CN116171709A

CN116171709A - Height calibration method, height adjustment method, autonomous working apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116171709A
Application number: CN202211581643.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冉沅忠; 胡秀川
Original assignee: Zhejiang Baima Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhejiang Baima Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-09
Filing date: 2022-12-09
Publication date: 2023-05-30

Abstract

The invention discloses a height calibration method, a height adjustment method, an autonomous operation device and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which are used for the height calibration of a working assembly of the autonomous operation device and are characterized by comprising the following steps: s21: judging whether a preset calibration condition is reached; if the preset calibration condition is reached, S22 is executed. S22: adjusting the working assembly to a calibration position; s23: and adjusting the working assembly to a target height. The height calibration method can realize accurate adjustment of the height of the working assembly, has strong adaptability and has wide market prospect.

Description

Height calibration method, height adjustment method, autonomous working apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of garden tools, and more particularly, to a height calibration method, a height adjustment method, an autonomous working apparatus, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

Background

The mower is a common mechanical tool for trimming lawns, vegetation and the like, and most of current mowing robots are provided with a rotary component which is manually rotated by a user to drive a working assembly to be adjusted up and down, so that the height adjustment process is relatively slow, and the height cannot be adjusted in the mowing process. At present, a plurality of patent technologies related to mower motor height adjustment at home and abroad exist, for example, a mowing cutter height adjusting mechanism with the publication number of CN201830660U comprises a screw rod and a screw nut, wherein the screw nut is fixed and rotatable, the screw rod is provided with a vertical guiding mechanism, the inside of the screw rod is hollow, and a blade driving motor can be installed; the technical scheme includes that the mower with the publication number of CN107258207A comprises a rotating assembly, the rotating assembly can rotate, the rotating assembly is provided with a first side wall perpendicular to a working surface, the surface of the first side wall is provided with rotating teeth, the sensing assembly is provided with a second side wall perpendicular to the working surface, the surface of the second side wall opposite to the first side wall is provided with rotating threads, the rotating threads are meshed with the rotating teeth, the sensor is connected with the second side wall, and the sensing assembly moves relative to the working surface along with the rotation of the rotating assembly.

The current height adjusting mechanism of the mower mainly comprises the following four forms: 1. the motor drives the gear to lift and adjust the height; 2. the height of the sliding block on the motor conducting screw rod is adjusted by lifting; 3. the motor drives the connecting rod movement mechanism to adjust the height; 4. the height adjustment is achieved by raising the chassis of the entire mower.

These height adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the working assembly are complicated in structure and inconvenient to operate, and thus there is an urgent need for a height adjusting mechanism that is simple in mechanism and convenient to operate, so as to adjust the height of the working assembly.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a height calibration method, a height adjustment method, autonomous working equipment and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable instructions of a processor, wherein the height of a cutterhead assembly can be adjusted, and the operation is convenient.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention provides a height calibration method for height calibration of a working assembly of an autonomous working device, comprising the following steps:

s21: judging whether a preset calibration condition is reached; if the preset calibration condition is reached, S22 is executed;

s22: adjusting the working assembly to a calibration position;

s23: and adjusting the working assembly to a target height.

In one embodiment, the preset calibration conditions include at least one of a user entering a calibration instruction, reaching a calibration period.

In one embodiment, the user inputs the calibration instructions through at least one of a human-machine interaction device provided on the autonomous working device, a mobile terminal connected to the autonomous working device by wire or wirelessly.

In one embodiment, the calibration period includes at least one of a time period, a number of times period of a particular event.

In one embodiment, the specific event includes at least one of starting execution of a work job, ending execution of a work job, starting execution of a work component height adjustment.

In one embodiment, the autonomous working apparatus includes:

a chassis;

a working assembly connected to the chassis and movable in a height direction;

heightening mechanism, heightening mechanism includes

A drive member connected to the chassis and comprising a drive shaft rotatable about an axis thereof;

a connection assembly including a connector having a first end connected to the driver and a second end connected to the working assembly;

A limit assembly connected to the chassis and operable to limit a direction of movement of the working assembly;

the connector is configured as a flexible connector.

In one embodiment, the connector is configured as a rope; the connecting piece is made of aramid fiber.

In one embodiment, the autonomous working device further comprises a first sensor assembly for detecting whether the working assembly reaches the calibration position.

In one embodiment, step S22 further includes:

the driving shaft is driven to rotate, and the connecting piece is gradually wound on the driving shaft or released from the driving shaft to drive the working assembly to move in the height direction;

and stopping the rotation of the driving shaft when the first sensor assembly detects that the working assembly reaches the calibration position.

In one embodiment, the first sensor assembly includes a first sensing element and a third sensing element mated with the first sensing element; the first sensing element is arranged on the chassis, and the third sensing element is arranged on the working assembly or the limiting assembly.

In one embodiment, the first inductive element is configured as a hall sensor and the third inductive element is configured as a permanent magnet; when the working assembly moves to the calibration position, the first sensing element senses abrupt changes of the magnetic pole.

In one embodiment, the autonomous working device further comprises a second sensor assembly for detecting height change information of the working assembly.

In one embodiment, step S23 includes:

driving the driving shaft to rotate, and gradually winding on or releasing from the driving shaft to drive the working assembly to move in the height direction;

and stopping the rotation of the driving shaft when the second sensor assembly detects that the height change information of the working assembly reaches a preset value.

In one embodiment, the second sensor assembly includes a second sensing element and a fourth sensing element mated with the second sensing element; the fourth sensing element is arranged on the radial outer side of the driving shaft, and the second sensing element is arranged on the chassis and corresponds to the fourth sensing element.

In one embodiment, the second inductive element is configured as a hall sensor and the fourth inductive element is configured as a magnetic code wheel; step S23 includes height variation information of the working assembly calculated based on the size of the driving shaft and the number of revolutions of the driving shaft.

In one embodiment, the calibration bit is the highest position to which the working assembly is movable in the height direction;

Step 22 includes driving the drive shaft to rotate in a first direction, the connector progressively wrapping around the drive shaft, the working assembly moving upwardly;

step 23 includes driving the drive shaft to rotate in a second direction, the connector progressively releasing from the drive shaft, the working assembly moving downwardly;

wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

In one embodiment, the calibration position is a lowest position to which the working assembly is movable in a height direction, the lowest position being defined by a length of the connection;

step 22 includes driving the drive shaft to rotate in a second direction, the connector progressively releasing from the drive shaft, the working assembly moving downwardly;

step 23 includes driving the drive shaft to rotate in a first direction, the connector progressively wrapping around the drive shaft, the working assembly moving upwardly;

wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

The invention also relates to a height adjustment method for adjusting the height of a working assembly of an autonomous working device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a heightening instruction;

the height calibration method described above is performed.

The invention also relates to an autonomous working apparatus comprising:

a chassis;

a working assembly connected to the chassis and movable in a height direction;

the height adjusting mechanism comprises a driving piece, a connecting component and a limiting component; wherein the drive member is connected to the chassis and comprises a drive shaft rotatable about its axis; the connection assembly includes a connection member having a first end connected to the driving member and a second end connected to the working assembly; the connector is configured as a flexible connector; the limiting assembly is connected to the chassis and is used for operably limiting the movement direction of the working assembly; and

and a controller configured to perform the height calibration method or the height adjustment method described above.

The invention also relates to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of an autonomous working apparatus to perform the height calibration method or the height adjustment method described above.

The height calibration method can realize accurate adjustment of the height of the working assembly, has strong adaptability and has wide market prospect.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which the figures of the drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense, unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a height adjustment mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1b is an enlarged view of a portion of region a of the embodiment of fig. 1 a.

Fig. 2 is a right side view of the elevation mechanism of the embodiment of fig. 1 a.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cutting assembly raised to a peak in a mower according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mower of the embodiment shown in fig. 3 taken along the line A-A.

Fig. 5a is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 3 with the cutting assembly at its lowest point.

Fig. 5B is an enlarged view of a portion of region B of the embodiment of fig. 5 a.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mower of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5a taken along the line A-A.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a spacing assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that in various embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, the technical solutions claimed in the present application can be implemented without these technical details and with various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation of various disclosed embodiments, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment may be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In other instances, well-known devices, structures, and techniques associated with this application may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising" will be understood to be open-ended, meaning of inclusion, i.e. to be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to.

The following detailed description of various embodiments of the present invention will be provided in connection with the accompanying drawings to provide a clearer understanding of the objects, features and advantages of the present invention. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but rather are merely illustrative of the true spirit of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following description, for the purposes of clarity of presentation of the structure and manner of operation of the present invention, the description will be made with the aid of directional terms, but such terms as "forward," "rearward," "left," "right," "outward," "inner," "outward," "inward," "upper," "lower," etc. are to be construed as convenience, and are not to be limiting.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a height adjustment mechanism 3 for an autonomous working apparatus for adjusting the height of a working assembly 2 of the autonomous working apparatus. In this embodiment, the autonomous working device is typically a smart mower 100 and the work assembly 2 is typically a cutting assembly. The intelligent mower 100 and the height adjustment mechanism 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The intelligent mower 100 further comprises a chassis 1, a working assembly 2 arranged below the chassis 1 and a height adjusting mechanism 3 for adjusting the height of the working assembly 2. The chassis 1 is recessed toward the top to form a top wall 11 and two side walls 12, as shown in fig. 3 and 5a, the top wall 11 is spaced apart from the bottom surface and connected to the tops of the two side walls 12, and the two side walls 12 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and cooperate with the top wall 11 to form an independent space for facilitating the lifting or lowering of the work module 2. The working assembly 2 is connected to the side wall 12 by two sets of linkages 41, i.e. the working assembly is movable up and down beneath the top wall 11. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the working assembly 2 includes the cutter head shroud 21 and the cutter head assembly 22 disposed on the cutter head shroud 21, the cutter head assembly 22 includes two sets of cutter heads 221 and two motors 222 for driving the two sets of cutter heads 221 to rotate, and the two motors 222 independently drive the two sets of cutter heads 221 to rotate to achieve vegetation cutting, it should be understood that in some embodiments, more motors 222 or more sets of cutter heads 221 may be installed without limiting the number of motors 22 and cutter heads 221.

The cutterhead shield 21 is connected with the side wall 12 through two sets of connecting rod sets 41 and can be driven by the height adjusting structure 3 to drive the cutterhead assembly 22 to move up and down so as to adjust the height of the cutterhead assembly 22 relative to the ground. The purpose of the cutterhead shield 21 is to prevent the user from touching the cutterhead 221, it being understood that the cutterhead 221 may be mounted directly beneath the chassis 1 without the cutterhead shield 21 being mounted.

The height adjusting mechanism 3 comprises a motor 31, a connecting piece 33 and a connecting assembly, as shown in fig. 1a, 1b and 2, the motor 31 is used for driving the cutterhead shield 21 to move up and down, the connecting piece 33 is used for connecting the motor 31 and the cutterhead shield 21, and the limiting assembly is used for limiting the movement direction of the cutterhead shield 21. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the motor 31 is a brush electrode, on the one hand, the working frequency of the mowing height adjusting function is low, and the service life requirement is low; on the other hand, in order to reduce the cost, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the motor 31 may be replaced by a brushless motor or other driving member, or a manual mechanical rotation driving shaft, without limiting the implementation of the driving member.

Further, as shown in fig. 3 and 5a, a motor 31 is connected to the bottom of the top wall 11. The output shaft of the motor 31 is a drive shaft 32, the drive shaft 32 extends in a horizontal direction, and the drive shaft 32 is drivingly rotatable about its horizontal axis. The connecting assembly comprises a connecting piece 33, a first end of a 22 of the connecting piece 33 is connected with a driving shaft 32, a second end of the connecting piece is connected with the top of the cutterhead shield 21, when the motor 31 is started, the driving shaft 32 can enable the connecting piece 33 to be wound to the periphery of the connecting piece during the rotation process, and the cutterhead shield 21 is driven to move up and down through continuous winding of the connecting piece 33. When the working assembly 2 is subjected to an upward force applied to the working assembly 2 by a ground obstacle (typically dense grass or stone), the intermediate portion of the connector 33 is deformed to allow the working assembly 2 to be displaced upward.

Compared with the mode of adjusting the height of the working assembly 2 by the cooperation of the motor 222 and the gear, the screw or the connecting rod in the prior art, the structure of the embodiment is very simple, the operation is convenient, the adaptability is strong, and the market prospect is wider.

In other embodiments, the driving shaft 32 may also extend in a vertical direction and rotate around an axis in the vertical direction, the first end of the connecting member 33 is connected to the driving shaft 32, the second end is connected to the cutterhead shield 21, several guide rollers are disposed on an extending path of the connecting member 33, so as to change the extending direction of the connecting member 33, and enable a position of the connecting member 33 near the first end to extend in a horizontal direction, and a portion near the second end to extend in a vertical direction, so that the connecting member 33 can move around the guide rollers and wind around the periphery of the driving shaft 32 when the driving shaft 32 rotates.

It should be understood that the connector 33 may be a rope, a wire rope, a canvas belt, a nylon rope/belt, a chain, etc., without limiting the kind of connector. However, since the wire rope, nylon rope or nylon tape is easily sprung out during winding, and the windsurfing tape is inferior in weather resistance, strength and the like, the connection member 33 is preferably an aramid rope or an aramid tape in the most preferred embodiment

The rope or belt knitted from the raw material has good mechanical properties such as high strength, stable chemical properties and high fatigue resistance, and is very suitable for the height adjusting mechanism 3 of the present embodiment.

In addition, in order to increase the service life of the height-adjusting mechanism 3, the connecting member 33 not only has certain flexibility and crimpability, but also needs to have high flexibility, high strength, wear resistance, low elongation, high weather resistance, low thermal expansion coefficient, and the like. Taking Kevlar material as an example, the elastic modulus of the Kevlar material needs to be in the range of 100GPa-200GPa, preferably 120GPa-140GPa, and the breaking force is not less than 50N in theory, and in practice, the breaking force needs to be more than 200N-300N to meet the requirement.

For the connector 33 made of a fibrous material, the abrasion resistance is tested by referring to the FZ/T50025-2014 method, and the number of times of friction is not less than 1000 times, preferably not less than 3000 times. Further, the elongation at break thereof is not more than 5%, preferably not more than 3.8%, most preferably not more than 3%. The absolute value of the thermal expansion coefficient is not more than 15×10 ^-6 Preferably, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion is not more than 3X 10 ^-6 /℃。

The second end of the connecting member 33 is engaged with the cutterhead shield 21 through the engaging member 331. As shown in fig. 1a and 1b, the fastening member 331 includes a flat plate-shaped fastening block 332 and a connection portion 333 located on the top surface of the fastening block 332, and the fastening block 332 is entirely flat plate-shaped. The connecting portion 333 is located on the top surface of the clamping block 332 and is connected to the second end of the connecting member 33, and the circumferential edge of the clamping block 332 can be used to be clamped with the cutterhead shroud 21. Specifically, the top surface of the cutterhead shroud 21 is provided with two first protruding blocks 211 and second protruding blocks 212 which are oppositely arranged at intervals, the first protruding blocks 211 and the second protruding blocks 212 are respectively provided with clamping grooves 213 which are open towards each other, the two clamping grooves 213 are respectively formed by inwards sinking the end surfaces of the first protruding blocks 211 and the second protruding blocks 212, two sides of the clamping block 332 can be respectively clamped into the two clamping grooves 213 from the end surfaces of the first protruding blocks 211 and the second protruding blocks 212, and the connecting part 333 is located between the first protruding blocks 211 and the second protruding blocks 212 and is convenient to connect with the second end of the connecting piece 33. After the intelligent mower 100 is used for a period of time, the connector 331 can be taken out from the clamping groove 213, and the connector 33 can be replaced, so that the maintenance of the height adjusting mechanism 3 is facilitated. It should be understood that the shapes of the clamping block 332 and the clamping groove 213 are not limited, and may be configured in other shapes, as long as the connection member 331 can be conveniently clamped with the working assembly 2. In addition, the connection member 33 may be detachably connected to the cutter head cover 21 by other means, such as by tying a knot directly to the top surface of the cutter head cover 21, and the detachable connection of the connection member 33 to the cutter head cover 21 is not limited.

The chassis 1 is further provided with a limiting component, and the limiting component can limit the horizontal deviation of the working component 2 in the lifting process in the process of lifting or lowering the working component 2 by the motor 31. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 4, the limiting component is two groups of connecting rod groups 41 with the same shape, the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 are aligned along the horizontal direction and are arranged at intervals, the head ends of the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 are hinged with the same side wall 12 of the chassis 1 through a hinge shaft, and the tail ends of the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 are hinged with the working component 2 through a hinge shaft. Specifically, each group of the link groups 41 includes two links 411, the two links 411 are disposed at intervals in the vertical direction and have the same length, the head ends of the two links 411 are connected with the side wall 12 of the chassis 1 through two first hinge shafts 42, respectively, the side wall 12 extends in the vertical direction, the two first hinge shafts 42 are aligned in the vertical direction, and the axes thereof extend in the horizontal direction. The tail ends of the two connecting rods 411 are respectively connected with the connecting seat 214 on the top surface of the cutterhead shield 21 through two second hinge shafts 43, the connecting seat 214 extends in the vertical direction, the two second hinge shafts 43 are fixed to the connecting seat 214 at two positions in the vertical direction, and the axes of the two second hinge shafts 43 also extend in the horizontal direction and are aligned at intervals in the vertical direction. The distance between the two first hinge shafts 42 and the distance between the two second hinge shafts 43 are the same, and the lengths of the two connecting rods 411 in each group of connecting rod groups 41 are the same, that is, the distances between the two connecting rods 411, the two first hinge shafts 42 and the distances between the two second hinge shafts 43 form a parallelogram structure. The two first hinge shafts 42 are fixed to the side wall 12 and are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, that is, the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 are in a state of being aligned in the vertical direction all the time during rotation, that is, the connecting seats 214 carrying the two second hinge shafts 43 are in the vertical direction all the time, so that the cutterhead shield 21 is in the horizontal direction all the time, and the stability of the cutterhead shield 21 and the cutterhead assembly 21 during rotation is ensured.

In addition, in order to prevent each group of the link groups 41 from moving in the axial direction thereof, the side wall 12 is further provided with two first limiting plates 121, as shown in fig. 1a and 2, the two limiting plates of each group of the first limiting plates 121 being respectively provided at both sides of the two first hinge shafts 42 connected to each group of the link groups 41 in the axial direction thereof, so that the group of the link groups 41 can be restricted from translating along the first hinge shafts 42. The two connection seats 214 are also respectively provided with a group of second limiting plates 215 extending along the vertical direction, and the two limiting plates of each group of second limiting plates 215 are respectively positioned at two sides of the second hinge shaft 43 along the axial direction thereof, so that the cutter head shield 21 can be limited to translate along the second hinge shaft 43. The two first limiting plates 121 are used for limiting the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 to translate along the horizontal direction, the two second limiting plates 215 can limit the working assembly 2 to translate along the horizontal direction relative to the two groups of connecting rod groups 41, and the two first limiting plates 121 and the two second limiting plates 215 cooperate to limit the working assembly 2 to translate along the left and right directions of the vehicle body.

In addition, two support rods 44 are further disposed between the two groups of connecting rod groups 41, the two support rods 44 extend along the horizontal direction, one support rod 44 is connected with two connecting rods 411 located above in each group of connecting rod groups 41, the other support rod 44 is connected with two connecting rods 411 located below, and the support rods 44 can enable the two groups of connecting rod groups 41 to rotate synchronously, so that stability of the working assembly 2 is facilitated. The middle section of one of the support rods 44 located above is further provided with a cantilever 45, the proximal end of the cantilever 45 being connected to the support rod 44, the distal end extending towards the upper side of the working assembly 2 and being located at a predetermined position above the working assembly 2 for mounting a third sensing element 71, as will be described in more detail below. It should be understood that only one support bar 44 may be provided, and the support bar 44 may be connected to two links 411 aligned in the horizontal direction on any two of the two sets of links 41, or may assist in the synchronous movement of the two sets of links 41. The cantilever 45 may be connected to any one of the support rods 44.

It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the limiting assembly is configured to provide only at least one linkage 41 or a group of linkages 41, and may also move the working assembly 2 in a vertical direction.

It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the stop assembly may be configured in other configurations, so long as it is capable of limiting movement of the work assembly 2 in the left-right direction of the vehicle body and not limiting movement of the cutterhead assembly 22 in the vertical direction. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 7, the limiting assembly is configured to be connected to a limiting slide 46 of the chassis 1, the limiting slide 46 is in a cylindrical shape extending along a vertical direction, an outer side of the limiting slide 46 along a horizontal direction can be fixedly connected with two side walls 12 of the chassis 1, and an inner wall of the limiting slide is matched with the whole or part of the working assembly 2. The working assembly 2 is located in the limiting slide 46, the top surface of the working assembly 2 is connected with the connecting piece 33, and the connecting piece 33 penetrates out of the top of the limiting slide 46 and is connected with the driving shaft 32. The limiting slide 46 may allow the working assembly 2 to move in a vertical direction and may also limit the working assembly 2 from moving in a horizontal direction. In addition, the top of the working assembly 2 is further provided with a spring 47, the bottom end of the spring 47 is connected with the working assembly 2, the top end of the spring is connected with the top of the limiting slideway 46, and when the working assembly 2 moves from bottom to top, the spring 47 can assist in driving the working assembly 2 to move.

The motor 31 is further provided with a housing 5 on the outside thereof, as shown in fig. 3, 5a and 5b, the housing 5 being connected to the bottom surface of the top wall 11, the motor 31 being located inside the housing 5, the drive shaft 32 extending in a horizontal direction to the outside of the housing 5, and the connection 33 being connected to the drive shaft 32 located outside the housing 5. In addition, the driving shaft 32 is further provided with two limiting rings 321, the two limiting rings 321 extend along the circumferential direction of the driving shaft 32 to form a ring shape, the two limiting rings 321 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the driving shaft 32, and the two limiting rings 321 are positioned outside the cover body 5. A winding space is formed between the two limiting rings 321, one limiting ring 321 far away from the motor is located at the end part of the driving shaft 32, the diameter of the limiting ring is larger than that of the other limiting ring 321, the first end of the connecting piece 33 is located in the winding space between the two limiting rings 321 and connected with the driving shaft 32, and the two limiting rings 321 can prevent the connecting piece 33 from being separated from the driving shaft 32 in the process of winding the connecting piece to the driving shaft 32. In the process of moving the driving shaft 32, the connecting piece 33 is continuously wound to the driving shaft 32, and the two limiting rings 321 can prevent the connecting piece 33 from being separated in the winding process, so that the operation of the height adjusting mechanism 3 is influenced. In addition, the outer part of the cover body 5 is also provided with an eave part 51, and the eave part 51 is arc-shaped and extends around the top of the driving shaft 32, and the eave part 51 covers the winding space, so that the connecting piece 33 can be further prevented from being separated from the driving shaft 32.

Preferably, a first sensor assembly is also provided on the working assembly 2 or the limiting assembly, which is used to detect the position information of the working assembly relative to the chassis 1, in particular to detect whether the working assembly has reached the calibration position. Specifically, the first sensor assembly includes a first inductive element 61 and a third inductive element 71 that mates with the first inductive element 61. In the present embodiment, the first sensing element 61 is configured as a hall sensor, and the third sensing element 71 is configured as a permanent magnet. The third sensing element 71 is disposed at the distal end of the cantilever 45, the first sensing element 61 is disposed on the chassis 1 and is substantially aligned with the third sensing element 71 along the vertical direction, the distance between the third sensing element 71 and the first sensing element 61 changes during the process of lifting or lowering the cantilever 45 along with the linkage 41, and the first sensing element 61 can sense the magnetic field change of the third sensing element 71, so as to further detect the position of the working assembly 2.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, the working assembly 2 is in the uppermost position, the third sensing element 71 being aligned in a horizontal direction with the first sensing element 61 and being close to each other, when the working assembly 2 is 80cm high relative to the bottom surface. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5 and 6, the third inductive element 71 is located below the first inductive element 61, the working assembly 2 being in the lowest position, at a height of 20cm from the bottom surface.

The first sensing element 61 and the third sensing element 71 cooperate to calibrate the highest position of the working assembly 2, and as the third sensing element 71 gradually rises, when the third sensing element 71 moves to be substantially horizontally aligned with the first sensing element 61, the working assembly 2 is at the highest position, the first sensing element 61 can sense that the polarity of the magnetic field of the third sensing element 71 changes, and a signal can be sent to the controller to complete the height calibration of the working assembly 2. In addition, the third sensing element 71 may be directly disposed on top of the working assembly 2 and disposed corresponding to the first sensing element 61 along the vertical direction, or may be used to cooperate with the first sensing element 61 to detect the position of the working assembly 2.

It should be understood that the third sensing element 71 may also be disposed on the working assembly 2 or the limiting assembly and corresponds to the first sensing element 61 along the vertical direction, so long as the first sensing element 61 can be matched to detect the position of the working assembly 2.

As another preferred embodiment, the drive shaft 32 is further provided with a second sensor assembly for detecting the number of revolutions or rotational speed of the drive shaft 32. Specifically, the second sensor assembly includes a second sensing element 62 and a fourth sensing element 72 mated with the second sensing element 62, the fourth sensing element 72 being disposed radially outward of the drive shaft 32. Specifically, the fourth sensing element 72 is a magnetic code disc, and is disposed at one end of the driving shaft 32 located in the housing 5 and is disposed coaxially with the driving shaft 32, the fourth sensing element 72 can rotate along with the driving shaft 32, and the second sensing element 62 is located below the fourth sensing element 71 and can sense a magnetic field change of the fourth sensing element 72 during rotation, so as to detect rotation of the driving shaft 32. The controller may calculate the height change information of the working assembly based on the size (typically diameter, radius or circumference) and number of revolutions of the drive shaft. It should be understood that the second sensing element 62 may be disposed above or on the left and right sides of the fourth sensing element 72, or may be used in conjunction with the fourth sensing element 71 to detect the number of revolutions or the rotational speed of the driving shaft 32.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 5, a circuit board 6 is further disposed in the housing 5, and the circuit board 6 is provided with a plurality of electronic components, including, but not limited to, the first sensing element 61 and/or the second sensing element 62 described above. In the present embodiment, the first sensing element 61 and the second sensing element 62 are configured to be disposed on the same circuit board 6. In some embodiments, the first inductive element 61 and the second inductive element 62 are configured to be disposed on different two circuit boards 6, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first sensing element 61 and the second sensing element 62 are both hall sensors. In some embodiments, the first sensing element 61 and the second sensing element 62 may be other types of sensors according to actual requirements.

In addition, the circuit board 6 is also connected with an external controller, and the circuit board 6 can transmit information of the first sensing element 61 and the second sensing element 62 to the controller. The controller is further electrically connected with the motor 31 and the circuit board 6, and can judge the revolution or the rotation speed of the driving shaft 32 according to the first sensing element 61, and can judge the position of the working assembly 2 according to the information of the second sensing element 62, when the height of the working assembly 2 needs to be adjusted, the controller judges the position of the working assembly 2 according to the second sensing element 62, then starts the motor 31 to operate, and then accurately adjusts the height of the working assembly 2 according to the revolution or the rotation speed of the driving shaft 32 and the size of the driving shaft 32. Typically, when the number of revolutions of the drive shaft 32 is taken as a basis, the height adjustment is controlled by controlling the number of revolutions of the drive shaft 32; when the rotation speed of the drive shaft 32 is used as a basis, the height adjustment is controlled by controlling the time at which the drive shaft 32 rotates.

The height adjusting mechanism 3 of the present embodiment is simple in structure and convenient to operate, and is further configured with a first sensing element 61 and a second sensing element 62, so that the operation of the motor 31 can be controlled, so as to achieve accurate adjustment of the height of the working assembly 2.

An embodiment of the present invention also relates to an autonomous working apparatus, particularly a robot that can autonomously move within a preset area and perform a specific work operation, typically such as an intelligent sweeper/cleaner performing a cleaning operation, or an intelligent mower 100 performing a mowing operation, etc. Among them, the specific job refers to a job for processing a work surface and changing the state of the work surface. Specifically, the autonomous working apparatus includes at least a main body mechanism, a moving mechanism, the above-described working assembly 2, the above-described height adjusting mechanism, and the like.

The main body mechanism generally comprises a chassis 1 and a housing, wherein the chassis 1 is used for installing and accommodating a moving mechanism, a working assembly 2, a height adjusting mechanism and other functional mechanisms and functional modules. The housing is generally configured to at least partially encase the chassis 1, primarily to enhance the aesthetics and identification of the autonomous working apparatus.

The moving mechanism is configured to support the main body mechanism on the ground and drive the main body mechanism to move on the ground, and generally includes a wheel-type moving mechanism, a crawler-type or semi-crawler-type moving mechanism, a walk-type moving mechanism, and the like, and the linear travel of the autonomous working apparatus is realized by the same-directional constant-speed rotation of the left and right driving wheels, and the steering travel is realized by the same-directional differential or opposite rotation of the left and right driving wheels. In other embodiments, the movement mechanism may further include a steering mechanism independent of the drive wheel and a steering prime mover independent of the travel prime mover.

The controller typically includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having pre-written executable instructions stored therein, the processor controlling the execution of actions such as movement, work, etc. of the autonomous working device in accordance with the executable instructions.

The working assembly 2 is connected to the chassis 1 and can move along the vertical direction, a driving piece of the height adjusting mechanism 3 is connected to the bottom of the chassis 1, and a second end of the connecting piece is connected with the working assembly 2 and can drive the working assembly 2 to move along the vertical direction.

Since the link 33 is configured as a flexible rope wound around the drive shaft 32 in the present embodiment, the elasticity of the material of the link 33 itself, the winding position, the degree of tightness, etc. may cause errors in the height adjustment, and thus it is necessary to perform the height calibration of the working assembly 2 frequently. In view of the problem, an embodiment of the invention also discloses a method for adjusting the height of the working assembly of the autonomous working device, which comprises the following steps:

s1: and receiving a heightening instruction.

S21: judging whether a preset calibration condition is reached; if the preset calibration condition is reached, executing S22;

s22: adjusting the working assembly 2 to the calibration position;

S23: the working assembly 2 is adjusted to the target height.

In step S1, a height-adjustment instruction is directly input by the user, including a target height specified by the user. In some embodiments, the elevation command is automatically generated by a preset program, typically the application scenario includes cutting a pattern on a preset lawn using a mowing robot.

In step S21, the preset calibration conditions include at least one of a user inputting a calibration instruction, reaching a calibration period. Wherein the calibration period includes at least one of a time period, a number of times period of the specific event. In some embodiments, the predetermined calibration condition is determined to be reached in response to a user entering a calibration instruction. In some embodiments, in response to reaching the calibration period, it is determined that a preset calibration condition is reached. In some embodiments, the autonomous working robot determines that a preset calibration condition is reached in response to a combination of a user entering a calibration command and reaching a calibration period. In some embodiments, the particular event includes at least one of beginning execution of a work job, ending execution of a work job, beginning execution of a work component height adjustment.

In some embodiments, the user instructions, such as the up instruction, the calibration instruction, etc., are entered by a user through a human-machine interaction device disposed on the autonomous working device, wherein the human-machine interaction device is illustratively configured as an operable key, an operable touch screen, a voice recognition system, etc. In some embodiments, the user command is entered by the user via the mobile terminal and the command signal is sent to the autonomous working device via a wired or wireless communication connection.

In some embodiments, the autonomous working device includes a timing module for detecting the time period. Typically, after the autonomous working device performs step S22, the timing module starts recording the working time length of the autonomous working device; when the working time length reaches the preset time length, judging that the preset calibration condition is reached, resetting the timing module, and executing the height calibration when the height adjustment of the working assembly is executed next time.

In some embodiments, the autonomous working device includes a counting module for detecting a number of cycles of the particular event. The specific event includes at least one of starting execution of a work job, ending execution of a work job, and performing a work assembly height adjustment. In some embodiments, after the autonomous working device performs step S22, the counting module starts recording the number of times the autonomous working device starts or ends performing the working job; when the number of times of starting or ending executing the working operation of the autonomous working equipment reaches the preset number of times, judging that the preset calibration condition is reached, resetting the counting module, and executing the height calibration when the height adjustment of the working assembly is executed next time. In some embodiments, after the autonomous working device performs step 22, the count module begins to record the number of times the autonomous working device performs the work assembly height adjustment; when the number of times of executing the height adjustment of the working assembly by the autonomous working device reaches the preset number of times, judging that the preset calibration condition is reached, resetting the counting module, and executing the height calibration when executing the height adjustment of the working assembly next time.

In some embodiments, after resetting the timing module or the technical module, other suitable times may be selected for altitude calibration, typically when operation is initiated after charging is completed.

In some embodiments, receipt of the up instruction is a pre-step of the altitude calibration. In other embodiments, receipt of the up instruction is not a pre-step of the altitude calibration. Specifically, the autonomous working device performs a height calibration once a preset calibration condition is reached during the operation.

In some embodiments, the calibration position is the highest position to which the working assembly is movable in the height direction, which is typically defined by the chassis 1. Step S22 includes driving the driving shaft 32 to rotate in a first direction, the connecting member 33 is gradually wound around the driving shaft 32, and the working assembly 2 moves upward; when the first sensing element 61 senses a polarity change of the third sensing element 71, i.e. the working assembly is determined to reach the calibration position, the rotation of the drive shaft 32 is stopped. Step 23 includes driving the driving shaft 32 to rotate in the second direction, the connecting member 33 is gradually released from the driving shaft 32, and the working assembly 2 moves downward, and the number of rotations of the rotating shaft 32 is controlled based on the target height, so that the working assembly reaches the target height position. Wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite. In one embodiment, step S23 includes height variation information of the working assembly 2 calculated based on the size of the driving shaft 32 and the number of revolutions of the driving shaft 32.

In some embodiments, the calibration position may also be the lowest position to which the working assembly 2 is movable in the height direction, typically defined by the length of the connection 33, i.e. when the working assembly 3 is in the lowest position, the connection 33 is completely released from the drive shaft 32 and tightened. Step 22 includes driving the drive shaft 32 to rotate in a second direction, the link 33 gradually releasing from the drive shaft 32, and the working assembly moving downward; step 23 includes driving the drive shaft 32 to rotate in a first direction, the link 33 being progressively wound onto the drive shaft, the working assembly being moved upwardly. In this embodiment, the position of the first sensor assembly needs to be adaptively adjusted.

The intelligent mower 100 disclosed in the above embodiment has a simple structure, is convenient to operate, can accurately adjust the height of the working assembly 22, has strong adaptability, and has a wide market prospect.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ aspects, features and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing embodiments are specific examples of carrying out the invention and that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A height calibration method for height calibration of a work assembly of an autonomous working device, comprising the steps of:

s22: adjusting the working assembly to a calibration position;

s23: and adjusting the working assembly to a target height.

2. The height calibration method according to claim 1, wherein the preset calibration conditions comprise at least one of user input of a calibration command and achievement of a calibration period.

3. The altitude calibration method according to claim 2, wherein the user inputs the calibration instruction through at least one of a man-machine interaction device provided on the autonomous working device, a mobile terminal connected to the autonomous working device by wire or wirelessly.

4. The height calibration method according to claim 2, wherein the calibration period comprises at least one of a time period, a number of times period of a specific event.

5. The method of height calibration according to claim 4, wherein the specific event comprises at least one of starting execution of a work job, ending execution of a work job, starting execution of a work assembly height adjustment.

6. The height calibration method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the autonomous working apparatus comprises:

a chassis;

a working assembly connected to the chassis and movable in a height direction;

heightening mechanism, heightening mechanism includes

the connector is configured as a flexible connector.

7. The height calibration method according to claim 6, wherein the connector is configured as a rope; the connecting piece is made of aramid fiber.

8. The method of altitude calibration of claim 6, wherein the autonomous working device further comprises a first sensor assembly for detecting whether the working assembly reaches the calibration position.

9. The height calibration method according to claim 8, wherein step S22 further comprises:

10. The method of height calibration according to claim 8, wherein the first sensor assembly comprises a first sensing element and a third sensing element mated with the first sensing element; the first sensing element is arranged on the chassis, and the third sensing element is arranged on the working assembly or the limiting assembly.

11. The height calibration method according to claim 10, wherein the first sensing element is configured as a hall sensor and the third sensing element is configured as a permanent magnet; when the working assembly moves to the calibration position, the first sensing element senses abrupt changes of the magnetic pole.

12. The height calibration method according to claim 6, wherein the autonomous working device further comprises a second sensor assembly for detecting height change information of the working assembly.

13. The height calibration method according to claim 12, wherein step S23 comprises:

14. The method of calibrating according to claim 12, wherein the second sensor assembly comprises a second sensing element and a fourth sensing element cooperating with the second sensing element; the fourth sensing element is arranged on the radial outer side of the driving shaft, and the second sensing element is arranged on the chassis and corresponds to the fourth sensing element.

15. The method of calibration of claim 14, wherein the second sensing element is configured as a hall sensor and the fourth sensing element is configured as a magnetic code wheel; step S23 includes height variation information of the working assembly calculated based on the size of the driving shaft and the number of revolutions of the driving shaft.

16. The height calibration method according to claim 6, wherein the calibration bit is a highest position to which the working assembly is movable in a height direction;

wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

17. The height calibration method according to claim 6, wherein the calibration site is a lowest position to which the working assembly is movable in a height direction, the lowest position being defined by a length of the connection member;

wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

18. A height adjustment method for height adjustment of a working assembly of an autonomous working apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving a heightening instruction;

a height calibration method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. An autonomous working apparatus, comprising:

a chassis;

a working assembly connected to the chassis and movable in a height direction;

a controller configured to perform the height calibration method of claims 1 to 17 or the height adjustment method of claim 18.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of an autonomous working apparatus to perform the height calibration method of claims 1-17 or the height adjustment method of claim 18.