Self-moving device and cleaning system

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of intelligent devices. Disclosed are a self-moving device and a cleaning system. The self-moving device comprises a main body, wherein at least two distance measurement sensors are provided on the main body, and the boundaries of horizontal fields of view between the distance measurement sensors are not parallel and do not intersect, such that the horizontal fields of view between the distance measurement sensors do not overlap with each other.

Description

Self-propelled equipment and cleaning system CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 20, 2024, with application number 202420548589.8, and invention name “A Self-Mounting Device and Cleaning System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of smart devices, and more particularly to a self-propelled device and a cleaning system. Background Art

[0003] With the development of robotics technology, mobile devices have been increasingly used in various fields, replacing manual labor to complete many tasks.

[0004] A plurality of distance measuring sensors are usually installed on the main body of a mobile device to detect the position and distance between the mobile device and objects (such as obstacles) in its surrounding environment.

[0005] The Abstract section introduces a series of simplified concepts that will be further described in the Detailed Description section. The Abstract section of this application is not intended to limit the key features and essential features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a self-moving device, including a main body, on which at least two ranging sensors are provided, and the boundaries of the horizontal field of view angles between the ranging sensors are non-parallel and non-intersecting.

[0007] Optionally, the ranging sensor is a tof sensor.

[0008] Optionally, the first ranging sensor is arranged at the front of the main body, and the first ranging sensor is any one of the at least two ranging sensors.

[0009] Optionally, the second ranging sensor is arranged at the rear of one side of the main body, and the second ranging sensor is any one of the remaining sensors of the at least two ranging sensors.

[0010] Optionally, the bisector of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor coincides with the central axis of the main body.

[0011] Optionally, a first boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor and a second boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the second ranging sensor form a preset angle, the first boundary being a boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the first ranging sensor adjacent to the second ranging sensor, and the second boundary being a boundary of the horizontal field of view angle of the second ranging sensor adjacent to the first ranging sensor.

[0012] Optionally, the light emitted by the first ranging sensor includes dot array laser and area array laser.

[0013] Optionally, the light emitted by the second ranging sensor is a dot matrix laser.

[0014] Optionally, an edge detection sensor is also provided on the main body.

[0015] Optionally, the edge detection sensor is arranged on the first side of the main body, and the second ranging sensor is arranged at the rear of the second side of the main body, the first side is any one of the two sides of the main body, and the second side is the side of the main body opposite to the first side.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cleaning system, including a base station and the above-mentioned self-moving device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The following drawings of the present application are used as part of the embodiments of the present application for understanding the present application. The drawings show the embodiments of the present application and their descriptions, and are used to explain the principles of the present application.

[0018] In the attached figure:

[0019] FIG1 is a top view of a self-moving cleaning device according to an optional embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG2 is a bottom view of FIG1 ;

[0021] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a horizontal field of view angle of a ranging sensor according to an optional embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG4 is a perspective view of FIG1 .

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

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

[0025] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, some technical features well known in the art are not described in order to avoid confusion with the present application.

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

[0027] Now, exemplary embodiments according to the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of this application thorough and complete and to fully convey the concepts of these exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0028] First, embodiments of the present application provide a self-moving device. This device can be a device that automatically cleans an area to be cleaned without user intervention, i.e., a self-moving cleaning device. It can also be an automatic device that provides other services. The following describes the structure of the self-moving device, using the self-moving cleaning device as an example.

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

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

[0031] The main body 110 includes a front portion 111 and a rear portion 112. The front portion 111 is the portion of the self-propelled cleaning device that first enters the work area during normal operation, specifically the portion below the x-axis of the main body 110 shown in Figure 1. The rear portion 112 is relative to the front portion 111, specifically the portion above the x-axis of the main body 110 in Figure 1. The side surfaces of the main body 110 are the portions on both sides of the central axis (i.e., the y-axis) of the main body 110. The left side 113 of the main body 110 is the portion located to the left 113 of the y-axis, and the right side 114 of the main body 110 is the portion located to the right 114 of the y-axis.

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

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, the front part 111 of the main body 110 can carry a buffer. During the cleaning process, when the driving wheel module 131 propels the self-mobile cleaning device 100 to walk on the ground, the buffer detects one or more events in the driving path of the self-mobile cleaning device 100 through a sensor system provided thereon, such as an infrared sensor. The self-mobile cleaning device 100 can control the driving wheel module 131 to respond to the event, such as an obstacle or a wall, based on the event detected by the buffer.

[0034] The control module is disposed on a circuit board within the main body 110 and includes a computing processor, such as a central processing unit or an application processor, that communicates with non-transitory memory, such as a hard disk, flash memory, or random access memory. The application processor utilizes a positioning algorithm, such as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), based on obstacle information fed back by the laser ranging device to create a real-time map of the environment in which the self-mobile cleaning device 100 is located. Furthermore, the application processor combines distance and speed information fed back by sensing devices such as the ranging sensor 120, cliff sensor, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and odometer provided on the buffer to comprehensively determine the current operating state and location of the self-mobile cleaning device 100, as well as its current posture, such as when the self-mobile cleaning device 100 is crossing a threshold, on a carpet, on a cliff, stuck above or below, full dust box, or being lifted, etc. Specific next-step action strategies are also provided for different situations, thereby improving the cleaning performance and user experience of the self-mobile cleaning device 100.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, drive system 130 comprises drive wheel module 131, and drive wheel module 131 can control left wheel and right wheel simultaneously, and in order to more accurately control the motion of machine, preferred drive wheel module 131 comprises left drive wheel module and right drive wheel module respectively.Left and right drive wheel modules are arranged along the transverse axis defined by main body 110.In order to be able to move more stably or stronger athletic ability on the ground from mobile cleaning equipment 100, from mobile cleaning equipment 100 can comprise one or more driven wheels 132, driven wheel 132 includes but not limited to universal wheel.Drive wheel module 131 comprises running wheel and drive motor and the control circuit of control drive motor, and drive wheel module 131 can also be connected the circuit and the odometer of measuring driving current.Drive wheel can have bias drop type suspension system, fastens in a movably manner, for example, is attached to main body 110 in a rotatable manner, and receives downwards and away from the spring bias of main body 110 biases. The spring bias allows the drive wheel to maintain contact and traction with the ground with a certain ground force, while the cleaning elements 143 of the self-propelled cleaning device 100 also contact the ground with a certain pressure.

[0036] The energy system includes rechargeable batteries, such as nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries. These batteries can be connected to a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and a battery undervoltage monitoring circuit. These circuits are then connected to the microcontroller control circuit. The host computer is charged via charging electrodes located on the side or bottom of the device, connecting to the base station.

[0037] The human-machine interaction system 150 includes buttons on the main unit panel for the user to select functions; a display screen and / or indicator lights and / or a speaker to display the current machine status or function options to the user; and a mobile client program. For a route-guiding self-propelled cleaning device 100, the mobile client can display a map of the device's environment and the device's location to the user, providing the user with a richer and more user-friendly set of functions.

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

[0039] As shown in Figure 2, the dry cleaning system 141 provided in this embodiment of the present application may include a roller brush, a dust box, a fan, and an air outlet. The roller brush, which has a certain degree of interference with the ground, sweeps up debris from the ground and carries it to the front of the dust suction port between the roller brush and the dust box. The air is then sucked into the dust box by the suction force generated by the fan and passing through the dust box. The dry cleaning system 141 may also include a side brush 142 with a rotating shaft that is angled relative to the ground to move debris into the roller brush area of ​​the cleaning system 140.

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

[0041] The cleaning assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a motion mechanism and a cleaning element 143 provided on the main body 110, that is, the entire cleaning assembly can be installed on the main body 110 through the motion mechanism, and the cleaning assembly moves as the main body 110 moves to achieve the mopping function. The motion mechanism is used to drive the cleaning element 143 to move, such as the motion mechanism can drive the cleaning element 143 to rise and fall, and the motion mechanism can also drive the cleaning element 143 to rotate. Thus, according to the requirement of whether the cleaning element 143 is in contact with the surface to be cleaned, the lifting and rotating operations of the cleaning element 143 can be achieved through the motion mechanism to meet the different functional requirements of the cleaning element 143, that is, the processing of the differentiation strategy of the cleaning element 143 can be realized, thereby improving the cleaning performance of the self-cleaning device, and improving the cleaning efficiency and user experience.

[0042] As shown in FIG2 , in the forward direction of the self-propelled cleaning device 100, a cleaning element 143 is located behind the dry cleaning system 141. Cleaning element 143 can typically be a flexible, absorbent material such as fabric or a sponge. In this embodiment, cleaning element 143 can be at least one rotating turntable. Water from the self-propelled robot's liquid tank is directed to cleaning element 143, which then rotates to remove dirt from the floor.

[0043] Furthermore, during the movement of the self-mobile cleaning device 100, in some scenarios where mopping the floor is required, such as wet treatment of the floor, the control module can be used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to descend, so that the lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 143 interferes with the surface to be cleaned. At the same time, the control module is used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to rotate. As a result, when the driving wheel drives the self-mobile cleaning device 100 to move, the cleaning element 143 will contact and interfere with the surface to be cleaned, so as to realize the mopping operation of the surface to be cleaned.

[0044] Furthermore, during the movement of the self-mobile cleaning device 100, in some scenarios where mopping is not required, such as traveling to and from a base station, or for carpet cleaning, the control module can be used to control the motion mechanism to drive the cleaning element 143 to rise. It can be understood that the cleaning element 143 can be raised so that the lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 143 is higher than the lowest lower surface of the driving wheel, so that in this case, during the movement of the self-mobile cleaning device 100 driven by the driving wheel, the cleaning element 143 will not contact the surface to be cleaned, thereby avoiding the situation where the cleaning element 143 contacts the surface to be cleaned in scenarios where mopping is not required, causing secondary contamination of the surface to be cleaned, which is beneficial to improving the cleanliness of the self-mobile cleaning device 100, and improving cleaning efficiency and user experience.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in FIG1 , in the self-moving device provided in this embodiment, at least two distance measuring sensors 120 are provided on the main body 110 , and the boundaries of the horizontal field angles between the distance measuring sensors 120 are not parallel and do not intersect.

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

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

[0048] Furthermore, in a specific application, the distance measuring sensor 120 is a TOF sensor, which has the advantages of being compact, easy to use, high precision and fast response speed, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of distance measurement.

[0049] Further, as shown in FIG. 1 , the first distance measuring sensor 121 is disposed at the front portion 111 of the main body 110 , wherein the first distance measuring sensor 121 is any one of the at least two distance measuring sensors 120 .

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

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

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG1 and FIG3 , the horizontal field of view angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 is 103°, thereby ensuring that the first ranging sensor 121 has a larger detection range, thereby improving the accuracy of obstacle detection in front of the self-moving device, so that the self-moving device can avoid obstacles more accurately during movement.

[0053] Furthermore, the light emitted by the first ranging sensor 121 includes a dot matrix laser and an array laser, that is, the first ranging sensor 121 can emit a dot matrix laser and an array laser at the same time. The data detected by the dot matrix laser is used to construct a navigation map, and the data detected by the array laser is used to avoid obstacles. Therefore, the first ranging sensor 121 can simultaneously realize navigation mapping and obstacle avoidance, which not only simplifies the structure and reduces costs, but also improves detection efficiency. In addition, the dot matrix laser and the array laser fully cover the area in front of the main body 110 to improve detection accuracy.

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

[0055] The second distance measuring sensor 122 can detect obstacles on the side and rear of the self-moving device, so that when the self-moving device moves backward (eg, to avoid obstacles), it can avoid collision with the obstacles on the side and rear.

[0056] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG1 and FIG3 , the horizontal field angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 is 99°, thereby ensuring that the second ranging sensor 122 has a larger detection range to improve the accuracy of obstacle detection from the side and rear of the mobile device.

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

[0058] The first boundary is a boundary of the first distance measuring sensor 121 adjacent to the second distance measuring sensor 122 at a horizontal field angle α, and the second boundary is a boundary of the second distance measuring sensor 122 adjacent to the first distance measuring sensor 121 at a horizontal field angle β.

[0059] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG1 and FIG3 , the preset angle γ is 45.8°, so that the horizontal field angle α of the first ranging sensor 121 and the horizontal field angle β of the second ranging sensor 122 are separated by a certain distance, thereby ensuring that the two do not overlap.

[0060] Furthermore, the light emitted by the second ranging sensor 121 is a dot matrix laser, which can ensure a larger ranging range and reduce energy consumption.

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

[0062] The edge detection sensor 160 detects whether there is an object such as a wall, cabinet, or wardrobe on one side of the self-moving device. If such an object is detected, the self-moving device continues to perform the task along the edge of the object. In a specific application, the edge detection sensor 160 can be installed on the left side 113 or the right side 114 of the main body 110.

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

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

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

[0066] The base station has the functions of charging, replenishing water, receiving sewage and cleaning the self-mobile equipment, so that the self-mobile equipment can successfully complete the corresponding operation tasks (such as cleaning tasks, etc.).

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present application, a self-moving device 100 and a cleaning system are provided. The self-moving device includes a machine body 110, and at least two ranging sensors 120 are provided on the machine body 110. The boundaries of the horizontal field of view angles between the ranging sensors 120 are not parallel and do not intersect, so that the horizontal field of view angles of each ranging sensor 120 do not overlap with each other, thereby avoiding mutual interference between the ranging sensors and improving the accuracy of the detection results.

[0068] For the specific limitations of the self-moving device, please refer to the above description of the self-moving device, which will not be repeated here. The present application has been described through the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of example and explanation, and are not intended to limit the present application to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present application, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present application. The scope of protection of the present application is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A self-propelled device, wherein: The device comprises a main body, on which at least two distance measuring sensors are provided, and the boundaries of the horizontal field angles between the distance measuring sensors are not parallel and do not intersect.

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

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

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

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

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

7. The self-moving device according to claim 3, wherein: The light emitted by the first distance measuring sensor includes a dot array laser and a planar array laser.

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

9. The self-moving device according to claim 3, wherein: An edge detection sensor is also provided on the main body.

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

11. A cleaning system, wherein: The device comprises a base station and a self-moving device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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