EP3498144B1 - Floor cleaning robot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to a floor cleaning robot, and in particular to an autonomous floor cleaning robot provided with means for collecting and / or vacuuming the waste.

• deux pare-chocs avant inférieurs, agencés de part et d'autre d'un plan médian du robot contenant une direction principale d'avancement du robot et une direction normale à un plan d'appui au sol, et
• un bandeau avant supérieur de détection de présence à distance, équipé d'un ou plusieurs détecteurs infra-rouge et destiné à détecter la présence d'un obstacle à proximité, sans contact.

Autonomous floor cleaning devices are known in the prior art, and in particular those which automatically detect obstacles in order to then be able to bypass them. Such cleaning devices generally comprise one, or even two, bumpers mounted to move relative to a frame. The bumper (s) are fitted with one or more sensors capable of detecting movement of the bumper upon contact with an obstacle. For example, a cleaning device is known, distributed under the brand “CLEANmaxx®” and whose trade name is “CLEANmaxx 06025 Saugroboter Smart Plus®”, comprising:

• two lower front bumpers, arranged on either side of a median plane of the robot containing a main direction of advance of the robot and a direction normal to a ground support plane, and
• an upper front panel for remote presence detection, fitted with one or more infrared detectors and intended to detect the presence of an obstacle nearby, without contact.

Such an architecture is suitable for a cleaning robot having a limited height, typically less than 5 cm, but it is less suitable for a cleaning robot of greater height, in particular for a “2 in 1” cleaning robot designed to operate. either independently or manually after connecting the robot to a flexible suction tube. In fact, in this case, it is not certain that the cleaning robot detects an obstacle located at a certain altitude from the ground. This results in non-detection of the obstacle and a blocking of the cleaning robot against this obstacle.

WO2008105634A1 discloses a cleaning robot with 2 bumpers arranged one above the other.

An aim of the present invention is to respond to the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above and in particular, first of all, to provide a cleaning robot which allows the detection of any obstacle, whatever the height of the robot. cleaning and whatever the altitude of the obstacle.

• un châssis,
• au moins deux pare-chocs mobiles par rapport au châssis,
• des moyens de détection d'un mouvement de chacun des pare-chocs par rapport au châssis,

caractérisé en ce que les deux pare-chocs sont disposés sur au moins deux étages respectivement agencés à des hauteurs différentes par rapport à un plan d'appui au sol du robot.For this, a first aspect of the invention relates to a floor cleaning robot, comprising:

• a chassis,
• at least two movable bumpers relative to the chassis,
• means for detecting a movement of each of the bumpers relative to the chassis,

characterized in that the two bumpers are arranged on at least two floors respectively arranged at different heights with respect to a ground support plane of the robot.

The robot is equipped with one or more displacement members, such as wheels, which come to rest on the ground in operation. The plane tangent to the displacement members (for example the wheels) defines the ground support plane of the robot.

The invention proposes to equip the cleaning robot with a double stage of bumpers and thus to distribute the bumpers over two different heights or altitudes. It thus offers a simple technical solution to enable a cleaning robot, in particular a high-rise cleaning robot, to improve the detection of obstacles located higher or lower. The detection sensitivity of the cleaning robot is thus improved.

Advantageously, at least one of the floors comprises several bumpers.

In a first variant embodiment, each of the two floors comprises several bumpers.

In a second variant embodiment, one of the stages comprises several bumpers and the other stage comprises a single bumper.

Advantageously, the stage (s) with several bumpers comprise two side bumpers arranged on either side of a median plane of the robot, perpendicular to the bearing plane on the ground.

Again advantageously, a central bumper is interposed between the two side bumpers. The central bumper may have two oblique side flanks, oriented towards the two side bumpers respectively, connecting an inner face and an outer face of the central bumper, said outer face being widened relative to said inner face. Such a configuration makes it possible to limit, or even eliminate, the dead non-detection zones situated at the interstices between the central bumper and the side bumpers. The enlarged outer face of the central bumper makes it possible to cover, at least partially, these dead non-detection zones.

Advantageously, a normal to the bearing plane on the ground which passes through a zone of separation between two neighboring bumpers of one stage passes through a bumper of the other stage. Such a configuration makes it possible to cover the detection of a dead non-detection zone situated at the gap between two neighboring bumpers of the same stage by a bumper of the other stage.

In an alternative embodiment, the outer surface of the bumper (s) of a first of the two floors is set back relative to an envelope surface perpendicular to the bearing plane on the ground and tangent to the outer surface of the bumper (s). - shocks from the second stage, towards the interior of the robot. Thanks to this, in the event of an obstacle hitting the robot over its entire height (a wall for example), unnecessary multiplication of the contact force during the collision is avoided, which makes it possible to limit wear and / or the risk. decrease in robot detection sensitivity.

A remote presence detection device is advantageously interposed between the two stages. To this end, the two stages leave between them sufficient space to house the presence detection device. The obstacle detection by contact using the bumpers is thus supplemented by obstacle detection using one or more proximity sensors, before contact with the obstacle.

By definition, it is considered that two bumpers respectively located on the two floors and crossed by the same normal to the bearing plane on the ground form a pair of associated bumpers. Advantageously, the device for detecting a bumper of one of the two stages is connected in parallel with the device for detecting the associated bumper of the other stage to a unit or an electronic control circuit. Thanks to this, whether a collision with an obstacle is detected in the upper part or in the lower part or else both in the upper and lower parts by the movement detection means, the robot makes no difference. It interprets the detection information as contact with an obstacle in the same area of its circumference and initiates an appropriate release action.

• la figure 1 représente une vue en perspective d'un robot de nettoyage selon un premier exemple de réalisation de l'invention, équipé de deux étages de pare-chocs mobiles ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue de face du robot de nettoyage de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 représente une vue de dessus du robot de nettoyage de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 représente une vue en coupe du robot de nettoyage de la figure 1, perpendiculairement à un plan d'appui au sol, montrant des détails du montage des pare-chocs et de détecteurs de mouvement de ces pare-chocs,
• la figure 5 représente une variante de réalisation d'un pare-chocs central tel que ceux représentés sur la figure 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cleaning robot according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, equipped with two stages of movable bumpers;
• the figure 2 shows a front view of the cleaning robot of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 shows a top view of the cleaning robot of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 4 shows a sectional view of the cleaning robot of the figure 1 , perpendicular to a bearing plane on the ground, showing details of the mounting of the bumpers and of the motion detectors of these bumpers,
• the figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a central bumper such as those shown in figure 1 .

From the outset, it will be noted that, in the various figures, the elements bearing the same references are identical or similar elements (corresponding to variant embodiments), unless otherwise indicated.

The figure 1 represents a perspective view of a cleaning robot 100, according to a first particular embodiment of the invention.

The cleaning robot 100 is intended to clean a floor, for example a floor of a room within a house or a building, independently, that is to say without the intervention of a user while browsing. In a known manner, it comprises a frame 30, drive wheels 31, a suction slot 32, and, inside an outer casing, a waste bin 33, means for storing electrical energy, for example. example a block of rechargeable battery cells 34, and a unit or an electronic circuit (not shown) for controlling the operation and navigation of the cleaning robot 100. The drive wheels 31 define a plane P1 of support on the ground ( perpendicular to the plane of the figure 2 ), tangent to the wheels 31 visible on the figure 2 . By definition, the tangent plane to the wheels 31, which come to rest on the ground, defines the ground support plane P1 of the robot.

The cleaning robot 100 is equipped with several bumpers 10A-10C and 20A-20C mounted to move relative to the frame 30, for example in translation parallel to the ground bearing plane P1. As a variant, the bumpers could be mounted so as to pivot.

The different bumpers 10A-10C, 20A-20C are mechanically independent from each other. During movement, when the cleaning robot 100 encounters an obstacle, the latter comes into contact with one or more bumpers of the robot and moves the struck bumper or bumpers towards the interior of the robot. In a known manner, elastic means are provided to return the displaced bumper or bumpers to a rest position after release from the obstacle.

In order to detect the presence of an obstacle during the navigation of the cleaning robot 100, detection means are provided, arranged to detect a movement of each of the bumpers relative to the frame 30 caused by the encounter with an obstacle. The control unit is arranged to control a modification of the navigation trajectory of the cleaning robot 100, following the encounter with an obstacle, as a function of the result of detection of a movement of one or more of the barriers. shocks 10A-10C and 20A-20C, so as to free the robot from the obstacle and continue to navigate around it. These detection means comprise a set of detection devices. Each bumper 10A-10C, 20A-20C is equipped with one or more detection devices capable of detecting movement of this bumper relative to the frame 30. In a particular embodiment, a detection device fitted to a bumper includes an optical sensor block, incorporating a coupled optical transmitter and receiver, and a shutter pivot mechanism intended to cut optical transmission between the transmitter and receiver in the closed position and not to cut this optical transmission between the transmitter and the receiver in the retracted position (outside the closed position). Two 21A and 11A shutters are visible on the figure 4 . Let us take the example of the detection device fitted to the bumper 10A and comprising the shutter 11A, as shown in figure 4 . In the absence of support of the bumper 10A against an obstacle (or against any other element), the bumper 10A is in the rest position and the shutter 11A is placed in the retracted position so that a optical ray emitted by the transmitter is received by the receiver of the optical sensor unit. When the bumper 10A strikes an obstacle (or any other element) during a path of the cleaning robot 100, it moves towards the interior of the robot 100 relative to the frame 30, which causes the shutter to pivot. 11A from its erased position to a closed position in which the optical transmission between the transmitter and the receiver of the optical sensor unit is interrupted. The control unit interprets this optical signal cutoff as an indication of an obstacle encountered on the path of the robot. cleaning 100, in a zone comprising the considered bumper 10A, and then controls the drive wheels 31 so as to divert the cleaning robot 100 from this obstacle. The other detection devices work in the same way.

The figures 1 and 2 respectively show a front perspective view and a front view of the cleaning robot 100. The term "front" here refers to a nominal direction of advance of the cleaning robot 100. As can be seen from these figures 1 and 2 , the bumpers 10A-10C, 20A-20C are arranged on two floors respectively arranged at heights, or altitudes, different with respect to the plane P1 of support on the ground of the robot. In this case, the bumpers 10A-10C form a first stage and the bumpers 20A-20C form a second stage. Each stage comprises a median plane crossing the overall bumpers in their middle and parallel to the ground bearing plane P1. The bumpers 10A-10C, 20A-20C here have shapes of cylinder portions having the same central axis AX perpendicular to the plane P1 of bearing on the ground. In the first exemplary embodiment shown in these figures 1 and 2 , the first stage has a set of three 10A-10C bumpers and the second stage also has a set of three 20A-20C bumpers. Each set of three bumpers 10A-10C (20A-20C) comprises two side bumpers 10A, 10C (20A, 20C) arranged on either side of a median plane P2 of the robot 100 (intersecting the robot 100 generally in its middle), perpendicular to the ground bearing plane P1, and a central bumper 10B (20B) located between the two side bumpers 10A, 10C (20A, 20C) and crossed by the median plane P2 of the robot 100. Each of the side bumpers 10A, 10C (20A, 20C) is for example equipped with two motion detection devices. The central bumper 10B (20B) can be equipped with a single detection device. However, other configurations of the detection means could be considered. In any event, each bumper is equipped with at least one device for detecting movement of said bumper.

In the first exemplary embodiment as shown in the figures 1 and 2 , a normal to the ground support plane P1 passing through a zone of separation between two neighboring bumpers of the first stage (for example between the two bumpers 10A and 10B or between the two bumpers 10B and 10C) passes also in a zone of separation between two neighboring bumpers of the second stage (respectively between the two bumpers 20A and 20B or 20B and 20C). Alternatively, in order to improve obstacle detection and avoid the presence of a dead non-detection zone in the design of the cleaning robot 100, the respective bumpers of the two stages can be arranged so that 'a normal to the ground bearing plane P1 which passes through a zone of separation between two neighboring bumpers of one stage passes through a bumper of the other stage. Thus, in a variant of the first embodiment of the figure 1 , the central bumper of one of the floors is angularly wider than the central bumper of the other floor. In another variant, the central bumper of one of the stages is angularly offset with respect to the central bumper of the other stage.

The two stages of bumper 10A-10C and 20A-20C form between them a housing for receiving a presence detection device 40 intended to detect the presence of an obstacle near the robot, without contact. The presence detection device 40 is thus interposed between the two stages of bumpers 10A-10C and 20A-20C. For example, it has the overall shape of a strip in the form of a cylinder portion with a central axis AX. Its function is to detect the presence of an obstacle near the cleaning robot 100 without the latter coming into contact with the obstacle. It comprises one or more proximity sensors or presence detectors, for example infra-red sensors.

In the first exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in figure 1 , an envelope surface perpendicular to the ground bearing plane P1 and tangent to the outer surface of the bumper (s) of one of the floors is also tangent to the outer surface of the bumper (s) of the other tier. The bumpers of the two floors are thus aligned vertically.

Thanks to the double stage of the bumper and the double set of motion sensors fitted to these bumpers, distributed at the top and bottom of the robot, the invention offers a simple technical solution to improve obstacle detection which is particularly suitable for high robots, typically greater than 5 cm.

By definition, it is considered that two bumpers belonging respectively to the two floors and crossed by the same normal to the bearing plane on the ground form a pair of associated bumpers. For example, on the figure 1 , the robot includes three pairs of associated bumpers: 10A and 20A, 10B and 20B, 10C and 20C. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the device for detecting a bumper of one of the two floors is connected in parallel with the device for detecting the bumper associated with the other floor to the unit. or to the electronic control circuit. Thus, whatever the altitude of the obstacle struck during a collision with the cleaning robot 100, the latter detects contact on the same vertical portion of its circumference, without making a distinction between the top and the bottom of the robot 100. The robot 100 can then change trajectory so as to bypass the obstacle, on command from the control unit. The connections are thus easy to make, without degrading the navigation precision in the event of a collision with an obstacle.

On the figure 5 , there is shown an alternative embodiment of the central bumper of a stage (here the bumper 10B) comprising two oblique side flanks 12B, 13B, oriented towards the two neighboring side bumpers 10A, 10C respectively, connecting a inner face and an outer face of the central bumper 10B. The outer face of the central bumper 10B is widened relative to its inner face. The geometry of the central bumper 10B is thus improved so as to reduce or even eliminate a dead zone non-detection device located at the gap between two neighboring bumpers 10A-10B and 10B-10C.

In the first exemplary embodiment described with reference to figures 1-4 , the two stages each include three bumpers 10A-10C and 20A-20C. Other configurations are obviously possible. For example, the number of bumpers of a stage may be equal to 2 or be greater than 3. In the case of a stage with two bumpers, these are for example two side bumpers arranged at on either side of the median plane P2 of the robot 100. The two stages can also comprise different respective numbers of bumpers, for example two bumpers at the bottom and three bumpers at the top.

According to a second exemplary embodiment, one of the floors has a single bumper and the other floor has several bumpers, for example two bumpers. In this case, the floor with several bumpers is preferably located between the ground bearing plane P1 and the floor with a single bumper. In other words, the upper floor has a single bumper and the lower floor has several bumpers, for example two bumpers. In the case where the robot has a first stage with only one bumper and a second stage with two bumpers, a normal to the ground bearing plane P1 and passing through a separation zone between the two bumpers of the second floor passes through the first floor bumper. Thanks to this, the single bumper of the first stage makes it possible to cover the detection of a dead non-detection zone located at the separation between the two neighboring bumpers of the second stage.

In the first exemplary embodiment of the invention ( figure 1 ), the bumpers of the two floors are aligned vertically, as previously explained. According to an alternative embodiment, the outer surface of the bumper (s) of a first of the two floors is set back relative to an envelope surface perpendicular to the plane P1 of bearing on the ground and tangent to the outer surface of the (s). bumper of the second stage, towards the interior of the robot. Preferably, said second stage is located between the plane P1 of ground support and said first floor. In other words, the top stage of the bumper is set back from the bottom stage of the bumper. The shrinkage can be a slight shift of the order of a centimeter, or even a few centimeters. It makes it possible not to increase the contact force caused by an obstacle hitting the robot over its entire height (for example a wall), which would risk reducing the detection sensitivity over time.

The cleaning robot 100 could have more than two floors so as to cover the entire height of the robot in the event that the latter has a very high height.

It will be understood that various modifications and / or improvements obvious to those skilled in the art can be made to the various embodiments of the invention described in the present description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (12)

1. Floor cleaning robot, comprising:

   - a chassis (30),

   - at least two bumpers (10A-10C, 20A-20C) movable with respect to the chassis (30),

   - means for detecting a movement of each of the bumpers (10A-10C, 20A-20C) with respect to the chassis (30),
   the two bumpers (10A-10C, 20A-20C) being arranged on at least two stages respectively arranged at different heights with respect to a plane bearing the floor (P1) of the robot (100),
   characterised in that

   - at least one of the stages comprises several bumpers (10A-10C; 20A-20C), and

   - a normal to the plane bearing the floor (P1) which passes through a separation zone between two bumpers in the vicinity of a stage passes through a bumper of the other stage.
2. Cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the two stages comprises several bumpers (10A-10C, 20A-20C).
3. Cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterised in that one of the stages comprises several bumpers and the other stage comprises one single bumper.
4. Cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stage(s) with several bumpers comprise two side bumpers (10A, 10C; 20A, 20C) with respect to a direction of advancement of the robot.
5. Cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein the stage(s) with several bumpers comprise a central bumper (10B; 20B) inserted between the two side bumpers (10A, 10C; 20A, 20C).
6. Cleaning robot according to the preceding claim, wherein the central bumper (10B) has two oblique side flanks, oriented towards the two side bumpers (10A, 10C) respectively, connecting a lower face and an upper face of the central bumper (10B), said outer face being enlarged with respect to said lower face.
7. Cleaning robot according to claim 3, wherein the stage with several bumpers is situated between the plane bearing the floor (P1) and the stage with one single bumper.
8. Cleaning robot according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bumper(s) of a first of the two stages is arranged removed with respect to the bumper(s) of the second stage, inside an outer casing of the bumper(s) of the second stage.
9. Cleaning robot according to the preceding claim, characterised in that said second stage is situated between the plane bearing the floor (P1) and said first stage.
10. Cleaning robot according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a device for detecting presence remotely (40) is inserted between the two stages (10A-10C, 20A-20C).
11. Cleaning robot according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each bumper is equipped with at least one detection device for detecting a movement of said bumper with respect to the chassis.
12. Cleaning robot according to the preceding claim, wherein two bumpers respectively situated on the two stages and passed through by one same normal to the plane bearing the floor (P1) form a pair of associated bumpers, and the device for detecting a bumper of one of the two stages is connected in parallel from the device for detecting the bumper associated with the stage to a central control unit.

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