INTELLIGENT VACUUM DEVICE WITH EXTENDABLE AND DEFORMABLE SUCTION ARM
An intelligent vacuum device is provided. A main body of the vacuum device has a dust bin and a main vacuum port formed on a bottom side thereof and communicated with the dust bin. An extendable suction arm is switchable relative to the main body between a first position and at least one second position. The extendable suction arm has at least one actuator and at least one arm vacuum port thereon, and the arm vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin. At least one detection sensor is disposed on the main body to detect a surrounding environment of the vacuum device and generate corresponding sensing signals. A controller is used to control movement of the vacuum device based on the sensing signals, and control the at least one actuator to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position.
The present invention relates generally to smart vacuum robot technology, and more particularly to an intelligent vacuum device with an extendable and deformable suction arm.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present invention. The subject matter discussed in the background of the invention section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background of the invention section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background of the invention section or associated with the subject matter of the background of the invention section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background of the invention section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
Vacuum cleaner is a great invention to address household and commercial cleaning needs. By sucking air through vacuum port and filter them, dusk and other debris are removed, and the area is cleaned. The effectiveness of a vacuum is proportional to its power, i.e., the airflow it generates and inverse-proportional to the size of its suction port.
Compared to traditional household vacuum cleaners with power of 1000 watts to 2000 watts, vacuum robots have power usually ranging from 30 watts to 60 watts due to the size, weight and price constraints on the battery it can use. In addition, the suction ports on most vacuum robots may not be able to reach corners and edges, so rotating side brushes are introduced to push dirt closer to suction port. Also, roller brushes are used to better lift dirt and debris from the ground, especially a carpet. However, roller brushes are known to get tangled with hairs and strings and can lower cleaning efficiency or even damage its motor. Removing hairs and strings from rollers is an unpleasant task that no user wants to do.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to an intelligent vacuum device with an extendable and deformable suction arm. In one aspect, the vacuum device includes: a main body provided with a dust bin and a main vacuum port formed on a bottom side of the main body, wherein the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin; an extendable suction arm disposed on the main body and being switchable relative to the main body between a first position and at least one second position, wherein the extendable suction arm is provided with at least one actuator and at least one arm vacuum port on the extendable suction arm, and the at least one arm vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin; at least one detection sensor disposed in the main body, configured to detect a surrounding environment of the vacuum device and generate corresponding sensing signals; and a controller disposed in the main body and communicatively connected to the at least one detection sensor and the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm; wherein when the extendable suction arm is in the at least one second position, the arm vacuum port is located outside the main body, and the vacuum device performs vacuum cleaning through the arm vacuum port; and wherein the controller is configured to: receive the sensing signals from the at least one detection sensor and control movement of the vacuum device based on the sensing signals; and control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position.
In one embodiment, the at least one sensor is further configured to detect an object in the surrounding environment, and the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the sensing signals, whether the extendable suction arm is in collision with the object; and in response to determining the extendable suction arm to be in collision with the object, determine a direction of the collision and a strength of the collision.
In one embodiment, the extendable suction arm has a flexible structure.
In one embodiment, the extendable suction arm is connected to the main body through a compliance structure, and the compliance structure provides flexibility to the extendable suction arm relative to the main body with respect to an external force.
In one embodiment, the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position by rotating the extendable suction arm to a specific angle relative to the main body.
In one embodiment, the extendable suction arm has an extendable telescope structure, and when the extendable suction arm is in the at least one second position, the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position by changing the extendable telescope structure of the extendable suction arm to an extending length.
In one embodiment, the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm by: analyzing, based on the sensing signals, the surrounding environment; detecting and tracking, based on the sensing signals, objects in the surrounding environment; planning, based on the objects detected in the surrounding environment, an arm action and an arm configuration; and controlling the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to rotate the extendable suction arm and to changing the extending length of the extendable suction arm based on the arm action and the arm configuration.
In one embodiment, the controller is configured to control the movement of the vacuum device based on the sensing signals by: planning, based on the objects detected in the surrounding environment, a robot trajectory and an arm trajectory of the extendable suction arm; and controlling the vacuum device to move along the robot trajectory to ensure the extendable suction arm moving through the arm trajectory.
In one embodiment, the arm configuration comprises a first mode and a second mode; in the first mode, the at least one actuator is configured to control the extendable suction arm to switch to a driving position, such that the extendable suction arm is switchable between the first position and the at least one second position relative to the main body; and in the second mode, the at least one actuator is configured to control the extendable suction arm to switch to a braking position, such that the extendable suction arm is fixed relative to the main body.
In one embodiment, a base end of the extendable suction arm connected to the main body is provided at a front end of the main body.
In one embodiment, the main body is provided with a main suction channel formed therein, and the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin through the main suction channel; and the extendable suction arm is provided with an arm suction channel, and the at least one arm vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin through the arm suction channel.
In one embodiment, a base end of the extendable suction arm connected to the main body is provided at a side of the main body.
In one embodiment, the extendable suction arm has a trap door located on a side of the arm suction channel; when the extendable suction arm is in the first position, the trap door is in an open position to connect the main suction channel and the arm suction channel, and the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin sequentially through the main suction channel and the arm suction channel; and when the extendable suction arm is in the second position, the trap door is in a closed position.
In one embodiment, the main suction channel, the arm suction channel and the dust bin are connected in series.
In one embodiment, the arm suction channel, the main suction channel and the dust bin are connected in series.
In one embodiment, the main suction channel and the arm suction channel are connected to the dust bin in parallel.
In one embodiment, an area of the main vacuum port is larger than an area of the at least one arm vacuum port.
In one embodiment, the vacuum device further includes a release structure disposed on the main body and communicatively connected to the controller, wherein when the release structure is activated, the controller is configured to release the extendable suction arm.
In one embodiment, an obtuse angle is formed between a moving direction of the vacuum device and an extending direction of the extendable suction arm.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The same reference numbers may be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements in the embodiments.
The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the invention, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the invention are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the invention. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that same thing can be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.
It will be understood that, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the invention.
Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top,” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending of the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.
It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” or “includes” and/or “including” or “has” and/or “having”, or “carry” and/or “carrying,” or “contain” and/or “containing,” or “involve” and/or “involving, and the like are to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. When used in this invention, they specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present invention, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
As used herein, the term module may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); an electronic circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip. The term module may include memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor.
The terms chip or computer chip, as used herein, generally refers to a hardware electronic component, and may refer to or include a small electronic circuit unit, also known as an integrated circuit (IC), or a combination of electronic circuits or ICs. As used herein, the term microcontroller unit or its acronym MCU generally refers to a small computer on a single IC chip that can execute programs for controlling other devices or machines. A microcontroller unit contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable input/output (I/O) peripherals, and is usually designed for embedded applications.
The term interface, as used herein, generally refers to a communication tool or means at a point of interaction between components for performing wired or wireless data communication between the components. Generally, an interface may be applicable at the level of both hardware and software, and may be uni-directional or bi-directional interface. Examples of physical hardware interface may include electrical connectors, buses, ports, cables, terminals, and other I/O devices or components. The components in communication with the interface may be, for example, multiple components or peripheral devices of a computer system.
The term code, as used herein, may include software, firmware, and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and/or objects. Some or all code from multiple modules may be executed using a single (shared) processor. In addition, some or all code from multiple modules may be stored by a single (shared) memory. Further, some or all code from a single module may be executed using a group of processors. Moreover, some or all code from a single module may be stored using a group of memories.
The apparatuses and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.
Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.
The description below is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention includes particular examples, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. For purposes of clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the invention.
As discussed above, traditional vacuum robots have deficiencies such as the power limitations, suction port constraints from reaching corners and edges, and inconvenience caused by the roller brushes. In view of these deficiencies, one aspect of the invention relates to an intelligent vacuum device with an extendable and deformable suction arm, in which the suction arm allows implementation for the vacuum device to intelligently change the shape, size, direction, location and vacuum power of its suction ports based on different tasks to correspondingly handle different environments and different cleaning needs. For example, the vacuum device may be used to deep clean corners, edges and small spaces effectively without the need of rotating side brushes. Specifically, the vacuum device may switch (e.g., extend and/or rotate) the suction arm between different positions to extend an arm suction port with a smaller opening against walls or corners when there is such a need. Therefore, the vacuum device may improve the suction power, reduce complexity of path planning, and improve the cleaning effectiveness, especially along the walls, corners and small spaces. In addition, the increased power can reduce or eliminate the need of using side brushes and rollers, and therefore the need of manual removal of entangled hairs and strings on rollers and brushes.
As shown in
The main body 110 provides an inner space to accommodate all essential components of the vacuum device 100 therein. Specifically, the main body 110 as shown in
Further, as shown in
In certain embodiments, the vacuum device 100 may be provided with a release structure disposed on the main body 110 to release the extendable suction arm 120 when an emergency situation occurs. For example, as shown in
The extendable suction arm 120 is an additional suction arm provided with extendable and/or rotatable structures relative to the main body 110, thus allowing the extendable suction arm 120 to be switchable between multiple positions. Specifically, the extendable suction arm 120 as shown in
As discussed above,
A1*V1=A2*V2=A3*V3 (1)
where A1 and V1 represent the area and the flow velocity of the vacuum output port (i.e., the port of the blower 116), A2 and V2 represent the area and the flow velocity of the main vacuum port 112, which is used in a normal mode, and A3 and V3 represent the area and the flow velocity of the arm vacuum port 124 when the extendable suction arm 120 is deployed to the second position. It should be noted from equation (1) that the cross-sectional area of the vacuum port is inversely proportional to its flow velocity. Thus, a smaller vacuum port would result in the corresponding flow velocity to be larger, and the rate of flow velocities of the vacuum device 100 may be derived as:
V3/V2=A2/A3(W2*L2)/(W2*L3)=L2/L3 (2)
The equation (2) may be brought to Bernoulli's equation (3), which is:
P1+ρ*g*h1+½ρ*V12=P2+½ρ*V22=P3+½ρ*V32 (3)
where P1 is the air pressure at the vacuum output port (i.e., the port of the blower 116), which is a constant; ρ is the density of air; P2 is the air pressure at the main vacuum port 112; and P3 is the air pressure at the arm vacuum port 124.
Therefore, with the increase of the flow velocity at the arm vacuum port 124, a stronger negative pressure will be generated. Thus, when the area of the arm vacuum port 124 is reduced, the suction force will be significantly enhanced, thereby improving the vacuum performance and cleaning efficiency.
In addition,
As discussed above, the base end of the extendable suction arm 120 as shown in
As shown in
Referring back to
As discussed above, the extendable suction arm is provided with extendable and/or rotatable structures relative to the main body, thus allowing the extendable suction arm to be switchable between multiple positions.
As described above, when the extendable suction arm 320 is in the first position as shown in
In certain embodiments, the structure of the extendable suction arm as well as the connection between the extendable suction arm and the dust bin may be implemented in a variety of different ways. For example,
As shown in
Once the planning is complete, at step 640, the controller may control the vacuum device to move along the robot trajectory, and at step 650, the controller may control the actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch between different positions and to perform arm actions based on the arm action and arm configuration being planned.
In certain embodiments, the arm configuration may be related to the actual structure of the extendable suction arm. For example,
As discussed above, the extendable suction arm may be controlled to switch between multiple positions. For example,
In view of the two different arm positions of the extendable suction arm as shown in
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.
Claims
1. A vacuum device, comprising:
- a main body provided with a dust bin and a main vacuum port formed on a bottom side of the main body, wherein the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin;
- an extendable suction arm disposed on the main body and being switchable relative to the main body between a first position and at least one second position, wherein the extendable suction arm is provided with at least one actuator and at least one arm vacuum port on the extendable suction arm, and the at least one arm vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin;
- at least one detection sensor disposed in the main body, configured to detect a surrounding environment of the vacuum device and generate corresponding sensing signals; and
- a controller disposed in the main body and communicatively connected to the at least one detection sensor and the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm;
- wherein when the extendable suction arm is in the at least one second position, the arm vacuum port is located outside the main body, and the vacuum device performs vacuum cleaning through the arm vacuum port; and
- wherein the controller is configured to: receive the sensing signals from the at least one detection sensor and control movement of the vacuum device based on the sensing signals; and control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position.
2. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is further configured to detect an object in the surrounding environment, and the controller is further configured to:
- determine, based on the sensing signals, whether the extendable suction arm is in collision with the object; and
- in response to determining the extendable suction arm to be in collision with the object, determine a direction of the collision and a strength of the collision.
3. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein the extendable suction arm has a flexible structure.
4. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein the extendable suction arm is connected to the main body through a compliance structure, and the compliance structure provides flexibility to the extendable suction arm relative to the main body.
5. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position by rotating the extendable suction arm to a specific angle relative to the main body.
6. The vacuum device of claim 5, wherein the extendable suction arm has an extendable telescope structure, and when the extendable suction arm is in the at least one second position, the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to switch the extendable suction arm between the first position and the at least one second position by changing the extendable telescope structure of the extendable suction arm to an extending length.
7. The vacuum device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm by:
- analyzing, based on the sensing signals, the surrounding environment;
- detecting and tracking, based on the sensing signals, objects in the surrounding environment;
- planning, based on the objects detected in the surrounding environment, an arm action and an arm configuration; and
- controlling the at least one actuator of the extendable suction arm to rotate the extendable suction arm and to changing the extending length of the extendable suction arm based on the arm action and the arm configuration.
8. The vacuum device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to control the movement of the vacuum device based on the sensing signals by:
- planning, based on the objects detected in the surrounding environment, a robot trajectory and an arm trajectory of the extendable suction arm; and
- controlling the vacuum device to move along the robot trajectory to ensure the extendable suction arm moving through the arm trajectory.
9. The vacuum device of claim 7, wherein:
- the arm configuration comprises a first mode and a second mode;
- in the first mode, the at least one actuator is configured to control the extendable suction arm to switch to a driving position, such that the extendable suction arm is switchable between the first position and the at least one second position relative to the main body; and
- in the second mode, the at least one actuator is configured to control the extendable suction arm to switch to a braking position, such that the extendable suction arm is fixed relative to the main body.
10. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein a base end of the extendable suction arm connected to the main body is provided at a front end of the main body.
11. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein:
- the main body is provided with a main suction channel formed therein, and the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin through the main suction channel; and
- the extendable suction arm is provided with an arm suction channel, and the at least one arm vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin through the arm suction channel.
12. The vacuum device of claim 11, wherein a base end of the extendable suction arm connected to the main body is provided at a side of the main body.
13. The vacuum device of claim 12, wherein:
- the extendable suction arm has a trap door located on a side of the arm suction channel;
- when the extendable suction arm is in the first position, the trap door is in an open position to connect the main suction channel and the arm suction channel, and the main vacuum port is communicated with the dust bin sequentially through the main suction channel and the arm suction channel; and
- when the extendable suction arm is in the second position, the trap door is in a closed position.
14. The vacuum device of claim 11, wherein the main suction channel, the arm suction channel and the dust bin are connected in series.
15. The vacuum device of claim 11, wherein the arm suction channel, the main suction channel and the dust bin are connected in series.
16. The vacuum device of claim 11, wherein the main suction channel and the arm suction channel are connected to the dust bin in parallel.
17. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein an area of the main vacuum port is larger than an area of the at least one arm vacuum port.
18. The vacuum device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a release structure disposed on the main body and communicatively connected to the controller, wherein when the release structure is activated, the controller is configured to release the extendable suction arm.
19. The vacuum device of claim 1, wherein an obtuse angle is formed between a moving direction of the vacuum device and an extending direction of the extendable suction arm.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 26, 2020
Publication Date: Apr 28, 2022
Inventors: Yudong LUO (Raritan, NJ), Hui CHENG (Bridgewater, NJ), Liang ZHANG (South San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 17/080,005