Cleaning robot and its edge-walking method and readable medium

Abstract

A cleaning robot and a method for walking along the edge thereof, and a readable medium, wherein the cleaning robot comprises a body (100), wherein a roller brush (101) and a side brush (102) are arranged at the bottom of the body, wherein the roller brush and the side brush are arranged transversely at the front end of the cleaning robot, and one end of the roller brush and the side brush are arranged close to the two side edges of the body respectively; wherein the cleaning robot further comprises a control module and a ground medium recognition sensor (103) for detecting the type of a working surface, wherein the ground medium recognition sensor sends a detection signal to the control module, and the control module controls the cleaning robot to walk along the edge of one side of the body according to the detection signal. The present invention utilizes the roller brush and the side brush arranged transversely at the front end of the bottom of the body, and combines the ground medium recognition sensor to enable the cleaning robot to use the side brush and the roller brush to clean dirt at the junction of different surfaces and walls. Compared with traditional cleaning robots, the cleaning robot has a strong cleaning ability, a good cleaning effect, and a wide range of applications.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a cleaning robot and a method for walking close to the edge thereof, and a readable medium, belonging to the technical field of small household appliance manufacturing. Background Art

[0002] The sweeping robots on the market are generally round in shape, and their main cleaning device is a roller brush arranged in the middle of the body. There are also side brushes on both sides of the body to sweep dust into the roller brush opening. However, the side brushes can only sweep dust on hard surfaces and cannot handle dust inside carpets. Therefore, in a room with carpets, the above-mentioned sweeping robots cannot clean dirt located on the edges of walls or other objects. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to address the deficiencies in the prior art and provide a cleaning robot and its edge-walking method and readable medium. By utilizing a roller brush and a side brush arranged horizontally at the front end of the bottom of the machine body and combining with a ground medium recognition sensor, the cleaning robot can use the side brush to clean dirt at the junction of hard surfaces such as floors and walls, and use the roller brush to clean dirt at the junction of soft surfaces such as carpets and walls. Compared with traditional cleaning robots, the cleaning robot has strong cleaning ability, good cleaning effect and wide application range.

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present invention provides a cleaning robot, comprising a body, wherein a roller brush and a side brush are provided at the bottom of the body, wherein the roller brush and the side brush are arranged laterally at the front end of the cleaning robot, and one end of the roller brush and the side brush are respectively arranged close to the two side edges of the body; the cleaning robot also comprises a control module and a ground medium recognition sensor for detecting the type of working surface, wherein the ground medium recognition sensor sends a detection signal to the control module, and the control module controls the cleaning robot to walk along one side of the body according to the detection signal.

[0006] In order to reduce the area that cannot be swept by the side when the cleaning robot is close to obstacles such as walls, the side of the body close to the roller brush is the roller brush side, and the distance between the roller brush and the roller brush side is ≤20mm. The side of the body close to the side brush is the side brush side, and the distance between the center of the side brush and the side brush side is greater than the distance between the roller brush and the roller brush side. The side brush has bristles, and the distance between the center of the side brush and the side brush side is less than the distance between the center of the side brush and the end of the bristles.

[0007] Further, the center of the side brush is located in front of the center of the roller brush. Alternatively, the side brush and the roller brush are arranged side by side in a transverse direction.

[0008] In order to optimize the structure and cleaning range of the cleaning robot, the front portion of the body is square.

[0009] In order to control the cleaning robot to walk along the wall and other obstacles, the body is provided with an edge sensor, which includes infrared sensors arranged on the left and right sides of the body, and the infrared sensor includes a transmitting end and a receiving end.

[0010] Preferably, the ground medium identification sensor is located in front of the roller brush. The machine body is provided with two downward-looking sensors located in front of the roller brush, and the ground medium identification sensor is located between the two downward-looking sensors.

[0011] The present invention also provides a method for the cleaning robot to walk along the edge as described above, and the method for walking along the edge comprises:

[0012] When the ground medium identification sensor detects that the working surface is the first surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk close to the side edge of the roller brush;

[0013] When the ground medium identification sensor detects that the working surface is the second surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk along the side edge close to the side brush.

[0014] Preferably, the first surface is a carpet and the second surface is a floor.

[0015] The present invention also provides a readable medium, which is arranged in a cleaning robot. A walking control program is stored in the readable medium. The walking control program is used to control the cleaning robot to walk according to the edge walking method as described above.

[0016] To sum up, the present invention utilizes roller brushes and side brushes arranged horizontally at the front bottom of the body, combined with a ground medium recognition sensor, so that the cleaning robot can use the side brush to clean the dirt at the junction of hard surfaces such as floors and walls, and use the roller brush to clean the dirt at the junction of soft surfaces such as carpets and walls. Compared with traditional cleaning robots, it has strong cleaning ability, good cleaning effect and wide range of applications.

[0017] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a bottom schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning robot of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing an edge cleaning mode on a floor;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing an edge cleaning mode on a carpet;

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing a covering cleaning mode on a mixed surface;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing the edge cleaning mode on a mixed surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1 is a bottom schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning robot of the present invention. Figure 1 Combination Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a cleaning robot, including a body 100, on which a control module, a sensor module, a cleaning module and a walking module are provided. The sensor module is used to detect the state of the cleaning robot itself and the surrounding environment, and transmits the detection signal to the control module to guide the cleaning robot to work. The cleaning module is used to clean the working surface, and the walking module is used to drive the cleaning robot to walk. The control module transmits the control signal to the cleaning module and the walking module so that the cleaning robot performs the cleaning work.

[0025] With the walking direction A of the cleaning robot as the front, the cleaning module includes a roller brush 101 and a side brush 102 arranged at the bottom of the body 100, and the roller brush 101 and the side brush 102 are arranged horizontally at the front end of the cleaning robot, that is, arranged left and right in a direction perpendicular to the direction A, wherein the roller brush 101 can be set on the left side or the right side of the cleaning robot.

[0026] In order to reduce the area that the front end of the cleaning robot cannot sweep when encountering obstacles such as walls, the roller brush 101 and the side brush 102 are arranged as close to the front end of the cleaning robot as possible. Similarly, in order to reduce the area that the side of the cleaning robot cannot sweep when it is close to obstacles such as walls, one end of the roller brush 101 and the side brush 102 are arranged close to the two side edges of the body respectively.

[0027] Preferably, the side of the body 100 close to the roller brush 101 is defined as the roller brush side 108, and the distance between the roller brush 101 and the side close to it is ≤20 mm, that is, the distance between the roller brush 101 and the roller brush side 108 is ≤20 mm. The side of the body 100 close to the side brush 102 is defined as the side brush side 109, and the distance between the center of the side brush 102 and the side brush side 109 is greater than the distance between the roller brush 101 and the roller brush side 108. The distance between the roller brush 101 and the front boundary of the body 100 is ≤10 mm. The side brush 102 has bristles, and the distance between the center of the side brush 102 and the side brush side 109 is less than the distance between the center of the side brush and the end of the bristles, that is, the outer end of the bristles of the side brush 102 exceeds the boundary of the body 100, so as to facilitate the bristles to clean the dirt between the cleaning robot and the wall. Furthermore, the center of the side brush 102 can be located in front of the center of the roller brush 101, that is, the distance between the center of the side brush 102 and the front boundary of the body 100 is less than the distance between the center of the roller brush 101 and the front boundary of the body 100; or, the distance between the center of the side brush 102 and the front boundary of the body 100 is equal to the distance between the center of the roller brush 101 and the front boundary of the body 100, that is, the side brush 102 and the roller brush 101 are arranged side by side laterally.

[0028] It should be added that in order to optimize the structure and cleaning range of the cleaning robot, the forward portion 110 of the body 100 of the present invention is square or approximately square. The square forward portion 110 facilitates the horizontal arrangement of the roller brush 101 and the side brush 102, while increasing the effective cleaning surface of the cleaning robot.

[0029] The cleaning module also includes a vacuum unit, which is used to generate suction. In the present invention, the cleaning robot generates suction through the vacuum unit, and sucks in dust on the working surface with the help of the side brush 102 and the roller brush 101, and the dust enters the collection device on the body 100.

[0030] The walking module includes a driving motor and a driving wheel 120 driven by the driving motor, etc., and is used to drive the cleaning robot to walk.

[0031] The sensor module is used to detect the state and working environment of the cleaning robot itself. The sensor module includes a ground medium recognition sensor 103, a collision sensor, a downward sensor 104, an edge sensor and an environmental sensor, etc. The environmental sensor can detect the terrain of the area around the cleaning robot and / or determine the position of the cleaning robot, thereby drawing a work map, and sending the detection signal of the environmental sensor to the control module to help the cleaning robot plan a route or working method, thereby further improving work efficiency. The collision sensor is arranged in front of the cleaning robot. When the cleaning robot encounters obstacles such as walls, the collision sensor can detect in time and send the detection signal to the control module. The downward sensor 104 is arranged on the front side of the bottom of the body 100, preferably, in front of the roller brush 101, for detecting the presence of a pit or step edge in front of the cleaning robot, and sending the detection signal to the control module to prevent the cleaning robot from falling. The edge sensor is used to detect the distance between the side of the body 100 and obstacles such as walls, and send a detection signal to the control module. The control module controls the cleaning robot to work according to the detection signal to facilitate the control module to control the cleaning robot to walk along the edge of obstacles such as walls. For example, infrared sensors can be set on the left and right sides of the body 100, and the transmitting end and the receiving end interact with each other to perform positioning relative to the wall and determine the next posture adjustment.

[0032] The ground medium identification sensor 103 is arranged in front of the roller brush 101, and is used to detect the type of the working surface. It can distinguish whether there is a carpet on the ground, and send a detection signal to the control module. Preferably, the number of the downward-looking sensors 104 is two, and the ground medium identification sensor 103 is located between the two downward-looking sensors 104. The ground medium identification sensor 103 sends a detection signal to the control module, and the control module controls the cleaning robot to walk along one side of the body 100 according to the detection signal.

[0033] The cleaning method of the cleaning robot in the present invention has two cleaning modes: a covering cleaning mode and a cleaning mode close to the edge. For example, the cleaning robot in the present invention can first execute the covering cleaning mode and then execute the cleaning mode close to the edge, thereby cleaning the entire working surface. In the covering cleaning mode, the cleaning robot can use the covering path technology known in the art for cleaning, such as a bow-shaped walking mode, a spiral walking mode, and a random walking mode. After entering the cleaning mode close to the edge, the cleaning robot walks close to the wall and other obstacles, thereby cleaning the dirt on the edge of the wall.

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing an edge cleaning mode on a floor; Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing edge cleaning mode on a carpet. Figure 3 Combination Figure 4 As shown, the present invention also discloses a method for a cleaning robot to walk along the edge, comprising: when the ground medium recognition sensor detects that the working surface is the first surface, controlling the cleaning robot to walk along the edge close to the side of the roller brush 101 (i.e., the roller brush side 108); when the ground medium recognition sensor detects that the working surface is the second surface, controlling the cleaning robot to walk along the edge close to the side of the side brush 102 (the side brush side 109). Preferably, the first surface is a soft surface such as a carpet, and the second surface is a hard surface such as a floor (wooden floor, tile, PVC floor), a cement floor, etc.

[0035] Specifically, after the cleaning robot enters the edge cleaning mode, the ground medium identification sensor 103 sends a detection signal to the control module. If the detected working surface is the first surface (soft surface such as carpet), the control module controls the walking module to turn, so that the cleaning robot walks along the edge of obstacles such as walls with the roller brush side 108; if the detected working surface is the second surface (wooden floor, ceramic tile, PVC floor), the control module controls the walking module to turn, so that the cleaning robot walks along the edge of obstacles such as walls with the side brush side 109 (the arrow in the figure indicates the walking direction of the cleaning robot).

[0036] It should be added that, those skilled in the art can replace the roller brush or side brush with other types of cleaning components, such as scraping strips, etc. according to actual needs. Furthermore, the ground medium recognition sensor 103 can be used in conjunction with various types of cleaning components. After the ground medium recognition sensor identifies the type of ground medium, the control module controls the cleaning robot to walk close to the side of a suitable cleaning component, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the cleaning robot and enhancing its adaptability.

[0037] Since the ground medium identification sensor 103 for detecting floors and carpets is installed, when the working surface is a mixed surface (there are multiple working surfaces such as carpets and floors), the cleaning robot will select a suitable running path to maintain correct edge cleaning.

[0038] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing a covering cleaning mode on a mixed surface;

[0039] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the cleaning robot of the present invention performing the edge cleaning mode on a mixed surface. Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, when the cleaning robot works on a mixed surface, in order to achieve comprehensive cleaning, the covering cleaning mode is first executed. In this embodiment, the covering cleaning mode is in a left-right staggered form; when the cleaning robot completes the covering cleaning mode, it enters the edge cleaning mode. Specifically, after entering the edge cleaning mode, the ground medium recognition sensor 103 on the cleaning robot sends a detection signal to the control module. The control module controls the walking module to turn according to the detection signal, so that the cleaning robot walks along the wall and other obstacles with a suitable side. When walking to the junction of the carpet and the floor, the cleaning robot can continue to walk along the boundary line of the carpet and the floor until it encounters an obstacle such as a wall. At this time, the control module controls the walking module to turn so that the cleaning robot walks along the other side, thereby completing comprehensive cleaning. It should be added that the present invention does not limit the specific method of the cleaning robot changing sides and walking along the edge after walking to the boundary between the carpet and the floor. Those skilled in the art can design it according to actual needs. For example, when the cleaning robot walks to the junction of the carpet and the floor, the following method can also be used: the environmental sensor (such as a laser sensor) measures a path with the shortest distance to the opposite wall, and moves along this path to the opposite wall, and then continues to clean along the wall in the original direction.

[0040] Furthermore, since the cleaning robot in the present invention is provided with an environmental sensor, the environmental sensor can detect the terrain of the area around the cleaning robot and / or determine the position of the cleaning robot, and can draw a work map. Therefore, based on the ground medium identification sensor 103 identifying the ground medium type, the distribution of the ground medium on the working surface can be recorded on the corresponding work map, and the control module can help the cleaning robot plan the route or working mode according to the work map. For example, after generating a working map with ground medium information, when the cleaning robot is working, its ground medium identification sensor 103 may not work or work periodically (such as working once a week to periodically correct the stored working gradient according to changes in the working environment), thereby further improving work efficiency.

[0041] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot of the present invention may also be equipped with a human-machine interaction module and a wireless communication module coupled to the control module. The human-machine interaction module may be a screen, a mobile phone, a remote control, etc. provided on the cleaning robot. Through the wireless communication module, the user may use the human-machine interaction module to understand the cleaning status and self-information of the cleaning robot, plan the cleaning path of the cleaning robot, etc. In addition, the user may also record the relevant information through the human-machine interaction module and send it to other types of robots (such as air purification robots, etc.), thereby guiding other robots to work in the same working area.

[0042] It should be added that the present invention does not limit the working method of the cleaning robot, that is, the cleaning robot is not limited to working according to the above-mentioned covering cleaning mode and the edge cleaning mode sequence. For example, when the cleaning robot enters a working area with a lot of water stains such as the kitchen and bathroom, even if the working surface of the kitchen and bathroom is the second surface (wooden floor, ceramic tile, PVC floor), since the side brush cannot completely clean the water stains, the cleaning robot can walk along the side close to the roller brush 101 (that is, the roller brush side 108) to achieve a better cleaning effect. The identification of special working areas such as the kitchen and bathroom can be manually specified by the user, or it can be automatically identified by the environmental sensor. In other words, the present invention aims to provide a cleaning robot that can change the cleaning method according to the type of ground medium. The above-mentioned edge walking method can be combined with the cleaning walking method in the prior art, and can also be modified according to actual needs. The present invention is not limited to this.

[0043] The present invention also provides a readable medium, which is arranged in the cleaning robot, and stores a walking control program in the readable medium, which is used to control the cleaning robot to walk according to the above-mentioned edge-walking method, and the control unit can read the walking control program from the readable medium, thereby controlling the cleaning robot to walk edge-walking. The readable medium is an existing computer-readable storage.

[0044] For those skilled in the art, based on the principles of the present invention, it is obvious that other alternative embodiments other than the above embodiments can be thought of without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes can be made within the scope of the instructions possessed by those skilled in the art without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

[0045] The present invention utilizes a roller brush and a side brush arranged laterally at the front end of the bottom of the body, and combines with a ground medium recognition sensor to enable the cleaning robot to use the side brush to clean dirt at the junction of hard surfaces such as floors and walls, and use the roller brush to clean dirt at the junction of soft surfaces such as carpets and walls. Compared with traditional cleaning robots, the cleaning robot has strong cleaning ability, good cleaning effect, and a wide range of applications.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot, comprising a body (100), wherein a roller brush (101) and a side brush (102) are provided at the bottom of the body, wherein: The roller brush and the side brush are arranged transversely at the front end of the cleaning robot, and one end of the roller brush and the side brush are respectively arranged close to the two side edges of the body; The cleaning robot also includes a control module and a ground medium identification sensor (103) for detecting the type of the working surface, wherein the ground medium identification sensor sends a detection signal to the control module, and the control module controls the cleaning robot to walk along one side of the body according to the detection signal; When the ground medium recognition sensor detects that the working surface is the first surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk close to the side edge of the roller brush (101); when the ground medium recognition sensor detects that the working surface is the second surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk close to the side edge of the side brush (102).

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the machine body (100) close to the roller brush (101) is a roller brush side (108), and the distance between the roller brushes is ≤20 mm.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the machine body (100) close to the side brush (102) is the side brush side (109), and the distance between the center of the side brush and the side brush side is greater than the distance between the roller brush and the roller brush side.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The side brush (102) has bristles, and the distance between the center of the side brush and the side edge (109) of the side brush is less than the distance between the center of the side brush and the ends of the bristles.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the side brush (102) is located in front of the center of the roller brush (101).

6. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side brush (102) and the roller brush (101) are arranged side by side in a transverse direction.

7. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front portion (110) of the machine body (100) is square.

8. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine body (100) is provided with an edge sensor, the edge sensor comprising infrared sensors arranged on the left and right sides of the machine body (100), the infrared sensor comprising a transmitting end and a receiving end.

9. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ground medium identification sensor (103) is located in front of the roller brush (101).

10. The cleaning robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The machine body (100) is provided with two downward-looking sensors (104) located in front of the roller brush (101), and the ground medium identification sensor (103) is located between the two downward-looking sensors.

11. A method for a cleaning robot to walk along an edge, characterized in that: The cleaning robot comprises a body, a roller brush and a side brush are arranged at the bottom of the body, the roller brush and the side brush are arranged transversely at the front end of the cleaning robot, and one end of the roller brush and the side brush are respectively arranged close to the two side edges of the body, and the edge-walking method comprises: When the ground medium identification sensor detects that the working surface is the first surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk close to the side edge of the roller brush (101); When the ground medium identification sensor detects that the working surface is the second surface, the cleaning robot is controlled to walk close to the side edge of the side brush (102).

12. The method for walking along the edge of a vehicle according to claim 11, characterized in that: The first surface is a carpet and the second surface is a floor.

13. A readable medium, the readable medium being arranged in a cleaning robot, characterized in that: The readable medium stores a walking control program, and the walking control program is used to control the cleaning robot to walk according to the edge walking method as described in claim 11 or 12.

Images