Cloth switching device and method thereof, sweeping and mopping robot

Abstract

The application provides a cloth switching device and method and a sweeping and mopping robot. The cloth switching device comprises a shell, a roller assembly and a mop cloth. The roller assembly is arranged at the bottom of the shell. The mop cloth is sleeved on the roller assembly. The mop cloth has a first cleaning part and a second cleaning part. The roller assembly rolls to drive the first cleaning part to roll towards the bottom of the shell or to drive the second cleaning part to roll towards the bottom of the shell. The first cleaning part and the second cleaning part are made of different materials. The technical scheme of the application divides the mop cloth into the first cleaning part and the second cleaning part made of different materials. The first cleaning part is adjusted to the bottom of the shell or the second cleaning part is adjusted to the bottom of the shell by the roller assembly, so as to adapt to different cleaning environments or objects, thereby improving the wide adaptability of cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of smart home appliance technology, and in particular to a mop switching device and method, and a sweeping and mopping robot. Background Technology

[0002] A robotic vacuum cleaner is a type of smart home appliance that includes a mop-switching device and method. The robot body is an automated, mobile device with a dust collection box and a vacuum cleaning system. It moves repeatedly throughout the room, automatically cleaning the floors.

[0003] With advancements in technology, robotic vacuum cleaners have incorporated features such as water storage and mopping. However, current technology typically includes a mop at the bottom of the machine, made of cotton cloth, or cotton cloth around the perimeter. While this cloth is highly absorbent and easily removes dirt, it has limitations when cleaning carpets, as the stains on the cloth can easily soil the carpet. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a mop switching device and a sweeping and mopping robot, which aims to solve the technical problem that existing sweeping robots easily transfer stains to other objects such as carpets, resulting in limited cleaning capabilities.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a cloth switching device, the cloth switching device comprising:

[0006] case;

[0007] A roller assembly disposed at the bottom of the housing;

[0008] A mop cloth is fitted onto the roller assembly. The mop cloth has a first cleaning section and a second cleaning section. The roller assembly rotates to drive the first cleaning section to roll toward the bottom of the housing, or to drive the second cleaning section to roll toward the bottom of the housing. The first cleaning section and the second cleaning section are made of different materials.

[0009] Optionally, the roller assembly includes a first roller and a second roller, with the first roller and the second roller disposed opposite to each other at the bottom of the housing;

[0010] The mop is sleeved on the first roller and the second roller to divide the mop into an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein the upper layer is close to the housing and the lower layer is away from the housing;

[0011] The first roller and the second roller rotate and drive the mop to rotate, so as to switch the first cleaning part to the upper layer and the second cleaning part to the lower layer; or switch the first cleaning part to the lower layer and the second cleaning part to the upper layer.

[0012] Optionally, the cloth switching device further includes:

[0013] A first detection element is disposed on the housing;

[0014] The controller, wherein the first detection element is electrically connected to the controller, and the first detection element is used to detect the position information of the first cleaning unit;

[0015] The controller is also used to control the roller assembly to adjust the position of the first cleaning section based on the position information.

[0016] Optionally, the first detection element is used to detect the current magnitude of the lower layer and determine the position information of the first cleaning part based on the current magnitude.

[0017] Optionally, the thickness of the first cleaning section is different from the thickness of the second cleaning section.

[0018] Optionally, the cloth switching device further includes:

[0019] The second detection element is disposed on the housing, and the controller is electrically connected to the second detection element and the roller assembly respectively.

[0020] The second detection element is used to detect the carpet position, and the controller is used to control the roller assembly to rotate the second cleaning part toward the bottom of the housing based on the carpet position.

[0021] Optionally, the cloth switching device further includes a water pump, which is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is used to control the water pump switch according to the carpet position.

[0022] Optionally, the first cleaning part is made of cotton cloth, polyester yarn, or microfiber, and the second cleaning part is made of PU material.

[0023] Furthermore, to address the aforementioned problems, the present invention also proposes a cloth switching method, which is applied in the cloth switching device described above, and the cloth switching method includes:

[0024] Detect the location where the carpet was taken;

[0025] The position of the first or second cleaning section is adjusted by controlling the roller assembly according to the carpet position.

[0026] Detect the position information of the first cleaning unit;

[0027] The position of the first cleaning part is adjusted by controlling the roller assembly based on the position information.

[0028] In addition, to solve the above problems, the present invention also proposes a sweeping and mopping robot, which applies the mop switching device as described above.

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention divides the mop into two materials: a first cleaning part and a second cleaning part. By adjusting the first cleaning part toward the bottom of the housing or the second cleaning part toward the bottom of the housing through the roller assembly, it can be adapted to different cleaning environments or objects, thereby improving the wide adaptability of cleaning. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cloth switching device of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mop in the mop switching device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the cloth switching method of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0035] label name label name 10 mop 11 First Cleanup Department 12 Second Cleanup Department 13 upper layer 14 lower level 20 case 30 Roller assembly 31 First roller 32 Second roller

[0036] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0039] Furthermore, in this invention, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0040] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but only if they are feasible for those skilled in the art. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0042] This invention proposes a cloth switching device, please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The mop switching device includes a housing 20, a roller assembly 30, and a mop 10. The roller assembly 30 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 20. The mop 10 is sleeved on the roller assembly 30 and has a first cleaning part 11 and a second cleaning part 12. The roller assembly 30 rolls to drive the first cleaning part 11 to roll toward the bottom of the housing 20, or to drive the second cleaning part 12 to roll toward the bottom of the housing 20. The first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 are made of different materials.

[0043] In normal use, the bottom of the housing 20 is placed on the floor, the roller assembly 30 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 20, and when the rag is installed on the roller assembly 30, the rag is in contact with the floor.

[0044] The first cleaning part 11 can be made of cotton cloth, polyester yarn or microfiber. The thickness of the first cleaning part 11 increases after absorbing water. The second cleaning part 12 is made of PU material. The thickness of the first cleaning part 11 is different from that of the second cleaning part 12.

[0045] Cotton fabric is highly absorbent, allowing you to wipe away stains on the floor during movement by dissolving them in water; PU material has strong water-locking properties, so when moving to blankets or other objects, the PU comes into contact with the blanket to prevent water stains from getting on it.

[0046] In this embodiment, when cleaning different materials, the first cleaning part 11 can be rotated to face the bottom of the housing 20 when cleaning the base plate, tiles, etc., and the second cleaning part 12 can be rotated to face the bottom of the housing 20 when cleaning carpets, blankets, etc.

[0047] Furthermore, the materials of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 can be interchanged according to different needs to further improve the compatibility of the cloth switching device of the present invention.

[0048] The first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 can be integrally molded; or, for example, a Velcro ring can be fitted onto the roller assembly 30, and Velcro can be provided on PU material and cotton cloth, so as to fix the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 by Velcro.

[0049] In this embodiment, during daily use, the roller assembly 30 drives the mop 10 to rotate, and one side of the first cleaning part 11 faces the bottom of the housing 20, and the first cleaning part 11 contacts the floor to clean; when moving to a position such as a blanket, the roller assembly 30 drives the mop 10 to rotate, and one side of the second cleaning part 12 faces the bottom of the housing 20.

[0050] The technical solution of the present invention divides the mop 10 into two materials: the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12. The first cleaning part 11 or the second cleaning part 12 is adjusted to the bottom of the housing 20 by the roller assembly 30 to adapt to different cleaning environments or objects, thereby improving the wide adaptability of cleaning.

[0051] Specifically, the roller assembly 30 includes a first roller 31 and a second roller 32, with the first roller 31 and the second roller 32 disposed opposite each other at the bottom of the housing 20.

[0052] The mop 10 is sleeved on the first roller 31 and the second roller 32 to divide the mop 10 into an upper layer 13 and a lower layer 14, wherein the upper layer 13 is close to the housing 20 and the lower layer 14 is away from the housing 20.

[0053] The first roller 31 and the second roller rotate and drive the mop 10 to rotate, so as to switch the first cleaning part 11 to the upper layer 13 and the second cleaning part 12 to the lower layer 14; or switch the first cleaning part 11 to the lower layer 14 and the second cleaning part 12 to the upper layer 13.

[0054] During normal use, the lower layer 14 is the layer closest to the bottom plate, and the upper layer 13 is the layer closest to the housing 20.

[0055] The distance between the first roller 31 and the second roller 32 can be adjusted according to the size of the mop 10 so that the mop 10 remains taut when it is fitted onto the first roller 31 and the second roller 32, thus ensuring the stability of the mop 10.

[0056] Conversely, the first cleaning section 11 and the second cleaning section 12 are of equal length. Therefore, it can be ensured that when rotating, the entire surface of the lower layer 14 is covered by the first cleaning section 11, and the entire surface of the upper layer 13 is covered by the second cleaning section 12; and vice versa.

[0057] Furthermore, the cloth switching device also includes a first detection element and a controller. The first detection element is disposed on the housing 20. The first detection element is electrically connected to the controller. The first detection element is used to detect the position information of the first cleaning part 11. The controller is also used to control the roller assembly 30 to adjust the position of the first cleaning part 11 according to the position information.

[0058] In practical applications, the mop 10 is attached to the base plate. To prevent excessive friction on the mop 10 from causing the roller assembly 30 to fail to drive the mop 10 to rotate normally, thus causing the position of the mop 10 to shift, the first detection element is also provided in this embodiment.

[0059] As one embodiment, the first detection element can be the drive motor of the roller assembly 30 itself providing current feedback. During the operation of the mop 10, the different material surfaces of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 have different coefficients of friction with the ground, resulting in a difference in the load current of the drive motor of the roller assembly 30, thereby identifying the positions of the first cleaning part and the second cleaning part.

[0060] For example, the current threshold when the first cleaning part 1111 is in contact with the ground is A1, and the current threshold when the second cleaning part 1212 is in contact with the ground is A2. When the first detection element detects that the current in the lower layer 1414 is within the current threshold A1, the controller determines that the first cleaning part 1111 is located in the lower layer 1414; when the first detection element detects that the current in the lower layer 1414 is within the current threshold A2, the controller determines that the second cleaning part 1212 is located in the lower layer 1414.

[0061] In addition, a self-cleaning scraper is provided on the housing 20. The self-cleaning scraper is interference-fitted with the mop 10 and can scrape and clean the mop 10 during operation. When there is a difference in the material and thickness of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12, the load applied by the scraper to the mop 10 also varies. Correspondingly, the load current of the drive motor of the roller assembly 30 shows a greater gradient difference, so that the positions of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 can be identified more accurately.

[0062] In another embodiment, the first detection element can also be an infrared sensor. An infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver are respectively provided at both ends of the lower layer 14 of the mop 10. Since there is a difference in thickness between the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12, the positions of the infrared transmitter and receiver are adjusted. When the thicker side of the mop 10 moves to the lower layer 14, it blocks the infrared signal. The light from the infrared transmitter appears to be in two states: connected and disconnected. This allows for more accurate identification of the positions of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 of the mop 10.

[0063] Furthermore, the cloth switching device also includes a second detection element, which is disposed on the housing 20. The controller is electrically connected to the second detection element and the roller assembly 30 respectively. The second detection element is used to detect the carpet position, and the controller is used to control the roller assembly 30 to rotate the second cleaning part 12 to face the bottom of the housing 20 according to the carpet position.

[0064] The second detection component can be a distance sensor. The robot vacuum cleaner uses a camera assembly to scan and photograph the environment it is cleaning, thereby creating a cleaning map. During the detection process, it can photograph the location of the carpet and mark it on the cleaning map.

[0065] The distance sensor detects the position on the cleaning map. When the movement is detected to the carpet position, the controller controls the roller assembly 30 to rotate and rotates the second cleaning part 12 to the lower layer 14, and then moves it to the carpet. When the movement is detected to be moved out of the carpet position, the controller controls the roller assembly 30 to rotate again and rotates the first cleaning part 11 to the lower layer 14.

[0066] Furthermore, by cooperating with the first detection element, the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 are ensured to rotate into place, thereby further improving the reliability of the mop 10 switching device of the present invention.

[0067] Furthermore, the cloth switching device also includes a water pump, which is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is used to control the water pump switch according to the carpet position.

[0068] In this embodiment, to further ensure that water stains adhere to the carpet, the controller, in conjunction with the second detection element, shuts off the water pump when it detects movement to the carpet, thereby increasing the suction power of the robot vacuum. This improves the cleaning ability of the carpet while preventing leakage onto it.

[0069] Furthermore, to solve the above problems, the present invention also proposes a cloth switching method, which is applied in the cloth switching device described above. Please follow... Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the cloth switching method of the present invention. The cloth switching method includes:

[0070] Step S10: Detect the location where the carpet was taken;

[0071] Step S20: Adjust the position of the first cleaning part 11 or the second cleaning part 12 of the control roller assembly 30 according to the carpet position;

[0072] Step S30: Detect the position information of the first cleaning unit 11;

[0073] Step S40: Control the roller assembly 30 to adjust the position of the first cleaning part 11 according to the position information.

[0074] In practical applications, the mop 10 is attached to the base plate. To prevent excessive friction on the mop 10 from causing the roller assembly 30 to fail to drive the mop 10 to rotate normally, thus causing the position of the mop 10 to shift, the first detection element is also provided in this embodiment.

[0075] The first detection element can be a current sensor, which is used to detect the current on the lower layer 14 of the mop 10. Before use, the current pattern when the first cleaning part 11 is in contact with the ground and the current pattern when the second cleaning part 12 is in contact with the ground can be obtained through detection.

[0076] For example, the current threshold when the first cleaning part 11 is in contact with the ground is A1, and the current threshold when the second cleaning part 12 is in contact with the ground is A2. When the first detection element detects that the current in the lower layer 14 is within the current threshold A1 range, the controller determines that the first cleaning part 11 is located in the lower layer 14; when the first detection element detects that the current in the lower layer 14 is within the current threshold A2 range, the controller determines that the second cleaning part 12 is located in the lower layer 14. When the first detection element detects that the current in the lower layer 14 is neither within the current threshold A1 range nor within the current threshold A2 range, the controller continues to control the roller assembly 30 to rotate until it is determined that either the first cleaning part 11 or the second cleaning part 12 has moved to the lower layer 14.

[0077] The second detection component can be a distance sensor. The robot vacuum cleaner uses a camera assembly to scan and photograph the environment it is cleaning, thereby creating a cleaning map. During the detection process, it can photograph the location of the carpet and mark it on the cleaning map.

[0078] The distance sensor detects the position on the cleaning map. When the movement is detected to the carpet position, the controller controls the roller assembly 30 to rotate and rotates the second cleaning part 12 to the lower layer 14, and then moves it to the carpet. When the movement is detected to be moved out of the carpet position, the controller controls the roller assembly 30 to rotate again and rotates the first cleaning part 11 to the lower layer 14.

[0079] In addition, to solve the above problems, the present invention also proposes a sweeping and mopping robot, which applies the mop switching device as described above.

[0080] In normal use, the bottom of the housing 20 is placed on the floor, the roller assembly 30 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 20, and when the rag is installed on the roller assembly 30, the rag is in contact with the floor.

[0081] The first cleaning part 11 can be made of cotton cloth, and the second cleaning part 12 can be made of PU material.

[0082] Cotton fabric is highly absorbent, allowing you to wipe away stains on the floor during movement by dissolving them in water; PU material has strong water-locking properties, so when moving to blankets or other objects, the PU comes into contact with the blanket to prevent water stains from getting on it.

[0083] In this embodiment, when cleaning different materials, the first cleaning part 11 can be rotated to face the bottom of the housing 20 when cleaning the base plate, tiles, etc., and the second cleaning part 12 can be rotated to face the bottom of the housing 20 when cleaning carpets, blankets, etc.

[0084] Furthermore, the materials of the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 can be interchanged according to different needs to further improve the compatibility of the cloth switching device of the present invention.

[0085] The first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 can be integrally molded; or, for example, a Velcro ring can be fitted onto the roller assembly 30, and Velcro can be provided on PU material and cotton cloth, so as to fix the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12 by Velcro.

[0086] In this embodiment, during daily use, the roller assembly 30 drives the mop 10 to rotate, and one side of the first cleaning part 11 faces the bottom of the housing 20, and the first cleaning part 11 contacts the floor to clean; when moving to a position such as a blanket, the roller assembly 30 drives the mop 10 to rotate, and one side of the second cleaning part 12 faces the bottom of the housing 20.

[0087] The technical solution of the present invention divides the mop 10 into two materials: the first cleaning part 11 and the second cleaning part 12. The first cleaning part 11 or the second cleaning part 12 is adjusted to the bottom of the housing 20 by the roller assembly 30 to adapt to different cleaning environments or objects, thereby improving the wide adaptability of cleaning.

[0088] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cloth switching device, characterized in that, The cloth switching device includes: case; A roller assembly disposed at the bottom of the housing; A mop cloth is fitted onto the roller assembly. The mop cloth has a first cleaning section and a second cleaning section. The roller assembly rotates to drive the first cleaning section to roll toward the bottom of the housing, or to drive the second cleaning section to roll toward the bottom of the housing. The first cleaning section and the second cleaning section are made of different materials. A first detection element is disposed on the housing; The controller, wherein the first detection element is electrically connected to the controller, and the first detection element is used to detect the position information of the first cleaning unit; The controller is also used to control the roller assembly to adjust the position of the first cleaning section based on the position information.

2. The cloth switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roller assembly includes a first roller and a second roller, with the first roller and the second roller disposed opposite to each other at the bottom of the housing; The mop is sleeved on the first roller and the second roller to divide the mop into an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein the upper layer is close to the housing and the lower layer is away from the housing; The first roller and the second roller rotate and drive the mop to rotate, so as to switch the first cleaning part to the upper layer and the second cleaning part to the lower layer; or switch the first cleaning part to the lower layer and the second cleaning part to the upper layer.

3. The cloth switching device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first detection element is used to detect the magnitude of the current in the lower layer and determine the position information of the first cleaning part based on the magnitude of the current.

4. The cloth switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the first cleaning section is different from the thickness of the second cleaning section.

5. The cloth switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cloth switching device also includes: The second detection element is disposed on the housing, and the controller is electrically connected to the second detection element and the roller assembly respectively. The second detection element is used to detect the carpet position, and the controller is used to control the roller assembly to rotate the second cleaning part toward the bottom of the housing based on the carpet position.

6. The cloth switching device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The cloth switching device also includes a water pump, which is electrically connected to the controller. The controller is used to control the water pump switch according to the carpet position.

7. The cloth switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first cleaning part is made of cotton cloth, polyester yarn or microfiber, and the second cleaning part is made of PU material.

8. A method for switching cleaning cloths, characterized in that, The cloth switching method is applied in the cloth switching device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, and the cloth switching method includes: Detect carpet position; The position of the first or second cleaning section is adjusted by controlling the roller assembly according to the carpet position. Detect the position information of the first cleaning unit; The position of the first cleaning part is adjusted by controlling the roller assembly based on the position information.

9. A sweeping and mopping robot, characterized in that, The sweeping and mopping robot is equipped with a cloth switching device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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