Self-moving equipment and cleaning system

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model discloses a self-moving device and a cleaning system, the self-moving device comprises a main body, the main body is provided with at least two distance measuring sensors, and boundaries of horizontal field angles between the distance measuring sensors are not parallel and not intersected, so that the horizontal field angles between the distance measuring sensors are not mutually overlapped. Therefore, mutual interference between the distance measuring sensors is avoided, and the accuracy of a detection result is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of intelligent devices, and in particular to a self - moving device and a cleaning system. Background Art

[0002] With the development of robot technology, self - moving devices have been more and more widely used in various fields to complete multiple tasks instead of manual labor.

[0003] Multiple ranging sensors are usually installed on the main body of the self - moving device to detect the position and distance between the self - moving device and objects (such as obstacles) in its surrounding environment. However, it is easy for the ranging sensors to interfere with each other, thus reducing the accuracy of the detection results. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Utility Model section, which will be further elaborated in the Detailed Implementation section. The Summary of the Utility Model section does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the utility model provides a self - moving device, including a main body, on which at least two ranging sensors are provided, and the boundaries of the horizontal field of view between the ranging sensors are not parallel and do not intersect.

[0006] Optionally, the ranging sensor is a tof sensor.

[0007] Optionally, the first ranging sensor is arranged at the front of the main body, and the first ranging sensor is any one of at least two of the ranging sensors.

[0008] Optionally, the second ranging sensor is arranged at the rear of one side of the main body, and the second ranging sensor is any one of the remaining sensors among at least two of the ranging sensors.

[0009] Optionally, the angular bisector of the horizontal field of view of the first ranging sensor coincides with the central axis of the main body.

[0010] Optionally, a preset included angle is formed between a first boundary of the horizontal field of view of the first ranging sensor and a second boundary of the horizontal field of view of the second ranging sensor, the first boundary is the boundary of the horizontal field of view of the first ranging sensor adjacent to the second ranging sensor, and the second boundary is the boundary of the horizontal field of view of the second ranging sensor adjacent to the first ranging sensor.

[0011] Optionally, the light rays emitted by the first ranging sensor include dot - matrix laser and area - array laser.

[0012] Optionally, the light emitted by the second distance measuring sensor is dot matrix laser light.

[0013] Optionally, an edge detection sensor is further provided on the main body.

[0014] Optionally, the edge detection sensor is disposed on a first side of the main body, and the second distance measuring sensor is disposed at the rear of a second side of the main body. The first side is any one of the two sides of the main body, and the second side is the side of the main body opposite to the first side.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cleaning system, including a base station and the above-mentioned self-moving device.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a self-moving device and a cleaning system are provided. The self-moving device includes a main body, and at least two distance measuring sensors are provided on the main body. The boundaries of the horizontal field of view between the distance measuring sensors are not parallel and do not intersect, so that the horizontal field of view of each distance measuring sensor does not overlap with each other, thereby avoiding mutual interference between the distance measuring sensors and improving the accuracy of the detection result. Description of the Drawings

[0017] The following drawings of the present invention are used as a part of the embodiments of the present invention to understand the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and described to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0018] In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a top view of a self-moving cleaning device according to an optional embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a bottom view of;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the horizontal field of view of a distance measuring sensor according to an optional embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a perspective view of.

[0023] Description of the Reference Numerals:

[0024] 100 - Self - moving cleaning device, 110 - Machine body, 111 - Front part, 112 - Rear part, 113 - Left side, 114 - Right side, 120 - Distance measuring sensor, 121 - First distance measuring sensor, 122 - Second distance measuring sensor, 130 - Driving system, 131 - Driving wheel module, 132 - Driven wheel, 140 - Cleaning system, 141 - Dry cleaning system, 143 - Cleaning element, 142 - Side brush, 150 - Human - machine interaction system, 160 - Edge - following detection sensor. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present utility model. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present utility model can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other instances, in order to avoid confusion with the present utility model, some well - known technical features are not described.

[0026] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present utility model. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms are also intended to include the plural forms. In addition, it should also be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or their combinations.

[0027] Now, the exemplary embodiments according to the present utility model will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited only to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present utility model is thorough and complete, and the concept of these exemplary embodiments is fully conveyed to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0028] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a self - moving device. The self - moving device can be a device that automatically performs cleaning operations in a certain area to be cleaned without user operation, that is, a self - moving cleaning device, or it can also be an automatic device providing other services. Here, taking the self - moving cleaning device as an example, the structure of the self - moving device will be described.

[0029] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the self - moving cleaning device 100 may include a main body 110, a sensing system 120, a control module, a driving system 130, a cleaning system 140, an energy system, and a human - machine interaction system 150.

[0030] As Figure 1 shown, the main body 110 has an approximately circular shape (circular at both the front and the back), and can also have other shapes, including but not limited to an approximately D-shaped shape with a circular front and a rounded back, and a rectangular or square shape with a front and a back.

[0031] Among them, the main body 110 includes a front part 111 and a rear part 112. The front part 111 is the part that the self-propelled cleaning device first enters the area to be operated when it is operating normally. Specifically, it is Figure 1 the part below the x-axis on the main body 110 as shown. The rear part 112 is relative to the front part 111. Specifically, it is Figure 1 the part above the x-axis on the main body 110 as shown. The side of the main body 110 is the part on both sides of the central axis (i.e., the y-axis) of the main body 110. The left side 113 of the main body 110 is the part located on the left side 113 of the y-axis, and the right side 114 of the main body 110 is the part located on the right side 114 of the y-axis.

[0032] As Figure 1 shown, the sensing system includes a position determination device located on the main body 110, a ranging sensor 120, a proximity sensor provided on a buffer of the front part 111 of the main body 110, a cliff sensor provided at the lower part of the main body 110, and sensing devices such as a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and an odometer provided inside the main body 110, which are used to provide various position information and motion state information of the machine to the control module.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown, the front part 111 of the main body 110 can carry a buffer. When the drive wheel module 131 propels the self-propelled cleaning device 100 to move on the ground during the cleaning process, the buffer detects one or more events in the driving path of the self-propelled cleaning device 100 through a sensor system provided thereon, such as an infrared sensor. The self-propelled cleaning device 100 can control the drive wheel module 131 to make the self-propelled cleaning device 100 respond to the events detected by the buffer, such as an obstacle or a wall, for example, moving away from the obstacle.

[0034] The control module is arranged on the circuit board within the main body 110 and includes a computing processor that communicates with non-transitory memories such as hard disks, flash memories, and random access memories, such as a central processing unit or an application processor. The application processor uses a positioning algorithm, such as Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM), to draw an instant map of the environment where the self-moving cleaning device 100 is located based on the obstacle information fed back by the laser ranging device. And by combining the distance information and speed information fed back by the sensing devices such as the ranging sensor 120, cliff sensor, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and odometer arranged on the buffer, it comprehensively judges what working state the self-moving cleaning device 100 is currently in, where it is located, and the current pose of the self-moving cleaning device 100, such as crossing a threshold, getting on a carpet, being at a cliff, being stuck above or below, the dust box being full, being picked up, etc. It will also give specific next-action strategies for different situations, enabling the self-moving cleaning device 100 to have better cleaning performance and user experience.

[0035] As Figure 2 shown, the drive system 130 includes a drive wheel module 131. The drive wheel module 131 can control the left and right wheels simultaneously. For more precise control of the movement of the machine, it is preferred that the drive wheel module 131 includes a left drive wheel module and a right drive wheel module respectively. The left and right drive wheel modules are arranged along the transverse axis defined by the main body 110. For the self-moving cleaning device 100 to move more stably or have stronger movement ability on the ground, the self-moving cleaning device 100 may include one or more driven wheels 132, and the driven wheels 132 include but are not limited to omnidirectional wheels. The drive wheel module 131 includes a driving wheel, a driving motor, and a control circuit for controlling the driving motor. The drive wheel module 131 may also be connected to a circuit for measuring the driving current and an odometer. The drive wheel may have a biased-drop suspension system and is fastened in a movable manner, such as rotatably attached to the main body 110, and receives a spring bias that biases downward and away from the main body 110. The spring bias allows the drive wheel to maintain contact with the ground and traction with a certain ground contact force, while the cleaning element 143 of the self-moving cleaning device 100 also contacts the ground with a certain pressure.

[0036] The energy system includes rechargeable batteries, such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium batteries. The rechargeable batteries may be connected with a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and a battery under-voltage monitoring circuit, and the charging control circuit, the battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and the battery under-voltage monitoring circuit are then connected to the single-chip microcomputer control circuit. The main machine is connected to the base station for charging through charging electrodes arranged on the side or below the body.

[0037] The human-machine interaction system 150 includes buttons on the main machine panel for users to select functions; it may also include a display screen and / or an indicator light and / or a speaker, which show the current state of the machine or function options to the user; it may also include a mobile phone client program. For the path-navigation type self-moving cleaning device 100, the mobile phone client can show the map of the environment where the device is located and the position of the machine to the user, and can provide more rich and user-friendly function items.

[0038] The cleaning system 150 includes a wet cleaning system, that is, the self-moving cleaning device 100 can be a mopping machine, or the cleaning system 150 includes a wet cleaning system and a dry cleaning system 141, that is, the self-moving cleaning device 100 can be a sweeper-mopper.

[0039] As Figure 2 shown, the dry cleaning system 141 provided by the embodiment of the present application may include a rotary brush, a dust box, a blower, and an air outlet. The rotary brush that has a certain interference with the ground sweeps up the garbage on the ground and rolls it to the front of the suction port between the rotary brush and the dust box, and then is sucked into the dust box by the suction gas generated by the blower and passing through the dust box. The dry cleaning system 141 may also include a side brush 142 with a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft forms a certain angle with the ground to move the debris into the rotary brush area of the cleaning system 140.

[0040] Among them, the wet cleaning system may include: a cleaning component, a water supply mechanism, a liquid storage tank, etc. Among them, the cleaning component can be arranged below the liquid storage tank, and the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank is transmitted to the cleaning component through the water supply mechanism, so that the cleaning component performs wet cleaning on the plane to be cleaned. In other embodiments of the present application, the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank can also be directly sprayed onto the plane to be cleaned, and the cleaning component realizes the cleaning of the plane by spreading the cleaning liquid evenly. It can be understood that the self-moving cleaning device 100 is provided with a water injection port communicated with the liquid storage tank, and by using the water injection port, the liquid outside the self-moving cleaning device 100 can be supplemented into the liquid storage tank to realize the water replenishment operation of the liquid storage tank.

[0041] Among them, the cleaning component provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a motion mechanism and a cleaning element 143 disposed on the main body 110. That is, the entire cleaning component can be installed on the main body 110 through the motion mechanism, and the cleaning component moves with the movement of the main body 110 to achieve the mopping function. Among them, the motion mechanism is used to drive the cleaning element 143 to act. For example, the motion mechanism can drive the cleaning element 143 to lift, and the motion mechanism can also drive the cleaning element 143 to rotate. Thus, according to the need of whether the cleaning element 143 contacts the surface to be cleaned, through the motion mechanism, the lifting and rotation operations of the cleaning element 143 can be realized to meet the different functional requirements of the cleaning element 143, that is, the processing of the discrimination strategy of the cleaning element 143 can be realized, improving the cleaning performance of the self-cleaning device, and improving the cleaning efficiency and user experience.

[0042] Among them, as Figure 2 shown, in the forward direction of the self-moving cleaning device 100, the cleaning element 143 is located at the rear of the dry cleaning system 141. The cleaning element 143 can usually be a flexible material with water absorption such as fabric or sponge. In this solution, the cleaning element 143 can be at least one rotating turntable. The water in the liquid storage tank of the self-moving robot is guided to the cleaning element 143, and the wet cleaning element 143 removes the stains on the ground through rotational movement.

[0043] Furthermore, during the movement of the self-moving cleaning device 100, in some scenarios that require mopping, such as in the case of wet treatment of the ground, the control module can be used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to descend, so that the lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 143 interferes with and contacts the surface to be cleaned. At the same time, the control module is used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to rotate. Thus, during the process of the driving wheel driving the self-moving cleaning device 100 to move, the cleaning element 143 will contact and interfere with the surface to be cleaned to achieve the mopping operation on the surface to be cleaned.

[0044] Furthermore, during the movement of the self-moving cleaning device 100, in some scenarios that do not require mopping, such as when returning to the base station or cleaning the carpet, the control module can be used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to rise. It can be understood that the rising of the cleaning element 143 can be that the lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 143 is higher than the lowest lower surface of the driving wheel. In this case, during the process of the driving wheel driving the self-moving cleaning device 100 to move, the cleaning element 143 will not contact the surface to be cleaned, thereby avoiding the situation that the cleaning element 143 contacts the surface to be cleaned and causes secondary pollution to the surface to be cleaned in scenarios where mopping is not required, which is beneficial to improving the cleanliness of the self-moving cleaning device 100, and improving the cleaning efficiency and user experience.

[0045] Furthermore, as Figure 1As shown, in the self - moving device provided in this embodiment, at least two ranging sensors 120 are provided on the main body 110, and the boundaries of the horizontal field of view between the ranging sensors 120 are neither parallel nor intersecting.

[0046] Among them, the ranging sensor 120 emits a specific signal (such as infrared light or laser, etc.) to the surrounding environment. This signal will be reflected by the surrounding objects and then received again by the ranging sensor 120. By calculating the time difference between the emitted signal and the received reflected signal, and combining the propagation speed of this signal in the air, the distance between the object and the self - moving device, as well as the orientation of the object, can be determined.

[0047] The horizontal field of view of the ranging sensor 120 refers to the range within which the ranging sensor 120 can receive reflected signals in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the boundaries in the horizontal direction between the ranging sensors 120 are neither parallel nor intersecting, so that the horizontal fields of view of the respective ranging sensors 120 do not overlap with each other, thereby avoiding mutual interference between the ranging sensors 120 and improving the accuracy of the detection results.

[0048] Furthermore, in specific applications, the ranging sensor 120 is a tof sensor, which has the advantages of small size, easy to use, high precision, and fast response speed, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of ranging.

[0049] Furthermore, as Figure 1 shown, the first ranging sensor 121 is arranged at the front part 111 of the main body 110, where the first ranging sensor 121 is any one of at least two ranging sensors 120.

[0050] The first ranging sensor 121 can be used to detect objects in the environment in front of the main body 110 and perform ranging, so that the self - moving device can accurately avoid objects located in front of the first ranging sensor 121.

[0051] Furthermore, as Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, the angular bisector of the horizontal field of view of the first ranging sensor 121 coincides with the central axis (y - axis) of the main body 110, so that the horizontal field of view of the first ranging sensor 121 is evenly distributed on both sides of the front part 111 of the main body 110.

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, the horizontal field of view α of the first ranging sensor 121 is 103°, so as to ensure that the first ranging sensor 121 has a large detection range, improve the accuracy of detecting obstacles in front of the self - moving device, and enable the self - moving device to avoid obstacles more accurately during the traveling process.

[0053] Furthermore, the light rays emitted by the first ranging sensor 121 include dot matrix lasers and area array lasers, that is, the first ranging sensor 121 can simultaneously emit dot matrix lasers and area array lasers. The data detected by the dot matrix lasers is used to construct a navigation map, and the data detected by the area array lasers is used to avoid obstacles. Thus, through the first ranging sensor 121, navigation map construction and obstacle avoidance can be achieved simultaneously, which not only simplifies the structure and reduces costs, but also improves the detection efficiency. Moreover, the dot matrix lasers and area array lasers fully cover the area in front of the main body 110 to improve the accuracy of detection.

[0054] Furthermore, as Figure 1 shown, the second ranging sensor 122 is arranged at the rear of one side of the main body 110, which can be the rear of the left side 113 or the rear of the right side 114 of the main body 110. The second ranging sensor 122 is any one of the remaining sensors among at least the ranging sensors.

[0055] The second ranging sensor 122 can detect obstacles from the side and rear of the self - moving device, so that when the self - moving device retreats (such as for obstacle avoidance), it can avoid colliding with the obstacles from its side and rear.

[0056] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, the horizontal field - of - view angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 is 99°, so as to ensure that the second ranging sensor 122 has a large detection range and improve the accuracy of detecting obstacles from the side and rear of the self - moving device.

[0057] Furthermore, as Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, a preset included angle γ is formed between the first boundary of the horizontal field - of - view angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 and the second boundary of the horizontal field - of - view angle β of the second ranging sensor 122, so that the horizontal field - of - view angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 and the horizontal field - of - view angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 do not overlap, avoiding interference between the first ranging sensor 121 and the second ranging sensor 122, and the horizontal detection ranges covered by the horizontal field - of - view angles of the first ranging sensor 121 and the second ranging sensor 122 meet the detection requirements for objects in the surrounding environment of the self - moving device.

[0058] Wherein, the first boundary is the boundary of the horizontal field - of - view angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 adjacent to the second ranging sensor 122, and the second boundary is the boundary of the horizontal field - of - view angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 adjacent to the first ranging sensor 121.

[0059] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the preset included angle γ is 45.8°, so that the horizontal field of view angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 and the horizontal field of view angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 are separated by a certain distance, thus ensuring that the two do not overlap.

[0060] Further, the light emitted by the second ranging sensor 121 is dot matrix laser, which can not only ensure a large ranging range but also reduce energy consumption.

[0061] Further, as Figure 4 shown, an edge detection sensor 160 is also provided on the main body 110.

[0062] The edge detection sensor 160 is used to detect whether there are objects such as walls, cabinets or wardrobes on one side of the self - moving device. If such objects are detected, the self - moving device continues to perform tasks along the edge of the object. In a specific application, the edge detection sensor 160 can be set on the left side 113 of the main body 110 or on the right side 114 of the main body 110.

[0063] Further, as Figure 4 shown, the edge detection sensor 160 is set on the first side of the main body 110, and the second ranging sensor 122 is set at the rear of the second side of the main body 110. The first side is any one of the two sides of the main body 110, and the second side is the side opposite to the first side of the main body 110.

[0064] The second ranging sensor 122 and the edge detection sensor 160 are not set on the same side of the main body 110. That is to say, the edge detection sensor is set on the right side 114 of the main body 110, and the second ranging sensor 122 is set at the rear of the left side 113 of the main body 110; or the edge detection sensor 160 is set on the left side 113 of the main body 110, and the second ranging sensor 122 is set at the rear of the right side 114 of the main body 110, so that the second ranging sensor 122 can also detect obstacles on the side and rear of the self - moving device when the self - moving device performs edge - following tasks.

[0065] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cleaning system, including a base station and the above - mentioned self - moving device.

[0066] The base station has functions such as charging the self - moving device, replenishing water, receiving sewage and cleaning the self - moving device, so as to enable the self - moving device to successfully complete corresponding operation tasks (such as cleaning tasks, etc.).

[0067] For the specific limitations of the self - moving device, reference can be made to the description of the self - moving device in the above text, which will not be elaborated here. The present utility model has been illustrated by the above - mentioned embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above - mentioned embodiments are only for the purpose of exemplification and illustration, and are not intended to limit the present utility model to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the present utility model is not limited to the above - mentioned embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present utility model, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection required by the present utility model. The scope of protection of the present utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. A self-propelled device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a main body, on which at least two distance measuring sensors are arranged, and the boundaries of the horizontal field angles between the distance measuring sensors are not parallel and do not intersect, so that the horizontal field angles of the distance measuring sensors do not overlap each other.

2. The self-moving device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance measuring sensor is a tof sensor.

3. The self-moving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first distance measuring sensor is disposed at the front of the main body, and the first distance measuring sensor is any one of the at least two distance measuring sensors.

4. The self-moving device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second distance measuring sensor is disposed at the rear of one side of the main body, and the second distance measuring sensor is any one of the remaining sensors of the at least two distance measuring sensors.

5. The self-moving device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angular bisector of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor coincides with the central axis of the main body.

6. The self-moving device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A first boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor and a second boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the second ranging sensor form a preset angle, the first boundary being a boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor adjacent to the second ranging sensor, and the second boundary being a boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the second ranging sensor adjacent to the first ranging sensor.

7. The self-moving device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The light emitted by the first distance measuring sensor includes dot array laser and area array laser.

8. The self-moving device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The light emitted by the second distance measuring sensor is a dot matrix laser.

9. The self-moving device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The main body is also provided with an edge detection sensor.

10. The self-moving device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The edge detection sensor is arranged on the first side of the main body, and the second distance measurement sensor is arranged at the rear of the second side of the main body. The first side is any one side of the two sides of the main body, and the second side is the side of the main body opposite to the first side.

11. A cleaning system, characterized in that: It comprises a base station and a self-moving device as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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