Robot comprising a working unit and a drive unit and method for producing a robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot (10) comprising a working unit (20) and a drive unit (50), wherein the drive unit (50) comprises at least one running wheel (51) and wherein at least one region (24) of a drive motor (23) of the working unit (20) of the robot (10) is accommodated in a shaft (53) of the running wheel (51).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Robot comprising a working unit and a drive unit and method for producing a robot

[0003] The present invention relates to a robot and a manufacturing method for manufacturing a corresponding robot according to the independent claims.

[0004] Especially for small robots, such as cleaning robots for vehicle interiors or window cleaning robots for vehicle windshields, it is necessary to position as many functional components as possible in a small space. The space-saving arrangement of drive motors, for example, for driving cleaning brushes, plays a crucial role, as these motors must be easy to install. However, the current state of the art does not address the lack of installation space and the poor similarity to a corresponding drive motor.

[0005] For example, DE 10 2004 038 074 B3 shows a cleaning robot having a brush motor, wherein the drive unit of the robot can accommodate a drive motor for the drive unit. DE 21 2014 000 129 U1, on the other hand, describes an electromechanical unit for a rolling machine, wherein the unit comprises a so-called ground support wheel, a motor group for rotating the wheel, and a shaft around which the wheel can be driven by the motor group. DE 202018 105 546 U1 describes a water tank for a sweeping robot, wherein a roller motor of a flexible roller can be mounted within a rotor shaft of the flexible roller. However, the space-saving arrangement of a drive motor of a working unit of a robot is not addressed in the prior art.

[0006] The present invention is based on the object of arranging a drive motor for a working unit of a robot in the most space-saving way possible, while at the same time ensuring good accessibility. The aforementioned object is achieved by a robot comprising a working unit and a drive unit, the latter comprising at least one running wheel. The running wheel can comprise a tire that sits on the shaft, in other words is arranged around the shaft. Preferably, the drive unit can comprise several running wheels. For example, at least one pair or more than two, e.g. three, running wheels can be arranged on each side of the robot. The running wheels can be driven to rotate about an axis of rotation. The running wheels arranged on one side can be spanned by a chain, thus creating a chain drive. The drive unit serves to drive and thus move the robot.

[0007] According to the invention, at least one section of a drive motor of the robot's working unit is housed in a shaft of a wheel. The working unit differs primarily from the drive unit. It is a functional unit that performs a specific function, although this function does not serve to propel the robot.

[0008] The work unit serves exclusively for a task to be performed by the robot. Therefore, the drive motor, which is located at least partially in the shaft, is not a drive motor of the robot's drive unit.

[0009] This allows for the installation of the drive motor of the work unit to utilize otherwise unused installation space, saving space. Furthermore, the easy accessibility of the drive motor facilitates assembly and simplifies maintenance. This results in a significant increase in installation space, easy accessibility of the drive motor, and ease of maintenance.

[0010] The drive motor can be arranged in a recess in the shaft. The recess in the shaft can be designed as a through-opening, in particular a through-bore. In particular, the shaft essentially completely encloses the received area of ​​the drive body in the radial direction. Preferably, the shaft encloses the area in the radial direction with respect to at least 330°. The radial direction refers to the arrangement of the shaft. Thus, the shaft serves as a housing for the received area of ​​the drive motor. The drive motor can comprise a cover that closes off the shaft in the axially outer direction. The tire of the impeller thus moves around the housing of the drive motor, which is designed as a shaft. In other words, the housing of the drive motor of the working unit is designed as a shaft for an impeller of the drive unit. The shaft can be attached to a base body of the robot.The base body can, in particular, be a chassis of the robot. For attaching the shaft to the base body, both the shaft and the base body can have at least one mounting opening, preferably a mounting hole. These can be arranged coaxially to one another, so that the shaft can be attached to the base body by means of a fastening means, such as a screw.

[0011] The base body can comprise a recess for receiving an end region of the drive motor. The recess in the base body can follow the recess in the shaft in the axially inner direction. The drive motor can thus be received through the recess in the shaft into the recess of the base body, so that a region, for example a first end region, of the drive motor is received in the recess of the base body, while a region, for example a central region and / or a second end region, is received in the recess of the shaft. The region received in the shaft is therefore preferably the central region of the drive motor and / or the second end region.

[0012] An axially inwardly extending through-hole, preferably a through-bore, can extend from the recess in the base body. This serves to connect the drive motor to the working unit. The working unit is preferably arranged axially inwardly behind, or in other words, after, the shaft and can be connected to the drive motor via the through-hole in the base body.

[0013] The working unit can be a cleaning unit, meaning the robot can be a cleaning robot, preferably a cleaning robot for a vehicle interior or a window cleaning robot for vehicle windows. In particular, the working unit is a cleaning brush that can rotate around the same axis of rotation as the shaft and thus the impeller. It is preferably a round brush.

[0014] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a robot comprising a working unit and a drive unit, wherein the drive unit comprises at least one impeller. The method comprises arranging at least a portion of a drive motor of the working unit in a shaft of an impeller of the drive unit. In particular, the method serves for manufacturing a robot as described above.

[0015] Preferably, a recess can first be formed in the shaft and a recess in a base body of the robot. Furthermore, corresponding fastening openings can be formed in both the shaft and the base body. The shaft is then fastened to the base body by means of the coaxially arranged fastening openings, into which a fastening means, such as a screw, is inserted. Furthermore, a through-opening can be formed in the base body starting from the recess. The drive motor can now be introduced into the recess of the shaft and into the recess of the base body in such a way that at least one region of the drive motor is arranged in the shaft and at least one region of the drive motor is arranged in the base body. The region arranged in the base body is in particular a first end region, while a central region can be arranged in the shaft.The second end portion can protrude from the shaft and be covered by the cover. The working unit can then be arranged axially inward behind the shaft and connected to the drive motor, which is mounted on the shaft, through the through-hole.

[0016] They show in a purely schematic representation:

[0017] Figure 1 : a perspective view of a robot;

[0018] Figure 2: another perspective view of the robot of Figure 1;

[0019] Figure 3: an enlarged section of Figure 1 without the cover of the drive motor of the

[0020] Work unit of the robot;

[0021] Figure 4: a further enlarged section of Figure 3 without tires and chain of the

[0022] drive unit of the robot;

[0023] Figure 5: the view of Figure 4, but without shaft 53, but with tires and with

[0024] chain; and

[0025] Figure 6: a sectional view of the section of Figures 3 to 5 in slightly perspective

[0026] view; and

[0027] Figure 7: A process diagram of a method for manufacturing a robot. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a robot 10, which is embodied, for example, as a cleaning motor 11. It comprises a work unit 20, which is embodied as a cleaning unit 21 (see Figure 2). Furthermore, the robot 10 comprises a drive unit 50. Specifically, the robot comprises six running wheels 51, three on each side, which are attached to a base body 58, which is embodied as a chassis 59.

[0028] Each idler wheel 51 has a tire 52. A chain 57 for propelling the robot 10 is arranged around the respective idler wheels 51 on each side. The idler wheel 51 has a shaft 53 to which the tires 52 are mounted. A portion 24 of a drive motor 23 of the work unit 20 is incorporated into the shaft 53 (see Figure 6). In Figure 1, the view is correspondingly obscured by a cover 28 of the drive motor, which closes off the drive motor in the axially outer direction 91.

[0029] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the robot 10 of Figure 1 from below, clearly showing how the working unit 20 is designed as a cleaning brush 22. It is arranged behind the shaft 53 in an axially inner direction 92.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an enlarged section of Figure 1 without the cover 28 of the drive motor 23. The second end portion 27 of the drive motor 23 is clearly visible. The portion 24 received in the shaft 53 is the central portion 25. Furthermore, it can be seen how the shaft 53 has a recess 54 to accommodate the drive motor 23. It is also clearly visible how the tire 52 is arranged around the shaft 53.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a further enlarged section of Figure 3, this time without chain 57 and without tire 52. The shaft 53 serves as a housing for the received area 24 of the drive motor 23. The received area 24 is almost completely enclosed by the shaft 53 in the radial direction.

[0032] Figure 5 shows the same enlarged view as Figure 4, but without shaft 53, but with tire 52 and chain 57. The base body 58, here the chassis 59, includes a recess 60, which is, for example, cuboid-shaped. A through-opening 61 extends from the recess 60. This serves to connect the drive motor 23 to the work unit 20. A fastening opening 62 is also formed, which serves to fasten the shaft 53 to the base body 58.

[0033] Figure 6 shows a sectional view in perspective. It can be clearly seen how the drive motor 23 has a first end region 26, a second end region 27, and a central region 25. The central region 25 is arranged in the recess 54 of the shaft 53. The second end region 27 protrudes from the shaft 53 in the axially outer direction 91 in Figure 6.

[0034] The recess 54 in the shaft 53 is designed as a through-opening 55. In addition, the shaft 53 can include a fastening opening 56 for fastening the shaft 53 to the base body 58, through which a screw (not shown) can be passed. A corresponding fastening opening 62 is also located in the base body 58, through which the screw can then also be passed. The corresponding fastening openings 56, 62 are arranged coaxially. It can be clearly seen how the first end region 26 is arranged in the recess 60 of the base body 58. The through-opening 61, which is concealed by the drive motor 23 in Figure 6, serves for the connection to the work unit 20.

[0035] Figure 7 shows a method 100 for manufacturing a robot comprising a drive unit and a work unit. In a first step, a recess 54 can be formed 101 in a shaft 53 of a drive unit 50, specifically in a shaft 53 of a running wheel 51. A corresponding recess 60 can also be formed 102 in a base body 58 to which the at least one running wheel 51 is attached.

[0036] Corresponding fastening openings 56, 62 can be provided both in the base body 58 and in the shaft 53. The base body 58 and the shaft 53 can be arranged such that both the recesses 54, 60 and the fastening openings 56, 62 extend coaxially. The shaft 53 can now be fastened to the base body 58. The drive motor 23 can now be inserted into the recesses 54, 60 such that it is arranged with a first end region 26 in the recess 60 of the base body 58 and with a central region 25 in the recess 54 of the shaft 53. Overall, at least one region 24 of the drive motor 23 is arranged 103 in the shaft 53 and arranged 104 in the base body 58, namely the recess 60 of the base body 58.The working unit 20 can be arranged 105 behind the shaft 53 in the axially inward direction 92 and the drive motor 23 can be connected 106 to the working unit 20 by means of a through opening 61 which extends from the recess 60 in the base body 58.

[0037] List of reference symbols

[0038] robot

[0039] Cleaning motor

[0040] work unit

[0041] cleaning unit

[0042] cleaning brush

[0043] Drive motor

[0044] area middle area first end area second end area

[0045] Lid

[0046] drive unit

[0047] balance bike

[0048] Tires

[0049] Wave

[0050] recess

[0051] passage opening

[0052] Mounting opening

[0053] Chain

[0054] Basic body

[0055] chassis

[0056] recess

[0057] passage opening

[0058] Mounting opening

[0059] Axial outer direction

[0060] Axial inner direction

[0061] Method for manufacturing a robot

[0062] Formation of a recess in a shaft of a drive unit

[0063] Formation of a recess in a base body Arrangement of at least one area of ​​a drive motor of a working unit in a shaft of a drive unit of the robot Arrangement of at least one area of ​​the drive motor of the working unit in the base body Arrangement of the working unit in the axially inner direction behind the shaft Connection of the drive motor to the working unit

Claims

Patent claims 1. Robot (10) comprising a work unit (20) and a drive unit (50), wherein the drive unit (50) comprises at least one impeller (51), characterized in that at least one region (24) of a drive motor (23) of the work unit (20) of the robot (10) is accommodated in a shaft (53) of the impeller (51).

2. Robot (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the working unit (20) is different from the drive unit (50).

3. Robot (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the work unit (20) is designed exclusively for a work to be carried out by the robot (10).

4. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive motor (23) is not a drive motor of the drive unit (20).

5. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the region (24) of the drive motor (23) is arranged in a recess (54) of the shaft (53), wherein the recess (54) is designed as a through opening (55).

6. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shaft (53) substantially completely encloses the received region (24) of the drive motor (23) in the radial direction.

7. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shaft (53) serves as a housing for the received area (24) of the drive motor (23).

8. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive motor (23) comprises a cover (28) which closes the shaft (53) in the axially outer direction (91).

9. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shaft (53) is fastened to a base body (58) of the robot (10), wherein the base body (58) comprises a recess (60) for receiving an end region of the drive motor (23).

10. Robot (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the base body (58) comprises a through opening (61) extending from the recess (60) and in an axially inner direction (92) for connecting the drive motor (23) to the working unit (20).

11. Robot (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that the working unit (20) is arranged in an axially inner direction (92) behind the shaft (53) and is connected to the drive motor (23) via the through opening (61) in the base body (58).

12. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the working unit (20) is a cleaning unit (21), so that the robot (10) is a cleaning robot (11).

13. Robot (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the working unit (20) is a cleaning brush (22).

14. Method (100) for producing a robot (10) comprising a working unit (20) and a drive unit (50), wherein the drive unit (50) comprises at least one impeller (51), characterized in that in a shaft (53) of the impeller (51) at least one region (24) of a drive motor (23) of the working unit (20) of the robot (10).

15. The method (100) according to claim 14, wherein the method is designed for manufacturing a robot (10) according to one of claims 1 to 13.

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