Locomotion wheel lifting / lowering mechanism and cleaning device

Abstract

The present application discloses a locomotion wheel lifting / lowering mechanism (100) and a cleaning device (1000). The locomotion wheel lifting / lowering mechanism (100) comprises a locomotion wheel assembly (10), a power assembly (20), and a flexible connecting member (30). The power assembly (20) comprises a rotation power element (21) and a rotating disc (22); the rotation power element (21) is used for driving the rotating disc (22) to rotate in two opposite directions; the flexible connecting member (30) is provided between the locomotion wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22), and is used for enabling the locomotion wheel assembly (10) to rotate relative to a device body (200) by changing the length of the flexible connecting member exposed between the locomotion wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22) during rotation of the rotating disc (22); and the rotating angle of the rotating disc (22) during rotation of the locomotion wheel assembly (10) does not exceed 360 degrees.

Description

Walking wheel lifting mechanism and cleaning device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent applications 202410715539.9, 202410715664.X, 202421260306.6 and 202421264766.6, filed on June 4, 2024, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application belongs to the technical field of cleaning devices, and particularly relates to a walking wheel lifting mechanism and a cleaning device. BACKGROUND

[0003] A cleaning device is a common intelligent cleaning appliance, such as a robot vacuum cleaner, an automatic sweeper, etc. The ability of a cleaning device to cross obstacles during automatic travel is crucial for the cleaning device, and the obstacle-crossing height limits the working range and operation reliability of the cleaning device.

[0004] Current solutions to the obstacle-crossing problem rely on software strategies to achieve the obstacle-crossing function by adjusting the angle and speed of the cleaning device approaching the obstacle. However, this solution is limited in effect due to physical limitations such as the ground clearance of the cleaning device.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] To improve the obstacle-crossing ability of a cleaning device, the present application provides a walking wheel lifting mechanism and a cleaning device.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present application, a walking wheel lifting mechanism is provided, which is installed on a device body and includes:

[0008] A walking wheel assembly is rotatably arranged on the device body;

[0009] A power assembly is installed on the device body, and the power assembly includes a rotating power element and a rotating disc, the rotating power element being configured to drive the rotating disc to rotate in two opposite directions;

[0010] A flexible connecting member is arranged between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc, and is configured to change the length exposed between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc during rotation of the rotating disc, so as to rotate the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body; and the rotating disc has a rotation angle of not more than 360 degrees during rotation of the walking wheel assembly.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotating disc has a rotation angle of 0-300 degrees during lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the flexible connecting member is arranged eccentrically relative to the rotation axis of the rotating disc at the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc.

[0013] In some embodiments, the rotating disc has a rotation angle of 0-90 degrees during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, the rotating disc comprises a transmission disc, an inner fixed disc and an outer fixed disc connected in sequence, and the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc is located between the inner fixed disc and the outer fixed disc.

[0015] In some embodiments, a torsional spring is arranged at the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc, so as to always pull the flexible connecting member tight when the rotating disc rotates.

[0016] In some embodiments, the rotating power element is a steering engine or motor integrated with an encoder, and the output shaft of the steering engine or motor is connected to the rotating disc.

[0017] In some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a controller and a sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly, and the sensor and the rotating power element are electrically connected to the controller; the controller is arranged to determine whether the rotating power element or the flexible connecting member has a fault according to the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly and the rotation angle of the rotating power element.

[0018] In some embodiments, the sensor comprises a rotation sensor arranged on the rotation shaft of the walking wheel assembly, and / or an optical sensor arranged on the walking wheel assembly.

[0019] In some embodiments, upper and lower limit position parts are arranged on the device body, for limiting the upper and lower limit positions of the walking wheel assembly, respectively.

[0020] In some embodiments, the walking wheel assembly comprises a transmission device and a walking wheel driven thereby; the transmission device comprises a main wheel part and a free part, the main wheel part is closer to the walking wheel relative to the free part; the main wheel part and the free part are divided by the ground normal axis of the walking wheel, and the free part is closer to the advancing direction of the device body relative to the main wheel part.

[0021] The free part of the transmission device is rotationally connected to the device body, and the flexible connecting member is connected to the free part of the transmission device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the free part of the transmission device is provided with a mounting shaft seat, which is rotationally connected to the device body, and the transmission device rotates around the rotation axis of the mounting shaft seat.

[0023] The free part of the transmission device is provided with a hanging point part, and the flexible connecting member is connected to the hanging point part.

[0024] In some embodiments, the mounting shaft seat is arranged at the lower part of the free part, and the hanging point part is arranged at the upper part of the free part.

[0025] In some embodiments, the transmission device comprises a reduction gearbox and a driving device mounted on the reduction gearbox, and the rotation axis of the mounting shaft seat is different from the axis of the driving device.

[0026] In some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a spring, one end of which is fixed to the free part of the transmission device, and the other end of which is fixed to the device body.

[0027] In some embodiments, the free part and the device body are both provided with hook parts, the two ends of the spring are respectively hooked to the two hook parts, and the hooking directions of the two hook parts are opposite.

[0028] In some embodiments, when the rotating disc rotates in a first direction, the length of the flexible connecting member exposed between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc decreases and is pulled tight, and the walking wheel assembly is pulled to rotate relative to the device body.

[0029] When the rotating disc rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the length of the flexible connecting member exposed between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc increases, and the walking wheel assembly reversely rotates relative to the device body.

[0030] In the second aspect of the present application, a cleaning device is provided, which comprises a device body and the walking wheel lifting mechanism of the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0031] The walking wheel lifting mechanism provided according to one or more embodiments of the present application comprises a walking wheel assembly, a power assembly, and a flexible connecting member. The walking wheel assembly is rotationally arranged on a device body, and the power assembly is also mounted on the device body and used to provide driving force for lifting the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body. The power assembly comprises a rotating power element and a rotating disc, and the rotating power element is used to drive the rotating disc to rotate in two opposite directions. The flexible connecting member is arranged between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc, and the length of the flexible connecting member exposed between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc changes during the rotation of the rotating disc, so as to rotate the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body and realize the lifting function relative to the device body.

[0032] The rotation angle of the rotating disc during rotation of the walking wheel assembly is not more than 360 degrees, thereby reducing the length of the flexible connecting member exposed between the walking wheel assembly and the rotating disc, avoiding the increase of the exposed length of the flexible connecting member, relaxation, disengagement from the rotating disc, or interference with surrounding components due to the excessive exposed length, resulting in failure of the walking wheel lifting mechanism. The failure rate of the walking wheel lifting mechanism is reduced, and the working reliability of the walking wheel lifting mechanism is improved.

[0033] Since the walking wheel assembly is always in contact with the ground during driving, the lifting of the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body is manifested in the device as a change in the ground clearance of the device body. When the ground clearance of the device body increases, the components below the device body can be higher than the obstacles, so that the device does not interfere with the obstacles during obstacle crossing, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height, and improving the obstacle crossing height, the escape ability, and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device provided with the walking wheel lifting mechanism.

[0034] In a third aspect of the present application, a walking wheel lifting mechanism is provided, which is installed on a device body and comprises:

[0035] a walking wheel assembly comprising a driving device, a transmission device, and a driven walking wheel; the transmission device is rotationally connected to the device body, and the transmission device comprises a main wheel part and a free part, the main wheel part is closer to the walking wheel relative to the free part;

[0036] a power assembly;

[0037] and a flexible connecting member connected between the free part of the transmission device and the power assembly, for driving the transmission device to rotate relative to the device body under the driving of the power assembly, so that the walking wheel assembly is lifted relative to the device body.

[0038] In some embodiments, the free part of the transmission device is rotationally connected to the device body.

[0039] In some embodiments, the free part of the transmission device is provided with a mounting shaft seat, the mounting shaft seat is rotationally connected to the base, and the transmission device rotates around the rotation shaft of the mounting shaft seat.

[0040] In some embodiments, the rotation shaft of the mounting shaft seat is different from the shaft center of the driving device.

[0041] In some embodiments, the mounting shaft seat is arranged on the lower side of the free part.

[0042] In some embodiments, the main wheel part and the free part are demarcated by the walking wheel ground contact normal axis, and the free part is closer to the advancing direction of the device body than the main wheel part.

[0043] In some embodiments, the free part of the transmission device is provided with a hanging point part, and the flexible connecting member is connected to the hanging point part; the hanging point part is arranged on the upper side of the free part.

[0044] In some embodiments, the power assembly comprises a rotating power element; one end of the flexible connecting member is fixed to the free part of the transmission device, and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the rotating power element; the rotating power element is used to tighten or loosen the flexible connecting member when rotating.

[0045] In some embodiments, the rotating angle of the rotating power element during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly is not more than 360 degrees.

[0046] In some embodiments, the rotating angle of the rotating power element during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly is 0-300 degrees.

[0047] In some embodiments, the power assembly further comprises a rotating disc coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the rotating power element; the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc is arranged eccentrically relative to the output shaft of the rotating power element.

[0048] In some embodiments, the rotating angle of the rotating disc during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly is 0-90 degrees.

[0049] In some embodiments, the rotating disc comprises a transmission disc, an inner fixed disc and an outer fixed disc connected in sequence, and the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc is located between the inner fixed disc and the outer fixed disc.

[0050] In some embodiments, the connection between the flexible connecting member and the rotating disc is provided with a torsional spring.

[0051] In some embodiments, the rotating power element is a steering engine or a motor integrated with an encoder; the walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a controller, and the rotating power element is electrically connected to the controller.

[0052] In some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a sensor for detecting the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly, and the sensor is electrically connected to the controller; the controller is configured to determine whether the rotating power element or the flexible connecting member fails according to the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly and the rotating angle of the rotating power element.

[0053] In some embodiments, the sensor comprises a rotation sensor arranged on the rotation shaft of the walking wheel assembly, and / or a light sensor arranged on the transmission device.

[0054] In some embodiments, the device body comprises a base; the transmission device is rotationally connected to the base.

[0055] In some embodiments, the base is provided with an upper limiting part and a lower limiting part for limiting the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly, respectively.

[0056] In some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a spring, one end of the spring being fixed to the free part of the transmission device and the other end being fixed to the base.

[0057] In some embodiments, the free part and the base are each provided with a hook part, the two ends of the spring being respectively hooked to the two hook parts, and the hooking directions of the two hook parts being opposite.

[0058] In the second aspect of the present application, a cleaning device is provided, comprising a device body and the walking wheel lifting mechanism of the first aspect.

[0059] The walking wheel lifting mechanism provided according to one or more embodiments of the present application comprises a walking wheel assembly, a power assembly and a flexible connecting member. The walking wheel assembly comprises a driving device, a transmission device and a walking wheel, the transmission device being rotationally connected to a device body, and the power assembly being configured to provide driving force for lifting the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body. The flexible connecting member is configured to transmit the driving force of the power assembly and act on the walking wheel assembly, and the flexible connecting member is connected between a free part of the transmission device and the power assembly. Under the driving of the power assembly, the transmission device is driven to rotate relative to the device body, so that the walking wheel assembly is lifted relative to the device body.

[0060] Since the walking wheel assembly is always in contact with the ground during driving, the lifting of the walking wheel assembly relative to the device body is manifested in the device as a change in the ground clearance of the device body. When the ground clearance of the device body increases, the components below the device body can be higher than the obstacles, so that the device does not interfere with the obstacles during obstacle crossing, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height, and improving the obstacle crossing height, the ability to escape from trouble, and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device provided with the walking wheel lifting mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0061] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described in the following are some of the embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor.

[0062] Fig. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of the walking wheel lifting mechanism in the lifting state of the walking wheel assembly in one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0063] Fig. 2 shows a structural schematic diagram of the walking wheel lifting mechanism in the lowering state of the transmission device in one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0064] Fig. 3 shows a structural schematic diagram of the transmission device in the walking wheel lifting mechanism of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0065] Fig. 4 shows an assembly structure diagram of the transmission device and the spring in the walking wheel lifting mechanism of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0066] Fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the power assembly and the flexible connecting piece in the walking wheel lifting mechanism of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0067] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the obstacle crossing process of the cleaning device in one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0068] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the obstacle crossing process of the cleaning device in another embodiment of the present application.

[0069] Legend of reference signs: 100-walking wheel lifting mechanism; 10-walking wheel assembly, 11-transmission device, 111-reduction box, 112-driving device, 113-wheel cover, 12-walking wheel; 20-power assembly, 21-rotating power element, 211-output shaft, 22-rotating disc, 221-transmission disc, 222-inner fixing disc, 223-outer fixing disc; 30-flexible connecting piece; 40-rotation sensor; 50-optical sensor; 60-mounting shaft seat, 61-rotation shaft; 70-spring; 80-hanging point part; 90-hook part. 200-device body, 210-base; 1000-cleaning device. a-main wheel part; b-free part, c-obstacle, d-ground. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in the following by combining the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0071] Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters can be repeated in different instances in this application, such repetition is for the sake of simplicity and clarity and does not indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed. Moreover, this application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other processes and / or materials can be used.

[0072] The cleaning device needs to avoid obstacles or cross obstacles when encountering obstacles during automatic driving. The obstacle crossing height limits the working range and operation reliability of the cleaning device. The solution to the obstacle crossing problem in the related art relies on software strategy to solve the problem, and the obstacle crossing function is realized by adjusting the angle and speed of the cleaning device approaching the obstacle. The solution is limited by the physical limitations such as the ground clearance of the cleaning device and has limited effect.

[0073] To improve the obstacle crossing ability of the cleaning device in a physical sense, one or more embodiments of the present application provide a walking wheel lifting mechanism and a cleaning device. The device body is actively lifted to increase the ground clearance, so that the components below the device are higher than the obstacles, and there is no part of the device interfering with the obstacles during the obstacle crossing process, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height. The present application will be described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and drawings.

[0074] In a first aspect of the present application, a walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is provided. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is installed on the device body 200 of an automated device that has a demand for obstacle crossing function, and can realize the function of lifting the walking wheel 12 relative to the device body 200, thereby increasing the ground clearance of the device body 200 and achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 can be applied to cleaning devices such as floor cleaning robots and automatic floor sweeping machines, and can also be applied to other automated driving devices that have a demand for obstacle crossing function, such as automatic food delivery robots and express delivery sorting robots.

[0075] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 includes a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, and a flexible connecting piece 30. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably arranged on a device body 200. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be a driving wheel assembly that provides the walking power of the device, or a driven wheel assembly that follows the rotation of the driving wheel assembly, which is not limited in the present application. The power assembly 20 is also mounted on the device body 200, which is used to provide the driving force when the walking wheel assembly 10 is lifted relative to the device body 200. The flexible connecting piece 30 is used to transmit the power of the power assembly 20 and act on the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the base 210 to realize the lifting function relative to the device body 200. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connecting piece 30 can only drive the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and lift, or can simultaneously drive both walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and lift, which is not limited in the present application.

[0076] Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground d during driving, the lifting of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200 in the device is that the ground clearance of the device body 200 changes. When the ground clearance of the device body 200 increases, the components below the device body 200 can be higher than the obstacle c, so that the device does not interfere with the obstacle c during obstacle crossing, thereby achieving the effect of improving the obstacle crossing height, which can improve the obstacle crossing height, the escape ability, and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device equipped with the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100.

[0077] In some embodiments, the power assembly 20 outputs rotary power. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the power assembly 20 includes a rotary power element 21 and a rotary disc 22. The rotary power element 21 can be a steering engine or a motor (not limited to a brush motor, a brushless motor, a stepper motor, etc.), which is used to drive the rotary disc 22 to rotate in two opposite directions, such as clockwise and counterclockwise. The rotary disc 22 is fixedly connected with the output shaft 211 of the rotary power element 21, and the rotary disc 22 can also be a part protruding from the output shaft 211 of the rotary power element 21, and the specific structure is not limited in the present application.

[0078] The flexible connecting member 30 is arranged between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22, and can be fixed at one end of the flexible connecting member 30 to the walking wheel assembly 10 and at the other end to the rotating disc 22, for transmitting the rotating power of the rotating power element 21. Alternatively, the flexible connecting member 30 can be connected to one of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22, and wound around the other one of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22, for changing the spatial position of the free portion b of the walking wheel assembly 10. During the rotation of the rotating disc 22, the length of the flexible connecting member 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22 changes, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the device body 200 to realize the lifting function relative to the device body 200.

[0079] In some embodiments, the rotating power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connecting member 30 by driving the rotating disc 22 to rotate, i.e. the effective length of the flexible connecting member 30 changes. When the rotating disc 22 rotates in a first direction (e.g. clockwise), the length of the flexible connecting member 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22 decreases, so that the flexible connecting member 30 is tightened, and the flexible connecting member 30 can transmit force when it is tightened. When the flexible connecting member 30 is tightened, the walking wheel assembly 10 can be pulled to rotate relative to the device body 200 to lift. When the rotating disc 22 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction (e.g. counterclockwise), the length of the flexible connecting member 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22 increases, and the flexible connecting member 30 is loosened. The walking wheel assembly 10 can rotate in the opposite direction relative to the device body 200 under the action of gravity and / or a return spring. Of course, in other embodiments, the rotating power element 21 can change the action position of the flexible connecting member 30 by driving the rotating disc 22 to rotate, and in this process, the flexible connecting member 30 is always tightened.

[0080] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the direction of the tensile force applied by the flexible connecting member 30 to the transmission device 11 does not pass through the rotation axis 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200, so that the tensile force can generate a downward / outward torque on the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the transmission device 11 is forced to swing outward with the rotation axis 61 as the center.

[0081] In some embodiments, the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 during the rotation of the walking wheel assembly 10 is no more than 360 degrees. That is, the one-way rotation of the rotating disc 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 is no more than one circle, so as to reduce the total length of the flexible connecting member 30 when it is loosened, and avoid the flexible connecting member 30 from being separated from the rotating disc 22 after being loosened, or interfering with or being hooked on the surrounding components due to being too long, so as to be unable to be normally tightened or be pulled off. In some embodiments, the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 is 0-300 degrees, such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 70°, 90°, 120°, 180°, 235°, 270°, 290°, etc.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 3, a structural schematic diagram of the walking wheel assembly 10 in some embodiments is shown. The walking wheel assembly 10 is a driving wheel assembly for providing walking power of the device, and the walking wheel assembly 10 includes a transmission device 11 and a walking wheel 12 driven thereby. The transmission device 11 can only include a power device, or can include a power device and a speed reduction mechanism. The transmission device 11 includes a main wheel part a and a free part b, and the main wheel part a is closer to the walking wheel 12 relative to the free part b. The main wheel part a of the transmission device 11 has an overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, for directly transmitting torque to the walking wheel 12. The free part b has a non-overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, for realizing connection and fixation of the transmission device 11 with the surrounding structure.

[0083] In some embodiments, the main wheel part a and the free part b are divided by the ground contact normal axis of the walking wheel 12. In other embodiments, the dividing line of the main wheel part a and the free part b can also be determined as the outer contour line of the walking wheel 12. In some embodiments, the free part b is closer to the advancing direction of the device body 200 than the main wheel part a, so that the specific manifestation of the increase of the device ground clearance can be the overall lifting of the device body 200, the increase of the ground clearance, or the lifting of the front end of the device body 200, the increase of the ground clearance.

[0084] Since the free part b of the transmission device 11 is away from the walking wheel 12, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the connection of the walking wheel assembly 10 with the surrounding components is all arranged at the free part b. That is, the free part b of the transmission device 11 is rotationally connected with the device body 200, and the flexible connecting member 30 is also connected to the free part b of the transmission device 11.

[0085] The device body 200 can be a one-piece structure or a split structure. Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the device body 200 is provided with a base 210, on which the walking wheel assembly 10 and the power assembly 20 are mounted, and on which the cleaning components of the cleaning device and the guide wheels are also mounted. The transmission device 11 of the walking wheel assembly 10 is rotationally connected to the base 210. In order to facilitate the connection of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the surrounding components, in some embodiments, the free part b of the transmission device 11 is provided with a mounting shaft seat 60, which is rotationally connected to the device body 200 (when the base 210 is present, the base 210 is rotationally connected), and the transmission device 11 rotates around the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60. In some embodiments, the free part b of the transmission device 11 is provided with a hanging point part 80, and the flexible connecting piece 30 is connected to the hanging point part 80.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 further comprises a spring 70, one end of which is fixed to the free part b of the transmission device 11, and the other end is fixed to the device body 200. The damping effect of the spring 70 enables the walking wheel 12 to reduce vibration when passing over uneven road surfaces. Similarly, in order to facilitate the installation of the spring 70, in some embodiments, the free part b of the transmission device 11 and the device body 200 are both provided with a hook part 90, and the two ends of the spring 70 are respectively hooked to the two hook parts 90. In some embodiments, the hook part 90 of the free part b of the transmission device 11 and the hook part 90 of the device body 200 are oppositely arranged, i.e., the spring 70 is oppositely hung, so that the fixation of the spring 70 is more stable.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the extension direction of the flexible connecting piece 30 is substantially the same as the extension direction of the spring 70, which can be understood as being parallel within the allowable installation error range, for example, the included angle between the extension direction of the flexible connecting piece 30 and the extension direction of the spring 70 is not more than 10 degrees. And the flexible connecting piece 30 and the spring 70 both extend in the opposite direction of the driving direction, so that the hook part 90 of the device body 200 and the power assembly 20 are both located behind the free part b of the transmission device 11. Even if the obstacle surmounting posture of the device body 200 is that the front end is raised, the positions of the hook part 90 of the device body 200 and the power assembly 20 are located behind, and the spatial positions thereof do not change greatly. And the positions of the hook part 90 of the device body 200 and the power assembly 20 being located behind are more conducive to the front end of the device body 200 being raised, which is more conducive to obstacle surmounting and prevents slipping.

[0088] In some embodiments, the spring 70 is always in a stretched state, that is, the spring 70 always generates a pulling force on the transmission device 11, and in the case that the extension direction of the flexible connecting member 30 is substantially the same as the extension direction of the spring 70, the spring 70 can assist the flexible connecting member 30 to jointly pull the transmission device 11, so as to rotate the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200 to lift.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the mounting shaft seat 60 is arranged at the lower part of the free part b, and the hanging point part 80 and the hook part 90 are arranged at the upper part of the free part b. The action point positions of the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 on the free part b are relatively high, so that the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 can be arranged at relatively high positions in the device body 200, preventing the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 from being exposed when the device body 200 lifts obstacles.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the transmission device 11 includes a reduction box 111 and a driving device 112 mounted on the reduction box 111, and the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60 is different from the shaft center of the driving device 112. Specifically, the shaft center of the driving device 112 is located above the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60, so that the driving device 112 is arranged at a relatively high position in the device body 200 compared with the rotation shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, preventing the driving device 112 from being exposed when the device body 200 lifts obstacles. Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the transmission device 11 further includes a wheel cover 113 connected with the side of the box shell of the reduction box 111, and the wheel cover 113 is spacedly sleeved on the walking wheel 12, which can provide a mounting base for the bearing of the walking wheel 12. In some embodiments, the wheel cover 113 can be integrally formed with the box shell of the reduction box 111.

[0091] In the second aspect of the present application, a walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is provided. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be a driving wheel assembly that provides power for the walking of the device. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is mounted on the device body 200 of an automated device that has a demand for obstacle crossing function, and can realize the function of lifting the walking wheel 12 relative to the device body 200, thereby increasing the ground clearance of the device body 200 and realizing the improvement of the obstacle crossing height. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 can be applied to cleaning devices such as sweeping robots and automatic sweeping machines, and can also be applied to other automated driving devices that have a demand for obstacle crossing function, such as automatic food delivery robots and express sorting robots.

[0092] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 comprises a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20 and a flexible connecting member 30. The walking wheel assembly 10 is used to provide power for the walking of the device. The power assembly 20 is also installed on the device body 200 and is used to provide driving force for the lifting of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200. The flexible connecting member 30 is used to transmit the power of the power assembly 20 and act on the walking wheel assembly 10 to make the walking wheel assembly 10 rotate relative to the base 210 to realize the lifting function relative to the device body 200. Two walking wheel assemblies 10 are usually required for the walking of the device, and the power assembly 20 and the flexible connecting member 30 can drive only the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and lift, or can simultaneously drive two walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and lift, which is not limited in the present application.

[0093] Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground d during driving, the lifting of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200 in the device is manifested as the change of the ground clearance of the device body 200. When the ground clearance of the device body 200 increases, the components below the device body 200 can be higher than the obstacle c, so that the device does not interfere with the obstacle c during obstacle crossing, thereby realizing the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height, and improving the obstacle crossing height, the escape ability and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device provided with the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100.

[0094] Please refer to FIG. 3, which shows the structure of the transmission device 11 in some embodiments. The walking wheel assembly 10 comprises a driving device 112, a transmission device 11 and a driven walking wheel 12. The driving device 112 drives the walking wheel 12 to rotate through the transmission device 11, thereby driving the entire cleaning device to walk. The transmission device 11 comprises a main wheel part a and a free part b. The main wheel part a is closer to the walking wheel 12 relative to the free part b. The main wheel part a of the transmission device 11 has an overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, which is used to directly transmit the walking driving torque to the walking wheel 12. The free part b has a non-overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, which realizes the connection and fixation of the transmission device 11 with the surrounding structure.

[0095] The flexible connecting member 30 is connected between the power assembly 20 and the free part b of the transmission device 11. It can be that the two ends of the flexible connecting member 30 are respectively connected to the power assembly 20 and the free part b of the transmission device 11, or the flexible connecting member 30 is connected to the power assembly 20 and is arranged around the free part b of the transmission device 11 to change the spatial position of the free part b of the transmission device 11. The flexible connecting member 30 drives the transmission device 11 to rotate relative to the device body 200 under the driving of the power assembly 20, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 lifts relative to the device body 200.

[0096] In some embodiments, the main wheel part a and the free part b are demarcated by the ground normal axis of the walking wheel 12. In other embodiments, the demarcation line between the main wheel part a and the free part b can also be determined as the outer contour line of the walking wheel 12. In some embodiments, the free part b is closer to the advancing direction of the device body 200 than the main wheel part a, so that the specific manifestation of the increase of the device ground clearance can be the overall lifting of the device body 200, the increase of the ground clearance, as shown in FIG. 6; or the front end of the device body 200 can be raised, and the ground clearance is increased, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0097] Since the free part b of the transmission device 11 is away from the walking wheel 12, please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the connection between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the peripheral components is all arranged in the free part b. That is, the free part b of the transmission device 11 is rotationally connected with the device body 200, and the flexible connecting piece 30 is also connected to the free part b of the transmission device 11. The device body 200 can be a one-piece structure or a split structure. Please refer to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the device body 200 is provided with a base 210, which is used to mount the walking wheel assembly 10 and the power assembly 20. The cleaning components, driven wheels and other parts of the cleaning device can also be mounted on the base 210. The transmission device 11 of the walking wheel assembly 10 is rotationally connected with the base 210, and the driving device 112 and the walking wheel 12 of the walking wheel assembly 10 are both connected with the transmission device 11.

[0098] Please refer to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the walking wheel assembly 10 further comprises a wheel cover 113, which is connected with the side of the box shell of the transmission device 11, and is spacedly sleeved on the walking wheel 12, which can provide a mounting base for the bearing of the walking wheel 12. In some embodiments, the wheel cover 113 can be integrally formed with the box shell of the transmission device 11.

[0099] In order to facilitate the connection between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the peripheral components, in some embodiments, the free part b of the transmission device 11 is provided with a mounting shaft seat 60, which is rotationally connected with the base 210, and the transmission device 11 rotates around the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60. Since the mounting shaft seat 60 is located in the free part b of the transmission device 11, the distance between the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60 and the grounding point of the walking wheel 12 is large, and the transmission device 11 can obviously increase the device ground clearance by rotating a small angle.

[0100] Please refer to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60 is different from the shaft center of the driving device 112, so that the mounting shaft seat 60 and the driving device 112 are located at different positions, avoiding the situation that the mounting shaft seat 60 and the driving device 112 are coaxially arranged on the axial direction of the rotation shaft 61, so as to facilitate the arrangement of the mounting shaft seat 60 and the driving device 112.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the mounting shaft seat 60 is arranged on the lower side of the free portion b, and the shaft center of the driving device 112 is arranged above the rotating shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60, so that the driving device 112 is arranged relatively high in the equipment body 200 compared with the rotating shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, preventing the driving device 112 from being exposed when the equipment body 200 lifts obstacles.

[0102] The flexible connecting piece 30 is connected to the free portion b of the transmission device 11. Similarly, the distance between the hanging point of the flexible connecting piece 30 on the free portion b and the grounding point of the walking wheel 12 is large, so that the power arm is large, thereby reducing the requirement for the size of the output power of the power assembly 20. The flexible connecting piece 30 can be directly connected to the free portion b of the transmission device 11. In some embodiments, a hanging point portion 80 can be arranged on the free portion b of the transmission device 11, and the flexible connecting piece 30 is connected to the hanging point portion 80. In some embodiments, the hanging point portion 80 is arranged on the upper side of the free portion b, so that the flexible connecting piece 30 is arranged relatively high in the equipment body 200, preventing the flexible connecting piece 30 from falling out of the equipment body 200 and contacting the ground when in the loosened state.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 further comprises a spring 70, one end of the spring 70 is fixed on the free portion b of the transmission device 11, and the other end is fixed on the base 210 of the equipment body 200, and the damping effect of the spring 70 can reduce the shock when the walking wheel 12 passes through uneven road surfaces. Similarly, in order to facilitate the installation of the spring 70, in some embodiments, the free portion b of the transmission device 11 and the base 210 of the equipment body 200 are both provided with hook portions 90, and the two ends of the spring 70 are respectively hooked on the two hook portions 90. In some embodiments, the hook portion 90 of the free portion b of the transmission device 11 and the hook portion 90 of the base 210 are arranged in opposite directions, that is, the hanging point directions of the spring 70 are opposite, so that the fixation of the spring 70 is more stable.

[0104] Please refer to Fig. 1, in some embodiments, the extending direction of the flexible connecting member 30 is substantially the same as the extending direction of the spring 70, which can be understood as parallel within the range of allowable installation error, for example, the included angle between the extending direction of the flexible connecting member 30 and the extending direction of the spring 70 is not more than 10 degrees. And the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 both extend towards the opposite direction of the running direction, so that the hook part 90 of the base 210 and the power assembly 20 are both located behind the free part b of the transmission device 11, that is, even if the obstacle surmounting posture of the device body 200 is the front end lifting, the positions of the hook part 90 of the base 210 and the power assembly 20 are behind, and the spatial positions thereof do not change greatly. And the positions of the hook part 90 of the base 210 and the power assembly 20 behind are more conducive to the front end lifting of the device body 200, more conducive to the obstacle surmounting, and prevent slipping.

[0105] In some embodiments, the spring 70 is always in a stretched state, that is, the spring 70 always generates a pulling force on the transmission device 11, and in the case that the extending direction of the flexible connecting member 30 is substantially the same as the extending direction of the spring 70, the spring 70 can assist the flexible connecting member 30 to jointly pull the transmission device 11, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the base 210 to lift.

[0106] Please refer to Fig. 4, in some embodiments, the mounting shaft seat 60 is arranged at the lower part of the free part b, and the hanging point part 80 and the hook part 90 are both arranged at the upper part of the free part b. The positions of the action points of the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 on the free part b are relatively high, so that the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 can be arranged at relatively high positions in the device body 200, preventing the flexible connecting member 30 and the spring 70 from being exposed when the device body 200 lifts to surmount obstacles.

[0107] The power assembly 20 is an execution member for realizing the obstacle surmounting function. The power assembly 20 can output rotating power or moving power, that is, the power assembly 20 can contain rotating power elements such as motors and steering gears, and can contain extension power elements such as air cylinders and electric telescopic rods. The present application does not make any limitation.

[0108] In some embodiments, the power assembly 20 outputs rotating power. Please refer to Figs. 1 and 2, the power assembly 20 includes a rotating power element 21. The rotating power element 21 can be a steering gear or a motor (not limited to a brush motor, a brushless motor, a stepping motor, etc.). One end of the flexible connecting member 30 is fixed to the free part b of the transmission device 11, and the other end is connected with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, as shown in Fig. 5, the flexible connecting member 30 is used to transmit the rotating power of the rotating power element 21.

[0109] When the rotating power element 21 rotates, the flexible connecting element 30 is tightened or loosened, that is, the length of the flexible connecting element 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disc 22 changes, and the flexible connecting element 30 can transmit force when it is tightened. In some embodiments, the rotating power element 21 can also change the working position of the flexible connecting element 30 when it rotates, and in this process, the flexible connecting element 30 is always tightened.

[0110] In some embodiments, when the rotating power element 21 rotates, the flexible connecting element 30 is tightened or loosened, and the flexible connecting element 30 can pull the transmission device 11 to make the walking wheel assembly 10 rotate relative to the base 210 to lift or lower. The direction of the tensile force applied by the flexible connecting element 30 to the transmission device 11 does not pass through the rotation shaft 61 of the mounting shaft seat 60 of the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the tensile force can generate a downward / outward torque on the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the transmission device 11 is forced to swing outward with the rotation shaft 61 as the center.

[0111] In some embodiments, the rotating angle of the rotating power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 360 degrees. That is, the one-way rotation of the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 does not exceed one revolution, so that the total length of the flexible connecting element 30 when it is loosened can be reduced, avoiding the situation that the flexible connecting element 30 is too long to interfere with the surrounding components or be hooked on the surrounding components to cause it to be unable to be normally tightened or be pulled off.

[0112] Please refer to FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the power assembly 20 further comprises a rotating disc 22 coaxially arranged with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the rotating power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connecting element 30 by driving the rotating disc 22 to rotate. The rotating disc 22 is fixedly connected with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the rotating disc 22 can also be a part protruding from the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the specific structure is not limited in the present application. The rotating angle of the rotating power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 360 degrees, and the corresponding rotating angle of the rotating disc 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 also does not exceed 360 degrees, avoiding the situation that the flexible connecting element 30 is loosened to be separated from the rotating disc 22, or is too long to interfere with the surrounding components, or is hooked on the surrounding components to cause it to be unable to be normally tightened or be pulled off.

[0113] The following embodiment description is applicable to both aspects of the embodiments described above.

[0114] In some embodiments, the rotating power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connecting element 30 by driving the rotating disc 22 to rotate. In order to reduce the risk of the flexible connecting element 30 being hooked by foreign matter or being difficult to be retracted from the rotating disc 22 when it is in a loosened state, in some embodiments, a torsion spring is arranged at the connection between the flexible connecting element 30 and the rotating disc 22, which can keep the flexible connecting element 30 taut in real time, so that the flexible connecting element 30 will not be in danger of being pulled out of the rotating disc 22. In some embodiments, a clockwork spring can also be used to keep the flexible connecting element 30 taut in real time.

[0115] It should be understood that the flexible connecting element 30 as claimed in the present application is not limited to be entirely flexible. The flexible connecting element 30 can be a flexible cable such as a steel cable or a nylon cable; or a combination structure of a flexible cable and a rigid connecting element, such as a combination structure of a flexible cable and a pull rod. That is, the flexible connecting element 30 is at least partially flexible, and the flexible structure is used as a power transmission medium, which can solve the problem of spatial arrangement of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 to a certain extent, and through some fixed pulley structures, the power assembly 20 (such as a motor, a cylinder, etc.) can be arranged at any position of the device body 200, so as to realize optimal utilization of space.

[0116] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which show the working principle of the flexible connecting element 30 of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 in some embodiments. The flexible connecting element 30 adopts a cable, one end of which is fixed in a cable hanging point on the walking wheel assembly 10, and the other end of which is fixed in the rotating disc 22. The cable extends in a straight line as a whole, and is not wound on any reversing structure in the middle. The rotating disc 22 rotates by an angle of no more than 360 degrees, which means that the cable will not be wound on the rotating disc 22 for a full turn. Compared with the scheme of winding and unwinding the cable, this non-winding mode can reduce the problems of cable knotting and the cable being hooked by foreign matter during the loosening process.

[0117] In some embodiments, the rotating disc 22 is coaxial with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the connection between the flexible connecting element 30 and the rotating disc 22 is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating disc 22, as shown in FIG. 5; or the connection between the flexible connecting element 30 and the rotating disc 22 is coaxial with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating disc 22, and the rotating disc 22 is eccentric with respect to the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21; or the rotating disc 22 is coaxial with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the connection between the flexible connecting element 30 and the rotating disc 22 is eccentric with respect to the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21. That is, during the rotation of the rotating disc 22, the spatial position of the connection between the flexible connecting element 30 and the rotating disc 22 changes with the rotation of the rotating disc 22, and the overall linear extension of the flexible connecting element 30 causes the spatial posture of the flexible connecting element 30 to change during the rotation of the rotating disc 22. The flexible connecting element 30 is always under tension during the rotation of the rotating disc 22, and due to the change in the spatial position of the end of the flexible connecting element 30 connected to the rotating disc 22, the spatial position of the end of the flexible connecting element 30 connected to the walking wheel assembly 10 also changes accordingly under the condition that the length of the flexible connecting element 30 remains unchanged, thereby forcing the transmission device 11 to swing outward with the axis of the rotating shaft 61 as the center.

[0118] In some embodiments, the flexible connecting element 30 is always under tension during the rotation of the rotating disc 22, i.e., the effective length of the flexible connecting element 30 remains unchanged. Correspondingly, the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 is 0-90 degrees, such as 10°, 25°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80°, 85°, etc. When the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 exceeds 90 degrees, such as 150 degrees, the spatial posture of the flexible connecting element 30 is basically the same as that when the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 is 30 degrees. Therefore, by setting the rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 to be 0-90 degrees, on the one hand, the flexible connecting element 30 can form different spatial postures; on the other hand, the maximum rotation angle of the rotating disc 22 is only 90 degrees, which can shorten the time for switching between the lifting and lowering states of the walking wheel assembly 10 compared to the scheme of winding and unwinding the flexible connecting element 30 for a full circle or multiple circles, thereby improving the obstacle crossing efficiency.

[0119] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the connection of the flexible connecting member 30 and the rotating disc 22, the rotating disc 22 is provided as a split structure, including at least two detachable parts, in which the connection of the flexible connecting member 30 and the rotating disc 22 is fixed. Referring to FIG. 5, which shows an exploded view of the power assembly 20 in some embodiments, the rotating disc 22 includes a transmission disc 221, an inner fixing disc 222 and an outer fixing disc 223 connected in sequence, the transmission disc 221 is fixedly connected with the output shaft 211 of the rotating power element 21, and the transmission disc 221, the inner fixing disc 222 and the outer fixing disc 223 are sequentially stacked and connected as a whole by threaded fasteners. The connection of the flexible connecting member 30 and the rotating disc 22 is located between the inner fixing disc 222 and the outer fixing disc 223, for example, one end of the flexible connecting member 30 is fixed on a pin shaft, and the pin shaft is fixed by passing through the pin hole opened on the edge of the inner fixing disc 222 and the outer fixing disc 223, as shown in FIG. 5. The gap between the inner fixing disc 222 and the outer fixing disc 223 provides space for the movement of the flexible connecting member 30, and in the process of rotating the rotating disc 22, the flexible connecting member 30 will not be wound on the pin shaft, but will change the spatial posture along with the change of the position of the pin shaft.

[0120] In some embodiments, in order to prevent accidents caused by the out-of-control of the rotating power element 21, in some embodiments, the device body 200 is provided with an upper limit position part and a lower limit position part, respectively used for limiting the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly 10. The walking wheel assembly 10 swings between the upper limit position and the lower limit position. In the normal travel state, the walking wheel assembly 10 is close to the upper limit position and will not cross the upper limit position; in the obstacle crossing state, the walking wheel assembly 10 swings downward and is close to the lower limit position and will not cross the lower limit position.

[0121] In some embodiments, the upper limit position part and the lower limit position part can be mechanical limiting structures or electronic limiting devices. In some embodiments, the lower limit position part of the mechanical structure is provided on the shell of the device body 200 to block the downward swing of the walking wheel assembly 10. The bolt protruding downward and adjustable in length is fixed on the hook part 90 of the device body 200 as the upper mechanical limit of the walking wheel assembly 10 to block the upward swing of the walking wheel assembly 10. In other embodiments, the upper limit position part and the lower limit position part are both electronic devices, such as micro switches, travel switches, photoelectric sensors, etc. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 further includes a controller, when the walking wheel assembly 10 swings to the position triggering the electronic device, the electronic device feeds back the position signal to the controller, and the controller controls the rotating power element 21 to stop rotating.

[0122] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate closed-loop control of the swing position of the walking wheel assembly 10, the rotating power element 21 is a steering engine or motor with an integrated encoder, and the output shaft 211 of the steering engine or motor is connected to the rotating disc 22. The encoder can detect the actual rotation angle of the steering engine or motor. Correspondingly, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 further comprises a controller, and the rotating power element 21 and the encoder thereof are electrically connected to the controller, so as to realize closed-loop control of the rotating speed and / or rotation angle of the rotating power element 21 through the controller.

[0123] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the rotating power element 21 is a steering engine, which has the advantages of small overall space occupation due to the integrated reducer, motor and position encoder. The position encoder is used to provide feedback information for the position closed loop of the motor. However, considering that the active lifting usually only needs two positions, i.e. the retracted position and the extended position, in some embodiments, the steering engine can also be changed into a common brush or brushless motor, and the position closed loop control of the common motor can be realized by setting position detection elements at the upper and lower limit positions of the walking wheel assembly 10.

[0124] In some embodiments, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 further comprises a sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. The number and type of the sensor are not limited in the present application, as long as the sensor can detect the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. The sensor is electrically connected to the controller, and the sensor feeds back the detected rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 to the controller. The controller can determine whether the rotating power element 21 and / or the flexible connecting element 30 has a fault according to the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotation angle of the rotating power element 21.

[0125] Under normal circumstances, there is a certain mapping relationship between the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotation angle of the rotating power element 21. If any of the actually measured rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the actually measured rotation angle of the rotating power element 21 does not satisfy the mapping relationship, it indicates that the rotating power element 21 and / or the flexible connecting element 30 has a fault. At this time, the controller can control the device carrying the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 to issue a prompt information, such as flashing of a fault light, popping up of a prompt box through a mobile phone APP, etc.

[0126] In some embodiments, the sensor comprises a rotation sensor 40 arranged at the rotating shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, and / or a light sensor 50 arranged at the transmission device 11. That is, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 can be provided with only the rotation sensor 40 or the light sensor 50, or can be provided with both the rotation sensor 40 and the light sensor 50.

[0127] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the main wheel part a of the transmission device 11 is provided with an optical sensor 509 outside the shell, which is used to determine whether the walking wheel 12 is successfully retracted into the slot of the device body 200 when the walking wheel 12 is restored from the raised state to the normal walking state. The optical sensor 50 triggers the in-place signal after detecting the light sensing change of the retracted slot. Please refer to FIG. 3, a rotating sensor 40 is installed on the rotating shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, which is used to detect and record the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10.

[0128] When the sensor only includes the rotating sensor 40 arranged on the rotating shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, the rotating sensor 40 can detect the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. When the rudder or motor position feedback fails, such as the rudder fails or the flexible connecting piece 30 breaks, etc., the controller can determine whether the walking wheel 12 is truly rotated to the normal walking position or fully extended to the position for realizing obstacle crossing through the feedback signal of the rotating sensor 40.

[0129] When the sensor only includes the optical sensor 50 arranged on the transmission device 11, the optical sensor 50 can detect whether the walking wheel 12 is successfully retracted into the slot. When the rudder or motor position feedback fails, such as the rudder fails or the flexible connecting piece 30 breaks, etc., the controller can determine whether the walking wheel 12 is fully retracted and restored to the normal walking position through the feedback signal of the optical sensor 50.

[0130] When the sensor includes both the rotating sensor 40 and the optical sensor 50, when the rudder or motor position feedback fails, such as the rudder fails or the flexible connecting piece 30 breaks, etc., the optical sensor 50 and the rotating sensor 40 detect whether the walking wheel 12 is successfully retracted into the slot and the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10, which can determine whether the walking wheel 12 is truly restored to the normal walking position. Moreover, by comparing the information of the rotation angle of the rotating power element 21 fed back by the encoder with the information of whether the walking wheel 12 is successfully retracted into the slot and the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 detected by the optical sensor 50 and the rotating sensor 40, it can also be determined whether the rotating power element 21 or the flexible connecting piece 30 fails. Moreover, the simultaneous arrangement of the rotating sensor 40 and the optical sensor 50 is equivalent to a redundant arrangement, which on the one hand improves the detection accuracy, and on the other hand, when any one of the rotating sensor 40 and the optical sensor 50 fails, it does not affect the normal use of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100.

[0131] The working principle of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is described below by taking a certain embodiment as an example. In this embodiment, the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is applied to a sweeping robot, and two walking wheel lifting mechanisms 100 are provided in the sweeping robot. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connecting piece 30 in each walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 drive the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and lift. The walking wheel assembly 10 includes a driving device 112, a transmission device 11, and a walking wheel 12. The transmission device 11 is a speed reduction mechanism, the flexible connecting piece 30 is a cable, the power assembly 20 includes a rudder and a rotating disc 22, and the walking wheel assembly 10 is provided with a rotation sensor 40 and a light sensor 50 at the same time.

[0132] The position state of the walking wheel assembly 10 when the sweeping robot normally travels is shown in FIG. 1. One end of the cable is fixed in a cable hanging point on the transmission device 11, and the other end is fixed in an inner fixed disc 222 and an outer fixed disc 223 of the rotating disc 22. The cable is in an elongated state. One end of the spring 70 is fixed at the hook portion 90 on the transmission device 11, and the other end is fixed on the hook portion 90 of the device body 200. The transmission disc 221, the inner fixed disc 222, and the outer fixed disc 223 are fixedly connected to the rudder by screws.

[0133] When the sweeping robot detects that it needs to overcome an obstacle during travel, the rudder rotates by about 120 degrees, and the rotating disc 22 on the rudder drives the cable to rotate by about 120 degrees as well. The cable is in a shortened state and is wound in the gap between the inner fixed disc 222 and the outer fixed disc 223. The other end of the cable is connected to the cable hanging point, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates downward around the rotation shaft 61, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0134] The walking wheel assemblies 10 on both sides of the sweeping robot rotate downward to the lower limit position at the same time, lifting the device body 200 of the sweeping robot as a whole to a height of 4 cm above the ground d, as shown in FIG. 6. The walking wheel assemblies 10 provide walking acceleration, causing the front part of the sweeping robot to tilt and move forward to overcome the obstacle c, as shown in FIG. 7, achieving the purpose of overcoming the obstacle. The obstacle overcoming height of the sweeping robot is increased from 20 mm to 32 mm or more.

[0135] A light sensor 50 is installed outside the main wheel part a of the housing of the transmission 11, which is used to determine whether the walking wheel 12 is successfully retracted into the groove of the bottom shell when it is restored from the raised state to the normal running state. The light sensor 50 triggers the retraction signal after detecting the change of light sensing when the walking wheel assembly 10 is retracted into the groove. A rotation sensor 40 is installed at the rotating shaft 61, which is used to detect and record the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. The encoder is built in the steering engine, which can detect the actual rotation angle of the steering engine. When the steering engine position feedback fails, such as the steering engine fails or the cable breaks, etc., the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel 12 detected by the light sensor 50 and the rotation sensor 40 can be used to determine whether the walking wheel 12 is truly restored to the normal walking position. Compared with the steering engine rotation angle information fed back by the steering engine, it can also be determined whether the steering engine or the cable fails.

[0136] In the second aspect of the present application, a cleaning device 1000 is provided, which can be a sweeping robot or an automatic sweeper. Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the cleaning device 1000 includes a device body 200 and the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 of any one of the embodiments of the first aspect. The walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is integrally installed in the device body 200, and the walking wheel 12 of the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100 is partially exposed from the device body 200 and contacts the ground d to drive the entire cleaning device 1000 to move.

[0137] When the cleaning device 1000 normally moves (including forward movement, backward movement and turning), the moving driving force is provided by the walking wheel assembly 10. When the cleaning device 1000 detects that there is an obstacle c in front that cannot be crossed (which can be the position and size of the obstacle recognized by the ultrasonic sensor, mechanical vision system, etc. arranged in front of the device body 200), or the cleaning device 1000 is blocked and cannot normally move when moving, it is determined that an obstacle is encountered. At this time, the controller controls the power assembly 20 to act on the walking wheel assembly 10 through the flexible connecting piece 30, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the device body 200 to realize the lifting function relative to the device body 200.

[0138] Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground d during movement, the lifting of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 200 is manifested in the device as a change in the ground clearance of the device body 200. When the ground clearance of the device body 200 increases, the components below the device body 200 can be higher than the obstacle c, so that there is no part of the device interfering with the obstacle c during the obstacle crossing process, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height, and improving the obstacle crossing height, the ability to escape from trouble, and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device provided with the walking wheel lifting mechanism 100.

[0139] Please refer to Fig. 6, in some embodiments, when the controller determines that the cleaning device 1000 encounters an obstacle c, the power assembly 20 drives the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the device body 200 to extend, so that the device body 200 is lifted as a whole, and the height of the device body 200 is higher than the height of the obstacle c. The walking wheel assembly 10 drives the cleaning device 1000 to continue to travel, that is, to cross the obstacle c.

[0140] Please refer to Fig. 7, in some embodiments, when the controller determines that the cleaning device 1000 encounters an obstacle c, the power assembly 20 drives the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the device body 200 to extend, so that the front end of the device body 200 is lifted to be higher than the height of the obstacle c. The walking wheel assembly 10 drives the cleaning device 1000 to accelerate to travel, that is, to cross the obstacle c.

[0141] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature, which can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, the first feature "on", "above" and "over" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "under", "below" and "under" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0142] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0143] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, motion condition and the like between components in a certain posture, and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0144] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise, the terms "connected", "fixed", and the like should be construed broadly and do not necessarily denote a direct connection, but can also mean an indirect connection or an interaction in between. Unless otherwise specifically defined, the terms "connected" and "fixed" can mean a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection of two elements or an interaction between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those skilled in the art according to the specific circumstances.

[0145] In addition, the descriptions such as "first", "second" and the like in the present application are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the technical features indicated, or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0146] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present application, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in the present application.

[0147] In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that a person skilled in the art can realize it, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0148] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) installed to a device body (200), characterized by, The application relates to a walking wheel lifting mechanism for a cleaning device. The walking wheel lifting mechanism comprises: a walking wheel assembly (10) rotatably arranged on a device body (200); a power assembly (20) arranged on the device body (200), wherein the power assembly (20) comprises a rotating power element (21) and a rotating disc (22), the rotating power element (21) is used for driving the rotating disc (22) to rotate in two opposite directions; and a flexible connecting element (30) arranged between the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22), used for changing the length exposed between the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22) during the rotation of the rotating disc (22), so that the walking wheel assembly (10) rotates relative to the device body (200); and the rotating angle of the rotating disc (22) during the rotation of the walking wheel assembly (10) is less than 360 degrees. The rotating angle of the rotating disc (22) during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly (10) is 0-300 degrees. The connecting position of the flexible connecting element (30) and the rotating disc (22) is arranged eccentrically relative to the rotating shaft of the rotating disc (22).

2. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The rotating angle of the rotating disc (22) during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly (10) is 0-90 degrees.

3. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that The rotating disc (22) comprises a transmission disc (221), an inner fixed disc (222) and an outer fixed disc (223) connected in sequence, and the connecting position of the flexible connecting element (30) and the rotating disc (22) is located between the inner fixed disc (222) and the outer fixed disc (223).

4. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that A torsional spring is arranged at the connecting position of the flexible connecting element (30) and the rotating disc (22), so that the flexible connecting element (30) is always pulled tight when the rotating disc (22) rotates.

5. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The rotating power element (21) is a steering engine or a motor integrated with an encoder, and the output shaft (211) of the steering engine or the motor is connected with the rotating disc (22).

6. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that The walking wheel lifting mechanism further comprises a controller and a sensor used for detecting the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly (10), the sensor and the rotating power element (21) are electrically connected with the controller, and the controller is arranged to judge whether the rotating power element (21) or the flexible connecting element (30) is faulty according to the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating angle of the rotating power element (21).

7. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The sensor comprises a rotating sensor (40) arranged on the rotating shaft (61) of the walking wheel assembly (10) and / or an optical sensor (50) arranged on the walking wheel assembly (10).

8. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that Upper and lower limit position parts are arranged on the device body (200) and used for limiting the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly (10) respectively.

9. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that ​ 10. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, ​ 11. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The walking wheel assembly (10) comprises a transmission device (11) and a walking wheel (12) driven thereby; the transmission device (11) comprises a main wheel part (a) and a free part (b), the main wheel part (a) is close to the walking wheel (12) relative to the free part (b); the main wheel part (a) and the free part (b) are divided by a ground contact normal axis of the walking wheel (12), and the free part (b) is close to a forward direction of the device body (200) relative to the main wheel part (a); The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is rotationally connected with the device body (200); the flexible connecting piece (30) is connected to the free part (b) of the transmission device (11).

12. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is provided with a mounting shaft seat (60), the mounting shaft seat (60) is rotationally connected with the device body (200), and the transmission device (11) rotates around the rotation shaft (61) of the mounting shaft seat (60) as the center; The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is provided with a hanging point part (80), and the flexible connecting piece (30) is connected to the hanging point part (80).

13. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that The mounting shaft seat (60) is arranged at the lower part of the free part (b); and the hanging point part (80) is arranged at the upper part of the free part (b).

14. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 11, wherein, The transmission device (11) comprises a reduction box (111) and a driving device (112) mounted on the reduction box (111), and the rotation shaft (61) of the mounting shaft seat (60) is different from the shaft center of the driving device (112).

15. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 11, wherein, The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) further comprises a spring (70), one end of the spring (70) is fixed on the free part (b) of the transmission device (11), and the other end is fixed on the device body (200).

16. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 15, characterized in that The free part (b) and the device body (200) are both provided with a hook part (90), the two ends of the spring (70) are respectively hooked on the two hook parts (90), and the hooking directions of the two hook parts (90) are opposite.

17. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that When the rotating disc (22) rotates in a first direction, the length of the flexible connecting piece (30) exposed between the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22) is reduced and is pulled tight, and the walking wheel assembly (10) is pulled to rotate relative to the device body (200) by the flexible connecting piece (30); When the rotating disc (22) rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the length of the flexible connecting piece (30) exposed between the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating disc (22) is increased, and the walking wheel assembly (10) reversely rotates relative to the device body (200).

18. A cleaning apparatus (1000) characterized by, The device body (200) and the walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-17 are comprised.

19. A walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) installed to a device body (200), characterized by, The device body (200) and the walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1-17 are comprised. The walking wheel assembly (10) comprises a driving device (112), a transmission device (11) and a driven walking wheel (12); the transmission device (11) is rotationally connected with the equipment body (200), and the transmission device (11) comprises a main wheel part (a) and a free part (b); the main wheel part (a) is closer to the walking wheel (12) relative to the free part (b); A power assembly (20); and a flexible connecting piece (30) connected between the free part (b) of the transmission device (11) and the power assembly (20), used for driving the transmission device (11) to rotate relative to the equipment body (200) under the driving of the power assembly (20), so that the walking wheel assembly (10) is lifted or lowered relative to the equipment body (200).

20. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 19, characterized in that The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is rotationally connected with the equipment body (200).

21. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 20, characterized in that The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is provided with a mounting shaft seat (60), the mounting shaft seat (60) is rotationally connected with the equipment body (200), and the transmission device (11) rotates around the rotation shaft (61) of the mounting shaft seat (60).

22. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 21, characterized in that The rotation shaft (61) of the mounting shaft seat (60) is different from the shaft center of the driving device (112).

23. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 21, wherein, The mounting shaft seat (60) is arranged on the lower side of the free part (b).

24. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The main wheel part (a) and the free part (b) are divided by the ground normal axis of the walking wheel (12), and the free part (b) is closer to the advancing direction of the equipment body (200) relative to the main wheel part (a).

25. The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The free part (b) of the transmission device (11) is provided with a hanging point part (80), and the flexible connecting piece (30) is connected with the hanging point part (80); the hanging point part (80) is arranged on the upper side of the free part (b).

26. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The power assembly (20) comprises a rotating power element (21); one end of the flexible connecting piece (30) is fixed on the free part (b) of the transmission device (11), and the other end is connected with the output shaft (211) of the rotating power element (21); the rotating power element (21) tightens or loosens the flexible connecting piece (30) when rotating.

27. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 26, characterized in that The rotating angle of the rotating power element (21) during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly (10) is not more than 360 degrees.

28. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 27, characterized in that The rotating angle of the rotating power element (21) during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly (10) is 0-300 degrees.

29. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 26, wherein, The power assembly (20) further comprises a rotating disc (22) coaxially arranged with the output shaft (211) of the rotating power element (21); the connection between the flexible connecting piece (30) and the rotating disc (22) is eccentrically arranged relative to the output shaft (211) of the rotating power element (21).

30. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 29, characterized in that The rotating angle of the rotating disc (22) during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly (10) is 0-90 degrees.

31. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 29, wherein, The rotating disc (22) comprises a transmission disc (221), an inner fixed disc (222) and an outer fixed disc (223) connected in sequence, and the connection between the flexible connecting piece (30) and the rotating disc (22) is located between the inner fixed disc (222) and the outer fixed disc (223).

32. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 29, wherein, The connection between the flexible connecting piece (30) and the rotating disc (22) is provided with a torsion spring.

33. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 26, wherein, The rotating power element (21) is a steering engine or a motor integrated with an encoder; the walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) further comprises a controller, and the rotating power element (21) is electrically connected with the controller.

34. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 33, characterized in that The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) further comprises a sensor for detecting the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly (10), and the sensor is electrically connected with the controller; the controller is configured to determine whether the rotating power element (21) or the flexible connecting piece (30) is faulty according to the rotating angle of the walking wheel assembly (10) and the rotating angle of the rotating power element (21).

35. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 34, characterized in that The sensor comprises a rotating sensor (40) arranged on the rotating shaft (61) of the walking wheel assembly (10) and / or a light sensor (50) arranged on the transmission device (11).

36. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The device body (200) comprises a base (210); the transmission device (11) is rotationally connected with the base (210).

37. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 36, characterized in that The base (210) is provided with an upper limiting portion and a lower limiting portion for limiting the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly (10), respectively.

38. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) of claim 36, wherein, The walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) further comprises a spring (70), one end of the spring (70) is fixed on the free portion (b) of the transmission device (11), and the other end is fixed on the base (210).

39. The walking wheel lift mechanism (100) according to claim 38, characterized in that The free portion (b) and the base (210) are both provided with a hook portion (90), the two ends of the spring (70) are respectively hooked on the two hook portions (90), and the hooking directions of the two hook portions (90) are opposite.

40. A cleaning apparatus (1000) characterized by, The device body (200) and the walking wheel lifting mechanism (100) of any one of claims 19-39 are comprised.

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