Self-propelled apparatus with an Anti-drop system

Abstract

A self-propelled apparatus includes a main body and an anti-drop system. The main body includes an aperture located at a bottom portion thereof and communicative with an interior thereof. The anti-drop system located inside the main body respective to the aperture includes an infrared detection module and an angle-limiting unit electrically coupled with the infrared detection module. The infrared detection module detects a distance between the bottom portion and a first detection surface. The infrared detection module includes an infrared emitting unit and an infrared receiving unit. The infrared emitting unit emits an infrared signal to the first detection surface. The infrared signal produces a first boundary signal and a second boundary signal after the infrared signal passes through the angle-limiting unit. The infrared receiving unit receives a reflected signal of the first boundary signal with respect to the first detection surface.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application Serial No.104216377, filed Oct. 13, 2015, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The invention relates to a self-propelled apparatus, and more particularly to the self-propelled apparatus that is equipped with an anti-drop system.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]In domestic services, the self-propelled apparatus for indoor cleaning, also called as a cleaning robot, is itself a cleaning tool that needs no human involvement for a cleaning task, can perform the cleaning task automatically, and can suck in dusts and dirt while in waddling around the floor.[0006]While the self-propelled apparatus moves on the floor, the route is usually preset in the apparatus, or the route is determined by applying an image-recognition means to judge the moving direction, the speed and the distance. However, since various indoor decorations...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system, that can limit the infrared signal in a specific signal-emitting region so as to precisely locate a floor with a height drop and thus to enhance the ability of anti-dropping to the self-propelled apparatus.

[0018]Thus, in the self-propelled apparatus with an anti-drop system provided by the present invention, when the infrared signal passes through the angle-limiting unit, the angle-limiting unit would limit the angle of the infrared signal so as to have the infrared signal to have the first boundary signal and the second boundary signal. An angle is formed between the first boundary signal and the second boundary signal. The infrared receiving unit is to receive the infrared receiving signal that is the reflected signal of the first boundary signal by the first detection surface. Upon such an arrangement, the specific signal region defined by the first boundary signal and the second boundary signal can be formed by the angle-limiting unit, and thus a height-drop floor can be determined accurately within the specific height. Since the height-drop floor can be precisely detected, then the performance of the anti-drop system for the self-propelled apparatus can be substantially enhanced.

Problems solved by technology

However, since various indoor decorations and furniture may exist to different places from time to time, a preset fix scheme for the cleaning robot to follow is far from reality.

In the case that the self-propelled apparatus may drop to be dysfunctional at a lower surface or more seriously may drop from a height, then the self-propelled apparatus might be damaged to an unworkable state.

Thus, some dropping risk may not be instinctively waived, and so unexpected dropping for the self-propelled apparatus is still possible.

However, the design of obliquely mounting the optical elements includes complicated structuring and difficulty in disassembling and replacement.

When the detection exceeds a predetermined range, then a problem in detection sensitivity would be inevitable.

Further, if the power of the infrared emitter is lowered, then an inaccurate distance judgment would rise, even though the detection distance to the floor might be successfully shortened.

Images