ROLLER BRUSH, ROLLER BRUSH ASSEMBLY AND SWEEPING ROBOT

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2024/131260, filed on Nov. 11, 2024, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411484903.1, filed on Oct. 23, 2024. The disclosures of the above-mentioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the technical field of sweeping robots, and in particular to a roller brush, a roller brush assembly and a sweeping robot.

BACKGROUND

As people's requirements for the hygiene of their living environment gradually increase, cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners, sweeping robots, and mops are emerging in an endless stream. Most common cleaning equipment uses a roller brush structure to clean the surface to be cleaned. However, during the cleaning process, the problem of foreign objects such as hair entangled in the roller brush has always troubled users and manufacturers. Because the roller brush entangled with foreign objects will affect the cleaning effect of the cleaning equipment, and the roller brush will get tighter and tighter during the rotation of the roller brush, which is easy to cause large rotation resistance of the roller brush, or even the roller brush will get stuck, thus affecting the cleaning effect of the sweeping robot.

In the related art, an anti-entanglement roller brush is provided, and a movable blade is provided in the middle of the roller brush to cut off the hair entangled on the roller brush during the cleaning process to prevent the roller brush from being entangled by the hair during cleaning. However, the end of the roller brush cannot be equipped with a blade. When the end of the roller brush is entangled with hair, the hair will hinder the rotation of the roller brush when it is entangled on the end of the roller brush, and even cause the end of the plastic roller brush to melt due to continuous friction with the hair, the motor driving the roller brush, etc. due to the entanglement of the hair, which may damage the roller brush and the motor and shorten the service life of the sweeping robot.

SUMMARY

The main purpose of the present application is to provide a roller brush, a roller brush assembly and a sweeping robot, aiming to extend the service life of the roller brush and motor.

To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a roller brush, applied to a sweeping robot, including: a body and at least one guide end cap. The guide end cap is sleeved on an end of the body, an outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap is formed with a guide surface, and the guide surface is configured to guide hair to a middle of the body.

In an embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap is provided in an arc surface, and a cross-sectional area of the guide end cap is configured to gradually increase from one end close to the middle of the body to one end away from the middle of the body.

In an embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap is provided with a plurality of oblique edges at intervals, each of the oblique edges is configured to extend from the end of the body toward the middle of the body, a groove is formed between any two adjacent oblique edges, and a cross-sectional area of each groove is configured to gradually increase from one end close to the middle of the body to one end away from the middle of the body.

In an embodiment, the body includes two half shells, and the two half shells are detachably connected and provided in mirror symmetry; each of the half shells is provided with a first receiving slot, groove walls of the first receiving slots of the two half shells are enclosed to form a receiving cavity, and the receiving cavity is configured to accommodate a shearing mechanism; an outer wall of each half shell is provided with a positioning protrusion at a periphery of a notch of the first receiving slot; and an inner peripheral wall of the guide end cap is provided with a positioning groove, and the two positioning protrusions are accommodated and limited in the positioning groove.

The present application also provides a roller brush assembly, including: a roller brush described in any of the above embodiments, a mounting seat and a driving member. The mounting seat is provided with a second receiving slot and a dust suction port. Both ends of the body are rotatably connected to two opposite side walls of the second receiving slot respectively. And an output end of the driving member is connected to one end of the body.

In an embodiment, the roller brush assembly further includes a cover and a stop. The cover is detachably connected to the mounting seat, and the stop is provided at both ends of the cover facing the body.

In an embodiment, the roller brush assembly further includes a plurality of brush. The body is provided with a plurality of installation grooves at intervals, each of the brushes is provided in one of the installation grooves, the guide end cap is provided with a plurality of avoidance grooves for avoiding the brushes, and part of bristles of the brushes is configured to extend out of the avoidance grooves and protrude from the dust suction port.

In an embodiment, the stop is a wool strip, and an orthographic projection of the wool strip on the guide end cap is configured to shield the guide end cap.

In an embodiment, the roller brush assembly further includes a mounting bracket, and the mounting bracket is connected to the guide end cap, and the stop is detachably connected to the mounting bracket.

The present application also provides a sweeping robot, including: a roller brush assembly described in any of the above embodiments, a shearing mechanism movably provided on the body and an adsorption mechanism provided on the body.

In the technical solution of the present application, during the rotation of the roller brush, when the hair enters the end of the body, the guide surface of the guide end cap will provide a force toward the middle of the body, driving the hair to move from the end of the body toward the middle of the body, thereby preventing the hair from being entangled with the body at the end of the body, thereby reducing the resistance to the rotation of the roller brush, and making it less likely for the roller brush to get stuck. It also prevents the end of the body from being entangled with hair and the motor driving the roller brush, thereby preventing the body from melting due to frictional heating, thereby extending the service life of the roller brush and the motor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the related art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the related art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic structural view of a roller brush according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a guide end cap according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the guide end cap according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a roller brush assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic structural view of the roller brush assembly according to another embodiment of the present application.

The realization of the objective, functional characteristics, and advantages of the present application are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the field without creative work are within the scope of the present application.

It should be noted that all of the directional instructions in the embodiments of the present application (such as, up, down, left, right, front, rear . . . ) are only configured to explain the relative position relationship and movement of each component under a specific attitude, if the specific attitude changes, the directional instructions will change correspondingly.

Besides, the descriptions in the present application that refer to “first,” “second,” etc. are only for descriptive purposes and are not to be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of “and/or” appearing in the full text includes three parallel solutions. Taking “A and/or B” as an example, it includes Solution A, Solution B, or a solution in which both A and B are satisfied. In addition, technical solutions between the embodiments can be combined with each other, but must be based on the realization of the technical solutions by those skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory to each other or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, and is not within the protection scope of the present application.

The present application provides a roller brush, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, in an embodiment of the present application, the roller brush 100 is applied to a sweeping robot, and the roller brush 100 includes a body 1 and at least one guide end cap 2. The guide end cap 2 is sleeved on the end of the body 1, and the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is formed with a guide surface 23. The guide surface 23 is configured to guide the hair to the middle of the body 1.

In the technical solution of the present application, during the rotation of the roller brush 100, when the hair enters the end of the body 1, the guide surface 23 of the guide end cap 2 will provide a force toward the middle of the body 1, driving the hair from the end of the body 1 to move toward the middle of the body 1, avoiding the hair from being entangled with the body 1 at the end of the body 1, thereby reducing the resistance of the roller brush 100 to rotate. It is not easy for the roller brush 100 to get stuck, preventing the end of the body 1 from melting caused by continuous friction and heating between the end of the body 1 and the hair, the motor driving the roller brush 100, etc. due to entanglement of hair, thereby extending the service life of the roller brush 100 and the motor. One or two guide end caps 2 can be provided, which is not limited in the present application. When one guide end cap 2 is provided, the guide end cap 2 is usually sleeved on one end of the body 1 close to the driving member 300 to prevent the end of the body 1 from melting caused by continuous friction and heating between the end of the body 1 and the hair, the motor driving the roller brush 100, etc. due to entanglement of hair. When two guide end caps 2 are provided, the two guide end caps 2 are respectively sleeved on one end of the body 1, and the two guide end caps 2 are opposite to each other, so that the hair or foreign objects at both ends of the body 1 moves to the middle of the body 1. The guide surface 23 may be a plurality of spliced inclined surfaces, or the entire guide surface 23 may be an arc-shaped inclined surface, which is not limited in the present application.

In order to handle foreign objects such as hair more efficiently and smoothly, and prevent hair from getting stuck at the end of the body 1, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the present application, the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided in an arc surface, and the cross-sectional area of the guide end cap 2 is configured to gradually increase from one end close to the middle of the body 1 to one end away from the middle of the body 1. The outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided in an arc surface, which helps to smoothly guide the hair to move to the middle of the body 1 and reduce the resistance of the hair during the rotation. The cross-sectional area of the guide end cap 2 is configured to gradually increase from the position close to the middle of the body 1 to the position away from the middle of the body 1. This design can effectively form a guide channel, so that the hair is more easily guided to the middle of the body 1, further reducing the risk of entanglement and reducing the stagnation of the hair during the guiding process, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency. The design of the arc surface and the gradually increasing cross-sectional area enhances the stability of the guide end cap 2 during operation, so that when the roller brush 100 rotates at high speed, it is not easy to vibrate or displace, thereby improving the reliability of the entire system.

In order to reduce the contact area between the hair and the guide end cap 2, as shown in FIG. 3, in an embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided with a plurality of oblique edges 24 at intervals, and each of the oblique edges 24 is configured to extend from the end of the body 1 toward the middle of the body 1. A groove 25 is formed between any two adjacent oblique edges 24, and the cross-sectional area of each grooves 25 is configured to gradually increase from one end close to the middle of the body 1 to one end away from the middle of the body 1. The outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided with a plurality of oblique edges 24 at intervals. This design can effectively reduce the contact area between the hair and the guide end cap 2, and guide the hair to move toward the middle of the body 1, thereby reducing the possibility of friction and entanglement. In an embodiment, the oblique edges 24 are relatively sharp and can directly cut off the hair. A groove 25 is formed between any adjacent oblique edges 24, which helps to accommodate and guide the cut hair to move toward the middle of the body 1, while avoiding the accumulation of hair on the guide end cap 2. The cross-sectional area of the bottom wall of each groove 25 is configured to gradually increase from a position close to the middle of the body 1, so that the groove 25 can accommodate more hair and guide the hair to move toward the middle of the body 1, further reducing the residence time of the hair on the guide end cap 2 and improving the guiding efficiency. By providing the oblique edges 24 and the grooves 25, the hair is more likely to move along the guide end cap 2 to the middle position of the body, significantly reducing the risk of entanglement, ensuring the smooth operation of the roller brush 100, optimizing the entire cleaning process, and enabling the sweeping robot to maintain an efficient cleaning effect when facing different ground surfaces and hair types.

As shown in FIG. 1, in an embodiment of the present application, the body 1 includes two half shells 11, the two half shells 11 are detachably connected and provided in mirror symmetry. Each of the half shells 11 has a first receiving slot, the groove walls of the first receiving slots of the two half shells 11 are enclosed to form a receiving cavity, and the receiving cavity is configured to accommodate the shearing mechanism 700. The outer wall of each half shell 11 is formed with a positioning protrusion 111 at the periphery of the notch of the first receiving slot. The inner peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided with a positioning groove 21. The two positioning protrusions 111 are accommodated and limited in the positioning groove 21. The body 1 includes two half shells 11, this design is not only convenient for production and assembly, but also can effectively reduce the weight of the overall structure and improve the flexibility of the equipment. The structure enclosed by the two half shells 11 can also effectively accommodate the shearing mechanism 700. This design makes the assembly and maintenance of the shearing mechanism 700 more convenient, and improves the overall maintainability and ease of use. The outer peripheral wall of each half shell 11 forms a positioning protrusion 111, and the inner peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided with a positioning groove 21. When the two half shells 11 are butt-jointed, the guide end cap 2 is sleeved at both ends of the body 1, and the positioning protrusion 111 can be accurately embedded in the positioning groove 21 to achieve the installation and positioning of the body 1 and the guide end cap 2, thereby ensuring a stable connection between the guide end cap 2 and the body 1, avoiding looseness during use, and ensuring that the guide end cap 2 and the body 1 can rotate synchronously. Such an arrangement not only makes the connection between the guide end cap 2 and the body 1 more stable, but also reduces the setting of some fasteners. In an embodiment, a through hole can be provided on the end face of the guide end cap 2, and the guide end cap 2 and the body 1 can be fixed by a screw passing through the through hole.

The present application also provides a roller brush assembly, and the roller brush assembly includes a mounting seat 200, a driving member 300 and a roller brush 100. The specific structure of the roller brush 100 refers to the above embodiment. Since the roller brush assembly adopts all the technical solutions of the above embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here. The mounting seat 200 is provided with a second receiving slot 210 and a dust suction port 220, and the both ends of the body 1 are respectively rotatably connected to the two opposite side walls of the second receiving slot 210. The output end of the driving member 300 is connected to one end of the body 1.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in an embodiment, the mounting seat 200 is provided with a second receiving slot 210 and a dust suction port 220. The second receiving slot 210 is configured to collect garbage and dust generated during the cleaning process, and the dust suction port 220 can be connected to the dust suction system to enhance the cleaning effect. Both ends of the body 1 are rotatably connected to two opposite side walls of the second receiving slot 210 respectively. This design allows the roller brush 100 to rotate flexibly during cleaning, and can effectively adapt to the cleaning needs of different floors. The output end of the driving member 300 is connected to one end of the body 1 to ensure that the roller brush 100 can rotate stably and continuously, thereby improving the working efficiency of the roller brush 100 and ensuring the thoroughness of cleaning.

To further prevent hair or foreign objects from entering the end of the body 1, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in an embodiment of the present application, the roller brush assembly includes a cover 400 and a stop 500. The cover 400 is detachably connected to the mounting seat 200. The stop 500 is provided at both ends of the cover 400 facing the body 1. The provision of the stop 500 effectively prevents hair or foreign objects from entering the second receiving slot 210 through the end of the dust suction port 220 during the cleaning process, thereby preventing the hair from contacting the guide end cap 2, and further preventing the hair from getting entangled with the two ends of the body 1, reducing the risk of hair getting entangled and stuck with the end of the body 1. By providing the stop 500, the roller brush assembly can form an effective protective barrier when working, reducing the probability of failure caused by the entry of foreign objects, and improving the service life of the equipment. The cover 400 is detachably connected to the mounting seat 200, such as screws are passed through the cover 400 and the mounting seat 200 to screw the cover 400 and the mounting seat 200, or a slot can be provided on the side of the mounting seat 200 facing the cover 400. A buckle is provided on the side of the cover 400 facing the mounting seat 200, and the buckle can be snapped into the slot, which is not limited in the present application. This design is convenient for maintenance and cleaning. The user can quickly disassemble the cover 400 for cleaning as needed to ensure that the equipment maintains good performance for a long time. The stop 500 can be a stop plate or a wool strip, which is not limited in the present application.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in an embodiment of the present application, the roller brush assembly includes a plurality of brushes, and the body 1 is provided with a plurality of installation grooves 12 at intervals. Each of the brushes is provided in one of the installation grooves 12. The guide end cap 2 is provided with a plurality of avoidance grooves 22 for avoiding the brushes, and part of bristles of the brushes is configured to extend out of the avoidance grooves 22 and protrude from the dust suction port 220. The roller brush assembly includes a plurality of brushes, and each of the brushes is provided in one mounting groove 12 arranged at interval in the body 1. When the driving member 300 drives the body 1 to rotate, the plurality of brushes rotate with the body 1 to sweep the debris or hair on the ground into the second receiving slot 210, then the debris or hair is adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism provided on the body. The guide end cap 2 is provided with a plurality of avoidance grooves 22, the avoidance grooves 22 are configured to avoid the brushes to ensure that the brushes can move freely without hindrance when the body 1 rotates, thereby ensuring the comprehensiveness and smoothness of cleaning. Part of the bristles of the brush is configured to extend out of the avoidance grooves 22 and protrude from the dust suction port 220. This design not only improves the effective contact range of the brush, but also enhances the cleaning ability of the equipment, so that it can better capture and absorb dust and debris on the ground. By allowing the bristles of the brush to partially protrude from the dust suction port 220, the assembly can achieve deeper cleaning, especially in hard-to-reach corners and crevices, significantly improving the overall cleaning effect.

In order to more effectively prevent hair or foreign objects from contacting the guide end cap 2 and the end of the body 1, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in an embodiment of the present application, the stop 500 is a wool strip, and the orthographic projection of the wool strip on the guide end cap 2 is configured to shield the guide end cap 2. The stop 500 is designed as wool strips, and the structure of the wool strip can effectively cover the guide end cap 2. In this way, the wool strip can form a barrier to prevent hair and foreign objects from directly contacting the guide end cap 2, thereby reducing potential blockage and wear risks. The orthographic projection of the wool strip on the guide end cap 2 is configured to shield the guide end cap 2, ensuring that during the operation of the device, even if a foreign objects approaches, it will be blocked by the wool strip first, thereby protecting the guide end cap 2 and the end of the body 1 from being affected. The setting of the wool strip can not only reduce the distance between the stop 500 and the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 to prevent hair or foreign objects from directly contacting the guide end cap 2, but also enable part of the bristles of the brush extending out of the avoidance groove 22 to push out part of the bristles of the wool strip. That is, the setting of the wool strip does not cause excessive interference with the end of the brush but can further improve the ability to block foreign objects or hair. The wool strip is extended toward the center of the dust suction port 220, thereby reducing the friction between the wool strip and the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2, reducing the rotational resistance and corresponding energy consumption of the roller brush 100, and also preventing the guide end cap 2 from melting due to excessive temperature. Part of the bristles of the wool strip contacts with the guide end cap 2, and during the rotation of the roller brush 100, part of the bristles of the wool strip contacts with part of the bristles of the brushes on the roller brush 100, which does not block or affect the rotation of the roller brush 100, and can also make the wool strip present a shape that fits the guide end cap 2 and the brush on the roller brush 100, thereby minimizing the invasion of hair into the end of the roller brush 100. The setting of the wool strip can also enable hair and small particles to be effectively captured when the brush is working, preventing them from accumulating near the guide end cap 2, thereby improving the overall cleaning performance and maintenance convenience. By effectively blocking the contact of foreign objects, the wool strip not only protects the structural integrity of the guide end cap 2 and the body 1, but also extends the service life of the equipment, thereby improving the user experience.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the outer peripheral wall of the guide end cap 2 is provided with a plurality of oblique edges 24 at intervals, and a groove 25 is formed between any two adjacent oblique edges 24. The orthographic projection of the wool strip on the guide end cap 2 is configured to shield the guide end cap 2. Such a configuration also reduces the contact area between the guide end cap 2 and the wool strip, thereby reducing the friction, and the wool strip is configured to extend into the groove 25, thereby better preventing hair from invading and entangled with the guide end cap 2.

To facilitate replacement of the stop 500, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in an embodiment of the present application, the roller brush assembly includes a mounting bracket 600, the mounting bracket 600 is connected to the guide end cap 2, and the stop 500 is detachably connected to the mounting bracket 600. The stop 500 and the mounting bracket 600 are detachably connected, so that when the user needs to replace the stop 500, it can be completed with a simple operation, saving time and effort, and reducing the difficulty of maintenance. This design allows the user to quickly replace the stop 500 during use, avoiding the cleaning effect being affected by the wear or dirt of the stop 500, thereby improving the overall work efficiency of the equipment. The detachable connection method is not only convenient for replacement, but also simplifies the cleaning process. The user can regularly check and clean the stop 500 to ensure that it is always in good condition.

The present application also provides a sweeping robot, the sweeping robot includes a shearing mechanism 700, an adsorption mechanism, and a roller brush assembly as described in any of the above embodiments. The shearing mechanism 700 is movably provided on the body 1. The adsorption mechanism is provided on the body 1. The shearing mechanism 700 can effectively decompose longer hairs to prevent them from being entangled in the roller brush assembly, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency. The adsorption mechanism is also provided in the body 1, and is intended to suck the dust and small particles generated during the cleaning process into the dust collection box through suction. This design ensures that the floor cleaning is more thorough, and the adsorption mechanism works in conjunction with the roller brush assembly to achieve the best cleaning effect. The sweeping robot can adapt to a variety of floor materials by comprehensively utilizing the functions of shearing, adsorption, and roller brush 100, and achieve intelligent and efficient cleaning. During use, users do not need to frequently maintain, which improves the user experience.

The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the scope of the present application thereto. Under the inventive concept of the present application, equivalent structural transformations made according to the description and drawings of the present application, or direct/indirect application in other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present application.