SELF-MOVING DEVICE

Abstract

The present application discloses a self-moving device, including a body, a chassis and a sensing unit. The body includes: a fluid storage apparatus used for storing a fluid; a cleaning liquid supply system used for supplying a cleaning liquid to a surface to be cleaned; and a dirty water recovery system used for recovering dirty water. The chassis is arranged at the lower part of the body for use in supporting the body. The sensing unit is arranged directly on the chassis.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of smart devices, and specifically to a self-mobile device.

BACKGROUND ART

A self-mobile device travels in a to-be-cleaned region and performs cleaning by sucking or mopping foreign matters such as dust in the to-be-cleaned region. As a type of self-mobile devices, floor scrubbers have been widely used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a self-mobile device. The self-mobile device includes a main body, a chassis, a sensing portion, a cleaning fluid supply system, and a sewage recycling system, wherein the main body includes a fluid storage apparatus that is configured to store a fluid; the cleaning fluid supply system is configured to supply a to-be-cleaned surface with a cleaning fluid; the sewage recycling system is configured to recycle sewage; the chassis is disposed under the main body and is configured to support the main body; and the sensing portion is directly disposed on the chassis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following accompanying drawing of the present disclosure are used herein as part of embodiments of the present disclosure to help understand the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure and descriptions thereof shown in the accompanying drawings are used to explain the principle of the present disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a sensing portion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a main body of a self-mobile device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a position sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of FIG. 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

1: sensing portion; 101: orientation sensor; 102: position sensor; 2: chassis; 3: connecting portion; 4: connecting rack; 401: connecting plate; 402: opening; 5: adjusting bolt; 6: fixing bolt; 7: first threaded hole; 8: second threaded hole; 9: main body; and 901: fluid storage apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, some well-known technical features in the art are not described in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the terms used herein are merely used for describing specific embodiments, but not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure. As used herein, unless otherwise clearly stated in the context, singular forms also are intended to include plural forms. In addition, it should be further understood that the terms “include” and/or “comprise” used in the Description specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more of other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, assemblies and/or their combinations.

Now, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various different forms, and should not be interpreted as only limiting the embodiments described herein. It should be understood that these exemplary embodiments are provided to thoroughly and completely describe the present disclosure, and to fully convey the conception of these exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a self-mobile device. The self-mobile device includes a main body 9, a chassis 2, a sensing portion 1, a cleaning fluid supply system, and a sewage recycling system, wherein the main body 9 includes a fluid storage apparatus 901 that is configured to store a fluid; the cleaning fluid supply system is configured to supply a to-be-cleaned surface with a cleaning fluid; the sewage recycling system is configured to recycle sewage; the chassis 2 is disposed under the main body 9 and is configured to support the main body 9, and the sensing portion 1 is directly disposed on the chassis 2.

The self-mobile cleaning device in this embodiment can complete a cleaning operation by autonomously traveling in a specific region without any manual operation. The self-mobile cleaning device includes but is not limited to an automatic floor scrubber, an automatic sweeping and mopping integrated device, and the like.

For example, the self-mobile cleaning device is an automatic floor scrubber. The automatic floor scrubber may include but is not limited to a main body 9, a travelling mechanism, a cleaning fluid supply system, a control apparatus, a sensing portion 1 and a sewage recycling system.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 9 may be configured as a fluid storage apparatus 901 having a certain thickness. The fluid storage apparatus 901 is configured to store a cleaning fluid and recycled sewage. The fluid storage apparatus 901 may be formed integrally from materials such as plastic to improve the elasticity, toughness, corrosion resistance, and crash resistance of the main body 9 and reduce the weight of the main body 9. A plurality of grooves, depressions, clamping positions or similar structures may be formed in advance in a peripheral wall of the fluid storage apparatus 901 and are used for mounting the cleaning fluid supply system, the sewage recycling system, the travelling mechanism and a battery assembly. Meanwhile, the fluid storage apparatus 901 is used as the main body 9, and there is also no need to make additional members such as a housing, so that the production process can be simplified. In a case that the floor scrubber is used for cleaning a large place, the size of the main body 9 may be increased to increase the volume of the fluid storage apparatus 901, so that the fluid storage apparatus 901 can store a sufficient amount of the cleaning fluid to meet a cleaning requirement. The cleaning fluid may be a cleaning solution, or a mixed solution of clean water and a detergent. In some embodiments, the fluid storage apparatus 901 may be divided into a plurality of chambers. For example, the fluid storage apparatus is divided into two chambers, one of which is used for storing the cleaning fluid and the other one is used for storing recycled sewage. Further, in a case that the cleaning fluid is a mixture of clean water and a detergent, the chamber used for storing the cleaning fluid may be divided into two sub-chambers. The volume of one of the sub-chambers is far greater than that of the other sub-chamber. In this way, clean water is stored in the larger sub-chamber; and the detergent is stored in the smaller sub-chamber.

The travelling mechanism includes a plurality of groups of rollers and a driving mechanism that are disposed at the lower part of the main body 9. Two rollers in each group are disposed on two opposite sides of the main body 9, respectively. The driving mechanism is arranged in a robot body. The rollers are driven by the driving mechanism, thereby driving the main body 9 to travel and perform a cleaning operation.

The control apparatus is disposed on a circuit motherboard in the main body and includes a memory (for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, or a random access memory), a processor (for example, a central processing unit or an application processor), and the like. The processor draws a real-time map of an environment of the self-mobile cleaning device based on object information fed back by the sensing portion 1, thereby planning the most efficient and appropriate cleaning route and cleaning manner, and thus greatly improving the cleaning efficiency of the self-mobile cleaning device. In addition, a current working state of the self-mobile cleaning device can be comprehensively determined based on distance information, speed information, attitude information and the like fed back by the sensing portion 1, so that specific subsequent action strategies can be provided for different situations, and a corresponding control command is sent to the self-mobile cleaning device.

The cleaning fluid supply system includes a cleaning apparatus, a cleaning fluid output pipeline, a nozzle disposed in a housing of a cleaning head and used for providing the cleaning apparatus with the cleaning fluid, and a lifting mechanism used for lifting the cleaning apparatus. The fluid storage apparatus 901 is communicated with the nozzle through the cleaning fluid output pipeline. The cleaning fluid output pipeline is also provided with a pump and other necessary components, so that a sufficient amount of the cleaning fluid can be conveyed to the nozzle timely. During the cleaning operation, the lifting mechanism drives the cleaning apparatus to lower, such that the cleaning apparatus is in contact with a to-be-cleaned surface. Then, the cleaning fluid is conveyed to the nozzle to provide the cleaning apparatus with the cleaning fluid, thereby implementing the cleaning operation. After the cleaning operation is completed, the lifting mechanism drives the cleaning apparatus to lift, so that a certain distance is formed between the cleaning apparatus and the to-be-cleaned surface. Therefore, abrasion of ground to the cleaning apparatus is reduced, thereby prolonging the service life of the cleaning apparatus.

In other embodiments, the nozzle may alternatively be disposed outside the housing of the cleaning head and in front of a suction opening. In this way, the to-be-cleaned surface in front of the suction opening is directly wetted by using the nozzle, and is then scrubbed by using a cleaning element. This can also achieve a scrubbing effect on the to-be-cleaned surface.

The sewage recycling system includes a fan assembly and a sewage recycling pipeline connected between a sewage recycling apparatus and the suction opening. When the sewage recycling pipeline is under the action of suction force provided by the fan assembly, impurities and sewage on the to-be-cleaned surface are sucked into the fluid storage apparatus 901 through the sewage recycling pipeline.

The sensing portion 1 is configured to sense position information, orientation information, etc. of the self-mobile device. Based on collected information fed back by the sensing portion 1, a controller can control the self-mobile cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation independently.

In this embodiment, the chassis 2 of the self-mobile device is manufactured according to a CNC (computer numerical control) processing technology, so that the manufacturing precision of the manufactured chassis 2 is relatively high. The sensing portion 1 is disposed on the chassis 2, so that the assembly precision of the sensing portion 1 can be improved. In addition, the sensing portion 1 is directly disposed on the chassis 2 of the main body 9, so that a structure used for assembly of the sensing portion 1 does not need to be disposed on another component of the self-mobile device. For example, the fluid storage apparatus 901 is provided with an accommodating cavity configured to accommodate the sensing portion 1, and the like. Therefore, a structure used for assembly of the sensing portion does not need to be designed on another component in a dimension chain, either, such that the size of the dimension chain is decreased, the design complexity of the dimension chain is reduced, an assembly tolerance between the chassis 2 and the sensing portion 1 is also reduced, and the assembly accuracy is improved, thereby improving the measuring precision of the sensing portion 1. The dimension chain is a closed system formed by dimensions of various components in a specific order. Each dimension of the dimension chain is called a link of the dimension chain. In other words, a larger quantity of assembled components leads to a larger quantity of links of the dimension chain and a longer length of the dimension chain; and a smaller quantity of assembled components leads to a smaller quantity of links of the dimension chain and a shorter length of the dimension chain.

Further, the sensing portion 1 is mounted on the chassis 2 in an angle-adjustable manner.

For the sensing portion 1 whose measurement angle (for example, a distance measuring sensor) needs to be set, the sensing portion 1 is mounted on the chassis 2 in the angle-adjustable manner, so that a tilt angle of the sensing portion 1 can be adjusted to meet different actual sensing requirements.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing portion 1 may include a variety of different types of sensors to collect different information of the self-mobile device, thereby comprehensively sense a state of the self-mobile device and a surrounding environment. The different types of sensors may be assembled on the chassis 2 in different mounting manners, which are described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the sensing portion 1 includes an orientation sensor 101; and the orientation sensor 101 is directly disposed on the chassis 2.

The orientation sensor 101 may be an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. The IMU sensor includes three single-axis accelerometers and three single-axis gyroscopes. The accelerometers detect acceleration signals of the self-mobile device in a three-dimensional space. The gyroscopes detect angular velocity signals in the three-dimensional space and calculate an attitude of the self-mobile device according to the signals. The IMU sensor has an autonomous navigation capability, and is not affected by an environment, carrier maneuverability and radio interference, so that the reliability, integrity and continuity of position and attitude determination can be improved effectively.

In this embodiment, the orientation sensor 101 is directly disposed on the chassis 2. In this way, the orientation sensor 101 can avoid a deviation from the chassis 2, thereby reducing the assembly tolerance of the orientation sensor 101 and improving the measurement precision of the orientation sensor 101. In contrast, if the orientation sensor is disposed at another position of the main body, for example, on the fluid storage apparatus or a fluid recycling apparatus, the chassis is used as a component configured to position and mount the self-mobile device. The assembly tolerance of the sensor needs to take the assembly tolerance between the chassis and the fluid storage apparatus or the fluid recycling apparatus into consideration, and the dimension chain of the assembly is increased, which may reduce the precision of the orientation sensor. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the orientation sensor 101 is detachably secured on the chassis 2, so that the orientation sensor 101 can be replaced and maintained conveniently. The orientation sensor 101 may be secured on the chassis by using a fixing bolt 6, so that the orientation sensor 101 is detachably connected to the chassis 2.

Further, the orientation sensor 101 is disposed on the upper surface of the chassis 2, so that the chassis 2 can protect the orientation sensor 101 to prevent low external obstacles from colliding with the orientation sensor 101 and causing damages to the orientation sensor 101.

In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the sensing portion 1 includes a position sensor 102; and the position sensor 102 is mounted on the chassis 2 in an angle-adjustable manner.

The position sensor 102 may be a distance measuring sensor. The distance measuring sensor may detect both a change of a vertical distance between the chassis 2 and the ground, and a change of a distance between the self-mobile device and a surrounding object. In a possible implementation, the distance measuring sensor may include an infrared distance measuring sensor. There may be a plurality of infrared distance measuring sensors. For example, there may be four, six, or eight infrared distance measuring sensors that are symmetrically disposed on two opposite sides of the chassis 2 respectively. Each infrared distance measuring sensor has an infrared signal transmitter and an infrared signal receiver. The infrared signal transmitter is configured to emit a beam of infrared light. The infrared light is reflected after being irradiated to an object. The reflected infrared light is then received by the infrared signal receiver that calculates a distance between the self-mobile device and the object based on data of a difference between a moment at which the infrared light is emitted and a moment at which the infrared light is received. In another possible implementation, the distance measuring sensor may include an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor. The ultrasonic distance measuring sensor may be disposed on the front-most side in the middle of a fender-guard. The ultrasonic distance measuring sensor has an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver. The ultrasonic transmitter is configured to emit ultrasonic waves. At a moment at which emission starts, a timer starts timing. An ultrasonic wave propagates in the air, and is immediately reflected back when it meets an object on its way. The timer stops timing as soon as the ultrasonic receiver receives the reflected ultrasound wave, and calculates a distance between the self-mobile device and the object based on time recorded by the timer. In actual applications, the above distance measuring sensors may also be used in combination. Due to a variety of distance measuring manners, the distance measuring range, the distance measuring accuracy, the cost and other aspects of the self-mobile device can be better balanced. In still another possible implementation, the distance measuring sensors may further include a laser distance sensor (LDS). Similarly, there may also be a plurality of laser distance sensors. For example, there may be four, six, or eight laser distance sensors that are symmetrically disposed on two opposite sides of the chassis 2 respectively. Each laser distance sensor has a laser emitter and a laser receiver. The laser emitter is configured to emit a beam of laser. The laser is reflected after being irradiated to an object. The reflected laser is then received by the laser receiver that calculates a distance between the self-mobile device and the object based on data of a difference between a moment at which the laser is emitted and a moment at which the laser is received.

In this embodiment, the position sensor 102 is mounted on the chassis 2 in an angle-adjustable manner. In this way, a worker may adjust a tilt angle between the position sensor 102 and a first direction according to an actual assembly requirement, so that mounting of the position sensor 102 meets an assembly requirement, a measurement error of the position sensor 102 is reduced, and the measurement precision is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the position sensor 102 is disposed on a front side of the chassis 2. In this way, the position sensor 102 can sense an obstacle in front of the self-moving device, so that the self-mobile device can accurately avoid an obstacle in front. The front of the self-mobile device is the same as a travel direction of the self-mobile device that works normally. The front side of the chassis 2 is a portion of the chassis 2 that first enters a to-be-operated region along a travel direction of the self-mobile device in a case that the self-mobile device works normally.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the self-mobile device further includes a connecting rack 4 and an angle adjusting portion. The connecting rack 4 is connected to the front side of the chassis 2. The position sensor 102 is connected to the connecting rack 4 through the angle adjusting portion.

Because the connecting rack 4 is connected to the front side of the chassis 2, and the position sensor 102 is connected to the connecting rack 4 through the angle adjusting portion. In this way, the connecting rack 4 is used as a connection transition element, such that a phenomenon that the connecting rack 4 interferes with the chassis 2 during angle adjustment of the position sensor 102 can be avoided, thereby improving an angle adjusting range of the position sensor 102.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting rack 4 includes a connecting plate 401. An opening 402 is formed in the connecting plate 401. A connecting portion 3 is disposed on a periphery of the position sensor 102. The position sensor 102 partially penetrates through the opening 402. The connecting portion 3 is connected to the connecting plate 401 through the angle adjusting portion.

The opening 402 is formed in the connecting plate 401, and the position sensor 102 partially penetrates through the opening 402, so that the overall structure of the connecting plate 401 and the position sensor 102 may be more compact, thereby saving the overall space occupation. The connecting portion 3 may adopt a flat sheet structure, which can not only reduce the size and weight of the connecting portion 3, but also increase a contact area between the connecting portion 3 and the connecting rack 4, thereby facilitating the assembly between the position sensor 102 and the connecting plate 401. The angle adjusting portion can not only ensure a stable connection between the position sensor 102 and the connecting plate 401, but also adjust a tilt angle between the position sensor 102 and the first direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the chassis 2. The worker may set a quantity of angle adjusting portions based on specific dimensions of the position sensor 102, which will not be strictly limited in this embodiment.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the angle adjusting portion includes an adjusting bolt 5. The connecting portion 3 is provided with a first threaded hole 7. The connecting plate 401 is provided with a second threaded hole 8. The adjusting bolt 5 is in threaded connection with the first threaded hole 7 and the second threaded hole 8 respectively.

A distance between a part of the connecting portion 3 and the connecting plate 401 can be adjusted by screwing the adjusting bolt 5, so that the connecting portion 3 is tilted relative to the connecting plate 401, and the connecting portion 3 drives the position sensor 102 to tilt relative to the first direction. For example, there are three adjusting bolts 5, namely, an adjusting bolt A, an adjusting bolt B, and an adjusting bolt C respectively. The connecting portion 3 is provided with three first threaded holes 7 that are uniformly distributed in the same periphery. The connecting plate 401 is provided with second threaded holes 8 corresponding to the first threaded holes 7. When the tilt angle between the position sensor 102 and the first direction needs to be adjusted, the worker screws any one or more of the adjusting bolt A, the adjusting bolt B and the adjusting bolt C to adjust a distance between a part of the connecting portion 3 and the connecting plate 401, so that the connecting portion 3 is tilted relative to the connecting plate 401. Therefore, a tilt degree of the position sensor 102 relative to the first direction is changed under the driving of the connecting portion 3, that is, a tilt angle between the position sensor 102 relative to the first direction is changed. For example, if the position sensor 102 needs to be tilted towards the adjusting bolt A, the worker may screw the adjusting bolt A to reduce a distance between the connecting plate 401 and a region of the connecting portion 3 corresponding to the adjusting bolt A, and may also screw the adjusting bolt B and the adjusting bolt C to increase a distance between the connecting plate 401 and another region of the connecting portion 3. In this way, the position sensor 102 can be tilted towards the adjusting bolt A. If the tilt angle in this direction needs to be enlarged, the worker continues reducing the distance between the connecting plate 401 and the region of the connecting portion 3 corresponding to the adjusting bolt A, and increasing the distance between the connecting plate 401 and the another region of the connecting portion 3. If the tilt angle in this direction needs to be reduced, the worker increases the distance between the connecting plate 401 and the region of the connecting portion 3 corresponding to the adjusting bolt A, and reduces the distance between the connecting plate 401 and the another region of the connecting portion 3. Similarly, a tilt angle in another direction may also be changed by the above adjusting manner. Details are not described herein again.

In this embodiment, a tilt angle of the position sensor 102 can be adjusted by screwing the adjusting bolt 5, so that the operation is simple and fast, and stable connection can also be implemented between the position sensor 102 and the connecting plate 401. No additional fixedly connecting element needs to be provided, so that the overall structure is simplified.

Further, the connecting rack 4 may be connected to the front side of the chassis 2 in different manners that are described in detail below.

In the first connecting manner 1: as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the connecting rack 4 is detachably connected to the front side of the chassis 2. When the tilt angle of the position sensor 102 needs to be adjusted, the connecting rack may be removed from the chassis 2, the adjusting bolt 5 is then screwed to adjust the tilt angle of the position sensor 102, and the connecting rack is mounted on the chassis 2 after the adjustment. Therefore, the worker does not need to stoop and perform an operation of screwing the adjusting bolt 5 on the chassis 2, which can not only help the worker adjust the tilt angle of the position sensor 102, but also improve the working comfort level of the worker, improve the adjusting efficiency, and save time and labor.

Specifically, the connecting rack is detachably connected to the chassis 2 through the fixing bolt 6. Certainly, the connecting rack may alternatively be detachably connected to the chassis 2 through another detachable connecting element, which is not strictly limited in this embodiment.

In the second connecting manner 2: the connecting rack 4 and the front side of the chassis 2 are formed integrally, which not only eliminates a procedure of assembling the connecting rack 4 and the chassis 2 to reduce the workload of the worker, but also eliminates the assembly tolerance between the connecting rack 4 and the chassis 2, thereby improving the assembly precision of the position sensor 102.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, it may be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and that more variations and modifications may also be made in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure, wherein all these variations and modifications fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. The protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scopes.

Claims

1. A self-mobile device, comprising: a main body, comprising a fluid storage apparatus that is configured to store a fluid;a cleaning fluid supply system, disposed on the main body and configured to supply a to-be-cleaned surface with a cleaning fluid;a sewage recycling system, disposed on the main body and configured to recycle sewage;a chassis, disposed under the main body and configured to support the main body; anda sensing portion, directly disposed on the chassis.

2. The self-mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing portion is mounted on the chassis in an angle-adjustable manner.

3. The self-mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing portion comprises an orientation sensor directly disposed on the chassis.

4. The self-mobile device according to claim 3, wherein the orientation sensor is detachably secured on the chassis.

5. The self-mobile device according to claim 3, wherein the orientation sensor is disposed on an upper surface of the chassis.

6. The self-mobile device according to claim 2, wherein the sensing portion comprises a position sensor mounted on the chassis in an angle-adjustable manner.

7. The self-mobile device according to claim 6, wherein the position sensor is disposed on a front side of the chassis; and the front side of the chassis is a portion of the chassis that first enters a to-be-operated region along a travel direction of the self-mobile device in a case that the self-mobile device works normally.

8. The self-mobile device according to claim 7, wherein the self-mobile device further comprises a connecting rack and an angle adjusting portion; the connecting rack is connected to the front side of the chassis; and the position sensor is connected to the connecting rack through the angle adjusting portion.

9. The self-mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the connecting rack comprises a connecting plate; an opening is formed in the connecting plate; a connecting portion is disposed on a periphery of the position sensor; the position sensor partially penetrates through the opening; and the connecting portion is connected to the connecting plate through the angle adjusting portion.

10. The self-mobile device according to claim 9, wherein the angle adjusting portion comprises an adjusting bolt, the connecting portion is provided with a first threaded hole, the connecting plate is provided with a second threaded hole, and the adjusting bolt is in threaded connection with the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole, respectively.

11. The self-mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the connecting rack is detachably connected to the front side of the chassis.

12. The self-mobile device according to claim 8, wherein the connecting rack and the front side of the chassis are formed integrally.