surface cleaning equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a surface cleaning device, comprising a cleaning base, a brush roller, a brush roller motor for driving the brush roller to rotate, and a suction nozzle; a fluid supply system, comprising a water tank for storing water, a fluid delivery path connecting the nozzle and the water tank, a water pump and a steam generator arranged in the fluid delivery path, and a nozzle; a dirty liquid tank; and a suction motor, wherein the surface cleaning device has a first working mode in which the brush roller motor, the water pump, and the suction motor are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller and simultaneously recover dirty liquid and debris; and a second working mode in which the brush roller motor, the water pump, and the steam generator are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller; and wherein, during the operation of the surface cleaning device in the second working mode, the suction motor remains turned off. The device of this case can reduce the influence of the suction action of the suction motor on the temperature of the brush roller, and realize the function of high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller and the surface to be cleaned that contacts the brush roller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cleaning equipment, in particular to a surface cleaning equipment. Background Art

[0002] Surface cleaners, particularly upright surface cleaners, utilize a cleaning base equipped with a brush roller to clean and vacuum dirt from the floor being cleaned. During operation, water from a water tank is applied to the floor being cleaned by the rotating brush roller. The rotation of the brush roller, combined with the suction force of the suction mechanism, simultaneously picks up dirt and debris from the floor being cleaned and deposits them into a liquid tank on the upright machine.

[0003] The above-mentioned type of machine has obvious advantages when cleaning on normal floors; however, after use, the brush roller wetted by water is prone to breed bacteria and mites, and produces odor, resulting in a poor user experience.

[0004] The patent with publication number CN110353560A discloses a technical solution that can use high-temperature steam instead of water to clean the floor to be cleaned; however, since the high-temperature steam is applied to the roller brush, the suction motor, steam generator and brush roller operate simultaneously, and the suction motor continuously generates a strong flow of air in the roller brush cavity. These flowing air will take away a lot of steam and the heat of the steam, which will make the roller brush temperature always unable to reach the ideal high temperature, which is not conducive to the effect of removing odor and sterilizing by spraying steam in the self-cleaning stage. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a surface cleaning device that can effectively sterilize the brush roller.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides the following first technical solution: a surface cleaning device, comprising:

[0007] A cleaning base is movable on the floor to be cleaned, the cleaning base comprising a brush roller, a brush roller motor for driving the brush roller to rotate, and a suction nozzle;

[0008] a fluid supply system comprising a water tank for storing water, a fluid delivery path connecting the nozzle and the water tank, a water pump and a steam generator disposed in the fluid delivery path, and a nozzle disposed on the cleaning base and for distributing fluid to the brush roller, the steam generator having a liquid inlet for receiving liquid from the water tank and a steam outlet for outputting steam to the outside, the water pump being located between the liquid inlet and the water tank, and the steam outlet being in fluid communication with the nozzle;

[0009] a dirty liquid tank for receiving dirty liquid and debris, wherein the dirty liquid tank is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle; and

[0010] A suction motor, fluidically connected to the suction nozzle and the dirty liquid tank,

[0011] wherein the surface cleaning device has a first operating mode in which the brush roller motor, the water pump, and the suction motor are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller and simultaneously recover dirty liquid and debris; and

[0012] A second operating mode wherein the brush roller motor, water pump, and steam generator are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller; and wherein the suction motor remains off during operation of the surface cleaning apparatus in the second operating mode.

[0013] In the above-mentioned first technical solution, preferably, the nozzle is located on the front side of the brush roller, and the suction nozzle is located on the rear side of the brush roller.

[0014] In the above-mentioned first technical solution, preferably, the steam generator is configured to be able to be individually controlled to be turned on and off by the user.

[0015] In the above-mentioned first technical solution, preferably, the flow rate of the water pump when the surface cleaning device is operating in the first working mode is greater than the flow rate when the surface cleaning device is operating in the second working mode.

[0016] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides the following second technical solution: a surface cleaning device, comprising:

[0017] A cleaning base is movable on the floor to be cleaned, the cleaning base comprising a brush roller, a brush roller motor for driving the brush roller to rotate, and a suction nozzle;

[0018] a fluid supply system comprising a water tank for storing water, a first nozzle and a second nozzle provided on the cleaning base and for distributing fluid to the brush roller, a first fluid delivery path connecting the first nozzle and the water tank, a first water pump provided in the first fluid delivery path, a second fluid delivery path connecting the second nozzle and the water tank, a second water pump provided in the second fluid delivery path, and a steam generator, the steam generator having a liquid inlet for receiving liquid from the water tank and a steam outlet for outputting steam to the outside, the second water pump being located between the liquid inlet and the water tank, and the steam outlet being fluidically connected to the second nozzle;

[0019] a dirty liquid tank for receiving dirty liquid and debris, wherein the dirty liquid tank is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle;

[0020] a suction motor, fluidically connected to the suction nozzle and the dirty liquid tank;

[0021] wherein the surface cleaning device has a first operating mode in which the brush roller motor, the first water pump, and the suction motor are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller and simultaneously recover dirty liquid and debris; and

[0022] A second operating mode in which the brush roller motor, second water pump, and steam generator are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller; and wherein the suction motor remains off during operation of the surface cleaning apparatus in the second operating mode.

[0023] In the above-mentioned second technical solution, preferably, the second nozzle is located on the front side of the brush roller, and the suction nozzle is located on the rear side of the brush roller.

[0024] In the above second technical solution, preferably, the first nozzle is located on the rear side of the brush roller.

[0025] In the above second technical solution, preferably, the flow rate of the first water pump when the surface cleaning device is in the first working mode is greater than the flow rate of the second water pump when the surface cleaning device is in the second working mode.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the equipment in this case can reduce the influence of the suction action of the suction motor on the temperature of the brush roller, and the steam escaping from the nozzle to the brush roller will not be instantly sucked away by the suction nozzle, so that the steam can act on the brush roller as much as possible, so that the brush roller can reach an ideal high temperature and maintain this high temperature state, thereby realizing the function of high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller and the surface to be cleaned that touches the brush roller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A perspective view of a surface cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a surface cleaning apparatus is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a surface cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A control principle diagram of a surface cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a surface cleaning device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a control principle diagram of a surface cleaning device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to explain the technical content, structural features, achieved objectives and effects of the invention in detail, the following embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Refer to the attached Figure 1 , which shows a surface cleaning device 100 according to the present invention. The device 100 includes an upright handle portion 10 and a cleaning base 20 rotatably mounted on the underside of the upright handle portion 10 and adapted to be moved over the surface to be cleaned. For purposes of describing the drawings relative to the figures, the terms "upper," "lower," "right," "left," "rear," "front," "vertical," "horizontal," "inside," "outside," and their derivatives are defined from the perspective of a user standing at the rear of the surface cleaning device 100 facing forward.

[0035] like Figure 1 、 2 As shown, the cleaning base 20 includes a housing 22 with a suction port 21 at the bottom, a brush roller chamber 23 located in the housing 21, a brush roller 24 installed in the brush roller chamber 23 and with part of its bristles extending downward from the suction port 21, a brush roller motor 28 for driving the brush roller 24 to rotate, a suction nozzle 25 located in the housing 21, and a nozzle 27 for spraying a cleaning fluid toward the brush roller 24. The nozzle 27 is located at the front side of the brush roller 24. The suction nozzle 25 is located at the rear side of the brush roller chamber 23, and the front end of the suction nozzle 25 is connected to the brush roller chamber 23. The suction port 21, the brush roller chamber 23, and the suction nozzle 24 are connected in sequence.

[0036] The upright handle portion 10 includes an upper handle 11, a lower body 12, a water tank 13 supported on the lower body 12 for storing water, a waste liquid tank 14 for receiving waste liquid and debris, and a suction motor 15. Also housed within the lower body 12 is a steam generator 16 and a water pump 17 for supplying water from the water tank 13 to the steam generator 16. The upper handle 11 is equipped with control keys (not shown) for controlling the entire device. The steam generator 16 has a liquid inlet 161 for receiving liquid from the water tank 13 and a steam outlet 162 for discharging steam. The water pump 17 transfers water from the water tank 13 to the steam generator 16, where it is heated to steam or hot water, which is then discharged through an outlet. The steam or hot water can be used to sterilize the brush roller or floor surface at high temperatures. The waste liquid tank 14 is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle 25, and the suction motor 15 is fluidically connected to both the suction nozzle 25 and the waste liquid tank 14.

[0037] The surface cleaning device 100 also includes a fluid delivery path and a dirty liquid recovery path. Figure 3As shown, the fluid delivery path includes a first pipeline 18 connecting the water tank 13 and the steam generator 16 in sequence, and a second pipeline 19 connecting the steam output end 162 of the steam generator 16 to the nozzle 27. The water pump 17 is connected in series in the first pipeline 18 and is located between the liquid inlet 161 and the water tank 13. The fluid (such as steam or water) flowing through the second pipeline 19 can be sprayed to the brush roller 24 via the nozzle 27; the water tank 13, the first pipeline 18, the water pump 17, the steam generator 16, the second pipeline 19, and the nozzle 27 are connected in series to form a fluid supply system for supplying cleaning fluid to the brush roller 24. The dirty liquid recovery path includes a passage connecting the suction port 21, the brush roller chamber 23, the suction nozzle 25 and the dirty liquid tank 14 in sequence. The dirty liquid recovery path can use the suction force provided by the suction motor 15 to suck up the dirty liquid and debris connected to the air from the floor to be cleaned and send them into the dirty liquid tank 14 in sequence. The debris and liquid will remain in the dirty liquid tank 14, and the clean air will be released to the outside after flowing through the suction motor 15.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the control unit 30 is connected to the steam generator 16, the water pump 17, the suction motor 15 and the brush roller motor 28 to control their operating states. The steam generator 16 is preferably configured to be able to be individually controlled by the user to open and close, that is, the user can freely choose to close or open the steam generator 16.

[0039] By means of the control unit 30, the surface cleaning device 100 has: a first operating mode in which the brush roller motor 28, the water pump 17, and the suction motor 15 are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller 24 and recover dirty liquid and debris; and a second operating mode in which the brush roller motor 28, the water pump 17, and the steam generator 16 are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller 24. During operation of the surface cleaning device 100 in the first operating mode, the steam generator 16 is turned off; during operation of the surface cleaning device 100 in the second operating mode, the suction motor 15 remains turned off.

[0040] In this example, the control unit 30 includes a start switch 301 that can turn on the device with one click and a steam button 302 for the user to individually control the steam generator 16; when the start switch 301 is turned on, the surface cleaning device 100 directly enters the first working mode to work; when the steam button 301 is activated, the suction motor 15 will be turned off, and the surface cleaning device 100 will switch to the second working mode to work.

[0041] In this example, the water pump 17 is designed so that the flow rate when the surface cleaning device 100 is operating in the first operating mode is greater than the flow rate when the surface cleaning device 100 is operating in the second operating mode.

[0042] To achieve the above design requirements, water pump 17 can be either a dual-speed or variable-speed electromagnetic pump or a conventional mechanical water pump. If the water pump is an electromagnetic pump, the control unit 30 can adjust the pump flow rate by controlling the pulse frequency of water pump 17. If a conventional mechanical water pump is selected, the control unit 30 can control the pump flow rate by controlling the motor speed of water pump 17. For example, a speed controller capable of controlling the motor speed of water pump 17 can be integrated into the control unit 30. The speed controller can output a control signal indicating the motor speed to the motor of water pump 17. For example, the speed control module can receive a first type of data related to a first operating speed or a second type of data related to a second operating speed. The speed control module operates the motor at either the first or second operating speed, enabling water pump 17 to output water at two different flow rates. In this example, regardless of the pump's structure, as long as it can output water at both high and low flow rates, it will be sufficient.

[0043] Therefore, the surface cleaning device 100 of this case has two working modes: (1) the first working mode, which is a working mode for wiping the surface to be cleaned and recovering the dirty liquid with the help of water. In this working mode, the cleaning base 20 can move freely on the surface to be cleaned, the steam generator 16 is turned off, and the water in the water tank 13 passes through the internal pipeline of the steam generator 16 without being heated. The water is output from the nozzle 27 and wets the brush roller 24. The brush roller 24 wetted by water rotates to achieve friction with the surface to be cleaned, thereby wiping the surface to be cleaned; at the same time, the dirty liquid formed on the surface to be cleaned and the inherent debris on the surface to be cleaned will be sucked into the dirty liquid tank 14 by the suction nozzle 25. (2) A second working mode, in which the water pump 17, the steam generator 16 and the brush roller motor 28 are turned on, and the steam generated by the steam generator 16 is transported to the brush roller 24 through the nozzle 27, so that the brush roller 24 can be sterilized at high temperature with the help of steam. In this working mode, the cleaning base 20 can be moved on the ground, and the surface cleaning device 100 can be operated as a steam floor scrubber; the cleaning base 20 can also stay on the surface to be cleaned or at a docking station, and only complete the high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller 24.

[0044] The surface cleaning device in this case has a second working mode in which the suction motor is turned off, and only steam is sprayed and the brush roller is rolled. The second working mode can be operated during the self-cleaning stage of the device to sterilize and deodorize, or when the device acts as a steam floor scrubber. In addition, the operation of the second working mode can be achieved by integrating the program into the self-cleaning program, or by setting an independent button control on the machine body to achieve this mode.

[0045] like Figure 5-6The working principle diagram of another embodiment of a surface cleaning device is shown. In addition to the brush roller 44, a brush roller motor (not shown) that drives the brush roller, and a suction nozzle 45, which are the same as those in the above embodiment, a first nozzle 471 and a second nozzle 472 are also provided on the cleaning base 40 of the device. The first nozzle 471 and the suction nozzle 45 are located at the rear side of the brush roller 44, and the second nozzle 472 is located at the front side of the brush roller 44.

[0046] In addition to the first nozzle 471 and the second nozzle 472, the fluid supply system for providing cleaning fluid to the brush roller 44 also includes a water tank 53 for storing water, a first fluid delivery path 61 connecting the first nozzle 471 and the water tank 53, a first water pump 62 arranged in the first fluid delivery path 61, a second fluid delivery path 63 connecting the second nozzle 472 and the water tank 53, and a second water pump 64 and a steam generator 65 arranged in the second fluid delivery path 63. The steam generator 65 has a liquid inlet 651 for receiving liquid from the water tank 53 and a steam outlet 652 for outputting steam to the outside. The second water pump 64 is located between the liquid inlet 651 and the water tank 53, and the steam outlet 652 is fluidically connected to the second nozzle 472. The dirty liquid recovery path includes a passage that sequentially connects the suction port 41, the brush roller chamber 43, the suction nozzle 45 and the dirty liquid tank 54. The dirty liquid recovery path can use the suction force provided by the suction motor 55 to suck up the dirty liquid and debris connected to the air from the floor to be cleaned and send them into the dirty liquid tank 54 in sequence. The debris and liquid will remain in the dirty liquid tank 54, and the clean air will be released to the outside after flowing through the suction motor 55.

[0047] like Figure 6 As shown, the control unit 70 is connected to the steam generator 65, the first water pump 62, the second water pump 64, the suction motor 55 and the brush roller motor 48 to control the operating states thereof.

[0048] By means of the control unit 70, the surface cleaning device has a first operating mode in which the brush roller motor 48, the first water pump 62, and the suction motor 55 are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller 44 and recover dirty liquid and debris, and a second operating mode in which the brush roller motor 48, the second water pump 64, and the steam generator 65 are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller 44. During operation of the surface cleaning device in the first operating mode, the second water pump 64 and the steam generator 65 are turned off; and during operation in the second operating mode, the suction motor 55 remains turned off.

[0049] The flow rate of the first water pump 62 when the surface cleaning apparatus is operating in the first operating mode is greater than the flow rate of the second water pump 64 when the surface cleaning apparatus is operating in the second operating mode.

[0050] Therefore, the surface cleaning device of this example has two working modes: (1) a first working mode, which is a working mode for wiping the surface to be cleaned and recovering the dirty liquid with the help of water. In this working mode, the cleaning base 40 moves freely on the surface to be cleaned, the second water pump 64 and the steam generator 65 are turned off, and the water in the water tank 54 is output and wetted by the first nozzle 471 of the first fluid delivery path 61 under the action of the first water pump 62. The brush roller 44 wetted by water rotates to achieve friction with the surface to be cleaned, thereby wiping the surface to be cleaned; at the same time, the dirty liquid formed on the surface to be cleaned and the inherent debris on the surface to be cleaned will be sucked into the dirty liquid tank 54 by the suction nozzle 45. (2) A second working mode, in which the second water pump 64, the steam generator 65 and the brush roller motor 48 are turned on, and the steam generated by the steam generator 65 is transported to the brush roller 44 through the second nozzle 472, so that the brush roller 44 can be sterilized at high temperature with the help of steam. In this working mode, the cleaning base 40 can be moved on the ground, and the surface cleaning device can be operated as a steam floor scrubber; the cleaning base 40 can also stay on the surface to be cleaned or at a docking station, and only complete the high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller 44.

[0051] The above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical concepts and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention and implement it accordingly. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning device, characterized in that include: A cleaning base is movable on the floor to be cleaned, the cleaning base comprising a brush roller, a brush roller motor for driving the brush roller to rotate, and a suction nozzle; a fluid supply system comprising a water tank for storing water, a nozzle disposed on the cleaning base and for distributing fluid to the brush roller, a fluid delivery path connecting the nozzle and the water tank, and a water pump and a steam generator disposed in the fluid delivery path, the steam generator having a liquid inlet for receiving water from the water tank and a steam outlet for outputting steam to the outside, the water pump being located between the liquid inlet and the water tank, and the steam outlet being fluidically connected to the nozzle; a dirty liquid tank for receiving dirty liquid and debris, wherein the dirty liquid tank is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle; as well as a suction motor, fluidically connected to the suction nozzle and the dirty liquid tank; Wherein, the surface cleaning device has a first working mode in which the brush roller motor, the water pump and the suction motor are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller and simultaneously recover dirty liquid and debris; and a second working mode in which the brush roller motor, the water pump and the steam generator are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller; and wherein, during the operation of the surface cleaning device in the first working mode, the cleaning base moves freely on the floor to be cleaned, the steam generator is turned off, the water in the water tank passes through the internal pipe of the steam generator without being heated, the water is output from the nozzle and wets the brush roller, and the brush roller wetted by water achieves friction with the floor to be cleaned by rotation, so that the dirty liquid on the floor to be cleaned and the inherent debris on the floor to be cleaned will be sucked into the dirty liquid tank by the suction nozzle; During the operation of the surface cleaning device in the second working mode, the suction motor remains turned off, the water pump, the steam generator and the brush roller motor are turned on, and the steam generated by the steam generator is transported to the brush roller through the nozzle. The surface cleaning device can be operated as a steam floor scrubber by moving the cleaning base on the floor to be cleaned, or can only complete the high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller by allowing the cleaning base to remain on the floor to be cleaned or at a docking station.

2. The surface cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein The nozzle is located at the front side of the brush roller, and the suction nozzle is located at the rear side of the brush roller.

3. The surface cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein The steam generator is configured to be able to be turned on and off by a user individually.

4. The surface cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein The flow rate of the water pump when the surface cleaning device is operating in the first working mode is greater than the flow rate when the surface cleaning device is operating in the second working mode.

5. A surface cleaning device, characterized in that include: A cleaning base is movable on the floor to be cleaned, the cleaning base comprising a brush roller, a brush roller motor for driving the brush roller to rotate, and a suction nozzle; a fluid supply system comprising a water tank for storing water, a first nozzle and a second nozzle provided on the cleaning base and for distributing fluid to the brush roller, a first fluid delivery path connecting the first nozzle and the water tank, a first water pump provided in the first fluid delivery path, a second fluid delivery path connecting the second nozzle and the water tank, a second water pump provided in the second fluid delivery path, and a steam generator, wherein the steam generator has a liquid inlet for receiving water from the water tank and a steam outlet for outputting steam to the outside, the second water pump is located between the liquid inlet and the water tank, and the steam outlet is fluidically connected to the second nozzle; a dirty liquid tank for receiving dirty liquid and debris, wherein the dirty liquid tank is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle; a suction motor, fluidically connected to the suction nozzle and the dirty liquid tank; wherein, the surface cleaning device comprises a first working mode in which the brush roller motor, the first water pump and the suction motor are simultaneously turned on to deliver water to the brush roller and simultaneously recover dirty liquid and debris; and a second working mode in which the brush roller motor, the second water pump and the steam generator are simultaneously turned on to deliver steam to the brush roller; and wherein, during the operation of the surface cleaning device in the first working mode, the cleaning base moves freely on the floor to be cleaned, the steam generator is turned off, the water in the water tank passes through the internal pipe of the steam generator without being heated, the water is output from the nozzle and wets the brush roller, and the brush roller wetted by water achieves friction with the surface to be cleaned by rotation, so that the dirty liquid on the floor to be cleaned and the inherent debris on the surface to be cleaned will be sucked into the dirty liquid tank by the suction nozzle; During the operation of the surface cleaning device in the second working mode, the suction motor remains turned off, the water pump, the steam generator and the brush roller motor are turned on, and the steam generated by the steam generator is transported to the brush roller through the nozzle. The surface cleaning device can be operated as a steam floor scrubber by moving the cleaning base on the floor to be cleaned, or can only complete the high-temperature sterilization of the brush roller by allowing the cleaning base to remain on the surface to be cleaned or at a docking station.

6. The surface cleaning device according to claim 5, characterized in that The second nozzle is located at the front side of the brush roller, and the suction nozzle is located at the rear side of the brush roller.

7. The surface cleaning device according to claim 5, characterized in that The first nozzle is located at the rear side of the brush roller.

8. The surface cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein The flow rate of the first water pump when the surface cleaning device is operating in the first working mode is greater than the flow rate of the second water pump when the surface cleaning device is operating in the second working mode.

Images