CN115916019A

CN115916019A - Cleaning system

Info

Publication number: CN115916019A
Application number: CN202180034793.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 毋宏兵; 谢明健; 饶尧; 钟红风; 张士松
Original assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-16
Filing date: 2021-10-15
Publication date: 2023-04-04
Also published as: WO2022078503A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a cleaning system comprising: a cleaning robot, a base station, and a docking device; the base station includes: a main body, a first liquid tank; the cleaning robot includes: the robot body and the robot second liquid tank; the docking device includes: the first joint and the second joint matched with the first joint; the first joint is connected to the first liquid tank and comprises a liquid outlet end head and a first attachment element arranged on the liquid outlet end head; a second joint is connected with a second liquid tank of the robot, and the second joint comprises a second attachment element; a magnetic attraction force can be generated between the first attaching element and the second attaching element; the liquid outlet end has freedom of movement at least in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint. According to the embodiment of the invention, the butt joint of the first joint and the second joint is realized by adopting the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element and the second attaching element, so that the second joint can actively search for the butt joint with the first joint in the process of returning the cleaning robot to the base station.

Description

Cleaning system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of cleaning equipment, in particular to a cleaning system.

Background

The cleaning solution is continuously consumed by the cleaning robot in the cleaning process, so that the cleaning robot is convenient for users to use, and the known embodiments such as CN1927549A and CN105149155A provide a scheme for supplementing the cleaning solution for the cleaning robot by a base station. However, the above patent technologies are not popularized and used in actual products, and a cleaning robot capable of automatically adding a fresh cleaning solution is rarely available in the market at present.

The main reason for preventing the above patent technology from being applied to practical products is due to the complex and difficult docking process of the cleaning robot and the base station. When the cleaning robot is close to the base station, the position changes greatly, and the sealed pipe connection cannot be realized, so that the cleaning solution cannot be supplemented.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a cleaning system, which can solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

A cleaning system, comprising: the device comprises a cleaning robot, a base station for the cleaning robot to stop and supplement liquid for the cleaning robot, and a docking device for connecting the cleaning robot and the base station;

the base station includes: the cleaning robot comprises a main body and a first liquid tank arranged on the main body, wherein the first liquid tank is used for providing liquid for the cleaning robot;

the cleaning robot includes: the robot comprises a machine body, a moving module arranged at the bottom of the machine body and used for driving the cleaning robot to walk, a working module arranged on the machine body and used for executing a working task, and a second liquid tank of the robot arranged on the machine body, wherein the second liquid tank obtains liquid from the first liquid tank;

the docking device includes: the connector comprises a first connector and a second connector matched and connected with the first connector; the first joint is connected to the first liquid tank and comprises a liquid outlet end head and a first attachment element mounted on the liquid outlet end head; the second joint is connected with the robot second liquid tank, the second joint comprising a second attachment element; wherein one of the first and second attachment elements is a magnetic element and the other is a magnetic or magnetisable element; the first attachment element and the second attachment element can generate magnetic attraction force, so that the first joint and the second joint can be connected together through the magnetic attraction force;

the liquid outlet end has freedom of movement at least on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint.

Preferably, the first connector has an operating state protruding to the outside of the body of the base station to mate with the second connector, and a non-operating state;

the main body of the base station is also provided with a driving mechanism matched with the first joint, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the first joint to move so as to realize the matching with the second joint;

the driving mechanism can at least drive the first joint to be switched from the non-working state to the working state and maintain the first joint in the working state; wherein, the working state is that the first joint is matched and connected with the second joint.

Preferably, the base station includes:

a detecting device for detecting whether the cleaning robot reaches a predetermined position;

and the control device is used for controlling the driving mechanism to drive the first joint to move so as to realize the matching with the second joint based on the signal sent by the detection device.

Preferably, the driving mechanism comprises a push rod and a transmission part fixedly connected with the push rod, and the transmission part swings in response to external thrust to drive the push rod to drive the first joint to move along the axial direction.

Preferably, the first joint further comprises a guide for guiding the push rod to move in a predetermined direction.

Preferably, the first joint further comprises at least: the liquid inlet end is used for being connected with the first liquid tank; the liquid inlet end is connected with the liquid outlet end through a flexible pipe, the liquid outlet end is used for being matched with the second connector in an inserting mode, and the liquid inlet end is connected with the first liquid tank through a liquid inlet pipeline.

Preferably, the first joint further comprises an axial tensile member for increasing the ability of the flexible pipe to withstand tension.

Preferably, the axial tensile member is a braided structure wrapped on the outer wall of the flexible pipe; or the axial tensile piece is connected between the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end.

Preferably, the main body is provided with a horizontal guide sleeve, and the side wall of the horizontal guide sleeve is provided with a horizontal avoiding hole; the first joint is movably arranged in the horizontal avoidance hole in a penetrating mode; the first joint is provided with a horizontal guide part, and the horizontal guide part is slidably arranged in the horizontal guide sleeve.

Preferably, a return spring is arranged between at least one end of the horizontal guide part along the movable direction and the inner wall of the horizontal guide cavity.

Preferably, the first joint is movably arranged on the main body of the base station along the vertical direction and is communicated with the first liquid tank;

the second joint is movably arranged at the bottom of the body of the cleaning robot along the horizontal direction and is communicated with a second liquid tank of the robot;

the main body of the base station is also provided with a driving mechanism matched with the first joint, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the first joint to move along the vertical direction so as to realize the matching connection with the second joint.

Preferably, a guide member is mounted at the bottom of the second joint, and a guide hole is formed in the guide member; the cross-sectional area of the guide hole is gradually reduced along the direction from bottom to top; the guide hole is used for guiding the first connector to be inserted into the second connector.

Preferably, the first joint comprises: the connector plug is approximately vertically arranged and is used for being matched with the second connector in an inserting way, and the adapter plug is approximately horizontally arranged and is connected with the connector plug;

the adapter passes through the flexible pipe with first liquid tank intercommunication.

Preferably, a sealing member is arranged on the first joint or the second joint, and the sealing member seals the joint of the first joint and the second joint when the first joint and the second joint are in a matching state.

Preferably, the first joint comprises a first connecting portion, the second joint comprises a second connecting portion matched with the first connecting portion, and the sealing element seals a gap between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

Preferably, a water absorbing material is arranged in the first connecting part or the second connecting part; when the first joint and the second joint are in a matching state, the water absorbing material is extruded to be in a compressed state; when the first joint and the second joint are in a separated state, the water absorbing material is restored to the original state.

Preferably, the base station further includes: a base station controller;

the first joint or the second joint is provided with a butt joint detection element for detecting whether the first joint and the second joint are successfully butted;

and when the detection result of the butt joint detection element is yes, the base station controller controls the base station to supplement liquid to a second liquid tank of the robot of the cleaning robot.

Preferably, the butting device is provided with a one-way flow limiting structure, the one-way flow limiting structure allows the liquid to flow from the first joint to the second joint, and inhibits the liquid from flowing from the second joint to the first joint.

the base station includes: the liquid tank comprises a main body and a first liquid tank arranged on the main body;

the cleaning robot includes: the robot cleaning device comprises a machine body, a moving module, a working module and a robot second liquid tank, wherein the moving module is arranged at the bottom of the machine body and used for driving the cleaning robot to walk, the working module is arranged on the machine body and used for executing a working task, and the robot second liquid tank is arranged on the machine body;

the docking device includes: the connector comprises a first connector and a second connector matched and connected with the first connector; the first joint is connected to the first liquid tank through a flexible pipe and comprises a liquid outlet end head and a first attachment element arranged on the liquid outlet end head; the second joint is connected with the robot second liquid tank through a flexible pipe, and the second joint comprises a second attachment element; wherein one of the first and second attachment elements is a magnetic element and the other is a magnetic or magnetisable element; the first attachment element and the second attachment element can generate magnetic attraction force, so that the first joint and the second joint can be connected together through the magnetic attraction force;

the liquid outlet end head or the second joint at least has freedom of movement on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint.

The first joint and the second joint are butted by adopting the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element and the second attaching element, and the liquid outlet end head has the freedom of movement at least on the plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint, so that the second joint can actively find the butt joint with the first joint in the process of returning the cleaning robot to the base station. Therefore, the liquid flow channel can be sealed, the butt joint efficiency can be improved, and the butt joint effect is good.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view of a cleaning system according to a first non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a cleaning system according to a second non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a cleaning robot according to a first non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 3;

fig. 5 to 6 are water circuit diagrams of the cleaning system according to fig. 1 to 2;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the docking assembly of the cleaning system of FIGS. 1-2 in a disengaged state;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a portion of the docking device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a cleaning robot according to a second non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a base station adapted to the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning system of a third non-limiting embodiment formed by the cleaning robot shown in FIG. 10 and the base station shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the docking device of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the assembly of the first adapter and the drive mechanism of the cleaning system of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the docking assembly of FIG. 14 with the first adapter and the second adapter undocked;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the docking assembly of FIG. 14 with the first adapter mated with the second adapter;

fig. 17 is a schematic view of a specific docking mechanism of the cleaning robot.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention provide a base station 200 for a cleaning robot 100 to dock for replenishing the cleaning robot 100 with liquid, and a cleaning system using or configuring the base station 200. As shown in fig. 1, 3, 4, 10 and 12, the cleaning robot 100 includes a main body 101, a moving module disposed at the bottom of the main body 101 for driving the cleaning robot 100 to walk on a work surface, a cleaning module 102 disposed at the bottom of the main body 101 for performing a cleaning task, a second liquid tank 103 disposed on the main body 101 for containing liquid to wet a cleaning medium held by the cleaning module 102, an energy supply unit 117 (e.g., a battery pack) disposed on the main body 101, and a robot controller (not shown) disposed on the main body 101 and connected to the energy supply unit 117.

In an alternative embodiment, the moving module may include a driving wheel 104 provided at the rear side of the bottom of the body 101, and a universal wheel 105 provided at the front end of the bottom of the body 101. The driving wheels 104 are power wheels, and are driven to rotate by a motor connected to the robot controller. The universal wheels 105 are connected to the robot controller and controlled by the robot controller to retract or retract. The body 101 is provided with a lifting mechanism for driving the cleaning module 102 to ascend or descend, and the lifting mechanism may employ a known cam structure. The cleaning module 102 may be a mopping module for performing mopping/mopping work on a work surface, including a mopping platform, a cleaning medium (e.g., mop cloth, mopping paper, etc.) mounted on the mopping platform. The top of the body 101 may be provided with a detecting element such as a laser scanning module connected to a robot controller for detecting whether there is an obstacle in front of the traveling direction of the cleaning robot 100. When detecting that an obstacle exists in front of the traveling direction of the cleaning robot 100, the robot controller controls the lifting mechanism to lift the cleaning module 102 and the universal wheels 105 to be lowered. At this time, the cleaning robot 100 is in the obstacle detouring mode. When the cleaning robot 100 passes over an obstacle, the robot controller controls the lifting mechanism to lower the cleaning module 102 and retract the universal wheels 105. At this time, the cleaning robot 100 is in the operation mode, and the cleaning operation can be performed. Further, as shown in fig. 7 and 4, the cleaning robot 100 may have a collision plate 119 on the body 101, the collision plate 119 having a U-shape and being provided at a front end of the body 101, and an elastic member provided between the collision plate 119 and the body 101 so as to be restorably movable with respect to the body 101. The striking plate 119 may serve to cushion the cleaning robot 100 and prevent a rigid collision. When hard objects such as tables, chairs, doors, and walls exist in front of the cleaning robot 100 and the cleaning robot 100 does not avoid in time during the movement of the cleaning robot 100, the striking plate 119 strikes against the hard objects and moves with the body 101, and the elastic member is compressed to store energy. When the cleaning robot 100 adjusts the moving direction to separate the striking plate 119 from the hard object, the elastic member is released and the striking plate 119 returns to its original position. The cleaning robot 100 in the embodiment of the present invention may further include other necessary modules or components such as a roll brush, an edge brush, a suction port, a dust box, etc. in order to achieve the basic functions of the cleaning robot 100. It should be noted that any suitable existing configuration may be used for other necessary modules or components included in the cleaning robot 100. For clearly and briefly explaining the technical scheme provided by the invention, the parts are not described again, and the drawings in the specification are correspondingly simplified. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.

The cleaning robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to cleaning scenes including, but not limited to, mopping, wiping windows, etc. In a specific scenario, the cleaning robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a floor mopping robot, and the floor mopping robot can drive the cleaning module 102 to contact with the ground, so as to wipe the ground. It should be noted that the above scenario for mopping is only one possible cleaning operation scenario of the cleaning robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is contemplated that one skilled in the art may expand the cleaning robot 100 of the present invention to any suitable cleaning scenario, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The description is given with a mopping robot as a main scenario. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the embodiments of the invention is thereby intended, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The cleaning robot 100 is provided with a second robot liquid tank 103 for containing liquid, which is supplied to the cleaning medium through a drain pipe 109, as shown in fig. 4. In some embodiments, the liquid contained in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot may be water for wetting the cleaning medium, thereby achieving wet mopping. In other embodiments, the liquid contained in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot may be a cleaning solution for improving the cleaning effect and increasing the fragrance of the floor. In still other embodiments, the liquid contained in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot may be a disinfectant, which disinfects and sterilizes the working surface. Similarly, the present disclosure is described by taking the liquid contained in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot as the cleaning solution as the main scenario. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the embodiments of the invention is thereby intended, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the prior art, after cleaning solutions with different concentrations are mixed manually by a user, the mixed cleaning solution is added to the second liquid tank 103 of the robot 100. The liquid supplementing mode is very inconvenient and poor in user experience. In view of this, in some embodiments of the present invention, the base station 200 may complete the proportioning of the cleaning solution with a desired concentration and automatically supplement the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100, thereby eliminating the intervention of the user to manually proportion the cleaning solution with different concentrations and to pour the cleaning solution into the second liquid tank 103 of the robot, so as to improve the user experience.

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, 5 to 6, in one embodiment, the base station 200 includes: main part 203, two cavities on main part 203: a first liquid tank 201 and a second chamber 202. The main body 203 is provided with a parking place 204 where the cleaning robot 100 is parked, and the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 are located above the parking place 204. Specifically, the main body 203 includes a receiving structure 2033 located above the parking position 204, the receiving structure 2033 is substantially hollow, and is formed with a first mounting position for mounting the first liquid tank 201 and a second mounting position for mounting the second cavity 202, so as to mount the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202. The first installation position and the second installation position are installation grooves. The receiving structure 2033 is connected to the parking place 204 by a support rear plate 2031, that is, the receiving structure 2033 is supported above the parking place 204 by the support rear plate 2031.

The first liquid tank 201 is used for containing a cleaning solute, such as liquid cleaning liquid, disinfectant, and the like. The second cavity 202 is used for containing a solvent, such as water. In an alternative embodiment, the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 may be provided integrally with the main body 203. Namely: the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second chamber 202 are fixedly arranged on the main body 203 and are inseparable from the main body 203. Of course, in another alternative embodiment, the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 may be provided separately from the main body 203 to facilitate containing the liquid. Specifically, the receiving structure 2033 is open at an upper end thereof, and the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 are configured as a box or a case, which can be inserted into or withdrawn from the upper end opening of the receiving structure 2033.

Further, the first installation position and the second installation position are respectively provided with a first in-place detection element and a second in-place detection element for detecting whether the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 are installed, the first in-place detection element and the second in-place detection element are connected with the base station controller, and the base station controller controls the operation of the warning unit connected with the first in-place detection element and the second in-place detection element when the first in-place detection element and the second in-place detection element do not detect that the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 are installed.

In the present embodiment, the first on-position detecting element and the second on-position detecting element may adopt any suitable conventional configuration, such as various sensors, optical, acoustic, mechanical or electromagnetic detecting elements, and the like, and the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, in one specific embodiment, the position detection element may be an optical detection element, which is disposed at the bottom of the mounting position and includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emission unit emits detection light (upward emission) to the installation position, and if the installation position is provided with the cavity, the detection light is reflected by the bottom wall of the cavity and is received by the light receiving unit. If the installation position is not provided with a cavity, the detection light is emitted through the opening at the upper end of the accommodating structure 2033, and the light receiving unit does not receive the reflected detection light. Therefore, whether the cavity is arranged at the current installation position or not is identified according to whether the light receiving unit receives the reflected detection light or not. When the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 are respectively mounted on the first mounting position and the second mounting position, the first and second in-position detecting elements may detect that the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 are in the in-position state. Further, the first and second in-place detection elements may be in a quiescent state. And once the first and second in-situ detection elements detect that the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 are in an out-of-position state, corresponding trigger instructions are sent to the base station controller, and the base station controller controls the operation of the warning unit based on the trigger instructions. The alarm unit includes an audible/visual alarm device, such as a buzzer, a speaker, etc., disposed on the body 203, and can emit an audible/visual alarm signal. Of course, the alert unit may also include a client of the user, such as a mobile smartphone, or software (APP) loaded on a mobile smartphone. The base station controller can be in communication connection with the client, when the first in-place detection element and the second in-place detection element detect that the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 are/is in an out-of-place state, the base station controller establishes communication connection with the client based on a trigger instruction provided by the first in-place detection element and the second in-place detection element, and then the client can call software and hardware operations of the client to generate corresponding warning signals, such as display screen display prompting text messages, vibration module vibration, light supplement lamp flashing, loudspeaker sounding, and the like. The first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 may be provided with liquid level detection elements connected to a base station controller, which controls the operation of the alarm unit when the liquid level detection elements detect that the liquid level in the corresponding chamber is below a set threshold. By arranging the liquid level detection element, a user can be informed of replenishment in time when the residual quantity or the remaining quantity of the liquid in the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202 is small, and therefore sufficient liquid storage and supply can be guaranteed when the cleaning robot 100 needs to replenish the liquid.

As shown in fig. 5, in some alternative embodiments, the liquid level detecting element includes a liquid level sensor 205 disposed at a position near the bottom of the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 for detecting the liquid level in the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 in real time. And when the liquid level is lower than the set threshold value, sending a trigger instruction to the base station controller. Alternatively, in other alternative embodiments, the liquid level detecting element may further include a liquid presence sensor 206, which may be disposed at the outlets of the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 (for example, the first pipeline 2071 and the second pipeline 2072 described below) for detecting whether liquid is present in the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202. And when the detection result is no (the corresponding liquid level is 0), sending a trigger instruction to the base station controller. In this embodiment, the setting threshold can be set according to actual situations, for example: the height of the cavity is 5%, which is not limited in this embodiment. In addition, the embodiment of the base station controller controlling the operation of the alerting unit can refer to the above description, and is not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 5-6, the base station 200 further includes a liquid supply assembly 207, the liquid supply assembly 207 having an input 2074 in communication with the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202, and an output 2075 in communication with the input 2074. The input port 2074 receives cleaning solutes and solvents discharged from the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202, respectively. The output port 2075 is for communicating with the robot second liquid tank 103 of the cleaning robot 100 to supply the cleaning solute and the solvent to the cleaning robot 100.

In one possible embodiment, the output 2075 may directly provide the cleaning solute and the solvent to the cleaning robot 100 without being mixed in advance. That is, the cleaning solute and the solvent are not mixed in the base station 200, but are mixed and proportioned in the robot second liquid tank 103 to form the cleaning solution. To achieve the above object, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid supply assembly 207 includes: a first conduit 2071 in communication with the first liquid tank 201, and a second conduit 2072 in communication with the second chamber 202. The ends of the first and

second lines

2071, 2072 connecting the first and second

liquid tanks

201, 202 form the input 2074, and the ends of the first and

second lines

2071, 2072 opposite the input 2074 form the output 2075.

In order to achieve the automatic proportioning of the cleaning solution with the required concentration or proportion, the liquid supply assembly 207 is provided with a proportion control assembly 208 for controlling the amount of the cleaning solute and the cleaning solvent discharged from the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202. The base station controller is coupled to the proportional control component 208 for controlling the operation of the proportional control component 208. In this embodiment, the proportional control component 208 includes a flow control, and the base station controller controls the flow of the flow control. In an alternative embodiment, the flow controls include a first pump 2081 and a second pump 2082 disposed on a first conduit 2071 and a second conduit 2072, respectively.

In contrast to the above-described embodiment, in another possible embodiment, the cleaning solute and the solvent provided to the cleaning robot 100 by the output port 2075 are premixed. That is, after the cleaning solute and the solvent are mixed and proportioned in the base station 200 to form the cleaning solution, the cleaning solution is supplied to the cleaning robot 100 through the output port 2075. To achieve the above object, the liquid supply assembly 207 further comprises: a mixing region between the input end 2074 and the output end 2075, the mixing region for mixing the solute for cleaning input from the input end 2074 with the solvent to obtain the cleaning solution, and the output end 2075 communicating with the input end 2074 through the mixing region to supply the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the liquid supply assembly 207 includes: a first line 2071 communicating with the first liquid tank 201, a second line 2072 communicating with the second chamber 202, and a confluence line 2073 communicating with the first line 2071 and the second line 2072. The first and

second pipes

2071 and 2072 are connected to the bottoms of the first and second

liquid tanks

201 and 202, respectively, to make full use of the liquid in the first and second

liquid tanks

201 and 202. The first and

second pipes

2071 and 2072 may be connected to the confluence pipe 2073 by a three-way structure. In this embodiment, the junction of the converging line 2073, the first line 2071 and the second line 2072 forms the input 2074, the end of the converging line 2073 opposite the input 2074 forms the output 2075, and the internal flow passage of the converging line 2073 forms the mixing zone. That is, the cleaning solute and the cleaning solvent contained in the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 are output through the first pipe 2071 and the second pipe 2072, respectively, join at the input end 2074 into the converging pipe 2073, and then are mixed in the converging pipe 2073 to obtain the cleaning solution with a desired concentration or ratio. As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid supply assembly 207 is provided with the proportional control assembly 208 for controlling the amount of the cleaning solute and the solvent discharged from the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202. The base station controller is coupled to the proportional control component 208 for controlling the operation of the proportional control component 208.

In an alternative embodiment, the proportional control component 208 includes: a first pump 2081 and a second pump 2082. The first pump 2081 is provided on the first pipe 2071 or the second pipe 2072, and the second pump 2082 is provided on the conflux pipe 2073. Alternatively, the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 are provided on the first conduit 2071 and the second conduit 2072, respectively. The base station controller controls the flow rates of the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082, and then the flow rates of the cleaning solute and the cleaning solvent are controlled, and further the cleaning solution with a set proportion or concentration is obtained.

For example, the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 may be disposed on the first pipe 2071 and the confluent pipe 2073, respectively. When a cleaning solution with a concentration of 10% is required, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 to cumulatively output 1 part (e.g., 50 mL) of cleaning solute, and controls the second pump 2082 to cumulatively output 10 parts (500 mL) of mixed solution. The second chamber 202 cumulatively outputs 9 parts (450 mL) of solvent according to the flow conservation. After the obtained 10 parts of mixed solution are fully mixed in the confluence pipeline 2073 (mixing area), the cleaning solution with the concentration of 10% can be obtained by proportioning. Alternatively, the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 may be provided on the second pipe 2072 and the confluent pipe 2073, respectively. When a cleaning solution with a concentration of 10% is required, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 to output 9 parts (for example, 450 mL) of solvent in a cumulative manner, and controls the second pump 2082 to output 10 parts (500 mL) of mixed solution in a cumulative manner. The first liquid tank 201 outputs 1 part (50 mL) of the solute for cleaning according to the flow conservation. After the obtained 10 parts of mixed solution are fully mixed in the confluence pipeline 2073 (mixing area), the cleaning solution with the concentration of 10% can be obtained according to the proportion. Alternatively, the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 may be disposed on the first pipe 2071 and the second pipe 2072, respectively. When a cleaning solution with a concentration of 10% is required, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 to cumulatively output 1 part (e.g., 50 mL) of cleaning solute, and controls the second pump 2082 to cumulatively output 9 parts (450 mL) of mixed solution. The amount of the mixed liquid supplied to the confluence line 2073 is 10 parts (500 mL) by the flow rate conservation. After the obtained 10 parts of mixed solution are fully mixed in the confluence pipeline 2073 (mixing area), the cleaning solution with the concentration of 10% can be obtained by proportioning.

In the above embodiment, the base station controller may adjust the output flow rate by controlling the output power, the output rotation speed, and the operating time of the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082, or select the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 with different flow rates to achieve a preset output flow rate. Because the dosage of the cleaning solute and the solvent is generally different (generally, the dosage of the cleaning solute is less than that of the solvent), in order to fully mix the cleaning solute and the solvent, the base station controller can control the rotating speed of the two pumps, so that the cleaning solute and the solvent can be output in the same period of time.

In the embodiment where the second pump 2082 is disposed on the converging line 2073, the second pump 2082 may stir the mixed cleaning solute and solvent, so that the cleaning solute and the solvent may be sufficiently mixed, and the uniformity of the obtained cleaning solution may be better.

In embodiments where the first pump 2081 is disposed on the first conduit 2071 or the second conduit 2072, and the second pump 2082 is disposed on the converging conduit 2073, the timing of the start and stop of the two pumps may be controlled to avoid series flow of fluid in the two chambers. Specifically, when the base station 200 starts supplying the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 not to be started earlier than the second pump 2082. And when the base station 200 finishes supplying the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 to be turned off no later than the second pump 2082. That is, when the base station 200 starts to replenish the cleaning robot 100, the second pump 2082 is preferably turned on, and then the first pump 2081 is turned on, or both pumps are turned on at the same time, but the first pump 2081 cannot be turned on prior to the second pump 2082, so as to prevent the cleaning solution in the first liquid tank 201 from being pumped into the second cavity 202, or the solvent in the second cavity 202 from being pumped into the first liquid tank 201. Similarly, after the base station 200 completes fluid replacement of the cleaning robot 100, the second pump 2082 is turned off first, and then the first pump 2081 is turned off, or both pumps are turned off at the same time.

The problem of the series flow of the liquid in the two cavities is avoided by the control logic. Of course, the above-described problems can also be avoided by structural improvement. Specifically, when the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 are disposed on the first conduit 2071 and the converging conduit 2073, respectively, a second check valve may be disposed on the second conduit 2072 that inhibits fluid flow from the input 2074 to the second chamber 202. Alternatively, when the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 are provided on the second pipe 2072 and the confluence pipe 2073, respectively, a first check valve may be provided on the first pipe 2071 to inhibit the flow of the liquid from the input port 2074 to the first liquid tank 201. Thus, the sequence of turning on or off the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082 can be relatively free when starting or stopping. Due to the existence of the one-way valve, the two cavities can not have the problem of liquid series flow.

In another alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the proportional control assembly 208 may be supplemented with a pump, including a first pump 2081, a second pump 2082, and a third pump 2083, disposed on a first conduit 2071, a second conduit 2072, and a converging conduit 2073, respectively. The base station controller controls the flow rates of the cleaning solute and the cleaning solvent by controlling the flow rates of at least two pumps of the first pump 2081, the second pump 2082 and the third pump 2083, so as to obtain the cleaning solution with a set proportion or concentration.

The specific manner in which the base station controller controls the flow rates of at least two of the first pump 2081, the second pump 2082, and the third pump 2083 may refer to the above description, and is not described herein again. In practice, from the viewpoint of simple control logic, the base station controller may control only the flow rates of the first pump 2081 and the second pump 2082, and the third pump 2083 functions to agitate to sufficiently mix the cleaning solute and the solvent.

The concentration of the cleaning solution can be set by the user as desired. Specifically, the base station controller is connected with an input device, and the input device can provide the base station controller with the cleaning solute and solvent mixing ratio parameter based on user operation. In some embodiments, the input device may include a touch panel provided on the main body 203 of the base station 200, or the touch panel may be provided on the main body 101 of the cleaning robot 100. The touch panel can display preset proportioning concentration option controls, such as a series of free or discontinuous concentration option controls of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and the like; or a continuous rolling bar type concentration option control in the range of 1% -50%. The user clicks the touch panel to set the desired concentration. Subsequently, the base station controller receives the concentration parameter inputted by the touch panel, and controls the operation of the proportional control component 208. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the input device may be a client of the user, such as a mobile smartphone, or a software (APP) loaded on a mobile smartphone. As described above, the base station controller is communicatively connected to the client, the user can set the desired concentration on the display interface of the client, and the base station controller receives the concentration parameter sent from the client to control the operation of the proportional control component 208.

In order to prevent foreign matters in the external environment from entering and polluting the liquid, the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 are in the on-position state and are generally in a closed state. When the base station 200 supplies the cleaning robot 100 with the liquid, the air pressure in the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 is reduced by the decrease in the liquid amount and the increase in the air volume. Therefore, in order to balance the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the cavity caused by the reduction of the liquid amount, the first liquid tank 201 is provided with a first waterproof ventilating device; and/or a second waterproof and breathable device is arranged on the second cavity 202. Therefore, when the liquid amount in the cavity is reduced, the outside air can enter the cavity through the corresponding waterproof and breathable device so as to compensate the space released by the reduction of the liquid amount and keep the pressure balance inside and outside the cavity.

In some alternative embodiments, the first waterproof and breathable means and/or the second waterproof and breathable means may be holes, which penetrate through the top walls of the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 and are provided with waterproof and breathable films. Of course, in other alternative embodiments, the first waterproof and breathable means and/or the second waterproof and breathable means may be waterproof and breathable valves, provided at any position on the walls of the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202.

As described above, in general, the amount of the cleaning solute is smaller than the amount of the solvent, that is, the consumption rate of the cleaning solute is smaller than the consumption rate of the solvent. Therefore, in practice, the volume of the first liquid tank 201 for containing the cleaning solute is smaller than the volume of the second cavity 202 for containing the solvent. When different types of cleaning solutes (e.g., cleaning solutions in some scenarios and disinfecting solutions in other scenarios) are required, the first fluid tank 201 needs to be replaced frequently. At this time, if the waterproof vent valve is provided on the first liquid tank 201, one waterproof vent valve is provided on each first liquid tank 201, which leads to an increase in cost.

In view of this, in the embodiment in which the first waterproof and venting means is a waterproof and venting valve, the waterproof and venting valve is provided at the interface of the first liquid tank 201 and the liquid supply assembly 207. Specifically, a socket is formed at a first mounting position on the accommodating structure 2033, a corresponding mating hole is formed at the bottom of the first liquid tank 201, and the first pipeline 2071 is connected to the socket. The socket is inserted into the mating hole, and when the positioning and installation of the first liquid tank 201 are realized, the communication between the first liquid tank 201 and the first pipeline 2071 can be realized at the same time. The waterproof ventilation valve as the first waterproof ventilation device can be arranged in the plug socket. Thus, the first liquid tank 201 does not need to be additionally provided with a first waterproof and breathable device, and only one waterproof and breathable valve is arranged in the base station 200, so that different first liquid tanks 201 can be installed, and further, the cost can be reduced. Similarly, a second waterproof and breathable means may be provided at the interface between the second chamber 202 and the liquid supply assembly 207, in a manner as described above. Of course, since the volume of the second cavity 202 is larger than that of the first liquid tank 201, the accommodating capacity is larger, and since the solvent accommodated therein is generally water, the solvent does not need to be replaced frequently. Therefore, in practice, the base station 200 only needs to be provided with one second cavity 202, and the second waterproof and air-permeable device can also be disposed on the sidewall of the second cavity 202. In certain embodiments, the second waterproof and breathable means may employ the structural design of the aperture and waterproof and breathable membrane described above for cost reduction.

As can be seen from the above description, the base station 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may adjust the flow rates of the cleaning receiving solution and the solvent output from the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 by providing the ratio control component 208, so as to obtain the cleaning solution with a desired ratio or concentration, and provide the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100. So, avoided the manual cleaning solution of different concentrations of ratio of user and poured the intervention action of cleaning solution into cleaning robot 100 box, the ratio and the supplementary operation of cleaning solution can be accomplished automatically, user experience preferred.

As shown in fig. 6, in order to receive the cleaning solution supplied from the base station 200, the second liquid tank 103 of the cleaning robot 100 is provided with a liquid port 106, the liquid port 106 is connected to a three-way joint 108 through a liquid pipe 107, one end of the three-way joint 108 is connected to the liquid outlet pipe 109, and the other end is used for being connected to a liquid supply assembly 207. Because the existing cleaning robot is used for manually supplementing liquid, a liquid outlet is generally arranged on a box body on the cleaning robot. The one outlet port is connected to the cleaning module 102 via an outlet pipe 109 for wetting the cleaning medium. In the invention, although the liquid needs to be replenished into the second liquid tank 103 of the robot, the structure of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is not changed. Namely: the robot second liquid tank 103 is provided with only one liquid port 106, and the one liquid port 106 is used as a liquid inlet when the base station 200 replenishes liquid to the cleaning robot 100 and is used as a liquid outlet when the cleaning robot 100 operates. Specifically, the three-way joint 108 is connected to the inlet end of the liquid outlet pump 110 through a liquid pipe 120, and the liquid outlet pipe 109 is connected to the outlet end of the liquid outlet pump 110. As shown in fig. 4, the outlet pipe 109 includes a pipe body connected to the outlet end of the outlet pump 110, and a water distribution bar connected to the pipe body. During operation of the cleaning robot 100, the drain pump 110 is operated to pump liquid from the second robot liquid tank 103 through the drain pipe 109 to the cleaning module 102. The water distribution strips of the outlet pipe 109 can achieve uniform wetting of cleaning media mounted on the cleaning module 102. Through setting up three way connection 108, can realize liquid pipe 107 and drain pipe 109 and supply liquid subassembly 207's switching, and then can simplify the water route design, the structure integrates the degree higher. Of course, the liquid filling and discharging of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot may be and is not limited to share one liquid port 106, and in other embodiments, considering factors of the overall layout such as space, a liquid filling port may be added to the second liquid tank 103 of the robot separately to facilitate liquid filling. That is, the liquid filling port is used for filling the robot second liquid tank 103, and the liquid filling port 106 is used for discharging liquid.

The docking process of the cleaning robot 100 with the base station 200 is complicated and difficult. Specifically, when the cleaning robot 100 approaches the base station 200, the position changes greatly, and it is difficult to achieve sealed pipe connection. Therefore, how to realize accurate docking of the cleaning robot 100 and the base station 200 and no leakage occurs in the fluid infusion process is a technical problem to be solved urgently. In view of this, the present invention realizes the connection between the cleaning robot 100 and the base station 200 through the docking device 300.

As shown in fig. 7, in one possible embodiment, the docking device 300 includes: a first connector 301 and a second connector 302 which is matched with the first connector 301 in a plugging way. The first connector 301 is provided on the base station 200 and communicates with the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202. The second connector 302 is provided on the cleaning robot 100 and communicates with the robot second liquid tank 103. The first connector 301 is coupled to an output end 2075 of the liquid supply assembly 207, i.e., to a distal end of a converging line 2073.

As shown in fig. 1, in one embodiment, a first joint 301 may be provided on a supporting rear plate 2031 of the main body 203, and a second joint 302 is provided at a front end of the main body 101 of the cleaning robot 100. This embodiment allows for filling from the front end. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the first joint 301 may be provided on the parking place 204 of the main body 203, and the second joint 302 may be provided at the bottom of the main body 101 of the cleaning robot 100. This embodiment allows for bottom-filling. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the first joint 301 may be disposed on the receiving structure 2033 of the main body 203, and the second joint 302 may be disposed at the rear end of the body 101 of the cleaning robot 100. This embodiment allows for filling from the rear end.

The second joint 302 is provided in the body 101 of the cleaning robot 100 and connected to the other end of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot through the liquid replenishment pipe 111. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the second joint 302 may be provided on the striker 119 and connected to the fluid replacement tube 111 through the hose 118 and a three-way joint 112 described below. More specifically, the hose 118 is connected to the second joint 302, one end of the three-way joint 112 is connected to the hose 118, the other end is connected to the liquid replenishing pipe 111, and the third end is connected to a third water and air permeation prevention device 113 described below.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, in an alternative embodiment, the second connector 302 is disposed on the circumferential surface of the main body 101, and is further preferably disposed at the front end of the main body 101 in the direction of entering the base station 200. Correspondingly, the first connector 301 is disposed on the supporting back plate 2031 of the base station 200. The advantage of this design is that the position of the body 101 can be actively adjusted by the driving wheel 104, ensuring the butt joint of the joints. Of course, the positions of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other embodiments, the second connector 302 may be disposed at other positions such as the top, the bottom, the rear peripheral surface, and the like of the main body 101, and the position of the first connector 301 in the base station 200 may be changed accordingly.

Similarly, the description is given by taking a scenario in which the first joint 301 is disposed on the supporting back plate 2031 of the base station 200, and the second joint 302 is disposed at the front end of the cleaning robot 100, that is, the front end is filled with liquid. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the embodiments of the invention is thereby intended, as indicated by the foregoing description.

In order to improve the efficiency of the interface between the second joint 302 and the first joint 301, a first attachment element 3011 and a second attachment element 3022 are respectively disposed on the first joint 301 and the second joint 302. Wherein one of the first 3011 and second 3022 attachment elements is a magnetic element and the other is a magnetic or magnetizable element. A magnetic attraction force can be generated between the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022, so that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 can be connected together through the magnetic attraction force.

In this embodiment, the magnetic element may be a magnetic element capable of generating a magnetic field, for example, a magnet (such as a permanent magnet or a hard magnet) with its own magnetism, or an electromagnetic element (such as an electromagnet) capable of generating magnetism after being electrified. The magnetizable element may be made of a magnetizable material, such as iron, cobalt, nickel, etc., which is capable of being attracted by a magnetic force.

As shown in fig. 1, when fluid replacement is required, the cleaning robot 100 travels into the base station 200. After the cleaning robot 100 drives into the base station 200 and stops at the parking position 204, under the action of the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022, the second joint 302 actively searches for the first joint 301, so that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 align, the positions are naturally attracted, and the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are in splicing fit, so that the docking can be quickly and efficiently realized.

Although it is a mature prior art that the cleaning robot 100 returns to the base station 200, it is difficult to make strict agreement between the direction and position of the cleaning robot 100 entering the base station 200 each time. If the docking of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 is achieved only by means of the adjustment of the traveling direction of the cleaning robot 100 and by means of the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022, the docking of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 may fail once the cleaning robot 100 has driven into the base station 200 in a direction or at a slightly different position at a certain time. Therefore, the butt joint of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 has a small fault-tolerant space and a large butt joint difficulty.

In view of this, the present invention makes a redundant design for the butt joint of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302. To achieve the above purpose, in an alternative embodiment, the first connector 301 may be designed to have two flexibly connected ends. Referring to fig. 7, the first connector 301 includes: a liquid inlet end 3012 arranged on the main body 203 (specifically, the supporting back plate 2031) and a liquid outlet end 3013 in plug-in fit with the second connector 302. The first attachment component 3011 is disposed on the liquid outlet end 3013, the liquid inlet end 3012 is communicated with the liquid supply assembly 207 through the confluence pipeline 2073, and the liquid outlet end 3013 is connected with the liquid inlet end 3012 through the flexible pipe 303.

In this embodiment, the inlet 3012 may be fixed through a mounting hole of the main body 203 that supports the back plate 2031. As shown in fig. 1, one end (upper end) of the converging line 2073 is connected to the cavity, and the other end (lower end) is sleeved with the liquid inlet terminal 3012. The flexible tube 303 can be a silicone tube, has good flexibility and deformability, and has one end sleeved with the liquid inlet end 3012 and the other end sleeved with the liquid outlet end 3013, so that the liquid inlet end 3012 is communicated with the liquid outlet end 3013.

By virtue of the flexible connection structure between the two ends of the first joint 301, when the cleaning robot 100 drives into the base station 200, even if the second joint 302 is not aligned with the first joint 301 completely, the flexible tube 303 can be driven to bend under the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022, so as to realize the butt joint between the liquid outlet end 3013 and the second joint 302. Therefore, the second joint 302 can be butted with the first joint 301 in a preset direction range, the fault-tolerant space and the butting efficiency of butting the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are greatly improved, and the butting difficulty is reduced.

The flexible tube 303 is weaker than a rigid tube. When the cleaning robot 100 completes the fluid replacement, the cleaning robot 100 needs to move away from the base station 200. But since the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are still tightly connected together by the magnetic attraction of the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022, the cleaning robot 100 can forcibly pull the second joint 302 to be separated from the first joint 301 only by means of dragging. In this way, the flexible tube 303 will be subjected to axial tension. In the past, the flexible tube 303 was susceptible to stress damage and fatigue, and the service life was reduced.

In view of this, in some embodiments, the first joint 301 is further provided with an axial tensile member for increasing the tensile capacity of the flexible pipe 303. In this way, when it is desired to disconnect the first joint 301 from the second joint 302, the axial force for overcoming the magnetic attraction between the first 3011 and second 3022 attachment elements acts on the axial tensile member and not or less on the flexible tube 303. Thus, the flexible tube 303 is protected, and damage and fatigue of the flexible tube 303 are reduced.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the axial tensile member may be a braided structure wrapped around the outer wall of the flexible tube 303. The woven structure may be a fabric mesh or a wire mesh, wrapped around the flexible tube 303. The braided structure not only can provide an axial tensile effect for the flexible pipe 303, but also cannot damage the flexibility of the flexible pipe 303, and can also play a better supporting role for the liquid outlet end 3013, so that the problem that the liquid outlet end 3013 is drooped to cause the butt joint with the first joint 301 is avoided.

In the case of the axial tension member, it is still necessary to fixedly connect the flexible tube 303 to the inlet port 3012 and the outlet port 3013 at least in the axial direction for safety, so as to prevent the flexible tube 303 from being separated from the inlet port 3012 and the outlet port 3013 when the flexible tube 303 is subjected to an axial tension force. As shown in fig. 7, in some alternative embodiments, the flexible tube 303 may be axially fixed to the inlet port 3012 in the following manner: the outer wall of the liquid inlet end 3012 is provided with a groove, after the flexible pipe 303 is sleeved outside the liquid inlet end 3012, a sleeved fastening piece is arranged outside the flexible pipe 303, and the sleeved fastening piece is embedded in the groove. In this embodiment, the female fastener may be a ferrule or a wire. Of course, the axial fixing manner of the flexible tube 303 and the liquid inlet terminal 3012 is not limited to the above embodiment, and other embodiments are also possible, in which only the axial fixing of the flexible tube 303 and the liquid inlet terminal 3012 can be achieved. For example, in other alternative embodiments, the liquid inlet end 3012 and the flexible tube 303 are made of the same material, and are made of silica gel, and the two ends are melted by hot melting and then combined into a whole, so as to achieve axial fixation. Alternatively, in still other alternative embodiments, the end of the flexible tube 303 is provided with a metal tip that is threadably connected to the tapping tip 3013. Alternatively, in yet other alternative embodiments, the flexible tube 303 may be snap-fit to the inlet port 3012.

Similarly, the flexible tube 303 is axially fixed to the exit tip 3013 as described above. As shown in FIG. 7, the embodiment of snap connection of the flexible tube 303 to the exit tip 3013 will be described. Specifically, the flexible pipe 303 is externally sleeved with a connector buckle 305, the outer wall of the connector buckle 305 is provided with a bayonet 3051, and a hanging hook 3014 is arranged on the liquid outlet end 3013. After the end of the flexible tube 303 is sleeved on the liquid outlet end 3013, the connector buckle 305 moves to the joint of the flexible tube 303 and the liquid outlet end 3013, the flexible tube 303 is fixedly clamped on the liquid outlet end 3013, and the hanging hook 3014 is embedded into the bayonet 3051, so that the connector buckle 305 is fixed.

The above are embodiments that employ axial tension members to overcome the magnetic attraction of the first and

second attachment elements

3011 and 3022. Of course, this is premised on the magnetic attraction between the first and

second attachment elements

3011 and 3022 being present at all times. Therefore, if the magnetic attraction between the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022 is controlled, that is, the magnetic attraction between the two attaching elements can be generated or eliminated according to actual needs, the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 can be easily separated after the completion of the fluid replacement under the condition of keeping the high butting efficiency and the good connection stability of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 in the above embodiment.

Specifically, the magnetic element is an electromagnet which generates a magnetic field when electrified. The electromagnet is in an energized state during the cleaning robot 100 enters the base station 200 and during the base station 200 replenishes the cleaning robot 100 with liquid. When the base station 200 completes the fluid infusion to the cleaning robot 100, the electromagnet is in a power-off state. An electromagnet as a magnetic element may be provided on the first joint 301, i.e., the base station 200; or on the second joint 302, i.e. the cleaning robot 100. The electromagnet is electrically connected with an energy supply unit (such as a battery pack), and the electromagnet is electrically connected with the energy supply unit in a switchable manner. Specifically, in an alternative embodiment, the conducting wire connecting the electromagnet and the energy supply unit is provided with an on-off switch, and the on-off switch is connected with the base station controller and/or the robot controller. When fluid replacement is required, the robot controller issues a control command to return to the base station 200, and the cleaning robot 100 starts to return to find the base station 200 according to a predetermined route. At the same time, the base station controller and/or the robot controller controls the on-off switch to be closed (which controller controls depending on whether the electromagnet is provided on the base station 200 or the cleaning robot 100), and the electromagnet is energized to generate a magnetic field. When the cleaning robot 100 enters the base station 200, the electromagnet is energized to generate magnetic attraction on another magnetic element or a magnetizable element until the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022 are attracted together by the magnetic attraction. When fluid replacement is completed (described below, the fluid level sensor 116 detects the fluid level in the second fluid tank 103 of the robot to determine whether fluid replacement is completed), the base station controller and/or the robot controller controls the on-off switch to be turned off, the electromagnet is de-energized, the magnetic field disappears, and the magnetic attraction between the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022 disappears. Then the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 can be easily separated. In this way, when the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 need to be butted, the electromagnet is controlled to be electrified, so that the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 can be butted better. When separation is needed, the electromagnet is controlled to lose power, so that the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 can be easily separated.

By adopting the structure design, not only can the flexible pipe 303 be axially fixed with the liquid inlet end 3012 and the liquid outlet end 3013, but also the flexible pipe 303 can be circumferentially fixed with the liquid inlet end 3012 and the liquid outlet end 3013, and the flexible pipe 303 is hermetically connected with the liquid inlet end 3012 and the liquid outlet end 3013. Thus, a better seal is formed at the junction of flexible tube 303 with inlet port 3012 and outlet port 3013 to prevent fluid leakage.

The above is an embodiment in which the two ends of the first joint 301 are flexibly connected to each other, so as to improve the butt redundancy of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302. Of course, the way of lifting the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 for joint redundancy is not limited to this. From the above, it can be known that the second connector 302 and the first connector 301 are both easily deviated in the horizontal direction during the docking process. Therefore, if the butt joint range of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 in the horizontal direction can be enlarged, the aim of improving the butt joint redundancy can be achieved.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 8, in another alternative embodiment, the first connector 301 has a degree of freedom to move in a horizontal direction with respect to the main body 203. That is, the first joint 301 may move left and right in the horizontal direction on the supporting rear plate 2031 of the main body 203. Thus, when the cleaning robot 100 drives into the base station 200 to move to the left or right, the first joint 301 is driven to move horizontally on the main body 203 to the left or right by the magnetic attraction of the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022, and the second joint 302 can be also preferably butted with the first joint 301.

The specific implementation mode is as follows: the main body 203 (supporting back plate 2031) is provided with a horizontal guide sleeve 306, and the side wall of the horizontal guide sleeve 306 is provided with a horizontal avoiding hole 3061. The first connector 301 is movably disposed through the horizontal clearance hole 3061. The first connector 301 is provided with a horizontal guide portion 3015, and the horizontal guide portion 3015 is slidably arranged in the horizontal guide sleeve 306. The supporting back plate 2031 may be provided with a horizontal opening 2032 extending along the same country as the horizontal avoiding hole 3061, and the horizontal guide sleeve 306 is embedded in the horizontal opening 2032. The horizontal guide sleeve 306 is a strip-shaped hollow shell structure, the front side wall and the rear side wall of the horizontal guide sleeve penetrate through horizontal avoidance holes 3061, and the horizontal avoidance holes 3061 are arranged to enable the first connector 301 to smoothly move horizontally. The horizontal guide portion 3015 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the body of the first joint 301, so that the first joint 301 has a cross-shaped configuration. By arranging the horizontal guide part 3015, the horizontal movement of the first joint 301 can be guided and limited. With the above structural design, the first joint 301 can move left or right in the horizontal direction with respect to the main body 203. Wherein the first connector 301 has a centered position. In order to return the first joint 301 to the centered position after the cleaning robot 100 completes fluid replacement, as shown in fig. 8, further, a return spring 307 is provided between at least one end of the horizontal guide portion 3015 in the movable direction thereof and the inner wall of the horizontal guide sleeve 306, and the return spring 307 applies a return force to the first joint 301 through the horizontal guide portion 3015. In an alternative embodiment, a return spring 307 is disposed between each end of the horizontal guide portion 3015 and the inner wall of the horizontal guide sleeve 306.

In order to limit and maintain the shape of the return spring 307, a protrusion 3062 is formed on the inner wall of the horizontal guide sleeve 306, the end of the horizontal guide portion 3015 is recessed inwards to form a groove 3016, one end of the return spring 307 is sleeved outside the protrusion 3062, and the other end of the return spring 307 is accommodated in the groove 3016. Thus, the outer end of the return spring 307 is limited by the protrusion 3062, the position is stable, the inner end is accommodated by the groove 3016, when the horizontal guide portion 3015 moves to drive the return spring 307 to compress, the inner wall of the groove 3016 can right the return spring 307, and the return spring 307 is prevented from being bent.

In the embodiment where the number of the return springs 307 is one, both ends of the return spring 307 are fixedly connected to the end of the horizontal guide portion 3015 and the inner wall of the horizontal guide sleeve 306, respectively. With the return spring 307 in its naturally extended state, the first connector 301 is in a centered position. When the first joint 301 moves toward or away from the side where the return spring 307 is located, the return spring 307 is compressed or stretched, and energy storage is achieved. After the fluid infusion is completed, the second joint 302 is separated from the first joint 301, and the elastic potential energy accumulated by the return spring 307 is released to push or pull the first joint 301 to return to the central position. In the embodiment in which the number of the return springs 307 is two, the specifications and the elastic coefficients of the two return springs 307 are the same. When the first joint 301 is in the centered position, both return springs 307 are in a compressed state, or both are in a stretched state. When the first joint 301 moves toward the side of one of the return springs 307 (e.g., the right return spring 307), the side return spring 307 is compressed, the other return spring 307 (the left return spring 307) is extended, and both return springs 307 are charged. After the fluid infusion is completed, the second joint 302 is separated from the first joint 301, and the elastic potential energy accumulated by the two return springs 307 is released to jointly push or pull the first joint 301 to return to the central position.

In the above-mentioned embodiment in which the first joint 301 is horizontally movable, the first joint 301 may be integrally designed as a rigid pipe. In the above two embodiments, the end of the first connector 301 for plugging with the second connector 302 may be designed with a tapered structure so as to be matched with the second connecting portion 3023 (described below) of the second connector 302.

As such, the magnetic attraction between the first and

second attachment elements

3011 and 3022 is used to achieve the docking of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302, so that the second joint 302 can actively seek the docking with the first joint 301 during the returning process of the cleaning robot 100 to the base station 200. Therefore, the liquid flow channel can be sealed, the butt joint efficiency can be improved, and the butt joint effect is good.

Since the cleaning robot 100 needs to move on the work surface to perform a cleaning task, the second joint 302 provided on the cleaning robot 100 preferably does not protrude from the outer wall surface of the main body 101 to minimize interference with surrounding obstacles. As shown in fig. 7, the second joint 302 includes a striking plate 3021, and the striking plate 3021 is provided on the body 101 of the cleaning robot 100 and is preferably flush with the outer wall of the body 101. The striking plate 3021 is recessed inwardly to form a second connecting portion 3023, and a rear end forms a plug 3024 for connection with the hose 118. Specifically, the hose 118 may be sleeved outside the plug 3024 and axially fixed with the plug 3024 in the manner described above.

Of course, the arrangement of the second connecting portion 3023 and the plug 3024 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In another possible embodiment, the positions of the second connecting portion 3023 and the plug 3024 may be reversed. That is, the second connection portion 3023 is provided on the first joint 301, and the plug connector 3024 is provided on the second joint 302. In short, the first joint 301 is provided with one of the second connection portion 3023 and the plug connector 3024, and the second joint 302 is provided with the other of the second connection portion 3023 and the plug connector 3024.

The second attachment element 3022 may be fixedly arranged on a side of the striker plate 3021 facing away from the first joint 301, i.e. on the rear side. The fixing mode can be as follows: the rear side of the striking plate 3021 is provided with a receiving groove in which the second attaching member 3022 is fixed. In some alternative embodiments, the second attaching element 3022 may be annular, and the receiving groove is correspondingly an annular groove, and the second attaching element 3022 is embedded in the receiving groove. Alternatively, in other alternative embodiments, the second attaching elements 3022 are a plurality of free block structures, the receiving grooves are a plurality of receiving grooves arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction, and the plurality of second attaching elements 3022 are respectively embedded in the corresponding receiving grooves. Alternatively, in some alternative embodiments, the second attachment element 3022 is a magnetic element, the striking plate 3021 is made of magnetizable material such as iron, cobalt, nickel, and the second attachment element 3022 can be attracted to the striking plate 3021 by magnetic force. As above, the first attachment element 3011 is fixedly disposed on the side of the tapping tip 3013 facing away from the second connector 302, i.e., the back side. The manner of securing may be the same or similar to that described above for second attachment element 3022 and striker plate 3021. In some embodiments, to prevent the first attachment component 3011 from being detached from the tapping tip 3013, the back end of the tapping tip 3013 is provided with a stop hook 3017 for limiting the first attachment component 3011.

In a preferred embodiment, to function as a self-alignment, the first 3011 and second 3022 attachment elements are preferably circular rings, and the inner and outer diameters of the first 3011 and second 3022 attachment elements are equal, respectively. The front end of the liquid outlet end 3013 forms a first connecting part 3018 which is matched with the second connecting part 3023. The first connection portion 3018 is inserted into the second connection portion 3023, so that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 can be connected. In order to improve the sealing at the joint of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 and avoid liquid leakage, a sealing member 308 is arranged on the first joint 301 or the second joint 302, and the sealing member 308 seals the joint of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 when the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are in a matching state. Specifically, the sealing element 308 may include, but is not limited to, an O-ring, a K-ring, or an F-ring, and the sealing element 308 is disposed outside the first connection portion 3018. When the first connection portion 3018 is inserted into the second connection portion 3023, the seal 308 is compressed and expanded by the magnetic attraction between the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022, thereby sealing the gap between the first connection portion 3018 and the second connection portion 3023. Further, a water absorbing material 3019 is disposed in the second connecting portion 3023, and the water absorbing material 3019 may include any porous medium with flexibility, such as sponge. When the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are in the mated state, the water absorbing material 3019 is pressed by the first connection portion 3018 to be in a compressed state by the magnetic attraction force between the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022. When the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are separated as shown in fig. 7, the water-absorbing material 3019 is recovered to completely absorb a very small amount of cleaning solution remaining in the second connecting portion 3023, and it is ensured that no liquid drops are present in the first joint 301 and the second joint 302, so that it is avoided that when the cleaning robot 100 is separated from the base station 200, water flows out from the first joint 301, which may cause a short circuit in the base station 200 or rust on metal parts in the base station 200, and it is also avoided that liquid remaining in the second joint 302 drops on a working surface during the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 100.

To further withdraw the liquid remaining in the docking device 300 after completion of the fluid infusion, the base station controller controls the second pump 2082 to rotate reversely for a predetermined time after completion of the fluid infusion. Specifically, after the cleaning robot 100 returns to the base station 200, the base station 200 adds liquid to the robot second liquid tank 103. When the level sensor 116 detects that the liquid level in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is increased to a certain threshold value, the cleaning robot 100 sends a signal for stopping liquid feeding to the base station 200 through a sensor such as infrared, bluetooth, etc. After the base station 200 receives the signal, the first pump 2081 is controlled to be turned off, and the second pump 2082 is turned on for a certain time to empty the liquid remaining in the docking device 300.

As is known, the base station controller controls the second pump 2082 to rotate in a forward direction for fluid replacement operation to the cleaning robot 100. After the liquid replenishment is completed, the second pump 2082 is controlled to reversely rotate for a predetermined time, so as to suck back the liquid remaining in the docking device 300, prevent the liquid in the docking device 300 from leaking, and prevent the liquid in the docking device 300 from being stored and dripping on the base station 200 or a working surface. The predetermined time may be set according to actual conditions, so as to withdraw at least part of the liquid in the docking device 300, for example, 1 to 5s, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In one embodiment, a third water and air proofing and ventilating device 113 and a third one-way valve 114 are arranged between the docking device 300 and the second liquid tank 103 of the robot. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, another three-way joint 112 is provided on the hose 118, and the third water and air permeation prevention device 113 is provided on the three-way joint 112. The third water and air prevention and ventilation device 113 may be a water and air prevention and ventilation valve, and is located between the docking device 300 and the third check valve 114, and the third check valve 114 inhibits the cleaning solution from flowing from the robot second liquid tank 103 to the docking device 300. Due to the existence of the third check valve 114, in the reverse pumping process of the second pump 2082, liquid is not pumped out of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot, but air is sucked in from the outside by the third water-proofing and air-permeable device 113 to balance the pressure difference caused by the reverse pumping. When the back pumping action is finished, the process of replenishing the cleaning solution is completely finished. At this time, the cleaning robot 100 moves out of the base station 200 and returns to the breakpoint position where the operation is suspended to continue the operation.

In the embodiment where two cavities are provided in the base station 200, the liquid retained in the docking device 300 is a mixed solution. To avoid back pumping the mixed solution into either or both of the chambers, which could result in contamination of the liquid (cleaning solution, water) contained in both chambers, as shown in FIG. 6, in an alternative embodiment, the liquid supply assembly 207 further comprises: and a buffer casing 2076 disposed on the converging line 2073 and between the input port 2074 and the second pump 2082. Further, a fourth check valve 2077 is disposed on the converging line 2073 and positioned between the buffer casing 2076 and the input 2074, and the fourth check valve 2077 inhibits the flow of liquid from the buffer casing 2076 to the input 2074. Thus, when the second pump 2082 is reversed, the liquid (mixed solution) in the docking device 300 is pumped back into the buffer casing 2076. Moreover, due to the flow restriction of the fourth check valve 2077, the liquid pumped back into the buffer tank 2076 cannot be further pumped back into the first liquid tank 201 and/or the second cavity 202, so as to ensure the purity of the liquid in the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202. Similarly, to balance the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure, a balancing device may be disposed on the cache casing 2076, which includes holes disposed on the top wall of the cache casing 2076 and waterproof valves disposed at any positions on the wall of the cache casing 2076.

In order to perform the fluid replacement operation after the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are completely connected, the first connector 301 or the second connector 302 is provided with a connection detection element 309 for detecting whether the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are connected. As shown in fig. 7, in a specific embodiment, the docking detection unit 309 is provided on the second joint 302, specifically, on the striking plate 3021, and moves together with the cleaning robot 100. Alternatively, in another alternative embodiment, the docking detection element 309 may also be disposed on the base station 200. In this embodiment, the "docking success" includes: the first joint 301 is completely butted against the second joint 302, and the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are sealed. Whether the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are completely butted or not can be determined by detecting whether the distance between the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 reaches a set threshold value or not by the butting detection element 309 after the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are butted. When the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are successfully butted, the sealing element 308 is extruded and deformed, and the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are sealed. As described above, the docking detection element 309 may be any suitable conventional structure, such as various sensors, optical, acoustic, mechanical or electromagnetic detection elements, etc., and the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The docking detection component 309 is communicatively coupled to the base station controller. In some embodiments, when the docking detection element 309 is disposed on the first joint 301, i.e., the cleaning robot 100, the docking detection element 309 may be communicatively coupled to a robot controller, which in turn is communicatively coupled to a base station controller. In other embodiments, but with the docking detection component 309 disposed on the second connector 302, i.e., the base station 200, the docking detection component 309 may be in direct communication with the base station controller. The docking detection component 309 may provide the detection results to the base station controller. The base station controller controls whether the base station 200 supplies the liquid to the cleaning robot 100 based on the detection result of the docking detecting element 309. When the detection result of the docking detection component 309 is yes, which indicates that the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are successfully docked, the base station controller controls the proportional control component 208 to operate to replenish the second liquid tank of the robot of the cleaning robot 100 with liquid. On the contrary, when the detection result of the docking detection component 309 is negative, it indicates that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are not successfully docked, and the base station 200 does not supply liquid to the cleaning robot 100.

In some embodiments, the main body 203 is provided with a third on-position detecting element for detecting whether the cleaning robot 100 is docked on the base station 200. Specifically, the third in-place detection element is disposed on the parking place 204 or the supporting back plate 2031, and specific configurations can refer to the above description and are not described herein again. The third on-position detection element can be in communication connection with the base station controller and also can be in communication connection with the base station controller through the robot controller. When the detection result of the third on-position detecting element is yes, the base station controller controls the proportional control component 208 to operate to supplement the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100. Further, the liquid is replenished to the cleaning robot 100 only when the third on-site detection element detects that the cleaning robot 100 is at a parking water adding/charging state and the docking detection element 309 detects that the two conditions of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are successfully docked are simultaneously met. When the detection result of the third on-position detecting element is negative, the base station controller controls the proportional control unit 208 to stop supplying the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100. Applicable scenarios for this embodiment include: after the cleaning robot 100 is finished, it returns to the base station 200, and the base station 200 supplies the cleaning solution to the cleaning robot 100 in time. This has the advantage that the cleaning robot 100 ensures that the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is filled with cleaning solution the next time it is in operation.

Further, the base station controller and/or the robot controller are connected with the reminding unit. And when the detection result of the third on-position detection element is yes, the base station controller and/or the robot controller controls the reminding unit to operate. Therefore, in the whole process of replenishing the cleaning solution, the user can be informed by methods such as APP, robot panel, base station panel, voice prompt and the like, and the cleaning robot 100 is not forcibly taken out from the base station 200. If the user forcibly removes the cleaning robot 100 from the base station 200 for some reason, the second pump 2082 stops working and pumps it back for a short time, preventing liquid from dripping on the base station 200.

Bearing the above description, the robot second liquid tank 103 is provided therein with a level sensor 116 connected to the robot controller. The robot controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to revert to the base station 200 for replenishment of cleaning solution when the level sensor 116 detects that the level of cleaning solution in the robot second liquid tank 103 is below a lower threshold. Accordingly, when the level sensor 116 detects that the level of the cleaning solution in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is higher than the upper threshold, the base station controller controls the proportional control component 208 to stop working based on the control command for stopping liquid replenishment sent by the robot controller.

In this embodiment, the upper threshold and the lower threshold may be set according to actual conditions, for example, the upper threshold may be 95% of the height of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot, and the upper threshold may be 5% of the height of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The operation of the cleaning system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 9:

the cleaning robot 100 starts to operate.

The operation of the cleaning robot 100 is started, and may be triggered for the user or may be a spontaneous operation of the cleaning robot 100 itself.

The user trigger operation comprises the following steps: the robot panel provided on the body 101 is provided with an open button, and the cleaning robot 100 starts to operate when a user clicks and triggers the open button. Alternatively, the user remotely manipulates a client (e.g., a mobile smartphone, or an APP loaded on a mobile smartphone) communicatively connected to the cleaning robot 100, and controls the cleaning robot 100 to start operating. Alternatively, the user remotely manipulates the remote control device to control the cleaning robot 100 to start operating. And the autonomous operation of the cleaning robot 100 itself includes: the cleaning robot 100 is set to start working at regular times, for example, 10 a.m: 00, starting to work; alternatively, 10 am every saturday: 00 begin operation, etc.

The cleaning robot 100 starts a self-test program to detect whether the liquid amount in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is lower than a preset threshold value.

The start of the self-checking program of the cleaning robot 100 may be triggered by the robot controller based on the above-mentioned command for the operation start. The detection of the amount of liquid in the robot second liquid tank 103 is done by a level sensor 116. The level sensor 116 detects the level height of the liquid in the robot second liquid tank 103 in real time and provides the detection result to the cleaner controller in real time. And when the cleaner controller judges that the current liquid level of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is higher than the lower limit threshold value based on the real-time detection result provided by the liquid level sensor 116, namely the detection result is negative, which indicates that the liquid storage in the cleaning robot 100 is sufficient, the cleaning robot 100 is controlled to execute the step of continuing to work. On the contrary, when the cleaner controller determines that the current liquid level of the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is lower than the lower threshold based on the real-time detection result provided by the liquid level sensor 116, that is, the detection result is yes, which indicates that the liquid reserve in the cleaning robot 100 is insufficient, the cleaning robot 100 is controlled to return to the base station 200 along the shortest path. After the cleaning robot 100 reaches the base station 200, the cleaning robot 100 establishes a communication connection with the base station 200 through any existing known means such as infrared, bluetooth, wireless, etc., and sends a signal requesting fluid replenishment to the base station 200.

After receiving the signal requesting fluid replenishment from the cleaning robot 100, the base station 200 starts a self-test program to detect whether the first fluid tank 201 for containing the cleaning fluid is installed. And when the detection result is negative, namely the first liquid tank 201 is not installed in the base station 200 at the moment, an alarm signal that the first liquid tank 201 is not installed is sent outwards. Specifically, the base station controller controls an alarm unit in communication connection with the base station controller to send an alarm signal to notify a user of installing the first liquid tank 201. When the result of the test is yes, i.e. the first liquid tank 201 is installed in the base station 200 at this time, the base station 200 continues to self-test whether the second chamber 202 is installed. If the detection result is negative, that is, the second cavity 202 is not installed in the base station 200 at this time, an alarm signal indicating that the second cavity 202 is not installed is sent out, and the user is notified to install the second cavity 202. When the result of the detection is yes, that is, the second chamber 202 is installed in the base station 200 at this time, the base station 200 continues to self-check whether there is water in the second chamber 202. Specifically, the liquid level in the second chamber 202 is detected by the liquid level sensor 205 to determine whether there is water. And if the detection result is negative, that is, if no water exists in the second cavity 202, sending an alarm signal indicating that no water exists in the second cavity 202 to the outside, and informing a user of adding water into the second cavity 202. During this period, the cleaning robot 100 returns to the base station 200 to standby. When the detection result is yes, that is, water is present in the second chamber 202, the cleaning robot 100 moves into the base station 200 and stops at the parking place 204. The docking detection element 309 detects whether docking is successful. Specifically, the docking detection element 309 provided on the base station 200 is turned on to detect whether the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are successfully docked. The docking detection component 309 provides the detection structure to the base station controller in real time.

When the base station controller determines that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are not successfully jointed based on the detection result provided by the joint detection element 309, the cleaning robot 100 moves back to perform a plurality of re-jointing operations. During this period, the base station controller controls the proportional control element 208 to temporarily not perform the fluid replacement operation. During the course of performing a plurality of re-docking operations, for example, three times, the docking detection component 309 detects whether the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are successfully docked in real time. If the detection is not successful again, the liquid adding process is interrupted, the cleaning robot 100 stops to alarm, and the user intervenes in the inspection. If the detection result shows that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are successfully butted, the cleaning robot 100 sends a signal indicating that the butting is successful to the base station 200.

After receiving the signal of successful docking, the base station 200 starts to fill the robot second liquid tank 103 with liquid according to the set ratio. Before adding the liquid, the user can adjust or modify the proportioning ratio parameter of the cleaning solution through the input device. The base station 200 controls the proportional control module 208 to output cleaning solutes and solutes with corresponding flow rates according to the input proportioning proportional parameters. In the process of adding liquid to the cleaning robot 100 by the base station 200, the reminding unit in communication connection with the base station controller and/or the robot controller is controlled to operate, and outwards sends out reminding signals in modes of voice broadcasting, character displaying, light flickering and the like so as to remind a user that the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 are not required to be pulled out.

In the liquid adding process, different treatment measures are provided when different abnormal conditions are dealt with.

For example, if the user pulls the cleaning robot 100 out of the base station 200, the docking detection element 309 detects that the docking between the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 is disconnected. The cleaning robot 100 sends a disconnection signal to the base station 200, the base station controller controls the first pump 2081 to stop, and the second pump 2082 pumps reversely for a period of time to empty the residual liquid in the docking device 300, and sends an alarm signal. If the robot second liquid tank 103 is pulled out, the cleaning robot 100 sends a signal to the base station 200, the base station 200 stops supplying liquid, and sends an alarm signal to prompt a user to install the robot second liquid tank 103 back. Wherein, the body 101 of the base station 200 is also provided with an in-place detection element for detecting whether the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is in place, and the in-place detection element is in communication connection with the robot controller. When the in-place detection element detects that the robot second liquid tank 103 is pulled out, the in-place detection element communicates with the robot controller to inform the base station 200 that the robot second liquid tank 103 is pulled out. If any one or two cavities in the base station 200 are taken away, the base station 200 stops adding liquid, and an alarm is given to prompt a user to put back the cavities. Specifically, the first and second in-situ detection elements detect whether the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 are in-situ in real time, respectively, and provide the detection results to the base station controller. If the power supply of the base station 200 is removed and the power supply is plugged again, the base station controller starts the second pump 2082 to reversely pump back, and detects the cavity and the butt joint state and then determines whether to start liquid feeding. The specific steps refer to the above description of whether the cavity is in place, whether the cavity has water, and whether the butt joint is successful, which is not described herein again. During the filling process, the liquid in the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202 is gradually decreased by consumption, and the liquid in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot is gradually increased. Before the robot second tank 103 is filled, the base station 200 will perform a self-check in real time to check whether there is liquid in the first tank 201 and the second chamber 202. When it is detected that there is no water in the second cavity 202 or the water level is lower than the set threshold, the base station 200 stops adding water to the cleaning robot 100, and sends a signal that the base station 200 has no water and the water addition is completed to the cleaning robot 100, and the cleaning robot 100 goes out of the station and continues working. When detecting that there is no cleaning liquid or the liquid level of the cleaning liquid in the first liquid tank 201 is lower than the set threshold, the base station controller operates through the warning unit connected with the base station controller to remind the user that there is no cleaning liquid or the amount of the cleaning liquid in the first liquid tank 201 is small, and at the same time, the cleaning liquid pump, i.e., the first pump 2081, stops working, and the water pump, i.e., the second pump 2082, continues working, and adds water to the cleaning robot.

That is, the base station 200 self-checks the liquid amounts in the first liquid tank 201 and the second chamber 202 in real time during the process of adding liquid to the cleaning robot 100 by the base station 200. The base station 200 performs the operation of adding water to the cleaning robot 100 even if the first liquid tank 201 does not contain cleaning liquid as long as water remains in the second chamber 202. When there is no water in the second chamber 202, the base station 200 stops the operation of adding the cleaning liquid to the cleaning robot 100 even though the cleaning liquid remains in the first liquid tank 201.

During the process of adding liquid to the cleaning robot 100 by the base station 200, the cleaning robot 100 detects and monitors the liquid level height in the robot second liquid tank 103 in real time by the liquid level sensor 116. When the level sensor 116 detects that the liquid level in the robot's second liquid tank 103 has not reached the upper threshold, the base station 200 continues to fill the cleaning robot 100. Once the level sensor 116 detects that the liquid level in the robot second liquid tank 103 reaches the upper threshold, the cleaning robot 100 sends a full or full signal to the base station 200, and the base station controller controls the proportional control module 208 to stop filling.

In the embodiment where the proportional control module 208 is illustrated in fig. 5 to 6 using at least two pumps, as can be seen from the above description, to prevent the serial flow of the liquids in the first liquid tank 201 and the second cavity 202, the base station controller first controls the first pump 2081 to stop, then controls the second pump 2082 to stop, and then controls the second pump 2082 to reversely rotate for a period of time, so as to perform reverse pumping and empty the docking device 300 of residual night. Subsequently, the base station 200 transmits a signal of completion of the priming to the cleaning robot 100. After receiving the signal of liquid adding completion, the cleaning robot 100 exits from the base station 200 and returns to the breakpoint position to continue to complete the work. After the cleaning operation is completed, the cleaning robot 100 returns to the base station 200 again, automatically replaces the cleaning medium (mop cloth), supplements the liquid, charges the battery, and prepares for the next work.

In the embodiment of docking apparatus 300 described above that includes only first attachment element 3011 and second attachment element 3022, the magnetic attraction generated between first attachment element 3011 and second attachment element 3022 provides the docking power for first joint 301 and second joint 302, as well as the pressing force for seal 308 to be crushed. However, the magnetic attraction is generally small, and there is resistance during the process of butting (generally plugging) the first joint 301 with the second joint 302, and the sealing effect of the sealing member 308 is related to the degree of compression deformation. Therefore, it has been proved that the magnetic attraction force is used to butt the two

joints

301 and 302, and the sealing member 308 is required to be capable of achieving a large degree of compression deformation, and the practical application effect is not ideal.

Further, in the above embodiment, the second attaching member 3022 is provided on the second joint 302. Dirt on the work surface may adhere to the second attaching element 3022 during the operation of the cleaning robot 100, and the second attaching element 3022 may also adsorb metallic materials scattered on the work surface thereon. Thereby weakening the magnetic attraction between its first attachment elements 3011, affecting the tightness of the interface of the

joints

301, 302.

In view of the above, the present embodiment provides another docking device 300, which can better solve the above problems.

It should be noted that, the same parts of the present embodiment as those of the above embodiments can refer to the above description, and are not repeated herein, and the following description focuses on the differences between the present embodiment and the above embodiments.

As shown in fig. 10 to 12, the first joint 301 is provided movably in the vertical direction on the main body 203 of the base station 200 and the second joint 302 is provided movably in the horizontal direction on the bottom of the main body 101 of the cleaning robot 100 in this embodiment, compared to the case where the first joint 301 is fixed with respect to the base station 200 and the second joint 302 is provided on the outer peripheral side (front end or rear end) of the cleaning robot 100 in the above embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the first connector 301 has an operating state protruding to the outside of the main body 203 of the base station 200 to mate with the second connector 302, and a non-operating state housed inside the main body 203 of the base station 200. The driving mechanism 310 can drive at least the first connector 301 to switch from the non-operating state to the operating state, and maintain the first connector 301 in the operating state. In an operating state, the first joint 301 is vertically mated with the second joint 302, and the driving mechanism 310 applies a pressing force to the first joint 301 to maintain the pressing deformation of the sealing member 308. Wherein the driving mechanism 310 can at least drive the first joint 301 to switch from the non-operating state to the operating state comprises: the first joint 301 is switched from the non-operating state to the operating state and from the operating state to the non-operating state by the driving mechanism 310, or the driving mechanism 310 only drives the first joint 301 to be switched from the non-operating state to the operating state, and as for the switching of the first joint 301 from the operating state to the non-operating state, the driving mechanism 310 is not required, and specifically, the first joint 301 can be switched from the operating state to the non-operating state under the action of its own gravity, which will be described in detail later.

The parking space 204 is provided with a first receiving cavity 2041. When in the non-operating state, the first connector 301 is received in the first receiving cavity 2041. When in the working state, the first connector 301 at least partially protrudes out of the first receiving cavity 2041. Therefore, after the cleaning robot 100 drives into the parking place 204, the second joint 302 arranged at the bottom of the parking place can be conveniently butted with the first joint 301, the butting operation of the cleaning robot 100 and the base station 200 and the action of the cleaning robot 100 driving into the base station 200 can be seamlessly jointed and unified, and the whole liquid adding process is simplified.

In a further embodiment, the top wall of the first receiving cavity 2041 is provided with an opening corresponding to the first joint 301, and the parking space 204 is provided with a cover operable to open or close the opening. When the first joint 301 is in a non-operating state, the cover covers the opening to prevent dust from falling onto the first joint 301. When the first joint 301 is in the working state, the cover member at least partially opens the opening for the first joint 301 to extend. In this embodiment, the cover member may adopt any conventional configuration for implementation, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

Examples are: the cover member may comprise a thin plate-like structure made of a hard material such as plastic or metal, and is slidably disposed on the lower surface of the top wall of the first receiving cavity 2041, and is driven by a power source such as a motor 3101 and a telescopic rod structure to move horizontally to block or block the opening. Alternatively, the closure member may be made of a flexible elastic material such as rubber, and fixed to the inner wall of the opening, and provided with a cutting line including, but not limited to, a cross shape and a meter shape, so that the closure member is divided into a plurality of sheet-shaped single bodies. When the first connector 301 is received in the first receiving cavity 2041, the plurality of sheet-shaped single bodies are spliced to form a complete cover member, and the opening is sealed. When the driving mechanism 310 drives the first connector 301 to move upward, the first connector 301 may eject the plurality of sheet-shaped single bodies and then extend.

Since the first connector 301 is movably disposed on the base station 200, the first connector 301 can be hidden inside the base station 200 when not in use, thereby achieving the purpose of dust prevention. Also, since the second joint 302 is provided at the bottom of the body 101 of the cleaning robot 100, it is possible to prevent foreign substances from falling into the cleaning robot 100 during operation. Therefore, the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 do not have poor sealing effect after butt joint due to the existence of foreign matters between the two.

As shown in fig. 11 to 16, in an alternative embodiment, the driving mechanism 310 is also received in the first receiving cavity 2041 and located at one side of the first connector 301, and includes: a motor 3101 and a transmission 3102 driven by the motor 3101 to rotate. Because of the reduced thickness of the parking space 204, the drive mechanism 310 is designed to be generally horizontal or flat, the output shaft of the motor 3101 extends substantially horizontally, the transmission member 3102 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 3101, and the first joint 301 is rotatably connected to the transmission member 3102. A connection point of the first joint 301 and the transmission member 3102 (hereinafter simply referred to as a first connection point) does not coincide with a connection point of the output shaft of the motor 3101 and the transmission member 3102 (hereinafter simply referred to as a second connection point) in the axial direction of the output shaft of the motor 3101. Through the above eccentric structure design, the rotation motion output by the horizontally arranged motor 3101 can be converted into the vertical motion of the first joint 301, so that the first joint 301 can be switched between the working state and the non-working state. When the transmission member 3102 is driven to rotate to make the first connection point located at the highest point, or the first connection point is located at a position higher than the second connection point, the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are butted or completely butted. When the driving member 3102 is locked and stably positioned by the motor 3101, the pressure is continuously and stably applied to the first connector 301, so that the sealing member 308 is maintained in a pressed and deformed state.

In the embodiment, the transmission member 3102 may be a block structure, but not limited thereto. In fact, it is sufficient if the two connection points mentioned above do not coincide in the direction of the output shaft of the motor 3101. The transmission member 3102 is fixedly disposed on the output shaft of the motor 3101, and the connection manner of the transmission member 3102 and the first connector 301 is determined according to different situations.

Specifically, as described above, if the first joint 301 needs to be driven by the driving mechanism 310 both from the non-operating state to the operating state and from the operating state to the non-operating state, the transmission member 3102 is rotationally connected to the first joint 301. In a specific embodiment, the side of the first joint 301 facing the transmission member 3102 is provided with a first mating portion, and the side of the transmission member 3102 facing away from the motor 3101 is provided with a second mating portion. One of the first matching part and the second matching part is a groove, and the other one of the first matching part and the second matching part is a bulge which is rotatably inserted in the groove. Thus, when the transmission member 3102 is driven to rotate by the motor 3101, the first connector 301 can be driven to move up or down in the vertical direction by the cooperation of the protrusions and the grooves. The positions of the protrusion and the groove are the first connecting points.

If the first joint 301 is driven by the driving mechanism 310 from the non-operating state to the operating state, and the driving mechanism 310 is not required to drive from the operating state to the non-operating state, the transmission member 3102 may be connected in contact with the first joint 301. Specifically, in another alternative embodiment, the transmission member 3102 comprises a cam, and the lower surface of the first connector 301 is in contact with the outer cam surface of the cam. Thus, when the cam is driven to rotate by the motor 3101 until the potential energy of its contact point with the lower surface of the first joint 301 is gradually increased, the first joint 301 is driven to move upward. And when the cam is driven by the motor 3101 to rotate until the potential energy of the contact point of the cam with the lower surface of the first connector 301 gradually decreases, the first connector 301 falls back down under its own weight. The point at which the lower surface of the first contact 301 contacts the cam is the first connection point.

Of course, the driving mechanism 310 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other possible embodiments, a configuration that can drive the first joint 301 to move upward in the vertical direction and make the sealing member 308 obtain a pressing force to maintain the pressing deformation after the butt joint is completed is included in the protection scope of the present embodiment.

For example, the transmission member 3102 may be replaced by a link mechanism, and the motor 3101 drives the link mechanism to move the first connector 301 up and down. Under the condition that the sizes of the parking space 204 and the first receiving cavity 2041 are not limited or required, the driving mechanism 310 can directly drive the first joint 301 to move up and down by using linear motion modules such as a pneumatic rod, a hydraulic rod, an electric telescopic rod, and the like. Alternatively, the transmission member 3102 may be replaced by a gear and rack, a screw rod and a screw thread, etc. which are engaged with each other, so as to convert the rotational motion of the motor 3101 into the linear motion of the first joint 301.

In order to ensure that the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 can be smoothly connected and stop in time when the connection process is blocked, so as to protect the connectors from being damaged, the cleaning system further comprises a control module for controlling the operation of the motor 3101 and a detecting element in communication connection with the control module. In this embodiment, the control module may be the base station 200 controller described above, or may be the robot controller described above. The detecting element is used for detecting an operating parameter of the motor 3101, and the operating parameter includes at least one of current and torque.

If the operating parameter is not changed during the process of switching the first connector 301 from the hidden state to the operating state by the motor 3101, which means that the first connector 301 is not inserted into the second connector 302 and other jamming is not operated, the control module controls the motor 3101 to operate in reverse direction, so that the first connector 301 is switched to the hidden state. After the cleaning robot 100 adjusts the orientation, the docking operation is performed.

Since the first connector 301 is inserted into the second connector 302, the sealing resistance is overcome. Therefore, if the operating parameter is increased to the first threshold value during the process of the motor 3101 driving the first connector 301 to switch from the hidden state to the operating state, which indicates that the first connector 301 is normally inserted into the second connector 302, the control module controls the motor 3101 to continue driving the first connector 301 to switch to the operating state. If the detection result to the docking detection element 309 is yes, it means that the first joint 301 has moved to the bottom, and the docking is completed, the control module controls the motor 3101 to stop operating. The docking detection element 309 in this embodiment can be referred to as described above. It should be noted that, adapted to the driving mechanism 310 of the present embodiment, the docking detection element 309 may include a travel switch cooperating with the transmission 3102. When the transmission 3102 rotates to trigger the travel switch to close, the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are successfully mated.

If the operating parameter is increased to a second threshold greater than the first threshold during the process of the motor 3101 driving the first joint 301 to switch from the hidden state to the operating state, which indicates that the extension of the first joint 301 encounters a card set, for example, may be pushed against the lower surface of the cleaning robot 100, the control module controls the motor 3101 to operate in reverse, so that the first joint 301 is switched to the hidden state, and after the orientation of the cleaning robot 100 is adjusted, the docking operation is performed. In this embodiment, the first threshold is slightly larger than the value of the operating parameter during normal operation. The first threshold and the second threshold may be set according to actual situations, which is not limited in this embodiment.

As shown in fig. 14 to 16, in order to adapt to the flat structure design of the parking space 204 and the first receiving cavity 2041, the first connector 301 includes a plug connector 311 disposed substantially vertically and adapted to be plugged into and mated with the second connector 302, and an adaptor 312 disposed substantially horizontally and connected to the plug connector 311. Since the first joint 301 has a freedom to move up and down, the adapter 312 communicates with the first liquid tank 201 through the first flexible tube 313. In a scenario where the base station 200 can supply the cleaning robot 100 with cleaning solution of a required ratio, the base station 200 further includes the second chamber 202, and the adapter 312 needs to communicate with the confluence pipeline 2073 through the first flexible pipe 313.

As shown in fig. 13, the main body 203 of the base station 200 is provided with a plurality of retaining bases 211 surrounding the plug connector 311, the retaining bases 211 are disposed at the bottom of the first receiving cavity 2041 of the parking lot 204, and the adapter 312 is sandwiched between adjacent retaining bases 211. Thus, the plurality of limiting seat bodies 211 can limit the movement of the first connector 301 along the horizontal direction, so as to prevent the first connector 301 from generating a large horizontal displacement in the first accommodating cavity 2041. In addition, the position-limiting seat 211 provides a setting position for the first attachment element 3011, and one or more first attachment elements 3011 are mounted on the position-limiting seat 211. Specifically, a receiving groove matched with the shape of the first attaching component 3011 is formed in the upper end of the limiting seat 211 by recessing downward, and the first attaching component 3011 is embedded in the receiving groove and fixed.

In the present embodiment, the number of the second attaching elements 3022 is one or more, and is associated with the first attaching element 3011, and the second attaching element 3022 is fixedly provided on the outer wall of the second joint 302. Specifically, the outer wall of the second connector 302 is formed with a plurality of card slots in which the first attachment elements 3011 are embedded and fixed. The second joint 302 has a degree of freedom to move in the horizontal direction on the main body 101 of the cleaning robot 100. Specifically, the body 101 of the cleaning robot 100 is provided with a second accommodating cavity 122, the bottom of the second accommodating cavity 122 is slidably provided with a bottom plate 123, and the second joint 302 is fixedly provided on the bottom plate 123. The bottom plate 123 can replace the lower end of the second connector 302 to contact the bottom of the second receiving cavity 122, thereby providing protection against wear for the second connector 302. Thus, the bottom plate 123 can carry the second connector 302 to move horizontally in the second receiving cavity 122.

The top of the second receiving cavity 122 may provide a limit for the second connector 302 to move in the vertical direction, and in a specific embodiment, the moving margin of the second connector 302 in the second receiving cavity 122 in the vertical direction is not more than 5mm, preferably not more than 3mm, and further preferably about 1 mm. Thus, a small gap is left between the top end of the second joint 302 and the top of the second accommodating cavity 122, so that on one hand, the limiting effect of the second joint 302 in the vertical direction can be ensured, and the second joint 302 is prevented from generating large vertical bounce inside the cleaning robot 100; on the other hand, the top of the second receiving cavity 122 does not contact the top of the second joint 302, so that the horizontal movement of the second joint 302 is not hindered, and the smooth docking process is ensured.

Similarly, since the second joint 302 has a freedom of horizontal movement, the second joint 302 also needs to be communicated with the robot second liquid tank 103 through the second flexible pipe 314.

In this embodiment, the seal 308 is provided on the first joint 301 and/or the second joint 302. As shown in fig. 15 and 16, in an alternative embodiment, the seal 308 is received in the second connection portion 3023 of the second joint 302. In this embodiment, the sealing member 308 is cylindrical, and has a channel 3081 in the middle thereof, which wraps the outer wall of the first connector 301 when inserted therein to achieve sealing. The lower end of the second connecting portion 3023 is provided with a guide 315 for abutting against the sealing member 308 to fix the sealing member 308 in the second connecting portion 3023. As shown in fig. 15, the guide member 315 is provided with a guide hole 3151 corresponding to the passage 3081. The cross-sectional area of the guide hole 3151 is gradually reduced in a direction from bottom to top for guiding the first connector 301 when it is inserted into the second connector 302.

Of course, the seal 308 is not provided in the manner described above. In other possible embodiments, the sealing member 308 may be fixedly secured to the outer wall of the first joint 301. When the first connector 301 is extended from the main body 203 of the base station 200, the sealing member 308 is moved together and inserted into the second connector 302. Alternatively, the outer wall of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are provided with the sealing members 308, and when the first joint 301 is inserted into the second joint 302, the two sealing members 308 are in interference fit to realize sealing.

In this embodiment, the main body 203 of the base station 200 is further provided with a driving mechanism 310 engaged with the first connector 301, for driving the first connector 301 to move in the vertical direction to achieve the coupling with the second connector 302, and applying a pressing force to the first connector 301 to maintain the pressing deformation of the sealing member 308 when the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are in the coupling state. Compared with the embodiment that the magnetic attraction is used for realizing the butt joint of the two joints and the application and maintenance of the pressing force, the embodiment that the mechanical driving mechanism 310 is used can greatly improve the driving force and the pressing force, ensure that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 can be successfully butted, ensure that the sealing element 308 can obtain larger pressing force, ensure that the sealing element 308 can be sufficiently extruded and deformed, and ensure the sealing performance after the butt joint.

In addition, compared to the embodiment that the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are horizontally butted as illustrated in fig. 1, in this embodiment, the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are butted in the vertical direction, and the sidewall of the sealing member 308 does not need to bear the gravity of the liquid. Therefore, compared with the horizontal butt joint mode, the requirement of the butt joint in the vertical direction on the sealing performance is lower, and in addition, the pressing force applied to the sealing element 308 by the mechanical driving mechanism 310 is larger, and the sealing element 308 is more fully extruded and deformed, so that after the butt joint of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 of the embodiment, the sealing effect is remarkably better than that of the above embodiment, and further, the liquid leakage in the liquid adding process is avoided.

The docking device 300 further comprises an alignment component for aligning the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 in the vertical direction during docking, so as to ensure the docking is smooth. In an alternative embodiment, the alignment assembly may employ magnetic alignment, generally the same as the previous embodiments, including at least one first attachment element 3011 and at least one second attachment element 3022 associated with the first attachment element 3011, one of the first and

second attachment elements

3011 and 3022 being a magnetic element and the other being a magnetic or magnetizable element. A magnetic attraction force can be generated between the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022, and the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are aligned through the magnetic attraction force; the first attachment element 3011 and the second attachment element 3022 are attracted to each other and aligned by magnetic attraction. In this embodiment, the magnetic attraction function not only has the alignment function, but also has the functions of assisting the docking and enhancing the docking.

As described above, points of difference of the present embodiment from the above embodiment are complementarily explained:

in the above embodiment, the magnetic attraction force generated between the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022 provides the docking power of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302, and the pressing force of the seal 308 being pressed and deformed, which requires a large magnetic force for the attaching elements. Meanwhile, since the axes of the second attachment element 3022 and the second joint 302 are coincident, the second attachment element 3022 may attract magnetic materials scattered on a working surface to the surface of the second joint 302 during the operation of the cleaning robot 100, and the sealing performance of the

joints

301 and 302 is affected.

In this embodiment, the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022 only need to be attracted and aligned by magnetic attraction, so that the magnetic force requirement is relatively small, and meanwhile, the relative offset distance between the second attaching element 3022 and the axis of the second joint 302 is about 15mm, thereby avoiding the situation that the surface of the second joint 302 adsorbs magnetic materials and the butt-joint sealing performance is affected.

In another alternative embodiment, the alignment assembly further includes the guide aperture 3151 described above. Because the guiding hole 3151 is in the shape of a horn with a large bottom and a small top, when the first connector 301 tries to be butted with the second connector, the upper end of the plug 311 of the first connector 301 can abut against the inner wall of the guiding hole 3151 and slide on the inner wall of the guiding hole 3151, and the second connector 302 is pushed to move horizontally for fine adjustment, so that the second connector 302 is aligned with the first connector 301, the first connector 301 is butted with the second connector accurately, and the butting is completed smoothly.

The cleaning system further includes an alignment detection element in communication with the control module for detecting whether the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are aligned. The alignment detection component can be described with reference to the docking detection component 309, and will not be described again. If the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 are aligned, the docking detection component 309 sends an alignment signal to the base station 200. The control module controls the transport pump in the base station 200 to work according to the received alignment signal, and supplies the liquid in the first liquid tank 201 to the second liquid tank 103 of the robot through the joint device 300.

Further, the cleaning system further comprises a liquid level detection element in communication connection with the control module for detecting whether the liquid capacity in the second liquid tank 103 of the robot reaches a preset threshold value during the process of replenishing the liquid to the cleaning robot 100 by the base station 200. If so, a liquid replenishing stopping signal is sent to the base station 200. According to the received liquid supplementing stopping signal, the control module controls the motor 3101 to operate, so that the first joint 301 is switched from the working state to the non-working state, the transport pump of the base station 200 is operated reversely, and the residual liquid in the first joint 301 is pumped back to the first liquid tank 201. The residual liquid pumping scheme of the part can be referred to the above description, and is not described herein.

In one embodiment, docking device 300 is provided with a one-way flow restriction that allows fluid to flow from first connector 301 to second connector 302, while inhibiting fluid from flowing from second connector 302 to first connector 301. That is, only the base station 200 is allowed to replenish the cleaning robot 100 with the liquid, and the liquid in the cleaning robot 100 is not allowed to flow back to the base station 200. The unidirectional flow restriction may take any suitable configuration and the present embodiment is not limited in this respect. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 15 and 16, the one-way flow restriction structure may be a ball valve structure, specifically, the upper end of the sealing member 308 is recessed downward to form a substantially circular ball seat 317, and a ball 316 is disposed in the second connecting portion 3023 to cooperate with the ball seat 317. Thus, when the liquid flows from bottom to top, the ball 316 can be flushed open, and the first connector 301 and the second connector 302 can be opened. When the pumping is stopped, the ball 316 falls back and seats on the ball seat 317 under the action of gravity, and the communication between the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 is blocked, so that the liquid return is avoided.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 17, when in the non-operating state, the first joint 301 is accommodated in the main body 203, and in other embodiments, the first joint may also partially extend out, and the base station 200 further includes a detection device and a control device for detecting whether the cleaning robot reaches a predetermined position, when the cleaning robot reaches the predetermined position, the detection device sends a signal to the control device, and the control device controls the driving mechanism to drive the first joint 301 to move so as to realize the docking with the second joint 302. The driving mechanism 310 specifically includes a transmission member 321, the transmission member 321 is movably disposed on the main body 203 through an elastic member, a first end of the transmission member 321 is fixedly connected to the push rod 320, and a second end of the transmission member 321 can swing in response to an external pushing force. One end of the flexible tube 303 is sleeved on the push rod 320, and the other end is connected with the liquid outlet end 3013. The first connector 301 further comprises a guide 322, and in one embodiment, the guide 322 may be disposed on both sides of the flexible tube 303 with a predetermined distance from the flexible tube 303. The guide 322 may be a guide rail for guiding the push rod 320 to move in a predetermined direction. In one embodiment, the push rod 320 moves along the axial direction of the flexible tube 303. In one embodiment, when the cleaning robot reaches the predetermined position, the detection device sends a signal to the control device, the control device controls the driving mechanism 310 to apply a pushing force to the second end of the transmission member 321, the transmission member 321 swings, and further pushes the first joint 301 to extend out of the main body 203 to the predetermined position, and the first attaching element 3011 and the second attaching element 3022 are butted together due to the attraction force of each other, so that the butting of the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 is realized.

Since the flexible tube 303 has a good flexibility and a degree of freedom of movement in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint 301, even if there is a small deviation in the position where the cleaning robot 100 is parked, when the first joint 301 and the second joint 302 are butted together by a magnetic force, the flexible tube 303 is not damaged by a pulling force.

The above description is only a few embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the embodiments of the present invention according to the disclosure of the application document without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

A cleaning system, comprising: the device comprises a cleaning robot, a base station for the cleaning robot to stop and supplement liquid for the cleaning robot, and a docking device for connecting the cleaning robot and the base station;

the base station includes: the cleaning robot comprises a main body and a first liquid tank arranged on the main body, wherein the first liquid tank is used for providing liquid for the cleaning robot;

the cleaning robot includes: the robot comprises a machine body, a moving module arranged at the bottom of the machine body and used for driving the cleaning robot to walk, a working module arranged on the machine body and used for executing a working task, and a second liquid tank of the robot arranged on the machine body, wherein the second liquid tank obtains liquid from the first liquid tank;

the docking device includes: the connector comprises a first connector and a second connector matched and connected with the first connector; the first joint is connected to the first liquid tank and comprises a liquid outlet end head and a first attachment element mounted on the liquid outlet end head; the second joint is connected with the robot second liquid tank, the second joint comprising a second attachment element; wherein one of the first and second attachment elements is a magnetic element and the other is a magnetic or magnetisable element; the first attachment element and the second attachment element can generate magnetic attraction force, so that the first joint and the second joint can be connected together through the magnetic attraction force;

the liquid outlet end has freedom of movement at least on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the first connector has an operative state protruding outside the body of the base station to mate with the second connector, and an inoperative state;

the main body of the base station is also provided with a driving mechanism matched with the first joint, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the first joint to move so as to realize the matching with the second joint;

the driving mechanism can at least drive the first joint to be switched from the non-working state to the working state and maintain the first joint in the working state; wherein, the working state is that the first joint is matched and connected with the second joint.
The cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the base station comprises:

a detecting device for detecting whether the cleaning robot reaches a predetermined position;

and the control device is used for controlling the driving mechanism to drive the first joint to move so as to realize the matching with the second joint based on the signal sent by the detection device.
The cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the driving mechanism comprises a push rod and a transmission member fixedly connected to the push rod, the transmission member being configured to swing in response to an external pushing force to drive the push rod to move the first joint in an axial direction.
The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the first joint further comprises a guide for guiding the push rod to move in a predetermined direction.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the first joint further comprises at least: the liquid inlet end is used for being connected with the first liquid tank; the liquid inlet end is connected with the liquid outlet end through a flexible pipe, the liquid outlet end is used for being matched with the second connector in an inserting mode, and the liquid inlet end is connected with the first liquid tank through a liquid inlet pipeline.
The cleaning system of claim 6, wherein the first joint further comprises an axial tension member for increasing the ability of the flexible tube to withstand tension.
The cleaning system of claim 7, wherein the axial tensile member is a braided structure wrapped around the outer wall of the flexible tube; or the axial tensile piece is connected between the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with a horizontal guide sleeve, and the side wall of the horizontal guide sleeve is provided with a horizontal avoidance hole; the first joint is movably arranged in the horizontal avoidance hole in a penetrating mode; the first joint is provided with a horizontal guide part, and the horizontal guide part is slidably arranged in the horizontal guide sleeve.
The cleaning system of claim 9, wherein a return spring is provided between at least one end of the horizontal guide portion in its movable direction and the inner wall of the horizontal guide chamber.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the first joint is provided on a main body of the base station movably in a vertical direction and communicates with the first liquid tank;

the second joint is movably arranged at the bottom of the body of the cleaning robot along the horizontal direction and is communicated with a second liquid tank of the robot;

the main body of the base station is also provided with a driving mechanism matched with the first joint, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the first joint to move along the vertical direction so as to realize the matching connection with the second joint.
The cleaning system of claim 11, wherein a guide member is installed at a bottom of the second joint, the guide member having a guide hole formed therein; the cross-sectional area of the guide hole is gradually reduced along the direction from bottom to top; the guide hole is used for guiding the first connector to be inserted into the second connector.
The cleaning system of claim 11, wherein the first joint comprises: the connector plug is approximately vertically arranged and is used for being matched with the second connector in an inserting way, and the adapter plug is approximately horizontally arranged and is connected with the connector plug;

the adapter passes through the flexible pipe with first liquid tank intercommunication.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the first or second connector is provided with a seal that seals the junction when the first and second connectors are mated.
The cleaning system of claim 14, wherein the first connector includes a first connection portion and the second connector includes a second connection portion that mates with the first connection portion, the seal sealing a gap between the first and second connection portions.
The cleaning system of claim 14, wherein the first or second connection portion has a water absorbent material disposed therein; when the first joint and the second joint are in a matching state, the water absorbing material is extruded to be in a compressed state; when the first joint and the second joint are in a separated state, the water absorbing material is restored to the original state.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the base station further comprises: a base station controller;

the first joint or the second joint is provided with a butt joint detection element for detecting whether the first joint and the second joint are successfully butted;

and when the detection result of the butt joint detection element is yes, the base station controller controls the base station to supplement liquid to a second liquid tank of the robot of the cleaning robot.
The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the docking device includes a one-way flow restriction that allows fluid to flow from the first connector to the second connector and inhibits fluid from flowing from the second connector to the first connector.
A cleaning system, comprising: the device comprises a cleaning robot, a base station for the cleaning robot to stop and supplement liquid for the cleaning robot, and a docking device for connecting the cleaning robot and the base station;

the base station includes: the liquid tank comprises a main body and a first liquid tank arranged on the main body;

the cleaning robot includes: the robot comprises a machine body, a moving module arranged at the bottom of the machine body and used for driving the cleaning robot to walk, a working module arranged on the machine body and used for executing a working task, and a second liquid tank of the robot arranged on the machine body;

the docking device includes: the connector comprises a first connector and a second connector matched and connected with the first connector; the first joint is connected to the first liquid tank through a flexible pipe and comprises a liquid outlet end head and a first attachment element arranged on the liquid outlet end head; the second joint is connected with the robot second liquid tank through a flexible tube, the second joint comprising a second attachment element; wherein one of the first and second attachment elements is a magnetic element and the other is a magnetic or magnetisable element; the first attachment element and the second attachment element can generate magnetic attraction force, so that the first joint and the second joint can be connected together through the magnetic attraction force;

the liquid outlet end head or the second joint at least has freedom of movement on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the first joint.