Fan and cleaning device

Abstract

A fan and a cleaning device. The fan comprises: a main body having an air inlet and an air outlet; a housing provided with a cavity used for accommodating the main body, the housing having an air discharge port in communication with the air outlet; a dual-air duct assembly, which is arranged adjacent to the housing and comprises a first air duct and a second air duct; and a rotary switching valve, which is arranged between the dual-air duct assembly and the main body and is used for selectively connecting one of the first air duct and the second air duct to the air inlet and the other to the air outlet by means of the rotation movement of the rotary switching valve itself, wherein the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve coincides with the axis of the air inlet of the main body. The cleaning device employs a single fan to achieve switching of the airflow path and direction of the fan, thereby saving the space occupied by the fan.

Description

Fans and cleaning equipment Cross-reference of related applications

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202423255277.7, filed on December 25, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of smart home technology, and more particularly to a fan and cleaning equipment. Background Technology

[0003] The emergence of intelligent cleaning equipment has greatly facilitated people's lives. Examples include floor scrubbers, vacuum cleaners, and sweepers. Generally, intelligent cleaning equipment has dust removal and sewage discharge modes. There are three main ways to discharge sewage: relying on the gravity of the sewage itself, using water in the storage tank for flushing, and relying on the pressure of the fan. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The disclosure section introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. This disclosure section is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solutions, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solutions.

[0005] To at least partially solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of this disclosure, a wind turbine is provided, comprising:

[0006] The main body has an air inlet and an air outlet;

[0007] The outer casing has a cavity for accommodating the main body, and the outer casing has an exhaust port communicating with the air outlet;

[0008] A dual-duct assembly, disposed adjacent to the housing, includes a first duct and a second duct; and

[0009] A rotary switching valve is disposed between the dual-duct assembly and the main body, and is used to selectively connect one of the first duct and the second duct to the air inlet and the other to the air outlet through its own rotational movement.

[0010] The rotation axis of the rotary switching valve coincides with the axis of the air inlet of the main body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotary switching valve is provided with a valve plate suction port and a valve plate discharge port, wherein the valve plate suction port is closer to the rotation axis than the valve plate discharge port; wherein the valve plate suction port is connected to the air inlet, and the valve plate discharge port is connected to the air outlet; wherein the first air duct is connected to the air inlet through the valve plate suction port, and the second air duct is connected to the air outlet through the valve plate discharge port; or the second air duct is connected to the air inlet through the valve plate suction port, and the first air duct is connected to the air outlet through the valve plate discharge port.

[0012] In some embodiments, the rotary switching valve includes a first valve plate and a second valve plate, wherein the first valve plate and the valve plate air intake are located on the same circumference, and the second valve plate and the valve plate air outlet are located on the same circumference;

[0013] Wherein, when the first air duct is connected to the air inlet and the second air duct is connected to the air outlet, the first valve plate blocks the connection between the second air duct and the air inlet, and the second valve plate blocks the connection between the first air duct and the air outlet; or

[0014] When the second air duct is connected to the air inlet and the first air duct is connected to the air outlet, the first valve plate blocks the connection between the first air duct and the air inlet, and the second valve plate blocks the connection between the second air duct and the air outlet.

[0015] In some embodiments, the circumference of the second valve plate is located outside the circumference of the first valve plate; wherein,

[0016] The valve plate's air intake is configured as a fan shape passing through the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve, and the valve plate's air outlet is configured as a fan-shaped annulus.

[0017] In some embodiments, a porous array is provided at one end of the housing near the rotary switching valve, and the porous array forms part of the exhaust port;

[0018] In this configuration, a portion of the porous array is blocked by the second valve plate, while the remaining portion of the porous array is connected to either the first or the second air duct through the air outlet of the valve plate.

[0019] In some embodiments, a drive assembly is further included, which is disposed on the housing and adjacent to the rotary switching valve; wherein the drive assembly is throttle-connected to the rotary switching valve and is used to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate, so as to connect the air inlet of the fan to the first air duct or the second air duct through the rotation of the rotary switching valve.

[0020] In some embodiments, an external gear is provided on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve;

[0021] The drive assembly includes a drive motor and a drive gear set. The drive motor is connected to the drive gear set, and the drive gear set meshes with an external gear on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve.

[0022] In some embodiments, the dual-duct assembly is provided with a rotating shaft, and the rotary switching valve is sleeved on the rotating shaft; wherein, a bearing is also sleeved on the rotating shaft, the inner ring of the bearing is connected to the rotating shaft, and the outer ring of the bearing is connected to the rotary switching valve.

[0023] In some embodiments, a seal is also included, the seal being disposed between the rotary switching valve and the dual-duct assembly.

[0024] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, the cleaning device including a controller, a blower and a wastewater tank, the blower including a dual-duct assembly, a rotary switching valve and a drive assembly, the first duct of the dual-duct assembly being connected to the wastewater tank, the second duct of the dual-duct assembly being connected to the outside atmosphere, the drive assembly being kinetically connected to the rotary switching valve, and the controller being communicatively connected to the drive assembly;

[0025] The controller is used to detect the working mode of the cleaning equipment and control the drive component to work according to the working mode, so as to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate to a preset position, so that the air inlet of the fan is connected to one of the first air duct and the second air duct, and the air outlet of the fan is connected to the other of the first air duct and the second air duct.

[0026] In some embodiments, the operating modes include a cleaning mode and a sewage discharge mode;

[0027] When the working mode is cleaning mode, the controller is used to control the drive component to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate to the first position, so that the air inlet of the fan is connected to the first air duct and the air outlet of the fan is connected to the second air duct.

[0028] When the working mode is the sewage discharge mode, the controller is used to control the drive component to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate to the second position, so that the air inlet of the fan is connected to the second air duct and the air outlet of the fan is connected to the first air duct.

[0029] Specific embodiments of this disclosure are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of this disclosure can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, embodiments of this disclosure include many changes, modifications, and equivalents. Features described and / or shown for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fan in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the main body and the outer casing of the fan in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dual-duct assembly in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fan in another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rotary switching valve in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the fan in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the fan in another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fan housing in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure label:

[0040] 1-Main body, 2-Outer shell, 3-Dual air duct assembly, 4-Rotary switching valve; 5-Drive assembly;

[0041] 11-Air inlet, 12-Air outlet;

[0042] 21 - Exhaust vent;

[0043] 31 - First air duct, 32 - Second air duct;

[0044] 41-Valve plate air intake, 42-Valve plate air outlet, 43-First valve plate, 44-Second valve plate. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0046] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the disclosure of the embodiments of this disclosure, the claims, and the accompanying drawings 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 orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or server that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0047] In the embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom" are generally used in relation to the direction shown in the accompanying drawings, or in relation to the component itself in the vertical, perpendicular, or gravitational direction; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself, but the above directional terms are not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terminology used herein is for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Terms such as “part” or “component” appearing herein can refer to a single part or a combination of multiple parts. Terms such as “installation” or “installation” appearing herein can refer to one component being directly attached to another component or one component being attached to another component via an intermediary. A feature described in one embodiment herein may be applied, alone or in combination with other features, to another embodiment, unless that feature is not applicable in that other embodiment or is otherwise specified.

[0049] Relying on gravity to discharge sewage is slow, and using water in a storage tank to accelerate sewage discharge would waste water resources. Using a blower to accelerate sewage discharge is undoubtedly the optimal solution among the three. However, since the blower's airflow direction is fixed, current intelligent cleaning equipment that can automatically perform both suction and discharge generally requires two blowers to complete the task, which occupies a large space and increases the overall cost of the machine.

[0050] Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved wind turbine structure to at least partially solve the above problems.

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a fan in one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, in some embodiments of this disclosure, a fan may be provided, which may include a main body 1, a housing 2, a dual-duct assembly 3, and a rotary switching valve 4. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the main body and housing of a fan in one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the main body 1 is provided with an air inlet 11 and an air outlet 12. The housing 2 is mainly used to house the main body 1 of the fan. The housing 2 has a cavity that can accommodate the main body 1, and the housing 2 is provided with an exhaust port 21 that can communicate with the air outlet 12 of the fan 1. As shown in Figure 1, the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 12 of the fan body 1 can be aligned in the same direction through the housing 2. As shown in Figure 1, the dual-duct assembly 3 is arranged adjacent to the housing 2. In some embodiments, the dual-duct assembly 3 may be arranged below the exhaust port 21 of the housing 2. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dual-duct assembly in one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the dual-duct assembly 3 may include a first duct 31 and a second duct 32. A rotary switching valve 4 is provided between the dual-duct assembly 3 and the main body 1. The rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4 coincides with the axis of the air inlet 11 of the fan. By rotating the rotary switching valve 4, the first air duct 31 of the dual-duct assembly 3 can be connected to the air inlet 11 and the second air duct 32 can be connected to the air outlet 21, or the first air duct 31 can be connected to the air outlet 21 and the second air duct 32 can be connected to the air inlet 11.

[0052] In other words, by rotating the rotary switching valve 4, the connection between the fan's inlet and outlet and which duct in the dual-duct assembly 3 is made can be controlled. This allows for changing the fan's airflow direction without requiring the fan to be moved. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the arrows indicate the flow direction of the fan's airflow. In Figure 1, the fan's inlet 11 is connected to the first duct 31, and the fan's outlet 21 is connected to the second duct 32. When the fan is operating, the airflow can flow from the first duct 31 through the inlet 11 to the outlet 12, and then through the outlet 21 to the second duct 32. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fan in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the direction of the arrow can indicate the flow direction of the fan's air path. In this embodiment, the air inlet 11 of the fan is connected to the second air duct 32, and the air outlet 21 of the fan is connected to the first air duct 31. When the fan is working, the air path can flow from the second air duct 32 through the air inlet 11 to the air outlet 12, and then through the air outlet 21 to the first air duct 31.

[0053] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the dual-duct assembly 3 is provided with a rotating shaft, and a bearing is sleeved on the rotating shaft. The inner ring of the bearing is connected to the rotating shaft, and the outer ring of the bearing is connected to the rotary switching valve. The rotating shaft of the rotary switching valve 4 is mounted on the dual-duct assembly 3. When the rotary switching valve 4 rotates around the rotating shaft, it changes the positional relationship between the structure on the rotary switching valve 4 and the dual-duct assembly 3, thereby changing the communication relationship between the first duct 31 and the second duct 32 on the dual-duct assembly 3 and the fan inlet 11 and outlet 21, thus changing the airflow direction of the fan. In some embodiments of this disclosure, a sealing element can also be provided between the rotary switching valve 4 and the dual-duct assembly 3 to ensure the fan's sealing performance.

[0054] The rotary switching valve 4 can be controlled manually or by using a drive assembly to control its rotation. In some embodiments, a knob can be provided on the rotary switching valve 4, allowing the user to manually control its rotation. Alternatively, a drive motor can be connected to the rotation shaft of the rotary switching valve 4, controlling its rotation through the motor's rotation. The specific method can be determined according to actual needs, and this disclosure does not impose any specific limitations.

[0055] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the rotary switching valve in one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the rotary switching valve 4 is provided with a valve plate suction port 41 and a valve plate outlet 42. The valve plate suction port 41 is closer to the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4 than the valve plate outlet 42. Generally, the air inlet 11 of the fan is located on the rotation axis of the fan. The rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4 coincides with the axis of the fan inlet. By placing the valve plate suction port 41 near the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4, it can be ensured that the valve plate suction port 41 is always connected to the air inlet 11 of the fan body 1. Placing the valve plate outlet 42 at a position relatively far from the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4 can prevent the valve plate outlet 42 from connecting with the air inlet 11. Simultaneously, the valve plate outlet 42 can be placed at a position that allows it to connect with the exhaust port 21.

[0056] The rotary switching valve 4 has its valve plate suction port 41 always connected to the air inlet 11, and its valve plate outlet 42 always connected to the air outlet 21. Since the rotary switching valve 4 is adjacent to the dual-duct assembly 3, rotating the rotary switching valve 4 can control the connection between the first duct 31 and the second duct 32 of the dual-duct assembly 3 and the valve plate suction port 41 and outlet 42, thereby changing the connection between the first duct 31 and the second duct 32 of the dual-duct assembly 3 and the air inlet 11 and outlet 21 of the fan. In some embodiments, rotating the rotary switching valve 4 can connect the first duct 31 to the valve plate suction port 41 and the second duct 32 to the valve plate outlet 42, or vice versa. Because the valve plate suction port 41 is connected to the air inlet 11 of the fan body 1, and the valve plate outlet 42 is connected to the exhaust port 21, when the first air duct 31 is connected to the valve plate suction port 41 and the second air duct 32 is connected to the valve plate outlet 42, the first air duct 31 is connected to the air inlet 11 through the valve plate suction port 41, and the second air duct 32 is connected to the exhaust port 21 through the valve plate outlet 42. Similarly, when the first air duct 31 is connected to the valve plate outlet 42 and the second air duct 32 is connected to the valve plate suction port 41, the first air duct 31 is connected to the exhaust port 21 through the valve plate outlet 42, and the second air duct 32 is connected to the air inlet 11 through the valve plate suction port 41.

[0057] The size and shape of the valve plate suction port 41 and valve plate outlet 42 can be set according to the size and shape of the first air duct 31, the second air duct 32, the air inlet 11, and the air outlet 21. This embodiment does not impose specific limitations. By setting the valve plate suction port 41 and valve plate outlet 42 on the rotary switching valve 4, the connection relationship between the first air duct 31 and the second air duct 32 of the dual air duct assembly 3 and the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 21 of the fan can be switched. The structure is simple and the fan airflow direction can be changed without changing the position of the fan.

[0058] In some embodiments of this disclosure, as shown in FIG5, the rotary switching valve 4 may further include a first valve plate 43 and a second valve plate 44, wherein the first valve plate 43 and the valve plate suction port 41 are located on the same circumference, and the second valve plate 44 and the valve plate outlet 42 are located on the same circumference. As shown in FIG5, taking a plane passing through the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4 as a dividing plane, the valve plate suction port 41 and the second valve plate 44 can be disposed on one side of the dividing plane, while the valve plate outlet 42 and the first valve plate 43 are disposed on the other side of the rotary switching valve 4. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the fan in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, when the first air duct 31 is connected to the air inlet 11 through the valve plate suction port 41 and the second air duct 32 is connected to the air outlet 21 through the valve plate outlet 42, the connection between the first air duct 31 and the air outlet 21 can be blocked by the second valve plate 44 on the same side as the valve plate suction port 41, and the connection between the second air duct 32 and the air inlet 11 can be blocked by the first valve plate 43 on the same side as the valve plate outlet 42. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the fan in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, similarly, when the first air duct 31 is connected to the air outlet 21 through the valve plate outlet 42 and the second air duct 32 is connected to the air inlet 11 through the valve plate suction port 41, the connection between the first air duct 31 and the air inlet 11 can be blocked by the first valve plate 43, and the connection between the second air duct 32 and the air outlet 21 can be blocked by the second valve plate 44. It can be seen that by cooperating with the first valve plate 43 and the second valve plate 44, the connection between the first air duct 31 and the second air duct 32 of the dual air duct assembly 3 and the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 21 of the fan can be switched, thereby controlling the direction of the fan's air path.

[0059] As shown in Figure 5, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the circumference of the second valve plate 44 is located outside the circumference of the first valve plate 43. Furthermore, the valve plate intake port 41 is configured as a sector passing through the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4, and the valve plate outlet port 42 is configured as a sector-shaped annulus. The central angle of the sector shapes of the valve plate intake port 41 and the valve plate outlet port 42 can be adjusted according to actual needs. In some embodiments, the central angle can be set to 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 80 degrees, 120 degrees, etc. The central angles of the sector shapes of the valve plate intake port 41 and the valve plate outlet port 42 can be the same or different. This disclosure does not specifically limit the size of the central angles of the sector shapes of the valve plate intake port 41 and the valve plate outlet port 42.

[0060] When selecting the rotary switching valve 4 to control the connection between the first air duct 31 and the second air duct 32 of the dual air duct assembly 3 and the air inlet 11 and air outlet 21 of the fan, the rotation angle can be determined based on the size of the central angle of the fan-shaped sector of the valve plate suction port 41 and the valve plate air outlet 42. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the valve plate suction port 41 can be set as a semicircle passing through the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve 4, while the valve plate air outlet 42 can be set as a semicircular ring. Rotating the rotary switching valve 4 by 180 degrees can change the airflow direction of the fan, which can ensure the ventilation volume and allow the first valve plate 43 and the second valve plate 44 to block the first air duct 31 or the second air duct 32. The operation is simple and the rotation position is relatively easy to determine.

[0061] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the fan housing in one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, a porous array can be provided at the end of the housing 2 adjacent to the rotary switching valve 4, i.e., the end where the exhaust port 21 is located. The porous array can be arranged in a ring shape at one end of the housing 2, and can serve as part of the exhaust port 21. This allows the housing 2 to both realize the exhaust function of the fan and accommodate the main body 1 of the fan. As shown in Figure 2, an air intake can be provided in the middle of the end of the housing 2 adjacent to the rotary switching valve 4. This air intake can be used to accommodate the air inlet 11 of the fan. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the porous array can be arranged in a ring around the air intake. As shown in Figures 6-8, a portion of the porous array is blocked by the second valve plate 44, and the remaining portion of the porous array is connected to the valve plate outlet 42 of the rotary switching valve 4. Through the valve plate outlet 42, this portion of the porous array can be connected to the first air duct 31 or the second air duct 32, thereby realizing the connection between the first air duct 31 or the second air duct 32 and the fan outlet.

[0062] As shown in Figure 4, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the fan may further include a drive assembly 5. The drive assembly 5 may be disposed near the rotary switching valve 4 on the housing 2. The drive assembly 5 is connected to the rotary switching valve 4 for driving the rotary switching valve 4 to rotate, thereby switching the connection between the air inlet 11 and the first air duct 31 or the second air duct 32, and changing the airflow direction of the fan. The drive assembly 5 can be selected according to actual needs, such as a mechanical transmission structure or a motor; this disclosure does not impose specific limitations.

[0063] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the drive assembly 5 may include a drive gear set and a drive motor. As shown in FIG5, an external gear is provided on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve 4. The drive gear set meshes with the external gear on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve 4. The drive motor is connected to the drive gear set. The drive motor drives the rotation of the external gear meshing with the drive gear set by controlling the rotation of the drive gear set, thereby driving the rotary switching valve 4 to rotate. Of course, other driving methods can also be selected according to actual needs, such as: the drive motor and a synchronous belt, or the drive motor and a friction belt, etc., or the rotary switching valve 4 can be directly connected to the motor, etc.

[0064] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a cleaning device, such as a floor scrubber, sweeper, or vacuum cleaner, may also be provided. This cleaning device may include a controller, a fan, and a wastewater tank. The fan may include a dual-duct assembly, a rotary switching valve, and a drive assembly. The structure and connection relationship of the dual-duct assembly, rotary switching valve, and drive assembly can be referred to the description in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here. As described in the above embodiments, the dual-duct assembly may include a first duct and a second duct. The first duct of the dual-duct assembly is connected to the wastewater tank of the cleaning device, and the second duct is connected to the outside atmosphere. The drive assembly may be drively connected to the rotary switching valve to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate. The controller may be communicatively connected to the drive assembly to control the drive assembly to drive the rotation of the rotary switching valve.

[0065] Specifically, when the cleaning equipment is working, the controller can detect the operating mode of the cleaning equipment and control the drive component to work according to the operating mode. Different operating modes can control the drive component to rotate the rotary switching valve to different preset positions, thereby connecting the air inlet of the fan to one of the first and second air ducts, and the air outlet of the fan to the other of the first and second air ducts, to meet the different airflow directions of the fan under different operating modes, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. This embodiment of the present disclosure can provide two flow directions for the fan airflow. The method by which the controller detects the operating mode of the cleaning equipment can be determined according to actual needs. For example, in the sewage discharge mode, the status of the cleaning equipment docking with the base station can be detected to identify whether it has entered the sewage discharge mode. Specifically, a sensor for identifying the docking status can be provided, such as a Hall effect sensor, or the status of the battery pack being electrically connected to the charging adapter of the base station can be detected. After determining that the equipment is located at the base station, the machine generally needs to perform self-cleaning and sewage discharge, while the cleaning equipment leaving the base station is generally in cleaning mode. Of course, other methods can also be used to detect the operating mode of the cleaning equipment according to actual use, and this embodiment of the present disclosure does not make specific limitations.

[0066] The specific structure of the cleaning equipment can be determined according to actual needs, and its working mode can be determined according to the cleaning process, such as a cleaning mode and a sewage discharge mode. The cleaning mode can include a vacuuming mode, a floor washing mode, etc. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the working mode of the cleaning equipment can include a cleaning mode and a sewage discharge mode, as shown in Figure 4. In Figure 4, the sewage tank of the cleaning equipment can be connected below the first air duct 31, and the second air duct 32 is connected to the external atmosphere. When the cleaning equipment is in cleaning mode, the controller can control the drive component to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate to the first position, so that the air inlet 11 of the fan is connected to the first air duct 31, and the air outlet 21 of the fan is connected to the second air duct 32. The specific airflow direction of the fan can be seen in Figure 4. This achieves the connection between the air inlet of the fan and the sewage tank, so that when the fan rotates, the fan forms a negative pressure, and the suction connects to the sewage tank, thereby sucking the dirt into the sewage tank, achieving the cleaning function. As shown in Figure 1, a wastewater tank of the cleaning equipment can be connected below the first air duct 31. The second air duct 32 is connected to the outside atmosphere. When the controller detects that the working mode of the cleaning equipment is the sewage discharge mode, the controller can control the drive component to drive the rotary switching valve to rotate to the second position, so that the air inlet 11 of the blower is connected to the second air duct 32 and the air outlet 21 of the blower is connected to the first air duct 31, thereby making the air inlet 11 of the blower connected to the outside atmosphere. When the blower rotates, the first air duct connected to the wastewater tank generates positive pressure, thereby generating a sewage discharge force into the wastewater tank and discharging the wastewater in the wastewater tank.

[0067] Furthermore, cleaning equipment may involve multiple workflows under different operating modes. Some workflows require sewage discharge or suction, while others do not. The usage requirements of the cleaning equipment can be determined based on the workflows within each operating mode, thereby determining the airflow direction of the blower and adjusting the rotary switching valve to meet the needs of different workflows. For example, self-cleaning typically includes a washing stage, a sewage discharge stage, and a drying stage. Depending on whether the remaining space in the sewage tank is sufficient for a complete self-cleaning process, multiple sewage discharges may be necessary, or a sequence of sewage discharge, washing, sewage discharge, and finally drying may be required. Only when sewage discharge is needed should the blower be controlled to generate positive pressure, creating a force to drain the sewage from the tank. The washing and drying processes can be set to negative pressure mode to draw water from components such as the cleaning rollers into the sewage tank. Therefore, the blower's airflow direction can be switched by controlling the motor-driven rotary switching valve according to the specific workflow of the cleaning equipment, meeting the needs of different workflows. Multiple switches may be required within a single operating mode. In some embodiments, in a self-cleaning and sewage discharge mode, the process of switching the airflow direction of the cleaning equipment's fan may include: after detecting that the cleaning equipment is connected to the base station, switching the fan control to rotate the switching valve, so that the fan changes from negative pressure to positive pressure, and immediately performing a sewage discharge; then, the fan switches to negative pressure to start cleaning; then, the fan switches to positive pressure to discharge sewage again; then, the fan switches to negative pressure to absorb some of the heat during drying, drying the roller brush while drying the sewage suction pipe and sewage tank.

[0068] The cleaning equipment provided in this embodiment achieves the following: in cleaning mode, the fan is connected to the sewage tank under negative pressure, and the sewage tank is under negative pressure to suck up dirt; in sewage discharge mode, the fan is connected to the outside atmosphere under negative pressure, and the sewage tank is under positive pressure to discharge dirt. It can meet the airflow direction requirements of different working modes of the cleaning equipment without the need for multiple motors, thus saving the overall space of the cleaning equipment.

[0069] The fan and cleaning equipment provided in this disclosure have the following technical effects:

[0070] The fan provided in this embodiment includes a main body, a housing for fixing and accommodating the main body, a dual-duct assembly, and a rotary switching valve. The dual-duct assembly includes two ducts: a first duct and a second duct. The rotary switching valve is disposed between the dual-duct assembly and the main body. By rotating the rotary switching valve, one of the first and second ducts can be connected to the fan's air inlet, while the other duct is connected to the fan's air outlet. This allows for two airflow directions: either air enters the air inlet through the first duct and exits through the second duct, or air enters the air inlet through the second duct and exits through the first duct. A single fan can change the airflow direction, saving space and providing technical support for different cleaning modes of subsequent cleaning equipment.

[0071] Obviously, the embodiments described above are merely some, and not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications without creative effort, and all such variations should fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0072] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the embodiments of this disclosure that follow the general principles of the embodiments of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The disclosure and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the embodiments of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0073] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from their scope. The scope of the embodiments disclosed herein is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fan, characterized in that, include: The main body (1) has an air inlet (11) and an air outlet (12); The outer casing (2) has a cavity for accommodating the main body (1) and an exhaust port (21) communicating with the air outlet (12); A dual-air duct assembly (3), wherein the dual-air duct assembly (3) is disposed adjacent to the housing (2), and includes a first air duct (31) and a second air duct (32); and A rotary switching valve (4) is disposed between the dual air duct assembly (3) and the main body (1) for selectively connecting one of the first air duct (31) and the second air duct (32) to the air inlet (11) and the other to the air outlet (21) through its own rotational movement. The rotation axis of the rotary switching valve (4) coincides with the axis of the air inlet (11) of the main body (1).

2. The fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary switching valve (4) is provided with a valve plate air inlet (41) and a valve plate air outlet (42), wherein the valve plate air inlet (41) is closer to the rotation axis than the valve plate air outlet (42); wherein the valve plate air inlet (41) is connected to the air inlet (11), and the valve plate air outlet (42) is connected to the air outlet (21); wherein the first air duct (31) is connected to the air inlet (11) through the valve plate air inlet (41), and the second air duct (32) is connected to the air outlet (21) through the valve plate air outlet (42); or the second air duct (32) is connected to the air inlet (11) through the valve plate air inlet (41), and the first air duct (31) is connected to the air outlet (21) through the valve plate air outlet (42).

3. The fan according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotary switching valve includes a first valve plate (43) and a second valve plate (44). The first valve plate (43) and the valve plate air inlet (41) are located on the same circumference, and the second valve plate (44) and the valve plate air outlet (42) are located on the same circumference. Wherein, when the first air duct (31) is connected to the air inlet (11) and the second air duct (32) is connected to the air outlet (21), the first valve plate (43) blocks the connection between the second air duct (32) and the air inlet (11), and the second valve plate (44) blocks the connection between the first air duct (31) and the air outlet (21); or When the second air duct (32) is connected to the air inlet (11) and the first air duct (31) is connected to the air outlet (21), the first valve plate (43) blocks the connection between the first air duct (31) and the air inlet (11), and the second valve plate (44) blocks the connection between the second air duct (32) and the air outlet (21).

4. The fan according to claim 3, characterized in that, The circumference of the second valve plate (44) is located outside the circumference of the first valve plate (43); wherein, The valve plate air intake (41) is configured as a fan shape passing through the rotation axis of the rotary switching valve (4), and the valve plate air outlet (42) is configured as a fan-shaped ring.

5. The fan according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, A porous array is provided at one end of the outer casing (2) near the rotary switching valve (4), and the porous array forms part of the exhaust port (21); Part of the porous array is blocked by the second valve plate (44), while the remaining part of the porous array is connected to the first air duct (31) or the second air duct (32) through the air outlet (42) of the valve plate.

6. The fan according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It also includes a drive assembly (5), which is disposed on the housing (2) and adjacent to the rotary switching valve (4); wherein the drive assembly (5) is connected to the rotary switching valve (4) for driving the rotary switching valve (4) to rotate, so as to connect the air inlet (11) of the fan to the first air duct (31) or the second air duct (32) through the rotation of the rotary switching valve (4).

7. The fan according to claim 6, characterized in that, An external gear is provided on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve (4); The drive assembly (5) includes a drive motor and a drive gear set. The drive motor is connected to the drive gear set, and the drive gear set meshes with the external gear on the outer wall of the rotary switching valve (4).

8. The fan according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The dual-duct assembly is provided with a rotating shaft, and the rotating switching valve (4) is sleeved on the rotating shaft; wherein, a bearing is also sleeved on the rotating shaft, the inner ring of the bearing is connected to the rotating shaft, and the outer ring of the bearing is connected to the rotating switching valve (4).

9. The fan according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes a seal, which is disposed between the rotary switching valve (4) and the dual air duct assembly.

10. A cleaning device, characterized in that, The cleaning equipment includes a controller, a blower, and a wastewater tank. The blower includes a dual-duct assembly, a rotary switching valve (4), and a drive assembly (5). The first duct (31) of the dual-duct assembly is connected to the wastewater tank, and the second duct (32) of the dual-duct assembly is connected to the outside atmosphere. The drive assembly (5) is driven by the rotary switching valve (4), and the controller is communicatively connected to the drive assembly (5). The controller is used to detect the working mode of the cleaning equipment and control the drive component (5) to work according to the working mode, so as to drive the rotary switching valve (4) to rotate to a preset position, so that the air inlet (11) of the fan is connected to one of the first air duct (31) and the second air duct (32), and the air outlet (21) of the fan is connected to the other of the first air duct (31) and the second air duct (32).

11. The cleaning equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that, The operating modes include cleaning mode and sewage discharge mode; When the working mode is the cleaning mode, the controller is used to control the drive component (5) to drive the rotary switching valve (4) to rotate to the first position, so that the air inlet (11) of the fan is connected to the first air duct (31) and the air outlet (21) of the fan is connected to the second air duct (32). When the working mode is the sewage discharge mode, the controller is used to control the drive component (5) to drive the rotary switching valve (4) to rotate to the second position, so that the air inlet (11) of the fan is connected to the second air duct (32) and the air outlet (21) of the fan is connected to the first air duct (31).

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