A drum device and a cleaning robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a roller device and a cleaning robot. The roller device includes a roller assembly driven by a power unit, and a lifting drive device that enables the roller assembly to switch between a raised state and a lowered state. The roller assembly includes two parallel rollers, and when the power unit provides power to the roller assembly, the two rollers rotate in opposite directions. This invention uses a dual-roller assembly to clean the surface, which greatly improves the cleaning effect compared to a single-roller structure. Through the ingenious design of the roller assembly, power unit, and lifting drive device, the roller assembly can be raised and lowered, and can adaptively float relative to the surface being cleaned during operation. This meets the needs of the robot to recharge and retract the rollers when passing through carpets, while ensuring the proper contact of the roller assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cleaning robots, and more particularly to the field of cleaning roller devices for cleaning robots. Background Technology

[0002] Cleaning robots are special robots designed to serve humans, primarily performing household cleaning and washing tasks. Currently, the height of the cleaning rollers above the floor in these robots is fixed. When the robot passes over carpets, the water on the rollers wets the carpet, and the high friction between the rollers and the carpet also hinders its passage. Furthermore, when returning to the charging dock, the robot passes over already cleaned areas, causing secondary contamination. Such floor cleaning robots are not intelligent enough.

[0003] In addition, in existing technologies, cleaning robots generally use a single roller brush (roller) structure for floor cleaning, while the double roller brush (roller) mechanism has a better cleaning effect than the single roller brush (roller) structure. It is generally used in handheld mops. The double roller brush (roller) mechanism is connected to the mop handle through a universal joint, which allows the double roller brush (roller) mechanism to adapt to the ground. However, the universal joint is large and difficult to apply directly to robots.

[0004] A single roller brush structure is mounted on the robot's base via a floating mechanism. For example, patent CN213721741U discloses a typical floating roller brush structure. In this structure, the roller brush is mounted on the robot's base via a roller brush shell with a cantilever. The cantilever is rotatably mounted relative to the robot's base, and a pre-compression mechanism is connected between the roller brush shell and the robot's base to make the roller brush (roller) fit against the ground. This structure is difficult to apply to a double roller brush (roller) mechanism to ensure that both roller brushes (rollers) are in contact with the ground.

[0005] Patent CN114451820A provides a roller brush lifting mechanism for a sweeping robot, which drives the roller brush mechanism to actively lift through a linkage structure. In this structure, on the one hand, the linkage mechanism and the roller brush mechanism are rigidly connected, which sacrifices the adaptive floating capability of the roller brush mechanism. Moreover, the roller brush bracket is still rotated relative to the robot base, which is not suitable for a dual roller brush (roller) structure. On the other hand, the linkage structure used to lift the roller brush mechanism has a relatively fixed installation position relative to the roller brush mechanism. In actual design, the internal space layout of the robot is compact, and adding a lifting mechanism will bring great difficulty to the layout of the internal structure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a roller device and cleaning robot that adopts a dual roller brush structure and takes into account both lifting capacity and adaptive floating capacity.

[0007] Technical solution: To achieve the above objectives, the roller device of the present invention includes a roller assembly driven by a power device, and a lifting drive device capable of switching the roller assembly between a raised state and a lowered state; the roller assembly includes two parallel rollers, and when the power device provides power to the roller assembly, the two rollers rotate in opposite directions; when the roller assembly is in the lowered state, it can adaptively float with the surface being cleaned.

[0008] When the roller assembly is needed for cleaning, the lifting drive is controlled to switch the roller assembly to the lowered state. In this state, the roller assembly acts on the surface being cleaned. Since the roller assembly can adaptively float with the surface being cleaned, both rollers can act on the surface being cleaned, and there will be no situation where one roller is suspended in the air. When the robot returns to charge, refills water, or encounters a surface that does not need to be cleaned, such as a carpet, the lifting drive is controlled to switch the roller assembly to the raised state. In this state, the roller does not contact the surface being cleaned and does not perform the cleaning task.

[0009] Optionally, the roller assembly further includes a first worm, and each roller is fixed with a first worm wheel that meshes with the first worm; the two first worm wheels are respectively placed on both sides of the first worm.

[0010] Optionally, the power unit has a power output unit, and the roller assembly has a power input unit. The power output unit and the power input unit are slidably mounted so that the roller assembly can be raised and lowered as a whole relative to the power unit.

[0011] In this application, through the aforementioned arrangement of the first worm gear and the first worm, when the first worm rotates, it can simultaneously drive the two first worm gears to move in opposite directions at the same speed, thereby achieving the purpose of the two rollers moving in opposite directions at the same speed. Furthermore, since the worm gear transmission itself is a cross-shaft transmission, and the axis of rotation of the first worm is vertical, it provides a basis for the separation and sliding design of the power unit and the roller assembly. In addition, the high reduction ratio of the worm gear transmission can also reduce the volume of the reduction mechanism. In contrast, in the prior art, double rollers generally establish a relationship of equal speed and opposite motion through two meshing gears. The two gears corresponding to the two rollers have the same number of teeth, which does not play a deceleration role. To achieve the aforementioned structure of the roller assembly lifting relative to the power unit, at least one more cross-shaft transmission mechanism (such as a bevel gear transmission mechanism) is required, which makes the transmission structure complex, occupies a large volume, and increases costs. The structural design of this invention, however, uses only one worm and two worm gears to achieve the functions that require complex structures in existing mechanisms, resulting in a compact structure, small footprint, and low cost.

[0012] Optionally, the two rollers are a first roller and a second roller; the roller device further includes a sludge collection tank and a first scraper and a second scraper that act on the first roller and the second roller respectively; the first scraper can transfer the dirt on the first roller to the second roller; the second scraper can guide the dirt on the second roller into the sludge collection tank.

[0013] Specifically, the first scraper is located above the contact point of the two rollers and contacts the outer surface of the second roller. The second scraper is located at the inlet of the sludge collection trough, and its end contacts the outer surface of the second roller. Due to the presence of the first scraper, dirt adhering to the outer surface of the first scraper is scraped off and cannot pass through it. The scraped-off dirt accumulates above the contact point of the two rollers. The first roller may also have dirt on it initially, which is gradually carried to the inlet of the sludge collection trough along with the dirt accumulated there. The second scraper then scrapes off the dirt from the first roller and guides it into the sludge collection trough. The sludge collection trough can move up and down with the roller assembly and can be detached from the lifting bracket of the roller assembly for easy cleaning.

[0014] Optionally, the lifting drive device includes a flexible traction unit connected to the roller assembly, and also includes a take-up and take-down device for taking up and taking down the flexible traction unit.

[0015] Optionally, the take-up and unwinding device includes a take-up reel and a take-up motor poweredly connected to the take-up reel. The take-up motor takes up and unwinds the flexible traction unit via the take-up reel. The flexible traction unit is wound around the take-up reel. When the take-up motor drives the take-up reel to rotate, the take-up reel can release a portion of the flexible traction unit to lower the roller assembly. Conversely, when it is necessary to raise the roller assembly, the take-up motor drives the take-up reel to rotate in the opposite direction, causing a portion of the flexible traction unit to be wound onto the take-up reel. In this way, the flexible traction unit outside the take-up reel becomes shorter, and the roller assembly is lifted.

[0016] Optionally, the transmission mechanism between the take-up motor and the take-up reel includes a worm gear mechanism. The worm gear mechanism not only has a large reduction ratio, but also, due to the self-locking characteristic between the worm gears, after the take-up motor drives the take-up reel to rotate to a certain position, the locking action of the second worm gear on the second worm wheel keeps the take-up reel in that position, eliminating the need for the take-up motor to provide a holding torque.

[0017] Optionally, the lifting drive device further includes a guide tube through which the flexible traction unit passes.

[0018] In the design of the aforementioned lifting drive device, the roller assembly is lifted and lowered via a flexible traction unit. This allows for unrestricted installation of the take-up and deployment device, enabling it to be strategically placed within the robot without requiring significant adjustments to its internal structure. This simplifies the internal design for new product development and eliminates the need for major mold modifications when upgrading older products. The guide tube constrains the flexible traction unit, fixing its traction path and preventing interference or disconnection with other internal structures during take-up and deployment. This prevents accelerated wear on the flexible traction unit or damage to other parts of the robot.

[0019] Optionally, the roller device further includes a spraying structure for spraying water onto the roller.

[0020] A cleaning robot includes a robot body on which the aforementioned roller device is mounted; the roller device further includes a water spraying structure for spraying water onto the roller, and a water tank connected to the water spraying structure is installed inside the robot body.

[0021] Beneficial effects: The roller device and cleaning robot of the present invention use a double roller assembly to clean the surface to be cleaned, which greatly improves the cleaning effect compared with the single roller structure. Through the ingenious design of the roller assembly, power unit and lifting drive device, the roller assembly can be raised and lowered, and can adaptively float relative to the surface to be cleaned during operation. This meets the needs of the robot to recharge and retract the roller when passing through carpets, and ensures the fit of the roller assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 Exploded view of the roller brush assembly;

[0023] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a cleaning robot;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a bottom view of the lifting drive device;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the take-up and release device;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the roller drive mechanism;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of a cleaning robot from a first-person perspective.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning robot from a second-person perspective.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Roller assembly; 11. Lifting bracket; 11a. Sprinkler hole; 12. Roller; 12a. First roller; 12b. Second roller; 13. First worm gear; 14. First worm; 15. Power input unit; 16. First scraper; 17. Second scraper; 18. Sludge collection tank; 2. Power unit; 21. Power output unit; 21a. Irregular hole; 22. Power motor; 23. Belt device; 3. Lifting drive device; 31. Flexible traction unit; 32. Retracting and unretracting device; 33. Guide tube; 321. Retracting wheel; 322. Retracting motor; 323. Reduction gear set; 324. Second worm; 325. Second worm gear; 4. Water tank; 5. Robot body; 51. Seat. Detailed Implementation

[0030] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0031] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0032] like Figure 1 The roller assembly shown includes a roller assembly 1, a power unit 2, and a lifting drive unit 3. In practical applications, this roller assembly is used in applications such as... Figure 6-7 The cleaning robot shown has a robot body 5, which has a base 51, and a roller assembly 1 is mounted on the base 51.

[0033] Among them, such as Figure 2 The roller assembly 1 includes a lifting bracket 11 and two rollers 12 rotatably mounted on the lifting bracket 11. The rotation axes of the two rollers 12 are parallel to each other and the two rollers 12 are in contact. The power device 2 is drivenly connected to the roller assembly 1. When the power device 2 provides power to the roller assembly 1, the two rollers 12 rotate in opposite directions, so that the dirt carried by the two rollers 12 passes through the contact position of the two rollers 12 from bottom to top.

[0034] The lifting drive device 3 is connected to the roller assembly 1 and switches the roller assembly 1 between a raised state and a lowered state. When the roller assembly 1 is in the lowered state, it can adaptively float with the surface being cleaned. When the robot carrying the roller assembly 1 is working, if the roller assembly 1 needs to be used for cleaning, the lifting drive device 3 is controlled to switch the roller assembly 1 to the lowered state. At this time, the roller assembly 1 acts on the surface being cleaned. Since the roller assembly 1 can adaptively float with the surface being cleaned, both rollers 12 can act on the surface being cleaned, and there will be no situation where one roller 12 is suspended in the air. When the robot returns to charge, refills water, or encounters a surface that does not need to be cleaned, such as a carpet, the lifting drive device 3 is controlled to switch the roller assembly 1 to the raised state. At this time, the roller 12 does not contact the surface being cleaned and does not perform the cleaning task.

[0035] like Figure 5 As shown, the lifting drive device 3 includes a flexible pulling unit 31 connected to the roller assembly 1, and a retraction device 32 for retracting the flexible pulling unit 31. Here, the flexible pulling unit 31 can be in the form of a rope, strip, or belt; in the illustrated embodiment, the flexible pulling unit 31 is a steel wire rope. When the roller assembly 1 is in the lowered state, the flexible pulling unit 31 is in a slack state, thus allowing the roller assembly 1 to adaptively float with the surface being cleaned.

[0036] exist Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the take-up and unwinding device 32 includes a take-up reel 321 and a take-up motor 322 poweredly connected to the take-up reel 321. Flexible traction units 31 are wound around the take-up reel 321. When the take-up motor 322 drives the take-up reel 321 to rotate, the take-up reel 321 can release a portion of the flexible traction units 31 to lower the roller assembly 1. Conversely, when it is necessary to raise the roller assembly 1, the take-up motor 322 drives the take-up reel 321 to rotate in the opposite direction, causing a portion of the flexible traction units 31 to be wound onto the take-up reel 321. Thus, the flexible traction units 31 outside the take-up reel 321 become shorter, and the roller assembly 1 is lifted. A reduction gear set 323 and a worm gear mechanism are provided between the take-up motor 322 and the take-up reel 321. The worm gear mechanism includes a second worm 324 connected to the output shaft of the reduction gear set 323 and a second worm gear 325 coaxially fixed to the take-up reel 321. The worm gear mechanism here not only has a large reduction ratio, but also, due to the self-locking characteristics between the worm gears, after the take-up motor 322 drives the take-up wheel 321 to rotate to a certain position, the locking effect of the second worm 324 on the second worm gear 325 will keep the take-up wheel 321 in that position, without the need for the take-up motor 322 to provide a state-holding torque.

[0037] In other embodiments, the take-up and release device 32 can also be a linear traction drive device such as a linear motor or an electric push rod. When the take-up and release device 32 is a linear motor or an electric push rod, the two ends of the flexible traction unit 31 are respectively connected to the telescopic unit of the linear motor or the electric push rod. When the telescopic unit performs telescopic movement, it directly moves one end of the flexible traction unit 31, thereby driving the roller assembly 1 to rise and fall.

[0038] Preferably, the lifting drive device 3 further includes a guide tube 33, through which the flexible pulling unit 31 passes, and both ends of the guide tube 33 are fixed to the base 51 of the cleaning robot. Due to the constraint effect of the guide tube 33, the trajectory of the flexible pulling unit 31 is fixed, and the pulling displacement of one end of the flexible pulling unit 31 by the retraction device 32 can be better transmitted to the other end of the flexible pulling unit 31 without causing problems such as interference between the flexible pulling unit 31 and other structures.

[0039] The number of flexible pulling units 31 is multiple, and each flexible pulling unit 31 is connected to different positions of the roller assembly 1. All flexible pulling units 31 have one end wound around the same take-up wheel 321. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two flexible pulling units 31, symmetrically connected to both sides of the upper surface of the lifting bracket 11. The number of flexible pulling units 31 can also be three, with the three connected to both sides and the center of the upper surface of the lifting bracket 11 respectively; the number of flexible pulling units 31 can also be four, with the four connected to the four corners of the upper surface of the lifting bracket 11 respectively; the number of flexible pulling units 31 can also be five, with the four connected to the four corners and the center of the upper surface of the lifting bracket 11 respectively.

[0040] Because the flexible traction unit 31 is deformable and its movement path is unrestricted, the installation position of the take-up and drop-down device 32 is less restricted. When designing the robot, the take-up and drop-down device 32 can be strategically placed inside the robot. In contrast, in existing technologies, most of the lifting mechanisms, such as linkage structures, are used to drive the mop to move up and down. The installation range of the lifting mechanism is fixed, which makes it difficult to stack the structures when designing the internal layout of the robot.

[0041] In the aforementioned roller assembly 1, each roller 12 is fixed with a first worm gear 13; the roller assembly 1 also includes a first worm 14, with the two first worm gears 13 corresponding to the two rollers 12 meshing with the first worm 14, and the two first worm gears 13 being positioned on opposite sides of the first worm 14, which is driven by a power device 2. Through this structure, when the first worm 14 rotates, the two first worm gears 13 rotate at the same speed, achieving equal-speed, opposite-speed rotation of the two rollers 12.

[0042] The aforementioned power unit 2 and roller assembly 1 are separately configured. The power unit 2 is installed inside the robot's base 51, while the roller assembly 1 can move up and down relative to the robot's base 51. Specifically, the power unit 2 has a power output unit 21, and the roller assembly 1 has a power input unit 15. The power output unit 21 and the power input unit 15 are slidably mounted so that the roller assembly 1 can move as a whole relative to the power unit 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the power input unit 15 is an irregularly shaped shaft portion (illustrated as a square shaft, but it can also be other polygonal shafts, D-shaped shafts, spline shafts, etc.) located at the shaft end of the first worm gear 14. The power output unit 21 is a rotating shaft, and an irregularly shaped hole 21a (e.g., a hole 21a) is formed inside the rotating shaft to fit with the irregularly shaped shaft portion. Figure 3 As shown), the fit between the irregular shaft and the irregular hole 21a is a sliding fit, and the sliding direction is vertical; the power device 2 also includes a power motor 22 that drives the rotating shaft to rotate, and the power motor 22 transmits power to the rotating shaft through the belt device 23.

[0043] With the above structure, by placing the first worm gear 13 connecting the two rollers 12 on both sides of the first worm 14, not only is it possible to achieve the same speed and opposite rotation of the two rollers 12 when the first worm 14 rotates, resulting in a compact and efficient transmission structure, but also the cross-axis transmission characteristic of the worm gear mechanism makes the rotation axis of the first worm 14 vertical, laying the foundation for the sliding fit between the irregular shaft and the irregular hole 21a, so that the power unit 2 and the roller assembly 1 can be set separately and power can still be transmitted between them.

[0044] The fit between the aforementioned irregular shaft and the irregular hole 21a is a clearance fit with a large gap, which not only prevents jamming but also allows the roller assembly 1 to have a certain adaptive floating space.

[0045] In the aforementioned roller assembly 1, the two rollers 12 are a first roller 12a and a second roller 12b. The roller assembly also includes a sludge collection trough 18 and a first scraper 16 and a second scraper 17 acting on the first roller 12a and the second roller 12b, respectively. The first scraper 16 is located above the contact point of the two rollers 12 and contacts the outer surface of the second roller 12b. The second scraper 17 is located at the inlet of the sludge collection trough 18, and its end contacts the outer surface of the second roller 12b. Thus, when the roller assembly 1 is in operation, the first scraper 16 can transfer the dirt on the first roller 12a to the second roller 12b, and the second scraper 17 can scrape the dirt off the second roller 12b and guide it into the sludge collection trough 18.

[0046] Preferably, the roller device further includes a water spraying structure for spraying water onto the roller 12. Here, the water spraying structure is a water spraying hole 11a provided on the lifting bracket 11. The base 51 has a water tank 4 connected to the water spraying hole 11a to supply water to the roller 12. The water spraying hole 11a sprays water onto the roller 12, which can continuously maintain the moisture of the roller 12 and maintain the cleaning ability of the roller 12.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A roller device, characterized in that, It includes a roller assembly driven by a power unit, and a lifting drive device that enables the roller assembly to switch between a raised state and a lowered state. The roller assembly includes two parallel rollers, and when the power unit provides power to the roller assembly, the two rollers rotate in opposite directions. The roller assembly further includes a first worm gear, and each roller is fixed with a first worm wheel that meshes with the first worm gear; the two first worm wheels are respectively placed on both sides of the first worm gear; The power unit has a power output unit, and the roller assembly has a power input unit. The power output unit and the power input unit are slidably installed so that the roller assembly can be raised and lowered relative to the power unit as a whole. The lifting drive device includes a flexible traction unit connected to the roller assembly, and also includes a take-up and take-down device for taking up and taking down the flexible traction unit. When the roller assembly is in the lowered state, the flexible traction unit is in the relaxed state, and the roller assembly can adaptively float with the surface being cleaned.

2. The roller device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two rollers are a first roller and a second roller; the roller device also includes a sludge collection tank and a first scraper and a second scraper that act on the first roller and the second roller respectively; the first scraper can transfer the dirt on the first roller to the second roller; the second scraper can guide the dirt on the second roller into the sludge collection tank.

3. The roller device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The take-up and unwinding device includes a take-up reel and a take-up motor that is poweredly connected to the take-up reel.

4. The roller device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism between the winding motor and the winding wheel includes a worm gear mechanism.

5. The roller device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting drive device also includes a guide tube through which the flexible traction unit passes.

6. The roller device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roller device also includes a water spraying structure for spraying water onto the roller.

7. The roller device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The number of flexible traction units is multiple, each of which is connected to a different position of the roller assembly, and all of the flexible traction units have one end wound around the same take-up wheel.

8. A cleaning robot, characterized in that, It includes a robot body, on which a roller device as described in any one of claims 1-7 is installed, the roller device further includes a water spraying structure for spraying water onto the roller, and a water tank connected to the water spraying structure for supplying water is installed inside the robot body.

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