Base station and cleaning system

Abstract

The utility model provides a base station and a cleaning system. The base station is used for maintaining the cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment comprises a machine body and a side brush arranged at the bottom of the machine body, and the side brush is used for sweeping garbage on a to-be-cleaned surface. The base station comprises a base, a protruding structure and a butt joint structure. The protruding structure is arranged on the base, and the protruding structure is configured to make contact with the side brush under the condition that the cleaning equipment enters the base station and the side brush rotates so as to strip garbage wound on the side brush. The butt joint structure is arranged on the base and is configured to be in butt joint with the cleaning equipment. When the cleaning equipment enters the base station and the side brush rotates, the protruding structure exerts force on the garbage wound on the side brush to strip the garbage from the side brush, manual intervention is not needed to take down the side brush and then clean the garbage, time and labor are saved, and user experience is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the technical field of household cleaning appliances, and more specifically, to a base station and a cleaning system. Background Technology

[0002] Cleaning equipment, such as self-propelled cleaning robots, typically includes an intake, a fan, and a dustbin. The negative pressure generated by the fan draws dust and debris through the intake into the dustbin, thus collecting debris from the surface to be cleaned. Usually, the intake is located at the bottom of the cleaning robot, and a side brush is positioned to its front side. The side brush rotates as the robot performs its cleaning task, collecting dust and debris from the surface towards the intake to improve cleaning efficiency. During the cleaning process, long, fibrous debris (such as hair) can become entangled in the side brushes. This requires manual cleaning by the user, which is time-consuming and laborious, significantly reducing the user experience. Furthermore, a large amount of hair entangled in the side brushes can negatively impact the robot's subsequent cleaning performance. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a base station and a cleaning system.

[0004] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a base station for maintaining cleaning equipment. The cleaning equipment includes a body and a side brush located at the bottom of the body, the side brush being used to clean debris from surfaces to be cleaned. The base station includes a base, a protruding structure, and a docking structure. The protruding structure is disposed on the base and configured to contact the side brush when the cleaning equipment enters the base station and the side brush rotates, thereby removing debris entangled on the side brush. The docking structure is disposed on the base and configured to dock with the cleaning equipment.

[0005] In some embodiments, the raised structure includes at least one of hook and loop fasteners, raised dots, raised bumps, bristles, and adhesive strips.

[0006] In some embodiments, the protrusion structure includes an extension extending from the base and a barb connected to the extension, the barb being configured to hook debris entangled on the side brush.

[0007] In some embodiments, the barb portion is made of soft rubber.

[0008] In some embodiments, the side brush has a regular cleaning mode and an untangling mode. In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush rotates along a first circumferential direction. In the untangling mode, the side brush rotates along a second circumferential direction, the first circumferential direction being opposite to the second circumferential direction. The barb portion bends toward the first circumferential direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the side brush has a regular cleaning mode and an unwinding mode. In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush rotates along a first circumferential direction. In the unwinding mode, the side brush alternately rotates along a second circumferential direction and along the first circumferential direction, the first circumferential direction being opposite to the second circumferential direction. At least a portion of the barbs are oriented towards the second circumferential direction, and at least a portion of the barbs are bent towards the first circumferential direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the base has an opening for the cleaning device to enter and exit, and the protruding structure is disposed at the front end of the base near the opening;

[0011] In some embodiments, the body is provided with an inlet, the bottom of the body is provided with an installation compartment, the inlet communicates with the installation compartment, the installation compartment is provided with a roller brush, and when the cleaning equipment enters the base station, the protruding structure is also configured to contact the roller brush;

[0012] The roller brush includes a roller body and a cleaning section. The cleaning section is spirally arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the roller body. Along the length of the roller body, the roller body includes a first end and a second end that are disposed opposite to each other. The first end is connected to the mounting chamber, and the second end is a free end. The mounting chamber is provided with a suction port, which is disposed opposite to the second end of the roller body. The cleaning device also includes a first negative pressure device disposed in the machine body. The suction airflow generated by the first negative pressure device causes the entangled material on the roller brush to move along the direction from the first end to the second end of the roller body and be drawn out of the mounting chamber through the suction port. Alternatively, the roller brush and / or the mounting chamber are provided with a cutting structure, which is used to cut the entangled material on the roller brush.

[0013] In some embodiments, the side brush includes two, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the suction port, and the side brushes are rotatable about a first axis; the protruding structure includes two, which are symmetrically arranged about the width midline of the base station.

[0014] In some embodiments, the side brushes include two, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the suction port, and the side brushes are rotatable about a first axis; the protrusion structure includes one, and the dimension of the protrusion structure in the width direction of the base station is greater than or equal to the distance between the first axes of the two side brushes.

[0015] In some embodiments, the dimension of the protrusion structure in the width direction of the base station is greater than the dimension of the protrusion structure in the depth direction of the base station.

[0016] Secondly, this disclosure provides a cleaning system, which includes cleaning equipment and a base station as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the base station is used to maintain the cleaning equipment.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cleaning device includes a body and an inlet located at the bottom of the body. A side brush is located next to the inlet. During the cleaning process, the side brush rotates to sweep debris toward the inlet. The side brush includes a brush base and multiple brush strips. The brush base is rotatable about a first axis. Each of the multiple brush strips includes a connecting arm and bristles. A first end of the connecting arm is connected to the brush base, and the bristles are connected to a second end of the connecting arm. At least one of the multiple brush strips is a movable brush strip that can move between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the movable brush strip and at least one of its adjacent brush strips are separated and moving away from each other along the circumferential direction around the first axis. In the second position, the movable brush strip and at least one of its adjacent brush strips are brought closer together along the circumferential direction, and the spacing between the bristles of the movable brush strip and the bristles of the at least one of its adjacent brush strips remains unchanged or decreases in a radially outward direction perpendicular to the first axis.

[0018] In some embodiments, when at least one of the movable brush strips is in the first position, the radial distance from the end of its bristles to the first axis has a first value, and when it is in the second position, the radial distance has a second value, wherein the first value is less than the second value.

[0019] In some embodiments, the connecting arm of at least one of the movable brush bars is rotatably connected to the side brush holder about a second axis to be movable between the first position and the second position; a transverse plane is defined perpendicular to the first axis and passing through the geometric center of the side brush holder, on the transverse plane, the intersection of the first axis and the transverse plane is defined as a first intersection point, the intersection of the second axis and the transverse plane is defined as a second intersection point, a virtual ray is defined with the second intersection point as its endpoint, and the reverse extension of the virtual ray passes through the first intersection point;

[0020] When at least one of the movable brush strips is in the first position, the line connecting the end of its bristles and the second intersection point has a first angle with the virtual ray; when at least one of the movable brush strips is in the second position, the line connecting the end of its bristles and the second intersection point has a second angle with the virtual ray; the first angle is greater than the second angle.

[0021] In some embodiments, the cleaning system further includes a negative pressure device disposed on the body and / or the base station, and capable of generating a suction airflow to remove at least a portion of the debris from the plurality of brushes when the movable brush is in the second position; or, the negative pressure device is capable of generating a suction airflow to remove at least a portion of the debris from the plurality of brushes as the movable brush switches back and forth between the first position and the second position.

[0022] In some embodiments, the cleaning system further includes a control unit disposed on the body and / or the base station, and used to control the side brush to switch back and forth between the first position and the second position.

[0023] This disclosure introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the Detailed Description section. This disclosure is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0024] The advantages and features of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference as part of this disclosure, are provided for understanding the disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and their descriptions, serving to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings,

[0026] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a partial assembly of the base station structure.

[0028] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a partial exploded view of the base station structure.

[0029] Figure 4A yes Figure 3 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a protruding structure in the base station shown, and an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion of the area;

[0030] Figure 4B yes Figure 3 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of another protruding structure in the base station shown, and an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion thereof;

[0031] Figure 5A yes Figure 2 A top view of part of the structure of the base station shown;

[0032] Figure 5B This is a top view of a portion of the structure of a base station according to another implementation method;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a cleaning system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of a cleaning system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figures 8A to 8B A bottom view of a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Figure 8A The brush bars of the side brush are in a separated state, while Figure 8B The brush strips of the side brush are in a closed state;

[0036] Figure 8C A cross-sectional view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figures 9A to 9B A perspective view of a side brush according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Figure 9A The brush bar is in a detached state, while Figure 9B The brush bar is in a closed state;

[0038] Figures 10A to 10B It shows Figures 9A to 9B The exploded view of the brush in the middle, where Figure 10A The brush bar is in a detached state, while Figure 10B The brush bar is in a closed state;

[0039] Figures 11A to 11B It shows Figures 9A to 9BA top view of the brush in the image, where Figure 11A The brush bar is in a detached state, while Figure 11B The brush bar is in a closed state;

[0040] Figures 12A to 12B It shows Figures 9A to 9B A 3D view of the side brush holder in the image, where... Figure 12A The side of the active side brush connection is shown, and Figure 12B The side of the fixed side brush connection is shown;

[0041] Figures 13A to 13B It shows Figures 9A to 9B The cleaning area formed by the side brushes, in which Figure 13A The brush bar is in a detached state, while Figure 13B The brush bar is in a closed state.

[0042] The above figures include the following reference numerals:

[0043] Cleaning equipment 1; Side brush 10; Body 20; Suction inlet 21; Dust inlet 22; Mounting chamber 23; Suction port 231; Receiving chamber 24; Recessed part 25; Drive wheel 26; Dust collection container 30; Roller brush 40; Roller body 41; First end 411; Second end 413; Cleaning part 43; Side brush seat 110; Upper housing 111; First tooth 1111; First upper mounting hole 1112; Second upper mounting hole 1113; Stop protrusion 1114; Lower housing 112; First lower mounting hole 1122; Second lower mounting hole 1123; First limiting part 113; Second limiting part 114; First opening 115; Second lower surface 117a; Brush strip 120; Connecting end 120a; End 120b; Connecting arm 120c; Intermediate arm 120d; Brush strip 120e; Rotating shaft 120f; Flanged edge 120g; Groove 120h; Upper surface of flange 120i; First sub-surface 1201i; Second sub-surface 1202i; Upper surface of connecting arm 120j; Fixed brush strip 121; Movable brush strip 122; Base station 2; Second negative pressure device 50; Dust storage container 60; Base 70; Opening 701; Mounting surface 703; Receiving cavity 705; Front end 71; Protruding structure 80; Base body 81; Extension 83; Barb 85; Docking structure 90; Width direction X1 of base station; Depth direction Y1 of base station; Cleaning system 3. Detailed Implementation

[0044] In the following description, numerous details are provided to enable a thorough understanding of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following description merely illustrates preferred embodiments of the disclosure, and that the disclosure can be practiced without one or more of these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion with this disclosure, some technical features well-known in the art have not been described in detail.

[0045] The inventors discovered that side brushes, typically located at the front of cleaning devices such as cleaning robots, are the first to contact the surface to be cleaned. Therefore, long, fibrous debris (such as hair) easily gets tangled in the side brush. Removing this debris requires manual intervention to remove the brush, which is time-consuming, laborious, and significantly reduces the user experience.

[0046] Based on this, the inventors proposed a new design scheme for base station 2. Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 6 The base station 2 of this embodiment is used for maintenance of the cleaning equipment 1, which includes a body 20 and a side brush 10 disposed at the bottom of the body 20. Figures 8A to 8C (As shown), side brush 10 is used to sweep away debris from the surface to be cleaned. Please refer to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The base station 2 includes a base 70, a protruding structure 80, and a docking structure 90. The protruding structure 80 is disposed on the base 70 and is configured to contact the side brush 10 when the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates, thereby removing debris entangled on the side brush 10. The docking structure 90 is disposed on the base 70 and is configured to dock with the cleaning device 1.

[0047] Cleaning device 1 is a device used to clean a surface to be cleaned. For example, cleaning device 1 may include a robotic vacuum cleaner, a robotic mop, and a robotic vacuum and mop combo. A robotic vacuum cleaner can be used to sweep the surface to be cleaned, a robotic mop can be used to wipe the surface to be cleaned, and a robotic vacuum and mop combo integrates the functions of both types of robots; that is, the robotic vacuum and mop combo can be used to sweep the surface to be cleaned, and it can also be used to wipe the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning device 1 disclosed herein is illustrated using a robotic vacuum and mop combo as an example. The surface to be cleaned may be, but is not limited to, a floor, marble surface, carpet, or glass surface. This disclosure uses a floor as an example of a surface to be cleaned.

[0048] The cleaning device 1 may also be equipped with a suction port 21 and a roller brush 40 on its body 20. The side brushes 10 are small rotating brushes located on both sides of the cleaning device 1. They rotate when the cleaning device 1 performs a cleaning task to sweep the debris on the surface to be cleaned toward the suction port 21 or the roller brush 40, thereby improving cleaning efficiency. The side brushes 10 can efficiently clean areas that are difficult for the roller brush 40 to reach, such as walls and corners.

[0049] Base station 2 is a device used for the maintenance and upkeep of cleaning equipment 1. For example, base station 2 can clean cleaning equipment 1 and charge cleaning equipment 1. Furthermore, base station 2 may also have at least one of the following functions: replenishing water, draining water, and collecting dust from cleaning equipment 1. For example, when the power of cleaning equipment 1 is insufficient, cleaning equipment 1 returns to base station 2 to recharge. When cleaning equipment 1 is fully charged, cleaning equipment 1 can leave base station 2 and continue cleaning the surface to be cleaned. When cleaning equipment 1 needs to drain water (dirt), cleaning equipment 1 returns to base station 2 to discharge the wastewater, and then leaves base station 2 to continue cleaning the surface to be cleaned.

[0050] Base station 2 includes a base 70 and a docking structure 90. The base 70 is the basic and core component of base station 2, primarily used to support and fix the entire base station 2, and to provide charging, cleaning, and other maintenance functions for cleaning equipment 1. In addition to the base 70, base station 2 may also include a charging module, a cleaning and maintenance module, a control and communication module, and functional modules such as lighting and voice indicators. These modules can all be mounted on the base 70 to jointly provide charging, cleaning, and other maintenance functions for cleaning equipment 1. The docking structure 90 is the structure for docking base station 2 with cleaning equipment 1. In this disclosure, the docking structure 90 is disposed on the base 70. In some embodiments, cleaning equipment 1 has a docked structure corresponding to the docking structure 90. When cleaning equipment 1 enters base station 2, and the docked structure on cleaning equipment 1 docks with the docking structure 90 on base station 2, cleaning equipment 1 can establish a connection with base station 2. This connection includes at least one of electrical connection (communication connection) and water connection, thereby enabling base station 2 to provide charging, cleaning, and other maintenance functions for cleaning equipment 1.

[0051] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 4A and Figure 4BThe protruding structure 80 is disposed on the base 70 and used to peel off debris entangled on the side brush 10. When the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates, the protruding structure 80 contacts the side brush 10 to peel off the debris entangled on the side brush 10. In some embodiments, the base 70 includes a mounting surface 703, and the protruding structure 80 is directly disposed on the mounting surface 703 and protrudes relative to the mounting surface 703. In this case, when the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2, the drive wheel 26 of the cleaning device 1 is in direct contact with the mounting surface 703, so the protruding structure 80 can contact the side brush 10. In other embodiments, the base 70 includes a mounting surface 703, and the mounting surface 703 has a receiving cavity 705, in which the protruding structure 80 is received and protrudes relative to the mounting surface 703. At this time, when the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2, the drive wheel 26 of the cleaning device 1 is still in direct contact with the mounting surface 703. Since the protruding structure 80 still protrudes relative to the mounting surface 703, the protruding structure 80 can still contact the side brush 10. In this embodiment, the protrusion height of the protruding structure 80 relative to the mounting surface 703 can be adjusted by designing the depth of the receiving cavity 705, so as to achieve contact between the protruding structure 80 and the side brush 10 to remove the garbage on the side brush 10, while not hindering the rotation of the side brush 10.

[0052] The base station 2 disclosed herein utilizes a protruding structure 80 on the base 70. When the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates, the protruding structure 80 applies force to the debris entangled on the side brush 10, thus removing the debris from the side brush 10. This eliminates the need for manual intervention to remove the side brush 10 and then clean it, saving time and effort and significantly improving the user experience. Simultaneously, it prevents a large amount of hair from becoming entangled on the side brush 10 during subsequent cleaning, thus ensuring the cleaning effect of the cleaning device 1 in subsequent cleaning processes.

[0053] The specific shape of the raised structure 80 can be arbitrarily set, as long as it can contact the side brush 10 and peel off the debris wrapped around the side brush 10. Specifically, in some embodiments, the raised structure 80 can be at least one of hook and loop fasteners, raised dots, raised blocks, bristles, and adhesive strips. When the raised structure 80 is hook and loop fasteners, when the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates, the hook and loop fasteners apply adhesive force to the debris (especially hair) on the side brush 10, and peel the debris off the side brush 10 through the adhesive force. When the raised structure 80 is a raised dot or a raised block, when the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates, the raised dot or raised block applies a resistance opposite to the direction of rotation to the debris (especially hair) on the rotating side brush 10, and peels the debris off the side brush 10 through the reverse resistance. When the protruding structure 80 is a bristle or a rubber strip, the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2 and the side brush 10 rotates. The bristles or rubber strip rotate in the opposite direction to the side brush 10, which can apply resistance to the side brush 10 and the garbage (especially hair) on the side brush 10. The resistance can peel the garbage off the side brush 10. At the same time, the bristles and rubber strip can actively wrap the peeled garbage around themselves to prevent the garbage from wrapping back onto the side brush 10.

[0054] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 4A and Figure 4B In some embodiments, the protruding structure 80 includes a barb portion 85 located away from the base 70, configured to hook debris entangled on the side brush 10. Specifically, the protruding structure 80 includes an extension 83 extending from the mounting surface 703 and a barb portion 85 connected to the extension 83. The barb portion 85 is bent relative to the extension 83, i.e., their extension directions intersect and form an angle. The barb portion 85 is oriented towards the rotating side brush 10, thus applying a resistance opposite to the rotation direction of the side brush 10 to the debris (especially hair) on the rotating side brush 10, and peeling the debris off the side brush 10 through the reverse resistance. At the same time, the extension 83 can block the peeled debris to form a concentrated entanglement, preventing the debris from rotating to other areas along with the rotation of the side brush 10.

[0055] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the protruding structure 80 may also include a base 81, with an extension 83 and a barb 85 disposed on the base 81. The number of extensions 83 and barbs 85 may be one or more, and the number of extensions 83 and barbs 85 may be the same. Each extension 83 and a barb 85 together form a hook. Multiple hooks may be arranged on the base 81. The arrangement may be regular, such as a matrix arrangement, or irregular, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0056] Please see Figure 4A and Figure 4BIn some embodiments, the barb portion 85 is made of soft rubber. While the barb portion 85 applies resistance to the debris on the side brush 10, it also inevitably applies resistance to the side brush 10 itself. If the barb portion 85 is made of a harder material, it will damage the brush strip 120 on the side brush 10. In this embodiment, the barb portion 85 is made of soft rubber, which prevents damage to the side brush 10, thereby extending the service life of the side brush 10 and ensuring the cleaning effect of the cleaning device 1 on the surface to be cleaned subsequently.

[0057] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the cleaning device 1 is provided with an inlet 21 and includes a roller brush 40 disposed at the inlet 21. When the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2, the protrusion structure 80 is also configured to contact the roller brush.

[0058] Specifically, the body 20 is provided with an inlet 21, and the bottom of the body 20 is provided with an installation chamber 23. The inlet 21 communicates with the installation chamber 23. The installation chamber 23 is provided with a roller brush 40. When the cleaning device 1 enters the base station 2, the protruding structure 80 is also configured to contact the roller brush 40. The roller brush 40 includes a roller body 41 and a cleaning part 43. The cleaning part 43 is spirally arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the roller body 41. Along the length direction of the roller body 41, the roller body 41 includes a first end 411 and a second end 413 that are disposed opposite to each other. The first end 411 is connected to the installation chamber 23. Next, the second end 413 is a free end, and the mounting chamber 23 is provided with a suction port 231. The suction port 231 is arranged opposite to the second end 413 of the roller body 41. The cleaning device 1 also includes a first negative pressure device provided in the machine body 20. The suction airflow generated by the first negative pressure device causes the wrapped material on the roller brush 40 to move along the direction from the first end 411 to the second end 413 of the roller body and be drawn out of the mounting chamber 23 through the suction port 231; or, the roller brush 40 and / or the mounting chamber 23 are provided with a cutting structure, which is used to cut the wrapped material on the roller brush 40.

[0059] Cleaning equipment 1 typically enters base station 2 in reverse, that is, with... Figure 8A and Figure 8BFrom a perspective, the rear end of the cleaning device 1 enters the base 70 through the opening 701 before the front end 71. After the base station 2 receives the cleaning device 1 for the first time, with debris wrapped around the side brush 10, the debris detached from the side brush 10 of the cleaning device 1 will be wrapped around the raised structure 80. When the base station 2 receives the cleaning device 1 for the second time, as the cleaning device 1 backs into the base station 2, the roller brush 40 contacts the raised structure 80 earlier than the side brush 10. The rotation of the roller brush 40 can scrape the debris on the raised structure 80 onto the roller brush 40 (equivalent to concentrating all the hair onto the roller brush 40). The roller brush 40 itself can be a cantilevered roller brush or a roller brush with a hair-cutting function. Regardless of the type of roller brush, the roller brush 40 can transfer the scraped debris (hair) to the dust collection container 30 of the cleaning device 1. Finally, the user only needs to clean the dust collection container 30. In this way, the garbage that is separated by the raised structure 80 does not need to be cleaned manually by the user, but can be cleaned by the cleaning equipment 1. The user only needs to clean the dust collection container 30 that is already to be cleaned, without the need for additional cleaning operations, saving time and effort and further improving the user experience.

[0060] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the base 70 is provided with an opening 701 for the cleaning device 1 to enter and exit, and a protruding structure 80 is provided at the front end 71 of the base 70 near the opening 701.

[0061] Typically, the base 70 of base station 2 is also equipped with a cleaning tank. The cleaning tank is used to collect wastewater discharged from the cleaning equipment 1 or wastewater after cleaning the mopping parts on the cleaning equipment 1. The wastewater in the cleaning tank is discharged to the outside of base station 2 through the drainage system. In this embodiment, the protruding structure 80 is located at the front end 71 of the base 70 near the opening 701. On the one hand, it can concentrate the debris transferred from the side brush 10 at the front end 71 of the opening 701, preventing debris from entering the cleaning tank and clogging the drainage system, thus preventing the wastewater in the cleaning tank from being discharged to the outside of base station 2. On the other hand, if the roller brush does not completely remove the debris from the protruding structure 80, the location of the protruding structure 80 at the front end 71 of the opening 701 allows the user to manually clean the debris on the protruding structure 80 at the opening 701.

[0062] Please see Figure 8A and Figure 8B In some embodiments, the side brush 10 includes two brushes, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the suction port 21, and the side brushes 10 are rotatable about the first axis P1. Correspondingly, please refer to... Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5A In some embodiments, the protrusion structure 80 includes two protrusion structures 80, which are symmetrically arranged about the width dividing line Pw of the base station 2.

[0063] The two raised structures 80 are symmetrically arranged about the width dividing line Pw of the base station 2. On the one hand, each side brush 10 can contact one of the raised structures 80, that is, the debris on both side brushes 10 can be separated by the raised structures 80, which can improve the debris removal efficiency on the side brushes 10. On the other hand, the symmetrical layout of the two raised structures 80 is more conducive to the structural design and the overall aesthetic appearance of the base 70 of the base station 2.

[0064] Further, please refer to Figure 5B In other embodiments, the protrusion structure 80 includes one, the dimension of which in the width direction X1 of the base station 2 is greater than or equal to the distance between the first axes P1 of the two side brushes 10.

[0065] Two side brushes 10 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the suction port 21, that is, there is a certain gap between the two side brushes 10. When only one protrusion structure 80 is designed, in order to peel off the debris on the side brush 10, the size of the protrusion structure 80 in the width direction X1 of the base station 2 needs to meet certain requirements. Only when the size of the protrusion structure 80 in the width direction X1 of the base station 2 is designed to be greater than or equal to the distance between the first axes P1 of the two side brushes 10 can the debris on both side brushes 10 be separated by the protrusion structure 80. On the other hand, since the roller brush 40 is arranged inside the suction port 21, designing the size of the protrusion structure 80 in the width direction X1 of the base station 2 to be greater than or equal to the distance between the first axes P1 of the two side brushes 10 can also ensure that the roller brush 40 can make full contact with the protrusion structure 80, and ensure that the roller brush 40 can remove the debris on the protrusion structure 80 and transfer it to the dust collection container 30 of the cleaning device 1.

[0066] Furthermore, please continue reading Figure 5B The dimension of the protruding structure 80 in the width direction X1 of the base station 2 is greater than the dimension of the protruding structure 80 in the depth direction Y1 of the base station 2. Thus, the protruding structure 80 is elongated in the width direction X1 of the base station 2. This shape of the protruding structure 80 can not only ensure that the debris on the side brush 10 is removed, but also reduce the material used for the protruding structure 80, thus saving costs.

[0067] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 8A and Figure 8B In some embodiments, the side brush 10 has a regular cleaning mode and an untangling mode (see the explanation below for details). In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush 10 rotates along the first circumferential direction R1. In the untangling mode, the side brush 10 rotates along the second circumferential direction R2. The first circumferential direction R1 is opposite to the second circumferential direction R2; the barb portion 85 bends toward the first circumferential direction R1.

[0068] As the cleaning device 1 moves backward into the base station 2, the side brush 10 can rotate either along the first circumferential direction R1 or the second circumferential direction R2. Regardless of whether it rotates along the first circumferential direction R1 or the second circumferential direction R2, the protruding structure 80 can peel off the debris from the side brush 10. However, compared to the side brush 10 rotating along the first circumferential direction R1, if the side brush 10 rotates along the second circumferential direction R2, the side brush 10 itself will detach from the debris, that is, the debris on the side brush 10 will untangle itself. Since the barb 85 is set towards the first circumferential direction R1, the barb 85 is facing the untangling side brush 10 (facing the rotating side brush 10). Therefore, the peeling of debris from the side brush 10 by the protruding structure 80 becomes more natural and easier, and the debris on the side brush 10 can be transferred to the protruding structure 80 more quickly and efficiently.

[0069] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 8A and Figure 8B In some embodiments, the side brush 10 has a regular cleaning mode and an untangling mode (see explanation below for details). In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush 10 rotates along a first circumferential direction R1. In the untangling mode, the side brush 10 alternately rotates along a second circumferential direction R2 and along the first circumferential direction R1, the first circumferential direction R1 being opposite to the second circumferential direction R2. At least a portion of the barb 85 is positioned towards the second circumferential direction R2, and at least a portion of the barb 85 is bent towards the first circumferential direction R1.

[0070] As the cleaning device 1 moves backward into the base station 2, the side brush 10 can rotate either along the first circumferential direction R1 or the second circumferential direction R2. Regardless of whether it rotates along the first circumferential direction R1 or the second circumferential direction R2, the protruding structure 80 can peel off the debris from the side brush 10. However, compared to the side brush 10 rotating along the first circumferential direction R1, if the side brush 10 alternately rotates along the second circumferential direction R2 and along the first circumferential direction R1, the side brush 10 itself will untangle the debris, that is, the debris on the side brush 10 will untangle itself. Moreover, this untangling method is more effective than untangling by rotating in only one direction. At this time, at least some of the barbs 85 are set towards the second circumferential direction R2, and at least some of the barbs 85 are set towards the first circumferential direction R1. So no matter which direction the side brush 10 rotates, there will always be a portion of the barbs 85 of the protruding structure 80 facing the unwinding side brush 10 (facing the rotating side brush 10). Then the protruding structure 80 will peel off the debris on the side brush 10 more naturally and easily, so that the debris on the side brush 10 can be transferred to the protruding structure 80 more quickly and efficiently.

[0071] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 This disclosure also provides a cleaning system 3, which includes a cleaning device 1 and a base station 2 as described in any of the above embodiments. The base station 2 is used to maintain the cleaning device 1.

[0072] Additionally, side brushes typically consist of two or three radially distributed brush strips. The free ends of the brush strips contact the surface to be cleaned as the side brush rotates, drawing dust and debris from the surface toward the suction inlet of the cleaning device. Because there are gaps between the brush strips, and these gaps gradually increase in the radial direction outwards from the side brush, the long, fibrous debris wrapped around the brush strips becomes taut and less likely to detach.

[0073] Based on this, the inventors have also proposed a new design for the side brush. In this design, at least a portion of the multiple brush strips of the side brush are movable. When it is desired to untangle long, fibrous debris, the movable brush strips can be brought closer together and / or brought closer together with the fixed brush strips; in short, some or all of the multiple brush strips are brought into a closed state. Then, using one or more of the centrifugal force of the rotating side brush, the suction force of the fan, and the scraping force from the surface to be cleaned and / or the base station 2, the long, fibrous debris wrapped around the brush strips is dislodged and ultimately sucked into the cleaning device. Optionally, the force that brings the brush strips together can come from one or more of the following: a drive source such as a motor, friction from contact with the ground, inertia, etc.

[0074] Figures 8A to 8B A bottom view of a cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Figure 8A The brush strips of the side brush 10 are in a separated state, while Figure 8B The brush bar of the side brush 10 is in a closed state. Figure 8C This is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. See also: Figures 8A-8C The cleaning device 1 may include a body 20. A suction inlet 21 is provided at the bottom of the body 20. A mounting chamber 23 is recessed from the suction inlet 21 toward the interior of the body 20. A roller brush 40 is rotatably mounted within the mounting chamber 23 about a horizontal axis of rotation. Typically, the outer periphery of the roller brush 40 is provided with bristles. The tips of the bristles can extend beyond the suction inlet 21 for cleaning debris from the surface to be cleaned. The body 20 may also have a receiving chamber 24. The receiving chamber 24 has a dust inlet 22. The dust inlet 22 communicates with the mounting chamber 23. A dust collection container 30 can be detachably mounted within the receiving chamber 24. After the dust collection container 30 is mounted in the receiving chamber 24, the dust collection inlet of the dust collection container 30 communicates with the dust inlet 22 of the receiving chamber 24. Thus, an airflow channel can be formed sequentially through the suction inlet 21, the mounting chamber 23, the dust inlet 22, and the dust collection container 30. Figure 8CThe thick dashed line represents the airflow path. At the end of this airflow channel, a negative pressure device, such as a fan, can be connected. To distinguish it from the negative pressure device in base station 22 mentioned later, the negative pressure device in cleaning equipment 1 will be referred to as the first negative pressure device, while the negative pressure device in base station 2 will be referred to as the second negative pressure device 50 (see...). Figure 7 When the first negative pressure device is working, it can create a negative pressure in the installation chamber 23, causing the dust and debris swept up by the roller brush 40 to flow along the airflow channel together. The dust and debris are filtered by the dust collection container 30 and collected inside, while the clean air is discharged into the environment after passing through the first negative pressure device. To improve cleaning efficiency, a side brush 10 is provided next to the suction inlet 21. For example, the side brush 10 can be located at the bottom of the body 20, in front of the suction inlet 21. The side brush 10 rotates continuously during the cleaning process of the cleaning device 1, sweeping dust and debris towards the suction inlet 21. Optionally, along the left-right direction of the cleaning device 1, the cleaning range formed by the rotation of the side brush 10 can extend beyond the outer contour of the cleaning device 1's body, so that dust and debris along the path traveled by the cleaning device 1 can be within the cleaning range of the side brush 10. Of course, the cleaning range formed by the rotation of the side brush 10 along the left and right direction of the cleaning device 1 can be exactly to the outer contour of the cleaning device 1, or it may not reach the outer contour of the cleaning device 1. By reasonably planning the walking path of the cleaning device 1, the desired cleaning effect can also be achieved. Typically, side brushes 10 can be set on the left and right sides of the suction inlet 21 respectively. Both side brushes 10 rotate towards the suction inlet 21. Specifically, viewed from above, in the normal cleaning state, the left side brush 10 can rotate clockwise and the right side brush 10 can rotate counterclockwise, so that the dust and debris on both sides can be collected towards the suction inlet at the bottom of the body 20.

[0075] Figures 9A to 9B , Figures 10A to 10B A side brush 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown, the side brush 10 may include a side brush holder 110 and a plurality of brush strips 120.

[0076] The side brush holder 110 is rotatable about a first axis P1. For ease of description, the two opposite directions along the first axis P1 will be defined as the first axial direction Z1 and the second axial direction Z2, respectively. The side brush holder 110 is detachably connected to the body 20 for convenient daily maintenance and replacement of the side brush 10. Multiple brush strips 120 can be mounted on the side brush holder 110. The side brush holder 110 can serve as a carrier for the multiple brush strips 120, thereby enabling the multiple brush strips 120 to rotate as a whole. Optionally, the side brush holder 110 can be omitted, and the multiple brush strips 120 can be directly and rotatably mounted on the body 20.

[0077] One end of each brush strip 120 can be connected to the side brush holder 110. This end of the brush strip 120 can be referred to as the connecting end 120a, while the other end of each brush strip 120 can be referred to as the free end. The free end contacts the surface to be cleaned when the side brush 120 cleans the surface. At least one of the plurality of brush strips 120 is a movable brush strip 122 that is movable between a first position and a second position. The movable brush strip 122 is in the first position, such as... Figure 9A As shown, the movable brush bar 122 and at least one of its adjacent brush bars 120 are in a separated state, moving away from each other, along the circumferential direction R1-R2 around the first axis P1. The movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, as shown... Figure 9B As shown, the active brush bar 122 and at least one of the adjacent brush bars 120 are in a closed state that is close to each other along the circumferential direction R1-R2.

[0078] Exemplarily, in the illustrated embodiment, there are two brush bars 120, one of which is a movable brush bar 122 and the other is a fixed brush bar 121. The fixed brush bar 121 remains in a fixed position relative to the side brush holder 110. The fixed brush bar 121 is the brush bar adjacent to the movable brush bar 122. Movement of the movable brush bar 122 between a first position and a second position causes the movable brush bar 122 and the fixed brush bar 121 to move closer and further apart. Optionally, in other embodiments not shown, both brush bars 120 may be movable brush bars 122. For each movable brush bar 122, the other movable brush bar 122 is the brush bar adjacent to it.

[0079] In some other embodiments, the side brush 10 may include at least two adjacent active brush strips. For example, the side brush 10 has two brush strips, and both brush strips are active. Alternatively, the side brush 10 has more than two brush strips, where one of the brush strips adjacent to one of the active brush strips is active, and the remaining brush strips are fixed. Alternatively, the side brush 10 has more than two brush strips, where the two brush strips adjacent to one of the active brush strips are both active.

[0080] In some embodiments, during the closing process of at least two adjacent movable brush strips, the at least two adjacent movable brush strips move in the same circumferential direction relative to the side brush holder 110. For example, when the side brush is installed on the cleaning device 1, taking the right side brush on the cleaning device 1 as an example, and viewed from a top angle, the at least two adjacent movable brush strips can both be rotated in reverse relative to the side brush holder 110 (e.g., moving counterclockwise) to switch the state between the at least two adjacent movable brush strips to a closed state. When it is desired that the at least two adjacent movable brush strips switch from the closed state to a separated state, the at least two adjacent movable brush strips can both be rotated clockwise relative to the side brush holder 110 (e.g., moving clockwise) to switch the state between the at least two adjacent movable brush strips to a separated state. In some embodiments, changing the spacing between the movable brush strips by rotating them clockwise or counterclockwise can mainly rely on the friction between the brush strips and the surface to be cleaned. Optionally, as will be described later, the force that moves the movable brush strip 122 can also come from one or more of a drive source such as a motor or hydraulic device, inertia, etc.

[0081] In some embodiments, at least two adjacent movable brush bars may have different circumferential rotation angles relative to the side brush holder 110. Here, "the circumferential rotation angle of the movable brush bar relative to the side brush holder 110" refers to the limit rotation angle of the movable brush bar relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction. For example, two adjacent movable brush bars are described, both of which are movably connected to the side brush holder 110 and are both capable of rotating relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction of the side brush holder 110.

[0082] For example, during the closing process of at least two adjacent movable brush bars, if the at least two adjacent movable brush bars move in the same circumferential direction relative to the side brush holder 110, the angle rotated by the rearmost movable brush bar relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction of the movable brush bar relative to the side brush holder 110 (i.e., along the closing direction) is a first angle, and the angle rotated by the foremost movable brush bar relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction of the at least two adjacent movable brush bars is a second angle, wherein the first angle is greater than the second angle. Since, during the closing process of at least two adjacent movable brush strips, the rearmost movable brush strip moves towards the side where the frontmost movable brush strip is located, while the frontmost movable brush strip moves away from the side where the rearmost movable brush strip is located, when the at least two adjacent movable brush strips move in the same circumferential direction relative to the side brush holder 110, during the closing process of at least two adjacent movable brush strips, compared to the case where the at least two adjacent movable brush strips rotate through the same angle, the first angle rotated by the rearmost movable brush strip is greater than the second angle rotated by the frontmost movable brush strip. This allows the at least two adjacent movable brush strips to be as close as possible when they are rotated to the second position, i.e., the degree of closing is higher.

[0083] Optionally, taking two adjacent movable brush strips as an example, during the closing process of the two adjacent movable brush strips, one of the movable brush strips (for ease of description, it can be referred to as the first brush strip) can move towards its adjacent movable brush strip (for ease of description, it can be referred to as the second brush strip) along a first direction, while the second brush strip can remain stationary relative to the side brush holder 110; when the first brush strip and the second brush strip separate, the first brush strip moves away from the second brush strip along a second direction relative to the side brush holder 110, and the second brush strip moves towards the first brush strip along the second direction relative to the side brush holder 110. To maximize the separation of the first brush strip and the second brush strip, the angle through which the second brush strip rotates relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction can be designed to be smaller than the angle through which the first brush strip rotates relative to the side brush holder 110 in the circumferential direction.

[0084] Optionally, in other embodiments not shown, there may be more brush bars 120, for example, three or more. Of these brush bars 120, only a portion may be active brush bars 122, or all of them may be active brush bars 122. For each active brush bar 122:

[0085] If the two adjacent brush bars are both fixed brush bars, the movable brush bar 122 can only be in a closed state with one of the adjacent brush bars when it is in the second position.

[0086] If at least one of the two brush bars adjacent to the active brush bar 122 is an active brush bar, then all active brush bars in the second position can achieve the following: 1) The active brush bar 122 and the two adjacent brush bars are in a closed state; for example, one of the adjacent brush bars of the active brush bar 122 is a fixed brush bar, and the other adjacent brush bar is an active brush bar. The active brush bar 122 moves toward the side where the fixed brush bar is located to get closer to the fixed brush bar, and the other active brush bar moves toward the side where the active brush bar 122 is located to get closer to the active brush bar, so that the two active brush bars and one fixed brush bar are in a closed state. Alternatively, both adjacent brush bars of the active brush bar 122 are active brush bars, and all three active brush bars move toward the adjacent brush bars in the same direction to get closer to the adjacent brush bars, for example, all three active brush bars move in a counterclockwise direction, so that the three active brush bars are in a closed state. Alternatively, 2) the movable brush bar 122 is in a closed state with one of its adjacent brush bars; for example, one of the adjacent brush bars of the movable brush bar 122 is a fixed brush bar, and the other adjacent brush bar is a movable brush bar. The movable brush bar 122 moves toward the side where the adjacent movable brush bar is located, and the two approach each other to form a closed state, while the movable brush bar 122 moves away from the fixed brush bar. Thus, this disclosure can be designed so that all the brush bars 120 can approach each other through the movement of the movable brush bar 122. Alternatively, some of the brush bars 120 can partially approach each other through the movement of the movable brush bar 122. In the case of three or more brush bars 120, the spacing between the brush bars 120 in the closed state can be equal or unequal. Furthermore, when there are four or more brush strips 120, and two or more of them are active brush strips, these active brush strips are in the second position, which allows some of the active brush strips to be in a closed state with the adjacent brush strips, and other active brush strips to be in a non-closed state with the adjacent brush strips.

[0087] It should be noted that the aforementioned "closer" is relative to "farther." Typically, when the cleaning device 1 is in regular cleaning mode, all brush strips 120 are separated (i.e., in a separated state). For example, all brush strips 120 can be distributed around the side brush holder 110 along the circumferential direction R1-R2. At this time, the position of the movable brush strip 122 is the first position. When the movable brush strip 122 moves to the second position, causing some or all of these brush strips 120 to move closer together and be in a closed state, the distance between the brush strips moving closer together is smaller than the distance between them when they are separated. Therefore, "closer" is relative to "farther."

[0088] During cleaning, long, fibrous debris may become entangled on the multiple brush strips 120, and this debris is difficult to detach from the brush strips 120 under the action of the first negative pressure device. Furthermore, the spacing between the brush strips 120 gradually increases in the radially outward direction perpendicular to the first axis P1, making it even more difficult for the long, fibrous debris to detach automatically once it is simultaneously entangled on multiple brush strips 120. However, at least a portion of the multiple brush strips 120 provided in this disclosure are movable brush strips 122. During the movement of the movable brush strip 122 from the first position to the second position—that is, during the movement of the movable brush strip 122 and at least one of its adjacent brush strips 120 from a separated state to a closed state—compared to when the movable brush strip 122 is in the first position, the spacing between the connecting end 120a of the movable brush strip 122 and the connecting end 120a of its adjacent brush strip 120 (e.g., the fixed brush strip 121 in the figure) can remain unchanged or decrease, but the spacing between the free ends of the multiple brush strips 120 significantly decreases. Therefore, if long, filamentous debris is simultaneously wrapped around the movable brush bar 122 and the fixed brush bar 121, the debris can be easily detached as their free ends approach each other; or, the movable brush bar 122 can switch back and forth between a first position and a second position, causing the movable brush bar 122 and the fixed brush bar 121 to continuously move closer and further away, thus causing the long, filamentous debris to continuously loosen and tighten on the side brush, which also allows it to be easily detached. This process can be called untangling. Based on this, the cleaning device 1 using the side brush 10 can also have an untangling mode. In this set of embodiments, since the movable brush bar 122 and at least one of its adjacent brush bars 120 are in a close-to-each-other state for untangling, if the difference between the first distance between the brush bars in the closed state and the second distance between the brush bars in the separated state is small, the untangling effect may be somewhat poor. Those skilled in the art can select the value of the first distance in the closed state as needed.

[0089] After at least part of the brush strip 120 is in the closed state, a protruding structure provided in the base station 22 as described in the above embodiment can be used to provide the aforementioned frictional force (the aforementioned adhesive force or resistance) for unwinding.

[0090] Typically, each brush bar 120 may include a connecting arm 120c and a flexible bristle 120e. A first end of the connecting arm 120c is connected to the side brush holder 110, and the bristle 120e is connected to a second end of the connecting arm 120c. The first end of the connecting arm 120c forms the aforementioned connecting end 120a, and the end 120b of the bristle 120e forms the aforementioned free end. Exemplarily, the connecting arm 120c may be made of a rigid material; more specifically, it may be made of rigid rubber or rigid plastic. The connecting arm 120c is typically irregularly shaped for connection to the side brush holder 110. Therefore, the connecting arm 120c may be manufactured using an injection molding process. Optionally, an intermediate arm 120d may be connected between the connecting arm 120c and the bristle 120e. The intermediate arm 120d may have a degree of flexibility, for example, it may be made of a soft thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). The intermediate arm 120d not only secures the bristle strips 120e but also extends the distance of the brush strips 120 and increases their flexibility. Typically, both the bristle strips 120e and the intermediate arm 120d are elongated and generally exhibit a consistent extension trend. Alternatively, the intermediate arm 120d can be omitted, and the bristle strips 120e can be directly connected to the connecting arm 120c. Each brush strip 120 typically has multiple bristle strips 120e, which radiate from their root (connected to the connecting arm 120c or intermediate arm 120d) to their end 120b. For each bristle strip 120e, it can be straight; or its end 120b can be bent backward relative to the rotation direction during normal cleaning; or its end 120b can be bent towards the ground.

[0091] With the movable brush bar 122 in the second position, causing the multiple brush bars 120 to be in a closed state, the spacing between the bristles 120e of adjacent brush bars 120 remains unchanged or decreases along a radially outward direction perpendicular to the first axis P1. For example, assuming the bristles 120e are straight, the bristles 120e of adjacent brush bars 120 after being closed can be parallel to each other, or the spacing between the bristles 120e decreases as they approach the end 120b of the bristle 120e. This makes it easier to untangle long filamentous debris on the brush bars 120.

[0092] It should be noted that in this disclosure, "the gap between the bristles of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles of at least one of its adjacent brush bars decreases" can be understood as the gap between the bristles of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles of at least one of its adjacent brush bars gradually decreasing in a radially outward direction perpendicular to the first axis. However, it is not excluded that the gap between the bristles of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles of at least one of its adjacent brush bars first gradually decreases, and then slightly increases near the end of the brush bar or at the end position.

[0093] Of course, when multiple brush strips 120 are in a closed state, the spacing between the bristles 120e of adjacent brush strips 120 can also increase along the aforementioned radial outward direction, which can still achieve the effect of untangling. Compared with the case described above where "the spacing between the bristles 120e of adjacent brush strips 120 remains unchanged or decreases", this increased spacing may slightly increase the difficulty of untangling, but by selecting an appropriate untangling method (see the four described above), an ideal untangling effect can be achieved. Optionally, adjacent brush strips 120 can also be intersecting, and at the intersection, they can be arranged vertically. Along the aforementioned radial outward direction, the spacing between adjacent brush strips 120 can first decrease and then increase.

[0094] It should be noted that the spacing between any two adjacent brush strips 120e, the angle between any two adjacent brush strips 120e, and the angle between the movable brush strip 122 and the virtual ray mentioned later, as described in this disclosure, are all based on the longitudinal centerline of the brush strip 120 as a reference line for the strip position. The "longitudinal centerline" refers to the centerline of the brush strip 120 perpendicular to the width direction of its strips 120e. Therefore, the spacing between the strips 120e of the movable brush strip 122 and at least one of its adjacent brush strips 120e refers to the spacing between the longitudinal centerline of the movable brush strip 122 and the longitudinal centerline of at least one of the brush strips 120 adjacent to the movable brush strip 122.

[0095] For example, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the angle between the bristles 120e of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles 120e of at least one of the adjacent brush bars is [120°, 165°]. In the illustrated embodiment, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the angle between the bristles 120e of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles 120e of the fixed brush bar 121 is [120°, 165°]. This allows the multiple brush bars 120 to be more dispersed, resulting in a better cleaning effect. For example, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the angle between the bristles 120e of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles 120e of the fixed brush bar 121 is 150°. For example, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, the angle between the bristles 120e of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristles 120e of at least one of the adjacent brush bars is [0°, 20°]. In the illustrated embodiment, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, the included angle between the movable brush bar 122 and the bristle sliver 120e of the fixed brush bar 121 is [0°, 20°], which is more conducive to unwinding. For example, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, the included angle between the bristle sliver 120e of the movable brush bar 122 and the bristle sliver 120e of the fixed brush bar 121 is 15°.

[0096] For example, the force that moves the movable brush strip 122 can come from one or more of the following: a drive source such as a motor or hydraulic device, friction between the brush and the surface to be cleaned, inertia, etc. Those skilled in the art can reasonably select one or more of the above methods as needed.

[0097] In a scheme where the brush bar 120 is closed using a drive source, an additional drive source may be required. This drive source can be located on the side brush 10 (e.g., the side brush holder 110) or on the body 20. Alternatively, a suitable transmission structure can be used to make the driving force of the overall rotation of the side brush 10 act on the movable brush bar 122, thus allowing the movable brush bar 122 to move.

[0098] In the scheme of using inertia to close the brush strip 120, for example, a damping element is provided between the movable brush strip 122 and the side brush holder 110. When the movable brush strip 122 needs to switch to the second position, it needs to overcome the resistance of the damping element. When the side brush 10 is in normal cleaning mode and rotates at a first speed, the movable brush strip 122 can be held in the first position by resistance. When the brush strip 120 needs to close, the side brush 10 can be rotated at a second speed greater than the first speed and in the same direction. Under the action of inertia, the movable brush strip 122 has the ability to maintain its initial motion state, thereby overcoming resistance and moving to the second position, achieving the purpose of closing the brush strip 120. This method does not require an additional drive source and can utilize the existing motor. However, it may require a significant increase in the speed of the side brush 10, which may result in a greater increase in noise during unwinding. The advantage is that almost no structural modifications to the side brush 10 or the cleaning equipment using the side brush 10 are required. When the brush strip 120 needs to separate, the movable brush strip 122 can be manually moved to the first position.

[0099] The method of using friction between the brush and the surface to be cleaned to bring the brush bar 120° together might be relatively simpler, and will be described in more detail below. (See also...) Figures 10A to 10B and Figure 12A The side brush holder 110 may be provided with a first limiting part 113 and a second limiting part 114. The first limiting part 113 and the second limiting part 114 are spaced apart along the circumferential direction R1-R2, and the movable brush bar 122 can move freely between the first limiting part 113 and the second limiting part 114. The circumferential direction R1-R2 includes opposite first circumferential direction R1 and second circumferential direction R2. When the side brush holder 110 rotates along the first circumferential direction R1, the movable brush bar 122 abuts against the first limiting part 113 to be in a first position ( Figure 10A (as shown); and the movable brush bar 122 abuts against the second limiting part 114 when the side brush holder 110 rotates along the second circumferential direction R2, so as to be in the second position (as shown); Figure 10B (As shown).

[0100] The first limiting part 113 and the second limiting part 114 restrict the movement space of the movable brush bar 122. The movable brush bar 122 can move freely between the first limiting part 113 and the second limiting part 114, and the first limiting part 113 and the second limiting part 114 respectively restrict the two end positions of the free movement, namely the first position and the second position. "Free movement" means that the resistance encountered by the movable brush bar 122 during its movement is small and can be almost ignored. Therefore, when the side brush 120 is in the normal cleaning mode, it rotates along the first circumferential direction R1 (referred to as forward rotation). The resistance from the ground causes the movable brush strip 122 to abut against the first limiting part 113, thus separating the multiple brush strips 120. When the side brush 120 is in the unwinding mode, it rotates along the second circumferential direction R2 (referred to as reverse rotation). The resistance from the ground causes the movable brush strip 122 to move towards the second limiting part 114 and finally abut against it, bringing the multiple brush strips 120 (fixed brush strip 121 and movable brush strip 122) into a closed state. In this way, by rotating the side brush 120 in both directions and by using the friction from the surface to be cleaned, the position of the movable brush strip 122 can be adjusted, achieving the closing and separation of the multiple brush strips 120. This method of driving the movable brush bar 122 to move between the first and second positions is relatively simple and does not significantly increase the manufacturing cost, structural complexity, or weight of the side brush 120, thus making it more economical and practical. Of course, this disclosure does not exclude the use of other methods to move the movable brush bar 122 between the first and second positions.

[0101] For example, the first limiting portion 113 and the second limiting portion 114 may be formed by one or more of the following: a protrusion, a baffle, a sidewall of a groove, etc., provided on the side brush holder 110. Figures 10A to 10B and Figure 12A In the illustrated embodiment, the side brush holder 110 may be provided with a first opening 115, and at least a portion of the connecting arm 120c of the movable brush bar 122 may extend into the side brush holder 110 through the first opening 115 and be movably connected to the side brush holder 110. The first opening 115 may have a certain length generally along the circumferential direction R1-R2, and along the circumferential direction R1-R2, the two end sidewalls of the first opening 115 respectively form a first limiting portion 113 and a second limiting portion 114.

[0102] In some embodiments, for ease of installation, the side brush holder 110 typically includes an upper housing 111 and a lower housing 112. A first opening 115 may be formed on the lower housing 112, and the first opening 115 is closed when the upper housing 111 and the lower housing 112 are engaged. This facilitates the installation of the movable brush strip 122.

[0103] In some other embodiments, the side brush holder 110 may include a left housing and a right housing, and the first opening may be formed on the left housing or the right housing, or a portion of the first opening may be formed on the left housing and another portion of the first opening may be formed on the right housing, with the left housing and the right housing fastened together to form the first opening.

[0104] For example, see see Figure 11A and Figure 13A As shown, in the first position, the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristle 120e to the first axis P1 of the movable brush 122 has a first value J1; as Figure 11B and Figure 13B As shown, in the second position, the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristle 120e to the first axis P1 of the movable brush 122 has a second value J2. The first value J1 is less than the second value J2. That is, after the movable brush 122 moves to the second position, the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristle 120e to the first axis P1 can increase. This increase in radial distance J can expand the cleaning range of the side brush 10. The cleaning range of the side brush 10 is determined by the brush with the largest radial distance J among all the brushes 120 it includes. In the illustrated embodiment, the value of the radial distance J (second value J2) when the movable brush 122 is in the second position is the largest, and the cleaning range at this time covers the area with P1 as the center and J2 as the radius.

[0105] For narrow areas, such as corners, even when the cleaning device is pressed completely against the wall, it cannot completely cover the cleaning range of the side brush 10. Figure 13A As shown, with the active brush strip 122 in the first position, the cleaning range of the side brush 10 is S1, thus creating a blind spot S2 that cannot be cleaned. Figure 13B As shown, with the movable brush strip 122 in the second position, the cleaning range of the side brush 10 increases to S3, and correspondingly, the dead-angle area S4 becomes smaller. Therefore, when the cleaning device moves to this narrow area, the movable brush strip 122 can be moved to the second position, increasing the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristle 120e of the movable brush strip 122 to the first axis P1, thereby increasing the cleaning range of the side brush 10 and improving the cleanliness of the surface to be cleaned to a certain extent.

[0106] It should be noted that when multiple movable brush strips 122 exist, some or all of the movable brush strips 122 can have an increased radial distance J after moving to the second position, thereby increasing the cleaning range. The principle of this disclosure will be explained below using an embodiment with only one movable brush strip 122 as an example.

[0107] For example, such as Figure 11A and Figure 13AAs shown, with the movable brush bar 122 in the first position, the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristles 120e of each brush bar 120 to the first axis P1 has the same first value J1. As shown, the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristles 120e of both the fixed brush bar 121 and the movable brush bar 122 has the first value J1. When the cleaning device 1 is in normal cleaning mode, the movable brush bar 122 can be moved to the first position, where the radial distance J of each brush bar 120 is equal. This does not change the design of the existing cleaning device 1. Furthermore, since the side brush 10 rotates while the cleaning device performs the cleaning task, and the cleaning device moves forward, with all brush bars 120 having the same radial distance J, the contact areas between the different brush bars 120 of the side brush 10 and the surface to be cleaned overlap to the maximum extent possible, thus achieving a better cleaning effect. Of course, when the active brush strip 122 is in the first position, the radial distance J of all the brush strips 120 can also be different. In this case, the walking speed of the cleaning device can be appropriately reduced so that the contact areas of different brush strips 120 and the surface to be cleaned overlap as much as possible. This disclosure does not exclude this embodiment.

[0108] Since the movable brush strip 122 is in the first position to enable the cleaning device 1 to perform a regular cleaning task, exemplarily, during the cleaning process of the cleaning device 1 performing a cleaning task, and with the movable brush strip 122 in the first position, the side brush 10 rotates, and the movable brush strip 122 contacts the surface to be cleaned. As described above, when the movable brush strip 122 is in the second position, the side brush 10 can also perform a cleaning task. Thus, exemplarily, during the cleaning process of the cleaning device 1 performing a cleaning task, and with the movable brush strip 122 in the second position, the side brush 10 rotates, and the movable brush strip 122 can also contact the surface to be cleaned. In the above embodiment, in order to reduce the area of ​​the dead corner area S2 when cleaning narrow areas such as corners, such as... Figure 13B As shown, in the second position, the cleaning range of the side brush 10 increases to S3. However, in other embodiments, the second position of the movable brush 122 does not necessarily cause the radial distance J from the end 120b of the bristle 120e of the movable brush 122 to the first axis P1 to increase. For example, the radial distance J can remain unchanged or decrease. In short, the movable brush 122 can also perform cleaning tasks in the second position. In this way, not only can the friction between the movable brush 122 and the surface to be cleaned be better used to untangle the bristles, but the surface to be cleaned can also be cleaned in the process.

[0109] For example, for a movable brush bar whose radial distance J increases after activation, such as movable brush bar 122, the length of the portion of movable brush bar 122 that can protrude outside the side brush holder 110 differs when it is in the first position and the second position, so as to adjust the value of the radial distance J from the end 120b of its bristle 120e to the first axis P1. Typically, the side brush holder 110 is generally circular, such as... Figures 11A-11B As shown, the radial distance J of the movable brush bar 122 can be changed by adjusting the length of the movable brush bar 122 retracted into the side brush holder 110.

[0110] Optionally, the change in the radial distance J of the movable brush bar 122 can be achieved by a drive source such as a motor or hydraulic device. For example, the drive source can be used to drive the movable brush bar 122 to move radially, or the drive source can be used to extend or retract the length of the movable brush bar 122. This drive source can be the same as or different from the drive source that drives the movable brush bar 122 to move between the first and second positions (if any). Optionally, the movable brush bar 122 can also be moved or extended or retracted radially manually. When it is necessary to clean corners, the length of the movable brush bar 122 protruding beyond the side brush holder 110 can be increased manually.

[0111] This disclosure provides a mechanical design that automatically increases the length of the movable brush bar 122 protruding beyond the side brush holder 110 as it moves from a first position to a second position. This eliminates the need for an additional drive source and avoids designing the movable brush bar 122 as retractable, resulting in a simpler and less expensive structure. The mechanical design will be described in detail below.

[0112] For example, the connecting arm 120c of the movable brush bar 122 is rotatably connected to the side brush holder 110 about the second axis P2, so as to be movable between a first position and a second position.

[0113] In order to achieve the simultaneous rotation of the movable brush bar 122 from the first position to the second position and increase the radial distance J of the movable brush bar 122, as follows: Figures 13A to 13B As shown, a transverse plane is defined that is perpendicular to the first axis P1 and passes through the geometric center of the brush holder 110. On this transverse plane, the intersection of the first axis P1 and the transverse plane is defined as the first intersection point (see P1), and the intersection of the second axis P2 and the transverse plane is defined as the second intersection point (see P2). A virtual ray X1 is defined with the second intersection point as its endpoint, and the reverse extension of the virtual ray X1 passes through the first intersection point.

[0114] like Figure 13AAs shown, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the line X2 connecting the end 120b of its bristles and the second intersection point has a first included angle θ1 with the virtual ray X1. Figure 13B As shown, when the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, there is a second angle θ2 between the line X2 connecting the end 120b of its bristles and the second intersection point and the virtual ray X1. The first angle θ1 is greater than the second angle θ2. Since the second axis P2 of the movable brush bar 122 is eccentrically set relative to the first axis P1 of the side brush holder 110, when the angle between the line X2 connecting the end 120b of the movable brush bar 122 and the second intersection point and the virtual ray X1 is zero, the portion of the movable brush bar 122 exposed outside the side brush holder 110 is the longest; conversely, when the angle between the line X2 and the virtual ray X1 is 180 degrees, the portion of the movable brush bar 122 exposed outside the side brush holder 110 is the shortest. When the angle between line X2 and virtual ray X1 is between 0 and 180 degrees, the smaller the angle, the longer the portion of the movable brush bar 122 protrudes beyond the side brush holder 110; conversely, the larger the angle, the smaller the portion of the movable brush bar 122 protruding beyond the side brush holder 110. Therefore, in a transverse plane perpendicular to the first axis P1 and passing through the geometric center of the side brush holder 110, by setting the first axis P1 and the second axis P2 to be non-common points and appropriately selecting the angles θ1 and θ2, it is possible to increase the radial distance J of the movable brush bar 122 while it rotates from the first position to the second position. Furthermore, the angles θ1 and θ2 can be derived in reverse order based on the required increase in radial distance J.

[0115] The movable brush bar 122 can be symmetrically positioned on both sides of the virtual ray X1, such that the angle between the connecting line X2 and the virtual ray X1 is equal. Exemplarily, the movable brush bar 122 can be located on either side of the virtual ray X1 in the first and second positions, respectively. Therefore, when the movable brush bar 122 rotates from the first position to the second position, it can rotate by a larger angle, allowing the movable brush bar 122 to be closer to the fixed brush bar 121 in the second position, and to be more dispersed from the fixed brush bar 121 in the first position. It should be noted that this disclosure does not exclude embodiments where the movable brush bar 122 can be located on the same side of the virtual ray X1 in both the first and second positions.

[0116] When the first included angle θ1 is greater than the second included angle θ2, and the movable brush strip 122 is in the second position, the second included angle θ2 can be zero or any other angle. When the movable brush strip 122 is in the first position, the movable brush strip 122 and the fixed brush strip 121 can be located on opposite sides of the virtual ray X1, allowing the movable brush strip 122 and the fixed brush strip 121 to be more dispersed. Due to the larger included angle between the dispersed movable brush strip 122 and the fixed brush strip 121, in the normal cleaning mode, compared to the case where the included angle between the movable brush strip 122 and the fixed brush strip 121 is smaller, the brush strip 120 can rotate to the same position more frequently while maintaining the same side brush rotation speed, thereby improving cleaning efficiency.

[0117] When the first included angle θ1 is greater than the second included angle θ2, and the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the first included angle θ1 can be 180 degrees or any other angle. When the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, the movable brush bar 122 can be located on the same side of the virtual ray X1 as the fixed brush bar 121, so that the movable brush bar 122 can be closer to the fixed brush bar 121, thereby improving the unwinding effect.

[0118] In the above embodiment, the second axis P2 of the movable brush bar 122 is eccentrically positioned relative to the first axis P1 of the side brush holder 110, that is, in a transverse plane perpendicular to the first axis P1 and passing through the geometric center of the side brush holder 110, the second axis P2 is spaced apart from the first axis P1. In other embodiments not shown, the second axis P2 may be collinear with the first axis P1; or, although the second axis P2 is not collinear with the first axis P1, the second axis P2 intersects the first axis P1 in a transverse plane perpendicular to the first axis P1 and passing through the geometric center of the side brush holder 110. Thus, when the movable brush bar 122 rotates between the first and second positions, it substantially does not cause a change in the radial distance J of the movable brush bar 122.

[0119] For example, see see Figure 11A and Figure 13A When the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the reverse extension line of the extension direction of the bristles 120e of each brush bar 120 does not pass through the first axis P1. That is, the bristles 120e of each brush bar 120 do not extend in the radial direction relative to the first axis P1. If the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position and its bristles 120e extend in the radial direction, generally along the virtual ray X1, it may cause the movable brush bar 122 to have its longest length exposed beyond the side brush holder 110 when it is in the first position. This would prevent the movable brush bar 122 from further extending to its longest length after moving to the second position, thus preventing the cleaning area from being expanded.

[0120] For example, with the movable brush bar 122 in the first position, the projection of the bristle 120e of each brush bar 120 onto a transverse plane perpendicular to the first axis P1 and passing through the geometric center of the side brush holder 110 extends along the tangential direction of the edge of the side brush holder 110. If the movable brush bar 122 is in the first position, the angle between the line connecting its second axis of rotation P2 and the second intersection point formed by the transverse plane and the end 120b of its bristle with the reverse extension of the virtual ray X1 is acute. Sufficient space needs to be left in the central region within the side brush holder 110 for the movable brush bar 122 to pass through, which would affect the structure within the side brush holder 110. For example, the trapezoidal hole in the central region of the side brush holder 110 is for connection to the body 20 to mate with a shaft on the body 20. The inventors discovered that when the movable brush strip 122 is in the first position, the projection of the bristle sliver 120e of each brush strip 120 onto the aforementioned transverse plane extends along the tangential direction relative to the edge of the side brush holder 110. This allows for efficient use of the space within the side brush holder 110 without affecting its existing structure. Furthermore, in this configuration, the length of the movable brush strip 122 hidden within the side brush holder 110 is appropriate, while the length exposed outside the side brush holder 110 in the second position is moderate.

[0121] like Figures 10A to 10B As shown, a pair of rotating shafts 120f can be provided on the connecting arm 120c of the movable brush bar 122. A first upper mounting hole 1112 can be provided on the upper housing 111, and a first lower mounting hole 1122 can be provided on the lower housing 112. The pair of rotating shafts 120f are respectively inserted into the first upper mounting hole 1112 and the first lower mounting hole 1122, such that the movable brush bar 122 is rotatably connected to the side brush holder 110 about the second axis P2. In other embodiments not shown, the movable brush bar 122 can be rotatably connected to the side brush holder 110 in any other suitable manner.

[0122] Optionally, multiple brush strips 120 can have the same structure to reduce the variety of parts and lower processing, inventory, and management costs. When all multiple brush strips 120 are movable brush strips, they can be mounted on the side brush holder 110 in the same manner. When a portion of the multiple brush strips 120 is a fixed brush strip 121, such as... Figures 10A to 10BAs shown, a pair of rotating shafts 120f can also be provided on the connecting arm 120c of the fixed brush bar 121. A second upper mounting hole 1113 can be provided on the upper housing 111, and a second lower mounting hole 1123 can be provided on the lower housing 112. The pair of rotating shafts 120f are respectively inserted into the second upper mounting hole 1113 and the second lower mounting hole 1123. In this case, the fixed brush bar 121 is rotatable about the third axis P3. To prevent the fixed brush bar 121 from rotating relative to the side brush holder 110, a stop structure can be provided on the side brush holder 110 to fix the position of the fixed brush bar 121 relative to the side brush holder 110. See also... Figure 12B For example, the upper housing 111 may be provided with a first protrusion 1111 and a stop protrusion 1114. Along the circumferential direction R1-R2, the first protrusion 1111 and the stop protrusion 1114 may be respectively on both sides of the fixed brush strip 121, and the first protrusion 1111 and the stop protrusion 1114 clamp the fixed brush strip 121 between them, that is, fix it in the desired position.

[0123] It should be noted that when multiple brush strips 120 have the same structure, the first upper mounting hole 1112 and the second upper mounting hole 1113 have the same structure, the first lower mounting hole 1122 and the second lower mounting hole 1123 have the same structure, and the two rotating shafts 120f have the same structure.

[0124] Furthermore, the cleaning system 3 may also include a negative pressure device, which may be installed on the body or base station 2 and is capable of generating a suction airflow to remove at least part of the debris from multiple brushes when the movable brush is in a second position. Alternatively, the negative pressure device may generate a suction airflow to remove at least part of the debris from multiple brushes during the process of the movable brush switching back and forth between a first position and a second position.

[0125] Specifically, when the negative pressure device is a second negative pressure device 50 installed on the base station 2, the second negative pressure device 50 can generate airflow to remove at least a portion of the filamentous debris from the brush bar 120 when the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, or the second negative pressure device 50 can generate airflow to remove at least a portion of the filamentous debris from the brush bar 120 during the reciprocating switching of the movable brush bar 122 between the first and second positions.

[0126] For example, the cleaning device 1 may include a dust collection container 30, and the base station 22 may include a dust storage container 60 and a dust collection channel 70. A second negative pressure device 50 is sequentially connected to the dust storage container 60 and the dust collection channel 70. The airflow generated by the second negative pressure device 50 can enter the dust storage container 60 through the dust collection channel 70. For example, the air inlet of the second negative pressure device 50 is connected to the dust collection channel 70, and the dust storage container 60 is disposed on the airflow channel between the second negative pressure device 50 and the dust collection channel 70. The second negative pressure device 50 is in fluid communication with the dust collection container 30 of the cleaning device 1 through the dust collection channel 70. When the movable brush bar 122 is in the second position, or during the process of the movable brush bar 122 reciprocating between the first and second positions, the airflow generated by the second negative pressure device 50 can peel off at least a portion of the filamentous debris on the brush bar 120 and allow it to sequentially pass through the suction port 21, the dust collection container 30, and the dust collection channel 70 into the dust storage container 60.

[0127] For example, the cleaning system 3 may also include a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal, also known as a mobile communication terminal, refers to a computer device that can be used while in motion, broadly including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, POS machines, in-vehicle computers, etc. The cleaning device 1 and / or base station 22 may include a control unit. The control unit may be configured to control the side brush 20 to switch back and forth between a first position and a second position. Furthermore, the mobile terminal may also be communicatively connected to the control unit. The mobile terminal is used to send control signals to cause the control unit to control the cleaning device 1 to dock with the base station 2, and / or to cause the control unit to control the negative pressure device to start, and / or to cause the control unit to control the side brush 20 to switch back and forth between the first position and the second position.

[0128] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", "right", "horizontal", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", and "bottom" is usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and is only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this disclosure; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0129] For ease of description, relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," and "above" are used here to describe the regional positional relationship of one or more components or features shown in the figures to other components or features. It should be understood that relative terms include not only the orientation of the component as depicted in the figure but also different orientations during use or operation. For example, if the components in the figures are inverted as a whole, "above" or "above other components or features" will include cases where the component is "below" or "under" other components or features. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." Furthermore, these components or features may also be positioned at other different angles (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other angles), and this document intends to include all such cases.

[0130] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to limit the exemplary implementations according to this disclosure. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, parts, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0131] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0132] This disclosure has been described through the above embodiments; however, it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure to the described embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and many more variations and modifications can be made based on the teachings of this disclosure, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed by this disclosure. The scope of protection of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A base station for maintaining cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment comprising a body and a side brush disposed at the bottom of the body, the side brush being used to sweep away debris from a surface to be cleaned, characterized in that, The base station includes: Base; A raised structure, disposed on the base, is configured to contact the side brush when the cleaning device enters the base station and the side brush rotates, to remove debris entangled on the side brush; and A docking structure is provided on the base and is used to dock with the cleaning equipment.

2. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The raised structure includes at least one of the following: Velcro, raised dots, raised blocks, bristles, and adhesive strips.

3. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protruding structure includes an extension extending from the base and a barb connected to the extension, the barb being configured to hook debris entangled on the side brush; the barb is made of soft rubber.

4. The base station according to claim 3, characterized in that, The side brush has a regular cleaning mode and an untangling mode. In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush rotates along a first circumferential direction. In the untangling mode, the side brush rotates along a second circumferential direction. The first circumferential direction is opposite to the second circumferential direction. The barb is bent toward the first circumferential direction.

5. The base station according to claim 3, characterized in that, The side brush has a regular cleaning mode and an untangling mode. In the regular cleaning mode, the side brush rotates along a first circumferential direction. In the untangling mode, the side brush alternately rotates along a second circumferential direction and along the first circumferential direction, with the first circumferential direction being opposite to the second circumferential direction. At least a portion of the barbs are oriented towards the second circumferential direction, and at least a portion of the barbs are bent towards the first circumferential direction.

6. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base has an opening for the cleaning device to enter and exit, and the protruding structure is located at the front end of the base near the opening; the body has a suction port, and the bottom of the body has an installation compartment, the suction port is connected to the installation compartment, and the installation compartment has a roller brush. When the cleaning device enters the base station, the protruding structure is also configured to contact the roller brush. The roller brush includes a roller body and a cleaning section. The cleaning section is spirally arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the roller body. Along the length of the roller body, the roller body includes a first end and a second end that are disposed opposite to each other. The first end is connected to the mounting chamber, and the second end is a free end. The mounting chamber is provided with a suction port, which is disposed opposite to the second end of the roller body. The cleaning device also includes a first negative pressure device disposed in the machine body. The suction airflow generated by the first negative pressure device causes the entangled material on the roller brush to move along the direction from the first end to the second end of the roller body and be drawn out of the mounting chamber through the suction port. Alternatively, the roller brush and / or the mounting chamber are provided with a cutting structure, which is used to cut the entangled material on the roller brush.

7. The base station according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side brush includes two, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the suction port, and the side brushes are rotatable around the first axis; the protruding structure includes two, which are symmetrically arranged about the width midline of the base station.

8. The base station according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side brush includes two, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the suction port, and the side brushes are rotatable around a first axis; the protrusion structure includes one, and the dimension of the protrusion structure in the width direction of the base station is greater than or equal to the distance between the first axes of the two side brushes.

9. The base station according to claim 8, characterized in that, The dimension of the protrusion in the width direction of the base station is greater than the dimension of the protrusion in the depth direction of the base station.

10. A cleaning system, comprising: Cleaning equipment; and The base station according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the base station is used for maintaining the cleaning equipment.

11. The cleaning system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The cleaning device includes a main body and an intake port located at the bottom of the main body. A side brush is positioned next to the intake port. During the cleaning process, the side brush rotates to sweep debris towards the intake port. The side brush includes: Side brush holder, the side brush holder being rotatable about a first axis; A plurality of brush strips, each of the plurality of brush strips including a connecting arm and a bristle strip, a first end of the connecting arm being connected to the side brush holder, and the bristle strip being connected to a second end of the connecting arm, wherein at least one of the plurality of brush strips is a movable brush strip that can move between a first position and a second position, wherein: When the movable brush bar is in the first position, the movable brush bar and at least one of its adjacent brush bars are in a separated state, moving away from each other, along the circumferential direction around the first axis; and When the movable brush bar is in the second position, the movable brush bar and at least one of its adjacent brush bars are in a close-to-each-other state along the circumferential direction, and the spacing between the bristles of the movable brush bar and the bristles of at least one of its adjacent brush bars remains unchanged or decreases along the radially outward direction perpendicular to the first axis.

12. The cleaning system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When at least one of the movable brush strips is in the first position, the radial distance from the end of its bristles to the first axis has a first value; when it is in the second position, the radial distance has a second value, and the first value is less than the second value.

13. The cleaning system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The connecting arm of at least one of the movable brush bars is rotatably connected to the side brush holder about a second axis, so as to be movable between the first position and the second position; A transverse plane is defined that is perpendicular to the first axis and passes through the geometric center of the brush holder. On the transverse plane, the intersection of the first axis and the transverse plane is defined as the first intersection point, and the intersection of the second axis and the transverse plane is defined as the second intersection point. A virtual ray is defined with the second intersection point as the endpoint, and the reverse extension of the virtual ray passes through the first intersection point. When at least one of the active brush strips is in the first position, the line connecting the end of its bristle and the second intersection point has a first angle with the virtual ray; When at least one of the active brush strips is in the second position, the line connecting the end of its bristles and the second intersection point has a second included angle with the virtual ray; The first included angle is greater than the second included angle.

14. The cleaning system according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: A negative pressure device is disposed in the body and / or the base station and is capable of generating a suction airflow to remove at least a portion of the debris from the plurality of brushes when the movable brush is in the second position; or, the negative pressure device is capable of generating a suction airflow to remove at least a portion of the debris from the plurality of brushes during the process of the movable brush switching back and forth between the first position and the second position.

15. The cleaning system according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: A control unit is disposed on the body and / or the base station and is used to control the side brush to switch back and forth between the first position and the second position.

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