Cleaning apparatus and control method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning device and a control method thereof. The cleaning device comprises a cleaning liquid tank, a communication member, a first pump body, a liquid spraying assembly and a steam assembly. The cleaning liquid tank is configured to contain cleaning liquid. The communication member is provided with a first outlet and a second outlet. The first pump body is arranged between the cleaning liquid tank and the communication member and is configured to deliver the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank to the communication member. The liquid spraying assembly is configured to communicate with the first outlet of the communication member. The steam assembly communicates with the second outlet of the communication member. The communication member is configured to open the first outlet and / or the second outlet to spray the cleaning liquid through the liquid spraying assembly and / or to form steam or hot water through the steam assembly. In the cleaning device of the present disclosure, the liquid spraying assembly and the steam assembly can be controlled to work separately or simultaneously as needed, which can better meet the needs of users and improve the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of cleaning technology, and in particular to a cleaning device; this disclosure also relates to a control method for the cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of social productivity, people's living standards have also improved. With their material foundation guaranteed, people have begun to use various tools to reduce labor and improve their quality of life, leading to the emergence of household cleaning equipment such as floor scrubbers.

[0003] Among existing steam floor scrubbers, some are equipped with the ability to spray both steam and water onto the work surface to enhance cleaning performance. However, some of these scrubbers have functional limitations. Some scrubbers use two pumps connected to the cleaning solution tank to allow the water spray and steam components to operate separately, but this makes the structure and control process more complex. Other scrubbers cannot spray steam and water simultaneously, resulting in lower cleaning efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a cleaning device and its control method to address the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, comprising:

[0006] A cleaning solution tank, the cleaning solution tank being configured to contain cleaning solution;

[0007] A connecting member, wherein the connecting member is provided with a first outlet and a second outlet;

[0008] A first pump body is disposed between a cleaning liquid tank and a connecting member, and is configured to deliver the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank to the connecting member;

[0009] A liquid spraying assembly configured to communicate with a first outlet of the connecting member;

[0010] A steam assembly, wherein the steam assembly is connected to the second outlet of the connecting member;

[0011] The connecting member is configured to open a first outlet and / or a second outlet to allow the cleaning liquid to be sprayed out via the spraying assembly, and / or sprayed out after being formed into steam or hot water by the steam assembly.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a second pump body is also included, the second pump body being configured to pump cleaning fluid from a second outlet of the connector to the steam assembly.

[0013] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the flow rate of the second pump body is configured to be less than the flow rate of the first pump body.

[0014] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the cleaning liquid tank is provided with a liquid outlet, the liquid inlet end of the first pump body is configured to be connected to the liquid outlet through a liquid outlet pipe, and the liquid outlet end is configured to be connected to the connecting member through a connecting pipe.

[0015] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the cleaning device includes:

[0016] The cleaning fluid tank is mounted on the machine body;

[0017] A floor brush assembly is connected to the bottom of the machine body via a movable shaft; the liquid spraying assembly and the steam assembly are both mounted on the floor brush assembly.

[0018] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first pump body is disposed on the body, and the connecting member is disposed on the floor brush assembly; the connecting pipe is configured to extend from the position of the first pump body in the body along the movable axis to the connecting member in the floor brush assembly.

[0019] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first pump body and the connecting member are both disposed on the body; the first conduit from the connecting member to the spray assembly and the second conduit from the connecting member to the second pump body are configured to extend from the position of the body along the movable axis into the floor brush assembly.

[0020] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam assembly includes at least a steam plate configured to spray steam or hot water onto the work surface; the liquid spraying assembly includes a liquid spraying plate configured to spray liquid; wherein the steam plate and the liquid spraying plate are sequentially distributed in the travel direction of the floor brush assembly.

[0021] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam plate is provided with at least one first nozzle and a plurality of second nozzles for spraying steam onto the working surface, and further includes a first steam pipe for supplying steam or hot water to the first nozzle, and a second steam pipe for supplying steam or hot water to the second nozzles.

[0022] The steam assembly is configured to supply steam or hot water to the first nozzle through the first steam line, or to supply steam or hot water to the first nozzle and the second nozzle simultaneously through the first steam line and the second steam line.

[0023] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam assembly further includes a steam generator, a first steam outlet of which is configured to communicate with the first steam line; a second steam outlet of which is configured to communicate with the second steam line via a control valve; and the control valve is configured to open or close the second steam line.

[0024] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the floor brush assembly includes a floor brush housing and a roller brush rotatably connected to the floor brush housing; the steam generator and control valve are disposed in the inner cavity of the floor brush housing at a position behind the roller brush, and the extending direction of the steam generator and control valve is parallel to the extending direction of the roller brush.

[0025] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam plate is disposed on the floor brush housing in front of the spray plate; the steam plate is configured to pre-spray steam or hot water onto the work surface as the floor brush assembly moves forward.

[0026] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the spray plate is disposed on the floor brush housing at a position behind the roller brush and is configured to spray cleaning fluid onto the rear surface of the roller brush.

[0027] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling a cleaning device is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0028] Control the movement of cleaning equipment on the work surface;

[0029] Control the first pump body to open, and control the connecting piece to open the first opening and the second opening;

[0030] The first pump pumps a portion of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank through the first opening to the spray assembly, and then sprays it out through the spray assembly; the other portion flows to the steam assembly through the second opening.

[0031] The steam assembly heats the cleaning fluid and then sprays the heated steam onto the work surface.

[0032] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the following steps are also included:

[0033] The second pump body is opened to pump the cleaning fluid flowing from the second opening to the steam assembly.

[0034] In the cleaning equipment disclosed herein, the first pump body is positioned between the cleaning liquid tank and the connecting component, allowing the cleaning liquid tank to be connected to the first pump body via only one pipeline. Furthermore, by controlling the connecting component, water can be supplied to the spraying assembly and the steam assembly separately or simultaneously. This cleaning equipment requires only one outlet on the cleaning liquid tank to connect to the first pump body, avoiding the increased probability of leakage caused by multiple outlets. It also simplifies the connection structure between the cleaning liquid tank and the spraying and steam assemblies, providing more space for optimizing the layout of each component.

[0035] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the cleaning equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a partial perspective view of the cleaning equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a partial top view of the cleaning equipment provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a partial side view of the cleaning equipment provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a partial perspective view of another cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 7 This is a partial side view of another cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0044] Figures 1 to 7 The correspondence between the component names and the reference numerals in the figures is as follows:

[0045] 1. Body; 11. Movable shaft; 2. Cleaning liquid tank; 21. Liquid outlet; 3. First pump body; 31. Liquid outlet pipe; 32. Connecting pipe; 4. Connecting component; 41. Inlet; 42. First outlet; 43. Second outlet; 44. First pipe; 45. Second pipe; 5. Second pump body; 6. Spray assembly; 61. Spray plate; 7. Steam assembly; 71. Steam plate; 72. Steam generator; 73. First steam pipe; 74. Second steam pipe; 75. Control valve; 8. Floor brush assembly; 81. Floor brush housing; 82. Roller brush; 83. Auxiliary wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use.

[0048] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0049] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0050] The specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] In this article, terms such as "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate the relative positional relationship between related parts, rather than to define the absolute position of these related parts.

[0052] In this article, "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish one another, and not to indicate degree of importance, order, or prerequisite for each other.

[0053] In this document, terms such as “equal” and “same” are not strict mathematical and / or geometric limitations, but also include errors that are understandable to those skilled in the art and permissible in manufacturing or use.

[0054] This disclosure provides a cleaning device, which can be a handheld cleaning device, such as a handheld washer, handheld vacuum cleaner, handheld floor scrubber, or other handheld cleaning devices well known to those skilled in the art. It can also be a robotic vacuum cleaner, robotic mop, or a robotic vacuum and mop combo, or other self-propelled cleaning devices. The cleaning device may include a main body, and a cleaning solution tank, a wastewater tank, and a floor brush assembly mounted on the main body. When the cleaning device of this disclosure is a floor scrubber, the user can move the floor scrubber across the floor and use the floor brush assembly to clean the surface. During the cleaning process, the cleaning solution tank on the floor scrubber supplies water to the floor brush assembly to wet it, achieving a wet mopping cleaning effect. The wastewater tank is configured to store wastewater generated during the cleaning process.

[0055] The cleaning device disclosed herein further includes a connecting member, a first pump body, a spraying assembly, and a steam assembly. The cleaning liquid tank is configured to hold a cleaning liquid, which can be pure water or an aqueous solution containing a cleaning agent; the cleaning liquid tank is connected to the inlet of the first pump body. The connecting member is provided with an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, wherein the inlet of the connecting member is connected to the outlet of the first pump body, the first outlet is connected to the spraying assembly, and the second outlet is connected to the steam assembly. The connecting member is configured to open the first outlet and / or the second outlet to allow the cleaning liquid to be sprayed out via the spraying assembly, and / or sprayed out after being converted into steam or hot water by the steam assembly.

[0056] Thus, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, when the first outlet of the connecting component is open, the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly, thereby achieving wet mopping of the work surface. When the second outlet of the connecting component is open, the cleaning fluid can be heated by the steam assembly to form steam or hot water, which is then sprayed onto the work surface, softening the stains and allowing stains that are difficult to clean at room temperature to be cleaned by the steam or hot water. When both the first and second outlets of the connecting component are open simultaneously, some of the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly, while some can be sprayed out after being heated by the steam assembly to form steam or hot water.

[0057] As can be seen, in the cleaning equipment disclosed herein, the spraying component and the steam component can be controlled to work separately or simultaneously as needed, which not only better meets the user's needs and improves the user experience, but also, compared with existing floor scrubbers, the cleaning equipment disclosed herein only requires one outlet on the cleaning liquid tank to connect with the first pump body, avoiding the increased probability of leakage caused by setting multiple outlets. At the same time, it simplifies the connection structure between the cleaning liquid tank and the spraying and steam components, providing more space for the cleaning equipment to optimize the layout of each component.

[0058] For ease of understanding, please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 7The specific structure and working principle of the cleaning equipment disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to one embodiment.

[0059] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this disclosure provides a cleaning device, which includes a body 1, a cleaning liquid tank 2, a connecting member 4, a first pump body 3, a spraying assembly 6, and a steam assembly 7; wherein, the cleaning liquid tank 2 is configured to contain cleaning liquid, which can be pure water or an aqueous solution containing cleaning agent. Furthermore, as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the cleaning fluid tank 2 is provided with a liquid outlet 21. The liquid inlet of the first pump body 3 is configured to be connected to the liquid outlet 21 through a liquid outlet pipe 31, and the liquid outlet of the first pump body 3 is configured to be connected to the connecting member 4 through a connecting pipe 32. In this way, the first pump body 3 can pump the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 2 out of the liquid outlet 21.

[0060] The connecting member 4 is provided with an inlet 41, a first outlet 42, and a second outlet 43. The inlet 41 of the connecting member 4 is connected to the liquid outlet end of the first pump body 3, the first outlet 42 is connected to the spray assembly 6, and the second outlet 43 is connected to the steam assembly 7. The connecting member 4 of this disclosure is configured to open the first outlet 42 and / or the second outlet 43 to allow the cleaning liquid to be sprayed out through the spray assembly 6, and / or sprayed out after being formed into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7.

[0061] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the spraying assembly 6 includes a spray plate 61 configured for spraying liquid. The spray plate 61 has at least one spray hole and internal piping connected to the spray hole and the connecting member 4, allowing the cleaning liquid flowing from the first outlet 42 of the connecting member 4 to reach each spray hole via the internal piping of the spray plate 61. The steam assembly 7 includes at least a steam generator 72 and a steam plate 71 connected to each other, wherein the steam generator 72 heats the cleaning liquid into steam or hot water, and the steam plate 71 is configured to spray steam or hot water onto the working surface.

[0062] Specifically, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, when the first outlet 42 of the connecting member 4 is open, the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly 6, thereby achieving wet mopping of the work surface. When the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4 is open, the cleaning fluid can be heated into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7 and sprayed onto the work surface, thereby softening the stains on the work surface, allowing stains that are difficult to clean at room temperature to be cleaned under the action of steam or hot water. When both the first outlet 42 and the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4 are open simultaneously, some of the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly 6, and some of the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out after being turned into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7.

[0063] As can be seen, in the cleaning equipment disclosed herein, the spraying component 6 and the steam component 7 can be controlled to work separately or simultaneously as needed. This not only better meets the needs of users and improves the user experience, but also, compared with existing floor scrubbers, the cleaning equipment disclosed herein only requires one outlet on the cleaning liquid tank to connect with the first pump body, avoiding the increased probability of leakage caused by setting multiple outlets. At the same time, it simplifies the connection structure between the cleaning liquid tank and the spraying component and the steam component, providing more space for the cleaning equipment to optimize the layout of each component.

[0064] Of course, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the cleaning device further includes a floor brush assembly 8. The floor brush assembly 8 is movably connected to the bottom of the body 1 via a movable shaft 11 fixedly disposed below the body 1. Both the spray assembly 6 and the steam assembly 7 are disposed on the floor brush assembly 8. Specifically, as... Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the floor brush assembly 8 includes a floor brush housing 81 and a roller brush 82 rotatably connected to the floor brush housing 81. The roller brush 82 achieves the purpose of cleaning the work surface by rotating relative to the work surface. It should also be noted that the components constituting the liquid channel and steam channel in this disclosure can be directly connected together or connected through pipelines, which is obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0065] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the cleaning device of this disclosure also includes a second pump body 5, which is configured to pump the cleaning liquid from the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4 to the steam assembly 7. Specifically, one end of the second pump body 5 is connected to the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4, and the other end is connected to the steam assembly 7. By providing the second pump body 5, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid at the steam assembly 7 can be controlled when the spraying assembly 6 and the steam assembly 7 are operating simultaneously. This avoids both dry burning due to insufficient liquid in the steam generator 72 and the inability to generate steam due to excessive liquid in the steam assembly 7.

[0066] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the flow rate of the second pump body 5 is configured to be less than that of the first pump body 3. In this way, when the first pump body 3 and the second pump body 5 are working at the same time, part of the cleaning liquid pumped out by the first pump body 3 will flow from the first outlet 42 to the spray assembly 6, and the other part will flow from the second outlet 43 and through the control of the second pump body 5 to the steam assembly 7. This can avoid the situation where the steam generator 72 cannot generate steam due to excessive liquid in the first pump body 3 due to excessive flow.

[0067] Among them, such as Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the first pump body 3 is disposed on the body 1, and the connecting member 4 is disposed on the floor brush assembly 8; the connecting pipe 32 is configured to extend from the position of the first pump body 3 in the body 1 along the movable shaft 11 to the connecting member 4 in the floor brush assembly 8. In this way, only one connecting pipe 32 extends from the body 1 to the floor brush assembly 8 at the movable shaft 11, thereby saving the installation space within the movable shaft 11, reducing the installation difficulty of other structures within the movable shaft 11, and avoiding the impact of multiple pipe installations on the movement between the body 1 and the floor brush assembly 8.

[0068] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in another embodiment of this disclosure, both the first pump body 3 and the connecting member 4 are disposed on the body 1; the first pipe from the connecting member 4 to the spray assembly 6 and the second pipe from the connecting member 4 to the second pump body 5 are configured to extend from the position of the body 1 along the movable shaft 11 into the floor brush assembly 8. In this way, although there are only two pipes, the first pipe and the second pipe, at the movable shaft 11, the installation space on the floor brush assembly 8 can be effectively saved, and the installation difficulty of other structures on the floor brush assembly 8 can be reduced.

[0069] like Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam plate 71 and the spray plate 61 are sequentially distributed along the travel direction of the floor brush assembly 8. Thus, during the movement of the cleaning equipment, the steam plate 71 continuously sprays heated hot water or steam onto various parts of the work surface, softening the stains. The spray plate 61 also sprays cleaning liquid, allowing the cleaning equipment to first soften the work surface with high temperature before cleaning it with the roller brush 82, ensuring effective cleaning.

[0070] Specifically, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam plate 71 is provided with at least one first nozzle and a plurality of second nozzles for spraying steam onto the working surface, and also includes a first steam pipe 73 for supplying steam or hot water to the first nozzle, and a second steam pipe 74 for supplying steam or hot water to the second nozzles; the steam assembly 7 is configured to supply steam or hot water to the first nozzle through the first steam pipe 73, or to supply steam or hot water to the first nozzle and the second nozzle simultaneously through the first steam pipe 73 and the second steam pipe 74.

[0071] The first and second nozzles can be identical in structure and size, or they can be different. For example, the first nozzle may have a structure that emits steam at a relatively faster speed, while the second nozzle may have a structure that emits steam at a relatively slower speed. In different operating modes, the steam plate 71 can emit steam to the working face through all or only some of the nozzles. Specifically, the steam assembly 7 has a burst spray mode and a uniform spray mode. In burst spray mode, the steam plate 71 emits steam only through the first nozzle; in uniform spray mode, the steam plate 71 emits steam through all of the first and second nozzles.

[0072] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam assembly 7 further includes a control valve 75, the first steam outlet of the steam generator 72 is configured to communicate with the first steam line 73, the second steam outlet of the steam generator 72 is configured to communicate with the second steam line 74 via the control valve 75, and the control valve 75 is configured to open or close the second steam line 74.

[0073] In the burst spray mode, the control valve 75 is closed, the steam generator 72 only supplies steam to the first steam pipe 73, the first nozzle sprays steam or hot water onto the working surface, and the pressure of the sprayed steam or hot water is high. The amount of steam or hot water sprayed from each first nozzle is large, the cleaning range is relatively concentrated, and the cleaning power is stronger. It is suitable for situations where it is necessary to focus on cleaning dirt on the working surface.

[0074] In uniform mode, control valve 75 is opened, and steam generator 72 supplies steam to the first steam pipe 73 and the second steam pipe 74. The first nozzle and the second nozzle simultaneously spray steam or hot water onto the working surface. The positions of the first nozzle and the second nozzle are relatively dispersed and there are many of them. The pressure of the sprayed steam or hot water is relatively low, and the amount of steam or hot water sprayed from each nozzle is relatively small, but the cleaning range is larger. It also improves the utilization efficiency of the first nozzle, which helps to simplify the structure of the steam plate 71 and reduce costs.

[0075] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the steam generator 72 and the control valve 75 are disposed within the inner cavity of the floor brush housing 81, located behind the roller brush 82, and the extending directions of the steam generator 72 and the control valve 75 are parallel to the extending direction of the roller brush 82. This effectively saves space on the floor brush assembly 8 and ensures that the center of gravity of the entire floor brush assembly 8 falls between the roller brush 82 and the auxiliary wheel 83 located behind the floor brush assembly 8 in the direction of travel, thereby making the center of gravity of the entire cleaning device more stable.

[0076] Specifically, such as Figure 5 and Figure 7As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, a steam plate 71 is disposed on the floor brush housing 81 in front of the spray plate 61; the steam plate 71 is configured to pre-spray steam or hot water onto the work surface during the forward movement of the floor brush assembly 8; the spray plate 61 is disposed on the floor brush housing 81 behind the roller brush 82 and is configured to spray cleaning fluid onto the rear surface of the roller brush 82. Thus, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, the steam plate 71 can spray heated hot water or steam onto the work surface, thereby softening the stains on the work surface, and then the spray plate 61 can spray cleaning fluid onto the roller brush 82, thereby removing the softened stains.

[0077] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a method for controlling a cleaning device is also provided, the cleaning device employing the above-described cleaning equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0078] Control the movement of cleaning equipment on the work surface;

[0079] Control the first pump body 3 to open, and control the connecting piece 4 to open the first opening and the second opening;

[0080] The first pump body 3 pumps a portion of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 2 through the first opening to the spray assembly 6, and sprays it out through the spray assembly 6; the other portion flows to the steam assembly 7 through the second opening.

[0081] The steam control unit 7 heats the cleaning fluid and sprays the heated steam onto the work surface.

[0082] Thus, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, when the first outlet 42 and the second outlet 43 are opened simultaneously by the connecting part 4, some cleaning liquid can be sprayed out through the spraying assembly 6, and some cleaning liquid can be sprayed out after being turned into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7. This allows the steam assembly 7 and the spraying assembly 6 to work simultaneously, so that the heated hot water or steam can be continuously sprayed to various parts of the working surface to soften the stains on the working surface, and the cleaning liquid can be continuously sprayed out to achieve wet mopping, thereby improving the working efficiency of the cleaning equipment.

[0083] Furthermore, in the case where the cleaning equipment also includes a second pump body 5, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the control method of the cleaning equipment further includes the following step: controlling the second pump body 5 to open, so as to pump the cleaning liquid flowing out from the second opening to the steam assembly 7. In this way, when the spray assembly 6 and the steam assembly 7 are working simultaneously, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid at the steam assembly 7 can be guaranteed, preventing dry burning due to insufficient cleaning liquid in the steam generator 72, and avoiding the problem of not being able to generate steam due to excessive cleaning liquid.

[0084] Application scenarios

[0085] This disclosure provides a cleaning device comprising a body 1, a cleaning liquid tank 2, a connecting member 4, a first pump body 3, a spraying assembly 6, and a steam assembly 7. The cleaning liquid tank 2 is configured to hold a cleaning liquid, which can be pure water or an aqueous solution containing a cleaning agent. The cleaning liquid tank 2 is provided with an outlet 21. The inlet end of the first pump body 3 is configured to communicate with the outlet 21 via an outlet pipe 31, and the outlet end is configured to communicate with the connecting member 4 via a connecting pipe 32. The connecting member 4 is provided with an inlet 41, a first outlet 42, and a second outlet 43. The inlet 41 of the connecting member 4 communicates with the outlet of the first pump body 3, the first outlet 42 communicates with the spraying assembly 6, and the second outlet 43 communicates with the steam assembly 7. Furthermore, the connecting member 4 is configured to open the first outlet 42 and / or the second outlet 43, so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed out via the spraying assembly 6, and / or sprayed out after being converted into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7.

[0086] Specifically, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, when the first outlet 42 of the connecting member 4 is open, the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly 6 to rinse the working surface or wet the roller brush. When the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4 is open, the cleaning fluid can be heated by the steam assembly 7 to generate steam or hot water that is sprayed onto the working surface, thereby softening the stains on the working surface and allowing stains that are difficult to clean at room temperature to be cleaned under the action of steam. When both the first outlet 42 and the second outlet 43 of the connecting member 4 are open, some of the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out through the spray assembly 6, and some of the cleaning fluid can be sprayed out after being converted into steam or hot water by the steam assembly 7.

[0087] As can be seen, in the cleaning equipment disclosed herein, the spraying component 6 and the steam component 7 can be controlled to work separately or simultaneously as needed. This not only better meets the needs of users and improves the user experience, but also, compared with existing floor scrubbers, the cleaning equipment disclosed herein only requires one outlet on the cleaning liquid tank to connect with the first pump body, avoiding the increased probability of leakage caused by setting multiple outlets. At the same time, it simplifies the connection structure between the cleaning liquid tank and the spraying component and the steam component, providing more space for the cleaning equipment to optimize the layout of each component.

[0088] The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, and are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or technical improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus, characterized by, The cleaning device comprises: a cleaning liquid tank (2) configured to contain cleaning liquid; a communication member (4) provided with a first outlet (42) and a second outlet (43); a first pump body (3) disposed between the cleaning liquid tank (2) and the communication member (4) and configured to deliver the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank (2) to the communication member (4); a liquid spraying assembly (6) configured to communicate with the first outlet (42) of the communication member (4); a steam assembly (7) communicating with the second outlet (43) of the communication member (4); the steam assembly (7) further comprises a steam generator (72); wherein the communication member (4) is configured to open the first outlet (42) and / or the second outlet (43) to spray the cleaning liquid through the liquid spraying assembly (6) and / or to form steam or hot water through the steam assembly (7) and then spray the steam or hot water out; the cleaning device further comprises a second pump body (5) configured to pump the cleaning liquid at the second outlet (43) of the communication member (4) to the steam assembly (7); the flow rate of the second pump body (5) is configured to be smaller than the flow rate of the first pump body (3); the cleaning device further comprises a floor brush assembly (8) comprising a floor brush housing (81) and a rolling brush (82) rotatably connected to the floor brush housing (81).

2. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The cleaning liquid tank (2) is provided with a liquid outlet (21), and the liquid inlet end of the first pump body (3) is configured to communicate with the liquid outlet (21) through a liquid outlet pipeline (31), and the liquid outlet end is configured to communicate with the communication member (4) through a communication pipeline (32).

3. The cleaning apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The cleaning device comprises: a machine body (1) on which the cleaning liquid tank (2) is arranged; the floor brush assembly (8) is connected to the bottom of the machine body (1) through a movable shaft (11); the liquid spraying assembly (6) and the steam assembly (7) are arranged on the floor brush assembly (8).

4. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The first pump body (3) is arranged on the machine body (1), and the communication member (4) is arranged on the floor brush assembly (8); the communication pipeline (32) is configured to extend from the position of the first pump body (3) in the machine body (1) to the communication member (4) in the floor brush assembly (8) along the movable shaft (11).

5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The first pump body (3) and the communication member (4) are both arranged on the machine body (1); the first pipeline from the communication member (4) to the liquid spraying assembly (6) and the second pipeline from the communication member (4) to the second pump body (5) are configured to extend from the position of the machine body (1) to the floor brush assembly (8) along the movable shaft (11).

6. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The steam assembly (7) comprises at least a steam plate (71) configured to spray steam or hot water to the working surface; the liquid spraying assembly (6) comprises a liquid spraying plate (61) configured to spray liquid; wherein the steam plate (71) and the liquid spraying plate (61) are sequentially arranged in the moving direction of the brush assembly (8).

7. The cleaning apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The steam plate (71) is provided with at least one first spray hole and a plurality of second spray holes for spraying steam to the working surface, and further comprises a first steam pipeline (73) for supplying steam or hot water to the first spray hole, and a second steam pipeline (74) for supplying steam or hot water to the second spray hole; The steam assembly (7) is configured to supply steam or hot water to the first spray hole through the first steam pipeline (73), or simultaneously supply steam or hot water to the first spray hole and the second spray hole through the first steam pipeline (73) and the second steam pipeline (74).

8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7, wherein, The first steam outlet of the steam generator (72) is configured to communicate with the first steam pipeline (73); the second steam outlet of the steam generator (72) is configured to communicate with the second steam pipeline (74) through a control valve (75); and the control valve (75) is configured to open or close the second steam pipeline (74).

9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The steam generator (72) and the control valve (75) are arranged in the inner cavity of the brush housing (81) at a position behind the rolling brush (82), and the extension direction of the steam generator (72) and the control valve (75) is parallel to the extension direction of the rolling brush (82).

10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The steam plate (71) is arranged on the brush housing (81) at a position in front of the liquid spraying plate (61); and the steam plate (71) is configured to spray steam or hot water to the working surface in advance during the forward movement of the brush assembly (8).

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The liquid spraying plate (61) is arranged on the brush housing (81) at a position behind the rolling brush (82), and is configured to spray cleaning liquid to the rear surface of the rolling brush (82).

12. A control method of a cleaning apparatus, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: Controlling the cleaning device to move on the working surface; Controlling the first pump body (3) to open, and controlling the communication member (4) to open the first opening and the second opening; The first pump body (3) pumps a part of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank (2) to the liquid spraying assembly (6) through the first opening, and sprays the cleaning liquid out of the liquid spraying assembly (6); and another part of the cleaning liquid flows to the steam assembly (7) through the second opening; Controlling the steam assembly (7) to heat the cleaning liquid, and spraying the steam formed after heating to the working surface; The cleaning device further comprises a second pump body (5), one end of the second pump body (5) communicates with the second outlet (43) of the communication member (4), and the other end of the second pump body (5) communicates with the steam assembly (7); the second pump body (5) is configured to pump the cleaning liquid at the second outlet (43) of the communication member (4) to the steam assembly (7); and the flow rate of the second pump body (5) is configured to be smaller than the flow rate of the first pump body (3). The steps of the control method also comprise controlling the opening of the second pump body (5) to pump the cleaning liquid coming out from the second opening towards the steam assembly (7).

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