Oscillating device and sweeping robot

Abstract

This application provides a swinging device and a sweeping robot, relating to the field of cleaning equipment technology. The swinging device includes a support plate, a rotating seat, a swing arm, an elastic element, a rope, a fixing element, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly and the fixing element are both mounted on the support plate. The rotating seat is rotatably mounted on the support plate and located between the drive assembly and the fixing element. One end of the elastic element is mounted on the rotating seat, and the other end is mounted on the fixing element. One end of the rope is mounted on the rotating seat, and the other end is mounted on the drive assembly. The rotating seat passes through the support plate and connects to one end of the swing arm, the other end of which is equipped with a cleaning element. The drive assembly can pull the rope to swing the swing arm inward and stretch the elastic element, or release the rope to swing the swing arm outward under the elastic force of the elastic element. The swing arm can automatically retract inward when the cleaning element encounters an obstacle and automatically swing outward after the obstacle disappears. Based on this, this application can achieve a smaller space occupation and avoid damage to the cleaning element due to obstacles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of cleaning equipment technology, and more particularly to a swinging device and a sweeping robot. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, when a robotic vacuum cleaner cleans along edges, its cleaning element remains a certain distance from the wall, creating blind spots and reducing cleaning effectiveness. In related technologies, a transmission mechanism can be added to avoid blind spots during edge cleaning, allowing the cleaning element to swing outwards and retract inwards. However, this transmission mechanism occupies a significant amount of space, and when the robotic vacuum cleaner encounters obstacles, it cannot automatically retract the cleaning element, easily damaging it and reducing the robot's lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a swinging device and a sweeping robot, which aims to solve the problems in related technologies where the transmission device for realizing the outward swing and inward retraction of the cleaning element occupies a large space and the cleaning element is easily damaged.

[0004] To address the aforementioned drawbacks in related technologies, this application provides a swinging device housed within the casing of a robotic vacuum cleaner. The swinging device includes a support plate, a rotating base, a swing arm, an elastic element, a rope, a fixing element, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly and the fixing element are both mounted on the support plate and located at opposite ends of the support plate. The rotating base is rotatably mounted on the support plate and located between the drive assembly and the fixing element. One end of the elastic element is mounted on the rotating base, and the other end is mounted on the fixing element. One end of the rope is mounted on the rotating base, and the other end is mounted on the drive assembly. The rotating base passes through the support plate and is connected to one end of the swing arm. The other end of the swing arm is used to mount a cleaning element. The swing arm has a retracted position after swinging inwards to its designated position, an extended position after swinging outwards to its designated position, an inward retraction process from the extended position to the retracted position, and an outward swing process from the retracted position to the extended position. Specifically, the drive assembly is used to: pull the rope during the retraction process, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the drive assembly, and causing the swing arm to swing inward and the elastic element to be stretched; during the outward swing process, release the rope, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the fixed component, and causing the swing arm to swing outward and the elastic element to return to its natural state when unstretched. During the robot vacuum's movement, the swing arm is used to: when it is in the extended position and the cleaning element encounters an obstacle, swing inward under the resistance of the obstacle, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the drive assembly and the elastic element to be stretched; when the obstacle disappears, swing outward under the elastic force of the elastic element and return to the extended position.

[0005] In some implementations, the swing device further includes a rope guide, which is disposed on the support plate and located between the drive assembly and the rotating seat, for guiding the rope between the drive assembly and the rotating seat. In one or more of these implementations, the rope guide includes a rope body having a rope groove extending from one end to the other, for guiding the rope between the drive assembly and the rotating seat via the rope groove. In one or more of these implementations, the rope body further includes a first rope winding post and a second rope winding post, located at opposite ends of the rope body, with the first rope winding post near the rotating seat and the second rope winding post near the drive assembly; wherein the rope, with one end on the rotating seat, first wraps around the first rope winding post with a first preset wrap angle and enters the rope groove, then wraps around the second rope winding post with a second preset wrap angle and exits the rope groove to be disposed on the drive assembly.

[0006] In some implementations, the drive assembly includes a motor, a drive gear, a driven gear, a rope receiving reel, and a rotating shaft. One end of the rotating shaft is mounted on a support plate. The driven gear and the rope receiving reel are sequentially mounted on the rotating shaft, with the rope receiving reel mounted on the driven gear. Both the driven gear and the rope receiving reel are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft. One end of the rope is mounted on the rope receiving reel. The motor is mounted on the support plate, and the drive gear is mounted on the motor's output shaft and meshes with the driven gear. Specifically, the motor is used to drive the driven gear and the rope receiving reel to rotate forward during the inward retraction process to pull the rope, or to drive the driven gear and the rope receiving reel to rotate in the reverse direction during the outward swing process to release the rope. Forward rotation is along the direction in which the rope is pulled, and reverse rotation is along the direction in which the rope is released.

[0007] In one or more of these implementations, the drive assembly further includes a compression spring; the driven gear includes a driven wheel, the rope receiving reel includes a reel body, the driven wheel and the reel body are sequentially sleeved on the rotating shaft, both the driven wheel and the reel body are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft, the compression spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, one end of the compression spring abuts against the reel body, and the other end abuts against the inner wall of the housing, the compression spring is always compressed, and the reel body abuts against the driven wheel under the elastic force of the compression spring; an outwardly extending blocking portion is formed on the periphery of the reel body, the blocking portion... The end away from the main body of the disc has a surrounding portion extending around the axis of the main body. A slot is provided on the side of the main body of the disc near the driven wheel. One end of the rope is located on the end of the blocking portion away from the main body of the disc. An outwardly extending arc-shaped portion is formed on the periphery of the driven wheel. Several gear teeth for meshing with the driving gear are provided on the side of the arc-shaped portion away from the driven wheel. An insert is provided on the side of the driven wheel near the main body of the disc. One end of the arc-shaped portion is inserted into the gap between the main body of the disc and the surrounding portion and abuts against the blocking portion. The insert is inserted into the slot.

[0008] In one or more of these implementations, the drive component has two states: a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the driven gear and the rope receiving disc are restricted from rotating in the opposite direction. In the unlocked state, the restriction on the driven gear and the rope receiving disc rotating in the opposite direction is lifted. A locking block is provided on the side of the disc body near the driven wheel. The locking block has a first inclined surface. A limiting block is provided on the support plate near the driven wheel. The limiting block has a second inclined surface. The inclination direction and angle between the first and second inclined surfaces are consistent. The insertion block has a third inclined surface. The slot sidewall away from the enclosure is a fourth inclined surface. The inclination direction and angle between the third and fourth inclined surfaces are consistent. Specifically, the locking block is used to pass over the limit block and reach the side of the limit block opposite to the second inclined surface when the driven gear and the rope receiving disc rotate forward together during the inward retraction process, so that the drive component enters the locked state; the insert block is used to lift the disc body under the guidance of the third and fourth inclined surfaces when the driven gear and the rope receiving disc rotate in the opposite direction during the outward swing process, so that the locking block passes over the limit block and reaches the side of the limit block with the second inclined surface, so as to put the drive component in the unlocked state.

[0009] In one or more of these implementations, a first slot is provided on the rope receiving reel, a second slot is provided on the rotating seat, and the two ends of the rope have a first clamp and a second clamp respectively, which are respectively engaged in the first slot and the second slot.

[0010] In some implementations, the fastener includes a fixing post with one end attached to the bearing plate, and one end of the elastic member is sleeved on the fixing post; or, the fastener includes a fixing post with one end attached to the bearing plate, and the end of the fixing post away from the bearing plate has a hook-fitting part extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fixing post, and one end of the elastic member is sleeved on the hook-fitting part; or, the fastener includes a fixing post with one end attached to the bearing plate, and the end of the fixing post away from the bearing plate has a hanging ring, and one end of the elastic member is sleeved on the hanging ring.

[0011] The second aspect of this application provides a robotic vacuum cleaner, which includes a housing and a swinging device provided in the first aspect of this application, the swinging device being disposed inside the housing.

[0012] The swinging device provided in the first aspect of this application comprises a drive assembly, a support plate, a rotating seat, a swing arm, an elastic element, a rope, and a fixing element. The drive assembly and the fixing element are both disposed on the support plate and are located at opposite ends of the support plate. The rotating seat is rotatably disposed on the support plate and is located between the drive assembly and the fixing element. One end of the elastic element is disposed on the rotating seat and the other end is disposed on the fixing element. One end of the rope is disposed on the rotating seat and the other end is disposed on the drive assembly. The rotating seat passes through the support plate and is connected to one end of the swing arm. The other end of the swing arm is used to install a cleaning element. The swing arm has a retracted position after swinging inward to the desired position, an extended position after swinging outward to the desired position, an inward retraction process from the extended position to the retracted position, and an outward swing process from the retracted position to the extended position. In practical applications, the drive assembly can pull the rope during the retraction process, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the drive assembly, and the swing arm, along with the cleaning element, to swing inward and the elastic element to be stretched. The drive assembly can also release the rope during the outward swing process, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the fixed part under the elastic force of the elastic element, and the swing arm, along with the cleaning element, to swing outward and the elastic element to return to its natural state when it is not stretched. During the movement of the robot vacuum cleaner, when the swing arm is in the extended position and the cleaning element encounters an obstacle, the swing arm can swing inward along with the cleaning element under the resistance of the obstacle, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the drive assembly and the elastic element to be stretched. When the obstacle disappears, the rotating seat will rotate towards the fixed part under the elastic force of the elastic element, causing the swing arm, along with the cleaning element, to swing outward and return to the extended position. Therefore, compared with the transmission device in the traditional solution, the present application uses a rope as the transmission structure between the drive component and the rotating seat, which can achieve a smaller space occupation. Moreover, during the movement of the sweeping robot, when the swing arm is in the extended position, the swing arm can not only drive the cleaning element to automatically retract when it encounters an obstacle, but also drive the cleaning element to automatically swing out and return to the extended position after the obstacle disappears. This can effectively prevent the cleaning element from being damaged by obstacles and improve the service life of the sweeping robot.

[0013] The robotic vacuum cleaner provided in the second aspect of this application has all the advantages of the swinging device provided in the first aspect of this application because it includes the swinging device. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the related technologies or the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the related technologies or the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sweeping robot provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the swing device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0017] Figure 3 An exploded view of the swing device provided in the embodiment of this application from a first perspective;

[0018] Figure 4 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0019] Figure 5 An exploded view of the swing device provided in the embodiment of this application from a second perspective;

[0020] Figure 6 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 5 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle;

[0021] Figure 7 An exploded view of the swing device provided in the embodiment of this application from a third-person perspective;

[0022] Figure 8 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 7 A magnified view of a section at point C.

[0023] The markings in the above figures represent:

[0024] 100-Swing device, 200-Housing, 300-Cleaning element, 110-Bearing plate, 120-Rotating seat, 130-Swing arm, 140-Elastic element, 150-Rope, 160-Fixing element, 170-Drive assembly, 180-Rope guide, 121-Second slot, 151-First locking head, 152-Second locking head, 161-Fixing post, 162-Hanging part, 171-Motor, 172-Driving gear, 173-Driven gear, 174-Rope receiving disc, 175-Rotating shaft, 176-Compression spring, 177 -Limiting block, 1731-Driven wheel, 1732-Arc-shaped part, 1733-Gear tooth, 1734-Insertion block, 1735-Third inclined surface, 1741-Disc body, 1742-Blocking part, 1743-Enclosing part, 1744-Slot, 1745-Fourth inclined surface, 1746-Clamping block, 1747-First inclined surface, 1748-First locking groove, 1749-Annular groove, 1771-Second inclined surface, 181-Guide rope body, 1811-Guide rope groove, 1812-First rope winding post, 1813-Second rope winding post. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In related technologies, to avoid blind spots when a robotic vacuum cleaner is cleaning along edges, a transmission device can be added to allow the cleaning element to swing outward and retract inward. However, this transmission device occupies a large amount of space, and when the robotic vacuum cleaner encounters obstacles during its movement, the transmission device cannot automatically retract the cleaning element, easily damaging it and reducing the service life of the robotic vacuum cleaner. Therefore, this application proposes a swinging device and a robotic vacuum cleaner using this swinging device in the embodiments below to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks in related technologies.

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with its embodiments and corresponding drawings. Throughout, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application described below are only for explaining this application and are not intended to limit this application. That is, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0027] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a robotic vacuum cleaner. Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the swing device. This embodiment provides a swing device 100, which is used in a robotic vacuum cleaner. The robotic vacuum cleaner includes a housing 200 and various systems disposed within the housing 200, such as a control system, a power system, a cleaning system, and a sensor system. The swing device 100 in this embodiment belongs to the cleaning system inside the housing 200. Since the technology of robotic vacuum cleaners in this field is relatively mature, this embodiment and other embodiments below will only describe the swing device 100 in detail. Specifically, the swing device 100 includes a support plate 110, a rotating seat 120, a swing arm 130, an elastic element 140, a rope 150, a fixing element 160, and a drive assembly 170. The drive assembly 170 and the fixing element 160 are both disposed on the support plate 110 and are located at opposite ends of the support plate 110. The rotating seat 120 is disposed on the support plate 110 and is located between the drive assembly 170 and the fixing element 160. The rotating seat 120 is rotatably engaged with the support plate 110. One end of the elastic element 140 is disposed on the rotating seat 120 and is close to the edge of the rotating seat 120, and the other end is disposed on the fixing element 160. One end of the rope 150 is disposed on the periphery of the rotating seat 120, and the other end is disposed on the drive assembly 170. The rotating seat 120 passes through the support plate 110 and is connected to one end of the swing arm 130. The other end of the swing arm 130 is used to install a cleaning element 300 (such as a brush, a rag, etc.).

[0028] In this embodiment, the elastic element 140 is a spring, preferably a tension spring. Further, the swing arm 130 has a retracted position after swinging inward to its designated position, an extended position after swinging outward to its designated position, an inward retraction process from the extended position to the retracted position, and an outward swing process from the retracted position to the extended position. Furthermore, it should be noted that in this embodiment, "inward swing" refers to swinging towards the drive assembly 170, and "outward swing" refers to swinging towards the fixing member 160; the two swing directions are opposite.

[0029] In this embodiment, the drive assembly 170 is used to: pull the rope 150 during the retraction process, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the drive assembly 170, and causing the swing arm 130 to swing inward and the elastic element 140 to be stretched; and release the rope 150 during the outward swing process, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the fixed member 160 under the elastic force of the elastic element 140, and causing the swing arm 130 to swing outward and the elastic element 140 to return to its natural state when it is not stretched. Furthermore, during the movement of the sweeping robot, the swing arm 130 is used to: when it is in the extended position and the cleaning element 300 encounters an obstacle, swing inward under the resistance of the obstacle, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the drive assembly 170 and the elastic element 140 to be stretched; and when the obstacle disappears, swing outward under the elastic force of the elastic element 140 and return to the extended position.

[0030] In other words, in practical applications, when the swing arm 130 retracts from its extended position to its retracted position, the drive assembly 170 pulls the rope 150. Since the rope 150 is connected to the periphery of the rotating seat 120, the rotating seat 120 rotates towards the drive assembly 170 during the pulling of the rope 150. Simultaneously, because the elastic element 140 is connected between the fixed element 160 and the edge of the rotating seat 120, it is stretched during the rotation of the rotating seat 120 towards the drive assembly 170. Furthermore, since the rotating seat 120 is connected to one end of the swing arm 130 and the other end of the swing arm 130 is equipped with a cleaning element 300, the rotating seat 120 rotates towards the drive assembly... During the rotation in the 170-degree direction, the swing arm 130, along with the cleaning element 300, swings inward until the swing arm 130 reaches the retracted position. When the swing arm 130 swings outward, that is, when the swing arm 130 moves from the retracted position to the extended position, the drive component 170 releases the rope 150. The elastic element 140 returns to its natural state when it is not stretched due to the release of the rope 150. The rotating seat 120 rotates towards the fixed element 160 due to the return of the elastic element 140. The swing arm 130, along with the cleaning element 300, swings outward due to the rotation of the rotating seat 120 towards the fixed element 160 until the swing arm 130 reaches the extended position, so that the cleaning element 300 can be used to achieve edge cleaning of the robot vacuum cleaner. Furthermore, during the robot vacuum's movement, when it is performing edge cleaning (i.e., when the swing arm 130 is in the extended position), if the cleaning element 300 encounters an obstacle, the cleaning element 300 will swing inward along with the swing arm 130 due to the resistance of the obstacle. The rotating seat 120 will rotate towards the drive component 170 due to the inward swing of the swing arm 130, and the elastic element 140 will be stretched due to the rotation of the rotating seat 120 towards the drive component 170. When the obstacle blocking the cleaning element 300 disappears, the resistance of the obstacle to the cleaning element 300 also disappears. The elastic element 140 will return to its natural state when it is not stretched due to the absence of the obstacle's resistance. The rotating seat 120 will rotate towards the fixed component 160 due to the return of the elastic element 140, and the swing arm 130 will swing outward along with the cleaning element 300 due to the rotation of the rotating seat 120 towards the fixed component 160, until the swing arm 130 returns to the extended position so that the robot vacuum can continue edge cleaning.

[0031] As can be seen from the above, compared with the transmission device in the traditional solution, this embodiment uses the rope 150 as the transmission structure between the drive component 170 and the rotating seat 120, which can achieve a smaller space occupation. Moreover, during the movement of the sweeping robot, when the sweeping robot is cleaning along the edge, the swing arm 130 can not only drive the cleaning element 300 to automatically retract when it encounters an obstacle, but also drive the cleaning element 300 to automatically swing out and return to the extended position after the obstacle disappears. This can effectively prevent the cleaning element 300 from being damaged by obstacles and improve the service life of the sweeping robot.

[0032] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the swinging device from a first-person perspective. The drive assembly 170 includes a motor 171, a drive gear 172, a driven gear 173, a rope receiving disc 174, and a rotating shaft 175. One end of the rotating shaft 175 is mounted on the support plate 110. The driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 are sequentially mounted on the rotating shaft 175. The rope receiving disc 174 is mounted on the driven gear 173 to be linked with the driven gear 173. Both the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft 175. One end of the rope 150 is located on the periphery of the rope receiving disc 174. The motor 171 is mounted on the support plate 110. The drive gear 172 is mounted on the output shaft of the motor 171, and the drive gear 172 meshes with the driven gear 173. Specifically, motor 171 is used to: during the inward retraction process, drive driven gear 173 and rope receiving disc 174 to rotate forward together via drive gear 172, so as to pull rope 150 and cause swing arm 130 to swing inward; during the outward swing, drive driven gear 173 and rope receiving disc 174 to rotate in the opposite direction via drive gear 172, so as to release rope 150 and cause swing arm 130 to swing outward. It should be noted that forward rotation refers to rotation in the direction in which rope 150 is pulled, and reverse rotation refers to rotation in the direction in which rope 150 is released, and the direction in which rope 150 is pulled is opposite to the direction in which rope 150 is released.

[0033] In other words, in practical applications, when the swing arm 130 retracts from its extended position to its retracted position, the motor 171 drives the drive gear 172 to rotate via its output shaft. Since the drive gear 172 meshes with the driven gear 173 and the driven gear 173 is linked to the rope receiving disc 174, the driven gear 173 will rotate forward along with the rope receiving disc 174 during the rotation of the drive gear 172. Simultaneously, because the rope 150 connects the periphery of the rope receiving disc 174 to the periphery of the rotating base 120, the rope 150 will pull the rotating base 120 towards the drive assembly 170 during the forward rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174. The elastic element 140 will be stretched due to the rotation of the rotating base 120 towards the drive assembly 170, and the swing arm 130 will be stretched due to the rotation of the rotating base 120 towards the drive assembly 170. The cleaning element 300 swings inward together until the swing arm 130 reaches the retracted position. When the swing arm 130 swings outward, that is, when the swing arm 130 moves from the retracted position to the extended position, the motor 171 drives the drive gear 172 to rotate through the output shaft. The driven gear 173 will rotate in the opposite direction along with the rope receiving disc 174 due to the rotation of the drive gear 172. As a result, the rope 150 will lose the pulling force on itself when the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 rotate forward together. The elastic element 140 will return to its natural state when it is not stretched. The rotating seat 120 will rotate towards the fixed part 160 due to the return of the elastic element 140. The swing arm 130 will swing outward together with the cleaning element 300 due to the rotation of the rotating seat 120 towards the fixed part 160 until the swing arm 130 reaches the extended position, so that the cleaning element 300 can be used to achieve edge cleaning of the robot vacuum cleaner.

[0034] As one or more embodiments, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle. Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the swinging device from a second perspective. Figure 6 yes Figure 5A partial enlarged view at point B. In addition to the structure described above, the drive assembly 170 also includes a compression spring 176; the driven gear 173 includes a driven wheel 1731; the rope receiving disc 174 includes a disc body 1741; the driven wheel 1731 and the disc body 1741 are sequentially sleeved on the rotating shaft 175; both the driven wheel 1731 and the disc body 1741 are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft 175; the compression spring 176 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 175; one end of the compression spring 176 abuts against the disc body 1741, and the other end abuts against the inner wall of the housing 200; the compression spring 176 is always compressed, causing the disc body 1741 to abut against the driven wheel 1731 under the elastic force of the compression spring 176. Understandably, this application first sequentially mounts the driven wheel 1731 and the disc body 1741 onto the rotating shaft 175, so that the disc body 1741 is positioned above the driven wheel 1731 and the two are in contact with each other. Then, the compression spring 176 is mounted on the rotating shaft 175 with one end abutting against the disc body 1741. The spring force of the compression spring 176 when it is compressed firmly presses the disc body 1741 against the driven wheel 1731. This can effectively ensure the stability of the linkage between the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 and avoid large relative displacement between the two. Preferably, the disc body 1741 has an annular groove 1749 surrounding the rotating shaft 175 on the side away from the driven wheel 1731. After the compression spring 176 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 175, the end of the compression spring 176 that abuts against the disc body 1741 is located in the annular groove 1749. That is, the end of the compression spring 176 is limited by the annular groove 1749, so as to ensure the stability of pressing the disc body 1741 onto the driven wheel 1731 by the compression spring 176.

[0035] In one or more embodiments, a blocking portion 1742 extending outward (i.e., extending away from the disk body 1741) is formed on the periphery of the disk body 1741. A surrounding portion 1743 extending around the axis of the disk body 1741 is formed at one end of the blocking portion 1742 away from the disk body 1741. A slot 1744 is provided on the side of the disk body 1741 near the driven wheel 1731. One end of the rope 150 is provided at the end of the blocking portion 1742 away from the disk body 1741. An arc-shaped portion 1732 extending outward (i.e., extending away from the driven wheel 1731) is formed on the periphery of the driven wheel 1731. A plurality of gear teeth 1733 for meshing with the driving gear 172 are provided on the side of the arc-shaped portion 1732 away from the driven wheel 1731. An insert block 1734 is provided on the side of the driven wheel 1731 near the disk body 1741. Specifically, when the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 are assembled onto the rotating shaft 175 using the compression spring 176, one end of the arc-shaped portion 1732 is inserted into the gap between the disc body 1741 and the enclosure portion 1743 and abuts against the blocking portion 1742, and the insert block 1734 is inserted into the slot 1744.

[0036] Understandably, during the retraction process, when the motor 171 drives the driving gear 172 to rotate via the output shaft, the driven gear 173 will rotate forward along with the rope receiving disc 174 due to its meshing with the driving gear 172. This is not only because the compression spring 176 firmly presses the disc body 1741 against the driven wheel 1731, but also because one end of the arc-shaped portion 1732 inserts into the gap between the disc body 1741 and the enclosing portion 1743 and abuts against the blocking portion 1742. That is, the abutment between one end of the arc-shaped portion 1732 and the blocking portion 1742 causes the driven gear to rotate forward. Wheel 173 can drive rope receiving reel 174 to rotate in the forward direction. During the outward swing, when motor 171 drives drive gear 172 to rotate through output shaft, driven gear 173 will rotate in the reverse direction along with rope receiving reel 174 due to its meshing with drive gear 172. This is not only because compression spring 176 firmly presses reel body 1741 against driven wheel 1731, but also because insert block 1734 is inserted into slot 1744. That is, the insertion between insert block 1734 and slot 1744 enables driven gear 173 to drive rope receiving reel 174 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, the drive assembly 170 has two states: a locked state and an unlocked state. The locked state restricts the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 from rotating in the opposite direction, while the unlocked state releases the restriction on the reverse rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174. Based on this, please refer to... Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 This is an exploded view of the swing mechanism from a third-person perspective. Figure 8 It shows Figure 7A partial enlarged view at point C; a locking block 1746 is provided on the side of the disk body 1741 near the driven wheel 1731. The locking block 1746 has a first inclined surface 1747. A limiting block 177 is provided on the support plate 110 near the driven wheel 1731. The limiting block 177 has a second inclined surface 1771. The inclination direction and angle between the first inclined surface 1747 and the second inclined surface 1771 are the same. The insertion block 1734 has a third inclined surface 1735. The slot sidewall of the slot 1744 away from the enclosure 1743 is a fourth inclined surface 1745. The inclination direction and angle between the third inclined surface 1735 and the fourth inclined surface 1745 are the same. Specifically, the locking block 1746 is used to pass over the limiting block 177 and reach the side of the limiting block 177 opposite to the second inclined surface 1771 when the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 rotate forward together during the inward retraction of the swing arm 130, so that the drive assembly 170 enters the locked state; the insert block 1734 is used to lift the disc body 1741 under the guidance of the third inclined surface 1735 and the fourth inclined surface 1745 when the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 rotate in the opposite direction during the outward swing of the swing arm 130, so that the locking block 1746 passes over the limiting block 177 and reaches the side of the limiting block 177 where the second inclined surface 1771 is provided, thereby changing the drive assembly 170 from the locked state to the unlocked state.

[0038] In other words, in practical applications, when the swing arm 130 retracts, the motor 171 drives the drive gear 172 to rotate via the output shaft. The driven gear 173, due to its meshing with the drive gear 172, rotates forward along with the rope receiving disc 174. During this forward rotation, the engaging block 1746 encounters the limiting block 177. After the engaging block 1746 encounters the limiting block 177, the forward rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 continues. Under the guidance of the first inclined plane 1747 and the second inclined plane 1771 (the first inclined plane 1747 and the second inclined plane 1771...), the forward rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 continues. (Relative sliding will occur between the two inclined planes 1771). The limiting block 177 will lift the rope receiving disc 174 through the engaging block 1746, and the compression spring 176 will be further compressed. Eventually, the engaging block 1746 will pass over the limiting block 177 and reach the side of the limiting block 177 opposite to the second inclined plane 1771. When the engaging block 1746 reaches the side of the limiting block 177 opposite to the second inclined plane 1771, the rope receiving disc 174 will fall back under the elastic force of the compression spring 176. In this case, if the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174 rotate in the opposite direction, they will inevitably be blocked by the limiting block 177. This achieves the blocking of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving disc 174. The restriction that the rope receiving reel 174 rotates in the opposite direction means that the drive assembly 170 is locked. When the swing arm 130 swings outward, the motor 171 drives the drive gear 172 to rotate through the output shaft. The driven gear 173, due to its meshing with the drive gear 172, causes the rope receiving reel 174 to rotate in the opposite direction. During the reverse rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving reel 174, the side of the insert block 1734 with the third inclined surface 1735 will abut against the slot side wall of the slot 1744 away from the enclosure 1743. As the reverse rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving reel 174 continues, the insert block 1734 will abut against the third inclined surface 1735. Guided by the third inclined surface 1735 and the fourth inclined surface 1745 (relative sliding will occur between the third inclined surface 1735 and the fourth inclined surface 1745), the rope receiving plate 174 is lifted up. Finally, the locking block 1746 will pass over the limiting block 177 and reach the side of the limiting block 177 where the second inclined surface 1771 is located. In this case, the reverse rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving plate 174 is no longer blocked by the limiting block 177, that is, the restriction on the reverse rotation of the driven gear 173 and the rope receiving plate 174 is released. The drive component 170 also enters the unlocked state from the locked state. Only then can the swing arm 130 swing outward, and the robot vacuum cleaner can perform edge cleaning.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, please refer to Figure 3The rope receiving reel 174 has a first slot 1748, and the rotating seat 120 has a second slot 121. The two ends of the rope 150 have a first locking head 151 and a second locking head 152, which are respectively locked into the first slot 1748 and the second slot 121. In other words, in practical applications, the second locking head 152 of the rope 150 is first locked into the second slot 121 of the rotating seat 120. Then, the rope guide 180 guides the end of the rope 150 with the first locking head 151 to the rope receiving reel 174. Finally, the first locking head 151 of the rope 150 is locked into the first slot 1748 of the rope receiving reel 174. Thus, the transmission between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120 is achieved through the rope 150.

[0040] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 In addition to the structure described above, the swing device 100 also includes a guide rope 180. The guide rope 180 is disposed on the support plate 110 and located between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120. The guide rope 180 is used to guide the rope 150 between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120. It can be understood that by providing a guide rope 180 between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120, and using the guide rope 180 to guide the rope 150 connected between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120, the rotating seat 120 can rotate in the direction of the drive assembly 170 when the drive assembly 170 pulls the rope 150. On the other hand, it can improve the stability when the rotating seat 120 rotates in the direction of the drive assembly 170 by pulling the rope 150.

[0041] As one or more embodiments, the rope guide 180 includes a rope guide body 181, which is disposed on the support plate 110 and located between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120. The rope guide body 181 has a rope guide groove 1811 extending from one end to the other. The rope guide body 181 is used to guide the rope 150 between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120 through the rope guide groove 1811. That is, the other end of the rope 150, which is located on the rotating seat 120, will first pass through the rope guide groove 1811 on the rope guide body 181 and then be located on the drive assembly 170, i.e., the rope 150 is guided through the rope guide groove 1811. In one or more embodiments, the lead rope body 181 further has a first winding post 1812 and a second winding post 1813. The first winding post 1812 and the second winding post 1813 are located at opposite ends of the lead rope body 181. The first winding post 1812 is close to the rotating seat 120, and the second winding post 1813 is close to the drive assembly 170. Based on this, the other end of the rope 150, which is located on the rotating seat 120, can first wrap around the first winding post 1812 with a first preset wrap angle and enter the lead rope groove 1811, and then wrap around the second winding post 1813 with a second preset wrap angle and leave the lead rope groove 1811. The rope 150 that leaves the lead rope groove 1811 will be located on the drive assembly 170. In this way, the transmission between the drive assembly 170 and the rotating seat 120 is realized through the rope 150. It is understood that this application configures the lead rope body 181 with a first rope winding post 1812 and a second rope winding post 1813. This serves two purposes: firstly, to convert the rotation of the rope receiving disc 174 into pulling on the rope 150; and secondly, to further improve the stability when the rotating seat 120 rotates towards the drive assembly 170 by pulling the rope 150. Furthermore, it should be noted that the first preset wrap angle and the second preset wrap angle can be the same or different, and their values ​​are determined based on actual needs; therefore, this application does not impose a unique limitation on this.

[0042] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3The fixing member 160 includes a fixing post 161. One end of the fixing post 161 is disposed on the bearing plate 110. The end of the elastic member 140 that is not disposed on the rotating seat 120 is sleeved on the fixing post 161. In this way, one end of the elastic member 140 is fixed, which satisfies the stretching and recovery requirements of the elastic member 140. Of course, the structure of the fastener 160 is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the fastener 160 can also adopt other structures, as long as it can achieve the fixation of one end of the elastic member 140. For example, the fastener 160 includes a fixing post 161 with one end provided on the support plate 110, and the end of the fixing post 161 away from the support plate 110 has a hook portion 162 extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fixing post 161. The end of the elastic member 140 not provided on the rotating seat 120 is sleeved on the hook portion 162. Alternatively, the fastener 160 includes a fixing post 161 with one end provided on the support plate 110, and the end of the fixing post 161 away from the support plate 110 has a hanging ring (not shown). The end of the elastic member 140 not provided on the rotating seat 120 is sleeved on the hanging ring. In addition, it should be noted that a fixing structure similar to that of the fastener 160 can also be provided on the rotating seat 120 to fix the elastic member 140. This application will not elaborate on this.

[0043] The above embodiments are merely preferred implementations of this application and are not the only limitations on the swing device 100 and the sweeping robot. Those skilled in the art can flexibly customize these embodiments based on actual application scenarios. It is understood that through the implementation of the above embodiments of this application, the swing device 100 is constructed using a support plate 110, a rotating seat 120, a swing arm 130, an elastic element 140, a rope 150, a fixing element 160, and a drive assembly 170. The drive assembly 170 and the fixing element 160 are both disposed on the support plate 110 and located at opposite ends of the support plate 110. The rotating seat 120 is rotatably disposed on the support plate 110 and located between the drive assembly 170 and the fixing element 160. One end of the elastic element 140 is... One end of the rope 150 is on the rotating base 120 and the other end is on the fixed member 160. One end of the rope 150 is on the rotating base 120 and the other end is on the drive assembly 170. The rotating base 120 passes through the support plate 110 and is connected to one end of the swing arm 130. The other end of the swing arm 130 is used to install the cleaning element 300. The swing arm 130 has a retracted position after swinging inward to the position, an extended position after swinging outward to the position, an inward retraction process from the extended position to the retracted position, and an outward swing process from the retracted position to the extended position. In practical applications, the drive assembly 170 can pull the rope 150 during the inward retraction process, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the drive assembly 170, and causing the swing arm 130, along with the cleaning element 300, to swing inward together, while the elastic element 140 is stretched; the drive assembly 170 can also release the rope 150 during the outward swing process, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the fixed member 160 under the elastic force of the elastic element 140, and causing the swing arm 130, along with the cleaning element 300, to swing outward together, while the elastic element 140 returns to its unstretched state. In the current state, when the robot vacuum cleaner is moving, if the swing arm 130 is in the extended position and the cleaning element 300 encounters an obstacle, the swing arm 130 can swing inward together with the cleaning element 300 under the resistance of the obstacle, causing the rotating seat 120 to rotate in the direction of the drive component 170 and the elastic element 140 to be stretched. When the obstacle disappears, the rotating seat 120 will rotate in the direction of the fixed member 160 under the elastic force of the elastic element 140, causing the swing arm 130 and the cleaning element 300 to swing outward together and return to the extended position. Therefore, compared with the transmission device in the traditional solution, the present application uses the rope 150 as the transmission structure between the drive component 170 and the rotating seat 120, which can achieve a smaller space occupation. Moreover, during the movement of the sweeping robot, when the swing arm 130 is in the extended position, the swing arm 130 can not only drive the cleaning element 300 to automatically retract when it encounters an obstacle, but also drive the cleaning element 300 to automatically swing out and return to the extended position after the obstacle disappears. This can effectively prevent the cleaning element 300 from being damaged by obstacles and improve the service life of the sweeping robot.

[0044] It should be noted that the several embodiments shown above in this application are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. It should also be noted that in the textual description of this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply such an actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements may include not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus; and, without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0045] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can implement or use this application by practicing the several embodiments shown above. Various modifications to the embodiments shown above will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments not shown without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the several embodiments shown above, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A swinging device for use in a robotic vacuum cleaner, the robotic vacuum cleaner comprising a housing, the swinging device being disposed within the housing, characterized in that, The device includes a support plate, a rotating seat, a swing arm, an elastic element, a rope, a fixing element, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly and the fixing element are both mounted on the support plate and located at opposite ends of the support plate. The rotating seat is rotatably mounted on the support plate and located between the drive assembly and the fixing element. One end of the elastic element is mounted on the rotating seat, and the other end is mounted on the fixing element. One end of the rope is mounted on the rotating seat, and the other end is mounted on the drive assembly. The rotating seat passes through the support plate and is connected to one end of the swing arm. The other end of the swing arm is used to mount a cleaning element. The swing arm has a retracted position after swinging inward to the desired position, an extended position after swinging outward to the desired position, an inward retraction process from the extended position to the retracted position, and an outward swing process from the retracted position to the extended position. The drive assembly includes a motor, a drive gear, a driven gear, a rope receiving reel, and a rotating shaft. One end of the rotating shaft is mounted on the support plate. The driven gear and the rope receiving reel are sequentially sleeved on the rotating shaft. The rope receiving reel is mounted on the driven gear, and both the driven gear and the rope receiving reel are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft. One end of the rope is mounted on the rope receiving reel. The motor is mounted on the support plate. The drive gear is sleeved on the output shaft of the motor and meshes with the driven gear. The driven gear includes a driven wheel, and the rope receiving reel includes a reel body. The drive assembly also includes a compression spring, which is sleeved on the rotating shaft. One end of the compression spring abuts against the disk body and the other end abuts against the inner wall of the housing. The compression spring is always compressed, and the disk body abuts against the driven wheel under the elastic force of the compression spring. The motor is used to: drive the driven gear and the rope receiving disc to rotate in the forward direction together through the active gear during the inward retraction process to pull the rope, so that the rotating seat rotates in the direction of the driving assembly, and the swing arm swings inward and the elastic element is stretched; During the outward swing process, the driving gear drives the driven gear and the rope receiving disc to rotate in the opposite direction to release the rope, causing the rotating seat to rotate towards the fixed member, and causing the swing arm to swing outward and the elastic member to return to its natural state when it is not stretched. During the movement of the sweeping robot, the swing arm is used to: when it is in the extended position and the cleaning element encounters an obstacle, swing inward under the resistance of the obstacle, so that the rotating seat rotates in the direction of the driving component and the elastic element is stretched. When the obstacle disappears, it swings outward under the elastic force of the elastic element and returns to the extended position; An outwardly extending blocking portion is formed on the periphery of the disc body. One end of the rope is located at the end of the blocking portion away from the disc body. A slot is provided on the side of the disc body near the driven wheel. A plug is provided on the side of the driven wheel near the disc body for insertion into the slot. The drive assembly has a locked state and an unlocked state. The locked state restricts the driven gear and the rope receiving disc from rotating in the opposite direction together. The unlocked state indicates that the restriction on the driven gear and the rope receiving disc from rotating in the opposite direction together is released. The main body of the disc is provided with a locking block on the side near the driven wheel. The locking block has a first inclined surface. The bearing plate is provided with a limiting block near the driven wheel. The limiting block has a second inclined surface. The first inclined surface and the second inclined surface have the same inclination direction and angle. The insertion block has a third inclined surface. The slot sidewall away from the blocking part is a fourth inclined surface. The third inclined surface and the fourth inclined surface have the same inclination direction and angle. The locking block is used to pass over the limiting block and reach the side of the limiting block opposite to the second inclined surface when the driven gear and the rope receiving disc rotate forward together during the inward retraction process, so that the drive assembly enters the locked state; the insert block is used to lift the disc body under the guidance of the third inclined surface and the fourth inclined surface when the driven gear and the rope receiving disc rotate in the opposite direction during the outward swing process, so that the locking block passes over the limiting block and reaches the side of the limiting block with the second inclined surface, so as to place the drive assembly in the unlocked state.

2. The swinging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a guide rope, which is disposed on the support plate and located between the drive assembly and the rotating seat, and is used to guide the rope between the drive assembly and the rotating seat.

3. The swinging device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide rope component includes a guide rope body having a guide rope groove extending from one end to the other, the guide rope body being used to guide the rope between the drive assembly and the rotating seat through the guide rope groove.

4. The swinging device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The guide rope body also has a first winding post and a second winding post, the first winding post and the second winding post being located at both ends of the guide rope body, the first winding post being close to the rotating seat, and the second winding post being close to the drive assembly; wherein, the rope, with one end disposed on the rotating seat, first wraps around the first winding post with a first preset wrap angle and enters the guide rope groove, then wraps around the second winding post with a second preset wrap angle and leaves the guide rope groove to be disposed on the drive assembly.

5. The swinging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blocking part has an enclosing part extending around the axis of the disk body at one end away from the disk body. An outwardly extending arc-shaped part is formed on the periphery of the driven wheel. The arc-shaped part has a plurality of gear teeth for meshing with the driving gear on the side away from the driven wheel. One end of the arc-shaped part is inserted into the gap between the disk body and the enclosing part and abuts against the blocking part.

6. The swinging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rope receiving reel has a first slot, the rotating seat has a second slot, and the rope has a first clamp and a second clamp. The first clamp and the second clamp are located at the two ends of the rope, and the first clamp and the second clamp are respectively engaged in the first slot and the second slot.

7. The swinging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing member includes a fixing post with one end disposed on the bearing plate, and one end of the elastic member is sleeved on the fixing post; or, The fastener includes a fixing post with one end attached to the support plate, and a hook-fitting portion extending along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fixing post at the end of the fixing post away from the support plate; one end of the elastic member is sleeved on the hook-fitting portion; or, The fastener includes a fixing post with one end disposed on the bearing plate, a hanging ring at the end of the fixing post away from the bearing plate, and one end of the elastic member sleeved on the hanging ring.

8. A robotic vacuum cleaner, characterized in that, It includes a housing and a swinging device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the swinging device is disposed within the housing.

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