Floor brush assembly and surface cleaning device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a floor brush assembly configured to contact a surface to be cleaned and move on the surface to be cleaned during a cleaning process, comprising: a housing comprising an outer surface; the cleaning head is at least partially arranged in the shell and is configured to be driven by a driving motor to move between a raised position and a lowered position, and the cleaning head is farther away from a surface to be cleaned at the raised position than at the lowered position; the light source assembly is arranged in the position, close to at least one side of the transverse width of the floor brush assembly, of the shell assembly; the light source assembly is electrically connected with the driving motor and is configured to conduct visible light to the outer surface of the shell according to starting of the driving motor. The utility model further provides a surface cleaning device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a floor brush assembly and a surface cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] When using a surface cleaning device, because its cleaning part is located at the front of the entire surface cleaning device, in some situations, such as cleaning corners, no matter which direction the wet surface cleaning device approaches the wall from, there will always be some areas that cannot be cleaned, which affects the user experience.

[0003] Therefore, the floor brush of the surface cleaning device is equipped with an auxiliary cleaning head, that is, an auxiliary cleaning head is provided on at least one side of the two side walls of the floor brush assembly, which is configured to remove dirt particles on the surface area to be cleaned on the side of the floor brush assembly during the cleaning action.

[0004] However, when the floor brush assembly moves along a path close to the wall, the narrow surface area between the wall and the sidewall of the floor brush assembly is so small that it is difficult for the user to perceive whether the auxiliary cleaning head is actually in operation.

[0005] Therefore, a new surface cleaning device needs to be designed to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0006] To address one of the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a floor brush assembly and a surface cleaning device.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a floor brush assembly is provided, configured to contact a surface to be cleaned and move on the surface to be cleaned during cleaning, the floor brush assembly comprising:

[0008] The outer casing, including the outer surface;

[0009] A cleaning head, at least partially disposed within the housing, and configured to be driven by a drive motor to move between a raised position and a lowered position, the cleaning head being further away from the surface to be cleaned in the raised position than in the lowered position;

[0010] The light source assembly is located inside the housing assembly at least on one side of the lateral width of the floor brush assembly;

[0011] The light source assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor and configured to transmit visible light to the outer surface of the housing when the drive motor is turned on.

[0012] According to one example of this disclosure, a sensor assembly is included, configured to at least generate a distance signal indicating the proximity of the ground brush assembly to an obstacle.

[0013] According to one example of this disclosure, the light source assembly is configured to conduct visible light to the surface of the housing to create a light-diffusing region on the surface.

[0014] According to one example of this disclosure, the light source assembly includes:

[0015] A light source, formed inside the housing, includes at least one light-emitting element;

[0016] A light guide, adjacent to and aligned with the light source, is configured to transmit visible light emitted by the at least one light-emitting element to the outside of the housing.

[0017] According to one example of this disclosure, a base and a removable cover located on the base are included, the removable cover being formed as part of the housing of the floor brush assembly.

[0018] According to one example of this disclosure, the light guide is located on the removable cover, and the at least one light-emitting element is located on the base.

[0019] According to one example of this disclosure, a receiving cavity is formed on the removable cover and configured to receive the light guide.

[0020] According to one example of this disclosure, a receiving cavity inlet is included, configured to install and remove the light guide through the receiving cavity inlet.

[0021] According to one example of this disclosure, a cleaning fluid tank is included, configured to be removably mounted on the base of the floor brush assembly, a portion of the cleaning fluid tank forming the removable cover.

[0022] According to one example of this disclosure, the light guide includes an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being aligned with the at least one light-emitting element, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet being larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet.

[0023] According to one example of this disclosure, the line connecting the center of the inlet cross section to the center of the outlet cross section is inclined to the base of the brush assembly or the outer surface of the brush assembly housing.

[0024] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a surface cleaning apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0025] Upright main body;

[0026] The handle connected to the upright body is configured for easy hand operation by the user.

[0027] The floor brush assembly is configured to pivotally connect to the upright body and contact the surface to be cleaned;

[0028] The floor brush assembly includes:

[0029] The outer casing, including the outer surface;

[0030] A cleaning head, at least partially disposed within the housing, and configured to be driven by a drive motor to move between a raised position and a lowered position, the cleaning head being further away from the surface to be cleaned in the raised position than in the lowered position;

[0031] The light source assembly is located inside the housing assembly at least on one side of the lateral width of the floor brush assembly;

[0032] The light source assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor and configured to transmit visible light to the outer surface of the housing when the drive motor is turned on.

[0033] According to one example of this disclosure, the light source assembly includes:

[0034] A light source, formed inside the housing, includes at least one light-emitting element;

[0035] A light guide, adjacent to and aligned with the light source, is configured to transmit visible light emitted by the at least one light-emitting element to the outside of the housing.

[0036] According to one example of this disclosure, a cleaning fluid tank is included, configured to be removably mounted on the base of the floor brush assembly and to supply cleaning fluid to the cleaning head.

[0037] According to one example of this disclosure, the light source is disposed on the base, and the light guide is disposed on the cleaning fluid tank, wherein when the cleaning fluid tank is mounted on the base of the floor brush assembly, the inlet of the light guide is aligned with the light source. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary examples of this disclosure and, together with its description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of this disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an example of this disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a floor brush component according to an example of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a floor brush component according to an example of this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a top view of a floor brush component according to an example of this disclosure, illustrating the position of the light source component within the floor brush component.

[0043] Figure 5 This is a bottom view of a removable cover of a floor brush component according to an example of this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of a removable cover for a floor brush assembly according to an example of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a floor brush component according to an example of this disclosure.

[0046] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a light guide according to an example of this disclosure.

[0047] Figure 9 This is a bottom view schematic diagram of a light guide according to an example of this disclosure.

[0048] Figure 10 This is a top view schematic diagram of a light guide according to an example of this disclosure.

[0049] Figure 11 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a light guide according to an example of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0051] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the examples and features in this disclosure can be combined with each other. The technical solutions of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0052] Unless otherwise stated, the exemplary examples / embodiments shown are to be understood as providing exemplary features of various details that provide ways in which the technical concepts of this disclosure can be implemented in practice. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the features of the various examples / embodiments may be additionally combined, separated, interchanged and / or rearranged without departing from the technical concepts of this disclosure.

[0053] The use of crosshairs and / or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally used to clarify the boundaries between adjacent components. Thus, unless otherwise stated, the presence or absence of crosshairs or shading does not convey or indicate any preference or requirement for the specific material, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalities between the illustrated components, or any other characteristics, properties, etc., of the components. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the dimensions and relative dimensions of components may be exaggerated for clarity and / or descriptive purposes. When exemplary embodiments can be implemented differently, a specific process sequence may be performed in a different order than that described. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order of their description. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same components.

[0054] When a component is referred to as being "on" or "above" another component, "connected to," or "joined to" another component, the component may be directly on, directly connected to, or directly joined to the other component, or there may be intermediate components. However, when a component is referred to as being "directly on" another component, "directly connected to," or "directly joined to" another component, there are no intermediate components. Therefore, the term "connection" can refer to a physical connection, an electrical connection, etc., and may or may not have intermediate components.

[0055] For descriptive purposes, this disclosure may use spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “below,” “down,” “above,” “above,” “higher,” and “side (e.g., in a “sidewall”)” to describe the relationship between one component and another component as shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, the spatial relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the device during use, operation, and / or manufacture. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, a component described as “below” or “under” another component or feature would subsequently be positioned “above” said other component or feature. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both “above” and “below” orientations. Furthermore, the device may be otherwise positioned (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), thus interpreting the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein accordingly.

[0056] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well. Furthermore, when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” and variations thereof are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of the stated features, integrals, steps, operations, parts, components, and / or groups thereof, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, parts, components, and / or groups thereof. It should also be noted that, as used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms are used as approximate terms rather than as terms of degree, thus explaining the inherent biases in measurements, calculated values, and / or provided values ​​that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0057] In this disclosure, the surface cleaning system is designed to support surface cleaning devices for cleaning and maintenance. In some examples, the surface cleaning device may be configured to perform a semi-autonomous or autonomous dirt particle collection process. In some examples of this disclosure, the surface cleaning device may be a wet surface cleaning device, i.e., capable of wet cleaning the surface to be cleaned, wherein the surface to be cleaned may be a floor surface, preferably a household floor surface. Furthermore, after the surface cleaning device wet-cleans the floor surface, the dirt and liquid (wastewater) from cleaning the surface to be cleaned can be recovered back to the surface cleaning device.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the surface cleaning device may include components such as a handle 100, a main body 200, a cleaning liquid tank 300, a dirt collection tank 400, a connecting part 500, and a floor brush assembly 600.

[0059] The handle 100 is detachably provided on the main body 200. The user can operate the surface cleaning device by operating the handle 100, and the main body 200 can be in an upright state (non-working state) and an inclined state (working state). In the inclined working state, the main body 200 can be at about 180° to the surface to be cleaned, so that the floor brush assembly 600 and at least a part of the main body 200 can enter the environment under the furniture for continuous cleaning.

[0060] More preferably, the handle 100 may be provided with a user interaction button, which the user can trigger to control the surface cleaning device, such as controlling the start and stop of the surface cleaning device, the liquid supply speed of the surface cleaning device and the suction power of the electric suction source, etc., and also controlling the opening and closing of the user voice interaction system, as well as voice volume control, thereby improving the user experience of the surface cleaning device.

[0061] In one example, the main body 200 forms the main body of the surface cleaning device; the main body 200 is pivotally connected to the floor brush assembly 600 via the connecting portion 500; furthermore, the main body 200 and the floor brush assembly 600 can each or both accommodate components such as the cleaning fluid tank 300 and the dirt collection tank 400. In this disclosure, the dirt collection tank 400 can be detachably mounted to the rear side of the main body 200, and the cleaning fluid tank 300 can be detachably mounted low on the floor brush assembly 600, forming a portion of the outer surface of the dirt collection tank 400 and a portion of the outer surface of the floor brush assembly 600, respectively. This arrangement lowers the overall center of gravity of the surface cleaning device, allowing the user to more easily operate the surface cleaning device by hand.

[0062] In one example, after the cleaning fluid tank 300 is installed on the floor brush assembly 600, the overall thickness of the floor brush assembly 600 is set to be less than 120 mm.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning fluid tank 300 has a flat shape to fit the overall outline of the floor brush assembly 600. It includes a cavity formed by multiple walls to hold the cleaning fluid, and the capacity of the cleaning fluid tank 300 can be set to 500 mL, etc. The cleaning fluid tank 300 of this disclosure has an upper surface, on which an inlet cover for a cavity protruding from the upper surface is provided; the cavity is used to hold the cleaning fluid.

[0064] The cleaning fluid tank 300 is used to store cleaning fluid to be dispensed. Accordingly, the cleaning fluid tank 300 can be connected to a liquid dispenser (not shown in the figure), so that the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 300 can be pressurized by the liquid dispenser and provided to the cleaning fluid outlet on the floor brush assembly 600, or provided to the surface to be cleaned near the floor brush assembly 600, thereby enabling wet cleaning of the surface to be cleaned by the cleaning fluid.

[0065] In a preferred example, the liquid dispenser may include a supply pump (not shown) capable of drawing cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 300, pressurizing the cleaning liquid, and supplying it to the dispensing component, which then supplies the pressurized cleaning liquid to the agitator 630 of the floor brush assembly 600 or to the surface to be cleaned near the agitator 630.

[0066] In this disclosure, the cleaning liquid can be one or more of any suitable liquid, including but not limited to cleaning water, concentrated detergent, diluted detergent, or mixtures thereof. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid can be a room-temperature cleaning liquid or a high-temperature cleaning liquid. The main body 200 has a receiving space, and the dirty waste collection bin 400 is detachably disposed in the main body 200 and located within the receiving space, so that when the dirty waste collection bin 400 contains a large amount of liquid, the user can remove the dirty waste collection bin 400, empty the wastewater, and clean up the solid waste. At this time, a portion of the outer surface of the dirty waste collection bin 400 forms part of the outer surface of the surface cleaning device.

[0067] To recover the liquid after cleaning the surface, the dirt collection tank 400 can be connected to the floor brush assembly 600 via a recovery pipe (not shown). Accordingly, the mixture of dirt, wastewater, and gas (solid-liquid mixture) can be recovered to the dirt collection tank 400 via this recovery pipe. In one example, a solid-liquid separator can be installed inside the dirt collection tank 400 to separate the solid and liquid mixture recovered by the surface cleaning device after cleaning the surface. This allows the separated solids to be retained in the separator, while the separated liquid is stored inside the dirt collection tank 400.

[0068] In this disclosure, the surface cleaning device further includes an electric suction source (not shown), which may include a vacuum motor, thereby generating a vacuum (negative pressure). Simultaneously, the electric suction source can be connected to a dirt collection tank 400, thereby providing the negative pressure to the dirt collection tank 400, thus achieving forced flow of gas and wastewater within the collection pipeline. In this disclosure, the gas discharged from the electric suction source can flow to the outside of the surface cleaning device through gaps on a portion of its outer surface.

[0069] like Figure 2 The floor brush assembly 600 disclosed herein may include: a base 610, a cleaning fluid tank 300, a stirrer 630, a suction nozzle 640, a cleaning head assembly 650, and other auxiliary components.

[0070] The base 610 and cleaning fluid tank 300 of this disclosure can be integrally formed as the housing of the floor brush assembly 600, which is pivotally connected to the main body 200 via the connecting portion 500. Furthermore, the housing is configured to be movable on the surface of the floor to be cleaned. For example, two rollers may be provided on the base 610, and the housing 620 moves on the surface to be cleaned by the rolling of the rollers.

[0071] The agitator 630 is configured to agitate the surface to be cleaned. Specifically, the agitator 630 is detachably mounted on the base 610 and can be driven to rotate; that is, when the surface cleaning device is performing a cleaning operation or a self-cleaning operation, the agitator 630 can be driven by a motor to rotate, thereby enabling the agitator 630 to make frictional contact with the surface to be cleaned and achieve cleaning of the surface. During the frictional contact between the agitator 630 and the surface to be cleaned, cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 300 can be supplied to the agitator 630, thereby achieving wet cleaning of the surface to be cleaned.

[0072] In one example, the agitator 630 of the floor brush assembly 600 can be a roller-type cleaning component; those skilled in the art will understand that the floor brush assembly 600 can also be configured as a tracked cleaning device, etc., in which case the agitator 630 of the floor brush assembly 600 can be a tracked cleaning component, etc. In this disclosure, a roller-type cleaning component is used as an example for explanation.

[0073] In one example, the motor can be housed within the housing 620 and drive the agitator 630 to rotate via a synchronous belt drive (i.e., the agitator 630 is operatively connected to the motor); in another example, the motor can be housed within the agitator 630 and drive the agitator 630 to rotate; in this disclosure, the agitator 630 is capable of rotating along a first axis; more preferably, the first axis can be a horizontal straight line in the transverse direction, i.e., the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction; the front-back direction is the direction of movement of the surface cleaning device when cleaning the surface to be cleaned.

[0074] A cleaning liquid tank 300 is disposed on the base 610 and configured to partially surround the agitator 630. The cleaning liquid tank 300 is capable of interfering with at least a portion of the outer surface of the agitator 630 to make the cleaning liquid on the agitator 630 more evenly distributed.

[0075] To further improve the edge cleaning ability of vacuum cleaners, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, an example of the floor brush assembly 600 of this disclosure includes a cleaning head assembly 650 located near the side of the floor brush assembly 600. The cleaning head assembly 650 is located at the bottom of the floor brush assembly 600 and is driven by a drive motor 660 to move between a raised position and a lowered position. The cleaning head assembly 650 is further away from the surface to be cleaned in the raised position than in the lowered position. Moreover, in the lowered position, the working range of the cleaning head assembly 650 is outside the horizontal projection of the housing 620. That is, the cleaning head assembly 650 of this disclosure is capable of cleaning the area outside the horizontal projection of the housing 620.

[0076] In other words, when using the surface cleaning device of this disclosure, for example when cleaning a horizontal surface to be cleaned, the cleaning head assembly 650 does not always contact the surface to be cleaned (e.g., a horizontal surface), but selectively contacts the surface. For example, when the surface cleaning device is cleaning a corner or other location on the surface, the cleaning head assembly 650 can be controlled to descend, placing it in a lowered position. At this position, the cleaning head assembly 650 can contact the surface to be cleaned and clean it. Then, when the surface cleaning device moves away from the corner or other location, the cleaning head assembly 650 can be controlled to rise, placing it in an elevated position. In this elevated position, the cleaning head assembly 650 is in a non-operating state; cleaning liquid can be withheld from the cleaning head assembly 650, and the cleaning head assembly 650 can be de-rotated.

[0077] In a preferred example, the cleaning head assembly 650 of this disclosure is positioned near the right side wall of the floor brush assembly 600.

[0078] Considering the improved operability of the cleaning head assembly 650, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the floor brush assembly 600 of this disclosure also includes a sensor assembly 690 configured to generate usage data indicating that the surface cleaning device is approaching the sidewall of an obstacle. In one example, the sensor assembly 690 may be disposed at the base 610 of the housing 620. More preferably, the sensor assembly 690 may be located above the cleaning head assembly 650.

[0079] In one example, sensor assembly 690 may be a proximity sensor, such as a distance sensor, used to detect a first distance between the sidewall of floor brush assembly 600 and the wall.

[0080] In some examples, the sidewalls of the floor brush assembly 600 are arranged generally vertically. Specifically, the sidewalls of the housing 620 of the floor brush assembly 600 are formed as generally vertical planes, which are generally perpendicular to the lateral direction of the floor brush assembly 600. More specifically, the base 610 of the floor brush assembly 600 and / or the cleaning fluid tank 300 both include generally vertically arranged sidewalls. Accordingly, a sensor assembly 690 is disposed on this generally vertical sidewall, thereby enabling accurate detection of the distance between the sidewall of the floor brush assembly 600 and the sidewall of the obstacle.

[0081] The surface cleaning apparatus of this disclosure may further include a controller, to which a sensor assembly 690 is connected. The controller is able to receive a distance signal between the floor brush assembly 600 and the wall detected by the sensor assembly 690, and control the operation of the drive motor 660 based on this distance. Specifically, the controller can turn the power supply to the drive motor 660 on and off, and output a steering control signal to the drive motor 660. When the power supply to the drive motor 660 is turned on, the drive motor 660 is in a working state, and correspondingly, the cleaning head assembly 650 is also in a working state. Thus, the cleaning head assembly 650 can clean the surface to be cleaned, especially, for example, the junction between the wall and the floor, or switch between raised and lowered positions. When the power supply to the drive motor 660 is turned off, the drive motor 660 is in a non-working state, and correspondingly, the cleaning head assembly 650 is also in a non-working state.

[0082] The controller can compare the first distance detected by the sensor assembly 690 between the floor brush assembly 600 and the wall with a preset distance threshold. When the first distance is greater than the preset distance threshold, it indicates that the floor brush assembly 600 is not close to the wall. At this time, when the cleaning head assembly 650 is in the raised position, the controller keeps the cleaning head assembly 650 in the raised position. When the cleaning head assembly 650 is in the lowered position, the controller can control the drive motor 660 to reverse, thereby raising the cleaning head assembly 650 from the lowered position to the raised position and putting the cleaning head assembly 650 in a non-working state. After the cleaning head assembly 650 is in the raised position, the power supply to the drive motor 660 is turned off.

[0083] In another scenario, when the first distance is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold, it indicates that the floor brush assembly 600 is operating close to the wall. At this time, when the cleaning head assembly 650 is in the raised position, the power supply to the drive motor 660 is turned on, causing the drive motor 660 to be in working condition. When the drive motor 660 is in working condition, it can cause the cleaning head assembly 650 to descend, that is, the cleaning head assembly 650 can be lowered from the raised position to the lowered position. In the lowered position, the cleaning head assembly 650 can clean the surface to be cleaned. When the cleaning head assembly 650 is in the lowered position, the drive motor 660 is kept in working condition so that the cleaning head assembly 650 can continuously clean the surface to be cleaned.

[0084] When the surface cleaning device is cleaning close to the sidewall, the sensor assembly 690 senses the sidewall, and the controller transmits a command based on the distance signal sensed by the sensor to start the cleaning head assembly 650. The drive motor 660 of the cleaning head assembly 650 is energized, driving the cleaning head assembly 650 from the raised position to the lowered position. In the lowered position, at least a portion of the cleaning element of the cleaning head assembly 650 is in contact with the surface to be cleaned and continues to rotate.

[0085] Since the cleaning head assembly 650 is mostly located inside the housing of the floor brush assembly, its position is concealed, making it difficult for the user to discern whether the cleaning brush is functioning properly. To enable the user to clearly perceive that the cleaning head assembly 650 is functioning normally during vacuum cleaning, i.e., that the drive motor of the cleaning head assembly 650 is operating normally, the floor brush assembly is equipped with a light source assembly 700 located on the floor brush assembly.

[0086] In the example shown, such as Figure 4 As shown, the light source assembly 700 includes one or more light-emitting elements 710, which are integrated into the housing of the floor brush assembly and disposed near at least one side of the floor brush assembly housing 620 in the width direction, particularly near the side where the cleaning head assembly 650 is disposed. This arrangement is advantageous, especially when the cleaning head assembly 650 is disposed on both sides of the floor brush assembly in the width direction. Distributing the light-emitting elements 710 near the cleaning head assembly 650 allows the user to clearly see the working status of the corresponding side of the cleaning head assembly 650. By driving the light source assembly 700 to emit light throughout the entire operating cycle of the cleaning head assembly 650, the user can continuously confirm the working status of the cleaning head assembly 650 as the surface cleaning device operates along the sidewall of an obstacle.

[0087] The controller of the surface cleaning assembly controls each light-emitting element 710 such that when an obstacle is near the surface to be cleaned on the side of the floor brush assembly of the cleaning head assembly 650 where the aforementioned sensor assembly 690 is located, the light-emitting element 710 is activated by the activation of the drive motor 660, and remains in a deactivated state at other times. Depending on the actual selection, the controller receives signals from the sensor assembly 690 arranged on one side of the floor brush assembly, wherein the sensor assembly 690 is configured to detect the actual distance between a reference position on the floor brush assembly and an obstacle, the reference position being the actual position of the sensor assembly 690, and the obstacle being present near the corresponding side, as in the illustrated embodiment. When the actual distance is less than or equal to the reference distance, as described above, the controller sends an action execution signal to the drive motor of the cleaning head assembly 650, and simultaneously sends an energizing signal to the energizing circuit of the light-emitting element 710, energizing it during the cycle of the motor actuation action execution signal. In another, more preferred example, the energizing circuit of the drive motor and the energizing circuit of the light-emitting element 710 are electrically connected, such that the light-emitting element 710 is energized simultaneously with the energizing circuit of the drive motor. That is, the light-emitting element 710 is only illuminated during the descent, ascent, and rotation of the cleaning head assembly 650 driven by the drive motor. When the drive motor is in an ascending, stationary state, or when a power failure occurs, the light-emitting element 710 is not illuminated. In other words, the light-emitting element 710 is not activated when the actual distance is equal to or less than the reference distance and / or when the cleaning head assembly 650 is in a non-operating state. Operating the surface cleaning device in this manner saves power used for illumination, which is particularly beneficial when battery powered.

[0088] The light-emitting element 710 is mostly in a deactivated state. When the side of the light-emitting element 710 is near an obstacle, or when the drive motor of the cleaning head assembly 650 is energized, the light-emitting element 710 emits light upwards relative to the floor brush assembly. Therefore, the user sees light continuously appearing from the housing surface of the floor brush assembly. In one example, to distinguish between the different signals from the drive motor and the proximity sensor, when the side of the floor brush assembly enters the range of an obstacle, it begins to emit a first type of light from that side. When the drive motor 660 is operating normally, the first type of light is switched to a second type of light. The type of light can be distinguished by flashing frequency, color, etc.

[0089] Once the side has moved away from the obstacle again along a certain distance, the emission of the first type of light is terminated, and it is switched to the second type of light (at the moment of moving away from the obstacle, the drive motor does not stop immediately, but raises the cleaning head assembly from the lowered working position to the stationary position); after the drive motor stops working, the second type of light is also terminated.

[0090] In this disclosure, the light-emitting element 710 serves as a prompt rather than for illumination. When the light-emitting element 710 is illuminated, excessive stimulation of the user's vision should be avoided to prevent negative interference, especially when the user is manually operating the surface cleaning device to clean along the side of an obstacle. Therefore, in one example, the light source assembly 700 is configured to conduct the visible light from the light-emitting element 710 to the surface of the housing of the floor brush assembly for light scattering in a light-scattering area on the surface. The light emitted from the light-scattering area is softer and does not directly irritate the user's vision, thus prompting the user while avoiding additional interference and stimulation.

[0091] like Figure 5-11 As shown, in order to conduct the visible light of the light-emitting element 710 from inside the floor brush assembly housing to the outside, in one example, the light-emitting element 710 of the light source assembly 700 is located inside the floor brush assembly housing 620, and the floor brush assembly housing 620 includes a light guide 720 for transmitting or conveying the light of the light-emitting element 710 to the upper surface of the floor brush assembly housing.

[0092] The light guide 720 transmits or directs light from the light-emitting element 710 to the upper surface of the floor brush assembly housing. Therefore, the internal light-emitting element 710 and the light guide 720 together act as a cues-providing light source assembly 700. In some embodiments, the light guide 720 can distribute the light generated by the light-emitting element 710 across a width of the floor brush assembly housing to improve user visibility. In one example, such as... Figure 7 As shown, one or more light-emitting elements 710 are mounted on the base 610 of the floor brush assembly.

[0093] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 The light guide 720 of the light-emitting element 710 can be mounted on and enclosed by a removable cover 670 that forms part of the floor brush assembly housing. Removing the removable cover 670 exposes the light-emitting element 710. The removable cover 670 may include a receiving cavity 671 for receiving the light guide 720. The receiving cavity 671 allows the light guide 720 to be mounted on the removable cover, and when the removable cover is mounted on the floor brush assembly base 610, the LED light source 322 on the base 610 is aligned with the opening of the receiving cavity 671 of the removable cover, thereby aligning the inlet 721 of the light guide 720 with the light-emitting element 710.

[0094] The outlet 722 of the light guide 720 can be located substantially below the surface of the removable cover 670 to facilitate the formation of a light diffusion effect on the surface of the removable cover. In one example, such as Figure 4As shown, the removable cover 670 includes a cover layer 672 near the outlet 722 of the light guide 720. The cover layer 672 may be part of the receiving cavity 671. The cover layer 672 is translucent, allowing light emitted from the light-emitting element 710 to pass through it. The cover layer 672 serves to prevent direct visible light, particularly when the cleaning head assembly 650 is in operation, thus avoiding additional visual disturbance to the user. The light guide 720 includes at least one generally vertically elongated portion, for example, the normal to the inlet section is at a non-perpendicular angle to the surface to be cleaned. The elongated portion along the length of the light guide 720 extends at a non-perpendicular angle to the base 610 of the floor brush assembly or the upper surface of the floor brush assembly housing. Figure 11 According to one example of this disclosure, the line L connecting the center of the inlet section to the center of the outlet section is inclined to the base 610 of the brush assembly or the brush assembly housing. This arrangement aims to prevent direct light from shining into the user's eyes, thereby affecting the user's operation of the surface cleaning device.

[0095] A portion of the cleaning fluid reservoir 300 may form a removable cover 670, or the removable cover 670 may be formed from the cleaning fluid reservoir 300. In one example, the cleaning fluid reservoir is located on the floor brush assembly and forms part of the outer surface of the floor brush assembly, while the light guide 720 may be defined as integrated with the cleaning fluid reservoir. The cleaning fluid reservoir itself is translucent, and integrating the light guide 720 thereon can improve the light diffusion quality and add greater flexibility to the mounting arrangement of the light-emitting element 710.

[0096] The light guide 720 can be any physical structure capable of transmitting or distributing light from the light-emitting element 710. In one example, the light guide 720 can be a transparent solid structure that accommodates light through total internal reflection. Figure 6 In this embodiment, the light guide 720 is a solid structure formed together with the light guide support 723, distributing light along its length by total internal reflection. The light guide 720 may also be formed of a light-transmitting polymer material. In one embodiment, the light-transmitting polymer material is transparent. In another embodiment, the light-transmitting polymer material is translucent.

[0097] like Figure 8-11As shown, the light guide 720 may have an inlet 721 that mates with the light-emitting element 710 and an outlet 722 located near the upper surface of the cleaning fluid storage tank. In one example, the cross-section of the inlet end of the light guide 720 is larger than that of the outlet end, allowing the light emitted by the light-emitting element 710 to easily enter the light guide 720 and propagate internally. For example, the area of ​​the outlet 722 may be 30%, up to 40%, or up to 60% of the area of ​​the inlet 721. Furthermore, the light guide 720 may be integrally formed with the frame of the cleaning fluid storage tank. When the cleaning fluid storage tank is mounted on the base 610 of the floor brush assembly, the light input position on the cleaning fluid storage tank may be the downward-facing inlet end near the light-emitting element 710.

[0098] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment / mode," "some embodiments / modes," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment / mode or example is included in at least one embodiment / mode or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / mode or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments / modes or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments / modes or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments / modes or examples.

[0099] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0100] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other changes or modifications can be made based on the above disclosure by those skilled in the art, and such changes or modifications shall still fall within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A floor brush assembly configured to contact a surface to be cleaned and move on the surface to be cleaned during the cleaning process, characterized in that, The floor brush assembly includes: The outer casing, including the outer surface; A cleaning head, at least partially disposed within the housing, and configured to be driven by a drive motor to move between a raised position and a lowered position, the cleaning head being further away from the surface to be cleaned in the raised position than in the lowered position; The light source assembly is located inside the housing assembly at least on one side of the lateral width of the floor brush assembly; The light source assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor and configured to transmit visible light to the outer surface of the housing when the drive motor is turned on.

2. The floor brush assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes a sensor assembly configured to at least generate a distance signal indicating the proximity of the ground brush assembly to an obstacle.

3. The floor brush assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source assembly is configured to conduct visible light to the surface of the housing to create a light-diffusing region on the surface.

4. The floor brush assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source assembly includes: A light source, formed inside the housing, includes at least one light-emitting element; A light guide, adjacent to and aligned with the light source, is configured to transmit visible light emitted by the at least one light-emitting element to the outside of the housing.

5. The floor brush assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, It includes a base and a removable cover located on the base, the removable cover being formed as part of the housing of the floor brush assembly.

6. The floor brush assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The light guide is located on the removable cover, and the at least one light-emitting element is located on the base.

7. The floor brush assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The removable cover has a receiving cavity configured to receive the light guide.

8. The floor brush assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, Includes a cavity inlet, configured to install and remove the light guide through the cavity inlet.

9. The floor brush assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, Includes a cleaning fluid tank configured to be removably mounted on the base of the floor brush assembly, a portion of the cleaning fluid tank forming the removable cover.

10. The floor brush assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The light guide includes an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being aligned with the at least one light-emitting element, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet being larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet.

11. The floor brush assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that, The line connecting the center of the inlet cross section to the center of the outlet cross section is inclined to the base of the brush assembly or the outer surface of the brush assembly housing.

12. A surface cleaning device, characterized in that, include: Upright main body; The handle connected to the upright body is configured for easy hand operation by the user. The floor brush assembly is configured to pivotally connect to the upright body and contact the surface to be cleaned; The floor brush assembly includes: The outer casing, including the outer surface; A cleaning head, at least partially disposed within the housing, and configured to be driven by a drive motor to move between a raised position and a lowered position, the cleaning head being further away from the surface to be cleaned in the raised position than in the lowered position; The light source assembly is located inside the housing assembly at least on one side of the lateral width of the floor brush assembly; The light source assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor and configured to transmit visible light to the outer surface of the housing when the drive motor is turned on.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The light source assembly includes: A light source, formed inside the housing, includes at least one light-emitting element; A light guide, adjacent to and aligned with the light source, is configured to transmit visible light emitted by the at least one light-emitting element to the outside of the housing.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that, Includes a cleaning fluid tank, configured to be removably mounted on the base of the floor brush assembly and to supply cleaning fluid to the cleaning head.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The light source is located on the base, and the light guide is located on the cleaning fluid tank. When the cleaning fluid tank is installed on the base of the floor brush assembly, the inlet of the light guide is aligned with the light source.

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