US20260013697A1
BASE STATION AND CLEANING ROBOT SYSTEM
Publication
Application
Classifications
IPC Classifications
CPC Classifications
Applicants
Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd.
Inventors
Luping YU
Abstract
A base station and a cleaning robot system are provided. The base station includes a base station housing, a mounting bracket, a homing signal transmitter, a clean water tank and a water replenishment connector. The mounting bracket is detachably connected to the base station housing. Both of the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector are connected to the mounting bracket. The homing signal transmitter is configured to transmit a homing signal receivable by a self-moving cleaning device. The clean water tank is mounted on the base station housing. An inlet of the water replenishment connector is connected to the clean water tank, and an outlet of the water replenishment connector is configured for connection with a water filling port of the self-moving cleaning device.
Figures
Description
[0001]The present application is a Continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/127596, filed on Oct. 30, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202320565400.1, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on Mar. 21, 2023 and entitled “BASE STATION AND CLEANING ROBOT SYSTEM”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002]The present application relates to the technical field of smart homes, and in particular to a base station and a cleaning robot system.
BACKGROUND
[0003]With the advancement of technology, a variety of self-moving devices, for example, self-moving cleaning devices, have emerged. Upon receiving a cleaning instruction, such a self-moving cleaning device can automatically execute the cleaning instruction to complete the cleaning work, which not only alleviates manual labor burden but also reduces the labor cost.
[0004]In addition, when the self-moving cleaning device completes a cleaning task or meets other conditions, for example, the self-moving device has swept a specified area or a water level in a water tank of the g device is lower than a set threshold, the self-moving cleaning device will return to a base station for corresponding maintenance operations, such as charging and water replenishment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005]In a first aspect of the present application, an embodiment provides a base station, including: a base station housing, a mounting bracket, a homing signal transmitter, a clean water tank and a water replenishment connector, wherein the mounting bracket is detachably connected to the base station housing; both of the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector are connected to the mounting bracket; the homing signal transmitter is configured to transmit a homing signal receivable by a self-moving cleaning device; the clean water tank is mounted on the base station housing; an inlet of the water replenishment connector is connected to the clean water tank; and an outlet of the water replenishment connector is configured for connection with a water filling port of the self-moving cleaning device.
[0006]In a second aspect of the present application, an embodiment provides a cleaning robot system, including: a self-moving cleaning device and any one base station described in the first aspect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007]The following accompanying drawings of the present application are presented herein as part of embodiments of the present application for facilitating understanding of the present application. The embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are shown in the accompanying drawings to explain the principles of the present application.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020]In the following descriptions, a large number of specific details are provided to understand the technical solutions provided by the present application more thoroughly. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the technical solutions provided by the present application may be implemented without one or more of these details.
[0021]It should be noted that the terms used herein are only intended to describe specific embodiments rather than to limit embodiments according to the present application. The singular forms used herein are also intended to include the plural forms unless otherwise indicated clearly in the context. Furthermore, it should also be understood that the terms “include” and/or “comprise” used in the Description specify the presence of the discussed features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, assemblies and/or combinations thereof.
[0022]The embodiments according to the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments may be implemented in various different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application thorough and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of these embodiments to those skilled in the art.
[0023]As shown in
[0024]Further, as shown in
[0025]As shown in
[0026]As shown in
[0027]As shown in
[0028]The control module is arranged on a main circuit board inside the machine main body 110 and includes a computing processor, such as a central processing unit and an application processor, in communication with a non-transitory memory, such as a hard disk, a flash memory and a random access memory. The application processor is configured to draw a simultaneous map of an environment where the self-moving cleaning device 100 is located based on obstacle information fed back by the laser distance sensor by use of a positioning algorithm, for example, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM, full name is Simultaneous Localization And Mapping). In addition, by combining the distance information and speed information fed back by the sensors, the cliff sensor, the magnetometer, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the odograph, and other sensing apparatuses arranged on the buffer 122, a comprehensive judgment can be made on a current working status and a current position of the self-moving cleaning device 100, as well as a current posture of the self-moving cleaning device 100, such as crossing a doorsill, moving onto a carpet, being at a cliff, being stuck from above or below, having a full dust box, being picked up, etc. For different cases, specific next action strategies will be given, such that the operation of the self-moving cleaning device 100 is more in line with the requirements of an owner, thereby providing better user experience.
[0029]As shown in
[0030]The energy system includes a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-metal hydride battery and a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery may be connected to a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detecting circuit, and a battery undervoltage monitoring circuit which are then connected to a single chip microcomputer control circuit. A main unit is connected to the base station 200 through a charging electrode arranged on one side or below the machine body for charging.
[0031]The human-machine interaction system 170 includes buttons on a panel of the main unit for a user to select functions, and may further include a display screen and/or an indicator light and/or a horn. The display screen, the display screen or the horn is configured to present a current status or function options of the self-moving cleaning device to the user. The human-machine interaction system may further include a mobile phone client program. For a route navigation type self-moving cleaning device 100, a mobile phone client may show the user a map of the environment where the device is located, as well as a position of the device, thereby providing the user with richer and more user-friendly function items.
[0032]The cleaning system 150 includes a wet cleaning system, i.e., the self-moving cleaning device 100 may be a mopping machine, or the cleaning system 150 includes a wet cleaning system and a dry cleaning system 151, i.e., the self-moving cleaning device 100 may be a sweeping and mopping all-in-one machine.
[0033]As shown in
[0034]Wherein, the wet cleaning system may include a cleaning assembly, a water supply mechanism, a liquid storage tank and the like. Wherein, the cleaning assembly may be arranged below the liquid storage tank, and a cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank is transmitted to the cleaning assembly by the water supply mechanism, such that the cleaning assembly can perform wet cleaning on a plane to be cleaned. In other embodiments of the present application, the cleaning liquid inside the liquid storage tank may also be directly sprayed onto the plane to be cleaned, and the cleaning assembly uniformly spreads the cleaning liquid, thereby cleaning the plane. It can be understood that the self-moving cleaning device 100 is provided with a water filling port communicated with the liquid storage tank, and the liquid storage tank can be replenished with a liquid outside the self-moving cleaning device 100 by the water filling port, so as to achieve a replenishment operation on the liquid storage tank with water.
[0035]Wherein, a cleaning assembly according to an embodiment of the present application includes a movement mechanism and a cleaning element 183 that are arranged on the machine main body 110, i.e., the whole cleaning assembly 180 may be mounted on the machine main body 110 by the movement mechanism, and the cleaning assembly moves with the movement of the machine main body 110 to achieve a mopping function. Wherein, the movement mechanism is configured to drive the cleaning element 183 to act, such as the movement mechanism may be configured to drive the cleaning element 183 to lift and lower, and also the movement mechanism may be configured to drive the cleaning element 183 to rotate. Therefore, according to the demand as to whether the cleaning element 183 is in contact with a surface to be cleaned, lifting, lowering and rotating operations of the cleaning element 183 can be achieved through the movement mechanism to meet different functional requirements of the cleaning element 183. That is, the implementation of differentiated strategies for the cleaning element 183 can be achieved. Therefore, the cleaning performance of the self-cleaning device, the cleaning efficiency and the use experience are improved.
[0036]Wherein, as shown in
[0037]Further, when the self-moving cleaning device 100 is in the process of moving, in some scenarios where mopping is required, for example, wet treatment is performed on the ground, the movement mechanism may be controlled by using the control module to drive the cleaning element 183 to be lowered, such that a lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 183 may interfere with and be in contact with the surface to be cleaned. In addition, the movement mechanism is controlled by using the control module to drive the cleaning element 183 to rotate, such that the cleaning element 183 can interfere with and be in contact with the surface to be cleaned during the movement of the self-moving cleaning device 100 driven by the driving wheel, thereby implementing a mopping operation on the surface to be cleaned.
[0038]Further, when the self-moving cleaning device 100 is in the process of moving, in some scenarios where mopping is unnecessary, such as going to and from the base station 200, or cleaning a carpet, the movement mechanism may be controlled by using the control module to drive the cleaning element 183 to be lifted. It can be understood that the lifting of the cleaning element 183 means that the lowest lower surface of the cleaning element 183 is higher than the lowest lower surface of the driving wheel, such that in such a case, the cleaning element 183 will not be in contact with the surface to be cleaned during movement of the self-moving cleaning device 100 driven by the driving wheel. Therefore, it avoids secondary contamination to the surface to be cleaned caused by the contact between the cleaning element 183 and the surface to be cleaned in the scenario where mopping is unnecessary, which is conducive to improving the cleaning performance of the self-moving cleaning device 100, and enhancing the cleaning efficiency and the use experience.
[0039]Further, the self-moving cleaning device 100 is provided with a homing signal receiver. As shown in
[0040]In the present application, as shown in
[0041]Further, as shown in
[0042]As shown in
[0043]That is, the base station 200 according to the embodiments of the present application can perform water replenishing on the water tank of the self-moving cleaning device 100. It should be noted that in order to implement water replenishing on the self-moving cleaning device 100, the water replenishment connector 2114 on the base station 200 needs to be aligned with and connected to the water filling port on the self-moving cleaning device 100. Therefore, the accuracy of the mounting position of the water replenishment connector 2114 on the base station 200 is equally important. In order to achieve docking between the water replenishment connector 2114 on the base station 200 and the water filling port on the self-moving cleaning device 100, it is first necessary to align the base station 200 with the self-cleaning device. In other words, relative mounting positions of the water replenishment connector 2114 and the homing signal transmitter 251 on the base station 200 should be accurate to ensure that after the self-moving cleaning device 100 is aligned with the base station 200 and accurately docked at the base station 200, the water replenishment port of the self-moving cleaning device 100 is docked with the water replenishment connector 2114 on the base station 200. Therefore, the requirements for the assembly accuracy of the water replenishment connector 2114 and the homing signal transmitter 251 are relatively high in the process of assembling the base station 200.
[0044]Therefore, as shown in
[0045]The mounting bracket 250 and the base station housing 210 may be detachably connected by means of at least one of a snap-fit structure, a mortise-and-tenon structure and a threaded structure.
[0046]As shown in
[0047]Wherein, the homing signal transmitter 251 interacts with the self-moving cleaning device 100 through the operation port 2116, such that the homing signal transmitted by the homing signal transmitter 251 can be reliably received by the self-moving cleaning device 100. In addition, the water replenishment connector 2114 interacts with the self-moving cleaning device 100 through the operation port 2116, for example, the outlet of the water replenishment connector 2114 extends into the accommodating cavity 211 through the operation port 2116, such that the water replenishment connector 2114 extending into the accommodating cavity 211 can be reliably docked with the water filling port of the self-moving cleaning device 100 docked at the accommodating cavity 211 of the base station 200 to ensure the reliability of the water replenishment operation.
[0048]It can be understood that the homing signal transmitter 251 and the water replenishment connector 2114 may interact with the self-moving cleaning device 100 through the same operation port 2116, or the homing signal transmitter 251 and the water replenishment connector 2114 may interact with the self-moving cleaning device 100 through different operation ports 2116. Specifically, as shown in
[0049]As shown in
[0050]As shown in
[0051]Specifically, the first limiting portion 252 may be a limiting protrusion or a limiting recess, or other limiting structures that meet the requirements. As shown in
[0052]As shown in
[0053]Specifically, the shape of the limiting through hole 253 may match that of a part of the water replenishment connector 2114 to ensure that the limiting through hole 253 has an excellent limiting effect on the water replenishment connector 2114.
[0054]As shown in
[0055]Specifically, the second limiting portion 254 may be a limiting protrusion or a limiting groove, and correspondingly, the first positioning portion 2118 may be of a recessed structure or a raised structure. Specifically, as shown in
[0056]As shown in
[0057]Further, there may be a plurality of wire slots 255, and the plurality of wire slots 255 can store different connecting wires and/or connecting pipelines in a classified manner. For example, the plurality of wire slots 255 may be divided into two categories, corresponding to electric wire slots 255, water pipe slots and the like. In this way, when the base station 200 fails to work, the connecting wires and/or connecting pipelines inside the wire slots 255 of different categories may be inspected and repaired in a targeted manner, which is conductive to improving the maintenance efficiency.
[0058]In some possible embodiments of the present application, the base station 200 further includes: a charging docking assembly connected to the mounting bracket 250. At least a part of the charging docking assembly is exposed inside the accommodating cavity 211 and configured to be connected to a charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device 100.
[0059]In other words, the base station 200 according to the embodiments of the present application can implement a charging operation on the self-moving cleaning device 100. It should be noted that in order to achieve docking between the charging docking assembly on the base station 200 and the charging pole piece on the self-moving cleaning device 100, it is first necessary to align the base station 200 with the self-moving cleaning device. In other words, relative mounting positions of the charging docking assembly and the homing signal transmitter 251 on the base station 200 should be accurate to ensure that after the self-moving cleaning device 100 is aligned with the base station 200 and accurately docked at the base station 200, the charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device 100 can be docked with the charging docking assembly on the base station 200. Therefore, the requirements for the assembly accuracy of the charging docking assembly and the homing signal transmitter 251 are relatively high in the process of assembling the base station 200.
[0060]Therefore, in the present application, by connecting the charging docking assembly to the mounting bracket 250, the mounting tolerance between the homing signal transmitter 251 and the charging docking assembly can be reduced, which is conductive to the alignment between the self-moving cleaning device 100 and the base station 200 and the charging operation. In other words, in the base station 200 according to the present application, the homing signal transmitter 251, the charging docking assembly and the water replenishment connector 2114 are all mounted on a frame such that the mounting tolerance between the three is further reduced, thereby facilitating the alignment between the self-moving cleaning device 100 and the base station 200, and enabling accurate execution of the water replenishment operation and the charging operation.
[0061]As shown in
[0062]The initial position of the charging contact pole piece 2113 may be that the other end of the charging contact pole piece 2113 can extend into the accommodating cavity 211, such that the charging contact pole piece 2113 at the initial position can be docked with the charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device 100 docked inside the accommodating cavity 211 of the base station 200 to implement the charging operation of the self-moving cleaning device 100.
[0063]The charging contact pole piece 2113 is rotationally connected to the mounting bracket 250. For example, the third limiting portion 256 on the mounting bracket 250 is a limiting hole, a rotating shaft is mounted inside the limiting hole, and one end of the charging contact pole piece 2113 is connected to the rotating shaft, such that the charging contact pole piece 2113 is rotatable relative to the mounting bracket 250. Under normal conditions, the charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device 100 may continue to move a short distance after being in contact with the charging contact pole piece 2113 initially, so as to ensure a reliable contact between the charging pole piece and the charging contact pole piece 2113 and avoid the occurrence of poor contact. By rotatably connecting the charging contact pole piece 2113 to the mounting bracket 250 and enabling the resetting member for resetting the charging pole piece to the initial position to be connected to the charging contact pole piece 2113 and the mounting bracket 250, when the self-moving cleaning device 100 continues to move a short distance, the charging contact pole piece 2113, after being stressed, can rotate in a direction away from the self-moving cleaning device 100 without being damaged. In addition, under the action of the resetting member, it can be ensured that the charging contact pole piece 2113 is in full contact and reliably docked with the charging pole piece, thereby ensuring the reliability of the charging operation.
[0064]It can be understood that after the self-moving cleaning device 100 leaves the base station 200, the charging contact pole piece 2113 may be reset to the initial position under the action of the resetting member, such that the other end of the charging contact pole piece 2113 extends into the accommodating cavity 211.
[0065]Further, there are two charging docking assemblies. The two charging docking assemblies are distributed on two sides of the water replenishment connector 2114, i.e., the water replenishment connector 2114 is located between the two charging docking assemblies. The homing signal transmitter 251 is also located between the two charging docking assemblies, thereby making the base station housing 210 compact in structure and smaller in size, and reducing the requirements for the mounting space.
[0066]As shown in
[0067]By connecting the drying fan 257 to the mounting bracket 250, both of the homing signal transmitter 251 and the water replenishment connector 2114 are integrated on the mounting bracket 250, alternatively, the signal transmitter, the water replenishment connector 2114 and the charging docking assembly are all integrated on the mounting bracket 250, which makes the base station 200 compact in structure, reduces the requirements for the mounting space, and simplifies the configuration of a fixing structure for arranging the drying fan 257 on the base station housing 210, thereby being conductive to reducing the manufacturing cost.
[0068]As shown in
[0069]It can be understood that after the self-moving cleaning device 100 is docked at the base station 200, a washing operation may be first performed on the cleaning element 183 by using the washing disk 220, and then a drying operation may be performed on the cleaning element 183 by using the drying fan 257.
[0070]As shown in
[0071]As shown in
[0072]As shown in
[0073]The liquid discharging port 2242 is in communication with the groove bottom of the water guiding groove 2241, such that the residual liquid in the water guiding groove 2241 can be discharged completely through the liquid discharging port 2242, thereby improving the thoroughness in discharging the liquid from the water guiding groove 2241.
[0074]The present application has been explained through the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the present application to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of the protection of the present application. The scope of protection of the present application is defined by the appended claims and equivalent scopes thereof.
Claims
1. A base station, comprising:
a base station housing, a mounting bracket, a homing signal transmitter, a clean water tank and a water replenishment connector, wherein the mounting bracket is detachably connected to the base station housing; both of the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector are connected to the mounting bracket; the homing signal transmitter is configured to transmit a homing signal receivable by a self-moving cleaning device; the clean water tank is mounted on the base station housing; an inlet of the water replenishment connector is connected to the clean water tank; and an outlet of the water replenishment connector is configured for connection with a water filling port of the self-moving cleaning device.
2. The base station according to
the base station housing is provided with an accommodating cavity and an operation port, the operation port is in communication with interiors of the accommodating cavity and the base station housing, and the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector interact with the self-moving cleaning device through the operation port.
3. The base station according to
the homing signal transmitter comprises a transmitting portion and a carrier frame connected to each other, the mounting bracket is provided with a first limiting portion detachably connected to the carrier frame, and the transmitting portion is opposite to the operation port.
4. The base station according to
the mounting bracket is provided with a limiting through hole, and a part of the water replenishment connector is limited inside the limiting through hole.
5. The base station according to
the mounting bracket is also provided with a second limiting portion, the base station housing is provided with a first positioning portion, and the second limiting portion and the first positioning portion cooperate to limit movement of the mounting bracket relative to the base station housing.
6. The base station according to
the mounting bracket is also provided with a wire slot, and the wire slot is located on an outer edge of the mounting bracket.
7. The base station according to
a charging docking assembly connected to the mounting bracket, wherein at least a part of the charging docking assembly is exposed inside the accommodating cavity and configured for connection with a charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device.
8. The base station according to
the mounting bracket is provided with a third limiting portion, the charging docking assembly comprises a charging contact pole piece and a resetting member that are located inside the base station housing, one end of the charging contact pole piece is rotationally connected to the mounting bracket by the third limiting portion, the other end of the charging contact pole piece extends into the accommodating cavity through the operation port, and the resetting member is connected to the charging contact pole piece and the mounting bracket and configured to reset the charging contact pole piece to an initial position.
9. The base station according to
a drying fan connected to the mounting bracket and located inside the base station housing, wherein an air outlet of the drying fan is in communication with the accommodating cavity.
10. A cleaning robot system, comprising: a self-moving cleaning device; and a base station comprising:
a base station housing, a mounting bracket, a homing signal transmitter, a clean water tank and a water replenishment connector, wherein the mounting bracket is detachably connected to the base station housing; both of the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector are connected to the mounting bracket; the homing signal transmitter is configured to transmit a homing signal receivable by a self-moving cleaning device; the clean water tank is mounted on the base station housing; an inlet of the water replenishment connector is connected to the clean water tank; and an outlet of the water replenishment connector is configured for connection with a water filling port of the self-moving cleaning device.
11. The cleaning robot system according to
the base station housing is provided with an accommodating cavity and an operation port, the operation port is in communication with interiors of the accommodating cavity and the base station housing, and the homing signal transmitter and the water replenishment connector interact with the self-moving cleaning device through the operation port.
12. The cleaning robot system according to
the homing signal transmitter comprises a transmitting portion and a carrier frame connected to each other, the mounting bracket is provided with a first limiting portion detachably connected to the carrier frame, and the transmitting portion is opposite to the operation port.
13. The cleaning robot system according to
the mounting bracket is provided with a limiting through hole, and a part of the water replenishment connector is limited inside the limiting through hole.
14. The cleaning robot system according to
the mounting bracket is also provided with a second limiting portion, the base station housing is provided with a first positioning portion, and the second limiting portion and the first positioning portion cooperate to limit movement of the mounting bracket relative to the base station housing.
15. The cleaning robot system according to
the mounting bracket is also provided with a wire slot, and the wire slot is located on an outer edge of the mounting bracket.
16. The cleaning robot system according to
a charging docking assembly connected to the mounting bracket, wherein at least a part of the charging docking assembly is exposed inside the accommodating cavity and configured for connection with a charging pole piece of the self-moving cleaning device.
17. The cleaning robot system according to
the mounting bracket is provided with a third limiting portion, the charging docking assembly comprises a charging contact pole piece and a resetting member that are located inside the base station housing, one end of the charging contact pole piece is rotationally connected to the mounting bracket by the third limiting portion, the other end of the charging contact pole piece extends into the accommodating cavity through the operation port, and the resetting member is connected to the charging contact pole piece and the mounting bracket and configured to reset the charging contact pole piece to an initial position.
18. The cleaning robot system according to
a drying fan connected to the mounting bracket and located inside the base station housing, wherein an air outlet of the drying fan is in communication with the accommodating cavity.