Patent Application
20250198183
The present disclosure relates to the technical field of water cleaning apparatus, and in particular, to a water surface cleaning robot.
The water surface cleaning robot moves on the water to collect the garbage into the interior garbage bin, so as to clean and collect the garbage on the water surface.
The water surface cleaning robot has been extensively applied into swimming pools. The existing water surface cleaning robot in general is provided with a fixed top cover structure. In such case, it is inconvenient to remove the garbage bin. Further, in some water surface cleaning robots, the top cover is rotatably connected with the main body by a hinge. However, the hinge structure is prone to accidental damage.
The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a durable water surface cleaning robot with easy removal of garbage bin.
To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present disclosure is a water surface automatic cleaning apparatus, comprising a main body, a cavity is provided in the main body; and a garbage bin is disposed at the cavity, an inlet is disposed on a sidewall of the garbage bin, and an anti-leakage baffle is configurated to open or close at least a part of area of the inlet.
The present disclosure achieves following advantageous effects: the top cover is slidably connected with the main body. The cavity is opened and closed by sliding the structure of the top cover, which not only facilitates the removal of the garbage bin, but also has a small lever effect at the joint between the top cover and the main body is low, so that the accidental damage is not easy to occur, thereby being beneficial to extend the service life of the water surface cleaning robot. The anti-stranding device is disposed, which can effectively prevent the stranding and ensure that the water surface cleaning robot can work stably for a long time. When the top cover slides to open, the handle on the garbage bin automatically pops up to make it easy for the users to remove the garbage bin; besides, in a case where the top cover is closed, the handle is driven by the top cover to automatically put down. In such case, the users no longer need to operate the handle, which facilitates the user operation and enhances the usage experience of the user. The garbage bin is opened on its bottom to facilitate cleaning by the users.
To elaborate technical contents, objectives achieved and effects of the present disclosure, implementations are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
According to
The water surface cleaning robot further includes a top cover 4, the top cover 4 is slidably disposed on a top of the main body 1. The top cover 4 can slide between closed position and open position. When the top cover 4 is at the closed position, the top cover 4 covers the cavity 11, and a user cannot remove the garbage bin 2 from the cavity 11. When the top cover 4 is at the open position, the users may remove the garbage bin 2 from the cavity 11.
The top cover 4 is slidably connected to the main body 1. By sliding a structure of the top cover 4, the opening or closing of the cavity is realized. This not only facilitates the removal of the garbage bin 2, but also has a small lever effect at a joint between the top cover 4 and the main body 1, so that the accidental damage is not easy to occur, thereby being beneficial to extend the service life of the water surface cleaning robot.
Referring to
Specifically, the second limit structures 15 are respectively disposed on two opposite sidewalls of the cavity 11, and at least two first limit structures 431 are provided on the top cover 4. One part of the first limit structure 431 matches with the second limit structure 15 on one sidewall of the cavity 11, and the other part of the first limit structure 431 matches with the second limit structure 15 on the other sidewall of the cavity 11. In an implementation, a base body 43 is disposed on the top cover 4, and the first limit structures 431 are respectively provided at a front side of the base body 43 and a rear side of the base body 43. In an implementation, a sidewall of the cavity 11 is provided with an avoidance groove 16 that is used to avoid the base body 43, such that the top cover 4 can be opened and closed within a broader range. The top cover 4 can be limited regardless of whether the top cover 4 is at the closed position or the open position, so as to more adequately prevent a vertical offset of the position of the top cover 4.
According to
It can be understood that in an implementation, at least two sets of guide sleeves 13 are provided on the main body 1. When two ends of the guide rod 41 are respectively moved and clamped to corresponding sets of guide sleeves, the top cover 4 is limited. Because of the match between the guide sleeve 13 and the guide rod 41, other movements of the top cover 4 except for the movement along an extended direction of the guide rod 41 are limited. Specifically, a recess for accommodating the guide rod 41 is provided in the top cover 4, and the guide sleeve 13 is disposed to protrude from the main body 1.
As shown in
According to
A small vane (i.e., vortex absorbed fin 313) having a given angle and shape are mounted at an appropriate position on the rear (i.e., hub cap) of the hub 311 of the propeller 31. The vortex absorbed fin 313 can straighten a wake flow of the propeller 31, so that the surface water flow almost flows out in a straight line along the vortex absorbed fin and scatters towards the rear of the hub cap, thereby reducing hub vortex cavitation. Since the hub vortex cavitation is reduced, the pressure at the rear of the hub 311 also decreases, and an induced resistance caused by the hub vortex cavitation is reduced as well, thereby enhancing the propulsion efficiency of the propeller 31. In addition, the small vane of the vortex absorbed fin 313 produces a torsion, which decreases a torque of the propeller 31 and produces a thrust to increase the propulsion of the propeller 31. Meanwhile, the vortex absorbed fin 313 also can effectively reduce the noise and the vibration amplitude of the propeller 31 and enhance stability of the water surface cleaning robot in operation (it is demonstrated by related experimental data that a water surface boat equipped with the vortex absorbed fin 313 can save energy by approximately 2% to 5%).
The number of the vortex absorbed fin 313 is the same as the number of the blade 312 on the propeller 31, and the vortex absorbed fins 313 and the blades 312 are disposed in a one-to-one relationship, i.e., the vortex absorbed fins 313 and corresponding blades 312 thereof have the same axial position. In such case, a counter-rotating vortex is formed, which may induce upwash of internal airflow of the vortex absorbed fin 313. According to Newton's Third Law of Motion (action and reaction), the upwash airflow inside the propeller 31 equipped with the vortex absorbed fin 313 may apply a reaction on the vortex absorbed fin 313 (and the propeller 31), i.e., downward pressure and resistance. Such arrangement allows the water surface cleaning robot to better float on the water surface. Besides, the downward pressure is also help to a certain extent when going ashore and climbing steps.
As shown in
The driving mechanism 3 further includes a fixed frame 32 for fixing the propeller 31. The fixed frame 32 includes a support frame having a plurality of support ribs 321 to support the propeller 31.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the controller may be directly connected to mains supply or a mobile power supply through cables. However, to enable the water surface cleaning robot to move more flexibly, in some embodiments, a rechargeable battery 12 electrically connected to the controller may be disposed in the main body 1 with reference to
With reference to
According to
In an implementation, the frame 22 includes a body 222 and a flap 223. The handle 23 is rotatably connected to the body 222. The body 222 has an opening, and the flap 223 is located at the opening. The flap 223 is used to open and close an interior space of the body 222. One end of the flap 223 is rotatably connected to the body 222 and the other end of the flap 223 is provided with a first detachable connecting structure 2231. A second detachable connecting structure matching with the first detachable connecting structure 2231 is provided on the body 222. The inlet 21 is located on a first sidewall of the body 222. The first detachable connecting structure 2231 and the second detachable connecting structure may be buckles, magnetic components, or other structure forms, such as latch structure etc. In an implementation, the body 222 as a whole is in a polygonal frame shape. Accordingly, when the flap 223 is opened, the frame 222 can be completely opened, such that the garbage in the frame 22 can fall smoothly.
In an implementation, an opening of the body 222 is located at a bottom of the body 222, which can prevent the users from touching the garbage by mistake and enhance the usage experience by the users; the second detachable connecting structure is located on a second sidewall of the body 222; the first sidewall is disposed opposite to the second sidewall; and the second wall has a sufficient space to dispose the second detachable connecting structure. In other embodiments, it is also feasible to dispose the opening on the sidewalls of the body 222. In such case, the flap 223 may be considered as a sidewall of the body 222, i.e., a filter basket has a side-open structure.
In some embodiments, one joint between the handle 23 and the body 222 is located on the first sidewall, the other joint between the handle 23 and the body 222 is located on the second sidewall; in this embodiment, one joint between the handle 23 and the body 222 is located on a third sidewall of the body, the other joint between the handle 23 and the body 222 is located on a fourth sidewall of the body; the fourth sidewall is opposite to the third sidewall; the first sidewall is linked to the third sidewall and the fourth sidewall respectively, and the second sidewall is linked to the third sidewall and the fourth sidewall respectively.
With reference to
The inlet 21 is oriented towards the motion direction of the water surface cleaning robot. In this implementation, the inlet 21 and the driving mechanism 3 are respectively disposed on two opposite ends of the main body 1. Specifically, the inlet 21 is disposed at the front of the garbage bin 2, and the driving mechanism 3 is disposed at the rear of the main body 1. It is to be supplemented that the inlets 21 may be respectively disposed at two opposite ends of the garbage bin, such that the garbage may still go into the garbage bin 2 through the inlet 21 along with the water flow when the driving mechanism 3 reverses to move towards another direction. The water surface cleaning robot therefore can collect floating objects in the process of moving forward and backward.
As shown in
As shown in
In an embodiment, a side of the anti-leakage baffle 24 is hinged to the inlet 21 through a shaft lever 25. The shaft lever 25 may be actuated to drive the anti-leakage baffle 24 to rotate around an axis of the shaft lever 25 to cover the inlet 21, thereby achieving the effect of preventing the overflow of the garbage in the garbage bin 2 from the inlet 21.
During the collecting of floating objects, the water surface cleaning robot having the anti-leakage baffle 24 opens the anti-leakage baffle 24, allowing the floating objects to go into the garbage bin 2 under the rotating of the rotating element 5. At this moment, the floating objects can hardly overflow from the inlet 21 because of the action of the water flow. When the collection stops, the inlet 21 is covered by the anti-leakage baffle 24 to avoid overflow of the floating objects. The size of the inlet 21 is designed to be as wide as possible, thereby ensuring the collection efficiency when avoiding again overflow of the floating objects.
As shown in
A limit part 242 is further included. Specifically, the limit part 242 can be disposed on the main body 1 or the garbage bin 2. After the anti-leakage baffle 24 is opened under gravity, the anti-leakage baffle 24 is abutted against the limit part 242. Besides, one end of the anti-leakage baffle 24 away from the inlet 21 is tilting downward. When the anti-leakage baffle 24 is abutted against the limit part 242, an angle between the anti-leakage baffle 24 and a water line is between 15 and 40 degrees, which on one hand can reduce the resistance faced by the water surface cleaning robot during movement and may guide the floating objects to improve the collection efficiency on the other hand.
Practical procedure: the water surface cleaning robot is placed on the water surface and driven by the driving mechanism 3 to move towards a first direction; at this moment, the rotary motor 81 rotates forward, so that the rotating element 5 rotates in a water flow direction, i.e., counter-clockwise rotation; at this moment, a one-way bearing 85 in such case is in a slipping state; the anti-leakage baffle 24 is opened under gravity and the rotating element 5 rotates counter-clockwise to push the garbage into the garbage bin; when the collection stops, the rotary motor 81 reverses to drive the rotating element 5 to rotate clockwise; at this moment, the one-way bearing 85 is in a transmission state to drive the anti-leakage baffle 24 to rotate so as to cover the inlet 21.
As shown in
In an implementation, the anti-leakage baffle 24 is disposed at a such position that a free end of the anti-leakage baffle 24 is above the water line 9 by 5 to 20 mm when the anti-leakage baffle 24 is perpendicular to the water flow direction, and the free end of the anti-leakage baffle 24 just does not contact a brush vane of the rotating element 5 when it is at a minimum distance to the brush vane of the rotating element 5 during the rotation of the anti-leakage baffle 24.
To simplify the structure of the garbage bin 2, when the water surface cleaning robot stops advancing and floats on the water surface, the anti-leakage baffle 24 resets to the closed position due to its own buoyancy. In an implementation, a material of at least a part of area of the anti-leakage baffle 24 has a density smaller than the water density (a density of 1 g/cm3). While the water surface cleaning robot advances, the water flow would push the anti-leakage baffle 24 to rotate. The anti-leakage baffle 24 then would tilt backward by a certain angle, which correspondingly opens the inlet 21 to allow the garbage to enter smoothly. In a case where the water surface cleaning robot stands still or retreats, the anti-leakage baffle 24 resets to the closed position under the action of buoyancy or water flow. In such case, a top end (i.e., free end) of the anti-leakage baffle 24 is above the water line 9, so as to avoid leakage of the garbage from the garbage bin 2.
To allow the anti-leakage baffle 24 to more rapidly reset to the closed position, in an implementation, an air chamber is provided on the anti-leakage baffle 24. It can be understood that a material density of the anti-leakage baffle 24 may not be smaller than the density of water in such case. In other embodiments, to allow the anti-leakage baffle 24 to more rapidly reset to the closed position, a counterweight is provided on the anti-leakage baffle 24; when the anti-leakage baffle 24 is at the closed position, the counterweight is located below a central rotation axis of the anti-leakage baffle 24, the counterweight may be an additionally configured heavy load or a local area of the anti-leakage baffle 24 having a material density greater than the density of water.
In an implementation, as shown in
With reference to
In details, when the top cover 4 is at the open position, a simple method for keeping the first conducting structure 42 and the second conducting structure 14 conducted is to configure the first conducting structure 42 to be a relatively long metal contact sheet, and a length direction of the relatively long metal contact sheet is consistent with the sliding direction of the top cover 4.
In other implementations, the first conducting structure 42 and the second conducting structure 14 also may be selected as existing non-metal electric conducting structures, e.g., magnetically electric conducting structures, thereby avoiding corrosion-prone issues of the metal conducting structure, and beneficial to prolong the service life of the first conducting structure 42 and the second conducting structure 14, and enhance the usage experience of the users.
With reference to
During manufacturing, after the wiring of the wireless charging transmitter module and the solar panel 6 is completed, the void is sealed with a glue, i.e., the wireless charging transmitter module is sealed and no longer affected by moisture. Since the wireless charging transmitter module is integral to the top cover 4 and the solar panel 6, the wireless charging transmitter module is stationary with respect to the solar panel 6 no matter the top cover is opened or closed. The wireless charging receiver module is installed in the seal cabinet 20. The seal cabinet 20 is water proof, so that the wireless charging receiver module can be directly installed. When the top cover 4 is closed, a position of the wireless charging transmitter module and a position of the wireless charging receiver module are matched to perform wireless charging; as the top cover 4 opens, the wireless charging transmitter module and the wireless charging receiver module are mismatched and the charging stops.
In an implementation, the seal cabinet 20 has a convex part 201 protruding towards the top cover 4; at least a part of the wireless charging receiver module is located in the convex part 201; the arrangement of the convex part 201 not only facilitates positioning and mounting of the wireless charging receiver module, but also reduces a distance between the wireless charging receiver module and the wireless charging transmitter module at a corresponding position, thereby improving the charging efficiency.
The electric energy generated by the solar panel 6 can be utilized by the driving mechanism 3, so as to lower the energy consumption of the water surface cleaning robot and cut down the usage costs of the users. Meanwhile, the solar panel 6 is electrically connected to the driving mechanism 3 by non-cable connection paths, which not only increases aesthetics of the water surface cleaning robot, but also reduces the risks of accidental disconnection of the connection paths between the solar panel 6 and the driving mechanism 3 and extends the service life of the water surface cleaning robot.
In an implementation, a mount groove is disposed on the top surface of the top cover 4 and the solar panel 6 is mounted in the mount groove. In an implementation, the solar panel 6 is mounted in the mount groove in a tilted manner, so as to conveniently discharge the liquid residual in the solar panel 6 and avoid affecting the operation of the solar panel 6. It can be easily understood that the solar panel 6 is mounted in a tilted manner, so that an acute angle is formed between the top surface of the solar panel 6 and the horizontal plane, thereby facilitating the smooth drainage of the liquid attached on solar panel 6.
In another implementation, as shown in
The cavity 44 has an elongated shape extending along a motion direction of the top cover 4. In an implementation, the cable 45 is orderly accommodated in the cavity 44, and the cable 45 is in helical form. The helical cable may be orderly stretched or retracted in the cavity 44.
Further, a winding post 46, a loading plate 47 or other structures for bearing the helical cable is further provided in the cavity 44. The helical cable may be disposed to surround the winding post 46 or may be placed on the loading plate on account of gravity. In such case, the cable 45 may be better accommodated in the cavity 44, thereby avoiding any unreliable influencing factors induced by an excessively long cable. As an example of setting the winding post 46, when the top cover 4 moves to the closed position from the open position, the stretched cable 45 can be orderly retracted due to the guide of the winding post 46. Accordingly, the pitch gradually reduces and the matching between the winding post 46 and the helical cable can ensure that the cable would not be jammed during the sliding of the top cover 4.
It can be understood that when the loading plate 47 is disposed in the cavity 44, an open slot 471 is provided on the loading plate 47, through which open slot 471 one end of the cable 45 passes to connect to the electric component in the main body 1. A length direction of the open slot 471 is consistent with a sliding direction of the top cover 4, and a length of the open slot 471 is defined by displacement of the top cover 4. The loading plate 47 having the open slot 471 has a simple structure and can be easily processed. In specific production, the loading plate 471 may be formed integral to other parts of the top cover 4 by injection molding, or the loading plate 471 may be linked to the top cover 4 by a fastener depending on the actual requirements.
It can be illustrated that in the accompanying drawings, both the winding post 46 and the loading plate 47 are disposed, to clearly demonstrate different implementations. In specific implementation, only the winding post 46 or the loading plate 47 may be disposed on the top cover 4. In other implementations, the winding post 46 and the loading plate 47 with the open slot 471 also may be configured together depending on the actual requirements.
In a case where the loading plate 47 is provided in the cavity 44, in an implementation, a sectional dimension of the cavity 44 is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the cable 45 in retracted state as a whole. In such case, the cable 45 would not overlap on itself when resetting from the stretching state to the retracted state, so as to ensure that the stretched cable 45 is orderly retracted and the pitch gradually reduces.
It can be illustrated that in specific products, the rechargeable battery 12 may not be provided in products. In such case, the solar controller is connected to the solar panel 6 and the electric component in the water surface cleaning robot, such as the driving mechanism 3 and the rotary motor 81 etc. In other words, the electric component in the water surface cleaning robot is directly powered by the solar panel 6 or the mains supply/mobile power supply assisted by the solar panel 6.
With reference to
In some embodiments, the anti-stranding device 7 may be a collision sensor, a distance measuring sensor or other types of sensors. In a case where the anti-stranding device 7 is a collision sensor, the collision sensor transmits a collision signal to the controller, the controller controls the machine to retreat or turn; in a case where the anti-stranding device 7 is a distance measuring sensor, the distance measuring sensor transmits information of the distance between the bottom of the main body 1 and the ground to the controller; when the distance information is smaller than a preset threshold, the controller controls the machine to retreat or turn.
In some other embodiments, the anti-stranding device 7 may also be an interference structure in non-electronic sensor type. In such case, the anti-stranding device 7 directly interferes with the structure in the working environment, such as steps, to prevent stranding.
The water surface cleaning robot according to this embodiment prevents stranding by direct interference. Specifically, the anti-stranding device 7 is rotatably connected to the main body 1; in an implementation, a damping structure is disposed at a joint between the anti-stranding device 7 and the main body 1. Of course, it is also feasible to dispose a C-shaped snap spring in contact with the anti-stranding device 7 at the joint between the anti-stranding device 7 and the main body 1. By virtue of the elasticity of the C-shaped snap spring, the anti-stranding device 7 can remain at the open/closed position, thereby being beneficial to improve the working stability of the anti-stranding device 7.
With reference to
In an implementation, a section of the anti-stranding device 7 is in a recess shape. In some embodiments, the damping structure may be accommodated in the recess of the anti-stranding device 7. In this embodiment, the limit piece 27 is accommodated in the recess of the anti-stranding device 7.
The water surface cleaning robot further includes a third limit structure, the third limit structure includes a first limit part and a second limit part matching with each other, the first limit part is disposed on the anti-stranding device 7 and the second limit part is disposed on the main body 1. The matching between the first limit part and the second limit part can keep the relative position between the anti-stranding device 7 and the main body 1, thereby avoiding unexpected activities of the anti-stranding device with respect to the main body 1.
In an implementation, the first limit part includes a first abutting surface 73 and a second abutting surface 74 angled to each other, and the second limit part is an elastic abutting part disposed on the main body 1. In this embodiment, the first abutting surface 73 is perpendicular to the second abutting surface 74, and a chamfering structure is disposed at the joint between the first and second abutting surfaces. In details, the elastic abutting part is an elastic arm 18 disposed on the main body 1. In some embodiments, the elastic abutting part may be an elastic pad disposed on the main body 1, where the elastic pad includes, but not limited to, metallic spring pad, rubber pad and the like. In other embodiments, the first limit part and the second limit part also may be in other structure forms, e.g., mated convex and concave structures.
An accommodating slot 19 for accommodating the anti-stranding device 7 is disposed at the bottom of the main body 1. In this embodiment, the mounting part 17 is a sidewall of the accommodating slot 19, and the elastic arm 18 is a part region of the bottom wall of the accommodating slot 19.
The anti-stranding device 7 does not necessarily need to be rotatable with respect to the main body 1 to be retractable. As shown in
As an instance of the liftable anti-stranding device 7, the accommodating slot 19 on the main body 1 is in communication with the outside via the bottom surface of the main body 1. In an implementation, the accommodating slot 19 is vertically disposed; an elastic fixture block 75 is disposed on the anti-stranding device; and a plurality of fixture holes 191 in communication with the accommodating slot 19 is disposed on a wall surface of the main body 1; the fixture hole 191 matches with the fixture block 75. In a case where the fixture block 75 matches with different fixture hole 191, the anti-stranding device 7 protrudes by different distances with respect to the bottom of the main body 1; in an implementation, the same accommodating slot 19 is in communication with two of the fixture holes 191; when the fixture block 75 is clamped into one of the fixture holes 191, the anti-stranding device 7 is accommodated in the accommodating slot 19; and in a case where the fixture block 75 is clamped into the other of the fixture holes 191, the bottom end of the anti-stranding device 7 protrudes relative to the bottom surface of the main body 1, thereby playing the anti-stranding role. It can be easily understood that during operations, the users may directly press the fixture block 75 clamped into the fixture hole 191 to unlock the anti-stranding device 7, such that the anti-stranding device 7 may slide along the accommodating slot 19, so as to clamp the fixture block 75 into the other fixture hole 191.
After the anti-stranding device 7 is turned on, the anti-stranding device 7 would be triggered when encountering a step or moving to a shallow water area, so as to transmit the signals to the controller of the water surface cleaning robot. The controller then controls the water surface cleaning robot to retreat or turn to prevent the water surface cleaning robot from rushing into the shallow water area.
In summary, in the water surface cleaning robot provided by the present invention, the top cover is slidably connected with the main body. The cavity is opened and closed by sliding the structure of the top cover, which not only facilitates the removal of the garbage bin, but also has a small lever effect at the joint between the top cover and the main body is low, so that the accidental damage is not easy to occur, thereby being beneficial to extend the service life of the water surface cleaning robot. The anti-stranding device is disposed, which can effectively prevent the stranding and ensure that the water surface cleaning robot can work stably for a long time. When the top cover slides to open, the handle on the garbage bin automatically pops up to make it easy for the users to remove the garbage bin; besides, in a case where the top cover is closed, the handle is driven by the top cover to automatically put down. In such case, the users no longer need to operate the handle, which facilitates the user operation and enhances the usage experience of the user. The garbage bin is opened on its bottom to facilitate cleaning by the users.
The above-described description is merely the implementations of the present disclosure and shall not restrict the patent scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent substitutions made with reference to the specification and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure, or directly or indirectly applied into the related technical fields fall within the patent protection scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202310172220.1 | Feb 2023 | CN | national |
| 202321759097.5 | Jul 2023 | CN | national |
| 202321801371.0 | Jul 2023 | CN | national |
This present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/143097, filed on Dec. 29, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310172220.1 filed on Feb. 17, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202321759097.5 filed on Jul. 6, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202321801371.0 filed on Jul. 10, 2023. The disclosures of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2023/143097 | Dec 2023 | WO |
| Child | 19070645 | US |
