Cliff sensor and self-propelled mobile device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a cliff sensor, which includes a light-emitting element (1231) and a light-receiving element (1232). A first convex lens (1233) is provided on the light-emitting optical path of the light-emitting element (1231). A spacer (1235) is provided between the light-emitting element (1231) and the light-receiving element (1232). A first total reflection structure is provided at a portion of the first convex lens (1233) close to the spacer (1235). The first total reflection structure is used to totally reflect a first light ray, and the first light ray is a part of the light rays emitted from the light-emitting element (1231) and irradiated onto the spacer within the first convex lens (1235).

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , ,

[0006] , ,

[0001] (Related Application) This disclosure claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202210655181.6, filed on June 10, 2022, and all the disclosure contents of the above Chinese patent application are incorporated herein by reference as part of this disclosure.

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of sensors, specifically, to cliff sensors and self-propelled mobile devices.

Background Art

[0003] A self-propelled mobile device is a machine that moves autonomously and executes operations automatically. In the operating environment of a self-propelled mobile device, the self-propelled mobile device often encounters cliffs (such as stairs, thresholds, etc.). And when the self-propelled device encounters a cliff, a fall may occur. When a fall of the self-propelled mobile device occurs, the self-propelled mobile device is likely to be damaged.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the content of the present invention, a series of concepts in a simplified form are introduced, which will be further described in detail in the detailed description of the invention. The disclosure content of this disclosure is not intended to define the important features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this disclosure provides a cliff sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, a first convex lens is provided on the light-emitting optical path of the light-emitting element, and a spacer is provided between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, a first total reflection structure is provided at a portion of the first convex lens close to the spacer, and the first total reflection structure is used to totally reflect a first light ray, and the first light ray is a part of the light rays emitted from the light-emitting element and irradiated to the spacer within the first convex lens.

[0006] A second convex lens is optionally provided on the optical path of the light-receiving element.

[0007] Optionally, a second totally internal reflection structure is provided on the second convex lens in a portion close to the spacer, and the second totally internal reflection structure is used to totally internalize the second ray so that the second ray is received by the photodetector, and the second ray is a portion of the ray that is emitted from the first convex lens, reflected by the work surface, and irradiated onto the spacer within the second convex lens.

[0008] Selectively, the first total internal reflection structure has a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface is located in a region close to the spacer in the first convex lens, the first inclined surface is gradually inclined from a first end to a second end in a direction away from the spacer, the first end is the end of the first inclined surface furthest from the light-emitting element, and the second end is the end of the first inclined surface close to the light-emitting element.

[0009] Selectively, the second total internal reflection structure has a second inclined surface, the second inclined surface is located in a region close to the spacer on the exit surface of the second convex lens, the second inclined surface gradually slopes away from the spacer from a third end to a fourth end, the third end being the end of the second inclined surface furthest from the photodetector, and the fourth end being the end of the second inclined surface close to the photodetector.

[0010] Selectively, the Cliff sensor comprises a housing, a housing cavity provided within the housing, and the light-emitting element, light-receiving element, and spacer are all provided within the housing cavity. The first convex lens and the second convex lens are mounted on the mounting wall surface of the housing, the mounting wall surface being a light-transmitting wall surface, and the mounting wall surface facing the emitted light of the light-emitting element in the housing and passing through the incident light of the light-receiving element.

[0011] Selectively, the incident surface of the first convex lens protrudes toward the light-emitting element and the exit surface of the first convex lens is flat, the exit surface of the second convex lens protrudes toward the light-receiving element and the incident surface of the second convex lens is flat.

[0012] Optionally, an external connector is provided within the housing cavity, and the connector is connected to the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, respectively.

[0013] A first opening is optionally provided in the housing at a position corresponding to the insertion end of the connector, the connector is positioned in the first opening, and the outer edge of the connector is flush with the edge of the first opening.

[0014] A connecting wire is optionally provided on the connector, a second opening is provided on the housing at a position corresponding to the connection between the connector and the connecting wire, the connecting wire passes through the second opening, and a sealing member is provided on the second opening to seal the second opening.

[0015] Selectively, the housing comprises a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing, the housing cavity comprises a first cavity provided in the first housing and a second cavity provided in the second housing, the first convex lens, the second convex lens, the spacer, the photodetector and the light-emitting element are located in the first cavity, and the connector is located in the second cavity.

[0016] The first housing and the second housing are either fixedly connected or detachably connected, respectively.

[0017] Optionally, the second housing comprises a first sub-housing and a second sub-housing, the first sub-housing and the second sub-housing together forming the second cavity.

[0018] The sealing member is optionally made of soft rubber.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a self-propelled mobile device including a main body and the cliff sensor described above, and the cliff sensor is provided at the bottom of the main body.

[0020] The following accompanying drawings of the present disclosure are used to understand the present disclosure as part of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are shown in the accompanying drawings to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] Three-dimensional view of a self-propelled mobile device according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 2] Bottom view of FIG. 1 [Figure 3] Three-dimensional view of a wet cleaning system according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 4] Optical path diagram of the light receiving element of the cliff sensor according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 5] Optical path diagram of the light emitting element of the cliff sensor according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view of the cliff sensor according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 7] Structural diagram of the first housing, the second housing and the connector of the cliff sensor according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 8] Three-dimensional view of the cliff sensor according to any embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 9] Top view of FIG. 8 [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view of the cliff sensor according to another arbitrary embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 11] Three-dimensional view of the cliff sensor according to another arbitrary embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 12] Top view of FIG. 11

Description of Reference Numerals

[0022] Vacuum cleaning robot 110 Equipment main body 111 Front part 112 Rear part 120 sensing modules 121 Position determination sensor 122 Forward collision structure 123 Cliff Sensor 1231 Light-emitting element 1232 Photodetector 1233 First convex lens 12331 1st slope 1234 Second convex lens 12341 2nd slope 1235 Spacer 1236 Containment Cavity 12361 Cavity 1 12362 2nd cavity 1237 Connector 1238 First opening 1239 Housing 12391 Housing No. 1 12392 Second Housing 123921 First Subhousing 123922 Second Sub-housing 12393 Mounted wall 12310 Second opening 12311 Sealing member 12312 connecting line 130 Human-Machine Interactive Modules 140 Left wheel 141 Right wheel 142 Driven Wheel 150 Cleaning Systems 151 Dry Cleaning System 152 Side Brush 153 Wet Cleaning System 1531 Cleaning head 1532 Drive Unit 1533 Drive Platform 1534 Support Platforms [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] The following description provides various specific details to give a more thorough understanding of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other instances, some technical features well known in the art are omitted to avoid confusion in this disclosure.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms used herein are for the sole purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments provided herein. Where used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. In addition, it should be understood that the terms “contains” and / or “compose,” where used herein, identify the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0025] Next, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the ideas of these exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0026] To prevent self-propelled mobile devices from falling, existing mobile devices can be equipped with cliff sensors used to identify cliffs. When the cliff sensors identify a cliff, the self-propelled mobile device will stop or perform an evasive maneuver, thereby effectively preventing the self-propelled mobile device from being damaged by falling from a height.

[0027] In a first embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 10, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cliff sensor comprising a light-emitting element 1231 and a light-receiving element 1232, wherein a first convex lens 1233 is provided in the light-emitting optical path of the light-emitting element 1231, a second convex lens 1234 is provided in the light-receiving optical path of the light-receiving element 1232, a spacer 1235 is provided between the first convex lens 1233 and the second convex lens 1234, and a first total internal reflection structure is provided in the portion of the first convex lens 1233 closest to the spacer 1235 A structure is provided, and the first total internal reflection structure is used to cause the first ray to undergo total internal reflection, thereby causing the first ray to be emitted from the first convex lens 1233 in a direction substantially parallel to a preset direction, where the first ray is a portion of the ray emitted from the light-emitting element 1231 that irradiates the spacer 1235 within the first convex lens 1233, and the preset direction is the optical path direction from which the light emitted from the light-emitting element 1231 is converted into substantially parallel light by the first convex lens 1233.

[0028] Here, the first convex lens 1233 is a lens whose incident surface protrudes toward the light-emitting element 1231 and whose exit surface is flat. Specifically, referring to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, it may be a lens whose incident surface protrudes toward the light-emitting element 1231 and whose exit surface protrudes toward the light-emitting element 1231. Similarly, the second convex lens 1234 may be a lens whose exit surface protrudes toward the light-receiving element 1232 and whose incident surface is flat, as specifically referring to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, or it may be a lens whose exit surface protrudes toward the light-receiving element 1232 and whose incident surface protrudes toward the light-receiving element 1232. The light-receiving element 1232 and the light-emitting element 1231 are generally infrared sensors and may be laser lidars.

[0029] The spacer 1235 may be plate-shaped or have other irregular shapes. The spacer 1235 is made of an opaque material, and it prevents the light emitted from the light-emitting element 1231 from being directly received by the light receiver 40 without being reflected by the surface of the work area.

[0030] In a specific application, as shown in Figure 4, the light rays emitted from the light-emitting element 1231 are irradiated into the first convex lens 1233, and most of the light rays that do not irradiate the spacer 1235 are converted into nearly parallel light by the first convex lens 1233 and emitted. A portion of the light rays that irradiate the spacer 1235, i.e., the first ray, is totally reflected by the first total internal reflection structure, and the first ray is emitted in a direction nearly parallel to a preset direction. In other words, the first total internal reflection mechanism converts the first ray into nearly parallel light, thereby reducing the intensity of stray light and increasing the intensity of parallel light, thus improving the working conditions. The intensity of the light reflected by the image region surface and incident on the second convex lens 1234 is increased. Then, using the focusing action of the second convex lens 1234, the light rays are focused and emitted to the photodetector 1232. The light intensity received by the photodetector 1232 is further increased. Subsequently, the photodetector 1232 converts the received light intensity signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the controller. The controller determines the presence or absence of a cliff based on the magnitude of the electrical signal value. That is, if the value of the electrical signal is greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that there is no cliff, and if the value of the electrical signal is less than or equal to the predetermined value, it is determined that there is a cliff.

[0031] In this disclosure, the incident surface refers to the surface on which the light ray is incident, the exit surface refers to the surface from which the light ray is emitted, and the work area surface refers to the surface of the area on which the self-propelled mobile device works. For example, if the self-propelled mobile device is a sweeping robot, the work area surface is the floor surface or carpet surface.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first total internal reflection structure of the first convex lens 1233 totally reflects some of the light rays that irradiate the spacer 1235 within the first convex lens 1233, converting some of the light rays that irradiate the spacer 1235 within the first convex lens 1233 into nearly parallel light and emitting it. As a result, the intensity of stray light is reduced and the intensity of parallel light is increased, and after the light rays emitted from the light-emitting element 1231 enter the first convex lens 1233, some of the light rays illuminate the junction interface between the first convex lens 1233 and the spacer 1235. Light is emitted, and after some of the light rays are reflected by the bonding interface, they are emitted from the first convex lens 1233 in a direction away from the light-receiving element 1232. Even if they are reflected by the surface of the work area, they become stray light that is not received by the light-receiving element 1232, thus avoiding a decrease in the intensity of the light rays received by the light-receiving element 1232. This increases the intensity of the light reflected by the work surface received by the light-receiving element 1232, reducing the false detection rate of the cliff sensor and improving the sensing accuracy of the cliff sensor. If the work area is a dark-colored object (such as a dark-colored carpet), the light-receiving element 1232 receives a stronger light signal, thus reducing the influence of color on the cliff sensor.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, the first total internal reflection structure has a first inclined surface 12331, which is located in a region close to the spacer 1235 in the first convex lens 1233, and the first inclined surface 12331 is gradually inclined from the first end to the second end in a direction away from the spacer 1235, with the first end being the end of the first inclined surface 12331 that is farther from the light-emitting element 1231, and the second end being the end of the first inclined surface 12331 that is close to the light-emitting element 1231.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first inclined surface 12331 is gradually inclined from the first end to the second end in a direction away from the spacer 1235, and the distance between the first inclined surface 12331 and the spacer 1235 gradually increases from the first end to the second end, that is, the gap between the first inclined surface 12331 and the spacer 1235 gradually increases from the first end to the second end, the medium on the side of the first inclined surface 12331 is the material of the first convex lens 1233, i.e., a medium with high optical density, and the medium on the other side is air, i.e., a medium with low optical density, and as a result the first inclined surface 12331 becomes a total reflection surface, enabling total reflection of the first ray.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, a second total internal reflection structure is provided in the second convex lens 1234 in a portion close to the spacer 1235. The second total internal reflection structure is used to cause total internal reflection of the second light ray so that the second light ray is received by the photodetector 1232. Here, the second light ray is a portion of the light ray that is emitted from the first convex lens 1233, reflected by the work surface, and irradiated onto the spacer 1235 within the second convex lens 1234.

[0036] In some embodiments, some of the light rays emitted from the first convex lens 1233 and reflected by the work surface before illuminating the second convex lens 1234 are directed to the bonding interface between the second convex lens 1234 and the spacer 1235. These rays are reflected by the bonding interface and their original paths are altered. Thus, after these rays are emitted from the second convex lens 1234, they are not received by the photodetector 1232, thereby reducing the intensity of the light rays received by the photodetector 1232 to some extent.

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the second light ray is totally reflected by the second total internal reflection structure of the second convex lens 1234. As a result, the second light ray can still be received by the photodetector 1232 after it has been emitted from the second convex lens 1234, thereby increasing the intensity of the light ray received by the photodetector 1232.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, the second total internal reflection structure has a second inclined surface 12341, which is located in a region close to the spacer 1235 on the exit surface of the second convex lens 1234, and the second inclined surface 12341 is gradually inclined away from the spacer 1235 from the third end to the fourth end, with the third end being the end of the second inclined surface 12341 that is farther from the photodetector 1232, and the fourth end being the end of the second inclined surface 12341 that is close to the photodetector 1232.

[0039] In this embodiment, the second inclined surface 12341 gradually inclins away from the spacer 1235 from the third end to the fourth end, and the distance between the second inclined surface 12341 and the spacer 1235 gradually increases from the third end to the fourth end. That is, the gap between the second inclined surface 12341 and the spacer 1235 gradually increases from the third end to the fourth end. As a result, the medium on the side of the second inclined surface 12341 becomes the material of the second convex lens 1234, i.e., a medium with high optical density, and the medium on the other side becomes air, i.e., a medium with low optical density. Consequently, the second inclined surface 12341 becomes a total reflection surface, enabling total reflection of the second ray.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 10, the Cliff Sensor comprises a housing 1239, with a housing cavity 1236 provided within the housing 1239. The light-emitting element 1231, the light-receiving element 1232, and the spacer 1235 are all located within the housing cavity 1236. The first convex lens 1233 and the second convex lens 1234 are mounted on the mounting wall 12393 of the housing 1239. The mounting wall 12393 is a light-transmitting wall, where the mounting wall 12393 is the wall in the housing 1239 that faces directly towards the emitted light from the light-emitting element 1231 and through which the incident light from the light-receiving element 1232 penetrates.

[0041] The shape of the housing 1239 can be any shape, such as a cube or a cylinder, and is not particularly limited in this embodiment. The housing 1239 can serve to protect the light-emitting element 1231 and the light-receiving element 1232, thereby improving the service life of the cliff sensor. The mounting wall 12393 may be a light-transmitting wall, which can avoid blocking the light rays emitted from the first convex lens 1233 and the light rays incident on the second convex lens 1234. Other parts of the housing 1239 may or may not be light-transmitting. Here, the light-transmitting wall may be made of a transparent or translucent material, such as transparent plastic. Furthermore, in some preferred embodiments, the incident surface of the first convex lens 1233 protrudes toward the light-emitting element 1231 and its exit surface is flat, and the exit surface of the second convex lens 1234 protrudes toward the light-receiving element 1232 and its incident surface is flat. As a result, both the first and second convex lenses 1233 and 1234 are located within the housing cavity 1236, and the housing protects the first and second convex lenses 1233 and 1234, preventing wear of the first and second convex lenses 1233 and 1234 by external objects. In addition, the spacer 1235 and the housing 1239 are integrally molded to facilitate processing and installation, although it is of course possible to manufacture the spacer 1235 and the housing 1239 separately and then assemble them.

[0042] Furthermore, the incident surface of the first convex lens 1233 protrudes toward the light-emitting element 1231, and the exit surface of the first convex lens 1233 is flat, while the exit surface of the second convex lens 1234 protrudes toward the light-receiving element 1232, and the incident surface of the second convex lens 1234 is flat.

[0043] Since the incident surface of the first convex lens 1233 protrudes in a direction closer to the light-emitting element 1231, the first convex lens 1233 is located within the housing cavity 1236, thereby protecting the first convex lens 1233 from external objects and preventing wear of the incident surface of the first convex lens 1233. Furthermore, since the exit surface of the first convex lens 1233 is flat, the contact area between the first convex lens 1233 and the side wall of the housing 1239 can be increased, making the connection between the first convex lens 1233 and the side wall of the housing 1239 more stable.

[0044] Similarly, since the exit surface of the second convex lens 1234 protrudes toward the photodetector 1232, the second convex lens 1234 is located within the housing cavity 1236, thereby protecting the second convex lens 1234 from external objects and preventing wear on the incident surface of the second convex lens 1234. Furthermore, because the incident surface of the second convex lens 1234 is flat, the contact area between the second convex lens 1234 and the side wall of the housing 1239 can be increased, making the connection between the second convex lens 1234 and the side wall of the housing 1239 more stable.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 10, an external connector 1237 is provided within the housing cavity 1236, and the connector 1237 is connected to the light-emitting element 1231 and the light-receiving element 1232, respectively.

[0046] The connector 1237 is used to enable the light-emitting element 1231 and the light-receiving element 1232 to connect to an external device (e.g., a controller).

[0047] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 10, the housing 1239 comprises a first housing 12391 and a second housing 12392 connected to the first housing 12391, and the housing cavity 1236 is also divided into two cavities, namely a first cavity 12361 located within the first housing 12391 and a second cavity 12362 located within the second housing 12392, with the first convex lens 1233, the second convex lens 1234, the spacer 1235, the photodetector 1232 and the light-emitting element 1231 located within the first cavity 12361, and the connector 1237 located within the second cavity 12362, thereby allowing each component to have a corresponding mounting area and enabling a more rational layout of each component.

[0048] Here, the first housing 12391 and the second housing 12392 may be fixedly connected or detachably connected, where the fixed connection is a connection such as adhesive, and the detachable connection is a connection such as snaps or bolts.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 10, the second housing 12392 includes the first sub-housing 123921 and the second sub-housing 123922, and the first sub-housing 123921 is fitted with the second sub-housing 123922 to form the second cavity 12362. Here, the first sub-housing 123921 and the second sub-housing 123922 are connected by a detachable connection, such as a lock, to facilitate the installation of the connector 1237 into the second cavity 12362, and of course, the first sub-housing 123921 and the second sub-housing 123922 may also be connected by a fixed connection such as adhesive.

[0050] In specific applications, the connector 1237 is provided within the housing cavity 1236 in the following two ways, specifically: In the first method, as shown in Figures 6 to 9, a first opening 1238 is further provided at a position corresponding to the insertion end of the connector of the housing 1239, the connector 1237 is located in the first opening 1238, and the outer edge of the connector 1237 and the edge of the first opening 1238 are flush.

[0051] Since the connector 1237 is located in the first opening 1238, the connection between the connector 1237 and the external device's connecting member can be achieved by inserting the connecting member of the external device into the first opening 1238, or the connection between the connector 1237 and the external device can be broken by pulling the connecting member of the external device out of the first opening 1238, thereby facilitating the use of the cliff sensor.

[0052] If the housing 1239 is divided into a first housing 12391 and a second housing 12392, the first opening 1238 is located in the second housing 12392 and is provided on the opposing side walls of the first convex lens 1233 and the second convex lens 1234, thus facilitating the insertion of the connector 1237 and the external device connection member.

[0053] The outer edge of the connector 1237 and the edge of the first opening 1238 are flush, meaning that the connector 1237 is as close as possible to the edge of the first opening 1238. This allows for complete contact between the connector 1237 and the connection portion of the external device, improving connection stability and avoiding the problem of small contact between the connector 1237 and the connection portion of the external device, which can easily lead to failure due to breakage.

[0054] In the second method, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, a connecting wire 12312 is provided on the connector 1237, a second opening 12310 is provided on the housing 1239 at a position corresponding to the connection between the connector 1237 and the connecting wire 12312, the connecting wire 12312 is passed through the second opening 12310, and the second opening 12310 is sealed by providing a sealing member 12311.

[0055] When the housing 1239 is divided into a first housing 12391 and a second housing 12392, the second opening 12310 is located in the second housing 12392, on the side wall facing the first convex lens 1233 and the second convex lens 1234, thus facilitating the insertion of the connector 1237 and the connecting member for the external device.

[0056] The sealing member 12311 may be made of soft rubber, such as thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. Here, the sealing member 12311 and the first sub-housing 123921 or second sub-housing 123922 of the second housing 12392 may be an integral structure, and unlike the material of the sealing member 12311 and the first sub-housing 123921 or second sub-housing 123922 of the second housing 12392, the sealing member 12311 and the housing 1239 may be formed by secondary injection molding. Of course, the sealing member 12311 and the first sub-housing 123921 or the second sub-housing 123922 may be separate structures. After the sealing member is injected separately, it is fixedly connected to the first sub-housing 123921 or the second sub-housing 123922 by means of adhesion or thermal melting, making it easy to replace the sealing member 12311 if its sealing performance deteriorates after long-term use.

[0057] The sealing of the second opening 12310 by the sealing member 12311 improves the overall sealing performance of the cliff sensor, preventing dust or moisture from the external environment from entering the housing cavity 1236 and causing the connector 1237 to rust or corrode, thereby shortening the service life of the cliff sensor. To ensure a smooth connection between the cliff sensor and the external component, a connecting wire 12312 extends from the second opening 12310, and the connection between the connector 1237 and the external device is realized via the connecting wire 12312 extending from the second opening 12310.

[0058] In a second embodiment, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a self-propelled mobile device comprising a main body and the cliff sensor described above, wherein the cliff sensor is located at the bottom of the main body.

[0059] The specific structure of the cliff sensor in this embodiment can be found in the above embodiment, and since this self-propelled mobile device employs all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0060] The self-propelled mobile device in this embodiment is a device that automatically moves within the area to be cleaned and performs tasks automatically. The self-propelled mobile device may be a cleaning robot, such as a sweeping robot 10, a mopping robot, a floor polishing robot, or a weeding robot. For the sake of explanation, this embodiment will describe the technical solution of the present disclosure using a sweeping robot 10 as an example.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sweeping robot 10 comprises a main unit 110, a sensing module 120, a controller, a drive module, a cleaning system 150, an energy system, and a human-machine interactive module 130. Here, as shown in Figure 1, the main unit 110 includes a front portion 111 and a rear portion 112 and may have a substantially circular shape (circular at both ends), or other shapes such as a substantially D-shape with a rectangular front and a circular rear, or a rectangular or square shape with rectangular ends.

[0062] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sensing module 120 includes a position determination device 121 mounted on the main body 110, a collision sensor mounted on the forward collision structure 122 of the front portion 111 of the main body 110, a wall sensor mounted on the side of the device, a cliff sensor 123 mounted on the bottom of the main body 110, and sensing devices such as a magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and odometer mounted inside the main body 110, which are used to provide the controller with various position information and motion state information of the device. The position determination device 121 includes, but is not limited to, a camera and a laser distance sensor (LDS). In some preferred embodiments, the position determination device 121 (e.g., camera, laser sensor) is located on the front side of the main body 110, i.e., at the foremost end of the front portion 111, so that it can accurately detect the environment in front of the cleaning robot and achieve accurate positioning.

[0063] As shown in Figure 1, a forward collision structure 122 may be mounted on the front portion 111 of the main body 110. During the cleaning process, when the drive wheel module 141 propels the cleaning robot 10 across the floor, the forward collision structure 122 detects one or more events in the path of the cleaning robot 10 via a sensor system mounted on it, such as a collision sensor or proximity sensor (infrared sensor). The cleaning robot 10 may then control the drive module to respond to the events detected by the forward collision structure 122, such as obstacles or walls, by moving away from the obstacle and performing obstacle avoidance maneuvers.

[0064] The controller is located on a circuit board within the main unit 110 and includes NAND non-temporary memory such as a hard disk, flash memory, and random access memory, as well as a communicative computing processor such as a central processing unit and an application processor. The application processor uses a positioning algorithm, such as real-time positioning and mapping (SLAM, Simultaneous Localization And Mapping), based on obstacle information fed back by a laser rangefinder, to draw a real-time map of the environment in which the cleaning robot 10 is located. Then, in conjunction with distance information and speed information fed back by sensing devices such as sensors, cliff sensors 123, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and odometers, which are located on the forward collision structure 122, the controller comprehensively determines the current working state, current position, and current posture of the cleaning robot 10, such as when it is crossing a threshold, climbing a carpet, on a cliff, stuck above or below, its dustbin is full, or being lifted. Based on these determinations, the controller provides a specific next action strategy according to the different situations, resulting in the cleaning robot 10 having better cleaning performance and user experience.

[0065] As shown in Figure 2, the drive module can steer the machine body 110 to travel across the floor surface based on drive commands having distance and angle information. The drive module includes a main drive wheel module, which can control the left wheel 140 and the right wheel 141. Preferably, to control the motion of the machine more precisely, the main drive wheel module includes a left drive wheel module and a right drive wheel module, respectively. The left and right drive wheel modules are provided along a transverse axis defined by the machine body 110. To enable the cleaning robot 10 to move more stably on the floor surface or to have greater mobility, the cleaning robot 10 may include one or more driven wheels 142. The driven wheels 142 include, but are not limited to, universal wheels. The main drive wheel module includes a drive motor and a control circuit to control the drive motor. The main drive wheel module may be connected to a circuit for measuring the drive current and an odometer. The left wheel 140 and the right wheel 141 are equipped with a bias drop suspension system, which is movable and fixed, for example, rotatably attached to the equipment body 110, and receives a spring bias that is biased downward from the equipment body 110. The spring bias allows the drive wheels to maintain contact and traction with the floor surface with a constant landing force, while the cleaning elements of the cleaning robot 10 also contact the floor surface with a constant pressure.

[0066] The energy system includes rechargeable batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium batteries. A charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and a battery voltage under-monitoring circuit may be connected to the rechargeable batteries, and these circuits are connected to a microcontroller control circuit. The host computer is connected to the charging pile for charging via charging electrodes 160 located on the side or bottom of the main unit.

[0067] The man-machine interactive module 130 includes buttons on a host computer panel, which are available to the user for selecting functions, and may also include a display screen and / or indicator lights and / or a speaker, the display screen, indicator lights and speaker showing the user the current mode or function selection of the device, and may further include a mobile phone client program. For the route navigation type automatic cleaning robot 10, the mobile phone client can show the user a map of the environment in which the device is located and the location of the device, providing the user with a richer and more user-friendly set of functions. Specifically, the cleaning robot has various modes such as work mode and self-cleaning mode. Here, work mode refers to a mode in which the cleaning robot automatically performs cleaning tasks, and self-cleaning mode refers to a mode in which the cleaning robot removes dirt from the roller brush and side brush 152 on the base, automatically collects the dirt, and / or automatically washes and dries the mop cloth.

[0068] The cleaning system 150 may be a dry cleaning system 151 and / or a wet cleaning system 153.

[0069] As shown in Figure 2, the dry cleaning system 151 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a roller brush, a dust box, a fan, and an air outlet. The roller brush, having a certain degree of interference with the floor surface, sweeps up debris from the floor surface and swirls it forward to a dust collection port between the roller brush and the dust box, where it is then sucked into the dust box by a gas with suction force generated by the fan and passing through the dust box. The dry cleaning system 151 may further include a side brush 152 having a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being at a certain angle with respect to the floor surface in order to move debris to the roller brush area of ​​the cleaning system 150.

[0070] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wet cleaning system 153 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cleaning head 1531, a drive unit 1532, a water supply mechanism, a liquid storage box, etc. Here, the cleaning head 1531 may be located below the liquid storage box, and the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage box is transferred to the cleaning head 1531 via the water supply mechanism, and the cleaning head 1531 wet-cleans the surface to be cleaned. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage box may be sprayed directly onto the surface to be cleaned, and the cleaning head 1531 cleans the surface by uniformly spreading the cleaning liquid.

[0071] Here, the cleaning head 1531 is used to clean the surface to be cleaned, and the drive unit 1532 is used to drive the cleaning head 1531 to reciprocate along a target surface, the target surface being a part of the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning head 1531 reciprocates along the surface to be cleaned, and a mop cloth is provided at the contact surface between the cleaning head 1531 and the surface to be cleaned. The drive unit 1532 causes the mop cloth of the cleaning head 1531 to reciprocate, generating high-frequency friction with the surface to be cleaned, thereby removing dirt from the surface to be cleaned, or the mop cloth is positioned in a floating state, eliminating the need for the drive unit 1532 to drive the mop cloth to reciprocate during the cleaning process, and ensuring that it is always in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

[0072] As shown in Figure 3, the drive unit 1532 may further include a drive platform 1533 and a support platform 1534, the drive platform 1533 being connected to the bottom of the equipment body 110 and used to provide driving force, and the support platform 1534 being detachably connected to the drive platform 1533 and used to support the cleaning head 1531, and is raised and lowered by the drive of the drive platform 1533.

[0073] Here, the wet cleaning system 153 may be connected to the main unit 110 via an active lifting module. If the wet cleaning system 153 is temporarily not participating in the work, for example, if the cleaning robot 10 stops at the base station to wash the cleaning head 1531 of the wet cleaning system 153, fill the liquid storage box with water, or encounters a surface to be cleaned that the wet cleaning system 153 cannot clean, the active lifting module raises the wet cleaning system 153.

[0074] This disclosure has been described through the above-described embodiments, but it should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative and explanatory purposes only and do not limit this disclosure to the scope of the embodiments described. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that various modifications and alterations can be made in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure, all of which fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure. The scope of protection of this disclosure shall be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cliff sensor comprising a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, A first convex lens is provided in the light-emitting path of the light-emitting element, and a spacer is provided between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. In the first convex lens, a first total internal reflection structure is provided in a portion close to the spacer, and the first total internal reflection structure is used to cause total internal reflection of a first ray, the first ray being a portion of the ray emitted from the light-emitting element and irradiated onto the spacer within the first convex lens, The Cliff Sensor comprises a housing, a housing cavity is provided within the housing, and the light-emitting element, the light-receiving element, and the spacer are all provided within the housing cavity. A cliff sensor characterized in that a connector for external connection is further provided within the housing cavity, and the connector is connected to the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, respectively.

2. The Cliff sensor according to claim 1, wherein a second convex lens is provided in the light-receiving optical path of the light-receiving element.

3. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 2, wherein a second totally internal reflection structure is provided in the second convex lens in a portion close to the spacer, the second totally internal reflection structure is used to totally internalize the second light ray so that the second light ray is received by the light receiving element, and the second light ray is a portion of the light ray that is emitted from the first convex lens, reflected in the second convex lens by the work surface, and irradiated onto the spacer.

4. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first total internal reflection structure has a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface is located in a region close to the spacer in the first convex lens, the first inclined surface is gradually inclined from a first end to a second end in a direction away from the spacer, the first end is the end of the first inclined surface that is away from the light-emitting element, and the second end is the end of the first inclined surface that is close to the light-emitting element.

5. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 3, wherein the second total internal reflection structure has a second inclined surface, the second inclined surface is located in a region close to the spacer on the exit surface of the second convex lens, the second inclined surface is gradually inclined in a direction away from the spacer from a third end to a fourth end, the third end is the end of the second inclined surface that is away from the light-receiving element, and the fourth end is the end of the second inclined surface that is close to the light-receiving element.

6. The Cliff Sensor according to Claim 2, wherein the first convex lens and the second convex lens are mounted on the mounting wall surface of the housing, the mounting wall surface is a light-transmitting wall surface, and the mounting wall surface is a wall surface in the housing that faces directly to the emitted light of the light-emitting element and is passed through by the incident light of the light-receiving element.

7. The Cliff sensor according to claim 6, wherein the incident surface of the first convex lens protrudes in a direction toward the light-emitting element, the exit surface of the first convex lens is flat, the exit surface of the second convex lens protrudes in the direction toward the light-receiving element, and the incident surface of the second convex lens is flat.

8. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 1, wherein a first opening is further provided in the housing at a position corresponding to the insertion end of the connector, the connector is located in the first opening, and the outer edge of the connector is flush with the edge of the first opening.

9. A connecting wire is provided in the connector, a second opening is provided in the housing at a position corresponding to the connection portion between the connector and the connecting wire, the connecting wire passes through the second opening, and a sealing member is provided in the second opening to seal the second opening, as described in claim 1.

10. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 6, wherein the housing comprises a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing, the housing cavity includes a first cavity provided in the first housing and a second cavity provided in the second housing, the first convex lens, the second convex lens, the spacer, the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element are located in the first cavity, and the connector is located in the second cavity.

11. The cliff sensor according to claim 10, wherein the first housing and the second housing are fixedly connected or detachably connected.

12. The cliff sensor according to claim 11, wherein the second housing comprises a first sub-housing and a second sub-housing, and the first sub-housing and the second sub-housing together form the second cavity.

13. The Cliff Sensor according to claim 9, wherein the sealing member is made of soft rubber.

14. A self-propelled mobile device comprising a main body and a cliff sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cliff sensor is provided at the bottom of the main body.

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