Distance measuring device and automatic cleaning device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic cleaning devices, in particular to a distance measuring device and an automatic cleaning device. The reflecting piece is fixedly arranged at the mounting opening, part of the reflecting piece is arranged at the mounting opening in a protruding mode, the reflecting piece is of an inverted-cone-shaped structure, and the peripheral face of the outer side of the reflecting piece is a reflecting face; and the measuring assembly is arranged in the shell, can emit a detection light beam towards the reflecting piece and can receive the detection light beam reflected by the reflecting piece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic cleaning devices, in particular to a distance measuring device and an automatic cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, various robots with intelligent systems have emerged, such as sweeping robots, air purification robots, mopping robots, vacuum cleaners or lawn mowers. These robots can automatically move in a certain area and perform cleaning or removal operations without user operation. The robot is usually equipped with an LDS (Laser Distance Sensor). The robot uses the laser distance sensor to measure the distance between it and various obstacles in the area, so as to draw a map of the area, avoid obstacles in the area, and locate its own position in the area.

[0003] At present, most laser distance measuring sensors are installed on the top of the robot body in a rotatable manner. By rotating the laser distance measuring sensor, the distance between the robot and the obstacles around it can be measured. Since the laser distance measuring sensor is set to protrude from the robot body, it cannot enter the bottom of the coffee table or wardrobe during the robot's operation. In addition, the raised part where the laser distance measuring sensor is located is easily stuck by furniture or collides with furniture, which will damage the furniture or robot in the long run.

[0004] Based on the shortcomings of the prior art, it is urgent to study a distance measuring device and an automatic cleaning device to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides a distance measuring device and an automatic cleaning device. The utility model can realize the 360° distance measuring function of the measuring component, and the measuring component is arranged in a shell, thereby reducing the overall height of the distance measuring device, and also reducing the risk of the distance measuring device being stuck by an obstacle or colliding with an obstacle, thereby increasing the use range of the distance measuring device and extending the service life of the distance measuring device.

[0006] The utility model provides a distance measuring device, comprising:

[0007] A housing having a mounting opening;

[0008] A reflector fixedly arranged in the installation opening, wherein the reflector is partially protruding from the installation opening, the reflector is an inverted cone structure, and the outer peripheral surface of the reflector is a reflective surface;

[0009] The measuring component disposed in the housing can emit a detection light beam toward the reflecting member and can receive the detection light beam reflected by the reflecting member.

[0010] Furthermore, the reflecting surface is an annular surface.

[0011] Furthermore, the angle between the reflecting surface and the bottom surface of the reflecting element is 30-60°.

[0012] Furthermore, the distance between the measuring component and the reflecting surface is no more than 5 cm.

[0013] Furthermore, the distance measuring device also includes a rotating device arranged in the shell, and the rotating device is used to drive the measuring component to rotate relative to the reflecting member.

[0014] Further, the rotating device includes a first driving component and a mounting platform, the first driving component is fixedly disposed in the housing, and a driving end of the first driving component is connected to the mounting platform, and the first driving component is used to drive the mounting platform to rotate relative to the housing;

[0015] The measuring assembly is fixedly mounted on the mounting platform.

[0016] Further, the measuring assembly includes a light emitting device and a light receiving device, the light emitting device can emit a detection light beam for detecting a target object, and the light receiving device is used to receive the detection light beam reflected by the target object; the detection light beam emitted by the light emitting device can be emitted from the mounting opening after being emitted by the reflective member, and the detection light beam can be received by the light receiving device after being reflected by a portion of the reflective member protruding from the mounting opening;

[0017] The light emitting device and the light receiving device are arranged on the mounting platform.

[0018] Further, the reflective member is a resin injection molded member, and the reflective surface includes a reflective film;

[0019] Alternatively, the reflective member is a metal member, and the reflective surface is a polished surface;

[0020] Alternatively, the reflective member is a glass lens, and the reflective surface includes a reflective film;

[0021] Alternatively, the reflective member is reflective paper, and the reflective surface includes a reflective film.

[0022] Furthermore, the height of the reflecting surface protruding from the installation opening portion is no more than 2.5 cm.

[0023] The utility model also protects an automatic cleaning device, comprising the distance measuring device as described above.

[0024] Implementing the embodiments of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. The measuring assembly in the utility model is arranged in the shell, and the reflector is fixedly arranged in the installation opening of the shell. The measuring assembly can rotate relative to the reflector under the drive of the rotating device, and when the measuring assembly rotates at any angle with the rotating device, it can transmit and receive the detection light beam through the reflector, thereby realizing the 360° ranging function of the measuring assembly; at the same time, because the measuring assembly is arranged in the inner cavity of the shell, the overall height of the ranging device is reduced, and the risk of the ranging device being stuck by an obstacle or colliding with an obstacle is also reduced, thereby increasing the use range of the ranging device and extending the service life of the ranging device.

[0026] 2. The utility model places the existing measuring component protruding from the mounting opening of the shell inside the shell, thereby increasing the distance between the measuring component and the target object, thereby increasing the distance between the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component and the detection light beam received, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the measuring component by increasing the measurement distance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the utility model, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or prior art descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the distance measuring device described in this embodiment;

[0029] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of the housing described in this embodiment;

[0030] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the reflector described in this embodiment;

[0031] Figure 4 4 is a structural diagram of the rotating device described in this embodiment.

[0032] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure correspond to:

[0033] 1-housing; 2-reflecting member; 3-measuring assembly; 4-rotating device; 5-target object; 11-installation opening; 21-reflecting surface; 31-light emitting device; 32-light receiving device; 41-first driving assembly; 42-installation platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0035] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described here can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0036] In view of the defects of the prior art, the utility model arranges a measuring component in a shell, and a reflector is fixedly arranged at the installation opening of the shell. Driven by a rotating device, the measuring component can rotate relative to the reflector, and when the measuring component rotates to any angle with the rotating device, it can transmit and receive detection light beams through the reflector, thereby realizing a 360° ranging function of the measuring component. At the same time, since the measuring component is arranged in the shell, the overall height of the ranging device is reduced, and the risk of the ranging device being stuck by an obstacle or colliding with an obstacle is also reduced, thereby increasing the use range of the ranging device and extending the service life of the ranging device.

[0037] The distance measuring device in the present application is mainly used in sweeping robots. Existing sweeping robots are usually equipped with LDS (Laser Distance Sensor). The sweeping robot uses the laser distance measuring sensor to measure the distance between it and various obstacles in the area, so as to draw a map of the area, avoid obstacles in the area, and locate its own position in the area.

[0038] At present, most laser distance measuring sensors are installed on the top of the robot body in a rotatable manner. By rotating the laser distance measuring sensor, the distance between the robot and the obstacles around it can be measured. However, there is a large "small bunker" protruding on the top of the sweeping robot, which will prevent the machine from entering the bottom of the coffee table or wardrobe, or the protrusion on the top of the sweeping robot will collide with the furniture, which will damage the furniture in the long run.

[0039] See attached Figure 1-4The present embodiment provides a distance measuring device, comprising: a housing 1 having an installation opening 11; a reflector 2 fixedly arranged in the installation opening 11, wherein a portion of the reflector 2 is protruded from the installation opening 11, the reflector 2 is an inverted cone structure, and an outer peripheral surface of the reflector 2 is a reflecting surface 21; a measuring component 3 arranged in the housing 1, which can emit a detection beam toward the reflector 2 and can receive the detection beam reflected by the reflector 2.

[0040] It should be noted that: in the present embodiment, the measuring component 3 is arranged in the shell 1, and the reflecting member 2 is fixedly arranged in the mounting opening 11 of the shell 1. The measuring component 3 can rotate relative to the reflecting member 2 under the drive of the rotating device 4, and when the measuring component 3 rotates at any angle with the rotating device 4, it can transmit and receive the detection light beam through the reflecting member 2, thereby realizing the 360° ranging function of the measuring component; at the same time, since the measuring component 3 is arranged in the shell 1, the overall height of the ranging device is reduced, and the risk of the ranging device being stuck by an obstacle or colliding with an obstacle is also reduced, which can increase the use range of the ranging device and extend the service life of the ranging device.

[0041] In this embodiment, the measuring method of the measuring component 3 is triangulation distance measurement, which calculates the distance to the target object 5 by sending a detection light beam to the target object 5, detecting the returned light signal, and calculating the time difference or phase difference between the emission and reflection of the light.

[0042] Although the distance measuring device based on the triangulation distance measuring method can measure the distance value within a certain distance range in principle, when the distance between the target object 5 and the distance measuring device is very close, the distance between the detection light beam emitted by the distance measuring device and the detection light beam received is short, which will lead to a decrease in the distance measurement accuracy. In this embodiment, the measuring component 3, which is currently protruding from the mounting opening 11 of the shell 1, is placed in the inner cavity of the shell 1, which can increase the distance between the measuring component 3 and the target object 5, thereby increasing the length of the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 and the detection light beam received, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the measuring component 3 by increasing the measurement distance.

[0043] Specifically, the size and shape of the housing 1 are not limited and can be set according to actual conditions.

[0044] In this embodiment, the housing 1 is a round machine or a D-shaped machine.

[0045] In this embodiment, the distance measuring device further includes a rotating device 4 disposed in the housing 1 , and the rotating device 4 is used to drive the measuring component 3 to rotate relative to the reflecting component 2 .

[0046] In some possible embodiments, the rotating device 4 includes a first driving component 41 and a mounting platform 42. The first driving component 41 is drivingly connected to the mounting platform 42. The first driving component 41 is used to drive the mounting platform 42 to rotate in the shell 1 to realize the rotation of the measuring component 3 fixed thereon relative to the reflecting component 2.

[0047] The measuring component 3 is fixed on the rotating device 4. By setting the rotating device 4 to be rotatably connected with the shell 1, the rotating device 4 can drive the measuring component 3 set thereon to rotate relative to the reflecting part 2. On the basis of ensuring that the measuring component 3 can achieve 360° measurement, the rotating connection between the reflecting part 2 and the shell 2 is avoided, thereby simplifying the installation structure between the reflecting part 2 and the shell 1 and reducing the production cost and installation cost.

[0048] Specifically, the shape and size of the installation platform 42 are not limited, as long as the installation platform 42 can be used to install the measurement component 3 .

[0049] In this embodiment, the mounting platform 42 is a plate-shaped structure, and the mounting platform 42 includes a mounting surface, and the mounting surface is used to mount the measuring component 3 .

[0050] Furthermore, the central axis of the reflector 2 passes through the center of the mounting surface, and the mounting surface is arranged parallel to the bottom of the reflector 2 .

[0051] In some possible embodiments, the measuring component 3 includes a light emitting device 31 and a light receiving device 32. The light emitting device 31 can emit a detection light beam for detecting the target object 5, and the light receiving device 32 is used to receive the detection light beam reflected by the target object 5; the detection light beam emitted by the light emitting device 31 can be emitted from the mounting opening 11 after being emitted by the reflective member 2, and the detection light beam can be received by the light receiving device 32 after being reflected by the part of the reflective member 2 protruding from the mounting opening 11; the light emitting device 31 and the light receiving device 32 are arranged on the rotating device 4. By arranging the light emitting device 31 and the light receiving device 32, it can be achieved that the detection light beam emitted for detecting the target object 5 and the detection light beam reflected by the target object 5 do not interfere with each other, thereby further improving the measurement accuracy of the ranging device.

[0052] The light emitting device 31 may be a light source that emits light or a light emitting element that emits a laser beam. The light source may emit visible light or infrared light, and the light emitting element may be a laser diode.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the light emitting device 31 is a laser emitter, and the light receiving device 32 may include an image sensor, on which a light spot reflected or scattered by an obstacle is formed. The image sensor may be a collection of multiple unit pixels in a single row or multiple rows. The light receiving device 32 may convert an optical signal into an electrical signal. The image sensor may be a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor is preferably used due to the cost advantage. Moreover, the light receiving device 32 may include a light receiving lens assembly. The light reflected or scattered by the obstacle may travel via the light receiving lens assembly to form an image on the image sensor. The light receiving lens assembly may include a single or multiple lenses.

[0054] In this embodiment, the reflector 2 is fixed to the installation opening 11 by means of gluing, clamping or threading.

[0055] In some possible embodiments, one of the shell 1 and the reflector 2 is provided with a snap-in groove, and the other is provided with a snap-in structure. The snap-in groove and the snap-in structure cooperate with each other to limit and fix the reflector 2 to prevent the reflector 2 from falling off the shell 1.

[0056] In this embodiment, the mounting opening 11 is provided with a snap-fit ​​groove, and the reflector 2 is provided with a snap-fit ​​structure.

[0057] In some possible embodiments, the reflector 2 is an inverted cone-shaped structure, and the outer circumferential surface of the reflector 2 is a reflective surface 21. By setting the reflector 2 as an inverted cone-shaped structure and the outer circumferential surface of the reflector 2 as the reflective surface 21, the reflective surface 21 can receive the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 and the detection light beam reflected by the target object 5, thereby realizing the distance measurement of the target object 5 by the measuring component 3.

[0058] Specifically, the target object 5 may be any object around the distance measuring device, which is not limited here.

[0059] In this embodiment, along the height direction of the inverted cone structure, the projection of the measuring component 3 and the projection of the reflecting surface 21 are arranged to overlap.

[0060] In some possible embodiments, the reflector 2 is a pyramid structure, and a plurality of reflective surfaces 21 are arranged on the outer circumference of the reflector 2. The plurality of reflective surfaces 21 are arranged in sequence around the outer circumference of the reflector 2, and the reflective surfaces 21 are planes.

[0061] In some possible embodiments, the reflective surface 21 is an annular surface. When the measuring component 3 rotates at any angle along with the rotating device 4, the reflective surface 21 can receive the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 and the detection light beam reflected by the target object 5, thereby enabling the measuring component 3 to perform 360° ranging.

[0062] In some possible embodiments, the angle between the reflecting surface 21 and the bottom surface of the reflecting element 2 is 30-60°. By setting the angle within the above range, it can be ensured that the reflecting surface 21 can reflect the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 to the target object 5, and the measuring component 5 can measure the distance to the target object 5, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the ranging device.

[0063] In this embodiment, the angle between the reflecting surface 21 and the bottom surface of the reflecting element 2 is 30-40°, 30-50°, 30-60°, 40-50°, 40-60° or 50-60°, etc.; wherein the bottom surface of the emitting element 2 is arranged opposite to the mounting platform 42 of the rotating device 4.

[0064] In some possible embodiments, the distance between the measuring component 3 and the reflecting surface 21 is not greater than 5 cm. By setting the distance between the measuring component 3 and the reflecting surface 21 within the above range, it is possible to ensure that the measuring component 3 is disposed in the inner cavity of the shell 1, thereby preventing the measuring component 3 from being completely protruding at the mounting opening 11 of the shell 1, thereby increasing the distance between the measuring component 3 and the target object 5, and thereby increasing the length of the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 and the length of the detection light beam received, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the measuring component 3 by increasing the measurement distance.

[0065] In this embodiment, the distance between the measuring component 3 and the reflecting surface 21 is 0-1 cm, 1-2 cm, 1-3 cm, 1-4 cm, 1-5 cm, 2-3 cm, 2-4 cm, 2-5 cm, 3-5 cm or 4-5 cm, etc.

[0066] In some possible embodiments, the reflective member 2 is a resin injection-molded member, and the reflective surface 21 includes a reflective film; or, the reflective member 2 is a metal member, and the reflective surface 21 is a polished surface; or, the reflective member 2 is a glass lens, and the reflective surface 21 includes a reflective film; or, the reflective member 2 is reflective paper, and the reflective surface 21 includes a reflective film. By setting the reflective member 2 to the above structure, the processing of the reflective member 2 can be facilitated and the production cost can be reduced.

[0067] In some possible embodiments, the height of the reflective surface 21 protruding from the installation opening 11 is not greater than 2.5 cm. By setting the height of the reflective surface 21 protruding from the installation opening 11 to the above range, it is possible to ensure that the overall height of the ranging device is reduced, thereby reducing the risk of the ranging device being stuck by an obstacle or colliding with an obstacle, thereby increasing the use range of the ranging device and extending the service life of the ranging device.

[0068] In this embodiment, the height of the reflective surface 21 protruding from the installation opening 11 is 0-1 cm, 1-1.5 cm, 1-2 cm, 1-2.5 cm, 1.5-2 cm, 1.5-2.5 cm or 2-2.5 cm.

[0069] In some possible embodiments, the ranging device also includes a cover structure, which covers the installation opening 11. The cover structure is fixedly connected to the installation opening 11 to form a sealing structure between the cover structure and the shell 1. The transmitting element 2 is arranged in the above-mentioned sealing structure. By forming the above-mentioned sealing structure, dust, liquid or debris outside the shell 1 can be prevented from entering the ranging device, thereby improving the safety of the ranging device and extending its service life.

[0070] In this embodiment, the cover structure is arranged on the top of the reflector 2, and the reflector 2 is fixed on the cover structure by means of gluing, clamping or threading.

[0071] In this embodiment, the cover structure is a hollow structure, so that the detection light beam can pass through the cover structure to be emitted toward the target object 5 or pass through the cover structure to be emitted toward the measurement component 3 .

[0072] Working process of the ranging device: The ranging device needs to measure the distance of the target object 5. The light emitting device 31 emits a detection light beam for detecting the target object 5, which is reflected by the reflecting surface 21 and then emitted from the mounting opening 11. The target object 5 receives the detection light beam and reflects the detection light beam to the reflecting surface 21. The reflecting surface 21 reflects the detection light beam into the light receiving device 32. At this time, the ranging work of the target object 5 is completed.

[0073] The utility model also protects an automatic cleaning device, comprising the above distance measuring device.

[0074] It should be noted that the automatic cleaning device with the above-mentioned distance measuring device can reduce the overall height of the automatic cleaning device, and also reduce the risk of the automatic cleaning device being stuck by obstacles or colliding with obstacles, thereby increasing the scope of use of the automatic cleaning device and extending the service life of the distance measuring device; at the same time, the distance between the measuring component 3 and the target object 5 is increased, thereby increasing the distance between the detection light beam emitted by the measuring component 3 and the detection light beam received, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the automatic cleaning device by increasing the measurement distance.

[0075] In this embodiment, the automatic cleaning device is a sweeping robot, an air purification robot, a mopping robot, a vacuum cleaner or a lawn mower, etc.

[0076] The automatic cleaning device also includes a second drive component and a drive wheel arranged at the bottom of the shell 1. The second drive component is connected to the drive wheel, and the second drive component can drive the drive wheel to rotate to drive the automatic cleaning device forward or backward.

[0077] In this embodiment, the first driving assembly 41 and the second driving assembly may be motors.

[0078] The automatic cleaning device also includes a processor, which can draw a real-time map of the environment in which the automatic cleaning device is located and determine the location of the automatic cleaning device based on the distance information determined by the distance measuring device; the processor can also control the automatic cleaning device to perform cleaning tasks along a certain path.

[0079] The automatic cleaning device also includes a memory, which can store the position information and speed information of the automatic cleaning device and the real-time map drawn by the processor. The memory can also store instructions for controlling the automatic cleaning device to perform various tasks.

[0080] Although the present invention has been described through preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but also includes various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0081] In this article, the directional words such as front, back, top, and bottom involved are defined by the positions of the components in the drawings and the positions of the components relative to each other, just for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of the directional words should not limit the scope of protection claimed by the utility model.

[0082] In the absence of conflict, the above embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0083] The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present invention are still within the scope covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A distance measuring device, characterized in that: include: A housing (1) having a mounting opening (11); A reflector (2) fixedly arranged in the installation opening (11), wherein a portion of the reflector (2) is protruding from the installation opening (11), the reflector (2) is an inverted cone-shaped structure, and an outer peripheral surface of the reflector (2) is a reflective surface (21); A measuring component (3) is arranged in the housing (1), and is capable of emitting a detection light beam toward the reflector (2), and is capable of receiving the detection light beam reflected by the reflector (2).

2. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reflecting surface (21) is an annular surface.

3. The distance measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The included angle between the reflecting surface (21) and the bottom surface of the reflecting element (2) is 30-60°.

4. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the measuring component (3) and the reflecting surface (21) is no greater than 5 cm.

5. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a rotating device (4) arranged in the housing (1), and the rotating device (4) is used to drive the measuring component (3) to rotate relative to the reflecting component (2).

6. The distance measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The rotating device (4) comprises a first driving component (41) and a mounting platform (42), wherein the first driving component (41) is fixedly arranged in the housing (1), and a driving end of the first driving component (41) is connected to the mounting platform (42), and the first driving component (41) is used to drive the mounting platform (42) to rotate relative to the housing (1); The measuring component (3) is fixed on the mounting platform (42).

7. The distance measuring device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The measuring assembly (3) comprises a light emitting device (31) and a light receiving device (32), wherein the light emitting device (31) is capable of emitting a detection light beam for detecting a target object (5), and the light receiving device (32) is used to receive the detection light beam reflected by the target object (5); The detection light beam emitted by the light emitting device (31) can be emitted from the mounting opening (11) after being emitted by the reflective member (2), and the detection light beam can be received by the light receiving device (32) after being reflected by the portion of the reflective member (2) protruding from the mounting opening (11); The light emitting device (31) and the light receiving device (32) are arranged on the mounting platform (42).

8. The distance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The reflective element (2) is a resin injection molded part, and the reflective surface (21) comprises a reflective film; Alternatively, the reflector (2) is a metal part, and the reflective surface (21) is a polished surface; Alternatively, the reflective element (2) is a glass lens, and the reflective surface (21) includes a reflective film; Alternatively, the reflective element (2) is reflective paper, and the reflective surface (21) comprises a reflective film.

9. The distance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The height of the reflecting surface (21) protruding from the installation opening (11) is no more than 2.5 cm.

10. An automatic cleaning device, characterized in that: It comprises a distance measuring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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