Base Station and Cleaning Robot System

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a base station and a cleaning robot system, the base station being configured to maintain a cleaning robot, the base station including a base station body and a base station base plate having a sloped portion inclined upward from the rear to the front, where the base station base plate includes a base plate and an extension plate, a front end of the base plate is connected to the base station body, and a rear end of the base plate is connected to the extension plate.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (Related Applications) This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110805968.1, filed on July 16, 2021, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202122051444.6, filed on August 27, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of smart homes, and in particular to a base station and a cleaning robot system. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently, cleaning robots usually need to actively move to the appropriate location of the base station to obtain maintenance operations such as charging, water refilling, cleaning, etc. from the base station. However, slippery floor surfaces may affect the climbing operation of the cleaning robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A series of concepts in simplified form are introduced in the Summary of the Invention section, which are further described in detail in the Specific Embodiments section. This section of the disclosure is not appended to limit the main features and necessary technical features of the technical solutions described in the claims, much less to determine the protection scope of the technical solutions described in the claims.

[0005] According to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station for maintenance of a cleaning robot, the base station including a base station body and a base station base plate having a sloped portion sloping upward from rear to front, wherein the base station base plate includes a base plate and an extension plate, the front end of the base plate is connected to the base station body and the rear end of the base plate is connected to the extension plate.

[0006] In some embodiments, the extension plate is pivotally connected to the base plate, and the extension plate has a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the base plate.

[0007] In some embodiments, a storage tank is provided at the bottom of the base, and the extension plate is stored in the storage tank when in the folded state.

[0008] In some embodiments, a first anti-slip portion and a second anti-slip portion are provided on the extension plate and the base plate, respectively, for the running device of the cleaning robot to pass through.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first anti-slip portions are symmetrically disposed on the extension plate, and the second anti-slip portions are symmetrically disposed on the base plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, an escape groove is provided on the substrate, the escape groove being provided between the second anti-slip portions and configured to accommodate a portion of the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot passes through the base station base plate.

[0011] In some embodiments, support wheels are provided on both sides of the escape groove, and the support wheels are configured to support the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot passes through or stops at the base station base plate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the rear end of the extension plate is provided with a recess structure for the running gear of the cleaning robot to pass through.

[0013] In some embodiments, a recessed structure is provided at an intermediate position on the rear end of the extension plate.

[0014] In some embodiments, a first guide surface is provided along the circumferential direction of the recessed structure, and the first guide surface is provided inclined from the inner side toward the outer side.

[0015] In some embodiments, a guide portion is provided on the base station body to be positioned above the substrate for contact with the cleaning robot.

[0016] In some embodiments, a top guide surface facing the substrate is provided on the base station body, and the guide portions are provided in a central portion and / or on both sides of the central portion of the top guide surface.

[0017] In some embodiments, the guide portion is provided at a front end of the upper guide surface.

[0018] In some embodiments, the guide portion comprises a guide press block, the side of the guide press block facing the substrate being provided as a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface sloping downwards from the rear to the front.

[0019] In some embodiments, the guide portion includes a guide wheel that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the fore-aft direction of the base station.

[0020] In some embodiments, a mounting bracket is provided on the guide top surface, and the guide wheel is attached to the mounting bracket via a rotating shaft.

[0021] According to an embodiment of a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a base station according to any one of the first aspects, wherein the cleaning robot is adapted to stop at the base station.

[0022] The following accompanying drawings of the present disclosure are incorporated herein as part of the embodiments of the present disclosure for understanding the present disclosure, in which the embodiments of the present disclosure and their descriptions are illustrated for interpreting the principles of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning robot system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of one aspect of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially exploded schematic view of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an extension plate in an expanded state relative to a substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an extension plate folded relative to a substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure from another perspective of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 11] 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 13] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of A in the embodiment shown in FIG. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10. Cleaning robot 110 Device body 111 Front part 112 Rear part 120 Sensing System 121 Positioning device 122 Buffer 130 Control Module 140 Drive System 141 Drive wheel module 142 Driven Wheel 150 Cleaning System 151 Dry Cleaning System 152 Side Brush 153 Wet Cleaning System 1531 Cleaning Head 1532 Drive Unit 1533 Driving Platform 1534 Support Platform 160 Energy Systems 170 Man-machine interaction system 180 Rotating Wheel 20 Base Station 210 Base Station Base Plate 211 Slope 2111 Evacuation ditch 2112 Support wheel 212 Recessed structure 2121 First Information Desk 214 Substrate 2141 Containment tank 2142 Second anti-slip part 2143 Support part 215 Extension plate 2151 First anti-slip part 216 Cleaning tank 217 Flat area 218 Pivot axis 2191 1st orbit 2192 Second orbit 220 Base Station Main Unit 221 Information Department 222 Guide press block 2221 1st slope 223 Guide Wheel 224 Guide Top 225 Guide Side 2251 Lateral surface 2252 Intermediate Surface 226 Mounting bracket 2261 First bracket body 2262 Second bracket body 227 Rotational Axis 30 Cleaning Assembly DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a more complete understanding of the technical solution of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the technical solution of the present disclosure may be implemented without one or more of these details.

[0026] It should be noted that the terms used herein are merely intended to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" as used herein may indicate the presence of features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or assemblies and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, assemblies, and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the ideas of these exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 14 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a base station 20 and a cleaning robot system, where, as shown in FIG. 1 , the cleaning robot system includes a cleaning robot 10 and a base station 20, i.e., the base station 20 is used in cooperation with the cleaning robot 10.

[0029] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the cleaning robot 10 may include a device body 110, a sensing system 120, a control module 130, a driving system 140, a cleaning system 150, an energy system 160, and a man-machine interaction system 170. The cleaning robot 10 may be a self-propelled cleaning robot or other cleaning robots that meet the requirements. The self-propelled cleaning robot is a device that automatically performs cleaning operations in a certain cleaning area without user operation. Here, when the self-propelled cleaning robot starts to work, the self-propelled cleaning device departs from the base station 20 to perform the cleaning task. When the self-propelled cleaning robot 10 completes the cleaning task or needs to abort the cleaning task, the self-propelled cleaning robot 10 can return to the base station 20 for charging or other operations.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the device body 110 includes a front portion 111 and a rear portion 112 and has an approximately circular shape (circular front to back), and may be other shapes such as, but not limited to, an approximately D-shape having a square front portion and a circular rear portion, or a rectangular or square shape having a square front portion and a square rear portion.

[0031] 2, the sensing system 120 includes a positioning device 121 located on the device body 110, a collision sensor provided on a buffer 122 of the front part 111 of the device body 110, a proximity sensor, a cliff sensor provided at the bottom of the device body 110, and sensing devices such as a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and an odometer provided inside the device body 110, and is used to provide various position information and moving state information of the device to the control module 130. The positioning device 121 includes, but is not limited to, a camera and a laser distance sensor (LDS).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the front part 111 of the equipment body 110 carries the buffer 122. During the cleaning process, when the driving wheel module 141 propels the cleaning robot 10 to run on the floor surface, the buffer 122 detects one or more events in the running path of the cleaning robot 10 through a sensor system, such as an infrared sensor, provided thereon, and the cleaning robot 10 can control the driving wheel module 141 based on the events, such as an obstacle, a wall, detected by the buffer 122, to make the cleaning robot 10 respond to the events, such as moving away from the obstacle.

[0033] The control module 130 is provided on the main circuit board in the device body 110 and includes a computing processor, such as a central processing unit and an application processor, which communicate with a non-transitory memory, such as a hard disk, a flash memory, and a random access memory. The application processor uses a positioning algorithm, such as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), to draw a timely map of the environment in which the cleaning robot 10 is located, based on the obstacle information fed back by the laser distance sensor. In addition, the control module 130 can comprehensively determine the current working state, current position, and current posture of the cleaning robot 10, such as crossing a door stop, standing on a carpet, being at a cliff and stuck from above or below, the dust box is full, being picked up, etc., based on the distance information and speed information fed back by the sensing devices, such as the sensor, cliff sensor, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and odometer, provided in the buffer 122, and provide specific next operation strategies for different situations, so that the cleaning robot 10 has better cleaning performance and user experience.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the driving system 140 can operate the equipment body 110 to move across a floor surface according to a driving command including distance and angle information (e.g., x, y, and θ components). The driving system 140 includes a driving wheel module 141, which may simultaneously control the left and right wheels to more accurately control the equipment movement, and the driving wheel module 141 includes a left driving wheel module and a right driving wheel module, respectively. The left and right driving wheel modules are arranged along a horizontal axis defined by the equipment body 110. In order for the cleaning robot 10 to move more stably on the floor surface or have a stronger moving ability, the cleaning robot 10 may include one or more driven wheels 142, which include, but are not limited to, driven wheels. The driving wheel module 141 includes a running wheel, a driving motor, and a control circuit for controlling the driving motor, and the driving wheel module 141 may be connected to a circuit for measuring a driving current and an odometer. The drive wheels may include an offset drop suspension system, being movably fixed, e.g., rotatably assembled, to the equipment body 110 and receiving a spring offset that is offset downwardly away from the equipment body 110. The spring offset allows the drive wheels to maintain contact and traction with the floor surface with a constant ground contact force, while the cleaning elements of the cleaning robot 10 also contact the floor surface with a constant pressure.

[0035] The energy system 160 may include a rechargeable battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery is connected to a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and a battery voltage shortage monitoring circuit, and the charging control circuit, the battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and the battery voltage shortage monitoring circuit are connected to a single-chip microcomputer control circuit. The host is connected to a charging pile via a charging electrode provided on the side or under the device for charging.

[0036] The man-machine interaction system 170 may include buttons on the host panel for the user to select functions, may include a display screen and / or indicator lights and / or speakers, where the display screen, indicator lights and speakers are used to display the current device status or function options to the user, and may further include a mobile phone client program. In the case of a route navigation type automatic cleaning device, the mobile phone client can display the map of the device's environment and the device's location to the user, providing more abundant and user-friendly function items.

[0037] The cleaning system 150 may be a dry cleaning system 151 and / or a wet cleaning system 153.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 3, the dry cleaning system 151 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a roller brush, a dust box, a fan, and an air outlet. The roller brush, which has a certain interference with the floor surface, sweeps up the debris on the floor surface, and lifts it up in front of the dust suction port between the roller brush and the dust box, and then is sucked into the dust box by the gas with extraction force generated by the fan through the dust box. The dry cleaning system 151 further includes a side brush 152 with a rotating shaft, which is at a certain angle with the floor surface and moves the debris to the roller brush area of ​​the cleaning system 150.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the wet cleaning system 153 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cleaning head 1531, a driving unit 1532, a water supply mechanism, a liquid storage tank, etc. Here, the cleaning head 1531 is disposed below the liquid storage tank, and the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank is transported to the cleaning head 1531 via the water supply mechanism, and the cleaning head 1531 wet cleans the flat surface to be cleaned. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank may be directly sprayed onto the flat surface to be cleaned, and the cleaning head 1531 evenly applies the cleaning liquid to achieve cleaning of the flat surface.

[0040] Here, the cleaning head 1531 cleans the surface to be cleaned, and the driving unit 1532 is used to drive the cleaning head 1531 to move substantially back and forth along the target surface, the target surface being a part of the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning head 1531 moves back and forth along the surface to be cleaned, and a cleaning cloth or cleaning plate is provided on the contact surface of the cleaning head 1531 with the surface to be cleaned, and high-frequency friction is generated between the cleaning head 1531 and the surface to be cleaned by the back and forth movement, thereby removing dirt on the surface to be cleaned.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 4 , the driving unit 1532 may further include a driving platform 1533 and a support platform 1534, where the driving platform 1533 is connected to the bottom surface of the equipment body 110 and is used to provide driving force, and the support platform 1534 is detachably connected to the driving platform 1533 and configured to support the cleaning head 1531 and realize lifting and lowering under the driving of the driving platform 1533.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the wet cleaning system 153 is connected to the device body 110 through an active lifting module. When the wet cleaning system 153 is temporarily not involved in the work, for example, when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 to wash the cleaning head 1531 of the wet cleaning system 153 and inject water into the liquid storage tank of the wet cleaning system 153, or when the wet cleaning system 153 encounters a surface to be cleaned that cannot be cleaned by the wet cleaning system 153, the wet cleaning system 153 is lifted by the active lifting module.

[0043] In the wet cleaning system 153 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning head 1531, the drive platform 1533, the support platform 1534, the water delivery mechanism, the liquid storage tank, etc. may be powered by one or more motors. The energy system 160 provides power and energy to the motors and is generally controlled by the control module 130.

[0044] Here, the water supply mechanism in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a water discharge device, which may be directly or indirectly connected to the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank 13, where the cleaning liquid flows toward the water discharge device through the cleaning liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank and is evenly applied to the surface to be cleaned by the water discharge device. A connection member may be provided on the water discharge device, which is connected to the cleaning liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank through the connection member. A distribution port may be provided on the water discharge device, which may be a continuous opening or may be formed by combining multiple small openings, and the distribution port may be provided with multiple nozzles. The cleaning liquid flows toward the distribution port through the cleaning liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank and the connection member of the water discharge device, and is evenly applied to the surface to be cleaned through the distribution port.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid storage tank further includes a water refill port, which may be provided on a side wall of the water tank, and when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20, the base station 20 injects water into the liquid storage tank of the cleaning robot 10 through the water refill port.

[0046] In an embodiment provided by the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 10 , the base station 20 includes a base station main body 220 and a base station base plate 210, and the base station base plate 210 includes a substrate 214 and an extension plate 215, where a front end of the substrate 214 is connected to the base station main body 220 and a rear end of the substrate 214 is connected to the extension plate 215, and the base station base plate 210 includes a sloped portion 211 that is inclined upward from rear to front, where the front-rear direction of the base station is as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5 , and the sloped portion 211 guides the cleaning robot 10 to move to an appropriate position on the base station 20 for other operations such as charging. That is, the running mechanism of the cleaning robot 10, such as the driving wheel and universal wheel, needs to move to an appropriate position of the base station 20 with the help of the slope portion 211, and in some embodiments, the cleaning robot 10 moves from the rear of the base station 20 to the front with the help of the slope portion to stop at an appropriate position of the base station to realize the corresponding operation, for example, the cleaning robot stops at the base station to be charged, that is, the forward direction of the cleaning robot 10 is toward the front of the base station 20.

[0047] An extension plate 215 is connected to the rear end of the base plate 214. For example, the extension plate 215 is detachably or movably provided at the rear end of the base plate 214. In a special situation such as a slippery floor, the extension plate 215 is connected to the base plate 214 and disposed behind the base plate 214. When the cleaning robot 10 is approaching the base station 20, the extension plate 215 passes through the extension plate 215 and reaches the slope 211 on the upper surface of the base plate 214, thereby assisting the cleaning robot 10 in climbing the slope. This can improve the efficiency and reliability of the cleaning robot 10 when stopping at the base station 20, and is suitable for popularization and application.

[0048] In some embodiments, on the other hand, the extension plate 215 is detachably connected to the base plate 214. When the extension plate 215 needs to be used, the extension plate 215 is connected to the rear end of the base plate 214 to facilitate the cleaning robot 10 to climb uphill; when the extension plate 215 does not need to be used, the extension plate 215 can be detached from the base plate 214 and stored, which is easy to operate.

[0049] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the extension plate 215 is movably connected to the base plate 214, for example, the extension plate 215 is movable to the base plate 214. When the extension plate 215 needs to be used, the extension plate 215 is movably connected to the rear of the base plate 214 relative to the base plate 214, which facilitates the cleaning robot 10 to climb uphill; when the extension plate 215 does not need to be used, the extension plate 215 can be movably moved to another position that meets the requirements relative to the base plate 214 and stored, which is simple to operate.

[0050] In other words, the movable or detachable connection of the extension plate 215 and the base plate 214 can meet the requirements of different situations in which the extension plate 215 is required or not required during the process of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20. That is, when there is a special requirement, such as when the floor surface is slippery, the extension plate 215 and the base plate 214 form the base station base plate 210 to enable the cleaning robot 10 to stop at the base station 20; when there is no special requirement, such as when the floor surface is dry, only the base plate 214 can enable the cleaning robot 10 to stop at the base station 20, and at this time the unnecessary extension plate 215 can be stored in an appropriate position, which expands the scope of use of the product and is suitable for popularization and application.

[0051] Here, the front end of the substrate 214 is connected to the base station body 220, and in some embodiments, the front end of the substrate 214 may be connected to the base station body 220 by welding, integral molding, or other means that meets the requirements, but is not particularly limited in this disclosure.

[0052] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the extension plate 215 is pivotally connected to the base plate 214, and the extension plate 215 has a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the base plate 214. The base station 20 further includes a pivot shaft 218, and the extension plate 215 is connected to the base plate 214 via the pivot shaft 218. When the extension plate 215 does not need to be used, the extension plate 215 can be rotated backward relative to the base plate 214, that is, to facilitate the climbing operation of the cleaning robot 10; when the extension plate 215 does not need to be used, the extension plate 215 can be pivoted to overlap with the base plate 214, and the extension plate 215 can be folded relative to the base plate 214, which facilitates the storage of the extension plate 215, does not affect the size of the base plate 214 in the front-rear direction, and can meet the requirements of the situation where the extension plate 215 is not needed during the process of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20. It should be noted that the extension plate 215 and the base plate 214 may be connected in other structures that meet the requirements, but are not particularly limited in the present disclosure.

[0053] In some embodiments, the extension plate 215 has a folding structure, i.e., the extension plate 215 itself can be folded, which helps to increase the length of the extension plate 215, makes the extension plate 215 easy to store, and is suitable for popularization and application.

[0054] 8 and 10, FIG. 8 is a bottom view of FIG. 7, and FIG. 10 is a bottom view of FIG. 6. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, a receiving tank 2141 is provided at the bottom of the base plate 214, and the receiving tank 2141 may be another structure having a receiving space. The receiving tank 2141 communicates with the rear end of the base plate 214, that is, the receiving tank 2141 is an open groove. As shown in FIG. 8, when the extension plate 215 is in a folded state relative to the base plate 214, the extension plate 215 is received in the receiving tank 2141. The installation of the receiving tank 2141 provides a space for receiving the extension plate 215. Since the receiving tank 2141 is located at the bottom of the base plate 214, the aesthetic appearance of the base plate 214 is not affected. At the same time, the structure of the upper surface of the base plate 214 and the height of the base plate 214 are not affected. Furthermore, the cleaning robot 10 can smoothly stop at the base station 20 along the upper surface of the base plate 214.

[0055] 8 and 10, a support part 2143 protruding downward is provided on the bottom of the substrate 214 near the front end, and an accommodation space for the extension plate 215 is formed between the support part 2143 and the rear end of the substrate 214, that is, an accommodation tank 2141 is formed. Here, the support part 2143 may be a support plate, a support rib, or other structure that meets the requirements.

[0056] In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , a first anti-slip part 2151 and a second anti-slip part 2142 for the running device of the cleaning robot 10 to pass through are provided on the extension plate 215 and the base plate 214, respectively. Here, the first anti-slip part 2151 extending along the front-rear direction is provided on the extension plate 215, and the second anti-slip part 2142 is provided on the base plate 214. When the extension plate 215 is in an unfolded state, the extension direction of the first anti-slip part 2151 overlaps with the extension direction of the second anti-slip part 2142. During the process of the cleaning robot 10 approaching the base station 20, the running device of the cleaning robot 10 passes through the first anti-slip part 2151 and the second anti-slip part 2142 in sequence and stops at the base station 20. Here, the first anti-slip portion 2151 and the second anti-slip portion 2142 come into contact with the driving wheels of the cleaning robot 10. The installation of the first anti-slip portion 2151 and the second anti-slip portion 2142 generates a certain frictional force with the driving wheels of the cleaning robot 10, ensuring that the cleaning robot 10 moves along the extension plate 215 and the base plate 214 to the appropriate position of the base station 20, and that the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first anti-skid portion 2151 and / or the second anti-skid portion 2142 may be an anti-skid uneven pattern or other anti-skid structures that meet the requirements, and are not particularly limited in the present disclosure. Here, the anti-skid uneven pattern may match the tire pattern of the traveling device, for example, the anti-skid uneven pattern is the same as the tire pattern of the traveling device, so that the first anti-skid portion 2151 and / or the second anti-skid portion 2142 can generate sufficient friction force with the tire to ensure that the cleaning robot 10 can stop quickly and smoothly at the appropriate position of the base station 20.

[0058] Here, the second anti-slip portion 2142 is provided on the inclined surface portion 211, which helps ensure smooth climbing of the cleaning robot 10. The second anti-slip portion 2142 may be provided on the inclined surface portion 211 and on the substrate 214 between the inclined surface portion 211 and the extension plate 215 in order to improve the operational reliability of the cleaning robot 10 on the substrate 214.

[0059] In some possible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, the running device of the cleaning robot 10 includes second running devices symmetrically distributed along the moving direction of the cleaning robot 10, and the second running devices may be driving wheels, as shown in Fig. 3. The first anti-skid parts 2151 are symmetrically arranged on the extension plate 215, and the second anti-skid parts 2142 are symmetrically arranged on the base plate 214, that is, the number of the second anti-skid parts 2142 is two, and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides along the center line of the base plate 214 in the front-rear direction, and the number of the first anti-skid parts 2151 is also two, and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides along the center line of the extension plate 215 in the front-rear direction, and the two first anti-skid parts 2151 are arranged corresponding to the two second anti-skid parts 2142. In this way, when the cleaning robot 10 approaches the base station base plate 210, the two symmetrically distributed driving wheels sequentially pass through the symmetrically distributed first anti-slip portions and the symmetrically distributed second anti-slip portions, and the two first anti-slip portions 2151 and the two second anti-slip portions 2142 respectively contact the two driving wheels, thereby improving the stability and reliability when the cleaning robot stops at the base station.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , the extension plate 215 is provided with a first track 2191 extending along the front-rear direction, the first anti-slip portion 2151 is provided within the first track 2191, the base plate 214 is provided with a second track 2192 extending along the front-rear direction, and the second anti-slip portion 2142 is provided within the second track 2192. When the extension plate 215 is in an unfolded state relative to the base plate 214, the extension direction of the first track 2191 overlaps with the extension direction of the second track 2192. During the process of the cleaning robot 10 approaching the base station 20, it passes through the first track 2191 and the second track 2192 in sequence and stops at the base station 20. Here, the first track 2191 and the second track 2192 provide a certain guiding effect for the tires of the second running device of the cleaning robot 10, allowing the second running device to stop smoothly, quickly and accurately at an appropriate position on the base station 20 along the first track 2191 and the second track 2192, thereby improving the stopping efficiency and stopping accuracy of the cleaning robot 10 relative to the base station 20.

[0061] In some possible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, an escape groove is provided on the substrate 214, for example, an escape groove 2111 is provided on the inclined portion 211, and the escape groove 2111 is located between two second anti-slip portions 2142, which is used to accommodate a part of the cleaning robot 10 when the cleaning robot 10 passes through the base station base plate 210. Under normal circumstances, the driven wheels 142 and the driving wheels are provided at the bottom of the cleaning robot 10, i.e., the second running device is provided at the bottom of the cleaning robot 10. Therefore, by providing the retreat groove 2111 on the inclined portion 211, the retreat groove 2111 can accommodate the driven wheels 142 or part of the device body 110 of the cleaning robot 10 during the process of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20, thereby preventing the device body 110 of the cleaning robot 10 from being lifted prematurely during the process of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20, and the tail of the device body 110 from contacting the base station base plate 210, which increases the difficulty of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20.

[0062] 5, 6 and 7, support wheels 2112 are provided on both sides of the evacuation groove 2111, for example, the support wheels 2112 are provided on the slope portion 211 and positioned on both sides of the evacuation groove 2111, for example, between the evacuation groove 2111 and the second anti-skid portion 2142, and the support wheels 2112 support the bottom of the cleaning robot 10, thereby reducing the difficulty of the drive wheels climbing a slope and improving the smoothness of the slope. Here, the axis of the support wheels 2112 is set perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0063] In some embodiments, the substrate 214 further includes a flat portion 217 connected to the inclined portion 211, and the flat portion 217 is located between the inclined portion 211 and the extension plate 215, i.e., the flat portion 217 is located in front of the inclined portion 211. The installation of the flat portion 217 increases the distance of the cleaning robot 10 from the floor surface to the inclined portion 211, which can provide a certain buffer distance for the climbing operation of the cleaning robot 10 and assist the cleaning robot 10 in climbing.

[0064] In some possible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 6, the running device of the cleaning robot 10 further includes a first running device, for example, the first running device is provided at the front of the cleaning robot 10, and the second running device is provided at the rear of the cleaning robot 10, where the moving direction of the cleaning robot 10 is the forward direction, the first running device is located in front of the second running device in the moving direction of the cleaning robot 10, and taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 as an example, during the process of the cleaning robot 10 moving forward and stopping at the base station 20, the driven wheels 142 are located in front of the driving wheels, that is, the first running device is the driven wheel 142, and the second running device is the driving wheel. Note that in other embodiments, the first running device may be the driving wheel, and the second running device may be the driven wheel 142. Hereinafter, the embodiment provided by the present disclosure will be described taking the case where the first running device is the driven wheel 142 and the second running device is the driving wheel as an example.

[0065] Since the first running device of the cleaning robot 10 is provided in front of the second running device, when the cleaning robot 10 needs to move forward and stop at the base station 20, the first running device (e.g., the driven wheel 142) approaches the base station 20 earlier than the second running device (e.g., the driving wheel). A recess structure 212 for the first running device in the running device of the cleaning robot to pass through is provided at the rear end of the extension plate 215, where the recess structure 212 opens upward and matches the shape of the driven wheel 142 of the cleaning robot 10, so that when the cleaning robot 10 moves forward and approaches the base station base plate 210, when the extension plate 215 is in an unfolded state relative to the substrate 214, the driven wheel 142 fits into the recess structure 212 first, i.e., after the driven wheel 142 approaches the base station base plate 210, it first moves along the recess structure 212, which can extend the lifting time after the cleaning robot 10 contacts the base station base plate 210, and can further improve the efficiency of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first traveling device is provided at the middle position of the front of the main body of the cleaning robot 10, where the main body may be the equipment main body 110 of the cleaning robot 10, for example, the driven wheel 142 is provided on the geometric center line along the front-rear direction of the cleaning robot 10 under normal circumstances, so that the recessed structure 212 is provided at the middle position of the rear end of the extension plate 215, so that the recessed structure 212 is provided distally from the middle position of the rear end of the extension plate 215, and the cleaning robot 10 can stop at the base station 20 via the base station base plate 210, thereby alleviating the problem that the extension plate 215 has a large size in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. That is, by providing the recessed structure 212 at the middle position of the rear end of the extension plate 215, the size of the extension plate 215 in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction can be reduced, the occupied space of the base station base plate 210 can be reduced, and the design requirement that the base station 20 has a compact structure can be met. Here, since the recess structure 212 extends in the direction of the substrate 214, the distance that the cleaning robot 10 travels through the recess structure 212 to the slope portion 211 can be shortened, and the lifting time during the climbing process of the cleaning robot 10 can be extended.

[0067] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the recess structure 212 is at least one of a notch and a groove, that is, the recess structure 212 can be a notch, or the recess structure 212 can be a groove, or the recess structure 212 can be a combination of a notch and a groove, for example, the notch is located in front of the groove and communicates with each other, and the notch and the groove are combined to form a recess structure. Different kinds of recess structures 212 can meet the requirements of different structures and different processing methods of the base station base plate 210, and can expand the use scope of the product.

[0068] In some embodiments, the recess structure 212 is a notch, i.e., a notch is provided at the rear end of the extension plate 215, and the notch extends toward the slope portion 211, so that the driven wheel 142 can move to the upper surface of the base station base plate 210 after passing through the notch, and stop at a suitable position on the base station 20 after passing through the slope portion 211. Here, the notch is easy to process and is suitable for popularization and application.

[0069] In some embodiments, the recess structure 212 includes a groove that is provided at the rear end of the extension plate 215 and opens backward, i.e., a groove is provided at the rear end of the extension plate 215, the groove extends toward the slope portion 211, and the groove is an open groove, i.e., the opening of the groove communicates with the rear end of the extension plate 215, so that when the driven wheel 142 moves to the rear end of the extension plate 215, it passes through the groove, the upper surface of the extension plate 215, the upper surface of the base plate 214, and the slope portion 211 in sequence, and then stops at a suitable position on the base station 20. Here, since the distance from the groove bottom to the lower surface of the extension plate 215 is small, it is too small to lift the cleaning robot 10, or the lifting height is small and negligible. Therefore, the effect of extending the lifting time after the cleaning robot 10 contacts the base station base plate 210 can be achieved as well. At the same time, the design of the groove appropriately reduces the distance from the bottom of the groove to the upper surface of the extension plate 215, thereby reducing the difficulty of the driven wheel 142 moving from the groove to the upper surface of the extension plate 215, and further improving the smoothness and success rate of the driven wheel 142 moving from the groove to the upper surface of the base station base plate 210, and improving the efficiency of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20.

[0070] In some feasible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 6 , a first guide surface 2121 is provided along the circumferential direction of the recessed structure 212, and the first guide surface 2121 is inclined from the inside to the outside. In some embodiments, the first guide surface 2121 is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the inside of the opening. The provision of the first guide surface 2121 can provide a good guiding effect during the process of the driven wheel 142 moving from the recessed structure 212 to the upper surface of the extension plate 215, reduce the difficulty of the driven wheel 142 moving from the recessed structure 212 to the upper surface of the extension plate 215, improve the smoothness and success rate of the driven wheel 142 moving from the recessed structure 212 to the upper surface of the base station base plate 210, and further improve the efficiency of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20.

[0071] Here, the side of the recess structure 212 away from the rear end of the extension plate 215 is arc-shaped, and the arc shape matches the shape of a part of the driven wheel 142 .

[0072] In some possible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 11 and Fig. 13, a guide part 221 is provided on the base station body 220, which is located above the substrate 214 and contacts the cleaning robot 10. The contact between the guide part 221 and the cleaning robot 10 can guide the cleaning robot 10 to move in a direction approaching the base station body 220, restrict the cleaning robot 10 from moving along the vertical direction, and can improve the smoothness and accuracy of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station body 220 and improve the efficiency of the robot stopping at the base station body 220.

[0073] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, a cleaning assembly 30 for the cleaning robot 10 is further provided on the base station body 220. In some embodiments, the cleaning assembly 30 is used to clean the cleaning system 150 of the cleaning robot 10, and the guide portion 221 is located above the cleaning assembly 30 along the vertical direction, i.e., the cleaning assembly 30 is located on the side closer to the base station base plate 210 of the base station body 220, and cleans the cleaning system 150 at the bottom of the cleaning robot 10. In addition, when the cleaning tank 216 below the cleaning assembly 30 is provided on the substrate 214, the cleaning tank 216 is configured to accommodate dirt and dirty water generated in the process of the cleaning assembly 30 cleaning the cleaning system 150 of the cleaning robot 10, and at this time, the cleaning assembly 30 is located above the cleaning tank 216 and the guide portion 221 is located above the cleaning assembly 30 along the vertical direction. It should be understood that the cleaning tank 216 is located on the side away from the groove structure 212 of the slope portion 211.

[0074] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, a guide top surface 224 facing the substrate 214 is provided on the base station body 220, and the guide part 221 is provided on the guide top surface 224 and contacts the top of the cleaning robot 10, that is, when the cleaning robot 10 is in the process of stopping at the base station body 220, the guide part 221 contacts the top of the cleaning robot 10 from above to guide and restrict the movement of the cleaning robot 10, so as to reduce the size of the base station 20 in the horizontal direction, meet the requirement that the horizontal size of the arrangement space of the base station 20 is small, and expand the scope of use of the product.

[0075] Here, on the other hand, the guide portion 221 may be provided in the middle of the upper guide surface 224, so that the movement of the cleaning robot 10 can be guided and restricted by only one guide portion 221, resulting in a simple structure and low cost.

[0076] On the other hand, the guide portion 221 may be provided on both sides of the middle portion of the guide upper surface 224, and the two guide portions 221 can guide and restrict the movement of the cleaning robot 10, which helps to improve the movement accuracy and smoothness of the cleaning robot 10, and can improve the reliability and accuracy of position restriction, and is suitable for popularization and application.

[0077] Furthermore, the guide portions 221 may be provided at the middle and both sides of the middle portion of the guide upper surface 224, and the three guide portions 221 can guide and restrict the movement of the cleaning robot 10, greatly improving the movement accuracy and smoothness of the cleaning robot 10, and improving the reliability and accuracy of position restriction.

[0078] In addition, the number of guide parts 221 can be one, two, three, four, five or other numbers that meet the requirements, and different numbers of guide parts 221 can meet the requirements of different structures of the guide parts 221, and at the same time, can meet the requirements of different precision of guidance and restriction, and expand the scope of use of the product.

[0079] Here, the guide portion 221 may be at least one of the guide press block 222 and the guide wheel 223, for example, the guide portions 221 may all be guide press blocks 222, or the guide portions 221 may all be guide wheels 223, or the guide portions 221 may include the guide press blocks 222 and the guide wheels 223, and in this case, the number of the guide portions 221 is at least two.

[0080] In some embodiments, one guide part 221 is provided on the guide top surface 224 at a middle position, and the guide part 221 may be a guide press block 222 or a guide wheel 223. Or, two guide parts 221 are provided on the guide top surface 224 at both sides of the middle position, and the two guide parts 221 may be guide press blocks 222 or guide wheels 223 at the same time, or one may be a guide press block 222 and the other a guide wheel 223. Or, three guide parts 221 are provided on the guide top surface 224, including a guide press block 222 or a guide wheel 223 at a middle position and a guide press block 222 or a guide wheel 223 at both sides of the middle position, for example, a guide press block 222 is provided at the middle position and a guide wheel 223 is provided at both sides of the middle position.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the guide portion 221 is provided at the front end of the guide upper surface 224, and the cleaning robot 10 moves along the front-rear direction of the base station 20 and stops at the front base station body 220. Therefore, by providing the guide portion 221 on the side closer to the front of the guide upper surface 224, the cleaning robot 10 can be guided to move along the front-rear direction of the base station 20 to the stopping point of the base station body 220, which reduces the problem that the cleaning robot 10 cannot move smoothly to the stopping point of the base station body 220, and further improves the accuracy and reliability of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20.

[0082] Here, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the base station body 220 is further provided with a rearward-facing guide side 225, which is provided between the base 214 and the guide top surface 224, and in some embodiments, the guide side 225 is provided above the cleaning assembly 30, and the guide side 225 includes two opposing side surfaces 2251 and an intermediate surface 2252 between the two side surfaces 2251, and the intermediate surface 2252 is opposite to the forward direction in which the cleaning robot 10 moves close to the base station 20.

[0083] In some feasible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 11, when the guide portion 221 includes a guide press block 222, the side of the guide press block 222 facing the substrate 214 functions as a first inclined surface 2221, and the first inclined surface 2221 inclines downward from rear to front, and during the process of the cleaning robot 10 stopping at the base station 20, the top of the cleaning robot 10 contacts the first inclined surface 2221 of the guide press block 222 and moves along the first inclined surface 2221 of the guide press block 222 in a direction approaching the base station body 220 until it reaches a stopping point. At the same time, when the cleaning robot 10 reaches the stopping point of the base station 20, for example, the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 and then cleans its cleaning system 150, during the cleaning process, the cleaning assembly 30 of the base station 20 contacts the cleaning system 150 of the cleaning robot 10 and exerts a straight upward force on the cleaning robot 10, and the installation of the guide press block 222 can partially or completely offset the straight upward force and prevent the cleaning robot 10 from moving upward.

[0084] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, in order to make it easier for the cleaning robot 10 to stop at the base station 20, a rotating wheel 180 may be provided at the upper edge of the cleaning robot 10, which is compatible with the guide press block 222, and as shown in Fig. 12, the rotating wheel 180 may rotate along an axis perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the base station 20, so that when the cleaning robot 10 needs to move to a stop point of the base station 20, the rotating wheel 180 may cooperate with the guide press block 222, and the cleaning robot 10 may move to a stop point of the base station 20 more smoothly. It should be understood that the rotating wheel 180 may be provided corresponding to the upper edge of the cleaning robot 10 according to the number and position of the guide press block 222.

[0085] In some embodiments, when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 to perform different operations, its posture may be different, for example, when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 to charge, the first charging contact pole piece is provided on the front part 111 of the cleaning robot 10, so that the front part 111 is close to the base station body 220, i.e., the cleaning robot 10 needs to move forward to stop at the base station 20.

[0086] When the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 to clean the cleaning system 150, the cleaning system 150 may be provided close to the front part 111 of the cleaning robot 10 or away from the front part 111. If the cleaning system 150 is provided close to the front part 111 of the cleaning robot 10, the cleaning robot 10 can clean the cleaning system by the base station 20 with the front part 111 close to the base station body 220, i.e., under this condition, during charging and cleaning operations, the attitude of the cleaning robot 10 to the base station 20 is the same, i.e., the cleaning robot 10 needs to move forward to stop at the base station 20.

[0087] When the cleaning system 150 is provided away from the front part 111, the rear part 112 of the cleaning robot 10 may be brought close to the base station body 220 for cleaning, i.e. under this condition, during charging and cleaning operation, the attitude of the cleaning robot 10 relative to the base station 20 is opposite, i.e. the cleaning robot 10 needs to move backward in the opposite direction to stop at the base station 20 to perform cleaning operation. Therefore, multiple rotating wheels 180 are provided at different positions on the upper edge of the cleaning robot 10, and when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 in different attitudes, the rotating wheels 180 can cooperate with the guide press block 222 to improve the stopping efficiency.

[0088] In some feasible embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, when the guide portion 221 includes a guide wheel 223, the guide wheel 223 rotates along an axis perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the base station 20, i.e., the guide wheel 223 rotates back and forth along the front-rear direction, and the guide wheel 223 can guide the cleaning robot 10 to move closer to or away from the base station body 220, so that the cleaning robot 10 can move more smoothly to the stopping point of the base station 20.

[0089] Here, the installation of the guide wheel 223 can limit the vertical movement of the cleaning robot 10 after it stops at the base station 20. For example, when the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station 20 to perform cleaning, the cleaning assembly 30 of the base station 20 comes into contact with the cleaning system 150 of the cleaning robot 10 and applies a linear upward force to the cleaning robot 10, and the installation of the guide wheel 223 can partially or completely offset the linear upward force, preventing the cleaning robot 10 from moving upward.

[0090] In this embodiment, a mounting bracket 226 is provided on the upper guide surface 224, and the guide wheel 223 is attached to the mounting bracket 226 via a rotating shaft 227. By installing the mounting bracket 226 and the rotating shaft 227, the guide wheel 223 is securely and firmly fixed to the upper guide surface 224 and can rotate in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the base station 20 around the rotating shaft 227, where the rotating shaft 227 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the base station 20.

[0091] In some embodiments, the mounting bracket 226 includes a first bracket body 2261 and a second bracket body 2262 facing each other, and the rotating shaft 227 is connected to the first bracket body 2261 and the second bracket body 2262, i.e., the first bracket body 2261 and the second bracket body 2262 are distributed at intervals along a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the base station 20, and the guide wheel 223 is fitted to the rotating shaft 227 and located between the first bracket body 2261 and the second bracket body 2262. When the cleaning robot 10 is in the process of stopping at the base station 20, the guide wheel 223 can contact the top of the cleaning robot 10 and rotate along the rotating shaft 227 to guide the cleaning robot 10 to move in a direction close to the base station body 220, so that the cleaning robot 10 can move to the stopping point of the base station 20 more smoothly. Here, by installing the first bracket body 2261 and the second bracket body 2262, the connection reliability and stability of the guide wheel 223 and the upper guide surface 224 can be improved.

[0092] All embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented alone or in combination with other embodiments, all of which should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0093] Although the present disclosure has been described by the above embodiments, the above embodiments are only used for the purpose of illustration and description, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and many changes and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present disclosure, and all of these changes and modifications are included in the protection scope of the present disclosure. The protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. 1. A base station for maintaining a cleaning robot, the base station comprising: The base station includes a base station body and a base station base plate having a sloped portion that slopes upward from the rear to the front, The base station base plate includes a base plate and an extension plate, the front end of the base plate is connected to the base station body, and the rear end of the base plate is connected to the extension plate; the extension plate has a folded state and an unfolded state with respect to the base plate, A base station, comprising a storage tank provided at the bottom of the base plate, the extension plate being stored in the storage tank when in a folded state.

2. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the extension plate is pivotally connected to the base plate.

3. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein the extension plate and the base plate are provided with a first anti-slip portion and a second anti-slip portion, respectively, for a running device of the cleaning robot to pass through.

4. The base station according to claim 3 , wherein the first anti-slip portions are symmetrically provided on the extension plate, and the second anti-slip portions are symmetrically provided on the base plate.

5. The base station of claim 4, wherein an escape groove is provided on the substrate, the escape groove being provided between the second anti-slip portions and configured to accommodate a portion of the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot passes through the base station base plate.

6. The base station of claim 5 , wherein support wheels are provided on both sides of the retreat groove, and the support wheels are configured to support the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot passes through or stops at the base station base plate.

7. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein a recess structure is provided at a rear end of the extension plate for allowing a running device of the cleaning robot to pass through.

8. The base station of claim 7 , wherein the recessed structure is located at an intermediate position of the rear end of the extension plate.

9. The base station according to claim 7 , wherein a first guide surface is provided along a circumferential direction of the recessed portion structure, the first guide surface being inclined from the inner side toward the outer side.

10. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein the base station body is provided with a guide portion located above the substrate for contacting the cleaning robot.

11. The base station according to claim 10, wherein the base station body is provided with a guide upper surface facing the substrate, and the guide portions are provided in a central portion of the guide upper surface and / or on both sides of the central portion.

12. The base station according to claim 11 , wherein the guide portion is provided at a front end of the upper guide surface.

13. 12. The base station according to claim 11, wherein the guide portion includes a guide press block, the side of the guide press block facing the base plate being provided as a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface inclining downward from the rear to the front.

14. The base station of claim 11 , wherein the guide portion includes a guide wheel, the guide wheel rotating about an axis perpendicular to a front-to-rear direction of the base station.

15. The base station according to claim 14, wherein a mounting bracket is provided on the guide top surface, and the guide wheel is attached to the mounting bracket via a rotation shaft.

16. A cleaning robot A cleaning robot system comprising: a base station according to any one of claims 1 to 15; and the cleaning robot is configured to stop at the base station.

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