Rotating Brush Structure and Floor Sweeping Robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rolling brush assembly and a floor sweeping robot. The rolling brush assembly includes: a rolling brush; an end cover which is movably arranged on the rolling brush along the axial direction of the rolling brush; and an elastic member which is abutted between the end cover and the rolling brush. In the above rolling brush assembly, the end cover is movably arranged relative to the rolling brush along the axial direction, and thus the length of the whole of the rolling brush and the end cover in the axial direction of the rolling brush can be adjusted by the movement of the end cover relative to the rolling brush. Moreover, the rolling brush assembly is assembled in the rolling brush cavity of the floor sweeping robot. One end of the rolling brush provided with the end cover is connected to the motor, and the other end of the rolling brush facing away from the end cover is assembled on the cavity wall of the rolling brush cavity through a bearing. That is, the output end of the motor is matingly connected with the end cover, and regardless of the tolerance of the axial length of the rolling brush, under the action of the elastic member, the end cover can always be tightly mated with the output shaft of the motor, preventing a large assembly gap between the rolling brush assembly and the output end of the motor and preventing the rolling brush from camming during high-speed rotation to cause abnormal noise.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent household appliances, and particularly to a roller brush structure and a floor cleaning robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the economy and the progress of society, people's requirements for the quality of life are getting higher and higher. Therefore, some intelligent appliances that can liberate human hands have emerged as the times require. Among them, as a kind of intelligent household appliance, the floor cleaning robot plays an increasingly important role in people's daily life.

[0003] Generally, a floor cleaning robot includes a dust suction system, a traveling system, and a power supply system. The dust suction system is used to collect dust on the ground, the traveling system is used to drive the floor cleaning robot to move, and the power supply system is used to provide working energy for the dust suction system and the traveling system. Generally, the dust suction system includes a roller brush mechanism, and the roller brush mechanism includes a housing, a roller brush assembly, and a roller brush cover. The roller brush assembly is arranged in the housing, the roller brush cover is covered on the housing, and a dust suction port allowing the roller brush assembly to contact the ground is opened on the roller brush cover. When the roller brush assembly rotates, dust is driven up through the dust suction port for adsorption and cleaning.

[0004] However, the axial length of the roller brush in the roller brush assembly is relatively long, and the production tolerance of the axial length of the roller brush is relatively large. When the roller brush is mated with the output end of the motor, the assembly gap between the roller brush and the output end of the motor fluctuates. At the same time, the rotational speed of the roller brush is relatively high, and the roller brush is prone to axial movement, thereby causing abnormal noise. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the problem that the roller brush is prone to abnormal noise due to movement, the present invention provides a roller brush structure and a floor cleaning robot, which can achieve the technical effect of preventing the roller brush from moving and causing abnormal noise.

[0006] A roller brush assembly, the roller brush assembly comprising:

[0007] A roller brush;

[0008] An end cap, the end cap being mated to one end of the roller brush in the axial direction;

[0009] An elastic member, the elastic member being deformably abutted between the end cap and the roller brush along the axial direction of the roller brush.

[0010] In the above-mentioned brush roller assembly, the end cap is axially movably arranged relative to the brush roller through an elastic member. Furthermore, the length of the overall brush roller and end cap in the axial direction of the brush roller can be adjusted by the movement of the end cap relative to the brush roller. Moreover, the brush roller assembly is assembled in the brush roller cavity of the floor sweeping robot. One end of the brush roller with the end cap is connected to the motor, and the other end of the brush roller facing away from the end cap is assembled to the cavity wall of the cavity with the brush roller through a bearing. That is, the output end of the motor is mated with the end cap. And regardless of the tolerance of the axial length of the brush roller, under the action of the elastic member, the end cap can always be tightly mated with the output shaft of the motor, preventing a large assembly gap between the brush roller assembly and the output end of the motor, and preventing the brush roller from moving axially during high-speed rotation, which may cause abnormal noise.

[0011] In one embodiment, an installation hole is formed at one end of the end cap facing the brush roller. One end of the elastic member abuts against the brush roller, and the other end of the elastic member extends into the installation hole and abuts against the hole wall of the installation hole.

[0012] In one embodiment, the end cap includes a cover body and a partition member. The cover body is provided with a through hole axially penetrating along the brush roller. The partition member is annularly arranged on the hole wall of the through hole along the axial direction of the through hole. The through hole forms the installation hole on the side of the partition member facing the brush roller, and the elastic member abuts between the partition member and the brush roller.

[0013] In one embodiment, the brush roller assembly further includes a limiting member. One end of the limiting member is connected to the brush roller, and the other end of the limiting member is located on the moving path of the end cap moving away from the brush roller and can abut against the partition member.

[0014] In one embodiment, an auxiliary hole is formed on the side of the partition member facing away from the brush roller in the through hole. One end of the limiting member passes through the partition member and is connected to the brush roller, and the other end of the limiting member is located in the auxiliary hole and can abut against or separate from the side of the partition member facing away from the installation hole.

[0015] In one embodiment, the brush roller includes a brush roll and an installation portion. The installation portion is arranged on the side of the brush roll facing the end cap, and the installation portion extends into the installation hole and is mated with the limiting member.

[0016] In one embodiment, the elastic member is sleeved outside the installation portion.

[0017] In one embodiment, the cover body includes a main body and a connecting portion. The main body is movably assembled on the brush roller. The connecting portion is arranged at one end of the main body facing away from the brush roller, and the through hole axially penetrates through the connecting portion and the main body along the axial direction of the brush roller.

[0018] In one embodiment, the roller brush assembly further includes a guiding member. The guiding member protrudes from a side of the roller brush facing the roller brush cover. The guiding member extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the roller brush, and the end cover is movably sleeved on the guiding member.

[0019] A floor sweeping robot, characterized in that it includes the above-mentioned roller brush assembly. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a floor sweeping robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the roller brush assembly in the shown floor sweeping robot;

[0022] Figure 3 is Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the shown roller brush assembly;

[0023] Figure 4 is Figure 3 A partially enlarged schematic view of the cross-sectional view of the shown roller brush assembly;

[0024] Figure 5 is Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of one perspective of the end cover in the shown roller brush assembly;

[0025] Figure 6 is Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the shown end cover;

[0026] Figure 7 is Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of another perspective of the shown end cover;

[0027] Figure 8 is for Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of the output end of the motor cooperating with the shown end cover;

[0028] Figure 9 is Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the roller brush in the shown roller brush assembly.

[0029] 200. Roller brush mechanism; 210. Roller brush cover; 211. Dust suction port; 221. Output shaft; 223. Driving shaft sleeve; 100. Roller brush assembly; 10. Roller brush; 12. Brush roller; 14. Mounting portion; 30. End cover; 32. Cover body; 321. Body; 323. Connecting portion; 34. Partition member; 35. Through hole; 351. Mounting hole; 353. Auxiliary hole; 36. Guide hole; 50. Elastic member; 70. Limiting member; 90. Guiding member. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0030] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. These are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0032] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0033] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled", "fixed", etc. shall be construed broadly. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are indirectly in contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over", and "on top of" the second feature may be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a higher horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "beneath", and "underneath" the second feature may be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

[0035] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may also be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present invention, a floor cleaning robot is provided. The floor cleaning robot includes a dust suction system, a walking system and a power supply system. The dust suction system is used to collect dust on the ground, the walking system is used to drive the floor cleaning robot to move, and the power supply system is used to provide working energy for the dust suction system and the walking system.

[0037] The dust suction system includes a roller brush mechanism, a dust collection box, an air duct and a fan. The dust collection box is connected to the outlet of the roller brush mechanism, and the air duct is connected between the dust collection box and the fan. When the roller brush mechanism works, it picks up the dust on the ground, and then through the suction force generated by the fan, the air mixed with dust is sucked into the floor cleaning robot. When the airflow mixed with dust passes through the dust collection box, the dust is filtered in the dust collection box, and the clean air is discharged from the air duct after passing through the fan, thus realizing the dust suction function.

[0038] Refer to Figure 1 - Figure 2 , the roller brush mechanism 200 includes a housing (not shown in the figure), a roller brush assembly 100 and a roller brush cover 210. The roller brush cover 210 is mated with the housing and encloses to form a roller brush cavity, and the roller brush assembly 100 is assembled in the roller brush cavity. Specifically, the housing has an opening, the roller brush assembly 100 is disposed in the housing through the opening, and the roller brush cover 210 is covered at the opening and mated with the housing. In this way, a roller brush cavity is formed between the housing and the roller brush cover 210 to assemble the roller brush assembly 100 in the roller brush cavity. And, a dust suction port 211 communicating with the roller brush cavity is opened on the roller brush cover 210, and the roller brush assembly 100 can contact the ground through the dust suction port 211 to pick up dust and other garbage on the ground, and then the garbage is sucked into the floor cleaning robot through negative pressure to complete the dust suction work.

[0039] Refer to 3- Figure 4, in some embodiments, the roller brush assembly 100 includes a roller brush 10, an end cap 30, and an elastic member 50. The roller brush 10 is assembled in the roller brush cavity and contacts the ground through a dust suction port to clean dust. The end cap 30 is connected to one end of the roller brush 10 in the axial direction, and the elastic member 50 is axially deformably abutted between the end cap 30 and the roller brush 10. In this way, the end cap 30 is axially movably arranged relative to the roller brush 10, and thus the length of the overall roller brush 10 and end cap 30 in the axial direction of the roller brush 10 can be adjusted by moving the end cap 30 relative to the roller brush 10. Moreover, the roller brush assembly 100 is assembled in the roller brush cavity of the sweeping robot. One end of the roller brush 10 provided with the end cap 30 is connected to the motor, and the other end of the roller brush 10 facing away from the end cap 30 is assembled to the cavity wall of the roller brush cavity through a bearing. That is, the output end of the motor is connected to the end cap 30. Under the reaction force of the elastic member 50, the end cap 30 can always be tightly fitted with the output shaft 221 of the motor, preventing a large assembly gap between the roller brush assembly 100 and the motor output end and preventing the roller brush 10 from moving axially during high-speed rotation, which may cause abnormal noise.

[0040] Refer to Figure 4 - Figure 6 , further, an installation hole 351 is formed at one end of the end cap 30 facing the roller brush 10. One end of the elastic member 50 abuts against the roller brush 10, and the other end of the elastic member 50 extends into the installation hole 351 and abuts against the hole wall of the installation hole 351. In this way, the elastic member 50 is accommodated in the installation hole 351 formed in the end cap 30, and the elastic member 50 is allowed to be axially deformably abutted between the roller brush 10 and the end cap 30, so that the end cap 30 can move in the direction close to and away from the roller brush 10 according to the actual assembly space under the cooperation of the elastic member 50, ensuring that the end cap 30 is always tightly fitted with the motor. Furthermore, when the motor drives the roller brush assembly 100 to rotate, there will be no excessive axial clearance between the roller brush assembly 100 and the motor, which may cause abnormal noise, reducing the noise during the operation of the sweeping robot.

[0041] Specifically, the end cap 30 includes a cover body 32 and a partition member 34. The cover body 32 is axially penetrated with a through hole 35 along the same direction as the roller brush 10, and the partition member 34 is annularly arranged on the hole wall of the through hole 35 along the circumferential direction of the through hole 35. At this time, it is defined that the side of the through hole 35 located on the side of the partition member 34 facing the roller brush 10 is the installation hole 351, and the partition member 34 is configured to form a part of the hole wall of the installation hole 351 (i.e., the bottom wall or the top wall). In this way, during the assembly process of the elastic member 50, one end of it abuts against the roller brush 10, and the other end abuts between the partition member 34 (i.e., the bottom wall or the top wall of the installation hole 351) and the roller brush 10. Optionally, the elastic member 50 is a spring, and the elastic member 50 can also be made of elastic materials such as silica gel and rubber, which is not limited herein.

[0042] In some embodiments, the roller brush assembly 100 further includes a limiting member 70. One end of the limiting member 70 is connected to the roller brush 10, and the other end of the limiting member 70 is located on the moving path of the end cap 30 moving away from the roller brush 10 and can abut against the separating member 34. Thus, the limiting member 70 is arranged on the moving path of the separating member 34 and the end cap 30 moving away from the roller brush 10 to limit the movement of the end cap 30 and prevent the end cap 30 from moving too far and affecting the assembly of the whole machine.

[0043] Specifically, it is defined that the through hole 35 on the side of the separating member 34 facing away from the roller brush 10 is the auxiliary hole 353, and the separating member 34 is configured to form a part of the hole wall of the auxiliary hole 353 (i.e., the bottom wall or the top wall). One end of the limiting member 70 passes through the separating member 34 and is connected to the roller brush 10, and the other end of the limiting member 70 is located in the auxiliary hole 353 and can abut against or separate from the separating member 34 (i.e., the bottom wall or the top wall of the auxiliary hole 353). During the assembly process, the end cap 30 is sleeved on the roller brush 10. One end of the limiting member 70 passes through the separating member 34 through the auxiliary hole 353 to be connected to the roller brush 10, and at the same time, the other end of the limiting member 70 is accommodated in the auxiliary hole 353. When the end cap 30 moves closer to and away from the roller brush 10, the blocking member on the end cap 30 synchronously moves relative to the end of the limiting member 70 located in the auxiliary hole 353. Moreover, the end of the limiting member 70 located in the auxiliary hole 353 blocks at the limit position where the blocking member moves away from the roller brush 10, preventing the end cap 30 from moving too far away from the roller brush 10 and affecting the assembly of the whole machine.

[0044] Refer to Figure 4 - Figure 5 and Figure 9 , more specifically, the roller brush 10 includes a brush roller 12 and a mounting portion 14. The mounting portion 14 is arranged on the surface of the brush roller 12 facing the end cap 30, and the mounting portion 14 extends into the mounting hole 351 to be engaged with the limiting member 70. Equivalently, the mounting portion 14 protrudes on the surface of the brush roller 12 facing the end cap 30, allowing the mounting portion 14 to extend into the mounting hole 351 to facilitate the engagement with the limiting member 70. In this way, after the end cap 30 is sleeved on the roller brush 10, the limiting member 70 can pass through the end cap 30 and be fixedly assembled to the roller brush 10, and the engagement between the limiting member 70 and the roller brush 10 is facilitated through the mounting portion 14.

[0045] Optionally, the elastic member 50 is sleeved outside the mounting portion 14. In this way, the mounting portion 14 is not only used for engaging with the limiting member 70 but also for supporting the elastic member 50. For example, when the elastic member 50 is a spring, the spring is sleeved outside the mounting portion 14 and elastically abuts between the blocking member and the brush roller 12, and the elastic member can be supported and assembled through the mounting portion 14. It can be understood that the elastic member 50 can also be other elastic components, such as a rubber pad. The specific structure of the elastic member is not limited herein.

[0046] Refer to Figure 4 , Figure 6 - Figure 9, in some embodiments, the cover 32 includes a body 321 and a connecting portion 323. The body 321 is movably assembled on the roller brush 10. The connecting portion 323 is provided at one end of the body 321 facing away from the roller brush 10. The connecting portion 323 can be connected to the output end of the motor, and then the roller brush assembly 100 is driven to rotate by the motor. Moreover, the through hole 35 is axially formed through the connecting portion 323 and the body 321 along the roller brush 10. Thus, a separator 34 can be further provided in the through hole 35, and mounting holes 351 and auxiliary holes 353 are respectively formed on both sides of the separator 34 to assemble the limiting member 70 through the mounting holes 351 and the auxiliary holes 353. The setting of the connecting portion 323 will not interfere with the normal assembly of the limiting member 70. Optionally, the output end of the motor includes an output shaft 221 and a driving shaft sleeve 223 connected to the output shaft 221. The driving shaft sleeve 223 is sleeved outside the connecting portion 323, and the connecting portion 323 is in anti-rotation fit with the driving shaft sleeve 223, and there is no relative rotation between the two. Among them, the connecting portion 323 is a polygonal column. For example, a quadrilateral column or a pentagonal column.

[0047] In some embodiments, the roller brush assembly 100 further includes a guiding member 90. A guiding member 90 is convexly provided on the side of the roller brush 10 facing the roller brush cover. The guiding member 90 extends along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the roller brush 10. The end cover 30 is movably sleeved on the guiding member 90. Thus, by providing the guiding member 90 on the roller brush 10 and movably sleeving the end cover 30 on the guiding member 90, the end cover 30 can be guided to move along the axial direction of the roller brush 10 towards and away from the roller brush 10. Optionally, the guiding portion is integrally formed with the brush roller 12 of the roller brush 10, which is convenient for production and manufacturing.

[0048] Furthermore, a guiding hole 36 is formed in the end cover 30, and the guiding member 90 extends into the guiding hole 36, so that the end cover 30 is movably assembled to the roller brush 10.

[0049] Based on the same concept, in an embodiment of the present invention, a roller brush assembly 100 as described above is provided. The roller brush assembly 100 includes a roller brush 10, an end cap 30, and an elastic member 50. Along the axial direction of the roller brush 10, the end cap 30 is movably disposed on the roller brush 10, and the elastic member 50 abuts between the end cap 30 and the roller brush 10. In this way, the end cap 30 is movably disposed relative to the roller brush 10 along the axial direction, and thus the overall length of the roller brush 10 and the end cap 30 in the axial direction of the roller brush 10 can be adjusted by the movement of the end cap 30 relative to the roller brush 10. Moreover, the roller brush assembly 100 is assembled in the roller brush cavity of the floor sweeping robot. One end of the roller brush 10 provided with the end cap 30 is connected to the motor, and the other end of the roller brush 10 facing away from the end cap 30 is assembled on the cavity wall of the roller brush cavity through a bearing. That is, the output end of the motor is matingly connected with the end cap 30, and regardless of the tolerance of the axial length of the roller brush 10, under the action of the elastic member 50, the end cap 30 can always be tightly mated with the output shaft 221 of the motor, preventing a large assembly gap between the roller brush assembly 100 and the output end of the motor, and preventing the roller brush 10 from caving in during high-speed rotation and causing abnormal noise.

[0050] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0051] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A roller brush assembly, characterized in that, The roller brush assembly comprises: Roller brush (10); An end cover (30), the end cover (30) being coupled to one axial end of the roller brush (10); an elastic member (50), the elastic member (50) being deformably abutted between the end cover (30) and the rolling brush (10) along the axial direction of the rolling brush (10); A mounting hole (351) is formed at one end of the end cover (30) facing the roller brush (10), one end of the elastic member (50) abuts against the roller brush (10), and the other end of the elastic member (50) extends into the mounting hole (351) and abuts against the hole wall of the mounting hole (351); The end cover (30) comprises a cover body (32) and a separator (34); the cover body (32) is provided with a through hole (35) penetrating along the axial direction of the roller brush (10); the separator (34) is arranged on the hole wall of the through hole (35) along the circumference of the through hole (35); the through hole (35) is located on a side of the separator (34) facing the roller brush (10) to form the mounting hole (351); and the elastic member (50) is in contact between the separator (34) and the roller brush (10); The cover body (32) comprises a main body (321) and a connecting portion (323); the main body (321) is movably mounted on the roller brush (10); the connecting portion (323) is arranged at an end of the main body (321) facing away from the roller brush (10); and the through hole (35) is opened along the axial direction of the roller brush (10) and penetrates the connecting portion (323) and the main body (321).

2. The roller brush assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roller brush assembly further comprises a limiting member (70), one end of which is connected to the roller brush (10), and the other end of which is located on a movement path of the end cover (30) moving away from the roller brush (10) and capable of abutting against the partition (34).

3. The roller brush assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The through hole (35) is located on a side of the partition (34) facing away from the roller brush (10) to form an auxiliary hole (353); one end of the limiting member (70) passes through the partition (34) to be connected to the roller brush (10); the other end of the limiting member (70) is located in the auxiliary hole (353) and can abut against or separate from a side of the partition (34) facing away from the mounting hole (351).

4. The roller brush assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The roller brush (10) comprises a brush roller (12) and a mounting portion (14); the mounting portion (14) is arranged on a side of the brush roller (12) facing the end cover (30), and the mounting portion (14) extends into the mounting hole (351) to mate with the limiting member (70).

5. The roller brush assembly according to claim 4, wherein The elastic member (50) is sleeved outside the mounting portion (14).

6. The roller brush assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The roller brush assembly further comprises a guide member (90), the guide member (90) being protrudingly provided on one side of the roller brush (10) facing the end cover (30) of the roller brush (10), the guide member (90) extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the roller brush (10), and the end cover (30) being movably sleeved on the guide member (90).

7. A floor cleaning robot, characterized in that, The roller brush assembly comprises any one of claims 1 to 6.

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