Carrying device

Abstract

The utility model provides a carrying device which is used for carrying a cleaning robot and comprises a body. The bearing assembly is arranged on the main body and used for bearing the cleaning robot; the displacement assembly is arranged on the main body and drives the main body to walk; the carrying device bears the cleaning robot through the bearing assembly and drives the cleaning robot to move through the displacement assembly, and the carrying device and the cleaning robot are of a split structure; the carrying device is provided with a suction port; the cleaning robot comprises a dust collection opening; under the condition that the carrying device carries the cleaning robot, the suction port is configured to be in butt joint with the dust suction port. The carrying device can use a dust collection system of the cleaning main machine to clean the surfaces of obstacles such as stair steps while climbing the obstacles such as stairs, the cleaning main machine does not need the carrying device during cleaning, the cost is low, and the carrying device is simple and easy to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to a transport device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, indoor cleaning robots can only move on flat ground and cannot cross obstacles (such as stairs) with a height greater than 40 mm, which limits the use of indoor cleaning robots. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the present application provides a transport device that can transport a cleaning host and enable the cleaning host to cross obstacles to meet the use of more scenarios. At the same time, it can clean the surface of obstacles (such as steps) while climbing obstacles such as stairs.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] A transport device for transporting a cleaning robot, the transport device comprising:

[0006] main body;

[0007] A carrying assembly, disposed on the main body and configured to carry a cleaning robot;

[0008] A displacement assembly, disposed on the main body and configured to drive the main body to walk;

[0009] The transport device is configured to carry the cleaning robot via the carrying component and to drive the cleaning robot to move via the displacement component, wherein the transport device and the cleaning robot are separate structures;

[0010] The transport device is provided with a suction port;

[0011] The cleaning robot comprises a suction port;

[0012] When the cleaning robot is carried on the transport device, the suction port is configured to dock with the dust suction port.

[0013] In this way, when climbing stairs, the suction port is connected to the dust suction port, so that the transport device carrying the cleaning host can clean the step surface when moving on the stair step surface.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the carrying assembly includes a carrier for carrying the cleaning robot;

[0015] The suction port is arranged on the carrier;

[0016] The carrier is also provided with a roller brush interface which is in fluid communication with the suction port, and the suction port is connected to the dust suction port through the roller brush interface.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the roller brush interface is arranged on the upper surface of the carrier, so that the roller brush interface can be docked with the suction port of the cleaning robot when the cleaning robot is on the carrier; the suction port is arranged on the lower surface of the carrier, so that the cleaning robot cleans the surface in contact with the lower surface of the carrier through the suction port; a fluid channel is arranged between the roller brush interface and the suction port, which is used to connect the roller brush interface and the suction port fluid.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning robot includes a fan for generating negative pressure, a roller brush for performing cleaning work, and a dust box for collecting garbage;

[0019] When the transport device carries the cleaning robot to clean the stair steps, the fan and the roller brush are turned on, so that the garbage on the steps is sucked into the dust box through the suction port and the dust suction port.

[0020] In an optional embodiment, the suction force at the suction port has a suction force component perpendicular to the tread surface of the step so as to clean the tread surface; wherein the tread surface is the surface of the step parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, the suction force at the suction port also has a suction force component perpendicular to the climbing surface of the step, so as to clean the climbing surface; wherein the climbing surface is the surface of the step perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, a distance sensor is provided at the bottom of the platform and / or the front of the platform, and is configured to detect the distance between the suction port and the step surface; wherein the step surface includes at least one surface of a treading surface and a climbing surface.

[0023] In an optional embodiment, the suction port can float in the vertical direction, so that the lower surface of the platform of the transport device can be kept in contact with the step surface of the stairs.

[0024] In an optional embodiment, the suction opening is in a strip shape.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, the transport device is further provided with a suction port reciprocating movement mechanism for causing the suction port to reciprocate left and right along the width direction of the cleaning robot.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the suction port reciprocating mechanism includes any one of the following reciprocating mechanisms: a gear-rack reciprocating mechanism, a synchronous belt reciprocating mechanism, and a crank-connecting rod reciprocating mechanism.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning path that the transport device carries the cleaning robot to clean the stairs adopts a bow-shaped cleaning path along the long side of the stairs.

[0028] In an optional embodiment, the suction port is arranged at a position close to the front edge of the lower surface of the carrier. In this way, the cleaning range can be increased during the movement of the transport device carrying the cleaning main body.

[0029] The transport device provided in the present application can transport the cleaning host to enable the cleaning host to cross obstacles, so that the cleaning host can clean the first space and the second space located above, below or on both sides of the obstacle, and the transport device and the cleaning host are separate structures. When the cleaning host is cleaning on a flat ground without crossing obstacles, the cleaning host can be separated from the transport device to work independently, so that the cleaning host can maintain a small volume, and then the cleaning host can be moved to the bottom of the furniture to achieve full cleaning of the ground. At the same time, the transport device can borrow the vacuum system of the cleaning host, and can clean the surfaces of obstacles such as stair steps while climbing obstacles such as stairs. The cleaning host does not need to get off the transport device during cleaning, which is low in cost and simple and easy to use.

[0030] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a cleaning system, including the above-mentioned transport device and a cleaning main unit. The cleaning system with the above-mentioned structure can achieve the crossing and cleaning of obstacles by enabling the transport device to carry the cleaning main unit. At the same time, the cleaning main unit can work independently without affecting the use effect of the cleaning main unit on a flat ground, thereby enabling the cleaning system to be used in more scenarios, significantly improving the use effect of the cleaning system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning host in the cleaning system provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transport device in the cleaning system;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the cleaning host is carried on a transport device provided with a protective cover;

[0035] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the structure of a handling device with a spoke-type displacement assembly carrying a cleaning host;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a handling device with a foot-type displacement component carrying a cleaning host;

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning main machine moving into position on a handling device having a crawler-type displacement assembly;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning host on the transport device ready to climb the stairs;

[0039] Figure 8 It is a front view of a handling device having a segmented displacement assembly;

[0040] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a handling device with a segmented displacement component carrying a cleaning host;

[0041] Fig.10 A three-dimensional diagram of a handling device with a segmented displacement assembly carrying a cleaning host;

[0042] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of a floating suction port of a handling device with a segmented displacement component in a floating state;

[0043] Fig.12 It is a partial enlarged view of the floating suction port of the handling device with the limb-type displacement component in a non-floating state;

[0044] FIG. 13( a ) is a schematic diagram showing the position of a non-reciprocating design of a suction port of a handling device having a segmented displacement assembly;

[0045] FIG13( b ) is a schematic diagram of a transport device having a segmented displacement assembly and a suction port that can move back and forth;

[0046] Figures 14 to 16 A schematic diagram of a moving path of a transport device having a segmented displacement assembly on a staircase;

[0047] Fig.17 is a schematic diagram of a handling device having a segmented displacement assembly in a loading and unloading mode;

[0048] Figures 18 to 27 A schematic diagram of the process of a handling device with a segmented displacement component carrying a cleaning host upstairs;

[0049] Fig.28 A schematic diagram of a transport platform structure provided by the present disclosure;

[0050] Fig.29This is a schematic diagram of the host being on the carrying and transporting platform;

[0051] Fig.30 It is a schematic diagram of an interval alternating stepping foot stair climbing mechanism;

[0052] Fig.31 Schematic diagram of a continuous cycle stepping stair climbing mechanism

[0053] Fig.32 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the main foot of the interval alternating stepping foot stair climbing mechanism using double foot support;

[0054] Fig.33 A schematic diagram of one direction of a continuous cycle foot-type stair climbing mechanism using a dual-foot supported auxiliary foot;

[0055] Fig.34 A schematic diagram of another direction of the auxiliary foot using a double-foot support for the continuous cycle stepping stair climbing mechanism;

[0056] Fig.35 is a schematic diagram of a bipedal mechanism with adaptive stair step height;

[0057] Fig.36 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the adaptive bipedal mechanism and the anti-rotation device;

[0058] Figure 37(a) to Figure 37(e) A schematic diagram of an obstacle avoidance process of a transport platform on stairs;

[0059] FIG38( a ) is a schematic diagram of the field of view in which the transmission frame maintains orientation during the process of the transport platform climbing stairs;

[0060] Figure 38(b) is a schematic diagram of the field of view in which the transmission frame does not maintain orientation during the process of the transport platform climbing the stairs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The present application provides a transport device, which can transport a cleaning host, enable the cleaning host to cross obstacles, and at the same time, can also enable the cleaning host to clean the surface of the obstacle, so as to meet the use of more scenarios.

[0062] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. 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 creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] like Figure 1-Figure 7As shown, the embodiment of the present application first provides a transport device 100 and a cleaning system having the transport device 100, the cleaning system is mainly used for automatically cleaning indoors, and mainly includes a cleaning host 100 and a transport device 200. Among the two parts, the cleaning host 100 is a device for automatically cleaning the floor, which mainly includes a body, a moving component arranged on the body and enabling the body to move on the floor, and a cleaning component for cleaning the floor, the cleaning component includes sweeping components such as a sweeping roller brush, a negative pressure fan, a dust collection box, and mopping and sweeping components such as a mop, a water tank, and a water pump, all of which are arranged on the body, and the moving component includes a roller arranged at the bottom of the body and a motor driving the roller to rotate, so that the cleaning host 100 can automatically clean the floor. 0 can complete a series of ground cleaning tasks such as sweeping and mopping, and can also return to the base station 300 autonomously. The specific structures of the above-mentioned components of the cleaning host 100 can refer to the prior art; the transport device 200 includes a main body 201, a carrying component 202 arranged on the main body 201 and used to carry the cleaning host 100, and a displacement component 222 arranged on the main body 201 and enabling the main body 201 to move and walk. That is to say, the transport device 200 is used to carry the cleaning host 100 and transport the cleaning host 100 so that the cleaning host 100 can reach an area that it cannot reach by itself. The transportation mainly refers to transporting the cleaning host 100 from the first space to the second space. There is a height difference between the second space and the first space, which makes the cleaning host unable to reach by itself.

[0064] In one embodiment, there is an obstacle 400 between the second space and the first space, resulting in a height difference between the two spaces. Transporting from the first space to the second space refers to climbing or crossing the obstacle 400. This obstacle 400 generally refers to an obstacle that is raised relative to the ground and has a height greater than 40 mm, such as climbing stairs commonly seen in indoor scenes, or crossing barriers, thresholds, etc., or it can also be a pool or a receiving tank that is sunken relative to the ground. In addition, transportation can also be a translation on a flat ground (such as a floor). With respect to the prior art, one of the main improvements to the above two parts is to set the transport device 200 and the cleaning host 100 as a split structure. That is to say, the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200 are independent devices relative to each other, and each can work independently. At least when it is necessary to cross the obstacle 400, the cleaning host 100 will move to the transport device 200 to be carried and transported by the transport device 200.

[0065] By such a configuration, on the one hand, when the cleaning host 100 needs to cross the obstacle 400 to clean the area that it cannot reach by itself, it can cross the obstacle 400 with the help of the carrying and transportation of the transport device 200, for example, it can climb the stairs with the help of the transport device 200 (for the convenience of description later, "climbing stairs" will be referred to as "climbing stairs"), so that the cleaning host 100 can be transferred between different floors to meet the cleaning needs of multi-story houses; on the other hand, when the cleaning host 100 does not need to cross the obstacle 400, that is, when performing cleaning operations on the floor of a certain floor, the cleaning host 100 is separated from the transport device 200 to work independently, so that the cleaning host 100 with a smaller volume can be moved to a small space, such as the bottom of furniture, to achieve full cleaning of the floor. Therefore, the cleaning system achieves a balance between transfer between different floors and full cleaning of the floor of each floor, and the use effect of the cleaning system is significantly improved.

[0066] In the above structure, if Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, since the cleaning host 100 needs to be moved to the transport device 200, the transport device 200 includes a main body 201 and a bearing assembly 202 arranged on the main body 201. The cleaning host 100 can be moved to the bearing assembly 202 under the guidance of the guide component, and the cleaning host 100 and / or the transport device 200 are provided with an in-place detection component. In this structure, the main body 201 is the main structure of the transport device 200, and the bearing assembly 202 is a structure of the transport device 200 specifically used to carry the cleaning host 100. When the cleaning host 100 moves to the bearing assembly 202, the transport device 200 realizes the carrying of the cleaning host 100. The reason for setting the guiding component and the in-place detection component is to enable the cleaning host 100 to be automatically and accurately moved to the transport device 200. Of course, it is also possible not to set the guiding component and the in-place detection component, but to manually carry and place the cleaning host 100 on the transport device 200.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown, the bearing assembly 202 includes a carrier 2021, and a buffer slope 2022 is provided at the entrance of the carrier 2021. The carrier 2021 is the main structure of the bearing assembly 202, and the cleaning host 100 is carried on the carrier 2021. Other components of the bearing assembly 202 include a connector that connects the carrier 2021 to the main body 201, and the above-mentioned guide components and in-place detection components provided on the transport device 200. The buffer slope 2022 is provided at the entrance of the carrier 2021, which can achieve a smooth connection between the bearing surface of the carrier 2021 and the ground, providing convenience for the cleaning host 100 to get on and off the platform 221.

[0068] In the present application, the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200 can cooperate in different ways to achieve the crossing of the obstacle 400. In one cooperation mode, the transport device 200 is provided with a communication component 211 connected to the displacement component 222. When the cleaning host 100 is located on the carrying component 202, the communication component 211 can be connected to the carried cleaning host 100, and then the carried cleaning host 100 is connected to the displacement component 222 through the communication component 211, so as to realize the control of the displacement component by the cleaning host 100, and then the displacement component 222 of the transport device 200 can cross the obstacle 400 under the control of the cleaning host 100. That is to say, in this cooperation mode, the cleaning host 100 acts as a "driver" to drive the movable transport device 200 to climb stairs. In this way, there is no need to set components on the transport device 200 to realize its autonomous climbing (these components include, for example, controllers, sensors, and memories, etc.), which simplifies the structure of the transport device 200. In addition, since the cleaning host 100 has the functions of autonomous mapping, planning, positioning, movement, obstacle avoidance, etc., the components for realizing these functions can also be used to control the transport device 200 to climb stairs. Therefore, the cleaning host 100 controls the transport device 200 to climb stairs, which can realize the reuse of the original components, or enable the transport device 200 and the cleaning host 100 to share a control system, thereby eliminating the need to add components, saving costs, avoiding structural changes, and providing great convenience for achieving the purpose of climbing stairs. Among them, the implementation components include: a second sensor 101 horizontally arranged on the body of the cleaning host 100 for horizontal detection, this second sensor 101 can be a laser sensor (LDS) for detecting environmental information, and the horizontal dotted line in the figure is the laser emitted by the second sensor 101; a downward-looking sensor 102 arranged at the bottom of the cleaning host 100 to vertically detect objects at the bottom of the cleaning host 100 (such as the ground, the step surface of the stairs), and there are multiple downward-looking sensors 102 at the bottom of the cleaning host 100, and the vertical detection distance thereof is not less than 20mm, and the accuracy is + / -3mm. The longitudinal dotted line in the figure is the virtual detection line of the downward-looking sensor; the controller of the cleaning host 100 is a component for controlling the transport device 200 to perform the climbing action described later. In order to facilitate the distinction from the following first controller arranged on the transport device 200, this application refers to the controller of the cleaning host 100 as the second controller.

[0069] The following is the combination of Figure 2 The matching method is described in detail:

[0070] like Figure 2As shown, the communication component 211 provided on the transport device 200 may be a wired connection structure, for example, a communication interface. A communication connector is provided on the cleaning host 100. When the cleaning host 100 is moved onto the transport device 200 and moved into position, the communication connector and the communication interface are in contact to realize the electrical connection between the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200. The transmission of electric energy and / or the transmission of signals between the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200 may be realized through the electrical connection, so that the cleaning host 100 may realize the control of the transport device 200 or realize the coordination with the transport device 200. Of course, the communication device may also be other types of components, that is, the connection between the transport device 200 and the cleaning host 100 may be a wireless connection (a wireless connection may also be referred to as a signal connection). The communication component 211 may be, for example, a wireless signal receiver, which realizes the communication connection between the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200 by receiving the wireless control signal sent by the cleaning host 100. Specifically, it may be an antenna, a wifi module or a Bluetooth module.

[0071] Specifically, the main body 201 of the transport device 200 includes a head and a tail, which can be simply understood as the two ends of the transport device 200 in the moving direction, and the direction facing the head is the forward direction of the transport device 200, and the direction facing the tail is the backward direction of the transport device 200.

[0072] like Figure 2 As shown, the transport device 200 includes: the above-mentioned main body 201; a rotating assembly 203, which is arranged on the main body 201 and can drive the carrying assembly 202 and the cleaning host 100 carried by it to rotate, so that the cleaning host 100 (specifically, the second sensor 101 of the cleaning host 100) can always remain horizontal during the process of the head 2011 of the main body 201 being supported. When the transport device 200 carries the cleaning host 100 to climb the stairs (that is, when the obstacle 400 between the first space and the second space is a staircase, and the staircase has at least one step), the recognition method for each step of the staircase is that the second sensor 101 of the cleaning host 100 or the first sensor 221 of the transport device 200 detects the vertical surface of each step.

[0073] In the present application, the structure of the transport device 200 for achieving climbing can have various forms, and different matching modes can be selected to have different forms that are more suitable or have good working effects and outstanding performance. In the first matching mode, for example Figure 2As shown, the preferred transport device 200 includes: a crawler displacement assembly 212, which is arranged on the main body 201 to drive the main body 201 to move, and extends from the head 2011 of the main body 201 to the tail 2012 of the main body 201; a support assembly 213, which is rotatably arranged on the main body 201 and can support the head 2011 from the working surface (the working surface is, for example, the ground or the step surface, etc.) by rotating, and the support assembly 213 can at least make the height of the head 2011 and the second sensor 101 of the cleaning host 100 greater than the height of the bottom step 402 of the stairs. Figure 7 As shown, when the support assembly 213 props up the head 2011 of the transport device 200, the height of the head 2011 is greater than the height of the bottom step 402 of the stairs, which can ensure that the head 2011 can smoothly overlap the bottom step 402 when it falls to achieve the crossing of the bottom step 402, and the height of the second sensor 101 of the cleaning host 100 is greater than the height of the bottom step 402 of the stairs, in order to ensure that the first floor stair map described later can be smoothly determined and the stairs can be climbed smoothly. In this way, through the cooperation of the crawler displacement assembly 212 and the support assembly 213, the transport device 200 can smoothly go up and down the stairs.

[0074] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the support assembly 213 includes: a support rod 2131, one end of which is rotatably connected to the head 2011 of the transport device 200; and a roller 2132, which is rotatably arranged at the other end of the support rod 2131 for rolling contact with the ground. In this structure, the support rod 2131 can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise relative to the transport device 200. The head 2011 can be lifted by rotating the support rod 2131 clockwise, and the head 2011 can be lowered by rotating the support rod 2131 counterclockwise. The roller 2132 is arranged on the end of the support rod 2131 for contacting the ground or the step, so that rolling friction can be achieved between the support rod 2131 and the ground or the step surface, so that the transport device 200 can move more smoothly on the ground.

[0075] In order to optimize the use effect of the transport device 200, Figure 3 As shown, a protective cover 214 covering the crawler track is also provided on the top of the crawler displacement assembly 212 .

[0076] Further, such as Figure 2 As shown, an energy interface 204 and a perspective window 205 are also provided on the transport device 200, wherein the energy interface 204 is used to connect to the charging interface of the cleaning host 100 to receive the electric energy provided by the cleaning host 100; the perspective window 205 is set at the bottom of the carrier 2021, and the downward sensor 102 of the cleaning host 100 can detect the ground and step surface at the bottom of the transport device 200 through this perspective window 205.

[0077] Of course, in other embodiments, the cleaning host 100 and the transport device 200 can also adopt another cooperation mode to achieve the crossing of the obstacle 400, that is, the transport device 200 includes a first controller for controlling its own displacement component 222, and a first sensor 221 for detecting the obstacle 400, and the transport device 200 carrying the cleaning host 100 achieves the crossing of the obstacle 400 under the cooperation of the first controller and the first sensor 221, that is, the first controller controls the displacement component 222 to move according to the information detected by the first sensor 221, so that the transport device 200 carrying the cleaning host 100 can achieve the crossing of the obstacle 400. That is to say, in this cooperation mode, the transport device 200 can achieve autonomous climbing, the cleaning host 100 does not participate in climbing, and the cleaning host 100 only serves as a "passenger" of the transport device 200. Through such a setting, the transport device 200 can achieve independent crossing of the obstacle 400, so that the transport device 200 can play other functions besides transporting the cleaning host 100, such as the maintenance function described later.

[0078] It should be noted that since the carried cleaning host 100 only acts as a "passenger" to ride on the transport device 200, the transport device 200 needs to complete climbing stairs independently, so the transport device 200 includes a main body 201, a carrying component 202, a displacement component 222, a lifting component 223, a first controller, a first sensor 221, a memory, an energy source, a drive component, a charging interface and a communication device, etc.

[0079] The main body 201 is the main structure of the transport device 200. Since the transport device 200 can move, the main body 201 can be understood as a vehicle body, a frame, etc.; the bearing assembly 202 is the same as the bearing assembly 202 in the first matching mode described above, and will not be repeated here; the displacement assembly 222 is arranged on the main body 201 to drive the main body 201 to move. In this second matching mode, the displacement assembly 222 is preferably a spoke-type displacement assembly or a foot-type displacement assembly, wherein, Figure 4 As shown, the spoke-type displacement assembly 222 includes two groups of structures, each group of structures includes two climbing wheel groups, a total of four climbing wheel groups, each climbing wheel group includes a driving spindle 2221 rotatably connected to the main body 201, three spokes 2222 radially radiating from the driving spindle 2221 and evenly distributed circumferentially, and a small wheel 2223 is installed at the end of each spoke 2222. When climbing stairs, the motor of the driving assembly drives the driving spindle 2221 to rotate through the reduction transmission mechanism, and the driving spindle 2221 drives the three small wheels 2223 to rotate around it. During the rotation process, each small wheel 2223 is sequentially overlapped on the upper step or the lower step of the stairs to achieve climbing; Figure 5As shown, the foot displacement assembly 222 includes four climbing feet, each of which is rotatably connected by at least two electric joints 2224. It can perform crawling movements driven by a motor and a transmission mechanism, so that different climbing feet can fall on the upper step or the lower step of the stairs in turn to achieve climbing.

[0080] It can be understood that the above two coordination methods will not be restricted due to the different structures of the transport device 200, that is, no matter whether the transport device 200 is provided with the crawler displacement assembly 212, the spoke displacement assembly or the foot displacement assembly described later, the stair climbing process can be completed only under the control of the cleaning host 100 and only under the control of the transport device 200.

[0081] Reference Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The present disclosure also provides a transport device, which includes a main body, a bearing assembly, and a displacement assembly; the difference from the above-mentioned transport device is that the displacement assembly adopts a limb motion mechanism.

[0082] In one embodiment, the carrying device is composed of three limbs that can move up and down relative to each other. The up and down relative movement of the limbs enables climbing stairs and crossing larger obstacles.

[0083] That is to say, the limb motion mechanism includes a first limb 22291, a second limb 22292 and a third limb 22293 which are connected in sequence. In one embodiment, the first limb and the second limb, the third limb and the second limb are respectively connected by a motion connection part 22294. For example, by setting the motion connection part 22294, the first limb, the second limb and the third limb can move in the height direction, so the motion connection part can also be called a lifting component; the first limb, the second limb and the third limb can move up and down in the height direction, so that the carrying device can move between spaces with height differences, so that the carrying device can climb stair steps and cross larger obstacles.

[0084] It should be noted that, for example, the motion connection part can connect the first limb and the second limb, and the second limb and the third limb together so that they can move up and down relative to each other but cannot be separated. In one embodiment, a reciprocating motion mechanism is also provided in the motion connection part, which can be driven by a motor under the control of a controller and realize the up and down relative motion of the corresponding limb. In order to realize the up and down relative motion with precise size, at least one of the transporting device or the cleaning host is provided with a detection sensor, such as a distance sensor or an angle sensor, and the distance of the up and down relative motion is measured by the distance sensor or the angle sensor, and is fed back to the controller by the distance sensor or the angle sensor, so that accurate lifting distance closed-loop control can be realized. Among them, the above-mentioned controller can be, for example, the first controller of the transporting device (if any); it can also be the second controller of the cleaning host. For this, please refer to the aforementioned embodiment, and no further elaboration is made here.

[0085] The above-mentioned limb-type transport device has a forward direction. According to the direction of its forward direction, the main body is divided into three limb segments, namely the front limb segment, the middle limb segment and the hind limb segment, which can move up and down relative to each other; in other words, the first limb segment is also called the front limb segment, the second limb segment is also called the middle limb segment, and the third limb segment is also called the hind limb segment.

[0086] In order to enable the transport device to move horizontally, the first segment includes a first moving wheel 22281, and the third segment includes a third moving wheel 22283; wherein at least one of the first moving wheel 22281 and the third moving wheel 22283 is a driving wheel, so that the transport device has the power to move horizontally.

[0087] In one embodiment, the first moving wheel 22281 is a supporting wheel, such as a universal wheel; and the third moving wheel 22283 is a driving wheel.

[0088] Of course, considering that when the transport device carries the cleaning host in the stair climbing mode, there is a situation where only the middle segment contacts the steps, therefore, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the stair climbing mode and improve the movement stability and reliability of the transport device, in other embodiments, the second segment may also include a second moving wheel 22282; further, the second moving wheel 22282 adopts a driving wheel.

[0089] Considering that in actual scenarios, quite a few stairs are equipped with carpets on the step surfaces, and the thickness of the carpets sometimes exceeds 12.7mm. The weight of the cleaning host is generally around 5KG, and the weight of the transport device is approximately below 15KG, that is, the weight of the transport device plus the host is less than or equal to 20KG. In order to support this weight, in one embodiment, the diameter of the drive wheel should be greater than or equal to 40mm, and further, the diameter of the drive wheel is greater than or equal to 60mm; taking the setting of the drive wheel at the posterior limb section and the middle limb section as an example, under the weight of the above-mentioned transport device plus the host, after actual testing, the diameter of the drive wheel set at the posterior limb section or the middle limb section must be greater than or equal to 40mm, and further, the diameter of the drive wheel set at the posterior limb section or the middle limb section is greater than or equal to 60mm.

[0090] In order to reduce the weight of the transport device, in one embodiment, the transport device is made of aluminum alloy or plastic profile. For example, the frames of the front, middle and rear limbs can be made of aluminum alloy or plastic profile, and the outside of the frames can also be covered with plastic decorative parts to improve the aesthetics. Of course, in other embodiments, the frames of the front, middle and rear limbs can also be aluminum die-cast or injection-molded parts, and the outside is covered with plastic decorative parts.

[0091] In one embodiment, a platform 2021 is provided on the middle section of the transport device, wherein the cleaning host can drive into or out of the platform 2021 autonomously.

[0092] In order to be able to carry the cleaning host and prevent the cleaning host from accidentally falling, in one embodiment, the thickness of the middle limb section is greater than the thickness of the front and rear limb sections, for example, the thickness of the middle limb section is equivalent to twice or more of the thickness of the front and rear limb sections.

[0093] Considering that the width of the cleaning robot (ie, the cleaning host) is generally less than or equal to 380 mm, in order to ensure that the cleaning host can smoothly enter and exit the carrier, in one embodiment, the opening size of the transport device is slightly larger than the width of the cleaning robot.

[0094] In order to enable the cleaning robot to easily enter or exit the platform, in one embodiment, the front and rear limbs adopt an inverted U-shaped structure, which forms an entrance and exit for the cleaning robot to enter and exit the platform.

[0095] The U-shaped opening of the rear limb segment faces the ground to form an entrance and exit for the cleaning robot to enter and exit the carrier, and when the rear limb segment moves up and down in the height direction relative to the middle limb segment, the rear limb segment does not interfere with the cleaning robot and the carrier.

[0096] In order to achieve the crossing of stair steps, in one embodiment, the ground clearance dimension H5 of the U-shaped sealing portion of the rear segment (the end opposite to the opening) satisfies: H5 ≥ H1 + H2 + H3 + H4, H1 represents the maximum height of a single step of the stairs specified in the building standards, H2 represents the thickness of the platform; H3 represents the height of the cleaning host; H4 is the safety distance of the inverted U-shaped opening, and the value of H4 is generally greater than or equal to 3 mm.

[0097] Similarly, the U-shaped opening of the front limb section also faces the ground to form an entrance and exit for the cleaning robot to enter and exit the platform, and when the front limb section moves up and down relative to the middle limb section in the height direction, the front limb section does not interfere with the cleaning robot and the platform. In order to achieve the crossing of stair steps, in one embodiment, the ground clearance dimension H6 of the U-shaped sealing portion of the front limb section (the end opposite to the opening) satisfies: H6 ≥ H1 + H2 + H3 + H4, H1 represents the maximum height of a single step of the staircase specified in the building standard, H2 represents the thickness of the platform; H3 represents the height of the cleaning host; H4 is a safety distance, and the value of H4 is generally greater than or equal to 3 mm.

[0098] For example, in one embodiment, according to building standards, the maximum height H1 of the stairs for residents is 200 mm, the thickness H2 of the platform is 10-20 mm to ensure strength, and the height H3 of the cleaning robot is less than 110 mm to ensure passability; the safety distance H4 of the inverted U-shaped opening of the hind limb of the cleaning robot is 10-30 mm, then the height H5 of the inverted U-shaped opening of the hind limb of the cleaning robot = H1+H2+H3+H4=330-360 mm.

[0099] The U-shaped opening of the front limb segment is similar to the U-shaped opening of the rear limb segment to facilitate modular production; therefore, in one embodiment, the height of the inverted U-shaped opening of the front limb segment of the cleaning robot is H6 = H1 + H2 + H3 + H4 = 330-360 mm.

[0100] Considering that the transport device is in the climbing mode (see below), since a platform is arranged on the middle limb segment and the middle limb segment has an independent landing stage, and at least one of the front and rear limb segments of the transport device must be provided with driving wheels, and the other must be provided with supporting wheels; therefore, the thickness of the middle limb segment should be as large as possible. In one embodiment, the thickness B of the middle limb segment is greater than the thickness C of the front limb segment, and the thickness B of the middle limb segment is greater than the thickness A of the rear limb segment; further, the thickness of the middle limb segment is set to be at least twice the thickness of the front limb segment or twice the thickness of the rear limb segment, that is, B≥2*A, and B≥2*C; in one embodiment, in order to realize the modular production of the front and rear limb segment frames, the thickness of the front limb segment is equal to the thickness of the rear limb segment, that is, A=C.

[0101] Considering that in the process of the transport device climbing stairs (see below), it can be found that there is at least one process in which the front and middle limbs or the rear and middle limbs will touch the same horizontal step surface (tread surface) of the stairs at the same time. Therefore, the sum of the thickness of the front and middle limbs or the rear and middle limbs will be less than or equal to the width dimension W of the horizontal step surface (tread surface). That is, A+B≤W, B+C≤W.

[0102] In addition, considering that according to the building standards, the tread width W of the indoor stairs of residential buildings is generally 260 mm, and the length of the cleaning robot is generally longer than 300 mm, that is, the length of the cleaning robot is greater than the width of the tread surface. Fig.24 It can be seen that the parking position of the platform of the cleaning robot on the steps cannot exceed the front end surface of the middle limb segment, otherwise motion interference will occur during the process of going up and down the stairs. For this reason, in one embodiment, the opening of the platform faces the rear limb segment.

[0103] The carrier is arranged on the middle limb. Similarly, in order to realize the communication between the transport device and the cleaning host, in one embodiment, the carrier has an interface connected to the cleaning robot, and the interface includes an energy interface and a communication interface, so as to connect the energy and signal with the cleaning robot, so that the energy and signal can be transmitted between the cleaning robot and the transport device; wherein, the energy is mainly the electric energy of the energy source (such as a battery or a battery pack) stored in the cleaning robot or the transport device; the signal includes the sensor information generated by the sensor arranged in the cleaning robot or the transport device and the control / feedback instructions and information exchanged between the second controller arranged in the cleaning host of the cleaning robot or the first controller in the transport device; for the sake of ease of understanding, the signal includes a series of information such as environmental information and platform status information.

[0104] Of course, in other embodiments, the signal transmission may also be performed through wireless communication modules respectively provided on the cleaning host and the transport device of the cleaning robot.

[0105] In order to make the docking process more stable and reliable, in one embodiment, a small amount of energy source, such as one or two batteries, may be disposed inside the transport device.

[0106] The transport device realizes energy and information interaction with the cleaning host by setting an interface.

[0107] The platform has an opening, which faces the rear segment. In one embodiment, the platform 2021 is U-shaped, with the opening of the U-shaped platform facing the rear segment, for example, the opening of the U-shaped platform is aligned with the direction of the cleaning robot entering and exiting the platform to facilitate the cleaning robot to enter the platform.

[0108] In order to dock with the base station in the base station maintenance mode, the carrier is designed to be U-shaped, which can realize corresponding maintenance operations. For example, at the dust collection station during dust collection maintenance, the dust collection port needs to pass through the U-shaped part from the lower surface of the carrier to the upper surface of the carrier, and finally dock with the dust outlet of the dust box of the cleaning host to realize the dust collection operation; in addition, the U-shaped carrier can also avoid the relevant stations for maintaining the base station to ensure the smooth progress of other maintenance operations. For example, when the dust collection station is higher than other stations (such as the liquid replenishing station), the U-shaped carrier can avoid the dust collection station and smoothly reach the liquid replenishing station, thereby realizing the liquid replenishing operation.

[0109] In view of the fact that the length of the cleaning host is usually long, generally longer than 300 mm; in one embodiment, referring to Figure 8 The projection of the carrier 2021 and the hind limb segment 22293 in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface partially overlaps, which is beneficial to the carrying of the cleaning host and prevents the host from falling.

[0110] It should be noted that the length of the two arms of the U-shaped platform (referring to the part excluding the opening and the end opposite to the opening) does not have to be longer than the length of the cleaning robot, but should meet the following requirements: being greater than the wheelbase of the driving wheel and the supporting wheel (such as universal wheels) of the cleaning robot; further, the length of the two arms of the U-shaped platform (referring to the part excluding the opening and the end opposite to the opening) is greater than the distance from the front of the cleaning main body of the cleaning robot to the axis of the driving wheel; the width of the two arms of the U-shaped load-bearing part meets the requirement of being greater than the width of the driving wheel.

[0111] In order to facilitate the maintenance of the cleaning equipment, in one embodiment, the width of the opening of the U-shaped platform is greater than the width of the dust collection port of the base station, and the width of the opening of the U-shaped platform is greater than the width of the dust outlet of the dust box 103 of the cleaning robot. When the transport device is docked at the base station for dust collection and maintenance operations, the opening of the U-shaped platform forks into the dust collection port of the base station, so that the dust collection port of the base station docks with the dust outlet of the dust box of the cleaning robot; it can be understood that because the dust outlet of the cleaning host is not lower than the moving wheel of the cleaning host, and the platform has a certain thickness, in order to achieve dust collection, the height of the dust collection port needs to be able to dock with the dust outlet, so the dust collection port needs to be higher than the upper surface of the platform and extend to the dust outlet of the host, so the opening of the U-shaped platform should fork into the dust collection port of the base station.

[0112] Since the cleaning host is provided with a laser distance measuring sensor 110 (LDS for short) to detect the surrounding environment, in order to prevent the handling device from interfering with the laser optical path of the LDS on the cleaning robot, especially when the handling device and the cleaning host share the sensor system of the cleaning host, in one embodiment, the handling device is used to prevent the handling device from interfering with the sensor system. Figure 8 and Fig.10, a perspective window 205 is provided in the middle segment, for example, a perspective window is provided on at least two sides of the middle segment. The perspective window and the inverted U-shaped openings of the front and rear segments together form a LDS window area as large as possible, so that the detection light path of the LDS can be emitted or transmitted, so that when the transport device carries the cleaning host and moves (for example, climbing stairs), the cleaning system with the transport device and the cleaning host can obtain information about the environment, obstacles, etc. in a timely manner and respond accurately;

[0113] It should be noted that the cleaning host has a forward-looking sensor 111 (such as an image sensor) that can detect the environment ahead; since the front segment has an inverted U-shaped structure, the detection range of the forward-looking sensor 111 will not be affected; of course, in other embodiments, the opening size of the front segment or the lifting height of the carrier can be adjusted to avoid affecting the field of view of the forward-looking sensor.

[0114] Considering the cleaning requirements of the steps, in one embodiment, referring to Fig.11 and Fig.12 The middle limb (such as the carrier) is also provided with a roller brush interface 233 and a suction port 209, and the roller brush interface can be sealed and docked with the roller brush inlet of the cleaning robot; the suction port is in fluid communication with the roller brush interface;

[0115] The roller brush interface is arranged on the upper surface of the platform, so that when the cleaning robot is on the platform, the roller brush interface 233 can be docked with the roller brush inlet of the cleaning robot; the suction port is arranged on the lower surface of the platform, so that the cleaning robot can clean the surface in contact with the lower surface of the platform through the suction port;

[0116] Furthermore, the suction port is arranged at a front position (i.e., close to the front limb section) of the lower surface of the carrier, for example, the suction port is arranged near the front end edge of the lower surface of the carrier, so that the cleaning range can be increased during the movement of the transport device carrying the cleaning host.

[0117] The roller brush interface is connected to the suction port for gas flow, that is, a fluid channel is provided between the roller brush interface and the suction port, and the roller brush interface and the suction port are connected through the fluid channel, so that the cleaning working head of the cleaning host (such as the roller brush and the roller brush inlet) is extended and can be used to clean the steps of stairs.

[0118] By using the process of the transport device going up and down the stairs, the suction port contacts the step surface of each step of the stairs one by one to perform negative pressure cleaning. During cleaning, the fan and roller brush of the cleaning robot are turned on to suck the garbage on the steps into the dust box of the cleaning host.

[0119] It should be noted that the step surface of the steps includes a surface parallel to the horizontal plane (treading surface) and a surface perpendicular to the horizontal plane (climbing surface). Therefore, in order to clean the treading surface of the steps, the suction force of the suction port has at least a suction component perpendicular to the treading surface; in order to clean the climbing surface of the steps, the suction force of the suction port has at least a suction component perpendicular to the climbing surface.

[0120] In other words, the movement path of the suction opening corresponds to the staircase, so that the tread surface and / or climbing surface of the steps can be cleaned.

[0121] Considering how to identify the fit between the suction port and the cleaning surface, in one embodiment, a distance sensor 234 is provided at the bottom of the middle segment (e.g., the platform) and / or the front of the middle segment (e.g., the platform) of the transport device, which can detect the distance between the suction port and the step surface, so that the lower surface of the platform remains in fit with the step surface of the stairs, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect.

[0122] In order to improve the corner cleaning ability and cleaning range of the suction port, especially the corner cleaning ability and cleaning coverage in the stair cleaning scene, take the following measures:

[0123] A suction port adopts floating design, that is, the suction port can float (in the vertical direction). The floating suction port can rise and fall with the ups and downs of the stair step surface, so that the suction port can be close to the cleaning surface to improve the cleaning efficiency. For details, please refer to Fig.11 and Fig.12 .

[0124] B See Figure 13 (a), the suction port is designed in a strip shape, and at least one end of the suction port is close to the edge of the middle limb section, so that the suction port can be as close to the corners of the stairs as possible when cleaning the stairs, thereby improving the corner cleaning ability.

[0125] Of course, in one embodiment, the suction port can also be arranged to be movable (in the horizontal direction), for example, referring to FIG. 13( b ), the transport device can be provided with a suction port reciprocating mechanism, so that the suction port can reciprocate left and right along the double arrow direction shown in the figure during cleaning, so as to improve the coverage rate of the suction port. There are many structures of the reciprocating mechanism, such as a gear-rack reciprocating mechanism, a synchronous belt (chain) reciprocating mechanism, a crank-connecting rod reciprocating mechanism, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0126] Considering that the width of the stair steps may be large, refer to Figure 13(a) and 14, the suction port at the bottom of the transport device can be biased toward one side of the stairs, so as to facilitate the cleaning of the step surface along the edge when going up and down the stairs; in order to clean the middle part or the other side of the same step surface, the suction port moves from one side (for example, the left side of the step) through the middle position (the middle of the step) to the other side (for example, the right side of the step), so as to realize linear cleaning of the step surface by moving the suction port on a step;

[0127] Of course, if the transport device moves to the other side of the stairs, the suction port can be moved to the other side, that is, the suction port can be offset to the other side, thereby ensuring the cleaning coverage of the step surface.

[0128] C plans the moving path of the cleaning robot carried by the transport device, such as the moving path up and down the stairs, so that the cleaning host can clean the entire staircase when it goes back and forth between different floors multiple times.

[0129] Considering that the cleaning host may need to go back and forth between different floors several times a day, in order to improve the cleaning coverage of the suction port and the stair step surface, the suction port is set to be offset to at least one side, for example, one end of the suction port along the length direction is close to the edge of the middle segment), and the suction port is biased to the front, for example, the front end of the suction port is close to the front segment. Fig.14 , Fig.15 and Fig.16 The cleaning robot can move in a bow shape when going up and down the stairs. The cleaning path of the transport device carrying the cleaning host on the stairs is a bow shape along the long side direction (i.e. the direction of the stair railing). In this way, the cleaning robot can first clean along one side of the stairs, and then go up and down the stairs along different paths. After going up and down the stairs many times, the entire step surface of the stairs can be cleaned.

[0130] It should be understood that when the transport device carries the cleaning host up and down the stairs, the position of the suction port remains unchanged, and the path is offset by a certain distance between two adjacent times (for example, this time and the last time), so that the entire step surface of the stairs can be cleaned by going up and down the stairs in batches; in addition, in order to prevent the transport device from accidentally blocking the user's way forward when going up and down the stairs and to improve safety, when the cleaning host (along the long side direction) performs a certain stair cleaning, the cleaning host does not change its position, that is, the cleaning host does not move laterally on the steps.

[0131] Of course, in other embodiments, the movement of the suction port can be combined with the movement of the transport device (planning of the moving path) to jointly improve the cleaning range and cleaning effect; the moving path planning can be the path planning of the short side of the stairs (the width direction of the steps, that is, along the direction of the step edges), and the moving path planning can also be the path planning of the long side of the stairs (along the direction of the straight line formed by connecting the center points of the edges of multiple steps, that is, along the direction of the stair railings). The short side of the stairs can also be combined with the long side of the stairs. The specific setting is based on actual needs and will not be elaborated here.

[0132] The transport device provided by the present invention is provided with a suction port, so that after the transport device is loaded with the cleaning host, the suction port is docked with the dust suction port of the cleaning host. The transport device carrying the cleaning host can clean the step surface when moving on the step surface. At the same time, the suction port is designed to float within a certain range (height direction), so that the suction port can fit the cleaning surface, thereby improving the cleaning effect; in addition, the suction port is designed to move within a certain range (horizontal direction), so that the suction port can clean different positions of the same step surface (height), thereby improving the cleaning range; in addition, by planning the cleaning path of the cleaning host carried by the transport device, such as bow-shaped cleaning along the long side of the stairs, the entire staircase can be cleaned by going up and down the stairs multiple times, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency and cleaning coverage.

[0133] In one embodiment, the transport device provided by the present disclosure has multiple working modes, including but not limited to loading and unloading mode, flat ground transfer mode, up and down stairs mode (also known as climbing mode), base station maintenance mode, and item transportation mode. The heights of at least two mode platforms above the ground are different in different working modes.

[0134] Among them, in each of the above modes, the height of the platform from the ground is different between different modes of the transport device and will change to adapt to different modes;

[0135] Both the transport device and the cleaning robot have driving devices. After the cleaning robot is docked with the transport device on its self-propelled vehicle, the transport device and the cleaning robot can be regarded as a robot assembly. When the assembly is working, with the help of the transport device, the cleaning robot can move in the horizontal direction parallel to the ground plane or in the vertical direction perpendicular to the ground plane. In this way, it can not only realize cleaning and maintenance work at different heights, but also enable the cleaning robot to cross obstacles with larger sizes in the height direction.

[0136] For ease of understanding, the above modes are briefly described below:

[0137] Loading and unloading mode: used for loading and unloading the cleaning robot.

[0138] Flat-ground transfer mode: used to transfer the cleaning robot from the base station to the stairwell for easy up and down stairs;

[0139] Stair climbing mode: The up, down, forward and backward movements are achieved by alternating up and down movements or forward and backward movements of the front limbs, hind limbs and middle limbs. In this stair climbing mode, the platform is always horizontal, and there is no angle change between the platform and the middle limb.

[0140] Base station maintenance mode: The transport device enters the base station for maintenance, for example, the base station maintains the transport device and / or the cleaning host on the transport device. In this mode, the transport device is supported on the ground by support wheels (universal wheels) provided on the front segments and drive wheels provided on the rear segments, and the middle segments are lifted and off the ground, for example, the middle segments are lifted to a height slightly higher than the base station maintenance station to facilitate the transport device to enter and exit the base station. After the transport device enters the base station, it at least partially overlaps with the base station in the lateral projection direction (main viewing direction) or in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane (for example, the top view direction), so that the entire system forms a visual whole, which is more compact and occupies less space; in the maintenance process, the transport device moves relative to the base station in a direction parallel to the horizontal plane, for example, the transport device can move horizontally between different maintenance stations.

[0141] Item transport mode: used to transport small items. In order to transport small items, an item tray is provided on the middle segment, for example, to place small items. It should be noted that when the load-bearing capacity of the item tray is sufficient, the cleaning host can also be transported, thereby realizing the transportation of multiple cleaning hosts; in addition, the transport device can also have an item moving mode to move and reset items. The specifics of the item moving mode can be referred to the above description, and no further elaboration will be given here.

[0142] The following is a detailed description of each mode in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0143] Loading and unloading mode: reference Fig.17 At this time, all three limbs are in the ground state, and the carrier is on the ground to facilitate loading and unloading of the cleaning host.

[0144] Specifically, the cleaning host enters the carrier from the opening formed by the inverted U-shaped structure of the rear limb segment and docks with the interface of the carrier to achieve energy and signal transmission. The energy and signal transmission between the two is interactive to achieve information and energy sharing.

[0145] The signal transmission can also be carried out through wireless communication modules respectively arranged on the cleaning host and the handling device of the cleaning robot. The signal contains a series of information such as environmental information, platform status information, control indicators, execution feedback signals, etc.

[0146] In order to make the docking process more stable and reliable, a small amount of energy source, such as one or two batteries, can be set inside the handling device.

[0147] If necessary, a large-capacity battery pack can be arranged inside the transport device to charge and maintain the cleaning robot; further, a reversible charging circuit can be arranged in at least one of the cleaning robot or the transport device to achieve mutual charging.

[0148] Flat land transfer mode: refer to Fig. 9 After loading and docking are completed, at least one set of driving wheels is off the ground to facilitate control. For example, the controller controls the middle limb segment with driving wheels to leave the ground, and the driving wheels of the hind limb segments touch the ground. The transport device is supported on the ground by the support wheels (universal wheels) provided on the front limb segments and the driving wheels provided on the hind limb segments. The platform is also in a horizontal state and follows the middle limb segment off the ground. During flat ground transportation, the driving wheels of the hind limb segments are controlled by the controller to drive forward according to the map and the planned path. Since the driving method of the transport device at this time is similar to that of the cleaning robot (for example, both use two-wheel drive to move), the movement logic of the transport device can be compared to the cleaning robot, and no further elaboration will be given here.

[0149] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the transport device can still be transported on flat ground in the loading and unloading mode (ie, all limbs are on the ground), but at this time, the control will be complicated due to the large number of driving wheels.

[0150] Stair climbing mode: includes going up and down stairs.

[0151] The following is a brief description of the stair climbing and stair descending processes:

[0152] Reference Figures 18 to 27 , the process of going up the stairs is as follows:

[0153] 1. Reference Fig.18 According to the map of the stair entrance, after the transport device loads the cleaning robot and transports it to the stair entrance, the controller controls the front end surface of the forelimb segment of the transport device to approach the vertical step surface (i.e., the climbing surface) of the first step of the stairs and align it with the stair entrance.

[0154] 2. Reference Fig.19 , lift the front limb segment and make the lowest point of the front limb segment slightly higher than the horizontal step surface (i.e., the step surface) of the first step to ensure that the movement of the carrying device does not interfere with the step surface.

[0155] 3. Reference Fig. 20 The carrying device moves forward until the middle limb segment approaches the vertical step surface of the first step, so that the front limb segment is placed on the step surface of the first step.

[0156] Considering that the lowest point of the front limb segment is slightly higher than the horizontal step surface of the step, in one embodiment, the front limb segment is lowered until it contacts the horizontal step surface of the first step.

[0157] 4. Reference Fig.21, lift the middle limb segment to the same height as the forelimb segment, that is, lift the middle limb segment to the same height as the forelimb segment, so that the lowest point of the middle limb segment is flush with the lowest point of the forelimb segment.

[0158] 5. Reference Fig. 22 , controlling the driving wheel of the hind limb segment to move forward until the hind limb segment contacts the vertical step surface of the first step or the front limb segment contacts the vertical step surface of the next step or at least one of the front limb segment and the hind limb segment cannot move further;

[0159] The driving wheel on the rear segment of the transport device starts to push the transport device forward, and the suction port at the bottom of the middle segment pushes the dust on the step surface;

[0160] 6. Reference Fig.23 , raise the hind limb segment to the same level as the middle limb segment, and raise the front limb segment to a level slightly higher than the horizontal step surface of the next step;

[0161] Considering the question of when to lift, in one embodiment, when the center of gravity of the entire cleaning system (including the transport device and the cleaning host it carries) moves to above the first step, or when the rear limb segment contacts the vertical step surface of the first step or the rear limb segment cannot move, or when the front limb segment contacts the vertical step surface of the next step (for example, the second step) or the front limb segment cannot move, the hind limb segment and the front limb segment are controlled to lift.

[0162] It should be noted that, since at this time, both the front and rear limbs are off the ground, and only the middle limb is on the ground; in order to prevent the handling device from tipping over, the center of gravity of the handling device is set on the middle limb; further, the center of gravity of the handling device is set between the center of the middle limb and the front limb, and as close to the front limb as possible. In addition, since only the middle limb is on the ground at this time, a driving wheel can also be set on the middle limb; of course, the middle limb can also be additionally provided with a supporting wheel (universal wheel), which will not be described in detail here.

[0163] 7. Reference Fig.24 The controller controls the driving wheel of the middle limb segment to move forward until the front end surface of the middle limb segment contacts the vertical step surface of the next step or the front limb segment rests on the horizontal step surface of the next step.

[0164] The driving wheel on the middle section of the transporting device is started to push the transporting device forward, and the suction port at the bottom of the middle section continues to suck dust on the step surface.

[0165] Considering that the lowest point of the front limb segment is slightly higher than the horizontal step surface of the step, in one embodiment, the front limb segment can be lowered until it contacts the horizontal step surface of the next step.

[0166] It should be noted that, from the above process, it can be seen that there is a process of full contact between the front end bottom of the middle limb segment and the horizontal step surface (tread surface) of the stair. Therefore, this process can be used to realize the cleaning of the stair step surface during the climbing process of the transport device. To this end, the front part of the carrier disclosed in the present invention is provided with a suction port for cleaning the step surface of the stair during the climbing process of the transport device. The detailed design and working principle of the suction port are mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0167] 8. Repeat the above process to achieve step-by-step climbing of the stairs. No further details will be given here.

[0168] 9. Reach the top, refer to Fig.25 , Fig.26 and Fig. 27 When the sensor detects that the last step is about to be climbed, when the middle limb section enters the horizontal step surface of the last step, that is, the ground of the upper floor, the controller will only control the rear limb section to be lifted to be flush with the middle limb section, and drive the driving wheel of the middle limb section to make the transport device drive a short distance away from the stair entrance to end the climbing process of the stairs, and switch the transport device to the plane transfer mode, or unload the cleaning host, and let the cleaning host clean the ground of that floor.

[0169] The process of going down the stairs is as follows:

[0170] 1. According to the staircase map, the transport device carries the cleaning host and moves to the staircase.

[0171] 2. Leave the hind limbs suspended in the air.

[0172] 3. The hind limbs descend and touch the horizontal step surface of the next step.

[0173] 4. The transport device continues to move, and the suction port at the bottom of the middle section pushes the dust on the step surface until the middle section is suspended in the air.

[0174] 5. The middle limb segment descends and contacts the horizontal step surface of the next step.

[0175] 6. The transport device continues to move until the hind limbs and the front limbs are suspended in the air. At this time, the suction port at the bottom of the middle limb pushes the dust on the step surface. It should be pointed out that the center of gravity of the transport device is still on the step surface of the current step.

[0176] 7. Repeat the above process to achieve the gradual descent of the stairs.

[0177] 8. Landing. When the sensor detects that it is about to climb the bottom step (for details, please refer to the detection of the bottom step of the crawler transport device in the process of going down the stairs in the previous text), for example, the cleaning host 100 (or the first sensor 221) detects that the distance between itself and the ground no longer changes. No further details are given here. When the middle segment enters the horizontal step surface of the bottom step, that is, the ground of the lower floor, the transport device continues to move until the front segment is suspended in the air. At this time, the suction port at the bottom of the middle segment is still on the bottom step surface to promote dust collection. After the front segment is suspended in the air, the controller will only control the front segment to descend to be flush with the middle segment or to touch the ground of the lower floor, and the process of going down the stairs is completed.

[0178] It can be understood that the above-mentioned process of going down stairs is the reverse process of the process of going up stairs.

[0179] In order to improve the dust collection efficiency of the transport device when cleaning stairs, another improvement is that an independent dust collection fan and dust collection bag can be arranged in the upper space of the middle section of the transport device, wherein the dust collection bag can be connected to the suction port arranged in the middle section through a dust collection duct. One of the energy sources of the fan is from the cleaning robot; the other is an independent battery (such as a battery pack or a battery group) arranged in the transport device as the energy source of the fan. At this time, if the transport device is provided with an independent sensor and control system, the independent battery arranged in the transport device can also provide energy for the sensor and control system. Of course, in other embodiments, the independent battery arranged in the transport device can also be used as an emergency energy source to power the host carried by the transport device.

[0180] Therefore, in one embodiment, the transport device may have a built-in dust collection fan and a dust collection bag, and a suction port may be provided at the bottom of the transport device carrier, which may be connected to the dust collection bag through a dust collection pipe. When the transport device carries the cleaning host up and down the stairs, the built-in dust collection fan of the transport device is started to suck the garbage on the step surface into the dust collection box; further, the transport device may also be provided with a battery and a first controller.

[0181] Since the transport device can be provided with an independent energy unit and logic control module, the transport device does not need to transmit energy and information with the cleaning robot, and the transport device can independently go up and down the stairs. The transport device has a built-in dust collection fan and a dust collection bag. The bottom of the transport device carrier is provided with a suction port, which is connected to the dust collection bag through a dust collection pipe; the transport device is also provided with an independent battery and a first controller; therefore, when the cleaning host is performing routine cleaning work, the transport device can autonomously go up and down the stairs, suck the garbage on the step surface into the dust collection box, and clean the stairs.

[0182] It should be noted that the above-mentioned limb-type transport device is used as an example to illustrate the process of the transport device carrying the host to climb the stairs. During the climbing process, the suction port set on the platform and the dust suction port of the host are connected, so that the dust suction system of the host can be used to clean the stair platform during the climbing process. It can be understood that the above-mentioned cleaning of the stair steps while climbing the stairs is also applicable to other transport devices with displacement components and carrying components including suction ports, such as spoke-type transport devices, single-track transport devices, multi-stage crawler transport devices, walking-foot transport devices, etc.; in order to save space, no further details are given here.

[0183] The transport platforms (eg, transport devices) in the aforementioned implementations are all used to carry the host (ie, the cleaning robot) for transportation and climbing stairs.

[0184] In order to reduce costs, this type of transport platform loads the host in an operating mode that uses host sensing combined with transport platform driving. Specifically, during the transport and climbing process, the host's sensor system senses the environment, performs calculations and planning, and converts the calculation and planning results into operating instructions and sends them to the transport platform. The transport platform's controller controls the transport platform's driving wheels to transport on flat ground and the transport platform's climbing mechanism to climb stairs. During this process, the host's communication module is required to send instructions to the transport platform's communication module from time to time, and the transport platform's communication module receives instructions sent by the host's communication module from time to time and transmits them to the transport platform's controller, thereby controlling the transport platform's driving wheels to perform corresponding actions.

[0185] In order to simplify the system architecture, improve operational reliability and reduce costs, a solution of using a host loading and handling platform for transfer is proposed.

[0186] In one embodiment, see Fig.28 Specifically, the handling platform includes:

[0187] A platform frame 500 (e.g., the main body of the transport device), on which all modules of the transport platform are arranged;

[0188] The top of the platform frame may be provided with a charging port 501, a battery pack 502, a control panel 503 (i.e., a controller of the transport device), a stair climbing mechanism transmission module 504 (including a motor, a reducer, etc.), and a loading support frame transmission module (including a motor, a reducer, a transmission belt, etc.)

[0189] Below the top of the platform frame is a hollow loading space 505, in which a movable (e.g., upward and downward movable) loading support frame 506 is arranged to achieve different loading purposes in different working states.

[0190] During the transfer, the transport platform is loaded and supported on the main machine, the main machine moving components (especially the driving wheels on the main machine) are in contact with the ground (referred to as grounding), the transport platform (especially the driving wheels of the transport platform) is off the ground (referred to as lifting off the ground), and the transport platform is carried by the main machine for transfer;

[0191] When climbing stairs (including going up and down stairs), the transport platform is loaded and supported on the main machine, the main machine driving wheels are grounded, and the transport platform driving wheels are off the ground; or the transport platform carries the main machine to climb stairs;

[0192] During maintenance, the transport platform carries the host, the transport platform driving wheels are grounded, the host driving wheels are off the ground, and the transport platform lifts the host to the maintenance plane of the maintenance base station for maintenance operations; wherein the maintenance plane is a certain distance away from the ground.

[0193] The loading support frame 506 is liftable and is movably arranged in the loading space of the platform frame. The motor, reducer and transmission belt of the loading support frame transmission module are controlled by the controller to perform up and down lifting movements in different states.

[0194] A driving wheel 507 is provided at the bottom of the platform frame, which can rotate under the control of the controller to realize the movement of the transport platform;

[0195] The front part of the platform frame is provided with a support wheel 508, which can be raised and lowered under the control of the controller to adapt to the step heights of different stairs;

[0196] A movable baffle door that can be opened and closed is provided at the bottom front of the loading space of the platform frame to facilitate the main machine to enter the transport platform for positioning and to leave the transport platform for maintenance such as charging and water replenishment.

[0197] Fig.29 The figure is a schematic diagram of the host in a state of carrying the transport platform (host carrying the platform). After the host enters the loading support frame of the transport platform and completes positioning, the host sends a positioning completion signal to the transport platform, and the transport platform controller controls the loading support frame to continue to move downward until the gap between the top of the C-shaped opening of the loading support frame and the top of the host disappears / is eliminated (that is, the gap at the top is reduced from L6 to 0), the driving wheels and support wheels of the transport platform are off the ground, and the weight of the transport platform is completely pressed on the top of the host, completing the host loading the transport platform.

[0198] In order to improve the stability during transportation, after loading is completed, the center of gravity of the system (main machine and the carrying platform it carries) should be located near the geometric center between the main machine driving wheel and the support wheel, and the distance between the center of gravity and the geometric center between the main machine driving wheel and the support wheel should be less than or equal to 50mm; the height Hg of the center of gravity from the ground should be as small as possible, and the height Hg from the ground should be less than or equal to 350mm.

[0199] During the stair climbing process, the host is in the process of carrying the transport platform to the stair entrance. Specifically, the host carries or carries the transport platform to the stair according to the stair map, rotates the host body to align the front of the transport platform with the stair, and moves forward until the two steps on both sides of the front of the transport platform are in place and the collision sensors are triggered by the collision. At this time, it means that the transport platform is facing the stair, the transfer is completed, and the system is ready to enter the stair climbing procedure.

[0200] In the embodiment of the host carrying the transport platform for transportation, the stair climbing mechanism of the transport platform adopts a foot-type stair climbing mechanism, which imitates the alternating stair climbing motion mode of human feet to achieve stair climbing. Fig.30 , Fig.31 The mechanism principles of two types of foot-type stair-climbing mechanisms are revealed. Fig.30 It is a schematic diagram of an interval alternating stepping foot stair climbing mechanism. Fig.31 It is a schematic diagram of a continuous cycle step-type stair climbing mechanism. Both of these step-type stair climbing mechanisms have at least one main foot 509 and one auxiliary foot 510. The main foot is connected to the platform frame and used to be carried by the main machine; the second is to serve as a supporting foot of the stair climbing mechanism; the auxiliary foot is used to serve as another supporting foot of the stair climbing mechanism. During the stair climbing process, the two supporting feet will alternately step on the stair step tread surface to achieve stair climbing. The main foot and the auxiliary foot of the interval alternating step-type stair climbing mechanism are connected by at least one powered biaxial sliding pair 511. Through the powered biaxial sliding pair, the main foot and the auxiliary foot can achieve alternating relative sliding in the horizontal and vertical directions, so as to achieve relative movement of the main foot and the auxiliary foot relative to the stair step height and horizontal direction, thereby achieving stair climbing.

[0201] Fig.30 The most basic mechanism of the intermittent alternating foot-type stair climbing mechanism is disclosed. The main foot 509 and the auxiliary foot 510 each only show one supporting foot, which may not be stable in actual movement. Therefore, in one embodiment, the main foot and the auxiliary foot of the intermittent alternating foot-type stair climbing mechanism can use two supporting feet, that is, the main foot and the auxiliary foot can use double foot support.

[0202] Fig.32 The main foot of the double-foot support of the interval-alternating step-foot stair climbing mechanism is disclosed, and the main foot of the double-foot support is mainly composed of a fixed support foot 512, a height-adjustable support foot 513, and a height-adjustable auxiliary foot 514. Similarly, the construction of the auxiliary foot of the double-foot support is the same or substantially the same as that of the main foot of the double-foot support, which is omitted here and will not be described in detail.

[0203] The main foot and the auxiliary foot of the continuous cycle step-type stair climbing mechanism are connected by at least one powered closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain).

[0204] Considering that the main foot is relatively large, a closed loop transmission belt 520 (or transmission chain) is generally provided on the main foot.

[0205] A hinged pair is arranged on the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain), and the auxiliary foot is driven to move by the hinged pair. By setting a power-driven closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain), the main foot and the auxiliary foot can achieve relative movement in the horizontal and vertical directions, so as to achieve continuous relative movement of the main foot and the auxiliary foot relative to the height of the stair steps and in the horizontal direction, thereby achieving stair climbing.

[0206] Fig.31 The most basic mechanism principle of the continuous cycle walking foot stair climbing mechanism is revealed. The main foot and the auxiliary foot only have one supporting foot, which is not stable in actual movement. Therefore, it is necessary to use two feet for support in actual movement.

[0207] Fig.33 and Fig.34 The invention discloses a double-foot support auxiliary foot of a continuous cycle stair climbing mechanism, which is mainly composed of a fixed support foot, a height-adjustable support foot and a height-adjustable auxiliary foot. The principle and structure of the double-foot support main foot are the same as those of the double-foot support main foot, which are omitted here.

[0208] See also Fig.33 The height between the fixed support foot and the height-adjustable support foot can be measured by the step height sensor, and then the controller can adjust the step height through the height adjustment sub-drive motor, and the height adjustment sensor forms a closed-loop control. The height adjustment sensor can be an angle sensor such as a grating arranged on the height adjustment sub-drive motor, and the angle obtained by the angle sensor is converted to the angle of motor rotation, or it can be directly measured by a position sensor arranged on the height adjustment sub-drive motor. Therefore, in order to obtain the step height, the step height can be measured before going up the stairs or before going down the stairs, that is, the step height can be measured by direct measurement or indirect measurement.

[0209] In order to more accurately adjust the height between the fixed supporting foot and the height-adjustable supporting foot, while ensuring the force with which both feet contact the stair step surface, a force sensor 518 is also provided on one of the fixed supporting foot and the height-adjustable supporting foot to detect the force with which both feet contact the stair step surface.

[0210] Since the auxiliary foot is provided with a height adjustment pair and a force sensor, it must be connected to a power source. The auxiliary foot will make a large range of relative movements relative to the main foot. If the main foot and the auxiliary foot are connected by cables to transmit power and electrical signals, the cables will often be in a deformation process of elongation and shortening, which is not conducive to long life and reliability. For this reason, a conductive slide 515 is provided on the auxiliary foot. The conductive slide 515 only contacts the electrical contacts of the main foot when the articulated pair is in the first and fourth quadrants to adjust the auxiliary section adjustable support foot, so as to transmit power and electrical signals.

[0211] Considering that the main foot and the auxiliary foot are connected to the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) by only one hinge pair, relative rotation will occur between them, and only the auxiliary foot and the main foot need to move in a relative manner, that is, to ensure the translation of the auxiliary foot and the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain). To this end, in one embodiment, an anti-rotation device can be provided between the main foot and the auxiliary foot.

[0212] See also Fig.33 and Fig.34 The anti-rotation device on the auxiliary foot is composed of an articulated pair and two anti-rotation bearings 516 (such as rolling bearings) arranged on the auxiliary foot body. The center points of the articulated pair 517 and the two anti-rotation bearings form a triangle layout and cannot move relative to each other.

[0213] The anti-rotation device on the main foot is composed of a closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and two guide grooves with the same running track as the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain). The rolling bearing will be constrained by the guide groove 519 and can only roll in the guide groove 519. The geometric centers of the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and the two guide grooves are also triangular, and the shape and size of the triangle are exactly the same as the triangle formed by the above-mentioned hinge pair of the auxiliary foot and the center points of the two anti-rotation bearings. In this way, when the hinge pair is driven, the three vertices of the triangle will move along the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and the guide groove respectively, and will not be stuck. The anti-rotation device is set in a triangular shape mainly for the following reasons: first, the triangle is a stable structure and will not deform; second, it is to reduce the space occupied by the mechanism. The closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and the guide slide have an intersection point, at which the constraint of the guide slide on the rolling bearing disappears. The triangular three-point layout can ensure that the anti-rotation device has two points constrained at each point of the closed loop movement, thereby preventing relative rotation between the main foot and the auxiliary foot.

[0214] The following describes the relationship between the parts of the anti-rotation device: A main transmission shaft is provided on the main foot body, which is used to drive the main transmission wheel 519 to rotate, and the main transmission wheel drives the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) to move. An articulated pair is provided on the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain), and the articulated pair is connected to the auxiliary foot body through an articulated pair shaft and an articulated pair bearing, and the articulated pair bearing moves in the guide groove of the transmission belt (or transmission chain). The auxiliary foot body also drives the anti-rotation bearing to slide in the guide groove connected to the main foot body through the anti-rotation bearing shaft. The guide groove is fixed to the main foot body by fasteners (screws). In this way, the auxiliary foot can be driven by the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) under the constraint of the anti-rotation device to achieve continuous stair climbing action.

[0215] See also Fig.35 The bipedal mechanism of the adaptive stair step height is composed of a parallel link mechanism, which has two transverse links 521 and three vertical links 522. The three vertical links are arranged at intervals, and the interval value Wf4 should be less than the minimum value of the stair steps of civil buildings. In one embodiment, the value range of Wf4 is 80-180 mm; further, the value range of Wf4 is 100-170 mm; preferably, the value range of Wf4 is 120-165 mm.

[0216] Each of the three vertical connecting rods is provided with two hinge holes 523, and the two transverse connecting rods are provided with three hinge holes. Through these hinge holes, the two transverse connecting rods and the three vertical connecting rods form a double parallelogram structure. The transverse connecting rods and the vertical connecting rods can rotate parallel to each other around the hinge holes. The middle rod provided is called a fixed rod 524, which is fixedly connected to the main foot or the auxiliary foot body. The two hinge holes on it are arranged in the vertical direction. The spacing of the arrangement is not limited, as long as it can meet the strength of the mechanism.

[0217] Because it is a double parallelogram mechanism, when the middle rod is in the vertical direction, the other vertical rods will remain vertical during the rotation process. In order to better adapt to the height difference of the stair steps, the lengths of the left and right vertical connecting rods of the double parallelogram mechanism are not equal, and the difference Wf5 is equivalent to half of the difference between the maximum value 220mm and the minimum value 125mm of the stair step height of civil buildings. At this time, it is most favorable, that is, the difference Wf5 between the vertical connecting rod 1 and the vertical connecting rod 2 is in the range of 40 to 70mm.

[0218] The working principle of the adaptive bipedal mechanism is as follows: when the right side of the dual parallelogram mechanism of the adaptive bipedal mechanism steps downward from the stepping surface of the stair step during the stair climbing process, if the right supporting foot 526 contacts the ground first and is subjected to the ground reaction force, the transverse connecting rod of the dual parallelogram mechanism will rotate counterclockwise until the left supporting foot also contacts the ground. If the left supporting foot contacts the ground first and is subjected to the ground reaction force, the transverse connecting rod of the dual parallelogram mechanism will rotate clockwise until the right supporting foot also contacts the ground. In this process, there is no need to consider the imbalance of the left and right supporting feet, as they will adjust themselves until they are balanced, i.e., there is no need to use a force sensor or a height adjustment device, thereby reducing the complexity of the mechanism and saving costs.

[0219] The adaptive bipedal mechanism is highly adaptive to steps of different heights and is insensitive to construction errors of building steps. It can be well adapted to stair climbing mechanisms, especially walking-foot transport platforms.

[0220] Fig.36 The connection method between the adaptive bipedal mechanism and the anti-rotation device is shown. In one embodiment, the anti-rotation device includes a transmission frame in addition to an articulated pair 601 and two anti-rotation bearings 602 (such as rolling bearings) arranged on the auxiliary foot body. Similarly, the center points of the articulated pair and the two anti-rotation bearings are arranged in a triangular layout. Among them, the transmission frame is a rigid frame lever body, and three bearing sockets 607 are arranged on the body at the center points of the articulated pair and the two anti-rotation bearings to connect the articulated pair and the two anti-rotation bearings (such as rolling bearings) arranged on the auxiliary foot body into a component. This component is driven by a pin shaft arranged on the articulated pair of a closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and moves along a closed loop path, and is limited by a guide groove to rotate during movement, so that the movement of the transmission frame is a translational motion.

[0221] The three vertical connecting rods of the adaptive bipedal mechanism have different functions. The function of the vertical connecting rod (hereinafter referred to as the connecting rod) located in the middle position is to form a non-rotatable connection with the transmission frame. The method is that there are two connecting pin holes on the connecting rod, and the connecting pin holes correspond to the hole positions of any two bearing holes (preferably two holes in the vertical direction) of the transmission frame, and form a matching connection with the connecting pin installed in the bearing hole of the transmission frame. The matching of this connection can be a movable match with clearance or an interference non-movable match, which does not affect the final use effect. When the transmission frame is driven by the pin shaft on the hinge pair of the closed ring transmission belt (or transmission chain) and moves along the closed ring path, the connecting rod also moves with it. The vertical connecting rod (hereinafter referred to as the short foot 603) located in the front position (the forward direction of the handling platform is the front) is used to support on the step surface of the higher step of the stairs when going up the stairs or going down the stairs. The vertical connecting rod (hereinafter referred to as the long foot 604) located at the rear position (the direction opposite to the forward direction of the transport platform is the rear) is used to support the step surface of the lower step of the stairs when going up the stairs or going down the stairs. It can be understood that the long foot has a relatively longer length than the short foot.

[0222] Before and after stepping on the ground, the distance between the short foot and the long foot of the adaptive bipedal mechanism will change to a certain extent. This change will cause the relative movement of the long foot and the short foot on the ground during the stepping on the ground, causing friction. The smaller this change is, the better. There are two options for the inclination angle of the horizontal connecting rod of the adaptive bipedal mechanism, one is backward inclination (inclination upward relative to the horizontal plane, also known as upward inclination), that is, the horizontal connecting rod 606 forms an acute angle with the vertical axis of the connecting rod; the other is forward inclination (inclination downward relative to the horizontal plane, also known as downward inclination), that is, the horizontal connecting rod forms an obtuse angle with the vertical axis of the connecting rod; taking the distance between the long foot and the short foot as 254mm as an example, after stepping on the ground, the change in the distance between the short foot and the long foot in the forward inclination scheme is greater than that in the backward inclination scheme. Therefore, the backward inclination scheme is a better implementation scheme.

[0223] The climbing process cyclic closed path formed by the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) of the auxiliary foot as the adaptive bipedal mechanism is constructed as follows: starting from the initial position where the transmission pin connecting the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and the transmission frame 605 is located at the sprocket vertex on the upper right of the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain), the transmission pin connecting the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) and the transmission frame moves downward in a clockwise direction along the right side of the cyclic closed path, and the adaptive bipedal mechanism will first move downward to complete the grounding of one of the long foot or the short foot with the stair tread surface, This section of the stroke is called the auxiliary foot grounding stroke; the adaptive double-foot mechanism then moves downward to complete the grounding of the long foot and the short foot with the stair tread surface and bear the weight of the entire mechanism. This section of the stroke is called the auxiliary foot stepping stroke; after the adaptive double-foot mechanism steps on the stair tread surface, it is blocked by the stair tread surface and cannot continue to move downward, while the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) is still running, and the relative movement between the main foot and the adaptive double-foot mechanism continues. The main foot will be forced to be lifted off the ground. This stroke is called the main foot lifting stroke. At this time, the transmission pin moves to the bottom edge of the closed loop path. The transmission pin continues to run along the bottom edge of the closed loop path until it reaches the left side of the closed loop path, and the main foot will move forward to the front relative to the auxiliary foot. This is the main foot translation stroke. After the main foot translation stroke is completed, the transmission pin will move upward along the left side of the closed loop path, and the main foot will move downward relative to the auxiliary foot until it contacts and steps on the stair tread surface. This is the main foot grounding stroke. After the main foot touches the ground, it is blocked by the stair tread and cannot continue to move downward, while the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) is still running, and the transmission pin will continue to move upward along the left side of the closed loop path. The relative movement between the main foot and the adaptive double-foot mechanism continues, and the auxiliary foot will be forced to be lifted off the ground until the transmission pin moves upward along the left side of the closed loop path to the top edge, ending the lifting of the auxiliary foot. This stroke is called the auxiliary foot lifting stroke. The transmission pin continues to run along the top edge of the closed loop path until it reaches the right side of the closed loop path, the initial position of the sprocket vertex on the upper right side of the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain), which is the auxiliary foot translation stroke. After the auxiliary foot translation stroke ends, the transport platform enters the next cycle and continues to climb.

[0224] When the transport platform is climbing the stairs, it will inevitably be blocked by obstacles, so it needs to have an obstacle avoidance function. Figure 37(a) to Figure 37(e)An implementation scheme for obstacle avoidance of a transport platform on stairs is provided, and the solution adopts lateral movement to avoid obstacles. Specifically, a secondary foot mounting frame and a lateral movement mechanism of the secondary foot mounting frame are provided on the main foot 608, which can move laterally relative to the main foot; the lateral movement mechanism of the secondary foot mounting frame can be any mechanism that can realize movement between two points, such as a gear-rack mechanism, a crank connecting rod mechanism, a chain / bar transmission, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc., and the lateral movement mechanism of the secondary foot mounting frame is described here using a gear-rack mechanism 612. The secondary foot mounting frame is installed in a lateral movement guide groove 611 of the lateral movement mechanism of the secondary foot mounting frame for stopping rotation between the main feet, and can move laterally under the drive of the lateral movement mechanism of the secondary foot mounting frame. The secondary foot 609 and its transmission mechanism are installed on the secondary foot mounting frame 610 and move along a circular closed path. When obstacle avoidance is required, the gear of the gear-rack mechanism is driven by a motor controlled by a controller set on the main foot or the robot to drive the main foot or the secondary foot in a suspended state to move to the left or right to avoid obstacles. Figure 37(a) to Figure 37(e) Only one of the scenarios is disclosed. In this scenario, when the transport platform encounters an obstacle, the secondary foot is supported on the stair step surface, the main foot is in a suspended state and close to the wall on the right, so the transport platform can only move to the left to avoid the obstacle. At this time, the controller controls the motor to drive the gear to rotate clockwise through the reduction box (not shown in the figure), and the main foot moves to the left to the far left relative to the secondary foot mounting frame and stops; the controller controls the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) to move to support the main foot on the ground, and the secondary foot is suspended; the controller controls the motor to drive the gear to rotate counterclockwise through the reduction box (not shown in the figure), and the secondary foot mounting frame moves to the left to the far left relative to the main foot and stops; the controller controls the closed loop transmission belt (or transmission chain) to move to support the secondary foot on the ground, and the main foot is suspended (that is, returning to the state of Figure 37 (a) again); the reciprocating cycle can realize the lateral movement of the transport platform to avoid obstacles.

[0225] It is understandable that when the stair steps are moved laterally, the suction port and the dust suction port of the platform can be used to clean the steps.

[0226] Referring to Figures 38(a) and 38(b), when the transport platform is climbing the stairs, there are two positioning scenarios for the transmission frame. One is to maintain the horizontal and vertical orientation of the transmission frame and the closed loop path (i.e., translation). At this time, the bottom of the host loaded on the transport platform is parallel to the stair step surface, and there is no angle between its front visual sensor 613 and the stairs, and the field of view is relatively limited. For this reason, another usage scenario is introduced, that is, not maintaining the horizontal and vertical orientation of the transmission frame and the closed loop path (i.e., no translation). At this time, the bottom of the host loaded on the transport platform is not parallel to the stair step surface, and there is an angle between its front visual sensor and the stairs, so the field of view is expanded.

[0227] It should be understood that the qualifiers "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the description of the embodiments of the present application are only used to more clearly explain the technical solutions and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0228] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A transport device for transporting a cleaning robot, characterized in that: The transport device comprises: main body; A carrying assembly, disposed on the main body and configured to carry a cleaning robot; A displacement assembly, disposed on the main body and configured to drive the main body to walk; The transport device is configured to carry the cleaning robot via the carrying component and to drive the cleaning robot to move via the displacement component, wherein the transport device and the cleaning robot are separate structures; The transport device is provided with a suction port; The cleaning robot comprises a suction port; When the cleaning robot is carried on the transport device, the suction port is configured to dock with the dust suction port.

2. The transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrying assembly includes a carrying platform for carrying the cleaning robot; The suction port is arranged on the carrier; The carrier is also provided with a roller brush interface which is in fluid communication with the suction port, and the suction port is connected to the dust suction port through the roller brush interface.

3. The transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The roller brush interface is arranged on the upper surface of the platform, and the suction port is arranged on the lower surface of the platform; a fluid channel is arranged between the roller brush interface and the suction port for connecting the roller brush interface and the suction port fluid.

4. The transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning robot includes a fan for generating negative pressure, a roller brush for performing cleaning work, and a dust box for collecting garbage; When the transport device carries the cleaning robot to clean the stair steps, the fan and the roller brush are turned on, so that the garbage on the steps is sucked into the dust box through the suction port and the dust suction port.

5. The transport device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The suction force at the suction port has a suction force component perpendicular to the step surface of the step; wherein the step surface is the surface of the step parallel to the horizontal plane.

6. The transport device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The suction force at the suction port also has a suction force component perpendicular to the climbing surface of the step; wherein the climbing surface is the surface of the step perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

7. The transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A distance sensor is disposed at the bottom of the platform and / or at the front of the platform, and is configured to detect the distance between the suction port and the step surface; wherein the step surface includes at least one surface of a treading surface and a climbing surface.

8. The transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction port can float in a vertical direction.

9. The transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction opening is in a strip shape.

10. The transport device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The transport device is also provided with a suction port reciprocating movement mechanism for causing the suction port to reciprocate left and right along the width direction of the cleaning robot.

11. The transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The suction port reciprocating mechanism includes any one of the following reciprocating mechanisms: a gear-rack reciprocating mechanism, a synchronous belt reciprocating mechanism, and a crank-connecting rod reciprocating mechanism.

12. The transport device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cleaning path for the transport device to carry the cleaning robot to clean the stairs adopts a bow-shaped cleaning path along the long side of the stairs.

13. The transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The suction port is arranged at a position close to the front end edge of the lower surface of the carrier.

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