Traveling wheel mechanism and cleaning device

Abstract

A traveling wheel mechanism and a cleaning device. The traveling wheel mechanism (100a, 100b) is mounted on a device body (300); the traveling wheel mechanism (100a, 100b) comprises a traveling wheel assembly (10) and a power assembly (20); the traveling wheel assembly (10) is rotatably connected to the device body (300); and the power assembly (20) can selectively extend and retract, can abut against the traveling wheel assembly (10) or the device body (300), and can slide relative to the traveling wheel assembly (10) or the device body (300). The obstacle crossing height, the escape capability, and the adaptability to different road surfaces of the device comprising the traveling wheel mechanism (100a, 100b) are improved.

Description

Walking wheel mechanism and cleaning equipment Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202422472382.X, filed on October 12, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure belongs to the field of cleaning equipment technology, specifically relating to a walking wheel mechanism and a cleaning device. Background Technology

[0003] Cleaning equipment refers to common intelligent cleaning appliances, such as robotic vacuum cleaners and automatic sweeping machines. The ability of cleaning equipment to overcome obstacles during automatic operation is crucial; the obstacle-crossing height limits the working range and operational reliability of the cleaning equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a walking wheel mechanism and a cleaning device to improve the obstacle-crossing ability of the cleaning device.

[0005] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a walking wheel mechanism is provided, mounted on a device body, comprising: a walking wheel assembly rotatably connected to the device body; and a power assembly capable of selectively extending and retracting, and capable of sliding against the walking wheel assembly or the device body or the device body, and relative to the walking wheel assembly.

[0006] In some implementations, the power unit is provided with a retractable output shaft, and the wheel assembly or the device body is provided with a groove in which the output shaft of the power unit is slidably connected.

[0007] In some embodiments, the end of the output shaft of the power assembly is arc-shaped, or the end of the output shaft of the power assembly is connected to a rotatable contact wheel.

[0008] In some embodiments, at least one of the two opposite sidewalls of the slide is provided with a guide portion, and the output shaft of the power assembly is provided with a guide protrusion, the guide protrusion being slidably connected to the guide portion.

[0009] In some implementations, the power unit is fixedly connected to the device body or the wheel assembly, or the power unit is pivotally connected to the device body or the wheel assembly.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wheel assembly includes a support member and a wheel mounted on the support member; the support member includes a main wheel portion and a free portion, the main wheel portion being closer to the wheel relative to the free portion; the main wheel portion and the free portion are separated by the ground normal axis of the wheel, and the free portion is closer to the forward direction of the device body than the main wheel portion; wherein the free portion of the support member is rotatably connected to the device body; the output shaft can selectively abut against the support member, or the power assembly is fixedly connected or pivotally connected to the support member.

[0011] In some embodiments, a spring is also included, one end of which is fixed to the free portion of the support and the other end of which is fixed to the device body.

[0012] In some embodiments, both the free portion and the device body are provided with hooks, and the two ends of the spring are respectively hooked to the two hooks, with the hooks in opposite directions.

[0013] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the output shaft of the power assembly passes through the spring.

[0014] In a second aspect, this disclosure also provides a cleaning device, the cleaning device including a device body and the aforementioned wheel mechanism, the wheel mechanism being mounted on the device body.

[0015] In some implementations, the device body is provided with an upper limit part and a lower limit part, which are used to limit the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly, respectively. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100a in the lifting state of the walking wheel assembly in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100a in the descending state of the walking wheel assembly in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the walking power device in the walking wheel mechanism 100a of Figures 1 and 2;

[0020] Figure 4 shows the assembly structure of the walking power unit and spring in the walking wheel mechanism 100a of Figures 1 and 2;

[0021] Figure 5 shows an exploded view of the power assembly and flexible connector in the walking wheel mechanism 100a of Figures 1 and 2;

[0022] Figure 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of the obstacle-crossing process of the cleaning equipment in one or more embodiments of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of the obstacle-crossing process of the cleaning equipment in some other embodiments of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100b in the walking wheel assembly lifted state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100b in the descending state of the walking wheel assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the power assembly in Figures 8 and 9;

[0027] Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of the flexible connector in Figures 8 and 9;

[0028] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the power element in Figure 10;

[0029] Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of another power element;

[0030] Figure 14 shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the free portion of the support member;

[0031] Figure 15 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism with tensioning elements;

[0032] Figure 16 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism with steering components;

[0033] Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100c in the walking wheel assembly lifted state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100c in the descending state of the walking wheel assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 19 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly of the first end of the flexible connector and the first end of the spring with the power component in the walking wheel mechanism 100c.

[0036] Figure 20 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly of the second end of the flexible connector and the second end of the spring with the walking wheel assembly in the walking wheel mechanism 100c.

[0037] Figures 21 and 23 show schematic diagrams of the walking wheel mechanism 100d in the descending state of the walking wheel assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figures 22 and 24 show schematic diagrams of the walking wheel mechanism 100d in the lifting state of the walking wheel assembly in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 25 shows a schematic diagram of the power assembly in Figures 21-24;

[0040] Figure 26 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the power unit and the walking wheel assembly in Figures 21-24;

[0041] Figure 27 shows another assembly structure diagram of the power component and the walking wheel component in the walking wheel mechanism 100d;

[0042] Figure 28 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100e in the descending state of the walking wheel assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 29 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100e in the walking wheel assembly lifted state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 30 shows a schematic diagram of the walking wheel assembly in Figures 28 and 29.

[0045] Figure 31 shows a schematic diagram of the power assembly in Figures 28 and 29;

[0046] Figure 32 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning equipment in some embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0048] When cleaning equipment encounters obstacles during autonomous operation, it needs to avoid or overcome them. The obstacle-crossing height limits the working range and operational reliability of the cleaning equipment. Most solutions to the obstacle-crossing problem rely on software strategies, adjusting the angle and speed at which the cleaning equipment approaches the obstacle to achieve obstacle-crossing. However, this solution is limited by physical constraints such as the equipment's height off the ground, thus limiting its effectiveness.

[0049] To improve the obstacle-crossing capability of cleaning equipment from a physical perspective, this disclosure provides one or more embodiments of a walking wheel lifting mechanism and a cleaning device. By actively raising the device body, the ground clearance is increased, making the components below the device higher than the obstacle. This ensures that the device does not interfere with the obstacle during obstacle crossing, thereby increasing the obstacle-crossing height. The following detailed description, in conjunction with specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, further illustrates this disclosure.

[0050] The cleaning equipment provided in this disclosure includes a walking wheel mechanism mounted on the equipment body, comprising a walking wheel assembly and a power assembly. The power assembly can be selectively engaged and abutted against the walking wheel assembly or the power assembly, and can slide relative to the walking wheel assembly or the power assembly. Therefore, by controlling the extension of the output shaft of the power assembly, the walking wheel assembly can be driven to rotate relative to the equipment body, causing the walking wheel assembly to rise and fall relative to the equipment body. Since the walking wheel assembly is always in contact with the ground during travel, it also remains grounded during the rising and falling process relative to the equipment body. Therefore, the rising and falling of the walking wheel assembly relative to the equipment body manifests as a change in the equipment body's ground clearance. When the equipment body's ground clearance increases, the components below the equipment body can be higher than obstacles, ensuring that there is no interference between the equipment and obstacles during obstacle crossing, thereby increasing the obstacle crossing height. This improves the obstacle crossing height, escape capability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with this walking wheel mechanism.

[0051] This disclosure provides a wheel lifting mechanism, which, to distinguish it from another embodiment, is named wheel mechanism 100a. The wheel mechanism 100a is installed on the equipment body 300 of an automated device requiring obstacle-crossing capabilities. It enables the wheel 12 to be raised or lowered relative to the equipment body 300, thereby increasing the ground clearance of the equipment body 300 and improving obstacle-crossing height. The wheel mechanism 100a can be applied to cleaning equipment such as sweeping robots and automatic sweeping machines, as well as other automated driving devices requiring obstacle-crossing capabilities, such as automatic food delivery robots and express delivery sorting robots. The wheel mechanism 100a can be either a driving wheel lifting mechanism or a driven wheel lifting mechanism. The wheel 12 can be either a driving wheel or a driven wheel, and includes, but is not limited to, rollers, track wheels, and Mecanum wheels.

[0052] In the following embodiments, if the walking wheel 12 in the walking wheel mechanism 100a is configured to be driven by a drive device, it can be understood that the walking wheel mechanism 100a is an active wheel lifting mechanism, the walking wheel assembly 10 is an active wheel assembly, and the walking wheel 12 is an active wheel.

[0053] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, which show the overall structural diagram of the walking wheel mechanism 100a. The walking wheel mechanism 100a includes a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, and a flexible connector 30. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be a driving wheel assembly that provides the power for the equipment to move, or a driven wheel assembly that rotates following the driving wheel; this disclosure does not impose any limitations. The power assembly 20 is also mounted on the equipment body 300 and is used to provide the driving force for the walking wheel assembly 10 to move up and down relative to the equipment body 300. The flexible connector 30 is used to transmit the power from the power assembly 20 and acts on the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the base 310 to achieve the function of moving up and down relative to the equipment body 300. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connector 30 can drive only the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and move up and down, or they can drive both walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and move up and down simultaneously; this disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0054] When the walking wheel assembly 10 is the driving wheel assembly that provides power for the equipment's movement, the driving wheel assembly is used to provide the power for the equipment's movement. The power assembly 20 is also mounted on the equipment body 300 and is used to provide the driving force for the driving wheel assembly to move up and down relative to the equipment body 300. The flexible connector 30 is used to transmit the power of the power assembly 20 and act on the driving wheel assembly, so that the driving wheel assembly rotates relative to the equipment body 300 to achieve the function of moving up and down relative to the equipment body 300. Usually, two driving wheel assemblies are required for the equipment to move. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connector 30 can drive only the corresponding driving wheel assembly to swing and move up and down, or they can drive both driving wheel assemblies to swing and move up and down simultaneously; this disclosure does not impose any limitations. Since the relative rotation of the driving wheel assembly and the driving of the driving wheel assembly itself are driven by different drivers, the driving action and the relative rotation action of the driving wheel assembly do not interfere with each other and can be performed simultaneously.

[0055] Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground d during travel, when the walking wheel assembly 10 is a drive wheel assembly, the drive wheel assembly is also always in contact with the ground d during the lifting and lowering process relative to the equipment body 300. Therefore, the lifting and lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300 manifests as a change in the ground clearance of the equipment body 300. When the ground clearance of the equipment body 300 increases, the components below the equipment body 300 can be higher than the obstacle c, so that there is no interference between the equipment and the obstacle c during obstacle crossing, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height. This can improve the obstacle crossing height, escape ability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with the walking wheel mechanism 100a.

[0056] In some embodiments, the power assembly 20 outputs rotational power. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the power assembly 20 includes a power element 21 and a rotating disk 22. The power element 21 can be a servo motor or a motor (not limited to brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, etc.), and the power element 21 is used to drive the rotating disk 22 to rotate in two opposite directions, such as clockwise and counterclockwise. The rotating disk 22 is fixedly connected to the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. The rotating disk 22 can also be a part of a protrusion on the output shaft 211 of the power element 21; the specific structure is not limited in this disclosure.

[0057] A flexible connector 30 is disposed between the traveling wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22. One end of the flexible connector 30 may be fixed to the traveling wheel assembly 10, and the other end to the rotating disk 22, for transmitting the rotational power of the power element 21. Alternatively, the flexible connector 30 may be connected to one of the traveling wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22, and wrapped around the other of the traveling wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22, thereby changing the spatial position of the free portion b of the traveling wheel assembly 10. During the rotation of the rotating disk 22, the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the traveling wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22 changes, allowing the traveling wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300, thus achieving a lifting function relative to the equipment body 300.

[0058] In some embodiments, the power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connector 30 by driving the rotating disk 22 to rotate, thus changing the effective length of the flexible connector 30. When the rotating disk 22 rotates in a first direction (e.g., clockwise), the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22 decreases, causing the flexible connector 30 to be tightened. When the flexible connector 30 is tightened, it can transmit force and pull the wheel assembly 10, causing the wheel assembly 10 to rotate and rise relative to the device body 300. When the rotating disk 22 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., counterclockwise), the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22 increases, the flexible connector 30 is loosened, and the wheel assembly 10 can rotate in the opposite direction relative to the device body 300 under its own weight and / or the action of the return spring. Of course, in other embodiments, the power element 21 can also change the position of the flexible connector 30 by driving the rotating disk 22 to rotate, during which the flexible connector 30 is always taut.

[0059] In some embodiments, the walking wheel assembly 10 includes a support member rotatably connected to the device body 300. The support member includes a main wheel portion a and a free portion b, with the main wheel portion a being closer to the drive wheel than the free portion b. A flexible connector is connected between the free portion b of the support member and the power assembly 20, and is used to drive the support member to rotate relative to the device body 300 under the drive of the power assembly 20.

[0060] In some embodiments, the support member can be a bracket or a walking power device 11. The walking power device 11 can also be referred to as a transmission device.

[0061] It is understandable that when the walking wheel 12 is the driving wheel, the support frame is the walking power device 11; when the walking wheel 12 is the driven wheel, the support frame is the bracket and plays a supporting role.

[0062] In some embodiments, the walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably mounted on the device body 300; the walking wheel assembly 10 includes a drive device and a driven drive wheel; the walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably disposed on the device body 300.

[0063] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the extension line of the direction of the tension applied by the flexible connector 30 to the walking power device 11 does not pass through the pivot 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10 which rotates relative to the device body 300. Thus, the tension can generate a downward / outward torque on the walking wheel assembly 10, causing the walking power device 11 to be forced to swing outward with the axis of the pivot 61 as the center.

[0064] In some embodiments, the rotation angle of the power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 360 degrees. Specifically, the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the rotation of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 360 degrees. That is, the unidirectional rotation of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed one revolution. This reduces the total length of the flexible connector 30 when it is relaxed, preventing the flexible connector 30 from detaching from the rotating disk 22 after relaxation, or from interfering with surrounding components due to excessive length, or from being hooked on surrounding components, resulting in failure to tighten properly or being pulled apart. In some embodiments, the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 is 0 to 300 degrees, such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 70°, 90°, 120°, 180°, 235°, 270°, 290°, 300°, etc.

[0065] In some embodiments, the rotation angle of the power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 720 degrees. Specifically, the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the rotation of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 720 degrees. That is, the unidirectional rotation of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 does not exceed two revolutions. The rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the wheel assembly 10 is, for example, 30°, 45°, 60°, 70°, 90°, 120°, 180°, 235°, 270°, 290°, 360°, 400°, 450°, 500°, 550°, 600°, 650°, 700°, 720°, etc.

[0066] In some embodiments, the power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connector 30 by driving the rotating disk 22 to rotate.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 3, which shows a schematic diagram of the walking power device 11 in some embodiments. The walking wheel assembly 10 includes a drive device 112, a walking power device 11, and driven walking wheels 12. The drive device 112 drives the walking wheels 12 to rotate through the walking power device 11, thereby driving the entire cleaning equipment to move. The walking power device 11 includes a main wheel portion a and a free portion b, with the main wheel portion a being closer to the walking wheels 12 than the free portion b. The main wheel portion a of the walking power device 11 has an overlapping area with the walking wheels 12, used to directly transmit the walking drive torque to the walking wheels 12. The free portion b has a non-overlapping area with the walking wheels 12, realizing the connection and fixation of the walking power device 11 to the surrounding structure.

[0068] The flexible connector 30 connects the power assembly 20 and the free portion b of the walking power device 11. Alternatively, the two ends of the flexible connector 30 can be connected to the power assembly 20 and the free portion b of the walking power device 11 respectively, or the flexible connector 30 can be connected to the power assembly 20 and wound around the free portion b of the walking power device 11 to change the spatial position of the free portion b of the walking power device 11. Driven by the power assembly 20, the flexible connector 30 causes the walking power device 11 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300, causing the walking wheel assembly 10 to rise and fall relative to the equipment body 300.

[0069] To reduce the risk of the flexible connector 30 getting caught on foreign objects or becoming detached from the rotating disk 22 and difficult to retract when it is in the loosened state, in some embodiments, a tensioning mechanism is provided at the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22. The tensioning mechanism provides tension force and includes, but is not limited to, an elastic element, such as a spring or a clockwork mechanism. For example, a torsion spring can keep the flexible connector 30 taut in real time, preventing it from detaching from the rotating disk 22. In some embodiments, a clockwork mechanism can also be used to keep the flexible connector 30 taut in real time.

[0070] It should be understood that the flexible connector 30 referred to in this disclosure is not limited to being entirely made of flexible materials. The flexible connector 30 can be a flexible cable such as a steel wire rope or nylon rope; it can also be a combination structure of a flexible cable and a rigid connector, such as a combination structure of a flexible cable and a tie rod. In other words, the flexible connector 30 is at least partially a flexible structure. Using a flexible structure as a power transmission medium can solve the spatial arrangement problem of the walking wheel mechanism 100a to a certain extent. By using some fixed pulley structures, the power components 20 (such as motors, cylinders, etc.) can be arranged at any position on the equipment body 300, thereby achieving optimal space utilization.

[0071] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, which illustrate the working principle of the flexible connector 30 of the walking wheel mechanism 100a in some embodiments. The flexible connector 30 is a cable, with one end fixed to a cable attachment point on the walking wheel assembly 10 and the other end fixed to the rotating disk 22. The cable extends in a straight line and is not wrapped around any reversing structure. The rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 does not exceed 360 degrees during rotation, indicating that the cable will not be fully wrapped around the rotating disk 22. This non-wrapping method reduces problems such as cable knots and snagging by foreign objects during the cable unwinding process compared to the winding and unwinding method.

[0072] In some embodiments, the rotating disk 22 is coaxially arranged with the output shaft 211 of the power element 21, and the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22 is eccentrically arranged relative to the rotation axis of the rotating disk 22, as shown in Figure 5; or, the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22 is coaxially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating disk 22, and the rotating disk 22 is eccentrically arranged relative to the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. That is, during the rotation of the rotating disk 22, the spatial position of the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22 changes with the rotation of the rotating disk 22. Combined with the fact that the flexible connector 30 extends in a straight line, the spatial posture of the flexible connector 30 changes during the rotation of the rotating disk 22. The flexible connector 30 is always taut during the rotation of the rotating disk 22. Since the spatial position of the end of the flexible connector 30 connected to the rotating disk 22 changes, the spatial position of the end of the flexible connector 30 connected to the walking wheel assembly 10 will also change accordingly, while the length of the flexible connector 30 remains unchanged. This causes the walking power device 11 to be forced to swing outward with the axis of the rotating shaft 61 as the center.

[0073] Since the flexible connector 30 is always taut during the rotation of the rotating disk 22, its effective length remains constant. Correspondingly, the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 ranges from 0 to 90 degrees, for example, 10°, 25°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80°, 85°, etc. When the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 exceeds 90 degrees, for example, 150 degrees, the spatial posture of the flexible connector 30 is basically the same as when the rotating disk 22 rotates at a 30-degree angle. Therefore, by setting the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 to 0 to 90 degrees, on the one hand, the flexible connector 30 can form different spatial postures; on the other hand, the maximum rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 is only 90 degrees. Compared to the scheme of winding and releasing the flexible connector 30 in one or more turns, this shortens the switching time between the lifting and lowering states of the walking wheel assembly 10, improving obstacle-crossing efficiency.

[0074] To facilitate the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22, the rotating disk 22 is designed as a split structure, comprising at least two detachable components that hold the connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22 in place. Referring to Figure 5, which shows an exploded view of the power assembly 20 in some embodiments, the rotating disk 22 includes a transmission disk 221, an inner fixed disk 222, and an outer fixed disk 223 connected in sequence. The transmission disk 221 is fixedly connected to the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. The transmission disk 221, the inner fixed disk 222, and the outer fixed disk 223 are stacked sequentially and connected as a single unit by threaded fasteners. The connection between the flexible connector 30 and the rotating disk 22 is located between the inner fixed disk 222 and the outer fixed disk 223. For example, one end of the flexible connector 30 is fixed to a pin, which passes through pin holes formed on the edges of the inner fixed disk 222 and the outer fixed disk 223 for fixation, as shown in Figure 5. The gap between the inner fixed plate 222 and the outer fixed plate 223 allows the flexible connector 30 to move. During the rotation of the rotating plate 22, the flexible connector 30 will not wrap around the pin, but will change its spatial posture as the position of the pin changes.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 3, which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the walking wheel assembly 10 in some embodiments. The walking wheel assembly 10 is a drive wheel assembly that provides power for the movement of the equipment. The walking wheel assembly 10 includes a walking power device 11 and a walking wheel 12 driven by it. The walking power device 11 may include only a power unit, or it may include a power unit and a reduction mechanism. The walking power device 11 includes a main wheel portion a and a free portion b, with the main wheel portion a being closer to the walking wheel 12 than the free portion b. The main wheel portion a of the walking power device 11 has an overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, which is used to directly transmit torque to the walking wheel 12. The free portion b has a non-overlapping area with the walking wheel 12, which enables the walking power device 11 to be connected and fixed to the surrounding structure.

[0076] In some embodiments, the main wheel portion a and the free portion b are separated by the grounding normal axis of the traveling wheel 12. In other embodiments, the dividing line between the main wheel portion a and the free portion b may also be defined as the outer contour line of the traveling wheel 12. In some embodiments, the free portion b is closer to the forward direction of the device body 300 than the main wheel portion a, and the increase in the device's ground clearance can be manifested in the overall lifting of the device body 300 and the increase in ground clearance, or in the tilting of the front end of the device body 300 and the increase in ground clearance.

[0077] Since the free portion b of the walking power unit 11 is far from the walking wheel 12, please refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3. In some embodiments, the connection points between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the surrounding components are all located in the free portion b. That is, the free portion b of the walking power unit 11 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300, and the flexible connector 30 is also connected to the free portion b of the walking power unit 11.

[0078] The device body 300 can be a one-piece structure or a split structure. Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the device body 300 is provided with a base 310 for mounting the walking wheel assembly 10 and the power assembly 20. Cleaning components, guide wheels, and other parts of the cleaning equipment can also be mounted on the base 310. The walking power device 11 of the walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the base 310.

[0079] When the walking wheel assembly 10 is a drive wheel assembly, the connection points between the drive wheel assembly and the surrounding components are all located in the free portion b. That is, the free portion b of the walking power device 11 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300, and the flexible connector 30 is also connected to the free portion b of the walking power device 11. The equipment body 300 can be an integral structure or a split structure. Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the equipment body 300 is provided with a base 310 for mounting the drive wheel assembly and the power assembly 20. Cleaning components, driven wheels, and other parts of the cleaning equipment can also be mounted on the base 310. The walking power device 11 of the drive wheel assembly is rotatably connected to the base 310, and the drive device 112 and the drive wheel of the drive wheel assembly are both connected to the walking power device 11.

[0080] Referring to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the walking wheel assembly 10 further includes a wheel cover 113, which is connected to the side of the housing of the walking power unit 11. The wheel cover 113 is spaced and sleeved on the walking wheel 12, providing a mounting base for the bearings of the walking wheel 12. In some embodiments, the wheel cover 113 can be integrally formed with the housing of the walking power unit 11.

[0081] To facilitate the connection between the walking wheel assembly 10 and surrounding components, in some embodiments, the free portion b of the walking power device 11 is provided with a mounting axle 60, which is rotatably connected to the device body 300 (or rotatably connected to the base 310 if a base 310 is present). The walking power device 11 rotates around the pivot 61 of the mounting axle 60. In some embodiments, the free portion b of the walking power device 11 is provided with a hanging point 80, to which a flexible connector 30 is connected.

[0082] Since the mounting seat 60 is located in the free part b of the walking power device 11, the distance between the rotating shaft 61 of the mounting seat 60 and the grounding point of the drive wheel is relatively large. A small rotation angle of the walking power device 11 can significantly increase the ground clearance of the equipment.

[0083] Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the shaft 61 of the mounting seat 60 is different from the axis of the drive device 112, thereby placing the mounting seat 60 and the drive device 112 in different positions. This avoids the drive wheel assembly from being too large in the axial direction of its shaft 61 due to the coaxial arrangement of the shaft 61 of the mounting seat 60 and the drive device 112, thus facilitating the arrangement of the mounting seat 60 and the drive device 112.

[0084] Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the mounting base 60 is located on the lower side of the free portion b, and the axis of the drive device 112 is located above the rotating shaft 61 of the mounting base 60, so that the drive device 112 is located in a relatively higher position in the device body 300 compared to the rotating shaft 61 of the drive wheel assembly, preventing the drive device 112 from being exposed when the device body 300 is lifted to overcome obstacles.

[0085] The flexible connector 30 is connected to the free portion b of the walking power unit 11. Similarly, the distance between the attachment point of the flexible connector 30 on the free portion b and the grounding point of the walking wheel 12 is relatively large, resulting in a larger power arm and thus reducing the requirement for the output power of the power assembly 20. The flexible connector 30 can be directly connected to the free portion b of the walking power unit 11. In some embodiments, the free portion b of the walking power unit 11 may also have an attachment point 80, to which the flexible connector 30 is connected. In some embodiments, the attachment point 80 is located on the upper side of the free portion b, so that the flexible connector 30 is located in a relatively upper area inside the equipment body 300, preventing the flexible connector 30 from falling off the equipment body 300 and contacting the ground when it is in the loosened state.

[0086] The power assembly 20 is the actuator that enables obstacle crossing. The power assembly 20 can output rotational or kinetic power; that is, the power assembly 20 can include power components 21 such as motors and servo motors, or telescopic power components 21 such as cylinders and electric telescopic rods. This disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0087] In some embodiments, the power assembly 20 outputs rotational power. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the power assembly 20 includes a power element 21. The power element 21 can be a servo motor or a motor (not limited to brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, etc.). One end of the flexible connector 30 is fixed to the free portion b of the walking power device 11, and the other end is connected to the output shaft 211 of the power element 21, as shown in Figure 5. The flexible connector 30 is used to transmit the rotational power of the power element 21.

[0088] When the power element 21 rotates, it tightens or loosens the flexible connector 30, that is, the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22 changes. When the flexible connector 30 is tightened, it can transmit force. In some embodiments, the power element 21 can also change the position of the flexible connector 30 when it rotates, and the flexible connector 30 is always tightened during this process.

[0089] In some embodiments, when the power element 21 rotates, it tightens or loosens the flexible connector 30. When the flexible connector 30 is tightened, it can pull the walking power device 11, causing the drive wheel assembly to rotate and rise relative to the base 310. The extension line of the pulling force applied by the flexible connector 30 to the walking power device 11 does not pass through the pivot 61 of the mounting shaft 60 of the drive wheel assembly. Therefore, the pulling force can generate a downward / outward torque on the drive wheel assembly, causing the walking power device 11 to swing outward about the axis of the pivot 61.

[0090] Referring to Figure 5, in some embodiments, the power assembly 20 further includes a rotating disk 22 coaxially arranged with the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. The power element 21 tightens or loosens the flexible connector 30 by driving the rotating disk 22 to rotate. The rotating disk 22 is fixedly connected to the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. The rotating disk 22 may also be a part of a protrusion on the output shaft 211 of the power element 21. The specific structure is not limited in this disclosure. The rotation angle of the power element 21 during the lifting or lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 does not exceed 360 degrees or 720 degrees. Correspondingly, the rotation angle of the rotating disk 22 during the lifting or lowering of the drive wheel assembly will not exceed 360 degrees or 720 degrees. This avoids the flexible connector 30 from loosening and detaching from the rotating disk 22, or from interfering with surrounding components due to excessive length, or from hooking onto surrounding components, resulting in failure to tighten properly or breakage.

[0091] Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the walking wheel mechanism 100a further includes a spring 70. One end of the spring 70 is fixed to the free portion b of the walking power device 11, and the other end is fixed to the equipment body 300, such as the base 310. The damping effect of the spring 70 reduces shock when the walking wheel 12 travels over uneven surfaces. Similarly, to facilitate the installation of the spring 70, in some embodiments, both the free portion b of the walking power device 11 and the base 310 of the equipment body 300 are provided with hooks 90, and the two ends of the spring 70 are hooked onto the two hooks 90 respectively. In some embodiments, the hooks 90 of the free portion b of the walking power device 11 and the hooks 90 of the equipment body 300 are arranged in opposite directions, that is, the hooking points of the spring 70 are opposite, making the fixation of the spring 70 more stable.

[0092] Referring to Figure 1, in some embodiments, the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 is approximately the same as the extension direction of the spring 70. This can be understood as the two being parallel within the allowable installation error range, so that the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 is staggered with that of the spring 70. For example, the angle between the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 and the extension direction of the spring 70 does not exceed 10 degrees. Furthermore, both the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 extend in the opposite direction of travel, so that the hook 90 of the device body 300 (e.g., the base 310) and the power component 20 are located behind the free portion b of the walking power device 11. Even if the obstacle-crossing posture of the device body 300 is with its front end raised, the rearward position of the hook 90 of the device body 300 (e.g., the base 310) and the power component 20 will not result in a significant change in their spatial position. Moreover, the rearward position of the hook 90 of the device body 300 and the power component 20 further facilitates the front end of the device body 300 raising, which is more conducive to obstacle crossing and prevents slippage.

[0093] In some embodiments, the spring 70 is always in a stretched state, that is, the spring 70 always generates a pulling force on the walking power device 11. When the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 is approximately the same as the extension direction of the spring 70, the spring 70 can assist the flexible connector 30 in pulling the walking power device 11 together, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates and rises and falls relative to the equipment body 300.

[0094] Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the mounting bracket 60 is located at the lower part of the free portion b, while the hanging point 80 and hook 90 are both located at the upper part of the free portion b. The points of action of the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 on the free portion b are positioned high, allowing both the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 to be positioned relatively high within the equipment body 300, preventing the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 from being exposed when the equipment body 300 is raised to overcome obstacles.

[0095] Referring to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the walking power unit 11 includes a gearbox 111 and a drive unit 112 mounted on the gearbox 111. The axis of rotation 61 of the mounting axle 60 is different from the axis of rotation of the drive unit 112. Specifically, the axis of rotation of the drive unit 112 is located above the axis of rotation 61 of the mounting axle 60, so that the drive unit 112 is positioned relatively higher in the equipment body 300 compared to the axis of rotation 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, preventing the drive unit 112 from being exposed when the equipment body 300 is raised to overcome obstacles. Referring to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the walking power unit 11 also includes a wheel cover 113. The wheel cover 113 is connected to the side of the housing of the gearbox 111 and is spaced and fitted onto the walking wheels 12, providing a mounting base for the bearings of the walking wheels 12. In some embodiments, the wheel cover 113 can be integrally formed with the housing of the gearbox 111.

[0096] In some embodiments, the driving device includes a drive motor, which may be a DC motor or a servo motor, etc.

[0097] To prevent accidents caused by the power element 21 malfunctioning, in some embodiments, the device body 300, such as the base 310, is provided with an upper limit portion and a lower limit portion, which are used to limit the upper limit position and lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly 10, respectively. The walking wheel assembly 10 swings between the upper limit position and the lower limit position. In normal travel mode, the walking wheel assembly 10 approaches the upper limit position but does not exceed it; in obstacle-crossing mode, the walking wheel assembly 10 swings downwards, approaches the lower limit position but does not exceed it.

[0098] The upper and lower limit portions can be mechanical limit structures or electronic limit devices. In some embodiments, a mechanical lower limit portion is provided on the outer shell of the device body 300 to prevent the walking wheel assembly 10 from swinging downwards. For example, a downwardly extending, adjustable-length bolt is fixed to the hook portion 90 of the device body 300, serving as an upper mechanical limit for the walking wheel assembly 10 to prevent it from swinging upwards. In other embodiments, both the upper and lower limit portions are electronic devices, such as microswitches, limit switches, photoelectric sensors, etc. The walking wheel mechanism 100a also includes a controller. When the walking wheel assembly 10 swings to the position that triggers the electronic device, the electronic device feeds back a position signal to the controller, and the controller controls the power element 21 to stop rotating.

[0099] In some embodiments, the power element 21 controls the rotation angle and / or rotation speed of the rotating disk 22.

[0100] In some embodiments, to facilitate closed-loop control of the swing position of the wheel assembly 10, the power element 21 is a servo motor or motor with an integrated encoder, and the output shaft 211 of the servo motor or motor is connected to the rotating disk 22. The encoder can detect the actual rotation angle of the servo motor or motor. Correspondingly, the wheel mechanism 100a also includes a controller, and both the power element 21 and its encoder are electrically connected to the controller, which performs closed-loop control of the rotation speed and / or rotation angle of the power element 21. The power element 21 is driven by the rotating disk 22, thereby enabling the power element 21 to control the rotation angle and / or rotation speed of the rotating disk 22.

[0101] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the power element 21 is a servo motor. The advantage of a servo motor is that it integrates a reducer, a motor, and a position encoder, resulting in a smaller overall footprint. The position encoder is used to provide feedback information for the motor's position closed loop. However, considering that active lifting typically only requires two positions—retracted and extended—in some embodiments, the servo motor can also be replaced with a conventional brushed or brushless motor. Position detection elements are set at the upper and lower limit positions of the walking wheel assembly 10 to achieve position closed-loop control of the conventional motor.

[0102] In some embodiments, the walking wheel mechanism 100a further includes a sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. The number and type of sensors are not limited in this disclosure, as long as they 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 power element 21 and the flexible connector 30 are malfunctioning based on the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotation angle of the power element 21.

[0103] Under normal circumstances, there is a definite mapping relationship between the rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 and the rotation angle of the power element 21. If either the measured rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10 or the measured rotation angle of the power element 21 does not satisfy this mapping relationship, it indicates that the power element 21 and / or the flexible connector 30 may be malfunctioning. At this time, the controller can control the device equipped with the walking wheel mechanism 100a to issue a prompt message, such as a flashing fault light or a pop-up prompt box via a mobile APP.

[0104] In some embodiments, the sensor includes a rotation sensor 40 disposed on the shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, and / or a light sensor 50 disposed on the walking power unit 11. That is, the walking wheel mechanism 100a may be provided with only the rotation sensor 40 or the light sensor 50, or it may be provided with both the rotation sensor 40 and the light sensor 50.

[0105] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. A light sensor 50 is installed on the outer side of the housing of the main wheel section a of the gearbox 111. This sensor is used to determine whether the traveling wheel 12 has successfully retracted into the slot of the equipment body 300 when it returns to normal travel from the raised state. The light sensor 50 triggers a positioning signal after detecting a change in light intensity when the wheel 12 retracts into the slot. Please refer to Figure 3. A rotation sensor 40 is installed on the shaft 61 of the traveling wheel assembly 10. This sensor is used to detect and record the actual rotation angle of the traveling wheel assembly 10.

[0106] When the sensor only includes the rotation sensor 40 installed on the shaft 61 of the walking wheel assembly 10, the rotation sensor 40 can detect the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. When the position feedback of the servo or motor fails, such as when the servo malfunctions or the flexible connector 30 breaks, the controller can determine whether the walking wheel 12 has actually rotated to the normal walking position or fully extended to achieve the obstacle crossing position through the feedback signal of the rotation sensor 40.

[0107] When the sensor only includes the optical sensor 50 installed on the walking power unit 11, the optical sensor 50 can detect whether the walking wheel 12 has successfully retracted into its slot. When the position feedback of the servo motor or motor fails, such as when the servo motor malfunctions or the flexible connector 30 breaks, the controller can determine whether the walking wheel 12 has been fully retracted and returned to the normal walking position through the feedback signal of the optical sensor 50.

[0108] When the sensor includes both a rotation sensor 40 and a light sensor 50, if the position feedback of the servo motor or motor fails, such as due to a servo motor malfunction or a break in the flexible connector 30, the light sensor 50 and the rotation sensor 40 can detect whether the traveling wheel 12 has successfully retracted into its slot and the actual rotation angle of the traveling wheel assembly 10, thus determining whether the traveling wheel 12 has truly returned to its normal traveling position. Furthermore, by comparing the detection of whether the traveling wheel 12 has successfully retracted into its slot and the actual rotation angle of the traveling wheel assembly 10 by the light sensor 50 and the rotation sensor 40 with the rotation angle information of the power element 21 fed back by the encoder, it is also possible to determine whether the power element 21 or the flexible connector 30 has malfunctioned. Moreover, simultaneously setting up both the rotation sensor 40 and the light sensor 50 is equivalent to redundancy, which improves detection accuracy on the one hand, and on the other hand, the normal operation of the traveling wheel mechanism 100a is not affected if either the rotation sensor 40 or the light sensor 50 fails.

[0109] The working principle of the walking wheel mechanism 100a is described below using a walking wheel mechanism 100a of a certain embodiment as an example. In this embodiment, the walking wheel mechanism 100a is applied in a sweeping robot. The sweeping robot is provided with two walking wheel mechanisms 100a. In each walking wheel mechanism 100a, the power component 20 and the flexible connector 30 drive the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and rise and fall. The walking wheel assembly 10 includes a drive device 112, a reducer and walking wheels 12. The drive device 112 can be a drive motor, the flexible connector 30 is a cable, the power component 20 includes a servo motor and a rotating disk 22, and a rotation sensor 40 and a light sensor 50 are provided on the walking wheel assembly 10.

[0110] The position of the walking wheel assembly 10 when the sweeping robot is moving normally is shown in Figure 1. One end of the cable is fixed to the cable attachment point on the gearbox 111, and the other end is fixed between the inner fixed plate 222 and the outer fixed plate 223 of the rotating disk 22, with the cable in an extended state. One end of the spring 70 is fixed to the hook 90 on the gearbox 111, and the other end is fixed to the hook 90 on the device body 300. The transmission disk 221, the inner fixed plate 222, and the outer fixed plate 223 are fixedly connected to the servo motor with screws.

[0111] When the robot vacuum detects an obstacle during its movement, the servo motor rotates approximately 120 degrees. The rotating disk 22 on the servo motor also rotates the cable approximately 120 degrees, causing the cable to shorten and wrap around the gap between the inner fixed disk 222 and the outer fixed disk 223. The other end of the cable is connected to a cable attachment point, causing the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate downwards around the pivot 61, as shown in Figure 2.

[0112] The walking wheel assemblies 10 on both sides of the robot vacuum cleaner simultaneously rotate downwards to their lower limit positions, raising the robot vacuum cleaner body 300 to a height d above the ground of 4cm, as shown in Figure 6. The walking acceleration provided by the walking wheel assemblies 10 causes the front of the robot vacuum cleaner to lift up and move forward to overcome the obstacle c, as shown in Figure 7, achieving the purpose of obstacle crossing. The obstacle crossing height of this robot vacuum cleaner has been increased from 20mm to 32mm or more.

[0113] A light sensor 50 is installed on the outer side of the main wheel portion a of the gearbox 111 housing to determine whether the walking wheel 12 has successfully retracted into the slot in the bottom shell when it returns to normal travel from the raised state. The light sensor 50 triggers a retraction signal after detecting a change in light intensity upon retraction into the slot. A rotation sensor 40 is installed at the shaft 61 to detect and record the actual rotation angle of the walking wheel assembly 10. An encoder is built into the servo motor to detect the actual rotation angle of the servo motor. When the servo motor position feedback fails, such as due to a servo motor malfunction or cable breakage, the detection of whether the walking wheel 12 has successfully retracted into the slot and the actual rotation angle of the shaft 61 by the light sensor 50 and rotation sensor 40 can determine whether the walking wheel 12 has truly returned to its normal traveling position. Comparing this with the servo motor rotation angle information feedback can also determine whether the servo motor or cable has malfunctioned. This embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cleaning device 1000, which can be a sweeping robot or an automatic sweeping machine. Please refer to Figures 6, 7, and 32. The cleaning device 1000 includes a device body 300 and a walking wheel mechanism 100a according to any of the above embodiments. The walking wheel mechanism 100a is integrally installed in the device body 300, and the walking wheels 12 of the walking wheel mechanism 100a extend out of the device body 300 and contact the ground d, driving the entire cleaning device 1000 to move.

[0114] When the cleaning equipment 1000 is in normal operation (including forward, backward, and turning), the driving force is provided by the walking wheel assembly 10. When the cleaning equipment 1000 detects an insurmountable obstacle c in front (which can be identified by an ultrasonic sensor, mechanical vision system, etc., located in front of the equipment body 300 to determine the location and size of the obstacle), or when the cleaning equipment 1000 is obstructed and cannot move normally, it is determined that an obstacle has been encountered. At this time, the controller controls the power assembly 20 to operate, which acts on the walking wheel assembly 10 through the flexible connector 30, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the equipment body 300, thereby realizing the lifting function relative to the equipment body 300.

[0115] Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground d during travel, the lifting and lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300 manifests as a change in the ground clearance of the equipment body 300. When the ground clearance of the equipment body 300 increases, the components below the equipment body 300 are higher than the obstacle c, ensuring that there is no interference between the equipment and the obstacle c during obstacle crossing. This achieves the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height, thereby improving the obstacle crossing height, escape ability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with the walking wheel mechanism 100a.

[0116] Referring to Figure 6, in some embodiments, when the controller determines that an obstacle c has been encountered, the power component 20 drives the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate and extend relative to the device body 300, thereby raising the entire device body 300 above the height of the obstacle c. The walking wheel assembly 10 then drives the cleaning device 1000 to continue moving, thus overcoming the obstacle c.

[0117] Referring to Figure 7, in some embodiments, when the controller determines that an obstacle c has been encountered, the power component 20 drives the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate and extend relative to the device body 300, causing the front end of the device body 300 to tilt and rise above the height of the obstacle c. The walking wheel assembly 10 then drives the cleaning device 1000 to accelerate and thus overcome the obstacle c.

[0118] Based on the same design concept, this disclosure provides another walking wheel mechanism 100b. The walking wheel mechanism 100b is similar to the walking wheel mechanism 100a described above. The walking wheel mechanism 100b also includes a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, and a flexible connector 30. The main difference lies in the connection method between the flexible connector 30 and the power assembly 20 and the walking wheel assembly 10 in the walking wheel mechanism 100b. The connection method between the flexible connector 30 and the power assembly 20 and the walking wheel assembly 10 in the walking wheel mechanism 100b will now be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0119] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel mechanism 100b, the walking wheel mechanism 100b is installed on the equipment body 300. The walking wheel mechanism 100b includes a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, and a flexible connector 30. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be an active wheel assembly that provides the walking power of the equipment, or a driven wheel assembly that rotates with the active wheel. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions. The power assembly 20 is also installed on the equipment body 300 and is used to provide the driving force for the walking wheel assembly 10 to rise and fall relative to the equipment body 300. The flexible connector 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 310 to achieve the rising and falling function relative to the equipment body 300. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connector 30 can drive only the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and rise and fall, or they can drive both walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and rise and fall simultaneously. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions.

[0120] Referring to Figures 8-10, the power assembly 20 is provided with a rotatable output shaft 25, which can rotate in two opposite directions, such as clockwise and counterclockwise. The power assembly 20 includes a power element 21, which can be a servo motor or a motor (not limited to brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, etc.), and the drive shaft of the power element 21 is configured as the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20.

[0121] Referring to Figures 8-11, a flexible connector 30 is disposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20. The flexible connector 30 has a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 and can be wound onto the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20. The second end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the walking wheel assembly 10. By controlling the rotation of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, the first end of the flexible connector 30 is wound onto the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, and the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 changes, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rotates relative to the equipment body 300, thereby realizing the lifting function of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300.

[0122] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the power element 21 of the control power assembly 20 rotates, thereby causing the first end of the flexible connector 30 to either retract from or unretract the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, thus tightening or loosening the flexible connector 30, i.e., changing the effective length of the flexible connector 30. When the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 rotates in a first direction (e.g., clockwise), the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the wheel assembly 10 and the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 decreases, causing the flexible connector 30 to be tightened. When the flexible connector 30 is tightened, it can transmit force, pulling the wheel assembly 10 to rotate and rise / fall relative to the equipment body 300. When the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., counterclockwise), the length of the flexible connector 30 exposed between the wheel assembly 10 and the rotating disk 22 increases, the flexible connector 30 is released, and the wheel assembly 10 can rotate in the opposite direction relative to the device body 300 under its own weight and / or the action of the return spring. Compared to the wheel mechanism 100a, the wheel mechanism 100b can control the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 to rotate half a turn, one turn, or more than two turns according to the height of the obstacle, so as to effectively cross the obstacle.

[0123] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a mounting portion is provided on the periphery of the output shaft 25, and the first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the mounting portion to assemble the flexible connector on the periphery of the output shaft 25, control the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 to rotate, and then cause the first end of the flexible connector 30 to be wound onto the periphery of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20.

[0124] Referring to Figure 12, in some embodiments, a mounting groove 24 is provided on the periphery of the output shaft 25, and the first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the mounting groove 24, which is configured as the aforementioned mounting portion. Compared to the walking wheel mechanism 100a, the technical solution of connecting the first end of the flexible connector 30 to the mounting groove 24 can increase the length of the flexible connector 30 between the walking wheel assembly 10 and the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, resulting in a larger power arm and thus reducing the requirement for the output power of the power assembly 20.

[0125] Referring to Figure 12, the end of the output shaft 25 away from the power element 21 (the outer end of the output shaft 25) is provided with an assembly port 243. The assembly port 243 extends along the axial direction of the output shaft 25 to the groove wall of the mounting groove 24. That is, the assembly port 243 is set on the groove wall of the mounting groove 24 along the axial direction of the output shaft 25, so that the first end of the flexible connector 30 can be assembled into the mounting groove 24 of the output shaft 25 through the assembly port 243.

[0126] Referring to Figures 11 and 12, a first hole 241 is formed in the middle of the end of the output shaft 25 away from the power element 21 (the axial outer end of the output shaft 25), and a second hole 242 is formed on the outside of the end of the output shaft 25 away from the power element 21 (the axial outer end of the output shaft 25). The second hole 242 is arranged radially along the output shaft 25 and communicates with the first hole 241 to form a mounting groove 24. The radial projection of the second hole 242 along the output shaft 25 falls within the first hole 241, that is, the opening size of the second hole 242 is smaller than the size of the first hole 241. The first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to a fixing member 31, which is assembled inside the first hole 241. Because the opening size of the second hole 242 is smaller than the size of the first hole 241, the fixing member 31 cannot detach from the output shaft 25 from the second hole 242. Referring to Figure 11, the fastener 31 can be a columnar structure, and the first hole 241 is also a columnar structure with a diameter slightly larger than that of the fastener 31. The fastener 31 is fitted into the first hole 241 with a gap. The second hole 242 has a square structure, and its opening size is slightly larger than the diameter of the first end of the flexible connector 30, so that the first end of the flexible connector 30 can pass through the second hole 242.

[0127] Referring to Figure 13, in another embodiment, a mounting protrusion 26 is connected to the periphery of the output shaft 25, and the first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the mounting protrusion 26, which also allows the flexible connector to be mounted on the periphery of the drive component. The mounting protrusion 26 can be integrally formed on the periphery of the output shaft 25, and the first end of the flexible connector 30 can be attached to the mounting protrusion 26 or hung on the mounting protrusion 26. This disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0128] Referring to Figure 10, a limiting member 23 is connected to the end of the output shaft 25 away from the power element 21 (the axial outer end of the output shaft 25). The first end of the flexible connector 30 is wound onto the drive shaft between the limiting member 23 and the power element 21 to limit the winding position of the first end of the flexible connector 30 on the output shaft 25, thereby avoiding abnormal phenomena caused by the flexible connector 30 failing to be wound onto the output shaft 25. The limiting member 23 can be a plate-like structure, which can be detachably assembled to the axial outer end of the output shaft 25 by means of threads, snap-fit, etc., to facilitate the assembly of the first end of the flexible connector 30 onto the output shaft 25.

[0129] Referring to Figure 14, the second end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the free part b of the support member, and is used to drive the support member to rotate relative to the equipment body 300 under the drive of the power component 20, so as to realize the lifting function of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300, so as to effectively cross obstacles.

[0130] Referring to Figure 14, a connecting shaft 62 is provided on the outer periphery of the free portion b of the support member. A connecting sleeve 32 is connected to the second end of the flexible connector 30. The connecting sleeve 32 is rotatably fitted onto the connecting shaft 62. During the process of the first end of the flexible connector 30 being wound onto or released from the drive shaft of the power assembly 20, the connecting sleeve 32 at the second end of the flexible connector 30 rotates around the connecting shaft 62, thereby causing the support member to rotate relative to the equipment body 300. Two opposing mounting seats 63 are also connected to the outer periphery of the free portion b of the support member. The connecting shaft 62 is connected to the two mounting seats 63, and the connecting sleeve 32 at the second end of the flexible connector 30 is disposed between the two mounting seats 63 to restrict the position of the connecting sleeve 32, thereby preventing the flexible connector 30 from interfering with other components during the tightening and loosening process. In another embodiment, the connection method between the second end of the flexible connector 30 and the support member can also refer to the connection method between the flexible connector 30 and the support member in the walking wheel mechanism 100a, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0131] In the aforementioned wheel mechanisms 100a and 100b, during the operation of the power assembly, the flexible connector 30 exposed between the power assembly and the wheel assembly 10 changes from taut to slack. During this process, the slack portion of the flexible connector 30 may interfere with the spring 70 or other components within the machine, causing a malfunction. Based on this technical problem, this disclosure further improves the wheel mechanisms 100a and 100b to ensure that, when the spring is in its maximum contracted state, the slack portion of the flexible connector 30 does not interfere with surrounding components, thus preventing malfunctions.

[0132] Referring to Figure 15, in one embodiment, the walking wheel mechanism 100 further includes at least one tensioning member 320. The at least one tensioning member 320 is connected to at least one of the equipment body 300 and the walking wheel assembly 10. A flexible connecting member 30 is wound around the at least one tensioning member 320. During the operation of the power assembly 20, the flexible connecting member 30 is kept as close as possible to a preset path by the support of the at least one tensioning member 320, and is kept taut between the power assembly 20 and the walking wheel assembly 10, preventing interference between the flexible connecting member 30 and surrounding components and ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning equipment. The tensioning member 320 can be a wheel structure, rotatably connected to at least one of the equipment body 300 and the walking wheel assembly 10, so that the flexible connecting member 30 rolls and rubs against the tensioning member 320, thereby allowing the flexible connecting member 30 to rotate smoothly. The tensioning member 320 can be disposed at the first end of the flexible connecting member 30, or at the second end of the flexible connecting member 30, or at both the first and second ends of the flexible connecting member 30; this disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0133] In another embodiment, at least a portion of the flexible connector 30 is elastic. In some embodiments, a first end, a second end, and / or a middle end of the flexible connector 30 is elastic. During the operation of the power assembly 20, the deformation of the elastic portion of the flexible connector 30 also keeps the flexible connector 30 taut between the power assembly 20 and the wheel assembly 10, thereby preventing the flexible connector 30 from interfering with surrounding components and ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning equipment. A portion of the flexible connector 30 may include an elastic member or be made of an elastic material to make at least a portion of the flexible connector 30 elastic.

[0134] It should be noted that, with the walking wheel mechanism 100 also including a tensioning member 320, at least a portion of the flexible connector 30 is also elastic. That is, through the support of the tensioning member 320 and the deformation of the elastic portion of the flexible connector 30, the flexible connector 30 is kept taut between the power assembly 20 and the walking wheel assembly 10, thereby avoiding interference between the flexible connector 30 and surrounding components and ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0135] In the aforementioned wheel mechanisms 100a and 100b, to prevent interference between the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 during the process of the flexible connector 30 changing from taut to slack, the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 is offset from that of the spring 70. For some compact models, there may not be sufficient space to offset the extension direction of the flexible connector 30 from the spring 70. Therefore, this disclosure further improves the wheel mechanisms 100a and 100b to allow the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 to be arranged in a compact model.

[0136] Referring to Figure 16, in one embodiment, the flexible connector 30 passes through the spring 70. During the process of the flexible connector 30 changing from taut to slack, the flexible connector 30 reciprocates within the spring 70. This satisfies the lifting and lowering of the drive wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300, while also utilizing the internal space of the spring 70. This allows the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 to be arranged in a compact model. The length of the flexible connector 30 needs to be greater than the length of the spring 70 so that at least one end of the flexible connector 30 can pass through the spring 70. The hook positions of the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 on the free portion b of the support can be integrated to simplify the structure of the support.

[0137] Referring to Figure 16, the walking wheel mechanism 100 also includes a steering member 330, which is connected to the equipment body 300. The steering member 330 is disposed on the outer side of the end of the spring 70, and a flexible connector 30 is wound around the steering member 330 so that the portion of the flexible connector 30 passing through the spring 70 is always on the axis of the spring 70, thus preventing the flexible connector 30 from touching the spring 70 during movement. This allows the flexible connector 30 to move smoothly, thereby driving the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300, realizing the lifting function of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300. At the same time, the steering member 330 can also keep the flexible connector 30 taut to prevent the flexible connector 30 from interfering with the outside due to slack. In one embodiment, the steering member 330 can be a columnar structure or a rotatable wheel structure, which can be connected near the hook 90 used to connect the spring 70.

[0138] Referring to Figures 17 and 18, in another embodiment, this disclosure provides a traveling wheel mechanism 100c, similar to the traveling wheel mechanisms 100a and 100b described above. The traveling wheel mechanism 100c also includes a traveling wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, a flexible connector 30, and a spring 70. The main difference is that the spring 70 in the traveling wheel mechanism 100c connects the power assembly 20 and the traveling wheel assembly 10, and the flexible connector 30 passes through the spring 70, allowing the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 to be arranged in a compact model. The specific details of the traveling wheel mechanism 100c will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0139] Referring to Figures 17 and 18, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel mechanism 100c, the walking wheel mechanism 100c is installed on the equipment body 300. The walking wheel mechanism 100b includes a walking wheel assembly 10, a power assembly 20, a flexible connector 30, and a spring 70. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be an active wheel assembly that provides the walking power of the equipment, or a driven wheel assembly that rotates with the active wheel. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions. The power assembly 20 is also installed on the equipment body 300 and is used to provide the driving force for the walking wheel assembly 10 to rise and fall relative to the equipment body 300. The flexible connector 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 310 to achieve the rising and falling function relative to the equipment body 300. The power assembly 20 and the flexible connector 30 can drive only the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and rise and fall, or they can drive both walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and rise and fall simultaneously. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions. Spring 70 connects power assembly 20 and traveling wheel assembly 10. The damping effect of spring 70 reduces shock when traveling wheel 12 travels on uneven surfaces. The flexible connector 30 of this disclosure passes through spring 70, allowing the flexible connector 30 to move within spring 70 and to be coaxial or nearly coaxial with the spring. This eliminates the need for the space occupied by spring 70, allowing the flexible connector 30 and spring 70 to be arranged in a compact design.

[0140] Referring to Figure 19, the power assembly 20 is provided with a rotatable output shaft 25, which can rotate in two opposite directions, such as clockwise and counterclockwise. The power assembly 20 includes a power element 21, which can be a servo motor or a motor (not limited to brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, etc.), and the drive shaft of the power element 21 is configured as the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20.

[0141] Referring to Figure 19, the flexible connector 30 has a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20. The connection method between the two can be referred to the connection method between the first end of the flexible connector 30 and the output shaft of the power assembly 20 in the walking wheel mechanism 100b, which will not be described in detail here.

[0142] Referring to Figure 19, the spring 70 has a first end and a second end. The first end of the spring 70 is hung on the output shaft 25 of the power assembly. The first end of the spring 70 may be provided with a first hanging ring 71. The first hanging ring 71 is hung on the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20. The first hanging ring 71 can slide on the output shaft 25 to accommodate the winding of the first end of the flexible connector 30 on the output shaft 25 of the power assembly.

[0143] Referring to Figure 20, a fixed shaft 64 is provided on the free part b of the walking power device 11. The second end of the flexible connector 30 is connected to the fixed shaft 64. The assembly method of the second end of the flexible connector 30 and the fixed shaft 64 can be referred to the connection method of the first end of the flexible connector 30 and the output shaft 25 of the power component 20 in the walking wheel mechanism 100b. This disclosure will not elaborate further here.

[0144] Referring to Figure 20, the second end of the spring 70 is provided with a second hanging ring 72, which is hung on the hook 90 of the free part b of the walking power device 11. The hook 90 is integrated on the fixed shaft 64 so that the second end of the flexible connector 30 is approximately located at the same position as the second end of the spring 70, so that the flexible connector 30 is coaxial or nearly coaxial with the spring 70, and the walking wheel assembly 10 is driven to lift relative to the equipment body 300 through the flexible connector 30.

[0145] To address the issue of interference between the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 during the lifting and lowering of the wheel assembly relative to the equipment body, preventing the flexible connector 30 from slackening, this disclosure provides a wheel mechanism 100d. This wheel mechanism 100d eliminates the flexible connector and uses a telescopic power component 20 to drive the wheel assembly to lift and lower relative to the equipment body. The specific details of the wheel mechanism 100d are now further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0146] Referring to Figures 21-24, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel mechanism 100d, the walking wheel mechanism 100d is installed on the equipment body 300. The walking wheel mechanism 100d includes a walking wheel assembly 10 and a power assembly 20. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300. The walking wheel assembly 10 can be an active wheel assembly that provides the walking power of the equipment, or a driven wheel assembly that rotates with the active wheel. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions. The power assembly 20 is also installed on the equipment body 300. The power assembly 20 can selectively extend and retract, and can abut against the walking wheel assembly 10 or the equipment body 300, and can slide relative to the walking wheel assembly 10 or the equipment body 300 to drive the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300.

[0147] Referring to Figures 21-24, the power assembly 20 provides the driving force for the walking wheel assembly 10 to rise and fall relative to the equipment body 300. The power assembly 20 can drive only the corresponding walking wheel assembly 10 to swing and rise, or it can drive both walking wheel assemblies 10 to swing and rise simultaneously; this disclosure does not impose any limitations. The power assembly 20 is provided with a retractable output shaft 25, which can extend or retract, for example, extend downwards or retract upwards. In conjunction with 25, the power assembly 20 includes a power element 21, which can be a linear motor, a telescopic cylinder, or other structure with linear reciprocating motion. The telescopic shaft of the power element 21 is configured as the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20. The output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 abuts against the walking wheel assembly 10 and slides relative to it. When it is not necessary to raise the equipment body 300, the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 does not extend, and the end of the output shaft 25 does not contact or just contacts the walking wheel assembly 10. The spring 70 is relatively long and in a stretched state, which does not affect the damping effect of the spring 70. When it is necessary to raise the equipment body 300, the output shaft 25 of the control power component 20 extends and abuts against the walking wheel assembly 10, and slides relative to the walking wheel assembly 10 to push the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300, so that the walking wheel assembly 10 rises and falls relative to the equipment body 300. Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground during the driving process, the walking wheel assembly 10 also remains grounded during the rising and falling process relative to the equipment body 300. Therefore, the rising and falling of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300 is manifested in the equipment as a change in the height of the equipment body 300 above the ground. When the height of the equipment body 300 above the ground increases, the components below the equipment body 300 can be higher than the obstacles, so that there is no part of the equipment interfering with the obstacles during the obstacle crossing process, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height. This can improve the obstacle crossing height, escape ability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with this walking wheel mechanism. At this time, the length of the spring 70 is the shortest, and it can be in a stretched state, a normal state, or a slightly compressed state.

[0148] Referring to Figure 26, a groove 13 is provided on the top of the walking wheel assembly 10. The length direction of the groove 101 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the walking wheel 12. The output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 abuts in the groove 13. The output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 can slide in the groove 13. The groove 13 can limit the sliding direction of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, so that the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 slides in a set direction, and prevents the output shaft of the power assembly 20 from deviating from the walking wheel assembly 10.

[0149] Referring to Figure 26, in one embodiment, the top of the free portion a of the walking wheel assembly 10 is provided with the aforementioned groove 13, which can shorten the extension and retraction stroke of the power assembly 20. In another embodiment, the aforementioned groove 13 may also be provided on the side of the free portion a of the walking wheel assembly 10, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0150] Referring to Figures 25 and 26, in one embodiment, a rotatable contact wheel 27 is connected to the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20, so that the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 slides in contact with the bottom of the slide groove 13, reducing friction between the two and improving the smoothness of movement of the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 within the slide groove 13. In another embodiment, the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 may be arc-shaped, such as spherical or hemispherical, so that the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 makes point contact with the bottom of the slide groove 13, reducing the contact area between the two and also making the end of the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 move smoothly within the slide groove 13.

[0151] Referring to Figure 27, in another embodiment, at least one of the two opposite sidewalls of the slide 13 is provided with a guide portion 14, and the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 is provided with a guide protrusion 27, which is slidably connected to the guide portion 14. The guide portion 14 can be a groove structure or a hole structure. The length direction of the guide portion 14 is consistent with the length direction of the slide 13. The guide protrusion 27 is slidably connected in the corresponding guide portion 14, which can also realize the drive of the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300 by controlling the extension of the output shaft 25 of the power element 20, and can also guide and correct the movement of the output shaft 25 of the power element 20 in the walking wheel assembly 10.

[0152] Referring to Figures 21 and 23, in one embodiment, the power component 20 is fixedly connected to the device body 30. Referring to Figures 22 and 24, in another embodiment, the power component 20 is pivotally connected to the device body 300, both of which can achieve the purpose of driving the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the device body 300 by controlling the extension of the output shaft 25 of the power component 20.

[0153] In another embodiment, the power component 20 is connected to the walking wheel assembly 10. The output shaft 25 of the power component 20 abuts against the device body 300 and can slide relative to the device body 300. The extension and retraction of the output shaft 25 of the power component 20 can also be controlled to drive the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the device body 300, causing the walking wheel assembly 10 to rise or fall relative to the device body 300. That is, reversing the connection between the power component 20, the device body 300, and the walking wheel assembly 10 also achieves the technical objective of raising or lowering the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 300.

[0154] Referring to Figures 21 and 23, in one embodiment, the assembly method of the spring 70 of the walking wheel mechanism 100d can refer to the assembly method of the spring 70 in the walking wheel mechanism 100a or 100b. One or more springs 70 can be provided, which will not be described in detail here.

[0155] Referring to Figures 22 and 24, in another embodiment, at least a portion of the output shaft of the power assembly 20 passes through the spring 70 to save space occupied by the power assembly 20 and the spring 70, making it suitable for arrangement in some space-constrained models. When it is not necessary to lift the equipment body 300, the spring 70 is arranged approximately vertically, the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 does not extend, and the end of the output shaft 25 does not contact or just contacts the traveling wheel assembly 10. The spring 70 is at its shortest length and is in a compressed state, which does not affect the damping effect of the spring 70. When it is necessary to lift the equipment body 300, the output shaft 25 of the power assembly 20 extends and abuts against the traveling wheel assembly 10, and slides relative to the traveling wheel assembly 10. The power assembly 20 rotates relative to the equipment body 300 to drive the traveling wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300, so that the traveling wheel assembly 10 rises and falls relative to the equipment body 300. At this time, the spring 70 is arranged at an angle and is at its longest length, and can be in a slightly compressed state, a normal state, or a stretched state.

[0156] With at least a portion of the output shaft of the power assembly 20 passing through the spring 70, one end of the spring 70 can be connected to the power element 21 of the power assembly 20, and the other end of the spring 70 can be connected to the outer wall of the main wheel portion a. Furthermore, the spring 70 can be a non-standard spring; for example, the diameter of the spring 70 located on the power element 21 is smaller than the diameter of the spring 70 located on the main wheel portion a. The cross-section of the spring 70 located on the main wheel portion a can be circular, elliptical, or other shapes. That is, the clearance of the output shaft of the power assembly 20 is set within the spring 70, so that during the extension and retraction of the output shaft 25, the sliding of the end of the output shaft on the outer wall of the main wheel portion a will not touch the spring 70, ensuring the normal operation of the equipment.

[0157] To address the issue of interference between the flexible connector 30 and the spring 70 during the lifting and lowering of the wheel assembly relative to the equipment body, preventing the flexible connector 30 from slackening, this disclosure also provides a wheel mechanism 100e. This wheel mechanism 100e eliminates the aforementioned flexible connector 3 and drives the wheel assembly 10 to lift and lower relative to the equipment body 300 via a power component 20 with rotational function. The specific details of the wheel mechanism 100e will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0158] Referring to Figures 28 and 29, which show the overall structure of the walking wheel mechanism 100e, the walking wheel mechanism 100e is mounted on the equipment body 300. The walking wheel mechanism 100e includes a walking wheel assembly 10 and a power assembly 20. The walking wheel assembly 10 is rotatably connected to the equipment body 300 and is provided with a driven part 15. The power assembly 20 is connected to the equipment body 300 and can drive the driven part 15 of the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300 and extend the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300.

[0159] Referring to Figures 28 and 29, the traveling wheel assembly 10 can be either a driving wheel assembly that provides power for the device's movement or a driven wheel assembly that rotates following the driving wheel; this disclosure does not impose any limitations. The traveling wheel assembly 10 is provided with a driven part 15. The power assembly 20 is also mounted on the device body 300 and is used to provide the driving force for the traveling wheel assembly 10 to move up and down relative to the device body 300. The power assembly 20 can drive only the corresponding traveling wheel assembly 10 to swing and move up and down, or it can drive both traveling wheel assemblies 10 to swing and move up and down simultaneously; this disclosure does not impose any limitations. The power assembly 20 is provided with a transmission member 210, and a drive part 28 is provided on the transmission member 210. The drive part 28 can rotate synchronously with the transmission member 210. At least a portion of one of the driven part 15 and the drive part 28 has a actuation groove 29, and the other of the driven part 15 and the drive part 28 reciprocates within the actuation groove 29. In one embodiment, the transmission member 210 is rotatably configured. In another embodiment, the transmission member 210 is telescopically configured to drive the driven part 15 of the walking wheel assembly 10, thereby causing the walking wheel assembly 10 to rotate relative to the equipment body 300 and extend relative to the equipment body 300.

[0160] Referring to Figures 30 and 31, in one embodiment, the walking wheel assembly 10 is provided with a toggle member 16, which can be a rod-shaped structure or a block-shaped structure. The toggle member 16 is configured as a driven part 15, and the transmission member 210 is provided with a toggle groove 29, which is configured as a driving part 28. The support shaft reciprocates within the toggle groove 29.

[0161] Referring to Figure 28, when it is not necessary to lift the equipment body 300, the transmission component 210 of the power assembly 20 does not rotate, and the actuating component 16 on the walking wheel assembly 10 remains stationary in the actuating groove 29 of the transmission component 210. The actuating component 16 is disposed in the top of the actuating groove 29, and the actuating component 16 may or may not contact the top of the actuating groove 29 to restrict the actuating component 16 within the top of the actuating groove 29.

[0162] Referring to Figure 29, when it is necessary to lift the equipment body 300, the transmission component 210 of the control power component 20 rotates counterclockwise, and the actuating component 16 of the walking wheel assembly 10 abuts against the top of the actuating groove 29. Due to the rotation of the transmission component 210, the actuating component 16 rotates together with the transmission component 210, thereby realizing that the walking wheel assembly 10 extends relative to the equipment body 300. Since the walking wheel assembly 10 is always in contact with the ground during the driving process, the walking wheel assembly 10 also remains grounded during the lifting and lowering process relative to the equipment body 300. Therefore, the lifting and lowering of the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300 manifests as a change in the ground clearance of the equipment body 300. When the ground clearance of the equipment body 300 increases, the components below the equipment body 300 can be higher than the obstacles, so that there is no part of the equipment interfering with the obstacles during the obstacle crossing process, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle crossing height. This can improve the obstacle crossing height, escape ability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with this walking wheel mechanism.

[0163] In some embodiments, the movement trajectory of the toggle member 16 is arc-shaped, the movement trajectory of the toggle member 16 is concentrically arranged with the rotation axis of the transmission member 210, and / or, the movement trajectory of the toggle member 16 is concentrically arranged with the axis of rotation of the traveling wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 300.

[0164] To enable controllable extension of the walking wheel assembly 10, at least a portion of the actuating groove 29 on the transmission member 210 is arc-shaped. The central angle of the arc-shaped portion of the actuating groove 29 can be set to less than or equal to 180°. Correspondingly, the rotation angle of the transmission member 210 can be controlled to be less than or equal to 180°. In some embodiments, the central angle of the arc-shaped portion of the actuating groove 29 on the turntable is between 90° and 150°, for example, 150°, 120°, or 90°. The specific setting can be adjusted according to the model of the cleaning equipment, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations. At least a portion of the actuating groove 29 being arc-shaped means that the actuating groove 29 is arc-shaped as a whole, so as to guide and limit the movement of the actuating member 16 within it. The actuating groove 29 can also be fan-shaped or irregularly shaped, as long as there is sufficient space within the actuating groove 29 for the actuating member 16 to rotate. In some embodiments, the actuating groove 29 is a through-hole type groove, and in another embodiment, the actuating groove 29 is a blind groove, as long as at least a portion of the actuating member 16 can enter, and this disclosure does not limit it.

[0165] Referring to Figure 30, in some embodiments, the power assembly 20 includes a power element 21, which can be a servo motor or a motor (not limited to brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, etc.). A transmission component 210 is connected to the drive shaft of the power element 21. The transmission component 210 can be in the form of a disc, fan, or square structure. The transmission component 210 rotates synchronously with the drive shaft of the power element 21, and the actuation groove 29 on the transmission component 210 is coaxial with the drive shaft of the power element 21. In some embodiments, the rotation axis of the transmission component 210 is not coaxial with the axis of rotation of the wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 300. In other embodiments, the rotation axis of the transmission component 210 is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the wheel assembly 10 relative to the device body 300, which can be specifically configured according to the internal space of the device.

[0166] Similar to the aforementioned wheel assembly, the wheel assembly 10 of the wheel mechanism 100e also includes a support member and a wheel 12 mounted on the support member. The free portion b of the support member is rotatably connected to the device body 300, and an actuating member 16 is disposed on the free portion b of the support member. In one embodiment, the actuating member 16 can be integrally formed on the bottom of one side of the free portion b of the support member to avoid the power assembly 20 occupying the upper space of the wheel assembly 10 and to avoid interference with the spring 70.

[0167] Similar to the aforementioned wheel assembly 100, the wheel mechanism 100e also includes a spring 70. The assembly method of the spring 70 can refer to the assembly method of the spring 70 in the wheel mechanism 100a or 100b. One or more springs 70 can be provided. The spring 70 is always in a stretched state and always generates a tension force on the wheel assembly 10.

[0168] When the cleaning equipment is lifted or flipped off the ground, the spring 70 causes the actuating member 16 to slide in the actuating groove 29, and the walking wheel assembly 10 extends out in the air. At this time, the curvature of the actuating groove 29 can be limited only to restrict the minimum extension height of the walking wheel assembly.

[0169] In another embodiment, the actuating groove 29 is provided on the walking wheel assembly 10, for example, on the side of the free portion b of the walking wheel assembly 10. The actuating groove 29 on the walking wheel assembly 10 is configured as a driven part 15. The actuating groove 29 and the central axis of the transmission member 210 are concentrically arranged. The actuating member 16 is provided on the transmission member 210. The actuating member 16 and the central axis of the transmission member 210 are eccentrically arranged. The actuating member 16 is configured as a driving part 28. Under the drive of the power component 20, the actuating member 16 on the transmission member 210 reciprocates within the actuating groove 29 on the walking wheel assembly. By reversing the driving part 28 and the driven part 15 in the aforementioned walking wheel mechanism 100e, the driving part 28 and the driven part 15 can be rotated by controlling the transmission part 210 of the power assembly 20 to extend the walking wheel assembly 10 relative to the equipment body 300, thereby changing the ground clearance of the equipment body 300. This ensures that the equipment does not interfere with the obstacle during obstacle crossing, thus improving the obstacle crossing height. This can improve the obstacle crossing height, escape ability, and adaptability to different road surfaces of the equipment equipped with this walking wheel mechanism. This disclosure will not elaborate further on this point.

[0170] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a cleaning device, including a device body 300 and the aforementioned walking wheel mechanism.

[0171] Referring to Figure 32, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a cleaning device 1000, including a device body 300 and a wheel mechanism. The wheel mechanism includes three wheels arranged in a triangle at the bottom of the device body 300. In some embodiments, one of the wheels is a driven wheel 200 located at the front of the cleaning device 1000 in the forward direction; the other two wheels are driving wheels located at the rear of the cleaning device 1000 in the forward direction. The driving wheel mechanism can be any one of the aforementioned wheel mechanisms 100.

[0172] In specific embodiments of this disclosure, the cleaning equipment may be a sweeping machine or a sweeping robot, etc.

[0173] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0174] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” and “counterclockwise” indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this disclosure.

[0175] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0176] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this disclosure is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this disclosure, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0177] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A walking wheel mechanism, installed on the equipment body, comprising: A wheel assembly is rotatably connected to the device body; A power assembly that is selectively extendable and retractable, and can abut against the wheel assembly or the device body, and can slide relative to the wheel assembly or the device body.

2. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power unit is provided with a retractable output shaft, and the walking wheel assembly or the device body is provided with a slide groove, wherein the output shaft of the power unit can be slidably engaged in the slide groove.

3. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The end of the output shaft of the power assembly is arc-shaped.

4. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The output shaft of the power assembly is connected to a rotatable contact wheel at its end.

5. The walking wheel mechanism according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The power component is fixedly connected to the equipment body or the wheel assembly; or, the power component is pivotally connected to the equipment body or the wheel assembly.

6. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 5, wherein The wheel assembly includes a support member and a wheel mounted on the support member; the support member includes a main wheel portion and a free portion, the main wheel portion being closer to the wheel relative to the free portion; The free portion of the support member is rotatably connected to the device body; the output shaft can selectively abut against the support member, or the power component is fixedly or pivotally connected to the support member.

7. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a spring, one end of which is fixed to the free portion of the support member, and the other end is fixed to the device body.

8. The walking wheel mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, Both the free part and the device body are provided with hooks, and the two ends of the spring are respectively hooked to the two hooks.

9. The walking wheel mechanism of claim 6, wherein It also includes a spring, through which at least a portion of the output shaft of the power assembly passes.

10. A cleaning apparatus, characterized by The cleaning equipment includes a device body and a walking wheel mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the walking wheel mechanism is mounted on the device body.

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The device body is provided with an upper limit part and a lower limit part, which are used to limit the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the walking wheel assembly, respectively.

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