Self-moving robot and operation method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a self-moving robot and an operation method thereof. A host of the self-moving robot is provided with a turntable. The edge part of the turntable extends out of the projection range of the main machine, is separated from the edge of the main machine by a first distance at a first working position, and retracts to a second distance relative to the edge of the main machine at a second working position, so that the turntable can cover a larger cleaning area with the rolling brush assembly at the first working position, and the turntable does not rotate relative to the rolling brush assembly at the second working position. And an edge cleaning range can be adjusted instantly, and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of cleaning equipment, and in particular to a self-moving robot and an operation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of science and technology and the improvement of people's quality of life, smart household cleaning appliances have entered the lives of more and more people. Among them, self-propelled robots can automatically complete tasks such as sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping on the ground, providing considerable help to the sanitary conditions of the living environment. However, the cleaning coverage of the cleaning robots currently on the market is limited, and there is still room for improvement in their cleaning efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problems that the current cleaning robots have limited coverage of the cleaning device and the cleaning efficiency needs to be improved, the present application provides a self-moving robot and an operating method thereof.

[0004] The present application provides a self-moving robot, comprising a main body and a mopping module. The mopping module comprises a driving component and a turntable. The driving component is arranged at the bottom of the main body and connected to the turntable, so as to drive the turntable to rotate relative to the main body and to swing between a first working position and a second working position relative to the main body. The edge of the turntable extends beyond the edge of the main body, and is separated from the edge by a first distance in the first working position, and is separated from the edge by a second distance in the second working position, and the second distance is smaller than the first distance.

[0005] In some embodiments, a walking module is provided at the bottom of the host, which is used to drive the host to switch between a general walking mode and an edge walking mode. In the edge walking mode, the host walks along the edge of an obstacle, and there is an edge distance between the edge and the obstacle. The turntable is located at the first working position in the general walking mode and at the second working position in the edge walking mode, and the first distance or the second distance matches the edge distance.

[0006] In some embodiments, the walking module includes a plurality of wheel assemblies, and a control module and a detection module are provided in the host. The plurality of wheel assemblies are arranged at intervals at the bottom of the host, and the detection module is used to detect the motion state of the host. The control module is electrically connected to the detection module and the drive assembly respectively, and is used to control the drive assembly to drive the turntable to swing from the first working position to the second working position according to the motion state.

[0007] In some embodiments, the motion state includes a change in the walking speed of the host and / or an increase or decrease in the distance between the host and the obstacle.

[0008] In some embodiments, the change in the walking speed of the host is formed by the speed difference of the multiple wheel assemblies. The detection module detects the speed difference, and the control module controls the driving assembly to drive the turntable to swing to the second working position according to the speed difference.

[0009] In some embodiments, the detection module includes a differential sensor and / or a distance sensor that matches the motion state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the driving assembly includes a rotating mechanism, a swinging mechanism and a transmission mechanism, the transmission mechanism is connected to the turntable, and the rotating mechanism and the swinging mechanism are respectively connected to the transmission mechanism to drive the transmission mechanism to drive the turntable to rotate and swing accordingly.

[0011] In some embodiments, the driving assembly includes an elastic member connected to the turntable and normally maintains the turntable in the first working position.

[0012] The present application also provides an operating method of a self-moving robot according to any of the above embodiments, comprising: when the self-moving robot is in a general walking mode, the turntable is located at the first working position, so that the edge of the turntable extends beyond the edge of the main unit and is separated from the edge by a first distance; and when the self-moving robot is in an edge walking mode, the turntable is swung to the second working position, so that the distance between the edge of the turntable and the edge retreats to the second distance.

[0013] In some embodiments, the operation method further includes: detecting the motion state of the host; and

[0014] The driving assembly is controlled according to the motion state to drive the turntable to swing from the first working position to the second working position; wherein the motion state includes a change in the walking speed of the host and / or an increase or decrease in the distance between the host and the obstacle.

[0015] In the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, the turntable of the mopping module normally extends out of the projection range of the main unit, and driven by the driving component, it can swing between the first working position and the second working position, so that when the edge of the turntable is separated from the edge of the main unit by a first distance, it can cooperate with the roller brush component to expand the cleaning range of the main unit when it is moving. In addition, when encountering obstacles, it only needs to drive the turntable to retreat to the second distance in the opposite direction through the driving component, and it can be applied to the edge cleaning mode. Since the swing amplitude of the turntable between the first distance and the second distance is small, in addition to expanding the cleaning range of the main unit, it can also take into account the needs of edge cleaning without affecting large-scale cleaning, thereby improving cleaning efficiency and enhancing user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 is a bottom view of the self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a driving component of a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a framework diagram of a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a bottom view of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application; and

[0021] Figures 5 to 7 They are respectively schematic diagrams of the operation dynamics of the self-moving robot according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flow chart of the operation method of the self-moving robot of the embodiment of the present application

[0023] Fig. 9 is a bottom view of a self-moving robot according to another embodiment of the present application; and

[0024] Fig.10 It is a dynamic schematic diagram of the operation of the self-moving robot according to other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the specific embodiments of the present application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0026] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0027] See also Figure 1 . An embodiment of the present application provides a self-propelled robot that can perform cleaning tasks on the ground by itself. The self-propelled robot 1 includes a main body 10 and a mopping module 20, wherein the mopping module 20 includes a driving component 210 disposed on the main body 10, and a turntable 220 connected to the driving component 210. The turntable 220 is used to set cleaning tools such as rags or brushes, and the driving component 210 is used to drive the turntable 220 to rotate around its own central axis relative to the main body 10 to perform ground cleaning tasks such as mopping or brushing. At the same time, the driving component 210 can also drive the turntable 220 to swing between a first working position and a second working position relative to the main body 10 to adapt to different working environments.

[0028] It is worth noting that in the embodiment of the present application, the edge of the turntable 220 extends out of the edge of the host 10. For example, the host 10 can be set to any shape such as a rectangle or a circle. In one embodiment, the front end of the host 10 is set to a planar structure, that is, the front edge and the left and right edges of the host 10 are straight edges. The rear end of the host 10 is set to an arc structure, so that the rear end of the host 10 is not easily stuck by the corner when turning. The dragging component is set at the rear end of the host 10 and close to one side of the arc structure, so that the turntable 220 is normally located outside the edge of the host 10. Therefore, if the walking direction of the host 10 is taken as the first direction, the host 10 has two side edges parallel to the forward direction. The axial direction of the plurality of wheel assemblies 141 is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the edge of the host 10 can be the two opposite side edges of the host 10 that are separated the farthest in the second direction, that is, the widest edge of the host 10, but it is not limited thereto. If the mainframe 10 has a circular appearance, the widest edge is the side edges of the mainframe 10 having tangent lines parallel to the first direction on two opposite sides (e.g. Figure 4 shown).

[0029] The turntable 220 partially extends out of the widest edge of the main machine 10 on the same side as the mopping module 20, and when the turntable 220 is located at the first working position, the edge of the turntable 220 and the widest edge of the main machine 10 are separated by a first distance L1, and when the turntable 220 is located at the second working position, the edge of the turntable 220 and the widest edge of the main machine 10 are separated by a second distance L2, and the second distance L2 is smaller than the first distance L1. The edge of the turntable 220 may be, but is not limited to, the edge of the main structure of the turntable 220, or the outer edge of the cleaning tool mounted on the turntable 220 as described above. In addition, the second distance L2 between the edge of the turntable 220 and the widest edge of the main machine 10 is configured to match the edge distance when the main machine 10 walks along the edge of an obstacle. This edge distance can be obtained by detection of an edge sensor provided on the main machine 10.

[0030] With this configuration, when the host 10 works in a general walking module, a portion of the turntable 220 extends beyond the widest edge of the host 10, and can work in conjunction with the roller brush assembly 110 provided on the host 10 to expand the cleaning area. Moreover, when the host 10 encounters obstacles such as a wall or a floor cabinet, the turntable 220 can be driven by the driving assembly 210 to instantly retreat to the second working position, so that the distance between the edge of the turntable 220 and the widest edge of the host 10 is shortened to the second distance L2, so that the host 10 performs cleaning work at an appropriate edge distance, avoiding excessive extension of the turntable 220 to interfere with the normal operation of the host 10, and does not affect the working efficiency of the roller brush assembly 110.

[0031] In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, the drive assembly 210 is provided with an elastic member, which is connected to the turntable 220 and normally maintains the turntable 220 in the first working position. When the host 10 walks along the edge, the elastic member can be compressed by the external force pushed against the turntable 220 by the obstacle, so that the turntable 220 is pushed from the first working position to the second working position to perform the work of cleaning along the edge. Moreover, when the host 10 is away from the obstacle and returns to the general walking mode, since the external force applied to the turntable 220 disappears, the turntable 220 can be pushed back to the first working position under the action of the elastic restoring force of the elastic member, and a large area of ​​cleaning range is provided. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the turntable 220 can be actively or passively switched between the first working position and the second working position according to different working scenes, which is quite simple in operation.

[0032] In other embodiments of the present application, in order to more accurately control the switching position and switching time of the turntable 220 in different working positions, the driving assembly 210 includes a rotating mechanism 211, a swinging mechanism 212 and a transmission mechanism 213. Among them, the transmission mechanism 213 is connected to the turntable 220, and the rotating mechanism 211 and the swinging mechanism 212 are respectively connected to the transmission mechanism 213, so as to drive the transmission mechanism 213 to drive the turntable 220 to rotate and swing accordingly. It can be understood that the transmission mechanism 213 can be but is not limited to being arranged in the form of a gear box between the rotating mechanism 211 and the swinging mechanism 212, and is respectively connected to the turntable 220 through the rotating mechanism 211 and the swinging mechanism 212, so as to drive the turntable 220 to rotate and swing relative to the host 10 through the first driving motor of the rotating mechanism 211 and the second driving motor of the swinging mechanism 212.

[0033] Therefore, compared to the operation mode of extending the rag outward from the projection range of the main unit to the outside of the main unit 10, in the self-moving robot 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the moving stroke of the turntable 220 between the first working position and the second working position is short, so that its position change speed is fast, and it can respond instantly to the switching of different working modes of the main unit 10. In addition to having the effect of expanding the cleaning area and improving the cleaning efficiency, it also has beneficial effects such as saving energy and instant response when changing the position of the turntable.

[0034] See also Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments of the present application, the host 10 is further provided with a control module 120 and a detection module 130, and a walking module 140 is provided at the bottom of the host 10. The control module 120 is electrically connected to the detection module 130, the walking module 140 and the mopping module 20, respectively, to control these modules to perform corresponding tasks.

[0035] For example, the multiple wheel assemblies 141 of the walking module 140 are spaced apart at the bottom of the main machine 10, and under the control of the control module 120, drive the main machine 10 to work in a general walking mode on the ground, or drive the main machine 10 to work in an edge walking mode when encountering an obstacle, so that the main machine 10 avoids the obstacle and walks along the edge of the obstacle, and maintains a distance from the obstacle to avoid collision.

[0036] The detection module 130 is used to detect the motion state of the host 10, and transmit the detection result to the control module 120 in the form of an electrical signal, so that the control module 120 can control the turntable 220 of the mopping module 20 to work at an appropriate position according to the motion state of the host 10. The motion state of the host 10 can be, but is not limited to, the host 10 walking in a straight line driven by the wheel assembly 141, or turning when encountering an obstacle to avoid the obstacle.

[0037] Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application, the detection module 130 includes a distance sensor or a differential sensor. In other embodiments of the present application, the detection module 130 may also include a distance sensor and a differential sensor at the same time. The distance sensor can be used to detect the distance between the host 10 and the obstacle, and send a signal to the control module 120, so that the control module 120 determines the relative position between the host 10 and the obstacle, and calculates the time it takes for the host 10 to walk to the obstacle according to the walking speed of the host 10, and obtains the increase or decrease in the distance between the host 10 and the obstacle, so as to control the switching timing of the mopping module 20 between different working positions accordingly.

[0038] The differential sensor is used to detect the rolling speed of each wheel assembly 141 on the ground, and when the rolling speeds of the multiple wheel assemblies 141 differ, the speed difference signal is transmitted to the control module 120, so that the control module 120 controls the driving assembly 210 according to the corresponding signal to drive the turntable 220 to swing to the second working position. For example, when the host 10 approaches an obstacle in the first straight direction, the control module 120 controls the side of the multiple wheel assemblies 141 of the walking module 140 close to the obstacle to decelerate, so that the speed difference of the multiple wheel assemblies 141 differs, so as to drive the host 10 to turn and change to the second straight direction to walk along the edge. In this process, when the speed difference of the multiple wheel assemblies 141 varies, the control module 120 controls the driving assembly 210 to drive the turntable 220 to swing to the second working position, so that the turntable 220 retreats from the first distance L1 extending outside the host 10 to the second distance L2 to match the distance along the edge of the host 10, without affecting the walking of the host 10 along the edge, and at the same time providing the function of cleaning along the edge.

[0039] The following describes some application scenarios to illustrate the operation methods of the self-propelled robot provided by the embodiments of the present application in these application scenarios.

[0040] See also Figures 1 to 3 as well as Figures 5 to 7 The operating method of the self-moving robot provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0041] When the self-propelled robot is in the normal walking mode, the turntable is located at the first working position, so that the edge of the turntable extends beyond the widest edge of the main body and is separated from the widest edge by a first distance (S101); and when the self-propelled robot is in the edge walking mode, the turntable is swung to the second working position, so that the distance between the edge of the turntable and the widest edge retreats to a second distance (S102).

[0042] In this step, the self-moving robot 1 performs the cleaning task in a general walking mode along the cleaning path preset in the control module 120. At this time, the walking module 140 drives the self-moving robot 1 to walk in a straight line or in a zigzag manner, and the floor is cleaned under the operation of the roller brush assembly 110 and the mopping module 20. In this process, since the roller brush assembly 110 is located within the projection range of the host 10, and the turntable 220 of the mopping module 20 extends beyond the projection range of the host 10, one side edge of the turntable 220 overlaps or connects with the cleaning range of the roller brush assembly 110 in the first direction within the projection range of the host 10, and the other side edge of the turntable 220 extends beyond the widest edge of the host 10 outside the projection range of the host 10 and is separated by a first distance L1. Therefore, under the synergistic effect of the turntable 220 and the roller brush assembly 110, the cleaning area of ​​the host 10 when moving along the first direction is expanded, and the cleaning efficiency is increased.

[0043] It is worth noting that when two spaced mopping modules 20 are provided on the main unit 10, the distance between the two mopping modules 20 is not greater than the diameter of the turntable 220. In this way, when the main unit 10 moves back and forth, the cleaning ranges can be staggered to perform mopping or wiping operations on the unmopped area between the two mopping modules 20, so as to fill the blank area between the two mopping modules 20.

[0044] At the same time, when the detection module 130 detects that an obstacle W appears on the walking path of the host 10, the control module 120 changes the motion state of the host 10, such as controlling the wheel assembly 141 of the walking module 140 to decelerate, or generating a speed difference between the multiple wheel assemblies 141, so as to change the walking direction of the host 10. As the motion state of the host 10 changes, such as turning to avoid obstacles, the control module 120 controls the driving assembly 210 of the mopping module 20 to drive the turntable 220 to swing from the first working position to the second working position, so that the edge of the turntable 220 retreats to the second distance L2 toward the widest edge of the host 10 to match the edge distance between the host 10 and the obstacle W when walking along the edge, thereby avoiding the collision between the host 10 and the obstacle W, and allowing the cleaning range of the turntable 220 to be instantly adjusted to a range suitable for cleaning along the edge, while not interfering with the normal walking of the host 10, thereby improving the operation efficiency.

[0045] It is understandable that although the above embodiment is described by taking the two mopping modules 20 as an example in which the rotary disks 220 are both extended to the first distance L1 outside the widest edge of the host 10 in the initial state, Figure 4 As shown, in other embodiments of the present application, the initial state of the two rotating disks 220 can also be configured in a manner that one extends to the first distance L1 and the other extends to the second distance L2. Furthermore, driven by the driving assembly 210, they swing in the same direction, that is, one retracts to the second distance L2 and the other extends to the first distance L1, and is not limited to the reverse swing of the above embodiment.

[0046] Although the above embodiment uses the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 as examples to illustrate the distances between the edge of the turntable 220 at different positions and the widest edge of the host 10, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, in certain embodiments of the present application, the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 may also be the distances between the edge of the turntable 220 at different positions and the arc-shaped edge of the rear end of the host 10, so that a portion of the turntable 220 normally extends outside the projection range of the host 10.

[0047] At the same time, in this embodiment, when the host 10 is in the general walking mode and the edge walking mode, the turntable 220 is located in the first working position, so that the tangent of the edge of the turntable 220 and the parallel tangent of the arc edge are separated by a first distance L, and the tangent of the other side edge of the turntable 220 corresponds to the widest edge of the host 10, that is, the edge of the turntable 220 can be slightly beyond, equal to, or slightly smaller than the widest edge of the host 10, so that it can work within the edge distance of the host when the host 10 is quite close to an obstacle. In addition, when the turntable 220 is located in the second working position, the tangent of the edge of the turntable 220 and the parallel tangent of the arc edge are separated by a second distance L, and the tangent of the other side edge of the turntable 220 does not extend beyond the widest edge of the host 10. In this way, the turntable 220 can be prevented from being overly extended and hitting an obstacle during the process of the host 10 turning and walking, and the turning radius of the host 10 can be appropriately reduced, which is suitable for performing cleaning tasks in a small turning space. Among them, when the main machine turns and returns to the general walking mode of straight walking or the side walking mode, the driving component drives the turntable 220 to return to the first working position again, thereby providing cleaning efficiency for a large area.

[0048] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A self-propelled robot, characterized in that: include: Host; as well as The mopping module comprises a driving assembly and a turntable, wherein the driving assembly is disposed on the main machine and connected to the turntable to drive the turntable to rotate relative to the main machine and to swing between a first working position and a second working position relative to the main machine; The edge of the turntable extends out of the edge of the host, and is separated from the edge by a first distance in the first working position, and is separated from the edge by a second distance in the second working position, and the second distance is smaller than the first distance.

2. The self-moving robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A walking module is provided at the bottom of the main machine for driving the main machine to switch between a general walking mode and an edge walking mode. In the edge walking mode, the main machine walks along the edge of an obstacle, and there is an edge distance between the edge and the obstacle. The turntable is located at the first working position in the general walking mode and at the second working position in the edge walking mode, and the first distance or the second distance matches the edge distance.

3. The self-moving robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The walking module includes a plurality of wheel assemblies, and a control module and a detection module are arranged in the main unit. The plurality of wheel assemblies are arranged at intervals at the bottom of the main unit. The detection module is used to detect the motion state of the main unit. The control module is electrically connected to the detection module and the driving assembly, respectively, to control the driving assembly to drive the turntable to swing from the first working position to the second working position according to the motion state.

4. The self-moving robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The motion state includes a change in the walking speed of the host and / or an increase or decrease in the distance between the host and the obstacle.

5. The self-moving robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The change in the walking speed of the main machine is formed by the speed difference of the multiple wheel assemblies. The detection module detects the speed difference, and the control module controls the driving assembly to drive the turntable to swing to the second working position according to the speed difference.

6. The self-moving robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detection module includes a differential sensor and / or a distance sensor that matches the motion state.

7. The self-moving robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes a rotating mechanism, a swinging mechanism and a transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism is connected to the turntable. The rotating mechanism and the swinging mechanism are respectively connected to the transmission mechanism to drive the transmission mechanism to correspondingly drive the turntable to rotate and swing.

8. The self-moving robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes an elastic member connected to the turntable and normally maintains the turntable at the first working position.

9. An operating method of a self-moving robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: When the self-moving robot is in a normal walking mode, the turntable is located at the first working position, so that the edge of the turntable extends out of the edge of the host and is separated from the edge by a first distance; as well as When the self-propelled robot is in the edge walking mode, the turntable is swung to the second working position so that the distance between the edge of the turntable and the edge is retracted to the second distance.

10. The operating method according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: Detecting the motion state of the host; as well as Controlling the driving assembly to drive the turntable to swing from the first working position to the second working position according to the motion state; The motion state includes a change in the walking speed of the host and / or an increase or decrease in the distance between the host and the obstacle.

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