Cleaning device, swing-out mechanism and corner cleaning control method

Abstract

The invention discloses cleaning equipment, a swing-out mechanism and a corner cleaning control method.The cleaning equipment at least comprises a machine body, a telescopic assembly and a cleaning assembly, and the cleaning assembly is connected with the machine body through the telescopic assembly; the telescopic assembly is used for driving the cleaning assembly to move in a telescopic mode in the first direction, and the first direction intersects with the moving direction of the machine body. In the process that the telescopic assembly drives the cleaning assembly to stretch out in the first direction, the orthographic projection area of the cleaning assembly on the machine body is gradually reduced. According to the technical scheme provided by the invention, the problem that the machine body cannot enter a corner area so that the corner area cannot be cleaned can be solved, and the cleanable range of the cleaning equipment is expanded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of cleaning technology, and in particular to a cleaning device, a swing-out mechanism and a corner cleaning control method. Background Art

[0002] As people's living standards improve, more and more families are beginning to use various cleaning equipment, such as sweeping robots, window cleaning robots and other equipment to reduce labor intensity and improve the quality of life.

[0003] Taking a sweeping robot as an example, a rag plate is connected to the bottom of the sweeping robot body. The rag plate is used to contact the ground, and then the rag plate is driven to move through the movement of the body, thereby realizing the cleaning operation of the ground by the rag plate.

[0004] However, the existing sweeping robots are generally large in size, resulting in many corners being unable to be effectively cleaned. This requires users to manually clean these corners separately, which increases the user's burden and greatly affects the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a cleaning device, a swing-out mechanism and a corner cleaning control method, which can be used to clean corners.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application provides a cleaning device on the one hand, which includes at least a body, a telescopic component and a cleaning component, wherein the cleaning component is connected to the body through the telescopic component; the telescopic component is used to drive the cleaning component to telescopically move in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with the moving direction of the body; in the process of the telescopic component driving the cleaning component to extend along the first direction, the area of ​​the cleaning component's positive projection on the body gradually decreases.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also provides a swing-out mechanism on the other hand, which is applied to a cleaning device, and the swing-out mechanism includes a base, a driving component and a driven component; the base is used to be rotatably connected to the body of the cleaning device; the driving component is arranged on the base, the driven component is used to be connected to the cleaning component of the cleaning device, and the driving component is used to drive the driven component to rotate, so that the cleaning component can be telescopically moved along the first direction by rotation.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application further provides a corner cleaning control method, which is applied to a cleaning device, wherein the bottom of the cleaning device body is connected to a cleaning component via a telescopic component, the telescopic component is rotatably connected to the body, and the telescopic component is connected to the body via an elastic member, and the method comprises:

[0009] Determine whether there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned;

[0010] If there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned, the telescopic component is controlled to drive the cleaning component to extend a specified distance outside the body.

[0011] It can be seen that the technical solution provided by the present application is that the cleaning component is connected to the machine body through a telescopic component, and the telescopic component can drive the cleaning component to telescopically move along a first direction, the first direction intersects with the moving direction of the machine body, and in the process of the telescopic component driving the cleaning component to extend along the first direction, the area of ​​the positive projection of the cleaning component on the machine body gradually decreases. In other words, the telescopic component can drive the cleaning component to gradually extend in the lateral direction of the machine body, so that when the cleaning device encounters a corner area, the telescopic component can control the cleaning component to extend in the lateral direction of the machine body and extend into the corner area. In this way, the machine body does not need to travel into the corner area, and the cleaning component can clean the corner area as the machine body moves, thereby solving the problem that the corresponding corner area cannot be cleaned because the machine body cannot enter, and expanding the cleanable range of the cleaning device. In addition, the user does not need to perform additional manual cleaning of the corner area, which reduces the user's usage burden and improves the user's usage experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the movement state of a cleaning component of a cleaning device in one embodiment provided by the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the motion state of a cleaning component of a cleaning device in another embodiment provided by the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a cleaning state of a corner area by a cleaning device in one embodiment provided by the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a telescopic assembly in an embodiment provided by the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a telescopic assembly in another embodiment provided by the present application;

[0018] Figure 6This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a telescopic assembly in an embodiment provided by the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 is another partial structural schematic diagram of a telescopic assembly in an embodiment provided by the present application;

[0020] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a telescopic assembly in an embodiment provided by the present application;

[0021] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A magnified schematic diagram of part A;

[0022] Fig.10 yes Figure 8 An enlarged schematic diagram of part B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Terms such as "upper", "above", "lower", "below", "first end", "second end", "one end", "the other end" used in the present application to represent spatial relative positions are used to describe the relationship between a unit or feature as shown in the accompanying drawings relative to another unit or feature for the purpose of convenience of explanation. Terms of spatial relative position may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or work other than the orientation shown in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, the unit described as being "below" or "below" other units or features will be located "above" other units or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both the above and below orientations. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatially related descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0024] In addition, the terms "installed", "set", "provided with", "connected", "slidingly connected", "fixed", and "sleeved" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, elements, or components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0025] As people's living standards improve, more and more families are beginning to use various cleaning equipment, such as sweeping robots, window cleaning robots, etc. to reduce labor intensity and improve the quality of life. Take the sweeping robot as an example. The bottom of the sweeping robot body is connected to a rag plate, which is used to contact the ground. The rag plate is then driven to move by the movement of the body, thereby realizing the rag plate cleaning operation on the ground.

[0026] However, the rag tray of existing sweeping robots is usually fixed relative to the body in the horizontal direction, and the sweeping robots are generally large in size, which makes it impossible for the sweeping robots to drive into some corners, and the rag tray cannot reach into the corners and effectively clean the corners. This requires users to manually clean these corners separately, which increases the user's burden and greatly affects the user experience.

[0027] In addition, there may be obstacles in the corner area. Even when the rag plate is deep enough into the corner area, the obstacles will block the direction of movement of the rag plate, causing the sweeping robot to stagnate or freeze, resulting in the sweeping robot being unable to operate normally, which also affects the user experience.

[0028] Therefore, how to improve the structure of the cleaning equipment so as to clean the corners and improve the user experience has become an urgent issue to be solved in this field.

[0029] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described in this application are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Please also see Figure 1 to Figure 2 In an achievable implementation, the present application provides a cleaning device, which may be a self-moving device that can move autonomously and clean a target surface during movement, such as a sweeping robot and an automatic floor scrubber. Of course, the cleaning device may also be a handheld device that is operated by a user to push the cleaning device to move and clean the target surface during movement, which is not limited here. The target surface may be the ground or the surface of an object to be cleaned.

[0031] In this embodiment, the cleaning device may include at least a body 100, a telescopic assembly 200 and a cleaning assembly 300. The body 100 serves as the basic carrier of the cleaning device, and supports and protects other components on the cleaning device. The cleaning assembly 300 is connected to the body 100 via the telescopic assembly 200, so that the telescopic assembly 200 can drive the cleaning assembly 300 to extend or retract relative to the body 100. Specifically, the telescopic assembly 200 is used to drive the cleaning assembly 300 to telescopically move in a first direction, and in the process of the telescopic assembly 200 driving the cleaning assembly 300 to extend in the first direction (see Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the process of the cleaning component 300 moving from the dotted line state to the solid line state, the orthographic projection area of ​​the cleaning component 300 on the machine body 100 gradually decreases, and correspondingly, the area of ​​the target surface located outside the machine body 100 and covered by the cleaning component 300 gradually increases. In this way, the cleaning device can expand the area of ​​the target surface located outside the machine body 100 and covered by the cleaning component 300 by driving the cleaning component 300 to extend outside the machine body 100 through the telescopic component 200, so as to expand the cleaning range of the cleaning device.

[0032] It should be noted that the first direction refers to the direction formed by the line connecting the position of the cleaning component 300 after retraction and the position of the cleaning component 300 after extension. The telescopic component 200 is a device for realizing the extension and retraction of the cleaning component 300, and it can realize the telescopic movement of the cleaning component 300 along the first direction by rotation or linear motion. The cleaning component 300 is used to contact with the target surface to clean the target surface. The cleaning component 300 can be a rag disc, a brush disc or a roller brush, etc., and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0033] At the same time, considering that the working mode of the cleaning component 300 is to move with the body 100 to achieve cleaning of the target surface, if the first direction is the same as the moving direction of the body 100, that is, the extension direction of the cleaning component 300 is the same as the moving direction of the body 100, then even if the cleaning component 300 extends to the outside of the body 100, as the body 100 moves, the cleaning range of the cleaning component 300 does not change, and thus the cleaning range of the cleaning device cannot be expanded.

[0034] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first direction should intersect with the moving direction of the machine body 100 to limit the extension direction of the cleaning assembly 300 from being parallel to the moving direction of the machine body 100, that is, the cleaning assembly 300 should be extended or retracted along the side direction of the machine body 100. In this way, the cleaning assembly 300 is equivalent to expanding the cleanable range along the lateral direction of the machine body 100, thereby expanding the cleanable range of the cleaning device. Figure 1Taking the viewing angle as an example, the lateral direction of the body 100 refers to a direction that is not parallel to the moving direction of the body 100 , and the transverse direction of the body 100 refers to a direction that is perpendicular to the moving direction of the body 100 .

[0035] It is worth mentioning that, it is precisely because the cleaning device can adjust the cleaning component 300 to extend along the side direction of the body 100 through the telescopic component 200, and it can be understood that the part of the cleaning component 300 located outside the body 100 is equivalent to extending outward from the outer surface of the body 100, which makes the area that the cleaning component 300 located outside the body 100 can clean is not limited by the shape of the body 100. In this way, when the cleaning device encounters the corner area 400, the telescopic component 200 can control the cleaning component 300 to extend in the side direction of the body 100 and extend into the corner area 400. In this way, the body 100 does not need to travel into the corner area 400, and the cleaning component 300 can clean the corner area 400 as the body 100 moves, thereby solving the problem that the corner area 400 cannot be cleaned because the body 100 cannot enter the corner area 400. In addition, the user does not need to manually clean the corner area 400, which reduces the user's use burden and improves the user's use experience. The corner area 400 refers to an area that a cleaning device cannot enter for cleaning, such as a corner area, a wall corner area, a cabinet side area, etc.

[0036] In order to facilitate understanding, how the cleaning device specifically cleans the corner area 400, this application takes the cleaning device cleaning the corner area 400 formed between the cabinet side and the ground as an example for detailed description. Figure 3 As described above, due to the limited height of the corner area 400, the machine body 100 cannot move into the corner area 400 to drive the cleaning assembly 300 to clean the corner area 400. To this end, the cleaning device can stay outside the corner area 400, and then drive the cleaning assembly 300 to extend to the side direction of the machine body 100 and extend into the corner area 400 through the telescopic assembly 200, and then as the machine body 100 moves, the machine body 100 drives the cleaning assembly 300 to clean the corner area 400.

[0037] In actual applications, there are usually some obstacles in the corner area 400. For example, in order to ensure the aesthetics of the cabinet edge area, a number of wavy protrusions are set on the vertical surface in the cabinet edge area, or there are protrusions extending to the cabinet edge area on the cabinet due to structural requirements. When the cleaning component 300 extends into the corner area 400 for cleaning, these protrusions will form obstacles that hinder the cleaning component 300 from cleaning. Therefore, in order to enable the cleaning device to clean the corner area 400 where there are obstacles, in an achievable embodiment, the cleaning device can also include an elastic member 500. The telescopic component 200 is rotatably connected to the body 100, one end of the elastic member 500 is connected to the telescopic component 200, and the other end of the elastic member 500 is connected to the body 100. When the driving component 220 drives the cleaning component 300 to extend and clean the corner area 400, the cleaning component 300 collides with the obstacle in the corner area 400, and the obstacle forces the cleaning component 300 to rotate toward the inside of the machine body 100. At this time, the cleaning component 300 drives the telescopic component 200 to rotate together, thereby avoiding the obstacle. In addition, as the telescopic component 200 rotates, the telescopic component 200 can also cause the elastic member 500 to generate an elastic force, which is transmitted through the telescopic component 200 to form a force applied to the cleaning component 300 and toward the outside of the machine body 100, so that after the cleaning component 300 passes the obstacle, it pushes the cleaning component 300 to extend into the corner area 400 again, thereby realizing the obstacle-encountering adaptive telescopic function, which not only avoids collision damage between the cleaning component 300 and the obstacle, but also ensures the cleaning effect of the cleaning device on the corner area where there is an obstacle.

[0038] At the same time, precisely because the telescopic component 200 can be rotatably connected to the body 100, when the telescopic component 200 drives the cleaning component 300 to be in a retracted state and the cleaning component 300 encounters an obstacle during the cleaning process, the obstacle will also force the telescopic component 200 to rotate, so that the cleaning component 300 avoids the obstacle, thereby preventing the cleaning component 300 from colliding and being damaged with the obstacle, thereby increasing the service life.

[0039] In practical applications, a damping structure may be connected to the rotational connection between the body 100 and the telescopic assembly 200, and the damping structure increases the friction force of the relative rotation between the telescopic assembly 200 and the body 100, so that the telescopic assembly 200 can be kept at the corresponding position for normal cleaning when it is not forced to move by obstacles. The damping structure can refer to the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0040] In this embodiment, the elastic member 500 may be at least one of a tension spring, a compression spring and a torsion spring. For ease of understanding, the elastic member 500 is illustrated by taking the tension spring as an example. For details, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the tension spring is located between the telescopic assembly 200 and the side wall of the machine body 100 through which the telescopic assembly 200 extends, one end of the tension spring is connected to the telescopic assembly 200, and one end of the tension spring is located between the rotation connection between the telescopic assembly 200 and the machine body 100 and the connection between the telescopic assembly 200 and the cleaning assembly 300, and the other end of the tension spring is connected to the machine body 100. In this way, when the cleaning assembly 300 drives the telescopic assembly 200 to rotate toward the inside of the machine body 100, the tension spring is also stretched with the rotation of the telescopic assembly 200, thereby deforming and generating elastic force, which acts on the telescopic assembly 200 and toward the outside of the machine body 100, and the cleaning assembly 300 is connected to the telescopic assembly 200, so the elastic force can also be transmitted to the cleaning assembly 300, thereby pulling the cleaning assembly 300 to move toward the outside of the machine body 100 or having a tendency to move toward the outside of the machine body 100.

[0041] It should be pointed out in particular that Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the cleaning device can generally have two cleaning components 300, and the two cleaning components 300 are respectively connected to the body 100 through the telescopic components 200, and the two telescopic components 200 are respectively connected to the body 100 through the elastic member 500. The two cleaning components 300 are respectively located on both sides of the body 100, and are respectively used to extend through the corresponding side. Among them, the cleaning device can control the two telescopic components 200 to drive the corresponding cleaning components 300 to extend and retract separately, and can also control the two telescopic components 200 to drive the corresponding cleaning components 300 to extend and retract at the same time, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0042] Regarding the specific structure of the telescopic assembly 200 and the connection method between the telescopic assembly 200 and the body 100, the present application provides two achievable embodiments for reference.

[0043] Embodiment 1, as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the telescopic assembly 200 may include a base 210 and a driving component 220. The base 210 is rotatably connected to the body 100, and the base 210 is connected to one end of the elastic member 500. The driving component 220 is arranged on the base 210 and rotates with the base 210. The telescopic end of the driving component 220 is connected to the cleaning assembly 300. The driving component 220 is used to drive the cleaning assembly 300 to telescopically move along the first direction by linear motion. In this embodiment, the driving component 220 may adopt a linear telescopic structure such as an electric cylinder and a pneumatic cylinder. Taking the driving component 220 adopting an electric cylinder as an example, the first direction is the telescopic direction of the telescopic end of the electric cylinder. When the telescopic end of the electric cylinder is extended, the cleaning assembly 300 can be extended to the side direction of the body 100 under the drive of the electric cylinder, thereby achieving corner cleaning.

[0044] Embodiment 2, as Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the telescopic assembly 200 may include a base 210, a driving component 220 and a driven component 230. The base 210 is rotatably connected to the body 100, and the base 210 is connected to one end of the elastic member 500. The driving component 220 is disposed on the base 210, and the driving component 220 is used to drive the driven component 230 to rotate. The driven component 230 is connected to the cleaning assembly 300, so that when the driving component 220 drives the driven component 230 to rotate, the cleaning assembly 300 can rotate together with the driven component 230, so that the cleaning assembly 300 can be telescopically moved along the first direction by rotation, thereby achieving corner cleaning.

[0045] In the above two embodiments, the cleaning assembly 300 can be extended outward from the inside of the machine body 100, whether by rotation or by linear motion, so as to achieve corner cleaning. However, considering that the cleaning assembly 300 extends outward from the inside of the machine body 100 by linear motion, the overall length of the telescopic assembly 200 will inevitably increase, thereby increasing the rotation radius of the telescopic assembly 200 around the rotation of the telescopic assembly 200 and the machine body 100. On the other hand, when the cleaning assembly 300 extends outward from the inside of the machine body 100 by rotation, the overall length of the telescopic assembly 200 will be reduced accordingly, thereby reducing the rotation radius of the telescopic assembly 200 around the rotation of the telescopic assembly 200 and the machine body 100. Obviously, compared with the extension and retraction of the cleaning component 300 by rotation, the extension and retraction of the cleaning component 300 by linear motion is in the state where the telescopic component 200 drives the cleaning component 300 to extend. When an obstacle forces the cleaning component 300 to rotate into the body 100, more space needs to be reserved in the body 100 to accommodate the telescopic component 200 and the cleaning component 300 rotating into the body 100, which correspondingly increases the volume of the cleaning device. Therefore, in order to achieve the miniaturization of the cleaning device and to be suitable for cleaning a small area, the present application preferably adopts the telescopic movement of the cleaning component 300 by rotation, and the subsequent description will also be based on the extension and retraction of the cleaning component 300 by rotation.

[0046] In a feasible implementation, please refer to Figures 5 to 7 As shown, the driving component 220 may include a swing-out motor 221. The swing-out motor 221 is connected to the base 210, and the driving end of the swing-out motor 221 may be directly connected to the driven component 230, so that when the swing-out motor 221 rotates, the swing-out motor 221 drives the driven component 230 to rotate, thereby driving the cleaning component 300 to extend and retract by rotation.

[0047] Further, the swing-out motor 221 can also be indirectly connected to the driven component 230. Specifically, in an achievable embodiment, the driving component 220 can also include a main gear 222 and a slave gear 223. The driving end of the swing-out motor 221 is connected to the main gear 222. The slave gear 223 is connected to the driven component 230, and the driven component 230 is rotatably connected to the base 210. The rotation axis of the driven component 230 and the base 210 coincides with the axis of the slave gear 223, and the slave gear 223 is meshed with the main gear 222. In this way, when the swing-out motor 221 drives the main gear 222 to rotate, the main gear 222 drives the driven component 230 to rotate together through the slave gear 223, thereby driving the cleaning assembly 300 to extend and retract by rotation. In addition, the swing-out motor 221 drives the driven component 230 to rotate through the main gear 222 and the slave gear 223 transmission, and the main gear 222 and the slave gear 223 transmission can play a role in isolating vibration and impact. When a sudden change or impact occurs to the cleaning assembly 300 or the driven component 230, the transmission of the main gear 222 and the driven gear 223 can buffer and absorb these impacts, protecting the swing-out motor 221 from damage.

[0048] In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the main gear 222 should be less than the number of teeth of the slave gear 223, so as to achieve a smaller gear ratio. It is understandable that a smaller gear ratio can achieve a greater amplification effect. For example, if the number of teeth of the main gear 222 is 8 and the slave gear 223 is 16, the gear ratio is 8 / 16=0.5, which means that the main gear 222 rotates one circle and the slave gear 223 rotates 0.5 circles. In this way, the rotation angle of the slave gear 223 can be more accurately controlled by controlling the number of rotations of the swing-out motor 221, thereby improving the control accuracy of the extension amount of the cleaning component 300.

[0049] The number of teeth of the slave gear 223 is the number of teeth when it is a complete gear. However, in actual working scenarios, the slave gear 223 does not need to be fully engaged in the work, so the slave gear 223 can also be a part of the complete gear, such as a half gear or a 1 / 3 gear, so as to achieve miniaturization and lightness of the cleaning device.

[0050] In actual applications, the slave gear 223 can be fastened to the top of the driven component 230 by screws, and the main gear 222 is arranged above the swing-out motor 221. The swing-out motor 221 can be arranged in parallel with the driven component 230 in the horizontal direction. Compared with the upper and lower arrangement of the swing-out motor 221 and the driven component 230, the swing-out motor 221 can be arranged in parallel with the driven component 230 in the horizontal direction. This can effectively reduce the height space occupied by the telescopic component 200 for the cleaning equipment, which is conducive to reducing the vertical height of the cleaning equipment and improving the passability of the cleaning equipment in low areas.

[0051] It should be particularly pointed out that the above-mentioned swing-out motor 221 should have a self-locking force, so that when the swing-out motor 221 drives the cleaning component 300 to move to the corresponding position and stops working, the self-locking force of the swing-out motor 221 can make the cleaning component 300 remain in position relative to the swing-out motor 221, and will not be pushed by external force or obstacles and rotate relative to the swing-out motor 221.

[0052] In this embodiment, the self-locking force of the swing-out motor 221 should be greater than the elastic force of the elastic member 500, so that after the swing-out motor 221 drives the cleaning component 300 to move to the corresponding position, the swing-out motor 221 and the cleaning component 300 can remain relatively unchanged, and then when an obstacle forces the cleaning component 300 to rotate toward the inside of the machine body 100, the telescopic component 200 can rotate as a whole around the rotating connection between the base 210 and the machine body 100, and when the cleaning component 300 passes over the obstacle, under the pulling force of the elastic member 500, the telescopic component 200 can be restored to its original position as a whole, still in the cleaning position, thereby realizing the obstacle-encountering adaptive telescopic function.

[0053] In a feasible implementation, the rotation axis of the driven component 230 and the base 210 coincides with the rotation axis of the base 210 and the body 100, thereby making the structure of the telescopic assembly 200 more compact, further shortening the overall length of the telescopic assembly 200, and reducing the space that needs to be reserved in the body 100 to accommodate the telescopic assembly 200.

[0054] For the specific structure of the base 210, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In an achievable embodiment, the base 210 may include an upper shell 211 and a lower shell 212. The upper shell 211 is connected to the lower shell 212, and the upper shell 211 and the lower shell 212 together surround and form an accommodating space 213, and the swing-out motor 221 and part of the driven component 230 are located in the accommodating space 213, so that the swing-out motor 221 and the driven component 230 are supported and limited by the upper shell 211 and the lower shell 212.

[0055] In practical applications, the upper housing 211 and the lower housing 212 can be integrally formed. Of course, the upper housing 211 and the lower housing 212 can also be designed as split parts. During assembly, the driven component 230 can be placed on the lower housing 212 first, and then the upper housing 211 and the lower housing 212 can be detachably connected to form a whole by means of screws, etc., so that the driven component 230 and the slave gear 223 thereon are restricted between the upper housing 211 and the lower housing 212.

[0056] In one possible implementation, Figure 7 and Fig. 9The top of the driven component 230 is connected with a rotating shaft 231. The rotating shaft 231 is rotatably connected to the upper shell 211, and the rotating shaft 231 passes through the upper shell 211 and is rotatably connected to the body 100. In this way, only one rotating shaft 231 is required to realize the rotatable connection between the driven component 230 and the base 210, and the rotatable connection between the base 210 and the body 100, thereby simplifying the structure of the telescopic assembly 200, reducing the production cost, reducing the possibility of failure, and improving the reliability of the telescopic assembly 200.

[0057] In this embodiment, a rotating hole 2111 is provided on the upper shell 211, and the rotating shaft 231 passes through the rotating hole 2111 to be rotatably connected with the body 100, and the rotating shaft 231 cooperates with the rotating hole 2111 to realize the rotational connection between the upper shell 211 and the rotating shaft 231. In practical applications, the inner wall of the rotating hole 2111 can also be embedded with a sleeve 214, and the sleeve 214 is located between the inner wall of the rotating hole 2111 and the rotating shaft 231, and the sleeve 214 is in direct contact with the rotating shaft 231, thereby reducing the direct contact between the rotating shaft 231 and the rotating hole 2111, reducing the wear of the rotating hole 2111, and improving the service life. In addition, the sleeve 214 can also play a lubricating role between the rotating shaft 231 and the rotating hole 2111, so that when the swing-out motor 221 drives the driven component 230 to rotate through the main gear 222 and the slave gear 223, it is convenient for the driven component 230 to rotate relative to the base 210.

[0058] In order to further facilitate the rotation of the driven component 230 relative to the base 210. In an achievable embodiment, as Figure 8 and Fig.10 As shown, the bottom of the driven component 230 is connected with a lubricating member 240, and the driven component 230 abuts against the top of the lower housing 212 through the lubricating member 240. In this way, the lubricating member 240 can lubricate the rotation between the driven component 230 and the lower housing 212, thereby reducing the friction between the driven component 230 and the lower housing 212.

[0059] Of course, the lubricating member 240 may also be connected to the top of the lower housing 212 , and the lower housing 212 abuts against the bottom of the driven component 230 through the lubricating member 240 .

[0060] In practical applications, the lubricating member 240 may be a universal ball, lubricating grease, a lubricating gasket, etc. Taking the case where the lubricating member 240 is a universal ball, the universal ball can change the surface contact between the driven component 230 and the lower housing 212 to a point contact, and at the same time, change the sliding friction between the driven component 230 and the lower housing 212 to rolling friction, so as to reduce the friction between the driven component 230 and the lower housing 212.

[0061] In one possible implementation, Figure 8As shown, a bearing 250 may be embedded in the bottom of the lower housing 212. The axis of the bearing 250 coincides with the axis of the rotating shaft 231, and the bottom of the lower housing 212 is rotatably connected to the body 100 through the bearing 250. The bearing 250 can support and position the base 210 to ensure that the base 210 is accurately installed. And when the base 210 rotates relative to the body 100, the bearing 250 can also reduce the rotational friction between the lower housing 212 and the body 100, so that the base 210 can rotate relative to the body 100.

[0062] The driven component 230 may be a simple transmission component, which is used to connect, rotate and transmit torque between the cleaning assembly 300 and the driving component 220 .

[0063] In order to improve the cleaning effect of the cleaning component 300, in one practicable embodiment, as Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, the driven component 230 may include a transmission housing 232 and a cleaning motor 233, wherein the top of the transmission housing 232 is respectively connected to the slave gear 223 and the rotating shaft 231, and the cleaning motor 233 is connected to the cleaning assembly 300 through the transmission housing 232 to at least drive the cleaning assembly 300 to rotate. In this way, when the cleaning assembly 300 moves with the machine body 100 for cleaning, the cleaning motor 233 can also be driven by the transmission housing 232, thereby driving the cleaning assembly 300 to rotate for cleaning, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the cleaning assembly 300.

[0064] In this embodiment, the transmission housing 232 can be a gear box, the input end of the gear box is connected to the cleaning motor 233, and the output end of the gear box is connected to the cleaning assembly 300 through a connecting clamp. When the cleaning motor 233 rotates, the gear box can transmit the torque of the cleaning motor 233, thereby driving the cleaning assembly 300 to rotate. The transmission housing 232 can also be integrated with an automatic lifting function, that is, the transmission housing 232 can follow the forward and reverse rotation of the cleaning assembly 300 to drive the cleaning assembly 300 to rise or fall, so as to avoid scenes that do not require cleaning. Among them, the specific structure of the transmission housing 232 integrated with the automatic lifting function can refer to the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] In an achievable embodiment, the transmission housing 232 can be constructed as a generally inverted L-shaped structure, which has a horizontal portion 2321 and a vertical portion 2322. The vertical portion 2322 and the cleaning motor 233 are located at the bottom of the horizontal portion 2321 and are arranged in parallel. In this way, the cleaning motor 233 is equivalent to being accommodated in a groove formed by the outer contour of the transmission housing 232, thereby rationally utilizing the space in the cleaning device and making the interior of the cleaning device more compact.

[0066] In actual application, a receiving groove 2121 is opened at the top of the lower shell 212, and the cleaning motor 233 is at least partially located in the receiving groove 2121. That is to say, the lower shell 212 is equivalent to surrounding the outer edge of the cleaning motor 233, thereby isolating and protecting the cleaning motor 233.

[0067] Furthermore, the driven gear 223 and the cleaning motor 233 should be coaxially arranged. In other words, when the swing-out motor 221 drives the driven component 230 to rotate, the cleaning motor 233 can rotate around its own axis. In this way, the receiving slot 2121 at the top of the lower housing 212 does not need to be too large, thereby effectively reducing the overall volume of the telescopic assembly 200, which is conducive to making the cleaning device as small as possible.

[0068] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application also provides a swing-out mechanism, which is applied to a cleaning device, and the swing-out mechanism is used to swing the cleaning assembly 300 out from the side of the body 100 to achieve cleaning of the corner area. Specifically, the swing-out mechanism includes a base 210, a driving component 220 and a driven component 230. The base 210 is used to connect with the body 100 of the cleaning device. The driving component 220 is arranged on the base 210, and the driven component 230 is used to connect with the cleaning assembly 300 of the cleaning device, and the driving component 220 is used to drive the driven component 230 to rotate, so that the cleaning assembly 300 is telescopically moved along the first direction by rotation.

[0069] Furthermore, the swing-out mechanism further includes an elastic member 500. One end of the elastic member 500 is connected to the base 210, and the other end of the elastic member 500 is used to connect to the body 100. When the swing-out mechanism is installed on the cleaning device, the elastic member 500 is used to provide a force for the cleaning assembly 300 to act toward the outside of the body 100.

[0070] Regarding the specific structures of the base 210 , the driving component 220 and the driven component 230 , reference may be made to the contents in the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0071] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application also provides a corner cleaning control method, which is applied to a cleaning device, wherein a cleaning component 300 is connected to the bottom of a body 100 of the cleaning device via a telescopic component 200, the telescopic component 200 is rotatably connected to the body 100, and the telescopic component 200 is connected to the body 100 via an elastic member 500, and the method comprises:

[0072] Determine whether there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned;

[0073] If there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned, the telescopic component is controlled to drive the cleaning component to extend a specified distance outside the body.

[0074] The specific structure of the cleaning device can refer to the contents in the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0075] In a feasible implementation, when the cleaning device starts working, the cleaning device can use relevant sensors to obtain information about the area to be cleaned. For example, the cleaning device can use a camera to capture an image of the area to be cleaned, thereby obtaining information about the area to be cleaned. The cleaning device can also use sensors such as laser radar, emit a laser beam through the laser transmitter of the laser radar, scan the entire scene through a rotating or scanning mechanism, receive the reflected laser signal through the receiver, measure the distance through the time measurement unit, and finally process the data through the data processing unit to construct a three-dimensional model of the scene, thereby obtaining information about the area to be cleaned. When the cleaning device obtains the information of the area to be cleaned, the information is compared with the preset information to determine whether there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned. When there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned, the cleaning device can automatically switch to the corner cleaning mode, that is, the cleaning device controls the telescopic component 200 to drive the cleaning component 300 to extend a specified distance to the outside of the body 100 to extend into the corner area, thereby achieving cleaning of the corner area.

[0076] In this embodiment, the cleaning device can also identify the orientation of the corner area in the area to be cleaned relative to the machine body 100. When the corner area is located on the left side of the machine body 100, the cleaning device can control the telescopic assembly 200 on the left side to drive the corresponding cleaning assembly 300 to extend a specified distance outside the machine body 100. When the corner area is located on the right side of the machine body 100, the cleaning device can control the telescopic assembly 200 on the right side to drive the corresponding cleaning assembly 300 to extend a specified distance outside the machine body 100.

[0077] Wherein, controlling the telescopic component to drive the cleaning component to extend a specified distance outside the machine body includes:

[0078] identifying a maximum distance between an edge of the corner region and the body;

[0079] The telescopic component is controlled to drive the cleaning component to extend to the outside of the machine body by the maximum distance.

[0080] In this embodiment, the cleaning device can also identify the maximum distance between the edge of the corner area and the body 100 while or after identifying the existence of the corner area in the area to be cleaned, thereby controlling the telescopic component 200 to drive the cleaning component 300 to extend the maximum distance outside the body 100. In this way, when the cleaning device cleans the corner area, the cleaning component 300 can be close to the edge of the corner area, thereby achieving edge cleaning of the corner area and improving the cleaning effect of the corner area.

[0081] The following is a detailed description based on specific application scenarios, taking the cleaning device as a sweeping robot as an example.

[0082] Application scenario 1

[0083] The user uses the APP to start the sweeping robot to clean the living room. The sweeping robot first plans the cleaning path based on the stored living room floor plan using the shortest path algorithm. Then the sweeping robot moves from the charging ramp of the base station to the ground, and the rag plate contacts the ground and cleans the ground as the body moves. At the same time, the sweeping robot also uses sensors to obtain relevant information about the area to be cleaned, so as to determine whether there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned.

[0084] When the sweeping robot moves near the cabinet, it identifies the cabinet edge area in the area to be cleaned as a corner area, and obtains the maximum distance between the edge of the cabinet edge area and the sweeping robot. Then, the sweeping robot controls the swing-out motor to work, and the swing-out motor drives the driven component to rotate relative to the base through the meshing of the main gear and the slave gear, thereby driving the rag plate to rotate outward of the body to the maximum distance, so that the rag plate extends into the cabinet edge area and is close to the edge of the cabinet edge area. Then, as the body moves, the body drives the rag plate to move, thereby cleaning the cabinet edge area.

[0085] When there are supporting ribs (obstacles) in the cabinet side area, as the rag plate moves in the cabinet side area for cleaning, the rag plate contacts the supporting ribs and is forced to rotate into the machine body by the supporting ribs, and the rag plate drives the telescopic assembly (base, driven component, swing-out motor, main gear and slave gear) to rotate to avoid the supporting ribs. In addition, as the telescopic assembly rotates, the telescopic assembly will also force the tension spring to deform and generate elastic force, which is transmitted through the telescopic assembly to form a force applied to the rag plate and toward the outside of the machine body, so that after the rag plate passes over the supporting ribs, the force pushes the rag plate to return to its original position again, thereby realizing the obstacle-encountering adaptive telescopic function, which not only avoids collision damage between the rag plate and the supporting ribs, improves the service life, but also ensures the cleaning effect.

[0086] It can be seen that the technical solution provided by the present application is that the cleaning component is connected to the machine body through a telescopic component, and the telescopic component can drive the cleaning component to telescopically move along a first direction, the first direction intersects with the moving direction of the machine body, and in the process of the telescopic component driving the cleaning component to extend along the first direction, the area of ​​the positive projection of the cleaning component on the machine body gradually decreases. In other words, the telescopic component can drive the cleaning component to gradually extend in the lateral direction of the machine body, so that when the cleaning device encounters a corner area, the telescopic component can control the cleaning component to extend in the lateral direction of the machine body and extend into the corner area. In this way, the machine body does not need to travel into the corner area, and the cleaning component can clean the corner area as the machine body moves, thereby solving the problem that the corresponding corner area cannot be cleaned because the machine body cannot enter, and expanding the cleanable range of the cleaning device. In addition, the user does not need to perform additional manual cleaning of the corner area, which reduces the user's usage burden and improves the user's usage experience.

[0087] Furthermore, the telescopic component is connected to the body through an elastic member, and the telescopic component is rotationally connected to the body. In this way, when the cleaning device encounters an obstacle during the cleaning process, the obstacle forces the cleaning component to rotate toward the inside of the body, and the cleaning component can drive the telescopic component to rotate together, thereby avoiding the obstacle. Moreover, as the telescopic component rotates, the telescopic component causes the elastic member to generate an elastic force, which is transmitted through the telescopic component to form a force applied to the cleaning component and toward the outside of the body, thereby pushing the cleaning component to return to its original position after passing the obstacle, thereby realizing an adaptive telescopic function in the event of an obstacle, which not only avoids collision damage between the cleaning component and the obstacle, improves the service life, but also ensures the cleaning effect.

[0088] Furthermore, the driving component of the telescopic component is connected to the cleaning component through the driven component, and the driving component is used to drive the driven component to rotate, so that the cleaning component can be telescopically moved in the first direction by rotating. When the cleaning component is extended in the first direction by rotating, the overall length of the telescopic component does not increase but decreases accordingly. In this way, there is no need to reserve more space in the body to accommodate the telescopic component that is forced to move into the body by obstacles, so that the overall volume of the cleaning device can be reduced, and the cleaning device can be miniaturized to be suitable for cleaning small areas.

[0089] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cleaning device, characterized in that: The cleaning device at least comprises a body, a telescopic assembly and a cleaning assembly, wherein the cleaning assembly is connected to the body via the telescopic assembly; The telescopic assembly is used to drive the cleaning assembly to telescopically move along a first direction, and the first direction intersects with the moving direction of the machine body; When the telescopic component drives the cleaning component to extend in the first direction, the area of ​​the positive projection of the cleaning component on the machine body gradually decreases.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that The cleaning device also includes an elastic member; The telescopic assembly is rotatably connected to the machine body, one end of the elastic member is connected to the telescopic assembly, and the other end of the elastic member is connected to the machine body; When an obstacle forces the cleaning assembly to rotate toward the inside of the body, the cleaning assembly drives the telescopic assembly to rotate so that the elastic member generates elastic force, and the elastic force is transmitted through the telescopic assembly to form a force applied to the cleaning assembly and toward the outside of the body.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The telescopic assembly includes a base, a driving component and a driven component; The base is rotatably connected to the body, and the base is connected to one end of the elastic member; The driving component is arranged on the base, the driven component is connected to the cleaning assembly, and the driving component is used to drive the driven component to rotate, so that the cleaning assembly can be telescopically moved along the first direction by rotating.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving component includes a swing-out motor, a main gear and a slave gear; The swing-out motor is connected to the base, and the driving end of the swing-out motor is connected to the main gear; The slave gear is connected to the driven component, the driven component is rotationally connected to the base, the rotation axis of the driven component and the base coincides with the axis of the slave gear, and the slave gear is meshed with the main gear.

5. The cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that The rotation axis between the driven component and the base coincides with the rotation axis between the base and the body.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The self-locking force of the swing-out motor is greater than the elastic force of the elastic member.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 6, characterized in that The base comprises an upper shell and a lower shell; The upper shell is detachably connected to the lower shell, and the upper shell and the lower shell together surround and form an accommodating space, and the swing-out motor and part of the driven component are located in the accommodating space.

8. The cleaning device according to claim 7, characterized in that The top of the driven component is connected with a rotating shaft; The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the upper shell, and the rotating shaft passes through the upper shell and is rotatably connected to the body.

9. The cleaning device according to claim 8, characterized in that The bottom of the driven component is connected with a lubricating member, and the driven component abuts against the top of the lower housing through the lubricating member; Alternatively, a lubricating member is connected to the top of the lower housing, and the lower housing abuts against the bottom of the driven component through the lubricating member.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 9, characterized in that The bottom of the lower shell is rotatably connected to the machine body via a bearing, and the axis of the bearing coincides with the axis of the rotating shaft.

11. The cleaning device according to claim 10, characterized in that The driven component includes a transmission housing and a cleaning motor; The top of the transmission housing is connected to the slave gear and the rotating shaft respectively; The cleaning motor is connected to the cleaning component through the transmission housing to at least drive the cleaning component to rotate.

12. The cleaning device according to claim 11, characterized in that The cleaning motor is located at the bottom of the transmission housing, and the slave gear is coaxially arranged with the cleaning motor; A receiving groove is formed on the top of the lower shell, and the cleaning motor is at least partially located in the receiving groove.

13. The cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that The telescopic assembly includes a base and a driving component; The base is rotatably connected to the body, and the base is connected to one end of the elastic member; The driving component is arranged on the base, the telescopic end of the driving component is connected to the cleaning component, and the driving component is used to drive the cleaning component to telescopically move along the first direction in a linear motion.

14. The cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that The elastic member is at least one of a tension spring, a torsion spring and a compression spring.

15. A swing-out mechanism, characterized in that: The swing-out mechanism is applied to a cleaning device, and comprises a base, a driving component and a driven component; The base is used to be rotatably connected to the body of the cleaning device; The driving component is arranged on the base, the driven component is used to be connected with the cleaning component of the cleaning device, and the driving component is used to drive the driven component to rotate so that the cleaning component can be telescopically moved along the first direction by rotation.

16. The swing-out mechanism according to claim 15, characterized in that: The swing-out mechanism also includes an elastic member; One end of the elastic member is connected to the base, and the other end of the elastic member is used to connect to the body; When the swing-out mechanism is installed on the cleaning device, the elastic member is used to provide the cleaning component with a force acting toward the outside of the machine body.

17. A corner cleaning control method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a cleaning device, wherein the bottom of a body of the cleaning device is connected to a cleaning component via a telescopic component, the telescopic component is rotatably connected to the body, and the telescopic component is connected to the body via an elastic member, and the method comprises: Determine whether there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned; If there is a corner area in the area to be cleaned, the telescopic component is controlled to drive the cleaning component to extend a specified distance outside the body.

18. The corner cleaning control method according to claim 17, characterized in that: Controlling the telescopic assembly to drive the cleaning assembly to extend a specified distance outside the machine body includes: identifying a maximum distance between an edge of the corner region and the body; The telescopic component is controlled to drive the cleaning component to extend to the outside of the machine body by the maximum distance.

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