Patent Application
20240041287
This application claims priority of No. 202210945808.1 filed in China on 2022/08/08, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to the technical field of cleaning devices and, more particularly, to embodiments of a self-propelled cleaning machine.
Sweeping robots are capable of realizing functions of automatic sweeping and vacuum cleaning and are thus extensively applied in households. However, in current sweeping robots, a piece of mopping cloth is mostly fixed at the bottom of the machine so as to mop the floor by means of the movement of the robots. Some sweeping robots, for example, those disclosed by the China Patent Publication Number 112842174A, are additionally provided with a lift module in order to adapt to surface shapes or materials of floors, enabling the mopping cloth to ascend and descend to adapt to the surface shapes or materials of the floors.
Moreover, there are other types of cleaning robots, for example, those disclosed by the China Patent Number 107510417B, which are provided with a reciprocating device to enable the mopping cloth to reciprocate back and forth to mop the floor. However, the above device with an enhanced cleaning effect is incapable of adapting to the surface shapes or materials of floors, such as by lifting the mopping cloth.
It is an object of the embodiments of the present invention to provide a self-propelled cleaning machine, which includes a reciprocating device to enable a mopping cloth to mop a floor back and forth and further includes a lift module to enable the mopping cloth to lift for adapting to changes of the floor, so as to solve the technical problems of a conventional sweeping robot that is incapable of adapting to surface shapes or materials of floors by such as lifting a mopping cloth while performing a reciprocating motion.
A self-propelled cleaning machine includes a base, a walking module, a lift module, a cleaning device and a reciprocating device. The walking module is neighboring on the base, and is configured to contact a floor when the self-propelled cleaning machine moves on the floor. The lift module includes a lift seat, wherein the lift seat is provided below the base and is configured to move up and down relative to the base for the lift seat to approach or depart from the base. The cleaning module is configured to contact the floor when the self-propelled cleaning machine is in a mopping mode for cleaning the floor. The reciprocating device is connected to the cleaning device. At least a portion of the reciprocating device is configured to be connected to the lift seat of the lift module, so that the at least a portion of the reciprocating device moves up and down along with up-and- -down movements of the lift seat. Moreover, the reciprocating device is configured to enable the cleaning device to perform a reciprocating motion in the mopping mode to thereby mop the floor back and forth. The present invention has the following advantageous effects.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the self-propelled cleaning machine includes the reciprocating device to enable the mopping cloth to mop the floor back and forth and further includes the lift module to enable the mopping cloth to adapt to changes of the floor.
The self-propelled cleaning machine 100 includes a base 114, a walking module 130, a lift module 300, a cleaning device 500 and a reciprocating device 400. The reciprocating device 400 is connected to the cleaning device 500. At least a portion of the reciprocating device 400 is configured to be connected to a lift seat 301 of the lift module 300, so that the at least a portion of the reciprocating device 400 moves up and down along with up-and-down movements of the lift seat 301. Moreover, the reciprocating device 400 is configured to enable the cleaning device 500 to perform a reciprocating motion relative to the lift seat 301 in a mopping mode to thereby mop the floor back and forth.
In one embodiment, the reciprocating device 400 includes a mopping motor 410, a mopping crankshaft 420 and a mopping crank arm 430. The mopping crankshaft 420 is configured to be driven and rotated by the mopping motor 410. A first end of the mopping crank arm 430 is connected to the mopping crankshaft 420, and a second end of the mopping crank arm 430 is connected to the cleaning device 500 and performs a reciprocating motion along with a rotation of the mopping crankshaft 420. In one embodiment, the mopping motor 410, the mopping crankshaft 420 and the mopping crank arm 430 of the reciprocating device 400 move up and down along with the up-and-down movements of the lift seat 301.
In one embodiment, referring to
Referring to
The walking module 130 is adjacent to the base 114, located on two opposite sides of the base 114, exposed to the outside from the lower side of the base 114, and located in a center region of the base 114, and comes into contact with the floor to be cleaned when the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 moves on the floor. The walking module 130 can include a pair of walking components and a driving device. The walking components can be moving members such as pulleys and rollers. The driving device can be a combination of a motor, a gear and other transmission devices. The walking components are driven by the driving device, and drive the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 to move forward, backward or turn on the floor to be cleaned. In the embodiment shown, each walking component of the walking module 130 is formed by a crawler belt, which includes a crawler and two driving wheels used to drive the crawler.
The front wheel 132 is located in a front region of the self-propelled cleaning machine 100, and is closer to the front side of the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 than the walking module 130. In some embodiments, the front wheel 132 serves as an auxiliary wheel of the walking module 130, assists in maintaining movement balance when the walking module 130 drives the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 to move, and thus is not necessarily provided with an ability of driving the self-propelled cleaning machine 100. Referring to
In one embodiment, the water spray module 160 is provided on the base 114 and can spray clear water or other cleaning liquids to wet the floor to be cleaned, so that dirt attached on the floor can be more easily removed to thereby enhance a cleaning effect of the self-propelled cleaning machine 100. In one embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 includes a water supply module, which can be formed by a water tank, a pump and a water pipe. The water tank holds water or a cleaning liquid that is transported to the water spray module 160 via the water pipe. The pump applies a pressure on the clear water or cleaning liquid in the water pipe. In one embodiment, a nozzle of the water spray module 160 extends from the lower side of the base 114 to the floor to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the water spray module 160 includes a water outlet, for example, a nozzle, and a water exit direction of the water spray module 160 can be controlled by adjusting a direction of the water outlet. Water or the cleaning liquid is sprayed from both sides of the base 114 toward the center region of the base 114, so that the clear water or cleaning liquid can be more effectively used by the cleaning cloth.
The base 114 is provided with the first suction portion 122. In one embodiment, the first suction portion 122 includes the frame formed by the base 114 and a plurality of sidewalls forming a first vacuum channel, which runs from the lower side of the base 114 to the upper side of the base 114. The first vacuum channel includes a first suction port 123 provided on the lower side of the base 114. The first suction portion 122 has the first suction port 123 on the lower side of the base 114. The portion of the first suction port 123 on the lower side of the first vacuum channel facing the floor has a larger area, and the first suction port 123 has a tapered shape when further extended to the upper side of the base 114. Accordingly, it is possible to capture a larger area of dust or debris by suctioning from the lower side. In one embodiment, the first suction portion 122 sucks dust or dirt on the ground from the first suction port 123 into the dust box 200 by means of the negative pressure provided by the air extraction module 180. In one embodiment, the first suction portion 122 or the first suction port 123 is not provided with an assembly such as bristles or a brush for cleaning. Thus, when trash sucked in has a long and thin shape (for example, hair, fine strings or pet hair, such type of trash) does not get stuck in the first vacuum channel or the first suction port 123, and so the first suction portion 122 does not need to be regularly cleaned and more maintenance time for the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 can be saved. The base 114 is further provided with the second suction portion 124. In one embodiment, the second suction portion 124 forms a second vacuum channel including the frame formed by the base 114 and a plurality of sidewalls. The second vacuum channel includes a second suction port 125 provided on the lower side of the base 114 and neighboring on the first suction port 123. In one embodiment, the second suction port 125 is positioned close to the first suction port 123, allowing the first suction port 123 to easily capture longer debris, such as hair. In one embodiment, the second suction port 125 and the first suction port 123 are spaced by a distance of less than 30 mm.
In one embodiment, the roller brush device 140 is provided on the base 114, is surrounded by the second suction portion 124 and is exposed to the outside from the lower side of the base 114. In one embodiment, the second suction portion 124 includes a roller brush lid 227 provided on the lower side of the base 114. The roller brush lid 227 may be annular and exposes the second suction port 125 therefrom. The roller brush lid 227 may be an openable and closable design. When the roller brush lid 227 is open, the roller brush device 140 can be taken out from the lower side of the base 114; when the roller brush lid 227 is closed, the roller brush device 140 is locked in the second suction port 125 on the base 114 by the roller brush lid 227, such that the roller brush device 140 can rotate steadily without swaying when a cleaning operation is performed.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the second suction portion 124 sucks dust or dirt on the ground from the second suction port 125 by means of the negative pressure provided by the air extraction module 180. In one embodiment, the second suction portion 124 is provided with the roller brush device 140 in the second suction port 125. Thus, when the floor to be cleaned contains dust adhered thereon or heavy trash, the adhered dust or the heavy trash can be removed by means of a vacuum suction force of the air extraction module 180 and a rotational torque of the roller brush device 140, thereby sucking in through the second suction portion 124 the trash that cannot be completely cleaned by the first suction portion 122, hence enhancing the cleaning effect of the self-propelled cleaning machine 100.
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, a sidewall of the first suction portion 122 extends from the first suction port 123 toward the upper side of the base 114, and forms an opening 128 near the second suction portion 124. The opening 128 and the first suction port 123 are respectively located on the upper side of the base 114 and the lower side of the base 114, and serve as two openings of the first suction portion 122. In one embodiment, a sidewall of the second suction portion 124 forms, on the upper side of the base 114, an accommodating space for accommodating the roller brush device 140. In one embodiment, the accommodating space has a shape of a cylinder; however, the present invention does not define the shape of the accommodating space of the second suction portion 124, and other shapes are also included within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. The sidewall of the second suction portion 124 forms an opening 129 on a side of the accommodating space close to the top. As shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, the cleaning cloth holder 510 approaches the surface to be cleaned in a direction perpendicular to the surface to the cleaned, so that the cleaning cloth 520 is completely closely attached to the surface to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the cleaning cloth holder 510, in a direction perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned, lifts from the surface to be cleaned and is spaced from the ground by a distance, so that the cleaning cloth 520 is completely off or separated from the surface to be cleaned.
The above design of the cleaning device 500 or cleaning cloth holder 510 capable of moving up and down provides numerous advantages. When the self-propelled cleaning device 100 needs to cross over an obstacle (for example, a door sill), the cleaning device 500 may be lifted to increase the space on the lower side of the base 114, further enabling the self-propelled cleaning device 100 to more easily cross over the obstacle. In one embodiment, when the self-propelled cleaning device 100 completes cleaning, the cleaning cloth 520 at this point in time may be attached with dirt. Thus, lifting the cleaning device 500 can prevent secondary contamination when the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 passes through a region having been cleaned. In another embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 passes ground surfaces of different properties, wherein part of the ground surfaces may be unsuitable for wet cleaning, for example, carpets. In this case, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 is provided with a ground detector (not shown) configured to detect the property of the ground surface. Upon detecting a ground surface that is unsuitable for wet cleaning, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 may lift the cleaning device 500 to avoid wetting the ground surface. In one embodiment, a current of the roller brush or a torque of a load of the roller brush may be used to determine whether to lift the cleaning device 500. In one embodiment, the ground detector may be a floor material sensor, which may be a sonic wave sensor, a light sensor or polarized light sensor that uses a sound, light or polarized light signal to determine the floor material. In one embodiment, upon sensing a charging signal, it is determined that the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 has returned to a charging dock, and so the cleaning device 500 is lifted to avoid wetting the floor.
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, preferably, the driving device 350 includes a gear 352 and a motor 354. The crank device 320 has a crankshaft 322, the force arm 324 and a tooth portion 326. The base 114 is provided with sidewalls to form a crankshaft support 310, and the crank device 320 leans on the crankshaft support 310 to rotate such that the end of the force arm 324 ascends or descends relative to the base 114 (or the crankshaft support 310). In one embodiment, the crankshaft support 310 forms an accommodating space for accommodating the crankshaft 322. The crankshaft support 310 may be a protrusion protruding from the base 114. In one embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 further includes a driving upper cover 355. The driving upper cover 355 is fixed at the base 114, and an accommodating space is defined between the driving upper cover 355 and the base 114 to accommodate the gear 352 and the motor 354.
Referring to
When the end of the force arm 324 ascends, the end of the force arm 324 is abutted against the abutting portion 330 and applies a force on the abutting portion 330 such that the abutting portion 330 also ascends. Thus, the lift seat 301 and the cleaning cloth holder 510 also ascend in a way that the cleaning cloth 520 departs from the surface to be cleaned. Conversely, when the end of the force arm 324 descends, the abutting portion 330 also descends. Thus, the lift seat 301 and the cleaning cloth holder 510 also descend in a way that the cleaning cloth 520 is attached on the surface to be cleaned. Preferably, in addition to moving up and down, the end of the force arm 324 also moves back and forth in an extension direction of the abutting portion 330.
In one embodiment, the tooth portion 326 of the crankshaft 322 is provided with an upper starting point and a lower starting point to thereby determine lift ranges of the lift seat 301 and the cleaning device 500. Preferably, the tooth portion 326 has a plurality of continuous teeth formed thereon, and two ends of the plurality of teeth form the upper starting point and the lower starting point, respectively. In one embodiment, by setting the number of teeth of the tooth portion 326, the two ends of the continuous teeth correspond to the upper starting point and the lower starting point, and the tooth portion 326 cannot further travel forward or backward once having rotated to the two ends, such that the crankshaft 322 stops rotating. In one embodiment, when the lift module 300 detects an increase in the output current of the motor 354, it is determined that the tooth portion 326 of the crankshaft 322 has reached the upper starting point or the lower starting point, and so a supply current is stopped or reduced to ensure normal operations of the lift module 300.
In one embodiment, the tooth portion 326 extends out from the crankshaft 322 toward a first direction, and the force arm 324 extends out from the crankshaft 322 toward a second direction, wherein the first direction is not parallel to the second direction. Preferably, the crankshaft 322 leans on the crankshaft support 310 and rotates. In one embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 further includes a circuit board 190 provided with a controller thereon. When the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 moves on the surface, the controller is configured to perform the steps of: vacuuming cleaning by the first suction portion 122, vacuum cleaning by the second suction portion 124, spraying water by the water spray module 160, and mopping with the cleaning cloth 520 by the cleaning device 500.
Referring to
The second ends of the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364 are respectively connected to an upper surface of the lift seat 301, and the lift motor (or the position at which the end of the force arm 324 applies a force on the abutting portion 330) is located within a range defined by the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364. As shown in
In one embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 further includes a first mounting piece 367 and a plurality of second mounting pieces 368. The first mounting piece 367 is fixed at the base 114, and is configured to mount the first ends of the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364 at the base 114. The second mounting pieces 368 are fixed at the lift seat 301, and are configured to mount the second ends of the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364 at the lift seat 301.
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, the cleaning device 500 includes a first guide structure, and the lift seat 301 includes a second guide structure. Preferably, the first guide structure coordinates with the second guide structure to guide the reciprocating motion of the cleaning device 500. More specifically, the cleaning device 500 is guided to perform the reciprocating motion within a range defined by the first guide structure and the second guide structure. In one embodiment, the first guide structure is a slide block and the second guide structure is a guide groove, or the first guide structure is a guide groove and the second guide structure is a slide block. As shown in
In one embodiment, the cleaning device 500 further includes a roller 563. The roller 563 is located between the cleaning cloth holder 510 and the lift seat 301 and rolls on the cleaning cloth holder 510 or the lift seat 301 to thereby reduce a frictional force between the cleaning cloth holder 510 and the lift seat 301. In one embodiment, an up-down direction of the roller 563 is located between the cleaning cloth holder 510 and the lift seat 301. The cleaning cloth holder 510 is provided with sidewalls to form a roller mounting seat 511, and the roller 563 leans on the roller mounting seat 511 and rotates. In one embodiment, the cleaning device 500 further includes a bearing 564. The cleaning cloth holder 510 is also provided with a mounting column 512 protruding from a top surface thereof, and the bearing 564 is rotatably provided on the mounting column 512. Preferably, the bearing 564 is located in the guide groove 562, and the bearing 564 rotates by regarding the mounting column 512 as an axis while performing the reciprocating motion in the guide groove 562. In one embodiment, the bearing 564 may be the slide block 561. In one embodiment, the slide block 561 is mounted on a top surface of the mounting column 512 and the bearing 564 is connected to the slide block 561.
In one embodiment, a left-right direction of another roller 563 may also be configured to be located between the cleaning cloth holder 510 and the lift seat 301. In one embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 further includes at least one elastic component 370. The elastic component 370 is provided between the lift seat 301 and the base 114, and is configured to apply a force of action on the lift seat 301 in a direction away from the base 114.
In other embodiments, at least one guide column may also be provided on the lift seat 301. The at least one guide column passes through at least one guide opening of the base 114, so that the lift seat 301 moves in a long-axis direction of the at least one guide column. In one embodiment, the guide column forms a hollow polygonal column or a hollow semicircular column. According to the design scenario above, the lift seat 301 is also enabled to vertically move up and down. However, in this embodiment, when the reciprocating device causes the cleaning device to perform the reciprocating motion, the guide column also vibrates in the guide opening, resulting in large noises as well as affecting the up-and-down movements of the lift seat 301. Thus, preferably, a design of rockers is used to better guide the lift seat 301 to ascend and descend in a more parallel or horizontal manner. In one embodiment, the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364 are provided with a slight elasticity, that is, a level that does not affect swaying thereof, so that the vibration generated by the reciprocating device can be absorbed by the rocker 361, the rocker 362, the rocker 363 and the rocker 364.
In conclusion, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the self-propelled cleaning machine includes the reciprocating device to enable the mopping cloth to mop the floor back and forth and further includes the lift module 300 to enable the mopping cloth to lift for adapting to changes of the floor. That is, in response to conditions of the floor, the self-propelled cleaning machine 100 selectively causes the cleaning device 500 to depart from the floor surface and moves, thereby reducing risks of unwanted contact of the cleaning device 500 with respect to the floor surface.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202210945808.1 | Aug 2022 | CN | national |
