Cleaning apparatus and cleaning system

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus (30), comprising a housing (400) and a cover body (500). A dust collection box (600) is provided in the housing (400). The peripheral side of the housing (400) is provided with an operation space (403). The cover body (500) is detachably connected to the housing (400). The peripheral side of the cover body (500) is provided with a force-acting part (501) at the corresponding position of the operation space (403), the force-acting part (501) being higher than the bottom of the operation space (403). It is convenient for a tool or finger to be joined to the operation space (403) to act on the force-acting part (501) so as to separate the cover body (500) from the housing (400).

Description

A cleaning device and a cleaning system

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 2024228252089, filed on November 19, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of electrical equipment technology, specifically to a cleaning device and a cleaning system. Background Technology

[0004] In related technologies, cleaning equipment such as sweepers sucks up debris from the ground into a dust collection box inside the equipment during operation to complete the floor cleaning function. After the cleaning equipment has been running for a period of time, the dust collection box needs to be disassembled for cleaning. How to quickly disassemble the dust collection box is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a cleaning device and a cleaning system designed to enable, at least to some extent, rapid disassembly of the dust collection box.

[0006] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a cleaning device comprising: a housing having an operating space on its periphery; and a cover detachably connected to the housing, the cover having a gripping portion at a corresponding position in the operating space, the gripping portion being higher than the bottom of the operating space. The operating space facilitates the application of a tool or finger to the gripping portion to detach the cover from the housing.

[0007] The cleaning device provided in this disclosure allows a tool or finger to enter the housing through the operating space of the housing and apply force to the force-bearing part to remove the cover from the housing, thereby exposing at least a portion of the dust collection box. This enables the user to quickly remove the dust collection box, improving the ease of handling the cover and the dust collection box, providing a more comfortable operating experience for the user, and demonstrating excellent practicality.

[0008] In some implementations, the operating space extends to the top surface of the housing.

[0009] In some implementations, the distance from the force-bearing part to the bottom of the operating space is L1, and the distance from the force-bearing part to the top of the periphery of the housing is L2, wherein L1 > L2.

[0010] In some embodiments, the cover is disposed on the top inner edge of the housing.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cleaning equipment further includes a detection device mounted on the main unit, the detection device including a detection module facing the operating space.

[0012] In some embodiments, the top of the housing is provided with a recess that is adapted to the cover for engaging the cover, the recess extending to the periphery of the housing, and the detection device is mounted in the recess.

[0013] In some embodiments, the recess extends to the bottom of the operating space.

[0014] In some embodiments, the detection device includes: a drive mechanism having a liftable output section, and the detection module is connected to the output section of the drive mechanism.

[0015] In some implementations, the detection device further includes a position confirmation element for confirming that the detection module is in the first detection position or the second detection position.

[0016] In a second aspect, this disclosure also provides a cleaning system, including a base station used in conjunction with the cleaning equipment.

[0017] The cleaning system and cleaning equipment disclosed herein allow for quick disassembly of the cleaning equipment cover, facilitating user cleaning of the dust collection box and improving user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first state of a cleaning apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a second state of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the detection module in the first state in Figure 1;

[0022] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the detection module in the second state in Figure 2;

[0023] Figure 5 shows a schematic structural diagram of the housing of the cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure in Figures 1 and 2;

[0024] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning device with an operating space according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the cleaning equipment shown in Figure 6 for removing the cover;

[0026] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly of the shell and cover in Figure 6;

[0027] Figure 9 shows a front view of the shell and cover in Figure 8; and

[0028] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in the attached drawings is as follows:

[0030] 100. Drive mechanism; 200. Detection module; 300. Fixing component; 400. Housing; 401. Recess; 402. Through hole; 403. Operating space; 500. Cover; 501. Force-bearing part; 600. Dust collection box.

[0031] 10. Cleaning system; 20. Base station; 30. Cleaning equipment. Embodiments of the present invention

[0032] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0033] Cleaning equipment such as robotic vacuum cleaners are cleaning machines suitable for cleaning hard floors, simultaneously sucking up wastewater and removing it from the site. They have advantages such as being environmentally friendly, energy-saving, and highly efficient.

[0034] In related technologies, cleaning equipment such as robotic vacuum cleaners are equipped with detection devices. These detection devices include a detection module. The detection module can be a camera module and / or a sensor module, used to scan environmental information during the operation of the cleaning equipment and provide this scanned environmental information to the cleaning equipment's processor. The processor then plans the cleaning equipment's path based on the acquired environmental information.

[0035] However, during the operation of the cleaning equipment, the detection device may come into contact with or collide with obstacles in the path of the cleaning equipment, causing damage to the detection device and preventing it from providing the environmental information required for the operation of the cleaning equipment, thus affecting the normal operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0036] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this disclosure provides a detection device, a cleaning device, and a cleaning system. The detection module of the detection device is capable of height adjustment. When an obstacle exists in the path of the cleaning device, the detection module is controlled to lower its height to avoid the obstacle. Once the cleaning device has passed the obstacle, the detection module is controlled to rise. The detection module continues to provide scanned environmental information to the processor of the cleaning device to ensure the obstacle avoidance capability of the cleaning device, enabling the cleaning device to operate normally.

[0037] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first state of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a second state of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the detection module in the first state of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the detection module in the second state of Figure 2. The first state of the cleaning device refers to a schematic diagram of the state in which the detection module of the cleaning device is in a first detection position; the second state of the cleaning device refers to a schematic diagram of the state in which the detection module of the cleaning device is in a second detection position. For clarity, some components of the cleaning device are omitted in Figures 1 and 2. Referring to Figures 1-4, the detection device provided by the present disclosure is mounted on the main unit of the cleaning device. The detection device includes a drive mechanism 100 and a detection module 200. The drive mechanism 100 has a liftable output section; the detection module 200 is connected to the output section of the drive mechanism 100, such that the detection module 200 is movably located at the first detection position, the second detection position, or between the first detection position and the second detection position. The first detection position is higher than the top surface of the main unit, and the second detection position is lower than or equal to the top surface of the main unit.

[0038] The detection device provided in this disclosure, which is mounted on the main unit of a cleaning equipment, includes a drive mechanism 100 with a lifting output section and a detection module 200 connected to the output section of the drive mechanism 100. During the operation of the cleaning equipment, by controlling the operation of the drive mechanism 100, the detection module 200 connected to the output section of the drive mechanism 100 is driven to lift and lower, causing the detection module 200 to move back and forth between a first detection position and a second detection position. This allows the detection module to switch between the first detection position and the second detection position, thereby avoiding damage to the detection module 200 caused by contact or collision with obstacles on the path of the cleaning equipment. This ensures the normal operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0039] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, when the cleaning equipment is operating normally, the detection module 200 is at a first detection position to scan environmental information in real time to support the operation of the cleaning equipment; if there is an obstacle in the path of the cleaning equipment, the detection module 200 is at a second detection position to avoid collision damage between the detection module 200 and the obstacle, thus ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning equipment; or, if there is an obstacle in the path of the cleaning equipment, the detection module 200 determines the height of the obstacle, and based on the height of the obstacle, the detection module 200 descends to a position between the first and second detection positions, which is lower than the height of the obstacle, so that the cleaning equipment can pass through the obstacle normally, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0040] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the detection device also includes a fixing member 300. At least a portion of the detection module 200 moves up and down within the fixing member 300. When the detection module 200 is in the first detection position, the detection module 200 includes a portion protruding from the fixing member 300 for scanning environmental information; when the detection module 200 is in the second detection position, the detection module 200 can be completely or partially placed within the fixing member 300, thereby protecting the detection module 200 from contact or collision with obstacles on its travel path.

[0041] Figure 5 shows a schematic structural diagram of the housing of the cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure in Figures 1 and 2. Referring to Figure 5, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the main unit includes a housing 400. A recess 401 is provided at the top of the housing 400. The recess 401 extends to the periphery of the housing 400. A through hole 402 is provided at the bottom of the recess 401. A drive member 101 of a detection device is disposed within the housing 400. A detection module 200 passes through the through hole 402 and switches between a first detection position and a second detection position. In some embodiments, when the detection module 200 is in the second detection position, the detection module 200 is not lower than the bottom of the recess 401, so that the detection module 200 can scan environmental information through the recess 401 on the periphery of the housing 400 to facilitate the operation of the cleaning device.

[0042] Referring to Figure 5, in one embodiment, the recess 401 extends to the rear side of the periphery of the housing 400. When the detection module 200 is in the second detection position, the processor of the cleaning device controls the cleaning device to rotate, causing the rear side of the cleaning device to rotate to the front side, and uses the detection module 200 to scan environmental information in the direction of travel of the cleaning device to serve the operation of the cleaning device. In another embodiment, the recess 401 extends to the front side of the periphery of the housing 400. When the detection module 200 is in the second detection position, it can directly scan environmental information in the direction of travel of the cleaning device to serve the operation of the cleaning device.

[0043] In related technologies, cleaning equipment such as sweepers sucks up debris from the ground into a dust collection box inside the equipment during operation to complete the floor cleaning function. After the cleaning equipment has been running for a period of time, the dust collection box needs to be disassembled for cleaning. How to quickly disassemble the dust collection box is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0044] Based on the aforementioned technical issues, the applicant provides a cleaning device designed to enable, at least to some extent, rapid disassembly of the dust collection box.

[0045] Referring to Figures 6-9, the cleaning device provided in this disclosure includes a housing 400 and a cover 500. The main unit includes the housing 400. A dust collection box 600 is disposed within the housing 400. An operating space 403 is provided on the periphery of the housing 400. The cover 500 is detachably connected to the housing 400. The periphery of the cover 500 has a gripping portion 501 at a corresponding position in the operating space 403. The gripping portion 501 is higher than the bottom of the operating space 403. The operating space 403 facilitates the application of a joining tool or finger to the gripping portion 501 to separate the cover 500 from the housing 400 and expose at least a portion of the dust collection box 600. In some embodiments, the cover 500 is disposed within the top of the housing 400. The joining tool may be a rod-shaped tool. A joining tool or user's finger is inserted into the housing 400 through the operating space 403 and rests against the bottom of the gripping portion 501 of the cover 500. By operating the joining tool or user's finger, the cover 500 can be removed, thereby exposing at least a portion of the dust collection box 600, allowing the user to quickly remove the dust collection box 600. This improves the ease of handling the cover 500 and the dust collection box 600, providing a more comfortable operating experience for the user and demonstrating excellent practicality.

[0046] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, in one embodiment, the operating space 403 extends to the top surface of the housing 400, i.e., the operating space 403 forms a perforated structure with an open top. In another embodiment, the top of the operating space 403 can also be sealed, i.e., the operating space 403 is a perforated structure closed around the perimeter, which does not affect the quick disassembly of the cover 500.

[0047] Referring to Figure 9, in one embodiment, the distance from the force-applying portion 501 to the bottom of the operating space 403 is L1. The distance from the force-applying portion 501 to the top edge of the periphery of the housing 400 is L2. In some embodiments, L1 > L2, so that the space below the force-applying portion 501 in the operating space 403 is larger, facilitating the removal of the cover 500 by the disassembly tool. In some embodiments, the force-applying portion 501 abuts against the top of the operating space 403, so that the space below the force-applying portion 501 in the operating space 403 is maximized, further improving the disassembly efficiency of the cover 500. In another embodiment, if the space below the force-applying portion 501 in the operating space 403 is large, L1 may be less than L2.

[0048] It should be noted that the cover 500, which is disassembled using the above method, can not only clean the dust collection box 600, but also repair the components located under the cover 500, making it very practical.

[0049] As described above, the cleaning equipment also includes the aforementioned detection device. The detection module of the detection device movably passes through the cover 500, positioning itself at a first detection position, a second detection position, or between the first and second detection positions. In some embodiments, the first detection position is above the cover 500, and the second detection position is below or equal to the cover 500. When the detection module is in the second detection position, it faces the operating space 403, meaning the detection module 200 can scan environmental information through the operating space 403 to facilitate the operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0050] Referring to Figures 6-8, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the cover 500 is provided with a through hole 1102 for the detection module 200 of the detection device to pass through. In some embodiments, the recess 401 extends to the bottom of the operating space 403 so that when the detection module is in the second detection position, the detection module can scan environmental information through the maximized operating space 403 to serve the operation of the cleaning equipment.

[0051] Based on the cleaning device 30 described above, this disclosure also provides a cleaning system 10. As shown in FIG10, the cleaning system 10 includes a base station 20 used in conjunction with the cleaning device 30 described above.

[0052] The cleaning system equipped with the aforementioned cleaning devices can prevent damage to the detection module 200 caused by collisions with obstacles along the path of the cleaning device, thus ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning device. In some embodiments, the cover 500 can also be quickly removed for easy cleaning of the dust collection box 600, improving the user experience.

[0053] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0054] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” and “counterclockwise” indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this disclosure.

[0055] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0056] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this disclosure is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this disclosure, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0057] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cleaning device, comprising: A housing, wherein an operating space is provided on the periphery of the housing; as well as A cover body, detachably connected to the housing, wherein the periphery of the cover body has a force-bearing portion at a corresponding position in the operating space, the force-bearing portion being higher than the bottom of the operating space; The operating space facilitates the application of a tool or finger to the force-bearing portion to separate the cover from the housing.

2. The cleaning equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The operating space extends to the top surface of the housing.

3. The cleaning equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The distance from the force-bearing part to the bottom of the operating space is L1, and the distance from the force-bearing part to the top of the periphery of the housing is L2, wherein L1 > L2.

4. The cleaning equipment according to claim 3, wherein, The cover is disposed on the inner top edge of the housing.

5. The cleaning equipment according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising: A detection device, mounted on the host, includes a detection module facing the operating space.

6. The cleaning equipment according to claim 5, wherein, The top of the housing is provided with a recess that is adapted to the cover for engaging the cover. The recess extends to the periphery of the housing, and the detection device is mounted in the recess.

7. The cleaning equipment according to claim 6, wherein, The recess extends to the bottom of the operating space.

8. The cleaning equipment according to claim 5, wherein, The detection device includes: a drive mechanism with a liftable output section, and the detection module is connected to the output section of the drive mechanism.

9. The cleaning equipment according to claim 8, wherein, The detection device further includes: A position confirmation device is used to confirm that the detection module is in the first detection position or the second detection position.

10. A cleaning system comprising a base station used in conjunction with the cleaning equipment as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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