Cleaning machine, working method and storage medium

Abstract

This invention relates to a cleaning machine, comprising a housing, a booster wheel, a roughness detector mounted on the housing, a counterweight movably mounted on the housing, a first drive mechanism driven by the counterweight for controlling the distance between the counterweight and the booster wheel, and a control module electrically connected to the roughness detector and the first drive mechanism. This cleaning machine can adjust the center of gravity of the housing based on the ground roughness to achieve appropriate friction between the booster wheel and the ground. The invention also relates to a method of operating the cleaning machine, which involves detecting and obtaining the ground roughness Ra at the current location of the housing using the roughness detector; and controlling the first drive mechanism to drive the counterweight based on the ground roughness Ra, thereby adjusting the forward and backward movement of the housing's center of gravity. This method of operating the cleaning machine can adjust the friction between the booster wheel and the ground according to the ground roughness, thereby improving problems such as booster wheel slippage and severe wear. The invention also relates to a storage medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a cleaning machine, a method of operation, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] The use of various cleaning machines such as floor scrubbers and vacuum cleaners is becoming increasingly widespread. To reduce the labor intensity of users, these machines typically incorporate an assist system, which includes assist wheels and a drive mechanism. Chinese invention patent application CN115644751A (application number 202211339006.2), entitled "An Automatic Assist Control Method for a Floor Scrubber," discloses an assist control method for floor scrubbers that acquires the surface condition as the scrubber passes through and adjusts the assist torque based on different surface conditions. However, simply adjusting the assist torque does not substantially adjust the friction between the assist wheels and the surface. The walking principle of the floor scrubber's assist wheels relies on the friction between the wheel and the surface. In real-world scenarios, if the user's floor has low roughness, slippage may occur when the drive mechanism moves the assist wheels forward or backward, affecting the assist experience. This is due to insufficient static friction between the assist wheels and the surface. Conversely, if the user's floor has a high degree of roughness, the drive mechanism will cause excessive friction between the drive wheel and the floor when moving it forward or backward. This will result in severe wear on the drive wheel during rotation, affecting its lifespan. Current cleaning machine technology cannot effectively adjust the friction between the drive wheel and the floor based on the surface roughness, leading to slippage or severe wear on the drive wheel during operation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine that can adjust the center of gravity of the casing based on the ground roughness to make the friction between the power wheel and the ground appropriate, in contrast to the above-mentioned prior art.

[0004] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a working method for a cleaning machine that can adjust the friction between the assist wheel and the ground according to the roughness of the ground, thereby improving the problems of assist wheel slippage and severe wear.

[0005] The third technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a computer program storing a method for causing a computer to perform the aforementioned cleaning machine operation, in contrast to the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first technical problem mentioned above is: a cleaning machine, including a housing and auxiliary wheels disposed on both sides of the housing, characterized in that: it further includes...

[0007] A surface roughness detector, mounted on the housing, is used to detect surface roughness.

[0008] The counterweight is movably mounted on the machine casing;

[0009] The first drive mechanism is connected to the counterweight and is used to drive the distance between the counterweight and the assist wheel;

[0010] The control module is electrically connected to the roughness detector and the first drive mechanism, respectively.

[0011] Preferably, the assist wheels are located on both sides of the rear of the housing, and the counterweight is movable on the housing.

[0012] Preferably, the counterweight includes two and is symmetrically arranged on the housing.

[0013] In order to limit the movement path of the counterweight, a guide groove is provided on the housing along the movement direction of the counterweight, and the counterweight is movably constrained in the guide groove.

[0014] Simply put, the first drive mechanism includes a first motor and a lead screw connected to the motor drive end, the counterweight is screwed onto the lead screw, and the first motor is electrically connected to the control module.

[0015] In order to obtain more accurate roughness information, the housing is also provided with a second drive mechanism that is electrically connected to the control module. The second drive mechanism is driven by the roughness detector and drives the roughness detector to move up and down relative to the housing.

[0016] Simply put, the second drive mechanism includes a second motor that is electrically connected to the control module, and a screw connected to the drive end of the second motor;

[0017] A mounting base is screwed onto the screw, and the roughness detector is fixed on the mounting base.

[0018] To facilitate the installation of the second motor, a mounting plate is provided on the housing, and the second motor is fixed on the mounting plate.

[0019] In order to detect changes in ground roughness in a timely manner, the roughness detector is located at the front of the casing.

[0020] As an improvement, the housing is also equipped with a material detector for detecting changes in the ground material, and the material detector is electrically connected to the control module.

[0021] To facilitate prompting users to perform certain operations, a prompter connected to the control module via electrical signals is also included.

[0022] Preferably, the prompter is a voice player.

[0023] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the second technical problem mentioned above is: a working method of a cleaning machine, characterized in that: a cleaning machine as described above is used;

[0024] When the cleaning machine is moving and working, the surface roughness Ra of the current machine casing location is obtained based on the roughness detector;

[0025] Based on the ground roughness Ra, the first drive mechanism is controlled to drive the counterweight, thereby adjusting the forward and backward movement of the machine casing's center of gravity.

[0026] As an improvement, the obtained ground roughness Ra is compared with the set roughness threshold Ra0. If Ra > Ra0, the center of gravity of the casing is adjusted to move forward; if Ra ≤ Ra0, the center of gravity of the casing is adjusted to move backward.

[0027] As an improvement, when Ra > Ra0, the position of the counterweight relative to its movement range is determined. If the counterweight is in the front of its movement range, the current position of the counterweight is maintained; if the counterweight is in the back of its movement range, the drive mechanism is controlled to drive the counterweight forward to the front of its movement range.

[0028] As an improvement, when Ra≤Ra0, the position of the counterweight relative to its range of motion is determined. If the counterweight is located at the front of its range of motion, the drive mechanism is controlled to move the counterweight backward to the rear of its range of motion; if the counterweight is located at the rear of its range of motion, the current position of the counterweight is maintained.

[0029] Preferably, a cleaning machine as described above is used;

[0030] The second drive mechanism is controlled to drive the roughness detector to move up and down relative to the ground, and to acquire roughness data detected by the roughness detector at different height positions. The roughness data at each height position are averaged to obtain the ground roughness Ra at the current location of the casing.

[0031] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the third technical problem mentioned above is: a computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which are used to cause the computer to execute the aforementioned cleaning machine working method.

[0032] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The cleaning machine of this invention is equipped with a ground roughness detector, which allows for real-time acquisition of ground roughness during operation. Furthermore, a counterweight is included. Based on the ground roughness readings, the drive mechanism can be controlled to move the counterweight, changing its position on the machine casing and thus adjusting the casing's center of gravity. This change in the casing's center of gravity alters the friction between the assist wheel and the ground, resulting in a more suitable friction and effectively mitigating slippage on smooth surfaces and significant wear on rough surfaces.

[0033] The cleaning method also provides a method for achieving counterweight drive, which involves adjusting the position of the counterweight to change the friction between the power wheel and the ground. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the cleaning machine in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning machine in this embodiment includes a housing 1, a booster wheel 2, a roughness detector 3, a counterweight 4, a first drive mechanism 5, and a control module.

[0037] There are two power-assisted wheels 2 located on both sides of the housing 1. In order to achieve power-assisted drive, a power-assisted drive mechanism connected to the power-assisted wheels 2 is also provided inside the housing 1. The power-assisted drive mechanism drives the power-assisted wheels 2 to move back and forth.

[0038] A roughness detector 3 is mounted on the housing 1 and is used to detect surface roughness. The roughness detector 3 is electrically connected to the control module, enabling it to transmit detected signal data to the control module. The roughness detector 3 can employ various existing devices capable of surface roughness detection. For example, a spectral detector can be used, and roughness can be calculated based on the acquired spectral information and the principle of spectral confocality.

[0039] The counterweight 4 is movably mounted on the housing 1. In this embodiment, the counterweight 4 is made of a material with relatively high mass density, such as metal. Therefore, by changing the position of the counterweight 4 on the housing 1, the center of gravity of the housing 1 can be effectively changed. In this embodiment, the booster wheels 2 are located on both sides of the rear of the housing 1. The counterweight 4 is movably mounted on the housing 1. Thus, by adjusting the front and rear center of gravity of the housing 1, the pressure acting on the booster wheels 2 will also be different, causing the friction between the booster wheels 2 and the ground to change.

[0040] To avoid shifting the center of gravity of the casing 1 in the left-right direction, the counterweight 4 needs to be balanced left and right when installed on the casing 1. For example, a single counterweight 4 can be placed on the left-right centerline of the casing 1. In this embodiment, to ensure the weight of the counterweight 4 while maintaining left-right balance, two counterweights 4 are symmetrically placed on the casing 1. For ease of installation, the counterweight 4 in this embodiment is placed on the upper surface of the casing 1.

[0041] Meanwhile, in order to effectively limit the forward and backward movement direction of the counterweight 4 and prevent the counterweight 4 from tilting during its forward and backward movement and changing the target center of gravity position of the housing 1, a guide groove 11 is provided on the housing 1 along the movement direction of the counterweight 4, and the counterweight 4 is movably constrained within the guide groove 11. In this embodiment, the guide groove 11 extends in the forward and backward direction.

[0042] The first drive mechanism 5 is driven and connected to the counterweight 4. The first drive mechanism 5 is also electrically connected to the control module and operates based on the control commands from the control module. Depending on specific needs, a first drive mechanism 5 can be set for each counterweight 4, or a single drive mechanism can be set and driven to each counterweight 4 via a connecting frame. The first drive mechanism 5 is used to drive the distance between the counterweight 4 and the assist wheel 2, thereby adjusting the center of gravity of the housing 1 and adjusting the pressure of the housing 1 on the assist wheel 2.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first drive mechanism 5 includes a first motor 51 and a lead screw 52 connected to the motor drive end. The counterweight 4 is screwed onto the lead screw 52. The first motor 51 is electrically connected to the control module. During operation, the first motor 51 operates according to the command of the control module, driving the lead screw 52 to rotate, thereby moving the counterweight 4 back and forth.

[0044] To improve the accuracy of ground roughness detection, the housing 1 is also equipped with a second drive mechanism 6, which is electrically connected to the control module. The second drive mechanism 6 is driven by the roughness detector 3, causing the detector to move up and down relative to the housing 1. This second drive mechanism 6 includes a second motor electrically connected to the control module and a screw connected to the drive end of the second motor. A mounting base 7 is screwed onto the screw, and the roughness detector 3 is fixed to the mounting base 7. In use, the second motor drives the screw to rotate based on control commands from the control module. The rotation of the screw causes the mounting base 7 to move up and down, and the roughness detector 3 moves up and down with the mounting base 7. Therefore, the roughness detector 3 can detect ground roughness at different height positions. Based on the roughness data obtained at different height positions, more accurate roughness data can be calculated.

[0045] To facilitate the installation of the second motor, a mounting plate 12 is provided on the housing 1, and the second motor is fixed on the mounting plate 12.

[0046] In order to detect changes in ground roughness in a timely manner, the roughness detector 3 is installed at the front of the casing 1.

[0047] In addition, the housing 1 is equipped with a material detector 8 for detecting changes in the ground material. The material detector 8 is electrically connected to the control module. The material detector 8 can employ various detection devices capable of detecting ground materials, such as light sensors. Based on the timely detection of changes in the ground material by the material detector 8, the roughness detector 3 is assisted in obtaining more accurate ground roughness data. For example, when the material detector 8 detects a sudden change in the ground material, the control module can control the cleaning machine to stop working based on this information and use a prompt to alert the user to stop pushing the cleaning machine. This allows the roughness detector 3 to detect ground roughness information while the cleaning machine is stationary, resulting in more accurate roughness information. With the assistance of the material detector 8, the roughness detector 3 can perform ground roughness detection only upon startup and in cases of sudden changes in the ground material. Alternatively, the roughness detector 3 can detect ground roughness data in real time, and the roughness data of the roughness detector 3 can be corrected based on the detection data from the material detector 8.

[0048] To facilitate user input for certain operations, a prompter connected to the control module via electrical signals is also included. This prompter can be an indicator light or a voice player. In this embodiment, the prompter is a voice player, which provides corresponding voice prompts, making it easier for users to understand the prompt information.

[0049] The working method of the aforementioned cleaning machine is as follows.

[0050] When the cleaning machine is moving and working, the surface roughness Ra of the current location of the machine casing 1 is obtained based on the roughness detector 3. In this embodiment, the second drive mechanism 6 is controlled to drive the roughness detector 3 to move up and down relative to the ground, and to obtain the roughness data detected by the roughness detector 3 at different height positions. The roughness data at each height position are averaged to obtain the surface roughness Ra of the current location of the machine casing 1.

[0051] Based on the ground roughness Ra, the first drive mechanism 5 is controlled to drive the counterweight 4, thereby adjusting the forward and backward movement of the center of gravity of the casing 1. Specifically, the obtained ground roughness Ra is compared with the set roughness threshold Ra0. If Ra > Ra0, the center of gravity of the casing 1 is adjusted to move forward; if Ra ≤ Ra0, the center of gravity of the casing 1 is adjusted to move backward.

[0052] In this embodiment, when Ra > Ra0, the position of the counterweight 4 relative to its movement range is determined. If the counterweight 4 is located at the front of its movement range, its current position is maintained; if the counterweight 4 is located at the rear of its movement range, the drive mechanism is controlled to move the counterweight 4 forward to the front of its movement range. When Ra ≤ Ra0, the position of the counterweight 4 relative to its movement range is determined. If the counterweight 4 is located at the front of its movement range, the drive mechanism is controlled to move the counterweight 4 backward to the rear of its movement range; if the counterweight 4 is located at the rear of its movement range, its current position is maintained.

[0053] The present invention also relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the aforementioned cleaning machine operation method.

[0054] The cleaning machine of this invention is equipped with a ground roughness detector 3, which allows for real-time acquisition of ground roughness during operation. Furthermore, a counterweight 4 is included. Based on the ground roughness, the drive mechanism can be controlled to move the counterweight 4, changing its position on the machine casing 1, thereby adjusting the center of gravity of the casing 1. This change in the center of gravity of the casing 1 correspondingly alters the friction between the assist wheel 2 and the ground, resulting in a more suitable friction and effectively mitigating the slippage problem of the assist wheel 2 on smooth surfaces and the significant wear and tear on rough surfaces.

[0055] The cleaning method also provides a method for driving the counterweight 4, which changes the friction between the assist wheel 2 and the ground by adjusting the position of the counterweight 4.

[0056] The specification and claims of this invention use terms indicating direction, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "side," "top," and "bottom," to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the invention. However, these terms are used herein merely for ease of explanation and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be arranged in different orientations, these terms indicating direction are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

Claims

1. A cleaning machine, comprising a housing (1) and auxiliary wheels (2) disposed on both sides of the housing (1), characterized in that: Also includes A roughness detector (3) is installed on the housing (1) and is used to detect the surface roughness; The counterweight (4) is movably mounted on the housing (1); The first drive mechanism (5) is driven to connect with the counterweight (4) and is used to drive the distance of the counterweight (4) relative to the booster wheel (2); The control module is electrically connected to the roughness detector (3) and the first drive mechanism (5), respectively. When the cleaning machine is moving, it controls the first drive mechanism (5) to drive the counterweight (4) according to the roughness of the ground, thereby adjusting the center of gravity of the machine casing (1) to move forward and backward.

2. The cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The assist wheel (2) is located on both sides of the rear of the housing (1), and the counterweight (4) is movable back and forth on the housing (1).

3. The cleaning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The counterweight (4) comprises two and is symmetrically arranged on the housing (1).

4. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The housing (1) is provided with a guide groove (11) along the moving direction of the counterweight (4), and the counterweight (4) is movably constrained in the guide groove (11).

5. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first drive mechanism (5) includes a first motor (51) and a lead screw (52) connected to the motor drive end. The counterweight (4) is screwed onto the lead screw (52). The first motor (51) is electrically connected to the control module.

6. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The housing (1) is also provided with a second drive mechanism (6) that is electrically connected to the control module. The second drive mechanism (6) is driven to drive the roughness detector (3) to move up and down relative to the housing (1).

7. The cleaning machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second drive mechanism (6) includes a second motor that is electrically connected to the control module, and a screw connected to the drive end of the second motor; A mounting base (7) is screwed onto the screw, and the roughness detector (3) is fixed on the mounting base (7).

8. The cleaning machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The housing (1) is provided with a mounting plate (12), and the second motor is fixed on the mounting plate (12).

9. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The roughness detector (3) is located at the front of the housing (1).

10. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The housing (1) is also provided with a material detector (8) for detecting changes in ground material, and the material detector (8) is electrically connected to the control module.

11. The cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a prompter that is electrically connected to the control module.

12. The cleaning machine according to claim 11, characterized in that: The prompter is a voice player.

13. A method for operating a cleaning machine, characterized in that: The cleaning machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 is used; When the cleaning machine moves and works, the surface roughness Ra of the current location of the machine casing (1) is detected and obtained based on the roughness detector (3); Based on the ground roughness Ra, the first drive mechanism (5) is controlled to drive the counterweight (4), thereby adjusting the center of gravity of the casing (1) to move forward and backward.

14. The working method of the cleaning machine according to claim 13, characterized in that: The obtained ground roughness Ra is compared with the set roughness threshold Ra0. If Ra > Ra0, the center of gravity of the housing (1) is adjusted to move forward; if Ra ≤ Ra0, the center of gravity of the housing (1) is adjusted to move backward.

15. The working method of the cleaning machine according to claim 14, characterized in that: When Ra>Ra0, determine the position of the counterweight (4) relative to its movement range. If the counterweight (4) is in the front of its movement range, maintain the current position of the counterweight (4). If the counterweight (4) is in the back of its movement range, control the drive mechanism to drive the counterweight (4) forward to the front of its movement range.

16. The working method of the cleaning machine according to claim 14, characterized in that: When Ra≤Ra0, determine the position of the counterweight (4) relative to its movement range. If the counterweight (4) is located in the front of its movement range, control the drive mechanism to drive the counterweight (4) to move backward to the rear of its movement range. If the counterweight (4) is located in the rear of its movement range, maintain the current position of the counterweight (4).

17. The working method of the cleaning machine according to claim 13, characterized in that: The cleaning machine as described in claim 6 is used; The second drive mechanism (6) is controlled to drive the roughness detector (3) to move up and down relative to the ground, and to obtain the roughness data detected by the roughness detector (3) at different height positions. The roughness data at each height position are averaged to obtain the ground roughness Ra at the current position of the casing (1).

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the operating method of the cleaning machine according to any one of claims 13-17.

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