CN114869182A

CN114869182A - Surface cleaning apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN114869182A
Application number: CN202210658188.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑悦; 刘煜; 唐成; 段飞
Original assignee: Beijing Shunzao Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Shunzao Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-10
Filing date: 2022-06-10
Publication date: 2022-08-09

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus comprising: a first cleaning medium reservoir; a second cleaning medium storage; cleaning the base; a recovery storage unit; a suction device; a power source device; a fluid dispensing system; and a controller controlling the fluid dispensing system to selectively provide a first cleaning medium and/or a second cleaning medium to the cleaning base and/or a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base for operation of the surface cleaning apparatus in a liquid cleaning mode and/or a foam cleaning mode; wherein the cleaning medium outlet comprises at least one foam outlet on the agitator of the cleaning base and at least one liquid outlet on or located adjacent the agitator of the cleaning base, such that the first cleaning medium stored in the first cleaning medium reservoir is discharged from the liquid outlet and the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium reservoir is discharged from the foam outlet.

Description

Surface cleaning apparatus

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a surface cleaning apparatus.

Background

The prior art surface cleaning apparatus requires complete wetting of the floor being cleaned during use, and a large amount of cleaning liquid needs to be applied to the floor for this purpose. By wetting the hard floor surface, the cleaning head allows dust to be transferred from the floor to the cleaning liquid, which is then removed from the hard floor surface and retained in the recovery tank as contaminated cleaning liquid.

Wet surface cleaners generally comprise: a supply tank containing a cleaning solution; and a recovery tank for recovering the contaminants recovered from the cleaned floor; a motor driven vacuum source to create an evacuated flow path from the floor being cleaned to the recovery tank; a rechargeable battery to provide power to the components; and a base station for charging and post-cleaning maintenance.

Efforts have been made to further improve the cleaning function of wet surface cleaning devices to cope with harsh environments.

For example, PCT/CN2022/087954 describes a cleaning device control method and cleaning device having a built-in thermal medium storage chamber for enhancing the cleaning ability of hard stains on a floor by applying heated cleaning solution to the surface to be cleaned.

The hard floor cleaners of the prior art require a high volume of cleaning solution due to the different dirt adhesion on the floor, to handle the soiled cleaning solution multiple times for a given job, and to refill the cleaning solution, so the job interruption time becomes long. This refilling typically involves filling the solution tank by hand and, in addition, to further enhance the cleaning effect, adding a step of mixing with a cleaning agent or chemical agent to form a cleaning solution. Mixing the cleaning solution by hand takes time and may cause errors in the detection of the water level in the supply tank or the recovery tank due to foaming.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a first cleaning medium storage for storing a first cleaning medium;

a second cleaning medium storage for storing a second cleaning medium;

a cleaning base for contacting an ambient environment and capable of performing a cleaning operation on a surface to be cleaned of the ambient environment based on at least a first cleaning medium provided by the first cleaning medium reservoir and/or a second cleaning medium provided by a second cleaning medium reservoir;

a recovery storage part for recovering and storing the waste liquid after cleaning the surface to be cleaned;

a suction device in fluid communication with the recovery storage portion and the cleaning base and capable of generating a suction airflow, the recovery storage portion for storing waste liquid recovered from the surface to be cleaned based on the suction airflow;

a power source device that at least powers the suction device;

a fluid distribution system comprising a cleaning media output port; wherein the first cleaning medium reservoir applies its stored first cleaning medium in liquid form to the cleaning base and/or to a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base by means of the fluid dispensing system; the second cleaning medium reservoir applies the second cleaning medium stored therein to the cleaning base and/or to a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base in the form of foam by the fluid dispensing system; and

a controller to control the fluid dispensing system to selectively provide a first cleaning medium and/or a second cleaning medium to the cleaning base and/or a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base for operation of the surface cleaning apparatus in a liquid cleaning mode and/or a foam cleaning mode;

wherein the cleaning medium outlet comprises at least one foam outlet on the agitator of the cleaning base and at least one liquid outlet on or located adjacent the agitator of the cleaning base, such that the first cleaning medium stored in the first cleaning medium reservoir is discharged from the liquid outlet and the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium reservoir is discharged from the foam outlet.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the foam outlet and the liquid outlet share an outlet on the agitator of the cleaning base.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the foam outlet is located on the agitator differently than the liquid outlet.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the foam outlet and the liquid outlet are spaced apart in the axial and/or circumferential direction of the agitator.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fluid dispensing system includes a first pump assembly located between the liquid outlet and a first cleaning medium reservoir and a second pump assembly located between the foam outlet and a second cleaning medium reservoir.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller is for controlling the opening and closing of the first pump assembly and for controlling the opening and closing of the second pump assembly.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller controls the first and second pump assemblies such that the first and second pump assemblies are not simultaneously open.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first and/or second pump assemblies are located in a main body portion or cleaning base of the surface cleaning apparatus.

According to the surface cleaning device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fluid distribution system further comprises a solenoid valve which is arranged in the connecting line between the first pump assembly and the liquid outlet and which controls the on-off of the solenoid valve to realize the output and the off-off of the liquid.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the surface cleaning apparatus comprises: a detergent pump and a foam generator, wherein the detergent pump is connected to the second cleaning medium storage and is used for inputting the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium storage to the foam generator, the foam generator is used for receiving the second cleaning medium, foam is formed in the foam generator in a mode of disturbing the second cleaning medium, and the foam is output through an outlet of the foam generator.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first pump assembly is further configured to provide a first cleaning medium to the foam generator.

According to the surface cleaning apparatus of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a volume ratio of the first cleaning medium and the second cleaning medium is 1000:1 to 100:1 within the bubble generator.

A surface cleaning apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, further comprising:

and the foaming operating mechanism is triggered to switch the liquid cleaning mode and the foam cleaning mode.

According to the surface cleaning apparatus of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second cleaning medium reservoir is provided to a main body portion or a cleaning base of the surface cleaning apparatus.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the surface cleaning apparatus includes a wastewater tank, and a liquid level detection device is provided in the wastewater tank and is configured to detect a liquid level position of liquid in the wastewater tank.

According to the surface cleaning apparatus of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid level detection device includes a float that floats on the liquid of the wastewater tank and obtains a liquid level position of the liquid of the wastewater tank according to a position of the float.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure with portions of the structure removed.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic structural views of a handle portion of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 is a schematic structural view of a cleaning base of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of an agitator cleaning a base according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a rotating roller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a surface cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The reference numbers in the figures are in particular:

100 handle part

110 handle part

111 on-off operation mechanism

112 cleaning mode operating mechanism

113 water supply operation mechanism

114 self-cleaning operating mechanism

115 foaming operation mechanism

116 grip part

120 connecting rod

200 main body part

310 first cleaning medium storage

320 second cleaning medium reservoir

400 recovery storage unit

500 connecting part

600 cleaning base

610 stirring apparatus

611 foam outlet

612 liquid outlet

615 rotating roller

616 cleaning elements

617 entrance

618 hole

620 driving device

700 fluid dispensing system

710 first pump assembly

720 solenoid valve

730 second pump assembly

731 entrance part

732 outlet part

800 suction device.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only the portions relevant to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings.

It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present disclosure may be combined with each other without conflict. Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with embodiments.

Unless otherwise indicated, the illustrated exemplary embodiments/examples are to be understood as providing exemplary features of various details of some ways in which the technical concepts of the present disclosure may be practiced. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, features of the various embodiments may be additionally combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the drawings is generally used to clarify the boundaries between adjacent components. As such, unless otherwise noted, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading does not convey or indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material property, size, proportion, commonality between the illustrated components and/or any other characteristic, attribute, property, etc., of a component. Further, in the drawings, the size and relative sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. While example embodiments may be practiced differently, the specific process sequence may be performed in a different order than that described. For example, two processes described consecutively may be performed substantially simultaneously or in reverse order to that described. In addition, like reference numerals denote like parts.

When an element is referred to as being "on" or "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. However, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. For purposes of this disclosure, the term "connected" may refer to physically, electrically, etc., and may or may not have intermediate components.

For descriptive purposes, the present disclosure may use spatially relative terms such as "below … …," below … …, "" below … …, "" below, "" above … …, "" above, "" … …, "" higher, "and" side (e.g., as in "sidewall") to describe one component's relationship to another (other) component as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below … …" can encompass both an orientation of "above" and "below". Further, the devices may be otherwise positioned (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" and variations thereof are used in this specification, the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof are stated but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and other similar terms are used as approximate terms and not as degree terms, and as such, are used to interpret inherent deviations in measured values, calculated values, and/or provided values that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure with portions of the structure removed.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure includes a handle portion 100, a main body portion 200, a first cleaning medium storage 310, a second cleaning medium storage 320, a recovery storage portion 400, a connecting portion 500, and a cleaning base 600.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the handle part 100 may include a handle part 110 and a connection bar 120 connected to the handle part 110. The handle portion 110 is for holding by a user to operate the surface cleaning apparatus.

An on/off operating mechanism 111 and/or a cleaning mode operating mechanism 112 may be provided on the handle portion 110, whereby the on/off operating mechanism 111 and/or the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112 can be conveniently triggered when the surface cleaning apparatus is in use by a user. When the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure is used, a user can turn on or off the surface cleaning apparatus by pressing the on/off operation mechanism 111 for a long time, and in a preferred embodiment, when the time for pressing the on/off operation mechanism 111 is more than 3 seconds, an on/off signal is generated, and the surface cleaning apparatus is turned on or off according to the on/off signal, so as to prevent the user from turning on or off the surface cleaning apparatus by mistake.

The user can switch the cleaning mode by activating the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112, which in one embodiment includes a liquid cleaning mode and a foam cleaning mode, and accordingly, when activating the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112, the current liquid cleaning mode can be changed to the foam cleaning mode or the current foam cleaning mode can be changed to the liquid cleaning mode. The liquid cleaning mode and the foam cleaning mode will be described in detail below.

Further, the handle portion 110 may further include a water supply operation mechanism 113, the water supply operation mechanism 113 and the on/off operation mechanism 111 may be disposed apart from each other, and accordingly, the water supply operation mechanism 113 and the cleaning mode operation mechanism 112 may also be disposed apart from each other, so that the user may not trigger the on/off operation mechanism 111 and/or the cleaning mode operation mechanism 112 by mistake when triggering the water supply operation mechanism 113. In the present disclosure, the surface cleaning apparatus and the base station can be fluidly coupled to each other when the user triggers the water feed operating mechanism 113, for example, the base station can provide cleaning liquid to the surface cleaning apparatus or the base station can draw liquid from the surface cleaning apparatus back to the base station.

In one embodiment, the handle portion 110 is further provided with a self-cleaning operating mechanism 114, the self-cleaning operating mechanism 114 and the on-off operating mechanism 111 are disposed away from each other, and correspondingly, the self-cleaning operating mechanism 114 and the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112 can also be disposed away from each other, so that a user does not accidentally trigger the on-off operating mechanism 111 and/or the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112 when triggering the self-cleaning operating mechanism 114. In the present disclosure, the cleaning base 600 of the surface cleaning apparatus is self-cleaning when a user triggers the self-cleaning operating mechanism 114.

That is, in the present disclosure, the on/off operation mechanism 111 and the cleaning mode operation mechanism 112 may be adjacently disposed, and accordingly, the water supply operation mechanism 113 and the self-cleaning operation mechanism 114 may be adjacently disposed.

In a preferred embodiment, the water feed operation 113 and the self-cleaning operation 114 are located on top of the handle portion 110 with the surface cleaning apparatus in an upright position; on the other hand, the handle portion 110 includes a grip portion 116, and when the surface cleaning apparatus is in use, the user holds the grip portion 116, and the water supply operation mechanism 113 and the self-cleaning operation mechanism 114 are located at one end of the grip portion and may be located behind the user's hand; the on/off operating mechanism 111 and the cleaning mode operating mechanism 112 are located at the other end of the grip portion and may be located in front of the user's hand.

In the present disclosure, the handle portion 110 may further be provided with a foaming operation mechanism 115, and the foaming operation mechanism 115 may be disposed at a position where a thumb or an index finger of a user is convenient to operate when operating the surface cleaning apparatus. For example, the foaming operation mechanism 115 may be a mechanically-triggered resettable switch and may be disposed below the grip portion 116, and when a user triggers the foaming operation mechanism 115, foam may be output to the surface to be cleaned through the cleaning base 600.

In another embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus may include a contamination sensor for detecting a degree of cleanliness of the surface to be cleaned, and the foam cleaning mode may be automatically activated when the degree of cleanliness of the surface to be cleaned detected by the contamination sensor is less than a predetermined value, that is, the surface to be cleaned is relatively dirty.

In the present disclosure, at least one of the on/off operation mechanism 111, the cleaning mode operation mechanism 112, the water feed operation mechanism 113, the self-cleaning operation mechanism 114, and/or the foaming operation mechanism 115 is triggered by touching, pressing, or pushing.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the handle part 100 is connected with the main body part 200, and specifically, the connecting rod 120 can be connected with the upper end of the main body part 200, so that when the handle part 110 is operated by a user, the main body part 200 can be in an inclined state or an upright state, and when the main body part is in the inclined state, the surface cleaning apparatus can be in a working state; the surface cleaning apparatus is in a closed position when the surface cleaning apparatus is in an upright position.

The main body portion 200 is formed as a main frame of the surface cleaning apparatus, and a lower end of the main body portion 200 is connected to the cleaning base 600 through a connection portion 500. The connection part 500 may be a hollow structure, and air, fluid communication, and lines and the like required for power supply and the like between the main body part 200 and the cleaning base 600 such as the floor brush may be implemented through the connection part 500, so that power supply, circulation of air and/or liquid, and the like may be implemented between the main body part 200 and the cleaning base 600 via wires and/or pipes passing through the connection part 500.

In one embodiment, the connecting portion 500 may include a universal joint to enable the main body portion 200 to be rotatable in two directions relative to the cleaning base 600; in another embodiment, the connection part 500 may include a polyaxial joint that may couple the main body part 200 with the cleaning base 600 so as to allow the main body part 200 to rotate in the first and second directions with respect to the cleaning base 600.

An accommodation space is formed at a side portion of the main body 200 such that the first cleaning medium reservoir 310, the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 and the recovery storage part 400 can be disposed at the main body 200 and positioned in the accommodation space.

In one embodiment, the first cleaning medium storage 310 is used for storing a first cleaning medium, which is a liquid cleaning medium, such as clean water, tap water, or clean water and tap water mixed with a cleaning agent.

Accordingly, the second cleaning medium storage 320 is used to store a second cleaning medium, which may be a surfactant or the like, thereby enabling the formation of foam by the second cleaning medium.

In one embodiment, the first and second cleaning media reservoirs 310 and 320 can provide the first and second cleaning media to the cleaning base 600 or a surface to be cleaned near the cleaning base 600 through the fluid distribution system 700.

In particular, the fluid distribution system 700 may comprise a cleaning medium output, wherein the first cleaning medium reservoir 310 applies its stored first cleaning medium in liquid form to the cleaning base 600 and/or to a nearby surface to be cleaned of the cleaning base 600 by the fluid distribution system 700; the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 applies its stored second cleaning medium in the form of a foam to the cleaning base 600 and/or to a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base 600 by the fluid dispensing system 700.

Figure 5 is a schematic structural view of a cleaning base of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of an agitator cleaning a base according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a rotating roller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one implementation, as shown in fig. 5 to 7, the cleaning medium delivery outlet includes at least one foam outlet 611 on the agitator 610 of the cleaning base 600, and at least one liquid outlet 612 on or disposed adjacent to the agitator 610 of the cleaning base 600, such that the first cleaning medium stored in the first cleaning medium reservoir 310 is discharged from the liquid outlet 612 and the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 is discharged from the foam outlet 611.

In a particular embodiment, the foam outlet 611 shares an outlet on the agitator 610 of the cleaning base 600 with the liquid outlet 612; thus, a first cleaning medium can be delivered in liquid form through the outlet on the agitator 610 when the surface cleaning apparatus is operating in the liquid cleaning mode, and correspondingly, a second cleaning medium can be delivered in foam form when the surface cleaning apparatus is operating in the foam cleaning mode.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the appropriate amount of the first cleaning medium can also be delivered when the second cleaning medium is being delivered, thereby delivering a rarer foam outward at the outlet of the agitator 610.

On the other hand, the foam outlet 611 is located differently from the liquid outlet 612 on the agitator 610; when the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure is operated in the liquid cleaning mode, the first cleaning medium can be output in the form of liquid through the liquid outlet 612, and accordingly, when the surface cleaning apparatus is operated in the foam cleaning mode, the second cleaning medium can be output in the form of foam through the foam outlet 611, whereby the liquid output line and the foam output line can be formed as independent lines.

Further, when the foam outlet 611 and the liquid outlet 612 are formed as separate outlets, the foam outlet 611 and the liquid outlet 612 are spaced apart in the axial and/or circumferential direction of the agitator 610.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a surface cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the fluid dispensing system 700 may include a first pump assembly 710, the first pump assembly 710 being positioned between the liquid outlet 612 and the first cleaning medium reservoir 310 to output the first cleaning medium in the first cleaning medium reservoir 310 to the liquid outlet 612 after being pressurized by the first pump assembly 710. In one embodiment, the first pump assembly 710 may be selected to be a peristaltic pump such that the first pump assembly 710 is capable of shutting off the supply of fluid from the first cleaning medium reservoir 310 to the liquid outlet 612 in a closed state.

In the present disclosure, the fluid distribution system 700 may further include a solenoid valve 720, wherein the solenoid valve 720 is disposed on the connection line between the first pump assembly 710 and the liquid outlet 612, and the output and the closing of the liquid are achieved by controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 720.

More preferably, the fluid dispensing system 700 further comprises a second pump assembly 730, the second pump assembly 730 being located between the foam outlet 611 and the second cleaning medium reservoir 320, whereby when the second pump assembly 730 is in an operative state, the second cleaning medium in the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 can be formed into a foam state and the second cleaning medium in the foam state can be output to the foam outlet 611.

In one embodiment, the second pump assembly 730 is formed as a foam pump including a detergent pump connected to the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 for inputting the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 to a foam generator for receiving the second cleaning medium and in which foam is formed by disturbing the second cleaning medium and is output through an outlet of the foam generator, and further, flows to the foam outlet 611, i.e., flows out from the foam outlet 611.

Thus, in the present disclosure, the surface to be cleaned can be wetted by the foam formed by the second cleaning medium, so that the amount of the second cleaning medium used is small, the amount of residue remaining on the hard surface to be cleaned can be effectively reduced, the waste of the cleaning agent can be reduced, and the interval between two times of adding the cleaning agent can be prolonged.

In the present disclosure, the controller controls the fluid dispensing system 700 to selectively provide a first cleaning medium and/or a second cleaning medium to the cleaning base 600 and/or a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base 600, such that the surface cleaning apparatus operates in a liquid cleaning mode and/or a foam cleaning mode.

Specifically, the controller is used to control the opening and closing of the first pump assembly 710 and to control the opening and closing of the second pump assembly 730, and selectively switches between the liquid cleaning mode and the foam cleaning mode by controlling the opening and closing of the first pump assembly 710 and the opening and closing of the second pump assembly 730.

Preferably, the first pump assembly 710 and the second pump assembly 730 are not simultaneously activated; thereby enabling the surface cleaning apparatus to be selectively operated in a liquid cleaning mode and a foam cleaning mode.

In the present disclosure, the first pump assembly 710 may be located in the body portion 200 or the cleaning base 600 of the surface cleaning apparatus, and preferably, the first pump assembly 710 is located in the body portion 200 of the surface cleaning apparatus; in another aspect, the second pump assembly 730 may be located in the main body 200 or the cleaning base 600 of the surface cleaning apparatus, and preferably, the second pump assembly 730 is located in the cleaning base 600 of the surface cleaning apparatus.

The cleaning base 600 is configured to contact an ambient environment and is capable of performing a cleaning operation on a surface to be cleaned of the ambient environment based on at least a first cleaning medium provided from the first cleaning medium storage 310 and/or a second cleaning medium provided from the second cleaning medium storage 320.

That is, the cleaning base 600 can be formed as a cleaning head device of a surface cleaning apparatus and clean a surface to be cleaned by the contact of the cleaning base 600 with the surface to be cleaned.

In one embodiment, the second pump assembly 730 may be located in a cleaning base and has an inlet portion 731 for receiving a second cleaning medium or mixed liquid (e.g., a mixed liquid of a second cleaning medium and water, etc.) and an outlet portion 732 for outputting foam and may be coupled to the foam outlet 611.

In this cleaning base, the agitator 610 is formed as a roller brush and is rotatable along its axial center line, for example, the agitator 610 is driven to rotate by a driving means 620, in a preferred embodiment, the driving means 620 may be a motor, and the agitator 610 is driven to rotate by a belt drive.

In the present disclosure, the agitator 610 may include a rotating roller 615 and cleaning members 616 located outside the rotating roller 615, and cleaning of the surface to be cleaned is achieved by frictional contact of the cleaning members 616 with the surface to be cleaned.

The rotating roller 615 can be driven to rotate by a driving device 620, in the present disclosure, an inlet opening 617 may be formed at one end of the rotating roller 615, and the inlet opening 617 can allow a first cleaning medium in a liquid form or a second cleaning medium in a foam form to enter; in one implementation, the inlet port 617 may be provided with two ducts to simultaneously input the first cleaning medium in a liquid form or the second cleaning medium in a foam form to the inside of the rotating roller 615.

A hole 618 formed on the surface of the rotating roller 615, which may be formed as a cleaning medium output port, and in one embodiment, the hole may discharge both a first cleaning medium in a liquid form and a second cleaning medium in a foam form; in another embodiment, a portion of the holes are used to discharge the first cleaning medium in a liquid form and a portion of the holes are used to discharge the second cleaning medium in a foam form.

Of course, the holes of the surface of the rotating roller 615 of the present disclosure may be used only to discharge the second cleaning medium in the form of foam, and the cleaning medium outlet port discharging the first cleaning medium in the form of liquid may be located behind the agitator 610 instead of on the agitator 610.

In a preferred embodiment, the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 may be provided not in the main body 200 but in the cleaning base 600, thereby making it possible to make a pipe between the second cleaning medium reservoir 320 and the foam outlet sufficiently short and thus make the second cleaning medium stored in the pipe sufficiently small, reducing waste of the second cleaning medium.

The second cleaning medium reservoir 320 may be a device having a fixed volume, for example, a box-shaped container formed of a material such as plastic, or may be a device having a variable container, for example, a bag-shaped container, and in this case, when the amount of the second cleaning medium stored in the bag-shaped container is large, the bag-shaped container has a large volume; on the other hand, when the bag-like container stores a smaller amount of the second cleaning medium, the bag-like container has a smaller volume.

The recycling storage part 400 is used for recycling and storing the waste liquid after cleaning the surface to be cleaned; the suction device 800 is in fluid communication with the recovery storage part 400 and the cleaning base 600, and is capable of generating a suction airflow, the recovery storage part 400 being for storing waste liquid recovered from the surface to be cleaned based on the suction airflow; that is, the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure achieves the recovery of waste liquid by the principle of negative pressure adsorption.

When the surface cleaning apparatus is operating in the foam cleaning mode, the suction device 800 may not be activated at this time, considering that there is less foam remaining on the floor; alternatively, when the user first performs a cleaning job of the surface to be cleaned for the first time through the foam cleaning mode and then performs a cleaning job of the surface to be cleaned for the second time through the foam cleaning mode and the liquid cleaning mode, the suction device 800 may not be activated at the time of the cleaning job of the surface to be cleaned for the first time.

In the present disclosure, the surface cleaning apparatus may further comprise a power source device that provides power to at least the suction device 800; and the impeller of the pumping unit 800 is rotated by the power supplied from the power source unit to generate a negative pressure.

In the present disclosure, the recovery storage part 400 includes a sewage tank, and a liquid level detection device is provided in the sewage tank, and the liquid level detection device is used to detect a liquid level position of liquid in the sewage tank.

Considering that the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can operate in the foam cleaning mode, accordingly, a large amount of foam may exist in the recovery storage part 400, and at this time, if the liquid level detection device is provided in the form of a probe, the foam may make the probe misconducted.

Based on this, the liquid level detection device of the present disclosure includes a float that floats on the liquid of the wastewater tank and obtains a liquid level position of the liquid of the wastewater tank according to a position of the float; in a preferred embodiment, the float may be provided with a magnetic part capable of emitting a magnetic field outward, and a magnetic field detection device such as a reed switch is installed on an outer sidewall of the foul water tank to obtain a position of the float according to the position of the magnetic part and a liquid level position of the liquid in the foul water tank according to the position of the float.

The second cleaning medium may include components such as a surfactant, an abrasive, and a solvent, and may include, for example, one or more selected from an anionic surfactant, a non-anionic surfactant, and a cationic surfactant.

In one embodiment, the first pump assembly 710 is also used to provide the first cleaning medium to the foam generator, i.e., the first cleaning medium and the second cleaning medium can mix and form foam in the foam generator. Preferably, the volume ratio of the first cleaning medium to the second cleaning medium is 1000:1 to 100:1, and thus, when the surface cleaning apparatus is used by a user, the use time of the second cleaning medium can be extended and the frequency of adding the second cleaning medium can be reduced.

In addition, the foam formed by the method has less residual cleaning agent on the surface to be cleaned, and can remarkably improve the cleaning efficiency of stubborn stains.

In the description herein, reference to the description of the terms "one embodiment/mode," "some embodiments/modes," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment/mode or example is included in at least one embodiment/mode or example of the application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to be the same embodiment/mode or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments/modes or examples. Furthermore, the various embodiments/aspects or examples and features of the various embodiments/aspects or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without conflicting therewith.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present application, "plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments are provided merely for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other variations or modifications may occur to those skilled in the art, based on the foregoing disclosure, and are still within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a first cleaning medium storage for storing a first cleaning medium;

a second cleaning medium storage for storing a second cleaning medium;

a power source device that at least powers the suction device;

a controller that controls the fluid dispensing system to selectively provide a first cleaning medium and/or a second cleaning medium to the cleaning base and/or a surface to be cleaned in the vicinity of the cleaning base for operation of the surface cleaning apparatus in a liquid cleaning mode and/or a foam cleaning mode;

2. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the foam outlet and the liquid outlet share an outlet on the agitator of the cleaning base.

3. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the foam outlet is located differently on the agitator than the liquid outlet.

4. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the foam outlet and liquid outlet are spaced axially and/or circumferentially of the agitator.

5. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the fluid dispensing system comprises a first pump assembly located between the liquid outlet and a first cleaning medium reservoir and a second pump assembly located between the foam outlet and a second cleaning medium reservoir.

6. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controller is for controlling the opening and closing of the first pump assembly and for controlling the opening and closing of the second pump assembly.

7. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the controller controls the first and second pump assemblies such that they are not simultaneously on.

8. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the first and/or second pump assembly is located in the main body or cleaning base of the surface cleaning apparatus.

9. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the fluid distribution system further comprises a solenoid valve which is provided in the connecting line between the first pump assembly and the liquid outlet and which effects delivery and closure of the liquid by controlling the switching of the solenoid valve.

10. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the second pump assembly comprises: a detergent pump connected to the second cleaning medium reservoir for inputting the second cleaning medium stored in the second cleaning medium reservoir to a foam generator for receiving the second cleaning medium and in which foam is formed by disturbing the second cleaning medium and is output through an outlet of the foam generator;

optionally, the first pump assembly is further for providing a first cleaning medium to the foam generator;

optionally, within the foam generator, the first cleaning medium and the second cleaning medium are in a volume ratio of 1000:1 to 100: 1;

optionally, the method further comprises:

the foaming operation mechanism is triggered to switch a liquid cleaning mode and a foam cleaning mode;

optionally, the second cleaning medium reservoir is provided to the main body portion or the cleaning base of the surface cleaning apparatus;

optionally, the recovery storage part comprises a sewage tank, a liquid level detection device is arranged in the sewage tank, and the liquid level detection device is used for detecting the liquid level position of liquid in the sewage tank;

optionally, the liquid level detection device includes a float that floats on the liquid in the wastewater tank and obtains a liquid level position of the liquid in the wastewater tank according to a position of the float.