Vacuum cleaner base station and vacuum cleaner system

Abstract

The present application discloses a vacuum cleaner base station and a vacuum cleaner system, the vacuum cleaner base station comprising a shell; a support portion, located at the upper part of the shell and used to support a handheld vacuum cleaner main unit, the support portion having an open end, the open end at least receiving the dust cover of the handheld vacuum cleaner when the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit is supported on the support portion; a dust storage portion, located on the shell and configured to accommodate dust from a dust cup of the handheld vacuum cleaner, the dust storage portion being fluidically connected to the open end; a suction motor, installed in the shell and configured to generate a suction force to suck dust from the dust cup into the dust storage portion; a cover-opening component, configured to trigger the dust cover received at the open end to open, the cover-opening component being movably arranged; and a trigger component, which can be movably arranged on the shell between a first position and a second position, the trigger component being configured to cause the cover-opening component to trigger the dust cover to open and to trigger the suction motor to start during the process of moving from the first position to the second position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of surface cleaning equipment, and in particular to a vacuum cleaner base station and a vacuum cleaner system. Background Art

[0002] Vacuum cleaner base stations are widely used as companion devices for handheld vacuum cleaners. After use, the handheld vacuum cleaner can be docked at the base station. While docked, the handheld vacuum cleaner can be charged and its dust cup cleaned.

[0003] The vacuum cleaner base stations described above are disclosed in patent documents such as CN218738686U and US20220160201A1. These vacuum cleaner base stations generally have drawbacks such as complex structure and high manufacturing cost, which are not conducive to popularization and use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above technical problems, the purpose of this application is to provide a low-cost vacuum cleaner base station and vacuum cleaner system.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, in the first aspect, the present application provides a vacuum cleaner base station, which can be docked with a handheld vacuum cleaner, wherein the handheld vacuum cleaner includes a handheld vacuum cleaner main unit with a dust collecting cup, and the dust collecting cup has a dust cover that can be opened, and is characterized in that the vacuum cleaner base station includes: a shell; a support portion, which is located at the upper part of the shell and is configured to support the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit, the support portion has an open end, and the open end is configured to at least receive the dust cover when the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit is supported on the support portion; a dust storage portion, which is located on the shell and is configured to accommodate dust from the dust collecting cup, The dust storage portion is in fluid communication with the open end; a suction motor is installed in the shell and is constructed to generate a suction force to suck dust from the dust cup into the dust storage portion; an opening cover component is constructed to trigger the dust cover received at the open end to open, and the opening cover component can be movably set on the shell; and a trigger component can be movably set on the shell between a first position and a second position, and the trigger component is constructed to cause the opening cover component to trigger the dust cover to open and trigger the suction motor to start during the process of moving from the first position to the second position.

[0006] The vacuum cleaner base station of the present application combines the trigger component for opening the dust cover of the handheld vacuum cleaner and the trigger component for opening the suction motor of the base station into one and is triggered and used by the operator as needed. On the one hand, it can streamline the number of components in the vacuum cleaner base station and reduce the manufacturing cost of the vacuum cleaner base station; on the other hand, since whether the dust cover is opened is entirely up to the operator's choice, compared with the traditional base station solution in which the dust cover of a handheld vacuum cleaner is opened when it is placed on the base station, the use of the vacuum cleaner base station is more flexible and diverse. For example, the vacuum cleaner base station can also be used as a temporary docking station for a handheld vacuum cleaner during the vacuuming process; therefore, the vacuum cleaner base station of the present application has a low manufacturing cost and is more convenient to use.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the trigger component is configured to allow an operator to apply a force to achieve movement from the first position to the second position.

[0008] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger component is configured to move from the second position to the first position by means of a restoring force of an elastic restoring element.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the housing includes a top surface, the opening end is located on an inner side of the top surface, and the trigger component is arranged at the top surface.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, the vacuum cleaner base station further includes: a motor switch for controlling the start-up of the suction motor, and the motor switch is arranged on the movement range of the trigger component from the first position to the second position.

[0011] In one possible embodiment, the trigger component has a first trigger part and a second trigger part; when the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the first trigger part contacts the cover opening component and causes the cover opening component to trigger the dust cover to open, and the second trigger part triggers the suction motor to start.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, the motor switch is a micro switch; when the trigger component is in the first position, the distance between the first trigger part and the cover opening component is smaller than the distance between the second trigger part and the motor switch.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, the cover opening component is movably arranged on the shell between an initial position and a release position; when the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the cover opening component is pushed by the trigger component to move from the initial position to the release position.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position along a first direction, and the cover opening component moves from the initial position to the release position along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; the first direction is a longitudinal direction, and the second direction is a transverse direction.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the cover-opening component is provided with an inclined surface; when the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the trigger component contacts the inclined surface.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the vacuum cleaner base station further includes: a dust inlet portion located inside the shell and extending between the open end and the dust storage portion.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the dust storage portion includes a replaceable, disposable dust bag.

[0018] In a possible embodiment, the motor bracket has a front portion and a rear portion, the rear portion is rotatably connected to the first side portion around the horizontal axis, and the motor is attached to the front portion.

[0019] In the second aspect, the present application provides a vacuum cleaner system, comprising the vacuum cleaner base station in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect and a handheld vacuum cleaner docked with the vacuum cleaner base station, the handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a handheld vacuum cleaner main unit, a vacuuming floor brush, and a vacuuming tube located between the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit and the vacuuming floor brush, the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit comprising a dust collecting cup, the dust collecting cup having a cup body, a dust cover that can be opened, and a dust cover release button configured to release the dust cover from the cup body.

[0020] For the description of the technical principles and technical effects of the second aspect, please refer to the relevant description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a handheld vacuum cleaner in a vacuum cleaner system provided in an embodiment of the present application about to be docked with a vacuum cleaner base station;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connection between a handheld vacuum cleaner and a vacuum cleaner base station in a vacuum cleaner system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a handheld vacuum cleaner provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 4A schematic diagram of a vacuum cleaner base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a vacuum cleaner base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified schematic diagram of point A in the middle;

[0027] Figure 7 A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the handheld vacuum cleaner provided by an embodiment of the present application being docked with the vacuum cleaner base station and the trigger component being in the first position;

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A magnified schematic diagram of point B in the middle;

[0029] Figure 9 A partial cross-sectional diagram of the handheld vacuum cleaner provided in an embodiment of the present application after docking with the vacuum cleaner base station and the trigger component being in the second position;

[0030] Figure 10 for Figure 9 Enlarged schematic diagram of point C in the middle.

[0031] Among them: 100, vacuum cleaner base station; 200, handheld vacuum cleaner; 21, handheld vacuum cleaner host; 22, vacuum brush; 23, vacuum tube; 211, main body; 212, dust cup; 213, suction part; 214, handle; 215, battery part; 2121, cup body; 2122, dust cover; 2123, dust cover release button; 1, shell; 3, chassis; 4, support column; 11, support part; 12, dust inlet part; 13, dust storage part; 111, opening end; 131, disposable dust bag; 14, suction motor; 101, top surface; 15, trigger component; 16, cover opening component; 17, motor control board; 171, motor switch; 150, pressing part; 151, first trigger part; 152, second trigger part; 161, inclined surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] To describe the technical content, structural features, achieved purpose and effect of the present application in detail, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of embodiments of the present application, rather than all embodiments. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a detailed description of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the present application. However, various exemplary embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details or in the case of one or more equivalent arrangements. In addition, various exemplary embodiments may be different, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, without departing from the concept of the present application, the specific shape, structure and characteristics of the exemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment.

[0033] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , which illustrates an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner system of the present application, which is composed of a vacuum cleaner base station 100 and a handheld vacuum cleaner 200. The handheld vacuum cleaner 200 works as a surface vacuum cleaner, and can suck in dust from the surface to be cleaned and store it in a dust cup. The vacuum cleaner base station 100 is usually supported on the ground and its position is relatively fixed. The handheld vacuum cleaner 200 that completes the vacuuming work will be able to dock with the vacuum cleaner base station 100 and be supported at the vacuum cleaner base station 100. While the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 is supported on the vacuum cleaner base station 100, the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 can complete tasks such as charging and removing dust from the dust cup.

[0034] The handheld vacuum cleaner 200 includes a handheld vacuum main unit 21 , a vacuuming brush 22 , and a vacuuming tube 23 located between the handheld vacuum main unit 21 and the vacuuming brush 22 .

[0035] See also Figure 3 The handheld vacuum cleaner 21 includes a main body 211, a dust cup 212 supported on the main body 211, a suction unit 213 connected to one end of the dust collection tube 23, a dust collection motor (not shown), a handle 214 formed on the main body 211, and a battery unit 215. The dust cup 212 includes a cup body 2121, an openable dust cover 2122, and a dust cover release button 2123 configured to release the dust cover 2122 from the cup body 2121. In a typical embodiment, the cup body 2121 is generally cylindrical, with the dust cover 2122 located at the bottom of the cup body 2121. A filter and other components are typically disposed within the dust cup 212. The dust-laden airflow drawn into the dust cup 212 from the suction unit 213 is effectively separated within the cup body 2121, leaving dust trapped within the dust cup 212. The air then flows to the dust collection motor and is discharged.

[0036] The vacuum cleaner base station 100 is configured to charge the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 and remove dust from the dust cup 212 by combining with the handheld vacuum cleaner 200. At the same time, the vacuum cleaner base station 100 can also serve as a docking station for the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 in the storage state. Figure 1 As shown, in this example, the handheld vacuum cleaner host 21 is constructed to be able to move from top to bottom and engage with the vacuum cleaner base station 100.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the vacuum cleaner base station 100 includes a shell 1, a chassis 3 and a pair of support columns 4. The shell 1 forms the outer shape of the vacuum cleaner base station 100, and a number of spaces for storing other parts of the vacuum cleaner base station 100 will be formed inside the shell 1. The shell 1 can be an assembly assembled from a number of parts, and these parts can be parts made of plastic or metal. In this example, the shell 1 is cylindrical; the chassis 3 can be supported on the ground, and a pair of support columns 4 are located between the base and the lower part of the shell 1. There is a certain space between the chassis 3 and the bottom of the shell 1, and the chassis 3 is designed with a plurality of receiving slots for storing nozzle accessories used by the handheld vacuum cleaner 200.

[0038] The top of the housing 1 has a support portion 11. The support portion 11 is configured to support a handheld vacuum cleaner 21. The support portion 11 has an open end 111 configured to receive at least a portion of the cup 2121 and dust cover 2122 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 21 when the handheld vacuum cleaner 21 is supported on the support portion 11.

[0039] See also Figure 5 As shown, a dust inlet 12 and a dust storage 13 are further provided on the inner side of the housing 1. The dust inlet 12 is located at the lower side of the support 11 and extends between the open end 111 and the dust storage 13.

[0040] In a typical embodiment, the dust inlet 12 is a trumpet-shaped structure with a thick top and a thin bottom. Dust falling from the dust collecting cup 212 can be introduced into the dust storage portion 13 through the dust inlet 12.

[0041] The dust storage portion 13 is used to accommodate dust from the dust cup 212 ; the dust storage portion 13 may include a replaceable disposable dust bag 131 ; the disposable dust bag 131 can trap dust and release air.

[0042] A suction motor 14 is also located inside the housing 1. This motor generates suction force to draw dust from the dust cup 212 into the dust storage portion 13. In this example, the motor 14 is located below the dust storage portion 13 and in the lower portion of the housing 1. Air escaping from, for example, a disposable dust bag 131 is drawn into the motor 14 and exhausted to the outside. To facilitate air exhaust, an exhaust port (not shown) is also provided in the lower portion of the housing 1.

[0043] Continue to see Figure 4 The housing 1 includes a top surface 101, with an open end 111 located on the inner side of the top surface 101. A trigger component 15 is provided on the top surface 101. The trigger component 15 is configured to be operable by an operator; for example, the trigger component is a trigger button that is moved by the operator applying a downward force to the trigger button.

[0044] See also Figure 6 The upper portion of the housing 1 is also provided with a cover opening member 16 and a motor control board 17. The cover opening member 16 is used to trigger the dust cover release button 2123 while the handheld vacuum cleaner 21 is supported on the support portion 11, thereby opening the dust cover 2122 of the dust collection cup 212. The motor control board 17 is provided with a motor switch 171 for triggering the suction motor 14; when the motor switch 171 is touched, the suction motor 14 starts to operate.

[0045] The trigger member 15 includes a pressing portion 150 , a first trigger portion 151 , and a second trigger portion 152 . The cover opening member 16 is located directly below the first trigger portion 151 , and the motor switch 171 is located directly below the second trigger portion 152 .

[0046] In addition to the aforementioned structure, the vacuum cleaner base station 100 of the present application also includes a charging system for replenishing power to the battery unit 215 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 200; and may also be provided with a locking or restraining mechanism for restraining the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 to the base station 100. This is a relatively common structure of vacuum cleaner base stations and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] Combine Figure 7 、 Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the trigger component 15 can be in the first position ( Figure 6 、 Figure 8 The location) and the second location ( Figure 10 The motor switch 171 is arranged on the movement stroke of the trigger component 15 from the first position to the second position.

[0048] like Figure 6 and Figure 8As shown, when the trigger component 15 is in the first position, the first trigger portion 151 is away from the cover component 16, and the second trigger portion 152 is away from the motor switch 171. Figure 10 As shown, when the trigger component 15 is in the second position, the first trigger portion 151 contacts the cover opening component 16 , and the second trigger portion 152 contacts the motor switch 171 .

[0049] The cover opening member 16 can be in the initial position ( Figure 6 and Figure 8 Position) and release position ( Figure 10 The cover-opening member 16 is slidably disposed on the housing 1 between the positions (in which the cover-opening member 16 is located). When the cover-opening member 16 is in the initial position, the cover-opening member 16 is away from the dust cover release button 2123 of the dust cup 212 supported on the support portion 11; when the cover-opening member 16 is in the release position, the cover-opening member 16 contacts the dust cover release button 2123 of the dust cup 212 supported on the support portion 11.

[0050] When the operator applies a downward force to the pressing portion 150 of the trigger component 15, the trigger component 15 moves from the first position to the second position; at the same time, the first trigger portion 151 will push the cover opening component 16 to move from the initial position to the release position, which will cause the cover opening component 16 to trigger the dust cover release button 2123 of the dust cup 212 to open the dust cover 2122; the second trigger portion 152 will contact the motor switch 171 to trigger the suction motor 14 to start.

[0051] In some embodiments, the motor switch 171 is selected as a micro switch. Since the stroke of the micro switch for switching action is very short, it is much shorter than the stroke of the dust cover release button 2123 from locking the dust cover 2122 to releasing the dust cover 2122; for this reason, when the trigger component 15 is in the first position, the distance between the first trigger part 151 and the cover opening component 16 is set to be smaller than the distance between the second trigger part 152 and the motor switch 171.

[0052] In some embodiments, the moving direction of the trigger component 15 from the first position to the second position is perpendicular to the moving direction of the cover opening component 16 from the initial position to the release position. As in this example, the moving direction of the trigger component 15 from the first position to the second position is along the vertical longitudinal direction, and the moving direction of the cover opening component 16 from the initial position to the release position is along the horizontal transverse direction.

[0053] Continue as Figure 6 As shown, the cover opening component 16 is provided with an inclined surface 161; when the trigger component 15 moves from the first position to the second position, the first trigger portion 151 of the trigger component 15 will contact the inclined surface 161, thereby pushing the cover opening component 16 to move from the initial position to the release position.

[0054] To facilitate the reset of the trigger component 15, the trigger component 15 is preferably capable of being moved from the second position to the first position by means of the reset force of an elastic reset element (not shown). The elastic reset element can be a spring and is preferably positioned between the cover opening component 16 and the housing 1. Thus, when the operator releases the force applied to the trigger component 15, the spring reset element will drive the cover opening component 16 from the released position to the initial position. During this process, the cover opening component 16 will contact the first trigger portion 151 of the trigger component 15, pushing the cover opening component 16 in the opposite direction to return to the first position.

[0055] In the vacuum cleaner base station 100, the trigger component 15 can move between two positions, while causing the cover opening component 16 to trigger the dust cover 2122 of the dust cup 212 to open and trigger the suction motor 14 to start, which simplifies the dust cover opening mechanism structure inside the vacuum cleaner base station; and since the dust cover 2122 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 will only open when the trigger component 15 is moved to the second position, it is also convenient for the user to choose to only place the handheld vacuum cleaner 200 at the vacuum cleaner base station 100 without choosing to perform the dust removal operation.

[0056] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only for illustrative purposes. Various changes and improvements may be made to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. The scope of protection claimed in the present application is defined by the appended claims, the description and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner base station capable of docking with a handheld vacuum cleaner, wherein the handheld vacuum cleaner comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner main unit having a dust collecting cup, wherein the dust collecting cup has a dust cover that can be opened, characterized in that: The vacuum cleaner base station includes: case; a support portion, located at an upper portion of the housing and configured to support the handheld vacuum cleaner, the support portion having an open end configured to receive at least the dust cover when the handheld vacuum cleaner is supported on the support portion; a dust storage portion, located on the housing and configured to receive dust from the dust cup, the dust storage portion being in fluid communication with the open end; a suction motor installed in the housing and configured to generate a suction force to draw dust from the dust cup into the dust storage portion; a cover-opening component configured to trigger the dust cover received at the opening end to open, the cover-opening component being movably disposed on the housing between an initial position and a release position; and A trigger component can be movably arranged on the shell between a first position and a second position, and the trigger component is constructed to cause the cover opening component to trigger the dust cover to open and the suction motor to start during the process of moving from the first position to the second position; wherein, the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position along a first direction, and the cover opening component moves from the initial position to the release position along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; the first direction is a longitudinal direction, and the second direction is a transverse direction.

2. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that The trigger component is configured to allow an operator to apply a force to achieve movement from the first position to the second position.

3. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The trigger component is configured to move from the second position to the first position by means of a restoring force of an elastic restoring element.

4. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell includes a top end surface, the opening end is located on the inner side of the top end surface, and the trigger component is arranged on the top end surface.

5. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A motor switch is used to control the start-up of the suction motor, and the motor switch is arranged on the movement stroke of the trigger component from the first position to the second position.

6. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 5, characterized in that: The trigger component has a first trigger part and a second trigger part; when the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the first trigger part contacts the cover opening component and causes the cover opening component to trigger the dust cover to open, and the second trigger part triggers the suction motor to start.

7. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 6, characterized in that: The motor switch is a micro switch; when the trigger component is in the first position, the distance between the first trigger portion and the cover opening component is smaller than the distance between the second trigger portion and the motor switch.

8. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the cover-opening component is pushed by the trigger component to move from the initial position to the release position.

9. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover-opening component is provided with an inclined surface; when the trigger component moves from the first position to the second position, the trigger component contacts the inclined surface.

10. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The dust introduction portion is located inside the housing and extends between the opening end and the dust storage portion.

11. The vacuum cleaner base station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dust storage portion includes a replaceable disposable dust bag.

12. A vacuum cleaner system, characterized in that: It comprises a vacuum cleaner base station as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 and a handheld vacuum cleaner docked with the vacuum cleaner base station, the handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a handheld vacuum cleaner main unit, a vacuuming brush, and a vacuuming tube located between the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit and the vacuuming brush, the handheld vacuum cleaner main unit comprising a dust collecting cup, the dust collecting cup having a cup body, a dust cover that can be opened, and a dust cover release button configured to release the dust cover from the cup body.

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