Self-moving device

Abstract

This disclosure provides a self-moving device, comprising: a main body for moving forward on the ground in a work area; and a contouring component detachably mounted on the main body, configured to activate under predetermined conditions, emitting light outwards from the contouring component as a center to form an effective contouring area; the effective contouring area horizontally covers at least the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device. By using the contouring component to provide contouring in low-light environments, users can quickly locate the self-moving device and avoid collisions. Furthermore, if the self-moving device malfunctions or becomes trapped while performing work in a low-light work area, users can quickly locate the self-moving device using the light emitted by the contouring component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of tool technology, and more particularly to a self-moving device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of science and technology, self-moving devices are widely used in people's work and life, such as smart lawnmowers, smart vacuum cleaners or smart robots. They move and walk in a pre-set work area in a set way to perform work.

[0003] Self-moving devices can function normally in the work area at night. However, due to the low visibility at night, it is not easy for people or animals to detect the location of self-moving devices. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a self-moving device that alerts the user to the location of the self-moving device in a low-light environment.

[0005] To achieve one of the aforementioned objectives, this disclosure provides a self-moving device, comprising: a main body for walking forward on the ground in a work area; and a contouring component detachably disposed on the main body and configured to be activated under predetermined conditions to emit light in all directions around the contouring component, forming an effective contouring area; the effective contouring area at least covers the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

[0006] In some embodiments, the self-moving device described above includes at least one outline component.

[0007] In some embodiments, the self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are disposed at the same height on the body of the self-moving device in a direction perpendicular to the ground.

[0008] In some embodiments, the at least two outline components are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the self-moving device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are symmetrically arranged on the body of the self-moving device in a direction parallel to the ground.

[0010] In some embodiments, the self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are disposed at the same height on the body of the self-moving device in a direction perpendicular to the ground.

[0011] In some embodiments, each outlining component includes at least one light-emitting unit.

[0012] In some embodiments, the outline assembly is bolted or glued to the body.

[0013] To achieve one of the aforementioned objectives, this disclosure provides a contouring component disposed on a self-moving device, the self-moving device comprising: a main body for moving forward on the ground in a working area; and a contouring component detachably disposed on the main body and configured to be turned on under predetermined conditions, emitting light in all directions around the contouring component to form an effective contouring area; the effective contouring area at least covers the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

[0014] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, this disclosure also provides a self-moving device, comprising: a body; a moving component disposed below the body and driving the body to move; a first housing and a second housing respectively detachably disposed on the body; and a profiling component detachably disposed on the first housing or the second housing.

[0015] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a through hole, which is configured to lead the internal cables of the housing outward from the inner cavity of the housing; the internal cables realize electrical connection between the internal circuit system of the housing and the external profiling assembly through the through hole; the profiling assembly is disposed on the second housing, and the first housing at least partially covers the through hole.

[0016] In some embodiments, the end of the internal cable of the housing is provided with a first connector, and the end of the cable of the profiling component is provided with a second connector, wherein the first connector and the second connector are pluggable and detachable.

[0017] In some embodiments, after the first connector and the second connector are mated, they are accommodated between the body and the first housing.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first housing is disposed on the upper part of the fuselage, and the second housing is disposed on the front side of the fuselage.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first housing is a decorative cover, and the second housing is a protective fence structure. The lawnmower provided in this disclosure uses a contouring component to illuminate an area including the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device, ensuring that the user can quickly determine the location of the self-moving device when it is working in the work area at night. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a self-moving device within a working area according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a self-moving device equipped with a profiler assembly, provided according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3A side view of a self-moving device equipped with a profiler assembly, provided for another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4 A top view of a self-moving device equipped with a profiler assembly, provided for another embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0025] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0026] With the development of science and technology, self-moving devices are widely used in people's work and life, such as smart lawnmowers, smart vacuum cleaners or smart robots. They move and walk in a pre-set work area in a set way to perform work.

[0027] For self-moving devices equipped with positioning systems and work area maps, they can function normally in their work area at night. However, due to low visibility at night, it is difficult for people or animals to detect the working status and location of the self-moving device. For self-moving devices with vision components, although auxiliary lights are often turned on at night to facilitate the acquisition of effective images by the vision components, these lights are often installed at the front of the self-moving device to illuminate the work area in front of it, making it difficult for users to distinguish the size and specific location of the self-moving device.

[0028] For self-moving devices without supplemental lighting, if the device needs to operate in multiple work areas, users may find it difficult to determine the device's current work area or whether it is actively working, especially in low-light environments such as at night. Furthermore, due to the dim lighting, if a user or animal enters the work area where the device is operating, they may not see it, posing a safety hazard. Additionally, in low-light environments such as at night, if the self-moving device malfunctions or becomes trapped while working within its designated area, users may find it difficult to quickly locate it.

[0029] For self-moving devices equipped with vision components and supplementary lighting, even with supplementary lighting, the illumination range and intensity of the supplementary lighting on the working area are relatively small, offering limited improvement to the recognition performance of the vision components. Furthermore, it easily creates a boundary between light and dark areas at the edges of the illuminated area, causing the vision components to misjudge the presence of obstacles around the self-moving device, thus affecting its mobility. Moreover, supplementary lighting is often installed at the front of the self-moving device to illuminate the working area in front of it, making it difficult for users to discern the size and exact location of the self-moving device.

[0030] In view of the above problems, this disclosure provides a self-moving device, including: a main body, which walks forward on the ground in a working area; a contouring component, which is detachably disposed on the main body and configured to be turned on under predetermined conditions, emitting light in all directions around the contouring component to form an effective contouring area; the effective contouring area covers at least the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

[0031] Self-moving devices can include automatic vacuum cleaners, smart lawnmowers, automatic trimmers, etc. This disclosure uses a smart lawnmower as an example for specific details. Please see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 The lawnmower 100 travels and / or operates within the working area A defined by the boundary line S. Please refer to... Figure 2 The lawnmower 100 includes a main body 10; a moving module, a control module (not shown), a working module (not shown), an energy storage module (not shown), and a contouring assembly 11, all mounted on the main body 10. The energy storage module provides electrical energy to the lawnmower 100. Figure 1 As shown, a charging station 200 is set on the boundary line S of the work area A. When the energy storage module needs to be charged, the lawnmower 100 travels to the charging station 200 to recharge in a pre-set manner. The moving module is used to carry the main body 10 and drive the main body 10 to move on the ground of the work area A. It typically includes one or more drive wheels and a drive motor (not shown in the figure) that drives the drive wheels.

[0032] In this embodiment, the outlining component is turned on when the working light is insufficient and turned off when the working light is sufficient, in order to save energy or cause additional light pollution.

[0033] In some embodiments of this example, the activation condition of the outlining component can be a preset light intensity condition. The lawnmower 100 monitors the light intensity of the working environment in real time through a light sensor mounted on it. When the current light intensity does not meet the preset brightness range, the outlining component is activated for outlining. By detecting the light intensity, the outlining component can be effectively activated in environments with insufficient light, such as rainy days, foggy days, tunnels, and nighttime, avoiding collisions caused by personnel not being able to see the self-moving device.

[0034] In some embodiments of this example, the activation condition of the contouring component may be a preset sunrise and sunset time. The lawnmower 100 obtains the sunrise and sunset information of the day through preset sunrise and sunset information or through a real-time network, and activates the contouring component for contouring at sunset; and deactivates the contouring component at sunrise.

[0035] In other embodiments of this example, the outline component can also be turned on and off by remote control or operation, which will not be described in detail here.

[0036] In some embodiments, the self-moving device described above includes at least one outline component.

[0037] In some embodiments of this example, the self-moving device may include at least one outlining component. The at least one outlining component is arranged circumferentially around the self-moving device. When the light of the at least one outlining component is turned on, the light from the at least one outlining component can form an effective outlining area; the effective outlining area at least covers the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

[0038] In other embodiments of this example, the self-moving device may include at least one outlining component. This at least one outlining component is disposed on the body of the self-moving device and is connected to each other, with the connection in the length direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the self-moving device. When the light of the at least one outlining component is turned on, the light from the at least one outlining component can form an effective outlining area; the effective outlining area horizontally covers at least the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device.

[0039] In some embodiments, the self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are disposed at the same height on the body of the self-moving device in a direction perpendicular to the ground.

[0040] In some embodiments of this example, the at least two profiling components are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the self-moving device. In one specific embodiment, the two profiling components may be symmetrically disposed on the left and right sides of the self-moving device. In another specific embodiment, the two profiling components may also be asymmetrically disposed on the left and right sides of the self-moving device, with the left side of the self-moving device including at least one profiling component and the right side of the self-moving device including at least one profiling component.

[0041] In some embodiments of this example, taking a lawnmower as an example, if the lawnmower includes multiple outlining components, at least one outlining component is included on each of the left and right sides of the lawnmower. When moving and / or working in low-light environments, the control module of the lawnmower can activate at least one outlining component located on the left side of the lawnmower and at least one outlining component located on the right side of the lawnmower to achieve outlining in low-light conditions. In one specific embodiment, the control module can activate the outlining components located at the front left, rear left, front rear left, and rear right of the lawnmower to outline the outer contour of the lawnmower.

[0042] In some embodiments, the at least two outline components are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the self-moving device.

[0043] In some embodiments of this example, the two outline components may be symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the self-moving device.

[0044] In other embodiments of this example, the two profiling components may also be asymmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the self-moving device. In one specific embodiment, one profiling component is located at the front left of the self-moving device, and the other profiling component is located at the center right side of the self-moving device. In another specific embodiment, one profiling component is located at the front left of the self-moving device, and the other profiling component is located at the front right of the self-moving device, but the line connecting the two profiling components is not perpendicular to the direction of movement of the self-moving device. In yet another specific embodiment, one profiling component is located at the front left of the self-moving device, and the other profiling component is located at the front right of the self-moving device, but the ground height of the two profiling components is different.

[0045] In some embodiments, the self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are symmetrically arranged on the body of the self-moving device in a direction parallel to the ground.

[0046] In some embodiments of this example, if the self-moving device includes an even number of profiling components, then at least two profiling components are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the self-moving device in a direction parallel to the ground.

[0047] In some embodiments, each outlining component includes at least one light-emitting unit.

[0048] In some embodiments of this example, the outlining component may include various forms of light-emitting units, such as LEDs or fluorescent lamps. Preferably, the number of light-emitting units in the outlining component is greater than or equal to a predetermined value to achieve better luminous intensity.

[0049] In some embodiments of this example, at least one light-emitting unit is arranged in a straight line, in a closed shape, or uniformly in a matrix.

[0050] In some embodiments, the outline assembly is bolted or glued to the body.

[0051] In some embodiments of this example, the self-moving device may be provided with a receiving space, the opening of which forms the light-emitting surface of the outlining component. Taking a lawnmower as an example, the lawnmower's drive circuit and outlining component are housed within the receiving space. When the outlining component is powered by the lawnmower 100's energy storage module, the drive circuit converts the electrical energy from the energy storage module into a power source that drives the outlining component to emit light. Alternatively, a separate power module can be provided for the outlining component to power itself.

[0052] In one specific embodiment, the profiler assembly may be powered by a 5V power supply.

[0053] This disclosure also provides a lawnmower 100, comprising: a main body 10 for moving forward on the ground in a working area; a demarcation assembly detachably disposed on the main body and configured to be turned on under predetermined conditions to emit light in all directions around the demarcation assembly, forming an effective demarcation area; the effective demarcation area at least covers the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

[0054] In summary, the lawnmower provided in this disclosure uses a marker component to indicate the location of the self-moving device in low-light environments, allowing users to quickly locate the device and avoid collisions. Furthermore, if the self-moving device malfunctions or becomes trapped while working in a low-light area, the user can quickly locate it using the lights provided by the marker component.

[0055] The supplemental lighting component provides supplemental lighting to a predetermined area, including the target information, ensuring the recognition effect of the vision component in low-light environments and improving the stability and reliability of the lawnmower.

[0056] In view of the above problems, this disclosure also provides a self-moving device, including: a body; a moving component disposed below the body and driving the body to move; a first housing and a second housing respectively detachably disposed on the body; and a profiling component detachably disposed on the first housing or the second housing.

[0057] The lawnmower's body includes at least one cavity, which integrates a control system, power module, and various circuit systems responsible for power control, safety monitoring, and user interaction. The moving component, which can be understood as a moving module, carries the main body and moves it across the work area. It typically includes one or more drive wheels and a drive motor that drives the wheels.

[0058] In this embodiment, the fuselage is provided with a through hole, which is configured to lead the internal cables of the fuselage outward from the inner cavity of the fuselage. The internal cables can achieve electrical connection between the internal circuit system of the fuselage and the external outline assembly through the through hole. In this way, by providing a through hole, the connection of cables is made more convenient.

[0059] In this embodiment, the outline assembly is disposed on the second housing, and the first housing at least partially covers the through-hole. This prevents rainwater from entering the internal cavity of the fuselage, which could cause short circuits or component corrosion. In some embodiments, the first housing is disposed on the upper part of the fuselage, and the second housing is disposed on the front side of the fuselage. In some embodiments, the first housing is a decorative cover, and the second housing is a protective railing structure.

[0060] In this embodiment, the internal cable of the housing is provided with a first connector at its end, and the cable of the outlining component is provided with a second connector at its end. The first connector and the second connector are pluggable and detachable. Thus, electrical connection between the internal and external cables can be quickly achieved by plugging and unplugging the connectors, thereby enabling convenient and quick replacement of the outlining component. This application does not limit the structure of the first and second connectors; for example, the first connector can be one of a male and a female connector in a connector, and the second connector can be the other.

[0061] In this embodiment, after the first connector and the second connector are mated, they are housed between the main body and the first housing. This ensures that the self-moving device is more aesthetically pleasing and tidy.

[0062] In summary, the self-moving device provided in this disclosure can not only perform profiling in low-light environments, enabling users to quickly locate the self-moving device and avoid collisions, but also allows for quick replacement of profiling components while preventing rain damage.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the first housing is detachably disposed above the main body, and the projection of the first housing onto the ground at least partially overlaps with the projection of the main body onto the ground. Specifically, in some implementations, the first housing may cover the upper region of the main body, fitting perfectly against it. In other implementations, the first housing may only cover a portion of the upper region of the main body, for example, covering the area near the front of the main body. Here, the aforementioned ground represents the plane on which the self-moving device is currently located.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the second housing is detachably disposed on the front side of the fuselage and is movable relative to the fuselage. In some implementations, the second housing is disposed at least corresponding to the front edge of the fuselage's outer contour. For example, the second housing is disposed corresponding to both the front edge and the side edge of the fuselage's outer contour.

[0065] In some implementation scenarios, the second housing can be segmented or integral; this application does not limit this. Specifically, in some implementation scenarios, the second housing includes a first side section, a front section, and a second side section connected in sequence; the front section connects to the front edge of the fuselage outer contour, and the first and second side sections connect to the side edges of the fuselage outer contour, respectively. In some implementation scenarios, the second housing can be used to protect the fuselage. This application does not limit the detachable method of the first and second housings.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the outlining component is detachably mounted on the second housing and exposed on the outside of the second housing. The outlining component is configured to activate under predetermined conditions, emitting light outwards from the outlining component as the center to form an effective outlining area.

[0067] In some implementation scenarios, the profiling components can be snapped onto the front section of the second housing. Specifically, one profiling component is installed on each of the left and right sides of the front section of the second housing. This allows the user to easily see the machine when it is moving and / or operating in low-light conditions, thus preventing collisions. Of course, in other implementation scenarios, the number of profiling components can be one, three, four, etc., and their installation position can be at the junction of the front and side sections, or on the side section, etc. This application does not limit this. Furthermore, the profiling components can also be installed on the second housing in other detachable ways, which this application does not limit.

[0068] In some implementation scenarios, the marker assembly can be a marker light. The marker light has a rigid lamp panel inside, which is highly impact-resistant, and an external lamp cover. The rear end of the lamp panel is sealed with potting compound.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the first housing and the body form a storage space, so that after the first connector and the second connector are connected, they can be placed in the storage space, thereby ensuring that the self-moving device is more aesthetically pleasing and tidy.

[0070] In one possible implementation, a wire clamping structure is also provided on the body, located between the body and the first housing. The wire clamping structure is configured to secure the cable to the body after the second connector mates with the first connector. Thus, by securing the mated cable to the body via the wire clamping structure, a specific cable can be quickly located without frequently moving other cables during subsequent replacement or maintenance, thereby shortening replacement or maintenance time.

[0071] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram shown is a schematic of another self-moving device equipped with a marker assembly according to this application. In this embodiment, the first housing 20 covers the front end area of ​​the upper part of the body, and the second housing 30 is an integral structure corresponding to the front and side edges of the outer contour of the body. The marker lights 40 are symmetrically installed on the left and right sides of the front section of the second housing 30 by means of snap-fit. The body is provided with a through hole (not shown in the figure) for leading internal cables out of the inner cavity of the body. When the first housing 20 is installed on the body, the through hole is covered by the first housing 20, and the end of the cable leading out of the inner cavity of the body is provided with a male terminal. Each marker light 40 leads out one cable, and the cable leading out of each marker light 40 is encapsulated and a female terminal is provided at the end. By plugging the male terminal and the female terminal together, the internal circuit system of the body can be electrically connected to the external marker light, thereby powering the marker light 40. Furthermore, the plugged cables can be fixed to the body by a wire clamping structure (e.g., an adhesive structure) for easy cable management. It should be noted that in the above implementation scenario, the first housing 20 can be a decorative cover, and the second housing 30 can be an anti-collision structure.

[0072] In this embodiment, a marker light 40 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the front section of the second housing 30. This allows the user to easily see the machine when it is moving and / or operating in low-light conditions, thus preventing collisions. Furthermore, replacing the marker light 40 is simple; the first housing can be removed, and the light can be replaced by plugging and unplugging the connector.

[0073] In summary, the self-moving device provided in this disclosure, through its profiling component, allows users to quickly locate the device in low-light environments, thus avoiding collisions. Furthermore, if the self-moving device malfunctions or becomes trapped while operating in a low-light work area, users can quickly locate it using the light emitted by the profiling component.

[0074] It should be noted that the above embodiments only describe the parts that are different from the foregoing embodiments in detail. Other parts can be referred to the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0075] It should be noted that "a certain body" or "a certain part" can be a portion of the corresponding "component," meaning that "a certain body" or "a certain part" is integrally formed and manufactured with the "other parts of the component"; or it can be an independent component that can be separated from the "other parts of the component," meaning that "a certain body" or "a certain part" can be manufactured independently and then combined with the "other parts of the component" to form a whole. The expression of "a certain body" or "a certain part" in this disclosure is only one embodiment for ease of reading and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Any technical solution that includes the above features and has the same function should be understood as an equivalent technical solution of this disclosure.

[0076] It should be noted that the above description describes some embodiments of this disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps described in the claims can be performed in a different order than that in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired result. In addition, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result.

[0077] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this disclosure, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0078] This disclosure is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A self-moving device, characterized in that, include: The main body moves forward by walking on the ground in the work area; A contouring component is detachably mounted on the main body and configured to be turned on under predetermined conditions, emitting light in all directions around the contouring component to form an effective contouring area; the effective contouring area covers at least the leftmost and rightmost ends of the self-moving device in the horizontal direction.

2. The self-moving device of claim 1, wherein, The self-moving device includes at least two of the profiling components, each of the profiling components including at least one light-emitting unit; the at least two profiling components are arranged at the same height on the left and right sides of the self-moving device in a direction perpendicular to the ground.

3. The self-moving device of claim 1, wherein, The self-moving device includes at least two profiling components, which are symmetrically arranged on the body of the self-moving device in a direction parallel to the ground.

4. The self-moving device of claim 1, wherein, The outline assembly is bolted or glued to the main body.

5. A self-moving device, characterized in that, include: body; A movable component is disposed below the body and drives the body to move; The first housing and the second housing are detachably mounted on the body; The outline assembly is detachably mounted on the first housing or the second housing.

6. The self-moving device of claim 5, wherein, The body has a through hole configured to lead the internal cables of the body outward from the inner cavity of the body; the internal cables achieve electrical connection between the internal circuit system of the body and the external outline assembly through the through hole; the outline assembly is disposed on the second housing, and the first housing at least partially covers the through hole.

7. The self-moving device of claim 6, wherein, The internal cable of the body is provided with a first connector at the end, and the cable of the outline assembly is provided with a second connector at the end. The first connector and the second connector are pluggable and detachable.

8. The self-moving device of claim 7, wherein, After the first connector mates with the second connector, it is housed between the body and the first housing.

9. The self-moving device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, The first housing is located on the top of the fuselage, and the second housing is located on the front side of the fuselage.

10. The self-moving device of claim 9, wherein, The first housing is a decorative cover, and the second housing is a protective railing structure.

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