WO2023109222A1

WO2023109222A1 - Cleaning robot and inside corner cleaning method

Info

Publication number: WO2023109222A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/119300
Authority: WO
Inventors: 葛敏; 邹丹
Original assignee: 广东博智林机器人有限公司
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2022-09-16
Publication date: 2023-06-22
Also published as: CN116262021A

Abstract

A cleaning robot (1000) and an inside corner cleaning method. The cleaning robot (1000) comprises: a chassis (10); a main brush (20) mounted in the middle of the chassis (10); two side brushes (30) mounted at left and right sides of the front of the chassis (10), respectively, and configured to sweep garbage (100) into an advancing path of the main brush (20) for the main brush (20) to clean; a rear flange (40), disposed at the rear side of the main brush (20) to prevent dust from being raised during cleaning by the main brush (20); and a lifting mechanism (50), mounted on the chassis (10) and configured to drive the rear flange (40) to raise and lower, so that the rear flange (40) can switch between a raised position and a lowered position.

Description

Cleaning robot and method for cleaning inner corners

This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application with application number 202111538500.7 filed with the China Patent Office on December 15, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of construction robots, for example, to a cleaning robot and a method for cleaning an inner corner.

Background technique

When the cleaning robot performs indoor automatic cleaning operations, the cleaning of the inner corner of the room has always been a pain point in the industry. This is because the main brush with the cleaning function is located in the middle of the equipment, and the main brush cannot always reach the inner corner no matter which path is used for cleaning. Therefore, after the robot completes the automatic cleaning operation, there will always be garbage in the corners. These areas that cannot be covered are generally cleaned manually. Since the automatic cleaning operation of the robot cannot achieve 100% coverage, it cannot realize unmanned in the true sense, which will inevitably lead to an increase in cost and lower the economic benefits of robot construction.

Contents of the invention

The present application provides a cleaning robot, which can improve the problem that the cleaning robot in the related art cannot clean the garbage in the corner.

The present application also provides a cleaning method for inside corners, which adopts the above-mentioned cleaning robot, which can remove garbage in inside corners.

Embodiments of the present application provide a cleaning robot, including:

chassis;

The main brush is installed in the middle of the chassis;

Two side brushes are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the front of the chassis, and the two side brushes are configured to sweep garbage onto the advancing path of the main brush for cleaning by the main brush;

The rear side is arranged on the rear side of the main brush, and the rear side is set to prevent the main brush from raising dust during cleaning; and

The lifting mechanism is installed on the chassis, and the lifting mechanism is configured to drive the rear wall up and down, so that the rear wall can be switched between a raised position and a lowered position.

An embodiment of the present application provides a method for cleaning an inner corner, which is applied to the cleaning robot described in any one of the above, including:

With the attitude that the front and back direction of the cleaning robot is parallel to the first wall of the inner corner, the side brush of the cleaning robot sweeps the garbage in the inner corner away from the first wall for a first preset distance;

Control the rear wall of the cleaning robot to rise, and then control the cleaning robot to turn to 90 degrees;

controlling the cleaning robot to move to the inner corner along the second wall of the inner corner;

Control the lowering of the rear wall, and then control the cleaning robot to start the cleaning mode and advance along the second wall to complete the cleaning of the garbage in the inner corner.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the bottom view of cleaning robot;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cleaning robot;

Fig. 3 is the synoptic diagram that elevating mechanism cooperates with chassis, rear wall;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram when the electric push rod is replaced with a steering gear;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram after the mounting part is hinged to the chassis;

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of a method for cleaning the inner corner;

Fig. 7 is the flowchart of another kind of internal angle cleaning method;

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the path of the cleaning robot working in the shade;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot turning after completing three cleanings.

Icon: 1000-cleaning robot; 10-chassis; 20-main brush; 30-side brush; 40-rear side; 41-front side; 42-side side; 50-lift mechanism; 51-lift drive; 511-steering gear; 512-wire rope; 52-guide; 53-installation; 54-pressure plate; 55-support; 60-trash can; 70-wheel; 1st wall; 300-2nd wall.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The components of the embodiments of the application generally described and illustrated in the figures herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations.

It should be noted that like numerals and letters denote similar items in the following figures, therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not require further definition and explanation in subsequent figures.

In the description of this application, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation of the product when it is used Or positional relationship is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, but does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for distinguishing descriptions, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms "setting" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or Integral connection; it can be mechanical connection or electrical connection; it can be direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediary, and it can be the internal communication of two components. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application in specific situations.

Example

Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2, the embodiment of the present application provides a cleaning robot 1000, including:

Chassis 10;

The main brush 20 is installed in the middle of the chassis 10;

Two side brushes 30 are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the front of the chassis 10, and the two side brushes 30 are set to sweep the garbage 100 to the advancing path of the main brush 20 for cleaning by the main brush 20;

The rear wall 40 is arranged on the rear side of the main brush 20, and the rear wall 40 is set to prevent the main brush 20 from raising dust when cleaning; and

The lifting mechanism 50 is installed on the chassis 10, and the lifting mechanism 50 is configured to drive the rear edge 40 up and down, so that the rear edge 40 can switch between the raised position and the lowered position.

Wherein, the structure of the chassis 10 , the main brush 20 and the side brush 30 can refer to the structure and function of the chassis 10 , the main brush 20 and the side brush 30 used in the cleaning robot in the related art. In addition to these structures, front ribs 41 and side ribs 42 can also be set on the chassis 10, and together with the rear ribs 40, they can surround the main brush 20, so that the main brush 20 can cooperate with the fan to remove and suck the garbage 100 to the garbage. Box 60. In addition, the cleaning robot 1000 can also be equipped with a dust vibration function as in the related art. During the cleaning operation, the dust vibration is turned off; when the cleaning function is turned off, the dust vibration is turned on. Driven by the wheels 70 , the chassis 10 can move forward and backward, and can turn by means of the universal wheels 71 .

To put it simply, when the chassis 10 moves forward, the side brush 30 cooperates with the main brush 20 to sweep away the garbage 100. Before the chassis 10 moves backward, the lifting mechanism 50 can raise the rear wall 40, so that the chassis 10 can move backward without moving. Drive the garbage 100 to move, so that it can retreat to the rear of the garbage 100, then lower the rear wall 40, and continue to sweep the garbage 100 through the advancement of the chassis 10, providing a structural basis for cleaning the garbage 100 in the inner corner, and the entire cleaning robot 1000 automates cleaning operations The effect is good.

3, the lifting mechanism 50 includes a lifting drive 51, a guide 52 and a mounting 53, the guide 52 is fixed on the chassis 10, the mounting 53 is slidably arranged on the guide 52, the output end of the lifting drive 51 is connected to the The mounting part 53 is connected, and the rear rib 40 is fixed to the mounting part 53 . The lifting mechanism 50 also includes a pressing plate 54 , which is fixed to the mounting part 53 , and the rear rib 40 is clamped and fixed by the pressing plate 54 and the mounting part 53 . The lifting mechanism 50 also includes a supporting member 55 , the supporting member 55 is fixed on the chassis 10 , and the lifting driving member 51 is connected to the supporting member 55 .

The guide piece 52 can ensure the stability of the moving direction of the mounting piece 53 , so that the rear edge 40 can be lifted up and down through the lifting driving piece 51 . The pressing plate 54 can clamp the rear wall 40 on the mounting part 53 to ensure the stability of the rear wall 40 . The support member 55 can provide a connection basis for the lifting drive member 51 to ensure a stable connection with the chassis 10 . In this embodiment, a support rod is used as the support member 55 .

Wherein, the guide member 52 adopts a linear guide rail in this embodiment, it can be understood that rollers can also be provided on the mounting member 53 as the guide member 52 , and the rollers roll along the chassis 10 . It is also conceivable to replace the linear guide rail with a slide rail, and then the mounting part 53 can slide up and down in the slide rail to realize guidance.

In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 50 further includes a position sensor, which is configured to detect whether the rear edge 40 is in the lowered position or in the raised position. This embodiment uses a magnetic sensor, and uses an electric push rod as the lifting drive 51, and the up and down position of the output end of the electric push rod is fed back through the magnetic sensor, so that it can reflect whether the rear wall 40 is rising or falling. state. Through the position sensor, the position information of the rear edge 40 can be determined conveniently, so as to determine whether to lift or not. Certainly, some other mechanisms capable of driving the lifting can also be used as the lifting mechanism 50 .

For example, please refer to Figure 4, the above-mentioned electric push rod can be replaced by a steering gear 511 or a small motor, and connected to the mounting part 53 through a wire rope 512 or a chain, and the rear gear can also be driven by the winding of the steering gear 511 or a small motor. Side 40 moves up and down.

For example, please refer to Fig. 5, the guide piece 52 can also be canceled, and the mounting piece 53 can be rotatably connected to the chassis 10 (the position of the rotating connection can refer to the rotating connection point H in Fig. 5), and then the electric push rod can drive the rear The sidewall 40 is turned over to realize approaching or moving away relative to the ground, and can also play a role of avoiding the garbage 100 . Wherein, the part used for the hinged connection between the mounting part 53 and the chassis 10 can also be regarded as the guide part 52. For example, when a bearing is used, the bearing essentially plays the role of guiding the rotation of the mounting part 53. Therefore, the bearing can also be regarded as a guide piece 52.

Please combine Figure 6 to Figure 9. The embodiment of the present application provides a method for cleaning the inner corner, which is applied to the above-mentioned cleaning robot 1000, and the method includes:

S10: With the posture of the front and back direction of the cleaning robot 1000 parallel to the first wall edge 200 of the inner corner, use the side brush 30 of the cleaning robot 1000 to sweep the inner corner garbage 100 away from the first wall edge 200 out of the first preset distance.

S20: Control the rear wall 40 of the cleaning robot 1000 to rise, and then control the cleaning robot 1000 to turn 90 degrees.

S30: Control the cleaning robot 1000 to move along the second wall 300 of the inner corner to the inner corner.

S40: Control the rear wall 40 to lower, and then control the cleaning robot 1000 to start the cleaning mode and advance along the second wall 300 to complete the cleaning of the garbage 100 at the inner corner.

Through this method, the cleaning robot 1000 can remove the garbage 100 in the inner corners, and improve the coverage of the automatic cleaning operation.

With the attitude that the front and rear directions of the cleaning robot 1000 are parallel to the first wall edge 200 of the inner corner, the side brush 30 of the cleaning robot 1000 sweeps the inner corner garbage 100 away from the first wall edge 200 for a first preset distance, include:

S11: Control the cleaning robot 1000 to start the cleaning mode and advance to the corner along the first wall 200. When the cleaning robot 1000 advances to the corner, sweep the garbage 100 in the corner to two sides through the side brush 30 near the corner. The position between the side brushes 30.

S12: Turn off the cleaning mode, and control the cleaning robot 1000 to retreat along the first wall 200 for a second preset distance.

S13: Control the cleaning robot 1000 to move laterally for a third preset distance in a direction away from the first wall 200 .

S14: Repeat the above steps until the distance between the garbage 100 in the inner corner and the inner corner reaches the first preset distance.

By repeating for many times, the garbage 100 in the inner corner can be swept away from the inner corner and reach the position where it can be removed. Among them, when the cleaning mode is turned on, the side brush 30 is lowered, the side brush 30 is turned on, the main brush 20 is lowered, and the main brush 20 is turned on; closure. By opening and closing the cleaning mode, the garbage 100 can be cleaned when needed, and the side brush 30 and the main brush 20 can be avoided from being damaged when cleaning is not needed.

Taking the rear end of the chassis 10 as the first reference point, taking the front end of the main brush 20 as the second reference point, the distance between the first reference point and the second reference point is L, and the first preset distance is M, satisfying M ≥L. By designing the first preset distance, it can be ensured that the main brush 20 can remove the rubbish 100 swept out from inside corners. The third preset distance is N, and the center distance between the two side brushes 30 is P, which satisfies N≦P/2. By designing the third preset distance, it can be ensured that the corner garbage 100 can be swept farther away from the first wall 200 each time.

In addition, the second preset distance may be the travel distance from the initial position of the cleaning robot 1000 in FIG. 8 to when it approaches the second wall 300. That is, after the cleaning robot 1000 reaches the inner corner forward from the starting position, when the side brush 30 finishes sweeping the garbage 100 out of the inner corner, the cleaning robot 1000 directly returns to the original position, then moves upward for a third preset distance, and then Carry out the next forward sweep and continue to sweep away the inner corner garbage 100 that was swept out last time. Through multiple operations, the inner corner garbage 100 can be swept to a distance from the first wall 200 that reaches the first preset distance. Location.

For example, referring to FIG. 8 , when the cleaning robot 1000 moves forward along the first wall edge 200 to the inner corner, the lower side brush 30 sweeps the inner corner garbage 100 to the position between the two side brushes 30 , About 200mm can be swept out, and then the cleaning mode is turned off, the chassis 10 moves back to the initial position, and moves up 200mm, then the cleaning mode is turned on, and the second wall 300 is advanced again, and the above process is repeated. Until the inner corner garbage 100 is swept up and the distance away from the first wall 200 reaches 600mm. At this time, the lifting mechanism 50 lifts the rear wall 40, and then the chassis 10 turns. The chassis 10 of this embodiment adopts a double differential wheel structure, and the minimum turning radius is 800 mm, so it will pass the garbage 100 when turning. After the turn is completed as shown in Figure 9, the chassis 10 retreats until it abuts against the inner corner. Since the rear wall 40 is raised, the rubbish 100 swept out of the inner corner can not be pushed back to the inner corner in the process of retreating. After completing the retreat, the lifting mechanism 50 lowers the rear wall 40, and then the chassis 10 advances again, and the rubbish 100 is cleaned up by the main brush 20.

In the example of this embodiment, the action of using the side brush 30 to gradually sweep the corner garbage 100 away from the first wall 200 is repeated three times. For the chassis 10, main brush 20 and side brush 30 used in this embodiment, Such repetitions can achieve optimal cleaning efficiency. Of course, this is also the case of limited indoor working space, so that the number of repetitions is limited, but the method of this embodiment can obtain optimal cleaning efficiency. When the space is large enough, it is also possible to repeat several times to sweep the inner corner garbage 100 far enough, so that the garbage 100 can be cleaned up by turning directly, but the efficiency may be lower. Therefore, according to the operating range of the side brush 30, it is possible to determine how far the garbage 100 can be swept out from the inner corner during a single operation, and then according to the distance between the front end of the main brush 20 and the rear end of the chassis 10, it is determined that at least the garbage 100 needs to be removed from the inner corner. How much distance can be swept out by 100 to make the cleaning robot 1000 retreat, and the rubbish 100 swept out is in front of the main brush 20, so that the main brush 20 can clean up the rubbish 100. When the minimum turning radius of chassis 10 is smaller, it is also possible to consider not retreating to the inner corner position, as long as after turning, the distance that chassis 10 retreats is enough to make the inner corner rubbish 100 swept out can be in front of main brush 20 and get final product.

In addition, the map of the workspace can be imported from outside the Building Information Modeling (Building Information Modeling, BIM) to the control system of the cleaning robot 1000, or it can be scanned on-site by 3D lidar to form a work map. After the map is available, route planning can be carried out. After the planning is completed, the operator can check the map to confirm the position of the cleaning robot 1000 on the map, and then let the cleaning robot 1000 perform automatic operations. In addition to working in indoor rooms, it can also perform fully automatic cleaning in other places with shaded corners, such as underground garages and outdoors.

To sum up, the cleaning robot 1000 of the present application uses the internal corner cleaning method, combined with the lifting mechanism 50 to control the lifting of the rear edge 40, and the cooperation of the side brush 30 and the main brush 20, under the movement of the chassis 10, it can cover In dead corners such as shade corners, garbage cleaning is completed, and 100% coverage of automatic cleaning is basically achieved, which improves the economic benefits of robot construction.

Claims

A cleaning robot, comprising:

chassis;

The main brush is installed in the middle of the chassis;

Two side brushes are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the front of the chassis, and the two side brushes are configured to sweep garbage onto the advancing path of the main brush for cleaning by the main brush;

The rear side is arranged on the rear side of the main brush, and the rear side is set to prevent the main brush from raising dust during cleaning; and

The lifting mechanism is installed on the chassis, and the lifting mechanism is configured to drive the rear wall up and down, so that the rear wall can be switched between a raised position and a lowered position.
The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a lifting drive member, a guide member and a mounting member, the guide member is fixed on the chassis, and the mounting member is slidably arranged on the guide member , the output end of the lifting drive part is connected to the mounting part, and the rear wall is fixed to the mounting part.
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the lifting mechanism further includes a pressure plate, the pressure plate is fixed to the mounting part, and the rear wall is clamped and fixed by the pressure plate and the mounting part.
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the lifting mechanism further includes a support, the support is fixed to the chassis, and the lifting drive is connected to the support.
The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism further comprises a position sensor, and the position sensor is configured to detect whether the rear wall is in a lowered position or in a raised position.
A cleaning method for inner corners, applied to the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1-5, comprising:

With the attitude that the front and back direction of the cleaning robot is parallel to the first wall of the inner corner, the side brush of the cleaning robot sweeps the garbage in the inner corner away from the first wall for a first preset distance;

Control the rear wall of the cleaning robot to rise, and then control the cleaning robot to turn to 90 degrees;

controlling the cleaning robot to move to the inner corner along the second wall of the inner corner;

Control the lowering of the rear wall, and then control the cleaning robot to start the cleaning mode and advance along the second wall to complete the cleaning of the garbage in the inner corner.
The method for cleaning an inside corner according to claim 6, wherein, with the attitude that the front and back directions of the cleaning robot are parallel to the first wall of the inside corner, the side brushes of the cleaning robot move the inside corner garbage away from Sweeping out a first preset distance in the direction of the first wall, including:

Control the cleaning robot to turn on the cleaning mode and advance to the inner corner along the first wall, when the cleaning robot advances to the inner corner, pass the side brush close to the inner corner Sweep the garbage at the inner corner to a position between the two side brushes;

Turn off the cleaning mode, and control the cleaning robot to retreat a second preset distance along the first wall;

controlling the cleaning robot to traverse a third preset distance in a direction away from the first wall;

The above steps are repeated until the distance between the garbage in the inner corner and the inner corner reaches the first preset distance.
According to the cleaning method of the inside corner according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, the rear end of the chassis is used as the first reference point, and the front end of the main brush is used as the second reference point, the first reference point and the The distance between the second reference points is L, the first preset distance is M, and M≧L is satisfied.
The method for cleaning a recessed corner according to claim 7, wherein the third preset distance is N, and the center-to-center distance between two side brushes is P, satisfying N≦P/2.
The method for cleaning a corner according to claim 6, wherein, when the cleaning mode is turned on, the side brush is lowered, the side brush is turned on, the main brush is lowered, and the main brush is turned on;

When the cleaning mode is turned off, the side brushes are raised, the side brushes are turned off, the main brushes are raised, and the main brushes are turned off.