be a surface to be cleaned by the
automatic cleaning device. In some embodiments, the automatic cleaning device may
be a mopping robot, and is operated on a ground, and then the ground is the operating
surface. The automatic cleaning device may also be a window cleaning robot, and is
operated on an outer surface of the glass of a building, and then the glass is the
operating surface. The automatic cleaning device may also be a pipe cleaning robot,
and is operated on an inner surface of a pipe, and then the inner surface of the pipe
is the operating surface. For the purpose of explanation, the following description
in the present disclosure takes a mopping robot as an example for illustration.
[0039] In some embodiments, the mobile platform 100 may be an autonomous mobile platform,
or a non-autonomous mobile platform. The autonomous mobile platform means that the
mobile platform 100 itself can automatically and adaptively make an operational decision
based on an unexpected environmental input, and the non-autonomous mobile platform
itself cannot adaptively make an operational decision based on the unexpected environmental
input, but can execute a given procedure or operate according to a certain logic.
Correspondingly, when the mobile platform 100 is the autonomous mobile platform, the
target direction may be determined autonomously by the automatic cleaning device.
When the mobile platform 100 is the non-autonomous mobile platform, the target direction
may be set systematically or manually. When the mobile platform 100 is the autonomous
mobile platform, the mobile platform 100 includes a forward portion 111 and a rearward
portion 110.
[0040] The detection system 120 includes a position determination unit 121 located on the
mobile platform 100, a buffer 122 located at the forward portion 111 of the mobile
platform 100, a cliff sensor 123 and a sensing device, such as an ultrasonic sensor
(not shown), an infrared sensor (not shown), a magnetometer (not shown), an accelerometer
(not shown), a gyroscope (not shown), an odometer (not shown), and the like, located
at a bottom of the mobile platform 100, for providing various position information
and motion state information of the automatic cleaning device to the control system
130.
[0041] In order to describe behaviors of the automatic cleaning device more clearly, directions
are defined as follows: the automatic cleaning device may travel on the ground by
means of various combinations of movements relative to the following three mutually
perpendicular axes defined by the mobile platform 100, i.e., a transversal axis X,
a front and rear axis Y and a central vertical axis Z. A forward driving direction
along the front and rear axis Y is designated as "forward", and a rearward driving
direction along the front and rear axis Y is designated as "rearward". The transversal
axis X substantially extends between a right wheel and a left wheel of the automatic
cleaning device along a center of an axis defined by a center point of a driving wheel
assembly 141. The automatic cleaning device may rotate around the axis X. It is referred
to as "pitch up" when the forward portion of the automatic cleaning device is tilted
upward and the rearward portion thereof is tilted downward, and it is referred to
as "pitch down" when the forward portion of the automatic cleaning device is tilted
downward and the rearward portion thereof is tilted upward. In addition, the automatic
cleaning device may rotate around the axis Z. In a forward direction of the automatic
cleaning device, it is referred to as "turn right" when the automatic cleaning device
is tilted to the right of the axis Y, and it is referred to as "turn left" when the
automatic cleaning device is tilted to the left of the axis Y.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, cliff sensors 123 are provided at the bottom of the mobile platform
100 and in front and rear of the driving wheel assembly 141, respectively, for preventing
the automatic cleaning device from falling off when the automatic cleaning device
retreats, so as to avoid the damage to the automatic cleaning device. The aforementioned
"front" refers to a side that is the same as a travelling direction of the automatic
cleaning device, and the aforementioned "rear" refers to a side that is opposite to
the travelling direction of the automatic cleaning device.
[0043] The position determination unit 121 includes, but is not limited to, a camera and
a laser distance sensor (LDS).
[0044] Components in the detection system 120 may operate independently, or operate together
to achieve a target function more accurately. The surface to be cleaned is identified
through the cliff sensors 123 and the ultrasonic sensor to determine physical properties
of the surface to be cleaned, including a surface material, a degree of cleanliness,
and the like, and may be determined more accurately in combination with the camera,
the LDS, or the like.
[0045] For example, the ultrasonic sensor may determine whether the surface to be cleaned
is a carpet. If the ultrasonic sensor determines that the surface to be cleaned is
made of a carpet material, the control system 130 controls the automatic cleaning
device to perform cleaning in a carpet mode.
[0046] The forward portion 111 of the mobile platform 100 is provided with the buffer 122.
During cleaning, when the driving wheel assembly 141 drives the automatic cleaning
device to travel on the ground, the buffer 122 detects one or more events (or objects)
in a travelling path of the automatic cleaning device via a sensor system, e.g., an
infrared sensor, and the automatic cleaning device may control the driving wheel assembly
141 based on the event (or object), such as an obstacle or a wall, detected by the
buffer 122, to enable the automatic cleaning device to respond to the event (or object),
for example, to move away from the obstacle.
[0047] The control system 130 is disposed on a main circuit board in the mobile platform
100, and includes a computing processor such as a central processing unit and an application
processor, that communicates with a non-transitory memory such as a hard disk, a flash
memory and a random-access memory. The application processor is configured to receive
environmental information sensed by the plurality of sensors and transmitted from
the detection system 120, depict an instant map of an environment where the automatic
cleaning device is located using a positioning algorithm, e.g., simultaneous localization
and mapping (SLAM), based on obstacle information fed back by the LDS, and autonomously
determine a travelling path based on the environmental information and the environmental
map to control the driving system 140 to perform operations, such as travelling forward,
travelling backward, and/or steering, based on the autonomously determined travelling
path. In some embodiments, the control system 130 may also determine based on the
environmental information and the environmental map whether to activate the cleaning
module 150 to perform a cleaning operation.
[0048] In some embodiments, the control system 130 may, based on distance information and
speed information which are fed back by the buffer 122, the cliff sensors 123, the
ultrasonic sensor, the infrared sensor, the magnetometer, the accelerometer, the gyroscope,
the odometer, and other sensing devices, comprehensively determine a current operation
state of the sweeping robot. For example, the sweeping robot is crossing a doorsill,
moving onto a carpet, standing at an edge of a cliff, being stuck at the top or bottom,
having a full dust box or being picked up, and will also give specific next-step action
strategies for different situations, so that the action of the automatic cleaning
device is more in line with requirements of an owner and provides better user experience.
The control system can plan the most efficient and reasonable sweeping path and sweeping
mode based on the instant map depicted by the SLAM, thereby greatly improving the
sweeping efficiency of the automatic cleaning device.
[0049] The driving system 140 may execute a driving command based on specific distance and
angle information, such as x, y, and θ components, to manipulate the automatic cleaning
device to travel across the ground. FIGs. 3 and 4 are respectively an oblique view
and a front view of a driving wheel assembly 141 on a side according to embodiments
of the present disclosure. As shown in the figures, the driving system 140 includes
the driving wheel assembly 141, and may control a left wheel and a right wheel simultaneously.
In order to control the movement of the automatic cleaning device more precisely,
the driving system 140 preferably includes a left driving wheel assembly and a right
driving wheel assembly. The left driving wheel assembly and the right driving wheel
assembly are arranged symmetrically along a transversal axis defined by the mobile
platform 100. The driving wheel assembly includes a body portion, a driving wheel
and an elastic element. One end of the body portion is connected to a frame. The driving
wheel is disposed in the body portion and is driven by a driving motor 146. The elastic
element is connected between the body portion and the frame, and is configured to
provide an elastic force between the frame and the body portion. The driving motor
146 is located outside the driving wheel assembly 141, a center of an axis of the
driving motor 146 is located within a sectional projection of the driving wheel, and
the driving wheel assembly 141 may also be connected to the odometer and a circuit
for measuring driving current.
[0050] In order to enable the automatic cleaning device to move on the ground more stably
or to have a stronger movement ability, the automatic cleaning device may include
one or more steering assemblies 142. The steering assembly 142 may be a driven wheel,
and may also be a driving wheel, which includes but is not limited to a universal
wheel in view of a structures thereof. The steering assembly 142 may be located in
front of the driving wheel assembly 141.
[0051] The driving motor 146 provides power for rotation of the driving wheel assembly 141
and/or the steering assembly 142.
[0052] The driving wheel assembly 141 may be detachably connected to the mobile platform
100 to facilitate assembling, disassembling and maintaining. The driving wheel may
have an offset drop suspension system movably fastened, e.g., rotatably attached,
to the mobile platform 100 of the automatic cleaning device, and maintain with a certain
grounding force contact with the ground and traction through an elastic element 143,
such as a tension spring or a compression spring. At the same time, the cleaning module
150 of the automatic cleaning device is also in contact with the surface to be cleaned
with a certain pressure.
[0053] The energy system 160 includes a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-hydride battery
and a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery may be connected with a charging control
circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit and a battery undervoltage
monitoring circuit. The charging control circuit, the battery pack charging temperature
detection circuit and the battery undervoltage monitoring circuit are then connected
to a single-chip microcomputer control circuit. A host of the automatic cleaning device
is connected to a charging station through a charging electrode disposed on a side
of or below a body of the automatic cleaning device for charging.
[0054] The human-machine interaction system 170 includes buttons that are on a panel of
the host and used by a user to select functions. The human-machine interaction system
170 may further include a display screen and/or an indicator light and/or a horn that
present a current state or function item of the automatic cleaning device to the user.
The human-machine interaction system 170 may further include a mobile client program.
For a route navigation type cleaning device, a mobile client may present a map of
the environment where the apparatus is located and a position of the apparatus to
the user, which may provide richer and more user-friendly function items to the user.
[0055] The cleaning module 150 may include a dry cleaning module 151 and/or a wet cleaning
module 400.
[0056] As shown in FIGs. 5-8, the dry cleaning module 151 includes a rolling brush, a dust
box, a fan and an air outlet. The rolling brush having a certain interference with
the ground sweeps up the garbage on the ground and rolls up the garbage to the front
of a dust suction inlet between the rolling brush and the dust box. The garbage is
then sucked into the dust box by air having a suction force, which is generated by
the fan and passes through the dust box. A dust removal capacity of the sweeping robot
may be characterized by a dust pickup efficiency (DPU) of the garbage. The DPU is
affected by a structure and a material of the rolling brush, by a utilization rate
of the air in an air channel formed by the dust suction inlet, the dust box, the fan,
the air outlet and connecting components between the four, and by a type and a power
of the fan, which is a complex systematic design problem. Compared to an ordinary
plug-in vacuum cleaner, the improvement of the dust removal capacity is more meaningful
for the automatic cleaning device with limited energy, because the improvement of
the dust removal capacity directly and effectively reduces requirements for energy.
That is, the cleaning device may sweep 80 square meters of the ground for one single
charge before, and is evolved to sweep 180 square meters or more for one single charge.
Furthermore, the service life of the battery with the reduced number of charging times
will also be greatly increased, so that the frequency of replacing the battery by
the user will also be decreased. More intuitively and importantly, the improvement
of the dust removal capacity is the most obvious and important user experience, for
the user will directly determine whether the thorough cleaning is achieved. The dry
cleaning module may further include a side brush 152 having a rotary shaft at an angle
relative to the ground, for moving debris into a rolling brush region in the cleaning
module 150.
[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a dust box 152 in the dry cleaning module,
FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a fan 156 in the dry cleaning module,
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the dust box 152 in an open state, and FIG. 8 is
a schematic diagram of the dust box and the fan in an assembled state.
[0058] The rolling brush having a certain interference with the ground sweeps up the garbage
on the ground and rolls up the garbage to the front of the dust suction inlet 154
between the rolling brush and the dust box 152, and then the garbage is sucked into
the dust box 152 by a suction force from air which is generated by the fan 156 and
passes through the dust box 152. The garbage is isolated, by a filter screen 153,
inside the dust box 152 on a side close to the dust suction inlet 154, and the filter
screen 153 completely isolates the dust suction inlet from the air outlet, so that
the filtered air enters the fan 156 through the air outlet 155.
[0059] Typically, the dust suction inlet 154 of the dust box 152 is located in front of
the automatic cleaning device, the air outlet 155 is located on a side of the dust
box 152, and an air inlet of the fan 156 is communicated with the air outlet of the
dust box.
[0060] A front panel of the dust box 152 may be opened for cleaning the garbage in the dust
box 152.
[0061] The filter screen 153 is detachably connected to a body of the dust box 152 to facilitate
assembling, disassembling and cleaning of the filter screen.
[0062] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGs. 9-11, the wet
cleaning module 400 according to the present disclosure is configured to clean at
least a part of the operating surface by means of wet cleaning. The wet cleaning module
400 includes a cleaning head 410 and a driving unit 420. The cleaning head 410 is
used for cleaning at least a part of the operating surface, and the driving unit 420
is used for driving the cleaning head 410 to make an approximate reciprocating movement
along a target surface, the target surface being a part of the operating surface.
The cleaning head 410 makes a reciprocating movement along the surface to be cleaned,
a surface of the cleaning head 410 in contact with the surface to be cleaned is provided
with a cleaning cloth or a cleaning plate, and a high-frequency friction with the
surface to be cleaned occurs due to the reciprocating movement, thereby removing stains
on the surface to be cleaned.
[0063] The higher the friction frequency is, the more friction occurring per unit time.
A high-frequency reciprocating movement, also referred to as reciprocating vibration,
has a much higher cleaning ability than an ordinary reciprocating movement, e.g.,
rotational friction cleaning. In some embodiments, when the friction frequency approaches
a sound wave, a cleaning effect will be much higher than that of the rotational friction
cleaning with dozens of revolutions per minute. On the other hand, tufts on the surface
of the cleaning head are more uniform and extend in the same direction under the shaking
of the high-frequency vibration, so as to achieve a more uniform overall cleaning
effect, rather than being in the case of low-frequency rotation, where the cleaning
effect can only be improved due to increased frictional force by applying a down pressure.
Appling the down pressure only does not enable the tufts to extend approximately in
the same direction. Therefore, in terms of the effect, water marks on the operating
surface after being cleaned under the high-frequency vibration are more uniform without
chaotic water stains.
[0064] The reciprocating movement may be a repeated motion along any one or more directions
within the operating surface, or may be a vibrating motion perpendicular to the operating
surface, which is not strictly limited. In some embodiments, the direction of the
reciprocating movement of the cleaning module is substantially perpendicular to the
travelling direction of the automatic cleaning device, because the direction of the
reciprocating movement being parallel to the travelling direction of the automatic
cleaning device may result instability in travelling of the automatic cleaning device
itself due to thrust and resistance in the travelling direction, which makes it easy
for the driving wheel to skid. The skid would be more obvious when the wet cleaning
module is included, for the wetness of the operating surface increases the possibility
of skid. The skid not only affects the stable travelling and cleaning of the automatic
cleaning device, but also causes inaccurate distance measurements of the sensors such
as the odometer and the gyroscope, thereby resulting inaccurate in locating and map
drawing of a navigation type automatic cleaning device. In the case of frequent skid,
the effect on the SLAM cannot be ignored. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the
skid of the automatic cleaning device as much as possible. In addition to the skid,
a motion component of the cleaning head in the travelling direction of the automatic
cleaning device causes the automatic cleaning device to be pushed forward and backward
constantly during travelling, and thus the automatic cleaning device cannot travel
stably and smoothly.
[0065] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 9, the driving
unit 420 includes a driving platform 421 connected to a bottom surface of the mobile
platform 100, for providing a driving force, and a supporting platform 422 detachably
connected to the driving platform 421, for supporting the cleaning head 410. The supporting
platform 422 can be lifted and lowered under the driving of the driving platform 421.
[0066] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lifting module is provided
between the cleaning module 150 and the mobile platform 100, so that the cleaning
module 150 may be in better contact with the surface to be cleaned, or different cleaning
strategies may be used for surfaces to be cleaned made of different materials.
[0067] In some embodiments, the dry cleaning module 151 may be connected to the mobile platform
100 through a passive lifting module. When the cleaning device encounters an obstacle,
the dry cleaning module 151 may pass the obstacle more easily through the lifting
module.
[0068] In some embodiments, the wet cleaning module 400 may be connected to the mobile platform
100 through an active lifting module. When the wet cleaning module 400 does not participate
in the operation temporarily, or when a surface to be cleaned cannot be cleaned by
using the wet cleaning module 400, the wet cleaning module 400 is lifted through the
active lifting module and separated from the surface to be cleaned, so as to realize
the change of cleaning means.
[0069] As shown in FIGs. 10-11, the driving platform 421 includes: a motor 4211 disposed
on a side of the driving platform 421 close to the mobile platform 100 and for outputting
power through a motor output shaft; a driving wheel 4212 connected to the motor output
shaft and having an asymmetric structure; and a vibration member 4213 disposed on
a side of the driving platform 421 opposite to the motor 4211 and connected to the
driving wheel 4212 to make a reciprocating movement under the asymmetrical rotation
of the driving wheel 4212.
[0070] The driving platform 421 may further include a gear mechanism. The gear mechanism
may connect the motor 4211 and the driving wheel 4212. The motor 4211 may directly
drive the driving wheel 4212 to swivel, or may indirectly drive the driving wheel
4212 to swivel through the gear mechanism. Those of ordinary skill in the art may
understand that the gear mechanism may be one gear, or may be a gear set composed
of a plurality of gears.
[0071] The motor 4211 simultaneously transmits, through a power transmission unit, power
to the cleaning head 410, the driving platform 421, the supporting platform 422, a
water delivery mechanism, a water tank, and the like. The energy system 160 provides
power and energy for the motor 4211 and is entirely controlled by the control system
130. The power transmission unit may be a gear driving mechanism, a chain driving
mechanism, a belt driving mechanism, or may be a worm gear, or the like.
[0072] The motor 4211 has a forward output mode and a reverse output mode. In the forward
output mode, the motor 4211 rotates in a forward direction, and in the reverse output
mode, the motor 4211 rotates in a reverse direction. In the forward output mode of
the motor 4211, the motor 4211 drives, through the power transmission unit, the vibration
member 4213 of the driving platform in the wet cleaning module 400 to make an approximate
reciprocating movement and simultaneously drives the water delivery mechanism to move
synchronously. In the reverse output mode of the motor 4211, the motor 4211 drives
the driving platform 421 to be lifted and lowered through the power transmission unit.
[0073] In some embodiments, the driving platform 421 further includes a connection rod 4214
extending along an edge of the driving platform 421 and connecting the driving wheel
4212 and the vibration member 4213, so that the vibration member 4213 extends to a
preset position. An extension direction of the vibration member 4213 is perpendicular
to the connection rod 4214, so that a reciprocating movement direction of the vibration
member 4213 is substantially perpendicular to the travelling direction of the automatic
cleaning device.
[0074] The motor 4211 is connected to the driving wheel 4212, the vibration member 4213,
the connection rod 4214 and a vibration buffering unit 4215 through the power transmission
unit. The vibration member 4213 and the connection rod 4214 constitute an approximate
L-shaped structure, as shown in FIG. 15. The vibration member 4213 makes a reciprocating
movement under the driving of the connection rod 4214. The vibration buffering unit
4215 has functions of damping and reducing the shaking of a motion behavior driven
by the driving wheel 4212, so that the vibration member 4213 may vibrate stably within
a motion range provided by the supporting platform 422. In some embodiments, the vibration
buffering unit 4215 is made of a soft material, optionally a rubber structure, and
the vibration buffering unit 4215 is sleeved on the connection rod 4214. On the other
hand, the vibration buffering unit 4215 may also protect the vibration member 4213
from being damaged due to the collision with the driving platform 421, and thus may
also affect the reciprocating movement of the vibration member 4213. Movable components
and fixed components of the driving platform 421 are restricted from moving in the
travelling direction of the automatic cleaning device through connections with less
elasticity, and are connected flexibly and allowed to move in the direction substantially
perpendicular to the travelling direction, that is, in a vibration direction of the
vibration member 4213. The above two movement restrictions allow the vibration member
4213 to make an approximate reciprocating movement rather than an accurate reciprocating
movement. When the wet cleaning module 400 is activated, the motor 4211 starts to
rotate forward to drive the connection rod 4214 through the driving wheel 4212 to
make a reciprocating movement along the surface of the driving platform 421. At the
same time, the vibration buffering unit 4215 drives the vibration member 4213 to make
an approximate reciprocating movement along the surface of the driving platform 421,
the vibration member 4213 drives a cleaning substrate 4221 to make an approximate
reciprocating movement along the surface of the supporting platform 422, and the cleaning
substrate 4221 drives a movable region 412 to make an approximate reciprocating movement
along the surface to be cleaned. At this time, a clean water pump enables clean water
to flow out of a clean water tank and sprinkles the clean water on the cleaning head
410 through a water discharging unit 4217, and the cleaning head 410 cleans the surface
to be cleaned through the reciprocating movement.
[0075] The cleaning intensity/efficiency of the automatic cleaning device may also be automatically
and dynamically adjusted according to an operation environment of the automatic cleaning
device. For example, the automatic cleaning device may achieve a dynamic adjustment
according to physical information of the surface to be cleaned detected by the detection
system 120. For example, the detection system 120 may detect the flatness of the surface
to be cleaned, the material of the surface to be cleaned, the existence of oil and
dust, and other information, and transmit the information to the control system 130
of the automatic cleaning device. Correspondingly, the control system 130 may instruct
the automatic cleaning device to automatically and dynamically adjust a rotational
speed of the motor and a transmission ratio of the power transmission unit according
to the operation environment of the automatic cleaning device, so as to adjust a preset
reciprocating period of the reciprocating movement of the cleaning head 410.
[0076] For example, when the automatic cleaning device operates on a flat ground, the preset
reciprocating period may be automatically and dynamically adjusted to be longer, and
a water volume of the water pump may be automatically and dynamically adjusted to
be smaller. When the automatic cleaning device operates on a less flat ground, the
preset reciprocating period may be automatically and dynamically adjusted to be shorter,
and the water volume of the water pump may be automatically and dynamically adjusted
to be larger. This is because it is easier to clean the flat ground than the less
flat ground, and thus a larger water volume and a reciprocating movement of the cleaning
head 410 at a higher speed (i.e., a higher frequency) are needed for cleaning an uneven
ground.
[0077] For another example, when the automatic cleaning device operates on a table, the
preset reciprocating period may be automatically and dynamically adjusted to be longer,
and the water volume of the water pump may be automatically and dynamically adjusted
to be smaller. When the automatic cleaning device 100 operates on a ground, the preset
reciprocating period may be automatically and dynamically adjusted to be shorter,
and the water volume of the water pump may be automatically and dynamically adjusted
to be larger. This is because the table has less dust and oil compared to the ground,
and the material of the table is also easier to clean. Therefore, the table can be
cleaned with fewer reciprocating movements of the cleaning head 410 and relatively
smaller water volume of the water pump.
[0078] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the supporting platform 422 includes
a cleaning substrate 4221 which is movably disposed on the supporting platform 422,
and the cleaning substrate 4221 makes an approximate reciprocating movement under
the vibration of the vibration member 4213. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG.
16, the cleaning substrate 4221 includes an assembly notch 42211 which is disposed
at a position in contact with the vibration member 4213. When the supporting platform
422 is connected to the driving platform 421, the vibration member 4213 is assembled
to the assembly notch 42211, so that the cleaning substrate 4221 may make an approximate
reciprocating movement synchronously along with the vibration member 4213. The cleaning
substrate 4221 includes four first position limits 42212 in the travelling direction
of the cleaning device, and the four first position limits 42212 are flexibly connected
to the cleaning substrate 4221 with a small elastic scaling space, thereby limiting
the movement of the cleaning substrate 4221 relative to the supporting platform 422
in the travelling direction of the cleaning device. The cleaning substrate 4221 includes
two second position limits 42213 in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction
of the cleaning device, and the two second position limits 42213 limit a range of
the reciprocating movement of the cleaning substrate 4221 in the direction perpendicular
to the travelling direction of the cleaning device. Furthermore, a water discharging
hole 42214 is provided near the assembly notch 42211 of the cleaning substrate 4221
to enable water to flow from the water discharging unit 4217 to the cleaning head
410 via the water discharging hole. The cleaning substrate 4221 makes an approximate
reciprocating movement due to the influence of the position limits and the vibration
buffering unit. The cleaning substrate 4221 is located at a portion of the supporting
platform 422, and the vibration frequency may be made higher by means of local vibration,
for example, reaching a frequency range of the sound wave. The movable components
and the fixed components of the driving platform 421 are restricted from moving in
the travelling direction of the automatic cleaning device through connections with
less elasticity, and are connected flexibly and allowed to move in the direction substantially
perpendicular to the travelling direction, that is, in the vibration direction of
the vibration member 4213.
[0079] FIG. 12 shows another cleaning head driving mechanism 500 based on a crank slider
mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The driving mechanism
500 may be applied to the driving platform 421. The driving mechanism 500 includes
a driving wheel 4212, a vibration member 4213, a cleaning substrate 4221, a sliding
slot 4222 (a first sliding slot) and a sliding slot 4223 (a second sliding slot).
[0080] The sliding slots 4222 and 4223 are formed in the supporting platform 422. Both ends
of the cleaning substrate 4221 include a slider 525 (a first slider) and a slider
528 (a second slider), respectively. Each of the sliders 525 and 528 is a protrusion
at each of both ends of the cleaning substrate 4221. The slider 525 is inserted into
the sliding slot 4222 and may slide along the sliding slot 4222, and the slider 528
is inserted into the sliding slot 4223 and may slide along the sliding slot 4223.
In some embodiments, the sliding slot 4222 and the sliding slot 4223 are on the same
line. In some embodiments, the sliding slot 4222 and the sliding slot 4223 are not
on the same line. In some embodiments, the sliding slot 4222 and the sliding slot
4223 extend along the same direction. In some embodiments, an extension direction
of the sliding slot 4222 and an extension direction of the sliding slot 4223 are the
same as that of the cleaning substrate 4221. In some embodiments, the extension direction
of the sliding slot 4222 and the extension direction of the sliding slot 4223 are
different from that of the cleaning substrate 4221. In some embodiments, the extension
direction of the sliding slot 4222 is different from the extension direction of the
sliding slot 4223. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the extension direction of the
sliding slot 4222 is the same as that of the cleaning substrate 4221, and the extension
direction of the sliding slot 4223 is at a certain angle with that of the sliding
slot 4222.
[0081] The vibration member 4213 includes a swiveling end 512 and a sliding end 514. The
swiveling end 512 is connected to the driving wheel 4212 through a first pivot 516,
and the sliding end 514 is connected to the cleaning substrate 4221 through a second
pivot 518.
[0082] A swiveling center of the driving wheel 4212 is at a point O, and a pivoting center
of the first pivot 516 is at a point A. The point O and the point A do not coincide,
and a distance between the point O and the point A is a preset distance d.
[0083] When the driving wheel 4212 rotates, the point A also swivels along a circular path.
The swiveling end 512 swivels along the circular path accordingly as the point A swivels.
The sliding end 514 drives through the second pivot 518 the cleaning substrate 4221
to slide. The slider 525 of the cleaning substrate 4221 makes a linear reciprocating
movement along the sliding slot 4222, and the slider 528 makes a linear reciprocating
movement along the sliding slot 4223. In FIG. 4, a moving speed of the mobile platform
210 is V0, and a moving direction thereof is a target direction. According to some
embodiments, when both the sliding slot 4223 and the sliding slot 4222 are approximately
perpendicular to the direction of the moving speed V0 of the mobile platform 210,
an overall displacement of the cleaning substrate 4221 is substantially perpendicular
to the target direction. According to some embodiments, when any one of the sliding
slot 4223 and the sliding slot 4222 forms an angle other than 90 degrees with the
target direction, the overall displacement of the cleaning substrate 4221 includes
both a component perpendicular to the target direction and a component parallel to
the target direction.
[0084] In some embodiments, a vibration buffering unit 4215 is included, which is disposed
on the connection rod 4214, for reducing vibration in a specific direction. In some
embodiments, the vibration buffering unit 4215 is used for reducing the vibration
in a direction of a movement component perpendicular to the target direction of the
automatic cleaning device.
[0085] FIG. 13 shows another cleaning head driving mechanism 600 based on a double-crank
mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The driving mechanism
600 may be applied to the driving platform 421. The driving mechanism 600 includes
a driving wheel 4212 (a first driving wheel), a driving wheel 4212' (a second driving
wheel) and a cleaning substrate 4221.
[0086] The cleaning substrate 4221 has two ends, a first end of the cleaning substrate 4221
is connected to the driving wheel 4212 through a pivot 624 (a first pivot), and a
second end thereof is connected to the driving wheel 4212' through a pivot 626 (a
second pivot). A swiveling center of the driving wheel 4212 is at a point O, and a
pivoting center of the pivot 624 is at a point A. The point O and the point A do not
coincide, and a distance between the point O and the point A is a preset distance
d. A swiveling center of the driving wheel 236 is a point O', and a pivoting center
of the pivot 626 is point A'. The point O' and the point A' do not coincide, and the
distance between the point O' and the point A' is a preset distance d. In some embodiments,
the point A, the point A', the point O, and the point O' are located on the same plane.
Therefore, the driving wheel 4212, the driving wheel 4212' and the cleaning substrate
4221 may form a double-crank mechanism (or a parallelogram mechanism), among which,
the cleaning substrate 4221 acts as a coupling lever, and the driving wheels 4212
and 4212' act as two cranks.
[0087] In some embodiments, a vibration buffering unit 4215 is included, which is disposed
on the connection rod 4214, for reducing vibration in a specific direction. In some
embodiments, the vibration buffering unit 4215 is used for reducing the vibration
in a direction of a movement component perpendicular to the target direction of the
automatic cleaning device.
[0088] FIG. 14 shows a cleaning head driving mechanism 700 based on a crank slider mechanism
according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The driving mechanism 700 may
be applied to the driving platform 421. The driving mechanism 700 includes a driving
wheel 4212, a cleaning substrate 4221 and a sliding slot 4222.
[0089] The sliding slot 4222 is formed in the supporting platform 422. The cleaning substrate
4221 includes a swiveling end 4227 and a sliding end 4226. The swiveling end 4227
is connected to the driving wheel 4212 through a pivot 4228. A swiveling center of
the driving wheel 4212 is at a point O, and a pivoting center of the pivot 4228 for
the swiveling end is at a point A. The point O and the point A do not coincide, and
a distance between the point O and the point A is a preset distance d. The sliding
end 4226 includes a slider 4225. The slider 4225 is a protrusion on the sliding end
4226. The slider 4225 is inserted into the sliding slot 4222 and may slide along the
sliding slot 4222. Therefore, the driving wheel 4212, the cleaning substrate 4221,
the slider 4225 and the sliding slot 4222 constitute the crank slider mechanism.
[0090] When the driving wheel 4212 rotates, the point A swivels along a circular path. The
swiveling end 4227 of the cleaning substrate 4221 swivels along the circular path
accordingly as the point A swivels. The slider 4225 also slides in the sliding slot
4222 and makes a linear reciprocating movement. As a result, the cleaning substrate
4221 starts to make a reciprocating movement. According to some embodiments, the sliding
slot 4222 is approximately perpendicular to a direction of the target direction of
the moving speed of the mobile platform. Therefore, the linear motion of the sliding
end 4226 includes a component perpendicular to the target direction, and the circular
swiveling motion of the swiveling end 4227 includes both a component perpendicular
to the target direction and a component parallel to the target direction.
[0091] In FIG. 14, a moving speed of the mobile platform is V0, and a moving direction thereof
is a target direction. The sliding slot 4222 is approximately perpendicular to the
target direction. At this time, the reciprocating movement of the cleaning substrate
4221 as a whole includes both a movement component parallel to the target direction
of the automatic cleaning device and a movement component perpendicular to the target
direction of the automatic cleaning device.
[0092] In some embodiments, the supporting platform 422 further includes an elastic detachable
button 4229 disposed on at least one side of the supporting platform 422, for detachably
connecting the supporting platform 422 to a pawl 4216 of the driving platform 421,
so that the supporting platform 422 is detachably and mechanically fixed onto the
driving platform 421, and fixed relative to the driving platform and the automatic
cleaning device. At least one assembly region 4224 is disposed on the supporting platform
422, for assembling the cleaning head 410. The assembly region 4224 may be formed
of an adhesive material with an adhesive layer.
[0093] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning
head 410 includes a movable region 412 connected to the cleaning substrate 4221, to
make an approximate reciprocating movement along the surface to be cleaned under the
driving of the cleaning substrate 4221. The movable region 412 is disposed at a substantially
central position of the cleaning head 410.
[0094] In some embodiments, an adhesive layer is provided on a side of the movable region
412 on which the movable region 412 is connected to the cleaning substrate 4221, and
the movable region 412 is connected to the cleaning substrate 4221 through the adhesive
layer.
[0095] In some embodiments, the cleaning head 410 further includes a fixed region 411 connected
to a bottom of the supporting platform 422 through the at least one assembly region
4224. The fixed region 411 cleans at least a part of the operating surface along with
the movement of the supporting platform 422.
[0096] In some embodiments, the cleaning head 410 further includes a flexible connection
portion 413 disposed between the fixed region 411 and the movable region 412 for connecting
the fixed region 411 and the movable region 412. The cleaning head 410 further includes
a sliding fastener 414 extending along an edge of the cleaning head 410 and detachably
mounted at an engagement position 4225 of the supporting platform 422.
[0097] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning head 410 may be made of a material
with certain elasticity, and is fixed to the surface of the supporting platform 422
through the adhesive layer, so as to achieve the reciprocating movement. The cleaning
head 410 is always in contact with the surface to be cleaned during operation.
[0098] The water delivery mechanism includes a water discharging unit 4217 that may be directly
or indirectly connected to a cleaning liquid outlet of a water tank (not shown), that
is, a liquid outlet of the clean water tank. The cleaning liquid may flow to the water
discharging unit 4217 via the cleaning liquid outlet of the water tank, and may be
evenly coated on the surface to be cleaned through the water discharging unit. A connection
member (not shown) may be provided on the water discharging unit, and the water discharging
unit is connected to the cleaning liquid outlet of the water tank through the connection
member. The water discharging unit is provided with a distribution port which may
be a continuous opening or a combination of several discontinuous small openings,
and several nozzles may be provided at the distribution port. The cleaning liquid
flows to the distribution port via the cleaning liquid outlet of the water tank and
the connection member of the water discharging unit, and is evenly coated on the operating
surface via the distribution port.
[0099] The water delivery mechanism may further include a clean water pump 4219 and/or a
clean water pump pipe 4218. The clean water pump 4219 may be communicated with the
cleaning liquid outlet of the water tank directly, or communicated with the cleaning
liquid outlet of the water tank through the clean water pump pipe 4218.
[0100] The clean water pump 4219 may be connected to the connection member of the water
discharging unit, and configured to pump the cleaning liquid from the water tank to
the water discharging unit. The clean water pump may be a gear pump, a vane pump,
a plunger pump, a peristaltic pump, or the like.
[0101] The water delivery mechanism pumps the cleaning liquid out from the clean water tank
through the clean water pump 4219 and the clean water pump pipe 4218, and transports
the cleaning liquid to the water discharging unit. The water discharging unit 4217
may be a sprinkler head, a drip hole, a wet cloth, or the like, and may uniformly
spread water on the cleaning head, so as to wet the cleaning head and the surface
to be cleaned. Stains on the wetted surface to be cleaned can be cleaned more easily.
In the wet cleaning module 400, the power/flow rate of the clean water pump may be
adjusted.
[0102] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, the motor 4211 drives the clean water pump
4219 to wriggle through a gear set 42193. Through the wriggle of the clean water pump
4219, the clean water enters from a water inlet 42191, flows out of a water outlet
42192, and is then transported to the water discharging unit 4217 through the clean
water pump pipe 4218. The water flowing out of the water discharging unit 4217 flows
to the cleaning head 410 via the water discharging hole.
[0103] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 18, the motor 4211 drives a cable gear 42196
to rotate through the gear set 42193. A cable 42194 is wound on the cable gear 42196,
and is wound and suspended on the driving platform 421. The cable gear 42196 pulls
the cable 42194 to rise and drop, so as to lift and lower the driving platform 421.
The cable gear 42196 and the cable 42194 are core components of the lifting module.
[0104] A clutch 42195 is disposed on the gear set 42193 and the cable gear 42196. By controlling
the engagement and disengagement of the clutch 42195, the motor 4211 controls three
motion modules. The motor 4211 rotates in one direction to drive the vibration member
to vibrate and enable the clean water pump 4219 to supply water simultaneously. The
motor 4211 rotates in an opposite direction to drive the lifting module to lift and
lower through the cable 42194. In some embodiments, the combined design of the gear
set realizes the control over the three motion modules in different combinations.
For example, rotating the clean water pump in one direction supplies water, and rotating
in the opposite direction realizes the control over lifting and lowering and vibration.
In some embodiments, two motors may also be used to control the three motion modules,
but an extra motor also increases the cost.
[0105] Since the cleaning module of the automatic cleaning device is provided with the dry
cleaning module and the wet cleaning module, a more comprehensive cleaning function
may be provided. Meanwhile, by adding the driving unit and the vibration region to
the wet cleaning module, the cleaning head may be enabled to make a reciprocating
movement, to repeatedly clean the surface to be cleaned. Therefore, in a movement
trajectory of a cleaning robot, a region may be cleaned several times by the cleaning
robot during one passage of the region, thereby greatly enhancing the cleaning effect,
especially obvious for a region with more stains.
[0106] As shown in FIGs. 19-20, the wet cleaning module 400 is movably connected to the
mobile platform 100 through a four-link lifting structure 500, and configured to clean
at least a part of the operating surface by means of wet cleaning. The four-link lifting
structure 500 is a parallelogram structure, for switching the wet cleaning module
400 between a lifting state and a lowering state. In the lifting state, the wet cleaning
module 400 leaves the operating surface, as shown in FIG. 19, and in the lowering
state, the wet cleaning module 400 is attached to the operating surface, as shown
in FIG. 20.
[0107] As shown in FIGs. 21-22, the four-link lifting structure 500 includes a first connection
end 501 for providing an active force to switch the wet cleaning module 400 between
the lifting state and the lowering state, and a second connection end 502 disposed
opposite to the first connection end 501 and rotating under the action of the active
force. The first connection end 501 and the second connection end 502 are respectively
located on both sides of the wet cleaning module 400, to lift or lower the wet cleaning
module 400 by stably providing a lifting or lowering force.
[0108] In some embodiments, the first connection end 501 includes a first bracket 5011 fixedly
connected to the bottom of the mobile platform 100. The first bracket 5011 has a shape
roughly like a Chinese character "JL", and includes a cross beam 50111, a first longitudinal
beam 50114 and a second longitudinal beam 50115. A tail end of each of the first longitudinal
beam 50114 and the second longitudinal beam 50115 is fixedly connected to the mobile
platform 100 through a bolt, to provide a supporting force when the wet cleaning module
400 is lifted and lowered.
[0109] The first connection end 501 further includes a first connection rod pair 5012, one
end of the first connection rod pair 5012 is rotatably connected to the first bracket
5011, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the wet cleaning module
400. The first connection rod pair 5012 may be of a hollowed structure, which can
reduce an overall weight of a lifting end.
[0110] In some embodiments, the first connection rod pair 5012 includes a first connection
rod 50121 and a second connection rod 50122 which are arranged in parallel. A first
end of each of the first connection rod 50121 and the second connection rod 50122
is rotatably connected to the first longitudinal beam 50114 through a movable stud,
and a second end of each of the first connection rod 50121 and the second connection
rod 50122 is rotatably connected to the wet cleaning module 400 through a movable
stud. For example, both ends of each of the first connection rod 50121 and the second
connection rod 50122 are respectively provided with through holes having a diameter
greater than a diameter of the movable stud, so that the movable stud may rotate freely
within the through hole. The movable stud passes through the through hole and is fixedly
connected to the first longitudinal beam 50114. When the motor 4211 provides a pulling
force to the first ends through the cable, the first ends of the first connection
rod 50121 and the second connection rod 50122 simultaneously rotate around the movable
studs at the first ends, and the second ends thereof are lifted under the pulling
force of the cable, so that the wet cleaning module 400 is lifted. When the motor
4211 releases the pulling force to the first ends through the cable, the first ends
of the first connection rod 50121 and the second connection rod 50122 simultaneously
rotate reversely around the movable studs at the first ends, and the second ends thereof
are lowered under the action of gravity, so that the wet cleaning module 400 is lowered.
[0111] The lifting structure 500 further includes a cable 42194 for providing a pulling
force to rotate the first connection rod pair 5012 within a preset angle. The cable
42194 includes a cable motor terminal 50131 connected to the driving unit 420. For
example, the cable motor terminal 50131 is wounded on the gear connected to the output
shaft of the motor, to extend and retract under the rotation of the motor. A cable
bracket terminal 50132 is connected to the first bracket 5011. The motor lifts or
lowers the second ends of the first connection rod 50121 and the second connection
rod 50122 through the cable 42194.
[0112] In some embodiments, the first bracket 5011 further includes a sliding slot 50112
extending along a surface of the cross beam 50111, and a snapping hole 50113 penetrating
the cross beam 50111 and disposed at an extension end of the sliding slot 50112, for
accommodating and snapping the cable bracket terminal 50132. The cable 42194 is connected
to the first ends of the first connection rod 50121 and the second connection rod
50122 through the sliding slot 50112 and the snapping hole 50113. The sliding slot
50112 can restrict a moving direction of the cable to ensure the stability of lifting
of the module, and a width of the sliding slot should match with a diameter size of
the cable.
[0113] As shown in FIG. 21, the second connection end 502 includes a second bracket 5021
fixedly connected to the bottom of the mobile platform 100, and a second connection
rod pair 5022. One end of the second connection rod pair 5022 is rotatably connected
to the second bracket 5021, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the
wet cleaning module 400. The second connection rod pair 5022 rotates along with the
rotation of the first connection rod pair 5012. The second connection rod pair 5022
may be of a hollowed structure, which can reduce the overall weight of lifting and
lowering ends.
[0114] In some embodiments, the second connection rod pair 5022 includes a third connection
rod 50221 and a fourth connection rod 50222 which are arranged in parallel. A first
end of each of the third connection rod 50221 and the fourth connection rod 50222
is rotatably connected to the second bracket 5021 through a movable stud, and a second
end of each of the third connection rod 50221 and the fourth connection rod 50222
is rotatably connected to the wet cleaning module 400 through a movable stud. For
example, both ends of each of the third connection rod 50221 and the fourth connection
rod 50222 are respectively provided with through holes having a diameter greater than
a diameter of the movable stud, so that the movable stud may rotate freely within
the through hole. The movable stud passes through the through hole and is fixedly
connected to the second bracket 5021 and the wet cleaning module 400 through. When
the first connection end 501 rotates under the driving of the motor 4211, the first
ends of the third connection rod 50221 and the fourth connection rod 50222 simultaneously
rotate around the movable studs at the first ends, and the second ends of the third
connection rod 50221 and the fourth connection rod 50222 simultaneously rotate around
the movable studs at the second ends, so that the wet cleaning module 400 is lifted.
When the first connection end 501 releases the pulling force, the third connection
rod 50221 and the fourth connection rod 50222 simultaneously rotate reversely around
the movable studs, so that the wet cleaning module 400 is lowered under the action
of gravity.
[0115] By providing the four-link lifting structure between the wet cleaning module and
the mobile platform, the wet cleaning module may be lifted and lowered relative to
the mobile platform. When a mopping task is performed, the wet cleaning module is
lowered to enable the wet cleaning module to be in contact with the ground, and when
the mopping task is completed, the wet cleaning module is lifted to separate the wet
cleaning module from the ground, thereby avoiding the increased resistance due to
the existence of the cleaning module when the cleaning device moves freely on the
surface to be cleaned.
[0116] In cooperation with a surface medium sensor and other sensors that can detect a surface
type of the surface to be cleaned, the lifting module enables the wet cleaning module
to perform a cleaning operation according to different surfaces to be cleaned. For
example, the lifting module lifts the wet cleaning module in case of a carpet surface,
and lowers the wet cleaning module in case of a floor surface, a floor tile surface,
or the like, for cleaning. Thus, a more comprehensive cleaning effect is achieved.
[0117] As shown in FIG. 23, which is a diagram of the dry cleaning module 151 in a lifting
state. A floating lifting structure 600 is connected to the dry cleaning module 151
and configured to enable the dry cleaning module 151 to passively move vertically
relative to the mobile platform 100. In some embodiments, the floating lifting structure
600 is a parallelogram four-link lifting structure configured to passively switch
the dry cleaning module 151 between a lifting state and a lowering state under the
action of an external force.
[0118] In some embodiments, the floating lifting structure 600 includes a first fixed bracket
601 fixedly connected to the mobile platform 100, a second fixed bracket 602 fixedly
connected to the dry cleaning module 151, and a connection rod pair 603. One end of
the connection rod pair 603 is rotatably connected to the first fixed bracket 601
through a movable stud, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the second
fixed bracket 602 through a movable stud. The first fixed bracket 601 and the second
fixed bracket 602 are connected through a flexible connection member. When encountering
an obstacle, the dry cleaning module 151 is pushed upward, and the first fixed bracket
601 rotates around the connection rod pair 603 and then retracted upward relative
to the second fixed bracket 602, so as to realize passive lifting. After passing the
obstacle, the dry cleaning module 151 falls under the action of gravity and comes
into contact with the operating surface, and the cleaning device continues to move
forward for the cleaning task. With the parallelogram four-link lifting structure,
the cleaning device can pass the obstacle more flexibly, and is not easy to be damaged.
[0119] In some embodiments, the connection rod pair 603 includes a first connection rod
pair 6031. One end of the first connection rod pair 6031 is rotatably connected to
a first end of the first fixed bracket 601 through a movable stud, and the other end
of which is rotatably connected to a first end of the second fixed bracket 602 through
a movable stud. A second connection rod pair 6032 is disposed opposite to the first
connection rod pair 6031. One end of the second connection rod pair 6032 is rotatably
connected to a second end of the first fixed bracket 601 through a movable stud, and
the other end of which is rotatably connected to a second end of the second fixed
bracket 602 through a movable stud. The first connection rod pair 6031 or the second
connection rod pair 6032 may be of a hollowed structure, which can reduce the overall
weight of lifting and lowering ends.
[0120] In some embodiments, the first connection rod pair 6031 includes a first connection
rod 60311 and a second connection rod 60 > 12 which are arranged in parallel. One
end of each of the first connection rod 60311 and the second connection rod 60312
is provided with a first shaft hole, and the other end thereof is provided with a
second shaft hole. The movable studs pass through the first shaft holes, and rotatably
fix the first connection rod 60311 and the second connection rod 60312 to the first
end of the first fixed bracket 601. The movable studs pass through the second shaft
holes, and rotatably fix the first connection rod 60311 and the second connection
rod 60312 to the first end of the second fixed bracket 602. For example, both ends
of each of the first connection rod 60311 and the second connection rod 60312 are
respectively provided with snapping holes (not shown) having a diameter greater than
that of the movable stud, so that the movable stud may rotate freely within the snapping
hole, and is fixedly connected to the first fixed bracket 601 through the snapping
hole. When encountering a raised obstacle, the dry cleaning module 151 is pushed upward
under the action of the obstacle, the first ends of the first connection rod 60311
and the second connection rod 60312 simultaneously rotate around the movable studs
at the first ends, and the second ends of the first connection rod 60311 and the second
connection rod 60312 simultaneously rotate around the movable studs at the second
ends, so that the dry cleaning module 151 is lifted. When passing the obstacle, the
dry cleaning module 151 falls under the action of gravity and comes into contact with
the operating surface.
[0121] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 24, which is a diagram of the dry cleaning
module 151 in a lifting state, the second connection rod pair 6032 includes a third
connection rod 60321 and a fourth connection rod 60322 which are arranged in parallel.
One end of each of the third connection rod 60321 and the fourth connection rod 60322
is provided with a third shaft hole, and the other end thereof is provided with a
fourth shaft hole. The movable studs pass through the third shaft holes and rotatably
fix the third connection rod 60321 and the fourth connection rod 60322 to the second
end of the first fixed bracket 601, and the movable studs pass through the fourth
shaft holes and rotatably fix the third connection rod 60321 and the fourth connection
rod 60322 to the second end of the second fixed bracket 602. For example, both ends
of each of the third connection rod 60321 and the fourth connection rod 60322 are
respectively provided with snapping holes (not shown) having a diameter greater than
that of the movable stud, so that the movable stud may rotate freely within the snapping
hole. The movable stud passes through the snapping hole and is fixedly connected to
the first fixed bracket 601. When encountering a raised obstacle, the dry cleaning
module 151 is pushed upward under the action of the obstacle, the first ends of the
third connection rod 60321 and the fourth connection rod 60322 simultaneously rotate
around the movable studs at the first ends, and the second ends of the third connection
rod 60321 and the fourth connection rod 60322 simultaneously rotate around the movable
studs at the second ends, so that the dry cleaning module 151 is lifted. When passing
the obstacle, the dry cleaning module 151 falls under the action of gravity and comes
into contact with the operating surface.
[0122] In some embodiments, the first fixed bracket 601 includes a first fixed part 6011
protruding from the first fixed bracket 601 and extending laterally outward, for carrying
the first connection rod pair 6031, and a second fixed part 6012 disposed symmetrically
with the first fixed part 6011, for carrying the second connection rod pair 6032.
The first fixed part 6011 and the second fixed part 6012 are used to support the connection
rod pairs in a protruding manner, so that the connection rod pairs may rotate freely,
so as to ensure freely lifting and lowering of the dry cleaning module 151.
[0123] In some embodiments, the floating lifting structure 600 further includes a flexible
connection member (not shown) connected between the first fixed bracket 601 and the
second fixed bracket 602. When the operating surface is uneven, the second fixed bracket
602 moves vertically relative to the first fixed bracket 601 through the flexible
connection member.
[0124] In the dry cleaning module, the four-link floating lifting structure is disposed
to enable the dry cleaning module to passively move vertically relative to the mobile
platform. When encountering an obstacle during the operation, the cleaning device
can easily pass the obstacle through the four-link floating lifting structure, thereby
avoiding the damage to the cleaning device from the obstacle.
Embodiment 2
[0125] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 9, the present
disclosure provides an automatic cleaning device. Structures in embodiments that are
the same as those in the above embodiments have the same functions or effects, which
will not be repeated herein. In some embodiments, the automatic cleaning device includes:
a mobile platform 100 configured to move automatically on an operating surface; and
a cleaning module 150 disposed on the mobile platform 100. The cleaning module 150
includes a dry cleaning module 151 configured to clean at least a part of the operating
surface by means of dry cleaning, and a wet cleaning module 400 configured to clean
at least a part of the operating surface by means of wet cleaning. The wet cleaning
module 400 includes a cleaning head 410 for cleaning the operating surface, and a
driving unit 420 for driving the cleaning head 410 to make a reciprocating movement
along a target surface. The target surface is a part of the operation surface. As
shown in FIGs. 25-27, the mobile platform 100 is provided with a thimble 1001, and
the wet cleaning module 400 is provided with a slot 4001 matched with the thimble
1001 to limit a working position of the wet cleaning module 400. In some embodiments,
the slot 4001 is cylindrical or square, which is not limited. The thimble can move
directionally along the slot, so that the slot and the thimble play a role of a position
limit during the lifting and lowering process of the lifting module, avoiding deviation
of the lifting module. The spring can reduce the vibration of the pallet caused by
the lowering state of the lifting module. In some embodiments, the wet cleaning module
400 further includes a driving platform 421 connected to a bottom surface of the mobile
platform 100, and the slot 4001 is arranged on the driving platform 421.
[0126] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, the slot 4001 includes an elastic element
40011, and the elastic element 40011 extends from the slot 4001 toward the mobile
platform 100. In some embodiments, the elastic element 40011 is a helical spring,
an elastic sheet, or the like. For example, the elastic element may be fixed on the
bottom or the top of the slot, which is not limited.
[0127] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGs. 26-27, the slot 4001 further includes a thimble
sheath 40012, and the thimble sheath 40012 extends upward from the bottom of the slot
4001, so that the thimble 1001 make a telescopic movement within the thimble sheath
40012. The thimble sheath 40012 is a hollowed structure, such as a cylindrical or
square sheath structure. When the elastic element 40011 is a helical spring, the helical
spring is arranged around the periphery of the thimble sheath 40012.
[0128] In some embodiments, the thimble 1001 includes a sliding portion 10011 and a fixed
portion 10012. The sliding portion 10011 slides along the thimble sheath 40012, and
the fixed portion 10012 is fixed to the mobile platform 100. In some embodiments,
the fixed portion 10012 includes a thread structure, and is fixed to the mobile platform
100 through the thread structure. In some embodiments, the thimble 1001 may also be
fixed to the mobile platform 100 by welding.
[0129] In some embodiments, an inner diameter of the thimble sheath 40012 is slightly larger
than an outer diameter of the sliding portion 10011. In this way, when the sliding
portion 10011 slides freely within the thimble sheath 40012, the limiting effect will
not be reduced due to being too loose.
[0130] In some embodiments, a height of the elastic element 40011 in a natural state is
greater than a height of the thimble sheath 40012. In this way, it is ensured that
the elastic element has sufficient elastic support force. When the lifting module
is lifted and lowered, the elastic element can still achieve elastic support when
compressed, so that the thimble will not interfere with the bottom of the thimble
sheath.
[0131] The present disclosure provides an automatic cleaning device. A slot is provided
on the wet cleaning module, a spring is provided inside the slot, and a thimble corresponding
to the slot is provided on the mobile platform, so that the thimble can move directionally
along the slot, and during the lifting and lowering of the lifting module, the slot
and the thimble play the role of a position limit, so as to avoid deviation of the
lifting module. Further, the spring can reduce the vibration of the pallet caused
by the lowering state of the lifting module.
[0132] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the wet cleaning module 400 includes a
cleaning head 410 for cleaning the operating surface, a driving unit 420 for driving
the cleaning head 410 to make a reciprocating movement along a target surface, the
target surface being a part of the operating surface, and a driving platform 421 connected
to a bottom surface of the mobile platform 100 for providing a driving force. The
driving platform 421 includes a motor 4211 arranged on a side of the driving platform
421 close to the mobile platform 100, for outputting power through an output shaft
42111 of the motor, and a connection rod 4214 arranged on a side of the driving platform
421 opposite to the motor 4211. One end of the connection rod 4214 is connected with
the motor output shaft 42111. A buffer clip 42112 is provided at a joint between the
connection rod 4214 and the output shaft 42111 of the motor.
[0133] In some embodiments, as shown in an enlarged view of FIG. 28, an end of the output
shaft 42111 of the motor includes an annular groove 42113, and the buffer clip 42112
is snapped into the annular groove 42113.
[0134] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 29, the buffer clip 42112 is a sheet structure.
In some embodiments, the buffer clip 42112 has a certain degree of elasticity. The
buffer clip 42112 includes a notch 42114 for providing an entrance when the buffer
clip 42112 is snapped into the annular groove 42113. The buffer clip 42112 is snapped
into the annular groove 42113 through the notch 42114. The buffer clip 42112 includes
a snapping surface 42115 for clasping the annular groove 42113 tightly when the buffer
clip 42112 is snapped into the annular groove 42113.
[0135] In some embodiments, the snapping surface 42115 is a continuous structure or an intermittent
structure. When the snapping surface 42115 is a continuous structure, it can be a
continuous snapping surface of 90-270 degrees. A specific continuous length of the
snapping surface is not limited, and the best effect is to actually clasp the annular
groove 42113. When the snapping surface 42115 is an intermittent structure, it is
appropriate to have 3 or 4 intermittent snapping surfaces. A specific continuous length
of each snapping surface is not limited. The continuous length of each snapping surface
may be the same or different. The best effect is to actually clasp the annular groove
42113.
[0136] In some embodiments, one end of the connection rod 4214 is provided with an opening
42116, and the output shaft 42111 of the motor protrudes from the opening 42116 and
is snapped by the buffer clip 42112.
[0137] In some embodiments, the driving platform 421 further includes a vibration member
4213 connected to the connection rod 4214, to make an approximate reciprocating movement
under the driving of the motor 4211. An extending direction of the vibration member
4213 is substantially perpendicular to an extending direction of the connection rod
4214. The driving platform 421 further includes a vibration buffer unit 4215 arranged
on the connection rod 4214.
[0138] The present disclosure provides an automatic cleaning device. A buffer clip is provided
at a joint between the connection rod of the wet cleaning module and the motor output
shaft. When the mopping module encounters ground fluctuations or obstacles during
the mopping process, the vibration damage to the motor caused by the displacement
in the vertical direction can be reduced, thereby reducing the damage to the reliability
of the overall structure and improving the service life of the mopping module.
[0139] It should be noted that various embodiments in the description are described in a
progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments,
and the same or similar parts among the various embodiments may refer to one another.
Since the system or device disclosed in the embodiment corresponds to the method disclosed
in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts may
refer to the description of the method part.
[0140] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the
present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Although
the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing
embodiments, those of ordinary skill s in the art should understand that, they can
still make modifications to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments
or make equivalent substitutions to some of the technical features; and these modifications
or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions
deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments
of the present disclosure.