Moisture protection mat and intelligent cleaning system

Abstract

A moisture protection mat (100) for an intelligent cleaning device, the intelligent cleaning device being configured to be charged by a charging station, the moisture protection mat (100) comprising: a mounting unit configured to install the moisture protection mat (100) on the charging station.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe invention relates generally to the field of cleaning tools, and more particularly to a moisture protection mat and smart cleaning system.PRIOR ARTThe existing automatic sweeping robots with wiping function normally require a water tank. When the automatic sweeping robot is at a standstill (for example, when the automatic sweeping robot is charged), the liquid in the water tank may continue to leak and leak to the floor, which may result in waste of cleaning liquid and damage to the floor.Therefore, a moisture protection mat and smart cleaning system should be provided to at least partially solve the above problems.CONTENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONIn the incorporated part of the invention, a number of simplified forms are presented which are explained in more detail in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The SUMMARY of the present invention is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed embodiments, nor does it mean attempting to determine the scope of protection required for a technical solution.To at least partially solve the above technical problems, according to an aspect of the invention, a moisture protection mat (100) for an intelligent cleaner, the intelligent cleaner being configured to be chargeable by a charging station, the moisture protection mat (100) comprising: an assembly unit configured to install the moisture protection mat (100) at the charging station.Preferably, the moisture protection mat may further comprise at least one anti-slip device arranged on the underside of the moisture protection mat. The at least one anti-slip device is made of a flexible material and is configured to protrude downwardly from the bottom of the moisture protection mat.Preferably, the moisture shielding mat may include a recess portion, the recess portion being configured to be disposed below a liquid outlet portion provided on a bottom surface of the wet cleaning pad. The surface of the recess portion does not contact the liquid outlet portion when the smart cleaner is charged by the charging station.Preferably, the shape of the moisture protection mat corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the smart cleaner, and / or the shape of the moisture protection mat is approximately round and has a recess.Preferably, the mounting unit is a recess at the edge of the moisture protection mat. The recess is recessed from the edge toward a center of the moisture protection mat so as to partially surround the charging station.Preferably, the recess may include a buckle for matching the outer circumferential surface of the charging station. The buckle may include a first portion extending perpendicular to the extension direction of the moisture protection mat and a second portion extending from an upper end of the first portion toward the charging station. The recess may also include a protrusion configured to be attachable to the charging station, and the protrusion extends toward the charging station. The recess may also form a groove on its surface for attachment to the charging station.Preferably, the moisture protection mat has a rounded edge to allow the smart cleaner to move comfortably on the moisture protection mat.According to another aspect of the disclosure, an intelligent cleaning system is provided. The smart cleaning system may include a smart cleaning device, a charging station, and the moisture protection mat. The smart cleaner is equipped with a wet cleaning pad. The moisture protection mat is attached to the charging station with the aid of the mounting unit. When the smart cleaner is charged by the charging station, at least a portion of the moisture protection mat is disposed below the wet cleaning pad.Preferably, one of the mounting unit or the charging station comprises a protrusion and the other of the mounting unit or the charging station defines a groove, the protrusion being configured to cooperate with the groove to connect the moisture protection mat to the charging station.Preferably, the moisture protection mat further comprises a liquid outlet portion disposed on the bottom surface of the wet cleaning pad, and wherein the liquid outlet portion is configured to discharge the liquid in the wet cleaning pad when a pressure is applied.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn order to make the advantages of the present invention more readily understood, the invention briefly described above will be described in more detail with reference to the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be understood that these drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the invention and should therefore not be considered as limiting the scope. The invention will be described and explained in the drawings with additional features and details. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an intelligent cleaning device of the intelligent cleaning system according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is another schematic view of the smart cleaner of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is still a schematic view of the smart cleaner of FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a top view of a moisture protection mat of the smart cleaning system. FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial view of the part A in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the moisture protection mat of FIG. 4A. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the moisture protection mat of FIG. 4A. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the rounded edge of the moisture protection mat of FIG. 4A.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn the following discussion, the details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. For example, to avoid confusion with the present invention, some of the technical features well known in the art will not be described in detail.Referring to Figs. 1 to 7, the embodiments of the present invention provide an intelligent cleaning system and a moisture protection mat. The smart cleaning system may include a smart cleaning device, a charging station (not shown), and a moisture protection mat.FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of an intelligent cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment. The smart cleaning device may include, in addition to a main body 1 and a cleaning system, a sensing system, a control system (not illustrated in the figures), a driving system, a power system, and a human-machine interaction system 9. The main parts of the smart cleaner will be described in detail below.The main body 1 may include an upper cover, a front part 13, a rear part 14, and a chassis 11, etc. The main body 1 is approximately round, in particular the front part 13 and the rear part 14 are approximately circular. It is understood that the main body 1 may also have other shapes, including, but not limited to, an approximately D-shape.The sensing system may include a position determining device disposed above the main body 1, a bumper disposed at the front part 13 of the main body 1, a clip sensor 51, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an odometer, and the like. These sensor devices provide the control system with various location information and motion status information of the main body 1.The cleaning system may comprise a dry cleaning unit and a wet cleaning unit. The wet cleaning unit is a first cleaning unit 2. a primary function of the wet cleaning unit is to wipe the surface to be cleaned (e.g. the floor) with a cleaning mop 4 containing cleaning liquid. The dry cleaning unit is a second cleaning unit. A primary function of the dry cleaning unit is to remove particulate contaminants on the surface to be cleaned with a device such as a cleaning brush.As a dry cleaning unit, the main cleaning function of the dry cleaning unit is derived from the second cleaning unit, which comprises a roller brush 61, a dust container, a fan, an air outlet and the connecting element between the four parts. The roller brush 61 has some engagement with the floor, returns the garbage on the floor, and rolls it to the front of the suction opening between the roller brush 61 and the dust container. The waste is then sucked into the dust container by an air flow generated by the fan and flowing through the dust container. The dust removal performance of the sweeping machine may be characterized by DPU (Dust Pick Up Efficiency). The DPU is influenced by the structure and material of the roller brush 61, by the wind power utilization of the air passage formed by the suction opening, the dust container, the fan, the air outlet and the connecting member therebetween, and also by the kind and performance of the fan. As compared with conventional power line vacuum cleaners, the improvement of dust removal performance is more useful in robot cleaners with limited power consumption. By improving the dust removal performance, the energy requirement can be directly lowered. For example, the robot, which can clean an area of 80 square meters with a single load, can be further developed to clean an area of 100 square meters or more. Since the number of charging operations is reduced, the life of the battery is prolonged remarkably and the frequency of battery change is also decreased. More intuitive and important is the improvement in dust removal performance, which is the most obvious and important user experience. The user can directly determine whether the cleaning and wiping are clean or not. The dry cleaning unit may also include a side brush 62 having a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is at an angle to the ground. The rotating shaft is configured to move the dirt into the cleaning area of the roller brush 61, and the rotating shaft is at an angle to the ground.As a wet cleaning unit (e.g., a wet cleaning pad), the first cleaning unit 2 may mainly include a water tank 3, a cleaning mop 4, and the like. The water tank 3 serves as a base for receiving further components of the first cleaning unit 2. the cleaning mop 4 is arranged detachably on the water tank 3. The liquid in the water tank 3 flows into the cleaning mop 4. the cleaning mop 4 wipes off the floor cleaned by the roller brush.The drive system is configured to move the main body 1 and the components mounted on the main body 1 for automatic driving and cleaning. The drive system may include a drive wheel module. The travel system may issue a travel command to control the robot to move over the ground. The travel command is based on distance information and angle information such as x, y, and θ components. The drive wheel module may control both left and right wheels to more accurately control movement of the machine. Preferably, the drive wheel module comprises a left and a right drive wheel module, respectively. The left drive wheel module and the right drive wheel module are arranged along the horizontal axis direction defined by the main body 1 (symmetrical arrangement). In order for the robot to move more stably on the ground or to travel more efficiently, it may have one or more driven wheels 72. Among the driven wheels is a universal wheel.The drive wheel module may include a drive wheel, a drive motor, and a control circuit for controlling the drive motor. The drive wheel module can also be connected to a circuit for measuring the drive current and to an odometer. The drive wheel module can be detachably connected to the main body 1 for easy disassembly and maintenance. The drive wheel may have an offset rebound system. The drive wheel is movably, e.g. rotatably, mounted on the main body 1 and receives a spring bias which is biased downwardly and away from the main body 1. The spring bias allows the drive wheel to maintain contact and traction with the ground with a certain ground force. At the same time, the cleaning member of the robot (e.g., the roller brush, etc.) contacts the ground with a certain pressure.The front part 13 of the main body 1 can receive the bumper. During the cleaning process, the drive wheel module drives the robot on the ground and the bumper detects one or more events in the travel path of the robot via a sensor, for example an infrared sensor. The robot may control the drive wheel module through events such as obstacles and walls detected by the bumper to allow the robot to respond to events, e.g., by moving away from obstacles.The control system is located on the circuit board inside the main body 1. The nonvolatile memory may be a hard disk, a flash memory, or a random access memory. The computing processor may include a central processing unit or an application processor. The application processor uses a positioning algorithm such as SLAM to generate a current map of the environment in which the robot is located based on the obstacle information sent back from the laser detection sensor. The distance and velocity information fed back from the bumper, the clip sensor 51, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an odometer, and other measurement devices is used to determine the current working state of the sweeping machine. The working state of the sweeping machine may be, for example: via the threshold, via the carpet, via the lip, above or below stuck, dust receptacle full, collected, etc. The application processor gives instructions specific to the various situations for the next step. The robot is more suited to the needs of the owner and provides a better user experience. Moreover, the control system can plan the most efficient cleaning path and the most efficient cleaning method based on the map information created by SLAM in real time, which greatly improves the cleaning efficiency of the robot.The power supply system may comprise a rechargeable battery, e.g., a nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery may be connected to a charge control circuit, a circuit for detecting the charge temperature of the battery pack, and a circuit for monitoring the under-voltage of the battery. The charge control circuit, the circuit for detecting the charge temperature of the battery pack, and the circuit for monitoring the under voltage of the battery are connected to the control circuit for the one-chip microcomputer. The host is charged by connection to the charging column at the side or bottom of the host.The human-machine interaction system 9 comprises buttons on the host panel with which the user can select the function. The human-machine interaction system 9 can further comprise a display and / or a display light and / or a loudspeaker and the display. The indicator light and speaker display to the user the current state of the machine or the function selection. The human-machine interaction system 9 can also contain a mobile client program. In a path navigation cleaner, the mobile client may display to the user the map of the environment of the device and the location of the device, which may provide the users with richer and more user friendly functions.In order to better describe the behavior of the robot, the directions are defined as follows. The robot can move on the ground by various combinations of movements of the following three mutually perpendicular axes defined by the main body 1: a front and rear axis X (i.e. the axis in the direction of the front part 13 and the rear part 14 of the main body 1), a lateral axis Y (i.e. an axis perpendicular to the axis X and in the same horizontal plane as the axis X) and a vertical central axis Z (axis perpendicular to the plane formed by the axis X and the axis Y). The forward direction of travel along the front and rear axes X is referred to as "forward", and the rearward direction of travel along the front and rear axes X is referred to as "rearward". The transverse axis Y extends along the axis defined by the center of the drive wheel module 71 between the right wheel and the left wheel of the autonomous cleaning robot.The robot can rotate about the Y axis. When the front part of the robot is tilted upward and the rear part is tilted downward, it is defined as "upward", and when the front part of the robot is tilted downward and the rear part is tilted upward, it is defined as "downward". In addition, the robot can rotate about the Z axis. When the robot tilts forward to the right about the X axis, this is defined as "right turn", and when the robot tilts to the left about the X axis, this is defined as "left turn".The dust container is fastened in the receiving cavity by means of a buckle and handle. When the handle is pulled, the buckle shrinks. When the handle is released, the buckle extends to a recess of the receiving cavity that receives the restriction member.Preferably, the pressure in the water tank 3 is equal to or slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the liquid cannot flow out of the liquid outlet port without external influence. At the liquid outlet port, a liquid outlet structure (water outlet filter) is installed. The liquid outlet opening is usually equipped with a cleaning mop 4 with water absorption. The smart cleaner is configured to expel the liquid through the liquid outlet opening under suction when the liquid outlet structure interferes with the cleaning mop 4. When the smart cleaner is standing on a flat surface without recesses or protrusions, the cleaning mop 4 is preferably easily contacted with the surface to press the cleaning mop 4 against the surface and apply a continuous force to the liquid outlet structure so that the liquid outlet port can smoothly discharge the liquid.The charging station is used for charging the smart cleaning device. The charging station is usually placed anywhere on a planar surface, for example on the floor near a wall or corner, and the smart cleaner can be moved to the position of the charging station. When the smart cleaner is in the position, the charging station may charge the smart cleaner.When the smart cleaner is charged by the charging station, the smart cleaner typically remains stationary for a long time. However, the liquid in the water tank 3 may continuously drain or leak through the liquid outlet port, whereby the bottom may be damaged. Therefore, the moisture shielding mat 100 is provided also at the charging station when the smart cleaner is charged. The moisture protection mat 100 is located below the smart cleaner (i.e., the charging location of the smart cleaner is located above the moisture protection mat 100). Preferably, the moisture protection mat 100 is made of a hard material, e.g., a hard adhesive, and is well waterproof.Preferably, the general contour of the moisture protection mat 100 conforms to the shape of the smart cleaner. The moisture protection mat 100 can be connected to the charging station. The moisture protection mat 100 may include an assembly unit configured to install the moisture protection mat at the charging station. Preferably, the mounting unit is a recess at the edge of the moisture protection mat. The recess is recessed from the edge toward a center of the moisture protection mat so as to partially surround the charging station. The shape of the recess 20 corresponds to the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the charging station, so that the recess 20 fits into the charging station. In a specific embodiment, the outer contour of the charging station is inserted into the recess 20.It should be understood that the extending direction or the set direction (e.g., "horizontal", "vertical") of the various components refers to the extending direction or the set direction thereof when the smart cleaning system is disposed on a horizontal plane.Preferably, the recess 20 is provided with a buckle 23 adapted to the outer circumferential surface of the charging station. The buckle 23 extends horizontally along the edge of the recess 20. When the moisture protection mat 100 is attached to the charging station, the buckle 23 may fasten the edge of the charging station, e.g., the edge of the joint to the charging station. When the buckle 23 is fastened to the edge of the charging station, the first portion is in contact with the side wall of the charging station, and the bottom of the second portion is in contact with the top wall of the charging station.Also preferably, the recess 20 is provided with a protrusion 21 extending horizontally to the charging station, and the charging station is provided with a groove corresponding to the protrusion 21. When the moisture protection mat 100 is attached to the charging station, the protrusion 21 may be inserted into the groove, thereby fixing the moisture protection mat 100 to the charging station. Preferably, there are two protrusions 21 arranged symmetrically about the axis of the recess 20. It is understood that in other embodiments not shown, the protrusion may be provided at the charging station and the groove may be provided at the moisture protection mat.The inner part of the recess 20 is a bent part 22 arranged between two protrusions 21. It will be appreciated that the moisture protection mat 100 is installed in place when the bent portion 22 is in full contact with the charging station.Preferably, the moisture protection mat 100 may have a recessed portion 10. When the smart cleaner is in the loading position, the recess portion 10 is located below the water tank 3.In the present embodiment, the liquid outlet structure at the liquid outlet port of the water tank 3 is configured to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the water tank 3 by 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The distance between the bottom surface of the recessed portion 10 and the top surface of the moisture shielding mat 100 is 0.6-0.8 mm. In this way, when the smart cleaning device is charged, a gap is formed between the bottom surface of the recess portion 10 and the cleaning mop 4, so that an upward force is not applied to the liquid outlet structure, the liquid outlet port on the water tank 3 does not come into contact with the cleaning mop 4, and no liquid is sucked from the liquid outlet port.Preferably, the moisture protection mat 100 may further comprise at least one anti-slip device 30 disposed on and protruding from the underside of the moisture protection mat. The anti-slip device 30 has a circular cross section. The anti-slip device 30 is made of a flexible material. The lower end of the anti-slip device 30 is larger in diameter than the central or upper portion, thereby forming a suction cup structure for securing the moisture pad 100 to a planar surface. Preferably, anti-slip device 30 may be made of transparent and / or waterproof materials to provide the anti-slip device 30 with a better appearance. As shown in FIG. 2, the anti-slip device 30 may be evenly distributed on the bottom surface of the moisture protection mat 100. A plurality of the anti-skid devices 30 are disposed on an edge of the moisture protection mat 100 that is remote from the end connected to the charging station, thereby further optimizing the fastening effect of the anti-skid device 30.Preferably, the moisture protection mat 100 has a rounded edge 40, and the side walls and the surface of the moisture protection mat 100 are connected to each other by the rounded edge 40 (see FIG. 7 ). The rounded edge 40 makes it more convenient to move the smart cleaner on the moisture pad 100.According to the present invention, when the smart cleaner is charged by the charging station, the moisture protection mat is located below the smart cleaner, so that the surface for raising the smart cleaner is less susceptible to moisture and damage. The moisture protection mat 100 is removably connected to the charging station to facilitate installation, disassembly, storage and transport of the smart cleaning system.

Claims

A moisture protection mat (100) for an intelligent cleaner, the intelligent cleaner being configured to be chargeable by a charging station, the moisture protection mat (100) comprising: an assembly unit configured to install the moisture protection mat (100) at the charging station.The moisture protection mat of claim 1, further comprising: at least one anti-slip device (30) attached to a bottom surface of the moisture protection mat (100), wherein the at least one anti-slip device (30) is made of a flexible material and configured to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the moisture protection mat (100).The moisture shielding mat according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a recess portion (10), wherein the recess portion (10) is configured to be disposed below a liquid outlet portion provided on a bottom surface of the wet cleaning pad (4), and wherein an upper surface of the recess portion (10) does not contact the liquid outlet portion when the smart cleaning device is charged by the charging station.The moisture protection mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a shape of the moisture protection mat (100) corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the smart cleaner.The moisture protection mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shape of the moisture protection mat (100) is approximately round and has a recess.The moisture protection mat of any preceding claim, wherein the mounting unit comprises a recess (20) defined at an edge of the moisture protection mat (100), the recess (20) being recessed from the edge towards a center of the moisture protection mat (100) and configured to partially surround the charging station.The moisture protection mat according to claim 6, wherein the recess (20) comprises at least one of: a buckle (22) configured to be attachable to an outer circumferential surface of the charging station; wherein the buckle (20) comprises a first portion extending upward from a bottom surface of the moisture protection mat (100) and a second portion extending from an upper end of the first portion toward the charging station; a protrusion (21) configured to extend toward the charging station and insertable into a groove portion of the charging station; or a groove configured to receive a protrusion portion of the charging station.The moisture protection mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a top surface of the moisture protection mat (100) is provided with a rounded edge (40) facing in the direction in which the smart cleaner moves towards the moisture protection mat (100).An intelligent cleaning system comprising: a charging station; an intelligent cleaning device provided with a wet cleaning pad (4) and configured to be chargeable by the charging station; and the moisture protection mat (100) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the moisture protection mat (100) is installed at the charging station by the mounting unit, wherein when the intelligent cleaning device is charged by the charging station, at least a part of the moisture protection mat (100) is disposed below the wet cleaning pad (4).The smart cleaning system of claim 9, wherein one of the mounting unit and the charging station comprises a protrusion and the other of the mounting unit and the charging station defines a groove, the protrusion configured to cooperate with the groove to connect the moisture protection mat (100) to the charging station.The smart cleaning system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the moisture protection mat (100) further comprises a liquid outlet portion disposed on the bottom surface of the wet cleaning pad (4), and wherein the liquid outlet portion is configured to dispense the liquid in the wet cleaning pad when subjected to a pressure.

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