EP-4740822-A1 - CLEANING ROBOT

EP4740822A1EP 4740822 A1EP4740822 A1EP 4740822A1EP-4740822-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot comprises a body and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly comprises a driving unit, a cleaning component and a lifting-lowering unit. The lifting-lowering unit comprises a first transmission component and a second transmission component. The first transmission component is fixedly connected to an output shaft of the driving unit, to be controlled by the output shaft to rotate. The second transmission component is configured to be fixedly connected to the cleaning component, rotatably connected to the driving unit via a limiting shaft sleeve, and axially guided and fitted in the limiting shaft sleeve. One of the first transmission component and the second transmission component is provided with a fitting part, and the other is provided with an extending track. The extending track comprises an inclined section extending obliquely in a height direction along a lateral wall of the first transmission component or the second transmission component. The first transmission component is configured to, during rotation, make the fitting part move along the extending track to drive the second transmission component to move in the height direction between a cleaning position and an avoidance position.

Inventors

XUAN, Xiaogang
CHEN, CHAO
Zhao, Haibin
SHI, YINGHAO
LIU, YUXUAN

Assignees

Ecovacs Robotics Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240621

Claims (20)

A cleaning robot, comprising a body (30) and a cleaning assembly (10), the cleaning assembly (10) comprising a driving unit (13), a cleaning component (11), and a lifting-lowering unit (14), the lifting-lowering unit (14) comprising: a first transmission component (141), the first transmission component (141) being fixedly connected to an output shaft (1331) of the driving unit (13), to be controlled by the output shaft (1331) to rotate; and a second transmission component (142), the second transmission component (142) being configured to be fixedly connected to the cleaning component (11), rotatably connected to the driving unit (13) via a limiting shaft sleeve (151), and the second transmission component (142) being configured to be axially guided and fitted in the limiting shaft sleeve (151); wherein one of the first transmission component (141) and the second transmission component (142) is provided with a fitting part (144), and the other is provided with an extending track (143); the extending track (143) comprises an inclined section (1431) extending obliquely in a height direction along a lateral wall of the first transmission component (141) or the second transmission component (142); and the first transmission component (141) is configured to, during rotation, make the fitting part (144) move along the extending track (143) to drive the second transmission component (142) to move in the height direction between a cleaning position and an avoidance position.
The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the extending track (143) has a lower stop point (1433) and an upper stop point (1434); in a process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in a first direction, the fitting part (144) is configured to move along the extending track (143) to the lower stop point (1433), and the second transmission component (142) is configured to drive the cleaning component (11) to move to the avoidance position; in a process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in a second direction, the fitting part (144) is configured to move along the extending track (143) to the upper stop point (1434), and the second transmission component (142) is configured to drive the cleaning component (11) to move to the cleaning position; and in the cleaning position, the first transmission component (141) is configured to drive the second transmission component (142) and the cleaning component (11) to rotate synchronously in the second direction, to clean a working surface via the cleaning component (11).
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the extending track (143) is a guide slot formed on a fitting surface of the first transmission component (141) or the second transmission component (142), and the fitting part (144) is configured to move along the guide slot between the lower stop point (1433) and the upper stop point (1434) of the guide slot.
The cleaning robot according to claim 3, wherein the guide slot perforates a lateral side of the first transmission component (141) or a lateral side of the second transmission component (142).
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the extending track (143) is a guide rail protruding from a fitting surface of the first transmission component (141) or the second transmission component (142), a blocking wall (1435) is arranged at both an end of the lower stop point (1433) and an end of the upper stop point (1434) of the guide rail, and the blocking walls (1435) are configured to prevent the fitting part (144) from moving further.
The cleaning robot according to claim 5, wherein the guide rail further comprises horizontal sections (1432) arranged at the lower stop point (1433) and the upper stop point (1434), and the horizontal sections (1432) are configured to support the second transmission component (142) in an axial direction when the fitting part (144) is located at the horizontal sections (1432).
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the fitting part (144) is a protrusion or a cam, the protrusion is configured to slide along the extending track (143), and the cam is configured to roll along the extending track (143).
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the lifting-lowering unit (14) further comprises a compression spring (17) arranged between the second transmission component (142) and the driving unit (13); in the process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in the first direction, the second transmission component (142) is configured to overcome at least an elastic force of the compression spring (17) to drive the cleaning component (11) to move to the avoidance position; and in the process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in the second direction, the fitting part (144) is configured to move along the extending track (143) to the upper stop point (1434), and the second transmission component (142) is configured to drive the cleaning component (11), at least under the elastic force of the compression spring (17), to move to the cleaning position.
The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning robot is configured to be located above the working surface; in the process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in the first direction, the second transmission component (142) is configured to overcome the elastic force of the compression spring (17) and a gravity of the second transmission component (142) and a gravity of the cleaning component (11) to drive the cleaning component (11) to move to the avoidance position; and in the process of the first transmission component (141) rotating in the second direction, the fitting part (144) is configured to move along the extending track (143) to the upper stop point (1434), and the second transmission component (142) is configured to drive the cleaning component (11), under the elastic force of the compression spring (17) and the gravity of the second transmission component (142) and the gravity of the cleaning component (11), to move to the cleaning position.
The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the limiting shaft sleeve (151) is configured to be sleeved on an outer side of the second transmission component (142), and is rotatably connected to the driving unit (13) via a limiting bearing (152), and the limiting bearing (152) is configured to provide rotational resistance in the first direction and the second direction for the second transmission component (142).
The cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein the limiting bearing (152) is configured to allow the second transmission component (142) to rotate only in the second direction.
The cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein one of an outer surface of the second transmission component (142) and an inner surface of the limiting shaft sleeve (151) is provided with a limiting rib (161) extending axially, the other is provided with a limiting groove (162) corresponding to the limiting rib (161) in position, and the limiting rib (161) is configured to be guided and fitted in the limiting groove (162).
The cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein the limiting shaft sleeve (151) is configured to, once the second transmission component (142) drives the cleaning component (11) to move to the avoidance position, overcome the gravity of the second transmission component (142) and the gravity of the cleaning component (11) via the rotational resistance, so that the second transmission component (142) and the cleaning component (11) are kept in the avoidance position.
The cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein the driving unit (13) comprises a cleaning motor (132), a reduction gearbox (133), and a housing (131); the cleaning motor (132) and the reduction gearbox (133) are arranged in the housing (131); a rotating shaft of the cleaning motor (132) is fixedly connected to an input shaft of the reduction gearbox (133); the first transmission component (141) is fixedly connected to the input shaft of the reduction gearbox (133); a mounting chamber (134) is arranged below the housing (131); the first transmission component (141) is configured to be arranged in the mounting chamber (134); and an outer ring of the limiting bearing (152) is fixedly arranged on an inner wall of the mounting chamber (134).
The cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1-14, further comprising a locomotion assembly and a control unit, wherein the locomotion assembly is configured to drive the cleaning robot to move on the working surface, and the control unit is configured to, when the cleaning robot moves to an area to be avoided, control the lifting-lowering unit (14) to drive the cleaning component (11) to move to the avoidance position.
The cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1-14, wherein the cleaning assembly (10) is pivotally connected as a whole to the body (30), and comprises a cleaning mechanism (1) and a movement mechanism (2); the cleaning mechanism (1) comprises the cleaning component (11); the movement mechanism (2) is configured to drive the cleaning assembly (10) to move between a first position and a second position; when in the first position, an edge of the cleaning component (11) is within a range of an edge of the body (30); when in the second position, at least a part of the edge of the cleaning component (11) extends beyond the edge of a locomotion range of the body (30); and the cleaning robot further comprises a reset elastic component (20); the reset elastic component (20) is arranged between the body (30) and the cleaning assembly (10); and the cleaning assembly (10) is configured to move relative to the body (30) under an action of an external force, and to reset under an action of the reset elastic component (20) once the external force disappears.
The cleaning robot according to claim 16, wherein when the cleaning component (11) is in the second position, the cleaning component (11) is configured to, under the action of the external force, overcome the force of the reset elastic component (20) and move towards an inside of the body (30), and to reset once the external force disappears.
The cleaning robot according to claim 17, wherein the movement mechanism (2) comprises a rotating shaft (21) and a rotating motor (22), the rotating shaft (21) is rotatably connected to the body (30), the cleaning assembly (10) is fixed to the rotating shaft (21), and the rotating motor (22) is configured to drive the rotating shaft (21) to rotate to drive the cleaning assembly (10) to move on an arc between the first position and the second position relative to the body (30).
The cleaning robot according to claim 18, wherein an output shaft (1331) of the rotating motor (22) is parallel to the rotating shaft (21), a driving wheel (23) is arranged at a top end of the output shaft (1331), a driven wheel (24) is arranged at a top end of the rotating shaft (21), and the driving wheel (23) is in transmission connection with the driven wheel (24).
The cleaning robot according to claim 18, wherein the movement mechanism (2) further comprises a pivot bracket (25), the pivot bracket (25) is pivotally connected to the body (30), the rotating motor (22) is fixedly arranged on the pivot bracket (25), and the rotating shaft (21) is rotatably connected to the pivot bracket (25).

Description

The present application claims priority of Chinese patent application No. 202311188714.5, filed on September 14, 2023 and entitled "CLEANING ROBOT", and Chinese patent application No. 202311188736.1, filed on September 14, 2023 and entitled "CLEANING ROBOT AND CLEANING ASSEMBLY", which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the field of cleaning machinery, and more specifically relates to a cleaning robot. BACKGROUND With continuous improvement of modern living standards, people's demands for quality of life are also increasing, and automated and intelligent devices are increasingly widely used in daily life. Especially in recent years, intelligent devices, such as intelligent sweeping robots or intelligent window cleaning robots, have emerged continuously. Intelligent robots can perform a large amount of cleaning work in a short period of time, saving people a lot of time; moreover, intelligent devices can free people from tedious household chores, and thus become increasingly popular. However, when carpets are present in a home environment, an existing cleaning robot is unable to clean the carpets, and dirt on a cleaning component that comes into contact with the carpets can actually contaminate the carpets. Therefore, when the cleaning robot is working on a carpet or other working surfaces, it is necessary to prevent the cleaning component from wetting the carpet. Therefore, currently, most cleaning robots on the market use a lifting-lowering mechanism to lift the cleaning component before cleaning, in order to avoid secondary contamination of carpets and other working surfaces caused by dirty mop when the cleaning robots return to a base station. However, the design of the lifting-lowering mechanism of the current cleaning robots on the market is unreasonable, resulting in low integration level of the lifting-lowering mechanism and occupation of too much internal space of the cleaning robots. At present, in order to enlarge the coverage of cleaning and achieve complete cleaning, some cleaning robots on the market can move the cleaning component laterally relative to a body during the working process, thereby cleaning edges such as the side of walls and corners. However, when the cleaning component moves laterally relative to the body and an obstacle appears in front of the cleaning component, the cleaning component may collide with the obstacle, easily causing structural damage. SUMMARY To solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a cleaning robot. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning robot is provided, comprising a body and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly comprises a driving unit, a cleaning component, and a lifting-lowering unit. The lifting-lowering unit comprises: a first transmission component, the first transmission component being fixedly connected to an output shaft of the driving unit, to be controlled by the output shaft to rotate; anda second transmission component, the second transmission component being configured to be fixedly connected to the cleaning component, rotatably connected to the driving unit via a limiting shaft sleeve, and axially guided and fitted in the limiting shaft sleeve. One of the first transmission component and the second transmission component is provided with a fitting part, and the other is provided with an extending track. The extending track comprises an inclined section extending obliquely in a height direction along a lateral wall of the first transmission component or the second transmission component. The first transmission component is configured to, during rotation, make the fitting part move along the extending track to drive the second transmission component to move in the height direction between a cleaning position and an avoidance position. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the extending track has a lower stop point and an upper stop point. In the process of the first transmission component rotating in a first direction, the fitting part is configured to move along the extending track to the lower stop point, and the second transmission component is configured to drive the cleaning component to move to the avoidance position. In the process of the first transmission component rotating in a second direction, the fitting part is configured to move along the extending track to the upper stop point, and the second transmission component is configured to drive the cleaning component to move to the cleaning position. In the cleaning position, the first transmission component is configured to drive the second transmission component and the cleaning component to rotate synchronously in the second direction, to clean the working surface via the cleaning component. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the extending track is a guide slot formed on a fitting surface of the first transmission component or