SWEEPING ROBOT AND WATER TANK
The present disclosure discloses a cleaning robot and a water tank for a cleaning robot. The water tank for the cleaning robot includes a water tank body having an inner cavity and a partition disposed inside the water tank body. Two ends of the partition abut an inner wall of the water tank body so as to divide the inner cavity of the water tank body into a first cavity and a second cavity. The first cavity communicates with the first pipe, and the second cavity communicates with the second pipe. A first connecting hole and a second connecting hole are respectively defined on the water tank body and respectively correspond to the first cavity and the second cavity. Under external force, both ends of the partition move along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust the capacity of the first cavity and the second cavity.
This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to PCT/CN2018/076690, filed on Feb. 13, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates to the technical field of cleaning equipment, in particular to a sweeping robot and a water tank for a sweeping robot.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURESweeping robots are self-cleaning devices that reduce the pressure on people to clean. Sweeping robots generally use the structure of roller brushes, rollers, sinks, and water tanks. Clean water is provided to the roller from one end of the water tank, and sewage discharged from the roller is sucked into the sewage tank through negative pressure. The clean water tank and the sewage tank are separated, which greatly diminish practical spacer of the clean equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREAccording to various embodiments of the present application, a water tank for a sweeping robot is provided. In order to achieve the purpose of the present disclosure, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solutions: A water tank for a cleaning robot, comprising: a water tank body. The water tank body has an inner cavity, and a partition is disposed in the water tank body. Two ends of the partition abut against the inner wall of the water tank body respectively, so as to separate the inner cavity of the water tank body into a first cavity and a second cavity. The first cavity communicates with a first pipe, and the second cavity communicates with a second pipe. The water tank further comprises a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole, wherein the first connecting hole and the second connecting hole are each defined by the water tank body and correspond to the first cavity and the second cavity, respectively. Under external force, both ends of the partition move along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust the capacities of the first cavity and the second cavity.
The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
In order to more clearly explain the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions relative to the prior art, the drawings to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, drawings of other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.
To facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments of the disclosure are given in the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete. It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being “fixed” to another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may also be an intervening element. When an element is considered to “connect” another element, it can be directly connected to another element or there may be an intervening element. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terminology used in the description of the present disclosure herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure.
Embodiment 1Referring to
When the flexible roller 10 cleans the ground, the flexible roller 10 absorbs the liquid waste on the ground and the sewage mixed therewith. When the flexible roller 10, which has absorbed the sewage, rotates against the pressing member 35, a contacted portion of the flexible roller 10 is compressed by the pressing member 35. The resulting compression causes the sewage absorbed by the flexible roller 10 to be pressed upwards, causing the sewage to have an upward pressure and flow upward. In addition, the flexible roller 10 generates an upward deformation on both sides of the compressed portion of the flexible roller 10, so that the side of the compressed portion of the flexible roller 10 that was originally round or nearly round fills the gap between the flexible roller 10 and the water sink 30. The discharged sewage is upwardly driven due to the upward pressure and pressed into the water sink 30 upwards. When the upward pressure generated by the deformation is greater than the gravity of the sewage stored in the water sink 30 plus the sewage stored in the second pipe 56 (i.e., the sewage pipe), the sewage flows into the water sink 30, enabling the sewage to be recovered.
The rotary shaft of the flexible roller 10 is made of a hard material, and the outer peripheral portion thereof is made of a flexible material, for example, made of a sponge, a cotton cloth, etc. Clean water is easily absorbed due to the porosity of the material and the surface cleaning power, and it is easy to clean the ground. The flexible roller 10 is driven and rotated by the roller motor 11, and the roller motor 11 is also mounted inside the rotary shaft of the flexible roller. The rotation speed of the flexible roller 10 will affect the cleaning ability of the cleaning robot 100, so it is necessary to reasonably set the rotation speed of the flexible roller 10 and to use different rotation speeds when cleaning different environments. The basic principle is that the sweeping torque of a specific speed level which is horizontal to the ground must be greater than the total friction and stickiness of the solid waste on the ground. Alternatively, the specific speed of rotation must provide a force per unit area greater than or at least equal to the time required to complete the removal of garbage. Moreover, the downforce provided to the ground should be sufficient to affix the garbage to the flexible roller 10, so that the garbage can be completely applied to the above-mentioned level for the sweeping torque which is horizontal to the ground to achieve the effect of cleaning the ground. For example, the rotational speed of the flexible roller 10 may be set at 50-140 revolutions per minute (rpm). In a preferred embodiment, the rotational speed of the flexible roller 10 may be set at 70 rpm. The smoother the ground (i.e., the lower the friction on the ground) the smaller the required rotation speed.
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In a preferred embodiment, through the sealing of the sewage sink, and the ratio of the sewage entering the sewage sink 302 due to the upward pressure reaches 85%-95%. Further, when the sewage sink 302 is separated from the clean water sink, the press roller is located on one side of the sewage sink 302. Through the foregoing configuration, this embodiment discloses a cleaning robot that does not need to generate a negative pressure through an air pump during the recovery of sewage, but uses the upward pressure generated when the sewage is pushed into the water sink 30 to introduce the sewage into the sewage sink 302. The aforementioned technology can reduce costs and failure rates without using air pumps, thus having an advantage over the competition.
It can be understood that the number of press rollers may be one or several, and a plurality of press rollers may be provided without affecting the normal operation of the cleaning robot 100. In this embodiment, the number of press rollers is one, and the press roller and the roller brush 20 are located on opposite sides of the water sink 30.
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In this embodiment, the first cavity 53 is used to hold clean water, and the second cavity 54 is used to hold. That is, the first pipe 55 is a clean water pipe, the first cavity 53 is a clean water cavity, the second pipe 56 is a sewage pipe, and the second cavity 54 is a sewage cavity. The first pipe 55 communicates with the water sink 30 through the water inlet 201 of the water sink 30 to provide clean water for the water sink 30, and the second pipe 56 communicates with the water sink 30 through the water outlet 202 of the water sink 30 and receives sewage from the water sink 30. Further, when the sewage sink 302 is separated from the clean water sink 301, the first pipe 55 communicates with the clean water sink 301 and the second pipe 56 communicates with the sewage sink 302.
In this embodiment, the partition 52 includes a moving member 520 and a guiding member 521. The moving member 520 abuts an inner wall of the water tank body 51. The guiding member 521 is movably connected to the water tank body 51. The moving member 520 moves along the water tank body 51 under the effect of water pressure. The partition 52 moves relative to the inner wall of the water tank body 51 to adjust the capacities of the first cavity 53 and the second cavity 54. For example, when the volume of clean water entering the water tank body 51 is greater than the volume of the sewage entering the water tank body 51, the moving member 520 is subjected to the water pressure of the clean water and moves toward the sewage cavity. Conversely, when the volume of the sewage entering the water tank body 51 is greater than the volume of clean water entering the water tank body 51, the moving member 520 is subjected to the water pressure of the sewage and moves toward the clean water cavity.
In this embodiment, a guide hole 57 is defined in the side wall of the water tank body 51. The guiding member 521 is sealed and installed in the guide hole 57 to guide the movement of the moving member 520. Because the guiding member 521 is sealed and installed in the guide hole 57, water leakage does not occur. For example, a seal apron may be provided around the guide hole 57. Preferably, the guide hole 57 is defined at the top of the water tank body 51. In this way, water leakage from the water tank body 51 through the guide hole 57 can be prevented. In other embodiments, the guide hole 57 is defined at other positions of the water tank body 51. In this embodiment, the guiding member 521 is movably connected to the left or right side of the water tank body 51. That is, the guide hole 57 is defined on the left or right side of the water tank body 51. The first pipe 55 communicates with the right side of the water tank body 51, and the second pipe 56 communicates with the left side of the water tank body 51.
Further, a water pump 58 is disposed on the first pipe 55 to provide power for the clean water to enter the water sink 30. The second cavity 54 is in communication with a vacuum pump 59. The vacuum pump 59 can increase the negative pressure for the second cavity 54 to pull the sewage in the water sink 30 into the second cavity 54. Still further, a blade 41 is provided on the side of the garbage collection box 40 near the flexible roller 10 for scraping the garbage on the flexible roller 10. A load-bearing wheel 60 is disposed between the bottom of the garbage collection box 40 and the bottom of the blade 41 for increasing the load-bearing capacity of the garbage collection box 44. Still further, a water level sensor is disposed on the inner wall of the second cavity 54 at the top, and an alarm is disposed on the cleaning robot 100. The alarm is electrically connected with the water level sensor. When the second cavity 54 is full of sewage, the water level sensor senses the water level and sends a signal to the alarm. The alarm sounds or flashes according to the signal to alert the user to empty the second cavity 54.
Embodiment 2Referring to
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For another example, the guide hole 57 is disposed at the bottom of the water tank body 51. In this embodiment, the upper portion of the water tank body 51 is a clean water cavity and the lower portion is the sewage cavity. The first pipe 55 and the second pipe 56 are interchangeable with each other.
Embodiment 3Referring to
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The technical features of the above described embodiments may be combined in any combination. In order to succinctly describe the description, all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered to be within the scope of the present specification.
The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed. It is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that a number of variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A water tank for a cleaning robot, comprising:
- a water tank body, wherein the water tank body has an inner cavity; and
- a partition disposed in the water tank body, wherein: two ends of the partition abut an inner wall of the water tank body so as to separate the inner cavity of the water tank body into a first cavity and a second cavity, a first pipe is connected to the first cavity, a second pipe is connected to the second cavity, and under external force, the two ends of the partition move along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust a capacity of the first cavity and a capacity of the second cavity.
2. The water tank for cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein:
- the partition comprises a moving member and a guiding member,
- the moving member abuts the inner wall of the water tank body, and
- the guiding member is movably connected to the water tank body and moves under the external force or water pressure along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust the capacity of the first cavity and the capacity of the second cavity.
3. The water tank for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein:
- a guide hole is defined in a side wall of the water tank body, and
- the guiding member is sealed in the guide hole.
4. The water tank for a cleaning robot according to claim 3, wherein the guide hole is disposed at a position near a top of the water tank body.
5. The water tank for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein:
- the guiding member is movably connected to a left side or a right side of the water tank body,
- the first pipe is connected to the left side of the water tank body, and
- the second pipe is connected to the right side of the water tank body.
6. The water tank for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein:
- the guiding member is movably connected to a top or bottom of the water tank body,
- the first pipe communicates with the water tank body in a lower position, and
- the second pipe communicates with the water tank body in an upper position.
7. The water tank for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein:
- the partition comprises a loose leaf and a rotating shaft pivotally connected to the loose leaf,
- the loose leaf comprises a first partition and a second partition,
- the first partition and the second partition abut the water tank body,
- the rotating shaft connects the water tank body, and
- under water pressure, the first partition and the second partition moves along with the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust a capacity of the first cavity and a capacity of the second cavity.
8. A cleaning robot, comprising:
- a flexible roller;
- a roller brush located on one side of the flexible roller;
- a water sink above the flexible roller;
- a first pipe communicating with the water sink;
- a second pipe;
- a pressing member; and
- a water tank comprising: a water tank body, wherein the water tank body has an inner cavity; and a partition disposed in the water tank body, wherein: two ends of the partition abut an inner wall of the water tank body so as to separate the inner cavity of the water tank body into a first cavity and a second cavity, the first pipe is connected to the first cavity, the second pipe is connected to the second cavity, and under external force, the two ends of the partition move along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust a capacity of the first cavity and a capacity of the second cavity.
9. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the first pipe provided a water pump.
10. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the second cavity is connected to a vacuum pump.
11. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein:
- the partition comprises a moving member and a guiding member,
- the moving member abuts the inner wall of the water tank body, and
- the guiding member is movably connected to the water tank body and moves under the external force or water pressure along the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust the capacity of the first cavity and the capacity of the second cavity.
12. The cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein:
- a guide hole is defined in a side wall of the water tank body, and
- the guiding member is sealed in the guide hole.
13. The cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein the guide hole is disposed at a position near a top of the water tank body.
14. The cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein:
- the guiding member is movably connected to a left side or a right side of the water tank body,
- the first pipe is connected to the left side of the water tank body, and
- the second pipe is connected to the right side of the water tank body.
15. The cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein:
- the guiding member is movably connected to a top or bottom of the water tank body,
- the first pipe communicates with the water tank body in a lower position, and
- the second pipe communicates with the water tank body in an upper position.
16. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein:
- the partition comprises a loose leaf and a rotating shaft pivotally connected to the loose leaf,
- the loose leaf comprises a first partition and a second partition,
- the first partition and the second partition abut the water tank body,
- the rotating shaft connects the water tank body, and
- under water pressure, the first partition and the second partition moves along with the inner wall of the water tank body to adjust a capacity of the first cavity and a capacity of the second cavity.
17. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the water sink comprises a clean water sink and a sewage sink separated from the clean water sink.
18. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the roller brush is located on one side of the water sink and the pressing member is located on another side of the water sink.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 31, 2018
Publication Date: Aug 15, 2019
Inventor: Yang LI (Guangdong)
Application Number: 16/050,962