Patent Description:
With the development of technology, a variety of autonomous cleaning robots have appeared, for example, automatic sweeping robots, automatic mopping robots, and so on. An autonomous cleaning robot can automatically perform cleaning operations in a user-friendly way. Taking the automatic sweeping robot as an example, the automatic sweeping robot can automatically clear an area by scraping and using vacuum cleaning technology. The scraping operation can be achieved by automatically cleaning the bottom of the device with a scraper and a roller brush. For an autonomous cleaning robot with a mopping function, it is often needed to set up a water tank on the robot to provide the water source required for the mopping. Normally, the water tank is connected to the robot at a bottom thereof. The bottom of the robot always needs to be turned upside down to install or disassemble the water tank therefrom. Related technologies are known from patent publication documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an autonomous cleaning robot.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an autonomous cleaning robot. The autonomous cleaning robot may include a main body and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly is mounted on the main body. The cleaning assembly may include a first cleaning subassembly that is removable and mounted on the main body. When the first cleaning subassembly is loaded or removed from the main body, the first cleaning subassembly is moved in the forward direction or the backward direction of the main body. The first cleaning subassembly is removable and connected to the main body through a connecting member.

In some embodiments, the connecting member may include a first connecting member and a second connecting member. The main body is provided with the first connecting member, and the first cleaning subassembly is provided with the second connecting member.

In some embodiments, the first connecting member may include a first buckle, and the first buckle is fixed on the main body.

In some embodiments, the autonomous cleaning robot further may include a connection control assembly. The connection control assembly is connected to the first connecting member or the second connecting member and control the connection and separation of the second connecting member and the first connecting member.

According to the present invention, the first cleaning subassembly includes a liquid container. The liquid container may include a container case, and the connection control assembly is disposed on the container case and is connected to the second connecting member.

In some embodiments, the second connecting member may include a second buckle, and the second buckle is provided on the container case by the connection control assembly. In some embodiments, the connection control assembly may include an engagement control subassembly. The engagement control subassembly is provided in the main body or the container case. The engagement control subassembly drives the first connecting member or the second connecting member to move within the main body or the container case, to be connected or separated from the second connecting member or the first connecting member.

In some embodiments, the container case defines a recess for receiving the engagement control subassembly and the second connecting member. The container case further defines an opening for extending into the first connecting member and cooperating with the second connecting member. Or the main body defines a recess for receiving the engagement control subassembly and the first connecting member. The main body further defines an opening for extending into the second connecting member and cooperating with the first connecting member.

In some embodiments, the liquid container is provided with at least two connection control assemblies, each connection control assembly may include an engagement control subassembly. Or the main body is provided with at least two connection control assemblies, each connection control assembly may include an engagement control subassembly.

In some embodiments, the at least two connection control assemblies on the liquid container or the main body are the same. Or the at least two connection control assemblies on the liquid container or the main body are different.

In some embodiments, the engagement control subassembly is disposed within the container case. The second connecting member has a stop position cooperating with the first connecting member and an avoiding position apart from the first connecting member. At least one of the engagement control assemblies may include a mounting frame, an operating member and an elastic member. The second connecting member is fixedly mounted on the mounting frame. The mounting frame is movably disposed within the container case, and the mounting frame is configured to make the second connecting member move to the stop position or the avoiding position. The operating member is mounted on the mounting frame. A first end of the elastic member abuts against the operating member or the mounting frame. A second end of the elastic member abuts against the container case. And the direction of expansion and contraction of the elastic member coincides with the moving direction of the mounting frame.

In some embodiments, the engagement control subassembly is disposed within the container case. The second connecting member has a stop position cooperating with the first connecting member and an avoiding position separate from the first connecting member. At least one of the engagement control assemblies may include a connecting rod, a toggle piece, and a spring. A first end of the connecting rod is provided with the second connecting member. The toggle piece is rotatable disposed on the liquid container, and a second end of the connecting rod is connected to the toggle piece. The spring is connected to the first end of the toggle piece and is positioned between the toggle piece and the liquid container.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning subassembly is mounted on the main body by a guiding member. When the first cleaning subassembly is mounted on the main body, the first cleaning subassembly is movable up and down with respect to the main body.

In some embodiments, the main body may include a chassis. The guiding member may include a first guiding ridge disposed on one of the first cleaning subassembly and the chassis, a first guiding groove defined on the other of the first cleaning subassembly and the chassis, and the thickness of the first guiding ridge is smaller than the width of the first guiding groove.

In some embodiments, the first guiding ridge is disposed on the first cleaning subassembly, and the first guiding groove is defined on the chassis.

In the autonomous cleaning robot of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first cleaning subassembly moves in the forward direction (or the backward direction) of the main body when it is mounted on the main body or is removed from the main body. Normally, the forward direction of the main body is in the horizontal direction, so that the loading and removal of the first cleaning subassembly is made more convenient. The autonomous cleaning robot of the embodiments solves the problem that the prior art needs to turn the walking robot upside down to assemble or disassemble the water tank. So that the replacement and maintenance of the first cleaning subassembly are more convenient. The first cleaning subassembly is removable connected to the main body by the connecting member, so that the connection is more reliable.

The autonomous cleaning robot of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Use of the terminology "forward" refers to the primary direction of motion of the autonomous cleaning robot.

Use of the terminology "backward" refers to the opposite direction of primary direction of motion of the autonomous cleaning robot.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an autonomous cleaning robot is provided, including a main body <NUM> and a cleaning assembly. The main body <NUM> is configured to support other structures, i.e., the cleaning assembly provided on the main body <NUM>. The cleaning assembly may include a first cleaning subassembly <NUM> that is removable and mounted on the main body <NUM>. When the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is loaded onto or removed from the main body <NUM>, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> moves in the forward direction of the main body <NUM>. The first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is removable and connected to the main body <NUM> through a connecting member. The first cleaning subassembly <NUM> moves in the forward direction (or the backward direction) of the main body <NUM> when it is mounted on the main body <NUM> or removed from the main body <NUM>. Normally, the forward direction of the main body <NUM> is in the horizontal direction so that the loading and removal of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is more convenient. The autonomous cleaning robot of the embodiments solves the problem that the bottom of the robot always needs to be turned upside down to install or disassemble the water tank therefrom. The replacement and maintenance of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> are more convenient. The first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is removable and connected to the main body <NUM> by the connecting member so that the connection is more reliable. The bottom of the robot always needs to be turned upside down to install or disassemble the water tank therefrom.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the autonomous cleaning robot may be, but is not limited to, a smart sweeping robot, a solar panel cleaning robot or a building exterior cleaning robot. The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a smart sweeping robot.

The autonomous cleaning robot may include a sensing system, a control system (not shown), a drive system, an energy system and a human-computer interaction system <NUM>, in addition to the main body <NUM> and the cleaning assembly. The main parts of the autonomous cleaning robot will be described in detail below.

The main body <NUM> may include an upper cover, a forward part <NUM>, a backward part <NUM>, and a chassis <NUM>. The main body <NUM> has an approximately cylindrical configuration with minimal height (both front and rear are circular shaped). The main body <NUM> may have other shapes, including but not limited to an approximately D-shaped form with a front square and a rear circle.

The sensing system may include a position-determining device located above the main body <NUM>, a buffer located at the forward part <NUM> of the main body <NUM>, a cliff sensor <NUM> and an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an odometer and other sensing devices. These sensing devices provide the control system with various location information and motion-status information of the robot. The position determining device may include, but is not limited to, an infrared transmitting and receiving device, a camera, and a laser distance-measuring device (LDS).

The cleaning assembly may include a dry-cleaning subassembly and a wet-cleaning subassembly. The wet-cleaning subassembly is the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>, and the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is configured to wipe the surface (e.g., ground) with the cleaning cloth <NUM> containing the cleaning liquid. The dry-cleaning subassembly is a second cleaning subassembly, configured to clean solid contaminants on the surface cleaned by a cleaning brush or the like.

As the dry-cleaning subassembly, the main cleaning function is caused by the second cleaning subassembly including a roller brush <NUM>, a dust cartridge, a fan, an air outlet, and a connecting member therebetween. The roller brush <NUM> has a certain interference with the ground, sweeps dusts on the floor and rolls it in front of the suction port between the roller brush <NUM> and the dust cartridge. Then, the dusts are sucked into the dust cartridge by the suction gas generated by the fan and through the dust cartridge. The dust-removal capacity of the sweeping machine can be characterized by the dust pick-up efficiency (DPU). The DPU is influenced by the structure and material of the roller brush <NUM>; the wind power utilization ratio of a duct formed by the suction port, the dust cartridge, the fan, the air outlet and the connecting member therebetween; and the type and power of the fan. Compared to the ordinary plug-in vacuum cleaner, the improvement of dust-removal capacity for energy-limited cleaning robots is more meaningful because the increase in dust-removal capacity directly reduces the demand for energy. In other words, the robot charges that once could clean <NUM> square meters of ground can evolve to clean <NUM> square meters or more. And because of the reduction of the number of charges, the service life of the battery will be greatly increased, and the frequency of replacing the battery will be decreased. More intuitive and important, the improvement of dust-removal capacity is a most obvious and important user experience benefit, and the user will directly find out whether the cleaning and wiping are sufficient. The dry-cleaning assembly may also include a side brush <NUM> provided with a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is angled relative to the ground for moving the debris into the cleaning area of the roller brush <NUM> of the second cleaning subassembly.

As the wet-cleaning subassembly, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> may mainly include a liquid container <NUM> and a cleaning cloth <NUM> and the like. The liquid container <NUM> serves as a base for supporting other components of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>. The cleaning cloth <NUM> is removable and provided on the liquid container <NUM>. The liquid in the liquid container <NUM> flows to the cleaning cloth <NUM>. The cleaning cloth <NUM> wipes the ground after the ground cleaning by the roller brush or the like.

The drive system is configured to drive the main body <NUM> and components mounted on the main body to move for automatic travel and cleaning. The drive system may include a drive-wheel module <NUM>. The drive system can issue a drive command to manipulate the robot to travel across the ground. The drive command is based on distance information and angle information, such as x, y and θ components. The drive-wheel module <NUM> can simultaneously control the left wheel and right wheel. For controlling the movement of the machine, preferably the drive-wheel module <NUM> may include a left drive-wheel module and a right drive-wheel module. The left drive-wheel module and the right drive-wheel module are opposed to each other along a lateral axis defined by the main body <NUM>. In other words, the left drive-wheel module and the right drive-wheel module are symmetrical. The robot may include one or more driven wheels <NUM>. The driven wheels include, but are not limited to, a caster so that the robot can move more stably or stronger on the ground.

The drive-wheel module <NUM> may include a travel wheel, a drive motor and a control circuit for controlling the drive motor. The drive-wheel module <NUM> may also be connected to a circuit for measuring the drive current and an odometer. The drive-wheel module <NUM> is removable and connected to the main body <NUM> for easy disassembly and maintenance. The drive wheel may have a biased drop-suspension system. The drive wheel is movably fastened, for example, rotatably attached, to the main body <NUM> and receives a spring offset that is biased downwardly and away from the main body <NUM>. The spring offset allows the drive wheel to maintain contact and traction with the ground with a certain ground force. At the same time the robot's cleaning elements (such as the roller brush, etc.) also contact the ground with a certain pressure.

The forward part <NUM> of the main body <NUM> may carry a buffer. When the drive-wheel module <NUM> drives the robot to travel on the ground during cleaning, the buffer detects one or more events in the travel path of the robot via a sensor system, such as an infrared sensor. The robot may control the drive-wheel module <NUM> to respond to an event, such as away from an obstacle, by events detected by the buffer, such as an obstacle like a wall.

The control system is provided on the circuit board in the main body <NUM>. The control system may include temporary memory, such as a hard disk, a flash memory, a random-access memory, and a communication-computing processor such as a central processing unit or an application processor. The application processor can draw an instant map of the environment in which the robot is located based on the obstacle information fed back by the LDS and the positioning algorithm, such as SLAM. The distance information and velocity information fed back by the sensor, such as the buffer, the cliff sensor <NUM>, the ultrasonic sensor, the infrared sensor, the magnetometer, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the odometer and so on, are used to determine the current working state of the sweeping machine. The working state of the sweeping machine may include crossing the threshold, walking on the carpet, at the cliff, above or below stuck, the dust cartridge full, picked up, etc. The application processor gives specific instructions for the next step for different situations. The robot is more in line with the requirements of the owner and provides a better user experience. Furthermore, the control system can plan the most efficient cleaning path and cleaning method based on real-time map information drawn by SLAM, which greatly improves the cleaning efficiency of the robot.

The energy system may include a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery can be coupled to a charging control circuit; a battery pack-charging, temperature-detecting circuit; and a battery-under-voltage monitoring circuit. The charging control circuit, the battery pack-charging, temperature-detecting circuit and the battery-under-voltage monitoring circuit are coupled to the microcontroller control circuit. The host is charged by connecting to the charging pile provided on the side or the lower side of the host. If the exposed charging electrode is dusted, the plastic body around the electrode will melt and deform due to the accumulation of charge during the charging process, and even cause the electrode itself to be deformed and unable to continue to be charged normally.

The human-computer interaction system <NUM> may include buttons on the host panel, and the buttons are configured to select the function by users. The human-computer interaction system may also include a display screen and/or a light, and/or a speaker. The display, the light and the speaker are configured to show the user the current status of the machine or a function selection. The human-computer interaction system may also include a mobile client application. For the path navigation-type cleaning device, the mobile client can show the user the map of the equipment located, as well as the location of the equipment, and can provide users with more rich and user-friendly features.

In order to more clearly describe the behavior of the autonomous cleaning robot, directions are defined as follows. The autonomous cleaning robot can travel on the ground by various combinations of movements of the following three mutually perpendicular axes defined by the main body <NUM>: a front and rear axis X (i.e., the axis in the direction along the forward part <NUM> and the backward part <NUM> of the main body <NUM>), a lateral axis Y (i.e., the axis perpendicular to the axis X and in a same plane with the axis X) and a center vertical axis Z (the axis perpendicular to the axis X and the axis Y). The forward direction of the front and rear axis X is defined as "forward", and the backward direction of the front and rear axis X is defined as "backward. " The lateral axis Y extends along the axis defined by the center point of the drive-wheel module <NUM> between the right wheel and the left wheel of the autonomous cleaning robot. The autonomous cleaning robot can rotate around the Y axis. When the forward part of the autonomous cleaning robot is tilted upward and the backward part is tilted downward, it is defined as "up. " When the forward part of the robot is tilted downward and the backward part is tilted upward, it is defined as "down. " In addition, the autonomous cleaning robot can rotate around the Z axis. In the forward direction of the robot, when the robot tilts to the right side of the X axis, it is defined as "right turn," and, when the robot tilts to the left side of the X axis, it is defined as "left turn.

The dust cartridge is mounted in a receiving chamber by means of a buckle and handle. When the handle is pulled, the buckle shrinks. When the handle is released, the buckle extends to a groove of the receiving chamber.

The specific structure of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> and the main body <NUM> will be described in detail below.

The first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is mounted on the main body <NUM> by a guiding member. When the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is mounted on the main body <NUM>, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is movable up and down with respect to the main body <NUM>. That is, a gap exists between the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> and the main body <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is provided on the chassis <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. The chassis <NUM> is provided with a protrusion structure <NUM> for mounting the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is provided on the chassis <NUM> at the backward part <NUM> of the main body <NUM>.

The first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is mounted to the chassis <NUM> through a guiding member, and the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is in clearance fit with the chassis <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the guiding member may include a first guiding ridge <NUM> and a first guiding groove <NUM>. The first guiding groove is defined on one of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> and the chassis <NUM>. The first guiding ridge <NUM> is provided on the other one of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> and the chassis <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiments, the first guiding groove <NUM> is defined on the side wall of the protrusion structure <NUM> of the chassis <NUM>. The first guiding ridge <NUM> is provided on the liquid container <NUM> of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>. When the liquid container <NUM> is engaged with the chassis <NUM>, the first guiding ridge <NUM> is inserted into the first guiding groove <NUM> to realize the guiding and stop action. As illustrated in <FIG>, in order to make way of the protrusion structure <NUM> on the chassis <NUM>, the liquid container <NUM> defines a recess.

Preferably, in order to facilitate the installation of the liquid container <NUM>, the thickness of the first guiding ridge <NUM> is smaller than the width of the first guiding groove <NUM>. Wherein, the width of the first guiding groove <NUM> refers to the width between the opposite-side walls of the first guiding groove <NUM>, i.e., the vertical distance between the two opposite-side walls when the robot is in the horizontal position. After the first guiding ridge <NUM> is inserted into the first guiding groove <NUM>, the first guiding ridge <NUM> has a distance between the opposite-side walls of the first guiding groove <NUM>. A clearance fit structure between the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> is formed to facilitate the user to install the liquid container <NUM>.

The width of the gap between the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> can be determined as desired. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the width of the gap between the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> is in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. Preferably, the gap between the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> is <NUM>. The gap provides a space for the insertion action when the user inserts the liquid container <NUM> into the chassis <NUM> without overturning the robot. The user can smoothly mount the liquid container <NUM> to the chassis <NUM> and is not required to strictly align the liquid container <NUM> with the chassis <NUM>. The current mopping robot usually requires the user to turn the robot upside down (that is, bottom up) and then install the tank. In this condition, on the one hand, it is inconvenient for the user to use and install, and, on the other hand, if the tank leaks, the water easily leaks into the interior of the robot, causing the robot to be damaged.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> is mounted to the main body <NUM> in the forward direction or the backward direction of the main body <NUM> and then connected to the main body <NUM> through a connecting member. The connecting member may include a first connecting member provided on the main body <NUM> and a second connecting member provided on the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>.

Preferably, in order to facilitate control of the connection and separation of the first cleaning subassembly <NUM> from the main body <NUM>, the autonomous cleaning robot may further include a connection-control assembly. The connection-control assembly is connected to the first connecting member or the second connecting member and controls the connection and separation of the second connecting member and the first connecting member.

Preferably, the connection-control assembly is provided on the first cleaning subassembly <NUM>.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the connecting member is a buckle structure. That is, the first connecting member and the second connecting member are engaged. The liquid container <NUM> is connected to the chassis <NUM> through the buckle structure. The buckle structure is not only easy to install, but also reliable. Of course, in other embodiments, the connecting member may be other structures, such as a magnetic structure. The liquid container <NUM> may be connected to the chassis <NUM> by other means, such as magnetic connection. Correspondingly, the connection-control assembly may be a catching control system or a magnetic control system, to ensure that users can easily install and remove the liquid container <NUM>.

The details will be described in detail with respect to the specific embodiment in which the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> are connected by a buckle structure.

Referring to <FIG>, the chassis <NUM> is provided with a first connecting member. The first connecting member may be a first buckle <NUM> or an electromagnet or a magnetic conductor. Taking the first buckle as an example, the first buckle <NUM> is configured to couple with the liquid container <NUM> to realize the fixing of the liquid container <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, the liquid container <NUM> is provided with the second connecting member. The connecting member may be a second buckle <NUM> cooperated with the first buckle <NUM> or an electromagnet or a magnetic conductor. The first buckle <NUM> and the second buckle <NUM> cooperatively constitute the connecting member. The second buckle <NUM> defines a stop position and a avoiding position. As shown in <FIG>, at the stop position, the second buckle <NUM> and the first buckle <NUM> are stopped from each other, and the liquid container <NUM> is connected to the chassis <NUM>. At the avoiding position, the second buckle <NUM> is separated from the first buckle <NUM>, and the liquid container <NUM> can be detached from the chassis <NUM>. The connection-control assembly may be provided in the liquid container <NUM> or may be provided in the main body <NUM>. For example, the connection-control assembly is provided in the container case of the liquid container <NUM> or may be provided in the chassis <NUM> of the machine body <NUM>. When the connection-control assembly is provided in the main body <NUM>, the connection-control assembly is connected to the first connecting member and controls the movement of the first connecting member to affect engagement or separation of the first connecting member with the second connecting member. When the connection-control assembly is provided in the liquid container <NUM>, the connection-control assembly is connected to the second connecting member and controls the movement of the second connecting member to affect engagement or separation of the first connecting member with the second connecting member.

Next, an example in which the connection-control assembly is provided in the liquid container <NUM> will be described.

In order to control the engagement and separation of the first buckle and the second buckle <NUM>, the connection-control assembly may include an engagement-control subassembly <NUM>. The engagement-control subassembly <NUM> controls the position of the second buckle <NUM> to make the second buckle <NUM> engaged with or separated from the first buckle <NUM>. In use, the user can control the engagement-control subassembly <NUM> to control the position of the second buckle <NUM>. That is, the liquid container <NUM> and the chassis <NUM> may be engaged or separated to facilitate the loading or removal of the liquid container <NUM>.

In some embodiments, an upper cover <NUM> of the liquid container <NUM> defines a groove for mounting the engagement-control subassembly <NUM> and the second buckle <NUM>. The engagement-control subassembly <NUM> is provided in the upper cover <NUM>. The upper cover <NUM> defines an opening for the first connecting member inserting thereinto and cooperating with the second connecting member.

In addition, the liquid container <NUM> may include the container case, the upper cover <NUM>, and a lower cover <NUM>. The container case defines a liquid-accommodation space for accommodating the liquid. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the liquid placed in the liquid container is water. Of course, in other embodiments, the liquid container may contain any other cleaning solution as required.

The connection-control assembly is provided in the main body <NUM>. The main body <NUM> defines a recess for receiving the engagement-control subassembly <NUM> and the first connecting member. The main body further defines an opening for the second connecting member inserting thereinto and cooperating with the first connecting member.

As illustrated in <FIG>, one of the engagement-control assemblies may include a mounting frame <NUM>, an operating member <NUM> and an elastic member <NUM>.

The second buckle <NUM> is fixedly mounted on the mounting frame. The mounting frame is movably disposed within the container case and can drive the second buckle <NUM> to the stop position or avoiding position. The operating member is mounted on the mounting frame and is integrally formed with the mounting frame <NUM>. When the user presses the operating member <NUM>, the operating member <NUM> drives the mounting frame <NUM> and the second buckle <NUM> thereon to move together. The elastic member <NUM> is provided between the operating member <NUM> and the container case of the liquid container <NUM> to ensure that the second buckle <NUM> can be back to the stop position after the pressing force is lost, thereby ensuring that the liquid container <NUM> can connect with the chassis <NUM> reliably. The elastic member <NUM> may be a structure that can provide an elastic force, such as a spring, an elastic rubber, or the like. A first end of the elastic member abuts against the operating member or the mounting frame. The second end of the elastic member abuts against the container case. And the direction of expansion and contraction of the elastic member coincides with the moving direction of the mounting frame. In a case wherein there is no press, the elastic force of the elastic member <NUM> causes the second buckle <NUM> to be held in the stop position. When the user needs to remove the liquid container <NUM>, the user presses the operating member <NUM> to move the second buckle <NUM> to the avoiding position, the first buckle <NUM> and the second buckle <NUM> on the chassis <NUM> are separated from the stopper, and the liquid container <NUM> can then be successfully removed.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a stop protrusion <NUM> is provided on the container case of the liquid container, and the mounting frame <NUM> defines a hole for the stop protrusion inserting thereinto. The stroke of the mounting frame <NUM> can be defined by fitting the stopper projection <NUM> and the hole wall 332a of the hole. Therefore, the mounting frame <NUM> can be limited, and the mounting member <NUM> is prevented from falling off the liquid container <NUM> without the pressing force produced by the elastic force of the elastic member <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first end of the elastic member <NUM> abuts against the operating member <NUM>. The second end of the elastic member abuts against the stop protrusion <NUM>. The operating member <NUM> and the stop protrusion <NUM> are provided with a cross-convex post for mounting the elastic member <NUM>.

The specific process of loading the liquid container <NUM> into the chassis <NUM> is as follows:
As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the liquid container <NUM> is inserted into the rear portion of the chassis <NUM> along the first guiding groove <NUM> on the chassis <NUM> to form an overall appearance of the autonomous cleaning robot. The chassis <NUM> of the robot has a first connecting portion. In some specific embodiments, the first connecting may be a hook. The hook can connect with a second connection portion of the liquid container. In other specific embodiments, the second connection portion may be a buckle so that the liquid container can be fixed to the bottom of the main body <NUM>. The first guiding groove <NUM> may be a U-shaped groove and can be slid with the first guiding ridge <NUM> on the liquid container to guide the liquid container <NUM> to slide on the chassis <NUM>.

In the natural state, the second buckle <NUM> is in the groove of the liquid container <NUM>. When the liquid container <NUM> is slid into the mating position along the first guiding groove <NUM> on the chassis <NUM>, the first buckle <NUM> (hook) on the chassis <NUM> abuts against the second buckle <NUM>. The second buckle <NUM> moves toward a region other than the groove, and the first buckle <NUM> (hook) can slide into the groove along the slope on the second buckle <NUM> when the force is applied to a certain extent so that the second buckle <NUM> can engage with the first buckle <NUM> (hook) to effect fixing the liquid container <NUM> on the chassis <NUM>. After the liquid container <NUM> is mounted on the chassis <NUM>, the operating member <NUM> of the engagement-control member <NUM> can be pressed against the spring resistance, and the second buckle <NUM> may be retracted in the liquid container <NUM> by the force transmission. Then the engagement between the first buckle <NUM> (hook) and the second buckle <NUM> may disappear, and the liquid container can be pulled out from the backward direction of main body <NUM> to realize the unloading of the liquid container <NUM>. In another engagement-control subassembly (not shown), the engagement-control subassembly may include a connecting rod <NUM>, a spring <NUM>, a toggle piece <NUM>, and a buckle <NUM>. The buckle <NUM> is used to cooperate with the first buckle <NUM> to affect the connection of the liquid container <NUM> to the chassis <NUM>. The connecting rod <NUM> is provided in the liquid container <NUM>. The first end of the connecting rod <NUM> is provided with the buckle <NUM>, and the second end of the connecting rod <NUM> is provided with the toggle piece <NUM>. The toggle piece <NUM> is rotatable and provided in the liquid container <NUM>. A first end of the toggle piece <NUM> is fixed with the spring <NUM>, and a second end of the toggle piece <NUM> is an operating end. The spring <NUM> is connected between the toggle piece <NUM> and the liquid container <NUM>. The schematic view of the engagement-control subassembly is shown in <FIG>.

It should be noted that one or more connection-control assemblies may be provided on the liquid container <NUM>. Each connection-control assembly may include an engagement-control subassembly <NUM>. When the liquid container <NUM> includes two or more connection-control assemblies, the structure of the engagement-control subassembly <NUM> of each connection-control assembly may be the same or different. When the liquid container <NUM> includes two connection-control assemblies, the engagement-control subassembly in one is the engagement-control subassembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, and the engagement-control subassembly in the other is the engagement-control subassembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the upper cover <NUM> of the liquid container <NUM> is further provided with a water injection port <NUM> for injecting liquid into the liquid-accommodation space. The water injection port <NUM> is provided with a water injection plug and a water injection cap to seal the water injection port <NUM>.

The lower cover <NUM> of the liquid container <NUM> is also provided with a water outlet <NUM>, the water outlet <NUM> communicates with the liquid accommodation space, and the outlet <NUM> is removable and provided with a water outlet filter <NUM> for controlling the amount of water.

On the one hand, the lower cover <NUM> cooperates with the upper cover <NUM> to form the containing case body and surrounds the liquid accommodation space for accommodating the liquid. On the other hand, the lower cover <NUM> is configured to mount the cleaning cloth <NUM>. A plurality of adhesive structures <NUM> are fixed to one side of the lower cover <NUM>, far away from the upper cover <NUM>. The cleaning cloth <NUM> is laid on the side of the lower cover <NUM>, far away from the upper cover <NUM>, and is attached to the lower cover <NUM> by the adhesive structure. The adhesive structure <NUM> may be a double-sided adhesive or a Velcro. In order to facilitate the replacement of the cleaning cloth <NUM>, preferably the adhesive structure <NUM> is a Velcro.

As shown in <FIG>, more preferably the edge of the cleaning cloth <NUM> is fixed to ensure that the direction and position of the cleaning cloth <NUM> are correct, and the cleaning cloth <NUM> is prevented from being tilted and affecting the cleaning effect. If using a paste method to fix the cleaning cloth <NUM>, the installation direction of the edge may not be limited and the correct installation of the cleaning cloth <NUM> cannot be guaranteed. For example, if the cleaning cloth is slanted relative to the tank, the cleaning effect will be seriously affected. The cleaning cloth <NUM> is provided with a first guide portion, and the liquid container <NUM> is provided with a second guide portion, and the first guide portion and the second guide portion can be engaged with each other so that the cleaning cloth <NUM> is mounted on the liquid container <NUM>. The first guide portion may be a guiding groove, and the second guide portion may be a guide rod that engages with the guiding groove.

In some embodiments, a guiding strip <NUM> is fixedly provided on the side of the cleaning cloth <NUM>, and a mounting groove <NUM> is provided in the liquid container <NUM>. The guiding strip <NUM> penetrates the mounting groove <NUM> and defines the side of the cleaning cloth <NUM> on the liquid container <NUM>.

The guiding strip <NUM> may be a plastic rod or a steel rod having a certain rigidity, or it may be a flexible strip. The cross-sectional shape of the guiding strip <NUM> may be circular or other noncircular shape. The cross-sectional shape of the mounting groove <NUM> on the liquid container <NUM> is a C-shape or a shape like the C-shape, but the guiding strip <NUM> must be able to be accommodated and defined. The opening (i.e., the opening of the C-shape) of the mounting groove <NUM> for the cleaning cloth <NUM> extending is directed downward. One end of the mounting groove <NUM> is an extending end (the end has no stop structure, which extends into the guiding strip <NUM>) and the other end is a stop end (the end has a stop structure to prevent the guiding strip <NUM> from coming out of the end). In other words, one end of the mounting groove <NUM> is closed and the other end is open. The tail portion of the cleaning cloth <NUM> is fixed to the liquid container <NUM> by the guiding strip <NUM> and the mounting groove <NUM> to improve the fixing stability and prevent the cleaning cloth <NUM> from falling off. The guiding strip <NUM> and the mounting groove <NUM> are in the liquid container <NUM> and in the forward direction thereof. If the guiding strip <NUM> is mounted first and then the cleaning cloth <NUM> is adhered to the Velcro, the cleaning cloth can be installed correctly.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the cleaning cloth <NUM> may be a cleaning cloth made of the same material or a composite cleaning cloth with different parts thereof made of different materials. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning cloth is a composite cleaning cloth. The main body of the cleaning cloth is substantially semicircular. An inner layer <NUM> of the cleaning cloth is a water-seepage area with high permeability material. A middle layer <NUM> of the cleaning cloth is a decontamination area with a harder material and used to scrape off the harder material on the ground. An outer layer <NUM> of the cleaning cloth is a water-absorption area with better water-absorption material used to absorb the water on the bottom surface and remove the water stains so that the cleaning efficiency is improved. The guiding strip <NUM> is provided on a semicircular straight-line segment.

The liquid in the liquid-accommodating space may flow out of the lower cover <NUM> via the water outlet <NUM> and wet the cleaning cloth <NUM>.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a filter structure provided in the water outlet <NUM> controls the amount of water discharged from the water outlet <NUM>. Compared with a water-seepage cloth arranged in the water tank, with one end arranged in the water-storage space and the other end arranged at the outlet, guiding the water in the water tank to the outlet through capillary action using the filter structure to control the water discharged, can solve the problem of the water flow rate that is not easy to control with the water-seepage cloth. Because the water-seepage cloth needs to be completely set in the container case body, the replacement of the water-seepage cloth is inconvenient and costly, and the water tank is required to be disassembled. The filter structure is removable provided in the outlet <NUM> for easier replacement. By selecting a filter structure with different material, the amount of the water discharged can be controlled, and the needs of users can be better met.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the filter structure may be the water outlet filter <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the water outlet filter <NUM> may include a filter mounting frame <NUM> and a filter core <NUM>. The filter mounting frame <NUM> is removable mounted in the water outlet <NUM> of the lower cover <NUM>, and the filter mounting frame <NUM> defines a receiving hole for accommodating the filter core <NUM>. The filter core <NUM> is filled in the receiving hole. The filter mounting frame <NUM> defines a water inlet 341a, and the water inlet 341a is communicated with the receiving hole and the liquid-accommodation space.

After the filter mounting frame <NUM> is mounted on the water outlet <NUM> of the lower cover <NUM>, the amount of water discharged can be controlled. Due to the filter mounting frame <NUM> being inserted into the water outlet <NUM> from the outside of the lower cover <NUM> (away from the side of the upper cover <NUM>), the water outlet filter <NUM> can be replaced without disassembling the container case, making replacement of the water control filter easier. The control of the amount of water discharged only needs to select the filter core <NUM> with different permeability to make the control of the amount of water discharged more accurate, ensuring the cleaning effect.

Of course, in other embodiments the water outlet filter <NUM> may only include the filter core <NUM>, as long as the amount of water discharged can be controlled.

Preferably, the number of the water outlet filters <NUM> is two or more, and each water outlet filter <NUM> corresponds to a water outlet <NUM>. The number of the water outlet filters <NUM> may be appropriately selected depending on the area of the cleaning cloth <NUM> and the required humidity. More preferably, the number of the water control filters <NUM> is two, and the distance between the two is <NUM> to <NUM> to ensure uniform wetting of the cleaning cloth <NUM>. More preferably, the distance between the two is <NUM> to <NUM>.

Preferably, the water outlet filter <NUM> further may include a stop gasket <NUM> (which may be made of a rubber material). The stop gasket <NUM> is fixed to one end of the filter mounting frame <NUM>, far away from the upper cover <NUM>. A side of the lower cover <NUM>, far away from the upper cover <NUM>, defines a recess for receiving the stop gasket <NUM>. On the one hand, the stop gasket <NUM> can prevent the liquid from flowing out of the gap between the water outlet and the water outlet filter <NUM>, and, on the other hand, an operation position can be provided for easily removing the water outlet filter <NUM>. The water outlet filter <NUM> is used to control the amount of water discharged, making the replacement more convenient. And, according to the needs in different environments, the filter core <NUM> with different materials makes the amount of water discharged controllable, and is a user-friendly choice.

Preferably, in order to improve the climbing and obstacle-crossing capability of the autonomous cleaning robot and enable the autonomous cleaning robot to adapt to more environments, an obstacle-assisting structure is provided on the bottom of the liquid container <NUM>. The obstacle-assisting structure can assist the drive-wheel module <NUM> of the autonomous cleaning robot when the autonomous cleaning robot is climbing or stepping and provide support for the autonomous cleaning robot in the liquid container <NUM> to enhance the climbing and obstacle-crossing capability.

Preferably, the obstacle-assisting structure is an obstacle-assisting wheel for crossing obstacles. The obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> is rotatably mounted on the liquid container <NUM>. In some embodiments, the lower cover <NUM> of the liquid container <NUM> is provided with the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM>, and the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> is rotatably mounted on the lower cover <NUM>. The cleaning cloth defines an opening at the position corresponding to the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> to avoid the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> so that the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> can be in contact with the ground when necessary.

Correspondingly, the cleaning cloth is provided with a notch so that the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> can be in contact with the ground. When the autonomous cleaning robot is moved on a horizontal ground, the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> is not in contact with the ground. When the autonomous cleaning robot is tilted on a slope or climbing step, the obstacle-assisting wheel <NUM> is in contact with the ground to form a sliding support point to prevent the main body <NUM> from getting stuck and achieve obstacle crossing. The height of the climbing step of the autonomous cleaning robot can be determined as needed, such as a height of the climbing step is <NUM>, <NUM>, or higher.

The autonomous cleaning robot of the present disclosure has the following effects:
The connection mode between the liquid container and the main body is the buckle and groove connection. The liquid container is provided with a mounting and connecting structure that can horizontally load the liquid container into the main body, so that there is no need to turn the main body upside down. The liquid container can be directly inserted horizontally into the chassis of the autonomous cleaning robot, which greatly facilitates the user to install and disassemble it.

The connection mode between the liquid container and the main body is the clearance fit. On the one hand, it is more convenient for users to install (if the gap is too small, the liquid container can be inserted only when the gap is in precise alignment, which will cause inconvenience for users. If the gap is large enough, the liquid container can be loaded even if the liquid container is inserted with a certain angle). On the other hand, the ability of the autonomous cleaning robot to cross obstacles can be improved and getting stuck can be prevented when the autonomous cleaning robot encounters obstacles. When the autonomous cleaning robot encounters an obstacle, the liquid container can move up or down to cross the obstacle.

The bottom of the liquid container is provided with the obstacle-assisting wheel. The obstacle-assisting wheel protrudes from the cleaning cloth and contacts the ground when the autonomous cleaning robot crosses the obstacle. Because the liquid container is in clearance fit with the main body and provided with the obstacle-assisting wheel, the ability to cross the obstacle has greatly improved.

The middle of the liquid container is recessed. Both sides of the liquid container may serve as water storage departments, but also as installation departments, killing two birds with one stone. The autonomous cleaning robot controls the effluent by way of the water control filter instead of the water-seepage cloth. The water control filter is more convenient to replace, and the effluent can be adjusted.

Claim 1:
An autonomous cleaning robot, comprising:
a main body (<NUM>) ; and
a cleaning assembly, the cleaning assembly being mounted on the main body (<NUM>) , the cleaning assembly comprising a first cleaning subassembly (<NUM>) removable and mounted on the main body (<NUM>), the first cleaning subassembly (<NUM>) being removable and connected to the main body (<NUM>) through a connecting member, the first cleaning subassembly (<NUM>) being movable in the forward direction or the backward direction of the main body (<NUM>) when the first cleaning subassembly (<NUM>) is loaded into or removed from the main body (<NUM>), the first cleaning (<NUM>) subassembly comprising a liquid container (<NUM>);
characterized in that
the autonomous cleaning robot further comprises an obstacle-assisting wheel (<NUM>), rotatably mounted on the liquid container (<NUM>).