Automation Equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides an automation device, comprising: a housing, a sensor unit arranged in the housing, a wheel unit connected to the housing, and a control unit for controlling the automation device, wherein the wheel unit comprises a driven wheel and a connecting member connecting the driven wheel and the housing, and is characterized in that: the automation device further comprises a rotating member arranged in the housing, the connecting member connects the rotating member and the driven wheel; through the connecting member, the rotation of the driven wheel can drive the rotating member to rotate, and the sensor unit cooperates with the rotating member so that the control unit obtains a signal about the running state of the driven wheel. The automation device of the present invention can accurately obtain the running state of the driven wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automation device. Background Art

[0002] At present, with the accelerated pace of people's lives, automated household appliances are becoming more and more popular around the world. Since they can operate automatically according to preset programs, people do not need to operate them all the time, so that people can have more time for leisure. Such automated household appliances mainly include automatic vacuum cleaners for indoor cleaning, automatic lawn mowers mainly used in home gardens, etc.

[0003] In the actual working area, there are always some obstacles, such as furniture in the room, water stains on the ground, or trees, ponds, pits, etc. in the courtyard. When the automated equipment encounters such obstacles, it usually slips, collides, or gets stuck. Therefore, it will greatly affect the normal operation of the automated equipment, reduce work efficiency, and even bring safety hazards. The current automated equipment mainly solves the above problems through the following methods: a movable upper cover is installed on the base of the automated equipment. The automated equipment can detect whether the upper cover and the base are relatively displaced through a displacement sensor. When encountering the above obstacles, if the upper cover and the base are relatively displaced, the automated equipment obtains an obstacle encounter signal and performs corresponding obstacle avoidance measures; a magnetic element is provided on the driven wheel of the automated equipment, and a magnetic sensing element is provided on the base. When the automated equipment works normally, the magnetic sensing element can maintain a stable frequency output to sense the signal of the magnetic element, but when the automated equipment encounters an obstacle and the driven wheel is stuck or slips, the signal sensed by the magnetic element output by the magnetic sensing element will suddenly change, so that the automated equipment can determine that an obstacle has been encountered and perform corresponding operations.

[0004] However, the above method has the following problems: the base and the upper cover are large in size, the position for installing the displacement sensor is difficult to determine, the installation process is complicated, and as the automation equipment is used, the upper cover will inevitably deform, and the displacement sensor installed in the original position may fail; during the operation of the automation equipment, if the base or the driven wheel is stained with dirt such as mud, the magnetic sensing element may fail, causing the automation equipment to mistakenly determine that it has encountered an obstacle, affecting the normal operation of the automation equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide an automated device capable of accurately obtaining the operating status of a driven wheel.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is: an automation equipment, comprising: a shell, a sensor unit arranged in the shell, a wheel unit connected to the shell and a control unit for controlling the automation equipment, the wheel unit comprising a driven wheel and a connecting member connecting the driven wheel and the shell, characterized in that: the automation equipment also comprises a rotating member arranged in the shell, the connecting member connects the rotating member and the driven wheel; through the connecting member, the rotation of the driven wheel can drive the rotating member to rotate, and the sensor unit cooperates with the rotating member so that the control unit obtains a signal about the operating status of the driven wheel.

[0007] Furthermore, the connecting member includes a transmission member and a connecting pipe, and the transmission member is partially disposed in the connecting pipe.

[0008] Furthermore, the transmission member is a spring steel wire, and the connecting tube is a hollow tube.

[0009] Furthermore, one end of the transmission member is connected to the driven wheel, and the other end is connected to the rotating member. When the driven wheel rotates around the first rotating shaft, the driven wheel causes the transmission member to twist, thereby driving the rotating member to rotate around the second rotating shaft.

[0010] Furthermore, the first rotation axis is parallel to the plane where the ground is located, and the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the plane where the ground is located.

[0011] Furthermore, the transmission member further comprises a buckling portion, and two ends of the transmission member are respectively connected to the driven wheel and the rotating member through the buckling portions.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotating member includes a main body and a light-transmitting portion disposed on the main body.

[0013] Furthermore, the sensing unit includes a photoelectric sensing device, and the photoelectric sensing device includes a transmitting end and a receiving end. The transmitting end can emit a light beam, and part of the light beam can reach the receiving end through the light-transmitting portion.

[0014] Furthermore, the operating state of the driven wheel includes normal operation and stop operation. When the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end is positively correlated or proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating part, the control unit obtains a control signal that the driven wheel is in a normal operating state; when the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end is no longer positively correlated or proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating part, the control unit obtains a control signal that the driven wheel is in a stop operating state.

[0015] Furthermore, the rotating member also includes a rotating tube and a main body portion sleeved on the rotating tube. When the rotating member rotates, the rotating tube and the main body portion rotate together. The connecting member includes a transmission member, and the transmission member also includes a buckling portion, and the buckling portion is connected to the rotating tube.

[0016] Beneficial Effects

[0017] The connecting member connects the rotating member and the driven wheel. Through the connecting member, the rotation of the driven wheel can drive the rotating member to rotate together. The light beam emitted by the transmitting end of the photoelectric sensor device partially passes through the rotating member and is received by the receiving end. Therefore, when the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end is positively correlated or proportional to the rotation speed of the rotating member, the control unit can obtain a signal that the driven wheel is in a normal operating state. If the receiving end of the photoelectric sensor device continuously obtains the light signal or cannot obtain the light signal, the control unit can obtain a signal that the driven wheel is in a stopped operating state. The rotating member rotates synchronously with the driven wheel, and the judgment of the operating state of the driven wheel is more sensitive. In addition, since the rotating member and the photoelectric sensor device are arranged in the housing of the automation equipment, they are not easily affected by the external environment, which improves the accuracy of the judgment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an entire automation device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an automation device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of middle A;

[0021] Figure 4 A partial exploded view of an automation device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 Another cross-sectional view of an automation device in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments in the accompanying drawings. The terms used in the exemplary embodiments are selected as general terms that are used as widely as possible, but in specific cases, terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant are also used, and in this case, the meanings are mentioned in the corresponding detailed description section, so the inventive concept should not be understood by the literal meaning of the terms, but by the given meanings of the terms.

[0024] Since the concept of the present invention allows for various variations and many exemplary embodiments, specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the concept of the present invention to a specific mode of practice, and it should be understood that all changes, equivalents and substitutes that do not depart from the spirit and technical scope are included in the concept of the present invention. In the specification, some detailed descriptions of the prior art are omitted when it is considered that it may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the concept of the present invention.

[0025] Although terms such as "first", "second", etc. can be used to describe various elements, these elements cannot be limited to the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0026] In this specification, it should be understood that terms such as "includes", "has", "including", etc. are intended to indicate that features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts or a combination thereof are present in this specification, and are not intended to exclude the possibility that one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts or a combination thereof may exist or may be added.

[0027] Terms such as "unit", "device", "component", "module" and the like described in the specification refer to elements for performing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented in hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, in addition to a "module" or "unit" that must be implemented as specific hardware, multiple "modules" or multiple "units" may be integrally formed into at least one processing module.

[0028] Throughout the specification, it will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to another element or electrically connected to another element, and intermediate elements may also exist. In addition, when a part "includes" an element, another element may be further included rather than excluding the presence of another element, unless otherwise specified.

[0029] Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

[0030] The automation device described in the present invention may be an intelligent vacuum cleaner, an automatic lawn mower, or other automated household devices. In this embodiment, only the automatic lawn mower is described in detail as a preferred embodiment.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1-Figure 5 An embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic lawn mower 1, comprising: a housing 10, a sensor unit 20, a wheel unit 30, and a control unit.

[0032] For ease of understanding, in this embodiment, the automatic lawn mower 1 is placed on the ground in a workable posture, with the direction close to the ground being “down” and the direction away from the ground being “up”.

[0033] The automatic lawn mower 1 includes a sensor unit 20. In a preferred embodiment, the sensor unit 20 includes a photoelectric sensor device, and the photoelectric sensor device includes a transmitter 211 and a receiver 212. The transmitter 211 can emit a light beam, and the receiver 212 can receive the light beam. In a preferred embodiment, the light beam is an infrared or ultraviolet light beam. In other embodiments, the light beam can also be visible light. In this embodiment, the automatic lawn mower 1 also includes a mounting seat 50. The mounting seat 50 is arranged in the shell 10. The mounting seat 50 is fixedly connected to the shell 10 by screws. In other embodiments, the mounting seat 50 can also be designed as an integral molding with the shell 10. Specifically, the photoelectric sensor device is installed on the mounting seat 50, and the transmitting end 211 is aligned with the receiving end 212, and the transmitting end 211 is located above the receiving end 212. Of course, in other embodiments, the receiving end 212 can also be located above the transmitting end 211. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the sensor unit 20 may also include an ultrasonic sensor device, and the relevant content will not be repeated here.

[0034] Furthermore, the automatic lawn mower 1 further comprises a rotating member 40, and the rotating member 40 is disposed in the housing 10. Specifically, the rotating member 40 comprises a main body 41 and a light-transmitting portion 42 disposed on the main body 41, and the rotating member 40 is disposed between the transmitting end 211 and the receiving end 212, and the light beam emitted by the transmitting end 211 can pass through the rotating member 40 through the light-transmitting portion 42. In this embodiment, the rotating member 40 comprises a uniform disk, and the light-transmitting portion 42 is disposed on the disk. When the rotating member 40 rotates around the second rotation axis Y, part of the light beam emitted by the transmitting end 211 can reach the receiving end 212 through the light-transmitting portion 42. Whenever the rotating member 40 rotates one circle, the receiving end 212 can receive the light beam emitted by the transmitting end 212 once, so that the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end 212 is proportional to or positively correlated with the rotation speed of the rotating member 40. If the rotating member 40 suddenly stops rotating, the receiving end 212 will continue to obtain the optical signal or will not be able to obtain the optical signal. At this time, the frequency of the optical signal received by the receiving end 212 and the rotation speed of the rotating member 40 can no longer maintain a positive correlation or proportional relationship. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the rotating member 40 may also include a plurality of light-transmitting portions 42, and the light-transmitting portions 42 are evenly distributed around the second rotation axis Y.

[0035] Furthermore, the rotating member 40 further comprises a rotating tube 43, the main body 41 is sleeved on the rotating tube 43, when the rotating member 40 rotates, the rotating tube 43 and the main body 41 rotate together, in this embodiment, the rotating tube 43 and the main body 41 are snap-fitted, of course, in other embodiments, the rotating tube 43 and the main body 41 can also be integrally formed. The mounting seat 50 further comprises a through hole 57, the rotating tube 43 is rotatably disposed in the through hole 57, preferably, a first bearing 51 is further disposed between the rotating tube 43 and the through hole 57 of the mounting seat 50, the first bearing 51 can reduce the friction resistance between the rotating tube 43 and the through hole 57, and prolong the use time.

[0036] The wheel unit 30 is movably connected to the housing 10, and includes a driven wheel 31 and a connecting member 32 connecting the driven wheel 31 and the housing 10. Specifically, the connecting member 32 connects the rotating member 40 and the driven wheel 31, and through the connecting member 32, the rotation of the driven wheel 31 can drive the rotating member 40 to rotate.

[0037] Furthermore, the automatic lawn mower 1 further includes a control unit, which can generate various control signals to control the overall operation of the automatic lawn mower 1. For example, the control unit can generate a control signal to enable the automatic lawn mower 1 to perform a mowing operation, or generate a control signal to start the walking device of the automatic lawn mower 1, thereby controlling the walking of the automatic lawn mower, etc. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 20 can cooperate with the rotating member 40 so that the control unit obtains a signal about the running state of the driven wheel 31. Specifically, the running state includes normal operation and stopped operation; when the driven wheel 31 rotates around the first rotating axis X, the rotating member 40 rotates around the second rotating axis Y. As can be seen from the above, no matter whether the driven wheel 31 is in a uniform speed or variable speed state, the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end 212 of the photoelectric sensor device 21 is proportional to or positively correlated with the rotation speed of the rotating member 40. At this time, the light intensity obtained by the receiving end 212 keeps changing continuously, so that the photoelectric sensor 21 sends a corresponding first electrical signal, so that the control unit obtains the signal of the driven wheel 31. When the driven wheel 31 stops, the rotating member 40 will also stop rotating, and the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end 212 of the photoelectric sensor device 21 is no longer proportional to or positively correlated with the rotation speed of the rotating member 40. Specifically, the receiving end 212 will continuously obtain the light signal or fail to obtain the light signal. At this time, the light intensity obtained by the receiving end 212 no longer changes, so that the photoelectric sensor device 21 will send a corresponding second electrical signal, so that the control unit obtains the control signal that the driven wheel 31 is in a stopped state. Through the photoelectric sensor device, it is possible to accurately determine whether the rotating member 40 is rotating. At the same time, when the driven wheel 31 rotates, the rotating member 40 will also rotate with it, so that the operating state of the driven wheel 31 can be sensitively obtained.

[0038] Further, the connecting member 32 includes a transmission member 321 and a connecting tube 322, and the transmission member 321 is partially disposed in the connecting tube 322. One end of the transmission member 321 is connected to the driven wheel 31, and the other end is connected to the rotating member 40. Specifically, buckling parts 3211 (3211') are respectively provided at both ends of the transmission member 321, and the buckling parts 3211' are engaged with the first clamping part 314 of the driven wheel 31, and the buckling parts 3211 are engaged with the second clamping part 431 of the rotating tube 43. In a preferred embodiment, the first clamping part 314 includes a groove structure, and the buckling part 3211' is engaged with the groove structure, and the second clamping part 431 also includes a through hole, and the buckling part 3211 is engaged with the through hole. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the transmission member 321 may be connected to the driven wheel 31 and the rotating member 40 through other detachable structures such as a buckle structure. Of course, in other embodiments, the two ends of the transmission member 321 may also be designed to be integrally formed with the driven wheel and the rotating member. In this embodiment, the transmission member 321 includes a spring steel wire, and the spring steel wire is also wrapped with a rubber sleeve; the connecting pipe 322 may be a plastic pipe or a tubular material with high strength such as a metal pipe; through the connecting pipe 322, on the one hand, the transmission member 321 can be protected to prevent the transmission member 321 from directly contacting the air and the soil of the lawn, thereby extending the service life of the transmission member 321; on the other hand, it can also withstand the pressure from the automatic lawn mower 1, so that the transmission member 321 is prevented from being subjected to the pressure from the automatic lawn mower 1, so that the transmission member 321 will not be excessively deformed and affect normal operation; of course, in other embodiments, the transmission member 321 may also be other parts that can transmit torque. When the driven wheel 31 rotates around the first rotation axis X, the driven wheel 31 causes the transmission member 321 to twist, thereby driving the rotating member 40 to rotate around the second rotation axis Y. It should be noted that in a preferred embodiment, the first rotation axis X is parallel to the plane where the ground is located, and the second rotation axis Y is perpendicular to the plane where the ground is located. Of course, in other embodiments, an intermediate member may be provided between the connecting member 32 and the rotating member 40. When the driven wheel 31 rotates around the first rotation axis X, the driven wheel 31 causes the transmission member 321 to twist, thereby driving the intermediate member to rotate. Through the intermediate member, the rotating member 40 rotates around the second rotation axis Y. At this time, the second rotation axis may be parallel to the plane where the ground is located, and is no longer limited to being perpendicular to the plane where the ground is located.

[0039] The first end 3221 of the connecting tube 322 is connected to the driven wheel 31, and the second end 3222 of the connecting tube 322 is connected to the housing 10. Specifically, the driven wheel 31 further comprises a wheel cover 311, a wheel body 313 and a pressure plate 312, and the first clamping portion 314 is provided on the wheel cover 311. In this embodiment, the wheel cover 311 is connected to the wheel body 313 by a buckle, and the pressure plate 312 is fixedly connected to the wheel body 313 by screws. Of course, in other embodiments, the pressure plate 312 and the wheel body 313 can also be connected by a buckle; the pressure plate 312 and the wheel body 313 are also provided with a through hole, and the first end 3221 of the connecting tube 322 can pass through the through hole to connect to the pressure plate 312 and the wheel body 313, and extend to the wheel cover 311, and the buckling portion 3211' of the transmission member 321 is engaged with the first clamping portion 314 of the driven wheel 31. It should be noted that, in a preferred embodiment, a second bearing 55 is further provided between the wheel body 313 and the connecting tube 322, and when the driven wheel 31 rotates around the first rotation axis X, the second bearing 55 can reduce the friction between the connecting tube 322 and the wheel body 313. At the same time, a first sealing member (not shown) is further provided between the wheel cover 311 and the connecting tube 322, so as to prevent dust and the like from falling between the connecting tube 322 and the wheel body 313 and affecting the normal movement of the driven wheel 31.

[0040] For further information, please refer to Figure 3 The connecting tube 322 is also provided with a stopper 323. In this embodiment, the stopper 323 is integrally formed with the connecting tube 322, and the stopper 323 is close to the second end 3222 of the connecting tube 322. Of course, in other embodiments, the stopper 323 can also be installed on the connecting tube 322 by snapping. When the second end 3222 of the connecting tube 322 is connected to the housing 10, the stopper 323 is located in the housing 10, and the stopper 323 can cooperate with the lower surface 101 of the housing 10 to limit the downward movement of the connecting member 32. In this way, when the automatic lawn mower is lifted or encounters a cliff, the wheel unit 30 will not continue to fall after only a small distance, thereby avoiding damage to the sensor unit 20. At the same time, the stopper 323 can cooperate with the mounting seat 50 to limit the upward movement of the connecting member 32.

[0041] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0042] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automation device, comprising: a housing, a sensor unit disposed in the housing, a wheel unit connected to the housing, and a control unit for controlling the automation device, wherein the wheel unit comprises a driven wheel and a connecting member connecting the driven wheel and the housing, characterized in that: The automation device further comprises a rotating member disposed in the housing, the connecting member connects the rotating member and the driven wheel; through the connecting member, the rotation of the driven wheel can drive the rotating member to rotate, and the sensor unit cooperates with the rotating member so that the control unit obtains a signal about the running state of the driven wheel; Wherein, the connecting member includes a transmission member and a hollow connecting tube, and the transmission member is partially arranged in the connecting tube, one end of the connecting tube is connected to the driven wheel through a second bearing, and the other end is connected to the housing, and the transmission member includes a spring steel wire, one end of the spring steel wire is connected to the driven wheel, and the other end is connected to the rotating member, so as to transmit the torque generated by the driven wheel to the rotating member through the spring steel wire.

2. The automation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the driven wheel rotates around the first rotating shaft, the driven wheel causes the transmission member to twist, thereby driving the rotating member to rotate around the second rotating shaft.

3. The automation equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first rotation axis is parallel to the plane where the ground is located, and the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the plane where the ground is located.

4. The automation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission member further comprises a buckling portion, and two ends of the transmission member are respectively connected to the driven wheel and the rotating member through the buckling portions.

5. The automation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating member includes a main body and a light-transmitting portion arranged on the main body.

6. The automation equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sensing unit includes a photoelectric sensing device, and the photoelectric sensing device includes a transmitting end and a receiving end. The transmitting end can emit a light beam, and part of the light beam can reach the receiving end through the light-transmitting portion.

7. The automation equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The operating state of the driven wheel includes normal operation and stop operation. When the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end is positively correlated or proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating part, the control unit obtains a control signal that the driven wheel is in a normal operating state; when the frequency of the light signal received by the receiving end is no longer positively correlated or proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating part, the control unit obtains a control signal that the driven wheel is in a stop operating state.

8. The automation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating member further comprises a rotating tube and a main body portion sleeved on the rotating tube. When the rotating member rotates, the rotating tube and the main body portion rotate together. The transmission member further comprises a buckling portion, which is connected to the rotating tube.

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