A cleaning robot capable of automatically reversing direction when encountering an obstacle

Abstract

The application discloses a cleaning robot capable of automatically reversing when encountering an obstacle, comprising a cleaning robot body, a transmission rod one, a transmission rod two, a driving wheel and a driving mechanism, the transmission rod one is horizontally rotationally connected to one side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body, the transmission rod two is horizontally rotationally connected to the other side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body, and the transmission rod one and the transmission rod two are located on the same axis. The application has the beneficial effect that: in the application, the sensor detection and the electric control regulation are not needed, and the mechanical linkage cooperation of the cleaning robot body, the transmission rod one, the transmission rod two and the driving mechanism can realize the automatic reversing when encountering an obstacle, the driving mechanism is meshed and linked with the symmetrically arranged passive bevel gears one and two through the linkage bevel gear at the bottom end of the transmission rod three, and the reversing action can be completed in the instant of encountering an obstacle, relying on the guiding and limiting of the limiting groove and the ball pair synchronous cylinder, and cooperating with the quick meshing of the driving gear groove and the driven gear groove.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a cleaning robot, specifically a cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, belonging to the field of cleaning robot technology. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of automated cleaning technology, self-propelled cleaning robots have been widely used in various scenarios for ground cleaning due to their advantages of automation and intelligence. During the autonomous operation of cleaning robots, the core performance requirements of fully autonomous walking and turning when encountering obstacles directly determine the cleaning coverage and operational stability of the robot.

[0003] However, conventional cleaning robots do not have an independent obstacle detection and adaptive adjustment function in their walking and steering structure. In the conventional walking mode, they can only move straight along a preset path and start and stop at fixed points. Once the forward path is blocked by an obstacle, the robot will be in a state of obstruction and jamming, unable to adjust its direction of travel to avoid the obstacle. This will not only lead to problems such as missed cleaning of local areas, repeated cleaning, and interruption of work, but also greatly reduce the overall cleaning efficiency and cleaning uniformity. Long-term jamming and stress can also easily cause wear and jamming of the robot's drive components, shortening the service life of the equipment. Even though current robots integrate multiple sensing elements to collect real-time data on the distance, position, and collision signals of surrounding obstacles, and are matched with independent steering drive motors, transmission gear sets, wheel adjustment mechanisms, and other multiple drive transmission structures, the high complexity of the integrated equipment, with multiple sensors and multiple sets of drive and transmission structures, significantly increases the difficulty of the robot's structural layout. This results in increased size and weight, hindering miniaturization and lightweight design, and making it difficult to adapt to low-ceilinged, narrow, and complex cleaning scenarios. In addition, the need to rely on complex algorithms to complete data acquisition, processing, and command output leads to a high system load and makes the system prone to faults such as sensor signal delay, data deviation, and component linkage jamming, resulting in problems such as delayed steering response, steering angle deviation, and obstacle avoidance failure. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The invention addresses the problem of overly simplistic solutions in existing technologies by providing a significantly different solution. Specifically, the invention aims to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings in existing technologies by proposing a cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the invention adopts the following technical solution: A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles includes a cleaning robot body, a first transmission rod, a second transmission rod, drive wheels, and a drive mechanism. The first transmission rod is horizontally rotatably connected to one side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body, and the second transmission rod is horizontally rotatably connected to the other side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body. The first and second transmission rods are located on the same axis. The two drive wheels are rotatably connected to the opposite ends of the first and second transmission rods, respectively. The integrated structure formed by the first transmission rod, the second transmission rod, and the drive wheels has two sets arranged in parallel on the bottom of the cleaning robot body. The four drive wheels are located at the four corners of the bottom of the cleaning robot body. The drive mechanism is installed between transmission rod one and transmission rod two, and includes transmission rod three, a linkage bevel gear, a passive bevel gear one, a passive bevel gear two, a synchronizing cylinder, and a linkage unit. Transmission rod three is vertically arranged and rotatably connected to the body of the cleaning robot, and is located between transmission rod one and transmission rod two. The linkage bevel gear is coaxially fixed to the bottom end of transmission rod three, the passive bevel gear is coaxially fixed to the other end of transmission rod two, and the passive bevel gear two is coaxially rotatably connected to the other end of transmission rod one. Passive bevel gear one and passive bevel gear two are arranged symmetrically to each other, and the linkage bevel gear meshes between the two. The synchronizing cylinder is slidably sleeved on transmission rod one, and one end abuts against passive bevel gear one.

[0006] As a further improvement of the invention: the linkage unit includes a limiting groove and a ball. The limiting groove is recessed inward along the axial direction on the inner wall of the synchronous cylinder, and the ball is embedded and rolled on the outer wall of the transmission rod, and the ball is rolled and locked in the limiting groove.

[0007] As a further improvement of the invention: the linkage unit also includes a positioning bead and a positioning groove. The positioning bead is embedded and rolled on the side of the synchronous cylinder near the first passive bevel gear. The positioning groove is recessed on one side of the first passive bevel gear, and the positioning bead is engaged in the positioning groove. When the synchronous cylinder slides along the axis of the first transmission rod, the positioning bead separates from the positioning groove.

[0008] As a further improvement to the invention: a return spring is also fitted on the transmission rod, with one end of the return spring abutting against the driven bevel gear and the other end abutting against the synchronizing cylinder.

[0009] As a further improvement of the invention: the linkage unit also includes a driven tooth groove and a driving tooth groove. The driven tooth groove is located on the side of the driven bevel gear two near the synchronous cylinder, and the driving tooth groove is located on the edge of the synchronous cylinder near the driven bevel gear two. When the synchronous cylinder slides along the transmission rod one axial direction, the driving tooth groove meshes with the driven tooth groove.

[0010] As a further improvement of the invention: the drive mechanism also includes a driven bevel gear, a driving bevel gear, a pulley and a belt. The driven bevel gear is coaxially fixed to the top of the transmission rod three. The driving bevel gear is rotatably connected to the body of the cleaning robot and meshes with the driven bevel gear. The pulley is coaxially fixed to one side of the driving bevel gear, and the belt is sleeved between the pulleys of two adjacent sets of driving bevel gears.

[0011] As a further step in the invention: a servo motor is also fixed inside the cleaning robot body, and the output shaft of the servo motor is coaxially fixed with one of the active bevel gears.

[0012] As a further improvement to the invention: an annular arc-shaped groove is recessed on the peripheral wall of the pulley, and the belt is placed in the groove.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the invention are: This invention eliminates the need for sensor detection and electronic control. It achieves automatic reversal upon encountering an obstacle through the mechanical linkage of the cleaning robot body, transmission rod one, transmission rod two, and the drive mechanism. This completely avoids reversal failures and jamming caused by sensor malfunctions and signal delays, significantly improving operational stability. The drive mechanism engages with symmetrically arranged passive bevel gears one and two via a linkage bevel gear at the bottom of transmission rod three. The guiding and limiting action of the synchronous cylinder by the limiting groove and ball bearings, combined with the rapid meshing of the active and driven gears, allows for instantaneous reversal upon encountering an obstacle, with no electronic control delay and smooth transmission. Without jamming, during normal operation, the positioning bead engages with the positioning slot to ensure straight-line stability. After encountering an obstacle and sliding to change direction and clearing the obstacle, the return spring pushes the synchronous cylinder to automatically reset, and all linkage structures return to their initial state. The equipment automatically returns to the straight-line operation mode without manual intervention and can continuously cycle for cleaning. This structure relies on the built-in linkage unit of the drive mechanism to achieve the reversing function, eliminating the need for additional steering motors and sensor components, greatly simplifying parts and reducing production and maintenance costs. At the same time, it eliminates the energy consumption of complex electronic control calculations, effectively reducing the overall power consumption of the machine and extending its operating time, making it more practical and competitive in the market. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the invention's drive wheel and its overall connection structure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the invention's drive mechanism. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the synchronous cylinder connection structure for the invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the passive bevel gear II for the invention.

[0015] In the diagram: 1. Cleaning robot body; 2. Transmission rod one; 3. Transmission rod two; 4. Drive wheel; 5. Drive mechanism; 51. Transmission rod three; 52. Linkage bevel gear; 53. Passive bevel gear one; 54. Passive bevel gear two; 55. Synchronizing cylinder; 56. Limiting groove; 57. Ball bearing; 58. Positioning ball; 59. Positioning groove; 510. Return spring; 511. Driven gear groove; 512. Driven gear groove; 513. Driven bevel gear; 514. Driven bevel gear; 515. Pulley; 516. Belt; 517. Servo motor. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the invention. Example

[0017] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles includes a cleaning robot body 1, a transmission rod 1 2, a transmission rod 2 3, drive wheels 4, and a drive mechanism 5. The transmission rod 1 2 is horizontally rotatably connected to one side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body 1, and the transmission rod 2 3 is horizontally rotatably connected to the other side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body 1. The transmission rod 1 2 and the transmission rod 2 3 are located on the same axis. The two drive wheels 4 are respectively rotatably connected to the ends of the transmission rod 1 2 and the transmission rod 2 3 that are far apart from each other. The overall structure formed by the transmission rod 1 2, the transmission rod 2 3, and the drive wheels 4 is arranged in two parallel sets at the bottom of the cleaning robot body 1. The four drive wheels 4 are located at the four corners of the bottom of the cleaning robot body 1. The drive mechanism 5 is installed between transmission rod 1 2 and transmission rod 2 3, and includes transmission rod 3 51, linkage bevel gear 52, passive bevel gear 1 53, passive bevel gear 2 54, synchronization cylinder 55 and linkage unit. Transmission rod 3 51 is vertically arranged and rotatably connected inside the cleaning robot body 1, and is located between transmission rod 1 2 and transmission rod 2 3. Linkage bevel gear 52 is coaxially fixed to the bottom end of transmission rod 3 51. Passive bevel gear 1 53 is coaxially fixed to the other end of transmission rod 2 3. Passive bevel gear 2 54 is coaxially rotatably connected to the other end of transmission rod 1 2. Passive bevel gear 1 53 and passive bevel gear 2 54 are symmetrically arranged, and linkage bevel gear 52 meshes between them. Synchronization cylinder 55 is slidably sleeved on transmission rod 1 2, and one end abuts against passive bevel gear 1 53. The linkage unit includes a limiting groove 56 and a ball 57. The limiting groove 56 is recessed inward along the axial direction on the inner wall of the synchronous cylinder 55. The ball 57 is embedded and rolled on the outer wall of the transmission rod 2, and the ball 57 is rolled and locked in the limiting groove 56. The linkage unit also includes a positioning bead 58 and a positioning groove 59. The positioning bead 58 is embedded and rolled on the synchronous cylinder 55 near the side of the passive bevel gear 53. The positioning groove 59 is recessed on the side of the passive bevel gear 53, and the positioning bead 58 is engaged in the positioning groove 59. When the synchronous cylinder 55 slides along the axis of the transmission rod 2, the positioning bead 58 separates from the positioning groove 59. A return spring 510 is also fitted on the transmission rod 2. One end of the return spring 510 abuts against the driven bevel gear 2 54, and the other end abuts against the synchronizing cylinder 55. The linkage unit also includes a driven tooth groove 511 and a driving tooth groove 512. The driven tooth groove 511 is located on the side of the driven bevel gear 54 near the synchronous cylinder 55, and the driving tooth groove 512 is located on the edge of the synchronous cylinder 55 near the driven bevel gear 54. When the synchronous cylinder 55 slides along the transmission rod 2 axially, the driving tooth groove 512 meshes with the driven tooth groove 511.

[0018] This invention eliminates the need for sensor detection and electronic control. It achieves automatic reversal upon encountering an obstacle through the mechanical linkage of the cleaning robot body 1, transmission rod 1 2, transmission rod 2 3, and drive mechanism 5. This completely avoids reversal failures and jamming caused by sensor malfunctions and signal delays, significantly improving operational stability. The drive mechanism 5 engages with the symmetrically arranged passive bevel gears 1 53 and 2 54 via the linkage bevel gear 52 at the bottom of transmission rod 3 51. The guide and limit of the synchronization cylinder 55 by the limiting groove 56 and the ball bearings 57, combined with the rapid meshing of the active gear groove 512 and the driven gear groove 511, allows for instantaneous reversal upon encountering an obstacle, eliminating the need for electricity. The system features controlled delays and smooth, uninterrupted transmission. During normal operation, the positioning bead 58 engages with the positioning slot 59 to ensure stable straight-line movement. After encountering an obstacle and sliding to change direction, and clearing the obstacle, the return spring 510 pushes the synchronous cylinder 55 to automatically reset, restoring all linkage structures to their initial state. The equipment automatically returns to the straight-line operation mode without manual intervention and can continuously cycle for cleaning. This structure achieves the reversing function solely through the built-in linkage unit of the drive mechanism 5, eliminating the need for additional steering motors and sensing components. This significantly simplifies components and reduces production and maintenance costs. Simultaneously, it eliminates the energy consumption of complex electrical control calculations, effectively reducing overall power consumption and extending runtime, making it more practical and competitive in the market. Example

[0019] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in addition to all the technical features included in Embodiment 1, this embodiment also includes: The drive mechanism 5 also includes a driven bevel gear 513, a driving bevel gear 514, a pulley 515, and a belt 516. The driven bevel gear 513 is coaxially fixed to the top of the transmission rod 51. The driving bevel gear 514 is rotatably connected inside the cleaning robot body 1 and meshes with the driven bevel gear 513. The pulley 515 is coaxially fixed to one side of the driving bevel gear 514. The belt 516 is sleeved between the pulleys 515 of two adjacent sets of driving bevel gears 514. Through the vertical meshing of the driving bevel gear 514 and the driven bevel gear 513, the horizontal power can be efficiently converted into the vertical rotational power of the transmission rod 51. The power steering transmission is smooth, the transmission torque is large, and it is not easy to slip or idle. This ensures the power stability of the whole machine's walking and reversing operations and adapts to the cleaning walking needs of different ground conditions.

[0020] The cleaning robot body 1 also has a servo motor 517 fixed inside. The output shaft of the servo motor 517 is coaxially fixed with one of the active bevel gears 514. The servo motor 517 drives a single set of active bevel gears 514, and then the two sets of walking structures are synchronously transmitted through the pulley 515 and belt 516. Only a single servo motor 517 is needed to complete the walking power output of the whole machine, reducing the number of motor configurations, further simplifying the overall power structure of the machine, and reducing equipment costs and working energy consumption.

[0021] The belt pulley 515 has an annular arc-shaped groove recessed on its peripheral wall. The belt 516 is placed in the groove. The groove can effectively limit and constrain the belt 516, preventing problems such as belt 516 deviation or falling off when the equipment is moving and vibrating or under load. This ensures the reliability of long-term continuous transmission and reduces the probability of equipment failure and maintenance frequency.

[0022] Working principle: When using this cleaning robot, the servo motor 517 first drives one set of active bevel gears 514 to rotate. The active bevel gears 514 achieve synchronous rotation of the two sets of active bevel gears 514 through the belt 516. The active bevel gears 514 mesh with the driven bevel gears 513 to drive the transmission rod 3 51 and the linkage bevel gear 52 at the bottom to rotate synchronously. The linkage bevel gear 52 simultaneously meshes with and drives the passive bevel gear 1 53 and the passive bevel gear 2 54. At this time, the passive bevel gear 2 54 is in an idle state. The positioning ball 58 abuts in the positioning groove 59. The synchronous cylinder 55 is synchronously linked with the passive bevel gear 1 53. Through the axial limit of the ball 57, the transmission rod 1 2 rotates synchronously. At this time, the transmission rod 1 2 and the transmission rod 2 3 rotate synchronously in the same direction, thereby driving the drive wheel 4 to rotate synchronously in the same direction, realizing the synchronous walking of the four corners of the bottom of the cleaning robot body 1, and completing the normal straight-line cleaning operation. When the robot is moving straight, if the drive wheel 4 or the front of the robot body encounters an obstacle and is blocked, the walking resistance increases, the drive wheel 4 is locked, and the transmission rod 1 2 and transmission rod 2 3 are subjected to reverse resistance. Under the action of resistance, the synchronous cylinder 55 overcomes the elastic force of the return spring 510 and slides along the axis of the transmission rod 1 2, so that the positioning bead 58 is forcibly separated from the positioning groove 59. Until the active tooth groove 512 at the end of the synchronous cylinder 55 is precisely engaged with the driven tooth groove 511 of the passive bevel gear 2 54, after the structure is engaged and the transmission state is switched, the transmission rod 1 2 rotates synchronously with the passive bevel gear 2 54. At this time, the transmission rod 1 2 and transmission rod 2 3 rotate synchronously in opposite directions, changing the rotation direction of the two adjacent drive wheels 4, and completing the robot's automatic reversal and obstacle avoidance walking action when encountering obstacles. Once the robot reverses direction and moves away from the obstacle, and the external walking resistance is completely removed, transmission rod 2 and transmission rod 3 are no longer restricted by the reverse resistance. At this time, the reset spring 510 releases the elastic reset thrust, pushing the synchronous cylinder 55 to slide in the opposite direction along the axis of transmission rod 2, causing the active tooth groove 512 to disengage from the driven tooth groove 511. At the same time, the synchronous cylinder 55 is reset to its initial position, and the positioning bead 58 is re-engaged into the positioning groove 59 to complete the positioning lock. The entire transmission structure returns to the initial linkage state, and the robot automatically returns to the stable straight walking mode, continuously completing the automated cleaning operation in a cycle.

[0023] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0024] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles, comprising a cleaning robot body (1), a first transmission rod (2), a second transmission rod (3), a drive wheel (4), and a drive mechanism (5), characterized in that, The first transmission rod (2) is horizontally rotatably connected to one side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body (1), and the second transmission rod (3) is horizontally rotatably connected to the other side of the bottom of the cleaning robot body (1). The first transmission rod (2) and the second transmission rod (3) are located on the same axis. The two drive wheels (4) are rotatably connected to the ends of the first transmission rod (2) and the second transmission rod (3) respectively. The overall structure formed by the first transmission rod (2), the second transmission rod (3) and the drive wheels (4) is arranged in two parallel sets at the bottom of the cleaning robot body (1). The four drive wheels (4) are located at the four corners of the bottom of the cleaning robot body (1). The drive mechanism (5) is installed between transmission rod one (2) and transmission rod two (3), including transmission rod three (51), linkage bevel gear (52), passive bevel gear one (53), passive bevel gear two (54), synchronization cylinder (55) and linkage unit. Transmission rod three (51) is vertically set and rotatably connected inside the cleaning robot body (1), and is located between transmission rod one (2) and transmission rod two (3). The linkage bevel gear (52) is coaxially fixed to the bottom end of transmission rod three (51). The passive bevel gear one (53) is coaxially fixed to the other end of transmission rod two (3). The passive bevel gear two (54) is coaxially rotatably connected to the other end of transmission rod one (2). The passive bevel gear one (53) and passive bevel gear two (54) are symmetrically arranged, and the linkage bevel gear (52) meshes between the two. The synchronization cylinder (55) is slidably sleeved on transmission rod one (2), and one end abuts against passive bevel gear one (53).

2. The cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The linkage unit includes a limiting groove (56) and a ball (57). The limiting groove (56) is recessed inward along the axial direction on the inner wall of the synchronous cylinder (55). The ball (57) is embedded and rolled on the outer wall of the transmission rod (2), and the ball (57) is rolled and locked in the limiting groove (56).

3. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The linkage unit also includes a positioning bead (58) and a positioning groove (59). The positioning bead (58) is embedded and rolled on the synchronous cylinder (55) near the passive bevel gear (53). The positioning groove (59) is recessed on the passive bevel gear (53) and the positioning bead (58) is engaged in the positioning groove (59). When the synchronous cylinder (55) slides along the transmission rod (2) axially, the positioning bead (58) separates from the positioning groove (59).

4. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 2, characterized in that: A reset spring (510) is also fitted on the transmission rod (2). One end of the reset spring (510) abuts against the passive bevel gear (54), and the other end abuts against the synchronizing cylinder (55).

5. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The linkage unit also includes a driven tooth groove (511) and a driving tooth groove (512). The driven tooth groove (511) is located on the side of the passive bevel gear (54) near the synchronous cylinder (55), and the driving tooth groove (512) is located on the edge of the synchronous cylinder (55) near the passive bevel gear (54). When the synchronous cylinder (55) slides along the axial direction of the transmission rod (2), the driving tooth groove (512) meshes with the driven tooth groove (511).

6. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism (5) further includes a driven bevel gear (513), a driving bevel gear (514), a pulley (515), and a belt (516). The driven bevel gear (513) is coaxially fixed to the top of the transmission rod (51). The driving bevel gear (514) is rotatably connected to the cleaning robot body (1) and meshes with the driven bevel gear (513). The pulley (515) is coaxially fixed to one side of the driving bevel gear (514). The belt (516) is sleeved between the pulleys (515) of two adjacent sets of driving bevel gears (514).

7. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The cleaning robot body (1) is also fixed with a servo motor (517), and the output shaft of the servo motor (517) is coaxially fixed with one of the active bevel gears (514).

8. A cleaning robot that automatically changes direction when encountering obstacles while walking, as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The belt pulley (515) has an annular arc-shaped groove recessed on its peripheral wall, and the belt (516) is placed in the groove.

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